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General Hospital Spoilers: Worlds Collide With Shiloh, Ryan And Nelle – Evil Trio Turns Port Charles Upside Down
By Chrissie Marie Last updated Jun 19, 2019
1.2KFacebook
General Hospital (GH) spoilers tease that Shiloh Archer (Coby Ryan McLaughlin), Ryan Chamberlain (Jon Lindstrom), and Nelle Bensen’s (Chloe Lanier) worlds will collide and the three of them will take Port Charles by storm. During the week of June 17, the trio will form a connection and secrets will be exposed. It’s pretty clear that Shiloh’s investigation into where his son is will lead him straight to Nelle. Here’s what you need to know about what’s ahead on GH.
General Hospital Spoilers: World Are Going To Collide With All Of The Arrivals In Port Charles
One thing is sure, when someone is sent to Pentonville, they will probably run into a familiar face. It should come at no surprise that Nelle and Ryan ran into each other. GH spoilers shared that the duo began to compare notes. As it turns out, they had a lot in common – both duped out of a kidney and were tossed away by people they thought they could trust.
Chloe Lanier, the actress who plays Nelle, said, “When I get a new script, I almost always laugh. It’s almost hilarious and horribly cruel.” Lanier added that she cannot help but wonder what kind of trouble that the pair will get into together.
General Hospital Promo: Hot Summer Preview – Big Friz News – Corinthos Family Celebrates – Maxie And Peter’s Romance Heats Up
GH Spoilers: Willow Tait’s Great Fear Comes True
If anyone thinks that the threat that the Shiloh treat is gone, they would be sorely mistaken. General Hospital spoilers pointed out, Shiloh got Harmony Miller (Inga Cadranel)to take the wrap for his misdeeds. Now, the cult leader is free to stir up new trouble.
The one detail that not even Willow knows, is their child died and Nelle switch the babies. So, the child she thinks is her baby, he is Michael Corinthos’ (Chad Duell) son. It ‘s a scoop that will send everyone reeling – well everyone but Nelle and Brad Cooper (Parry Shen).
General Hospital Spoilers: Shiloh Archer’s On A Warpath
Even though Willow wants to protect Wiley from his perceived biological father, it will prove to be very difficult because Shiloh is determined t find his kid. And, the fans keep wondering what is driving his determination to find his son. And, when ABC Soaps In Depth asked Coby Ryan McLaughlin, Shiloh’s portrayer, why he is doing this, he wants the audience to draw their own conclusions as there are many ways it could be interpreted.
But what makes this story so compelling is that no one really knows the whole story. And, the story has so many layers. Yes, it is about a baby swap, but Nelle’s reason to switch the babies was not mean. She thought she was protecting her child.
This summer is bound to be hotter than ever. ☀️#GH pic.twitter.com/LoTjlGCIR4
And, then there’s the issue on Sam McCall) and Shiloh. The cult leader thinks that Sam is responsible for blowing up his life and he wants her to pay. Then, under all that, he is attracted to her and he thinks she deserves someone better than Jason Morgan (Steve Burton)—someone like him!
McLaughlin jokes, “It’s complicated! He wants to destroy Sam because she destroyed him. But he also wants to get closer to her and protect her, too. It’s a disaster.”
Chrissie Marie
Chrissie Marie is a 40 something writer who is obsessed with soap operas--especially B&B and Y&R. When not writing or watching soaps, she can be found at the gym or taking a walk. Chrissie says Target is her happy place.
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In responding to the concern about the lack of any obvious Harrow council plans to help and support the residents who are or will be in the government imposed Corona isolation, Paul Hewitt, corporate director people services, simply said “We are taking very seriously our public service duties in this matter”.
On further enquiry to understand what “seriously” means, the council press office sent a link to the Harrow council leader’s generic statement about the Coronavirus which contains a link to a Harrow council Corona web page.
The leader’s statement and council’s web page broadly repeat information about the medical aspects of the Coronavirus which is already in public domain nationally. These contain no information about how to seek Corona specific care and support from the council.
Such a Harrow council shortcoming is highly concerning considering that at least 16% Harrow population (39,200) is aged 65 and over who are likely to face Corona isolation. Added to this profile, at least 36,677 Harrow children are on free school meals who will be without schooling from this Friday for an indefinite period – many families hit by the school closure are single parent families with or without social services involvement.
It is unbelievable that the Harrow council has failed to adopt Corona specific good practices by some councils – like planning to coordinate schools and community centre kitchens for out of school children, coordinate help and support organised by the community groups and teaming up volunteers to ensure that the council is reaching as many people as possible across the borough.
Another big council failure is not to reassure residents through positive messages – for example, like those well publicised by Westminster council:
[If you are concerned about anyone who you think requires care and support please phone 020 7641 1444 or 020 7641 1175 or email adultsocialcare@westminster.gov.uk
If you or anyone in your household has symptoms you are advised to stay at home. If you are staying at home and need help please email westminsterconnects@westminster.gov.uk ]
Harrow MPs can also play a positive role (instead of issuing meaningless PR emails and tweets) by working with the council to form a well coordinated Corona unit to actively provide care and support for those facing Corona implications.
This entry was posted in News on March 19, 2020 by admin.
Bailey leaflet hits Harrow
As the Cabinet Office announces it would be bringing forward legislation to enact the elections delay in England, including the London mayor election, a leaflet from Shaun Bailey, Tory candidate for London mayor, has arrived.
He focuses on the level of crimes in London. Burglaries are up (including in Harrow), knife crime is up and assault is up, he informs. He fails to identify why things are as they are, except blaming Sadiq Khan and his community initiatives for the increase in crime in London.
His derogatory comments about multiculturalism are fresh in minds!
In a 2005 paper titled ‘‘No Man’s Land: How Britain’s inner city young are being failed” for the Centre for Young Policy Studies with support from Institute for Policy Research, he wrote “You bring your children to school and they learn far more about Diwali than Christmas. I speak to the people who are from Brent and they’ve been having Muslim and Hindi (sic) days off. What it does is rob Britain of its community. Without our community we slip into a crime riddled cess pool.”
His long wish list includes more police, re-opening some local police stations, free burglar alarms for over 65, and 24/7 police patrols.
His ‘emergency plan’ looks less credible as it has no indication of cost or where the money is coming from to implement it, especially in view of the government cuts which amongst other ills, create environment for crime.
Police checks at Harrow waste tip!
Harrow council informs that a joint operation last month cracked down on rogues, people using the tip from outside the borough and businesses masquerading as residents to dispose of their waste!
Harrow council enforcement officers with the police carried out checks on vehicles recently using the tip on Forward Drive to dispose of waste.
The site had seen a rise in the number of people coming to the tip with no proof they are Harrow residents, provisional licences (with no L plate or instructor) as well as businesses masquerading as residents to avoid paying business rates to use the tip.
Trade waste licences were also being checked. Last month a vehicle driven by a provisional licence holder was seized, and a van trying to evade police – because he was uninsured.
The police also issued advice and warnings relating to offences such as seatbelts and number plates.
What this means is that along with Harrow resident ID, better carry a valid driving license, valid insurance certificate, check that the vehicle used fully complies with MOT requirements and be prepared for tailbacks.
This entry was posted in News on March 8, 2020 by admin.
Labour selects Brent & Harrow candidate
As expected Brent councillor and a council cabinet portfolio holder Krupesh Hirani won the race, defeating Momentum backed and a socialist Aghileh Djafari-Marbini by 5 votes despite she seemingly suffered triple jeopardy.
Delighted Cllr Hirani is a university graduate in politics and has good experience in the political sector where he held a number of posts.
During the Operation Black Vote Shadowing Scheme Mr Hirani was mentored by David Lammy MP. He seems to have good grip on a variety of socio-political matters, relevant to a wider society.
Though Cllr Hirani is seen more at certain cultural activities, he says he believes in representing all. He informs that he has spent his working life with organisations that support disabled people.
Cllr Hirani is proud of the local area and said: “I have been educated through the Brent state school system and am passionate about the area”.
Tory candidate for the seat is karate champion Molly Irene Samuel-Leport MBE from outside Brent or Harrow.
This entry was posted in News on February 20, 2020 by admin.
Over 30% of children in Harrow live in poverty where child poverty is rising to 40% in some wards – but there seems to be no urgency to solve poverty either by public or the authorities.
Harrow council report, Child Poverty And Life Chances, reports that the poverty rises in some of the more deprived areas of the borough: Roxbourne has the highest percentage of child poverty levels with 28.5% (before housing costs) rising to 42% after housing cost. Wealdstone, Marlborough, Greenhill, West Harrow, Queensbury and Roxeth have the next highest child poverty levels in the borough.
Harrow is a part of the system where there are 151 billionaires in the UK and 14 million people in poverty, including 4.1 million children in 2017-18 (Commons Briefing papers SN07096 and Child Poverty).
Children from Black and minority ethnic groups are more likely to be in poverty: 45 per cent are now in poverty, compared with 26 per cent of children in White British families, Child Poverty reported.
The Resolution Foundation’s projections suggest child poverty will rise within the next five years, and will be 6 percentage points higher in 2023/24 than in 2016/17: equivalent to an extra 1 million children in poverty, informs the Commons briefing report. This is bound to reflect in the Harrow profile as more and more social housing is provided in the borough.
The Child Poverty Act 2010 required local authorities and their partners to cooperate to tackle child poverty in their local areas but child poverty has never been high on the agenda in Harrow since the Act came into force because Harrow isn’t comparatively deprived at a borough average level.
Although the council budgetary situation does not help to allow to make valuable local connections across services and adequately focus on early intervention and prevention, Harrow has a child poverty action plan based on five priorities [including health and well being of children, support for families with housing, and tackling financial exclusion like debt management, financial literacy, affordable credit and maximise benefit take up].
However, the structure and programme to implement the plan is not impressive.
The Plan has no stated success criteria; for example, in terms of health and educational outcomes. Actions and progress towards achieving unspecified outcomes is seemingly monitored by the child poverty task group (?) which reports into the health and wellbeing board who seems to have ultimate responsibility for owning the child poverty strategy and action plan.
Many say that the board gives sense of being a talk-shop which mostly notes reports rather than commanding improvement in the services.
Very odd that having identified strong connection between child poverty and child welfare, child poverty is not treated as a safeguarding issue and addressed within the Harrow structure of safeguarding children.
Harrow schools latest results
Majority of Harrow schools, including the state funded schools, are achieving higher, and some much higher, results than England average, according to the school performance data published on gov.uk.
However, A-level performance is broadly average. Average point score per entry and AAB or above with at least two results being in “facilitating subjects”, most valued by top or mid-range universities, are not good enough and below Barnet or Brent.
Harrow leavers (as %) destination to mid-range or top higher education institutions like Oxford, Cambridge and Russell group of universities is therefore less secure which is likely to be a big disappointment for parents/carers who have high expectations of Harrow education.
The sixth form picture is concerning as most pupils move on to university on completion of their A-levels.
Further concern is that while Harrow pupils are generally doing very well up to KS4 and they progress to the sixth form mostly at the same school, why their performance is not sustained at the last stage of their schooling?
The sixth form pupil profile (or general population profile) in Harrow is not much different than that in some neighbouring boroughs which comparatively seem to be doing better.
Regarding the overall quality of the education outcomes in Harrow, healthy comparison could be with next door Brent: Harrow is not, but Brent was included in the highest performing local authorities in 2017 and in 2018 it was included in best-performing academy trusts. In terms of ranking, Redbridge, Westminster, Brent and Kingston upon Thames were all among those performing above average in 2020.
Overall performance at end of Key Stage 2 (11 yrs) in 2019 – all pupils (58 schools):
At the end of Key Stage 2, 74% Harrow pupils met expected standard compared with 65% for England; and 15% of pupils achieved a higher standard (England 11%).
In 13 primary schools expected standards were much above England average, in 14 well above, in 8 above, 1 below and 2 well below the average – for others no data was available or applicable.
At the end of Key Stage 4, 50% Harrow pupils achieved Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs (England 40%). Three high schools achieved much higher than England average; 4 above average and 3 below the average.
Harrow entered more in EBacc (65% – England average of 37%). Most schools entered well above, and two well below average.
The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is a set of subjects at GCSE that keeps young people’s options open for further study and future careers.
Harrow Progress 8 is higher than England average – 5 schools well above, 2 above, 3 average and 2 below average. Progress 8 is government’s “headline measure” for judging schools. It shows pupils’ progress between primary school and GCSE in eight subjects.
Harrow Attainment 8 score at 50.9 was higher than England average (44.7): 8 schools’ score was above or well above the England average and 3 below the average.
A school’s attainment 8 score is the average of all of its secondary school students’ scores.
No data available or applicable for other school or college.
A level performance at the end of 16 to 18 in 2019 – all students (23 schools and colleges):
Harrow is okay in A-level performance: achieving Grade C+ (pass 60-64%) in line with England average C+ (average grade: 2 schools had B-, 4 had C+, 2 gaining C and and two D+) but below England average in Point Score (33.14 against England 34).
Harrow A-level results are also below the England average in ‘AAB or higher in at least 2 facilitating subjects’ (12.2 against average 16.5) but slightly above the average in grade and points for a student’s best 3 A levels (C+ 34.34 against average C+ 33.96).
From the data it appears that Harrow in not doing that well in A-levels at the state funded schools (vast majority academies).
Local authority & HSSE: given (a) the performance variations across the Harrow schools/education phases as well as secondary schools rank fluctuations from year to year, based on public examination results – in a few cases from ‘outstanding’ to a failing category (Ofsted) over time (b) few schools performance below average for long (c) the overall A-level performance dipping to average, Harrow School Standards and Effectiveness (HSSE) team and local authority roles become more challenging in monitoring school performance and ensuring that the schools maintain consistent and high standards across the education phases.
Hope professionals and politicians would work together to regain Harrow’s impressive position in education.
This entry was posted in News on February 9, 2020 by admin.
Consultation meeting to improve South Harrow this month gave rise to concerns how well the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) funds have been used as councillors assertively floated the idea of spending £20k to £30k each on three murals.
An attendee later said that the meeting felt like consultation on a pre-determined outcome – little was known about NCIL!
The meeting involved councillors, police, residents, community groups and traders.
There appeared uncertainty whether like other councils, for example Brent, can Harrow community groups apply for the funds for the projects they consider more important, for instance those specific to street furniture, upgrading of park facilities etc?
In helpfully responding to the Harrow Monitoring Group enquiry, David Corby, head of community engagement service, said: “We always welcome projects that will have a wider benefit to the local community.
The Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) offers an opportunity for the council to engage with local communities to help fund small projects to support the local area – such as CCTV, gates for alleyways and improving Town Centres “.
He said the community engagement team engage with local groups to agree on how best to spend NCIL funding through consultation and engagement process such as community champions and park user groups.
Applications can be submitted to the Council’s Community Engagement team at community.engagement@harrow.gov.uk but the information about NCIL funds or the process for the community groups to apply for the projects are not really publicised.
The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a levy on new developments to ensure that costs incurred in supporting the local area is funded by owners or developers of land.
Under the CIL Regulations 15% of CIL funds must be spent on projects that take account of the views of the communities in which development has taken place. But the downside is that the ‘view-seeking’ could be subjective, driving towards a pre-determined outcome.
CIL Income and Expenditure generally:
The amount of unapplied CIL brought forward from the previous year(s) to 2018-19 was £5,562,410 (comprising £3,926,240 borough CIL and £1,636,170 neighbourhood CIL).
A total of £14.5m of Harrow CIL has been received since 2013/14. Taking into account the 51 College Road infrastructure agreement, this increases to £17.8m.
Total expenditure or agreed allocation of borough CIL on infrastructure projects is £10.4m, or circa 89.5% of borough CIL receipts (£11.6m). Including the 51 College Road infrastructure agreement / new central library, this increases to £13.7m or 91.7%of total borough CIL receipts (£14.9m).
This expenditure is mostly on public realm improvements and parks / open space, and some capital programme.
Total expenditure or agreed allocation of neighbourhood CIL on infrastructure projects is £381,227, or 17.5% of total neighbourhood CIL receipts (£2.2m), mostly on public realm improvements or developing certain areas like Squares.
Harrow could do more to develop well publicised process for inviting community groups to apply for the projects under NCIL – Brent is a good example.
Would Harrow council fly union jack on Prince Andrew’s 60 birthday?
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has instructed councils to fly the union flag on February 19 to mark Prince Andrew 60th birthday.
Some councils have already rejected the instructions being “wholly inappropriate in the prevailing circumstances“.
Harrow civic centre needs not to take any notice of the government’s directive as they have the right facility and do fly the union flag every morning anyway!
Andrew stepped down from royal public life in November after his disastrous Newsnight appearance, and the Queen cancelled her son’s formal birthday celebrations soon after.
The interview was criticised for showing a lack of compassion for sex trafficker Jeffery Epstein’s victims and failing to show regret over his friendship with Epstein.
Virginia Giuffre, formerly Virginia Roberts, claims she was trafficked by convicted sex offender Epstein and alleges the duke slept with her, including when she was a minor under US law.
Prince Andrew, who denies the allegations, is facing calls to talk to the FBI and US prosecutors.
Selection of Brent and Harrow Labour candidate in final stage
Momentum backed Aghileh Djafari-Marbini (photo with Corbyn) and Brent councillor Krupesh Hirani are on the One Member One Vote ballot where the party members will decide who will be the Labour candidate representing Brent and Harrow. Voting will commence on 5th February.
Aghileh Djafari-Marbini, a socialist, mum, school governor, NHS worker and resident of North West London for the last 20 years, believes that Londoners need an Assembly that fights the inequalities and injustices in their city and works for all.
She recalls seventy-two fellow citizens burned to death in Grenfell Tower and over 87,000 children in London are homeless, and says that the savage Tory cuts have decimated our youth services and damaged our town centres.
“Now more than ever London needs a City Hall with a socialist vision and the energy to engage people across the city” she says.
It would be interesting to see how well she is supported by those less keen on Momentum or Corbyn.
Labour is going through the selection process because Navin Shah, the sitting assembly member with over 20,000 majority, has decided to step down. Navin Shah has retained the seat since 2008 when he defeated Tory member Bob Blackman, now controversial MP for Harrow East (Navin Shah came very close to defeat him at the last general election).
Brent councillor and a council cabinet portfolio holder Krupesh Hirani (photo), university graduate in politics, has good experience in the political sector where he held a number of posts.
Though Mr Hirani is seen more at certain cultural activities, he says he believes in representing all. Mr Hirani informs that he has spent his working life with organisations that support disabled people.
Mr Hirani is proud of the local area and said: “I have been educated through the Brent state school system and am passionate about the area”.
Two Harrow councillors, both previous Harrow mayors, failed to reach the final stage of the selection process.
Increased crime against retail workers needs focus
“No one should go to work fearing violence or threats” says Harrow West MP Gareth Thomas.
At the Commons debate on Policing and Crime on 29 January 2020, he pointed out that one particular area of crime that is on the rise is crime against retail workers.
“They face increasing threats of violence, many involving a knife and many, sadly, involving guns, particularly where age-restricted products are involved” he informed.
The debate took place as Diane Abbott Shadow Home Secretary moved a motion, asking that this house:
Tory majority, including Harrow East MP Blackman, voted no on Policing and Crime.
The debate heard that police resources in Scotland are much healthy where police officer numbers are up by 1000, despite significant cuts to Scotland’s budget from Westminster. As of 30 September 2019, the total police officers were up 1,022 on 2007 figures. Scotland has more officers per head of population than in England and Wales. The ratio in Scotland is 32 officers per 10,000 members of the population versus 21 officers per 10,000 members of the population in England and Wales.
This entry was posted in News on January 30, 2020 by admin.
Harrow to make council tax rise less painful for some
Following the last year’s maximum legal limit increase (4.99%), the council tax rise for 2020-21 is close to 4% which, like previously, has serious implications for those worst affected by government cuts.
Harrow follows the London pattern where the poorest pay 8.1 per cent of household income in council tax, while for those in the top income decile contribute just 1.3 per cent of their earnings.
This disparity is mainly because property valuations, on which the system is based, have not been updated since 1991, while house prices have rocketed. But the inability of cash-strapped local authorities to offer the poorest full relief from the tax as was the case in the past, when the relief was funded by central government, is another factor.
Harrow has agreed to invest an extra £400,000 a year to help those worst affected by government cuts. The new funding will give extra Council Tax relief to families on Universal Credit, freeze Council Tax for low-income households, and create a new Council Tax Protection Fund for people.
Under the new Fund, families making their first claim for Universal Credit will receive a two-week Council Tax discount, helping to see them through the long wait before they get their first payment.
Universal Credit is a single payment designed to replace the current benefits system. The amount of Universal Credit can change as people’s income changes, and claimants can wait six weeks for their first payment. This means frequent changes to Council Tax Support, uncertainty for claimants and higher costs for the council.
Cllr Adam Swersky, cabinet member for finance, said “The wait for Universal Credit can be an especially uncertain and worrying time and can force families to rely on food banks or even become homeless. Our new investments will make thousands of people better off at their time of greatest need”.
Tory opposition group on the council once again let down the residents as they failed to produce a shadow budget, and therefore missing opportunity to hold the administration to account through well informed argument.
No to Tory play!
Opposition Tory group on the Harrow council has failed to produce a shadow budget which they owe to the residents, but instead indulges in political point-scoring about the general election results in Harrow.
They asked the forthcoming Council meeting to debate a motion regarding the local outcome of the 2019 general election. The mischievous motion has now been rejected by the chair, Harrow mayor, for being inappropriate.
The rejected motion noted that Harrow East MP Bob Blackman returned with an increased majority while Labour MP Gareth Thomas returned with a reduced majority.
According to the Tories, this represented a “round rejection of the Marxist ideology” associated with the Labour leadership (Jeremy Corbyn).
While the Labour candidate for Harrow East Pamela Fitzpatrick ran a clean and positive election campaign, Bob Blackman relied on exploiting Indian and Jewish background voters and ran an aggressive smear campaign against Labour leader and the candidate.
In his election letter he described the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as being “under the thumb of Momentum, who has revelled in regarding terrorists as his friends, regards Venezuela as a role model and failed to root out antisemitism and an anti-India culture which has become entrenched in his Labour party” and then posed a question whether he should be voted in or the “Jeremy Corbyn’s representative in Harrow”.
According to Harrow’s constitution, motions can be declared invalid if they risk defamation, are frivolous or offensive, do not relate to the council or the borough, could disclose confidential information, or have been discussed at full council in the last six months.
Quite rightly, sober Harrow has no place for allowing foreign helped anti-Corbyn hysteria to divide the community.
But of course the Tory group deputy leader Cllr Ashton, backbone of the Harrow East conservatives that nurture the divisive characters like the Belmont Cllr Patel and Blackman, thinks otherwise and rubbishes the mayor’s wise decision.
Harrow much behind in suicide prevention measures
Whilst all councils are expected to develop and implement a Suicide Prevention Action Plan, and many have, Harrow currently does not have an up to date Plan.
Documents before the forthcoming Health and Wellbeing Board inform that a coordinated and new Plan is required which will enable a strategic approach to suicide prevention, particularly where services cross over in to neighbouring boroughs such as Brent.
Data produced from Public Health England (PHE) show that suicide rates for all persons during 2016-2018 in Harrow, is 6.4 per 100,000 compared with England’s rate of 9.6 and London’s rate of 8.1 per 100,000.
The data also show that the suicide rate for men in Harrow mirrors the national picture, where rates for men are higher when compared with females. The suicide rate for men in Harrow is 9.0 compared with 3.6 for females. However, nationally, rates for females taking their own lives are increasing.
Now a draft Action Plan that has been developed by Brent and Harrow Public Health and is before the board, aims to reflect actions on the national six key priorities including self-harm.
The Plan has been developed in partnership with local organisations that either commission or deliver services related to mental and emotional health, suicide and bereavement support, using data mostly generated by them.
The Plan has 31 actions across each action area ranging from promotion of suicide prevention training in businesses to supporting schools to deliver suicide prevention messages.
The Action Plan that will focus on the tackling suicide rates in men and children and young people in Year 2019-2020 is not costed nor shows success criteria.
The plan of this nature cannot be without resources implication. For example, imaginative preventive measures include audio/video resources like a guide to suicide prevention in easily digestible presentation format to help anyone needing to make the case for suicide prevention and key areas of work within this. The resources could also include charts, images, maps, statistics, quotes – that are useful for illustrating the importance of suicide prevention.
Blackman not honest about NHS
Hustings after dustings in Harrow, Bob Blackman, than Tory candidate and now MP for Harrow East, assured that NHS is not up for sale – but it is!
After misleading Harrow residents this way, he sought temple blessings in vote capturing exercise without any confession. It would be difficult to disagree with those who say such an opportunist can’t be trusted!
‘Private firms invited to run NHS services with cancer and kids treatments on sale’, Sunday Mirror reported on 28 December 2019.
Bids for chunks of the health service are invited in complete contrast to Boris Johnson ’s repeated election campaign denials.
Cardiology, gynaecology, paediatrics and oncology are among the services being offered to companies.
A new framework drawn up by NHS Shared Business Services for hospital trusts to buy clinical care from a list of suppliers, could lead to deals worth up to £117million being handed out over four years.
Furthermore, trade experts have pointed out that there is a degree of inevitability that, when agreeing a free trade deal (FTD) with the US, it would automatically expect access to the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry in the UK.
Apart from giving publicity to those who hold hustings, including the places of worship, the hustings are out of date and waste of time activity as they do not have any mechanism to hold the candidates to account once they are elected.
It would be appropriate for the hustings-holders in Harrow to ask Mr Blackman why he misled about the NHS future, and then make his apology public.
Also ask Gareth Thomas, MP Harrow West, how exactly he is going to implement his sweeping statements at the hustings about this or that?
Harrow divisive politics
Politics around the world is now more aggressive, vicious and divisive – be nasty and win, be nice and lose!
In Harrow both Harrow MPs retained their seat, seemingly through divisiveness, though differently.
Harrow East Tory MP Bob Blackman does not hide the sense of extensively using temples and temple communities for votes, as his after election newsletter demonstrates – he even took MP oath holding Gita (Sanskrit scripture, part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata).
He is not worried about what his inclusion, exclusion and cheap gimmicks do to the community relationships till he gets his votes.
Harrow West Labour MP Gareth Thomas makes obvious his disliking for the ‘left’ and therefore reservation about Jeremy Corbyn leadership and the spirit of social justice that has inspired Harrow, particularly through the Harrow East Labour campaign.
Pro and against Jeremy Corby Labour streams in Harrow are too obvious to miss where Brexit issue and anti-Corbin offensive remain combined, and who cares about considering its socio-community implications generally or for the party till Mr Thomas gains from this.
In his dog whistle, Mr Thomas tweeted: “In the last 50 years Labour has won just 4 of the last 14 General Elections. How many more do we have to lose before a Labour Leader recognises that it’s not enough to be principled, we have to be perceived to be moderate, patriotic & fiscally responsible as well?”
Could a reference to ‘moderate & patriotic’ be to Tony Blair and alike, operative shadow of Tories, supporting the spread of colonialism, attacks on middle eastern countries to destroy and kill like in Iraq, covering up seminal role of banks in 2008 crash which made Tory austerity measures ‘common sense’, lodged in millions minds, including Labour?
And perhaps it was in the spirit of patriotism that Mr Thomas voted for the Cameron motion to bomb Syria while even some Tory MPs, including David Davis, voted against!
Labour party is to start process to find a new leader soon.
Mr Thomas, a member of Labour Friends of Israel, first supported Liz Kendall and then Owen Smith in the 2016 Labour Party (UK) leadership election. His choice of the type of Labour leadership seems obvious!
Most probably Mr Blackman would not but would Mr Thomas publish an action plan to fulfil his stated pre election commitments.
This entry was posted in News on December 21, 2019 by admin.
Harrow matters!
As the Harrow MPs have managed to retain their seats, through whatever means they could, they should now concentrate more on addressing the challenges that Harrow faces.
Harrow Council is one of the lowest funded councils in London and it is estimated that by 2020-21 the council will have to find £125 million to balance its budgets. This means huge pressure on Harrow Council to deliver effective public services.
GP appointments are getting very difficult, Harrow walk-in services that helped out are now closed and A&E overflowing. Added to this is the NHS ‘rationing’ where GPs have been urged against referring patients to hospital specialists and consultants for such treatments as hip and knee replacements and cataract surgery.
Mental health care, especially effecting young people, is in crisis, needing, for example, more and better Counselling.
Austerity measures have hit Harrow badly – 30% of children in Harrow, and 40% in some parts of the borough, live in poverty.
Harrow food bank fed over 2617 people this year, including over 1041 children, and it is feared that there will be 1,532 homeless children in Harrow this Christmas.
Metropolitan police budget cuts have serious implications for policing e.g. to cope with increased knife crimes in Harrow.
In Harrow, in the 12 months to Sept 2019 there were 648 racist and religious hate crimes reported, up from 288 the previous year.
About 27,723 private renters in Harrow need protection from bad landlords.
And the list of deprivation and unfavourable conditions confronting residents can go on!
It would be professionally sound for Harrow MPs to publish action plans to address the dire local situations that adversely impact the quality of life of residents, more so the lives of vulnerable and those groups of residents who have different but equally important needs.
In demanding best value for money, at £79,468 salary (MP annual salary), a manager in service industry will be required to plan and deliver effective services.
Election 2019 – Harrow (final)
General election 2019 gave a sense of ‘presidential’ election with an overriding objective to defeat/oust Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who constantly faced smear campaigns from within and seemingly from outside Britain.
Divisiveness worked and Tory candidate Bob Blackman retained his Harrow East seat. No doubt he would keep supporting government policies and practices which have adverse differential impact on groups of people including vulnerable and those who have different but equally important needs.
Momentum backed Harrow East Labour candidate Pamela Fitzpatrick worked hard and carried out positive campaign but was too good to win in most aggressive political climate: soon after she was selected, there were whispers ‘how can she win, she has no standing in the Gujarati households’ – this seemingly remained the theme throughout, compounded by the ‘vote against Labour’ campaign, recycled by some Labour and places of worship – looks she was set to fail!
Divide for/against Momentum and Corbyn looked so obvious!
Despite Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson lost her seat, Lib Dem Lisa-Maria Bornemann (Harrow West) and Adam Bernard (Harrow East) increased their share of votes.
Harrow West Labour candidate Gareth Thomas, more experienced in muddy community politics and played a variety of race ‘cards’, retained his seat but with reduced majority which does not reflect well considering that Tory candidate Anwara Ali was a new comer to Harrow, had only few weeks to canvass and was almost dumped by her party.
Election 2019 – Harrow West (3)
Latest leaflet from Lisa-Maria Bornemann informs that at the European election earlier this year, the Liberal Democrat in Harrow gained their highest vote share in a national election for over a decade.
Apparently their vote share increased by 19 per cent (2017 general election and 2019 European election) while Labour were down 28 per cent and Tories 27 percent.
She wants society to be open and welcoming to everyone and says “Harrow’s wonderful diversity makes her glad to live here”.
Lisa-Maria Bornemann, a team manager in the public sector, founded Liberal Democrat immigrants, promoting the rights of all who choose to live in Harrow.
She believes in a more prosperous Britain by staying at the heart of a modernised EU, tackling the climate change challenges and protecting public services.
It looks there are wider choices for Harrow West voters who are fed up with the divisive community politics to please some at the cost of others, using priests and places of worship, and the Brexit, both distastefully dominating the election campaign.
Election 2019 – Harrow East/West
Harrow could do well with at least one MP who could really champion social justice and equality, given the level of deprivation, vulnerability and disability in Harrow due to the government’s socio-economic policies and practices which have differential impact on groups of people and which have not been effectively dealt with – if they could not deliver yesterday, can they be trusted to deliver tomorrow?
This entry was posted in News on December 9, 2019 by admin.
Election 2019 – Harrow East (3)
Tory candidate for Harrow East Bob Blackman is number 510 on the People-Power Index, a measure to see how hard MPs work.
The assessment criteria include MP’s availability to their constituents, participation in parliament and how an MP listens to the public, representing all constituents.
So what Mr Blackman does to remain in Harrow East marginal seat – the following references to him indicate how:
“The Tory candidate in my late parents’ constituency of Harrow East seems to be up to his neck in this cynical attempt at divide and rule by faith (Labour is accused of being pro-Muslim and anti-Hindu
“People in Harrow have already spoken out. Bob Blackman is neither Hindu nor Muslim but employs this far-right playbook at the expense of others so as to weigh their votes without counting the long-term cost of fanning the flames of racial tension” said Shami Chakrabarti, shadow attorney general for England and Wales.
“The approach of Bob Blackman during his nine years as Harrow East’s MP has been widely criticised for dividing communities. Wrapping himself in Hindu and Jewish causes, he has drawn fury by hosting events in parliament attended by extreme Hindu nationalist Tapan Ghosh – Blackman demurs that he didn’t invite him – sharing and then retracting Islamophobic articles by the likes of Tommy Robinson, and speaking proudly of his opposition to equal marriage” as Joshua Neicho pointed out.
Mr Blackman’s divisiveness has been compounded by others, for example, a letter apparently from Lord Popat (Con) sent to the Harrow East Gujarati households, supporting Mr Blackman, said:
(The protest march was redirected away from the Indian High Commission building on the request of the Indian High Commission and not because of what Mr Blackman said at the Commons!!)
In an interview with the Muslim News the then Labour/Co-operative MP for Harrow West Mr Thomas (Coop chair 2001-2019) felt that “Muslim should vote Coop” and said that Muslim and Coop values “lean the same way” and thought that there’s significant overlap between the Coop and Muslims.
“I would support a Muslim credit union that borrows money interest-free,” Mr Thomas added.
What was true some years back, is most likely true now!
The Co-operative Party and Labour Party have had an electoral alliance known as the ‘National Agreement’ since 1927, meaning they don’t stand against each other in elections. Instead both parties agree joint candidates to stand as Labour and Co-operative Party.
Mr Thomas now Labour/Co-operative candidate for Harrow West considers himself far more suitable but somewhat insecure than the Tory candidate Anwara Ali who he said has been “parachuted into Harrow West from the other side of London”.
Anwara Ali might not win but her name seems to have caused significant political ripples.
Having heard concerns that Mr Thomas appears to be following the tactics of divisive Tory candidate for Harrow East to capture Indian background votes, wider views gleaned indicate that this was not generally the case.
Although Mr Thomas is only in the mid range (number 312) on People-Power Index list which is a measure to see how hard MPs work, he seems to be catering for wider community interests.
For example, his historic interaction with the Pakistani community is well appreciated, like when shadow foreign secretary in 2014, he was chief guest at the conference about Kashmir where he thanked the organisers: “I am thankful to SDM (Jammu Kashmir Right of Self-Determination Movement) leadership and Julie Hilling (Lab MP) as they provided me chance to come in this conference”, he said.
He is seen at various mosques and is an active supporter of the under construction Salaam Centre, a project to build a truly unique space for the Muslim and the wider community in North Harrow.
Votes of ethnic minority groups are obviously vital to the outcome on 13 December whose support can be expected to break in different ways, some more predictable than others.
Snapshot survey indicates that with the exception of some mischievously poisoned against Labour, most consider Pamela Fitzpatrick (Lab) a suitable MP candidate for Harrow East.
In contrast, Bob Blackman, Tory candidate for Harrow East, suitability rating is much down, for example, he is number 510 (almost bottom) on the People-Power Index, a health check of how Parliament is working and how MPs are listening to, and engaging with, their constituents.
Ms Fitzpatrick is well trusted to address the dire NHS situations where ‘under Tories, NHS is being critically underfunded and is at risk of being sold off to Donald Trump’.
Much appreciation for Ms Fitzpatrick leading the ‘Save our walk-in clinic’ campaign to avoid the closure of Belmont Walk in Centre which she said could not come at a worse time. The winter is here, Northwick Park is already overstretched and local people are often having to wait weeks for a GP appointment.
Mental health is another major concern: “We have a mental health crisis with our young people – here in Harrow and around the country” said Pamela Fitzpatrick in welcoming Labour plans for a counsellor in every secondary school, including in Harrow.
As a voluntary legal advisor, Ms Fitzpatrick has been dealing with many ill effects of austerity in Harrow.
Over 30% of children in Harrow live in poverty where child poverty is rising to 40% in some wards. Last year, the Harrow food bank fed over 2617 people, including over 1041 children.
The government has cut the budget of the Metropolitan police drastically, forcing a reduction in officer – Harrow has seen an increase in violent crime with knife crime becoming a more frequent occurrence.
Pamela Fitzpatrick said “It saddens to me to speak to local people in the area and hear them worried about the safety of them and their family. The people of Wealdstone should feel as safe as people in Windsor”.
Ms Fitzpatrick in committed to see more police on the streets and funding youth services to stop crime at its root causes.
On the homelessness in Harrow, Ms Fitzpatrick is touched by people who sleep out in the cold in Central Harrow and Wealdstone and another, unseen, side where children and families sleeping on someone’s sofa, or in temporary accommodation.
“The way to solve this is building more council housing, strong protections for renters’ rights, and proper funding for homelessness services. That’s how we’ll solve our broken housing market” said Ms Fitzpatrick.
In responding to the news that there will be 1,532 homeless children in Harrow this Christmas, Ms Fitzpatrick said “It’s appalling at any time of the year, but it’s especially shocking at Christmas”.
Ms Fitzpatrick who believes in putting power in the hands of tenants welcomes a new Labour ‘charter of renters’ rights which will protect private renters from bad landlords.
There are 27,723 households in Harrow – 31% – that will benefit from the plans.
Odd that there are no louder echoes of this injustice and inequality issues from Harrow West, perhaps because it is seemingly locked in Tony Blair era (many believe Blair should be tried as a war criminal over the Iraq War that resulted in half a million people dead)!
Election 2019 – Harrow East
When at the Brent council, Bob Blackman, now Tory candidate for Harrow East, blocked honour for Mandela. He took Brent councillors to the High Court to stop them awarding Nelson Mandela the ‘freedom of the borough’ when he visited the area’s Wembley Stadium for a marquee concert broadcast in 60 countries.
Mr Blackman won the comments like “It’s a shame that even after Apartheid South Africa had forgiven Nelson Mandela, one British political wingnut couldn’t”.
Mr Blackman still seems to be proud of what he did.
He supported Zac Goldsmith campaign soaked in racism at the last London mayor election in one of the most ethnically diverse cities on earth. He has not distanced himself from that campaign.
Mr Blackman voted to prevent the release of secret documents about the Windrush scandal.
The political scandal last year was about black people who were wrongly detained, denied legal rights, threatened with deportation, and, in at least 83 cases, wrongly deported from the UK by the Home Office. Many of those affected had been born British subjects and had arrived in the UK before 1973, particularly from Caribbean countries as members of the “Windrush generation” (so named after the Empire Windrush, the ship that brought one of the first groups of West Indian migrants to the UK in 1948).
“Bob Blackman, the MP for Harrow East, shared a story which had the headline: “Muslim Somali sex gang say raping white British children ‘part of their culture’.” reported the Independent newspaper.
Mr Blackman supports the Boris Johnson who has been called “a racist PM and a racist candidate” by the Momentum founder Jon Lansman, brought up in an Orthodox Jewish family in Southgate.
Mr Blackman has not condemned the hateful ‘vote against Labour’ campaign, seemingly engineered by despicable elements outside the UK.
He works closely with his temple visits facilitator the Harrow councillor Anjana Patel who has been included in an Islamophobia dossier.
Mr Blackman has been described as a right-wing extremist. He has opposed equal marriage, called for the reintroduction of the anti-gay Section 28, as well as backing the bedroom tax, austerity, cuts to taxes on the rich, trebling tuition fees, privatisation and other unjust Tory policies, including removing hot meals for children from low income families.
In the last election, Labour slashed his majority from 4,757 to just 1,757 despite he has calculated his votes and stirs up emotions in the Indian and Jewish background voters for political gains all the time.
Election 2019 – Harrow West
Mr Thomas, a member of Labour Friends of Israel, first supported Liz Kendall and then Owen Smith in the 2016 Labour Party (UK) leadership election. After Jeremy Corbyn’s victory in the leadership election (Corbyn remains under attack since), he was one of the first Labour MPs to go for the frontbench.
It is very concerning that this general election seems to be full of divisive, untrue and hateful smear campaigns against the opposition, particularly Labour leadership, seemingly engineered by despicable elements outside the UK.
What also seems to be worrying Mr Thomas is the fact that unlike Harrow East, Harrow West had always been won by the Tory party until Labour’s landslide in 1997 when a swing of 17.5% was the eighth-highest swing in that election, and it was the safest Conservative seat to be lost to Labour.
Added to this tension is that Tory candidate Anwara Ali could snatch considerable number of votes that Mr Thomas has taken for granted for long.
In view of all above, it is understandable that unlike Harrow East Labour graceful campaign based on Labour policies, Mr Thomas is keen to retain his seat, perhaps with reduced majority, and has developed his own tactics, deploying most local Labour resources. Therefore, some panicky and patronising political gestures on social media to survive from the widely condemned ‘vote against Labour’ campaign and to access the ‘Gujarati community’!!
This entry was posted in News on November 30, 2019 by admin.
Election 2019 – Harrow concerns!
Harrow councillor Anjana Patel (Con) has been widely reported for her ‘anti-Muslim tweet’ but she and Harrow Conservatives have failed to apologise for her unprompted tweet to the Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, demanding to know “how are you going to help?” after two Hindu girls were allegedly kidnapped, “molested and forcibly converted” to “your religion, Islam”.
This suggests that Yousafzai is responsible for the actions of other Muslims, which comes under the all-party parliamentary group’s definition of Islamophobia (Harrow council has adopted the definition).
Despite all this Brent North Tories selected her for the parliamentary seat.
The Harrow Times who has covered the story locally reports that ‘Harrow Conservatives have been contacted for comment’ (but obviously they have not responded).
Not only this but she is sharing photo evidence of her close association with Harrow East Tory candidate Bob Blackman, home secretary Priti Patel and PM Boris Johnson.
In the same Harrow, Harrow councillor Peymana Assad (Lab), candidate for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, has apologised for 2012 Twitter post referring to Israel which used the word “gassed”.
She said “Some man I just met thought I was Israeli so I cracked the 10 lost tribes of Israel joke to him and he got gassed (slag for when one is overwhelmed or cannot hold your excitement any longer)”.
Similarly Harrow West Tory candidate Anwara Ali distanced herself from Kate Hopkins, a commentator well known for her habit of demonising Muslims, when her attention was drawn to a widely circulating twitter reply to Hopkins, seemingly by her.
Hopkins was included in the reply that described “women power – the lovely¸ witty, intelligent”.
“I do not share KH abhorrent & racist views, Judge me by the work I have done” said Dr Ali.
‘charter of renters’
Labour has set out plans to put power in the hands of tenants with a new ‘charter of renters’ rights which will protect private renters from bad landlords.
The charter will enable new open-ended tenancies, protecting tenants from unfair eviction; new minimum standards, backed by a new annual property MOT as well as fresh local enforcement powers, and local housing allowance increased to cover the cost of renting.
The national ‘property MOT’ would introduce a legal requirement for landlords to complete an independent annual inspection to ensure homes are up to scratch, with tough fines and forced repayment of rent to tenants if landlords let out sub-standard properties or flout the rules.
Nationally, one in four private rented homes are classed as ‘non-decent’, meaning they are damp, cold, in disrepair or unsafe to live in.
There are 27,723 households in Harrow – 31% – that will benefit from the Labour’s plans.
Labour’s candidate in Harrow East, Pamela Fitzpatrick, said “As the number of council homes has been cut by the Tories, there have been more and more private renters, with fewer and fewer choices.
“Now one in three families are renting privately here, and none of them are protected by the government if their landlord tries to get one over on them.
“It doesn’t have to be this way: what we need are rent controls and strong rights to help renters against dodgy landlords. That’s real change for renters.
“Everyone deserves high quality housing – and this is how we’ll make sure we get it. Labour’s got your back.”
Election 2019 (continued)
Snapshot survey by the Harrow Monitoring Group indicates that Tory candidate Bob Blackman has disappointed many voters who feel that he is more interested in retaining his seat than resolving the overriding Harrow issues.
In the 2017 general election, Labour achieved +5.3 swing, slashing Mr Blackman’s (Con) majority from 4,757 in 2015 to 1,757, despite his divisive politics, like using places of worship and exploiting sectarian and international issues, to attract the Indian or Jewish background voters.
Many others did, but did Mr Blackman distance himself from the toxic messages (‘vote against Labour’) circulating within a certain community which he extensively works on?
After rubbishing Jeremy Corby in his recent letter to the residents, Mr Blackman poses a question: would they vote for him who has “actively represented” them or “Jeremy Corbyn representative in Harrow”?
Far from representing the interests of majority constituents, he is supporting Brexit even when reminded that majority in Harrow East voted for Remain!!
He remains unconcerned about the brutal force of Tory enforced austerity that has harshly cut down the expenditure of local government which has serious implications for the council services – Harrow council has lost £50m.
The austerity and the resulting socio-economic deprivation might not be significant issues in the four Tory dominated wards, these are very real matters in the other wards in Harrow East.
Harrow CCG is almost £40 million in the red and its financial position worsening, resulting in three walk-in centres have closed or are closing. Mr Blackman has not supported residents concerns regarding the closure but is rather pleased that the clinics are now appointment only GP services.
Entry of the Brexit party candidate Richard Jones, who believes that “trust in our democracy is under threat” and who is ready to “reform” the political system, could have the same beneficial effect for Tory candidate Dr Anwara Ali as did the *Referendum party in 1997 when Gareth Thomas unexpectedly won since there are many Labour Leavers in Harrow West – (*Referendum party gained 1997 votes and Gareth Thomas won by 1200 votes).
Though Harrow has a possibility to have its first Muslim MP, perhaps her party is not enthusiastic about it.
Dr Anwara Ali and few of her fellow Bangladeshi friends from her town Tower Hamlets were seen distributing her introduction leaflet outside the Harrow mosque this Friday. They were pleading for a vote for her just because who she is – no professional canvassing!
Not only that she seems to have no local prominent Tories around (like the leader and deputy leader of the Tory group) but she seems to be missing political direction for a meaningful campaign.
Politically rather immature leaflet, printed in East End and probably from her money, says “I understand the issues and concerns faced by many of you, rising gang crime, fly-tipping, high rise developments with loss of historic skyline, stretched NHS services and loss of green space”.
Is there ‘gang crime’ in Harrow? Usually these are the councillors and not an MP who try to resolve ‘fli-tipping’ issues. Most of the ‘high rise developments’ in Harrow have already taken place and the use of green spaces is according to the local, regionally and national planning policies and guidelines.
While Dr Ali has been left to swim or sink, her background is well used by local and national Tory party to veil Islamophobia in the party.
For example, nationally, to shield Boris Johnson who is a “racist PM and a racist candidate”, according to the founder of Momentum Jon Lansman who was recently speaking in Harrow.
Locally, to defend the well exposed Harrow East candidate Bob Blackman for his endorsement of anti-Muslim elements, and the Belmont councillor and Brent North Tory candidate Anjana Patel for her anti-Muslim comments.
Increased vulnerability, a serious concern in Harrow!
Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott slams cuts to police and youth services on visit to Wealdstone in Harrow East constituency.
“Listening to local business owners and the people of Wealdstone, it’s clear that people are aware to the systemic problems that have proliferated under the Tories when it comes to keeping communities safe” she said.
Since the Tories came to power, a massive 21,000 police have been taken off the streets leading to massive rises in crime and councils have been starved of funding that supports local community centres and other forms of preventative measures.
There has been a worrying increase in hate crime since the referendum. In Harrow in the 12 months to Sept 2019 there were 648 racist and religious hate crimes reported up from 288 the previous year. Many people do not report incidents so the actual figure is likely to be higher.
“We will put thousands of more police on our streets to make the people of Harrow East feel safer today but we won’t stop there. A Labour government will take action to address the causes of crime and end the epidemic and tackle at its root causes” said Ms Abbott.
Pamela Fitzpatrick, Labour candidate for Harrow East who was with Ms Abbott (R), added: “It saddens to me to speak to local people in the area and hear them worried about the safety of them and their family. The people of Wealdstone should feel as safe as people in Windsor. Harrow East will be safer under a Labour government, putting more police on the streets and funding youth services to stop crime at its root causes”.
Regarding the housing crisis, another associated concern, Ms Fitzpatrick said that whilst Boris Johnson is refusing to fund the council and social homes our people desperately need, “a Labour Government will give the go ahead to over a million low-cost homes over the next 10 years.”
There are more than 1,883 people waiting for a council home in Harrow – but not a single home was built for them last year, Ms Fitzpatrick informed.
The number of socially rented homes being built in Harrow has fallen from 237 in 2010/11, when the last Labour government’s funding for councils was still being delivered, to zero in 2017/18 – the last financial year for which there are figures.
‘Unseat Bob Blackman in Harrow East’!
Labour supporters turned out in big numbers in Tory dominated Canons ward in a show of strength, supporting Labour candidate Pamela Fitzpatrick – see footage!
They joined Owen Jones, Labour activist and Guardian columnist, and Momentum on 20 November to unseat the Tories in Harrow East event held at the Canons Park station.
It has been reported that Harrow East’s Tory MP Bob Blackman is a right-wing extremist. He’s opposed equal marriage, called for the reintroduction of the anti-gay Section 28, has retweeted anti-Muslim hatred and a post by far right leader Tommy Robinson, as well as backing the bedroom tax, austerity, cuts to taxes on the rich, trebling tuition fees, privatisation and other unjust Tory policies, including removing hot meals for children from low income families.
In the last election, his majority collapsed from 4,757 to just 1,757 despite he has calculated his votes and stirs up emotions in the Indian and Jewish background voters for political gains all the time.
Many believe that Mr Blackman is not interested in Harrow.
Majority in Harrow East voted Remain but he works for Brexit.
He remains unconcerned about brutal force of Tory austerity that has slashed the expenditure of local government – Harrow council has lost £50m.
The Tories have cut millions from schools in Harrow since 2015 but Mr Blackman is least interested in working towards reversing these callous cuts.
Mr Blackman has not really done anything to ease huge pressure on A&E at Northwick Park.
Tories are condemned for selecting a candidate knowing about her ‘Anti-Muslim Tweet’
Belmont councillor Anjana Patel’s conduct has remained a matter of concern in Harrow and beyond.
The popular BuzzFeed.News reports that the ‘Tories Knew About This Candidate’s Anti-Muslim Tweet, But Let Her Stand Anyway’.
Anjana Patel, the Conservative candidate in Brent North, quietly deleted her account after asking Malala Yousafzai what she was doing to stop sex offenders from “your religion”, BuzzFeed inform.
Before BuzzFeed news, Anjana Patel’s tweet was included in a dossier of alleged anti-Muslim social media conduct by Conservative councillors sent by LBC to the Tory party last week.
“The Conservative Party knew one of its candidates at the upcoming election had been embroiled in its ongoing Islamophobia scandal, but decided to let her stand anyway after she quietly deleted her Twitter account” BuzzFeed reported.
Eight months ago, Anjana Patel sent an unprompted tweet to Malala Yousafzai demanding to know “how are you going to help?” after two Hindu girls were allegedly kidnapped, “molested and forcibly converted” to “your religion, Islam”, BuzzFeed said.
Patel’s tweet appeared to suggest that Yousafzai, the 22-year-old Pakistani activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, was somehow responsible for the actions of other Muslims. “The world should know about this barbaric act by Islamists. Don’t block me,” Patel wrote to Yousafzai on March 26, tagging the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, BuzzFeed elaborated.
“Anjana Patel’s tweets to Malala Yousufzai were hideously Islamophobic, offensive and not acceptable under any circumstances. The fact that the Conservative Party still endorsed her, despite apparently being fully aware of her racism, is disappointing but not surprising” the Muslim Council of Britain said.
Labour wages policies would benefit Harrow East
Labour equal pay policy would benefit Harrow East and overall wage increase to £10 an hour real living wage for everyone would ease much increased child poverty.
Pamela Fitzpatrick, Labour’s candidate in Harrow East welcomes the policy and said “It’s completely unacceptable that in Harrow East there is still a 11.9 per cent gap in wages between men and women”.
Laura Pidcock, shadow employment rights secretary & Dawn Butler, shadow women and equalities secretary, set out the next Labour government’s target of closing the gender pay gap by 2030.
Next year marks 50 years since the Equal Pay Act, but the mean gender pay gap for full-time work stands at 13.1%.
“Working women have been at the bottom of the list of priorities for government and under the Tories plans, it’ll take sixty years to close the gap” Ms Fitzpatrick commented.
“Labour in government will be uncompromising in tackling the structural barriers that are holding so many women back in Harrow East” she added.
The policy includes introducing national pay scales in low paid sectors with overwhelmingly female workforces, such as childcare and school support staff and large employers to introduce a menopause workplace policy to break the stigma associated with the menopause.
When services are procured from the private sector, companies will be assessed against best practice public service criteria, including provisions for collective bargaining, adherence to environmental standards, effective equalities policies, full tax compliance and application of pay ratios. In the public sector, Labour will enforce maximum pay ratios of 20:1
Alongside welcoming equal pay policy, Ms Fitzpatrick also welcomes that Labour will end in-work poverty with £10 an hour real living wage – for everyone, which would ease child poverty caused by the government cuts.
A TUC report showing that the number of children growing up in poverty in working households in the London region since 2010, has increased by 246,554 extra children in poverty (an increase of 68%).
No information whether Harrow West Labour also welcome the policies to address poverty and gender gap in wages.
Harrow could have its first Muslim MP
Politics changes! Many conventional voters feel they have been taken for granted and are intending not to vote. Harrow West Tory candidate chances improve.
Harrow interfaith, building harmony and understanding among all faiths in Harrow, Tory candidate Dr Anwara Ali believes.
“all prophets past and present preached Peace” acknowledges God-fearing Dr Ali who takes pride in religious performance.
(not sure about present ‘prophets’ – perhaps she was thinking of Trump who sees himself as the messiah)
“Peace” is most needed in this general election which is full of toxicity and hypocrisy. For example ‘vote against Labour’ campaign, leading to local panicky, divisive and patronising video statements.
As a well-known community figure in Tower Hamlets and being Conservative friend of Bangladesh and Pakistan, Dr Ali is well supported by the Muslim community, particularly through the Conservative Muslim Forum.
She is an active volunteer of a Muslim Charity working to alleviate child poverty across the globe.
“I will be a fresh of pair eyes with a new vision. Using my skills and experience, gained both nationally and internationally, I will take Harrow West forward into the 21st Century” said Dr Ali.
Dr Ali is chasing 13,000 majority in Harrow West that had 13.9% i.e. 11,069 Muslim population at the 2011 Census but now significantly increased.
After attending Harrow Mencap hustings, Dr Ali acknowledged the pioneering charity which is doing a fantastic job with residents who suffer with learning disability and physical disability.
“I am looking forward to working with them to improve the lives of our residents – that is why I entered politics to make a difference, and Harrow Mencap are doing exactly that” said Dr Ali.
Toxic Belmont councillor & Brent North Tory candidate in deep trouble
LBC obtained dossier of ten serving and former Conservative councillors who have made or shared Islamophobic comments on social media – one of them is Belmont (Harrow) councillor Anjana Patel who despite her known toxicity was selected by Brent North Tories.
“Anjana Patel, a councillor in Harrow, who tweeted angrily at Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, asking her “how are you going to help?” after Hindu girls in India were molested and converted to “her religion” (Islam). As if it was somehow Malala’s responsibility.
This councillor seemed to hold Malala responsible for all Muslims” said LBC.
The charity TellMAMA who monitors hate/racist/Islamophobic incidents said: “This is clearly unacceptable and we have to question how did these councillors become councillors in the Conservative Party when they’re promoting a narrative that is anti-Muslim”.
Harrow Monitoring Group has been expressing concerns about such a divisive MP and some councillors which Harrow East Conservative Association selects and nurtures – and as they have not acted upon, they are a part of the problem.
“But also, the councillors that have had their accounts taken down, what are the procedures and investigations that have been put in place to address their mindset?” added TellMAMA.
Cllr Anjana Patel took her twitter account down but before that, screen shots of her several toxic tweets have been saved.
A Conservative party spokesman said to the LBC: “We had already been made aware of the cases in this document and have already concluded the relevant investigations which have resulted in a range of sanctions, including expulsions”.
Harrow is already suffering from the hate campaign ‘vote against Labour’ by some and could do well without more divisive Tories like Cllr Anjana Patel and Bob Blackman for whom she facilitates temple tours.
Welfare plans for pupils welcomed
“We have a mental health crisis with our young people – here in Harrow and around the country. Counselling is a valuable tool in helping young people to be more resilient, stay out of trouble and build healthier, happier relationships” said Pamela Fitzpatrick, Harrow East Labour candidate, in welcoming Labour plans for a counsellor in every secondary schools, including in Harrow.
To deliver real change for young people’s mental health, Labour has pledged an additional £845 million per year for a Healthy Young Minds plan to recruit almost 3,500 qualified, on-site secondary school counsellors to ensure accessible pathways to mental health support.
“This is what real change for young people looks like – and it’s what the next Labour government will deliver” Pamela Fitzpatrick added.
Announcing the Healthy Young Minds plan, Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, said: “As a country, we have to start treating mental health as seriously as physical health. If we don’t help our young people, we are not only failing them, but storing up problems for the future for a whole generation”.
The number of children experiencing mental health problems is increasing, with one in eight 5 to 19 year olds diagnosed with at least one mental health disorder in 2017. An estimated 95 per cent of teachers believe that they have taught a child experiencing anxiety, while 60 per cent believe that at least one of the children they have taught are self-harming.
Researcher for the Harrow Monitoring Group who is a retired inspector of schools, inspecting for Ofsted, said, “good pastoral care arrangements in schools helpfully supplement academic care – it can only be good for the schools to have in house professional counselling”.
Regarding the other aspects of children welfare, Labour will provide 30 hours of free childcare to all 2 to 4 year olds, open 1000 new Sure Start centres, cut class sizes for all 5, 6 and 7 year olds, scrap SATs for key stage 1 and 2 and provide free school meals to all primary school children.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies research found that where Sure Start offered high levels of service in poor neighbourhoods in England, visits to hospital to treat injuries fell among all children of primary school age, and by a third of all 11-year-olds.
Plight of EU nationals in Harrow
As the UK is likely to leave the European Union (EU) next year, Harrow council advised the European resident who plan to continue living and working in the UK after 30 June 2021 to apply to the government’s EU Settlement Scheme.
Home Office figures show a million of the estimated 3 million EU citizens in the UK have yet to apply for settled status, which will allow them to stay in the UK.
The Guardian also reports that the security minister, Brandon Lewis, has threatened EU citizens with deportation from the UK if they do not apply for settled status after Brexit. Watch Solidarity with EU migrant’s footage here.
In Harrow, based on the figures released by the government, Harrow Liberal Democrats inform that of the 19,910 EU nationals across Harrow who have applied for permanent residency, only 9,990 have been offered settled status. 5,980 have been granted pre-settled status, which only gives the temporary right to stay in the UK.
Another 3,870 EU nationals living in Harrow have applied for permanent residency but are still waiting for a final decision to be made.
2,690 of the applications for settled status in Harrow were for children, i.e. those under 18.
“Too many EU nationals in Harrow are deeply anxious about their right to stay. It’s disgraceful for the Conservative government to leave them in legal limbo like this” Liberal Democrat candidate for Harrow West Lisa-Maria Bornemann commented.
“The Leave campaign, during the referendum, promised that rights of EU citizens living in the UK would not be affected. This has been shown to be yet another Leave lie” Liberal Democrat candidate for Harrow East Adam Bernard added.
Unlikely to win Harrow West and Brent North Tory candidates being ‘used’ to secure party votes elsewhere
Many say that Tory candidate for Harrow West Anwara Ali is unlikely to win but is being used to secure Tory votes in a certain community by using her religious background and supporters.
However, Anwara Ali, a Bangladeshi promoted by the Conservatives Friends of Bangladesh, has uphill struggle because of the divisive nature of the party. Following are further examples of ‘bigotry’ in the Tory party:
In a latest move, Baroness Warsi, the former Tory party chairman who has led criticism of the Conservative hierarchy’s response to Islamophobia within its ranks, accuses Matt Hancock of ‘whitesplaining‘ in Tory Islamaphobia row.
Wakefield Tory candidate Antony Calvert quits over Facebook comments.
The BBC highlighted over 20 new cases to the party, who said all those found to be members who shared or supported anti-Muslim posts on Twitter and Facebook were suspended immediately.
Unhelpful messages are in circulation urging to vote against Labour. Chair of the Labour Party Ian Lavery in his letter on 11 November 2019 has emphasised that divisive issues abroad must not be allowed to divide communities here.
In the local context and for improving Tory party chances elsewhere, particularly in Harrow East marginal seat, a toxic Tory councillor for Belmont (Harrow), unlikely to win though could please far right, has been selected for Brent North, the native constituency of the Tory candidate for Harrow East who is well known for his divisive conduct for gaining votes.
Many Tory voters in Harrow East revolting
“People who are simply fed up with Tories can’t stomach them anymore – lots of people say they just can’t vote Conservative” said Labour’s MP Candidate for Harrow East Pamela Fitzpatrick who was canvassing in the Canons ward, a Tory stronghold.
“So much more – there are issues about homelessness, there are issues about poverty in Harrow” she was responding to the question ‘what sort of messages she is getting from the door steps’?
(Click the play button to play the short video clip)
Harrow candidates re-election styles!
Harrow has a long history to defeat those who try to divide harmonious Harrow Community.
This entry was posted in News on November 8, 2019 by admin.
Blackman obsession and omissions!
Residents are disappointed to find that Bob Blackman, incumbent MP for Harrow East, in his recent letter to them has mainly relied on bitter attack on Jeremy Corbyn rather than explaining what has he done to counter the chaos Tory party policies/practices have created or to address the real challenges that Harrow faces.
In glorifying Boris Johnson character over Jeremy Corby, he failed to mention that the Metropolitan Police have passed a file of criminal evidence against Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings’ Vote Leave campaign to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Shivered by the fact that his majority was badly slashed by Labour at the last general election, his letter once again stirs up emotions to capture Indian and Jewish background voters by alleging that the Labour leader has failed to root out anti-Semitism and an anti-Indian culture in his party (ongoing smear/scaremongering campaign recycled by right-wing media controlled by few).
(Such is the level of Tory campaign that Boris Johnson has been accused of stoking “the politics of division and nationalism” after Conservative election strategists urged their candidates to tell voters the Liberal Democrats “are not proud to be British” and would “make our country more vulnerable to terrorist attacks”.)
Mr Blackman’s divisiveness is well known!
He remains unconcerned by brutal force of Tory spreaded austerity that has slashed the expenditure of local government – Harrow council has lost £50m.
The Tories have cut millions from schools in Harrow since 2015 but Mr Blackman is least interested in working towards reversing these callous cuts so that hard-working teachers have the funds they need to ensure Harrow children have the first-class education they deserve.
Donald Trump endorses Boris Johnson because the NHS and medicine pricing is on the table in a future Trump trade deal costing our £500 million a week.
Mr Blackman has not really done anything to ease huge pressure on A&E at Northwick Park and after a decade of Tory cuts, record long waiting times for Harrow women for breast cancer care.
Mount Vernon Hospital is in crisis; too dilapidated and not enough staff to provide a safe service and yet the government won’t prioritise giving the funding to make it safe.
After rubbishing Jeremy Corby, his letter poses a question: would the residents vote for him who has “actively represented” them or “Jeremy Corbyn representative in Harrow”?
Most probably Pamela Fitzpatrick, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Harrow East, would not respond to such lowness as Jeremy Corbyn at the launch of Harrow East Labour campaign articulated “if they go low, we go high – if they go lower, we go higher”.
Regarding Mr Blackman’s claim to represent constituents, he remains for Brexit even when reminded that majority in Harrow East voted for Remain!!
Gareth Thomas speaks out about election, Brexit and NHS
“Whilst I welcome the opportunity the election brings to end the incompetence and disastrous policies of this Government, I would have preferred Parliament to make progress on Brexit first” says incumbent Harrow West MP Gareth Thomas.
“I cannot and would never support a Brexit deal that I think would harm jobs, rights and living standards in Harrow and across the country” he said.
Mr Thomas for a long time has advocated a People Vote in which he would again vote to remain. He first proposed a Bill in Parliament and led a debate on delivering a People’s Vote in May last year and has been working closely with Best for Britain and the People’s Vote campaign, including twice marching through London.
Harrow has voted for Remain and unlike Harrow East incumbent MP Bob Blackman who remains committed to Brexit, Mr Thomas respects this. Not only this but he also respects people demand that ‘our NHS is not for sale’.
“Once again, we see why Boris Johnson can’t be trusted as the Tories risk costing our NHS an extra £500 million per week by pushing up the price of many lifesaving drugs as part of a sell-out attempt to secure deal a Trump trade deal” said Mr Thomas.
“If drug prices go up as a result of a Boris/Trump Trade deal Harrow’s NHS already millions in the red will face huge increases in costs. Little chance then of sorting out problems in Northwick Park A&E or getting our walk-in services back” Mr Thomas alerts.
Harrow has already seen its walk-in clinics closed.
Boris Johnson’s deal appears worse than Theresa May’s Brexit deal. For example, very recently published NIESR (National Institute of Economic and Social Research) analysis of the Government’s Brexit deal found that the UK economy would be 3.5% smaller in the long run with the Government’s Brexit deal – £70 billion worse off by 2029.
Anger over Belmont walk-in clinic closure
After closing the walk-in service at Alexandra Avenue, Harrow Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) ended the service at Belmont Health Centre.
Walk-in Centres and Urgent Care Centres (UCCs) are an alternative to accident and emergency (A&E) departments and treat minor illnesses and injuries, without an appointment.
Incumbent Harrow East MP Bob Blackman, has not supported residents concerns regarding the closure but is rather pleased that the clinic is now appointment only GP services.
Harrow councillor Pamela Fitzpatrick, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Harrow East, had previously said that the closure of Belmont Walk in Centre could not come at a worse time. The winter is here, Northwick Park is already overstretched and local people are often having to wait weeks for a GP appointment.
Many residents joined the protest “Save our walk-in clinic” led by Ms Fitzpatrick and expressed anger over the closure of the walk-in clinic. Watch the footage below.
(Click the play button to play – fullscreen by clicking the fullscreen button – bottom right – last)
Tory councillors wasting cabinet time
After a Tory councillor spilled out her venom against the London mayor Sadiq Khan with reference to policing situation in Harrow, another Tory councillor asked whether independent schools a good thing at the cabinet meeting on 10 October 2019, most probably inspired by Boris Johnson political point scoring about the ‘private schools’.
It was inappropriate and waste of cabinet meeting time for the councillor to provoke talk about independent schools, mentioning Harrow School.
The councillor questions time at the cabinet meeting provides an opportunity to the opposition to ask questions about what the administration is doing or not doing but the slot should not be misused, for example, by indulging in bickering or using it for scoring political points.
No doubt Harrow School, a local heritage, is more valued than any other independent school because of its history, traditions, elitism and for generating considerable revenue by admitting international students. But educational achievement is a different matter and comparing it with that of state schools is hardly like for like.
Independent schools have many favourable factors: (a) intake ability is mostly well above average (b) parents have high expectations of teaching and learning (c) lower pupil to teacher ratio and ample other resources assist in teaching differentiated curriculum, pastoral and extra-curriculum which not only helps academic achievement but also in shaping pupil’s elite personality.
Educationally speaking, pupil progress in many state schools is much higher than the independent or grammar schools despite their unfavourable input indicators like the range of pupils ability and their socio-economic background. Not only the progress but academic results in many state schools match well with the selective schools.
Coming back to the local situation and considering academic attainment, while Harrow School was in the middle position in the top 100 Independent Schools by GCSE chart in 2018 in terms of A+A*, some Harrow secondary schools (academies) did much better within their class i.e. the state school sector.
One might wish independent schools to have foreign students and the money they bring in, but from the equal opportunities point and for the sake of social integration in a diverse society, children could do much better under well funded state education system.
This entry was posted in News on October 28, 2019 by admin.
‘Racial harassment is alive’!
Racial harassment is a common occurrence in British universities, finds Equality and Human Rights Commission report published this month.
Good to see that racial harassment has been acknowledged .. read more
The EHRC findings are eye opener as what happens in one setting could very well be happening in other areas as people are not blind to colour in a colour conscious society.
Like racism, racial harassment is not really admitted and subsumed under ‘hate crime’ – government funded hate crime industry is thriving though mostly being ineffective.
There were 288 reported hate crimes in Harrow, between September 2017 and August 2018, according to the latest figures from the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) Hate Crime Dashboard, and 648 racist and religious hate crimes in the 12 months to September 2019 according to the Met dashboard.
Harrow once led good practices to address racism and racial harassment in the borough.
Till the Harrow Police and Community Consultative Group was hijacked by opportunists who eventually led it to its demise few years after, it remained pro-active in addressing racial harassment, a key concern.
For example, its home office funded racial harassment sub-committee, recognised as best practice by the Scotland Yard, launched several measures to raise racial harassment profile in the borough and dealt with it effectively.
(Photo of the launch of the sub-committee in July 1991 at the civic centre Harrow (L-R) Lord Ferrers, minister of police; Ross Simpson, chair HPCCG; Husain Akhtar, chair Racial Harassment sub-committee; and the host Harrow Mayor late Cllr Don Green)
One of the HPCCG remarkable initiative regarding racial harassment was periodically published declaration ‘Racial Harassment is Anti-Human Rights’ which was signed by hundreds in the borough, including community organisations, politicians, local authorities and businesses.
Belmont councillor was told off at cabinet meeting
The opposition Tory group on the Harrow council appears to be less confrontational since councillor Susan Hall stepped down and councillor Paul Osborn became the leader of the group, but there are exceptions.
There have been concerns about the conduct of Tory councillor Anjana Patel, rejected by West Harrow and controversially adopted to the Belmont ward, at the recent cabinet meeting for being aggressive and scoring irrelevant political points.
During the councillor questions time, she asked how safer is Harrow?
Councillor Krishna Suresh, Portfolio Holder for Community Cohesion and Crime, explained, for example, that the safer Harrow partnership has focused on violent crimes which has made significant difference.
“Harrow is a safer place and our residents are safer” said Cllr Suresh.
He pointed out that the number of police on the street is likely to make more difference.
“I look forward to the reverse of the government cuts on the police number so the number of crime can be brought down” he said.
Cllr Patel moved beyond the scope of her question and said, “If mayor Khan did not spend lot of money on his PR, he would have been able to give us more money”.
Focusing on the Harrow situation, Cllr Suresh tried to share crime specific statistical information but Cllr Patel kept saying it is the mayor Khan who has not given enough money/police.
Fed up with her outbursts, Leader of the council Cllr Graham Henson, the chair of the meeting, has to stop Cllr Patel and said, “I have not got the time to educate you about the police budget, about the government reduction by millions of £s” and asked her to move on.
Cllr Patel like those she follows on social media seems to have a problem with the London mayor SADIQ KHAN and misses no opportunities to hit him!
Blackman tries to defend indefensible!
In his glossy autumn leaflet, Bob Blackman, Tory MP for Harrow East, has tried to portray his as well as his party’s inclusive image, most probably to counter his apparent divisiveness label.
But readers are not impressed!
The leaflet highlights the selected PM Boris Johnson’s cabinet which Johnson claims reflects “modern Britain”, including diversity (Black, Hindus, Jews and a Muslim) – though many of his cabinet members have unsavoury views , particularly about LGBT.
On the same page Shaun Bailey, Tory candidate for London mayor, has been singled out to fight knife crime in London if elected without contextualising why this crime, for example Tory government cuts and socio-economic deprivation.
The left hand column of the page lists Mind in Harrow forthcoming fundraising events while ignoring what Mind, the mental health charity, is complaining about, like: “Pressing risks caused by sub-standard mental health facilities have been completely ignored in today’s funding announcement for NHS hospitals”, said Vicki Nash, head of policy and campaigns Mind, who was responding to the health secretary’s speech at the Tory conference.
In the inside pages Mr Blackman prides himself with speaking at the MEK (Mojahedin-e Khalq) conference in Albania – the National Council for Resistance of Iran (NCRI) is widely considered to be an alias for the MEK, an outside-Iran ‘political cult’ whose leader is still banned by London.
In outlining the performance of the Tory held wards in Harrow East, Mr Blackman mentions the councillors’ hard work to drive out travellers from the parks while in fact these were the police and the council who helped to resolve the situation amicably.
Regarding his ‘inclusive’ socio-political approach, Mr Blackman’s record of voting at the Commons speaks loudly:
Almost always voted against laws to promote equality and human rights
Almost always voted against equal gay rights
Almost always voted against allowing marriage between two people of same sex
Consistently voted against UK membership of the EU
Generally voted against a right to remain for EU nationals already in living in the UK
Generally voted for reducing housing benefit for social tenants deemed to have excess bedrooms (which Labour describe as the “bedroom tax”)
Almost always voted for a reduction in spending on welfare benefits
Consistently voted for mass surveillance of people’s communications and activities
Generally voted against measures to prevent climate change
This entry was posted in News on October 7, 2019 by admin.
Harrow West Tory candidate tries building bridges!
Soon after her selection as the Tory parliamentary candidate for Harrow West, Dr Anwara Ali visited Harrow mosque and said in her video clip that she had a great time offering her prayers and chatting to worshippers.
Later defending Boris Johnson ‘letter-box’ reference to Muslim women and calls for the Tories to launch an independent inquiry into alleged Islamophobia in the party, Dr Ali said the PM Boris Johnson whose forefathers are Muslim (but is he?), has apologised for the clumsy use of metaphors and that the Tory party is not islamophobic, it is Labours propaganda to smear them.
However, concerns about Tory party attitudes are widespread.
There was a “significant spike” in Islamophobic incidents after Boris Johnson compared women in burkhas to “letterboxes” in his Daily Telegraph column last year – a near four-fold increase (375 per cent).
Mohammed Amin, who served as chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum quit the party after 36 years, following the announcement that Boris Johnson will become Prime Minister.
Tory peer Sayeeda Warsi, past co-chair of the Tory party, led calls to launch a “full independent inquiry” into Islamophobia in the party.
Writing for the Guardian, she said: “I’ve been warning my party of its ‘Muslim problem’ for far too long,” and said that elite indifference to the issue meant the Tories were stuck with a political strategy that amounted little more than “fuck the Muslims”.
Sajid Javid, the then home secretary contesting to replace Theresa May in Downing Street, urged his rivals to agree to a probe into Islamophobia in the Conservative Party.
A number of Tory party members have been suspended for posting or endorsing Islamophobic material online.
In the local context, Harrow East Tory MP’s divisive conduct has been a matter of great concern. Not only this but Harrow East Tories also seem selecting and nurturing Tory representatives who look much more interested in supporting Indian politics. There is no Muslim Tory councillor in Harrow.
As a Tory candidate, Dr Anwara Ali does not say how she would be challenging the Tory party divisiveness which has serious implications for groups of people!
Labour shortlists Brent & Harrow candidates
Momentum backed Aghileh Djafari-Marbini (photo with Corbtn) and Brent councillor Krupesh Hirani have been shortlisted and will be on the One Member One Vote ballot where the party members will decide who will be the Labour candidate representing Brent and Harrow.
Brent councillor and a council cabinet portfolio holder Krupesh Hirani, university graduate in politics, has good experience in the political sector where he held a number of posts.
Blackman for Harrow?
Tories have selected the sitting MP Bob Blackman to stand for Harrow East again despite he being labelled as a divisive opportunist.
There are widespread concerns that Mr Blackman is not really interested in Harrow.
Majority of Harrow residents voted to remain in Europe but Mr Blackman is not representing them, instead he pleads for Brexit and asserts that it will help more business opportunities with India, in line with his strategy to access Indian background voters.
Not only this but he also colluded with Boris Johnson who unlawfully suspended the parliament in order to get away with a ‘no-deal’ Brexit.
Many local politicians have taken stand against the closure of walk-in medical services by the Harrow Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) but Mr Blackman has failed to raise the issue.
Since Theresa May took over as home secretary in 2010, Harrow has lost over 173 police officers. Added to this, people are concerned at the increase in knife crime in Harrow and government’s failure to provide the resources to deal with this issue – the government has cut the Harrow youth offending team’s funding by £409,130 since2010 (66 percent cuts) – Mr Blackman has not intervened.
In Harrow, 46 of 50 schools have suffered £27.2M cuts to per pupil funding between 2015 & 2019 which on average is £286 per pupil loss but ignoring this, Mr Blackman keeps misleading that the government has increased education funding.
Residents say they have not received any convincing answers from Mr Blackman regarding what he has done for Harrow or how he is helpfully working with the Harrow council.
Harrow has a rich diversity of cultures and religions and deplores any divisiveness.
This entry was posted in News on September 30, 2019 by admin.
Harrow West gets a Tory candidate!
Doctor Anwara Ali defected from Labour to Tories some years back, has been selected as the Tory prospective parliamentary candidate for Harrow West.
Brought up and educated in Tower Hamlets, Dr Ali MBE, a businesswoman, was a councillor and a Mayoral candidate in the borough.
She is said to be passionate about the NHS, women’s right to choose, and halting the use of West Harrow open spaces.
Being from the Bangladesh community, probably she has been promoted by the Conservatives Friends of Bangladesh, seemingly the only Muslim political group that has actively supported Boris Johnson and Harrow East MP Bob Blackman.
Dr Ali selection seems to be quite strategic as Tory party has been facing calls to investigate Islamophobia in the party, Bob Blackman has “shown a consistent record of endorsing Islamophobia” and Harrow Conservatives have no Muslim councillors.
Harrow West sitting MP Gareth Thomas has seen a notional swing in favour of the Tory Party’s Dr Rachel Joyce of 5.7% in the election. After a small 1.1% swing to the Tories in 2015, it swung back heavily to Labour in 2017 by almost 11%, with their largest majority since they first gained the seat in 1997 of over 13,000.
Dr Ali might not be able to beat the majority, but expectations are that her Harrow West presence could help to gain certain votes for Tories in Harrow East, a highly marginal seat.
Tories have selected the sitting MP Bob Blackman to stand for Harrow East again despite he being labelled as a divisive opportunist, not really interested in Harrow.
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Mass Held in Cuba for Hugo Chavez
February 18, 2013 Circles Robinson 0 Comments
HAVANA TIMES — Parishioners at the National Shrine of St. Lazarus, in Havana, prayed for the health of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during Lent Mass, which takes place every February 17th on behalf of the sick, reported Prensa Latina.
“May the Lord give him strength in this special moment,” said father Sergio Cabrera, who officiated the Mass before hundreds of attendees, among whom were Venezuelan Ambassador Edgar Ramirez and young people from that country who are studying on the island.
The Catholic Church has held other similar ceremonies at the Cathedral of Havana, the Church of the Virgen de Caridad del Cobre in Santiago de Cuba, and the Santuario de Regla, noted the priest.
President Hugo Chávez made a surprise return to Venezuela early on Monday, 10 weeks after leaving for cancer surgery in Cuba, sparking celebration among his supporters
← Cuba’s ‘Juan de los muertos’ wins Goya for Best Latin American Film
Cuban Boxers Arrive in DR →
Photo of the Day Segments
The Video Put Me to Sleep – Photo of the Day
Hong Kong Arrests 50+ Dissidents in Massive Sweep
Cuba: The Decline of a Country Running Out of Food
Unpunished Theft in Today’s Cuba
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You are in [Themes] [Police]
Prior to the Victorian period law and order were largely the responsibility of the Constable and Bailiffs of what we now call the Town and Manor. In 1829, Sir Robert Peel's Metropolitan Police Act brought an organised police force to London, and "Peelers" and "Bobbies" came to patrol the streets. By 1839 many rural large towns also had police forces.
The Berkshire Constabulary formed 1856:
Berkshire Constabulary was formed in 1856. The First Chief Constable was Col Fraser, whose previous post had been Governor of the Middlesex House of Correction.
Hungerford was part of the South Western District under the control of Superintendent Dowde of Newbury. The first recorded officer-in-charge at Hungerford was Sergeant John Barnes. Constables were also stationed at Kintbury, Wichkam, Peasemore, Inkpen, Boxford, Shefford, Chaddleworth, Great Fawley and Lambourn.
The pay scales at the time were:
- Sergeants - 23 shillings per week
- Constables - 17-21 shillings per week
In 1856 the Chief Constable issued the following instructions to prisoners: "The expense of conveying prisoners by rail is to be avoided as much as possible. Where practicable they should be conveyed by cart the whole distances and when this cannot be effected they should be marched and passed on from post to post."
In 1859 the Faringdon and Hungerford Board f Guardians appointed certain police officers as Assistant Relieving Officers to deal with the ever increasing problems in the area of tramps and vagrants. Several years later records show that in one year the Hungerford area dealt with 1,328 tramps. See also: Workhouses and Vagrants.
It is interesting to note that police officers at this time were permitted, in addition to carrying a staff and handcuffs, to carry a small cutlass at certain times. "A small cutlass may be supplied to any Constable whose beat is so situated in the opinion of two Justices of the County, it is necessary for his personal protection in the performance of his duty. The cutlass is only to be worn at night or at times when rioting or serious public disturbance has actually taken place or is apprehended". The cutlass remained in being until 1902, when they all had to be handed in.
The new police station, 1864:
The police station in Park Street was built in 1864, and remained in use until 2017.
The architect was Joseph Morris of Friar Street, Reading, and the builder was Richard Nicholls Hoskins of Hungerford.
A copy of the contract and plans of the original design for "a Station house for the Constabulary" runs to 31 pages. It was dated 1st March 1864.
The contract stated that the works should commence on 2nd March, and be completed within 23 weeks. The agreed cost was £862.
Click to downlaod a rather faded copy of the original building contract from 1864.
The station originally consisted of a station office, two cells and living quarters for the officer-in-charge. Although the interior has been much altered over the years, the external appearance of the building itself is virtually unchanged.
The police murders of 1876:
On the night of 11th December 1876, a notorious incident occurred at Hungerford when two police officers were murdered whilst on duty. Follow this link for more on the Police Murders of 1876.
Life in the police force:
In 1879 one officer recorded a typical day's duty as working 7am to 1pm and 7pm to 11pm, and walked a distance of 14 miles. The following day's duty was recorded as 6.30am to 8am and 1pm until 10pm.
In 1889 the Chief Constable issued an order that he expected all officers to attend some place of worship once on each Sunday, duty permitting "as it should be remembered that amongst a rural population the Constabulary exerts a great influence by setting a good example".
In 1910 officers at Hungerford had to go to the assistance of their colleagues at Lambourn when on the night of an election poll for South Berkshire several local people set fire to a wagon loaded with wood and straw and covered with tar. There were about 1,000 people present in the market square at lambourn, when an effigy of a prominent Minister of State was placed in the burning inferno.
In 1919 the officers' hours of duty were reduced from 9 hours per day to 3 hours per day and 5 hours by night.
On the night of 17th March 1923 officers of the Hungerford Section were faced with a daring burglary when thieves broke into Benham Park and stole a number of Gainsborough "Old Masters" by cutting them from their frames. Subsequently the paintings were traced to London and four people were arrested. The ring leader, who was said to be "the world's most daring cracksman" was gaoled for eight years.
During Second World War:
During the Second World War it is recorded that officers from Hungerford dealt with a crashed German bomber when a Junkers plane crashed on 1st November at Combe Hill. Several officers from the area also assisted the Southampton Police during air raids on the city.
Berkshire Constabulary joins Thames Valley Police:
On 1st April 1968 the Berkshire Constabulary became part of the Thames Valley Constabulary - and later the Thames Valley Police.
The Hungerford Shooting Tragedy, 1987:
At lunchtime of 19th August 1987 PC Roger Brereton was murdered on duty at Hungerford. Although at the time he was working as a traffic patrol officer, he had recently been stationed at Hungerford, and knew the area well. He was answering a call to investigate a man seen walking up South View with a gun, and on turning into South View to investigate, he was shot dead in his car by Michael Ryan. Over the next few hours of the Hungerford Shooting Tragedy, Ryan was to murder 17 people, before he took his own life. This event shocked people around the world. Much further material is available both locally and on-line. A memorial plaque to Roger Brereton was placed in the foyer of the police station.
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- The 1864 Police Station, Aug 2001
- "1864" in decorative brickwork, Aug 2001
- The Police Station, c.1910
- Inspector Tom Randall and his family, with the Tutti-men outside the Police Station, 1912. On his left is his daughter Annie Randall, who taught at the Council School
[with thanks to Tom's grand-daughter Victoria Hummell, Aug 2014]
- "The Police House", decorated for the visit of King George V Oct 1912. (By A Parsons)
- The police reserve, 1919. There are no fewer than 33 men in this photograph, nearly all of them with a moustache, and one of them, the Rev. Denning, with a 'dog-collar'. The formal group photograph was taken at the entrance to the police station. Note the roses and ivy on the walls, and the geraniums and clipped box hedges in the gardens. [Albert Parsons] Those identified include:
Back row, L-R: Robinson (Eddington Mill); ..?..; ..?..; Alexander; Macklin; ?Stevens (of Stradling's garage); Raine; ..?..; ..?..; Astley; ..?... .
Middle row L-R: Kimber (Undys Farm); ..?..; ..?..; ..?..; ..?..; J Alexander (Beacon Farm); MacDade (Customs & Excise); Bingham (Chemist); ..?.. (postman); John Beard; ..?..; Rev Denning; Ernest Clements (watchmaker); ..?..; Morley Slade (Anvills).
Front row L-R: Adnams; Louis Beard; Walter Alexander (grocer); Col Wills (Hungerford Park); Insp Godwin (head of police, lived at the police station); ..?..; ..?..;
- The "Berkshire Volunteers" on Hungerford station, undated, ?1890s. There is an arrow marking the man 3rd from left as "Alf - Alfred William Bushnell".
- Hungerford Police, undated. Inspector G W Godwin seated in centre [Albert Parsons]
- Inspector G W Godwin, undated. [Albert Parsons]
- The old Police Station after conversion to residential use, 11 Feb 2020.
The modern police force:
In 1987 the interior of the police station was completely redesigned. The old cell, which had not been used for many years was removed, and the public entrance area was completely altered.
The traditional "blue lamp" fixed over the entrance is the original Hungerford lamp, brought back into service after being on display in the Thames Valley Police Museum.
See "£120,000 facelift for police station", The Journal, 1988.
In the foyer is a matchstick model of the police station made by local man, Billy Cox, late of Church Way.
During the early 1990s, PC Ron Hoyes tended the gardens at the Police Station, and created a wonderful display of colourful flowers and hanging baskets. The display became a tourist attraction, and PC Hoyes won several awards for his excellent work. See "Policeman wins award for station's floral displays", NWN 6 Oct 1994.
In 2001 the station strength was 1 Inspector, 2 Sergeants, 8 Constables, as well as 1 Civilian Station Duty Officer and 1 Part-time Traffic Warden.
The Hungerford & Downlands Sector also included Beedon, Boxford, Brightwalton, Catmore, Chaddleworth, Chievely, Combe, East Garston, East Ilsley, Farnborough, Fawley, Great Shefford, Hamstead Marshall, Hermitage, Inkpen, Kintbury, Lambourn, Leckhamstead, Peasemore, Welford, West Ilsley, West Woodhay and Winterbourne. The area covered about 150 sq miles, and 26,000 people.
- Building Contract for the 1864 Police Station
- "History of Hungerford Police", by Brian Tagg, Station Duty Officer, May 1995 (Thanks to Stewart Hofgartner)
- "History of Hungerford Police", (unknown author), May 2000
- Police Murders, 11th Dec 1876
- "120,000 facelift for police station", The Journal, 1988
- Law and Order
- Thames Valley Police Museum, Sulhamstead
- Police Station [HHA Archives A3]
- "A Murder of two local policemen, 11 Dec 1876" [HHA Archives A3]
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You are in [People] [Home Guard]
National Plans for LDV and Home Guard:
In the spring of 1940, Hitler unleashed his blitzkrieg, and as British forces fell back to Dunkirk, Britain was in imminent danger of invasion.
After seven months of the 'Phoney War', the Battle of France began in earnest on 10 May 1940. Hitler unleashed his blitzkrieg, and by 14 May, the German Army had broken through the Netherlands and Belgium, and were approaching the English Channel. There was great fear of invasion of Britain, and in particular there was fear that the Germans would land paratroops prior to a full invasion.
Anthony Eden, Secretary of State for War, made a radio appeal on 14 May 1940 for men 'who were for one reason or another not at present engaged in military service, and who wish to do something for the defence of their country' to join a new force called the Local Defence Volunteers.
Eden's radio appeal coincided with reports in the morning paper of 14 May of 'a two thousand tank clash north west of Liege'. It was broadcast between the 9 o'clock news and a documentary entitled The Voice of the Nazi. He spoke of the "countless enquiries .. from men of all ages .. who wish to do something for the defence of their country. Now is your opportunity. We want large numbers of such men, between the ages of 17 and 65, to come forward now and offer their services. The name of the new force .. will be the Local Defence Volunteers." Eden made it clear there would be no pay, but there would be a uniform, and they would be armed.
Volunteers were to present themselves at local police stations to enrol. The volunteers poured in. Over 250,000 gave their names within the first 24 hours. By the end of May over 300,000 had signed up, and at the beginning of September a million and a half were in its ranks.
There was no medical examination, but men had to be 'of reasonable fitness' and 'capable of free movement'. The period of service was 'for the duration of the war'. Training 'could be taken in a volunteer's spare time'. Any previous military service and / or a knowledge of firearms (even simply a shotgun to bag a rabbit or a pigeon for the pot) were considered advantageous.
Many men had already volunteered to serve in the Air Raid Precautions (ARP) or in the Special Constabulary. They had to be turned down for the LDV lest the forces they had already trained in became too depleted. In reality, and especially in villages and small towns, men were often enlisted in the ARP and the LDV.
The first 'uniform' issued was the 'brassard', a simple khaki armband printed with the black letters 'LDV'. By 22 May 1940, 250,000 brassards were issued - but these were not sufficient, and local variations were often made. Full uniforms began to reach LDV units by about July.
Training was rudimentary, but involved basic drill (often using broomsticks and dummy rifles).
Between 26 May and 4 June 1940 the beleaguered British Expeditionary Force was evacuated from the beaches at Dunkirk in Operation Dynamo. Churchill announced that 'the Battle of France is over. I expect the Battle of Britain is about to begin.'
France capitulated on 25 June, by which time many British households had received the 'If the Invader Comes' leaflets - advising local people to 'stay put' and report any suspicious activity, and help British troops and LDV if ordered to do so.
LDV members were organised into watch patrols. Their main task was to watch for airborne landings. Many were taught basic German phrases such as 'Hande hock!' and 'Pistole ablegen!'.
One of the aims of the Home Guard was to hold up the enemy whilst regular troops could be deployed, therefore with the lack of weapons ingenuity had to be used. Among the tactics was to leave open all manhole covers so Germans would fall down them in the dark. Another was to place containers on the road propped up with a small stick. Attach a string to the stick and trail it off to an unseen position, the Germans would have to inspect each one to detect any bombs. It was recommended to make sure that every so often a live bomb was put in place. Householders were also to be asked to prop open a window and place a straight stick or piece of tube out the window to simulate a sniper position.
Initially LDV platoons (which were normally between 10 and 50 men) were desperately short of weapons. Many units improvised by using shotguns, air rifles, old hunting rifles, museum pieces, bayonets, knives and pieces of gas pipe with knives or bayonets welded on the end. The most popular early improvised weapon was the Molotov cocktail. This consisted of a bottle filled with petrol, with wick through a cork that was lit just before it was thrown. The bottle was intended to break igniting the contents. The weapons situation was improved by the delivery of a million old US rifles in mid July, although each had only 10 rounds a piece. 20,000 revolvers and shotguns were located as a result of an appeal. Even by September, however, many units were without significant weapons.
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- The Hungerford Home Guard,Platoon 1, probably taken in the late summer 1944, shortly before stand-down. There are 41 men in the group. Note also the bombs in the left and right foreground (see the text for more on these bombs).
- The Hungerford Home Guard,Platoon 1, with many members identified. (With thanks to Roger Day)
- The Hungerford Home Guard,Platoon 2, outside The Bear Hotel. (With thanks to Roger Day)
- Enrolment form for the Local Defence Volunteers
- The first 'uniform' was the LDV 'brassard', shown here on a denim overall blouse of a LDV section commander, May 1940.
- Anti tank emplacements near Dun Mill
- The tarmac recesses showing the sockets for the wartime 'hedgehogs' on Hungerford bridge. (Apr 2009 - resurfaced 2011).
- Wartime photograph showing 'hedgehogs' in use
What happened in Hungerford:
An insight into the urgency of plans to set up the LDV can be seen from several letters sent in July 1940. On 1 Jul 1940 the Reading Zone Commander, Berkshire LDV, wrote to Mr Ernest Munford, Constable of Hungerford, in which he said:
I would like to take this opportunity of thanking you, your Council and officials, for the great help that you have given to the Berkshire Local Defence Volunteers since their inception six weeks ago....
The attached copy of a letter from General Sir Edmund Ironside ... shows the extreme urgency of the measures that require to be taken by all for the local defence of their homes in every town and village in our country.
You and your Council will be interested to hear that our numbers are now well over 10,000 in the County.
- Letter (undated) Gen Ironside to GOC in C, Southern Command
- Letter 1 Jul 1940 Lt Col Walton to Mr Munford
- Letter 2 Jul 1940 HM Lieut Berkshire to Mr Munford
- Hungerford Platoon LDV - Communication and Duties in Action (4 pages of instructions)
- Division of Hungerford Platoon into North and South Platoons
The Local Defence Volunteers would have been much involved in GHQ Stop-line Blue - the line of pillboxes and other defences along the Kennet and Avon canal. The pillbox building programme started in May 1940, and continued through the summer months while the Battle of Britain was fought out in the skies above. The construction rate was frenetic - by the end of September 1940, 18,000 were built.
The Division of Hungerford Platoon into North and South Platoons: The Hungerford Platoon was divided into two separate platoons - North and South. The notice stated that the South Platoon would consist of No.1 Section (Sergeant Bull, remains as at present); No.2 Section (Sergeant Hawkins, remains as at present); The following men are transferred from No 3 Section: Corporal Richens, Privates Giles, Lewington, Batten, Grant, Stacey and Yates. From Section 4: Privates C Hollister, W Hollister, S Hunter, J King, F Purbrick, J Shiel, S Jesset and Pym. The South Platoon remains the 51st Platoon as at present. Platoon HQ at the rear of Messrs Alexander Bros, Offices in Station Road. See Division of Hungerford Platoon into North and South Platoons
There was a major gun emplacement in the High Street near Church Lane which is said to have been designed to take a 6-pounder gun.
However, the photograph of the Hungerford Home Guard (Platoon 1) shown above includes four bombs (at the bottom left and bottom right of the picture). It is yet to be confirmed, but we believe that they were 14lb anti-personnel bombs, and 20lb anti-tank bombs commonly issued to the Home Guard between late 1941 and July 1942. They were fired from a 'Blacker Bombard' spigot mortar. 22,000 were installed, each normally supplied with 150 anti-tank rounds and 100 anti-personnel rounds. These were mussel loaded, and could be fired at the rate of about 6 rounds per minute. The 'Blacker Bombards' were issued to Home Guards mainly in the south of the country.
The gun emplacement in the High Street was accompanied by permanent concrete road blocks and a "hedgehog" under the railway bridge. There were anti-tank defences (hedgehogs, cylinders, cubes and dragons teeth) at various strategic places in the area. [For more on the 2nd World War defences, see Pillboxes and Hedgehogs]
On 23 July 1940 Winston Churchill, who had never liked the cumbersome and somewhat ridiculed title of Local Defence Volunteers, saw it formally renamed Home Guard. Some people had uncharitably christened them "Look, Duck and Vanish". Other disparaging nicknames included 'Long Dentured Veterans' and 'Last Ditch Volunteers'.
There were eventually two platoons of the Home Guard in Hungerford (see group photographs above).
The renaming as Home Guard brought more structured training, uniform and weaponry. By this time there were over one million members of the Home Guard. At its peak at the end of 1942 there were 1,850,757 serving people. Officially there was not a single woman amongst them, but unofficially women many had trained in the firing of rifles, and women helped widely with the administration of HM units. The Women's Home Defence was formed, but by April 1943 women were able to join the main Home Guard itself.
Following the D-Day landings of 6 June 1944, and the steady progress made by the Allies, it became clear that the threat of German invasion of Britain was receding. The reason for the Home Guard diminished, and on 30 August 1944 the War Office issued 'Instructions for Standing Down the Home Guard'. In October a formal notice stated that the Home Guard would stand down from active duties in November 1944. Parades and march pasts were commonly held to mark the end of the local battalion. The Home Guard was formally stood down on 3 Dec 1944, and finally disbanded on 31st December 1945.
Many units took the opportunity to record the occasion with a group photograph, and it is likely that the photographs shown above, of the Hungerford Home Guard , Platoon 1, taken in The Croft, was taken in the late summer of 1944. A total of 41 men are shown.
George W Green kindly contacted the Virtual Museum (Dec 2011) saying: "I was talking to my brother who had found the Hungerford Virtual Museum Website and the photo of the home guard 1944 just before it was disbanded, according to your info.
Having looked through the photo I can't see my father W C Green (Bill) who was in it during the war time. He was a corporal. I'm just wondering if that photo was taken when he was out having got shot in the leg during some instructions the men were having at the time, along with a Frank Bowley who also go hit in the same incident. I remember we (my mother and us kids) were taken to Newbury Hospital to see him in a official car. Must say I don't recall how long he was out of work for, but it must have been for some weeks. Having said all that I wondered if there are other photos of the Hungerford Home Guard previous to the one published that included my father. [This is now resolved by the additional photograph and identification of members of Platoon 2, by kind permission of Roger Day].
Mrs Nadine King kindly contacted the Virtual Museum (Sep 2013) and donated a small envelope of six papers relating to the Hungerford Home Guard in 1943. They provide a wonderful insight into local arrangements:
- Division of the Hungerford Platoon: This undated document (perhaps from 1943) related to the dividing of the Hungerford Platoon into two smaller Platoons - North and South.
The South Platoon was to consist of:
No. 1 Section: Sergeant Bull, "remains as at present",
No. 2 Section: Sergeant Hawkins, "remains as at present"
The following men are transferred from No. 3 Section: Corporal Richens, Privatees Giles,
Batten, Grant, Stacey and Yates.
From No 4 Section: Privates C Hollister, W Hollister, S Hunter, J King, F Purbrick, J Shiel,
S Jesset and Pym.
The South Platoon remains the 51st Platoon as at present.
Platoon HQ at the rear of Messrs Alexander Bros Offices in Station Road.
- No. 4 Section, Hungerford Coy: Home Guard: This handwritten document (undated) lists the members of No. 4 Section.
Cpl C Brown, Cpl F Pounds, F Billingham, W D Bailey, G Eatwell, C Hollister, W Hollister, H J Hunter, S Hunter, W Hood, D Harvey, C Harvey, S Jessett, H Jacobs, J King, W Mansford, A Mackrill, A W Maslin, F Purbrick, F Pym, J Shiel, H R Tarr (Globe Cottage, North Hidden), A Winkworth (6 Radley Bottom), A Culling, H Harvey, Cpl L G Hughes.
- Equipment needed for practice in mustering "Action Stations":
Mess Tins
Camp Kettles
Haversacks
Picks and Shovels
Anti-Gas Equipment
Stretchers and Medical Equipment
Wiring Gloves
Gass Rattles
Signalling Equipment
AF C 2128 Message Forms
Latrines and Canvas.
- Duties which can be carried out:
Kit Inspection (Pl Cdr must have his Receipt and Record cards of A Fs H 1158 which can be
checked with each man's kit).
Inspect and fit gas respirators
Inspect eyeshields
Inspect field dressings
See that arrangements are made for petrol immobilisation when ordered
See that Casualty Clearing Point is arranged and every man knows where it is.
- Letter from Major Marshall(?), of 5 Bridge Street, regarding Range Rules, 31 May 1943:
From OC "H" (Hungerford) Coy, HG to OC 51st Platoon, HG:
Subject: Ranges. The following tange has recently been inspected by Lieut Cpl Gordon, his report is appended together with Range Rules for strict compliance.
Folly Farm, Hungerford. 788896
1. The range may be used for rifles and light automatics at a range not exceeding 30 yards.
2. By altering the firing point some 20 yards to the left, so as to clear Folly Farm from the line of fire, the range may be used for one Browning Medium machine gun at a range not exceeding 30 yards.
3. In this case the mounting must be placed so that if a leg collapses the cross head will not sink, ie by packing sandbags underneath it.
4. Attention is drawn to SAT Vol I, Pamphlet I for strict compliance.
5. A prominent red flag will be displayed on the edge of the pit behind the targets.
6. A look-out will be posted at the Eastern edge of Folly Farm to prevent persons and livestock moving between the pit and the farm.
7. At all times 5 feet of loose earth will be maintained as a bullet catcher.
8. A copy of SAT Vol I, Pamphlet I and these rules will always be in possession of the Office or NCO conducting the practice.
Small Arms Training – Vol I, Pamphlet I. Sec 19.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS (ALL RANGES)
THE DUTIES OF OFFICERS SUPERINTENDING AT THE BUTTS ARE:
1. To see that the targets are of the proper dimensions and sufficiently clean to enable shot holes to be easily distinguished, and that all old shot holes be properly patched before practice begins.
2. To see that the butts and appliances are in good order and to report any damage or deficiency.
3. To explain all regulations and local orders to the markers, and to ensure their observance.
4. To allow no man to leave the butts without an order. This order will not be given until it has been ascertained personally that the red flag has been hoisted both at the butts and at the firing point. To prevent the red flag being lowered until satisfied that all markers are in the butts.
5. To detail markers to targets. In grouping practices, one marker at each target should be responsible for noting the order in which shots strike the target and, during other practices, for watching the bank.
6. To see that the targets for machine guns if placed on the stop-butts, are erected to give the best facilities for observation of fire.
7. To ensure that no target is lowered without an order. In slow practices, the target will not be lowered until the Officer is in front of it. In rapid practices, the target will be lowered to "half-mast" at the end of the time allowed, and the markers will be ordered to stand as far back as possible until the Officer is in front of it.
8. To cause all targets to be lowered during cessation of fire.
9. To regulate the exposure of targets according to the instructions laid down, and to ensure that the value of each hit is correctly aligned and signalled. In shooting practices, to ensure that each target is correctly exposed in order to be clearly visible to the firer. Snap-shooting targets should be put up straight and not swung sideways.
10. To check the target of each firer and enter in ink the value of all hits in the register; occasional shots will be entered in the columns provided for the purpose. No erasures will be made. If alteration is necessary fine line will be drawn through the figure, the correct value written against it, and the amendment vouched for by the Officers initials.
11. If more hits, including ricochets, are found on a target than rounds fired, is to deduct from the score the value of the highest scoring hits. Only those hits which are to count will be entered on the register. (In the case of the machine gun, see Pamphlet No. 7.)
12. To mark off each hit on the target with a red pencil before entering its value in the register, and to ensure that all shot holes are correctly patched.
13. In rapid practices, after each check, to cause the number of each value to be signalled on each target.
14. On the conclusion of a practice, to rule a line diagonally across the unused spaces in the register before Signing it.
AUTHORISED CAR USERS - HG
R King is authorised to use car Registered No AJB 146 for Home Guard Duties. 5 Apr 1943.
- "History of 5th Berkshire Battalion Home Guard", by Lt-Col P W K Carr, 3rd May 1945.
- Second World War
- Pillboxes and Hedgehogs
- Ramsbury At War, Roger Day, 2004.
- Letter (undated) Gen Ironside to GOC in C Southern Command
- Home Guard Certificate of Service, June 1940-31 Dec 1944 - John Henry Tucker. (from Stewart Hofgartner)
- Home Guard Certificate of Service, June 1940-31 Dec 1944 - Frederick Roland Tucker. (from Stewart Hofgartner)
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Last edited by Mezim
2 edition of Analyses of pig iron. found in the catalog.
Analyses of pig iron.
Seymour R. Church
Published 1902 by The author in San Francisco .
Methods for the analysis of ores, pig iron and steel in use at the laboratories of iron and steel works in the region about Pittsburg, Pa. Easton, Pa., Chemical Pub. Co., (OCoLC) Document Type: Book: All Authors / Contributors: Francis C Phillips; Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania.
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Analyses of pig iron. by Seymour R. Church Download PDF EPUB FB2
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Analyses of pig iron. book Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading : Francis Clifford Phillips.
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Lana Del Rey Addresses Infamous Mesh Face Mask
Revealing that there was a plastic shield sewn on the inside.
Jeff Spicer/Bfc/Getty Images
Entertainment Nov 18, 2020
Lana Del Rey has finally commented on her mesh face mask she chose to wear at her Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass book signing. Taking place at a Barnes & Noble in Los Angeles, the songwriter was seen greeting fans in a mask that appeared to offer zero protection against the ongoing Coronavirus.
After catching the attention of many news outlets and receiving backlash from the online community, the artist continued to stay silent about the matter. Now, after a little over a month since the incident, Lana Del Rey has addressed the event following a story by the Michigan Daily.
The artist tweeted with: “Great article. The mask had plastic on the inside. They’re commonly sewn in by stylists these days. I don’t generally respond to articles because I don’t care. But there ya go. Same goes for everyone’s masks in my video. I’m lucky enough to have a team of people who can do that.”
And with the tweet, more light has been shed on the matter — revealing that she was not as careless as the internet made her out to be. Why she took so long to address the public was also disclosed with: “Bro I’m working on 2 albums and excitedly and happily donating a million dollars throughout the nation…”
Great article. The mask had plastic on the inside. They’re commonly sewn in by stylists these days. I don’t generally respond to articles because I don’t care. But there ya go. Same goes for everyone’s masks in my video. I’m lucky enough to have a team of people who can do that
— Lana Del Rey (@LanaDelRey) November 17, 2020
Bro I’m working on 2 albums and excitedly and happily donating a million dollars throughout the nation. If I responded to everything I would be ??♂️
In other entertainment news, Warner Bros. unveils a teaser trailer for the upcoming Tom & Jerry movie.
Lana Del ReyFace Masks
Lana Del Rey Shares New Single “Chemtrails Over the Country Club”
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Balancing style and function.
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Yixi Chen Brings C-MASTERMIND to Life With Innovative Pop-Up
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Behind-the-scenes of C2H4’s first event with mastermind JAPAN, captured on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G.
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Watch YEENJOY STUDIO and Minions Collaborate on New Porcelain Collection
A behind the scenes look at its making.
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How Do You Trace a Century of the Great Outdoors? Look at the Catalogs
Utah State University’s Outdoor Recreation Archive studies the past 100 years of the outdoor industry.
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Unboxing: PUMA and Porsche Pay Homage to the Iconic 911 Turbo With New Collaborative Collection
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1,023,720 Hypes
Uber Eats and Popeyes Introduce The "Churkey Special" Meal Ahead of Thanksgiving
Save room in your stomachs for this festive fried chicken feast.
By Elliot Santiago/ Nov 18, 2020
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Marc Isaacson – CEO of iThrive Health & Village Green Apothecary
Mario Schulzke • December 15, 2019 September 30, 2016
One word: Grit.
Mr. Isaacson has lead successful entrepreneurial ventures for over 20 years including launching a specialty beverage company called Glacier Ridge, which he sold 5 years later as well as expanding Melitta Coffee into the U.S. Market as the Strategy and Marketing Officer.
Mr. Isaacson has been an active member of a national entrepreneurial group which now has over 10,000 members, and is the global thought leader on entrepreneurship, where he’s connected with many business leaders who are leading innovation and growth companies.
Mr. Isaacson has a passion for changing the current healthcare model through personalized solutions to each individual, versus the “Sick Care” focus that healthcare has become. Marc is a platinum member of the JJ Virgin Health Collaborative; an active member of Michael Fishman’s “Healthcare Summit”; and more . Marc founded “The Essentials of Healthy Living” radio show in the DC market, which has become a trusted weekly radio show interviewing best-selling authors and leading health practitioners from around the world. Marc has a B.S. in Business Management from Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York.
Where did the idea for Village Green Apothecary and IQYou come from?
It came because I run an integrative pharmacy and have been doing integrative health for years and have been unable to help people to the degree, cost, and expertise I wanted to give to other doctors and practitioners and assessments at 10 percent of the cost.
I try to work out each day, power myself with good food and nutrients and I keep a calendar of priorities and have a virtual office wherever I need it. In this virtual age, I work some every single day and at least 10-12 per day at least 6 days per week.
I come home with ideas and share with my staff and key people, people in my network, and test ideas on them and I also test my ideas out on my wife, Gail, who has always been my biggest supporter.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
Personalized health and how we can see/watch health care change before our eyes.
What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
Working as a waiter. I am too entrepreneurial and didn’t love the frenetic process. I learned from this that I am more of a relationship person and not a serve everyone at once person with no built in relationship or time to know my customer.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
I would have worked on personalized health two decades ago instead of ten years ago.
Network like crazy and identify the right kinds of things to read related to business learning, trends, and industry knowledge.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.
The usual, which is all about finding awesome people, unique abilities and surrounding yourself with unique ability teams…with learning and passion and a love for what they do and to encourage it and make it complimentary.
I have had many. Grit is how I have overcome them. You gotta really understand that you are always going to have failures and it is critical to analyze them and grow from them – they are permanent but temporary and necessary for growth.
Anything that can solve a problem and make life easier for people with convergence and unbelievable action and understanding of data – regardless of the area it is in.
I spent $100 for dinner at the beach labor day weekend with my wife so we could have a date night.
What software and web services do you use? What do you love about them?
We have proprietary software we use that was designed for us and is a part of our offering with IQYou. I also like evernote and my calendaring app, which is super critical.
Scaling up 2.0. It is one of the most important books you can read on business because it is project driven on people, strategy, finance and more.
What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others?
My father, who was an entrepreneur. Rabbi Steve Baars for relationships, raising kids, and entrepreneurial coaching. Mike Goolben, who ran a big unit for GE Finance.
Linked In:
Mario Schulzke
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.
Categories health, Interviews Tags Bethesda, Maryland Post navigation
Brandon Welch – Founder of Doxy.me
Laurence Marx – CEO and Co-founder of emphasisHR
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Shenzhen’s silent revolution: world’s first fully electric bus fleet quietens Chinese megacity
Buses in Shenzhen Bus Company’s main charging depot in Futian. Photograph: Matthew Keegan You have to keep your eyes peeled for the bus at the station in Shenzhen’s Futian central business district these days. The diesel behemoths that once signalled their arrival with a piercing hiss, a rattle of engine and a plume of fumes are no more, replaced with the world’s first and largest 100% electric bus fleet. Shenzhen now has 16,000 electric buses in total and is noticeably quieter for it. “We find that the buses are so quiet that people might not hear them coming,” says Joseph Ma, deputy general manager at Shenzhen Bus Group, the largest of the three main bus companies in the city. “In fact, we’ve received requests to add some artificial noise to the buses so that people can hear them. We’re considering it.” We’ve received requests to add artificial noise to the buses so people can hear them Joseph Ma The benefits from the switch from diesel buses to electric are not confined to less noise pollution: this fast-growing megacity of 12 million – which was a fishing village until designated China’s first “special economic zone” in the 1980s – is […]
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News World We all have a role to play to keep COVID-19 at bay,...
We all have a role to play to keep COVID-19 at bay, says head of WHO Europe (Video)
By Evie Mitsidou Phillips (CNA)
WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge has called on everyone to continue to act responsibly as restrictive measures are eased, pointing out that “we all have a role to play to keep COVID-19 at bay.”
“We are now at the fork in the road,” Kluge said addressing a weekly virtual press conference.
This, he noted, “is the point at which our actions and individual behaviour determines which path we follow, one that sees us head towards a new normal, or one that sends us back to restrictions on our movement and social interactions.”
According to the WHO official “emergency fatigue threatens the precious gains we have made against this virus.”
“Reports of distrust in authorities and conspiracy thinking are fueling movements against social and physical distancing. Others are behaving over-cautiously, which continues to limit their social interactions and access to health services, for example,” he added.
“Mistrust, resistance to measures, a disregard for the behavioural changes we have all made to limit COVID-19, will send us down the road none of us want to take,” he warned.
Kluge sent a message to communities to “remain vigilant and protect the gains.” “Our complacency is COVID-19’s playground,” he stressed.
Addressing policy-makers, he asked them “keep attuned to what people are doing – listen, learn and adjust measures accordingly.”
To us all, he continued, “we all have a role to play to keep COVID-19 at bay”.
“Our behaviour determines COVID-19 behaviour,” the head of WHO Europe stressed.
People and local authorities must take measures on beaches
Replying to a Cyprus News Agency question on the organisation’s advice about how people can enjoy the sun and the sea this summer as lockdown measures ease, Team Leader of the WHO Health Emergency Programme Dr. Richard Peabody said “off course it very much depends on the extent of the local situation the extent of transmission of COVID-19 and the measures that a particular country has in place.”
There are, Peabody noted, “the core underlying measures that people should undertake”, adding that “those off course relate to the issues of ensuring that the usual physical distancing measures are put in place – the one meter rule – and all the usual measures of hand and respiratory hygiene to help reduce the transmission of the virus.”
And then off course, he continued, “there are the measures which the local authorities need to endeavour to have in place to ensure that beaches and places where people might gather are a safe environment and again to try and minimize any risks of onward transmission.”
On her part, referring to how authorities will be able to deal with people wanting to engage in a social activity which is actually against the recommended behaviour Technical Officer Katrine Habersaat said that “first of all we need to make sure that we listen to the public and understand the fatigue or the barriers that they are facing.” That means, she added, “at some point to also be able to engage in activities that are important for their mental health and wellbeing.”
The other point, she added, “is how can we continue to find ways of appealing to people so that they follow our recommendations and there are many ways of doing that and again from doing surveys we can understand who do people trust, what are their prevailing norms, are there any trends or shifts in norms where we can see that there is a decline in willingness to follow recommendations and if there is we must do something about it.”
Local risk assessment and close interaction with countries where tourists arrive from
Replying to a question by the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) about Greece suggesting that tourists take a test three days before travelling to the country and whether this is considered an appropriate way to protect visitors and residents, Peabody said that this “is a question which is arising in a number of different countries as we move into the summer season and quite rightly countries are wondering about their summer vacations.”
Clearly, he noted, “this really needs to be undertaken involving a very careful risk assessment by the countries involved, involving understanding what the local transmission is and also close interaction with the countries where tourists are going to be arriving from.”
So, Peabody added, “no clear answer here.”
“It is really for Greece to consider where the tourists are coming from, a local risk assessment and based on that make decisions and help to support the local economy which off course is really important.”
(CNA)
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Nawazuddin Siddiqui: Good if brainless cinema is impacted by audience shift to OTT
Nawazuddin Siddiqui said streaming platforms should be cautious going forward in order to not fall into the trap of commerce that dictates theatrical business.
By: PTI | Mumbai | Updated: November 29, 2020 8:57:01 am
Nawazuddin Siddiqui's last two releases Raat Akeli Hai and Serious Men were successful on Netflix. (Photo: Nawazuddin Siddiqui/Instagram)
Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui says audiences were exposed to quality world cinema on OTT platforms during the pandemic, which he hopes will lead them to reject “formulaic” films.
With theatres closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic, several big ticket movies opted for a digital release.
Many now wonder whether the shift from theatrical to digital is good for commercial cinema, considering they are made keeping the theatrical sensibilities in mind.
In an interview with PTI, Siddiqui said during the lockdown there were some exceptional web shows that came out and if this has impacted commercial cinema, then “it’s good.”
“Most of the commercial cinema is brainless, especially the formulaic films. If you continue to talk about brainless things, then thanks to OTT now, people watched world cinema during the pandemic. I hope they were educated by that.
“Otherwise, people thought a film was all about hero, heroine, six songs and the woman being in it only to fall in love. It was important for this kind of cinema to get impacted,” said Siddiqui.
The actor’s last two releases Raat Akeli Hai and Serious Men were successful on Netflix.
Siddiqui, however, said streaming platforms should be cautious going forward in order to not fall into the trap of commerce that dictates theatrical business.
The 46-year-old actor hoped that the digital medium remains brave and doesn’t succumb to the same storytelling that the big screen offers.
“We shouldn’t make OTT a business, because then the same pattern will be repeated. What you were watching in theatres, now you’d watch the same kind of films on OTT, which won’t be good.”
Siddiqui made his streaming debut in 2018 with Netflix’s India original Sacred Games.
Helmed by Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Neeraj Ghaywan, the two-part series not only earned global acclaim but also kickstarted a trend of crime thrillers on OTT platforms.
Siddiqui said the reason the digital space is populated with crime thrillers is because it’s an attractive genre.
But what, the actor said, he has observed is a “dangerous” mindset of creators to blindly follow the benchmark set by Sacred Games.
“In the last few months, I saw a couple of episodes (of other shows) and realised one should create something of their own. If you try to capture Sacred Games, you won’t be able to because it has gone far ahead.
“Sacred Games became a hit not because of the abuses but because of its strong subtext, characters, vision. If you only try to think, ‘Oh, even we will add abuses to our show, it’ll become a hit,’ then it’ll become shallow.”
The actor said the Indian OTT scene, which is at a nascent stage, should not get trapped in producing same kind of programmes.
“The kind of content coming on OTT now, which is a bit sexual, sensational and with abuses suggests we are already trapped. We need to get out of it soon,” he said on the sidelines of a discussion organised by Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films.
The platform, which hosts and backs short films, brought together others from the fraternity, including Saif Ali Khan, Manoj Bajpayee and Samantha Akkineni, to discuss the growth and evolution of the short film format and cinema at large.
Though he believes short films require a lot more preparation, Siddiqui said his attempt as an actor has always been to push himself irrespective of the medium he is working on.
“I am always trying to find something through my characters, which even I don’t know. Playing different characters, putting myself in uncomfortable zones, exploring unknown areas of my personality is my life.
“If in the process, fans support and appreciate me, it’s wonderful. But I’ve always looked at my acting as my personal journey,” he added.
For all the latest Entertainment News, download Indian Express App.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui
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Home » Music » Acid Rock » IndiePulse Reviews: Ritual by Timothy Eerie
IndiePulse Reviews: Ritual by Timothy Eerie
Posted on June 1, 2019 by Joseph Timmons in Acid Rock, Artist News, Bandcamp Reviews, Bands to Explore, Classic Rock, featured, Featured Artists / Bands, Featured Content, Featured Labels, Featured Record Stores, Guitar Rock, Industry News, Music News, New, New Albums, New Instruments, New Music, New Releases, news, Other News, Psyche Rock, Soundcloud Sounds // 0 Comments
The new album by Timothy Eerie titled Ritual has been getting much praise by our fellow music journals, an rightly so. We would like to think that IndiePulse is not “Late to the Party”, as we have been sitting on this review for a bit, but we would like to offer this as a well investigated homage to the genre of Psychedelic Pop that has grown to a larger field of music, rather than the few “one off” bands that have been reliving the music of the early 60’s and 70’s as throw backs and revivals. Timothy Eerie will set the scene.
Timothy Eerie has created an album that is very fresh and original, while taking cues from historical artist archetypes and audio soundscapes of the past, while infusing modern and original aspects, making Ritual a whole new type of music sub-genre. Listening to the album, I first found that transported me to a time where the concept of music creativity was to transport you to another place, within and without, into the stream of energy. While definitely being true to psychedelic era music, it is also quite a bit more intellectual. And with the lyrics having a flow that matches the music perfectly, it is complete and all inspiring.
Ritual is an album to be experienced, we offer the following link to the Bands Bandcamp page, the first track on the album The Transformation of Things is a delightful track that, to me is very much like early Pink Floyd meets T-Rex, it is also a bit chilling, as the tempo downbeat has almost a diabolical temperament.
Timothy Eerie’s album Ritual is a co release / joint venture by both the Fat Elvis Records and Nomad Eel Records labels.
Ritual is a full win and should be part of your new music experience.
Timothy Eerie, Orlando-grown, psychedelic pop group have been involved in the underground music scene since 2015. From their roots as a bedroom recording project, Timothy Eerie has blossomed beyond the bedroom, developing an eclectic sound and a starry-eyed following.
Where the ethereal meets the visceral is where you will find Timothy Eerie, with dreamy, hazy melodies accompanied by thick tones and rock’n’roll noise this band is the epitome of multi-faceted sound. Like many of the bands stemming from the psychedelic genre, there has been a revolving door of players and artists contributing to the project which only lends to their mystique. Backed by Fat Elvis Records & Nomad Eel Records they’ve shared the stage with such greats as La Luz, Dead Meadow, L.A. Witch, Kikagaku Moyo, Of Montreal, Acid Mothers Temple, and Holy Wave.
Orlando Weekly noted, “They’re astonishingly realized for a young group.. When [a fresh band] emerges from practically nowhere with this kind of skill, size and aesthetic, it’s a sign of something potentially very special.”
http://nomadeelrecords.bandcamp.com
http://fatelvisrecords.com
http://www.facebook.com/timothyeerie
http://timothyeerie.bandcamp.com
http://soundcloud.com/timothyeerie
Timothy Eerie
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What Seth Godin's altMBA taught me about tough feedback
The internet is awash with content on productivity. How to do your work. When to do. How to organise your when to do. Why you procrastinate. How to stop. Morning routines. Evening routines... Here are my main lessons from Seth Godin's altMBA about doing vs reflecting.
Kim Monney
The problem with endless focus on productivity is that it's about quantity over quality. This low effort/high reward habit changes everything.
The internet is awash with content on productivity. How to do your work. When to do. How to organise your when to do. Why you procrastinate. How to stop. Morning routines. Evening routines...
The problem with endless advice on productivity is it’s about doing as much work as you can. It’s not about doing that work better.
Consistently delivering higher quality work is how you get to be the best version of yourself. And that's what makes getting consistent feedback a powerful habit. Feedback gives you priceless self-awareness and self-awareness helps you reach your potential.
"I think self awareness is probably the most important thing towards being a champion." - Billie Jean King
So why are companies low feedback environments?
It's odd that feedback isn't part of day-to-day life in business when it has potential for rewards far beyond the effort required to get it, and for far greater impact.
Sports are the obvious comparison. Athletes at all levels have feedback baked into their habits because they have coaches. Coaches give feedback. That feedback creates self awareness and enables the athletes to improve their performance. It's part of the culture.
"A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life." - John Wooden
A professional athlete trains most days of the week and gets feedback most days of the week. While in business, we work most days of the week and get feedback what - once or twice a year in our annual and half yearly performance reviews?
A surgeon in the US, Atul Gawande, considered this and started getting a mentor to sit in on his operations to provide detailed feedback after each one. See a snippet of his TED talk here.
It makes no sense that most companies spend most of their time focussed on the performance of the business (conversions, revenue, market share...) but not on the performance of the people who create the business performance!
How can companies be focused on delivering more profit without first delivering more feedback?
Getting your head around the feedback mindset
Unfortunately, most people fear feedback (including me), which explains why they avoid it (guilty!). The fear makes it feel difficult and unnatural.
Dig a little deeper and it becomes clearer that it's not the feedback itself we fear. It's really fear of the unknown, fear of failure and possibly, fear that we're repeating a past mistake...
You do it to yourself, you do
And that's what really hurts
- Radiohead, Just
One of the scariest things for our minds to deal with is uncertainty. And one major thing we can't control is what other people think. Combine them together and you've got a recipe for our lizard brain to go crazy at the freak-out circus.
Worrying about what other people think, and then asking them to tell you what they think, can seem paralysing. Our brain sometimes even sees feedback as a fight-or-flight event. But the reward is priceless self-awareness.
Does an athlete care that their coach told them to improve their passing shot, or toughen up mentally? That they’re capable of being better? No! They welcome it. They know it's what will help them get better, so they can win. Even if it's uncomfortable at times, it feels safe because it's familiar. It's part of the culture of their environment.
Ah, the classic. Fear of what might (but probably won't) happen. Fear that causes a retreat to "safety". Where we can't be hurt. But where we're actually hurting ourselves because we're stunting our own growth.
Imagine if your parents never took the training wheels off your bike at age 6. No bloody knees and no scar tissue, but one hell of a boring (and heavily ridiculed) adult that gets around on a tricycle. Without the falls, without the failures, without the short-term pain, there can’t be long-term gain.
Fear from past experiences
If you've been on the receiving end of bad feedback - or feedback badly given - you'll remember it. Sadly, you're not alone and chances are the scars are holding you back.
Have you ever stopped to think though that all feedback is subjective?
It’s delivered to us in a box wrapped uniquely by the other person. Enveloped in their words, their motives, their own views of the world.
That doesn’t mean it’s worthless, it just means that it isn’t all true. It’s only an opinion. Your job as the receiver of feedback is to expertly apply a filter that casts aside the crap and galvanises the gold.
The gift of self awareness
All improvement starts with awareness: Awareness of how things are now versus how we want them to be. Knowing how we want things to be enables us to put in place a process that will lead to the results we're seeking.
For me, the gift of feedback is the gift of self awareness. Seeing what others see; identifying and pushing past my blind spots.
Self improvement never ends, so putting in place a system that creates a habit of feedback is a way to guarantee that I'm always improving. Getting a little bit better every day and every week makes for huge improvements over time.
Whatever you want to achieve, feedback is an accelerator to help you get there.
In the business world, good feedback well-received can be a competitive advantage. Reid Hoffman's podcast interview with the founder of Eventbrite, Julia Hartz, is a great example of how customer feedback can fuel success.
People can use feedback in the same way. The more effective the people, the more effective the company.
And the tide is turning. In a 2015 survey of 1,000 Millennials, over 840 wanted more frequent performance conversations with their manager.
Culturally, it makes sense. Millennials are used to giving and receiving immediate feedback, as they have with their friends pretty much every day since they started using a mobile phone. Feedback is part of the Millennial identity. Like most things in life, how you think about it makes all the difference.
Survey of 1,000 Millennials by Trinet
And since Millennials are already the largest part of the workforce, businesses with Gen-X ways of operating are going to struggle to drive profitability if they’re focussing wholly on productivity and not on feedback.
Ready to give feedback a go?
The good news is that using feedback to improve your performance is a low effort / high reward strategy, particularly in low feedback environments.
The trade-off is that you might be dealing with people who aren't very good at giving it. So when you ask them, what you hear back might not be entirely helpful. Inevitably, it will say as much about them as it does about you. And, if you look for it, the gold nuggets will be there :-).
Remember that those who share something constructive with you are the most generous. They're the ones who you should thank because, as scary as it may seem in the moment, they're the ones who make you better.
Make feedback a habit
Like most habits, little and often is the best approach. Taking cues from James Clear's Atomic Habits, here are some tips on how to do it and make it work.
1. Make it obvious
Start by 'stacking' feedback onto another, preferably enjoyable habit. Then make a commitment to when you will do it by making that habit your trigger.
I will send an email to 3 people I've worked with each week immediately after my lunch break on Fridays.
I'll set a 15 minute recurring appointment with myself in my calendar as a reminder.
The email will include 2 questions that will help prompt them to give me useful feedback:
Q1: What one thing did I do this week that impressed you the most?
Q2: What one thing this week could I have done better? Please tell me so that next week I nail it!
You could knock on their door, give them a call, or send them a Slack message. In fact, you can ask them however you like. But you might find that putting it in writing first, and giving them time to respond thoughtfully (rather than putting them on the spot) gives you a better outcome.
Emailing your feedback request also gives you a chance to preface your questions by saying how you'd like them to be answered honestly. Without your express permission, they may default to saying something nice and generic that you can't use to improve.
2. Make it easy
Spend your 15 mins of feedback time this week thinking of some questions you'd like to ask people and save them as a draft email.
Having a question bank prepared serves two purposes:
- You can ask the same questions over a few weeks to get a spectrum of feedback from different people. Then you can track how the feedback changes over time as your self awareness improves.
- When the calendar reminder pops up, it'll take you less than 2 minutes to cut, paste and send out the questions you’ve already drafted. Easy!
3. Make it satisfying
You know the rewards will be worth it, but that alone doesn't solve procrastination. Reward yourself for taking action.
If you usually treat yourself to a sweet snack or a cup of coffee on a Friday afternoon, don't let yourself have it until you've requested feedback. If you don't usually have an afternoon treat, invent one for yourself for doing this! Maybe even offer a reward to your buddies for giving constructive feedback?
Download a free copy of the above book here (normally £7.75 on Amazon).
4. But know that it will be hard
"The best feedback is what we don't want to hear." - George Raveling
Feedback is an emotional experience. That's why it's hard at first, and why the results are so rewarding.
I'm used to getting (and giving) feedback. I work for an HRTech company that specialises in it. And it's hard, even for me.
Recently in our company’s 360 degree feedback cycle, I received 41 generous, thoughtfully written comments. 31 were positive, 7 were neutral (a mix of positive and negative), and 3 were constructively negative.
Guess what?! Only the 3 negative ones stuck with me.
My first reaction on reading them was to tense up. Later that day, I was quite upset. It took me a week to get past feeling defensive about them, to accept and be grateful for them. And only then did the encouragement from the positive comments break through.
Where am I now, as a result of that feedback? Self-aware enough to know where I can do better. And encouraged to keep going!
Where will I be in a year's time? I don't know. But I'll certainly be further ahead of where I am now, following ongoing, regular doses of feedback-driven self awareness. And light years ahead of where I'd have been if I'd kept my head in the sand.
5. Reflect on what you've learned
“It turns out that people who are getting feedback - and a better way to think about it is ‘advice’ - from trusted, respected peers, outperform everybody else. So that’s worth practising.” - Seth Godin
I recently did Seth Godin’s altMBA. Feedback followed by reflections on that feedback are a core component of the learning.
The reflections have given me some truly golden breakthroughs, skyrocketing my self awareness. While I’ve discovered more about how I think and act, I’ve uncovered some realisations about others too. How my work is affected by, and can influence, their worldviews, motivations and choices. And how, in that work, I can make change happen.
This article is a result of one of my feedback-led reflections. I’m seeking to plant a seed that may change you to become more open to feedback, while encouraging myself to continue with the feedback habit. Hopefully, it’s a win for us both!
If you use a journal, write about how the feedback you receive makes you feel and ask yourself why it makes you feel that way. Are you being honest with yourself? You might choose to disagree with the feedback, but chances are there's a grain of truth in it that will help you, if you take the time to reflect on it.
Want to make the feedback habit even easier?
"Automate your habits. Invest in technology and onetime purchases that lock in future behavior." - James Clear
Howamigoing is a beautiful online platform for giving and receiving professional feedback. Use it for everything from company-wide 360 degree reviews to private feedback you can request from anyone at any time.
Better questions result in better outcomes, so Howamigoing is pre-loaded with a question bank, designed by us with behavioural psychologists, to make it even easier to get great feedback from your peers. And to make sure good deeds don't go unnoticed, we've also got a "Good vibes" feature where you can publicly praise the good work of others, and allow others to see and comment on it.
Much easier than sending an email after Friday lunch!
Interested in more feedback insights? Check out our resources
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The Problem of Provenance
by John Harvey
Medicinal identification
The problem of correctly identifying the source of a medicine as obscure as Curare or Ignatia may seem to be one of identifying rare and inexactly described species ‘” and therefore peripheral to good homÅ“opathic practice. But it raises questions bearing on the accuracy of all homÅ“opathic prescriptions.
The problem of correctly identifying the source of a medicine as obscure as Curare or Ignatia may seem to be one of identifying rare and inexactly described species – and therefore peripheral to good homeopathic practice. But it raises questions bearing on the accuracy of all homeopathic prescriptions.
The homeopathic community has two meanings for the term homeopathic medicine. One arises in the context of treatment of the individual patient: it is the substance – however prepared through “homeopathic” manufacture – that is homeopathic to that patient.
The other meaning concerns the process of manufacture, and refers to the original medicine’s serial dynamisation cycle of dilution and succussion to produce a “homeopathic” potency.
Such a potency may clearly contain molecules of the original medicine (i.e., remain in the inframolecular range) or may equally clearly have a low probability of containing any of those original molecules (i.e., be in the ultramolecular range).
It is, if course, this second meaning, the process of manufacture, that critics of homeopathy invariably rejoice in discovering and criticising once their mathematics is up to the task of working out that it is possible to manufacture into the ultramolecular range.
The importance of medicinal invariability and provenance
Although the manufacture of ultramolecular potencies is not essential to homeopathic practice, its accuracy is relevant to the practitioner concerned with the sharpness of her tools.
When a practitioner refers, in relation to no particular patient, to a “homeopathic” medicine, she is referring to a product of a process that begins with the collection or chemical synthesis of a medicinal substance and ends with its bottling in alcohol, usually via a number of dynamisation steps, either through dilution and succussion in aqueous alcohol or through trituration with lactose.
(For the sake of convenience, I’ll refer from here on merely to the process entailing liquid dilution, but preparation through trituration is subject to exactly the same considerations.)
What a practitioner means, then, by a “homeopathic” medicine is an aqueous solution, possibly nothing more than water and alcohol, that has a certain history.
The history of that solution may be apparent in a very rough sense through the solution’s biological effects and through the physical properties it manifests under, for instance, gas chromatography or nuclear magnetic resonance. But for the most part, and certainly in the detail, the provenance of any ultradilute homeopathic medicine is at present a matter of implicit trust by dispensing pharmacist and practitioner in the integrity of the homeopathic chemist. Pharmacist and practitioner alike count on the chemist to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that the new preparation matche as exactly as humanly possible the original preparations.
Variability in starting material
Take, for example, any potency of Tarentula cubensis. There cannot be more than one source of that remedy: the original material scooped up from the deck of a particular ship sailing home from Cuba. No attempt to duplicate the conditions of its origin can hope to succeed in doing so, and all homeopathic chemists of any integrity must ultimately derive their preparations of Tarent.-cub. from the same single source.
So much is obvious. But, to a greater or lesser extent, most homeopathic medicines of biological rather than of mineral or synthetic origin, and even some of the latter, are subject to the same considerations of uncontrollable variability in starting material that dooms any attempt to duplicate Tarentula cubensis.
Chemical variability
In the preparation of allopathic medicines, such variability may be overcome by the carefully controlled extraction of a single chemical from the source, even if such precision is ignored once the medicine has been approved for use – and becomes ancient history once the medicine has multiple manufacturers. But in homeopathy, the medicinal effects of the product reflect the medicinal effects of the source; and the exactness of prescribing indications reflects the particularity of effects of the substance that originally underwent pathogenetic trials (“provings”).
In homeopathic manufacture, therefore, chemical variability in the source is far more critical to effectiveness than it is in allopathic manufacture.
In the case of medicines of biological origin, the medicine is usually not a single chemical as it ideally would be in allopathy, but a naturally occurring mixture of chemicals – the mixture that the relevant source organism’s biology dictates, justifying Hahnemann’s classification of it as a single, simple substance.
But two organisms of the same species have different life histories and slightly different functional and anatomical totalities. It has been known for many decades that collectors of, say, Pulsatilla nigricans from two different kinds of soil will collect organisms having two different balances in chemical composition. Each is, in Hahnemann’s terms, a single, simple substance, and each is Pulsatilla nigricans; yet, due to variations in chemical composition, the symptom totality of one is likely to differ, in some respects, from the symptom totality of the other.
The dictates of provenance
Such considerations dictate that a certain biological source should at minimum be obtained in circumstances similar to those of the original source. But they suggest also that, for reliability in symptom similarity, certain medicines – and perhaps all medicines of biological origin – should be prepared only from the original source, the one used in pathogenetic trials. Tarentula cubensis is merely the most obvious example, the tip of the iceberg that is the problem of identity of homeopathic medicines.
Homeopathy, then, faces a uniquely critical problem in medicinal identity. How fortunate, then, that it has a uniquely available solution.
Homeopathic medicinal preparation cannot solve the problem of medicinal identity, even in the mineral and synthetic realms, by the allopathic approach of purification of a single chemical to a certain standard of purity. The allopathic “indications” for a medicine capable of opposing a biological process (an enantiopathic medicine) are far less particular than are the homeopathic “indications” for a medicine capable of mimicking it.
Some variability in the manufacture of an allopathic drug, although it may ultimately prove highly dangerous, usually does not affect the drug’s effectiveness; but slight variation in the original substance used in manufacturing a “homeopathic” potency – although it will have no influence on safety – may render the medicine quite useless for highly accurate, individualised homeopathic prescription.
Moreover, medicines prescribed homeopathically are prescribed always and only on the basis of their pathogenetic trials, and those trials rely inherently on the medicine’s origin in a single integrated source, such as a plant. Any mixed source, such as spring waters or a mixture of milk samples, will result in unpredictable and uncontrollable chemical and symptomatic variation and chemical and dynamic synergies and antagonies and for that reason will never be more than a marginal medicine in homeopathy.
By and large, homeopathic medicines come from biological sources, and do not comprise a single chemical. They therefore cannot be chemically purified as allopathic ones to a certain extent can. Again, though they comprise mixtures of compounds and elements, their origin in an integrated single organism appears to confer on them a symptomatic stability that Hahnemann recognised in the term “single, simple substance”. The existence of mixtures in a single organism does not appear to be a problem in that regard. But the complex variations between two organisms of the same species poses a great challenge to consistency and accuracy in prescribing.
In the case of medicines subject to chemical variability due to geographic location, climatic conditions, pollution, or uncertainty in species identification, there is only one way for the chemist to match as exactly as humanly possible the original preparation used in pathogenetic trials: to prepare the potency from the original source rather than from a very similar source. And that reminds us again of the importance of provenance.
Biological variability demands prescription accuracy
Provenance is an irrelevancy in the preparation of allopathic medicines. Such preparation by and large uses chemistry to control medicinal content to the degree of precision deemed financially worthwhile for enantiopathic ends. A certain purity in the sought end product and a limit on known dangerous contaminants are virtually all that manufacturer, practitioner, and regulator require. Exactness of reproduction from one batch to another is not critical to reproducible effectiveness in subduing a particular biological process.
But homeopathic medicines commonly depend upon provenance absolutely for the exactness of their match with the medicine that, under the same name, underwent pathogenetic trials. The exactness of that match is critical in homeopathy as it is not in allopathy, because, rather than subdue a biological process, homeopathy inherently seeks to mimic as comprehensively and closely as possible the entire relevant set of biological processes – those resulting in the patient’s foremost set of symptoms.
Low absolute dose demands prescription accuracy
Homeopathy’s famous gentleness despite its power in conditions as violent as cholera, as deep as coma, as sudden as croup, and as intractable as malaria is due largely to the reductions in absolute quantity that led to the discovery of the phenomenon of “homeopathic” potency. Though subservient to the homeopathic relationship itself, that reduction enabled safe use of the deadliest substances just as it enabled effective use of otherwise innocuous ones, and limited discomforts to those (usually very temporary and mild ones) arising from uncommon sensitivity to a medicine.
Such reductions, though, make for a medicine that is more demanding of accuracy in prescription. They necessitate a prescription that is based on an understanding of the patient’s condition and a match with it in the pathogenicity of a medicine that are far more particular than allopathic prescription requires.
If you have an inflammation, nearly any anti-inflammatory will probably serve to quell it, if that’s your purpose – and if the generic formulation happens to contain a novel impurity or two, it will still serve in place of the original. If, however, you have an exact pattern of natural symptoms you wish to mimic in a medicine’s known pathogenesis, you have no such leeway. Homeopathy necessitates prescription that is accurate in its particulars. A prescription of such gentleness as a small dose of a dilution left without a single toxic molecule of the original medicinal substance is one that demands – unless it too is to be used, repetitively and allopathically, to subdue rather than to mimic as closely as possible – the greatest precision.
Prescription accuracy demands exactness of provenance
So, in the preparation of most homeopathic medicines, which must depend upon the integrity of the source material for that match, chemical control of extraction is an irrelevance. In contrast, of critical relevance is accuracy – and in most cases, identity – of the original source.
Manufacturing standards for homeopathic medicines must therefore concern themselves first and foremost with those considerations that affect the exact identity of the product with the substance known to have been used in the pathogenetic trials of the medicine going by that name.
I referred to provenance earlier as a matter of trust. I did so, of course, because the end product is most often an ultramolecular potency, chemically indistinguishable from an aqueous solution of alcohol; and because even the starting material for the product may fall into that realm. And if the manufacturer should happen to obtain the starting material, in entirely good faith, from a fraudulent source – what then will become of homeopathy’s record of success?
Provenance shanghaied by allopathic considerations
The crucial matter in homeopathic manufacture is the matter of provenance. Yet the manufacturing standards for homeopathic medicines make no reference to it. Instead, the standards have increasingly been hijacked by the considerations applicable to medicines manufactured for use in heroic doses to subdue the patient’s response to illness: correct identification of a species, and proof of past efficacy in subduing some complaint or other. Such standards are, in terms of homeopathic accuracy, far too lax and of no relevance to the matters that demand certainty, which are the exact nature of the source material for the medicine and its identity with the material that has undergone pathogenetic trials under that name.
If homeopathic practitioners would not be satisfied with the manufacture of a novel preparation of Tarentula cubensis as a substitute for the original source material, then they must not be satisfied either with homeopathic manufacturing standards that concern themselves with irrelevant matters and fail to address this most crucial matter of the provenance of all medicines for homeopathic use.
Homeopathically representative bodies that cooperate in the substitution of allopathic standards for homeopathic ones in any aspect of homeopathy fail their constituents. This is obvious in relation to the basis of practice, but is equally important in the requirements of manufacture; and here, it is instructive to take into account the difference in financial incentives between allopathic pharmaceutical manufacture and homeopathic potency manufacture.
Allopathic versus homeopathic manufacture
In the present day, manufacture of an allopathic medicine involves the direct or indirect sale of the product by an entire industry network that includes
• pharmaceutical research labs and manufacturers;
• patent rights and monopoly over manufacture, distribution, and price;
• dispensing pharmacies;
• practitioners involved in corrupt but legal reward schemes as well as illegal ones;
• practitioners presently serving as government ministers but ready to take their rewards in industry;
• partnerships with regulators that are often recognised, when recognised at all, as being far too cosy for propriety; and
• an enormous propaganda machine that uses carrot and stick to bring regulator, government, practitioner, and patient into line with the dictates of sales, trampling journalistic principles, scientific integrity, ethics, and human rights to do so.
The most commonly used prescription pharmaceuticals are heavily subsidised by tax dollars in preference to subsidisation of socially useful projects, giving pharmaceuticals an appearance of relative cheapness; but the scale upon which money changes hands within the pharmaceutical industry beggars public spending on education and the production of any other socially useful item, such as unadulterated food and drink. It is second in scale only to government spending on technologies of instant, large-scale killing.
In contrast, manufacture of homeopathic potencies remains something of a cottage industry. As homeopathy properly practised limits the patient’s demand for medicines to practically nothing, sales are limited by the inherently low volume of medicines that any patient, and even any practitioner, will demand. Many manufacturers even continue to use hand dynamisation. Whereas allopathic prescription and education are dictated almost wholly by the financial interests of manufacturers whose profit incentive lies largely in exploiting monopolies and destroying competition, in homeopathy the inverse relationship holds: homeopathic manufacture and product development are driven by the research and dictates of practitioners.
As a result of the relationship in which homeopathic manufacturers respond to rather than create demand, no reputable homeopathic manufacturer on the planet owns a patent, or any other kind of monopoly, on a homeopathic medicine; claims that a homeopathic medicine is suited to certain diagnostic categories; or claims that one medicine may substitute for another. For the same reason, no homeopathic manufacturer has been accused, let alone found guilty, of bribing practitioners, regulators, or cabinet ministers for the sake of sales, or of improperly offering rewards, kickbacks, or positions in industry.
Whose interests drive production?
A generally useful comparator to pharmaceutical manufacture might be software manufacture.
Allopathic pharmaceutical manufacturers are the Microsofts of the pharmaceutical world – inserting themselves into government policy and purchasing decisions, installing secret surveillance devices into their products, rendering deinstallation of their products difficult to impossible, baiting consumers with a cheap product with inbuilt exponentially growing requirements for maintenance and upgrades, and occasionally necessitating weeks of downtime for system overhauls.
In this analogy, homeopathic manufacturers are obviously the Linuxes: networks of individuals concerned, yes, for their own survival but also for principles of openness and social usefulness, who transparently contribute information and intellectual property to socially useful ends and who welcome and thrive on competition and the invention of ways of proceeding that are entirely different from their own.
In both medicine and software, the big boys and the ordinary players are worlds apart – not because their technologies or factual assumptions are so very different, but because their business structures and business interests are.
Whose claims are relevant?
In this light, it is evident that high standards for manufacture of allopathic medicines must take into account the manufacturer’s own claims for the medicine’s relevance to certain conditions and for the medicine’s safety. This is so because the entire production of new medicines and their prescription is driven by the manufacturer, whose financial return on research, development, and manufacture depends in large part on having that medicine used in preference to another. (This is naturally a much stronger consideration still while the manufacturer enjoys a monopoly on its manufacture.)
Upon this motive alone, the manufacturer may be prepared to invest many millions of U.S. dollars into demonstrating to regulators and the public the unique qualities of a single medicine. The scale of prescription, the extent of monopoly, the repetitions, and the certainty of increasing dosages and creating future markets by promoting further illness all combine to ensure that a successfully marketed drug to subdue biological processes will be a veritable Golden Goose.*
The case is entirely different with regard to homeopathic manufacturers. Not only are they without patents on the medicines; with rare exception (such exceptions being due chiefly to arbitrary national regulation on the basis of a substance’s name rather than of its chemical composition), each medicine is available, in at least some potencies, from each manufacturer. This is so because manufacture requires no licensing of intellectual property.
Invention of a new medicine for homeopathic use originates not with the manufacturer but in efforts by a practitioner to conduct pathogenetic trials, whereupon the practitioner will, at nominal or no cost, supply manufacturers with the medicine – or at least with its identity – in order to make it more generally available.
In the world of homeopathy, manufacturers are unable to obtain financial recompense for the research and development of a new medicine. (For starters, in terms of their expertise and likely motivations in conducting pathogenetic trials, they would enjoy little to no credibility in the eyes of the homeopathic community, which generally understands the huge damage that the allopathic pharmaceutical structure does to scientific integrity.) Moreover, homeopathic medicines, not being patent medicines, are and must be freely available for potentisation by manufacturers, practitioners, and patients alike.
Such manufacturers, then, whose business is to respond to rather than to create market demand, have, in the eyes of the homeopathic community, no business in making any claims as to a medicine’s indications or usefulness.
The manufacturer’s appropriate concerns are that the starting material be identical to the material known in the literature by the same name; that its potentisation occur as specified, either by Hahnemann or in the manufacturer’s own declarations; and that the resultant product be protected from denaturing through contamination, random vibration, or electromagnetic radiation.
Appropriate and inappropriate regulation of homeopathic manufacture
Understanding of these and other matters that distinguish homeopathy from allopathy in practice, in manufacture, and in industry structure and influence is of some importance in the discussions that national bodies representing homeopathy conduct with regulatory bodies mandated to ensure truthful representation and good manufacture.
Lack of such understanding will result increasingly in inappropriate controls on homeopathic manufacture, practice, prescription, and self-medication and ultimately in surrender of the very conditions uniquely important to this form of medicine: identification of medicine, individualisation of prescription, control of potency, and correct interpretation of the direction of overall patient response.
If there is one matter in which it might be appropriate for regulatory bodies to exert novel controls in the field of homeopathy, it is not in the suitability of the medical conditions in which the medicines might be used (which decision depends not at all on diagnostic categories but on the relationship of the medicine’s known pathogenesis to the patient’s known, individualised symptoms). Nor is it in the suitability of any ethically sound source of medicine for use in sufficiently potentised form, as its safety is ensured by that very process, and its policing is in a practical sense impossible. Instead, what might be an appropriate target for regulatory control is the accuracy of the manufacturer’s description of the product, in relation both to the method of manufacture and to the provenance of the source material.
For that reason, consultations between the national bodies representing homeopathy and the national bodies regulating manufacture of homeopathic medicines utterly fail to uphold relevant manufacturing quality if they focus on allopathically appropriate considerations – of mere identity of biological species and mere identity of medical condition – rather than on the homeopathically appropriate and more exacting ones of identity of original source and similarity of individual symptoms.
* See Carol Boyce, “Magnus Pharma and the Golden Goose: The Case of Allopathy”, Similia 2007;19(1):9-12, 39-44, 48.
Homeopathy Pharmacy – An Introduction A useful article about Homeopathy Pharmacy - An Introduction.Full details about Homeopathy Pharmacy - An Introduction...
Placebo effect sizes in homeopathic compared to conventional drugs – a systematic review of randomised controlled trials Placebo effect sizes in homeopathic compared to conventional drugs - a systematic review of randomised controlled trials...
‘Synoptic Reference: The First 500 Remedies’ – by Frans Vermeulen Homeopath David Johnson reviews Frans Vermuelen’s Materia Medica, Synoptic Reference: The First 500 Remedies. ...
Can nuxvomica be used as an antidote? Can nuxvomica be used as an antidote?...
John Harvey is a writer and editor in Canberra, Australia, where he has studied and practiced homeopathy since 1976. John edited the Australian peer-reviewed journal Similia from 2006 to 2008. His other interests include language, music, physics and philosophy.
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Tag Archives: press conference
10 Year Anniversary, General news, Tour News
NEW YORK, WE ARE HERE! by Daniela
December 1, 2019 pitterpat0 22 Comments
The promotional tour in Mexico has been very successful.
Many fans presented autographs from Mixup for the moment.
Surely Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca, will have been very happy with this beautiful participation of their fans. But unfortunately there was also an inconvenience for Ignazio, he was not well, he had a fever, he presented himself at the event, but at a certain point he had to leave, much to the disappointment of the fans, but then they understood that it was a health factor. Poor Ignazio …… this is the moment in which it is announced that Ignazio has left.
And here, at the end of the event, the moment when Piero and Gianluca have to leave the store, the fans didn’t go away, they waited for them.
In addition, the guys participated in various interviews and a press conference.
But also the promotion in Mexico is over and, fortunately, Ignazio is better, but the boys did not return to Italy, as it was already leaked, they arrived in the US.
Ignazio is amused, because he says that, unbeknownst to him, they have opened his own pizzeria! 😁😁😁
In this video, in front of RCMH, Ignazio says: “See you in a few months”, and Piero replies: “Look at the pictures I took!”
The delicious and irreplaceable Barbara, always with them.
In short, IL VOLO is right there, in the US, how wonderful!
Of the reason for their coming to the US, very little is known, they seem to have come to promote the new CD and the special that will be broadcast in a few days.
I really hope they do some nice TV shows.
………. and maybe be careful, you could meet them on the street … wouldn’t it be great !! ❤❤❤
Credit to owners of all photos and videos.
interviewMexicoMixupNew York CityPhoto Shootpress conferencepromotionRadio City Music Hall
10 Year Anniversary, Article or Video Translations, General news, Il Volo, Tour News
IL VOLO : PRESS CONFERENCE by Daniela
November 6, 2019 pitterpat0 21 Comments
On Tuesday, November 5, Il Volo, had just returned from the South American tour and held a press conference for the launch of the new “10 Years” CD.
Here is what was reported in this article by Radio Italia.
Radio Italia Link – Click Here
Il Volo celebrates 10 years of songs, concerts, tours and records on YouTube with 10 Years, the best of album of their songs from “Grande Amore” to “Caruso”. The three singers Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble, “from strangers to brothers who grew up together”, apply as heirs of Pavarotti and Bocelli and reveal the 4 most beautiful moments, the “quarrels for some girl” and a surprise for Easter. The “party” will last two years: the trio tells the press and celebrates its tenth anniversary with concerts around the world, the live return to Italy at the Verona Arena and at the Teatro Antico in Taormina, over 2 million albums sold, 500 million views and more than 1 million subscribers on the official YouTube channel.
10 YEARS. On Friday 8 November 2019 10 Years will be published worldwide, best of CD and DVD with images of the live in Matera and with the best of Il Volo’s career: “The Musica album was a consequence of Sanremo, but this record will be released internationally, because in the world those Italian pieces are unpublished. Since May we have held 83 concerts and 10 more have been added in America, Brazil and Japan. We try to follow the steps of Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli to bring good singing to everyone: one day we would like to be their heirs.”
The three singers will return to perform in Italy in the summer of 2020 for two special concerts, on August 30th at the Verona Arena and on September 4th at the Teatro Antico in Taormina: “They are special places for artists, we have opened the dates one year first to tell the fans of our country that we have not forgotten them.” Tickets will be available in advance for the fanclub from 11:00 tomorrow, Wednesday 6 November, and for everyone online from Thursday 14; while they will be in the stores from November 14th.
10 Years will be released in various versions, including one made ad hoc for the Latin and one Japanese market, enclosing the best of Il Volo’s repertoire, from “‘O Sole Mio” to “My Way” to “Grande Amore”, from bel canto of Italian tradition to American evergreens. The track list consists of both tracks recorded in the studio and new live recordings, like the show in Matera in June. The best of is available in pre-order in 10 Years digital version – The best of with 27 tracks + digital booklet and in physical version 10 Years – The best of (Italian and International version) with 19 tracks or CD + DVD of the concert held at Matera in June 2019.
TOP 4. Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca “met” in 2009, when they were 14-15 years old: “It’s not always all roses, like in 2014 when there was a moment of transition from a record company to another .” Here are the four most beautiful moments of these 10 years together, in addition to the “cazzeggiano” before the concerts, the many trips and the live on stage:
1- The Haiti concert with Quincy Jones for We are the World
2- The tour with Barbra Streisand
3- The concert with Placido Domingo
4- Live in front of Pope Francis for World Youth Day
Here is how the relationship between the three members has changed in this decade: “Ten years ago we were quite different, now we are very close. In the early years it was not easy because we have three different heads: the whims were a bit bad. We fight and we discuss, like all the brothers, even for some girls … Now the priority in our group is to maintain serenity. When one of the three is ill and we have to bring a concert home, true friendship comes out there.” Gianluca is the most susceptible: “I get nervous easily: it’s a beautiful life but staying out of the house for two months means finding things changed on the way back, in the family and out; I always carry the melancholy, which also allows me to convey emotions on stage.”
And the future? “Later we will think of a new album: we will evaluate whether it is right to do new works, covers or projects … We are already working on future works, we have done experiments but one thing is certain: we must remain ourselves. We tried to do more pop and lighter things, our age required it too, but we understood that our dimension is lyric pop. People appreciate cover more, like the Nessun Dorma: even if we are not tenors and we still have to study. The difficulty is to find authors who write songs for lyric pop and for Il Volo in particular. However we already have unpublished works that we will be recording soon. And there is a great idea for Easter …”
MUSICA CHE RESTA. Il Volo “brings the Italian tradition around the world, not the culture of Sfera Ebbasta (an Italian rapper) and the trap”, say the three singers, “We accept musical evolution and every genre, we listen to everything and we are not like this stick to the past. We really appreciate Salmo (another Italian rapper), for example.” Gianluca reveals: “My 19-year-old brother and I listen to that music: but the musical culture, from the Beatles to Lucio Battisti (known Italian pop singer), is important. During the soundcheck we sing Sting, Police, Pink … I am the farthest from the work of us three. Then I realized that the three tenors project was right: it was a great idea, it was our greatest success so far. I was looking for something more youthful, with different sounds and productions: instead maybe that is the most suitable way. This is our personality.”
Piero declares: “Today we should check some texts and messages that are sent to young people, because they are our future: we do not generalize and do not judge, but some texts should be checked first. In the world, Italy is always considered the first place for music and fashion.” Ignazio explains: “Some things should not be touched: La Boheme should be done with the orchestra and not with electronics; evolution is not always the right thing. We sing a classic genre, which therefore will never die: fashions pass instead. We try to make the classic modern, from the visual and sound point of view, without distorting the melodies .”
3 PHRASES. Here are some statements from Il Volo at the press conference:
– “There is no collaboration in sight with Ermal Meta (after approaching the social media, ed)”
– “In our concerts we often ask young musicians, perhaps from the Conservatory, to give them an opportunity: we want to discover new talents among young people who share our passion for music.”
Here are the titles of the songs of 10 YEARS:
CD “10 Years”: Il mondo: ‘O sole mio; Surrender (Torna a Surriento); Smile; Caruso; Un amore così grande; Granada; My Way; Grande amore; Nel blu, dipinto di blu (Volare); Turandot: Nessun dorma; La traviata: Libiamo ne` lieti calici; People; Arrivederci Roma; Musica che resta feat. Alessandro Quarta; O Holy Night; A chi mi dice; El triste; Be My Love.
DVD “Live in Matera”: Il mondo; Un amore così grande; Granada; Surrender; E penso a te; She’s Always a Woman; No puede ser; Nel blu, dipinto di blu (volare); Arrivederci Roma; My Way; Musica che resta; Smile; Almeno tu nell’universo; Caruso; Mi mancherai; People; Love story; A chi mi dice; ‘O sole mio; La Traviata: Libiamo ne` lieti calici; Grande amore; Turandot: Nessun dorma.
TOUR. Il Volo is back from a tour in Latin America in front of over 70 thousand fans in 17 concerts and ten-year celebrations that began in May 2019 with live shows in Japan: “It was a risk to go back to South America because there wasn’t a new album but they are lots of requests arrived and the lives were packed.” Piero recounts a curious anecdote: “I never carry documents with me at concerts, I leave everything in the safe in the hotel: in Guatemala, after the live, my briefcase with the documents was found in a mall. In the room there was the PC and the suitcase but not the safe: they had eradicated it but they were good, they took only the money …”
To continue the celebrations for the 10-year career, Il Volo announces the North American Tour: the three singers will be involved in a series of prestigious live appointments from January 2020 in 12 states, which testify to the authentic success of the trio all over the world. Tickets on sale soon.
Here are the dates, including the Radio City Music Hall in New York:
28/01 TORONTO (ON) – Meridian Hall
30/01 LAVAL (PQ) – Place Bell
1/02 MASHANTUCKET (CT) – Foxwoods Casino
3/02 BOSTON (MA) – Boch Center Wang Theatre
6/02 NEW YORK – Radio City Music Hall
8/02 ATLANTIC CITY (NJ) – Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa
9/02 WASHINGTON DC (Oxon Hill) – MGM National Harbor
11/02 BETHLEHEM (PA) – Sands Event Center
13/02 DETROIT (MI) – Fox Theater
15/02 CHICAGO (IL) – Chicago Theater
17/02 ATLANTA (GA) – Cobb Energy Center
20/02 ORLANDO (FL) – Dr. Phillips Center
22/02 FORT LAUDERDALE (FL)(Sunrise) – BB&T Center
24/02 TAMPA (FL) – Straz Center
27/02 DALLAS (TX) – Winspear Opera House
1/03 MESA (AZ) – Ikeda Theater
3/03 SAN DIEGO (CA) – Copley Symphony Hall
5/03 LOS ANGELES (CA) – Microsoft Theater
7/03 INDIO (CA) – Fantasy Springs Casino
9/03 SAN JOSE (CA) – Center for the Arts
11/03 SAN RAFAEL (CA) – Marin Center
13/03 FRESNO (CA) – Saroyan Theater
15/03 LAS VEGAS (NV) – The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort
A short video of the conference, where Piero, in the end, explains the hotel theft in Guatemala.
Here are other statements of Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio reported by BLOGO.
Statements of IL VOLO – Click Here
GIANLUCA: “It’s nice to see you again. In May the world tour started in Japan and will end next year, but it is South America that has given us beautiful emotions. It was our first public, if we can say. In Buenos Aires, in one of the most important arenas of the country, made us understand when we have to say thanks to the musical heritage, to the bel canto. We try to follow the steps of great artists like Bocelli and Pavarotti and try to get this genre to reach even the most generations young people. We would like to be their heirs one day.”
IGNAZIO: “It’s always nice to meet different cultures and see the joy in their eyes. It’s nice to see that Italian culture is always appreciated and it’s nice to be able to do it. It would be something great to be Luciano and Andrea’s heirs.”
PIERO: “There have been other requests from South America, this tour has been challenging. For now there are 83 concerts, the 100 is close. Now an important part of this year with the South American tour has ended and we are back in Italy to announce this album. The album Musica was a consequence of Sanremo and was released only in Italian, in the world the songs that came out in Italy as “A Chi Mi Dice” are unpublished because they weren’t published. The international release and will be published everywhere.”
Here the video of almost the entire conference:
“If Il Volo celebrates 10 years it is not only thanks to our voices, but it is thanks to the work behind it and to our supporters. The merit is also of Michele Torpedine, who is not a simple manager: as he believes in us, no one else. He works 24 hours a day for us. Our goal is to discover new talents and give an opportunity to those he deserves.”
“With TV we have a good relationship. Il Volo is not a streaming product: it manages to convey its own message on TV. People have become attached to us and we have to say thanks to TV. It’s the only one. “A means to promote and make ourselves known. We were born on TV. We have to say thanks to talent: we were born into a TV talent, and fortunately there was no rivalry between us.”
Dear boys, beautiful news, still intense days for you, to publicize your new CD, which will be released
worldwide.
I wish you a great success with all my heart, which you certainly deserve !!
10 Years CD2020 Tour DatesDVDnew albumpress conferenceTaorminatranslationVerona
UPDATED TIME: Il Volo Professional ~~ Press Conference; December 7
December 6, 2015 Kelly 4 Comments
All the professional dealings of Il Volo
UPDATE: conference will start at 11am in Mexico. Convert your time with the link below.
On December 7, Il Volo will be holding a press conference which will be broadcast by Sony Music Mexico. Tune in Below. Time: 6 pm – 7pm CEST. Convert Your Time Here.
Sony Music Mexico Press Conference on livestream.com
Thank you, Lydka!
Il Vololivestream.compress conferenceSony Music Mexico
Il Volo Professional ~~ Chillin’ — and Working — Chihuahua Style Part Two: Chihuahua
August 5, 2014 Kelly 12 Comments
“To Chihuahua…Tonight Concert”; @piero_barone
Did you get some sleep? No? Well, grab a cup of coffee and your running shoes: The Guys have got a busy day!
Highlights from the press conference and concert
By egochihahua
People Who Take Drugs are Stupid
Click here —> http://www.segundoasegundo.com/sas/?p=124712
Translation (provided by <3 IL Volo <3 Pittsburgh fan club Facebook):
The wait is over and the tenth edition of the International Chihuahua Festival began today with a press conference with Il Volo, the great trio of young Italians, who said they were happy to be the ones who will open this great festival.
They said that Mexico is a great country and that it is one of the countries where they most want to share their culture, their music with their fans there.
Also, they said that they felt that young people are not the future but that they are the present world, and there is not much difference between the young people there than in their native country, Italy.
They said they have never tried drugs, and that that is for “stupid” people and that the only “drug” for them is music, something they enjoy doing, which shows with their songs and when they are on stage.
They further said that having money and fame at such a young age is a great responsibility, because now their lives are public, and everything they do is captured on camera. They enjoy their lives but reiterated that it is a great commitment, because they are an example for other young people.
Il Volo consists of three male Italian singers: Piero Barone , Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble, who sing classic songs, as well as pop songs, in Spanish, English, French, German and Italian.
The trio was formed after they participated as three individual singers in the second edition of the Rai 1 talent show Ti Lascio Una Canzone in 2009. They are the first band of Italian origin to sign a contract directly with a major U. S. record company, Geffen Records, part of Universal Music Group.
Beginning promptly at 8 PM tonight in the Plaza Mayor they will be giving a great show. The concert is free and will inaugurate the tenth edition of the International Chihuahua Festival.
Off to the venue for sound check! Everyone still good? 😀
Getting Ready; a look at the venue
By Tiempo TV Noticias
Sound Check; Un Amore Cosi Grande
By Martin Daniel Parra
Nap time! Then get pretty for tonight! 😉
Il Volo Sets Record For Largest Audience in Chihuahua; Conciertos de Chihuahua; Athina Angelopoulos
Click here –> http://conciertosdechihuahua.tumblr.com/post/93699373577/rompe-record-de-asistencia-noche-inaugural-de-festival
25 Thousand Tonight…!; @piero_barone
Click here for a review of the concert from All About Il Volo —> http://www.ilvolo.mus.br/2014/08/il-volo-concert-in-chihuahua-review/
Tous les visages de l’Amour, Mas Que Amor,
La luna hizo esto
By purelove46 (see her YouTube channel for more videos: http://youtu.be/LbBhrI88OsU?list=UUp_rFmd2vQXab52rTSEKTYQ )
Click here —> https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.665327356870096.1073741930.401699279899573&type=1 for the complete Fernando Fabela album at All Things Il Volo
By Pamela Dour
El Triste; Segundo a Segundo Facebook; shared by <3 IL VOLO <3 Pittsburgh fan club
Granada; Segundo a Segundo; shared by All Things Il Volo
Translation: “Masterful presentation of iL Volo in the Plaza Mayor in Chihuahua, in the framework of the International Festival of 2014” Highlight video; Conciertos de Chihuahua; by Athina Angelopoulos
Well, it’s time to say, “Goodbye.” What a whirlwind trip–but such a success! Congratulations, Guys!
Fireworks in Chihuahua; @giangionoble11
✯
A post shared by Gianluca Ginoble (@gianginoble11) on Aug 2, 2014 at 10:18pm PDT
From Ignazio: Nuestras fan de Mexico (Our fans in Mexico)!!!!; shared by All Things Il Volo
Albert TorresAngelica Espinosa SanchezBesime MuchoChihuahuaEl TristeFernando FebalaFICH 2014GranadaLa luna hizo estoMexicopress conference
Il Volo Professional ~~ Chillin’ — and Working — Chihuahua Style Part One: Juarez
Il Volo Invites You to FICH 2014; shared by All About Il Volo
By ICHICULT Representacion Juarez
Well, The Guys’ Invited us, so let’s hop on our virtual plane and head down to the Festival Internacional Chihuahua (FICH) 2014!
The Chihuahua International Festival is an artistic and cultural festival that takes place in multiple cities throughout the Chihuahua region of Mexico. The program includes over 400 cultural activities by artists from more than 20 countries. Each year a guest country is featured at the Festival, as well as a guest state and municipality. Activities take place both at indoor and outdoor venues.
Promotional Video; Come to FICH 2014; shared by All About Il Volo
Juarez; Bing Images
Chihuahua; Bing Images
Certainly looks like beautiful country!
Check out Wikipedia here —> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chihuahua_%28state%29
Bing Images Map of Mexico
Bing Images Chihuhaua State Seal
FICH 2014 Program and Artists; shared by Athina Angelopoulos
We know from past experience that Il Volo has always been very well received everywhere they go in Mexico and South America, and that they seem to pick up a little bit of a different energy themselves. This year has not been any exception. Based on tweets and shared pictures, they have been excited about going to Mexico from the jump. They were greeted warmly at the airport before heading to their hotel in Juarez where they did a lot of relaxing, and it seems like they’ve been mixing it up informally with the fans as well.
But there has been a lot of working too, of course, giving the interview from which the above clip was taken and this press conference included:
Il Volo on Qrelajo TV; shared by All About Il Volo
By QRelajo TV/Magazine
Il Volo on El Diario MX
By All About Il Volo
Articles from Diario MX
Click here —> http://diario.mx/Local/2014-07-31_cf2b2cdd/hoy-la-inauguracion-con-il-volo-gratis&cm=1/
TRANSLATION (by Athina Angelopoulos): The 10th edition of the International Chihuahua Festival starts today with the opening show by the Italian trio Il Volo whose tenor voices will vibrate the esplanade of the Cultural Center Paso del Norte.
At exactly 8 pm Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble, the group members, will interpret their ballads including Italian classics and pop songs in Spanish, English, and Mexican themes.
With free mass events, the activity of the festival will last until 21 August with a series of concerts and theatrical presentations which this year include singers and groups of international stature, as Óscar Chávez, Lila Downs, Millions, Candlebox, and Yuri Buenaventura and the Mexican band Zoé, which will close the stage of the massive events on August 12.
Like every year, the evets will take place at the esplanade of the Cultural Center Paso del Norte, as well as in the theater Victor Hugo Rascon Banda, but also have been prepared some alternate venues as the Auditorium Benito Juarez and some settlements in the west and southeast parts of the city.
Click here —> http://diario.mx/Espectaculos/2014-07-31_d25e0d79/presumen-su-espanol-en-juarez/
TRANSLATION (by Athina Angelopoulos): The time has come. The 10th edition of the International Chihuahua Festival begins tomorrow night with the presentation of the group Il Volo, for the first time in Juarez.
The trio of the Italian singers is in Ciudad Juárez, and with a relaxed and informal attitude, they posed for pictures, sang and flirted in perfect Spanish.
During a press conference that lasted about 17 minutes, Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble declared that they had been sleeping since they arrived in the city on Wednesday night and all they know of Ciudad Juarez so far, is the way from El Paso airport to the hotel where they are staying.
The trio expressed their excitement to return to Aztec lands after a year when they performed at the National Auditorium in Mexico City in front of 10 thousand people.
When asked the name of a favorite Mexican song, without hesitation, Ignazio Boschetto started singing ‘Bésame Mucho’ (by Consuelito Velázquez).
“Mexico has been a great country for us, every time we come back is a pleasure and now is an honor for us to sing in the Festival of Chihuahua, here in Juarez.”
Ignazio Takes a Phone Call…???? *hmmmm*; Il Volo Juarez Press Conference; Nomada, Juarez Television Facebook
edited by All About Il Volo
😀 No, it wasn’t a personal phone call. It seems like the phone belonged to a member of the press, and I’m told by Athina that Piero actually answered the phone, but Ignazio is the one that spoke to the caller. Lucky caller!
Time for Rehersal!
Sound Check Preps; IVELS Con Il Volo En Latinamerica Somos amore. Facebook; @theilvoloversmx
Sound Check; Il Volo Mexico Official Facebook
It’s…Show time!!!
Il Volo appears…..Un Amore Cosi’ Grande
By Dario de Juarez
Constantemente Mia
By Luis Chavez
Review from All About Il Volo —> http://www.ilvolo.mus.br/2014/08/a-concert-in-juarez-il-volo-on-10o-fich/
Concert Highlights; shared by All About Il Volo
So, did you enjoy? I hope so! Now hurry and pack; we’re off to Chihuahua!
ChihuahuaConstantemente MiaFestival Internacional Chihuahua 2014FICH JuarezHtaeli PhotographyinterviewJuarezMexicoMezino.compress conferenceUn amore cosi grande
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News World Back at work, PM Johnson faces lockdown Catch-22
Back at work, PM Johnson faces lockdown Catch-22
Armed Police officers are seen in Downing Street, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to return to work on Monday after recovering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), London, Britain, April 26, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
Prime Minister Boris Johnson returns to work on Monday to the biggest dilemma of his premiership: how to lift the coronavirus lockdown that is destroying swathes of the British economy without triggering a deadly second wave of the outbreak.
Johnson, 55, is back in Downing Street almost a month to the day since he was tested positive for COVID-19 which incapacitated the prime minister and threatened his life at the peak of the coronavirus crisis.
His inbox is full to bursting. His government, his party and his scientific advisers are divided over how and when the world’s fifth largest economy should start to get back to work, albeit in a limited form.
Johnson’s deputy, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, said social distancing would in place for some time yet. He said Johnson was “raring to go”.
The United Kingdom is on course to be among the worst – if not the worst – hit European state with more than 20,732 hospital deaths reported as of Saturday.
But the most stringent lockdown in peacetime history has left the economy facing possibly the deepest recession in three centuries and the biggest debt splurge since World War Two.
At the start of the outbreak, Johnson initially resisted imposing a draconian lockdown but then changed course when projections showed that a quarter of a million people could die in the United Kingdom.
Since the lockdown was imposed on March 23, his government has faced criticism from opposition parties and some doctors for the United Kingdom’s limited testing capabilities and the lack protective equipment for some frontline health workers.
Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, who has replaced veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn, urged Johnson to set out when and how an economic and social lockdown might be eased – as did some Conservative Party donors.
“Simply acting as if this discussion is not happening is not credible,” Starmer wrote in an open letter to Johnson.
He said the government had been too slow to impose the lockdown, to expand testing and to get personal protective equipment (PPE) to hospital and care home staff.
Johnson is expected to announce plans for how the lockdown could be eased as early as this week, the Daily Telegraph reported.
The number of deaths related to COVID-19 in hospitals across the United Kingdom rose to 20,732, up by 413 in 24 hours, the lowest daily rise this month. A total of 29,058 tests were carried out on 25 April.
Based on those statistics, the United Kingdom has the fifth worst official COVID-19 death toll in the world, after the United States, Italy, Spain and France.
But the United Kingdom’s total death toll is much higher as statistics for deaths outside hospital – for example in care homes – are slower to be published.
Stephen Powis, medical director of the National Health Service in England, said the “very definite” downward trend in the number of coronavirus cases in hospital demonstrated that social distancing was reducing virus transmission and spread.
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Acquista MATLAB
Last seen: 2 mesi ago
DEE, PIEAS
Completed my Bachelors and Masters in Engineering with Power majors.
I'm currently with Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
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Pal’s Takeaway no longer making sandwiches at Firebrand
By Sarah Fritsche on June 13, 2016 at 10:43 AM
Pal’s Take Away owner, Jeff Mason. Photo: Jen Fedrizzi, special to The Chronicle
Talking sandwiches with Jeff Mason of Pal's Takeaway
Pal's Take Away moving to Oakland's Hive for Firebrand Bakery collaboration
Saturday marked the final day of service for Pal’s Takeaway at Firebrand in Uptown Oakland.
Last fall, Jeff Mason, owner of the beloved sandwich shop, which recently celebrated its seventh birthday, closed his Mission storefront to move to the East Bay to collaborate with Firebrand Artisan Breads‘ Matt Kreutz and Colleen Orlando at their new bakery/restaurant space.
According to Mason, the decision to part ways after less than a year in business together was mutually agreed upon and amicable. Mason says that the bakery wanted to expand their offerings to include full brunch and dinner services, whereas he wanted to continue to focus solely on making sandwiches. “It’s just one of those things that happens,” says Mason.
Fans of Mason’s sandwiches can rest easy that this is just a temporary hiatus for Pal’s. Mason says that he does plan to open another location. In the meantime, while Mason looks for a new space (no word yet on whether it’ll be in the East Bay or back here in San Francisco), he says he does plan to do some pop-ups. One upcoming event — locations and details TBA — will be a hot dog-themed pop-up that Mason’s calling “Pal’s Takeaway Goes to the Dogs.”
Stay tuned for more details on Pal’s pop-ups and future location as they become available.
palstakeaway.com
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https://insights.omnia-health.com/sites/all/themes/penton_subtheme_omnia_health/images/logos/footer.png
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Specialised medical rehabilitation hospital opens in Abu Dhabi
TAGS: Rehabilitation Orthopedics
Medical rehabilitation plays a huge role in restoring basic body movements and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities, caused by injury or birth defects.
Capital Health’s new Specialised Rehabilitation Hospital (SRH) hospital cements Abu Dhabi’s position as the leading healthcare destination in the Middle East using the latest transformational technologies.
“Our association with The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, the top ranked rehabilitation hospital in America, means only the highest standards have been adhered to with the new Abu Dhabi hospital. We have access to best practices in care and treatment perfected over the years in the UAE, including Intellectual Property and patient’s treatment plans,” says Dr Mishal Al Kasimi, CEO of Capital Health and the Specialised Rehabilitation Hospital.
Importance of medical rehabilitation
A recent study conducted by Abu Dhabi's Department of Health reported that there are over 700,000 patients requiring outpatient rehabilitation services and over 4,000 inpatients requiring rehabilitation with a requirement of additional 350 beds. By 2024, this number is predicted to increase to 5,865 patients requiring 466 beds.
"In the UAE, people have now started discussing and understanding the importance of medical rehabilitation, which is made possible due to the direction set by the country’s leadership to help people with challenges and has encouraged families to talk about the conditions and seek help from experts,” Dr Al Kasimi explains. “Our hospital is one-of-its-kind in the region and aims to help people who have been affected with lifelong complications due to injuries or by birth deformities. Our goal is to create a legacy of patients whose stories will inspire hope for a better tomorrow.”
Better quality of life
Key areas of focus for the hospital are brain and spinal cord injury and conditions such as post-acute rehabilitation, acute rehabilitation and sub-acute rehabilitation. Medical professionals at the hospital will use AI technologies in the treatment of patients, helping to provide targeted and highly accurate care. Patients diagnosed with cerebral palsy will have a full range of treatments and care available to them at the hospital.
“As a paediatric consultant, I see many cases of cerebral palsy among children in the UAE. We offer the best treatments for our patients that show results faster, giving them a better quality of life. Our aim is to create an environment where people within the region don’t have to travel to other parts of the world for medical rehabilitation, thus helping in cutting down the traveling time and expenses,” Al Kasimi says.
Medical professionals at the hospital will use AI technologies in the treatment of patients, helping to provide highly accurate care.
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Janine Utell
Writer. Editor. Academic.
Engagements with Narrative
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Tag / scholarly publishing
April 16, 2018 September 15, 2018 by Janine Utell
Reimagining Revise and Resubmit: Talk at NeMLA 2018
mentoring, scholarly publishing, travel
mentoring, peer review, profession, scholarly publishing
(Note: I spoke at NeMLA 2018 as part of a panel called “Publish, Don’t Perish,” put together by Professionalization Coordinator Claire Sommers. Here’s the text. With thanks to Ellie Mackin.)
Reimagining “Revise and Resubmit” as Invitation and Collaboration
I’d like to start with feelings: bad, ugly feelings. I know as scholars and intellectuals we don’t always see feelings as a good place to start—but I think the swirl of affect that comes with writing is unavoidable. In my work with supporting faculty writers on my campus, serving as the mentoring coordinator for an organization dedicated to publishing, and editing a journal—and in my collecting of horror stories on revise and resubmit for this talk—I’ve found that navigating that swirl is the first step towards meaningful mentorship. So: here’s what it’s like to get a “revise and resubmit”:
1) you were feeling positive about finishing up an article and sending it out, and now you’re being told it needs more work. Feeling demoralized leads you to throw the thing in a drawer.
2) you see “revise and resubmit” and you hear “rejection.” Feeling rejected leads you to throw the thing in a drawer.
3) you thought all your projects were moving smoothly through the pipeline, and now something is stopping it up. Feeling anxious about publishing, perishing, and productivity and therefore needing to move on to something new to send out leads you to throw the thing in a drawer.
4) you don’t know where to begin managing the feedback, the reframing, the additional research. Feeling overwhelmed leads you to throw the thing in a drawer.
Demoralized. Rejected. Anxious. Overwhelmed. Not to mention frustrated, stuck, resentful. If you have the misfortune of receiving unnecessarily mean and unconstructive feedback, you get the added bonus of feeling bullied and worthless. A whole array of bad affect can collect around this most ambiguous of editorial decisions. What does “revise and resubmit” mean? What was the process by which this decision was made? How is this not a rejection? Where do you even begin to manage this additional writing task—on a piece you thought was done enough to send out in the first place—on top of everything else?
Receiving a decision of “revise and resubmit” from a journal can be frustrating, even feel like a rejection. It can be tempting to let what seems like the chore of revising fall to the bottom of the to-do list, or to misjudge the amount of work involved and the amount of time it will take. Worse, the reports from readers that provided the basis for this decision, rather than offering helpful feedback to get the revision process underway, can instead be decidedly unhelpful, conflicting, unreasonable, and downright mean.
I would like to extend a more complex and hopefully more generative vision that allows for a re-imagining of the author/editor relationship: that of the invitation. I imagine peer review as a relationship, begun the moment an author submits an essay to an editor for publication in a journal (a relationship maybe even ideally begun when that author first begins reading that journal), and I see the revise and resubmit as an opportunity for radical hospitality, an opening for collaboration between author, peer reviewers, and editors that has the power to be transformative.
I propose that the “revise and resubmit” can be an opportunity for mentoring in scholarly communication and publishing, for cultivating and refining an author’s purpose and contribution, and for deepening an individual scholar and writer’s relationship with the discipline. Successfully pursuing a “revise and resubmit” means thinking through the place of revision—possibly several rounds of it—in one’s writing and research agenda; it means rethinking one’s own place in the scholarly conversation and community as one responds to the ideas and feedback of others; and it means reimagining one’s relationship with an editor, perhaps even as one of collaboration and mutual commitment to advancing the field.
A quick demystification of the process by which a revise and resubmit is arrived at. A revise and resubmit differs from an acceptance pending or contingent upon revisions. In the latter cases, the revisions may involve some additional writing in order to expand upon an intriguing but underdeveloped point, including perhaps some additional analysis or close reading; additional references to a work of scholarship that the author missed; strengthening the introduction or conclusion in order to render more robustly the claims being made; tightening and clarifying of style. Usually, these pieces will not go back out for additional peer review. They are regarded as in near-publishable form. Sidebar: if your article gets the decision “accepted pending or contingent upon revisions,” do them right away! Usually this doesn’t require more than an hour or two of work, they will make the article better, and it means a publication sooner rather than later.
A revise and resubmit means engaging in a more extensive process, one that might involve rethinking the entire piece. These decisions come from the need for a clearer, more cogent, or more original argument; a more sustained and in-depth engagement with the existing scholarship; a more integrated approach to analysis and theoretical application. I tend to think of pieces that receive the recommendation of revise and resubmit as undercooked, not fully ripe; the potential for a contribution to the field is there, but the author is perhaps writing around the argument, or needs to reframe the essay as part of adapting it from a longer piece like a dissertation, or perhaps should be delving into the scholarship more fully—or should be not letting the existing scholarship take over so entirely that the author’s own voice is lost.
All of this is to say: the feedback given on a revise and resubmit should be constructive, with an eye towards furthering the piece towards the best version of itself, in order to facilitate the communication of the author’s contribution to the field in the author’s voice. I believe this facilitative work is the role of peer reviewers and the editor, and issuing the decision to recommend revise and resubmit should be thought of as an invitation to an author for further dialogue in service of scholarship. Revise and resubmit is a mentoring opportunity, and an open door into deeper engagement with the field. It can be a way to develop a partnership with an editor, as author and editor work together to shape a piece for a particular audience with particular concerns. Peer reviewers represent that audience; they ask the questions and make the intellectual demands that audience will make. An editor can liaise with that audience, serving almost as a conduit for an author grappling with how to best to meet its needs.
I cultivate authors via the revise and resubmit. My cover emails with readers’ reports enclosed offer suggestions for how to manage the feedback: which steps to approach first, how to address seemingly conflicting suggestions, and how to think about our audience. If this is not clear to you from the readers’ report or the editor’s correspondence, ask. Find out the preferred timeline for turning the piece around, and work the revisions into your own writing timeline. Think about which suggestions you are comfortable taking (you don’t always have to take all of them), and imagine yourself in conversation with your readers; in some cases you will be in conversation with them explicitly—I, like other editors, encourage a cover memo that details revisions and responses to reader feedback, which I then include when I send the essay back out. Above all: a revise and resubmit is more than partway to an acceptance. Don’t throw the thing in a drawer.
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REVIEW: No Man's Land [2021]
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REVIEW: The Man Who Killed Don Quixote [2019]
2019/04/05 2020/03/28 Jared Mobarak
Rating: 6 out of 10.
Rating: NR | Runtime: 132 minutes
Release Date: April 10th, 2019 (USA)
Studio: Screen Media Films
Director(s): Terry Gilliam
Writer(s): Terry Gilliam & Tony Grisoni
You think explaining explains anything?
I’ve just finished watching it and yet I still can’t believe Terry Gilliam actually completed The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. If you told me I had dreamt it all I would give pause because it’s been over twenty years in the making and its cursed production schedules have become something I relied upon. First he wanted to do a straight adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes‘ novel only to have it fall through. Then came the flash flood and insurance nightmare documented in Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe‘s Lost in La Mancha (a making of extra turned unmaking documentary) wherein the story shifted so Johnny Depp‘s contemporary executive could time-travel to meet Jean Rochefort and become his Sancho Panza. Next came money woes, legal insanity, and futility.
Those things didn’t end once the final cut was delivered either considering Gilliam lost his distributor (Amazon) and was handed an injunction before its Cannes debut by a former producer declaring the movie was made illegally and without the necessary permission from him. You couldn’t write this stuff, it was so wild. But Gilliam was never going to give in and take the loss after putting so much time, effort, and energy into it—let alone having to watch as two previous Quixotes passed away during the interim (Rochefort and John Hurt). It’s no wonder then that he and cowriter Tony Grisoni would find themselves writing these pitfalls into the story itself. Lead actor Adam Driver called production an exorcism for Gilliam and we can see it on-screen.
Driver plays Toby, a wunderkind director specializing in short form commercials for a demanding, slimy-chic producer (Stellan Skarsgård‘s Boss). He’s talked the investors into flying everyone out to Spain to make this sixty-second bit “authentic” with Quixote and Sancho riding towards windmills the former thinks are giants. The set is brimming with hostility due to multiple languages, declining morale, and a vision gone adrift. Toby seems less burnt out than indifferent, though. He acts like he faces zero consequences and only barely shows an interest in righting the ship when a wave of nostalgia hits in the form of a bootleg DVD of a black and white student film he directed about Cervantes’ ingenious gentleman starring a cobbler he plucked off the streets (Jonathan Pryce‘s Javier).
If he could find this man, maybe inspiration would hit. So he travels to the small village he took over with his American confidence and persuasion ten years previously to find that he left an indelible mark. One actor was dead, another (Joana Ribeiro‘s Angelica) followed his praise to seek stardom only to wind up an escort her father (Hovik Keuchkerian‘s Raul) calls a whore, and Javier now actually thinks he is Don Quixote. Toby had filled these people’s minds with platitudes and attention, propping up dreams that could never be fulfilled. Will these ramifications get him to look inward and see what he’s become in the aftermath too? Not really. Instead they set him on a path to burn his empty, morally bankrupt existence to the ground.
Toby’s stand-in for Gilliam suddenly finds himself the victim of chaos. The Gods line up against him with his Boss’ girlfriend Jacqui (Olga Kurylenko) seducing him before showing genuine fear about the repercussions only to seduce him again like she couldn’t care less; a run-in with the police that leads to a shootout for which he becomes a suspect; and a virtual kidnapping at the hands of Arabs he reflexively declares terrorists the second he realizes their ethnicity (the optics get even worse when one stops praying to implore that we was merely inspecting the rug for defects—how funny). And with them come coincidences like running into Angelica under a waterfall or Jacqui in costume on her way to Boss’ potential client Alexei Miiskin’s (Jordi Mollà) soirée.
Sometimes these things happen to Toby and sometimes to Toby as Sancho because that’s who Javier thinks he is post-reunion. We’re therefore following this director’s pratfalls as the world threatens to consume him and Don Quixote’s adventures through rough terrain and shady characters. There are even a few dreams thrown in that could probably more accurately be labeled hallucinations with hindsight. And if that seems like it would prove pretty confusing, well you’d be correct. Not because you lose track of where you are (the entire film takes place in the present and thus anything that seems out-of-the-ordinary is most likely a fabrication), but because it’s impossible to know what the journey’s purpose is. Besides as a catharsis for Gilliam, I’m not sure there is one.
Toby’s a villain. He’s a hotshot prick in youth and a self-centered prick today. His relationship with Angelica started when she was fifteen and now he arrives out-of-the-blue with empty promises to save her from an abusive life he trivializes the instant she calls him out on his bullshit. And he’s always trying to leave Javier behind—a not so subtle metaphor for always trying to get away from his actions’ responsibility. So I can’t say I ever felt sympathy for Toby since Gilliam never provides him a chance to be redeemed. Not even the climactic scene where remorse and guilt finally arrive does the trick because he’s still motivated by self-interest. He’s a director refusing to give in despite the writing being on the wall (wink, wink).
Javier is a batty old gent. He was weird in flashbacks as a man without a clue before some flimsy sense of honor imbues him with the identity of Don Quixote that he never relinquishes. We can empathize with his plight, but he’s never more than a supporting player to Toby’s story and thus never positioned to earn an emotional connection to us. We pity him because we realize he can serve no purpose anymore except to thaw his old friend “Sancho’s” black soul. Javier is a product of Americans entering a world they believe is beneath them and meddling without understanding the impact or putting themselves on the line to help once what they sought to accomplish is finished. He’s a cypher, a glimpse into the future.
And if Javier is a prop, everyone is a prop. I really hoped this whole endeavor would end with Toby waking up in his director’s chair to discover it was all a dream or have the camera pan to Gilliam himself so everything could be revealed to have been a movie within a movie. That’s how visible the strings are and how wild things get without explanation. Yes we can chalk it all up to hallucinations because they are proven to exist, but removing the line that separates imagination from reality means nothing will ever possess the stakes it needs to matter. Kurylenko’s slapstick comedy simply exists next to Ribeiro’s melodrama and Mollà’s psychopathy because it can. The ending therefore adds more incredulity by proving everything is meaningless.
Perhaps that’s the point. Gilliam put so much of himself into this project that perhaps finishing it and escaping its lure was the goal whether he knew it or not. The film isn’t necessarily bad—it’s just over-stuffed with two-plus decades of rewrites forming a house of cards upon a dense foundation that we can no longer see. There are aspects that reminded me of The Fisher King, but nothing ever reaches that gem’s poignancy because it’s too busy being funny. With a second Arab joke declaring a group of women in fake beards suicide-bombers, however, cringe-worthy is much more apt. It’s a tonal mess with extreme highs and lows ensuring fatigue will set-in during its two-hour runtime. Thankfully it also jolted me awake more often than not.
So I lean on the side of praise … barely. It’s always great seeing what Gilliam can do with epic scale material on relatively small budgets and besides some wonky CGI, this doesn’t disappoint. The women are badly underwritten, but the leading men receive some meat to chew on—especially Pryce who’s absolutely delightful. Driver is good as the straight man, but his role having no room for redemption makes it tough to see him as more than this nightmare’s genesis. His Toby is as insane as Javier and like him doesn’t know it. They both believe themselves to be sane because they are the heroes of their stories. This show business stuff therefore ultimately broke Toby too. Let’s hope Gilliam—I mean he—can still put himself back together.
[1] Toby (Adam Driver) and Havier (Jonathan Pryce)
[2] The Boss (Stellan Skarsgard)
[3] Jaqui (Olga Kurylenko) and Toby (Adam Driver)
[4] Angelica (Joana Ribeiro)
Courtesy of Screen Media, Photographed by Diego Lopez Calvin
Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Film ReviewsAdam Driver, Hovik Keuchkerian, Jean Rochefort, Joana Ribeiro, John Hurt, Johnny Depp, Jonathan Pryce, Jordi Mollà, Lost in La Mancha, Miguel de Cervantes, Olga Kurylenko, Stellan Skarsgård, Terry Gilliam, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, Tony Grisoni
REVIEW: Pet Sematary [2019]
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2020/12/15 Jared Mobarak 0
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Beautiful Places in Africa
Beautiful African Landscapes You Should See
By Kadealo Editorial Team|2020-05-27T16:01:14+00:00May 7th, 2020|
Africa is known as one of the vast and most expansive continents in the world, filled with a myriad of African landscapes, sounds, activities, and experiences. Perhaps one of the most well-known and most-sought-after of these experiences is purely taking in the countryside and the visual beauty that Africa possesses. This article will mention a few of the top-rated destinations for fantastic African landscapes throughout the continent to help identify the best locations for prime beauty. From the lush grasslands and jungles of Sub-Saharan Africa to the sand dunes and vast Sahara desert, there is something for everyone in this unique and stunning continent.
Courtesy of takashi muramatsu/VisualHunt
African Landscapes: Tanzania
Tanzania is one of the best locations not just for taking in breath-taking African landscapes but also doing activities such as safaris and snorkelling off Zanzibar. With highlights such as the Ngorongoro Crater, the Great Migration, Mount Kilimanjaro, and other majestic mountains seen from reserves such as the Selous, Tanzania is an outdoor lovers’ absolute dream come true. The crystal waters of Zanzibar act as a perfect pairing with the Serengeti, Selous, or other game reserves, offering fantastic snorkelling or diving, and unrivalled white sand beaches. With hundreds of options for trekking, safaris, and just general hiking and outdoor enjoyment, the African landscapes of Tanzania leave many people awestruck and wishing for more.
Courtesy of traveltamegroute.net
African Landscapes: Morocco
Morocco is a widely diverse nation with many fantastic African landscapes – from sea to sand dunes in the Sahara. You can enjoy the walled towns and cities such as Marrakech with the world-famous Djmaa el Fna market square, a large, market-lined town square playing host to snake charmers, Argan oil sellers, and henna tattooists. From here, a drive through the impressive Atlas Mountains takes you into rural Morocco with small clay houses lining the twisting mountain roads, with impressive views for hundreds of miles around. The Draa Valley is a bit beyond the Atlas, an expanse of plateaus between the Atlas and the Sahara. Date plantations stretch as far as the eye can see, with the occasional red-earthed mountain jutting up to the sky, hosting comfortable kasbahs. The rose-gold coloured dunes of the Sahara are an absolute must, the African landscapes where the shapes of the sand stretches for miles around, under a crystal clear, starlit sky, perfect for seeing the Milky Way.
Courtesy of Dima Fadeev/Flickr
African Landscapes: Egypt
Egypt undoubtedly is one of the most mysterious of the African nations, with a rich history full of exciting moments and well-known Pharaohs this nation is worth a look for more than just the pyramids at Giza. Let your imagination run away with you as you explore African landscapes such as the 20 metre high Sphinx and the Great Pyramid – the only Wonder of the Ancient World still in existence. Further down, the Nile river brings you to African landscapes such as The Valley of the Kings and Queens, Luxor, and Aswan to name a few, as well as Abu Simbel to the very far south. These locations all host their own ruins and temples dedicated to various Gods and Goddesses, and have their own unique African landscapes, from the dusky desert at the Valley of the Kings, to the expansive lake at Abu Simbel, dotted with boats ushering passengers to and from Sudan. Further to the west from Cairo brings you to the mysterious village of Siwa Oasis – a date plantation in the middle of the Western Desert, home to a natural spring known as Cleopatra’s bath; a spring the Pharaoh Cleopatra was known to use during her reign as Queen. Alexander the Great also came here with his army, so Siwa Oasis is a true step back in history. The village itself is a basic, traditional mud and clay village, with tiny dusty streets and market stalls, sure to keep you engaged for hours.
Courtesy of Hanne Lundby/Flickr
African Landscapes: Botswana
Botswana is known as one of the best up-and-coming countries in Africa for safaris and also general outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and exploring. With fantastic African landscapes such as the expansive Okavango Delta, home to herds of animals, and opportunities for exploring by canoe or motor boating great distances, the Delta is a favourite to many who visit this country. The Nxia Pan National Park is another one of the greatest African landscapes, known for its huge herds of giraffe, lions, and cheetahs as well. Nearby, the Makgadikagadi Pans are host to a vast salt plain – white and dry if the rain hasn’t been nurturing and great, but a grassy plain full of animals if the rains have been kind. Either way, this is one of the must-see African landscapes for any outdoor lover as each adds their own unique beauty to the Pans.
Courtesy of Dewald Van Rensburg/Pixabay
African Landscapes: South Africa
This well-known country has the most visually diverse and stunning African landscapes in the region. From rugged and expansive coastlines in the south, hosting penguins and other surprises, to the mountains of Cape Town and beyond, this nation is one of the best for those who are looking for visually appealing and diverse African landscapes on their visit. With many things to do that are related to the great outdoors– safaris, cable-car tours, boat tours, and fantastic beaches, South Africa has its all-in-one neat little package for the outdoor lover. Table Mountain, perhaps one of the most famous African landscapes in the area, is a favourite amongst visitors, garnering spectacular panoramic views and incredible sunrises and sunsets.
Courtesy of Anne Berger/Flickr
African Landscapes: Namibia
The Soussusvlei Dunes of Namibia are one of this country’s greatest attractions and one of the best African landscapes, having been carved out over millions of years through the movement of the tides bringing material from the orange river down to the dunes to help shape them into the majestic mountains of bright sand today. The climbing of these dunes heralds spectacular views, especially of the Deadvlei, an otherworldly expanse of dried white clay, with the occasional skeleton of ancient camelthorn trees casting dark shadows across the Earth. A final note on Namibia is the eerie Skeleton Coast, a length of coastline hosting old and unused oil tankers, and other various ships, left to rust away on the coast, giving it a ghostly feel of spooky long-lost nautical tales. Unfortunately, this beautiful African landscape is also home to many mining companies that own vast expanses of the coastline, so it’s best to check if there are tours available to avoid trespassing, which can be extremely dangerous.
Courtesy of Elias Rovielo/Flickr
African Food Beaches Fashion African Animals African arts African Culture Egypt Experiences Safari Travel African Hotels African Style African People Africa Safari Destinations African clothes Honeymoon African products Food African Primates African Design Cairo Hotels Designer African Festivals Adventure Big 5 Vacation African Birds Safari Experiences Design ideas African websites African Experiences African Fashion Grazers and Browsers
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Book Review: Click’d by Tamara Ireland Stone
August 22, 2017 by kaitsbookshelf Leave a comment
Cover art is copyright of Disney Book Group
I recently included Click’d in my post of upcoming Children’s and Middle Grade Reads for Fall. Click’d has been on my radar for a couple of months, and I was thrilled when Disney Book Group sent me an advance reader copy through NetGalley. The synopsis appealed to me because it’s about a young girl, Allie, who is interested in technology and coding. Allie designs an app called Click’d which helps kids form friendships with other kids who share common interests.
Allie designs Click’d at a summer camp that is all about coding and plans to enter it into a Games for Good competition, once she proves how Click’d helps bring people together and make new friends. Her app quickly goes viral once school starts up and before she knows it, everyone knows who she is. She is famous in her school. But when she discovers that Click’d has a glitch, a big glitch, that could spell trouble for a lot of people, she’s forced to figure out a way to fix it ASAP or temporarily pull the plug, disappointing everyone and giving up her newfound popularity.
First, let me say that I loved that the protagonist is a female character who is into coding. I would like to see more female characters written this way, with intelligence and a desire to learn and explore and invent things. Allie was a great character and one I think girls could look up to. She was not only smart, but she was kind and, in the grand tradition of Disney stories, she learns a lesson or two about the importance of friendship and doing the right thing.
That’s not to say that this book was cheesy. It wasn’t. Yes, it’s a Disney book but it was very real for middle grade fiction. This book tackles friendships and how they may be strained by a summer long absence as well as the importance of trust between friends. There was also an interesting relationship between Allie and her arch nemesis, Nathan. Although they are competing against each other to win the Games for Good competition, they find themselves able to compromise when necessary in order to get out of a sticky situation.
Was it predictable? Sure. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. If you are looking for a new read for your middle schooler or if you have a kiddo in your life who is interested in science, computers, and coding, then pick up Click’d. It’s a good story with a good lesson.
Click’d releases on September 5, 2017.
Categories: Disney, Fiction, Middle Grade | Tags: Advance Reader Copy, Best of WordPress, Book Blog, Book Blogger, Book Recommendation, Book Review, Books About Science, Click'd, Clicked, Coding, Computers, Disney, Disney Book Group, Disney Books, Middle Grade, Middle Grade Books, New Books, New Release, Science, Tamara Ireland Stone, WordPress | Permalink.
Author: kaitsbookshelf
I am a freelance writer and published author of multiple juvenile nonfiction books and a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. I'm also a book reviewer and blogger.
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Karthikeyan Malaisamy
Product Manager | Business and Technology enthusiast
Tag: freshworks
The essence of Zoho and Freshworks
Two weeks back, Zoho Corporation sued Freshworks for copying its trade secrets. I wrote a report on comparing the two businesses during my MBA as part of a course requirement. In the wake of recent developments, I believe it will be an interesting read: attaching below, a version of the essay. Disclaimer: I worked at Freshworks for fourteen months before pursuing MBA
The Indian software industry used to be known for its offshore service operations of companies in the West. During the last few years, the trend has been changing. Two companies are building software products to the world from the capital of the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Freshworks and Zoho, are very similar companies, in their business strategy and problem-solving approach. They differ in aspirations and vision. Freshworks is a relatively new age internet start-up focussed on aggressive growth. It engages in guerrilla marketing, often going head to head with one of the industry leaders like SalesForce, which is more than ten times its size. Zoho portrays itself as a neighbourhood company from southern Tamilnadu with big ideas and empathy for small businesses. This essay studies the companies from a strategic perspective, compares their choices and attempts to identify their essence.
Image credits: Inc42
In the last few decades, India has become a global powerhouse of the IT services industry. Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Cognizant and Accenture recruit in large numbers from the engineering colleges around the country. They take advantage of the prevalent labour arbitrage, offer software services for Fortune X companies in the West. The Indian economy has prospered due to the growth of the software services industry. Tata Consultancy Services has an amassing 8.37 trillion INR in market capitalization as of June 2019, which is a little higher than 8.36 trillion INR market capitalization of Reliance Industries.
The explosion of data coupled with the availability of high-power computing enabled businesses to move to the Cloud. Migration to Cloud is a painstaking process for engineers in a company; therefore, they were outsourced to eastern countries like India. Indian software service companies, during its long affiliation with western clients, developed expertise in Cloud computing. It forms the base for software as a service (SaaS) products.
Traditional software products came with licence or purchase options often priced at exorbitant rates. Office essential software was purchased at negotiated terms, but during the brink of the millennium, things changed. The dotcom bubble period saw many businesses opening in silicon-valley without a strong vision or knowledge. Later, when the bubble was burst, only a few, invested firms survived. Companies started after the dotcom bust emphasized on investing in their productivity tools. As the cost of acquiring a new customer started rising, companies began listening to their customers. A new category of products called Customer Relationship Management (CRM) was born.
CRM consists of all the steps in the sales cycle from lead generation, approaching a client, documenting the interactions, follow-up and eventually closing the account. Sales associates who work with multiple clients were facing problems of keeping track of their customer interactions, and often these details were handled in excel sheets. Salesforce, the world’s leading SaaS player today, started developing and selling CRM software that is hosted on the Cloud. Businesses need not have dedicated servers, network monitors in their office space. The property can be used to grow their business. This revolutionary idea in Cloud computing gave birth to the SaaS marketplace.
While IT services in India were still growing in the early 1990s, a young Princeton PhD Sridhar Vembu started his career at Qualcomm in the United States. He says that he could not find a single product in the US that was manufactured in India, while products from China, Taiwan were common. He started AdventNet Inc headquartered in Chennai, Tamilnadu in 1996. AdeventNet started selling software for telecom operators in the Bay Area. AdventNet Inc was later renamed after its successful CRM product, Zoho, as Zoho Corporation.
Girish Mathrubootham, a product manager at Zoho Corporation, faced a problem with his television getting broken in transit in 2009. He approached the shipping company’s customer service and months went by without any viable solution. He realized that their customer service software was ancient and broken. Later on the hackernews website, he saw frustrated comments from customers of the software about its high price. He quit his job at Zoho and started developing Freshdesk, a support desk software. Freshdesk, launched in 2010, was rebranded into Freshworks in 2017 after adding an array of SaaS products to its portfolio. Freshworks has raised $400 million and has surpassed $200 million in annual recurring revenue.
After the advent of Cloud computing, starting a business became very easy. Registering an office space and running the company from the comfort of the laptop became very common. However, only a handful of companies become big. Everyday tools that businesses need vary based on their scale of operations and the complexity of the sector. Traditional SaaS companies develop the software by understanding the problem of big enterprises — the software becomes heavy, comes with many features, and eventually, the price is very high. A small business might not need many of these features.
For example, let us assume a help desk software is required for a company operating on the scale of Amazon. The software should be able to withstand the complexities of a global e-commerce giant. It will need support to be available in hundreds of languages, process queries from tens of channels. Whereas, a small boutique shop in the corner street, running their business through a Facebook page might not need the sophisticated features of the support software used by Amazon. They would also not be able to afford it. This is where Zoho and Freshworks operate — focusing on small and medium scale businesses who seek affordable software to run their business hassle-free.
IT service management (ITSM) is another problem faced by companies of small and medium-size. As the companies grow, they accumulate assets in the form of laptops, monitors and other accessories. They should be protected and audited frequently for any mishap or misuse. ITSM software helps them manage assets in the company.
Affordability issues can be viewed in two ways. Firstly, the high price paid to the software that is financially not viable to most businesses. Secondly, the licensing deal. Many companies work on very thin bottom-line, and they cannot afford to pay for licensing fees for a lifetime. Monthly, yearly flexible subscription plans will benefit these companies. Zoho and Freshworks offer them a free trial for the first month. The free trial helps the customers to audit the software for their needs and if they deem fit, proceed to purchase.
Prof. Saral Mukherjee says, “strategy is all about closing doors”. At any moment, a business will face multiple opportunities to choose. The strategy of the company depends on the occasions they say no to-hence closed doors. Let us analyze the strategy of the two firms.
Both Freshworks and Zoho are privately owned companies. Zoho was bootstrapped from Sridhar Vembu’s own money, and he has refused to take any investor funding. He says that investor funding will force the company to focus on high growth, and the company might lose focus on its values and objectives. He further says, “Beyond money, there is also a mission and purpose in life.” Yet, three of the five billionaires (in dollar terms) from Tamil Nadu are namely Sridhar Vembu, Sekar Vembu and Radha Vembu. Zoho is a family owned business that has not prioritised aggressive growth.
Freshworks is a VC friendly company. Accel Partners, Tiger Global, CapitalG and Sequoia are some of the investors in Freshworks. The company has delivered 61% average annual growth over the years. The focus of Freshworks is to grow and grow faster.
Zoho has said no to the conventional marketing techniques. It has positioned itself as a company that brings out products from rural Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh. An Advertisement seen recently shows Sridhar Vembu walking in the paddy fields of Tenkasi. He talks about how a world-class software product is made in the fields of southern-rural Tamilnadu. Another Zoho ad, aired during the GST rollout, discusses the Zoho software that integrates the GST feature into the auditing module. Sridhar Vembu localizes his positioning.
Freshworks is an aspirational company. Even though they started their relationship with small business customers, they wanted to grow big. Salesforce, one of the market leaders of the SaaS industry, conducts a conference every year called Dreamforce in San Francisco, California. Freshworks advertises its products on the shuttle buses running between the conference venue and train stations. Last year, it went a step further to trend #FailsForce in a blimp around the conference venue. Freshworks’ positioning is its user interface and affordability. It targets customers who are annoyed with high priced, less user-friendly products.
#Failsforce campaign. Credits: Bizjournals
Zoho primarily drives its recruitment through campus and hires at entry-level. Around 20% of the employees come via Zoho University route. Engineering students in Chennai look up at Zoho as the place to start their career. The attrition rate of Zoho is high as SaaS companies are coming up in the urban part of Chennai with competitive salaries.
Freshworks founder Girish Mathrubootham studied at SASTRA University. More than half of the workforce in Freshworks hails from there. Freshworks is strategically a poster brand for aspiring software engineers in Chennai. Amazon, Cisco and Paypal are the only sizable multinational companies in the city. Freshworks, which has been enjoying the soft spot from the press, is the place to be for Chennai software engineers. Freshworks also poaches talent from Zoho corporation and top technology companies. Girish Mathrubootham and his co-founder Shan Krishnasamy were Zoho employees. Spotting ex-Googlers, Amazonians is very common in Freshworks office.
Everyone in Zoho joins with the position ‘Member Technical Staff’. All the managers start with ‘Member Leadership Staff’ designation. The promoted ones get to be Team Leaders. All Team Leaders report to one of Sridhar, Sekar, Manikandan or Radha Vembu. Zoho has a flat hierarchy. CEO Sridhar Vembu sits with other engineers in an open workspace.
Sridhar Vembu at his desk in Zoho Office. Credits: Tech in Asia
Freshworks follow traditional multilevel reporting system which ranges from an entry-level software engineer, business development executive, customer support executive to CxOs who report to CEO Girish Mathrubootham.
Variety is a key area where both companies differ. Freshworks, initially named the same as its first product Freshdesk, at the time of writing the essay, had ten products in its portfolio. Over half of them were launched within the last two years. Freshworks focuses on building capability on its core product Freshdesk and expanding it to the other products in the portfolio. For example, help desk software such as Freshdesk has incidents reported as tickets. A support agent will be assigned a ticket with a Service Level Agreement. Once it is resolved, feedback is taken from the customer to improve their experience. Freshservice, ITSM tool treats all the service incidents as tickets with IT experts as agents. Freshsales, CRM software operates all the prospects as a ticket, sales representatives as agents. Likewise, Freshrelease tracks engineering tasks as tickets and respective engineers as agents. It may appear from the outset, Freshworks has multiple successful products. But, all of them have one common identity as a workflow tool. It has been tested and mastered and is quite successful too.
Freshworks Universe
If we see Zoho’s product portfolio, it tells a different story. AdventNet started with WebNMS, a tool for telecom operators. Once it became successful, Zoho Office Suite was simply upsold with the existing consumers. In 2007, ManageEngine, IT operations and Service Management software was launched. Since the majority of Zoho’s customers are small businesses, it has multiple products supporting mail operations, financial accounting, customer relationship management, help desk, IT support, security, operations management. It also has a separate suite of products to support the Internet of Things (IoT) for small and medium businesses. The critical success of Zoho platform lies with the product Zoho Flow which seamlessly integrates the data across the above mentioned Zoho products. With over forty five products, Zoho aspires to create one unified experience for its customers. Combining all the products, it has created Zoho One, one subscription plan to use products to empower sales, operations, support, HR, marketing and operations. Zoho is focused on portraying itself as a one-stop solution provider for small businesses, whereas Freshworks aspires to be a multi-successful-product brand.
Zoho Universe
The closed doors discussed above will lead us to understand the functioning system and strategies of Zoho and Freshworks.
Traditional SaaS companies focus on Fortune 500 clients. The deal size of the sales is enormous. Consider Zendesk, which operates at a high level and upper mid-level customer segment. They will typically hire a sales executive in their California office with around 100,000 USD salary. With an average deal size of 5000 USD, the sales executive is expected to close at least 20 deals every year to meet the cost to the company. The large deals will take lot of time to follow-up and close the account. Whereas, Zoho or Freshworks, operating from Chennai office can hire a fresh out of college grad for around 35000 INR per month. They target small businesses with relatively small deal sizes ( as low as 50 USD) but work on a high-volume basis.
The start-up ecosystem has made it easy to start a business. Therefore, there is plenty of demand. Traditional SaaS companies, based out of the United States, cannot operate in this space due to the high cost incurred with employee compensation to the company. A considerable segment of small and mid-size businesses is available for grab, taking advantage of labour arbitrage — the key benefit of IT service companies, Zoho and Freshworks are building world-class software products from India.
Even though their business strategy is the same, Freshworks and Zoho have two different souls. Freshworks is burning cash of its investors in aggressively expanding the operations. 60% annual growth rate is a voluntary standard for the company. Girish is looking to list Freshworks in NASDAQ stock exchange and will be the first Indian product company if he manages to do that.
Sridhar Vembu is not interested in raising money. His business is self-sustainable. With an entirely bootstrapped company, he believes that he has the freedom to choose the way the company operates. Zoho believes in the public good. “ We are a state-of-the-art tech company with a very old-fashioned approach to company building. “, says Sridhar Vembu.
Zoho has said no to aggressive growth, focuses on its strengths and moves slowly. It has got an array of products, but there is no strategic focus on moving up the pyramid. Zoho is a risk-averse company; they serve small businesses and operate at volume.
Freshworks is a fast growing company aspiring to be a market leader. When Freshdesk was started, they acquired customers quickly with prompt service and delivering delightful moments. If they diversify their portfolio and replicate the same success, they will become one of the market leader. They are also trying to expand into high-end customers. This is a fundamental shift to its core strength of labour arbitrage-business model. From the analysis and the current market scenario, it is understood that Freshworks is undergoing a transition in their strategy.
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Karthikeyan Malaisamy Analysis, Opinion Leave a comment April 15, 2020 June 21, 2020 10 Minutes
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KU-HED organise webinar on Mainstreaming Disaster Management
By Reader correspondent on 6:42 pm December 2, 2020 No Comment
Srinagar: Vice-Chancellor of University of Kashmir Prof Talat Ahmad Wednesday called for mainstreaming disaster management into academia and development policy to put in place a robust disaster response system on the ground.
Addressing as chief guest the inaugural session of a day-long webinar “Mainstreaming Disaster Management in Higher Educational Institutions”, Prof Talat said the Himalayan region is prone to disasters and this calls for a serious integrated approach to disaster management.
Asserting that world leaders cannot afford to be in denial over impending dangers posed by climate change, he said it was important for academic institutions, especially in the Himalyan region and country’s other vulnerable areas, to come together and help in mainstreaming disaster management into curriculums.
The Vice-Chancellor called for a survey of all important buildings in J&K—hospitals, colleges, schools and government offices—to evaluate how safe these are to withstand disasters.
“There’s a need for a continuous monitoring system in disaster-prone areas, like important highways, for prior alerts in case of any disaster-related activity,” he said, adding that development in disaster-prone areas must be done away with alongside ensuring that people and policy-planners strictly adhere to building codes while undertaking constructions.
Prof Talat also called for establishing well-equipped communication centres in vulnerable areas for swift communication between various agencies in times of disasters.
The national-level webinar was organised by the varsity’s Department of Geography and Disaster Management (DGDM) and J&K’s Higher Education Department (HED).
In his keynote address, Commissioner-Secretary, HED Talat Pervez Rohella proposed a five-pronged strategy for disaster management, including developing core competencies of students and faculty in colleges, holding regular mock drills for an effective response system, devising mitigation strategies with proper planning, and creating space in all colleges to establish disaster response centers.
In her lead lecture, Prof Janki Andhari, Dean, Jamsetji Tata School of Disaster Studies, TISS Mumbai, said disasters aren’t a result of a single event and therefore any event-centric approach to handle disasters is not advisable.
“To treat disasters as a one-off event is fundamentally problematic,” she said.
Prof Andhari said 85 per-cent of the country is vulnerable to earthquakes, floods, droughts, cyclones and landslides, even as more than 500 million people are affected by natural disasters annually.
Advocating a “shift” in understanding disaster management, she said community-based approaches, increasing awareness, use of appropriate technologies and indigenous methods could go a long way in mainstreaming disaster management.
KU Registrar Dr Nisar A Mir said hybrid disasters wreak havoc in terms of deaths, physical injuries, financial losses, damage to infrastructure, stress and trauma and this calls for an urgent and serious intervention by policy-planners, academic institutions, NGOs and citizens to devise effective disaster management policies and frameworks.
Prof Shamim A Shah, Head of KU’s DGDM, delineated objectives of the webinar, and stressed on creation of more faculty positions in disaster management in J&K’s higher educational institutions in line with the government’s commitment.
“We need to make society disaster-resilient by way of generating awareness and capacity-building of people at large,” he said.
Prof M Y Peerzada, Director Colleges, delivered a vote of thanks at the inaugural session, which was followed by a panel discussion by eminent academics and administrators, including Prof Shakil A Romshoo, Prof M Y Peerzada, Prof Shamim A Shah, Prof M Sultan Bhat, Prof Yasmeen Ashai, Prof Ravinder Kumar Tikoo, Prof Chandan Ghosh, Dr G M Dar and Er Aamir Ali.
Dr Mohammad Shafi conducted proceedings of the webinar.
KU-HED organise webinar on Mainstreaming Disaster Management added by Reader correspondent on 6:42 pm December 2, 2020
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ELECTION 2020 ANALYSIS: Three-card trick with only one winner
By Kilkenny Now 10th February 2020 No comment
The sweeping electoral success of Sinn Féin has dealt the party a winning hand when it comes to forming a government.
There are three probable options.
Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and some independents form a grand coalition.
Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil form a government or work together in some variation on confidence and supply.
There is another general election.
Whatever way this three-card trick plays out, Sinn Féin will be the winner.
Voters will not want another election and would punish parties they believe forced it on the country.
They would not blame Sinn Féin. Mary Lou McDonald has expressed willingness to discuss government formation with anyone. Whether she will make the compromises necessary to get a working government in place is another matter, but at this early stage she cannot be accused of intransigence.
If FF and FG refuse to negotiate, they will be blamed. And Sinn Féin would not make the mistake of running too few candidates for a second time. It would have people in place to benefit from the huge surpluses the party clocked up in Waterford, Carlow-Kilkenny, Wicklow and several other constituencies.
If Sinn Féin does go into coalition negotiations with Fianna Fáil it will do so from a position of strength.
FF may have a few more seats but SF has the high ground. Ms McDonald will be able to demand key ministries and insist on implementation of most of her party’s policies, safe in the knowledge that failed negotiations would lead to an election she will win.
Smaller parties rarely have a happy time in coalition but, in this case, regardless of the actual numbers, it is Sinn Féin who would be in the driving seat.
The reality of government would present Sinn Féin with unfamiliar problems to test its strength and cohesion. But in coalitions it is the smaller partner that always suffers and, in this case, despite the Dáil arithmetic, Fianna Fáil would be the smaller party.
The possibility of an FF-FG coalition may come into play if all else fails, but it is an unlikely option. It would look like an arrogant rejection of the voters’ wishes and the parties would suffer for it when they next went to the country.
In any case, it seems unlikely that those two parties will have the numbers to form a government by themselves; they would need the support of a few independents.
That is the proof of how far they have slipped. Forty years ago, Fianna Fáil was capable of forming a single-party government. If anyone had then forecast a day when the combined numbers of FF and FG would not add up to a Dáil majority they would have been laughed out of court.
The last time Ireland had a general election on a Saturday was in 1918. Sinn Féin won by a landslide and wiped out John Redmond’s National Party which had dominated the political debate.
It is too early to say who they might wipe out this time. The survival of Labour, the oldest party in the State, must be in doubt. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have been pushed closer to the amalgamation that seems inevitable one day .
But whatever parties survive, the old certainties are gone. All changed, changed utterly. But we don’t yet know what has been born.
MICHAEL WOLSEY
Tags: Coalition Fianna Fáil Fine Gael GE2020 Sinn Féin
ELECTION 2020 FINAL COUNT: Drama as Bobby Aylward loses last seat in battle royale with Green’s Malcolm Noonan
WATCH: Sinn Fein TD David Cullinane shouts ‘Up the Ra’ to supporters at victory event
Man and woman (60s) rushed to hospital after shooting incident in county Waterford
By Kilkenny Now 1st June 2020
‘Defining decade in our history’ – Kilkenny students to join day of action on climate change
By Colin Bartley 27th November 2019
MICHAEL WOLSEY: Why combating Covid is everyone’s business
By Kilkenny Now 7th October 2020
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The Review at the End of the Universe
EIFF
Kneel Before Pod – So Long, Supernatural (160)
Supernatural recently completed its historic 15 year run so Kneel Before Pod got together to discuss the final season, the ending and the series in general. The discussion covers God as a big bad, the difficulty of providing satisfying endings and the lunacy that is Supernatural. Craig and Aaron can be found on this very…
Kneel Before Blog
Supernatural – Season 15 Episode 20
“Carry On” Supernatural ends its historic 15 year run with one last hunt and the end of the road for the Winchester brothers. Endings are hard. Chuck/God said that in the season 5 finale “Swan Song” and he was completely right. Ending something that people have a strong connection to is no easy task because…
Craig McKenzie
“Inherit The Earth” Supernatural approaches its end with an empty Earth and the constant threat of God looming over the Winchesters. The previous episode ended at the lowest point Sam and Dean have ever known with Castiel’s death and God removing every other living being on Earth. The second part wasn’t explicitly confirmed until the…
“Despair” Supernatural gears up for the end with the prospect of losing everything close to the main characters and a complete absence of control. The previous episode ended at a really low point for Sam, Dean, Castiel and Jack. God exponentially increased his power by absorbing Amara and Jack was on the brink of exploding….
“Unity” Supernatural puts things in motion ahead of the end of the series with a quest to find the final ingredient to make Jack powerful enough to take on God and character interactions focused on what connects as well as divides them. With so few episodes left it’s time for serious attention to be given…
“Drag Me Away (From You)” Supernatural flashes back to Sam and Dean as teenagers when a case turns out to not be as solved as they believed. It’s appropriate with the show being so near its end that some time would be taken to reflect on Sam and Dean’s childhood in some ways. Their father…
“Gimme Shelter” Supernatural has Castiel and Jack work together on a case while Sam and Dean try to track down Amara. One consistently strong element in this show is Castiel’s naivety about how the world he interacts with works. Over time he has gotten better at navigating it but there’s still a lot he doesn’t…
Interview with Supernatural’s Ruth Connell
Recently Craig had the chance to catch up with the Queen of Hell herself; Ruth Connell who played Rowena in Supernatural. They discuss her time on the show, whether Baby was comfortable to sit in, becoming a Disney Princess and the common ground they share being born in the same place. Show Notes Ruth’s IMDb…
Interviews, Podcasts
“Last Holiday” Supernatural returns from a very long hiatus with a light hearted episode to ease viewers back in after such a long absence. It’s been a long time since new Supernatural was on the air and an even longer time since I last reviewed it. Life circumstances got in the way of me keeping…
Supernatural – Season 15 Episode 9
“The Trap” Supernatural returns from hiatus with Sam and Eileen confronting Chuck while Sam heads to Purgatory with Castiel to find the Leviathan Blossom that will hopefully help trap Chuck and save their universe. I’ve dropped the ball a bit on my reviews of this show because of real life majorly getting in the way…
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Posts Tagged: IRS fraud
A Little Sunshine / Tax Refund Fraud / Web Fraud 2.0 — 28 Comments
IRS: 330K Taxpayers Hit by ‘Get Transcript’ Scam
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) disclosed today that identity thieves abused a feature on the agency’s Web site to pull sensitive data on more than 330,000 potential victims as part of a scheme to file fraudulent tax refund requests. The new figure is far larger than the number of Americans the IRS said were potentially impacted when it first acknowledged the vulnerability in May 2015 — two months after KrebsOnSecurity first raised alarms about the weakness.
In March 2015, I warned readers to Sign Up at IRS.gov Before Crooks Do It For You — which tracked the nightmarish story of Michael Kasper, one of millions of Americans victimized by tax refund fraud each year. When Kasper tried to get a transcript of the fraudulent return using the “Get Transcript” function on IRS.gov, he learned that someone had already registered through the IRS’s site using his Social Security number and an unknown email address.
Two months later, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen publicly acknowledged that crooks had used this feature to pull sensitive data on at least 110,000 taxpayers. Today, the Associated Press and other news outlets reported that the IRS is now revising those figures, estimating that an additional 220,000 potential victims had Social Security numbers and information from previous years’ tax filings stolen via the IRS Web site.
“In all, the thieves used personal information from about 610,000 taxpayers in an effort to access old tax returns,” the AP story notes. “They were successful in getting information from about 334,000 taxpayers.”
A BROKEN PROCESS
The IRS’s experience should tell consumers something about the effectiveness of the technology that the IRS, banks and countless other organizations use to screen requests for sensitive information.
As I reported in March, taxpayers who wished to obtain a copy of their most recent tax transcript had to provide the IRS with the following information: The applicant’s name, date of birth, Social Security number and filing status. After that data is successfully supplied, the IRS uses a service from credit bureau Equifax that asks four so-called “knowledge-based authentication” (KBA) questions. Anyone who succeeds in supplying the correct answers can see the applicant’s full tax transcript, including prior W2s, current W2s and more or less everything one would need to fraudulently file for a tax refund.
These KBA questions — which involve multiple choice, “out of wallet” questions such as previous address, loan amounts and dates — can be successfully enumerated with random guessing. But in practice it is far easier, as we can see from the fact that thieves were successfully able to navigate the multiple questions more than half of the times they tried.
If any readers here doubt how easy it is to buy personal data on just about anyone, check out the story I wrote in December 2014, wherein I was able to find the name, address, Social Security number, previous address and phone number on all current members of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee. This information is no longer secret (nor are the answers to KBA-based questions), and we are all made vulnerable to identity theft as long as institutions continue to rely on static information as authenticators.
Unfortunately, the IRS is not the only government agency whose reliance on static identifiers actually makes them complicit in facilitating identity theft against Americans. The same process described to obtain a tax transcript at irs.gov works to obtain a free credit report from annualcreditreport.com, a Web site mandated by Congress. In addition, Americans who have not already created an account at the Social Security Administration under their Social Security number are vulnerable to crooks hijacking SSA benefits now or in the future. For more on how crooks are siphoning Social Security benefits via government sites, check out this story.
THE IRS IS STILL VULNERABLE
The IRS has responded to the problem of tax ID theft partly by offering Identity Protection PINs (IP PINs) to affected taxpayers that must be supplied on the following year’s tax application before the IRS will accept the return. However, according to Kasper — the tax ID theft victim whose story first prompted my reporting on the Get Transcript abuse problem back in March — the IRS.gov Web site allows consumers who have lost their IP PINs to recover them, and incredibly that feature is still using the same authentication method relied upon by the IRS’s flawed Get Transcript function.
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Home Labor News From Our Region Missouri Steelworkers meet with Sen. Claire McCaskill to discuss U.S. manufacturing and...
Missouri Steelworkers meet with Sen. Claire McCaskill to discuss U.S. manufacturing and pensions following layoffs at Harley-Davidson
SEN. CLAIRE McCASKILL (D-MO) meets with Missouri members of the United Steelworkers Union to discuss the importance of supporting United States manufacturing and pensions following the announcement by Harley-Davidson that it was laying off 800 workers and closing its Kansas City, MO, manufacturing plant while opening a new assembly plant in Thailand.
Washington – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill met recently with Missouri members of the United Steelworkers Union to discuss the importance of supporting manufacturing jobs in Missouri and keeping pension promises following the announcement by Harley-Davidson that it was closing its Kansas City, MO, manufacturing plant while opening a new assembly plant in Thailand.
The closure will cost about 800 jobs in the Kansas City area. Harley says it’s moving the Kansas City work to the company’s plant in York, PA, creating about 400 additional jobs in York. But that doesn’t help workers in Kansas City and still represents a net loss of 400 jobs.
“These Missourians spent their careers working for Harley-Davidson in Kansas City — and lost their jobs even as the company builds a new plant in Thailand and sees a windfall from a tax cut that was supposed to benefit Americans workers,” McCaskill said. “Hearing these stories pushes me to keep fighting to ensure we can reward our hardworking America manufacturers instead of the executives that move good jobs overseas.”
FIGHTING FOR
MISSOURI WORKERS
AND MANUFACTURERS
In February, McCaskill sent a bipartisan letter with members from the Kansas City region to urge Harley-Davidson to reconsider plans to close its Kansas City Assembly Plant.
McCaskill has been a longtime advocate for Missouri workers and manufacturers.
In 2016, after urging from McCaskill on behalf of Bull Moose Tube Company and EXLTUBE, the International Trade Commission voted 4-2 to level the playing field for Missouri and U.S. manufacturers by finalizing duties against foreign steel pipe and tubing producers found to be illegally dumping in the international market.
FIGHTING TO SECURE PENSIONS
McCaskill also has fought harmful cuts to retiree benefits and the burden of poorly managed pensions.
Last year, she organized meetings between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Missouri truck drivers at risk of losing their pensions. She also introduced the Butch Lewis Act to create a new office within the Treasury Department that would allow pension plans to borrow the money they need to remain solvent and continue providing retirement security for retirees.
McCaskill is a cosponsor of the Keep Our Pension Promises Act, which would repeal the law that allows for massive pension cuts, and was the only member of the Missouri Congressional delegation to vote against legislation that allowed for deep cuts to retiree benefits for the 32,000 Missourians who participate in the Teamsters Central States Pension Fund.
McCaskill also backed the Pension Fund Integrity Act, to cut excessive executive compensation, stop raises and bonuses for pension fund executives, and prohibit financially troubled pension plans from using plan assets to hire outside lobbying firms.
Missouri steelworkers
United Steelworkers Union
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Parker man sues doctor, pharmacist after alleged misdiagnosis leads to severe skin condition
by: Rob Low
Posted: Jul 26, 2018 / 09:41 PM MDT / Updated: Jul 26, 2018 / 10:22 PM MDT
PARKER, Colo. -- A 22-year old Parker man spent three weeks in a local burn unit after he was prescribed a drug for a mental health condition he does not have.
The FOX31 Problem Solvers have agreed to only use Scott's first name.
His lawsuit in Douglas County District Court states he acquired Stevens Johnson Syndrome after being over-prescribed Lamictal, also known by the generic name Lamotrigine.
SJS is a condition that causes serious skin rashes, blisters and sores on mucous membranes like one's eyes.
It's a known side effect of overdosing on Lamictal, an anti-seizure medication sometimes prescribed off-label to treat bipolar depression.
"It was a 10 out of 10," is how Scott described the burning sensation he felt after developing SJS.
His lawsuit comes three years after the then-19-year-old college sophomore woke up in a hospital bed, blind and voiceless.
Doctors had stitched his eyes shut and placed a breathing tube in his throat after a skin rash covering most of his body left him feeling like he had survived an inferno.
"I had two surgeries on my eyes in order to save them from not going blind," said Scott. "Inside of my mouth, I had burns and cuts, and so I couldn't even eat food."
Scott had gone to Aspen Creek Family Medicine in Parker in January 2016 for his yearly physical and mentioned feeling a little depressed.
FOX31 investigative reporter Rob Low asked Scott, "As you look back, do you think you had bipolar disorder?"
"No, no, I have never had mental health issues before this," Scott replied.
His physician, Dr. Michael Paul Elder, gave Scott a questionnaire for bipolar disorder. Answering yes to at least seven of 13 questions is supposed to indicate more follow-up, but even the one-page form says it is "For screening purposes only and not to be used as a diagnostic tool."
Scott only scored a six, but Dr. Elder miscounted, giving him a seven, and immediately prescribed Lamictal.
Lamictal is prescribed with what's known as a black box warning in its labeling instructions that mention "serious skin disorders leading to death" and "the incidence of skin disorders was increased when this drug was administered at doses higher than recommended."
Scott said he was not told about the black box warning when he was prescribed the drug.
"There was so many things wrong in this case that it's frightening," said Scott's attorney, Hollynd Hoskins of the Leventhal and Puga law firm.
In her lawsuit, Hoskins alleged her client was prescribed twice the recommended dosage on the first day, and by the second week, his dosage had been increased to four times the recommended amount.
"Not only was the diagnosis false -- he did not have bipolar -- not only did he diagnosis it with a screening tool, he prescribed Lamictal, a serious drug, at four times the recommended dose." said Hoskins.
Scott came back to Aspen Creek Family Medicine for a follow-up eight days after starting Lamictal. He mentioned having shaky hands, but the family nurse who treated him, Diedre Marchetti, didn't consider it a red flag.
"It's potentially a side effect of Lamictal. It's also a non-uncommon symptom of anxiety," Marchetti told Hoskins in her deposition.
Scott's lawsuit also names a Walgreen's pharmacist named Anisa Bartells for not mentioning the black box warning that comes with a prescription of Lamictal. The following exchange comes from her deposition with Hoskins:
Anisa Bartells: "A black box warning contains important prescribing information about a drug."
Hollynd Hoskins: "And is a black box warning something you would use as a pharmacist?"
Anisa Bartells: "No."
Dr. Elder admitted in his deposition that he never discussed the black box warning with Scott and he expressed no concerns about overdosing his patient.
A portion of the deposition is quoted below:
Hollynd Hoskins: "Is [Scott] the only patient where you used your judgment to deviate from the FDA guidelines and instructions in dosing and titrating Lamictal?"
Dr. Michael Elder: "No."
Hollynd Hoskins: "So there are other patients where you have deviated from the FDA's instructions and guidelines prescribing Lamictal?"
Dr. Michael Elder: "Yes."
When asked during his deposition why he would overdose his patient given the obvious risk, Dr. Elder responded, "Well, the severity of his depression. I felt like his depression was more on the severe side, and that was a concern for me to treat him and to escalate his dosage regimen in order to bring his depression under better control quickly."
Hoskins said there is no evidence Scott actually had bipolar depression.
"This doctor was not qualified to make that diagnosis," said Hoskins. "He used a vague, 10-minute questionnaire and that led to a false diagnosis. He used the wrong dosage and that led to a very life-threatening, serious rash in Scott."
"I had rashes and bubbles on the bottom of my feet. I had to walk on top of the rashes and bubbles. You could feel them pop and burst, and just the pain -- it was like standing on needles," Scott said. The 22-year old can now finally walk without pain. In May, he graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder.
However, Scott will have vision issues the rest of his life and has been told he may develop Glaucoma.
"Hard to believe that all the little checkpoints where someone could have caught what was going wrong... that they didn't," Scott said.
At the time of the depositions, Dr. Elder still hadn't reported Scott's adverse reaction to the FDA even though it's required under law.
The lawsuit against Dr. Elder, Marchetti and Bartells is set to go to trial in October. Attorneys for all three defendants declined to comment.
More Problem Solvers Stories
Bike thefts spike in Colorado during COVID-19 pandemic
by Rob Low / Jan 19, 2021
DENVER (KDVR) — 2020 was the year Terrisa Coobs bought her first mountain bike with all the bells and whistles. It was $1,500 dollars, and she felt lucky to find it.
“It was the very last one of its kind at REI, but it was on the East Coast,” said Coobs.
91-year-old Coloradan feels he’s slipping through the cracks of vaccine distribution system
by Aimee Lewis / Jan 19, 2021
DENVER (KDVR) -- It's a big week for Colorado seniors, according to Governor Polis who on Tuesday addressed the concerned seniors unable to schedule an appointment for a vaccine, claiming no more doses will sit on a shelf.
"We will use every dose to give to people over the age of 70 that want it," said Polis. "We are doing everything we can do get every vaccine we can get in the arm of a Coloradan over 70 years old."
‘No one can read it’; Many Coloradans switching to encrypted messaging apps following Capitol mob
DENVER (KDVR) — Millions of people around the world, including thousands of Coloradans, have been downloading encrypted messaging apps like ‘Signal’ and ‘Telegram’ in droves following last week’s attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Directly after the attack, big tech companies like Facebook and Twitter started removing thousands of far-right posts and accounts.
Authorities looking for Mesa County teen missing since Friday
Prosecutors push for detention pending trial for alleged Colorado insurrectionist
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UPDATED: Capital Gazette Shooter Identified as Jarrod Ramos, Police Say
Alberto LuperonJun 28th, 2018, 3:45 pm
Five people were shot and killed by a gunman at the Capital Gazette building in Annapolis, Maryland on Wednesday, the Anne Arundel County Police Department said. Others were injured. The shooter was identified as Jarrod Ramos.
NBC News: The suspect in today’s newspaper shooting is identified as Jarrod Ramos, age 38, @jonathan4ny reports from three law enforcement officials. While the motive is not yet clear, he does have a history with the paper having sued them in 2012.
— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) June 29, 2018
NEW: The Capital Gazette shooter, Jarrod Ramos, was the subject of a Capital article in which he’s described threatening and harassing a woman on Facebook.
According to the article, he had pleaded guilty in 2011 to a misdemeanor harassment charge. pic.twitter.com/NFSuuiycRx
— dell cameron (@dellcam) June 29, 2018
The investigation remains ongoing.
NBC News: Capital Gazette suspect has been identified via facial recognition software, authorities executing a search warrant at his home
— Michael Del Moro (@MikeDelMoro) June 28, 2018
Gazette employees both on and off the premises gave updates on Twitter. Outlet intern Andrew Messenger wrote a tweet asking for help amid the shooting.
This is from an intern at the Capital Gazette in #Annapolis. @WMAR2News is working on getting more information and sending a crew that way. https://t.co/5PCFvDA4Rf
— Skyler A. Henry (@SkylerHenry) June 28, 2018
After the shooting, reporter Phil Davis wrote on Twitter that he was waiting to be interviewed by police.
“A single shooter shot multiple people at my office, some of whom are dead,” he wrote. The gunman shot through the glass door to the office, and opened fire on multiple employees, according to Davis.
“Can’t say much more and don’t want to declare anyone dead, but it’s bad,” he wrote, and added, “There is nothing more terrifying than hearing multiple people get shot while you’re under your desk and then hear the gunman reload.”
Gazette reporter Chase Cook said he was not at the scene when the shooting occurred. He did some reporting in a tweet thread starting at 5:52 p.m., hours before Ramos was named.
“Police said about 170 people were in the building and evacuated. My colleague, @PhilDavis_CG was in the building and said he heard the shooter reload,” he wrote. “Suspect used a long gun and something thought to be explosive was disposed of.”
Bestgate Road remained closed as police continued the investigation.
“My colleague Josh McKerrow is uploading footage that should be on our site soon,” Cook wrote. “Gov. Larry Hogan and County Executive Steve Schuh both here and addressed media.”
He said another media briefing was planned for 8 p.m., and he didn’t know much else, including the motive behind the shooting.
I can tell you this: We are putting out a damn paper tomorrow.
— Chase Cook (@chaseacook) June 28, 2018
Note: This article has been rewritten to reflect available information. We removed a line referencing a law enforcement official in a CBS report, who said that the suspect damaged his fingertips in an apparent attempt to avoid identification. Anne Arundel County Police Department Chief Timothy J. Altomare said at a June 29 press conference that this was not the case. There had only been a lag in identifying the suspect using his fingerprints.
[Screengrab via CBSN]
Capital Gazette
With Less Than an Hour Left in Office, Trump Pardons Fox News Host Jeanine Pirro’s Ex-Husband
Jerry LambeJan 20th, 2021, 12:29 pm
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The Living Village Festival
LIVING VILLAGE FESTIVAL HAS ENDED!
A harsh reality slowly becomes visible to us, after four years of shared dreams and shared life views and most important the coming together of a lot of beautiful people, the reality is that we cannot maintain the festival in the current situation. Due to COVID-19 measures and demanding contractors we are forced to pull the plug. With pain in our hearts we requested bankruptcy this week. Please read this message carefully for more information.
Looking back we can only feel proud of what we’ve shared together. What started as an idea in a tiny house in Dalfsen grew to be a spirit and a shared life view that brought together over 10.000 visitors, artists and musicians in three editions. Our ideals and our passion was seen, felt and shared.
We never would have guessed that our movement would have made such an impact. Together we experienced beautiful shows, 365+ workshops, readings and intriguing gatherings. This was all lived and shared by people from all over the world, we hosted 64 different nationalities. Above all, our memory and our hearts will stay filled with beautiful people, new friendships and a shared search for new ways of living, the thing we find truly important.
The regrettable fact is that the odds have not been in our favour. We are sorry to all the people that bought a ticket to last summer’s cancelled edition. At this moment a curator takes over, we will keep you informed as to what happens next. IMPORTANT: It is of no use to contact members of the organization. The curator decides what happens next.
Living Village is working together, all together, all our 1000+ volunteers, artists, visitors and members of the organization, we all have played an equally important role in this adventure. So thank you for your contribution. We will remember, in our hearts and memory. We say special thanks to the Van Leussen family, the Dalfsen community and Overijssel province for these beautiful times and a magical place. We shall start the recovery from here and look forward to a future of new possibilities!
We will continue our online community and we surely hope everybody will keep on sharing innovative ideas and keep within reach, stay in contact. Most importantly: Keep the fire burning, for from the ashes we will rise!! We cannot and will not let go of the group of people that gathered at Living Village.
We will be looking at future possibilities to keep this community alive. A community that moves from the heart, connects with the heart, a community to come home to. A place where everybody can feel connected, not judged. From this heart connection we will start looking for ways to stay connected even with all the new restrictions and changes. We will find ways to come together! Interested? Keep following us!
Living Village
Electronic Stage
Monkey Town
Acoustic Stage
Living Village 2021 & Ticket update
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20th January 2021 Issue no. 541
Lockdecoders now exports to 45 countries
Lockdecoders Ltd now exports its specialised auto locksmith tools to 45 different countries. Founder and Managing Director Peter Southern confesses that it is hard work trying to expand export markets. Apart from UK trade shows Peter has this year so far visited France, Morocco, Italy and the USA.
That last trip was with brother Neal to Just-Cars in Orlando. Neal Southern now handles most of the firm's technical support and back-up on both MiraClone and Miracle key cutters.
Peter also has a good working arrangement with Andy Fagan who also visits some of the firm's overseas distributors giving Eeprom instruction in some depth. Further visits to Italy, Holland, Brazil, the USA and Mexico are planned.
Marketing, in its various forms, is the company's largest single expense - outstripping even salaries and wages and in order to achieve the most effective result the firm has the regular part-time services of a specialised graphic designer, Tatiana Staples. All of the specification leaflets, advertising and web content are being redesigned to reflect a constant and easily recognisable image. The firm is producing easily adaptable versions of all of this to its foreign distributors for their use. That enables them to access high-quality design at virtually no cost at all.
Peter visualised doubling the size of the company in the next 18 months but says a lot of that will depend on achieving adequate distribution in India, Mexico, Brazil and the United States. He feels that the company has only scratched the surface of US business although there are a substantial number of its machines in use there. He says that a total reorganisation of distributorship will be implemented and the Just-Cars show will be a start there - the company is a Gold Sponsor of the event and ran four fully subscribed training classes for locksmiths during that.
In the other major markets he observes that although a very large volume of distributor enquiries are received, few are really prepared to put in the work and relatively small capital investment to make a go of it. Too often they spend their time finding problems rather than opportunities.
For an overseas MiraClone-only franchise the investment required is about $10,000 and the firm will provide full training. For a full franchise of MiraClone and Miracle the figure is $30,000. Peter reports extraordinary results achieved in some small countries, some really troubled areas. For instance Israel, the Czech Republic and Libya are vigorous and successful franchises. The Netherlands, with a new distributor, is showing a dynamic improvement as is Denmark. Meanwhile their established larger overseas markets are still expanding.
Peter is confident that Lockdecoders has a long life ahead of it since as he says "The competitors are only now realising that we have invaded their marketplace with superior products and they will take years to catch up. Meanwhile we have many other devices in the pre-production stage and constant back-room work on improvements and updates."
A constant worry is the Chinese industry that rips off original designers. "They are just as active in the field of automotive locksmithing as in designer clothing, accessories and DVDs", says Peter. He reflects that as they simply copy the firmware or software of designs that represent hundreds or even thousands of hours of work it is the same as picking pockets or burglary. The end problem is that the incentive to innovate is stifled whilst there is a rapacious group waiting to steal the market from the designer.
Recently the firm has seen a Chinese copy of its obsolete A5 key cutting machines offered in the UK. An American manufacturer of locksmith picks found his product - copied in China - on sale by a major UK lock wholesaler. Other facsimile tools are on offer on the Web and sometimes even the original name is used in Web advertising so as to lure people onto the site to buy copies, often believing they are buying the real thing! For example a site in China advertises the Miracle A4, A5, A6 and A9 for sale yet the advertiser has no access to any supply of the machines.
Lockdecoders sees the problem as a spur to constant innovation and Peter tells us that they are working with ever more layers of encryption to frustrate copyists.
www.lockdecoders.com
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June 7, 2016 — California Primary Election
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United States of America — Democratic PartyCandidate for President
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Henry Hewes
Real Estate Developer/Ttechnology Investor
7,743 votes (0.1%)Check
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My Top 3 Priorities
Protect the lives of unborn children by establishing the personhood of unborn children.Putting a stop to the murder of 1,300,000 innocent children every year must be our highest priority. At the least we can require safe facilities,informed cons
Get America out of the business in endless wars and senseless killing.
End the personal and business requirements and penalties related to Obamacare and replace income and ss taxes with a value added tax.
Profession:Real Estate Developer/Ttechnology Investor
Co-founder and Consultant, Stern & Hewes (1981–not availa)
New York State Director, Pat Robertson for President (1988–1988)
Vice Chair, George Bush for President (1988–1988)
Community Board Member, Community Board 8 — Appointed position (1982–1984)
Real Estate Manager, New York City Department of Ports and Terminals (1976–1980)
Publisher, Reston Citizen (1971–1975)
State University of New York — Bachelor’s, political science and finance
Hunter College — Master’s, urban planning
State University of New York/City University of New York — Masters Degree in Urban Plannind/BAs in Political Science-Accounting-Economics-History (1976)
I am a sixty seven year old father of three. I have degrees in Political Science, Urban Planning and Economics. I have been a real estate developer, a publisher ,a professor and a technology investor. My residence has been New York City. I am a committed Christian who takes his faith seriously
Who supports this candidate?
Democerats For Life
Who gave money to this candidate?
More information about contributions
Source: MapLight analysis of data from the Federal Election Commission.
Political Beliefs
I believe in the divinely inspired America created by our founders and nutured by generations since. I believe in the rights to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness bestowed on every human being by our creator. I beleive that our constitution was designed to protect individuals and limit the power of government. I am appalled at the extent to which unelected judges have usurped the power of the people and seem to rule over us like kings. I am horrified at the failure of our country to protect the innocent lives of unborn children.
Reforming Obamacare
Eliminate personal mandate.
Eliminate employer mandate.
Eliminate restriction on plans on federal and state exchanges. Let Americans buy the insurance they want
Reform Medicaid to save 20%.
Continue to offer income based subsidies to people who buy health care through federal and state exchanges at current levels.
Open primary care clinics in all Hospitals.
Current policy compels employers and individuals to purchase policies designed by bureaucrats and limiting their choices. These changes would preserve the current plans for those who have them and want to keep them. It would broaden choices for other uninsured individuals and decrease the number of uninsured individuals.
Second Amendemet
Henry Hewes on the Second Amendment
The constitution of the United States prohibits the government from infringing on the rights of Americans to keep and bear arms. The Supreme Court has affirmed the meaning of the second amendment. Unless the Constitution is amended, Americans have a right to keep and bear personal arms. On a practical basis, the states with the strongest restrictions on gun ownership have higher rates of gun violence than those with a weaker restriction.
Further, none of the restrictions on gun ownerships proposed by the Obama Administration would have had any impact on the mass shootings that occur from time to time or an access to guns by criminals or terrorists. They would impact the rights of regular citizens to keep and bear arms. America does have a problem with the mentally ill. America does have problems with Black on Black gun violence in urban areas ( 90% of deaths in many urban areas fall into this area).
What America can do is prosecute criminals who use guns in violation of Federal laws. This is not being done. What America can do is carry through with the existing systems of checks to stops the mentally ill and criminals from falling between the cracks. America can apply the resources to provide to provide people in islands of gun violence real security.
Eliminate the IRS, Corporate Income Tax, Personal Income , Social Security Tax & Medicare Tax
Eliminate the IRS, Corporate Income Tax, Personal Income Tax, Social Security Tax & Medicare Tax.
Eliminate the IRS, Corporate Income Tax, Personal Income Tax, Social Security Tax and Medicare Tax.
Introduce a 20% Value Added Tax. This tax would apply to original value of imports and natural resources and all additions to value until final sale.
Rent or mortgage interest up to $15, 000 per year, state and local taxes, unprocessed and unprepared food items, health insurance and non-discretionary medical costs would be excluded from taxes.
Current tax policy penalizes the use of labor as opposed to the use capital. Labor is taxed. Capital gets tax incentives. This policy would encourage the use of labor as opposed to capital.
Current tax policy assesses a tax burden of about 30% on goods produced in America, and a 0% tax burden on imported goods. The proposed change in tax policy would make American made good relatively cheaper than imported goods. This would encourage employment and investment in America.
Current tax policy encourages individuals and corporations to change their behavior in less than optimum ways to reduce taxation. The change in tax policy would reduce these changes and make economic behavior more rational. It will reduce government involvement in people's lives.
Current tax policy encourages corporations to direct profit abroad and even to relocate abroad. The proposed policy would remove all such incentives and encourage international corporations to relocate in America.
Current tax policy is regressive in that it charges the highest percentage of social security taxes to the lowest wage earners. The tax policy changes would remove the most regressive current tax
— May 24, 2016 electhenryhewes2016.com
Social Security and Medicare
Henry Hewes explains how to reasonably fix Social Security and Medicare
Henry Hewes on Policing
— May 25, 2016 www.electhenryhewes2016.com
Henry Hewes debating Rudy Guliani and David Dinkins
Henry Hewes Debating Rudy Guliani and David Dinkins for New York City Mayor
Candidate Contact Info
Website: electhenryhewes2016.com/
Email - hnewyorkcity@gmail.com
Who else is running?
Roque De La Fuente
Kevin M. Moreau
Ignació León Nuñez
Andrew D. Basiago
Willie Felix Carter
Keith Judd
Willie Wilson
Doug Terry
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Dixie Chicks to headline 2018 MJ&M charity gala in Austin April 12 concert at ACL Live at the Moody Theater will help "Mack, Jack & McConaughey" help children's charities
Richard Skanse — February 28, 2018
Photo by James Minchin (via www.dixiechicks.com)
By Richard Skanse
Although it’s now been a dozen years since the release of their last studio album, the days when the Dixie Chicks’ status as an active entity necessitated a Texas-sized question mark appear to be a long time gone. It was announced this week that on April 12 — a mere year to the month after the trio wrapped their blockbuster 82-date DCX MMXVI / MMXVII tour in Ontario, Canada — Natalies Maines, Martie Maguire, and Emily Strayer will reassemble to headline the 2018 Mack, Jack & McConaughey (MJ&M) charity gala at Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater.
Tickets for the MJ&M Gala go on sale this Friday (March 2) at 10 a.m. CST via Ticketfly. And even at $99 to $269 a pop, odds are they’ll go fast. [Update: They appeared to be all gone in under two minutes.] This will be the multiple Grammy-winning (and multiple million-selling) Dixie Chicks second time performing at the 2,700-capacity venue since its opening in 2011, coming five years after their six-song set as part of an all-star tribute to lead singer Natalie’s father, Lloyd Maines, back in May of 2013.
Since its launch in 2013, the annual MJ&M event — hosted by former University of Texas football coach Mack Brown, actor Matthew McConaughey, and Texas songwriter Jack Ingram — has raised more than $7.5 million for a number of different causes benefiting children’s health and education. Proceeds this year will go to Dell Children’s Medical Center, CureDuchenne, HeartGift, the just keep living Foundation, and the Rise School of Austin (among other charities). As Maines said in a statement announcing the Dixie Chicks’ participation this year, “supporting this incredible charity event which empowers kids and saves lives is an opportunity we are inspired to be a part of.”
Previous MJ&M headliners have included Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves (both of whom started out, just like the Chicks and Ingram, as scrappy independent artists on the Texas music scene), along with the varied likes of Sheryl Crow, Dierks Bentley, John Mellencamp, and noted Dixie Chicks enthusiast Toby Keith. “Every year the music at MJ&M just gets better and better, and this year is certainly no exception,” enthused Ingram. “We are honored to have the Dixie Chicks headline the gala concert.”
But that Thursday night gala is “just” the official kickoff for what’s actually a two-day event. The Mack, Jack & McConaughey fundraising will continue on the morning and afternoon of Friday, April 13 with a celebrity golf tournament at Austin’s Spanish Oaks Golf Club and concurrent fancy fashion show and luncheon at the JW Marriott, and conclude later that evening with more music back at the Moody Theater, with Ingram hosting his annual Jack & Friends Concert. Joining him onstage for the songwriter showcase this year will be Patty Griffin, John Fullbright, Butch Walker, and of course the ubiquitous “and more.”
And if that “and more” just means a chilled-out McConaughey taking it all in over a few Wild Turkeys? Well … who’s not gonna be alright-alright-alright with that?
For more information on this year’s MJ&M festivities, visit www.mackjackandmcconaughey.com.
Tags: ACL Live at the Moody TheaterAustin City LimitsButch WalkerDixie ChicksDixie Chicks MMXVIEmily Robison StrayerEmily StrayerJack IngramJohn FullbrightLloyd MainesMack BrownMack Jack & McConaugheyMartie MaguireMatthew McConaugheyMJ&MNatalie MainesPatty GriffinTaking the Long WayUniversity of Texas
Next post Before he was Jerry Jeff ...
Previous post Emily Herring: "Gliding"
About the Author Richard Skanse
Lone Star Music editor Richard Skanse was born in the West Texas town of El Paso, attended college at Trinity University in San Antonio and has called San Marcos home since 2007. Prior to joining LSM in 2010, he edited Texas Music Magazine for 10 years and was an editor at RollingStone.com in NYC for four years in the late ’90s. He collects cats.
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The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (#1) by Mackenzi Lee
by Amy in 5 Stars, Audiobook, Young Adult Tags: Audiobook, christian coulson, lgbt, lgbtqia, mackenzi lee, montague siblings, young adult
Published: 27th June 2017 (print)/27th June 2017 (audio)
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins Publishers
Pages: 513/10 hrs and 47 mins
Narrator: Christian Coulson
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars
Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.
But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and travelling companion, Percy.
Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.
There is so much I love about this book. Lee develops her characters brilliantly and seeing how rich and complicated they are and then also see them grow but remain their same essential selves is all you could ever want from a novel. The story is captivating with adventure and intrigue, but there are also moments of compassion and intimacy which bring out each character’s uniqueness and these are the moments we get to know them best.
Monty and Percy’s relationship is fabulous and is heart-warming and heartbreaking all at the same time, and Felicity and Monty’s sibling dynamics are hilarious and believable. Monty is the main character but his interactions and travels with the other two help us understand their world and the wider society and expectations. Lee brings in the scandals and the dangers of the era and through these three characters you also see the day to day life so you are completely immersed in this time and how 18th century society operated. Lee doesn’t dwell on too much explanation though as it all blends together wonderfully as she uses the characters and their circumstances to add in detail and background.
Monty is such a fantastically complicated person. I went from loving his roguish attitude at the start, then properly hating him as a scoundrel but when you start to realise who he truly is I fell in love with him. It was such a wild ride to go on with him. I respected Lee’s character choice to have this villainous person as a main charcater so I told myself it was author’s choice to do so, don’t hate the book because the character is truly horrible, but when you realise, and it isn’t long until you realise, oh the heartache and the realisation hits you in the face and it is painful and perfect and incredible. I felt sad for him at times and it breaks your heart because you want him to be happy and safe which isn’t always entirely possible. He is the kind of character you hate at the start and would completely die for by the end.
The audio is amazing because Coulson puts in the perfect tone and accent for Monty which is a pure joy to listen to. His snark and attitude, Felicity’s exasperations, and Percy’s sweetness come across so well they really feel like actual people and each character stands out on their own and with their own voice. The inflections and the humour bring all the joy of this story to life and I loved the narration immediately.
Characters aside, the plot is wonderful, it is creative, not overly complicated but has enough daring and adventure to make it captivating. Lee manages to capture how people have always very much been people and mixing it together with the chaos of a manhunt and drama of every kind creates a brilliant story that I loved from start to finish.
You can purchase The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue via the following
QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository
Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson
Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible
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So glad you recommended this book to me!
I agree with everything – Monty being a terrible person who I then fell absolutely in love with and the narrator absolute made this book for me! I read the 1.5 novel but throughout I had Coulson as Monty with every word.
shelleyrae @ Book'd Out
Such an enthusiastic review, thanks for sharing your thoughts
It was hard not to become too enthusiastic if I’m honest!
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Because your success are ours
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Cars - Ford
https://www.historics.co.uk/buyi...
WPC 518M
BAGFPT52583
Historics at Brooklands / Brooklands Museum 12th March 2016 Cars - 12/03/2016 / 1974 Ford Granada Mk. I GXL (3 Litre) / Lot 200
The first generation model was produced from 1972 to 1976 at Ford's German factory in Cologne and at its British factory in Dagenham. The March 1972 released Granada succeeded the British Ford Zephyr as Ford's European executive car offering. The car soon became popular for police usage due to its considerable power output. The initial range used the Ford Essex V4 unit in 2.0 L displacement, and the Essex V6 engine in 2.5L and 3L capacities. First registered on the 1st June 1974, this unusually good example has been kept by enthusiasts over recent years. Indeed it is rare to find such an example in fully restored condition and it should be noted that the previous owner has confirmed the extraordinarily low mileage. This is believed to be genuine although no paperwork exists to confirm this. A full one year MoT test certificate will accompany this GXL of which it is thought that there are fewer than three licensed in the UK and approximately eight registered as SORN. A rare example indeed.
Historics at Brooklands
/ the-trade-archive / trade-gallery / item-of-interest
22/05/2018: 2 years, 8 months ago
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Find a Pickup Basketball Game Anywhere With This App
It's a lonely, disappointed, and sometimes all too familiar feeling for a pickup baller: Shoes laced tight, jump-shot warmed up, game-face on ... but just empty blacktop and not another player in sight.
The app InfiniteHoops, however, wants to make sure you never have to live through such trauma again.
Originally launched as a barebones $0.99 iPhone app last year, a revamped and free version of InfiniteHoops hit iTunes Tuesday morning (if the App Store were the NBA, you might say it's a candidate for the Most Improved Player award). The app is a searchable online database and community network for pickup basketball players looking to organize games, find partners to play with or check in on the status of a regular run.
"I like to think of InfiniteHoops as an intersection between your digital life and sports," founder Tosh Meston tells Mashable.
With the new-and-improved app, users can set up geo-fence notifications that let them know when they've entered the vicinity of a registered pickup game at a nearby park or gym. Users can also join pickup game groups to message other users and RSVP for games as well as view other group member's RSVPs for a given game and time.
Meston launched InfiniteHoops as a website in 2003 to organize games at Microsoft, where he worked at the time. He says the site has so far attracted 29,000 users who have formed 9,000 groups in every state and 100 countries. He says he knows of an active group in Malaysia and got feedback from one American user who used the app to find a pickup game in Madrid while traveling in Spain.
Currently a development manager for MySpace, Meston is bootstrapping InfiniteHoops himself and says in-app advertisements are a monetization possibility down the line but that for now he wants to simply focus on adding more users and guaranteeing a positive experience.
Do you think InfiniteHoops is an app that could catch on with pickup basketball players? Share your opinion in the comments.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Makena G
Topics: Apps, Apps and Software, Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, Sports, Startups
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President calls for parties to cease attempts to obstruct election
President Mohamed Waheed has urged parties “not to act in a fashion that obstructs holding of the election and to prioritise national interest over personal interest”.
Waheed made the statement after the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) and Jumhooree Party (JP) this morning failed to sign the voter registry by the Elections Commission’s sunrise deadline.
Signing of the registry by the candidates is a new demand contained in the Supreme Court’s guidelines for the election, following its annullment of the first round of polls shortly before midnight on October 7.
At a press conference this morning EC Commissioner Fuwad Thowfeek said the JP and PPM had not sent nominees to sign the registry. Thowfeek said he had contacted Supreme Court Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz about the lack of response from the two candidates: “He told me to keep trying. Send people to their homes and keep trying. He did not say what else we should do.”
The PPM has subsequently demanded fingerprint verification of 10 percent of re-registration forms – nearly 7000, each with four fingerprints – a process the EC has said would take at least 20 days, missing the court’s October 20 deadline for the election.
President Waheed has meanwhile called on “all parties to cooperate and support the holding of a free and fair election as per the order of the Supreme Court.
“I call on the elections commission, political parties participating in the election and all relevant institutions together, to solve the challenges faced at the moment to create an atmosphere conducive to a free and fair election,” Waheed stated.
“It is also my request that arrangements of elections should be made in such a fashion that no citizen of the country has his right to vote undermined or deprived. On this occasion, I urge everyone not to act in a fashion that obstructs holding of the election and to prioritise national interest over personal interest,” he added.
Foreign Ambassadors and teams of international election observation are already present in the Maldives in expectation of an election being held tomorrow.
The nine-member Commonwealth observation team, led by former Prime Minister of Malta Dr Lawrence Gonzi, has already been deployed across the Maldives.
I hope that all Maldivians will play their part to ensure that the 19 October election is conducted in a credible and peaceful manner, so that the people of Maldives can exercise their fundamental right to choose their President,” said Dr Gonzi in a statement on Thursday.
The Commonwealth Observer Group to the 2013 Maldives elections will submit its final report to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, who will in turn send it to the government of the Maldives, the Elections Commission of Maldives, Maldivian political parties and eventually to all Commonwealth governments.
The nine-member Commonwealth Observer Group has been in Malé since 16 October, and will stay until 23 October. It is supported by officials of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Besides Dr Gonzi the delegation includes South African Human Rights Commissioner Lindiwe Mokate, former Australian diplomat Hugh Craft, former Ghanaian minister Elizabeth Ohene, Jamaican governance expert professor Lisa Vasciannie, former Malaysian MP Yusmadi Yusoff, New Zealand MP Kate Wilkinson, UK elections expert John Turner, and Papua New Guinea’s Registrar of Political Parties, Dr Alphonse Gelu.
Maldives Decides 2013 – Provisional results declared
Comment: Voting for PPM is voting to never vote again
Elections Commission processes 20,000 forms, as thousands queue to re-register
Maldives set for polls after months of turmoil and brinksmanship
Deadline for voter registration complaints extended to 6:00pm Wednesday: Elections Commission
“We will sign the voters’ registry when we are satisfied with it”: PPM
Posted on October 18, 2013 October 18, 2013 Author JJ RobinsonCategories PoliticsTags commonewealth, election, elections commission, maldives, maldives election, maldives news, minivan, minivan news, vote
One thought on “President calls for parties to cease attempts to obstruct election”
Angagadha Mithuru says:
It's no use telling people to behave now. It's your failure to behave in the first place that got us into this mess. No one will listen and it will only show up your incompetence. You are learning-slowly- that actions have consequences.
Previous Previous post: Elections Commission unable to reach PPM and JP leaders to sign off on electoral register
Next Next post: “We will sign the voters’ registry when we are satisfied with it”: PPM
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Win Minnesota State Fair Food Parade Tickets!It's one of the hottest tickets of the summer! The Minnesota State Fair unveiled their plans for a fair food "parade," so you can get your annual fix of all the fair has to offer.
Once Again, Minnesota State Fair Food Parade Sells OutAll vehicles for the fall parade will be following the same 1.5-mile route through the fairgrounds getting to experience 16 food vendors.
40-Year-Old Minnesota State Fair Butter Sculpture Preserved In Fmr. Princess Kay's FreezerDonna Moenning can get her hands on a 40-year-old piece of Minnesota State Fair history -- simply by opening her freezer.
Carloads Show Up For First Day Of State Fair 'Food Parade'The lines to get food will be shorter, and it will be delivered to your car if you have a ticket. What fairgoers this year won't see is the record attendance of people walking the fairgrounds
Minnesota State Fair 2020: Vendors Set For Sold Out, 3-Weekend 'Food Parade'Like everything else in 2020, things will look different this year’s Great Minnesota Get-Together.
Brenna Connelly Crowned 67th Princess Kay Of The Milky WayBrenna Connelly was crowned the 67th Princess Kay of the Milky Way Wednesday evening in a private ceremony that was streamed online.
The Freehouse, Pryes Brewing Company Release State Fair-Inspired BeerThe Freehouse in Minneapolis is teaming up with Pryes Brewing for a limited release state fair beer. The Pryes Winning Cobbler will be hitting some Twin Cities restaurants, taprooms and select liquor stores this month.
Minnesota State Fair 'Food Parade' Tickets Sold Out After Morning Of Website CrashesFrom deep fried to something-on-a-stick, the Minnesota State Fair had foods of all types. So when pandemic brought the fair’s 2020 cancellation, food junkies were in a quandary.
State Fairgrounds To Open Up For Drive-Thru 'Food Parade' Experience, With 16 VendorsMinnesota State Fair officials announced Wednesday that several of its beloved foods will be featured in a "food parade" starting next month.
Princess Kay Of The Milky Way Coronation Set For August 12One of the biggest traditions ahead of the Minnesota State Fair is the crowning of Princess Kay of the Milky Way, but it will all look a little different this year.
Wisconsin State Fair Canceled For 2020 Due To COVID-19 PandemicThe Wisconsin State Fair was canceled Thursday due to the coronavirus pandemic, marking the first time since 1945 that the 169-year-old annual tradition will not take place.
Vendors, Workers Face Great Losses Due To Cancellation Of Minnesota State FairThe woman behind the big yellow cookie buckets has the most to lose as the fair's top vendor. Grossing roughly $4.7 million in 2018.
'The Greatest Good For The Greatest Number Of People': State Fair Vendors Understand Cancellation DecisionAll around the state, people look forward to the end of summer for the Great Minnesota Get-Together. But this August, the state fairgrounds will be deserted.
'It's The Only Decision': Minnesota State Fair Canceled For 2020 Due To COVID-19 PandemicThe last time the fair was canceled was back in 1946, due to the polio pandemic. And it was reportedly canceled only four times before that.
Cancellation Of State Fair Leaves Many Minnesotans DespairingAcross social media, people registered their feelings about what feels like the last straw for an utterly broken summer.
Inauguration Live Updates: Biden sworn in, declaring "democracy has prevailed"With his hand on the Bible, Mr. Biden vowed to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
When might you get Biden's $1,400 stimulus check?President Joe Biden's proposed $1.9 trillion relief bill could face some congressional hurdles, analysts said.
Should COVID vaccination restore "basic rights" to avoid lockdowns?Germany's Foreign Minister thinks so, and he's not alone, but his fellow cabinet members, and many experts say vaccination shouldn't bring privileges.
How to watch Joe Biden's inaugurationBiden will be sworn in as the 46th president at noon on January 20.
Analysis of Trump's farewell speech before Biden's inaugurationPresident Trump delivered a farewell speech on the morning of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, which Mr. Trump chose not to attend. CBS News political analyst Leslie Sanchez and Antjuan Seawright, a CBS News political contributor and a Democratic strategist, joined CBSN to discuss the outgoing president's remarks.
CBS News poll shows Americans are scared yet hopeful for first year of Biden presidencyNew CBS News polls show Americans have concerns about the increase of political division and violence in the country. CBS News Director of Elections and Surveys Anthony Salvanto spoke with Anne-Marie Green and Vladimir Duthiers on CBSN about what the data shows as we head into the first year of Joe Biden's presidency.
Trump pardons Steve Bannon, 72 others, and commutes 70 sentencesFormer chief strategist Steve Bannon and rapper Lil Wayne were among those pardoned by Trump on his way out the White House door.
Americans reflect on divided nation: "This doesn't feel like America"A CBS News poll found that 54% of Americans today say the biggest threat to our way of life is our own fellow Americans.
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Government Spending Doesn't Create Economic Growth
Blog01/25/2019Frank Shostak
Government spending doesn't create wealth. It destroys wealth.
Gilets Jaunes: French Protesters Demand Lower Taxes and More Spending
Blog01/19/2019Thibault Serlet
The Gilets Jaunes are a crisis for the French state, and it remains to be seen if the French leviathan will use it to expand their powers.
Government Shutdown Shows Why We Need to Decentralize National Parks
Taxes and SpendingU.S. History
We're supposed to think it's perfectly normal that Washington DC bureaucrats decide whether or not you can use an outhouse toilet 2,500 miles from DC. Because it's in a "national" park.
Gun-Free Zones at School: George H.W. Bush’s Questionable Gun Control Legacy
Blog12/14/2018José Niño
Bush’s policies have not made the world safer for democracy, nor the U.S. safer domestically.
George Bush's Wars Set the Stage for 25 Years of Endless War
War and Foreign PolicyPolitical Theory
The late George H. W. Bush was instrumental in creating our world of endless war against foreign states that are no threat to the United States.
Get Rid of Campaign Finance Laws — Decentralize to Make Campaigns Cheaper
Decentralization and SecessionTaxes and SpendingPolitical Theory
It costs more to run a campaign in a large jurisdiction than a small one. Making districts and states smaller would reduce the role of money in politics.
Global Warming: The UN's Plan Ignores Real Costs of Implementation
Even if we accept the mainstream narrative on the effects of climate change, the costs of implementing a global regulatory "mitigation" program are far higher than advocates admit.
Government Police Fail to Make Arrests In Nearly Half of Murder Cases
Blog10/11/2018Tate Fegley
Many urban police departments fail to make arrests in even half of the murder cases in their jurisdictions. Imagine if a private sector policing firm had a similar rate of failure.
Ryan McMaken (@...
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2011 The Worms, the Perpetual Seal & God Message to Obama #2
“When he saw Jesus, he raised a deep terrible cry from the depths of his throat and fell down before Him in terror and shouted loudly, What have You to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? What have we in common? I beg You, do not torment me!”
” Jesus then asked him, What is your name? And he answered, Legion; for many demons had entered him, and they begged Jesus not to command them to depart into the Abyss (bottomless pit).”
Luke 8:28-31LastDayWatchers even those demonic spirits had the sense not to want to be in the company of those evil spirits, destined by God: to be released from the bottomless pit; to curse man!Because Israel has turned from God’s Word, along with the faithlessness of the nations, they are rushing to destruction to be in the company of these evil spirits face to face!
It’s little wonder Iran Supreme leader Ali Khamenei observed “fragile materialist powers which are being eaten by worms from inside,” Khamenei told students at a military college in Tehran”
Concerning Israel (lost & found), when the bills become due, you must pay that which must be repaid
From 9/11 volunteer to ‘Afghan massacre soldier’
“Karilyn Bales’ blog reveals a growing dissatisfaction with her husband’s army career. Karilyn, a project manager for a marking firm, wrote on her blog that she was ‘sad and disappointed’ her husband didn’t get a promotion that would have allowed them an assignment in an adventurous location like Italy, Germany, or Hawaii.
‘It is very disappointing after all of the work Bob has done and all the sacrifices he has made for his love of his country, family, and friends.”
She wrote early last year on the blog. The father-of-two was also struggling to keep payments on his own home in Lake Tapps, a rural reservoir community about 35 miles south of Seattle; his wife asked to put the house on the market three days before the shootings, real estate Philip Rodocker said. ‘She told him she was behind in our payments,’ Rodocker told The New York Times.
“She said he was on his fourth tour and it was getting kind of old.”
Thursday Dec 8, 2011 20:03:32 ESTVASS, N.C. — A North Carolina deputy sheriff was shot and killed Wednesday as he tried to arrest an Iraq war veteran with an outstanding arrest warrant for not paying child support, authorities said. The suspect then took his own life.
“Martin Poynter, pulled out a gun and fatally shot Rhyne outside an abandoned home near Vass, which is 60 miles southwest of Raleigh, Poynter then turned the same gun on himself and also died, the sheriff said.
Martin Poynter didn’t have a criminal record, but he was recently taken into custody for a mental evaluation after being involved in a domestic dispute following his return from military service in Iraq a few years ago.”
01/ 2/12 09:10 PM ET An armed Iraq War veteran suspected of killing a Mount Rainier National Park ranger managed to evade snowshoe-wearing SWAT teams and dogs on his trail for nearly a day. He couldn’t, however, escape the cold.
Maj. Chris Ophardt, an Army spokesman, told The News Tribune that Barnes had been stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, near Tacoma, and was released from the Army in November 2009 after two years and seven months on active duty after charges of driving under the influence and improperly transporting privately owned weapons.”
Thu Jan 5, 2012 5:10pm EST(Reuters) – Six police officers were shot, one of them fatally, when a gunman said to be a U.S. Army veteran opened fire on them as they served a drug-related search warrant in Utah, authorities said on Thursday.
The gunman fired on the officers late on Wednesday as they approached a home in a quiet residential neighborhood of Ogden, north of Salt Lake City, Ogden police Lieutenant Danielle Croyle said.”
Itzcoatl Ocampo, Homeless Serial Killer Suspect, Says He Stalked His Victims
“Itzcoatl Ocampo said he felt he needed to kill to be a “real Marine” and he told police he set out to murder 16 people, carefully selecting victims from homeless men sleeping on the street and those he believed had wronged him.
When his desire to kill at war was dashed by a tour of duty as a truck driver in Iraq, the young Marine returned home to wage combat in affluent Orange County.”
For some vets, the Iraq war will never end
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57388113/for-some-vets-the-iraq-war-will-never-end/
“If you think the Iraq war is over, you haven’t met Casey Owens. We first met him in 2004 after a roadside bomb had torn off both his legs. We caught up with him again in 2009 undergoing a pressurized oxygen treatment in an effort to cure his blinding headaches. When he walked out of that clinic, he seemed ready to get on with his life.”
What Led the American Staff Sergeant to Kill
” John Henry Browne confirmed to CNN that his client could face the death penalty, which will mean extenuating circumstances will play a major role in court. Browne and U.S. officials have begun surfacing details about the 30-something father of two, including his mental state and the developments leading up to the massacre. Here were the cocktail of forces weighing on the solider.
No one will be able to pinpoint exactly what made an American staff sergeant allegedly massacre 16 Afghan civilians, but the facts surrounding the senseless killing spree will loom large in his prosecution. Last night, the unnamed soldier’s attorney.”
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan may be winding down, but the long-term costs of caring for those wounded in battle is on path to rival the costs of the Vietnam War
“While Vietnam extracted a far higher death toll — 58,000 compared with 6,300 so far in the war on terror — the number of documented disabilities from recent veterans is approaching the size of that earlier conflict, according to a McClatchy analysis of Department of Veterans Affairs data. The data, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and detailing all disability payments to veterans of all wars, show that veterans leaving the military in recent years are filing for and receiving compensation for more injuries than did their fathers and grandfathers. For soldiers now coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan, this ongoing variation in an already-clogged disability system means the size of monthly compensation checks might be a quirk of geography.
Given the nature of today’s disabilities, it’s difficult to calculate how much it all might ultimately cost. “We’re in somewhat uncharted waters,” said Linda Bilmes, a Harvard University professor who has conducted an exhaustive study on the long-term costs of the wars.”
LastDayWatchers as I was watching, standing upon my post of observation: stationing myself on the tower or fortress, waiting to see what God will say within me and what answer I will give: making supplications; then God caught me up in the spirit
“Watchman say onto the Pawn of Satan (only the May 15th Prophecy have shown you who that is)
“I the Lord of Host have set a perpetual sealed upon thy house; never again will anyone from thy house, thy families house or thy political house; the Republican party; ever be elected to the office of Commander and Chief ever again.”
“And because thou have not repented of the shame you have brought to thou house, which has caused you to sin against thy soul for invading Iraq I will cause this perpetual seal to be an everlasting covenant”
Again the Lord said unto me “Say unto the republican party, wilt thou be save by a cult leader?”, therefore say unto Mitt Romney because thou have embraced the house of the Pawn of Satan you will be utterly defeated, therefore Republican your cult leader shall fail!
The Republican presidential candidate doesn’t talk much about his role in the Mormon Church, but he served as a bishop in a Boston-area church and presided over 12 congregations as stake president
“No previous president or serious candidate can rival Romney for the time and energy spent in running a religious organization and ministering to its members.”
“In addition to missionary work in France in the 1960s under the tutelage of Wesley L. Pipes, Romney has served as a bishop.”
Mitt Romney’s great-great-grandfather, Parley P. Pratt, was among the first leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the early 19th century.”
“It seems American citizens have missed the fact that many of George W.’s hard-line, neoconservative advisers — the same ones who gave us the Iraq war with no weapons of mass destruction and the Afghan war with no end — are now Romney’s advisers.”
If you think this is a ringing endorsement for President Obama, you got another thing coming, because God is saving the best for last while he is storing up wrath!
Because God also said unto me
“Watchman say unto President Obama; standing on the foundation of the truth: laid by my Word; you shall be broken!
Standing on the foundation laid by the Pawn of Satan you will be crushed, and become like the chaff of the summer threshing floors, and the wind carries you and your house away so that not a trace of them will ever be found.”
“For I the Lord of Host will burn amidst you like a flaming fire consuming all around
Behold, I am pressed under you and I will press you down in your place as a cart presses that is full of sheaves.
And flight shall be lost to the swift and refuge shall fail him; the strong shall not retain and confirm his strength, neither shall the mighty deliver himself.
Neither shall he stand who handles the bow, and he who is swift of foot shall not deliver himself; neither shall he who rides the horse deliver his life.
And he who is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked on that day
Just as I have revealed this to my watchman the prophet;
for surely the Lord God will do nothing without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets.!
Hear and bear witness in the house of Jacob, says the Lord God, the God of hosts, that in the day when I visit Israel’s transgressions upon him
I will also visit with punishment the altars of Bethel with its golden calf, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground.
And I will smite the winter house with the summer house, and the houses of ivory shall perish and the many and great houses shall come to an end
Who causes sudden destruction to flash forth upon the strong so that destruction comes upon the fortress. in that day, says the Lord God,
I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the broad daylight, and I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation
I will cause sackcloth to be put upon all loins and baldness for mourning shall come on every head, and I will make that time as the mourning for an only son and the end of it as a bitter day.”
“The May 15th Prophecy told you 4 years ago there would be a “FORWARD” message by Obama and what the consequences will be with 100% accuracy”
(See: God Message To President Obama & The Answer to Jacob Riddle )
Therefore know LastDayWatchers when “God burn amidst Jacob” to fulfill
“Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the Lord’s right hand shall be unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be thy glory!”
Habakkuk 2:16
Because Habakkuk was writing to 2 people, leaving 2 choices
#1 To the people of faith in God’s Word “The just shall live by faith!”
“For the vision is yet for an APPOINTED TIME, but at the end, it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, WAIT FOR IT; because it will SURELY COME, it will not tarry”
#2 To the people of faithlessness of this world “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him”
“Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it is told you.”
Posted By Blogger to LastDayWatchers at 5/15/2012 10:27:00 AM
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Comprehensive Identification of Meningococcal Genes and Small Noncoding RNAs Required for Host Cell Colonization
Elena Capel, Aldert L. Zomer, Thomas Nussbaumer, Christine Bole, Brigitte Izac, Eric Frapy, Julie Meyer, Haniaa Bouzinba-Ségard, Emmanuelle Bille, Anne Jamet, Anne Cavau, Franck Letourneur, Sandrine Bourdoulous, Thomas Rattei, Xavier Nassif, Mathieu Coureuil
Michael S. Gilmore, Editor
Elena Capel
aInstitut Necker Enfants-Malades, INSERM U1151, Equipe 11, Paris, France
bUniversité Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris, France
Aldert L. Zomer
cDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Thomas Nussbaumer
dCUBE Division of Computational Systems Biology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Christine Bole
ePlateforme Génomique de l’Institut Imagine, Hôpital Necker, Paris, France
Brigitte Izac
fINSERM U1016, Institut Cochin, CNRS UMR8104, Paris, France
Eric Frapy
Julie Meyer
Haniaa Bouzinba-Ségard
Emmanuelle Bille
hAssistance Publique—Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Necker Enfants Malades, Paris, France
Anne Jamet
gUnidade de Microbiologia Molecular e Infecção, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Lisbon, Portugal
Anne Cavau
Franck Letourneur
Sandrine Bourdoulous
Thomas Rattei
Xavier Nassif
Mathieu Coureuil
Michael S. Gilmore
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Roles: Solicited external reviewer
William Shafer
Neisseria meningitidis is a leading cause of bacterial meningitis and septicemia, affecting infants and adults worldwide. N. meningitidis is also a common inhabitant of the human nasopharynx and, as such, is highly adapted to its niche. During bacteremia, N. meningitidis gains access to the blood compartment, where it adheres to endothelial cells of blood vessels and causes dramatic vascular damage. Colonization of the nasopharyngeal niche and communication with the different human cell types is a major issue of the N. meningitidis life cycle that is poorly understood. Here, highly saturated random transposon insertion libraries of N. meningitidis were engineered, and the fitness of mutations during routine growth and that of colonization of endothelial and epithelial cells in a flow device were assessed in a transposon insertion site sequencing (Tn-seq) analysis. This allowed the identification of genes essential for bacterial growth and genes specifically required for host cell colonization. In addition, after having identified the small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) located in intergenic regions, the phenotypes associated with mutations in those sRNAs were defined. A total of 383 genes and 8 intergenic regions containing sRNA candidates were identified to be essential for growth, while 288 genes and 33 intergenic regions containing sRNA candidates were found to be specifically required for host cell colonization.
IMPORTANCE Meningococcal meningitis is a common cause of meningitis in infants and adults. Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) is also a commensal bacterium of the nasopharynx and is carried by 3 to 30% of healthy humans. Under some unknown circumstances, N. meningitidis is able to invade the bloodstream and cause either meningitis or a fatal septicemia known as purpura fulminans. The onset of symptoms is sudden, and death can follow within hours. Although many meningococcal virulence factors have been identified, the mechanisms that allow the bacterium to switch from the commensal to pathogen state remain unknown. Therefore, we used a Tn-seq strategy coupled to high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies to find genes for proteins used by N. meningitidis to specifically colonize epithelial cells and primary brain endothelial cells. We identified 383 genes and 8 intergenic regions containing sRNAs essential for growth and 288 genes and 33 intergenic regions containing sRNAs required specifically for host cell colonization.
Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) is a common inhabitant of the human nasopharynx, and as such it is a normal saprophytic organism that is transmitted from person to person by direct contact and/or aerosol transmission. N. meningitidis is also responsible for meningitis and for a thrombotic/leakage syndrome that, in its severe form, causes an extensive necrotic purpura with massive vascular leakage and shock, a condition known as purpura fulminans (1).
N. meningitidis is highly adapted to nasopharyngeal colonization and is capable of regulating multiple pathways involved in iron acquisition, adhesion, and metabolism (2–4). This adaptation is directly linked to the physical properties of the nasopharyngeal niche, like temperature (5) and oxygen concentration (6). Although many meningococcal virulence factors have been identified, the mechanisms that allow the bacterium to switch from the commensal to pathogen state remain unknown. One of the important peculiarities of meningococcal pathogenesis is the very uncommon interactions of bacteria with the human mucosa and the peripheral microvasculature, especially endothelial cells lining the blood-brain barrier; these interactions lead to major vascular dysfunction and bacterial entry into the brain, respectively (7, 8). Adhesion to human cells requires mainly type IV pili, which are long retractable filaments also involved in aggregation and competence, while the secondary adhesin-like Opa and Opc proteins may be specifically involved in adhesion to specific cell types (9). However, colonization and communication with the different human cell types, which are major aspects of the N. meningitidis life cycle, are still poorly understood.
The availability of high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies has emerged as the de facto means to detect variations in genetic fitness of individual members of a very large pool of mutants undergoing selection in infected hosts. Transposon (Tn) insertion site sequencing, also known as Tn-seq, is a powerful analytical method that allows the comparative contribution of bacterial genes in its host (10–12). By comparing quantitative levels in different populations of mutated genes that contribute to specific phenotypes, Tn-seq gives unique insights into the role of individual genes and their regulators.
Here, we engineered highly saturated random transposon insertion libraries of N. meningitidis. Using the high-throughput insertion tracking by deep sequencing (HITS) strategy (11), we assessed the fitness of mutations within the libraries during routine growth and that of colonization of endothelial or epithelial cells in a microfluidic flow device to mimic physiologic micromechanical environments subjected to fluid flow (13). We found that 18% of the N. meningitidis open reading frames (ORFs) and 8 intergenic regions (IRs) containing sRNA candidates are essential for routine growth, while 19% of all ORFs and 66 IRs containing sRNA candidates are directly involved in cell colonization.
The aim of our study was to identify the core essential genome of N. meningitidis and to identify genes required for endothelial and/or epithelial cell colonization. We used the flow colonization model described by Jamet et al. (13) combined with a Tn-seq approach. To answer these questions, we generated three independent transposon mutant libraries by random insertion of a low-insertion-specificity transposon (Fig. 1A). Bacteria were allowed to adhere to endothelial or epithelial cell monolayers under flow conditions to mimic the physiologic micromechanical environments (Fig. 1B).
Schematic representation of the Tn-seq screen for identification of genes involved in epithelial and endothelial cell colonization. (A) N. meningitidis mutant libraries were constructed via random insertion of a transposon carrying a kanamycin resistance cassette. Mutants were pooled from a 2-h outgrowth culture and stored at −80°C. (B) Aliquots of the Tn mutants bank cultures were thawed and grown until mid-log phase (the input pools); input pools were used to infect an epithelial or endothelial cell monolayer in parallel on a microslide (ibidi, Germany) and recovered 18 h later (output pools). The presence of each mutant was investigated in both input and output pools by Tn-seq analysis. (C) Density plot of log2 fold changes of measured read counts versus expected read counts. The log2-transformed ratio of measured over expected read counts of insertion sites was used to generate a kernel density plot with a Gaussian model with stepwise increasing bandwidth and 2,048 bins, until a single local minimum was found between the two major distributions. The local minimum was detected by calculating the first derivative of the density and by locating the position where it traversed from values below zero to values above zero. This fold change value corresponds to a value closest to the minimum between the peaks of essential and nonessential genes and was used as a cutoff to determine whether a mutant was growth defective or not. A second cutoff of −5 was chosen arbitrarily as a cutoff for gene essentiality, as this value represents the left-most part of the results with growth-defective mutants. At this cutoff, the possibility of a false positive is negligible.
Identification of core essential genes.In order to interpret the data obtained for bacterial colonization of host cells, we first had to identify the core essential genes. To perform this task, cultures of mutant isolates from each of the 3 libraries were independently grown for 2 h in epithelial or endothelial cell culture medium (CCM) (Table 1), and genomic DNA was extracted from each library and sequenced following an adapted HITS approach, as described in Materials and Methods and in reference 11. We analyzed the input libraries, designated InEpi.1 to InEpi.3 and InEndo.1 to InEndo.3, by using the ESSENTIALS tool kit (14). We first confirmed that input libraries grown in endothelial or epithelial CCM were not statistically different, based on the log2 fold change (log2 FC) of each gene’s expression level (data not shown).
Tn sequencing, processing, and mapping results
The total number of unique transposon insertion sites (TIS) for the 6 libraries combined was 38,566, which corresponds to an average distance between transposon insertions of 57 bp. This number of TIS corresponds to a saturation of 99.99% of the 2.18 Mbp of the Z5463 chromosome, according to Poisson’s law (see Table S1B in the supplemental material) (15). A rarefaction analysis confirmed the saturation of the 3 different input libraries (see Table S1B). The location of the insertions showed an even distribution around the chromosome (Fig. 2A).
Tn sequencing raw analysis output obtained from ESSENTIALS tool kit. Table S1, XLSX file, 1.6 MB.
Copyright © 2016 Capel et al.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
Characterization of the transposon mutant libraries. (A) Distribution of unique TIS among the 3 input libraries along the sequenced genome of N. meningitidis Z2491. (B) The number of transposon-containing reads per ORF in the input pool, in relation to gene length, is shown for essential genes, growth-defective genes, and non-growth-defective genes. Essentiality was determined based on the ratio of the number of reads per gene divided by the expected number of reads per gene, which depends on the size of the gene and the number of transposon insertion sites. Thus, a large gene with few transposon insertion sites may not be essential, even though few reads are mapped within that gene. (C) Distribution of the CDS containing random Tn insertions on the genome map of N. meningitidis Z2491 and of the sRNAs identified by RNA-seq. In the outer circles, bars indicate N. meningitidis Z2491 CDS. In the inner circles, bars indicate the essential genes, the nonessential but growth-defective genes, and the non-growth-defective genes in routine cell culture medium (according to the color key shown in the figure); the bars on the innermost circle indicate the location of the 390 identified sRNAs.
Gene essentiality of Tn-seq data sets was predicted by using the ESSENTIALS tool set (14), which enabled us to calculate a statistical essentiality metric for each ORF. The log2 FC was assigned to each ORF based on a comparison of the expected number of reads versus the measured number of reads (see Materials and Methods for more details). The results corresponding to each gene are reported in Table S1A in the supplemental material. A density plot of the log2 FC was generated (Fig. 1C) and indicated that all genes with a log2 FC value of less than −2.57 were statistically significantly impaired for growth. Within the growth-defective population, we arbitrarily considered essential the ORFs with a log2 FC value less than −5. Three gene populations were thus categorized: the essential genes (log2 FC less than −5), the nonessential genes causing a growth defect (log2 FC between −2.57 and −5), and the genes that did not cause a growth defect (non-growth-defective genes; log2 FC greater than −2.57). Essential, growth-defective, and non-growth-defective genes formed well-resolved populations when plotted as a function of the number of reads per gene per gene length (Fig. 2B).
Considering that expression of a gene is mandatory for defining its essentiality, we removed from our analysis untranscribed genes, based on the high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis as described in Materials and Methods. A genomic region was considered transcribed if it had an RPKM (reads per kilobase of gene per million mapped reads) value greater than 2.3. Out of a total of 1,994 coding DNA sequences (CDS; not including the 12 rRNAs and 58 tRNAs), 1,831 were above the transcriptional threshold (92%), whereas 163 CDS were below (8%) and therefore not expressed under these experimental conditions and were removed from the analysis. Most of the untranscribed genes corresponded to hypothetical proteins. Among the genes that were not found to be transcribed, we did not find important genes for meningococcal virulence, except for hpuA, the hemoglobin-haptoglobin utilization lipoprotein A that is involved in iron acquisition. In addition, 44 ORFs for which no reads could be assigned in the Tn-seq analysis were also excluded from this analysis (see Table S1A in the supplemental material). Fifteen of these 44 genes encoded 9 rRNA sequences (5S, 16S, or 23S) and 6 tRNA sequences. Some of these 44 ORFs are likely to be core essential ORFs; however, we cannot exclude that some of these 44 genes represented false-negative results.
This analysis resulted in the identification of 383 transcribed genes of strain Z5463 that were essential for growth in CCM, representing 19% of the genome (see Table S1A in the supplemental material). This is consistent with earlier studies, which reported that 15% to 25% of all genes of a bacterial chromosome are essential (16–18). Besides, 329 genes were classified as nonessential but growth defective, representing 16% of the genome (see Tables S1A and S3). Essential, growth-defective, and nonessential genes showed an even distribution around the chromosome (Fig. 2C).
Core essential genes and genes important for colonization of epithelial and endothelial cells. Table S3, XLSX file, 0.2 MB.
Identification of intergenic regions containing sRNAs essential for growth of N. meningitidis.Many transposon insertion sites were contained within IRs. These regions contained promoter sequences, regulatory elements, and putative sRNA sequences. To identify essential intergenic regions that possibly contain sRNA, we first identified noncoding sRNAs expressed in intergenic regions by using RNA sequencing of wild-type strain Z5463. As described in the methods section of Text S1 in the supplemental material, cDNA libraries were constructed and sequenced by using Ion Torrent technology (see Table S2 in the supplemental material). Both rRNAs and tRNAs were excluded from the analysis. A total of 390 sRNAs were identified in IRs, and these were distributed all along the meningococcal genome (Fig. 1C; see also Table S2). Out of these, 30 were located in IRs already described to contain sRNAs by Fagnocchi and coworkers (19) (see Table S2G).
Supplemental methods and references. Download Text S1, DOCX file, 0.04 MB.
RNA-seq data. Table S2, XLSX file, 0.7 MB.
We further analyzed the essentiality of the IRs containing these 390 sRNAs as we had previously analyzed the essential genes with Tn-seq (see Table S1E in the supplemental material). Considering the size of the IR, and according to Poisson’s law, 93 of the 390 IRs containing sRNA candidates had a probability higher than 5% of not having a transposon insertion because of their small size. These 93 IRs were therefore excluded from the analysis. By comparing the expected number of reads to the obtained number of reads within these IRs, we found that 8 IRs that contained sRNA candidates were essential for growth (log2 FC < −5), and 47 were growth defective (−5 < log2 FC < −2.57) (see Table S2B in the supplemental material). Besides, the presence of these sRNA candidates in a flanking gene promoter was verified with the PromBase tool. Only 3 among these 55 sRNAs were located in a promoter region associated with an essential or growth-defective gene (see Table S2). These 3 sRNAs belonged to the group of 47 sRNAs which, when mutated, were responsible for growth-defective strains. Accordingly, we could not exclude the possibility that the phenotype associated with a mutation in these 3 sRNAs was due to an effect on the downstream genes.
Analysis of the core essential genes.Of the 383 genes found to be essential for growth in N. meningitidis, 33% were involved in metabolism, 27% in information storage and processing, and 17% in cellular processes and signaling (see Table S3 in the supplemental material). Essential genes implicated in information storage and processing were mainly translation factors (rplA, -B, -C, -D, -E, -F, -M, -P, -Q, -R, -S, -U, -V, -X, and -Y) and transcription factors (rpoA, -B, -C, -D, and -H and nusA). Essential genes involved in metabolism are depicted in Fig. S2A in the supplemental material. Among them, genes of the pentose phosphate pathway (PP pathway) and of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway (2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate pathway [KDPGP]), the two alternative routes to glycolysis, were selected (Fig. 3). The genes tkt and prsA for PP pathway enzymes, which lead to the production of PRPP (phosphoribosylpyrophosphate) involved in the de novo synthesis of purines, pyrimidines, histidine, tryptophan, and pyridine nucleotides, were essential, together with the 4 main enzymes of the KDPGP, zwf, pgl, edd, and eda. Moreover, 5 other enzymes of the PP pathway (NMA0412, NMA1413, rpiA, tal, and pgi2) were growth defective. The use of these alternative routes to catabolize glucose is consistent with the fact that N. meningitidis lacks the phosphofructokinase enzyme, which plays a central role in glycolysis (20, 21). Interestingly, production of NADPH in the PP pathway was also described as critical for virulence of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, another Gram-negative bacterium (22). Besides, gapB (NMA0246), one of the two glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenases (GAPDHs) involved in the second part of glycolysis (production of pyruvate from glyceraldehyde-3P), had a growth defect, and 2 genes involved in the gluconeogenesis pathway starting from glycerol (gpsA, tpiA) were also essential. As expected, essential genes were also involved in three of the five oxidative phosphorylation complexes (III, IV, and V; which is the ATP synthase) and that of the ubiquinone biosynthesis pathway (ubiA, ubiE, and ubiG). Furthermore, two enzymes involved in the denitrification pathway (reduction of nitrite to nitrous oxide via nitric oxide), AniA and NorB, were found to be essential (see Table S4 in the supplemental material). This pathway, described by Rock et al., is an alternative to respiration for N. meningitidis when oxygen is restricted (23).
Figure S2
Schematic representation of the main metabolic pathways of conditional essential genes necessary for colonization of epithelial and endothelial cells. Download Figure S2, TIF file, 0.2 MB.
Transporters and relevant pathways. Table S4, XLSX file, 0.1 MB.
Schematic representation of the main metabolic pathways of essential genes for routine growth of N. meningitidis. The main essential genes for growth on GCB agar plates and CCM are highlighted in red, and the genes that encode proteins that cause a severe growth defect are highlighted in orange. *1, essential genes petA, -B, and -C; *2, essential genes ccoO and -N; *3, essential genes atpA, -B, -D, -F, and -G and growth-defective genes atpE and -H.
Our screen also identified essential genes implicated in fatty acid metabolism and in alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism (Fig. 3; see also Fig. S1A and Table S3 in the supplemental material). The essential genes involved in the two latter pathways (glnA, purB, fabF, -F2, -G, -H, -I, and -Z, and accB and -D) are linked to the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle (Fig. 3). Production of coenzyme A through the proteins encoded by the panC, birA, and coaD genes is also critical. Besides, a link between fructose-6P, a substrate of the sugar catabolic pathway and the peptidoglycan metabolism pathway, was found to be essential (genes glmS and -N, NMA0284, murA, -B, -C, -D, -E, and -G, NMA2068, mraY, NMA2072, NMA0665, and NMA1095).
Metabolic overview of genes that contribute to N. meningitidis growth in GCB agar and CCM. Download Figure S1, TIF file, 1.3 MB.
Many genes involved in biosynthesis of secondary metabolites are essential for growth. Genes involved in vitamin B6 biosynthesis, pdxH and -J and serC are categorized as essential and pdxA as growth defective. NMA1262, NMA0958, NMA1950, NMA0896, and NMA2179, which are involved in folate biosynthesis, appear to be essential, while thiD, -G, and -L, NMA0363, and NMA0364, which are involved in thiamine biosynthesis, have log2 FC values between −2.57 and −5.
Meningococcal lipooligosaccharide plays a crucial role in bacterial host survival due to its ability to resist human serum (24, 25). Indeed, genes involved in lipooligosacharide metabolism, such as lpxB, -D, -H, -K, and -L, have a log2 FC value less than −5, while insertion of transposons within sequences of lpxA and -C, kdtA and -S, NMA2134, and NMA2135 is clearly detrimental for growth (−5 < log2 FC < −2.57).
Additionally, we found essential genes related to iron metabolism (reported in Table S4 in the supplemental material), including the ferric uptake transcriptional regulator fur. Among the essential transporter proteins, we found 11 members of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family, 5 of which are transporters involved in manganese transport (NMA0790 and NMA0791), magnesium transport (mgtE), phosphate transport (pit), or potassium transport (trk). We also annotated 7 ABC transporters to be growth-defective transporters.
Bacteria have developed two-component systems (TCSs) in order to sense and respond to changes in many different environmental conditions (26). Among the four TCS genes encoded in the meningococcus genome (20), we found the NMA0797 PhoQ (MisS)-NMA0798 PhoP (MisR) system and the putative two-component system transcriptional regulator protein NMA0159 to be essential for growth on cell culture media (see Table S4 in the supplemental material). Interestingly, an enzyme involved in proper folding of periplasmic, secreted, and membrane proteins, DsbD, which is regulated by the MisS-MisR TCS, was also found to be essential (27).
Recent studies have demonstrated that mafB genes encode polymorphic toxins that provide an advantage in competition assays (28, 29). In meningococcal strains, mafB genes are present on three Maf genomic islands, termed MGI-1, -2, and -3. Immediately downstream of each mafB gene, a mafI gene encodes a specific immunity protein which protects the bacterium against self-intoxication and against toxins from neighboring bacteria (28). As expected, we found that the three immunity genes associated with the three mafB genes are either essential for growth of N. meningitidis (NMA0323) or results in growth defects when mutated (NMA2114 and NMA0854) (see Table S4 in the supplemental material). Interestingly, several immunity genes (NMA2116, NMA2117, and NMA2118) and a cassette encoding an alternative toxic C terminus (NMA2115) in MGI-1 are essential for growth.
Selection of genes required for colonization of human cells.The input libraries were used to infect VI cells on microslides (ibidi, Germany) containing monolayers of Fadu nasopharyngeal epithelial cells or hCMEC/D3 brain microvessel endothelial cells (Fig. 1B). A continuous flow of CCM (flow rate, 0.04 ml/min) was applied for 18 h to the cell monolayer, starting 1.5 h after infection. This flow rate was chosen to obtain a permanent renewal of the CCM to allow efficient colonization of the cells. Bacteria of these output libraries were then harvested. These output libraries were designated OutEpi.1 through -3 and OutEndo.1 through -3 (Fig. 1B). En masse sequencing of the input and output pools allowed us to calculate the fitness of genes for colonization of cells in vitro. Using the ESSENTIAL tool kit, a log2 FC of each gene was obtained from three independent experiments (see Table S1D in the supplemental material) (see Materials and Methods for details regarding log2 FC calculations). We arbitrarily considered that a gene having a log2 FC less than −1.4 and an adjusted P value of <0.05 was necessary for host cell colonization, while a gene with a log2 FC greater than 1.4 and an adjusted P value of <0.05 on the other hand favored host cell colonization. Comparison of the data sets revealed a total of 288 genes important for colonization, from which 108 were common to both human cell types and 151 and 29 genes were specifically selected during colonization of epithelial or endothelial cells, respectively (Fig. 4; see also Table S3 in the supplemental material). On the other hand, a total of 157 ORFs were found to be beneficial for this phenotype. Twenty-nine ORFs were common to both human cell types, and 121 and 7 were specifically selected after passage on epithelial and endothelial cells, respectively (Fig. 4; see also Table S3), thus indicating that colonization of epithelial and endothelial cells has mutual and distinct requirements. In addition, these data suggested that epithelial cell colonization is likely to be more demanding for the bacteria than is endothelial cell colonization.
Identification of conditional essential genes necessary for colonization of epithelial and endothelial cells. The Venn diagram shows the absolute number of necessary ORFs (log2 FC < −1.4; adjusted P < 0.05) and beneficial ORFS (log2 FC > 1.4; adjusted P value < 0.05). (ORFs were selected in both the epithelial cell and endothelial cell in vitro models.)
Analysis of the genes important for colonization onto both epithelial and endothelial cells. (i) Glucose metabolism (7 genes).The 108 genes whose transposon-induced disruption significantly lowered fitness of both epithelial and endothelial cells included genes important for bacterial metabolism, such as carbohydrate or amino acid metabolism or in complex I of the oxidative phosphorylation system. Remarkably, several genes implicated in glycolysis or gluconeogenesis were negatively selected (fbp, fba, gapA, pgk, and pykA). The importance of fbp expression, which is specific to the gluconeogenesis pathway, suggests that the production of β-d-fructose-6P is crucial for cell colonization. Interestingly, gapA has been demonstrated to play an important role in adhesion to both human epithelial and endothelial cells (30). Besides, accumulation of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) may be crucial for colonization, since two genes leading to PEP (pykA and ppc) had reduced fitness and two genes involved in the PEP-to-citrate pathway (lpdA2 and gltA) had a beneficial effect.
(ii) Secondary metabolism (5 genes).Disruption of genes involved in chorismate synthesis, including aroB, -C, -D, -E, and -K, turned out to be deleterious during colonization of epithelial and endothelial cell monolayers. Chorismate is the common branch point for the production of a wide array of metabolites, such as aromatic amino acids (phenylalanine, tryptophan, and tyrosine), vitamin K, vitamin E, coenzyme Q, folate, enterobactin, plastoquinones, and phenoxazinones.
(iii) Transporter proteins (16 genes).Our screen also identified genes implied to belong in the phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase system (PTS), a transport system for sugars and sugar derivatives. In particular, transposon-induced disruption of pts I, which encodes the phosphotransferase enzyme I, and ptsH, known to encode the phosphocarrier protein HPr, had detrimental effects on colonization of human cells (31). Other transporters were also found to be important for colonization of both epithelial and endothelial cells (see Table S4 in the supplemental material), such as 3 secondary transporters of the ABC family (ftsX, NMA1811, and NMA0414).
(iv) Cell motility (12 genes).It was not unexpected that genes of the type IV pilus machinery were found to be necessary for colonization of both cell types (pglD and pilC2, -D, -E, -M, -N, -P, and -Q). In addition, three pseudopilin genes, namely, pilS2, -S4, and -S5, which are involved in colonization, were selected negatively in both in vitro models. On the other hand, disruption of pilT, which abolishes pilus retraction, was selected positively in both cell types.
Analysis of genes important for sole colonization of epithelial cells.Among the 288 genes important for host cell colonization, 151 were uniquely selected during colonization of epithelial cells (see Fig. S2A in the supplemental material). The vast majority were related to metabolism. Of note, the glk gene is responsible for transformation of d-glucose into d-glucose-6P and allows the start of glycolysis or its alternative, the KDPG pathway. N. meningitidis has all the genes coding for the TCA cycle except for the malate dehydrogenase gene (32), but it has an alternative subpathway where the enzyme malate:quinone oxidoreductase (Mqo) synthesizes oxaloacetate from (S)-malate (quinone route), like Helicobacter pylori (33). Although this enzyme is not essential for N. meningitidis to grow, it is important for colonization of epithelial cells (see Table S3 and Fig. S2A in the supplemental material).
Our screen identified two enzymes involved in galactose metabolism, galE and galE′. In particular, the galE gene product plays an essential role in the incorporation of galactose into meningococcal lipooligosacharide surface molecules, which are important for pathogenesis (34).
Other enzymes involved in biosynthesis of amino acids, such as argA, -G, and -J and ilvC, -D, -E, and -I, and lysA were also selected as necessary for colonization of epithelial cell monolayers, together with enzymes involved in DNA mismatch and repair (XSeb, mutS) and in DNA replication (rnhB). The 50S ribosomal protein L7/L12 encoded by rplL forms part of the ribosomal stalk, which favors the interaction of the ribosome with GTP-bound translation factors. Although it should be essential, like the rest of 50S ribosomal proteins, for accurate translation we found that it was only necessary for colonization of the epithelial layer.
Interestingly, all the genes of the operon mtrCDE were negatively selected on epithelial cells, whereas the transcriptional negative regulator mtrR was positively selected (see Table S3 in the supplemental material). This operon encodes the Mtr efflux pump responsible for Neisseriaceae resistance to penicillin and antimicrobial peptides (35). Moreover, it has been hypothesized that such efflux systems may enable mucosal pathogens like gonococci to resist endogenous antimicrobial peptides that are thought to act during infection, similar to LL-37, which is produced by epithelial cells (36).
Analysis of genes important for sole colonization on endothelial cells.Twenty-nine transposon-disrupted genes were identified to be specific for adhesion to endothelial cells (see Fig. S2B and Table S3 in the supplemental material). Four of them were involved in the respiratory electron chain: nuoB, -E, and -I from the oxidative phosphorylation complex I, and ppk, which catalyzes the reversible transfer of the terminal phosphate of ATP to form a long-chain polyphosphate (polyP). Genes involved in amino acid metabolism were also important, including aroA and -G and trpG, which are involved in phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis, and purA and -F and NMA1684, which are important for alanine, aspartate, glutamate, and purine metabolism. Interestingly, only three type IV pilus genes, pilJ, -K, and -O, were significantly important for colonization of endothelial cells, as well as genes for two sodium transporters, NMA1901 and NMA2083, which are a putative amino acid symporter and a sodium/proline symporter (proline permease), respectively.
Identification of intergenic regions containing sRNA important for colonization of human cells.IRs containing sRNA candidates were also checked by using Tn-seq for conditional essentiality for colonization of epithelial and endothelial cells. As reported previously, we arbitrarily considered important for cell colonization the sRNA-associated IRs with a log2 FC less than −1.4 and an adjusted P value of <0.05, while those not required for cell colonization were sRNA-associated IRs with a log2 FC greater than 1.4 with an adjusted P value of <0.05. Thus, a total of 33 IRs containing sRNAs were necessary, from which 5 were common to both human cell types, and 18 and 5 genes were specifically selected during colonization of epithelial and endothelial cells, respectively (see Table S5 in the supplemental material). On the other hand, a total of 33 IRs containing sRNAs were found to be beneficial, from which 27 and 6 were only selected after passage on epithelial and endothelial cells, respectively.
Tn sequencing raw analysis output obtained from ESSENTIALS tool kit for sRNA-associated intergenic regions (IR) conditional essentiality. Table S5, XLSX file, 0.2 MB.
Here, we have taken advantage of a high-throughput whole-genome screen to determine meningococcal genes involved in human cell colonization. Our exhaustive genetic screen of the N. meningitidis Z5463 genome has first allowed the identification of 383 genes essential for growth, representing 19% of the bacterial genome, and 329 genes having a growth defect, representing 16% of the genome. The nonessential genes were then studied for their role during cell colonization. Among these genes, 288 have been found to be necessary for colonization of human epithelial and/or endothelial cells, suggesting that N. meningitidis has developed dedicated tools to efficiently colonize human cells.
Transposon insertions within an operon may exert a polar effect on downstream genes, resulting in decreased expression of a downstream gene(s). However, the transposon insertion itself does not disrupt transcription of an upstream promoter. Indeed, we observed 84 such genes in operons without a noticeable effect on gene essentiality, thus confirming that a transposon insertion does not induce a polar effect.
Recent studies on sRNAs have demonstrated that they are key elements of posttranscriptional gene regulation in bacteria (19, 37). Although N. meningitidis is able to adapt to different host niches during human infection, only a few sRNAs have been fully described to date. Recently, transcriptional expression profiling of N. meningitidis strain MC58 in human blood ex vivo revealed 91 differentially expressed putative sRNAs (38), and this list was enlarged to up to 98 sRNAs in vitro by Fagnocchi and coworkers (19). Among these 98 sRNAs, 68 were located in IRs between two annotated ORFs. Here, we combined our data from Tn-seq with RNA sequencing to confirm the expression of sRNAs in IRs having a regulatory function over gene expression. A total of 390 sRNAs located in IRs were identified by RNA sequencing, of which 30 were located in IRs already described by Fagnocchi and coworkers to contain sRNAs. We did not find all the sRNAs characterized earlier by Fagnocchi et al. Two reasons can explain this discrepancy: (i) we used a different meningococcal strain, and (ii) our experimental conditions were different. While we only verified gene under mid-log-phase growth conditions, the other authors performed transcriptional expression profiling of N. meningitidis after exposure of the bacterium to stress signals (e.g., heat shock, oxidative stress, iron and carbon source limitation), thus identifying putative sRNAs differentially expressed in vitro.
Analysis of essential genes.The essential metabolic routes are the pentose phosphate and the KDPG pathways, which are responsible for glucose catabolism and oxidative phosphorylation, together with pathways involved in the synthesis of nucleotides, amino acids, vitamins, lipids, lipooligosaccharide, and peptidoglycan.
Iron uptake systems are major players for N. meningitidis pathogenesis (39, 40). Meningococci have developed 3 mechanisms to extract iron from its human host: (i) the transferrin and lactoferrin receptors, (ii) the hemoglobin receptor (hmbR or hpuB2), and (iii) the haptoglobin-hemoglobin receptor, also called the heterodimeric HpuAB complex. In our study, where iron was present as ferric nitrate, the ferric uptake transcriptional regulator fur was found to be essential and the lactoferrin-binding protein encoded by lbpB was found to be growth defective, together with hpuB and fetA, a TonB-dependent enterobactin receptor. In addition, two ABC transporters, namely, NMA0451 and NMA0577, which are involved in the putative ferric enterobactin uptake system, were found to be essential, whereas two other putative ferric enterobactin proteins turned out to results in a growth defect, namely, NMA0448 and NMA0450. Although it has been shown that N. meningitidis requires a ton system for utilization of transferrin, lactoferrin, hemoglobin, and haptoglobin-hemoglobin (41, 42), the proteins TonB, ExbB, and ExbD that form the TonB complex were not found to be essential in our screen.
Our results are consistent with the previous system-wide approach carried out by Mendum et al. (3) (see Table S6 in the supplemental material). Interestingly, despite differences observed for single gene requirements between both studies, essential metabolism pathways are very similar regardless of the growth medium (see Fig. S1 in the supplemental material). The main differences observed concern the need for synthesis of cofactors and vitamins on GC broth (GCB) agar compared to requirements for growth on other media. These discrepancies are likely due to differences in metabolite profiles between each medium.
Essentiality predictions for N. meningitidis and other Gram-negative bacteria. Table S6, XLSX file, 0.01 MB.
The list of N. meningitidis essential genes was further compared to essential genes of other organisms listed in the Database of Essential Genes (DEG) (43), which lists bacterial genes essential for viability in different species. From the 383 essential genes determined in our study, 29% had essential orthologs with Escherichia coli (43, 44), 26% with Haemophilus influenzae (45), 48% with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (46), and 55% with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (47) (see Table S6 in the supplemental material). All these Gram-negative bacteria shared 77 core essential genes that were involved in information storage and processing, as well as cellular processes, metabolism, and lipooligosaccharide synthesis (see Table S7 in the supplemental material), providing a core essential genome for Gram-negative pathogens.
We compared our list of genes that caused defects in growth and of essential genes with that from the library of Rusniok and coworkers, which contained 947 mutated genes of N. meningitidis M8013 (serogroup C) (48). The 824 genes that had a correspondence with our strain Z5463 are listed in Table S7 of the supplemental material. We found that 11% of those genes encoded proteins that caused growth defects in our analysis, and 7% were essential. This confirms that the large majority of our core essential genes are indeed essential for N. meningitidis survival. Moreover, our genetic screen is the result of a competition between different mutants harboring a transposon insertion for a single gene within a mixed population, thus explaining some possible discrepancies between the two studies. For example, the fur gene was classified by us as essential, whereas a deletion mutant has been proven to be viable despite having an important growth defect (49).
Gene essentiality comparison. Table S7, XLSX file, 0.2 MB.
We further compared our list of genes that caused growth defects and of the essential genes to the minimal gene set created by Gil and coworkers (50), which can be found in the publicly accessible thematic database NeisseriaScope within MicroScope (51). The minimal gene set within NeisseriaScope includes well-conserved housekeeping genes for basic metabolism and macromolecular synthesis, many of which are essential. As expected, our data indicated that among the minimal gene set for N. meningitidis, 50% corresponds to essential genes and 20% to genes associated with growth defects (see Table S7).
Analysis of genes involved in cell colonization.In recent years, the concept of nutritional virulence has shown increasing significance for explaining various metabolic adaptations that successfully exploit available host nutrients for pathogen proliferation. For instance, Schoen et al. recently compiled a list of “omics” approaches for metabolic adaptation of meningococci upon adhesion to human cells and for growth in human blood (52), and thus they illustrated how the metabolism of lactate, the oxidative stress response, glutathione metabolism, and the denitrification pathway are linked to meningococcal pathogenesis. Among the 288 genes identified to be important for colonization of human epithelial or endothelial cells, 108 genes were necessary for colonization of both human cell types, whereas 151 and 29 were only selected in the epithelial or endothelial cell model, respectively. The majority of these genes were involved in metabolic pathways.
For both cell types, a metabolic reorientation toward the production of β-d-fructose-6P and PEP was suggested by our Tn-seq analysis. Indeed, several genes involved in the gluconeogenic route, such as fba and fbp, which lead to the production of β-d-fructose-6P, were identified, as well as two genes that lead to the production of PEP (pykA and ppc). β-d-Fructose-6P and PEP are important branch points that connect to the PP, KDPG, and nucleotides/amino acid synthesis pathways. One gene involved in the metabolism of galactose (galE) and one gene involved in d-glucose metabolism (glk) are also important for cell colonization, confirming that glucose consumption is critical for growth on cells. Furthermore, N. meningitidis switches its metabolism toward biosynthesis of cellular components. This recapitulates what has been described in proliferative cancer cells, where the high abundance of glucose is metabolized through the PP pathway to produce nucleosides and NADPH, which is essential for fatty acid synthesis (Fig. 5). NADPH also contributes to better redox control by reducing the amount of reactive oxygen species via glutathione metabolism (53). Interestingly, we found a gene, NMA0486, that is important for l-glutamate uptake from the environment. This gene was negatively selected for colonization of epithelial cells. It has been shown that l-glutamate uptake by this transporter enhances the production of glutathione, resulting in increased meningococcal survival (54) and thus confirming the important contribution of the antioxidant effect of glutathione.
Schematic representation of the main metabolic pathways of conditional essential genes in N. meningitidis necessary for colonization of both epithelial and endothelial cells. The illustration shows the main metabolism pathways in proliferating cells, including glycolysis, TCA cycle, PP, KDPG pathways and the synthesis of nucleotides, lipids, and amino acids. Black bold arrows indicate the metabolism reorientation, whereas red bold arrows indicate the main biosynthesis pathways important during colonization.
Concerning cell adhesion genes, almost all type IV pilus genes were identified to be important except for pilT, which was not necessary. The pilC gene, known to play a key role in type IV pilus biogenenesis and cell adhesion (55, 56), was also found to be important for colonization of both human cell types, although it did not reach our threshold of a log2 FC less than −1.4 in endothelial cells. Interestingly, only pilJ, -K, and -O were important for adherence to endothelial cells, and three pseudopilin genes, namely, pilS2, -S4, and -S5, were negatively selected. Furthermore, Deghmane et al. showed that crgA (NMA0601)-encoded transcriptional factor, which was found in our study to be important for colonization of epithelial cells, is involved in cell colonization through the modulation of PilE and capsule expression (57). In addition, one of the four capsule biosynthesis genes, sacC, was found to be important for the colonization of both human cell types. The fact that none of the other genes involved in capsule biosynthesis was found to be important for colonization suggests that sacC may have an additional cellular function.
Of the five mutants identified by Jamet et al. in a genome-wide screen (13), we confirmed the importance of narP (NMA1419) in human epithelial cell colonization. NarP is a transcriptional regulator of the two-component system NarP/NarQ, which regulates the availability of nitrite in the cell (13, 23). Here, two genes involved in the denitrification pathway, aniA and norB, were also found to be essential for growth. This pathway, described by Rock et al., allows meningococcal respiration when oxygen is restricted (23), thus suggesting that oxygen was limited under our culture conditions. This pathway first allows nitrite (NO2−) to be reduced to nitric oxide (NO) by the copper nitrite reductase AniA. Then, NO is further reduced to nitrous oxide (N2O) by the quinoloxidizing nitric oxide reductase NorB. Our data confirm the role of the nitrite reduction pathway in bacterial growth.
In summary, we have provided here a comprehensive analysis of the genes required for N. meningitidis growth and colonization of human endothelial and epithelial cells in vitro. Moreover, the transposon libraries constructed in this work represent a relevant tool that may serve to further investigate meningococcal pathogenesis in different environments Deciphering new insights into the metabolic adaptations of N. meningitidis during pathogenesis will help efforts to fight this human pathogen more efficiently.
Bacterial strains and growth conditions.N. meningitidis Z5463, a naturally transformable capsulated serogroup A strain, was used to generate saturating Tn insertion mutant libraries. Z5463 belongs to the same sequence type (ST) as strain Z2491, i.e., ST-4 (58), subgroup IV-1, expressing OpaA and OpaC and in the same clonal group as Z2491, thus allowing the use of the genomic sequence of the latter strain. Because N. meningitidis Z2491, whose genome has been completed by the Sanger Center (20), is not transformable, we routinely work with strain Z5463 (59). A comparison between both strains has been made in the public databases for molecular typing and microbial genome diversity (PubMLST), and it has been found that both strains have 168 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) differences, and only two genes are present in one strain and not in the other: loci NEIS2357 and NEIS2494. The variability in the 168 loci found in both strains is not an issue, since a 10% mismatch is allowed for the Tn-seq read mapping. Z5463 was stored frozen at −80°C and was routinely grown at 37°C in 5% CO2 in GC liquid medium under shaking conditions or on GC medium base (Difco) containing Kellogg’s supplements (60). Kanamycin was used at a concentration of 200 µg/ml.
Endothelial and epithelial cell culture conditions.The immortalized human brain endothelial cell line (hCMEC/D3) (61), which retains the main characteristics of primary brain endothelial cells, was grown and infected as described by Coureuil et al. (62). The pharynx carcinoma-derived FaDu epithelial cells were grown and infected as described by Jamet et al. (13). Laminar flow chamber experiments were performed as described by Jamet et al. (13). Disposable flow chambers composed of six independent flow channels (μ-Slide VI 0.4; ibidi) were used. hCMEC/D3 or FaDu cells were seeded at a density of 0.3 × 105/cm2 and incubated for 7 days at 37°C in 5% CO2 until confluent. Examination of the cell layers was performed before each flow assay, and only channels with a uniformly confluent layer were used.
Transposon mutant library construction.Construction of mutant libraries was performed using the Template Generation System II kit (Thermo Scientific), which includes Entranceposon KanR-3, a derivative of the bacteriophage mu containing a kanamycin resistance marker. Briefly, genomic DNA from N. meningitidis Z5463 was extracted by using chloroform and then ethanol precipitated. In vitro transposition reactions were carried out with 0.88 µg of MuA transposase, 80 ng of Entranceposon KanR-3, and 5 µg of N. meningitidis Z5463 genomic DNA. Reaction mixtures were incubated for 3 h at 30°C following the manufacturer’s instructions and ethanol precipitated. Purified transposition reaction products were transformed into naturally competent N. meningitidis Z5463 as described previously (63, 64) and selected on GCB agar plates containing 200 µg of kanamycin per ml. On the following day, transformants were counted with an eCount colony counter (Heathrow Scientific), scraped off of agar plates, and stored at −80°C in GCB supplemented with 20% glycerol. When a large amount of transformants was reached, they were pooled into libraries of approximately 70,000 CFU per library. To separate transformants from any residual agar, cells were grown in GCB for a maximum of 2 h, after which libraries were collected and stored at −80°C in GCB supplemented with 20% glycerol (Fig. 1A). We obtained three independent libraries of approximately 70,000 transformants each.
In vitro screening of Tn libraries for colonization.The HITS technology was used to profile the relative abundance of each mutant in all libraries after selection in the in vitro laminar flow chamber experimental model, as described previously (11, 13). When Tn mutant libraries were assayed, an aliquot of the library was thawed and grown in hCMEC/D3 or FaDu CCM until mid-log phase (exponential phase of growth). The cultured Tn libraries were adjusted to an optical density at 600 nm of 0.5 in the same culture medium, and 60-µl aliquots (corresponding to approximately 3 × 107 bacteria) was used to inoculate 6 channels of a flow chamber containing an endothelial or epithelial cell monolayer. The remaining culture of the Tn library is referred to as the input pool. Bacteria were allowed to adhere to endothelial or epithelial cells for 1.5 h without flow. At 1.5 h postinfection, a continuous flow of CCM containing 3 µg of vancomycin/ml was applied for 18 h at a constant flow rate of 0.04 ml/min by using a syringe pump (Harvard Apparatus). The flow chamber was placed in an incubator at 37°C with 5% CO2 throughout the experiment. After 18 h, the recovered bacteria, (i.e., the bacteria obtained from aspiration of the 6 channels and constituting the output pool) were harvested in a microcentrifuge tube by centrifugation. Bacterial pellets were resuspended in a lysis solution (40 mM Tris-acetate [pH 7.8], 20 mM sodium acetate, 1 mM EDTA, 1% SDS). Chromosomal DNA extraction was performed using chloroform followed by ethanol precipitation for both the input and output mutant pools (Fig. 1B).
Identification of transposon insertion sites.A strategy of capture by hybridization combined with next-generation sequencing (Illumina technology) was used to identify transposon insertion sites. The procedure is similar to that described by Depledge et al. (65) to identify virus insertion positions in the human genome, except that a unique biotinylated oligonucleotide specific to the transposon extremities was used as bait to capture transposon-containing bacterial fragments (see Text S1 in the supplemental material for further details). DNAs from input and output pools of epithelial library 1 (InEpi.1A and OutEpi.1A) were first sequenced in a single flow cell lane and yielded ~18 and ~20 million raw reads, respectively (Table 1). Then, input and output pools of epithelial libraries 1 to 3 were sequenced together by using a single flow cell lane and yielded between ~6 and ~10 million raw reads per sample (Table 1). Likewise, the 6 endothelial libraries (InEndo.1 to -3 and OutEndo.1 to -3) were sequenced together in a single flow cell lane and yielded between ~7 and ~10 million raw reads per sample (Table 1).
Libraries enriched in transposon-containing bacterial fragments were sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq (paired-end sequencing of 300 plus 300 bases, from 2 to 6 samples per run).
Bioinformatic analysis of Tn libraries.HITS data analysis was performed as described previously (14), with minor modifications. The detailed procedure is described in Text S1 in the supplemental material. Gene essentiality was determined based on the log2 of the measured number of transposon-containing reads per gene divided by the expected number of transposon-containing reads per gene (based on the number of possible transposon insertion sites per gene, the mutant library size, and the sequencing depth) as determined via TMM normalization (see Table S1A in the supplemental material). Determination of the log2 FC for identification of conditional essential genes was performed with the binary logarithm of the number of reads of the target sample (output libraries harvested after selection onto epithelial or endothelial cells, respectively) divided by the number of reads of the gene within the control sample (input libraries grown before selection in epithelial or endothelial cells, respectively) (see Table S1D).
Web tools used for analysis.Putative orthologs of N. meningitidis genes were identified by using the DEG database (http://tubic.tju.edu.cn/deg/) (43). The protein families in DEG corresponded to homologous ORFs with identical assigned functions.
Metabolic pathways and subsystems for N. meningitidis strain Z2491 were obtained based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes orthology (66). The list of transporter proteins was obtained from data available from the Transporter Protein Analysis Database (TransportDB) at http://www.membranetransport.org.
RNA sequencing. (i) Isolation of bacterial RNA.Bacteria grown in Ham F-12 medium (PAA Laboratories) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (FCS; PAA Laboratories), 20 mM HEPES (PAA Laboratories) at 37°C in a humidified incubator under 5% CO2 and under shaking conditions to the mid-logarithmic phase were harvested by centrifugation. Bacterial pellets were resuspended in 1 ml of TRIzol reagent (Life Technologies) and frozen at − 80°C. RNA isolation was performed according to TRIzol RNA isolation procedure. Quality of the bacterial RNA was measured using a Bioanalyzer 2100 (Agilent). To remove contaminating genomic DNA, samples were treated with 0.25 U of DNase I (Fermentas) per µg of RNA for 45 min at 37°C.
Preparation of 3 whole transcriptome libraries and 3 sRNA enriched libraries as well as the RNA-Seq experiments are detailed in supplemental Text S1 in the supplemental material.
(ii) Bioinformatic analysis of expression data.Totals of 75.2 million reads and 2.1 million reads were obtained from the whole-transcriptome libraries and the sRNA-enriched libraries, respectively. Reads matching ribosomal genes based on SortMeRNA (67) and low-quality reads were removed using Trimmomatic (parameters: leading, 8; trailing, 10; sliding window, 4:5) (68). The remaining sequences were independently mapped with Bowtie version 0.7.12 (69) to the reference sequence of Neisseria meningitidis Z2491 (accession number AL157959.1). These data are presented in Table S2 in the supplemental material.
The expression of mRNA was measured by extracting the read counts with HTSeq (70) and transformed into RPKM values for each replicate. We arbitrarily defined the cutoff for classification of a genomic region of interest as the median of RPKM values of intergenic regions (see Table S2D to F in the supplemental material). Thus, a genomic region was considered transcribed if it had an RPKM value greater than 2.3. Out of a total of 1,994 CDS (not including rRNAs or tRNAs), 1,831 were above this transcriptional threshold (92%), whereas 163 CDS were below (8%) and thus not expressed under these experimental conditions. Alignment files were then used to detect putative sRNAs with the help of sRNA-Detect (71). That tool allowed us to detect 6,088 putative sRNAs in the whole-transcriptome data set and 4,530 putative sRNAs in the sRNA enriched data set. The set of sRNA candidates provided by sRNADetect from the two data sets were combined. Next, genes flanking each sRNA candidate were extracted from the annotation for N. meningitidis, and only sRNA candidates with a clear assignment to a particular strand, requiring that at least 99% of the reads originated from the plus or minus strand, were kept. When an intergenic region contained more than one sRNA, the candidate with the highest coverage was selected. The average coverage of the sRNA and the flanking genes was next calculated by using bedtools (72) for each strand and by using customized Python scripts. In order to analyze whether the sRNAs overlapped a promoter region, the tool PromBase (73) was used, and putative promoter regions were annotated in the genome of N. meningitidis (see Table S2B).
Nucleotide sequence accession numbers.RNA-seq data are available in the ArrayExpress database under accession number E-MTAB-4768. The transposon sequence reads we obtained have been submitted to the ENA database under accession number PRJEB11986.
We are grateful to Alain Charbit for critical reading of the manuscript, helpful advice, and support.
This work was supported by ANR grant ANR-14-IFEC-0006-01 call ERANET INFECT-ERA 2014, the grant program EMERGENCE from La Mairie de Paris, and a postdoctoral grant supported by the DIM Malinf from the Conseil Régional de l’Ile-De-France. The laboratory of X.N. is supported by INSERM, CNRS, Université Paris Descartes, and the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale.
Received 28 June 2016
Accepted 30 June 2016
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mBio Aug 2016, 7 (4) e01173-16; DOI: 10.1128/mBio.01173-16
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Mr. Armitage, his fans, our pursuit of “great art,” and me as critic, part 1
Photo: Richard Armitage with Annabel Capper at the 2006 Children’s BAFTAs award ceremony. Source: Richard Armitage Fan Blog. I’m posting this not as an entry in the perennially boring “who’s his partner?” sweepstakes, but because he looks as happy here as I’ve ever seen him in any photo, and that’s what I wish for him, no matter what else happens in his life and career: happiness. Really, it’s the least I could wish for the life of someone who’s — all unknowing — brought so much pleasure to mine.
In the wake of the initial broadcast of Strike Back, a “quo vadis Mr. Armitage?” mood seemed to be emerging in the Armitage blogosphere and environs. You’re probably familiar with some of these comments: from mulubinba, for example, who reads the Armitage fandom as a potential broad church, although she’d prefer more period drama herself, and a slightly more critical one from pi (which is what finally got me out of my funk to finish writing about this, so thanks as usual, pi!). I think other statements dealt with this question, too, although I can’t find them now. Please use the comments to post a link if you wrote or commented on this theme elsewhere. The specter of “Go West, young man, go West!” and the potential Nat polled about of the desirability of him undertaking work in Hollywood –a topic mentioned in several of the Strike Back related interviews– was a component of this discussion; there are worries that some fans only want to watch Armitage playing British characters and from something I read recently it seems Armitage, too, worried about the possibility that pleasing his fans would lead to being typecast.
Reading the latter saddened me. An actor has plenty to worry about without being concerned about the loyalty of his fans. It’s not that I think fans have an obligation to be loyal any more than I think an actor has an obligation to do only things that he knows will please his fans. It’s that I’m sorry he feels or felt influenced in his choices to the extent that he would even ask himself that question. It’s that I think that the line between actor and audience has to be fairly robust; despite the desire on both sides to reach out in good will, good fences make good neighbors. On both sides we pay a price for the free experience of his artistry: as much as I may identify with what I know about him, I can’t ever have him as my friend, and even if he likes what well-disposed fans write, he can’t ever count on us treating him as if he were. The artist must remain free to make his own choices, free of duress, if he’s to grow in skill and spirit, just as the critical (in the sense of evaluative) audience needs to be able to respond in freedom to the artist’s choices or its response will not be truly critical. The risk, of course, is that not every aesthetic or professional choice one makes will be loved, or even understood; the freedom to succeed with something new is equally the freedom to fail at it. It would be creatively laming for any artist worth his salt to believe that the main reason he continued to get roles was because of the preferences of his core fans and not because of the quality of his performances. (For legitimate objections that an artist never performs in the absence of (at least a notional) audience, see section below on “getting work.”) In such a situation, anyone even slightly introspective would wonder about the quality of his performances in a spectrum outside fan love, or alternately, if he’d have to force himself to channel his artistic growth into channels that his fans already approved to keep working. If he’s who he seems to be in interviews, I’m sure Armitage doesn’t want us praising his new work on the basis of his earlier performances or because many of us have grown to like him based on what we think we’ve learned about him personally. The artist who wants to improve has to sort through the criticism he gets, consider the source, and incorporate what’s accurate and helpful into his performances — or not. If he doesn’t go through the process of sifting genuine and relevant responses to his work, he will lose the capacity to surprise us or enchant us with his skills in new ways. The price of artistic freedom is inherent insecurity — a mood that drives one on to try to get better and better. But the necessary preconditions for Armitage’s artistic growth — especially the freedom to take risks that may not always provoke universal applause — also neutralize his right to hurt feelings about our reactions to his work. If he is going to please and satisfy himself as an actor, he has to focus on matters beyond pleasing and satisfying us. He’s absolutely right that as an actor, he can’t also be a “hopeless people-pleaser” to his fans.
Now, I’m not worried about staleness with Armitage at the moment: I am regularly so surprised by his work that I have to watch or listen to it repeatedly to make sure I’ve gotten everything that’s there. I’m just stating that appreciation circumscribed by mutual autonomy is the only real basis for the actor / fan relationship. Fans did a lot for Mr. Armitage at the beginning of his career, via a spontaneous burst of enthusiasm for a job well done, and then by giving him an internet presence that initially well dwarfed the significance of his career and certainly enhanced awareness of his work more quickly than it might have spread otherwise. And he’s expressed his sincere appreciation for fan support many times in ways that suggest that he understands the role that fans played in setting him on a particular professional trajectory. But you know what? He’s said at least once that he sees the turning point in his career as Sparkhouse, because it marked a new approach for him in pursuing a role. Even more: fans didn’t get him the role we probably see as the turning point: Mr. Thornton. He did that all by himself. He said once in an interview that he thought having a following helped, but even at that point it didn’t get him everything he wanted –films, for example– and he talked about the role, not the fans, putting him on the map. Presumably he still had to audition for roles afterward and he still may. So gratitude for fan support should not and cannot mean extending power over his creative choices to fans — even those who might think they know better than he does what he’s doing — and that includes me. If he can’t act freely, then I have no chance of evaluating his acting freely. Of course I have preferences. I have a right to my opinion, but that’s all it can ever be in his life: my opinion. None of us have any right in the universe to any hurt feelings at all about any of his choices.
John Porter (Richard Armitage) indicates on a map where Sister Bernadette should go in order to cross the border to South Africa in Strike Back 1.4. My cap. Can’t resist pointing out that this is a nice thumb shot. They turn up everywhere once you start looking.
Still, constant questions about his fans in interviews (and our responses to his answers — did anyone like being called motherly or protective? Thankfully he stopped saying that by the time of the Spooks 9 publicity) point out that we stand in an atypical relationship to him, one engendered not least by Mr. Armitage’s unusual awareness of and generosity to his fans after the broadcast of North & South. So it’s not surprising that many of us might feel a reciprocal obligation, one that hems our willingness to respond with complete candor to his career choices. I’ve had at least a half-dozen conversations off blog about Strike Back in which the consensus was simultaneously “he is so much better than that lousy script” and “I’m not sure it’s fair / kind to say that.” RAFrenzy expressed comparable reservations about the scripting of Lucas North’s entire character arc on Spooks yesterday (I haven’t had time to read this very closely, but the discussion is interesting. I think I disagree with her, but I’ll have to put that off as I want to finish writing this post!). I feel some of that myself, insofar as I thought after reading the Sunday Express interview that his statements about the lack of attractive drama scripts might have applied indirectly to his own perceived capacity to choose projects he really liked. I concluded privately that perhaps it’s not fair to criticize because John Porter might not have been his first choice of roles. However he felt about it, though, — and the full cut of the first Donald Stephenson interview, I believe, mentioned that his first reaction to the project was negative — he didn’t stray from the course once he had chosen it. He did a great job of selling Strike Back as potential art, full of ethical conflict (of this, more below, in the section on what constitutes art), but — as he noted himself — it was something that the audience that discovered him in North & South was not automatically inclined to like. It wasn’t that we couldn’t be moved there, as RAFrenzy noted several times (once here). She said something smart that I can’t put my mouse on but that’s been ringing in my ears about how Mr. Armitage understood that the audiences that would come along with him from his previous projects needed Strike Back to be more than an action flick. I do think his remarks about Strike Back suggest that he was making a good faith effort to explain to us how a project so out of the average North & South fan’s comfort zone fit into his own professional and artistic trajectory. That was considerate of him. But even so, he shouldn’t have to plead for our understanding. Conversely, if those of us who write or comment about him feel strongly that the roles he’s taking are problematic, we should feel no bounds beyond those of common courtesy on stating exactly that. I don’t mean to delegitimate his marketing effort for Strike Back, which made sense to me and which I think played well, despite a definition of “atonement” that was rather loosy-goosey for anyone who knows much about the theological meaning of that word, and a resulting rhetorical confusion about who exactly was atoning for what, as Ann Marie noted. I simply want to reiterate that given my understanding of the artist – fan relationship as sketched above, both sides have to feel autonomous in terms of their judgments.
But to come back to the beginning of this past, which pondered the recent emergence of this question: why now? It wasn’t because Strike Back was universally disliked; on the contrary, my reading of the response to it in Armitageworld was that the many luscious views of Mr. Armitage’s body nearly made up in the eyes of many readers for any failings in the script. There was the nagging problem of feelings of manipulation, of the show’s appeal to base instinct, and I wrestled with this myself. (Of this, also more below in the section on “beauty”). As this discussion of his career path emerged, it wasn’t immediately apparent what his next project after Spooks 9 might be, so there was opportunity for a lot of speculative chatter. Certainly, his career appears to be at a crossroads, as the sequence of roles in Robin Hood, Spooks, and Strike Back suggests that he’s hit a summit in terms of the number of screens he can control simultaneously on UK television at any one time. (One interviewer made a nice joke about this, suggesting that Armitage could hold the BBC primetime lineup for ransom. Armitage responded in quite vivid terms that this responsibility would be too much pressure.)
My own guess, though, is that the discussion is emerging now in this particular form because, although he must have been making choices all along about what to audition for, and maybe very recently about which roles to accept that he was offered without having to audition, this is one of the first moments in his career where we can see that he must be having to choose between different projects. As a consequence, we now have the freedom to disagree with his choices as opposed to parroting a central dogma of Armitageworld, to wit: we just want him to keep working, to be able to see him in anything. Because Strike Back was renewed for 10 more episodes, it is common consensus, his commitment to that will limit the amount of time that Mr. Armitage can devote to stuff that many of us already know we like better — Spooks 10, if Lucas North doesn’t get killed, maimed, or fired during the current series — or think we would — like “The Rover,” which would be a satisfying move back in the direction of North & South and of his RSC roots. As we puzzle over the extent of his freedom to make choices at this particular moment (one assumes that he was contracted to continue in SB if it was renewed), week after week, voicework appeared –an audiobook, a radio broadcast, auto, sports, and jewelry advertisements, documentary voiceovers– all of which seemed to suggest that rather than planning to surprise us with a new production in the genre of high art, Armitage might be working around the clock at a number of things that look suspiciously like piecework. And there’s no break for him on the horizon. Anyone who was already skeptical about Strike Back because of its doubtful artistic merit is potentially even more bothered by the information that gradually trickled out about Mr. Armitage’s role as the German villain Heinz Krüger in the upcoming Captain America film. It’s not that he’s abandoned art: this year we heard Clarissa and Symphony of a City, and he was great in both. But they were not screen or stage productions. His Spotlight showreel (which doesn’t include any work completed after Robin Hood 3) still ends with the proposal scene in North & South, but it begins with a(n attractively crafted) sequence that manages to make even Mr. Thornton look edgy and seems to set him up as an action specialist. His continual repetition of the refrain of his interest in selling a retelling of the Richard III story notwithstanding, it is not entirely unreasonable to conclude that Richard Armitage is starting to look like someone who wants to do action roles and projects that fall under the rubric of “entertainment,” instead of the actor that the fans who used their computers to catapult him to public attention in 2004 thought he was: a dramatic artist with the potential to become the next great interpreter of Shakespeare — or at the very least, an ongoing competitor worthy of Colin Firth for favorite period drama lead.
A map (hidden under a VHS cassette) is one of the objects that give clues to Lucas North / John’s mysterious past in Spooks 9.2. My cap.
As a good academic writer, I always trace what others think and then comment on it critically before presenting my own stance, which is generally much harder to pinpoint. Now I have to write what I think about all of this from my situation as interpreter of what I know of Mr. Armitage’s career. On a simple level, should I admit to reservations about Strike Back? Or about any other project? If so, on what basis? Can I sign on to any reservations about the direction his career is taking? And if so, should I express them? And what about (I write, trying to avoid raising my left hand to my face in imitation of Lucas North’s “extreme emotional distress” signal) his acting itself?
I joked recently that the love language of Servetus is “close analysis.” The more I love something, the more closely I’ll look at it, and the more I’ll write. Thinking via synecdoche has been my pattern since I was a child: what does the detail tell us about the whole? (I’ll also keep wearing an awful piece of clothing just because it has a detail that I really love.) Moreover, for reasons closely connected to my personal issues for writing it, and because of the mechanisms by means of which Armitage has influenced me most deeply, a great deal of the analysis concerning him presented on this blog has been about “how.” How an effect is established, how Mr. Armitage performs, how a scene is put together, how a costume fits, how his eyes or his body move. There’s a component of “why” there as well: why I find a still picture or a scene compelling, for example. I write about myself in terms of “what” and “whither,” and I’ve commented on things like how we can know “who he is” and my own identification with Mr. Armitage that get to content issues, but even these posts have mostly been constructed as analyses of rhetoric rather than evaluations of anything I assert to be real. I’ve been reluctant to make normative recommendations on larger issues, beyond things like what he should be looking for in a suit. That doesn’t mean I haven’t; aside from the discussion about what he should say about his fans, I speculated that he might have good reasons for taking ad work; I expressed no regret about his detachment from the Charlie project, and I’ve said in a few places that I assume that the primary purpose of Captain America is networking as opposed to artistic merit or professional trajectory. Except occasionally, “me + richard armitage” hasn’t been about the really big questions, and I envy writers who can easily take on that kind of question. (It’s an issue that’s bedeviled me as an academic writer, too.)
So I think that readers of this blog would have a case for claiming that –despite all the analytical detail– I’ve abandoned the viewpoint of objective observer, since I have never written anything strongly negative about Mr. Armitage except, perhaps, as regards his clothing choices, and have never been more than mildly negative about moments in his work that I don’t care for, and even that I do very rarely. Believe it or not, though, I actually do have some negative evaluations of moments in his work! Now, I don’t have anywhere near the time to write or develop every thought I have. I have notes and notes and notes of stuff to write here — and on any given day I pick the theme that fits my mood or the time I have available. So readers shouldn’t discount the possibility that more negative criticism might eventually appear. Admittedly I am usually writing to cheer myself up, reassure myself, or vent, and fingerpointing at Armitage’s flaws as an actor has never fit into those needs especially well.
Photo: Servetus — really just a propagandist for Richard Armitage
As an explanation for why I haven’t yet written much like that, though, more important is my feeling that all evaluation occurs in a particular context; this is an insight that follows upon so many years spent teaching. I taught for my first time in a Sunday School class as a newly-confirmed fourteen-year-old, and so I have been thinking about how to reach learners for 2/3 of my life. Now, I am not trying to teach Mr. Armitage anything. But the pattern of “first praise, then blame,” the mantra of successful grading, has ground its way deep into my synapses. My awareness of this state of mind suggests to me that I will be more likely to offer negative comments about any of his work as moments of a longer analysis — when I am noticing them as part of a particular question I’ve asked — than as a separate theme. Errors (apart from moral ones) are always errors in context; what is right in one place can be wrong in another. Seek to understand before you judge — one of the most important lessons I’ve learned in the classroom. I’m not ready to pardon everything I understand, even as a teacher, but I do find that it trying to understand enriches my appreciation of my students’ work. That may not be the most helpful approach for writing succinct blog posts, but that is who I am: as writer, teacher, and critic. So the final question is the easiest to answer: would I criticize his acting? Yes. If I felt it were warranted. In context. After I had sought to understood what he was doing on the basis of what I could grasp were his own terms.
The other four questions are the same question, and the answer(s) are a bit more complex. So that I can be understood, if not pardoned, I’ll first offer the answer, and then reasons why I give it. Though I can’t guarantee how I’ll feel in six months, I am pretty sure at this point — unless Mr. Armitage starts making sn*ff, or something else that I find morally objectionable (that is, beyond “just” troubling)– that he’s not going to to be likely to get criticism from me on the basis of either genre or the scripts of the work he takes. (I consider a test case for this assertion below.) Now, I have and will continue to point out script problems, but I am going to be more interested in how effectively he deals with them in his performances than I will in arguing that a weak script was a reason not to take a role. I reiterate the position I sketched above: I read with interest the arguments of those who make such arguments, I think I understand where they are coming from, and in line with my notion of their actor / fan relationship, I not only support their right to make them, I can think of good reasons why they might be helpful to Mr. Armitage’s self-understanding as an actor. Not only that: I suspect that many readers of this blog are more likely to agree with those kinds of critiques than with the position I explain below. It seems inevitable that if Mr. Armitage continues making TV drama and action pieces rather than projects that are considered more “artistically significant” following conventional judgments, that the number of people making them (particularly among that initial group of fans and/or among those who came to Armitage fandom via North & South) will increase rather than decrease. In line with my comments above: whether to respond or react to that sentiment is his problem — though in my opinion, not his obligation. In the next post, however, I will make the opposite case, which underlines some important analytical principles for understanding the judgments I articulate on this blog.
[Sorry — don’t mean to leave you in medias res — this just got way too long for words.]
~ by Servetus on October 7, 2010.
Posted in acting, Armitage as victim, Armitage on Armitage, Armitage's body, Armitageworld dogmas, audiobooks, Captain America, career, Clarissa, equilibrium, fans, gratitude, Great Sperm Race, Heinz Kruger, if I could interview Mr. Armitage, John Porter, loss, Lucas North, me, morality / ethics / norms, North & South, reality, redemption, Richard Armitage, Richard III, Robin Hood, Sparkhouse, Spooks, Strike Back, Symphony of a City, the face, the hands, the real Armitage, The Rovers, voice work, why Armitage?, Why me?
150 Responses to “Mr. Armitage, his fans, our pursuit of “great art,” and me as critic, part 1”
Yup, he looks happy, but keep in mind, he’s an ACTOR
mren said this on October 8, 2010 at 12:27 am | Reply
Yes, certainly. In modern society we have all learned to smile when our heart is breaking. This picture is also extremely blurry. But my phrase was not “here he’s happy,” but rather, “he looks as happy as I’ve ever seen him.” 🙂
servetus said this on October 8, 2010 at 3:33 pm | Reply
There is also a scan up at RANet from a Woman’s Own article that shows Richard reacting to something Max has told him on the Spooks set. If that isn’t a genuine belly laugh he’s giving, then I will eat that big black hat of mine RA Frenzy likes so much.
I love people who can laugh like that, actors or no.
angieklong said this on October 8, 2010 at 4:19 pm | Reply
That does look like a great laugh. Then again, sometimes we laugh for reasons other than to indicate our pleasure 🙂 such as to support someone or make them feel welcome/understood, etc. I think the point is true that we can’t learn anything definitive from pictures, but I feel inclined to defend my stance as analyzing appearances on this blog as opposed to reality … 🙂
servetus said this on October 10, 2010 at 6:00 pm | Reply
That’s fine by me. I love looking at that picture (and he’s fully clothed, too!) He looks like someone I would like to know as opposed to simply Mr. Gorgeous to drool over.
angieklong said this on October 10, 2010 at 8:36 pm | Reply
That’s one of the things I love about him, he seems such a nice guy, the kind I’d like to have as a friend.
OneMoreLurker said this on October 11, 2010 at 6:46 am | Reply
Great post, perhaps in part because it expresses so much of what i have been thinking. ( ;
First off–he does look very happy in that photo, doesn’t he? And I do so dearly want this fellow who has brought me so much pleasure to find happiness and satisfaction in his personal as well as his professional life.
Secondly–I am with you at this point. Unless he does start making nothing but dreck I’m not really prepared to take potshots at his career choices, because so far it seems to me he always does the best he can with what his is given to work with and makes something more, much more, quite often, than meets the eye at first glance. He is still surprising and enchanting me.
You well know how much I love the character of John Porter as crafted by Richard. You also know how unhappy I was with some elements of the scripts and how I hope some of those elements will be addressed in the second series. Since I am a fan fic writer aside from being a journalist by profession, I worked through some of my dissatisfaction with underwritten characters and lack of background by writing my own version, thank you very much.
I am glad you pointed out Sparkhouse because in my opinion, that was truly RA’s breakthrough role. I came to know him through RH initially, but then watched N&S, VoD and Sparkhouse (not necessarily in that order) in quick succession.
I can easily understand why legions of fans flocked to him from N&S (It’s the first piece of his work I purchased to share with my older sisters), but he’d been working and toiling away at his profession for years prior to that and yes, he did it himself.
We the fans didn’t earn him the role of Thornton anymore than we did his subsequent roles.
And while he has always been, I think, very good to his fan base, I don’t want him to think he has to please us with his career choices.
It frankly bothers me that a few fans seem to think that should be able to dictate to Richard which roles he should take.
It is his career, after all, and not ours; he is not obligated to us in any way that I can see. Would I like to see him in another good period drama? Absolutely. Would I like to see him in a well-scripted contemporary love story with comedic elements (note I did NOT say a rom-com)? Definitely. Would the possibility of me begging, borrowing and stealing to see him on stage in The Rover or a similar project send frissons of delight through me? Oh, yes. I would also dearly love to hear him in more radio plays like Clarissa.
But I will leave those decisions to him. And rest assured, I will make my way to The Edge to see him in Captain America (I agree, I am pretty sure it’s a networking move, not because he wants to do comic-book movies the rest of his career).
Because watching Richard Armitage at work continues to fascinate me, even when the vehicle is not my first choice of roles for him.
angieklong said this on October 8, 2010 at 12:49 am | Reply
I don’t wish Mr. Armitage limited to any genre. I have a love of “period” stuff. Not action stuff – but. We have to pay the rent. And the BMW 🙂 As well as liking much contemporary (And murder-mystery stuff! William Monk and Anne Perry!) I did a lot of acting in the teen years, and I’m intro, not extra, and never for a minute considered acting as a career). So I don’t know how you go through these voyages.
I have very great respect, as well as enjoyment in, theatre/acting/screen. This actor is too good to be wasted, and I just hope his managers and agents present him with better “stuff” in the future. “Cause until next month, I can’t judge SB. But Captain America boggles my limited mind. As Geraldine might say, “Please God, NO!!” Just my limited mind…
fitzg said this on October 8, 2010 at 12:56 am | Reply
He won’t have all the time he did to create an amazing full-blown character as he did with evil henchman Guy in RH, but hopefully our RA can work his magic with Nazi bad boy Heinz Kruger, too, @fitzg. We can but hope. *grin* Will be interested to hear what you think of SB and John Porter when it arrives up North.
angieklong said this on October 8, 2010 at 1:03 am | Reply
I agree with servetus that he does CA (apart from the money and the fun it must be) for networking purposes and three cheers to him for that! I had a feeling that he was comfortable with his TV career and would never try to move beyond that. A bigger role in a TV piece might be more satisfying for both the audience and the actor and this small role might never lead to anything or only lead to a string of small baddie parts but at least it bears a CHANCE that it will lead to bigger and better things in a way a TV production never could. So for a change he is actually taking a risk that may or may not pay off instead of going for the save option. I’m much happier with CA than SB even if all we instantly get will be three minutes in a movie I probably won’t even watch!
Jane said this on October 8, 2010 at 3:39 pm | Reply
Your last line made me smile, Jane. 🙂
But isn’t it exciting to let your admiration for an actor take you into new avenues, Jane? Since Christmas I have discovered fanvids and fan fic and watched films that I might not have thought I’d enjoy. Having three sons has actually exposed me to a lot of films of the Strike Back variety, but due to Richard’s portrayal of John Porter I have allowed myself to enter this world with a different attitude. It has even extended to reading articles about Afghanistan with a sharpened sense of interest.
I’ll watch CA and probably discover a whole new world through that 🙂
Just reading Servetus’ blog leads to all sorts of new thoughts, too. I’m sorely missing a bit more phwoar, Servetus, but I’m sure you’ve got more in store of us soon.
MillyMe said this on October 8, 2010 at 5:10 pm | Reply
Yes, probably. After all, comic book movies are “cult” and I have never bothered the slightest do explore what it is all about. On the CA blogs certainly are people that are passionate about this movie and take it all very seriously, just like we take RA related stuff more seriously than we should.
I never thought I would like a series like Spooks but I did. I bought all previous series after RA joined to see what it is all about and was hooked. I also never thought that I would enjoy a series like Doctor Who and I love it!
I have issues with SB because I really dislike the sight of uniforms and machine guns and contemporary and real military settings. It disgusts me to see RA in combat gear and posing with a gun. I can deal with it better when it is a historical/fantasy setting. And I am determined to regard CA as a fantasy movie, not a WWII movie and RA’s character as a fantasy baddie. Otherwise I would have a real problem with it.
I strongly believe that all those not so “artsy” shows have to be judged and enjoyed from what they are meant to be and that it is not fair to blame them because they are not what they don’t claim to be. (And I really enjoy that this blog does not do that!) However, there are choices I would be happier with and I cannot stop asking why his career has taken this turn.
Ultimately it is not the genre or the type of character. As much as I would enjoy another romantic hero in a period drama, it doesn’t have to be that. I would be very happy with the ugly, damaged character he threatens us with.
Jane, you certainly have every right to dislike military uniforms and guns and all that is involved with that.
I don’t love war and bloodshed myself. I have often said if there was more dialogue established and less greed and desire for glory, there would be less war.
However, I am also the wife of a former military officer who served his country very faithfully for 12 years. He was a USAF Emergency War Orders training instructor and you didn’t want him to have a bad day at work, because it would have meant nuclear war and the end of the world as we know it. My father also served during WW II and all my brothers-in-law served honorably in the military as well.
I loved seeing my husband in uniform, including the dress uniform he wore to marry me all those years ago. I should also add he is one of the kindest and gentlest human beings I have ever known.
No offence to anyone who has loved ones in the military. It is just a gut feeling I cannot help, not a political statement.
I completely understand the feeling. Most of my German friends feel the same way, incidentally.
I wouldn’t really call comic book movies ‘cult’ as that implies an enthusiastic but small audience for them which is not the case since comic book movies have been mainstream box office draws for many years, often breaking box office records. The Captain America movie is huge, believe me, and it will raise Richard’s profile in the US massively, no matter how small the role.
kaprekar said this on October 8, 2010 at 11:59 pm | Reply
You’re right, Kaprekar. Look at the success of the Iron Man movies, which are part of the Marvel Comics group spawning Captain America.
I quite enjoyed the first Iron Man (as did most critics, I recall), although the second one depended too much on special effects in neglect of the story. I’m sure Hubby will want to see CA with his interest in WWII in particular, which I happen to share, and I certainly will look forward to seeing RA on the big screen, even if for only a brief time. Baby steps . . . and the raising of RA’s profile here in the US would be great.
After all, it was a kiddie show called Robin Hood that led me to watch N&S and Sparkhouse and VoD . . .
Did you hear that interview, Jane, in which he stated that he had the right to reject ad images of him for the series and he stated that he didn’t want those big bulletin board pictures to include him holding a gun? He said it was because SB was about more than that, but it really, really warmed my heart. I wrote a post about it at the time. I think he must have had his own ambivalence about that level of the role.
John Porter really is damaged, and the script indicates that, although not always with a lot of force or subtlety. I think (if I understand you correctly?) that you are right that to some extent his beauty interferes with our perception of that.
Oh, I definitely think there was an ambivalence there for RA and thank goodness he played the role because I really don’t think I would feel about JP the way I do, if a lesser actor had played him and not given him the subtleties, the heart and soul beneath the uniform, that Richard provided.
I have imagined Richard would have enjoyed the uglification JP underwent in the original novel–missing finger, missing teeth, the wear and tear of sleeping rough and drinking your way through the day takes on a body.
Indeed, maybe hoping he’d get to be uglier was one reason to take the role.
servetus said this on October 11, 2010 at 12:08 am | Reply
And then they went and prettied him up again, bless his heart.
angieklong said this on October 11, 2010 at 1:25 am | Reply
I think he said they kept him ‘in good shape’ because of time. In the film, in a matter of a couple of days he was ‘reactivated’ and in the operation team. If he would have been ugly and barely sober wouldn’t have been believable to be in shape for it in 2 days.
Yeah, this is the most unconvincing aspect of the book — that they get someone who’s been homeless and alcoholic for a decade together, rehabilitated and activated in 48 hours. The plot discrepancies are myriad.
I love your enthusiasm, Milly, it is going to keep you young and it really helps me with the fan fic writing, too.
I agree, it says something about the capacity to love and the regenerating force within one’s personality when one can get so excited. One reason for me writing all this stuff is that Mr. Armitage reawakened a piece of that in me. I’m so grateful.
I’m grateful, too. Benny sometimes teases me about girlish glee over things, the way I wax rhapsodic over our pets and even him, but I think he actually likes it.
When we were going through those years when every time the phone rang at an odd time, we were afraid it was one of our parents with some new crisis–well, I lost some of that. And then part of me died when they died, I think.
But Mr. A provided such good therapy and helped lift some of that burden from my shoulders. And I will always be thankful for that.
I’ll try to get in some more phwoar soon, MillyMe. Part of it was that I felt like I went a little overboard on that during the summer, part is probably that I am now reintegrated into the university world and thus living in a more “elevated” atmosphere. But no worries, phwoar is still definitely on the agenda. 🙂
I think this point about how drama causes you to be interested in things that passed you by otherwise is a really intriguing one. I feel that way about Zimbabwe, now, actually. It was just a footnote in my lectures about colonialism and decolonization in western civ, but now I have a colleague from there, and then seeing that episode has really made me not only more interested in the topic of what’s going on there (which is really frightening), but also more evaluative / critical of what I do learn.
Drama can become a part of our learning experience.
Becoming interested in RA’s characters has lead me to do more reading (which I do a lot of, anyway) on medieval history, Victorian England, espionage, current affairs . . . he’s influenced me in many positive ways. *grin*
A little phwoar now and again keeps Jill from being a dull girl, methinks.
What the heck is phwoar…I feel like sometimes I need a decoder ring…?
Ann Marie said this on October 11, 2010 at 1:09 am | Reply
@Ann Marie:
“The definition of PHWOAR is “Acknowledgement that a person is fit, sexy, hot”
from InternetSlang.com
This reveals just how shallow I can be when it comes to Mr Armitage, as Servetus and readers of this blog will know. 🙂 I do not apologise for my appreciation of physical beauty in regards to his person as I greatly appreciate his talent and personality as well. The man is the complete package when it comes to actors IMHO.
MillyMe said this on October 11, 2010 at 4:59 am | Reply
And you know how much I love that total package, too, MillyMe.
He’s a keeper!!
@MillyMe, thanks for the definition. No apology necessary as I could not agree more that he has the complete package. I appreciate most that he is not “pretty boy” handsome but more of a adult masculine (and in some roles, alpha male-ish without the artificial “body-builder” look) build.
I remember during the promos for SB he talked quite a bit about the training he underwent so that he would look like a “soldier” and not a “bodybuilder”.
I though it interesting that the promos and appearances for Spooks 9 showed him leaner and more slender (his natural tendency) than SB. I’ve also noticed that those Prada button downs disguise his physique than those sexy tees (black, oh my) that he wears as Lucas.
Thanks again for the definition. I learn so much in this class! 🙂
Ann Marie said this on October 11, 2010 at 10:52 am | Reply
My guess, based on what I know about you, fitzg, is that you will say “why is he in this?” and yet nonetheless find things to like about his performance in it. In any case, the closest the script lets him come to a long dramatic monologue is in the very last episode, so you’ll have to hang on until then, I think. 🙂
But I agree, on the face of it, he looked really happy here. How much do we read into it? Probably not not as much we might wish, We weren’t there.
Just the limited, cautious mind working here.
And, he does make me melt, so not quite THAT cautious…
fitzg said this on October 8, 2010 at 1:06 am | Reply
Speaking of melting and similar effects, someone elsewhere said considering the amount of tingles he sends through women’s bodies on a daily basis, he could be considered a one-man powerhouse!
Yeah, they can plug him into the grid in California the next time they are threatened with rolling blackouts. 🙂
“The Body Electric”
I think we have to consider the reality of the business that Richard Armitage is in, and it is a business. We don’t know what he’s being offered and what, if anything, he’s turning down. We may think he’s being offered his pick of Shakesperean roles and period dramas,when the reality, regardless of what he or we want, may be entirely different. Unless he has or finds the money to produce on his own (Richard III as an example of a wonderful idea in need of money) he’s at the mercy of producers, directors, and casting people seeking to hire him. Sometimes it’s just a matter of luck. He’s talked a great deal about how he struggled for a decade before he was in any way successful. I find this so difficult to believe given his good looks and that voice, but for a long time he couldn’t get work. So I don’t blame him at all now for constantly working and taking advantage of being in demand now. He’s probably just now making real money with RH and Spooks. It may be romantic to be a starving artist, unless you’re the one “starving”. I agree that I also think he’s doing Captain America because he’s been trying for a long time to break into the US TV/Movie world, part of the career success he seeks, and so here’s his first job in a Hollywood film, and yes, of course, he’s doing it to get his foot in the door, so he can hopefully be offered better roles. From his interviews I think he yearns himself to do work that’s more artistically fulfilling. I don’t see or think this has changed. This would certainly be wonderful for him, and great for us. We can hope and wish him well.
Musa said this on October 8, 2010 at 2:22 am | Reply
Excellent point, Musa. This also ran across my mind, but I was writing far too much as it was.
There are trends in what’s popular and “hot” as far as what producers and publisher, et al. are looking for. There is an author whose period mysteries featuring Irene Adler from the Sherlock Holmes stories I adore and have re-read several times.
She was asked in an interview why she hadn’t written another entry in the series and she said publishers just weren’t looking for that particular type of book right now (so she has a paranormal series going . . .) You can’t act in what isn’t there or isn’t offered to you. Plain and simple.
I, too, find it hard to believe Richard struggled so hard but he did, and it has to be satisfying for him to finally feel some degree of financial stability. (I think in part he had to grow into his amazing good looks and truly become comfortable with himself; he doesn’t fit the typical pretty boy leading man, certainly, and thank goodness he doesn’t).
I do hope and wish him all the very best and that the bigger and better roles will come, and in the meantime, that he will have satisfaction and enjoyment in all his current projects. I am thrilled success is coming to him and don’t blame him either for taking the audio work along with the TV roles. It can’t hurt to have that delicious voice out there as much as possible . . .
Wow, I didn’t realize that she had stopped writing Irene Adler because publishers didn’t want it — that’s so sad, as it’s an established series and those are excellent books. And I’ve never been able to get into the paranormal stuff with any enthusiasm.
Yey, you’re a Carole Nelson Douglas fan, too, Servetus! I read the first book because I am a Sherlock Holmes fan from my early teens, and I got hooked on her books. I was really saddened to hear there wasn’t a new one in the works. I also enjoy her Midnight Louie series (well, of course, they feature a gumshoe cat, what’s not to love?!)
I read some reviews of her new paranormal series and they were very mixed. Lots of people commented the editing was extremely bad, which again surprised me.
I do admired the fact she has written and published in several genres: historical mystery, contemporary mystery with fantasy elements, sci-fi/fantasy and paranormal. I would love to be as prolific and versatile as she is.
Yes, this is very important. I talk about it at length in the end of the post that I didn’t publish yesterday, so I’ll just agree with you here and not comment if that’s ok with you.
If he’s not offered Shakespeare or period drama or high quality contemporary drama (as opposed to “entertaining” drama) it might be a valid question to ask WHY? After all there are actors who are offered those parts. The obvious answer is that he wasn’t available because for the last few years he has continuously worked on TV series. But could he have gotten such parts if he were free to take them?
I’d really like to know this, too. There are a lot of questions on my mind:
1. Are there physical strictures on being case in a stage lead? Is he just too tall, as he was apparently too tall for musical theatre?
2. Is it that he just can’t even get to those auditions? That the people involved in casting for those things have a shortlist of actors they want to consider and he’s not on it (yet, or still)?
3. Is it that he’s not an ace auditioner?
4. Is it that given the risk-averse features of his personality, he prefers not to try for productions that are less likely to be successful than the kind of thing he does on tv, which is backed by huge audiences and large ad budgets?
5. Is doing so much tv (with its emphasis on editing, short cuts, etc.) affecting his acting skills in the realm of stage material, where the actor must hold the audience’s attention for long periods of time with voice and acting as opposed to closeup?
6. Are people who cast for the stage suspicious of an actor who has such a significant “popular” following?
7. Since he’s had the classical training with LAMDA and the RSC, etc., is it just that his particular skills in acting are not the kind that lend themselves to the lead role in a classical or contemporary drama? I’m not saying “that he’s not good enough,” but that the skills he has don’t fit well with this sort of piece?
I’ve been thinking about this. We would lose some of what many of us love in his screen performances if he stuck strictly to stage performances–the micro-expressions, those tiny but telling details that would be lost on the vastness of a stage.
And perhaps you are right, his impressive skills in acting might not lend themselves to certain types of roles. That certainly doesn’t make him less of a fine actor, but it might limit the venues in which he best shines . . .
Well, we’d have to see how he addressed the challenge of the stage with the audience very far away from the actor’s face. Presumably, he could adapt. One thing I notice in Ultimate Force is how (relatively) open his expressional repertoire is — much more so than in later stuff. It’s like he saw himself on TV and toned it down.
Good point. It’s been a while since I watched UF, but thinking back I can see what you mean.
Obviously people who move back and forth between screen and stage must learn how to adapt and scale down performances for the screen.
Very late to respond, no sure if still anyone is around. I was not necessarily asking about stage productions. As people that run theatres have to fill their seats I don’t even think that being a popular name from TV is a disadvantage, quite the contrary. Many popular TV actor to stage work, in the UK it seems to be relative easily to move between stage, TV and movies yet he does not do it. I was more asking about high quality, serious, awards worthy TV productions. As I mentioned somewhere else, they always seem to cast Matthew Macfayden.
Jane said this on October 17, 2010 at 3:28 pm | Reply
I think each role he takes adds something to his repertoire or provides the opportunity to learn a new acting skill, try out a different media, work with a particular actor or director (and cultivating those connections can’t be bad) or simply just want to try something to see if he’s like it. He has come from a dancing banana to Lucas North and John Porter (scripts not withstanding, large budget and publicity).
I can already see the effect of his Porter training on how Lucas manages his weapons (maybe its because he is still a little built up from the Porter role) but he moves with a masculine, assured grace (I think servetus commented on this after Episode one) that wasn’t as prevalent before Porter. I think, simplistically, in some ways acting as a career can be like other careers in that each job or position we take gives us an opportunity to learn or take something from it whether it be a new skill (How I learned EXCEL) and my current student information system or a new management skill or a connection and even a best friend. And sometimes you just build experience and clout.
So, I want the dear man to keep on working because even when the script is bad or the show is over the top I sit enthralled watching him on screen, not an actor playing the part but the living, breathing character. And sometimes, its just more fun to see what he can do with less lofty roles. Although I have decided that the time for gratuitous nudity has passed. ‘Night all…
Ann Marie said this on October 8, 2010 at 4:36 am | Reply
Exactly, so, Ann Marie. All the different hats I have worn in my various jobs–and as a community journalist in a recession, I have to wear a lot because the staff is small and the county, big–have taught me something new and different.
I can write a fine obituary, a heart-wrenching human interest story, an amusing column, a strictly-by-the-books town council meeting, a whimsical story about Super Saturday at the Library . . . (and thanks to Mr. A’s constant inspiration, do some pretty nifty fan fic writing, I like to think).
Surely all Richard’s roles are broadening his acting repertoire and enriching his experiences. And yeah, Lucas has definitely been enhanced in his action scenes by John Porter, without a doubt.
The actor George Kennedy once said about the great Jimmy Stewart, “even if the picture wasn’t great, you knew it would be worth watching because Jimmy was in it.”
That pretty much sums up how I feel about dear Mr. A.
@Angie..
Yes, you do write some really nifty fanfic (I believe I’ve read most of everything you’ve posted around) and With Mr. A for inspiration its o wonder.
The quote about Jimmy Stewart (coincidentally my favorite actor of that era) is EXACTLY right about I feel about Mr. A.! You hit it dead on. Thank you!
Ann Marie said this on October 8, 2010 at 12:59 pm | Reply
@Ann Marie,
Thanks for your shout-out. Mr. A is directly responsible for me dipping into fiction writing, something I had toyed with before but never seriously, until he came into my life and started inspiring me, first as Guy and then as Lucas and currently, as John Porter.
I also love Jimmy Stewart in every thing from “It’s a Wonderful Life” to “Harvey” and all those Hitchcock movies.
I caught that quote about him from a piece on Turner Classic Movies (another fav) and thought how that suited the way I felt about Richard. Wouldn’t it have been great to see those two on the screen together?
Yes it would. Interesting that one of the articles posted up yesterday he mentions a good night in with a classic movie, North by Northwest. Wasn’t that a Jimmy Stewart movie (I used to know them all and loved them)?
North by Northwest featured Cary Grant (and I was absolutely thrilled to see it was a favorite of his as I am a huge Hitchcock fan and NbN is one of my favs–I used to live in Rapid City where the climactic scene is held and visited Mount Rushmore many times.)
However, Jimmy was in Rope, Vertigo and Rear Window–all great Hitchcock movies.
How odd, I lived in Rapid City for 10 months. First full weekend there, July 4th, got caught in a hailstorm in the Black Hills, a few thousand dollars in damage on the Blazer, it was a dimpled as golf ball. Should have seen the omen.
Oh, the hailstorms were nasty there. I was there three years and one time the hailstorm was so bad there was baseball-sized hail–it left our Chevy out at the base with more damage than it was worth, broke out lots of windows in base housing and killed some poor dog. Growing up in south Alabama, I had never seen hail larger than golf ball-sized. My husband was stationed at Ellsworth. First Blizzard I ever experienced was there. Three days trapped in our house without light and heat. Oh, the stories I could tell . . .
Word. The point about John Porter improving Lucas is especially well taken, I think. It’s really, really clear that Lucas is a lot more physically confident in Spooks 9 than he was in the previous series — he’s “in” his body in a different way, and that has to be due to playing John Porter.
I’ll address nudity in the next post, so for now I’ll just say “this is an important question.”
Ah, I was wondering if you would tackle the ‘getting his kit off’ question.
Re JP’s influence on Lucas, I think some of viewer’s concepts of Lucas being more Alpha male this series is due in part to that new confidence and energy playing John has brought to Richard’s portrayal of Lucas (or should we say, John version 5.0?)
It’s as if his former dance training and his intense training and workouts to play JP have merged to create this very graceful, athletic and dangerous-looking agent I find totally believable and totally watchable as he handles weapons and races through the streets.
This is a matter of perspective. I think JP and LN are bound to be similar as the roles have similar requirements (which again leads to the question if it was wise to do JP at all) especially now LN is team leader and we see him as the action man in the field a lot (BTW didn’t RA say that this series LN is more grid base and cerebral?). Many people enjoy the Porterish Lucas a lot, but there has been critism of his currently limited range as well.
They are actually the two faces of the special services: MI-5 and MI-6, so yes, there are some similarities.
He did say there would be more cerebral time for Lucas; maybe we just haven’t seen that yet.
As for criticism of his portrayal of Lucas, well, I’ve read that ever since S7. “Wooden, limited, a bad actor, just OK eye candy.”
All of which I completely disagree with.
As you say, a matter of perspective.
I don;t think I understand what you mean as currently limited range. Did you men, physical activity of the role, acting ability? I’m not clear.
It has been mentioned elsewhere that the fact that LN has shades of JP is a kind of disappointment as so far RA has managed to make his character very distinctive in the past. I’m not necessarily in agreement but it is in the nature of the beast that two action men/special agents move in a similar way, use similar expression in similar situations etc. .
Jane said this on October 9, 2010 at 5:11 am | Reply
I’ve thought for almost the entire duration of my Armitagemania that it’s interesting that someone who worked as a dancer for so long seemed / seems at some points in his acting work to struggle with controlling his body. I’ve said numerous times that the most frequent point at which an Armitage characterization will erode is when he’s going up or down stairs. Walking is another point at which there are occasionally problems. He establishes a unique walk for each character, but again he’s not always 100% consistent.
So I think it’s odd that he has some difficulties in this regard. Of course, I’m inclined to defend him just by saying that after all, it is the same body, and once you’ve become comfortable in an action role, it’s probably not attractive to “regress,” i.e., to make Lucas do action scenes the way he did before Armitage played Porter.
I just think it’s odd.
It is interesting. It’s like he’s graceful and gawky all at the same time. There’s still that coltishness you see in some scenes in his roles, as if he’s not quite sure what to do with those long limbs of his.
(admittedly, I find this quality endearing, but it has to hamper him in some roles).
He’s described himself as a late bloomer. It’s almost as if everything is finally failing into place–he’s grown into those unconventional good looks and he’s learning to master that sometimes renegade body, too.
@angie, My dear friend who turned me on to Mr. Armitage in the first place hadn’t had a chance to see SB when she saw some photos of John Porter. She mistakenly though they were photos of Lucas. I corrected her and said, when you’ve seen the SB and Mr. Armitage as John Porter you will clearly see how different he is in either role. The differences are just the body build up of Porter but the face and expressions are completely different than Lucas North. I’ve lent her by SB DVD which she has now seen several times and two days ago her facebook status said, “How could I have ever confused John Porter and Lucas North, they are completely different”!
@ann marie, I can glance at a photo of Lucas or John in civilian clothing and know which character it is–Richard just has an amazing ability to inhabit a role and transform himself, and I don’t just mean by gaining or losing weight, being more or less muscular, changing hairstyle, and so forth.
The way he carries himself, the intonation of his voice, his mannerisms–all these things change in sometimes subtle but undeniable ways. RA is an amazing chameleon as a performer. It is so easy for me in my little Sloth Fiction stories to imagine there are all those separate and distinct Characters roaming around in my den, watching telly, eating my cookies and milk and arguing over who’s had the roughest time of it LOL
I agree that Sloth Fiction is the real proof of this point. Or the Lucas – Guy interactions in TAC.
Aren’t you glad you planted the seed of that idea in my mind, Servetus? *grin*
I remember my beta for TAC commenting how easy it was for her to imagine Lucas and Guy being two separate characters with their own distinct personalities who just happened to bear a striking resemblance to one another. And that’s thanks to the Amazing Mr. A.
What is TAC please?
Sorry, Ann Marie, the full title of that fic is Guy & Rebecca: The Adventure Continues. It’s such a mouthful I generally just refer to it as TAC.
Lucas and Guy get to meet each other in that one.
Thanks, I just saw that this weekend when I was trawling several sites looking for fanfic to read to break up the dissertation jags.
Now, I just need to remember where it was…searching can be half the fun. Thanks for the response. I am definitely not on his fandom’s “inner circle”.
Oh, I figured out why I have such typing and tech difficulties on this blog. Your type comes up sooo teensy tiny that it was very difficult to see at all. Think I have it fixed now.
You’re a member at DF, right, Ann Marie?
That will be the easiest place to find TAC, since it’s all tucked neatly into its own topic thread. There are 11 chapters, as I recall, so it should provide you with a nice little dissertation break. The Zoom In button is very handy, isn’t it? My middle-aged eyes have trouble with the small print, too.
BTW I just posted the final chapter-21- of Truce. Feeling quite a sense of accomplishment there. Still got an epiloque to do, but the difficult part for me as a writer is done. Phew!!
angieklong said this on October 11, 2010 at 4:43 am
Servetus, I am in awe as ever of your ability to take a subject, in this case, RA’s roles, and lead your readers into new and interesting areas. Looking up all your references means learning something about Gary Chapman’ 5 languages of love amongst other things.
In this particular post I would say that I agree wholeheartedly with what you and your posters have written. This boils down to:
“The artist must be free to make his own choices” … within the constrictions of this particular industry which, as we all know, is extremely fickle. Richard may have particular goals for himself, and his fans may wish to see him in particular roles, but there are no guarantees in an industry which is quick to pigeonhole people and where the money often follows the flavour of the month. Many seemingly undeserving individuals achieve great success while other talented souls trudge along, perhaps undiscovered until years later, if at all. Those that know something of the British tv and film industry will be aware that money has always been a problem, and that major cut-backs are the reality. In such a climate, and in view of the fact that the States has not yet materialised as an option, I would say that Richard has done well. He has a wide range of roles under his belt and has acquired skills that will always stand him in good stead wherever his career takes him. The voice-overs and adverts give him a steady income and will be good to fall back on if times ever get hard. You have to establish a name for yourself in that branch as well.
Richard once expressed a wish for himself as actor, to have as many and varied roles as possible. Now he’s started talking of desiring The Elephant Man roles. This is an actor who is committed to his craft and whose further development will be a pleasure to follow.
To end. I have always especially loved pictures of Richard grinning or laughing. He seems to be very fond of a good laugh and it’s one of the most endearing qualities of his personality!
MillyMe said this on October 8, 2010 at 10:25 am | Reply
Aaaw. 🙂 Thanks for the love.
Maybe he should tone down his new teeth a little — make it easier for himself to get “ugly” roles. Or go to an audition after a psoriasis breakout … 🙂
Are there fans that truly believe that Mr. Armitage owes them something? Really? Why do they think that? That doesn’t make sense to me.
@Rob said this on October 8, 2010 at 2:49 pm | Reply
Weird as it may seem, @Rob, yes, there is a small (thankfully) group of Richard’s fans who seem to think they can dictate to him how to behave, what parts to take, etc. because they “made” him.
Excuse me, but it’s HIS talent and HIS hard work and dedication and professionalism that have taken him this far. I, for one, am just very thankful I stumbled upon Robin Hood on BBCA a couple of summers ago and the bad boy caught my eye . . .
@angie, I became enamored of him in North &South BUT then I saw Guy’s black leather-clad swagger, the dark hair, the deep voice, the bluest eyes (man, he made black liner rock!) and THAT was my *THUD* moment.
Guy is the role I saw him as first, and it wasn’t an immediate “Thud” to be honest (although I thought him considerably more to my tastes than Robin) but as I watched I became impressed with what he was doing with the character and oh, yes, my, my–Guy is one sexy, sexy boy. Richard is a man who can wear eyeliner without looking silly or effeminate–simply HOT. And Guy will ALWAYS be my favorite RA character because that is the role that brought the lovely man into my radar. N&S, VoD and Sparkhouse just cemented my belief he was one heck of an actor on top of being very nice to look at.
I don’t want to be accused of creating a straw man here. I think it’s not as transparent as that, that they would say “you owe us another N&S because we followed you all these years.” Afaik no one is saying that. It’s more that I read some commentators as thinking “if you keep doing roles that are not in the genre of what I want to watch, I’m going to stop watching you.” That’s entirely fair, and I don’t want to imply that I think anyone has to continue watching Armitage because they loved N&S. It’s rather that I think it’s odd to justify one’s love for N&S on the grounds that Mr. Armitage is a fantastic actor (as opposed to a pretty face) but then say, when he plays a role in which being a pretty face is important, that they’re not going to watch him because he’s betraying his talent. Presumably if he’s a good actor, he’s a good actor in whatever he does. Of this more later today in the conclusion to this post.
I agree, no one should feel they “have” to watch any RA project just because they loved him in N&S or any of his other work.
I do feel really uncomfortable with “fans” who denigrate almost everything else he has done outside of N&S and yes, I have run across some. Sometimes they come across as snobs, and I am afraid I don’t deal with snobbery very well. So I just stay away from them as much as possible.
No, Richard’s work is not all based on great lihhh-ter-atoor, but that doesn’t make it not worth watching. Richard is a very good actor, and frankly, I would watch him even if he lacked that handsome face and physique because I like good acting, period.
And I like to see good acting in a variety of types of roles–comedic, dramatic, period, action, mystery and so forth. His beauty is just the icing on the cake for me. And let’s face it, producers and directors are going to capitalize on having such a good-looking star, and “fluff his hair and erase his wrinkles.” *wink* Maybe he will get that Elephant Man-type role he wants some day. I will still watch, I assure you. The beauty that lies within is to be admired, too.
All of you, and servetus, express my thoughts. Better.
This does appear a very committed actor, “driven” perhaps, which is necessary to persevere in that bloody BUSINESS. Would that it were more art-driven, but that’s not reality.
Yes, he does make a lot of fans melt. And he has slightly unconventional good looks. So fans can pat themselves on the back for recognising all his qualities. (We probably, mostly, don’t swoon over Brad; Maybe, maybe not) But that gives us no rights to feel he owes us. I have my list of characters I’d like to see him play, and I’m 100% certain they’re RIGHT. But, that’s not pay the rent/get on with career RL and have a more comfortable middle-class life than you used to have, when laminating, whatever… 🙂
fitzg said this on October 8, 2010 at 3:09 pm | Reply
Not a Brad swooner. Especially not when he had that horrid beard that made him look like a goat. *giggle* Think he’s a good actor and attractive fellow, but just doesn’t have the effect on me dear RA does.
And a fella as good at acting as Richard certainly should be doing just that, even if not in the most high-brow or artistic of roles, because it truly would be a crying shame to waste all that talent laying floors and the like.
He would make a great William Monk, though . . . *sigh*
Thanks, fitzg. As I wrote in the follow up to this, I’m suspicious of “art,” but I also wouldn’t discount the possibility that if he stays in acting (as opposed to directing or whatever) that he eventually will do more “art” roles — if the people commenting who have been saying that his looks are a barrier to being cast in artier roles are right, as he ages and wrinkles, etc., perhaps those roles will be more available to him. It may exclude Romeo or Hamlet, of course, but not Lear or Prospero.
I haven’t been casting him in my mind in Shakespeare roles, honest I haven’t, but OH. Prospero. I’d love to see him as Prospero.
I look forward to seeing how his roles change (as they inevitably will) as he does age.
I can’t see him trying to play action roles at 60 as some botoxed and lifted American actors have done (one reason I think he is pursuing such roles now, along with the desire to increase his male audience); I think he’s going to age gracefully because he seems to live gracefully and I believe it will give him the opportunity to play very interesting “character-type” roles.
Prospero. Yes, I could definitely see that.
What I meant to ask was are there fans that believe that Mr. Armitage owes his career to them? Huh?
Brad Pitt does nothing for me at all what so ever.
NO! We don’t have “rights”! We can project, but that is in private, or on this blog.
And (no right to project here) definitely William Monk…
There’s also a “Charles Todd” series, with a WWI protagonist, shell- shocked – well, projecting again…
We just have to let him get on with RL, and the acting assignments proferred. And paying for the house/flat, and eating, occasionally. He’s rather large, so probably needs occasional meals…
Well put, fitzg. And the lad seems to genuinely enjoy his food, which I quite like to see in a man. *grin*
I have read those novels, fitzg. I think he’d be fantastic in the role — you’re thinking of the policeman, former WWI officer, who executed his friend and trench comrade for subordination? That is some of the most intriguing crime fiction I’ve read in years.
I just read somewhere that he weighs 13 stone. He probably has to eat quite a bit to maintain that, with his lifestyle. I wonder that he worries about pizza and beer.
I’ve got to read Perry’s WW I novels. I think I read the first one and for some reason didn’t get to the rest, which is unusual for me as I think I have read every single Pitt and Monk novel she has written. I’ve always enjoyed her work.
182 pounds–yeah, and I bet a lot of that is muscle, which weighs more than fat. Playing Porter must have had him wolfing down protein constantly.
Well, you know he said he also has to watch his alcohol consumption while filming Spooks because the transfers are put on with alcohol and drinking too much of it makes them fade out quickly.
I think that the Financial Times article from yesterday is quite interesting and relevant to the discussions above.
kaprekar said this on October 9, 2010 at 12:04 am | Reply
I agree, and anyone who wants to read it can access it at http://www.richardarmitagenet.com RA comes across as a very prudent person who is wisely not depending on the government to take care of him in his old age. As a side note, I also found his love and respect for his parents for all their support very lovely, in part because it mirrors the way I felt about my own late parents for all their sacrifices. I wanted to spoil them a bit, too.
Great interview I thought. How adorable can he be – LOL? I do love what a level headed person he is despite being in a crazy business. Love the story about parking his car in an inconspicuous place so his colleagues didn’t think he was showing off! He should come to my office where people love to show off their giant SUV’s 🙂 Also love his choice of films.I feel we get to know a little bit more about him as a person in this interview.
Yes, I particularly enjoy these types of interviews that are not strictly about an upcoming project–although I enjoy those, too– but given us a bit more about him, his tastes, his goals, his outlook on life. He does seem to be incredibly grounded and down to earth in a business that doesn’t exactly seem to abound in such personalities. I loved the car story, too. Such modesty!
I imagine not showing off is more important in England than in the US, where people take showing off to a fine art 🙂
I thought that, too, Servetus. We park our big honkin’ vehicles where everybody can see them AND put vanity plates on them . . . the American way!
Indeed. I read that as I was about half way through writing these two pieces.
In an interview some time ago, Richard told us he could never marry an actress. I believe him and expect he will marry as he supposed Sir Guy would have, one of the “royals.” (Poor fellow)
Servetus, you make me think I’m back in grad school. Ugh!
Armitage’s role in Captain America will make the Nazi look better than it ever has. Look out for more neo-Nazi love. RA really is great at playing bad guys and America LOVES BRITISH BAD GUYS. This could do for RA what it did for Patrick Stuart of Star Trek fame.
Mary Lou said this on October 9, 2010 at 1:25 am | Reply
Excellent point about American loving Brit baddies, @Mary Lou. Alan Rickman certainly comes to mind; Jeremy Irons has also provided some good “bad guy” moments as have many others over the years.
Rickman (another favorite of mine) is a nice reference — someone else who has one or two iconic screen roles that get him money to live off and who can spend the rest of his time doing theatre or smaller film as he wishes. Who also has a very long term relationship with an extremely normal woman who appears most to wish to stay out of the limelight.
Yes, Alan always be the deliciously nasty sheriff in Prince of Thieves for many, but I also think of his work in Truly, Madly, Deeply (love that film), and now the Harry Potter movies . . . and many small projects, too. He’s someone else I always enjoy watching.
And it’s good to hear he has that long-term relationship with a normal gal . . . Richard seems to like “normal” ladies, too, and that is so refreshing.
angieklong said this on October 10, 2010 at 10:02 pm | Reply
Rickman has been together with Rima Horton since the late 1960s, I believe. He says such sweet things about her in print. I’m prejudiced because she’s been an adjunct economics professor and has a less than model-like figure, I suppose — makes me think that we normal mortals can attract such magnetic men. She was also some kind of London city politician, I believe (would have to look it up).
Wow, that is long term for regular folks these days, much less a celeb. Good for them!! When I tell people I just celebrated my 25th anniversary this year, they seem impressed by that. But then I think about it and a lot of our classmates have been divorced at least once and several more than once. Because I’ve had a happy long-term relationship, it makes me really feel good to see others who have enjoyed the same sort of partnership.
If there is anyone who would not marry a member of the Royal family, it is Richard. He would loathe the fuss and publicity that such a life-style would entail. Sir Guy had “greater ambitions” of establishing himself in society. Richard deliberately keeps a low profile in his private life.
MillyMe said this on October 9, 2010 at 7:43 am | Reply
Yeah, imagine Mr. Armitage having to invite his mum and dad to Christmas celebrations at Balmoral. 🙂
Nope, don’t see Richard as the type to marry royalty. He has quite enough of life in a fishbowl as it is.
Quicky: I did not know Patrick Stewart is british!! I’m very fond of him since I was 10 or so with ST:TNG and just now I discover that.
PS also played Mr. Thornton on the BBC in a very early stage of his career. So lots of hope for Mr. Armitage, as PS has had a very distinguished career, and starring in a cult scifi series didn’t do him any harm at all. I had no idea who he was until ST:TNG, in which I loved him.
I didn’t know Patrick once played Mr. Thornton! I’ve loved him ever since I first saw him as Captain Jean-Luc Picard. “Engage!” I’ve been watching some eps of TNG running on BBCA right now. A nostalgia trip.
I wonder what Patrick Stewart’s fans thought when they heard about his participation in Star Trek? I wonder could be some of the same as I’m reading about Mr. Armitage’s (official on IMDB now) participation in Captain America (CA)? Perhaps some of the “how could he, he’s so much better than that”? Turned out to be an iconic role. One never knows.
Great point, Ann Marie. I’m sure some turned their noses up at it. And now, as you say, he’s an icon.
This blog IS graduate school, Mary Lou. That stuff about the Institute of Richard Armitage Studies is not a joke. At the end of the blog you will be given six hours to answer an interpretive question about Mr. Armitage’s career in writing, after which you will be given 30 minutes to defend your answer in front of a board of three examiners. If you fail, you may retake the test once, but if you fail a second time, you will be expelled without possibility of redress from the Institute.
I’m sorry, I thought you knew that! 🙂 Flee while you can!
*grin* Oh, Servetus. You tease, you.
You don’t believe me? I believe that I need to ask the John Porter Chair how your MA thesis is coming along 🙂
The John Porter chair reporting: Angie is nearing completion of her MA thesis and, once the epilogue of Truce is completed, will have passed with flying colours. She is to be awarded a disctinction in honour of her ability to substantially increase her readers’ tingle factor with each chapter she has written.
Yesss! *does a little happy dance*
And more tingling to come!
(Wish I could split a bottle of bubbly with John and Layla . . .)
@servetus, Can i just say that I LOVE the way you write administrative policy! I can imagine the entrance exam…..or better yet, may I please have permission to do a research-based study abroad? I plan on ace-ing this program..hehe.
Yes, you can do a research project abroad, or you can also do a practical internship if you can find someone to supervise it at Kudos or the BBC 🙂
We’re very flexible here at the Institute, we want each student to fulfill not only her potential, but also her desires 🙂
**Spoiler Alert** If you read the interview with Laila Rouass be prepared for a real spoiler, in my opinion.
You’re not kidding, @ann marie. I am wondering if those scenes she is alluding to are current day or flashback scenes (because we know RA shot some 1995 scenes in Wandsworth . . .) and that is all I had better say.
Please. I am stockpiling all the publicity for S9 so as to preserve the potential to be surprised!!!
My lips are sealed.
@angie and servetus,
I somehow missed a spoiler alert on that article from RichardArmitageNet.com when I clicked on the link. I wouldn’t have read the article had I realized it (there is a spoiler alert there now) as I have been trying to avoid reading spoilers and just enjoying the fun of letting the series unfold each week. 😦
A great post, as usual. I’m pretty ambivalent about fandom in general. I did the Duranie thing in high school and I wonder how much of fan response is conditioned by years of reading teen magazines. That’s what bothered me about the “Life in a Day” article, it seemed channeled by dianediane in Bop! during the Seven and the Ragged Tiger tour in 1985. There were entire sections of the magazine dedicated to stories of fan meetings with the band and you know what? The stories I read of fans meeting Armitage, exhilirating as they are, are no different. It bothers me that I find them exhilirating to begin with. I don’t begrudge fans their meetings or their joy; I just think that *I* should be past it.
A friend of mine is the younger sister of a major rock star. You would absolutely know him if I mentioned his name. When she turned 21 a mutual friend of ours threw her a surprise party in a restaurant. Her whole family was there except her rock star brother. He didn’t want her party to become about him or any insane people to ruin it for her. How sad is that? This same man was accosted in a record store by some people from Sweden who’d come to town on a Dead Rock Star pilgimage. They were flashing around photos they’d taken of gravestones, of places where people had died and were particularly pleased to have found the apartment building where one Almost Rock Star ODed. Rock Star Brother and Almost Rock Star had been roommates. RSB walked in the door just as they were crowing about finding the place where his roommate, friend, blood brother and creative partner had died. They chased him around the store asking him what it was like to find the body. How do you kick someone in the soul like that? That’s a level of callousness that I cannot comprehend but they excused themselves by calling themselves fans.
jazzbaby1 said this on October 9, 2010 at 2:57 am | Reply
This is a really sensitive comment, jazzbaby1. I think that you are right that somehow the exhilaration fans feel when they encounter their desired wish object can cause them to abandon everything else that makes them human. No artist, no matter how famous, ever deserves that sort of treatment from fellow humans, let alone fans, who claim to respect and admire him. You get at the weird paradox that sometimes fans seem to want most to destroy the objects of their affection.
At the same time, exhilaration, the capacity for unbounded excitement, is an important moment in being human. I wouldn’t want to give it up. The problem is remembering that that sensation does not exempt one from the Golden Rule. I wonder if there’s any way to remind people of that when they’re in the situation of meeting their favorite artist.
Thank goodness most fans don’t go to those awful extremes.
That’s not fandom to me, that’s really poor manners and inexcusable.
I am with you, Servetus–unbounded excitement, the “squee” factor is one of the nicest parts of being human and something I don’t want to lose, either.
I think maybe the distinction is that the squee by itself is sufficient — the cause doesn’t need to see that or acknowledge it for it to be meaningful.
Very interesting post as always, Servitus. I’ve been following Richard Armitage’s work for four years and I’m just as interested in the genres he chooses as I was when I first saw him in Vicar of Dibley. While N&S was the catalyst for an increase in his fanbase and the start of his online communities, I actually feel that it was the character of Guy of Gisborne that he is best known for. Some might disagree with me but by the time RH Series 2 had finished airing, many of the initial N&S fans had become quieter and were replaced by the Guy lovers. I still believe that RA is most well known for that role but now it is over, people are moving on. I think the fanbase is a continually evolving phenomen and as RA plays new roles he will attract new and different audiences. I therefore believe that choice of work must be more dictated by the actor’s interest in that work and script, the availability and working conditions and not by whether his old audiences might like it or not, although, I agree that his comment when Strike Back was first aired gave the impression he cared what they thought. I guess he has to have the confidence to know that his professional skills are strong enough to survive a dubious work choice (if one ever arises) and my personal belief is that he has the ability to do great things with even poorly written scripts. If he continues to put in the hard yards and delivers good performances, then he will always have an audience even if the demographic of that audience is constantly evolving and changing. I’m interested that RA has never mentioned in an interview (to my knowledge), how important a good review is to his work. I would have thought a good review from a respected film/theatre critic is more important to an actor than whether a group of his existing fans like a particular work. I think the man will always have an audience and I would like to see him in a role that will win him an award for acting excellence at some stage.
mulubinba said this on October 9, 2010 at 3:15 am | Reply
I appreciate this longer term and broader perspective on the views of the fandom than I have. (I also hesitated to some extent while composing these two posts insofar as I need to concede that my opinions about Mr. Armitage and his fans may well change when I’ve been watching him for several years, as opposed to now, after about a year.)
I imagine a good theatre review is probably important for future roles in theatre, but I can’t imagine that good reviews for television performances influence all that much, since television is much more directly driven by viewer numbers and sales.
@mulubinba: Good reviews are not essential in an appraisal of one’s work. There are so many different motives for how your work is assessed and who is doing the assessimg, believe me. I have personal knowledge of this as my son is in the music industry. Depending on a good review would have the effect of crippling your own feeling about your work. You have to trust yourself, sometimes in the face of fierce opposition. Isn’t this what trailblazers have always experienced -first, denigration by the establishment, years later, acclamation, often by the same?
There’s also the question of the source: a good review is of differing value depending on who gives it and where it appears. I write a lot of book reviews (about 20 per year over the last decade) and I notice that people take what I say more seriously when it appears in a major venue as opposed to a less respected one.
This made me think of those blurbs promoting really lousy movies where they flash one or two words on the screen–“amazing” (“It’s amazing how boring this movie is”) or where the critic’s name is printed in very tiny words so you can’t see it’s from one of those “less respected” sources. *grin*
[…] 2 of this. I can't believe this actually got longer than part 1 — when I originally got here, I thought, […]
Mr. Armitage, his fans, our pursuit of “great art,” and me as critic, part 2 « Me + Richard Armitage said this on October 9, 2010 at 11:31 am | Reply
[…] shake off the rest, and above all, don’t take this aspect of your career too seriously. You gotta do what you gotta do, Mr. Armitage. Because we’re going to react the way we end up reacting no matter how hard you try to […]
At least for me, Mr. Armitage, you got it just about right « Me + Richard Armitage said this on October 17, 2010 at 11:31 pm | Reply
[…] have been stronger in the last year than ever, but the scripts have been so questionable. Particularly since Strike Back aired, a sort of vague concern’s been abroad that Mr. Armitage … We’ve been waiting the requisite amount of time for the new season of Spooks, but like me, […]
That nunc dimittis feeling, or: Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it « Me + Richard Armitage said this on October 24, 2010 at 6:52 am | Reply
[…] This matter of “great art” is something you and I disagree about (Servetus’ position part one; part […]
Fan showcase (Jane, part 3) « Me + Richard Armitage said this on January 18, 2012 at 8:12 pm | Reply
[…] aired in my two posts on the question of Armitage and the necessity of great art at extreme length (part one / part two), so I won’t rehearse them here, but suffice it to say that “great […]
Reasons I love Richard Armitage in Strike Back, #1 « Me + Richard Armitage said this on January 24, 2012 at 2:50 am | Reply
[…] many different forms: as a comment on the importance of projects with a higher culture component (part 1 and part 2) and also as comment on whether he should appear at fan convention events (so I am glad […]
Armitage stands in the back, or: Tropes Armitage fans live by « Me + Richard Armitage said this on June 28, 2012 at 5:41 am | Reply
[…] the King Richard Armitage fan initiative. Mainly because I am a very strong supporter of the “Richard Armitage knows best what roles Richard Armitage should take to make Richard Armitage happy a…” position and I’ve said that many times in many different […]
Richard III won’t make me squee. Right? « Me + Richard Armitage said this on August 24, 2012 at 2:41 am | Reply
[…] A number of thoughts burst into my mind in response to that particular interpretation of the confession, and some of them I’m factoring out (the potential perspectives one could adduce from Armitage’s position, for example, or those from the perspective of fans who have been around for some time but not since North & South, like my own). Others I am skirting intentionally because they seem likely only to provoke the sort of self-righteous policing statements that I don’t care to entertain anymore — for instance, the whole question of the obligation, if any, Armitage has to fans and especially those of the first hour, which I’ve discussed before. […]
Losing Armitage? or Thorin aches and pains, part 1 « Me + Richard Armitage said this on October 20, 2012 at 1:54 am | Reply
[…] & South because they loved historical romance (and wanted to see him in more of it, and in more “great art” roles) or to the group of fans who’d fallen in love with Guy of Gisborne (whom I was with on not […]
[…] “Mr. Armitage, his fans, our pursuit of “great art,” and me as critic, part 1.” October 7, 2010. The first part of my argument, in the wake of fan restlessness over the […]
[…] a specific one with much forcefulness. (This position was articulated long ago; see arguments here or here, for instance.) I definitely want Armitage to get what Armitage […]
Richard Armitage Legenda 77: Stuff worth reading | Me + Richard Armitage said this on May 4, 2013 at 11:56 pm | Reply
[…] Richard III, which I would love to see him do.) I’ve been on record since the Fall of 2010 as agnostic with regard to roles — Armitage should do what Armitage wants. (So please don’t comment that I’m […]
Batman, Batman, Batman? or: Would I follow Richard Armitage to another comic book role? | Me + Richard Armitage said this on August 7, 2013 at 7:05 am | Reply
[…] or something he was reasonably proud of. The showreel seemed cut to display a variety of things but heavily put his action repertoire and his capacity for violent athleticism on display over his m…. So I wanted to look more closely at that scene, since its presence seemed to indicate it meant […]
Is John Standring forever? An early ugly Armitage | Me + Richard Armitage said this on February 3, 2014 at 6:28 am | Reply
[…] necessarily or incredibly likely to be a woman. And this isn’t a dealbreaker for me — I realized long ago that I would be likely to go almost anywhere with Richard Armitage in terms of r…, although I wasn’t excited about vampires. (I think snuff films were on my list of absolute […]
Finally: What’s bugging me about Richard Armitage as Francis Dolarhyde | Me + Richard Armitage said this on February 8, 2015 at 4:50 am | Reply
[…] writing, approaching four years ago. Very early on this blog, I stated my emphatic position that the crush should not spend too much time worrying about what his fans want. So this topic is not something that only concerns me now, on what now looks like it will have been […]
Richard Armitage fan or professional marketer: Why it matters | Me + Richard Armitage said this on November 6, 2015 at 6:09 am | Reply
[…] me; I said how I feel about that years ago and nothing’s changed.) My personal stance is that fans should have no influence at all on role choice. I/we haven’t made that kind of investment in his career. However, we certainly have the […]
2015 at “me + richard armitage” in review, part two | Me + Richard Armitage said this on March 20, 2016 at 5:05 am | Reply
[…] for three decades and he doesn’t need us to defend his words, his career, his actions, his role choices, his relationships, or anything about his life. He makes his own decisions about deleting tweets […]
Handy guide for recognizing trolls in the Richard Armitage fandom | Me + Richard Armitage said this on June 13, 2016 at 5:12 am | Reply
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/ News / ‘Mother urges school funding for ME pupils’
‘Mother urges school funding for ME pupils’
From the ‘Bournemouth Echo’ – Thursday, December 6
AN EAST Dorset mother is calling on the government to give schools more funding to help young people suffering from ME chronic fatigue, after her daughter was crippled by the disease.
June Minton says she has spent the last five years trying to get adequate support for teenage daughter Annabel, who suffers severe pain when she walks, and cannot manage stairs on her own.
June says Annabel’s school, Ferndown Upper, has tried its very best to accommodate the 15-year-old but says the safety net of social services and general medical advice have failed and her daughter’s education and future life chances are suffering.
The single parent from St Lives, said: "My daughter is a lovely girl, mature, brave, intelligent and kind. She is practical and caring.
"We just need more support with her education and practical help until she is well again which I, and she, do believe will happen gradually.
"I know of several people with this who are now leading normal lives again, or nearly so."
Annabel’s problems started five years ago when she contracted glandular fever and never regained full health.
June claims that an initial misdiagnosis of her condition delayed the little help later offered to Annabel, worsening her illness.
And she says she had to find out all about the illness herself from lack of guidance from doctors.
The teenager has been on extended GCSE study leave at home since January, but prior to that only managed 20 per cent attendance because she couldn’t move around the school.
Head teacher, Alex Willis, said: "I agree with Ms Minton’s call for more funding for schools. We have disabled access and lifts in school and we’ve had several wheelchair users go through with great success.
"But in Annabel’s case, even though she has ME she’s not entitled to additional funding and what she needs are human resources – her own assistant – to help her get about the school because she does not have the strength."
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Modern Borefare
Better than a six demon bag
What’s Modern Borefare?
Tag Archives: Darth Vader
ImperviousRex
Art, Films
You Got Your Star Wars Characters in My ’80’s High School Movie!
Denis Medri returns with even more killer re-designs (see his previous attempts at Batman & his gang as ’50’s greasers and a steampunk Spider-Man!), this time re-imagining the cast of Star Wars as members of an ’80’s high school film. Star Wars: Losin’ It? Return of Weird Science? Heathers Strike Back?
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Clinigen Group acquires oncology support product from Novartis
AIM-listed pharmaceutical products and services business Clinigen Group has acquired Cardioxane (dexrazoxane) from Novartis for 33m dollars in cash, payable in two tranches.
Under the terms of the agreement, Clinigen will assume responsibility for manufacturing, registration, distribution, and commercialization of the product in countries where current marketing authorizations exist. This includes European, Asian and Latin American territories.
Cardioxane, an oncology support therapy, is a cardioprotective agent used to prevent the cardiotoxicity of anthracycline chemotherapy for patients with advanced and/or metastatic breast cancer.
According to Clinigen, there is an opportunity to revitalize Cardioxane- which it said has no direct licensed competition in the anthracycline therapy cardioprotection space- by utilizing new commercialization, market and indication strategies over the next five years.
The group said that historic revenues for Cardioxane have been approximately $11-12m per annum. Clinigen is targeting a gross margin of 60%.
Latin America seen as strong marketAccording to the group, Latin America is a strong market for Cardioxane, and is of particular interest to Clinigen, because it is a territory in which the group wishes to expand its reach and which may improve access routes for existing portfolio products such as Foscavir, as well as products that Clinigen may acquire in the future.
Peter George, Chief Executive Officer of Clinigen, said: "Acquiring Cardioxane from Novartis is another major step forward for us".
He added: "Cardioxane fits particularly well within our portfolio. We have been looking for medicines that complement Foscavir and Cardioxane does this by extending our role in oncology support. Together with our recent addition of VIBATIV, which further builds on our anti-infective capability, we are delivering on our mission to supply the right drug to the right patient at the right time."
Clinigen Group's share price was up 7.59% to 255p at 14:36 on Tuesday.
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Home Exclusives Leeds exclusive: Pundit claims potential ‘big issue’ brewing over ‘injured’ star player
Leeds exclusive: Pundit claims potential ‘big issue’ brewing over ‘injured’ star player
MOT Leeds News speaking to Paul Robinson
27th November 2020 at 12:40pm
We’re delighted to welcome former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Leeds United…
Paul Robinson has said that if Pablo Hernandez isn’t injured there’s a real issue at the club.
Hernandez hasn’t played since reacting petulantly to getting taken off in the game against Leicester.
Bielsa admitted that he dropped him when fit from the squad to face Crystal Palace ahead of the international break and Hernandez apologised on his Instagram account.
However, since the international break, Bielsa has said that he’s been injured and he hasn’t featured in a matchday squad since.
Talking exclusively to MOT Leeds News Robinson said, “If it’s not an injury it’s worrying.
“We were told he was left out of the squad before the international break because of disciplinary reasons.
“But the manager dealt with it, Hernandez apologised so you think it’s all water under the bridge.
“We’ll see. Whenever he’s brought back into the squad… there will be a real issue if there’s no injury, let’s put it that way.
“Talking hypothetically, if it’s dragged on this long and he’s not injured then there would be a big issue.
“You just hope the truth’s coming out that he’s injured and that he will be ready for the next game.
“You know what you’re getting with Pablo, you know he’s going to get injuries, you know he’s not going to play all the games.
“It’s about man managing players. A player of his age and his quality you kind of accept that. He’s of an age where he’s nearing the end of his career but he’s still got bundles of ability.”
With Hernandez out, either Gjanni Alioski or Rodrigo will get the nod to start against Everton on Saturday.
Alioski would play at left-back while Stuart Dallas would move up into midfield.
In other Leeds United news, MOT View: Bielsa revelation proves Orta could have uncovered biggest Leeds bargain yet
Previous articleMOT View: Bielsa revelation proves Orta could have uncovered biggest Leeds bargain yet
Next articleAnother Everton star ruled out v Leeds, Ancelotti suggests two rarely-seen players start
‘Amazing’, ‘Absolutely brilliant’ – These Leeds fans wowed by Graham Smyth player update
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Belgian Formula 1 Grand Prix 2021
27 ►29 Aug
PACKAGESTICKETSTRAVEL & PARKINGACCOMMODATION
Belgian F1 2021Gold: 7 Source
Gold 7 is located on the exit to the La Source hairpin as the cars head up the straight towards L'Eau Rouge. To the right, a partial view of the pit straight can be seen.
Marcos Kohler
Couldn’t pick my seats
Unfortunately, I couldn’t choose my seats. We were seated on row 2, with the sun on our faces and too low to enjoy
This was my second trip to Spa and it didn't disappoint. Access to car parks was well signed and even after the race on Sunday the delays were not so bad. Facilities in Spa could be better considering the number of fans attending.
Well above expectations.
Organisation, access and overall atmosphere was excellent. We will be back to Spa in the future.
Great iconic race met expectations
Always a great race weekend, with so much support at the track, especially from the Dutch, but really from all over. Well organised, including the traffic which is a challenge with so many visitors and so many windy roads around the track - a lesson which other tracks could learn from eg Bahrain. Food and drink OK, bit over-priced, but not the worst for that. One criticism would be the idiot that F1 has brought in recently to "warm up the crowd". Honestly this just trivialises the whole event. Every F1 race is a major major sporting event, and to be told that the drivers need us to do Mexican waves to "give them the energy they need for the race" is a complete nonsense, and frankly a turn off. Please can F1 (I presume it's Liberty) be told to drop this idea
Great experience once you get there, If you get there.. Terrible transport
We stayed in Liege and travelled to and from the circuit daily. That journey should take max 1.5 hours, but took almost 2.5 - 3 hours each way on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This is due to the utterly terrible transport links to the circuit in Francorchamps. We tried the recommended route through Spa - Which was utterly horrendous and found ourselves stranded in the middle of nowhere. We used a seemingly more well known route by people who have visited the track before, through Vervier. Which was a bit more straight forward but massively let down by the circuits 'shuttle service'. Which is nowhere near an actual shuttle service. The buses wait at the stop in Vervier for up to an hour (the heat was blistering on race weekend 2016) with no aircon, to try and pack the bus out completely. Instead of just going every 10 mins like you would expect a shuttle service to do. We ended up getting onto normal buses in Vervier to Franchorchamps (294/395) and completely disreguarded the terrible shuttle service that is in operation. There's no timetable (start and finish times or frequency) anywhere, and when you ask police they tell you they'll come/leave when they come. The transport and fact that the main roads do not get shut off properly (they should be shut off for buses) means that you may miss practice (p3 like we did) even though you left with ample time because they just cannot get the transport right.
Nightmare to get to. Great race circuit though.
Far too few toilets and a very poor selection of food. Not enough stalls so long queues
An older couple
Spa 2016
Main issue is getting there and back. Car parks are generally 25/30 minutes walk away and the walk is hilly (and it was 35 degrees Friday and Saturday). Getting to the car parks can be a nightmare - tailbacks are to the E42 and miles back on that. Obviously it is a rural location, but the organisation to get cars at peak times into the car parks is really poor (a single entrance and far too few stewards - so it is not surprising there is a tailback, and in 35 degrees!). Astonishing nobody in F1 seems to care about this enough to observe it - we could have made suggestions in about 5 minutes to improve - there is ample space, but getting cars into it was just too slow. Getting away the only advice is to leave early - getting there arrive at crack of dawn. Facilities at the circuit are pretty basic - loos are to be avoided if atall possible. At one time on Saturday the pay loo (70cents) was out of order in the "gold" 7 stand area and one single disabled loo had to be brought into general use. As oldies my wife and I, who have been to Monte Carlo and Hockenheim found Spa a very physically wearing experience particularly in the heat, although being at La Source was a good viewing area - we saw exactly what happened to the Ferraris and Verstappen!
Nice race, shame about the organisers - Rip off Merchants R Us ...
Firstly, the organisers should get a grip. On Saturday the toilets next to Gold 7 were out of use so all viewers in Gold 7 and Gold 8 had to wait to use one of two Dixie Toilets. The queues were horrendous, as were the toilets, no doubt, at the end of the day. Why set up a toilet wagon which is defective? Queuing is a central theme to Spa. No, you can't queue to buy a hamburger or chips. First you have to buy tokens - 6 for 20 Euros. Once you have queued 20 Minutes for your tokens, you can now queue to buy your food. Or ice cream. Or drinks. I think the idea is to deflect attention away from the fact that a Magnum Ice cream effectively costs €6,66. I paid for parking - yellow 10. However this was full so we were placed into the back yard of a camping site and told that we are not allowed to leave before 7pm - the race finished at 4! Bearing in mind our yellow 10 parking cost us significantly more than the 16€ face price yet the parking we were assigned was only charging €10, it shows what a rip off Spa has become.
dawn plimmer
first time F1
The dining options were very limited within the track and most concessions were very busy at peak periods. pay toilets were good. Would be great if you could get commentary in your own language on the radio channels rather than a mix of languages which can be confusing.
Keith Edwards
Good seats, signage at the circuit appauling to get to your seat.
Lovely weekend, good seats but yellow parking car park when we came out to the circuit there were no signs to the correct stand so followed the crowd and ended up walking miles. It needed a circuit plan at the exit of the car park with "you are here" arrow. Signage in circuit was also terrible and we had to keep asking the way to the stand. When we came out of car park on race day, marshals had disappeared and it was a free for all from 4 lanes and took us three hours! Organization needs to be a lot better.
Helaina Harley
Amazing circuit!
This is the first time we have gone to the belgian circuit and I must say its an amazing track. Some parts are quite steep but overall its got everything you need. We had seats in Gold 7 and the view was great (1st corner from the start). We stayed at the camping F1 site which is about a 20 min walk which i would also highly recommend.
Belgian F1
D & R
F1 for the first time
As this was our first experience of F1 we read through all the reviews before we went to find out more about the set up of the day etc. As we were not able to answer all our questions from other peoples reviews we would like to add them now we have experienced F1 for myself. Firstly we booked the coach transfer from Liege train station. We were told to find the coach at the rear exit of the station. After some confusion about where the coach would be parked a coach arrived with no signage to say it was our transport. On asking the drivers assistant and showing him our official tickets and paperwork he could not confirm in English if this was the correct coach. Then the coach moved to another car park and other people boarded the coach. At this point we also made our way to the coach again and was told by other spectators that it was the correct coach. It would have been beneficial for us to have had the name of the coach company or at least for a sign in the front window of the coach to indicate it was for SPA F1 as we were not the only confused passengers. Where we sat was a little disappointing as we didn't see any overtaking. We found the coach parked in the P1 area at 4.15pm as we were told. Just a note on the return journey - it takes about an hour and a half to get out of the venue before even reaching the main roads so make sure you have water/snacks for a very long journey after the race. We were back at Liege station by about 7pm.
Terri Beale
General review
I was very pleased with our tickets/stand view, the seating was adequate and the view good quality, there are some minor things that I wasn't as satisfied with. 1) parking- I paid in advance for parking for the whole weekend approximately £40 (€16 per day) however the car parks where less then adequate, our car got stuck in the field following the rain and on our way out of the circuit there were car parks changing €10 per day, much less then I paid. 2) stands- although our seats were fantastic I found it odd that on Friday and Saturday you couldn't experience other grand stands as you can at other circuits such a silverstone. 3) signs where not clear we got lost every morning as the route we took the previous day had been closed off. Other then that I was pleased with the experience. Staff were friendly and helpful,
Ian Weakford
Great weekend, shame about the F1 race!
This was my first time at Spa and I really enjoyed the weekend. The circuit is fantastic. Allowing the fans access to the track after the race and seeing the TV interviews taking place in the pit lane helped overcome the disappointment of a rather dull F1 race. For entertainment, Saturday was the better day. The food outlets close to the stands are very limited creating long queues between races - advice - bring your own. Charging to use the toilets is just taking the...!
G Coco
It,s a must see Grand Prix, Spectacular track & location !
The 3 day trip to the circuit & parking in the yellow designated area was an experience in it self, just beware to leave time to walk to the track from the car park, driving in & out is fully controlled. La Source 7 was an absolute great stand but if you somehow can 8 is worth it. Be prepared to walk if you want to see even a less than a quater of the circuit, it's not flat & it's big ! Over all I enjoyed it immensely, I highly rate this circuit as a must go & see !
Fionnan Collins
Belgian GP 26-28/08/11
Excellent seats, great views of corner and circuit. Only gotcha is for photographers like me who had to try and shoot over the fence during practice and qualifying but had no chance of getting clear snaps during race. Advance parking booking may help, not sure if this was an option when I booked. Overall I hope to attend next year, hence great weekend.
MGinnit
Only "Jobsworths" spoil this event.
My only gripes about this weekend, were that the circuit literature says you are allowed to take alcohol into the circuit (Not strong Liquer), but the cold beers that I had transported in the fridge in my motorhome all the way from England - were confiscated at the gate as we went to do the pitwalk on Thursday! The guard said I could collect them on my way out, but lo and behold, he and my beers had dissapeared, there's a surprise! I wish I'd just opened them and poured them away instead! The only other "Jobsworth" I had the misfortune to meet, wouldn't let us walk down the La Source entrance with Gold 7 tickets (the way we came out!), but you could if you had Gold 8 - the grandstand next door!! This just added a 10 minute walk. albeit uneccessary. Come on Circuit organisation, it's not like you haven't done this before.
Anne B
Sensational race on a spectacular track!
Go prepared for rapidly changing weather and temperatures! Although totally drenched during practice, the rain made for more exciting driving. Don't miss going up to Eau Rouge and beyond, a lot steeper than it looks on TV. Track food predictably burgers/frites/sausages but plenty of Belgian beer. Security tight. Terrific atmosphere and the race itself full of thrills and spills. At the end of the day, the best man won! Elephant campsite muddy but closest to the circuit.
How can you not enjoy a F1 race at Spa? Facilites are basic and there is not much variety of food nor strangely huge chioce of merchandise areas but our gransdstand at Source had a great atmosphere and view. Only gripe would be the official car parking, it took two hours to get to the back of the motorway queue and the organsiation of traffic was pretty inadequate.
Children aged 5 and under are granted free entry but must sit on their parent's lap in a grandstand unless a separate child ticket is purchased. Children aged 6 and above will require an entry ticket, for both General Admission and Grandstand tickets. Identification may be required for children on the day. Discounted child tickets are valid for persons aged 15 and under.
Disabled Tickets
A disabled podium for wheelchair users is available next to the Gold 7 grandstand. A disabled spectator and one carer can use the podium - each person will require a separate ticket. Please select the Wheelchair Podium ticket(s) from the ticket list. A disability card may be required both at the time of booking and on arrival at the circuit.
Pit Walk
A free afternoon pit walk and drivers' autograph session is expected to be held on the Thursday for all 3-day ticket holders (subject to confirmation). You will not need to pre-book to take part in the Pit Walk.
Spa-Francorchamps circuit is a very popular circuit for General Admission. If you are purchasing a Bronze: General Admission ticket, you are welcome to take fold-down chairs and blankets with you, but please be advised that the terrain of this area can be quite rough and hilly in places. Due to the size of this circuit, there may also be long walks to the General Admission areas, depending on the entrance that you use.
Please note: All tickets except hospitality passes will be issued as e-tickets. Tickets will be issued 2 - 4 weeks before the race.
Once you have selected your tickets, head to the checkout for more details on delivery options.
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This product and its features are subject to move and change without notice and so the information and media in the profile is not guaranteed to be up-to-date or an exact representation of your experience. If you have a specific question about Gold: 7 Source, then do not hesitate to contact us.
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MOVIEBOB CENTRAL
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TV Recap: AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D – Season 2 Episode 16: "AFTERLIFE"
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Season 2 of AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D has now reached the point where episodes seem to be almost-entirely made up on plot points and comic/movie-universe references, which means it’s all very exciting but we probably won’t know if it adds up to anything until the finale on May 19th (or sooner, since it’s looking more and more likely that some of this is going to tie into AGE OF ULTRON, which hits on May 1st.
This makes appraisal of quality fairly difficult, because there’s no real way to tell (for example) whether the presence of the season’s first “Oh, come ON!” plot twist is head-scratchingly dumb or makes some kind of sense. Frustrating, but entertaining. For more (including SPOILERS) hit the jump:
So Jaiying, aka Skye’s Mom, is actually alive. Alright, then.
Seriously. How this is supposed to work is lost on me. Fine, we already knew she had super-longevity, and in Marvel Science that usually means an off-the-charts healing factor a’la Wolverine so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that she could’ve come back even from being dissected by Daniel Whitehall. What doesn’t work for me is where this revelation is meant to fit in dramatically: Her death (and the brutality of it) was the main thing making Mr. Hyde (Calvin, aka Skye’s Dad) vaugely sympathetic as a character and driving the bulk of his actions in the plot. So the idea that she’s not only alive but that Calvin has (apparently) known this the whole time seems to render his characterization thus far completely nonsensical – are we now back to square one in terms of who this guy is, what he wants, etc? Because at some point that’s one mystery two many for a season that only has 6 episode left.
But okay. To recap this part of what is now a two-story narrative: Skye is actually an Inhuman (still not yet named as such in the series), a race of people genetically descended from early humans who were experimented on by Kree alien interlopers who develop superpowers and/or monstrous appearances when exposed to chemical mists from Terrigen Crystals. Her real name is Daisy Johnson, her mother (Dichen Lachman) is a near-immortal Inhuman named Jaiying, her father (Kyle McLachlan) is technically human but is also known as “Mr. Hyde” because he augments his strength to superhuman levels with chemical experiments. She (Skye) has been spirited away to “Afterlife,” an isolated retreat for potential/recently-transformed Inhumans seemingly located in the Himalayas a’la Shangri-La. Also onhand is Raina, the super-power obsessed female villain from Season 1 whose Inhuman transformation has left her looking like a human porcupine.
The idea is that Skye is here so that Jaiying, Gordon (the Inhuman teleporter who serves as the only way in or out of Afterlife) and a sexy guy with electricity-powers named Lincoln are going to help her “transition,” i.e. wax-on, wax-off her way to mastering her Inhuman super-vibration powers (in the comics, Daisy Johnson’s superhero name is “Quake;”) but there are murkier issues afoot: Calvin is being held captive(?) somewhere nearby, Jaiying elects not to tell Skye who she is (or that she’s keeping company with Calvin) and there’s a troubling tinge of elitism to how The Inhumans (or this arrangement of them, see below) conduct business: Most denizens of Afterlife are still “normal” people who come there to be evaluated by unseen elders who have final say over who actually gets to go through Terrigenesis. Hm…
Back in the “main” story, Coulson and Hunter are still running their two-man (or now three, since Deathlok get’s a triumphant reveal as Coulson’s newest ace in the hole) war against “Real S.H.I.E.L.D,” whose director Agent Gonzales (Edward James Olmos) is holding everyone else in soft-captivity trying to get them onboard with his program. I bemoaned last week the possibility of the show dragging out the tension-less question of whether or not status-quo busting fuddy-duddies in a comic book storyline were going to turn out to be evil, so I was pretty giddy that Gonzales is wasting no time tipping his “bad guy” hand by referring to Skye as “that thing.”
The rest of the S.H.I.E.L.D vs S.H.I.E.L.D story continues to be a mixed bag, but mostly because it’s plot turns are telegraphed too early, too often. I can’t imagine that anyone didn’t see it coming re: Fitz/Simmons pretending they disagreed about opening The Toolbox in order to let Fitz “quit” and get out into the wild with the real one (though points if it turns out that Simmons actually pulled some sort of double-cross with a tracking-device or something, her established bias against superhumans having driven her fully to Gonzales’ side) but it’s hard to dislike that bit because the actors play it so charmingly. Likewise, there’s not much in the way of story-momentum with Coulson and Hunter hanging out at the Hulk Cabin to get over on Other S.H.I.E.L.D, but the character’s play off of eachother well.
On the other hand, Coulson’s big sign-off about the one nuclear option he has to go to for help being… “Grant Ward” was a groaner moment of near self-parody. I get that we need to slam these storylines back together at some point, but that was pretty clumsy. Surely there are other people he could turn to for help first that aren’t quite so dangerous – what about Peter MacNicol’s undercover-Asgardian from Season 1? That guy at least had super-strength to offer…
PARTING THOUGHTS:
So does Jaiying tolerate Cal/Hyde’s actions because of history, or is she also not on the up-and-up? There’s a sense that things aren’t as lovey-dovey in Afterlife as they seem, which one imagines could be a setup for a “See? Told you we’ve got to put these people down!” moment from Gonzales etc.
Since I’ve already seen people speculating: No, I don’t think Afterlife is Attilan and I don’t think any of the Inhumans we’ve met so far are really big-guns like Black Bolt etc incognito. The “Crunchy New-Agey X-Mansion” angle is fine for TV, but I doubt this relatively low-tech vision of the Inhuman’s world will be the foundation for the eventual movie – more likely, we’ll discover that this is only one of many Inhuman “operations” worldwide and that the marquee names will wait for the feature film.
It’s weird that after two “this will be important!” super-clunky shout-outs last time, we don’t hear any more about the supposedly all-important cargo The Iliad (Gonzale’s S.H.I.E.L.D carrier) had and presumably still has onboard. I have a feeling it relates to next week’s Agent May origin-flashback, though (see below)
It occurs to me that Gordon (eyeless teleporter guy) is filling the same basic role that Lockjaw does for the Inhumans of the comics – I hope this doesn’t mean they’ve already decided that a giant teleporting bulldog is too weird for the movies.
Let’s get this on the table right now: Is it an “accident” that “transitioning” is the big central buzzword for The Inhumans re: discovering/nurturing their powers? These are supposed to be the MCU’s expy-XMen, remember, and that franchise has always been at least partially about metaphors for various Civil Rights issues (racial-segregation in the 60s comics, gay rights in the 2000s movies, etc); so are they going with transgender-rights as the driving metaphor of THE INHUMANS?
FWIW, the transgender metaphor would dovetail nicely with the seeming elitism of Afterlife’s transitioning-model; as the question of the morality of the tools for transition only being available to those who can financially afford them is a big ongoing topic of discussion in and around that community.
By that same token, a prediction: The season finale (or maybe before?) will partially involve a deus ex machina that somehow “activates” nascent-Inhumans worldwide, which would potentially create the hundreds of thousands (millions) of super-powered individuals in a short span of time necessary for this to become the X-Men/Mutants replacement Marvel Studios intends it to be.
The lone un-killed HYDRA figure Coulson talks about tracking down (with Ward’s help, for whatever reason) is Dr. List, whom you may recall was the guy helping Baron Strucker use Loki’s Scepter to experiment on Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver in a post-credits scene from WINTER SOLDIER. Is this going to be our AGE OF ULTRON tie-in?
Do we really need to dive back into Ward’s story, though? I liked his mini-adventure with Agent 33 in “Love In The Time of Hydra,” but I can’t help remembering how little I care about his storyline every time he shows up.
NEXT WEEK: “Melinda” promises a flashback-heavy episode finally revealing the details behind the violent encounter with a yet-unnamed superhuman (Winter Ave Zoli as “Eva Belyakov,” the trailers suggest) that earned Agent May the nickname “The Cavalry” but also left her to exit field duty for several years.
Easy prediction: This is mainly setting up an eventual confrontation between May and Jaiying, who are too-perfect mirrors of one-another as mother figures for Skye.
Not-so-crazy speculation: “Eva Belyakov,” eh? Name is similar to Eva Bell, the civilian handle of time-manipulating recent X-Men addition named Tempus. So there’s that.
Totally crazy speculation: Belyakov? Sounds Eastern-European. Wonder if she had any kids?
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Really That Good: GHOSTBUSTERS (Now With Text!)
Pitch Me, Mr. B – RESULTS!
Review – “WANDAVISION” (Spoiler-Free)
Big Picture – “WANDAVISION: PREVISITED – PART I”
Review – TENET (2020)
BIG PICTURE: “WHAT CAN I SAY?”
The New Oldness
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Music Sweat Records Tropicult
Bringing Back Vinyl: Analog Art Show –Retrospective for Tropicult.com
By Monica (Vega) Torres July 15, 2013 May 29, 2017
Leave a Comment on Bringing Back Vinyl: Analog Art Show –Retrospective for Tropicult.com
“Bringing Back Vinyl: Analog Art Show [Retrospective]” published on Tropicult.com.
The ritual union of art & music was explored at the Analog Art Show: Where Art Meets Vinyl last Friday at Sweat Records. There’s something special about putting the needle down on a piece of vinyl, hearing that screechy sound, then watching it spin melodies-the movement itself an aphrodisiac for dance. Vinyls take me back to childhood when my dad played Willie Nelson and Nat King Cole records on an old wooden record player while we danced next to them in the living room, a sort of after-dinner ritual.
The exhibit explored how listening to music on vinyl records can be an art form. Like those old discarded records that are transformed into something of beauty, the art of putting the needle down on a piece of vinyl, hearing that screechy sound, and watching it spin music, shouldn’t be discarded because there are newer forms of transcribing sound. The sound and beauty of vinyl records is not a thing of the past, but a thing that will be around forever thanks to places like Sweat Records.
I went to see the Analog Art Show: Where Art Meets Vinyl at Sweat on Friday, met up with friends and made some new ones. In general, the event boasted a great turnout- Ms. Cheezious was parked outside providing some yum. Surrounded by a room full of hippie-types and underground art-lovers, I chatted with the event organizer, Yuval Ofir, President of Yo Miami, and asked him a little about his inspiration for the event. Yuval told me that he had been wanting to collaborate with Sweat Records for some time. He hoped to give local artists the challenge to create works on a fresh new, unexpected platform, vinyl records, giving them the freedom to work with more affordable materials and the opportunity to do something different. All final pieces sold for less than $200, much like those at Yo Miami’s Average Joe Art Sale, a real bargain in today’s art world. It gives “average” kids a chance to start their own art collection. The idea, Yuval said, came from his friend, local artist, WHUT, who’s known for using vinyl as the principal medium for his work. He creates collages on records and CDs. One of his original pieces shown below was to be auctioned at the event and given away as part of Free Art Fridays.
The idea of putting art on vinyl is sort of metaphysical. The rotation of the record, like the passing of time, gives viewers the constant sensation of movement. Therein lies the beauty of this art form. Old pieces that are seemingly outdated, unwanted, discarded, like vinyl records (I mean who uses those anymore), are shown to have value besides just the mechanism for hearing sound and music. They are now portrayed as works of art.
Miami As Muse
A friend of a friend I met happened to be Esther Weinbach one of the artists exhibiting at the event, so I got a chance to meet her and chat with her a bit about her inspiration behind the work. Esther said she was inspired to create a piece with colors true to the city of Miami. I also had the pleasure to meet Ernesto Kunde of Kunde Art. Ernesto’s pieces caught my eye. Out of a backdrop of maps, his silhouetted images show the beauty of natural forms. He also said his pieces were inspired by the city, particularly the Mangroves and the beautiful scantily-clad women.
Some of the other notable pieces were inspired by music. These include Teepop’s record in honor of Blondie’s recent birthday and one portraying the Beastie Boys. Local artist, Diana Contreras, also created portraits of the singer Lauryn Hill. Her portrait of Lauryn Hill entitled “A Rose is Still a Rose” is shown below. Among the many others that exhibited were ATOMIK, Luis Berros, Trek6, Chy Tea Shoulin, Ivan Roque, Kazilla, Reiner Gamboa, Lorie Setton and many more.
Enjoy a gallery of some of the works. Thanks to Heike Dempster for providing some pictures:
Tags: AnalogArtShow SweatRecords Tropicult YoMiami YuvalOfir
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Mike Bax
Who is Mike?
An Interview with Chasms – October 5th, 2016
By Mike Bax
The descriptor for Chasms that steered me to their Soundcloud a few weeks ago was “a duo crafting percussive dirges that are at once beautiful and menacing”. I can’t really spin-doctor anything better than that, so I’m not even going to try as it’s fully accurate. When I listen to On the Legs of Love Purified, the new Chasms record released next Friday October 14th (on Felte), I hear elements of upper echelon bands that made 4AD one of my favorite labels of the 1990s. Anyone that has spent any time with bands like Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins or Pale Saints will likely take to the soundscapes permeating On the Legs of Love Purified like a fish to water.
On The Legs of Love Purified is being hailed as Chasms debut album. If you go to their Bandcamp page, there is a 2014 independent release entitled Subtle Bodies which is more of an assembly of tracks originally released on Cassette EPs in 2012 and 2013 with a lengthy song entitled ‘Dissolution into Clear Light’ that was recorded in 2013 tagged on as the last song.
Chasms is a San Francisco collaboration between Jess Labrador and Shannon Madden. On the Legs of Love Purified is comprised of seven songs weaving their way through an assortment of low-tempo moods that vary from ambience, shoegaze, reverberating guitars and menacing drum beats. Both Jess and Shannon were kind enough to field a few questions about their band and the creation of this impressive debut album before they head out on the road to tour supporting Love Purified.
Mike: How did you two originally meet? Did you bond over music or was there something else that drew you together?
Jess: We met our first year of college in San Francisco. We went to a few shows together, the first I remember being LCD Soundsystem in 2005. Then in the next couple years I think I convinced her to come to a few noise shows. Shannon always supported my music making and booked my first solo live set at a house party. By the end of our studies, our interests were more in line and we actually had the exact same course schedule studying film and media studies. After school, we knew we wanted to do something creative together, at first we thought it’d be a screenplay. But then I sent her a demo of a song I’d made and she started showing up to my practice space regularly, so I had to too.
Mike: Can you describe your writing style? Does Jess write everything? Do you collaborate (jam together) or work independently?
Jess: I’m very much a bedroom tinkerer and like to record and arrange at home. When the project first started, I would write each part – drums, bass, guitar, vocals – by myself, but that has changed. ‘…Love Purified’ is a mix of my solo bedroom ideas and collaborations with Shannon that have come alive by playing together. As the project has progressed, we’ve been writing more and more together, especially since the sonic textures we’ve been exploring can only really be created live and not in a bedroom setting.
Mike: What is a live Chasms show like? Do you perform with additional musicians?
Jess: We seek to create mood, feeling and a compelling atmosphere. Since it’s just the two of us, we both have a lot of responsibility on stage. I’m an incredibly anxious person and I’m usually worrying about one or more of my tasks, which is to sing, play guitar and manage the drum machine/electronics. It takes a few shows into tour for me to relax a little and enjoy performing.
We’d love to perform with additional musicians to expand the sonic palette of our live show. Hopefully we can work that out in the future.
Shannon: I want to own up to being as equally rattled with anxiety as Jess, mine’s just a different color of intense unease. It wasn’t until after our first tour outside of California opening for Dirty Beaches that I stopped hoping that our shows would get canceled so that I didn’t have to play, not because I didn’t want to but because I was choking on my nerves and couldn’t handle it. The first time we opened for a bigger artist on a fluke booking I peed my pants during the first song. I was wearing black so no one could tell.
Now I’m much better at channeling that raw nervousness into literally playing as perfectly as I possibly can by being locked into the drum tracks and watching Jess’ fingers just to make sure we’re making the changes with fluency even though we have other, cues to follow.
Mike: Does your material present any unique challenges to recreate in a live environment?
Jess: If we can’t hear our drum machine then we’re pretty fucked. Our current live set is filled with textural noises and drones, and every room we play in responds differently. Sometimes it’s magic, and sometimes it’s quite the opposite. I guess there’s a bit of fun in the inconsistency. We’re very attuned to a venue’s sound capabilities and know that it can make or break our set, so over time we’ve really learned how to work with different environments and will alter our set accordingly if needed.
Shannon: I feel that the Chasms material itself can be challenging both tonally and visually in a world where the expectation from an audience member to entertainer is that we’re going to have a bunch of crazy lights and jump around stage and that there will be confetti and craziness. I have utmost respect for bands that are more physically freed from their instruments and bodies, however I feel very much so that the Chasms set is an exercise in technique and restraint, resulting in the maximization of the abilities of just two people – the duo.
If I had it my way every night, so to speak, everyone would take a seat and close their eyes to feel the heat of our lights from behind their eyes and really try and feel out the frequencies take up the space of the room. But right now, in the US especially I think, it can be tough to engage your audience and bring them to another place when they’re four beers deep at a bar show. That’s why DIY spaces like The Lab in San Francisco, Non Plus Ultra and regular show nights like Part Time Punks in LA are so important for a set like ours because the sole focus of the environment isn’t driven by alcohol.
That being said if we’re able to transport people in the audience who have never heard of us inside a dive bar, the feeling of connection is unparalleled. It means the record came to life for 30 minutes and it lived in this one shared moment with strangers. I think too, that ultimately we’re trying to transport each other because if we can do that, it means the door is open for others to explore the sound terrain. At the end of the day, it’s one of the main reasons I’m in Chasms.
Mike: Full disclosure here – I’m 49. I love that this style of music is continuing to flourish and evolve amongst young artists, and I’m genuinely interested in your path to On the Legs of Love Purified, an album that stands up to some of the albums I consider classics in this genre – Into the Labyrinth (Dead Can Dance), Heaven or Las Vegas (Cocteau Twins) or The Comforts of Madness (Pale Saints) – with that said: What steered you to your musical styles? Are you both into the bands that your material likely gets compared to?
Jess: Wow, thank you. I do like those bands, but I think what really shapes the project’s sound is the kaleidoscope of other musical interests we both have layered on top of that early 4AD foundation. Shannon and I both love dance music and have always bonded over that. In college, I was a DJ at the community radio station KUSF and I also had a roommate who worked at Aquarius Records, so between those two resources I was exposed to so, so much during those years. Think Charanjit Singh to Darkthrone to Erkin Koray to Skullflower, plus tons of really out-there ambient/experimental stuff from all around the world.
Mike: When you are out socializing, and it comes up that you are in a band, and you get asked what your band is all about and what your sound is like… what do you find yourself saying to them?
Shannon: Dark and dreamy, baby.
Mike: It sounds like there is a story to the recording process around On the Legs of Love Purified. Can you talk a bit about the dubious studio space you utilized, your hand injury, and the challenges you both had in creating this album?
Jess: Ha, it’s nice now to be able to look back at that time and not be currently experiencing it. At the time, we had no label and really weren’t sure about its release so were just running on faith. We were also totally broke and couldn’t afford to record in a studio with an engineer, so I decided to just record it myself in our practice space. The building was poorly soundproofed, so I’d show up early in the morning to record before other bands in the building arrived. The landlord only allowed one band in our room, but the master tenant secretly packed seven bands in there so we could all pay cheap rent. We were constantly paranoid of being found out, afraid of who was knocking at the door, always keeping a low profile and trying to not talk to anyone in the building. I did all the vocals in my bedroom closet as it was quieter and felt like a safer space, though I’d have to find time when my roommates weren’t home. I also had limited equipment to work with, including an old laptop with glitchy software. At a point, I wasn’t really sure if we’d even come out from the other side with a finished album since this was being done between working our jobs and struggling financially. Morale was pretty low until we heard some of the first mixes from our friend Lauren Grubb, who mixed the record.
I have a repetitive stress injury, which translates into debilitating nerve damage in my hands and wrists. During the time we recorded, I had yet to see a physical therapist and didn’t know the extent of damage or how to alleviate the pain. I had difficulty playing guitar parts I had written long before the damage had gotten so bad. During one of the final recording sessions, my hands kind of gave out and my fingers wouldn’t respond how I wanted them to on the fret board. The takes from that session were not 100% exactly the way I wanted them to be, but I decided to use them instead of waiting to heal and re-record. Recording, after all, is capturing a moment in time and this was the reality. I mean, you do everything with your hands– cook, write, type, work. I’m not great at resting so I still struggle with this condition.
Mike: What do you think Shannon brings out in you, musically? And what do you think you bring out in Shannon?
Jess: Shannon and I actually have very different musical tastes and backgrounds, so she really brings something different to the table. I think she hears things differently than me and has more of an open ear, which is great for experimenting or taking a song in an unusual direction.
Mike: Can you talk a bit about your release plans for On the Legs of Love Purified? The date of release, any shows you have set up to mark the album’s release, and some of the options you have for fans who want to buy this release from you (and where they can get it from)?
Jess: The album is out October 14 on Felte, who we’re really excited to be working with. We’ll be celebrating our release show at home in San Francisco with a bill featuring a bunch of friends and favorite artists at The Knockout on October 11 in the middle of a West Coast tour. We’ll also be doing a Mid-West/East Coast in November.
You can pick up the release from Felte: https://felte.bandcamp.com/.
Mike: What is your all-time favorite snack food?
Jess: Cheese puffs.
Shannon: Seaweed snacks, popcorn, dried mango slices, cheese puffs.
Mike: Can you name a favorite movie?
Shannon: Jess and I are really into Johnathan Glazer‘s Under the Skin. It’s the most recent film that we’ve connected over. I think we both see a lot of what’s in Under the Skin in our everyday lives in San Francisco– the starkness, the bleakness of society and humanity when it’s glossed over in something that it truly isn’t underneath– the duality of being present but also asleep emotionally inside of a technological state. I distinctly remember seeing it in a theatre downtown for a 7pm showing and then sinking into my chair in tears and then waiting for the 9:30pm showing to begin again.
Something that being in Chasms has taught you?
Jess: Patience.
Shannon: 1: Manage all and any expectations (for anything and everyone); 2. Be humble (always); 3. Hard work is mandatory. And I think maybe most importantly, it’s so important but staying positive is linked to all those things and staying positive just might be the main thing. Art is hard.
“We’ll Go”
http://clrvynt.com/chasms-well-go/
“Beyond Flesh”
Chasms Tour Dates:
10.07 Portland, OR @ Lovecraft
10.08 Seattle, WA @ Blue Moon
10.09 Eugene, WA @ Wandering Goat
10.10 Sacramento @ Press Club
10.11 San Francisco, CA @ The Knockout
10.13 La Puente, CA @ Bridgetown DIY
10.14 San Diego, CA @ The Whistle Stop
10.15 Long Beach, CA @ 4th St. Vine
10.16 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex (Part Time Punks)
10.29 Berkeley, CA @ KALX (Live Session + Interview)
11.08 Indianapolis, IN @ State St. Pub
11.10 Detroit, MI @ UFO Factory
11.13 Montreal, QC @ Vitrola
11.14 Boston, MA @ Zuzu
11.15 Providence, RI @ Machines with Magnets
11.16 Brooklyn, NY @ Shea Stadium
11.18 Cleveland, OH @ Locker Room
11.19 Chicago, IL @ TBA
12.10 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
www.facebook.com/oooCHASMSooo
chasmssf.bandcamp.com
#Chasms#Felte#Jess Labrador#Shannon Madden
← Symphony X – Mod Club Theatre, Toronto – October 3rd, 2016
Interview with Ben Weinman – Giraffe Tongue Orchestra – September 29th, 2016 →
About mikebax2015
Creative Director - CultureWorks ESL • Music Buff
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Album of The Week, Music
EP of The Week | Robin Muniz – The Breakfast Club [Mudpie Records]
The most important meal of the day with Robin Muniz
by GonZo 2 weeks ago 2 weeks ago
Album of The Week, Music, South Africa
Ambious Records presents “Evergreen Vol. 1”
Looking back on the past few years, Ambious Records are proud to have amassed a range of diverse and immaculate compositions from artists all around...
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Facebook removing likes is good for social media
Facebook has rolled out a trial removing like counts, and according to Heather Cook, that can only be a good thing. We might just move further away from vanity metrics and closer to actually achieving what social media platforms were created to do: connect with people.
October 9, 2019 9:58
by HEATHER COOK
It’s no surprise to see that Facebook has followed Instagram’s lead and hidden the number of likes. It’s simple: likes are not good for social media. And while there will be early opposition to the move, social media content and interactions will be better for removing them.
Since its humble beginnings, that many credit to a student in his dorm room, perceptions of social media have changed dramatically. Platforms which once used to connect and share important messages have become buried under online bullying and trolls, privacy concerns and an addiction to online recognition.
Almost all social platforms provide an instant gratification we inherently idolise. Whether it’s a double tap or thumbs up, the implicit “goal” behind social media has long been this kind of viral validation.
A like is a reactionary, almost ephemeral, process and doesn’t encourage significant business interactions. Rather than encourage engagement through conversation or sharing, the like model has instead promoted provocation and antagonism.
Consumers are addicted to online recognition
The trial to remove Facebook’s iconic thumbs up, announced recently, takes away any indication of how many likes a post receives to your followers and friends. By removing like counts, how we engage on platforms begins to change. The substance of an update moves front and centre, rather than others’ reactions to it. And what was a popularity contest becomes an opening for meaningful engagement.
While likes have typically been viewed as the bread and butter measures of success for businesses on social, they’re just vanity metrics with little commercial value. The hunger for likes, paired with algorithms engineered to serve us “more of the same”, was a downfall for both brands and consumers, as we were presented with unbalanced exposure to certain brands or particular takes on a topic or industry; an increasingly narrow, and sensational, slice — the proverbial social media echo chamber.
This may have seemed ‘good for business’, but the end-game is entirely different. Consumers seeking value, looking for more than the cheap dopamine of sensationalised content, will eventually turn elsewhere. Many industry leaders are now moving towards a for-purpose approach to business, realising the commercial gains in raising the profile of corporate social responsibility initiatives, and the importance of leading with validity and credibility. While businesses may continue to crave those thumbs or love hearts for a little while longer, the value of a more meaningful approach to social media engagement will soon be clear.
Facebook’s official statement echoed this shift from metrics to meaning.
“We don’t want Facebook to feel like a competition — we hope to learn whether this change can help people focus less on likes and more on telling their story,” the social media giant said when announcing the end of likes (on a trial basis, at least).
Businesses will need to quickly adapt to avoid getting left behind in a maze of algorithms, really reflect on the kind of content they are producing and what the inherent goal of their posts may be. I think we will see social media marketing strategies becoming more innovative and original.
It will most likely have an effect on businesses that use influencers as part of their digital marketing. Big-name influencers that are only surface deep will be replaced by a new wave of ‘micro-influencers’: those who have a smaller following, but often tend to have a stronger genuine engagement that has matured from simple clicks to behaviours that have more tangible impact on brand value and long-term ROI.
A great example of this is Adidas’ Tango Squad Program, which partners with young athletes who have influence in niche communities. Instead of using the typical influencer model—which taps into the power and influence of one ‘social celebrity’ to reach as many customers as possible—Adidas decided to take a more grassroots approach to its social marketing. It built out ‘squads’ of micro-influencers to connect with customers at a more local level, working to develop intimate, meaningful dialogue with smaller, more valuable audience groups.
@helgzofficial & @kings5s Story – From the streets of London to the global stage ?? Swipe to see more #HereToCreate #King5s
A post shared by TangoSquadLDN (@tangosquadldn) on Jul 29, 2018 at 12:14am PDT
Captions are more relevant to Adidas followers, and often it is more selective about the products involved in the sponsorships. The removal of likes will force businesses to forgo the vanity metrics, focus less on maximising reach and more on generating transparent, quality engagement. Brands will work more with influencers who delve deeper into authentic brand content and promote genuine engagement, whether that is encouraging people to share, click through to a site or start a conversation.
Despite its challenges, social media represents a uniquely powerful way to have a global conversation. It provides a platform where anyone can have a voice, where innovative ideas can flourish, and where real debate can happen. In a world facing existential challenges — from climate change to the rise of protectionism — social media can be part of the solution, not just part of a popularity contest.
Heather Cook is the APAC general manager at Hootsuite
Facebook mimics Instagram and removes likes in test for Aussie users
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topics FacebookFacebook likesHeather Cooksocial media
Therealangeledwards? 10 Oct 19
I would really love to see the end of purchased likes especially on musician pages on Facebook
This is deceiving and not fair on a business level
sort of equivalent to printing counterfeit money that’s how I see it
Fans should be genuine not purchased on social media platforms
purple 9 Nov 19
So true, not everyone is pleasing to the eye or likeable thus do not get as much likes even though he posts beautiful photos or articles. The like counter is discouraging people to post, afraid that no one might like the post they share.
Mary 20 Nov 19
Teen suicide and divorces amongst common society ills have been highly correlated due to the popularity contest on social media. I’m not suggesting to do away with social media, rather hide the interests of others and preserve the interest of oneself. If you truly want to share a photo or a moment then share it and do not depend on a “high school “popularity contest to support your view. Mark Z why don’t you stand-up and be the first one to say no to popularity and yes to individuality and inclusion.
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The Observer is a student-run, daily print & online newspaper serving Notre Dame, Saint Mary's & Holy Cross. Learn about us.
SMC lights Le Mans blue for Autism Awareness Week
Haleigh Ehmsen | Thursday, April 9, 2015
The iconic Le Mans bell tower on Saint Mary’s campus glows blue this month in honor of Autism Awareness.
President of the Students Supporting Autism club Angelina Lazovich said she heard about the national Autism Speaks campaign “Light It Up Blue” and thought it would be a good way for Saint Mary’s to show support of those with autism.
“I think the glowing blue light, which will shine throughout the month of April, shows how supportive Saint Mary’s is of all,” Lazovich said.
Monica Villagomez Mendez | The Observer
Le Mans on Saint Mary’s campus will be lit blue for the month of April in order to raise awareness about autism.
Lazovich said she hopes the blue light will probe students to ask questions.
“I think people will ask a lot of questions about why the tower is blue, which is a good thing, because it will further help our cause of spreading awareness of Autism in the community,” she said.
Lazovich said this is the first year of the Students Supporting Autism club and the College has been extremely supportive of its efforts, especially with the bell tower initiative.
“[The College] supported our club by making our dream come to reality, all while showing their support for people everywhere affected by autism,” she said.
The idea for the Students Supporting Autism club came at the end of last year, Lazovich said. Dr. Nancy Turner, chair of the education department, wanted to start an organization to raise awareness about autism and raise funds for the local autism community, she said.
“I loved the idea, so together we were able to get the club started for this year,” she said. “Our main goal is to raise awareness across the tri-campus community along with raising funds for the local autism community.
“We have tried to reach out in any way we can to help local centers and families and hope that this involvement can increase in the coming years as our group becomes more established.”
Lazovich said at the end of this academic year, the club will choose two local centers that support individuals with autism to which they will donate the funds they raised.
As one of its fundraisers, the club is hosting a 5K walk/run April 18, she said. All funds will be donated to the centers chosen at the end of the year, and Lazovich said the club hopes to make this an annual event.
The race will start by Saint Mary’s Welcome Center and will conclude on the island of Lake Marian. The registration fee is $10. People can register in person the day of the event or online at http://goo.gl/forms/cdzGlvQ1qb
The week following the 5K will be Saint Mary’s first Autism Awareness Week, Lazovich said. The week’s events include a bake sale and movie screening. Additionally, students will be able to sign and decorate banners and puzzle pieces, the national symbol of autism, representing the complexity of autism spectrum disorder, she said.
All week long, the club will also be collecting loose change in Cyber and Spes-Unica cafes to help boost the year-long fundraising total.
Tags: "Light it up Blue", Autism Awareness, Le Mans Bell Tower, saint mary's, Students Supporting Autism
About Haleigh Ehmsen
A senior at Saint Mary's, Haleigh is majoring in Communication Studies and English Literature & Writing. She serves as the Saint Mary's editor and enjoys coffee, guacamole and good books.
Contact Haleigh
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NaijaWorld
Building Nigeria's best community
Documents Revealed: How Ayeni Resigned From OMS In 2018, Lied To Efcc And Sold A
@femi |Business |
Documents Revealed: How Ayeni resigned from OMS in 2018, lied to efcc and sold all his shares to Wells Property Limited. The allegation by a former director of Ocean Marine Solutions (OMS) Limited, Mr Tunde John Ayeni, that the company was hijacked by Captain Hosa Okunbo has been contradicted by a series of validly-executed company resolutions and other documents was obtained by our reporter which he (Ayeni) signed, transferring his shares in OMS and its other associated companies to Wells Property Limited. Ayeni had, through his lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the matter and had also raised issues of alleged financial misappropriation by his erstwhile business partner, Captain Okunbo. His narratives including the allegations most of which were not substantiated or backed up by documentary evidence, were contained in the nine-page petition dated December 7, 2020 and titled: “Request for investigation of stealing and criminal diversion of company fund”. All the documents made available by the management of OMS in its defence clearly showed that Ayeni was part of the processes and meetings that culminated in his transfer of all his shares in OMS and its associated companies to Wells Property Development Company Limited. Significantly, he and his wife, Abiola Ayeni, duly signed the special resolution of their Prime Union Investment Limited where he is Chairman Board of Directors/shareholder and with wife as Director/shareholder in respect of the sale of 30,000,000 ordinary shares in OMS to Wells Property Development Limited for a consideration of N2 billion only. The special resolution was dated August 14, 2018. All the shareholders had subsequently executed a share purchase agreement and other necessary documentations required to completely transfer all the shares held in OMS devoid of any liability or encumbrance to Wells Property Development Company Limited. The documents confirmed that as far back as 2018, Ayeni had ceased being a director and shareholders in OMS, having sold his entire shares in the company. The claim by OMS management is that Ayeni who is neither a director nor a shareholder in the company cannot allege financial misappropriation in a manner as to claim he was affected by its administration as he is just a meddlesome interloper in the affairs of the company. Besides, the EFCC had, in a letter to the Chairman and Board of Directors of OMS on June 25, 2019, confirmed with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) that Ayeni had sold his entire shares and resigned as Director and shareholders of the company(Documents attached). The letter signed by EFCC’s Director of Operations, Mohammed Umar Abba, was tilted: “Re: Investigation Activities”. It read in part: “We refer to your letters dated 20th December 2018, 15th April 2019, 22nd May, 2019 and NNPC letter dated 28th December 2018 on the above subject. “We wish to state that in June 2017, a petition regarding infractions by the previous Board and Management of Skye Bank was forwarded from the Office of the Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria. “In the course of investigation, Dr Tunde Ayeni was invited and he volunteered a statement confirming the withdrawal of 29. 5 billion naira cash from the Skye Bank. He, however, promised to refund the said funds to the bank and further claimed to have some interest in Ocean Marine and its subsidiary companies. “Based on the above, investigation was extended to the Corporate Affairs Commission where it was discovered that Dr Tunde Ayeni had on the 8th August, 2018 actually sold his 35 million ordinary shares in Ocean Marine Solutions Limited and 37. 2 million ordinary shares in PPP Fluid Mechanics Limited to Wells Property Development Company Limited, a subsidiary of Ocean Marine Solutions Ltd…. ” The EFCC had said that its investigation so far did not indict the Chairman of OMS and its subsidiary companies, Capt Okunbo(a copy attached). Recall that Ayeni was once a non -Executive Chairman of defunct Skye Bank. Other documents directly relevant and/or ancillary to the validation of the legitimate acquisition of Ayeni’s shares in OMS are published hereunder, including a letter by Mr Ned Nwoko who Ayeni’s lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) mentioned in his petition to the EFCC. Nwoko, in the letter to the Inspector General of Police, on the funding for Paris Club litigation said he did not know Ayeni and that he related directly and on personal basis with Capt. Hosa to the exclusion of OMS(Document included). Also our Reporter obtained a payment instructions document from office of the Chairman, Ocean Marine Solutions Limited to effect #1 billion transfer to Ayeni's company Olutoyl estate development and services Ltd owned on 26th November, 2018 and the balance was paid over a period of 2 years installment.
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Hackers would never be hired by security vendors….right?
04 Nov 2011 22 Law & order, Malware
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by Carole Theriault
In a recent BBC article, reputable security firm McAfee is quoted saying, “I’ve never hired computer hackers but that’s not to say I would never do that,” says Raj Samani, chief technical officer of McAfee Europe.
Wow, I thought. Really?
OK, I admit, hacker is one those terms whose definitions has blurred in the last decade.
It used to be generally accepted as a term for someone who broke into websites or databases, either to look around, change stuff, steal stuff, infected stuff, etc.
Today, its meaning is much broader, but you can generally divide hacker types into three groups. You have bad-ass hackers, referred to as black hats, and the good guys, like penetration testers, called white hats.
And don’t assume for a moment that there is not venn diagram of sorts, with a big fat grey hat area.
The hackers here don’t really sit firmly in either camp. Grey hats will typically break into a system, and alert the company to a specific vulnerability that they exploited. But grey hats often go public about the details of the vulnerability, and many argue that this tells black hats how to break in and cause havoc.
Question is should security companies who create and push out software to customers open their doors to people known to have dabbled in grey and black-hat hacking?
Customers build a relationship based on trust with security vendors. After all, customers who buy security solutions like anti-virus or anti-spam grant security companies access to update computers and devices.
In the same way that I want my bank to vet really closely who they hire, I want my security vendors to be really careful and only put the smartest, most trustworthy and most deserving of experts in the pit to help protect me from all the nasty malware out there.
And on a personal level, I hate the idea that people dabble with black hacking, knowing they will be hired at the end of it by a reputable security vendor. It seems just wrong.
22 comments on “Hackers would never be hired by security vendors….right?”
abadidea says:
If someone was a blackhat when they were 17, and they've since grown out of it, hire away. The simple fact is that a lot of bright people go through that stage.
If someone's still an unabashed blackhat at age 34, I'd be a wee bit more worried about trusting them.
Is hacking limited to people that break “into websites or databases”?
I would suggest the term has blurred because of the DMCA.
Many people that consider themselves to be hackers – hack their own stuff. Or at least it is their own physical property. Corporations would argue that the encryption algorithms belong to them.
So where to the people that hack encryption protections on the Sony PlayStation and/or iOS fit in? What color would you consider their hats to be?
@metalmaniac253 says:
I'd consider myself a grey hat, although I'm interested in helping improve security, so I guess it should be a case by case thing. I wouldn't trust black hats though… unless there's good evidence they've changed ways
@jack_daniel says:
You have your history of the term backwards. The original hackers hacked code to solve problems, which expanded to mean pushing the limits of systems to drive them beyond their designed limits or objectives. Good or bad was often a matter of perspective, and much of what we now consider criminal hacking was not illegal in the early days (and depending on jurisdiction may still not be illegal). Yes, we've lost the original meaning of the term hacker in the public, but folks in the hacker community know better. There is a better and more accurate word for what most people call a "hacker", it is a "criminal".
This reminds me of Symantec's CEO Enrique Salem making the pronouncement that they NEVER hire hackers- proving he is either unaware of his company's history, or that he lies to suit the need. Symantec aggressively pursued and completed the acquisition of @stake, a great company- full of folks from L0pht Heavy Industries and Cult of the Dead Cow, pioneering hacker and hacktivist groups.
Absolute edicts are generally a bad idea. Time passes, people grow, the world changes. There simply are not enough qualified security pros to fill demand, people with the right skills need to be vetted and the risk weighed against their value to the organization.
The I. G. says:
I'm glad there's someone else around who has a little historical perspective.
Often a hacker was the real hero of the day when a deadline had to be met
and you couldn't wait for a vendor to go through the process of generating a fix
for a problem.
Indeed, many of the fixes ultimately promulgated by the vendors originated as
customer hacks. The hacks were often distributed through a user association
such as SHARE (Society to Help Avoid Redundant Effort) for IBM mainframes.
I remember one bug that was around for years whose main symptom was that
if you read in a datum of value 0.1 into a Fortran program it would print out as
0.0999… which turned out, when I finally got fed up enough to analyze it, to be
due to an unsound programming trick that IBM had inherited from United
Aircraft. At least it was in the output formatting routine and not in the input side
so the calculations were not affected by the error.
@J4vv4d says:
I think you've taken an overly simplest view in this article. Real world doesn't work like that.
It's a bit like saying that anyone who's ever driven over the speed limit, even by a few miles per hour is a lawbreaker and should be treated as such.
Perhaps certain individual actions may be labelled as black / white / grey – but it's totally wrong to label people that way.
DePariah says:
Seems to me that you might as well have them on your side, as opposed to against you. To rehash an old phrase: if you cant beat em, pay em 😀
I'd say that the hiring practices should be based more on the ethical and moral standings the applicant holds hold, and less on the type of hat they're wearing at the time?
@Security_FAQs says:
How about another option:
"Yes, sometimes, depending upon what sort of hacking they have actually undertaken"?
For the most part I think hiring black and grey hats could be problematic but there are some black hats who would definitely bring something to the table if hired.
I also remember a recent article I read (possibly by Mikko Hypponen?) where it was suggested that some hackers in Russia and other similar areas knew no different and would be happy to switch sides as it were, if only they were given the opportunity…
MasterS says:
Should security vendors hire hackers?
This all depends on how good the hacker is, if the hacker is a black hat and a extremely good one, yes they should hire him and give him or her a new direction to funnel their talents. However i also believe you should probably keep tabs on someone like this, as they may decide to do something nasty, its a tough call, as far as white and grey hat hackers go i think they would be mostly safe to hire.
And then there are hackers who aren't that interested in vulnerabilities or exploits, and don't fall into any 'x-hat' category.
In other words, should a vendor employ somebody creative and with a passion for experimenting with technology? Without hackers, the vendor would pretty much be left with sales people who never look beyond the surface of Microsoft Windows, it wouldn't produce anything innovative, and it wouldn't be able to compete with other vendors. It makes me wonder if Samani knows what hacking is.
From a security perspective, it's hard to see how anyone could become a decent programmer or infosec professional without being a hacker, and if they aren't being employed, the security vendor would lose business to vendors capable of doing a more meticulous job and threat assessments that take into account little-known vulnerabilities in new products.
If the question refers to employing someone with a criminal past, maybe that's a matter of weighing up the benefits and risks.
Andrew Ludgate says:
To be fair to Raj, it's possible we need more context than the BBC article provides.
"Computer Hacker" is one of those terms that has shifted definition continuously over the past 40 or so years, shifting definition, broadening and narrowing in scope along the way.
To add to the debate, would it be ethical to allow someone who had been a white hat hacker to join a security company in their marketing department? How about on their board of directors? What if it turned out that this person dabbled in grey hat hacking when they were young?
How about someone who worked for a government intelligence agency and spent their time penetrating the cyber-defenses of rival countries? Can this person be trusted (would they even reveal that they had ever done this to future employers)?
Andrew Rice says:
Hi Carole,
Hacker was a person who hacked away creating code. It was later hijacked to refer to people who broke into systems. Phreakers are people who hack into phone systems.
In order to be at the leading edge of prevention, you have to understand the mindset of the bad folks. Hiring them is one way of doing this. If you do however, you have to consider they have shown that they are willing and able to do bad things and may well do the same again. I'm not saying that none will reform or should not be given a second chance, rather that you have to ensure you have control of what they do and perform secondary reviews of their work by a trusted expert. I certainly would not put them into direct access to valuable systems.
Andrew Rice
MikeyG says:
I'd have to say I'm inherently opposed to rewarding someone who has consciously and purposefully used their skills to unlawfully gain access to other systems (for whatever reason…) There are plenty of pen-testers and red team professionals out there that are skilled in what they do without ever have "hacked" a system without authorization/acknowledgement.
Hiring a known criminal (whether charged or not) is just bad business. And risky.
With that said, and being a realist, there may be business rational for hiring such people for skilled pen-testers and red teamers are not cheap. Hiring the morally questionable may come cheaper. But that's just speculation, for I've never gone through the exercise of pricing out unethical hackers. 😉
Look, I have a personal hacking lab that I have setup. I even took a picture of it for this reply:
revisualized.com/rand_pix/20111104_overhead_desk.jpg
I own and operate all of the equipment there. I am currently unemployed and have been studying about computers since the 90's. I have only gone to school for computer related stuff after I got laid off last year. Are people saying that I should not be hired by a company because "dabbled in hacking"? I have not broken any laws (that I am aware of.) To even offset my skill set I have even chosen to take Internet Law as an elective for my AAS-T degree. (Also because I actually like studying laws and the legal system.)
Why should I be limited by my employment opportunity just because I take part in hacking exercises? Or because I have expanded my skill set to have knowledge in computer security?
Red Frog says:
Well, how do you get them to be legit? It is like if you tell a lie to the police or in court, how can you retain any credibility upon further examination? Pedophiles look for occupations where they can be with children. Can it be any different with a black-hat hacker? How can a security company know that black-hat hacker is not a double-agent for an underground hacker community?
@pauljamesharper says:
"It used to be generally accepted as a term for someone who broke into websites or databases, either to look around, change stuff, steal stuff, infected stuff, etc." Sorry Sophos but historically wrong. Sloppy journalists have changed the meaning over the years. (I expect better on an IT focused website than I do on the BBC.) You all need to spend some time with Steven Levy's book: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Ha… and Eric Raymond's : How to be a Hacker: http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html#what_… Eric Raymond specifically notes: "There is another group of people who loudly call themselves hackers, but aren't. These are people (mainly adolescent males) who get a kick out of breaking into computers and phreaking the phone system." These days the 'adolescent males' have been replaced by organised and disorganised criminals. In the old days they were called Crackers.
Having said the above I think the terms White Hat, Grey Hat and Black Hat Hackers are now in common usage as they say in Scrabble.
@joseph above is clearly White Hat. He breaks no laws and only works on systems he owns himself or hopefully in the future he will have permission from the owner in writing. He can be hired without any issues. They are they type of people who improve systems.
As a general rule I would not want to be hiring Black Hat hackers. Vandalism and theft are not what I would look for in an employee whether in the physical world or the virtual world.
The Grey Hats…One would have to look carefully. Did they commit their offence when they were 15 or when they were 45. I think a lot of us did dumb things when we were young and outgrow it.
I also don't consider researchers who practice Full Disclosure to be unethical per se. As long as they are not violating a non-disclosure agreement with their employer they can even be considered White Hats. I consider many of the vendors who hide or deny vulnerabilities as far less ethical. Microsoft and Apple are notorious offenders here. https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Fu…
For any younger readers I have to make it clear. Be a White Hat. The pay is steady and there is pension. To quote Agent Smith in The Matrix, "One of these lives has a future, and one of them does not." Follow @joseph's example and build your own lab and learn the concepts at home or talk to your IT teacher. I used to be a Prison Officer so I can tell you gaol is not fun. Finally a good history article can be found in the references Palmer, C.C. (2001). "Ethical Hacking". IBM Systems Journal 40 (3): 769. at the bottom of this Wiki article: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Wh…
roy jones jr says:
All the more reason to not hire them. The one thing computer folks know is that their decisions they make are their own. No one forces you to hack; you start on your own accord. As such, when you start the path down that road, you should also realize the circumstances of what you will & won't be able to do in the future.
If someone was known to be in 3 gangs that were known to do criminal activities and then 11yrs later wanted a job somewhere they most certainly won't walk right into IBM asking for a job. I know thats an extreme example but is related to the issue.
Genima says:
You're using the modern-day media twisted version of the word 'hack'.
From The Conscience of a Hacker (which you've no doubt never read):
"My crime is that of curiosity."
Your example is poor. 'Hacking' often demonstrates a passion for computing, creativity and an agile, inquisitive mind. Being in a bunch of gangs does not display aptitude in computing. Often young, extremely talented 'hackers' just need a more creative outlet for their capabilities than poking around other peoples systems.
Davienthemoose says:
For a moment, let’s ignore the semantics about the term “hacker,” and assume that all the nuanced issues of ethics in the field of information security are correctly described by your simple trinary system.
Let’s also focus only on the areas of information security which apply directly to code development and penetration testing (because I feel you’ve neatly excluded management, audit, legal, incident response and forensics, and risk management areas in the simplicity of your analysis).
You are still asking the wrong question.
You seem to assume that “black hat” hackers are “the bad asses,” but label “white hat hackers” as almost an opposite level of ability. So, why not ask why you feel the abilities of a “black hat” hacker (your definition: someone who breaks the law) might be distinguished from that of a “white hat” hacker (your definition: someone who purely follows the rules)?
Why not ask why a company would need one vs. the other?
Why not ask whether companies can tell whether prospective job candidates will use their talents for good or ill?
Why not ask whether companies are capable of using very talented people appropriately in infosec (avoid the alienation and disenfranchisement that so many associate with criminal activity)?
"Often young, extremely talented 'hackers' just need a more creative outlet for their capabilities than poking around other peoples systems."
I won't make excuses for them, Genima. They have all that talent and high level intellect, the thought process of "I shouldn't break into this financial server" should enter their mind. The reasons I've read and personally heard aren't justifications for malicious actions.
So you wouldn’t trust Kevin Mitnick’s pentest company to audit your security? Too worried about the plethora of APT back doors they would leave in your network?
Cuz after all Kevin was a black hat that’s like 34.55% worse then a grey hat
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Smishing attack tells you “mobile payment problem” – don’t fall for it!
German divers find Enigma crypto machine on seabed
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Summary of the Latest NQHR HR Club
Narrow Quay HR runs a series of HR Clubs throughout the year and the most recent is summarised in this article. If readers want to sign up to the next session, the link is set out below.
Narrow Quay is an HR consultancy, which is part of the VWV group.
The latest Narrow Quay HR Club looked at ‘How Organisations Can Thrive in the New Normal’ with guest speaker, business performance psychologist Graham Mitchell discussing the vital role that employee engagement has to play, in order to build back up organisational performance in the context of coronavirus (COVID-19) and the impact on workplaces.
Narrow Quay HR – Caitlin Anniss
Caitlin Anniss from Narrow Quay HR opened the event by reflecting on the current position and the continuing impact of COVID-19, reminding us that in early Spring, it was clear that something called COVID-19 was going to have an impact on our daily lives and it was on 23 March 2020 the nation went into lockdown shortly before the furlough scheme was announced on 26 March, entitling eligible employees to be furloughed from work and receive 80% of their earnings.
Whilst Caitlin described the gradual easing of restrictions throughout July and August, she referenced the huge logistical challenges faced by employers in achieving a COVID-19 safe return to the workplace, alongside the additional concerns such as employees who are shielding, those who can’t work their full hours because of childcare issues and quarantine arrangements when returning from a number of countries. She referred to the CIPD’s helpful guidance to employers on the issue of employees returning to workplaces; is it essential that staff return to work? Is it safe? Is it mutually agreed?
Narrow Quay HR has been working with clients throughout the lockdown period and beyond as they try to work out the best options for their businesses, whether that was utilising the furlough scheme or working out how to get their staff back into workplaces safely and, more recently, working with organisations who are having to reorganise or consider redundancies. Caitlin mentioned that many businesses are reviewing how they work given the changes they have had to make, and considering newer, more flexible ways of working which may benefit both them and their staff. The Government’s change of position on employees returning to the workplace will no doubt produce further conversations.
It is clear now that the impact of COVID-19 is not going to be short-lived and neatly tied up within a matter of months as we first hoped. We are having to continue to learn to live with the impact of the pandemic in both our personal lives and our working lives.
Guest Speaker – Graham Mitchell
Graham started off by looking at two key areas – what employee engagement actually is and then considering the wide ranging impact and benefit of engagement. Graham’s stressed the importance of harnessing employee’s ‘discretionary effort’, often thought of as ‘going the extra mile’ or moving from ‘what I have to give you’ to ‘all I have to give you’.
Graham was clear that it was important for organisations to ensure that all employees were walking that extra mile in the same direction towards organisational objectives. This ensures an increase in overall performance at an organisational level, which is particularly relevant right now as businesses seek to build back financial performance.
Four ‘Pillars’ of Effective Engagement
Graham discussed the four ‘pillars’ of effective engagement being:
Vision and strategy – discussing the importance of having a clear vision and a sound strategy.
Engaging leaders – taking the time to let staff know how they fit into the bigger picture.
Stakeholder ‘voice’ – not only communicating effectively in relation to steps taken, but also taking the time to explain why decisions have been made not to take certain steps.
Cultural integrity – the importance of an organisation that keeps its promises and lives up to its own cultural values.
Helpfully, Graham provided sustainable strategies and practical guidance to ‘align the arrowhead’ to ensure all the people within an organisation were aligned to the same purpose, underlying the importance of everyone moving in the same direction towards the desired organisational outcomes.
It was notable that both Gareth Edwards and Graham were of a similar mind in terms of the importance of clearly communicating the reasons behind a business need to embark on a restructuring/redundancy exercise. Graham additionally underlined the importance of maintaining the last of the four pillars, cultural integrity, during a restructuring process, stressing the importance of communicating the purpose behind the decision.
Considered a Staff Engagement Survey?
Well now might be a good time to conduct a survey with your staff. This will give you a clear view of where the organisation is right now, with no doubt many employees continuing to work remotely for the foreseeable future and place a spotlight on the areas that you need to focus on.
Narrow Quay HR would like to thank Graham Mitchell for taking the time to share his experience and expertise. If you would like to discuss anything further with Graham, please do visit his website.
10 December 2020 – Bristol HR Club – How to Consult With Your staff
14 January 2021 – The Equality Act and Unconscious Bias – TBC
For HR support for your organisation, please contact Caitlin Anniss on 07909 683 938.
September 25, 2020 /0 Comments/by Louise Hale
https://narrowquayhr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NQHR-podcast-479x243-1.jpg 243 479 Louise Hale https://narrowquayhr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Narrow-Quay-HR-logo-web-300x300.jpg Louise Hale2020-09-25 13:18:012020-09-25 14:35:39Summary of the Latest NQHR HR Club
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The new drug wars: Brand-name pharma giants attack generic firms as competition grows
The attacks, however, have little or no basis in empirical evidence, and are belied by 50 years of almost trouble-free use of generic drugs, say some pharmacologists
Sep 14, 2014 • Last Updated September 14, 2014 • 5 minute read
Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg File
The invitation to the dinner and talk for health professionals at Solo Trattoria in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., simply posed questions. “Generic medications: are they really equal,” the notice asked, and “Do generics help or hinder patient care?”
The answers were likely never in much doubt.
The tab for the evening was picked up by brand-name pharma giant Merck, and the speaker was a prominent health commentator who has repeatedly questioned the benefits of generics.
The event, though, was just one part of a new front in the battle over Canada’s $25-billion-a-year prescription drug market. As the brand-name industry confronts unprecedented competition, some companies are — through sponsored talks by physicians and pharmacists, articles in trade magazines and visits by drug reps — increasingly implying that generic versions of their products may be inferior, or even less safe, despite being considered interchangeable by regulators.
Pharma-supported critics suggest the studies used to approve generics fail to predict their actual effects on patients, and speculate that the different inactive ingredients in those copies could trigger harmful reactions.
These are not scientific issues, these are market-driven issues
The attacks, however, have little or no basis in empirical evidence, and are belied by 50 years of almost trouble-free use of generic drugs, say some academic pharmacologists.
“These are not scientific issues, these are market-driven issues,” argued Fakhreddin Jamali, a pharmaceutical sciences professor at the University of Alberta, who says he has worked with both brand and generic firms and does not “take sides.”
“Unfortunately, the victim is the 80-year-old woman who needs her blood-pressure medication, or arthritis medication and is subject to all this propaganda.… It’s fear mongering, that’s all.”
The industry-funded critiques also threaten to undermine the billions of dollars in savings generics provide to governments and individuals, needed more than ever to subsidize hugely expensive new specialty medicines, warned Johanne Brosseau of the Mercer consulting firm, who advises drug-plan administrators.
At least one jurisdiction is cracking down on the practice. French competition watchdogs fined Sanofi $53 million last year for allegedly disparaging a generic version of Plavix, its high-selling blood thinner.
Merck denied this week that it is, in fact, trying to discredit copycat products, with a spokeswoman saying the company “does not question the quality, safety and efficacy of generic products approved by Health Canada.”
The speaker at the Sault Ste. Marie event, Dr. Peter Lin — a family physician and regular health commentator on CBC Radio and TV who acknowledges receiving appearance fees from 14 different brand companies — said he could not comment on his role in the issue.
Brand manufacturers just want patients to have a choice under their drug plans between the original and the generic, their trade group says.
“We’ve said and we maintain that both generic and innovative drugs have a role to play,” said Isbelle Robillard, a spokeswoman for Canada’s Research-based Pharmaceutical Companies.
Yet the CEO of a consultancy that works exclusively for brand-name companies — and is behind some of the criticism — said some firms have, in fact, turned up the heat on generics — though only to counter growing attempts to force patients to take non-brand medicines, at times against their physicians’ wishes.
We maintain that both generic and innovative drugs have a role to play
“The doctors understand the differences and it’s the doctors who are actually raising this issue,” said Gordon Polk of Mapol Inc. “The treatments are becoming so specific … that the generics are not responding in kind, they’re not being as effective in smaller patient populations.”
There are certainly economic reasons for the brands to look warily at generics, too.
Between 2010 and August 2013, brand-name drugs with sales totalling $6 billion a year in Canada lost their patent protection — opening the door to far cheaper generic copies, according to the IMS Brogan market-research company.
Compounding the so-called “patent cliff,” a growing list of insurance companies that manage private, workplace drug plans have recently made substituting generics for brands a mandatory policy – a step that most government plans took years ago. The result: more then two thirds of prescriptions in Canada are now filled with generics, while some brand manufacturers lack new drugs in the pipeline to take up the slack.
Generic drugs are approved based on “bioequivalence” studies where groups of people are given either the original or the copy. The active ingredient in the generic must show up in subjects’ bloodstream within a certain range of the brand drug, and critics suggest that variation can cause problems.
For the large majority of medications, the range is not an issue, say some university-based experts. Indeed, brand-name companies themselves use the same bioequivalence tests to get approval when production of a medicine is moved to a different plant – or when they make their own generics.
The only exception is a small group of “critical-dose” medications — such as anti-epilepsy treatments and the blood thinner Warfarin — where minor changes in concentration can have significant impacts on patients, said Dr. Laszlo Endrenyi, a University of Toronto pharmacologist who specializes in bioequivalence.
That does not mean the generic is inferior to the brand, or vice versa, only that they may be slightly different and switching from one to another should be avoided or managed carefully, he said in an email answer to questions.
Several industry-funded articles and talks aimed at doctors, pharmacists and drug-plan administrators in recent years, though, have cast more general doubts over generic products.
• A report from Ottawa and Montreal university professors, funded by Valeant, that charged Health Canada’s bioequivalence standards are too broad, and patients switched to the generic version of Valeant’s anti-depressant Wellbutrin could risk serious setbacks.
• A seminar earlier this year, organized by Mapol and funded by Astellas Pharma, that suggested generic versions of transplant anti-rejection medicines – like those Astellas makes — might “increase the risk of poor outcomes.”
• An item this summer in the magazine Moods, funded and distributed to 11,000 doctors by Lundbeck, whose products include the anti-depressant Cipralex. It argued the fillers in generic drugs can cause side effects that “may require additional medications” to treat.
Jim Keon, head of the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association, conceded that all industries engage in Coke vs Pepsi-type assaults on their rivals. Those attacking generics, though, are “undermining the system that Health Canada and the provincial regulators have put in place,” he charged.
But Pfizer Canada, the advertised sponsor of another dinner talk by Dr. Lin, which ended up being cancelled, said patients ought to have a choice.
“In most cases, there are differences in both inactive and active ingredients that may or may not be relevant for a particular patient,” said Vincent Lamoureux, a company spokesman. “Patients should be empowered to choose the medication that best meets their needs.”
• Email: tlbackwell@nationalpost.com | Twitter: tomblackwellNP
View on National Post
© 2021 National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. 365 Bloor St East, Toronto, ON, M4W3L4, www.postmedia.com
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25 years of the Republic of Singapore Armed Forces training at RAAF Base Pearce
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) hosted Singaporean Senior Minister of State (Defence) Heng Chee How at RAAF Base Pearce today to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Republic of Singapore Air Force training at the base.
Australia and Singapore are close and longstanding partners, with shared interests in regional security and stability.
Senior Australian Defence Force Officer, RAAF Base Pearce, Wing Commander Brett Mitchell said Defence was pleased to be able to support the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s pilot training.
“The people-to-people and military linkages developed through this arrangement are invaluable.
Every current Republic of Singapore Air Force pilot has undertaken training at RAAF Base Pearce where the Singapore Flying Training Institute is located, which is testament to the close and enduring nature of our bilateral relationship,” Wing Commander Mitchell said.
Issued by Ministerial and Executive Coordination and Communication,
Department of Defence,
Phone: 02 6127 1999 Fax: 02 6265 6946
Other Media release content
International military training - positive test results for COVID-19 returned on arrival to Australia
Australia concludes its contribution to the International Maritime Security Construct
Defence congratulates 2020 Australian War College graduates
Chief of Army congratulates 137th graduating class at Duntroon
Royal Australian Air Force and Royal Air Force formalise cooperation
On-the-record list
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Danes try Navy HATS on for size
Published on 16 February 2017 LCDR Jeffery Choat (author)
Location(s): HMAS Albatross, NSW
Topic(s): HMAS Albatross, MH-60R Seahawk, EC-135T2
The Royal Australian Navy’s reputation for delivering world-class training received a boost when five members of the Royal Danish Navy visited HMAS Albatross to learn how the Fleet Air Arm teaches pilots and aircrew.
Led by Commander Aksel Primdahl, the group studied the Australian experience of introducing the MH-60R Seahawk and integrating it into the Fleet.
The delegation visited the state-of-the-art Helicopter Aircrew Training System (also known as HATS) facility, which will include three full-flight simulators and 15 EC-135 training helicopters when operational next year.
Commander of the facility, Commander Bruce Willington, said the Danes were impressed by the modern facility, describing it as professional and innovative.
“The tour was an opportunity to research the training inputs for pilots, Aviation Warfare Officers and aircrewmen of the MH-60R,” Commander Willington said.
“The EC-135 is already a common sight over the skies of Nowra and is now backed up with contemporary facilities that include the simulators and a number of aircrew, aircraft and tactical synthetic trainers.”
The MH-60R is the Australian Navy’s next generation submarine hunter and anti-surface warfare helicopter.
It is equipped with a highly sophisticated combat system designed to employ Hellfire air-to-surface missiles and the Mark 54 anti-submarine torpedo.
Secondary purposes of the aircraft include search and rescue, logistics support, personnel transport and medical evacuation.
Denmark is the second foreign nation to purchase the MH-60R from the United States Navy after Australia.
Their order of nine aircraft will be completed in 2018 and will be used to defend Danish interests in the North Atlantic and during international deployments.
The Training System facility will train personnel from Navy and Army, and will graduate 50 pilots, 11 Aviation Warfare Officers and 32 aircrewmen each year.
These aviators will crew the Australian Defence Force’s new range of combat helicopters: the MH-60R, MRH-90 Taipan, ARH Tiger and CH-47F Chinook.
Fleet Air Arm at HMAS Albatross, Nowra, is the centre of Navy’s maritime aviation capability.
Training the aviation trainers
Milestone reached - first EC-135 flight
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Gap Year personnel find their bearings in the West
Published on 09 September 2020 ABETSM Lincoln Commane (author), LSIS Ronnie Baltoft (photographer)
Location(s): HMAS Stirling, WA
Topic(s): HMAS Stirling, Defence Force Recruiting, Navy Gap Year
Royal Australian Navy Gap Year sailor Seaman Samantha Lindsay with a pair of torpedo tubes in the weapons engineering workshop at Fleet Support Unit - West at Fleet Base West, WA.
Since the beginning of 2020, HMAS Stirling has hosted 16 personnel from the Navy Gap Year Program, as they try their hand at a career in the Royal Australian Navy.
The Gap Year program, often referred to as a “try before you buy” initiative, allows young Australians between the ages of 18-24 years a 12-month taste of service life before they commit longer term.
This gives young people who are interested in joining one of the services a chance to experience the different categories and primary qualifications that the Australian Defence Force has to offer.
Petty Officer Maritime Logistics - Chef Christopher Sommers is Stirling’s Gap Year Coordinator and is responsible for work placement, administration duties and welfare for the program’s officers and sailors.
Petty Officer Sommers said he fills a role in the Gap Year Program similar to that of a Divisional Officer.
“Essentially, my role is to ensure Gap Year personnel are given a diverse and rewarding experience during their posting,” he said.
“Participants can go to any workplace that has a position for them and we’ll try and find them a place in line with their first job preference.”
Petty Officer Sommers said participants nominate three work areas that are in line with the job that they want to do
Midshipman Felder, from the Melbourne suburb of Bentleigh, is currently working in the Maritime Logistics section at Clearance Dive Team Four.
“The Gap Year Program is really interesting and I would recommend it to anyone that is looking at joining the Navy but can’t decide on a specialisation,” Midshipman Felder said.
Participants are currently loan-posted to a variety of units at HMAS Stirling and Fleet Base West, including With the Adventure Training Unit, the Stirling Museum, Joint Logistics Unit - West and various ships and submarines.
Seaman Gap Year Samantha Lindsay joined the program after Defence Force Recruiting visited her school in Atherton, Queensland sparking her interest in joining the Navy.
Since being posted to Western Australia Seaman Lindsay said she had enjoyed her work at Fleet Support Unit - West and other more adventurous experiences.
“Western Australia is gorgeous and there are a lot of camping and four-wheel driving opportunities to explore,” Seaman Lindsay said.
The Gap Year Program has been implemented in the Navy since 28 April 2014 and has paved the way for hundreds of young Australians that want to be part of navy’s highly skilled and technologically advanced team.
Former Gap Year participant, and recently promoted Sub Lieutenant Sharni Hill has been working at Joint Logistics Unit - West for the past few weeks.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time here, I am very involved in the day-to-day operations and I feel like I have a new family away from home,” Sub Lieutenant Hill said.
For more information on the ADF Gap Year Program go to:
https://navy.defencejobs.gov.au/students-and-education/gap-year.
Gap Year personnel at Fleet Base West
Gap years gain sea legs
Certifying a commitment to training
Logistics sailor credits gap year for providing career direction
A great career from gap year to Korea for Navy Chef
Enjoying a gap year with overseas travel included
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Can you IPO sneakers? Also, this is the last Exchange roundup of the year
Welcome back to The TechCrunch Exchange, a weekly startups-and-markets newsletter. It’s broadly based on the daily column that appears on Extra Crunch, but free, and made for your weekend reading. Want it in your inbox every Saturday? Subscribe here.
Ready? Let’s talk money, startups and spicy IPO rumors.
Sweet dreams are made of IPOs, so merry f****** Christmas
We’re all very tired but there’s still so much news to go over I am sorry
Hello everyone, hope you are well. This is the final Exchange newsletter of 2020. There will be a handful of columns next week before I take some time off. Equity will publish episodes throughout the termination of this accursed annum, as well.
And now that we’re done with housekeeping, our two focuses of the week: Who is going public and how fast a particular cohort of startups are growing.
Sure, the two topics aren’t incredibly related issues, but I am not going to let unending IPO news ruin what I wanted to talk about. So, SEC broccoli first, and then we get to have some fun.
IPOh-no-they-didn’t
IPO news was busy this week, with Coinbase and UIPath filing privately, Poshmark filing publicly and Bumble reportedly filing privately. In short, we’ve added four names to our IPO roll-call, which already included Affirm and Roblox, which have delayed their own offerings.
And with names like Chime, Robinhood, Expensify and others already of sufficient scale to go public at-will, the brand-name IPO crop of 2021 could rival what we saw this year.
Thanks to unicorns looking to graze public pastures, and public markets near all-time-highs, it appears that we’re going to see it rain liquidity over the coming months. This means that aggregate venture capital DPI and TVPI metrics will scoot higher, making the entire asset class even more attractive than it was in today’s yield-hungry world.
The music continues.
Just how big is the software business?
Earlier this week, TechCrunch covered Ramp’s new round. Ramp launched in February, and was dismissed by some as a Brex clone at the time. Ramp and Brex compete with Divvy and other startups (more on two others in a moment) to help other companies manage their spend through a combination of real and virtual cards, and software.
Along with some new software features, Ramp announced growth metrics as part of its news bundle. When we reached out to Divvy for similar numbers, the company supplied them. Brex declined to share results, which was fine. And I failed to mention a few competing companies, namely Airbase and Plate IQ.
Airbase I should have included as I covered it in March, 2020 when it raised $23.5 million in a Series A extension (the new capital came in at a trebled-valuation, so you could call it a Series B, frankly). Regardless, Airbase matters not only because it is a competitor to Ramp and Divvy and Brex, but because while it offers similar products to its rivals, it also charges for its software.
This is in contrast, as far as I can tell, with Divvy and Brex and Ramp, companies more focused on signing up great masses of companies and driving revenues from interchange incomes. (Not charging for software that is wrapped around commodity cards is a way to keep sales friction low, and thus, in theory, customer growth high.)
But while Airbase wants corporate customers to pay for its software, it’s still growing like all heck. According to an email from Airbase CEO Thejo Kote, the startup’s annual recurring revenue (ARR) has grown by 2.5x this year, and payment volume has “grown 7X on an annualized basis.”
Those are super-good numbers. Adding another company to the success mix, well-known investor Garry Tan said on Twitter that Plate IQ, a company I have yet to meet, is “doing more than $500M in annual transactions and is profitable (real earnings).” For contrast, the relatively young Ramp just announced that it had cleared $100 million in aggregate managed spend.
My takeaway from this spate of reporting is not that any single company is going to win, or that one company is the clear leader. Instead this week’s poking around a single software niche reminded me of just how big the software market is.
How is there room for all of these competing startups to grow so quickly at the same time? The answer is that the global economy is huge, and software is still merrily grinding its way into more and more of its heft. I bet we wind up with three of our five companies in this piece surviving to public-scale, and just two being snapped up by private rivals or public giants.
I suppose this makes me long cloud. Whatever. Just don’t tell VC Twitter.
Market Notes
This week, to make things easy, I’ve broken up the rest of the things you need to know into two groups. The first is everything that was not a round. The second is all the rounds. Let’s go:
Slack’s venture capital fund is back for more, the parent company is self-funding the project and the capital pool has doubled in size to $50 million.
StockX has reached IPO scale. TechCrunch covered its fundraising news this week, writing at the time that the marketplace for used clothing goods was an IPO candidate. So we took a look. Yep. It’s an IPO candidate.
The Information reported this week that SoFi did around $200 million in revenue during Q3, and was EBITDA-positive.
Axios reported on the growth of the creator economy. Stop rolling your eyes. It’s more than big enough to take seriously, so get on board. We also chatted about the situation on Equity, if you are into podcasts with jokes.
Crypto is back in the headlines, and recent price gains amongst the asset category are not based on pure hype.
Robinhood had a tough week. The company’s shot at an IPO if it wants one probably won’t come under siege -- it wouldn’t be the only company to go public in recent quarters with some legal matters underway -- but it was still not the week that the stock trading company wanted. And its rival Public.com raised precisely as much money as Robinhood had to pay in fines. Ouch.
Startup valuations are, in Silicon Valley at least, on the other-side of the COVID-depression.
Now, a stampede of megarounds.
Huge and Important
Our Various & Sundry section this week is anything but. So I renamed it for this final newsletter of the year. Here they are, the rounds both huge and important:
Brazil’s Creditas raised $255 million. TechCrunch placed the round amongst a larger wave of Latin America-focused fintech rounds.
Zenoti, based in Bellevue near Microsoft, raised $160 million, a round that made it a unicorn. What does it do? Per The Seattle Times, it “makes cloud-computing software for managing spas and salons.” Don’t laugh. Vertical SaaS is huge. Barbershop-focused vertical SaaS player Squire was valued at $250 million the other week.
Adding another payments-focused round to the newsletter, GoCardless is nearly a unicorn after raising more money this week.
And sticking to fintech, France’s Lydia, which “aims to be an all-in-one, in-hand platform for any financial needs” of younger consumers, according to Tech.EU, extended its Series B by $86 million this week. (Accel led that round, and Public’s latest as well. Big week for that firm.)
TechCrunch reported that ClickUp has put together a new $100 million round that values the company at $1 billion. It raised $35 million in June. Why do we care about ClickUp? It’s part of a wave of companies that closed two rounds in 2020. Ramp. Welcome. SkyFlow. The list goes on.
In the Insurtech world, Bestow raised $70 million for its digital life insurance product. Insurtech has been hot lately, with AgentSync, a player in the space, raising two rounds this year alone.
Finally, Paxos, which does crypto work for PayPal among other things, raised $142 million in a mammoth Series C. Chalk this one up to the crypto boom.
And now I shall disappear in a cloud of JUUL mist to lose some more games of Civ 6 to my nemesis.
Hugs and all the best.
Meghan Markle’s Father Accuses Her of Briefing Against Him in Blistering Testimony
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CBS Philadelphia KYW TV
Philadelphia Weather: Quiet End To Weekend
Lauren Casey reports.
Incoming U.S. President-Elect Joe Biden should quickly fulfill campaign promises to launch an immigration plan, including giving dual nationality to Mexicans working in the United States, Mexico's president said on Wednesday. Immigration has become a priority issue for Biden, who is planning to roll back his predecessor's harsh measures and enact sweeping reforms that would put 11 million people living illegally in the U.S on a path to citizenship. "I hope that today or in the coming days he presents the migration plan," Lopez Obrador said.
Michigan man sentenced to prison in drowning of autistic son
A former western Michigan college professor has been sentenced to prison for manslaughter in the death of his autistic teenage son, who drowned after spending an hour in an icy backyard pool with his arms restrained. Timothy Koets, 51, was sentenced Monday to a minimum of two years in prison and a maximum of 15 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. “Sam had value, and the sanction will not restore Sam, but it will recognize that all humans have value, and because of the neglect you committed, a valuable human has lost his life,” said Ottawa County Circuit Court Judge Jon Hulsing.
With only a few hours left in his term, President Trump has departed the White House.Trump on Wednesday morning boarded Marine One to leave the White House for the last time as president and head to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where he has a farewell ceremony planned and is expected to deliver remarks. He will subsequently be headed to Florida.Traditionally, the outgoing president would welcome the incoming commander-in-chief at the White House on the day of the inauguration. But Trump, who falsely claimed he won the election, won't do so and will refuse to attend President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony. This, according to The Associated Press, will make him the "first incumbent president since Andrew Johnson not to attend his successor's inauguration."Trump on Tuesday released a pre-taped farewell address, in which he offered "best wishes" and prayers for the "new administration" and for its "success in keeping America safe and prosperous," though he did not name Biden. While Trump isn't attending Biden's inauguration, Vice President Mike Pence is set to be there and will be skipping Trump's farewell event at Joint Base Andrews.As Trump left the White House for the last time, CNN's Kaitlan Collins noted there was "no sign of" Pence, while NBC's Geoff Bennett pointed to a "striking image": as Trump departed, he wrote, the area on the South Lawn "typically reserved for staffers and supporters" was "completely empty." > President Trump departs the White House.InaugurationDay pic.twitter.com/iR22GbVn2q> > -- CSPAN (@cspan) January 20, 2021More stories from theweek.com Trump issues last-minute order attempting to free his appointees from ethics commitments 5 more scathing cartoons about Trump's 2nd impeachment Trump's fascinating and bizarre final pardons
"Joe Exotic," with limo waiting outside prison, fails to get pardon
Fox News fires editor who defended correct Arizona call after backlash from Trump, viewers
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WXYZ Detroit
Rain and snow this weekend
President Donald Trump on Wednesday commuted the 28-year prison sentence of disgraced former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who was convicted on federal corruption charges and has served about seven years. The announcement came in a flurry of clemency action in the final hours of Trump's White House term that benefited more than 140 people, including rappers, former members of Congress and other Trump allies. A White House statement said prominent members of the Detroit community had supported the 50-year-old Democrat's commutation and noted: “During his incarceration, Mr. Kilpatrick has taught public speaking classes and has led Bible Study groups with his fellow inmates.”
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris had a fitting escort to walk her up the stairs of the Capitol on Wednesday: Eugene Goodman, the lone, Black police officer who bravely lured rioters away from the Senate chamber during the invasion of the Capitol building earlier this month. Goodman is the new acting deputy House Sergeant at Arms, and a candidate for the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest honors a civilian can receive. "I've always said, if bullets start ripping through, I'm finding Goodman," a friend of Goodman's told The Washington Post. "He's been in hostile firefights [in Iraq], so he knows how to keep his head."Goodman will also accompany Harris on the presidential platform on Wednesday, where she will be sworn in as vice president of the United States. > NEW: Eugene Goodman, the Capitol Police officer who put himself in harms way while defending the building from a violent mob, has been named the Acting Deputy House Sergeant at Arms.> > Goodman will escort Vice President-elect Kamala Harris up the stairs of the Capitol today. pic.twitter.com/n3FGg0jRtp> > -- CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 20, 2021More stories from theweek.com Trump issues last-minute order attempting to free his appointees from ethics commitments 5 more scathing cartoons about Trump's 2nd impeachment Trump's final mention of the pandemic as president includes racist conspiracy theory, downplayed deaths, and no regrets
Texas man who stormed Capitol accused of threatening to shoot kids if they turned him in
Court documents recounted the man's telling his children that he would consider them "traitors" if they contacted authorities.
Hawley Blocks Quick Vote on Biden’s DHS Secretary Nominee, Citing Lax Immigration Stance
Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) blocked a quick confirmation of Alejandro Mayorkas as Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security secretary, citing Mayorkas’s immigration policy stance. Mayorkas is a former Obama administration official considered the architect of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allowed illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children a renewable deportation deferment, without providing a path to citizenship. The confirmation hearings for Mayorkas come as Biden has pledged to undue many of the Trump administration’s restrictions on immigration, although it is unclear how quickly the Biden administration can act on those promises. “Mr. Mayorkas has not adequately explained how he will enforce federal law and secure the southern border given President-elect Biden’s promise to roll back major enforcement and security measures,” Hawley said in a statement. “Given this, I cannot consent to skip the standard vetting process and fast-track this nomination when so many questions remain unanswered.” Biden is reportedly set to propose an immigration-reform bill that would grant roughly eleven million illegal immigrants a path to citizenship over eight years. The bill could also grant citizenship to agricultural workers and illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. However, the proposal is not expected to include Republican-backed border security measures. The looming immigration debates in Congress come as a new migrant caravan continues to travel toward the U.S.-Mexico border. Several thousand people in the caravan clashed with Guatemalan security forces while crossing the border from Honduras on Sunday. “There’s help on the way, but now is not the time to make the journey,” a Biden official said in comments to NBC.
US virus death toll tops 400,000 in Trump's final hours
The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus eclipsed 400,000 on Tuesday in the waning hours in office for President Donald Trump, whose handling of the crisis has been judged by public health experts a singular failure. The running total of lives lost, as compiled by Johns Hopkins University, is nearly equal to the number of Americans killed in World II. It is about the population of Tulsa, Oklahoma; Tampa, Florida; or New Orleans. While the Trump administration has been credited with Operation Warp Speed, the crash program to develop and distribute coronavirus vaccines, Trump has repeatedly downplayed the threat, mocked masks, railed against lockdowns, promoted unproven and unsafe treatments, undercut scientific experts and expressed scant compassion for the victims.
Antony Blinken, President-elect Joe Biden's choice to lead the State Department, appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday and appears to have passed with flying colors. As it turns out, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) may have been his biggest fan.Graham, who called Blinken an "outstanding choice" and gave him an elbow bump during a break, asked a series of questions, many of which resulted in answers the senator found quite agreeable. For example, Blinkin doesn't "trust" the Taliban to police al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Afghanistan after a U.S. exit. He also considers Iran the world's worst sponsor of terrorism and said he concurs with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's assessment that China is committing genocide against the Uighurs and other religious and ethnic minorities. That last point reportedly left Graham "positively gushing."> Blinken agrees that the Chinese Communist Party engaged in genocide against the Uighur Muslim population, agrees they were not transparent on Coronavirus. Lindsey Graham is positively gushing.> > — David B. Larter (@DavidLarter) January 19, 2021If the friendly exchange was any indication, Blinken won't have much trouble getting confirmed, but the bipartisanship on display did have receive from sharp criticism from supporters of non-interventionist policy.More stories from theweek.com Trump issues last-minute order attempting to free his appointees from ethics commitments 5 more scathing cartoons about Trump's 2nd impeachment Trump's final mention of the pandemic as president includes racist conspiracy theory, downplayed deaths, and no regrets
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Oshiomohole: Ward Lifts Suspension_Ada Nkong
June 20, 2020 June 21, 2020 Francisca Ogar
Some officials of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Etsako West Ward 10 have announced the lifting of the suspension imposed on the national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole.
The secretary of the ward, Emuakemeh Sule, made the announcement on behalfof his colleagues on Saturday while addressing a news conference at the APC national secretariat in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
He explained that the ward reviewed the suspension of Oshiomhole and decided to lift it in the interest of peace.
Sule claimed that 17 out of the 27 officials of the ward who signed the suspension order were in agreement with the decision to lift the suspension.
According to him, the party’s ward officials met on June 4 and resolved to call on all organs of the party to restore the rights and privileges of the APC national chairman.
The ward secretary briefed reporters a day after the Chairman of Etsako West Ward 10, Mr Stephen Oshawo, announced that Oshiomhole remained suspended.
Despite the defection of Governor Godwin Obaseki to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oshawo insisted on Friday that the officials that took the decision to suspend the national chairman would not leave the party.
Read the resolution of the party’s ward officials below:
RESOLUTION OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF APC WARD 10 ETSAKO-WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA AT A MEETING HELD ON 4TH JUNE 2020 AT THE ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS SECRETARIAT APANA-UZAIRUE EDO STATE
We the undersigned, being the Executive Committee of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ward 10 Eisako West L.G.A, Edo State having met today 4/ 6/2020 affirm the following positions
That we have reviewed the circumstances leading to the suspension of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and found no merit in the allegation or processes employed.
We hereby lift the suspension placed on Comrade Adams Oshiomhole by the Ward.
We call on all organs of our great party to restore all rights and privileges of membership to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
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Home USA Politics Tuesday Not About Electing a President: Choosing Lesser of The Two Evils
Tuesday Not About Electing a President: Choosing Lesser of The Two Evils
Abdul-Majeed Azad
Mon November 5, 2012
When I head towards the polling station on Tuesday to cast my vote, I’ll be wondering about the lunacy of the entire process that brought out nothing but the intent of two people and their selected cohorts vying against each other in the pursuit of power with utmost greed, and lust.
When Tuesday finally fades, the two candidates would have amassed and squandered close to a billion dollars. To what end? Attempting in vain to prove each other as imbecile and incompetent, one casting his opponent as more sinister than devil, less American, less patriotic and even less human than himself?
The more we endured the barrage of political slandering, innuendos and lies over the past several months, the more it became apparent that both people and tools of politics have been reduced to pimps in the hands of politicians and their financiers.
We come to this point every four years and nothing seems to change much. What changes at all, is that every four years, we crawl further towards the imminent peril on all conceivable levels – political, social and moral. The 24/7 media puppets and stinking rich reality show honchos with unabashed and unhidden liberal or conservative agenda have become our guiding – or more appropriately – misguiding light.
No events of the likes of 9/11 or demons of Bin Laden or a superstorm called Sandy could ever break the true American Spirit. But the same cannot be said about the immense power of superPAC. They trample on the sense of freedom of the American people by shoving money bags down their throat in order to choke them.
Romney and Obama.
Capitalism has taken a new meaning and that is the true sword of Damocles that hangs over the head of everything that was once deemed noble and blessed in America.
Not very long ago, this land and its people exuded human decency, tolerance and acceptance, based on their deep-rooted belief in one God. Over the years, constant erosion and rapid decay of those endearing qualities has made us all hollow and egotistical. The very thought of how low we as a nation could stoop to in the next four years, tempts some of us to say adios to its shores.
To most, this Tuesday would be about electing/re-electing an American president. For some, it would be a choice of the lesser evil for the country.
May God save the United States.
When the local and global events prick his conscience, the freelancer within his alter ego forces him to lift the pen.
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Home World Israel Crossfire War -US Sixth Fleet Has Been Practicing Ballistic Missile Interception
Crossfire War -US Sixth Fleet Has Been Practicing Ballistic Missile Interception
Fri July 4, 2008
Crossfire War – RAPID FIRE NEWS=TEHRAN – GAZA – BAGHDAD WATCH – West Asia – North – Northeast Africa Theatre
US Sixth Fleet Has Been Practicing Interception of Iran Shahab-3 Missile – South Ossetia Orders Mobilization After Heavy Exchange of Fire with Georgia – Muslim Leaders in Kashmir Plan Massive Pro-Independence Demonstrations – Hindus Continue to Riot in Jammu
Night Watch: EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN – In preparation for the inevitable for the past few years missile ships of the U. S. Sixth Fleet have been practicing the interception of Iran’s Shahab-3 missiles expected to be launched at Israel. The pan-Arab publication Asharq al-Awsat published an outline of Tehran’s Judgment Day response to an attack (cfw=Apr. 26-07) which mentioned 50 Shahab-3’s will be launched at Israel but with Syria’s participation many more Scud ballistic missiles will also be fired. Haaretz reports Sixth Fleet Commander Admiral James Winnefeld believes an Iranian missile attack would call for not only a U. S. response but also a response from NATO. Admiral Winnefeld describes Iran as an “unpredictable adversary” which could be provoked into action “by an isolated and perhaps seemingly unimportant event.” There is a lot of truth to his observation as Tehran likes to use its unpredictability to keep the enemy in a state of confusion. I still maintain Tehran wants to see fighting to increase first on the Hamas/Israel Gaza front before Iran enters the war in the name of supporting Palestinian people, even before Hezbollah-Syria enter the conflict. At the same Tehran will activate the Mahdi Army and Shia Militias in Iraq and support them with cruise missile attacks on UK/US bases and U. S. ships and bases in the Persian Gulf. [HAARETZ]
Israel has decided to destroy the house of the man that conducted the bulldozer attack in Jerusalem and that may prompt Palestinian militants to unleash a rocket barrage from Gaza which could force Israel to begin its offensive.
Tskhinvili – Moscow may have decided not to wait for war to resume in the Balkans to re-start its war against the Georgian government in Tbilisi just 160 miles north of Iran’s border. A three year war was waged from 1990-93 at the end of the Cold War as two regions of Georgia, Abkhazia-South Ossetia seceded with Russia’s support. In 1994 Moscow had to concentrate on the fighting further north when Chechnya erupted that December and then the problem became the massive corruption in Russia’s armed forces and government which lead to Russia’s defeat in 1996 and their financial collapse in 1998. But with the serious reforms made under Russia President Vladimir Putin from 1999 to this year the fighting is largely over in the North Caucasus and for the past few years Moscow has been able to give military support to Abkhazia-South Ossetia knowing it will lead to war with Georgia as Russia re-claims its hold over the entire region and its enormous oil-gas resources. Industrial services in the West, led by Berlin, have long used Russia to guarantee exports from here and privately support Moscow though publicly the West puts on a show of support for Georgia. Former U. S. Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger was sent to Moscow in April 2007 (cfw=4-26-07) to co-chair the Strategic Working Group with former Russia Premier Yevgeny Primakov as a real indication of the West’s real policy. [SWISSINFO]
Swissinfo/Reuters report the South Ossetian government in Tskhinvili has mobilized its military after heavy exchanges of fire with Georgian forces Thursday night with both sides blaming the other. Though Georgia has been receiving military assistance for the past several years from Turkey-Iran I do not believe it is to Tbilisi’s advantage to start the war against a heavily re-armed Russia. That is why I take the explanation from the commander of Georgian armed forces in the Conflict Zone so seriously. Battalion commander Mazurka Kurashvili stated his troops were forced to respond after South Ossetian forces began bombardment of several local Georgian villages.
Tskhinvili – As expected the Russia Foreign Ministry is accusing Georgia of “open aggression.” RIA is reporting officials in the ministry are actually claiming the bombardment was planned by Georgia. So now, according to the script Moscow has written, the President of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoity, has issued a virtual ultimatum to the Georgian government demanding they stop their “aggressive actions” and if not then South Ossetia will go on the offensive. “If we are led to this I will give the order and as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief I will head the units that storm the hills.” [RIA]
Srinagar – Pro-Independence Muslim leaders in Kashmir are maintaining the pressure on India and the state government in Kashmir by calling for a massive pro-independence demonstration after Friday prayers. IRNA reports Leaders of the Hurriyat Conference, the leading pro-independence Muslim organization in the state, will begin the march at Jamia Mosque in Srinagar. Syed Ali Shah stated the march will proceed to Hazarathal shrine, one of the most important Islamic sites in the state. This is in observance of Youme Istiqbal (Day of Independence) and the march is to take place even though it has been banned by the Waqf Board which manages Muslim sites in Kashmir. But the Muslim leaders refer to the board as “stooges and agents of India” supporters of India’s control over the Muslim majority state. Another Hurriyat Conference leader, Mirwaz Umer Farooq has warned the Indian government of “serious consequences” if it does not control the Hindu violence south in Jammu and “If India tries to suppress this movement by force, it will have terrible consequences.” [IRNA]
Though Pakistan’s government has said nothing publicly about this new wave of protests one of the Muslim leaders visited Islamabad just two weeks ago before these demonstrations began.
Jammu – KONS is reporting there are no signs violence is easing in Jammu despite the second day of curfew as Hindus continue to have violent confrontations with police. They have formed an umbrella organization called the Shri Amarnath Shrine Sangharsh Samiti which is composed of thirty Hindu social-religious organizations. This new militant coalition has called for demonstrations to continue for at least 72 more hours as an angry mob of BJP-Shiv Sena members forced their way into the home of Hurriyat Conference leader Dev Raj Sharma and assaulted him as they ransacked his house. The BJP and Shiv Sena are the two leading political Hindu parties in India and represent the most anti-Pakistan and anti-Kashmir independence positions in India. [KONS]
Bari Behak – At the same time heavy fighting is continuing in Kashmir as the result of a large infiltration of Islamic militants from Pakistan’s part of Kashmir. NewsBlaze news agent Fayaz Wani reports the action began June 29 with what seems to have been the largest infiltration attempt this year. More than twenty militants came across the Line of Control (LoC), the demarcation that divides Pakistan’s part of Kashmir from India, near Bari Behak and the fighting since then has killed eighteen people five of them Indian soldiers. An Indian police officer stated, “The gun fight is going on. Additional forces have been rushed to the spot to prevent the militants from escaping the area.”
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Food & Drink Muse
The Beautiful Brew: Britain's Love for Tea
Alice Weetman spills the tea on the history, benefits, and politics behind of one of the uk’s favourite beverages
Wednesday 1 May 2019 Alice Weetman
Image Credit: rawpixels.com
Along with red double-decker buses, the Queen and crumpets, tea is a key component of British culture. The Brits love for tea is known globally and the beverage has become a huge part of British experiences. The humble tea leaf has come on an impressive journey to become the nation’s favourite drink. So, in honour of Britain’s National Tea Day, which took place on 21 April, I shall delve into how a plant originating in the Eastern hemisphere became a crucial part of Britain’s culture.
There are many myths surrounding the origin of tea, the main being the Chinese story of Emperor Shen Nung, who was also a renowned herbalist. The story goes that when a tea leaf from a nearby shrub blew into his boiling drinking water, he then tasted the brewed tea and the beverage was born. Having said that, tea does indeed have a rich history in China, being consumed from 550 BC, and was passed from royal circles to the average man by 900AD.
A Political Past:
Tea first came to the UK through the East India Trading Company. In 1664 the monopoly put in its first order of tea from China. Tea had become popular in Britain thanks to the marriage of Charles I and Catherine of Bragnza, a Portuguese Princess who loved a cuppa. From this, tea became an admired drink in courtly and aristocratic circles. By the 17th Century tea drinking had become a common activity for the whole population, and the East India Trading Company’s imports and profits rocketed. The East India Company started to run into financial issues in the 1770s, forcing Parliament to allow them to ship directly to America, but with tea that would be heavily taxed for the Americans. This led to The Boston Tea Party in 1773, which saw 342 chests of tea dumped into Boston Harbour. After this revolution, interest in tea in the American colonies dwindled as coffee became the new favourite pick-me-up. No longer used as a political chess piece, tea is enjoyed by many in Britain, and is seen both as a home comfort and an indulgence all in one.
The Taste of Tea
60 billion cups of tea are consumed in the UK each year, according to the Tea and Infusion Organisation. Chugging more than 900 cups a year each, the British public must truly love the taste of tea, but why? The taste of tea all boils down to how it’s grown, processed and brewed, and the level of sunlight each plant has – all these factors impact what we taste when we drink our brew. Green Tea, for example, has a higher level of chlorophyll as the bushes are grown in the shade. The drying of the tea leaves that can also amp up a tea’s flavour. Green tea leaves are immediately steamed or put into a hot pan after the leaves have been picked, whereas black tea leaves are bruised and then dried over a long period of time before being popped into a pan. While the tea leaves dry, enzymes that are naturally found in the plant begin to turn their simple molecules into more complex ones, hundreds of different compounds build up in the tea leaves over time impacting the flavour. When the tea is then fried it halts the process by killing the enzymes.
Considering the popularity of tea, you’d think that there must be some health benefits to drinking the beverage. So far there is only inconclusive and conflicting evidence as to whether tea does much more than accompany biscuits on a lunch break. It is true, however, that tea is a stimulant. Brewed tea has around half the caffeine of an equivalent amount of coffee, so it’s perfect for a little pick me up if you’re looking to avoid a complete caffeine induced buzz. It is also true that tea has a good level of antioxidants in it, specifically flavonoids, which can soak up ‘free radicals’ produced by factors such as pollution and UV rays that may challenge our normal state of health. So drinking tea does in fact have some small benefits other than just breaking up library sessions and going well with scones and jam.
The Perfect Brew?
According to the UK Tea and Infusions Association, to make the perfect cup of tea you need to ensure any teabags or loose leaf teas are stored away in an airtight container to ensure maximum freshness. For black tea, boiling water is best to ‘energise’ the leaf and ‘extract its character’, whereas green tea can taste bitter if the water is boiling when adding it to the tea, so having water at around 80 degrees is better. The water you use in your tea must be freshly boiled, oxygen is key to draw out fresh and fragrant tones, and each time water is boiled, it loses oxygen. One teabag or teaspoon of loose leaf to one cup ratio is best for a full flavour. Brewing time should be around three to four minutes and, of course, unless you’re a monster, milk goes in last.
Image: maxpixel
The Team’s Favourite Teas
We asked the Nouse Team what their favourite brew is and why:
Chamomile tea because it makes me feel relaxed and sleepy - Andrew Young, MUSE Editor
Yorkshire Tea, milk no sugar: it’s the perfect way to start and end the day, and reminds me of home - Jonny Wellington, Comment Editor
Yorkshire Tea strong with one sugar: the only way to have it - Alex Thompson, Music Editor
Green tea with a slice of lemon, it’s very refreshing and a nice palate cleanser - Saskia Starritt, Deputy MUSE Editor
Earl Grey because it gives you a bit of a ‘zap’ in the throat (and I do like spicy food, I’m not as korma as that seemed) - Maddie Thornham, Chief Sub-Editor
I only drink green tea because it makes me feel like I’m looking after myself - Charlotte Rogers, Sub-Editor
Betty’s Special Blend because it’s got a nice box - Joseph Silke, Editor
Earl Grey because I like the citrus notes, but
it has to be without milk - Beth Colquhoun, Music Editor
I’d go for Jasmine tea because it has a wonderful fragrant aroma - Jodie Sheehan, Deputy Features Editor
<br data-tomark-pass>
Alice Weetman
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“Very different gender issues on the agenda in Canada”
Researcher Erika Anne Hayfield just returned from Canada and a conference on sustainable development in the northern and Arctic regions. She was inspired by the conference, but fundamental challenges for indigenous peoples moved the focus away from gender and gender equality issues, she says.
Illustration: Emma Hanquist
Nordic and Canadian politicians, researchers, NGO representatives and people from business and industry met last week in Quebec at a conference on sustainable development in the northern and Arctic areas of the two regions.
One of the many topics at the conference, which was arranged by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the government in Quebec, was gender and gender equality. The Nordic representatives included Erika Anne Hayfield, PhD and assistant professor at the University of the Faroe Islands. Hayfield presented her research on young people’s migration from the Faroe Islands. NIKK had a chance to talk to her during the conference.
‘The main argument in my presentation is that we have to work with in- and outbound migration as an integral part of the Faroese culture. My research shows that young people think of it as a natural part of life. It’s about opportunities. It’s about breaking free from the safe environment in a small community.’
‘More women than men move away to get an education. However, the gender aspect becomes even clearer when it comes to returning. Many women cannot find employment in the Faroe Islands. They see the private sector as very male dominated. For example, there are very few women in management positions,’ says Hayfield and explains that the reasons also include a superior Danish welfare system, a Faroese labour market with lots of part-time work and a traditional gender culture.
Are there any other conference contributions that address gender and gender equality? How much room is given to these issues?
‘The conference is covering a lot, and the participants come here with very diverse backgrounds. It seems like Canada and the Nordic countries have very different gender issues on their agendas. Over here I perceive quite different gender equality concerns, concerns that have to do with Canada’s indigenous peoples. I attended a workshop where they for example talked about an educational programme at university level for these groups. The average age in the programme is 38, and most of the students are women. The reason for this is that many women have children at a young age. There’s some prestige involved in this behaviour. So they drop out of school. The young women ask themselves what opportunities they have, and many of them don’t see many other opportunities than having children. This means that the challenges are very different than the ones we face in the Nordic countries.’
Are there any aspects that you can bring home with you and that have made you wiser?
Erika Hayfield. Photo: private
‘The Nordic region has come a long way when it comes to gender equality. I wish the Faroe Islands would have come as far as the other Nordic countries. But my perspective changes completely when I compare our situation with places where they can’t even really talk about gender issues because they’re too busy dealing with the fundamental challenges some groups in society are facing, like education and language policy. Their lack of equality is not so much a matter of gender, but more about being treated unequally in relation to the rest of Canada. This obviously doesn’t make it OK that the Faroe Islands has not made more progress in the gender equality area. It only means that we have different things on our agenda than a modern country like Canada.’
What’s your overall impression of the conference?
‘I’ve got so much out of the conference. But I think we can learn something from it. If we wish to cooperate and share knowledge with Canada, maybe we should emphasise a clearer focus so that we really get a debate on gender. We didn’t get that type of debate here, as it ended up only concerning the indigenous peoples. That’s extremely relevant too, of course. But to get a really good debate on gender, you almost have to plan a separate seminar or workshop around that topic. Why put gender and gender equality under the theme “social conditions”, like they did here? Nothing defines our identity more than gender.’
Text: NIKK
Categories: Gender equality and welfare policy
Erika Anne Hayfield Ph.D
Read more about the conference
Latest updated 18 June 2020
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EXAM NEWS • WAEC NEWS
WASSCE PAST QUESTION AND ANSWER IN BIOLOGY FOR 2020
Waec Biology past questions
If you have been looking for WAEC Biology past questions and answers 2020/2021? If yes, you are in the right place. Nkedugists have brought all the collection of Biology past examination questions to assist you with your studies for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
Many students feel lazy and less concern studying there books and past questions relying on waec expo, the truth is that not all things that glitter are gold. Is better for you to know what you are doing and proved to your parent that all the money they spend on you is not waste.
Our joy is to see you to your success, eventually, we are not perfect but we have been working towards improving every day and achieving our mission, which includes helping every student that accesses our learning resources and is ready to work hard, excel academically using Waec Biology past questions.
Biology Theory Paper 1
1. (a) Describe briefly the role of the stomach indigestion.
(b) (i) Name three parts of plants in which food can be stored
(ii) Give one example in each case.
(c) Explain briefly how the level of sugar in the mammalian blood can be regulated.
2. (a)(i) What is sexual reproduction?
(ii) Name four organs in mammals that produce sex hormones.
(iii) Name one sex hormone produced by each of the organs named in 2(a)(i).
(b) In a tabular form outline three differences between reproductions in lizards and birds.
(c) (i) How are identical twins forms in humans?
(ii) State three characteristics features of identical twins.
3. (a) Explain the following terms:
(i) disease;
(ii) symptoms of diseases
(b) (i) List two physical and two chemical barriers that prevent pathogens from penetrating the body of an organism.
(ii) Explain how vaccination protects the body from contracting infectious diseases.
(c) Distinguish between an antibody and an antigen.
(d) Name the causative agents of: (i) Malaria; (ii) Cholera; (iii) AIDS.
4. (i) What is respiration?
(ii) In a tabular form, state four differences between gaseous exchange and aerobic respiration
(b) (i) Explain the term residual air.
(ii) What is the importance of residual air to mammals?
(iii) State four characteristic features associated with respiratory structures.
(c) (i) What is oxygen debt?
(ii) Outline three activities that can result in oxygen debt.
5. (a) (i) What is conservation?
(ii) State six factors responsible for the decline of the abundance and variety of wildlife.
(b) Outline six ways in which the government can improve the situation in 5(a) (ii) above.
(c) (i) What is Eutrophication?
(ii) State two causes of eutrophication.
6. (a) What is photosynthesis?
List: (i) four external factors;
(ii) two internal factors; that affect the rate of photosynthesis.
(b) (i) List the major products of the light-dependent stage of photosynthesis.
(ii) State the importance of each of the products listed in 6(c) (i) above.
(c) (i) Explain why there are no green plants at the lower depths of some lakes.
(ii) State why decomposers are important to flowering plants.
7. (a) (i) What is a gene?
(ii) Differentiate between the terms genotype and phenotype.
(b) Explain the following terms: (i) hybrid; (ii) pure breeding; (iii) nucleotide.
(c) In garden pea seeds, the smooth seed coat is dominant over rough seed coat.
With the aid of a genetic diagram, determine the result expected if a homozygous rough pea is crossed with a smooth seed coat plant whose parent were rough-coated.
8. (a) (i) Describe epigeal germination of a seed.
(ii) In a tabular form, state three differences between epigeal germination and hypogeal germination.
(b) (i) What is seed dormancy?
(ii) State three ways by which dormancy in seeds can be broken.
(c) State six advantages of using contraceptives in human populations.
Waec Biology past question
Waec Biology past questions objective questions
1. A plant which grows on another plant without apparent harm to the host plant is called
A. a parasite
B. an epiphyte
C. a saprophyte
D. a predator
E. a hermaphrodite
Correct Answer: Option B
2. Given the equation:
6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2 {Under sunlight & Chlorophyll)
The process represented by the above equation is
A. protein synthesis
B. respiration
C. photosynthesis
D. transpiration
E. translocation
Correct Answer: Option C
Given the equation:
The oxygen given off during the above process is derived from
A. sunlight
B. chlorophyll
C. carbon dioxide
D. atmosphere
E. water
Correct Answer: Option E
This question is left for you to answer without an answer given, so find it yourself by using your textbook to confirm it after answering it.
We have ___________major types of human fingerprint (a) three (b) six (c) four (d) five
All these include the morphological variation except (a) height of the body (b) fingerprints (c) weight of individual (d) intelligent or stupid
If an albino man (bb) marries a dark-skinned woman (bb) and they have four children. how many of the children will be albino (a) 3 (b) 2 (c)0 (d) 1
A flowering plant having both the male and female flowers on the same plant is said to be (a) irregular (b) monoecious (c) irregular (d) dioecious
In Mendel’s experiment, it was disclosed that the f1 generation of a cross between a brown cook and a white hen was all brown because the greater for the (a) brown colour was dominant (b) white colour was dominant (c) brown colour was recessive (d) white colour did not combine
The function of the human red blood cell is to (a) carry oxygen (b) absorb heat (c) make antibodies (d) destroy bacteria
The part of the nervous system that interprets blinking of the age is (a) spinal cord (b) cerebrum (c) Hindi brain (d) olfactory lobe
Fish cannot survive on land because it has (a) a body covered with scales (b) a streamlined body (c) no lungs (d) no iveking
What is the different between viviparous and ovoviviparous animal (a) possession of yoked egg (b)laying of unfertilized egg(c) possession of yoked eggs (d) laying and breading of eggs
When both ovaries of the human female ovulate simultaneously and both ovaries are fertilized, then (a) identical twins are produced (b) fraternal twins are produced (c) Siamese twins are produced (d) they are genetically identical
A population is best described as(a) a group of the same species of organism living together (b) a group of animal and plant living together (c) different species of organism living together
Placentation of plant is best described as (a) arrangement of ovules in the ovary (b) arrangement of fruits on the branches (c) development of ovules in the ovary (d) formation of a percept from the ovary wall
The study of plant and animals is known as (a) ecology and morphology (b) zoology and botany (c) anatomy and variation (d) genetics and physiology
The process that ensures the continuity of life and enables it to pass from one generation to another is called (a) asexual reproduction (b) sexual reproduction (c) reproduction (d) respiration
A microscopic organism which cannot be seen by an ordinary microscope but with an electronic microscope is (a) HIV (b) AIDS (c) virus (d) malaria parasite.
The system of classification of living things used today is based by a Swiss scientist known as and in what year (a) Kingdom Phylum in 1701 – 2019 (b) Carolus Linnaeus in 1707 – 1778 (c) Lord Lugard in 1707 – 1777(d) Carolus Carbon in 1707 – 1708
Another name for eukaryotes is (a) cell with membrane (b) cell without membrane (c) unicellular cell (d) multi cellular cell
Two examples of an angiosperm plant are (a) beans and pin tree (b) balsam and mango tree (c) zea mays and oryza sativa (d) Rattus rattus
Fishes whose bones are made of cartilage are called (a) cartilaginous (b) ray fishes (c) elastic fishes (d) chordate
If actually, this article on Waec Biology past questions is helpful to you kindly share it to your friends and relative who are also not aware of this via Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and Google+
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Sir Bob Jones · February 3, 2020 · Uncategorized · 5 Comments
Mike Moore is gone, having lived a wonderfully full life. So much so indeed, his last five years of relentless health deterioration were particularly painful for both him and his friends.
I treasure the memory of his friendship, of his unrelenting decency, his honesty, curiosity and relentless energy but most of all, of numerous hilarious incidents with him which would justify a small book. Perhaps I might knock it out. I’ll wait awhile and chat with his wife Yvonne who knowing her delight in humour, will probably give the go-ahead.
Here’s a sample. After a relentless 3 year effort, travelling the world to secure support for the highest office ever achieved by a New Zealander, it all turned to dust in the last 6 months with a stand-off for the role against the other candidate. Of the circa 150 nations with voting power, none could be budged and the vote remained 50/50. Eventually Mike decided to give it a final grand push in Wellington with Foreign Affairs, as it transpired in vain. He rang me glumly about 5pm one day to advise he’d got nowhere and thus would announce he was pulling stumps the next day.
“You’d like to come out for dinner?” I queried and half an hour later he arrived.
I tried to cheer him up talking about future possible activities, understandably to no avail. Anyway, we returned to the kitchen to top up, having left the wine bottle there, whereupon the most ludicrously improbable event in my life immediately occurred to which Mike and I were speechless bystanders. 5 minutes later, Mike, now in a dazed state, was the incoming World Trade boss.
I never publicised it for after chatting to Yvonne one day when I mentioned it, she replied, “The bugger never told me that”. I’ve often thought about that and sort of understand his silence, given the absurdly improbable circumstances.
But so many similarly funny memories, particularly after he lost the Party leadership whereupon frequently Mike, Winston and I would drink too much then dine together later. Winston’s public condolences were certainly heartfelt as he more than most was acutely aware of Mike’s sheer decency and attributes.
I’ve known all of our Prime Ministers to varying degrees since Nash, only Kirk excepted, that for a very amusing albeit telling (about his short comings) reason. Muldoon and Lange, were the standout characters but Mike was the warmest and the best of friends.
The Silent Majority February 3, 2020 at 2:39 pm
Having been a life long National (or ACT) voter the only time I have ever voted Labour was when Mike Moore was the leader. The decency that you spoke of just oozed from him.
Peter Beveridge February 3, 2020 at 3:33 pm
More talent and decency in that bloke than the whole of the present Labour caucus.
RIP Mike
towngreenmusic February 3, 2020 at 4:58 pm
Sincere condolences to you, Sir Bob, and through you, to Mike Moore’s friends and loved ones.
If I may, I’d like to share my memories related to three items of correspondence from Mike Moore which spoke volumes about the decency and generosity of the man.
Firstly, over the past twenty plus years especially, I have found myself the first port of call for people wishing to invest in/do business in/promote their work in New Zealand. As a private citizen, this process has led to bemusement and even resentment from some public figures/officials I have consulted about these queries, to advance the propositions therein.
Not so with the Rt Hon Mike Moore.
When the Coventry City Council produced a video “A View from the Inside” about community care for people with disabilities (early 1990’s), I approached Mike Moore. He was very happy to hear that the video had found its way to New Zealand, via Palmerston North, thanked me for letting him know, asked if he could see it, while mentioning that he had once been a social worker at Oakley Hospital but “we can all learn.” When the Disabled Persons Assembly (DPA) publicised and arranged a public viewing in which a large amount of people turned up – civic leaders, MPs, community leaders in the sector, government officials etc -the then president of the DPA asked me to take over the chairing of the meeting at the last minute. When I encountered a senior government official making a discrete exit at the end of the meeting, she testily told me that the department concerned “does know all about that video, I hope you realise.” Mike Moore was, in the meantime, delighted to receive the video and, although busy, wanted to view it quickly so that it could be returned with haste as a valuable resource for the DPA Library.
Secondly, as one is no longer young, I still have moments when I wonder if I really should have pursued the production of a bi-lingual Manawatu-Wellington musical tribute to Leonardo da Vinci, from 1993-1998. I was warned by a prominent local that doing so would alienate me from the workforce and result in me being roundly vilified, which indeed happened, although that project has continued to open doors offshore to this day. Mike Moore, the only New Zealander who received a copy of the cassette and booklet as a token of international peace and goodwill, wrote in reply, “I appreciate the trouble you went to to send it to me.”
Finally, upon Mike Moore’s appointment to “the highest office ever achieved by a New Zealander”, he wrote to me thanking me for my letter of congratulations, even though he’d had “many hundreds of letters from friends, foes, villains, heroes, and ghosts from my past.” He kindly sent me a copy of a speech he gave about the World Trade Organisation before he “got the job”, writing “I hope I can live up to its ideals.” Mike Moore certainly did live up to the ideal, as that speech revealed, yet again how much kindness and altruism were hardwired into his being.
May Mike Moore’s decency, generosity, goodness, kindness and great energy for life continue to shine on through people like you who knew him well and loved him.
Adam Greenwell
Caleb Mitchell February 3, 2020 at 5:51 pm
My condolences to all those that knew him.
TWR February 4, 2020 at 11:06 am
For those of us not there in the kitchen, it would be interesting to know what the ludicrously improbably even was that propelled Mike to his WTO job.
THE COMING RECESSION/DEPRESSION?
READING THE FUTURE
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Paco ( digipacopr) wrote in ohnotheydidnt,
digipacopr
Interview: Daniel Abraham on Bringing 'Game of Thrones' To Comics
The novelist and comics writer talks about bringing the first chapter in George R. R. Martin's epic to the comics page and we bring you a 5-page preview of the first issue!
We brought you news a few weeks back that Dynamite Entertainment would be releasing a monthly Game of Thrones comic based on the wildly popular George R.R. Martin novel of the same name. With Alex Ross and Mike S. Miller providing covers to novelist Daniel Abraham scripts and artist Tommy Patterson's interiors, we thought we'd check in with Abraham, author of the Long Price of Quiet author about crafting an adaptation of the novel, particularly in the wake of the HBO series.
( Comics are comingCollapse )SOURCE
Tags: comic books, game of thrones (hbo), interview
Danny Boyle is set to direct a limited series about the Sex Pistols for FX
Danny Boyle is set to direct a limited series about the Sex Pistols for FX. Based on the 2018 memoir ‘Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol,’ the six…
Anna Paquin stars in Amazon Prime’s new series, ‘Flack’
Bad behavior. Great publicists. #Flack arrives next Friday 1/22 on @PrimeVideo. pic.twitter.com/17qjVMGCCf— Flack On Prime (@FlackonPrime)…
London Grammar "Lose Your Head" MV
Their first album in nearly four years will be released April 9th! source
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Call: (+592) 225 1330
Email us: opguyana@gmail.com
The Ministries
Journey to the Presidency
Three new passport offices to be up and running by the end of 2019 -Minister Felix
Georgetown, Guyana – (October 4, 2018) Minister of Citizenship, Mr. Winston Felix, today, disclosed that his Department is working to establish passport offices in the Pomeroon-Supenaam (Region Two), Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region Seven) and Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region Nine) regions by the end of 2019 fiscal year. This is in keeping with the Administration’s vision of decentralising vital public services in capital towns.
The Minister, today, visited the Essequibo Coast to get a first-hand look at the plot of land that has been identified by the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) in the town of Anna Regina where the Region’s passport office will be located.
“Last year, at an outreach conducted by the Minister of State, the issue of passports and the challenge to travel to Georgetown was raised by many residents and I made a commitment that all efforts will be made to remedy this situation in keeping with President’s wish to have Government services easily accessible in capital towns,” said Minister Felix.
The identified plot is centrally located; with the Anna Regina Police Station, the GLSC Office and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Office within close proximity.
“Since Anna Regina is a Capital Town we will bring the service [here]. This will cut out the unnecessary travelling to Georgetown; it will bring the service to Essequibians, thereby reducing the time they have to wait as well as the cost involved in travelling,” Minister Felix said.
Meanwhile, the new passport offices at Linden and New Amsterdam are serving residents well and have significantly reduced the hassle and crowds at the Georgetown office. The Minister recalled that only a few years ago, the lines at the central location would extend all the way to Barrack Street, Kingston.
He said that upon entering Office, President David Granger created the Department of Citizenship and directed that one of its first tasks must be to eliminate this unnecessary everyday struggle.
Since then, more equipment was procured for the Immigration Office to improve efficiency and the decentralisation programme commenced.
First Lady receives courtesy call from Honorary Consul of Guyana to the State of Georgia
Cabinet green-lights Guyana’s participation at regional, international fora -approves appointment of non-resident envoy of Romania to Guyana
Uphold oaths, understand development prioritie
Posted:October 04, 2018
Prolonged housing issues must be resolved- Pre
opguyana@gmail.com
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President’s Biography
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Readable on all worldwide frequencies: The new RFID DistaFerr Global Label from Schreiner ProTech
With another new product development from its proven “RFID on Metal” label family, Schreiner ProTech (Oberschleißheim, Germany) has solved a further challenge posed by globalisation: The ((rfid))-DistaFerr Global Label has an integrated dual-band antenna that enables reading of the two frequency bands, ETSI and FCC. This makes the label suitable for the frequencies commonly used around the globe and ensures reliable readability on all metallic substrates.
In RFID technology, two different frequency bands are used worldwide: ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) in Europe and FCC (Federal Communications Commission) in America and Asia. Consequently, if a component is exported to several regions it requires diverse RFID labels. The new ((rfid))-DistaFerr Global Label provides an efficient and cost-effective solution because it covers both frequency ranges.
Like all “RFID on Metal” labels, the new ((rfid))-DistaFerr Global label, due to specifically used shielding materials, guarantees reliable readability on metal components, containers and transport items. The 50x40mm RFID-Label is only 1.7mm thick and has read range of up to three metres. In the long-range version, read range is up to six metres.
The ((rfid))-DistaFerr Global label is a good alternative to hard tags, can be custom-printed and programmed on-site, is automatically dispensed off the roll and easy to apply. It is ideally suited for use in process automation and logistics applications.
Caption: The ((rfid))-DistaFerr Global Label with a dual-band antenna (photo: Schreiner ProTech)
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Have Questions? (828) 505-3997
info@nyscandia.org
New York Scandia Symphony
What People Are Saying Reviews
Among the best of these is the New York Scandia Symphony, who dedicate themselves to reviving interest in lesser-known Nordic composers as well as premiering new works by emerging composers from the upper reaches of that hemisphere. Last night at Victor Borge Hall in Murray Hill, the highlight of the night, performed by a twelve-piece chamber version of the orchestra, was the American permiere of contemporary Danish composer Anders Koppel’s Symphonie Concertante. A triptych, it’s a characteristically enigmatic and absolutely fascinating work, something to get lost in if not for the endless tempo and stylistic shifts. Conductor Dorrit Matson, a Dane herself, led the ensemble seamlessly through a wary, pulsing first movement that evoked Astor Piazzolla’s later work before engaging Steven Hartman’s clarinet and Andrew Schwartz’s bassoon in a long round of animatedly crescendoing rhythmic hijinks over the swells of the strings and eventually a labyrinth of polyrhythms. And yet, the jousting stopped abruptly during the early part of the second, Largo movement and turned to apprehension, reaching near-horror proportions via the chilling, Bernard Herrmann-esque string motif around which the final Allegro appassionato movement was centered. A celebrity in his native land ever since his days in popular rock band Savage Rose, Koppel deserves to be much better known here.
Another highlight of the program was Symphony violist Frank Foerster’s Suite of Scandinavian Folk Tunes for string ensemble. Foerster is a very eclectic player and has a great wit – another suite of his, Summer in Fort Tryon Park, is a quintessentially New York tableau, packed with irresistible on-location references. This piece is more serious, a rugged hardanger fiddle-style sea motif linking a series of portraits of several of the Nordic nations: by this account, the Norwegians and Swedes are a serious bunch given to vivid dramatics, while the Finns and Icelandics are party animals. Opening the concert, Matson and the group took Swedish baroque composer Johan Helmich Roman’s Haydn-esque Violin Concerto and tackled its rather rugged, stern underpinnings with a muscular sway beneath violinist Mayuki Fukuhara’s spun-silk swirls; a bit later, Hartman was featured in a velvety version of the Adagio from the Clarinet Concerto, Op. 11 of, a Swedish contemporary of Mozart. They closed with enjoyably jaunty yet precise takes on the Prelude and Rigaudon from Grieg’s Holberg Suite. Concerts like this only add intrigue to the question: what have else we not yet heard from this particular part of the world that deserves to be known equally well over here – and when is this orchestra going to play it?
The New York Scandia Symphony’s marathon concert yesterday at Trinity Church was exhausting yet exhilarating for musicians and audience alike, reaching a level of intensity envied by most players and rarely experienced by the average concertgoer. On one level, the members of the ensemble are spoiled rotten. While other orchestras roll out the same tired warhorses night after night, the Scandia dedicate themselves to obscure and rarely heard masterpieces by Scandinavian composers. Which means at least one premiere of some sort at every concert. The price of such riches? Hard work, but this one was well worth being out of breath for (as several in the orchestra literally were by the end).
The concert had a clear trajectory. They started with just a string orchestra playing a selection by late Romantic Danish composer Poul Schierbeck that sounded like a cheery organ prelude rearranged for strings (which it well could have been – Schierbeck was an organist). They then brought up guest cellist Jonathan Aasgaard for the Prayer by Ernest Block from his suite From Jewish Life. Broodingly cinematic in its Rachmaninovian sweep, it gave Aasgaard a chance to show off a strongly sostenuto, almost hornlike attack. There’s a movement afoot among cellists to hold notes as strongly as possible – the decay on a cello string is almost instantaneous, after all – and whether or not that trend might be part of his agenda or just his usual M.O., it resonated powerfully. It was even more notable as he swooped and dove over the full orchestra on the U.S. premiere of Hungarian/Danish Romantic composer Franz Neruda’s Cello Concerto, a somewhat martial dance theme taking on more of an apprehensive tone as it grew.
Another work from the Danish Romantic school, Emil Hartman’s Cello Concerto moved through an understatedly heroic theme with echoes of Cesar Franck, to quieter, more introverted, hypnotic territory, to a surprisingly upbeat dance of a conclusion. With considerably more solo parts for cello, it was more of a showcase for Aasgaard than the previous two pieces and he met the challenge head-on, climbing to a ferociously slithery, chromatic solo cadenza toward the end of the first movement.
They closed with Carl Nielsen’s Sixth Symphony. With its constant, tidal tempo shifts, motifs that make their way around the orchestra and its distant sense of dread, it’s mightily difficult to play, but conductor Dorrit Matson kept a mighty hand on the tiller, maintaining as much ease as there can be while directing such an uneasy composition. In their hands, it took on the shape of cautionary tale about the perils of complacency: snooze and you lose. It opened with a seemingly carefree splash of bells, orchestra playing a rather mundane series of permutations until suddenly the violins gave off a muffled scream. And suddenly those silly bells made sense: they were an alarm, and nobody was paying attention! That violin motif returned again, and again, if never quite as fully horrified as the first time around – horror becomes less horrifying the more you get used to it.
The second movement, dubbed a “humoresk” by Nielsen, has been called a parody of modernism, and that could be true (it also could be a portrait of a clueless, selfish narcissist, or a political statement – it dates from 1926, you figure it out). Scored for just horns and percussion, the drums were clearly having fun stepping all over the melody, whenever they were needed least. As random as the time seemed, Mattson swung it to make sure it was not so that there wasn’t a millisecond lost when some rhythm reemerged. So the juxtaposition of the strikingly astringent, modernist third movement made quite a contrast, cellos somber, violins aflutter over the horns’ atmospherics. The concluding movement took on the feel of a Mediterranean aria filtered through the lens of Debussy, a careening, out-of-focus, dizzyingly rhythmic series of frozen-rain motifs, from a nail-biting waltz to almost a parody of a march to the sarcastic honk that ended it all cold. The audience didn’t know what hit them: the orchestra knew exactly what had.
The Scandia roll out their string quartet for their next concert, 5 PM on April 18 at Our Savior of Atonement, 189th St. and Bennett Ave. in the Bronx for an intriguing bill of Grieg, Frank Foerster, Zack Patten, C.E.F. Weyse, Langgaard and Nielsen. Admission is free.
The New York Scandia Symphony Sell Out Symphony Space
Many years – maybe decades – before Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic were thrilling audiences with the sweep and majesty and blustery fun of Carl Nielsen’s symphony cycle, maestro Dorrit Matson was doing the same thing and more with the New York Scandia Symphony. She and the orchestra specialize in both classical repertoire and new music from the Nordic countries. Much of what they play is rare and relatively obscure, at least south of where the aurora borealis is flickering. Which makes them a unique and important part of this city’s cultural fabric.
And they’re not such a secret anymore: from the looks of it (a few empty seats in the balconies), their Thursday night concert at Symphony Space was sold out. The orchestra rewarded the crowd with rousing, dynamic versions of material that for the most part is not typical for them. This time out, the program wasn’t about discovery as much as it was revisiting some of Scandinavia’s greatest global classical hits via a joint 150th birthday salute to both Nielsen and Jean Sibelius.
The one lesser-known piece on the bill was Nielsen’s quirky, strikingly modernist Flute Concerto, quite a departure from the late Romantic material he’s best known for, but characteristically flush with subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) good humor. Soloist Lisa Hansen held the center with minute command of dynamics while jaunty motives made their way through a characteristically labyrinthine arrangement that was closer to a series of funhouse mirrors than the often stormy intensity of Nielsen’s earlier works. One of those on the program, the Overture from the opera Maskarade, balanced stiletto precision from the strings against the goodnatured rambunctiousness of the brass section (this orchestra’s brass has a visible camaraderie and chemistry, and will sometimes perform as a separate ensemble).
Drama, suspense and foreshadowing permeated the lushness of Sibelius’ At the Castle Gate (from his Pelease et Melisande suite). Matson brought the drama up several notches further with a roller-coaster ride through his Karelia suite, unleashing the triumph of the first movement, dipping to a long, enveloping sweep upward and then a graceful balletesque pulse that alternated with mighty stadium bombast. The orchestra closed with a similarly triumphant yet warily colorful take of Finlandia, leaving no doubt that this was written not as a piece of nationalistic pageantry but as a slap upside the head of Russian Tsarist aggression.
In addition to performing in concert halls, The New York Scandia Symphony puts on an annual free summer series at Fort Tryon Park, typically on Sunday afternoons in June: check back at their site for details.
April 12, 2015 Posted by delarue | classical music, concert, Live Events, Music, music, concert, New York City, review, Reviews | carl nielsen, classical music, concert review, dorrit matson, jean sibelius, Music, music review, New York Scandia Symphony, new york scandia symphony review, New York Scandia Symphony symphony space, New York Scandia Symphony symphony space review, orchestral music, sibelius, symphonic music | 1 Comment
Discovery is invariably fun, whether getting a scoop or stumbling onto something that slipped under the radar the first time out. This definitely falls into the latter camp, having appeared on the market a couple of years ago, but it screams out to become part of the canon, a masterfully recorded, emotionally rich collection of the Nielsen orchestral pieces that you’ve most likely never heard and quite possibly never heard of. The New York Scandia Symphony is simply one of the nation’s most adventurous orchestras, devoting a staggering ninety percent of their repertoire to either United States or New York premieres of works by Scandinavian composers. This cd is characteristic. Nielsen’s most familiar symphony is the widely played Fourth, “The Inextinguishable,” along with the fascinatingly voiced, call-and-response-laden Fifth. Yet the Danish composer wrote several other first-class works for full orchestra, collected here for the first time under the inspired direction of Dorrit Matson. It’s early 20th century romanticism, soaring, bright or lushly atmospheric, occasionally tinged with Eastern and Middle Eastern motifs.
The first three pieces, the Symphonic Rhapsody, An Evening at Giske and the Helios Overture share a robust melodicism that compares with anything Cesar Franck ever wrote. Also included are the crescendoing, darkly stately partita An Imaginary Journey to the Faroe Islands and the subtly uneasy, balletesque Amor and the Poet Overture, written a year before the composer died and inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s doomed infatuation with the popular singer Jenny Lind. But the centerpiece is the Aladdin Suite, based on the iconic Adam Oehlenschlager novel that sought to appropriate the myth as a reaffirmation of early 19th century Danish identity. The Oriental Festival March, the blazing overture that opens it, works off one of the alltime great catchy hooks, right up there with the Peer Gynt themes and the 1812 Overture. South Asian and Arab influences are alluded to if not directly in the suspenseful Aladdin’s Dream and Hindu Dance which follow, the pace picking up with Prokofiev-esque deviousness in the Chinese Dance – like his protagonist, Nielsen gets around a lot here. The high point is the haunting, vertiginous Market Place in Ispahan, soprano vocalese whirling in counterrotation with booming timpani against a shrill choir of high woodwinds. After that, the explosive arabesques of the Prisoner’s Dance are almost anticlimactic. The suite ends in a crashing, demonic blaze of voice and orchestra with the Blackamoor’s Dance. That the ensemble was able to complete a recording-quality performance of such a dramatic work within the boomy confines of New York’s Trinity Church speaks volumes.
In addition to this cd, the New York Scandia Symphony has also released three previous cds: a warm collection of Nielsen concertos; a collection of sometimes generic, sometimes fascinating suites by Lars-Erik Larsson and an album of concertos by pioneering early Romanticist Bernhard Henrik Crusell, whose post-Viennese School adventures are on par with pretty much anything Schubert ever did. The New York Scandia’s summer 2009 season includes an ongoing series of Sunday afternoon quartet and quintet shows in Ft. Tryon Park in Washington Heights.
Going to see a concert by the New York Scandia Symphony is something akin to being a member of a secret society. They are an organization after our own heart. The NY Scandia dedicates itself to popularizing Scandinavian works from over the centuries, some of which are well-known or even iconic on their native turf but completely obscure here. You can also count on them for at least one US or New York premiere at every show. Thursday night in the comfortable Victor Borge Auditorium at Scandinavia House in midtown they brought their smaller String Symphony chamber ensemble for a program that even by their exacting standards was riveting.
They took their time opening up with Swedish baroque composer Johan Helmich Roman’s Flute Concerto, whose highlights were a handful of dexterously ornamented yet understatedly precise solos by Lisa Hansen. As a composition, it shows its age, fugal and predictable, yet the ensemble lit into it with such insistent gusto that it was impossible not to believe: they completely sold it. By contrast, the largo from early 20th century Danish composer Poul Schierbeck’s song cycle I Was Born in Denmark was nothing short of transcendent. Schierbeck was an organist, and the string arrangement is unsurprisingly a lush blend of subtle textures, a perfect match for the stately longing and distant anguish of the melody. A piece by Norwegian Romantic composer Johan Svendsen contrasted with its attractive, comfortably steady ebullience.
Making his North American debut, hotshot Danish accordionist joined the ensemble for a richly genre-blending, emotionally intense yet frequently very playful US premiere of Anders Koppel’s Concerto Piccolo. Koppel began his career as a rock musician while still in his teens, playing psychedelic pop with popular Danish export Savage Rose, but in the following years he moved to film music. This three-part suite proved as fascinating as it was well-played, leaping from jazzy, bass-driven Mingus-esque suspense to macabre Bernard Herrmann atmospherics to a surprisingly upbeat, subtly amusing conclusion. Mogensen matched a whirlwind attack through a knotty thicket of accidentals to several wrenchingly beautiful, minimalistically ambient passages while conductor Dorrit Matson worked overtime but didn’t break a sweat. They closed with another string piece, Frank Foerster’s Suite for Scandinavian Folk Tunes, the composer himself the featured soloist on viola, a similar feast of contrasting emotions, timbres and attacks. The piece interpolated a series of rousing hardanger-style fiddle dances meant to symbolize the five Scandinavian nations against a haunting, ominous “song of the sea” theme that cleverly worked variations on a minor sixth arpeggio. In the depths of the sway and the swells of the string section, the heart of a very inspired noir garage band – or Norwegian surf band from the sixties – had come alive, in a very subtle way. The Scandia Symphony’s next full-orchestra concert is on March 9 at 1 (one) PM at Trinity Church playing yet another premiere-packed program.
And by the way, Scandinavia House’s cute, lowlit cafe makes a good date-night spot – the organization’s dinner-and-a-movie and dinner-and-concert packages are quite the bargain and the regionally-themed cuisine (notably: fish, berries and fresh greens) turned out to be a very pleasant surprise.
Classical music fans in New York looking something more interesting than the same old standards have numerous options. Among the best of these is the New York Scandia Symphony, who dedicate themselves to reviving interest in lesser-known Nordic composers as well as premiering new works by emerging composers from the upper reaches of that hemisphere. Last night at Victor Borge Hall in Murray Hill, the highlight of the night, performed by a twelve-piece chamber version of the orchestra, was the American premiere of contemporary Danish composer Anders Koppel’s Symphonia Concertante. A triptych, it’s a characteristically enigmatic and absolutely fascinating work, something to get lost in if not for the endless tempo and stylistic shifts. Conductor Dorrit Matson, a Dane herself, led the ensemble seamlessly through a wary, pulsing first movement that evoked Astor Piazzolla’s later work before engaging clarinet and Andrew Schwartz’s bassoon in a long round of animatedly crescendoing rhythmic hijinks over the swells of the strings and eventually a labyrinth of polyrhythms. And yet, the jousting stopped abruptly during the early part of the second, Largo movement and turned to apprehension, reaching near-horror proportions via the chilling, Bernard Herrmann-esque string motif around which the final Allegro appassionato movement was centered. A celebrity in his native land ever since his days in popular rock band Savage Rose, Koppel deserves to be much better known here.
Another highlight of the program was Symphony violist Frank Foerster’s Suite of Scandinavian Folk Tunes for string ensemble. Foerster is a very eclectic player and has a great wit – another suite of his, Summer in Fort Tryon Park, is a quintessentially New York tableau, packed with irresistible on-location references. This piece is more serious, a rugged hardanger fiddle-style sea motif linking a series of portraits of several of the Nordic nations: by this account, the Norwegians and Swedes are a serious bunch given to vivid dramatics, while the Finns and Icelandics are party animals. Opening the concert, Matson and the group took Swedish baroque composer Johan Helmich Roman’s Haydn-esque Violin Concerto and tackled its rather rugged, stern underpinnings with a muscular sway beneath violinist Mayuki Fukuhara’s spun-silk swirls; a bit later, Hartman was featured in a velvety version of the Adagio from the Clarinet Concerto, Op. 11 of Bernhardt Henrik Crusell, a Swedish contemporary of Mozart. They closed with enjoyably jaunty yet precise takes on the Prelude and Rigaudon from Grieg’s Holberg Suite. Concerts like this only add intrigue to the question: what have else we not yet heard from this particular part of the world that deserves to be known equally well over here – and when is this orchestra going to play it?
Thursday at Trinity Church conductor Dorrit Matson led the pioneering New York Scandia Symphony through a characteristically enlightening and exciting performance that left no doubt that the Scandinavian composers of the early classical era were just as substantial – and could be sometimes just as schlocky – as their counterparts a little further south. This program featured a trio of compositions drawing on Viennese School influences, and as is the custom with the Scandia, one piece was a US premiere and the other, C.E.F. Weyse’s Symphony No. 6, was making its New York debut, two hundred years after it was written.
They opened with Kuhlau’s Robbers Castle Overture. This one you know even if you think you don’t – it’s the kind of piece WQXR plays right before the top of the hour. A blazing, heroic theme, it’s essentially a series of codas, one on top of the other, leaving barely room to breathe. But breathing room is what Matson gave it, enhancing the cleverness of what’s essentially a single, long crescendo. The US premiere, Gunnar Berg’s 1950 composition Hymnos (”That little violin piece,” as a member of the ensemble sardonically characterized it afterward) was a revelation. In the same vein as Rachmaninoff’s Isle of the Dead, it’s a tone poem, striking, static and still, the orchestra bringing out every bit of unrelenting tension in its stark, Stravinskian ambience.
Johan Halvorsen’s Suite Ancienne works off a typical 19th century trope. With a few exceptions (notably Respighi’s Ancient Airs and Dances), lush orchestrations of old folk tunes often leave an uninspired impression, but not the way the Scandia opened this one, careening with a reckless, beery abandon that proved impossible to resist. The second and third segment are somewhat annoyingly jiggy in places, but to the orchestra’s credit, the boisterous cheer never let up and this paid off in the end when finally some wary intensity arrived in the form of a brief, recurring turnaround, stark in its contrast with the endless celebration all around. The Weyse was the closing number, working a simple, extremely straightforward and considerably effective chordal series building to a heroic theme with some striking textural appositions, horns against the strings. The Largo, which followed, was anything but, only backing off slightly from the majesty that would return with gusto as a big dance number in the third movement and conclude with lively exuberance and echoes of Vivaldi in the fourth. It’s the kind of piece that could easily open a Schubertiade bill.
Fans of brilliant obscurities (the Scandia dedicates itself to premiering works both old and new) are in for a treat, with members of the orchestra playing a series of free outdoor shows at Ft. Tryon Park in Washington Heights this June.
“Matson is an exciting and colorful Nielsen conductor and the dedicated New York Scandia players respond splendidly to her inspired direction. Aladdin is magnificent”. Ian Lace, Musicweb – Classical seen and Heard.
“The New York Scandia Symphony and its conductor and Music Director, Dorrit Matson serves as a de facto New York branch office of the Danish, Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian Music Information Centers and offers wonderfully and well performed programs of musical discovery and advocacy……….Matson drives her players with a sure and steady hand and knows how to listen to soloists.” Jeffrey James, The Danish Pioneer.
“Dorrit Matson, a charismatic and elegantly commanding presence on stage, led her musicians with effective gracefulness and musical intelligence…….. Ms. Matson’s creative vision and tireless energy made the 2014 festival a big success.” Thomas Todd, The Danish Pioneer.
“Conductor Dorrit Matson – a Dane in the old country and based in New York City and Asheville, NC – assembled her orchestra beneath an ancient tree in Fort Tryon Park. The symphony, which celebrated its 27th anniversary this year, also showcased the interpersonal closeness and professional commitment of its members, assigning prominent roles and solos to veteran players.” Leeanna Keith, BIEN.
“Bernhardt Crusell has certainly become a valuable commodity on the Street. He has been around since 1775, hiding in the aesthetic closet of some inquisitive clarinet players – until Dorrit Matson opened a wonderful door and yanked this composer out of the closet, treating Wall Streeters to a real adventure. She has developed a well attended series at Wall Street’s Landmark Trinity Church, supported by local businesses.”
“The orchestra’s tone was all the more significant in a reverberant hall where both strings and winds would normally have had an annoying muddy quality. That Matson’s group was so good is certainly the result of an impeccable pitch placement and well balanced strings and winds, no doubt the focus of an experienced and gifted conductor and equally gifted musicians. The orchestra, as a result, came out with its own unique and identifiable sound.” Paul Shelden, The Clarinet.
“The recording immediately captivated me and held on firmly for its entire 34 minutes………………. vital, idiomatic, exciting, propulsive, gorgeous. Danish conductor, Dorrit Matson matches the soloists’ intensity and draws from the New York players both the muscularity and ingenuity of the extraordinary score. This is the most enjoyable performance of the work known to me, either live or recorded. A disc combining brilliant and idiomatic readings of the violin and Flute Concertos of Carl Nielsen is hard to come by – until now.” Robert McColley, Fanfare Magazine.
“There is a high degree of competence. The execution is first-rate, with fine precision, razor-sharp intonation and confident and inspired leadership.” Carter, American Record Guide.
“The Sound is gorgeous – this is a wonderful recording. These are three terrific musicians and they are fortunate that the engineers did not betray them.” Wroon, American Record Guide.
“One of the most satisfying experiences for a music lover is to discover a new musical treasure. For those who are willing to look, they can find one in the “Orchestral Works of Lars-Erik Larsson”, recorded by the New York Scandia Symphony under the baton of Dorrit Matson.” Rebecca Cline Howard, The Deseret Morning News, Utah.
“Once again the acumen of the performance was masterly”. Dennis Rooney, The Strad.
“Who would have thought that one of the year’s most stunning moments in classical music would have taken place in the middle of the day at a landmark, downtown church? On the podium, Dorrit Matson calmly and assuredly led the ensemble through a seamless yet thrilling Romantic program rich with feeling and melody.”
“Many years – maybe decades – before Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic were thrilling audiences with the sweep and majesty and blustery fun of Carl Nielsen’s symphony cycle, maestro Dorrit Matson was doing the same thing and more with the New York Scandia Symphony. She and the orchestra specialize in both classical repertoire and contemporary music from the Nordic countries. Much of what they play is rare and relatively obscure, at least south of the aurora borealis flickering, which makes them a unique and important part of this city’s cultural fabric. And they are not such a secret anymore: From the looks of it (a few empty seats in the balconies) their Thursday night concert at Symphony Space was sold out. The orchestra awarded the crowd with rousing, dynamic versions of material that for the most part is not typical for them.”
“The New York Scandia Symphony’s marathon concert yesterday at Trinity Church was exhausting yet exhilarating for musicians and audiences alike, reaching a level of intensity envied by most players and rarely experienced by the average concert goer.” Alan Young, Lucid Culture.
“The real surprise is the New York Scandia Symphony, a gem of an ensemble that delivers one suave, spirited and technically irreproachable performance after another. Much of the credit for that has to go to Danish-born conductor, Dorrit Matson, who runs a tight musical ship. Not one to leave any interpretive stone unturned, Matson, who has a fine ear for instrumental registrational balance, draws a sterling sound from her colleagues. With music making as informed as this there is always a danger that the quality of the performances will exceed that of the music itself. In this case, Matson makes a most persuasive case for both.” John Bell Young, St. Petersburg Times, Florida.
“Here it is confirmed again, as Copenhagen native Dorrit Matson offers some insight into Carl Nielsen orchestral works ……There is an air of comprehension in their playing and a calmness in Matson’s readings. It is the sort of harmonious arrangement that comes from understanding the bigger picture, and also from not balking at the more maudlin moments … The momentum is infectious, urged on by Matson’s excellently chosen tempi and well judged crescendos ..….the core of Nielsen convincingly emerges.” Andrew Druckenbrod, Gramophone Magazine.
“So unfailingly lovely that those lucky enough to purchase the disc (of Lars-Erik Larsson’s orchestral works) will be surprised that the composer has eluded their attention for so long a time. This disc reflects the fact that Dorrit Matson’s New York Scandia Symphony, one of that city’s leading freelance orchestras, has had a significant relationship with Larsson.” Lawrence Vittes, Gramophone Magazine.
“The real surprise is the New York Scandia Symphony, a gem of an ensemble that delivers one suave, spirited and technically irreproachable performance after another.” John Bell Young, St. Petersburg Times, Florida.
“Who would have thought that one of the year’s most stunning moments in classical music would have taken place in the middle of the day at a landmark, downtown church? ”
“ Many years – maybe decades – before Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic were thrilling audiences with the sweep and majesty and blustery fun of Carl Nielsen’s symphony cycle, maestro Dorrit Matson was doing the same thing and more with the New York Scandia Symphony. And they are not such a secret anymore: From the looks of it (a few empty seats in the balconies) their Thursday night concert at Symphony Space was sold out. The orchestra awarded the crowd with rousing, dynamic versions of material that for the most part is not typical for them.”
“Here it is confirmed again, as Copenhagen native Dorrit Matson offers some insight into Carl Nielsen orchestral works ……There is an air of comprehension in their playing and a calmness in Matson’s readings. It is the sort of harmonious arrangement that comes from understanding the bigger picture..….the core of Nielsen convincingly emerges.” Andrew Druckenbrod, Gramophone Magazine.
“So unfailingly lovely that those lucky enough to purchase the disc (of Lars-Erik Larsson’s orchestral works) will be surprised that the composer has eluded their attention for so long a time.” Lawrence Vittes, Gramophone Magazine.
The New York Scandia Symphony and its conductor and Music Director, Dorrit Matson serves as a de facto New York branch office of the Danish, Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian Music Information Centers and offers wonderfully and well performed programs of musical discovery and advocacy.” Jeffrey James, The Danish Pioneer.
© 2021 · New York Scandia Symphony Inc.
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Humanitarian Actions
EU Election
BORGWARD decides on new production location in Germany this year
· Tom Anliker appointed Vice-President Marketing and Sales Europe World premiere of BORGWARD BX5 and BX6 TS in Geneva
Stuttgart automobile manufacturer Borgward is to produce cars in Germany once again. "BORGWARD is fully aware of its responsibilities as a German company and of its own tradition of success. We will therefore be making a decision regarding our production location in Germany before the year is out", said Ulrich Walker, CEO of BORGWARD Group AG, in the run-up to the Geneva International Motor Show on Monday evening. BORGWARD celebrated the world premiere of two new models in Geneva: the BX5 and the BX6 TS.
The company is currently conducting a feasibility study to scrutinize potential locations, supply chains and processes.
He also confirmed that the group remains fully committed to its objectives: sales to rise to over 500,000 units a year in the medium term; and market launch in German-speaking countries to take place at the end of 2017. "We only start with plug-in hybrids and purely electric vehicles on the German and other European markets, and these at attractive prices", said Walker. The purely electric vehicles will have a highly competitive range of over 250 kilometres. In addition BORGWARD is aiming for an initial public offering in Frankfurt within the near future.
BORGWARD Group AG
Kriegsbergstrasse 11
Telephone +49 711-365101041
70174 Stuttgart, Germany
Marco Dalan
Head of Global Communications
e-mail marco.dalan@borgward.com
www.borgward.com
Subscriber: BORGWARD Group AG
Press release: 01.03.2016 10:11
Keywords: abroad automotive companies
http://www.borgward.com
Jul 4, 2018, 11:36 // Economy
Borgward with successful market launch in Germany
Jun 29, 2018, 10:05 // Economy
Dr. Philip Koehn new CEO of Borgward Group AG
May 3, 2018, 10:45 // Economy
Dr. Philip Koehn appointed as Chief Technical Officer CTO at Borgward Group AG
Nov 27, 2017, 09:04 // Economy
Borgward BX7 impresses in offset crash
Borgward launches BX7 and BX5 SUVs in Gulf States
About the STA
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© STA 2018. All Rights Reserved. ISSN 1854-214X
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Tag Archive | "Deerfield High"
Tags: Bucks, Deerfield High, Gary Curreri, Highlands Christian, knights, soccer, Sports
Local soccer teams fall in postseason
Posted on 06 February 2014 by LeslieM
By Gary Curreri
The Highlands Christian Academy and Deerfield Beach high school boys’ soccer teams reached the postseason this season with high expectations.
Highlands Christian (13-6) won the district title and made it to the regional semifinals for the first time since 2006 when it fell to Palmer Trinity, 3-1. The Knights were ousted in the regional quarters in the five appearances since then.
Unfortunately for the Knights, Sagemont (18-7-1) advanced to the regional finals with a 4-0 victory over host Highlands Christian on Tuesday night.
Sophomore Carlos Pan gave the Lions a 1-0 halftime lead when he scored on a header in the 21st minute. Freshman Karl Ackermann scored the first of three second half goals for Sagemont off a cross by junior Marco Wehrhahn in the 53rd minute. Sagemont added its own goal and a final tally by freshman Braedon Villano to end Highlands’ season. Ryan Theimer recorded 13 saves in his sixth shutout of the year.
Highlands Christian Academy coach Darryl Mauro said he was pleased with his team’s performance, especially considering his team had just three full time soccer players. He was also happy to coach with his son Daniel, an HCA graduate, who won national titles while at Clearwater Christian College.
“We had two players, Lucas Almeida and Caleb Bien- Aime finish with 17 goals and double figures with assists and our goalkeeper, Zach Mueller finished with nine clean sheets (shutouts),” Mauro said. “Sophomores Elijah Kerr, Evan Henderson, and Vitor Lima both improved on both sides of the ball and newcomers Brandly Martina, Ayrton Barbolinea, Ray Melfor all played a big role in our postseason run.”
Deerfield Beach made its fourth appearance in the playoffs in school history under Coach Frantz Edouard – 2009, 2012, 2013 were the others – and fell to Boca Raton last Thursday night in the regional quarterfinals thanks to a topflight performance by the Bobcats’ Sebastian Elney, who spent last year with the U.S. Soccer Under-17 residency program in Bradenton.
Elney had three goals in the contest to lead host Boca Raton (21-1-2) to a 3-0 victory over Deerfield Beach in the Class 5A boys’ soccer regional quarterfinal. Boca Raton advanced to this Friday’s regional final after defeating Douglas, 3-0 on Tuesday night.
Deerfield Beach (18-3-4) had the better play in the early going with nothing to show for it. Boca Raton goalkeeper Collin Foody made three saves for his 11th shutout of the season.
The Bucks’ best chance to score came in the 68th minute when Matheus Pereira took a free kick that Foody got a hand on. The ball deflected to Romilaire Ambrose, whose shot was headed off the goal line by defender Aaron Kleinert.
“We are disappointed,” said Deerfield Beach soccer coach Frantz Edouard. “The first goal hurt, but the second one broke our back. We had a great season. The number 23 (Elney) was the difference maker for them.”
Edouard’s team had the harder road in the playoffs as it finished runner-up in the district to Douglas.
“It didn’t work out,” Edouard said. “Obviously, we had a good season, not a great season, because we wanted to advance far in the playoffs. We have been here before, but we haven’t been able to get over the hump. It’s a bit of a disappointing season for us.”
Edouard, who is in his eighth year at the school, believes his team will be in the postseason again and expects his team to go far.
“We graduate about four or five players, but honestly the core of the team will be back again next year,” Edouard said. “Hopefully, we will be back … and be victorious.”
Comments Off on Local soccer teams fall in postseason
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OCI > Press Release, March 23, 2020, Governor Evers, Insurance Commissioner Order Insurers to Assist Restaurants Offering Delivery During COVID-19 Public Health Crisis
Press Release, March 23, 2020, Governor Evers, Insurance Commissioner Order Insurers to Assist Restaurants Offering Delivery During COVID-19 Public Health Crisis
March 23, 2020
For more information contact Olivia Hwang, Director of Public Affairs, (608) 209-6309 or olivia.hwang@wisconsin.gov
Madison, Wis. – Today, at the direction of Gov. Tony Evers, Insurance Commissioner Mark Afable ordered insurers operating in Wisconsin to assist restaurants who have begun offering delivery service to customers during the COVID-19 public health crisis. This order is in support of the Evers administration's work to support the nearly 13,000 restaurants and their workers across the state that have been ordered to close to customers except for delivery and pickup services. Insurers must cover delivery services for restaurants on personal auto insurance policies and must offer coverage for hired drivers and non-owned automobiles as a rider on a restaurant's general liability insurance if it is requested – both at no extra cost to the policyholders.
“I'm grateful that so many Wisconsin restaurants and their workers are serving our communities through delivery, takeout, and drive-throughs. With the insurance industry stepping up to provide coverage for deliveries, restaurants and workers will have the protection they need to operate in this temporary economy," said Governor Evers. “I know we're all are looking forward to the day when our communities are healthy again, and when we can visit our favorite supper club on a Friday night with family and friends."
“Restaurants are an integral part of our lives here in Wisconsin. I want to thank Wisconsin insurers for stepping up and making this coverage possible at no cost to restaurants and delivery drivers," Commissioner Afable said. It's a small change but one that will help to preserve our economy, protect jobs, and maybe give all of us the hope that things will be back to normal again in the weeks and months to come."
Even before the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance issued today's order, many Wisconsin insurers began offering coverage to their policyholders beginning delivery services. Restaurants interested in this coverage should contact their insurance agent or insurance company directly.
The order will stay in effect until the public health emergency order is lifted, in whole or in part, to permit restaurants to resume normal operations. Coverage for policyholders will be effective on the date it is requested.
A copy of the bulletin is available here.
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Part #: 26Z0149
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Included in configuration
PCL 5e Emulation, PCL 6 Emulation, Microsoft XPS (XML Paper Specification), Personal Printer Data Stream (PPDS), xHTML, PostScript 3 Emulation, PDF 1.7 emulation, Direct Image, AirPrint™
DHCP, APIPA (AutoIP), BOOTP, RARP, mDNS, IGMP, WINS, DDNS, SNMPv3, SNMPv1, SNMPv2c, Telnet, NTP, ICMP, HTTP, DNS, ARP, HTTPs (SSL5/TLS), Finger
Apple OS X (10.6, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.10)
PCLinuxOS 2011, openSUSE 11.4, 12.1, 12.2, Linpus Linux Desktop 9.6, Ubuntu 12.04, 12.10, Fedora 17, 18, 19, Debian GNU/Linux 5.0, 6.0, Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10, 11, Mint 10, 11, 12, 13, Red Flag Linux Desktop 6.0, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, 11
1.48 kilowatt-hours per week
3.45 watts (Sleep Mode)
Humidity: 15 to 85% Relative Humidity
ICES-003 Class A, BSMI Class A, VCCI Class A, FCC Class A, NOM-032, cTUV, US FDA/CDRH, cTUVus, IEC 60825-1, CB Report, NCC Mark, FCC, CE (EU) DoC, EFTA (CE), KCC, RCM, CCC, C-tick DoC, EuP, CECP, CEL, ECMA-370, TED, GOST-R, SII, TER, Bel GISS, SABS, TUV-AR, KC mark, BIS, TUV-GS Mark, China Green Product (CGP)
Photoconductor Unit (125K)
54G0P00 125,000
Waste Toner Bottle (90K)
54G0W00 90k Black or 50k Color
MX910, MX911, MX912 High Yield Toner Cartridge (32.5K)
64G0H00 32,500
MS911, MX91x Banner Media Tray
26Z0091 Paper Handling
MS911, MX91x Staple Punch Finisher (4-Hole)
Working Shelf
26Z0090 Furniture
MS911, MX91x Booklet Finisher (4-Hole)
MX910, MX911, MX912 Card for PRESCRIBE Emulation
26Z0197 Application Solutions
MX911 2-Years Total (1+1) Onsite Service
Cabinet with casters
English Keyboard Kit
MX911 1 Year Post Wty OSR NBD Extended Warranty
MX911,XM9155 3 Year Renewal Onsite Repair Next Business Day Fix
MX911,XM9155 2 Years renewal OnSite Service, Response Time Next Business Day
MX911,XM9155 6 Years Total (1+5) Onsite Repair Next Business Day
2x 500-Sheet Tray
Italian Keyboard Kit
German Keyboard Kit
French Keyboard Kit
Spanish Keyboard Kit
MX911 1-Year Onsite Service Renewal
2500-Sheet Tandem Tray
MS911, MX910, MX911 Inline Stapler
MX91x Forms and Bar Code Card
MX910, MX911, MX912 Card for IPDS
Multi Send
Capture and route a document to multiple destinations simultaneously. Documents are routed to email, network folders, FTP sites or to a remote Lexmark printer.
Firmware EC7.5.43 base=LW75.MG.P043 Firmware N/A N/A Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish 2020-03-05 217 MB https://ccs.lexmark.com/firmware/materials/1166328/file;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.FW1166328.html LW75.MG.P043.zip;Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX912;Please see .txt files in download package for full Release Notes and End User License Agreement;LW75.MG.P043
Print and Image Capture Application Scan Driver for MAC OS X 10.6.8 and later Driver macOS macOS 10.8, macOS 10.9, macOS 10.6, macOS 10.7, macOS 10.10, macOS 10.12, macOS 10.11 Arabic, Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish 2017-03-30 50 MB http://www.downloaddelivery.com/downloads/drivers/Lexmark_AEN_PrinterSoftware_12142016.dmg;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DRI0015504.html Lexmark AEN PrinterSoftware 12142016.dmg;Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark MS911, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark MX910;Installs a print driver (including PostScript Print Description (PPD) and Print Dialog Extension (PDE)) along with Image Capture Application scan driver for your Lexmark printer on Mac OS X running 10.6.8 and later. Instructions: • Download the file. • Double-click on the file to mount as a disk image. • Open the disk image. • Double-click the installer icon to begin installation.;2.0.0
Lexmark Printer Software G1 PCL5 Driver Package Driver Windows Windows 7 x64, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8 x64, Windows Server 2012 x64, Windows 8.1 (32-bit), Windows 8.1 (64-bit), Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit), Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit), Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 x64, Windows Server 2008 x64, Windows Server 2008 X86, Windows Vista, Windows Vista x64, Windows XP, Windows XP Professional x64, Windows 10 (32-bit), Windows 10 (64-bit), Windows Server 2016 (64-bit) Arabic, Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish 2017-01-12 32 MB http://www.downloaddelivery.com/downloads/drivers/Lexmark_Printer_Software_G1_PCL5_Emul_01022017.exe;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DRI0012171.html Lexmark Printer Software G1 PCL5 Emul 01022017.exe;Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark MS911;Microsoft Certified PCL5 driver for both 32 and 64 bit system upto Windows 8.1, Server 2012 R2. This driver will be compatible with Windows 10 and Server 2016 for both 32 and 64 bit system.;1.1.0.0
Lexmark Printer Software G1 PCL XL Driver Package Driver Windows Windows XP Professional x64, Windows XP, Windows Vista x64, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 X86, Windows Server 2008 x64, Windows Server 2003 x64, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit), Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit), Windows 8.1 (64-bit), Windows 8.1 (32-bit), Windows Server 2012 x64, Windows 8 x64, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows 7 x64 Arabic, Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish 2017-01-11 32 MB http://www.downloaddelivery.com/downloads/drivers/Lexmark_Printer_Software_G1_PCL_XL_Emul_01022017.exe;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DRI0001143.html Lexmark Printer Software G1 PCL XL Emul 01022017.exe;Lexmark MX910, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MS911;Microsoft Certified PCL XL driver for both 32 and 64 bit system upto Windows 8.1, Server 2012 R2. This driver will be compatible with Windows 10 and Server 2016 for both 32 and 64 bit system.;1.1.0.0
Lexmark Printer Software G1 Postscript Driver Package Driver Windows Windows 7, Windows Vista x64, Windows 8 x64, Windows 7 x64, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 X86, Windows Server 2008 x64, Windows Server 2016 (64-bit), Windows 10 (64-bit), Windows 10 (32-bit), Windows XP Professional x64, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 x64, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit), Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit), Windows 8.1 (64-bit), Windows 8.1 (32-bit), Windows Server 2012 x64, Windows 8 Arabic, Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish 2017-01-11 33 MB http://www.downloaddelivery.com/downloads/drivers/Lexmark_Printer_Software_G1_PostScript_01022017.exe;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DRI0001141.html Lexmark Printer Software G1 PostScript 01022017.exe;Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark MS911;Microsoft Certified Postscript driver for both 32 and 64 bit system upto Windows 8.1, Server 2012 R2. This driver will be compatible with Windows 10 and Server 2016 for both 32 and 64 bit system.;1.1.0.0
Lexmark Printer Software G1 PCL5 Emul.exe Driver Windows Windows XP Professional x64, Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit), Windows 8.1 (32-bit), Windows 8.1 (64-bit), Windows 7 x64, Windows Server 2012 x64, Windows 8, Windows 8 x64, Windows 10 (32-bit), Windows 10 (64-bit), Windows Server 2003 x64, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 X86, Windows Vista, Windows Vista x64, Windows Server 2008 x64, Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit), Windows 7, Windows XP Arabic, Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish 2016-06-06 32 MB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/pssd/Lexmark_Printer_Software_G1_PCL5_Emul.exe;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DR22765.html Lexmark Printer Software G1 PCL5 Emul.exe;Lexmark MS911, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark MX910;;1.0.0.0
Lexmark Printer Software G1 PostScript.exe Driver Windows Windows 7, Windows 10 (32-bit), Windows XP Professional x64, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008 x64, Windows Vista, Windows 8 x64, Windows Server 2012 x64, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 (32-bit), Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 x64, Windows 8.1 (64-bit), Windows Vista x64, Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit), Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit), Windows Server 2008 X86, Windows 10 (64-bit), Windows 7 x64 Arabic, Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish 2016-06-06 34 MB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/pssd/Lexmark_Printer_Software_G1_PostScript.exe;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DR22764.html Lexmark Printer Software G1 PostScript.exe;Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark MS911;;1.0.0.0
Lexmark Printer Software G1 Driver and Software Driver Windows Windows 7 x64, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8 x64, Windows Server 2012 x64, Windows 8.1 (32-bit), Windows 8.1 (64-bit), Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit), Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit), Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 x64, Windows Server 2008 x64, Windows Server 2008 X86, Windows Vista, Windows Vista x64, Windows XP, Windows XP Professional x64, Windows 10 (32-bit), Windows 10 (64-bit), Windows Server 2016 (64-bit) Arabic, Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish 2016-04-27 147 MB http://www.downloaddelivery.com/downloads/drivers/Lexmark_Printer_Software_G1_Installation_Package_01022017.exe;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DRI0001056.html Lexmark Printer Software G1 Installation Package 01022017.exe;Lexmark MS911, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark MX910;Microsoft Windows Operating Systems: XP (32-bit/64-bit), Server 2003 (32-bit/64-bit), Vista (32-bit/64-bit), Server 2008 (32-bit/64-bit), Windows 7 (32-bit/64-bit), Server 2008 R2 (64-bit), Windows 8.1 (32-bit/64-bit), Windows 10 (32-bit/64-bit), Server 2012 (64-bit) R2 and Server 2016 (64-bit) print and scan drivers with an enhanced graphical user interface. This package allows for an administrator to customize the users installation experience. This package also contains: Lexmark Installer, PCL XL ,PCL5,Postscript , XPSv4 drivers, Lexmark Scan driver, Lexmark Fax driver, Lexmark Scan Center, Lexmark Status Center and Phonebook application.;1.3.0.0
Lexmark Printer Software G1 XPS v4 Driver Package Driver Windows Windows 8, Windows 8 x64, Windows Server 2012 x64, Windows 8.1 (32-bit), Windows 8.1 (64-bit), Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit), Windows 10 (32-bit), Windows 10 (64-bit), Windows Server 2016 (64-bit) Arabic, Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish 2016-04-27 23 MB http://www.downloaddelivery.com/downloads/drivers/Lexmark_Printer_Software_G1_XPSv4_01022017.exe;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DRI0001055.html Lexmark Printer Software G1 XPSv4 01022017.exe;Lexmark MS911, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark MX910;Microsoft Certified Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Server 2012, Server 2012 R2 and Server 2016 XPS v4 system driver;1.3.0.0
Lexmark Network TWAIN scan 01182016.exe Driver Windows Windows 7 x64, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8 x64, Windows Server 2012 x64, Windows 8.1 (32-bit), Windows 8.1 (64-bit), Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit), Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit), Windows Server 2008 x64, Windows Server 2008 X86, Windows Vista, Windows Vista x64, Windows 10 (32-bit), Windows 10 (64-bit) Arabic, Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish 2016-01-22 12 MB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/pssd/Lexmark_Network_TWAIN_scan_01182016.exe;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DR23466.html Lexmark Network TWAIN scan 01182016.exe;Lexmark XM7163, Lexmark XM7170, Lexmark XC2132, Lexmark CX725, Lexmark CX820, Lexmark CX825, Lexmark CX860, Lexmark XC8160, Lexmark XC8155, Lexmark XC6152, Lexmark XC4150, Lexmark X950, Lexmark X952, Lexmark X954, Lexmark X548, Lexmark MX710, Lexmark MX711, Lexmark MX810, Lexmark MX811, Lexmark MX812, Lexmark MX310, Lexmark MX410, Lexmark MX510, Lexmark CX410, Lexmark MX610, Lexmark MX611, Lexmark MX511, Lexmark CX310, Lexmark CX510, Lexmark MX6500, Lexmark 4600 MFP, Lexmark X203, Lexmark X264, Lexmark X363, Lexmark X364, Lexmark X204, Lexmark X342N, Lexmark X463, Lexmark X464, Lexmark X466, Lexmark X422 MFP, Lexmark X543, Lexmark Pro4000, Lexmark Pro5500, Lexmark Pro4000c, Lexmark Pro5500t, Lexmark Pro715, Lexmark Pro719, Lexmark S315, Lexmark S319, Lexmark S415, Lexmark S419, Lexmark S515, Lexmark S519, Lexmark X544, Lexmark X642, Lexmark X651, Lexmark X652, Lexmark X654, Lexmark X654de, Lexmark X656de, Lexmark X734de, Lexmark X736, Lexmark X738de, Lexmark X772, Lexmark X782e, Lexmark X850 MFP, Lexmark X940, Lexmark X945, Lexmark X644e MFP, Lexmark X646, Lexmark X546, Lexmark X864, Lexmark X860, Lexmark X862, Lexmark 6500, Lexmark X925, Lexmark X792, Lexmark XM1135, Lexmark XC2130, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark XM1145, Lexmark XM3150, Lexmark XM5163, Lexmark XM5170, Lexmark XM7155;;1.16.x.0
Lexmark Universal Fax FX1 PostScript 08142015.exe Universal Print Driver Windows Windows 7 x64, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8 x64, Windows Server 2012 x64, Windows 8.1 (32-bit), Windows 8.1 (64-bit), Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit), Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit), Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 x64, Windows Server 2008 x64, Windows Server 2008 X86, Windows Vista, Windows Vista x64, Windows 10 (32-bit), Windows 10 (64-bit) Chinese (China), Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish 2016-01-11 28 MB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/drivers/Lexmark_Universal_Fax_FX1_PostScript_08142015.exe;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DRI0001004.html Lexmark Universal Fax FX1 PostScript 08142015.exe;Lexmark X656de, Lexmark X734de, Lexmark X736, Lexmark X738de, Lexmark X772, Lexmark X782e, Lexmark X820e MFP, Lexmark X830e MFP, Lexmark X832e MFP, Lexmark X850 MFP, Lexmark X912e MFP, Lexmark X940, Lexmark X945, Lexmark X644e MFP, Lexmark X646, Lexmark X546, Lexmark X864, Lexmark X860, Lexmark X862, Lexmark 6500, Lexmark X852, Lexmark X854, Lexmark X925, Lexmark X792, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark X746, Lexmark X748, Lexmark XC2132, Lexmark X950, Lexmark X952, Lexmark X954, Lexmark X548, Lexmark MX710, Lexmark MX711, Lexmark MX810, Lexmark MX811, Lexmark MX812, Lexmark MX310, Lexmark MX410, Lexmark MX510, Lexmark CX410, Lexmark MX610, Lexmark MX611, Lexmark MX511, Lexmark CX310, Lexmark CX510, Lexmark MX6500, Lexmark X203, Lexmark X264, Lexmark X363, Lexmark X364, Lexmark X204, Lexmark X340, Lexmark X342N, Lexmark X463, Lexmark X464, Lexmark X466, Lexmark X422 MFP, Lexmark X543, Lexmark X544, Lexmark X642, Lexmark X651, Lexmark X652, Lexmark X654, Lexmark X654de;;2.0.7.1
Print Driver for 10.6.8 and later Mac OS Driver macOS macOS 10.6, macOS 10.8, macOS 10.7, macOS 10.11, macOS 10.10, macOS 10.9 Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish 2015-12-08 11 MB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/pssd/MX910Series_Print_1.1.0_10.6orLater_forIntel.dmg;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DR23360.html MX910Series Print 1.1.0 10.6orLater forIntel.dmg;Lexmark MX910, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX912;Installs a print driver (including PostScript print Description (PPD) and Print Dialog Extension (PDE)) for your Lexmark print on Mac OS X running 10.6.8 and later Mac OS. For ICA scanning, download the ""Image Capture Application Scan Driver for 10.6.8 and later Mac OS."" to install the scan driver for ICA. For TWAIN scanning, download the TWAIN web package to use with TWAIN- compliant applications. Instructions: Download the file. Double-click on the file to mount as a disk image. Open the disk image. Double-click the installer icon to begin installation. ;Driver Version: 1.5, Fax Driver Version: 1.3
Image Capture Application Scan Driver for 10.6.8 and later Mac OS Driver macOS macOS 10.8, macOS 10.9, macOS 10.6, macOS 10.7, macOS 10.10, macOS 10.11 Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish 2015-11-27 7 MB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/pssd/Scan_ImageCapture_3.4_10.6orLater_forIntel.dmg;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DR23337.html Scan ImageCapture 3.4 10.6orLater forIntel.dmg;Lexmark Interpret S409, Lexmark Prospect Pro209, Lexmark Pro4000, Lexmark Pro5500, Lexmark Impact S302, Lexmark Interact S608, Lexmark Prevail Pro702, Lexmark Interpret S405, Pro205, Lexmark Intuition S505, Lexmark Impact S305, Lexmark Interact S602, Lexmark Intuition S508, Lexmark Intuition S502, Lexmark Impact S308, Lexmark Interpret S408, Lexmark Interpret S402, Lexmark Platinum Pro902, Lexmark Prestige Pro802, Lexmark Prevail Pro706, Pro208, Lexmark Prospect Pro202, Lexmark Platinum Pro905, Lexmark Interact S605, Lexmark Prestige Pro805, Pro705, Lexmark Pinnacle Pro901, Lexmark X5630, Lexmark Platinum Pro908, Lexmark Prestige Pro808, Lexmark Interact S606, Lexmark Pro715, Lexmark Pro915, Lexmark Prevail Pro708, Lexmark Genesis S815, Lexmark Genesis S816, Lexmark Prevail Pro709, Lexmark S315, Lexmark S415, Lexmark S515, Lexmark Impact S301, X4950, Lexmark X4975, Lexmark X5650, Lexmark X5690, Lexmark X6650, Lexmark X6675, Lexmark X6690, X7675, Lexmark MX810, Lexmark MX811, Lexmark MX812, Lexmark MX310, Lexmark MX410, Lexmark MX510, Lexmark CX410, Lexmark MX610, Lexmark MX611, Lexmark MX511, Lexmark CX310, Lexmark CX510, Lexmark XM1140, Lexmark MX6500, Lexmark 3100 MFP, Lexmark X203, Lexmark X264, Lexmark X363, Lexmark X364, Lexmark X204, Lexmark X463, Lexmark X464, Lexmark X466, Lexmark X543, Lexmark X544, Lexmark X651, Lexmark X652, Lexmark X654, Lexmark X654de, Lexmark X656de, Lexmark X734de, Lexmark X736, Lexmark X738de, Lexmark X546, Lexmark X864, Lexmark X860, Lexmark X862, Lexmark X925, Lexmark X792, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark X746, Lexmark X748, Lexmark XM1145, Lexmark XM3150, Lexmark XM5163, Lexmark XM5170, Lexmark XM7155, Lexmark XM7163, Lexmark XM7170, Lexmark XC2132, Lexmark X950, Lexmark X952, Lexmark X954, Lexmark X548, Lexmark MX710, Lexmark MX711;Installs a scan driver that will enable the user to scan in Apple's Image Capture application on Mac OS X running 10.6.8 and later Mac OS. Instructions: 1. Download the file. 2. Double-click on the file to mount as a disk image. 3. Open the disk image. 4. Double-click the installer icon to begin installation.;3.4.1
Lexmark Universal Fax FX1 PostScript 06102015.exe Universal Print Driver Windows Windows 7 x64, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8 x64, Windows Server 2012 x64, Windows 8.1 (32-bit), Windows 8.1 (64-bit), Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit), Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit), Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 x64, Windows Server 2008 x64, Windows Server 2008 X86, Windows Vista, Windows Vista x64 Arabic, Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish 2015-06-17 28 MB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/pssd/Lexmark_Universal_Fax_FX1_PostScript_06102015.exe;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DR23306.html Lexmark Universal Fax FX1 PostScript 06102015.exe;Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark X950, Lexmark X952, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark X746, Lexmark X748, Lexmark XC2132, Lexmark X954, Lexmark X548, Lexmark MX710, Lexmark MX711, Lexmark MX810, Lexmark MX811, Lexmark MX812, Lexmark MX310, Lexmark MX410, Lexmark MX510, Lexmark CX410, Lexmark MX610, Lexmark MX611, Lexmark MX511, Lexmark CX310, Lexmark CX510, Lexmark MX6500, Lexmark X203, Lexmark X264, Lexmark X363, Lexmark X364, Lexmark X204, Lexmark X340, Lexmark X342N, Lexmark X463, Lexmark X464, Lexmark X466, Lexmark X422 MFP, Lexmark X543, Lexmark X544, Lexmark X642, Lexmark X651, Lexmark X652, Lexmark X654, Lexmark X654de, Lexmark X656de, Lexmark X734de, Lexmark X736, Lexmark X738de, Lexmark X772, Lexmark X782e, Lexmark X820e MFP, Lexmark X830e MFP, Lexmark X832e MFP, Lexmark X850 MFP, Lexmark X912e MFP, Lexmark X940, Lexmark X945, Lexmark X644e MFP, Lexmark X646, Lexmark X546, Lexmark X864, Lexmark X860, Lexmark X862, Lexmark 6500, Lexmark X852, Lexmark X854, Lexmark X925, Lexmark X792;;2.0.7.0
Network and Local scan driver for 32-bit Linux distributions with RPM-based packaging Driver Linux/Unix OpenSUSE 12.2, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 WS, OpenSUSE 12.1, OpenSUSE 11.4, Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 6, Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 5, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10, Fedora 17, Linpus Linux 9.6, Fedora 19, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, Red Flag Linux 6.0, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, Fedora 15, OpenSUSE 11.3, Fedora 14, PCLinuxOS 2011.9, Fedora 18 Arabic, Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish 2015-04-07 40 MB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/pssd/network-scan-linux-glibc2-x86.rpm;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DR22902.html network-scan-linux-glibc2-x86.rpm;Lexmark X466, Lexmark X463, Lexmark 6500, Lexmark X950, Lexmark X952, Lexmark MX810, Lexmark MX611, Lexmark MX610, Lexmark X652, Lexmark XM5170, Lexmark MX510, Lexmark X546, Lexmark X204, Lexmark CX310, Lexmark X544, Lexmark X850 MFP, Lexmark X656de, Lexmark X203, Lexmark CX410, Lexmark XC2132, Lexmark XM7155, Lexmark X860, Lexmark X654de, Lexmark XM1135, Lexmark X772, Lexmark MX811, Lexmark X364, Lexmark X925, Lexmark X734de, Lexmark X736, Lexmark XC2130, Lexmark X864, Lexmark X363, Lexmark MX310, Lexmark X646, Lexmark MX511, Lexmark X543, Lexmark XM3150, Lexmark MX812, Lexmark X264, Lexmark CX510, Lexmark X954, Lexmark MX410, Lexmark X644e MFP, Lexmark X782e, Lexmark XM1145, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark S519, Lexmark Pro919, Lexmark Pro4000, Lexmark Pro5500, Lexmark Pro719, Lexmark S315, Lexmark Pro915, Lexmark S419, Lexmark S515, Lexmark S415, Lexmark Pro4000c, Lexmark S319, Lexmark Pro5500t, Lexmark Pro715, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark XM5163, Lexmark X792, Lexmark X642, Lexmark X651, Lexmark XM7163, Lexmark XM7170, Lexmark X862, Lexmark X548, Lexmark X945, Lexmark X738de, Lexmark X464, Lexmark X654, Lexmark X940, Lexmark MX711, Lexmark MX710;32-bit network and local SANE scan driver for Linux systems with Debian-based packaging. After downloading, please refer to Readme file for details regarding Installation, Upgradation and Un-installation.;1.6.0.0
Network scan driver for 32-bit Linux distributions with Debian-based packaging Driver Linux/Unix Ubuntu 11.10, Linux Mint 9, AIX, Ubuntu 11.04, Linux Mint 13, Linux Mint 11, Ubuntu 12.04, Linux Mint 12, Ubuntu 12.10, Linux Mint 10, Debian 6.0, Debian 7.0, Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 Arabic, Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish 2015-04-07 40 MB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/pssd/network-scan-linux-glibc2-x86.deb;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DR22889.html network-scan-linux-glibc2-x86.deb;Lexmark X363, Lexmark X654de, Lexmark CX310, Lexmark X204, Lexmark XM5170, Lexmark X364, Lexmark CX410, Lexmark MX611, Lexmark X950, Lexmark XM5163, Lexmark X656de, Lexmark X736, Lexmark X738de, Lexmark X654, Lexmark XM7155, Lexmark MX310, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark X734de, Lexmark S415, Lexmark S519, Lexmark Pro4000c, Lexmark Pro5500t, Lexmark S419, Lexmark Pro919, Lexmark Pro5500, Lexmark Pro719, Lexmark Pro4000, Lexmark S319, Lexmark Pro915, Lexmark Pro715, Lexmark S315, Lexmark S515, Lexmark MX511, Lexmark X543, Lexmark X548, Lexmark X546, Lexmark 6500, Lexmark X945, Lexmark XC2130, Lexmark X644e MFP, Lexmark XM1135, Lexmark X860, Lexmark CX510, Lexmark MX510, Lexmark X862, Lexmark X864, Lexmark MX810, Lexmark X544, Lexmark MX710, Lexmark X646, Lexmark X772, Lexmark XM7163, Lexmark MX610, Lexmark XM1145, Lexmark X792, Lexmark X940, Lexmark X850 MFP, Lexmark X642, Lexmark X463, Lexmark X782e, Lexmark X264, Lexmark X466, Lexmark X652, Lexmark X954, Lexmark X952, Lexmark X925, Lexmark MX410, Lexmark MX812, Lexmark MX811, Lexmark XM7170, Lexmark XM3150, Lexmark MX711, Lexmark X464, Lexmark XC2132, Lexmark X203, Lexmark X651;Network and local SANE scan driver for 32-bit Linux distributions with Debian-based packaging. Once downloaded, install the package file with Debian's Package Manager (DEB). This driver supports IP address search for non-broadcasting printers. It also supports local scanning through USB on some devices.;1.6.0.0
Network scan driver for 64-bit Linux distributions with Debian-based packaging Driver Linux/Unix Ubuntu 11.04, Ubuntu 11.10, Linux Mint 13, Linux Mint 10, Debian 6.0, Linux Mint 11, Debian GNU/Linux 5.0, Ubuntu 12.04, Linux Mint 12, Ubuntu 12.10, Debian 7.0 Arabic, Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish 2015-04-07 34 MB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/pssd/network-scan-linux-glibc2-x86_64.deb;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DR22891.html network-scan-linux-glibc2-x86 64.deb;Lexmark MX711, Lexmark XM7163, Lexmark X952, Lexmark XM5170, Lexmark X950, Lexmark X544, Lexmark X945, Lexmark XM1135, Lexmark X651, Lexmark MX610, Lexmark 6500, Lexmark X954, Lexmark Pro919, Lexmark S319, Lexmark Pro5500, Lexmark S515, Lexmark Pro4000, Lexmark S415, Lexmark S419, Lexmark Pro915, Lexmark S519, Lexmark Pro5500t, Lexmark Pro719, Lexmark Pro4000c, Lexmark S315, Lexmark Pro715, Lexmark X543, Lexmark XC2132, Lexmark X860, Lexmark MX511, Lexmark X738de, Lexmark X850 MFP, Lexmark MX410, Lexmark X782e, Lexmark CX310, Lexmark X546, Lexmark CX410, Lexmark X734de, Lexmark X736, Lexmark MX611, Lexmark XM7170, Lexmark X656de, Lexmark CX510, Lexmark X654de, Lexmark MX510, Lexmark X940, Lexmark X652, Lexmark X772, Lexmark X644e MFP, Lexmark X792, Lexmark XM1145, Lexmark X646, Lexmark X204, Lexmark XM7155, Lexmark X463, Lexmark MX710, Lexmark XM3150, Lexmark X203, Lexmark X642, Lexmark X654, Lexmark X925, Lexmark X862, Lexmark MX812, Lexmark X864, Lexmark XM5163, Lexmark X548, Lexmark X364, Lexmark MX310, Lexmark MX811, Lexmark X264, Lexmark MX810, Lexmark X363, Lexmark XC2130, Lexmark X464, Lexmark X466, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX912;Network and local SANE scan driver for 64-bit Linux distributions with Debian-based packaging. Once downloaded, install the package file with Debian's Package Manager (DEB). This driver supports IP address search for non-broadcasting printers.It also supports local scanning through USB on some devices.;1.6.0.0
Network and Local scan driver for 64-bit Linux distributions with RPM-based packaging Driver Linux/Unix SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, Linpus Linux 9.6, OpenSUSE 12.1, Fedora 17, Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 6, Fedora 19, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 WS, Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 5, Red Flag Linux 6.0, OpenSUSE 12.2, OpenSUSE 11.4, OpenSUSE 11.3, PCLinuxOS 2011.9, Fedora 14, Fedora 15, Fedora 18 Arabic, Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish 2015-04-01 34 MB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/pssd/network-scan-linux-glibc2-x86_64.rpm;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DR22903.html network-scan-linux-glibc2-x86 64.rpm;Lexmark X548, Lexmark X792, Lexmark X925, Lexmark MX511, Lexmark XM7170, Lexmark XM7163, Lexmark X850 MFP, Lexmark X463, Lexmark XC2132, Lexmark 6500, Lexmark X466, Lexmark X954, Lexmark X642, Lexmark MX711, Lexmark X644e MFP, Lexmark X646, Lexmark MX710, Lexmark X651, Lexmark X734de, Lexmark X652, Lexmark X654de, Lexmark XC2130, Lexmark X546, Lexmark X864, Lexmark X654, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark XM1145, Lexmark MX810, Lexmark XM7155, Lexmark MX510, Lexmark X952, Lexmark MX812, Lexmark MX310, Lexmark X862, Lexmark X204, Lexmark X364, Lexmark XM5170, Lexmark X264, Lexmark X860, Lexmark XM1135, Lexmark X363, Lexmark MX610, Lexmark X464, Lexmark X738de, Lexmark MX611, Lexmark CX510, Lexmark X656de, Lexmark CX410, Lexmark X543, Lexmark CX310, Lexmark MX811, Lexmark X544, Lexmark X736, Lexmark X950, Lexmark MX410, Lexmark X782e, Lexmark X772, Lexmark X940, Lexmark X203, Lexmark X945, Lexmark XM5163, Lexmark XM3150;64-bit network and local SANE scan driver for Linux systems with Debian-based packaging. After downloading, please refer to Readme file for details regarding Installation, Upgradation and Un-installation.;1.6.0.0
PPD (PostScript Printer Description) files for 32-bit Linux distributions with RPM-based packaging Driver Linux/Unix Linpus Linux 9.6, Fedora 18, PCLinuxOS 2011.9, Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 5, Fedora 19, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, OpenSUSE 12.1, Red Flag Linux 6.0, Fedora 17, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 WS, OpenSUSE 12.2, OpenSUSE 11.4, Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 6, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish 2015-04-01 579 KB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/pssd/lexmark-PPD-Files-LXAEN-1.2-1.i386.rpm;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DR22900.html lexmark-PPD-Files-LXAEN-1.2-1.i386.rpm;Lexmark MX912, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark MS911, Lexmark XM9145;Lexmark PPD file package for CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) on supported 32-bit Linux distributions with RPM-based packaging. This PostScript support file uses Unicode encoding and provides access to advanced printing features available with your Lexmark printer. After downloading, please refer to Readme file for details regarding Installation, Upgradation and Un-installation. Note: Administrative or 'root' access may be needed during the installation. You must have access to any of these accounts when prompted.;1.2.0.0
PPD (PostScript Printer Description) files for 64-bit Linux distributions with RPM-based packaging Driver Linux/Unix SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 WS, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11, Red Flag Linux 6.0, Fedora 18, OpenSUSE 11.4, Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 6, OpenSUSE 12.2, Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 5, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10, PCLinuxOS 2011.9, Fedora 17, OpenSUSE 12.1, Fedora 19, Linpus Linux 9.6 Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish 2015-04-01 579 KB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/pssd/lexmark-PPD-Files-LXAEN-1.2-1.x86_64.rpm;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DR22901.html lexmark-PPD-Files-LXAEN-1.2-1.x86 64.rpm;Lexmark MS911, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark MX910;Lexmark PPD file package for CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) on supported 64-bit Linux distributions with RPM-based packaging. This PostScript support file uses Unicode encoding and provides access to advanced printing features available with your Lexmark printer. After downloading, please refer to Readme file for details regarding Installation, Upgradation and Un-installation. Note: Administrative or 'root' access may be needed during the installation. You must have access to any of these accounts when prompted.;1.2.0.0
PPD (PostScript Printer Description) files for CUPS-based systems Driver Linux/Unix OpenSUSE 12.2, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 WS, Linpus Linux 9.6, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, OpenSUSE 11.4, Ubuntu 12.10, Debian GNU/Linux 5.0, Ubuntu 12.04, Linux Mint 12, Debian 6.0, Linux Mint 10, Linux Mint 11, Fedora 18, Debian 7.0, Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 6, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10, OpenSUSE 12.1, Fedora 17, Fedora 19, Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 5, Red Flag Linux 6.0, PCLinuxOS 2011.9, Linux Mint 13 Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish 2015-03-17 516 KB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/pssd/PPD-Files-LXAEN.tar.Z;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DR22893.html PPD-Files-LXAEN.tar.Z;Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark MS911;Lexmark PPD files for CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) and OpenOffice applications on supported Red Hat, SuSE, Debian, and Linspire Linux systems. This PostScript support file uses Unicode encoding and provides access to advanced printing features available with your Lexmark printer. Use the following procedure to install this package: 1. Download the file. 2. Log in using Administrator privileges. 3. Expand the file using gunzip and tar commands. 4. Run the install script.;1.2.0.0
PPD (PostScript Printer Description) files for 32-bit Linux distributions with Debian-based packaging Driver Linux/Unix Ubuntu 12.10, Debian GNU/Linux 5.0, Ubuntu 12.04, Linux Mint 13, Debian 6.0, Debian 7.0, Linux Mint 12, Linux Mint 11, Linux Mint 10 Arabic, Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish 2014-10-06 516 KB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/pssd/lexmark-PPD-Files-LXAEN-1.2-1.i386.deb;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DR22892.html lexmark-PPD-Files-LXAEN-1.2-1.i386.deb;Lexmark MS911, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark XM9155;Lexmark PPD file package for CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) on supported 32-bit Linux distributions with Debian-based packaging. This PostScript support file uses Unicode encoding and provides access to advanced printing features available with your Lexmark printer. After downloading, use the following procedure to install this package: 1. Download the file. 2. Install the package either by double-clicking the icon or through the terminal using the following command: dpkg -i lexmark-PPD-Files-LXAEN-1.2-1.i386.deb Note: Administrative or 'root' access may be needed during the installation. You must have access to any of these accounts when prompted.;1.2.0.0
PPD (PostScript Printer Description) files for 64-bit Linux distributions with Debian-based packaging Driver Linux/Unix Linux Mint 11, Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 12.04, Debian 6.0, Linux Mint 13, Debian 7.0, Linux Mint 12, Linux Mint 10, Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 Arabic, Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish 2014-10-06 516 KB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/pssd/lexmark-PPD-Files-LXAEN-1.2-1.amd64.deb;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DR22890.html lexmark-PPD-Files-LXAEN-1.2-1.amd64.deb;Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark MS911, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark XM9155;Lexmark PPD file package for CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) on supported 64-bit Linux distributions with Debian-based packaging. This PostScript support file uses Unicode encoding and provides access to advanced printing features available with your Lexmark printer. After downloading, use the following procedure to install this package: 1. Download the file. 2. Install the package either by double-clicking the icon or through the terminal using the following command: dpkg -i lexmark-PPD-Files-LXAEN-1.2-1.amd64.deb Note: Administrative or 'root' access may be needed during the installation. You must have access to any of these accounts when prompted.;1.2.0.0
Application PPD Files Driver Windows Windows 8 x64, Windows 7 x64, Windows Server 2012 x64, Windows 8, Windows Server 2003 x64, Windows Server 2008 x64, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008 X86, Windows Vista, Windows Vista x64, Windows XP Professional x64, Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit), Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit), Windows 8.1 (32-bit), Windows 7, Windows 8.1 (64-bit) English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish 2014-06-17 1017 KB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/pssd/Lexmark_MS910_MX910_XM9100_Series_AEN_AppPPD.exe;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DR22762.html Lexmark MS910 MX910 XM9100 Series AEN AppPPD.exe;Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark MS911;Application PostScript Level 3 PPD files. These files can be used with applications such as: Adobe PageMaker, Quark Xpress, Adobe Creative Suite, including: InDesign, Ilustrator and Photoshop.;1.0.0.0
Printer drivers (colon files) for AIX Systems (AIX Print Mode) Driver Linux/Unix AIX 6.1, AIX 5.3, AIX 7.1 English 2014-06-16 250 KB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/pssd/Colon-Files-AIX-LMAEN.tar;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DR22747.html Colon-Files-AIX-LMAEN.tar;Lexmark MS911, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MX912;Lexmark printer driver for IBM AIX Print Mode (qdaemon). This should be installed together with the network print support package for AIX Systems. Once downloaded, uncompress the file using the uncompress utility and install the drivers by running the included install_pkg script.;1.0.0.0
Printer-specific support plug-ins for Unix printer drivers Driver Linux/Unix Solaris SPARC 9, Solaris X86.10, Solaris SPARC 11, Solaris SPARC 10, HP-UX 11.23, HP-UX 11.31, Solaris X86.11, HP-UX 11.11 Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish 2014-06-16 2 MB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/pssd/Print-Drivers-LXAEN_DRV.plugin;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DR22748.html Print-Drivers-LXAEN DRV.plugin;Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark MS911, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark XM9165;Plug-in package to add printer device support for Lexmark printer driver in HP UX 11.11, Oracle Solaris 9 SPARC, and Oracle Solaris 10 x86 systems, and their later versions. Once downloaded, install the plug-in by selecting Software Update from the printer driver File menu.;1.0.0.0
Readme for AIX Colon File Driver Linux/Unix AIX 5.3, AIX 6.1, AIX 7.1 English 2014-06-14 2 KB http://downloads.lexmark.com/downloads/pssd/Readme-AIX-LMAEN.txt;https://origin-www.lexmark.com/content/iss/www-lexmark-com/en_za/support/download.DR22746.html Readme-AIX-LMAEN.txt;Lexmark XM9165, Lexmark MX910, Lexmark MX911, Lexmark XM9155, Lexmark XM9145, Lexmark MX912, Lexmark MS911;Readme for AIX Colon File;1.0
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How to Make Pirate Boot Cuffs
By: Helen Holzer
How to Make Pirate Boot Tops
How to Buff Boots
Clothes to Wear With Knee Boots
How to Keep Thigh-High Boots From Rolling Down
How to Lace Chuck Taylor Hi-Tops
Blackbeard has always been a popular costume choice, but with the release of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, Captain Jack Sparrow is giving Blackbeard a run for most popular pirate. Perhaps the most iconic part of the costume is the boots, which come with very stylized boot cuffs. A pirate’s boot cuffs can come in lengths of up to 6 inches long. Velcro, safety pins or some stitching will hold the cuffs in place while your pirate goes swashbuckling.
Select the fabric for the book cuffs. Men’s pirate boots look best with black leather, vinyl or felt, while women pirates can add colorful, fancy satin or silk cuffs to dress up the tops of the boots.
Measure around the top of the boot and add 2 inches. Allow the fabric to widen out into an A-line. Measure how long you want the cuff and add 1 inch. Cuffs should go no longer than 6 inches when finished, even shorter for a child.
Cut out the fabric and place along the top of the boot. The extra 2 inches can be used for a seam allowance, to install a zipper or install shoelace holes.
Sew or use a glue gun to add a seam at the back of the boot cuff. Do the same for a small hem at the top and a larger hem at the bottom of the cuff.
Add embellishments to the top or bottom of the boot cuffs. Men may wish to add gold braid, buckles or pirate insignia. Women can opt for tassels, ribbons or lace.
Attach the cuff to the boot. Add Velcro to the top of the cuff. If the boot has material lining inside, you can sew or safety pin the top of the cuff to the boot. Fold over 1/2 inch of the cuff top, place it inside the top of the boot and sew.
Coolest Homemade Costumes: Pirate Costume Ideas
“Parents”: The Cutest Costumes on the Block: Dashing Pirate
Bella Online; Halloween: Make a Pirate Costume; Susan Alison
Helen Holzer is a veteran journalist who began writing in 1972 and has lived all over the country. She has written and edited on nearly every topic for major daily newspapers and other publications. She has also been a book reviewer and currently lives in the Pacific Northwest. She has a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Minnesota.
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Philadelphia To Host Major Young Entrepreneurs Event For Millenials
By John Ostapkovich September 29, 2014 at 3:03 am
Filed Under:Forbes Magazine, Forbes Magazine's "30 under 30" summit, millenials, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Randall Lane, South by Southwest
(credit: CBS3)
By John Ostapkovich
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia will play host to Forbes Magazine’s “30 under 30” summit in mid-October, not only a brain-storming session by those who’ve made it, but a springboard for those who want to.
From October 19th to the 22nd, the Convention Center will host a who’s-who list of millenial entrepreneurs, inventors, celebrities and more than a thousand others looking to make their big mark. Randall Lane of Forbes says attendees will get a chance to grab for the gold ring.
“We’re calling it the $400,000 pressure cooker,” Lane says, “where we’re going to have a pitch contest on stage in front of a thousand people, and the winner take all, winner gets $150,000 in investment and a quarter-million dollars in prizes, and we promised Mayor Nutter that one Philly entrepreneur gets a fast track to the finals.”
Lane says Philadelphia is abuzz with millenial energy.
“Based on what we’re seeing you’re doing great,” he says. “Stats we’ve seen show the rise in millenials in Philadelphia is outpacing the rest of the nation.”
Lane says they hope this conference will do here what South by Southwest does for Austin.
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Skill development will be the backbone of Atmnirbhar Bharat and GaribKalyanRozgarAbhiyaan: Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey
Neighboring country will clearly get to know it has a strong opponent in India
Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, today said that skilling, up-skilling and re-skilling of the India’s workforce will play a crucial role in the success of the Government’s vision of Atmnirbhar Bharat and the recently launched GaribKalyanRozgarAbhiyaan, announced by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri NarendraModi.
The government is soon to get approval on the next phase of Pradhan Mantri KaushalVikasYojana (PMKVY) which will have increased focus on demand driven skill development, digital technology and skills pertaining to Industry 4.0. The current part of the flagship skill training scheme (PMKVY 2016-2020) is about to conclude and has so far trained close to 73lakh youth in the country, Union Minister of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, DrMahendraNathPandey said in an ASSOCHAM webinar today.
“We need to focus on employment in current scenario and that’s why we will be focusing upon demand-based skilling in the next phase of PMKVY, where we have added certain aspects like - strengthening district skill committees and connecting with local employment offices. District Commissioner and State Skill Development Missions (SSDMs) will also have a crucial role to play and will be connected to the industry bodies so that we can bridge the demand supply gap and impart relevant trainings to the migrant labour who have returned to their home state,” said DrPandey while addressing a webinar, ‘Skill Development Post Covid-19,. He said that if required, the government would give permission to run PMKVY centres and ITIs (Industrial Training Institutes) in 2-3 shifts in order to follow guidelines of social and physical distancing.
DrPandey also urged industry to expand their operations from big cities to small districts and villages and invest in upskilling and re-skilling the youth across rural India which would help make a giant leap towards the success of the Aatmanirbhar BharatAbhiyaan launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri NarendraModi. “We invite private sector people to come forward and impart training and focus on being vocal for local product and services empowering youth to drive local economic growth.”
The Minister added, “I appeal to the industry to be more compassionate towards the migrant labour, do their counselling, treat them respectfully and facilitate those who intend to return and get back to work.”
DrPandey said, “Our neighboring country is trying to remove its blot and working on expansionist policy, but it is also able understand now that this time round it has a strong opponent and it will further get to know this thing more clearly as our entire nation stands united.”
Talking about the various plans of the Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister, DrMahendraNathPandey said, “We are also working on Skill Management Information System, which will bring the entire skill ecosystem on a common web portal and work as an aggregator for demand and supply of skilled workforce.”
He further informed, “We plan to further simplify the apprenticeship which is the on-the-job model of skill training so that industries do not hesitate in absorbing apprentices and they do so enthusiastically. We shall invite suggestions from the industry on that, our proposal is going ahead with whatever discussions we took in past in this regard.”
The Minister also said that his Ministry is working closely with other central ministries and state governments on compiling data of skilled persons across the country which would be made available at a single click. “The database of skilled youth in the country will also the registered data of people who have come in from overseas as a part of reverse migration. NSDC, the implementation arm of MSDE, has come up with an effective application called ‘Swades’ whereby both Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Civil Aviation are also cooperating in collating this information and segregating the workforce basis their skills, so that they can later be connected with opportunities of employment within the country and add to their personal and nation’s overall growth.”
He stated that about 20,800 people have connected through the Swades app already. “In future, we plan to use their skill on a bigger scale and also seek help of industry bodies in utilizing their skills and promote them as trainers as we go ahead.”
DrPandey said that the role and responsibility of the industry in terms of skill development has increased during the current scenario even as the government is sharing ideas and working together with the private sector and that these times call for a unified solution for citizens of the nation, ensuring a more secure and better livelihood for all.
“In wake of the Covid-19 global pandemic we need to move ahead with innovative methods, especially in the industrial sector, there is a need for a big change in terms of the overall mindset and approach towards doing business as we need to give more importance to use of digital technology,” said the Minister.
In his welcome remarks, ASSOCHAM president, DrNiranjanHiranandani said, “Industry will willingly work in tandem with government to jointly fight this battle and support the Hon’blePrime Minister in his vision of New Artmnirbhar Bharat.”
MrManinderNayyar, co-chairman, ASSOCHAM National Council on Skill Development said, “Post Covid-19, new sectors and avenues of working are set to emerge, requiring new levels of skill, as such it is important for government and industry to predict the possibilities of the future and prepare for them today itself.”
Amid others who addressed the webinar included – MsDivya Jain, co-chair, ASSOCHAM National Council on Skill Development, DrDarlieKoshy, director general, Apparel Training & Design Centre; Mr N.K. Mohapatra, CEO, Electronic Sector Skill Council and MrPawanAgrawal, MD & CEO, Smartskills Bits & Bytes (P) Ltd.
(Release ID: 1635180) Visitor Counter : 955
Read this release in: Urdu , Hindi , Assamese , Manipuri , Punjabi , Tamil
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
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Tag Archives: Movies
Adam Resnick’s Cabin Boy
January 9, 2021 natewatchescoolmovies Leave a comment
I’ve always kind of known Cabin Boy existed, but I’ve skirted around it for years because.. well, as funny as that Chris Elliott guy is in other stuff (he’s the best part about Scary Movie 2) I just didn’t think he could carry an entire comedy on his own, and the thing just looked stupid based on the DVD cover. Well the good news is that he doesn’t have to carry the whole thing on his own because this thing is so packed with character actors, super random cameos, bizarre practical effects, trippy vignettes and eccentric humour it carries itself on sheer outlandish momentum alone. I also wasn’t prepared for how fucking weirdly surreal and unearthly much of it is, it in fact might be one of the strangest films I’ve ever seen and in that regard it succeeds on sheer cult status merit alone. Elliott is pretty idiotic as a self proclaimed “fancylad” (they pronounce it as one word), a rich, spoiled little asshole who leaves his cushy life to run his father’s business in Hawaii but accidentally boards a salty fishing vessel after being given wrong given directions by David Letterman (I’m not making that up). The crew of this boat is populated by the grizzled likes of James Gammon, Brion James, Brian Doyle Murray, Ritch Brinkley (the obnoxious county prosecutor from Twin Peaks, for anyone as nerdy as me who remembers) and a young Andy Richter. They don’t take kindly to Elliott’s snooty attitude though and basically make him the Boat’s Bitch until he can earn his stripes. The film is terminally dumb in many areas but sometimes the script really surprised me with hilariously subtle comedic dialogue and deftly hysterical performances from the main cast and cameos alike. The central plot at some point gives way to a jaw dropping, delirious bout of random interludes including an iceberg monster, a Norwegian half man/half shark creature called Chocki (Russ Tamblyn, of all people), a pissed off Olympic swimmer (Melora Walters), a floating cupcake (Jim Cummings), a cave dwelling Kama Sutra goddess (Ann Magnuson) and in the film’s funniest bit, her Brooklyn born giant of a husband (Mike Starr, always love this guy) who tries to open a hardware store for seagulls. It’s about as fucking off the wall as it gets and suffice to say I was not prepared for the brand of deranged lunacy this film has to offer but I quite enjoyed a good portion of it. In a world where the comedy genre is so saturated with uninspired, limp-dick efforts and terminal misfires, I appreciate something with the verve, lack of inhibitions and capacity for abstract thought that lets it all hang out and throws every certifiably insane idea at the wall to see what sticks. Most of it does.
ann magnusonBrian Doyle MurrayBrion JamesCabin Boychris ElliottcinemacomedyDavid Lettermanfilmfilm reviewfilm reviewsfilmsJames gammonMelora WaltersMike Starrmoviemovie reviewmovie reviewsMoviesRitch BrinkleyRuss Tamblyn
Curtis Hanson’s The River Wild
Curtis Hanson’s The River Wild is one of those cheerfully formulaic, undemanding 90’s adventure flicks that you can crush consecutively like a case of lite beer, they’re always easy breezy good fun if done properly. This one sees a classic suburban family head for a river rafting expiration led by ex-guide mom (Meryl Streep), reluctantly joined by workaholic dad (David Strathairn) and enthusiastically headed up by their kid (Joseph Mazzello from Jurassic Park). The vacation is going pretty well until they run into a trio of career criminals led by evil Kevin Bacon on the run after a heist, who plan to use the narrow canyons of the river to escape, but they’re without the proverbial paddle of rafting experience and need Streep’s expertise, so they promptly kidnap the whole family and things get pretty gnarly. So the film overall is pretty average for a thriller, exciting enough but nothing to truly cream your knickers over. Streep is sterling great as always and her performance feels almost too good for this film, probably because her talents are obviously a bit above the material. Bacon is impressively evil as the conniving, psychopathic asshole who makes their lives hell, he’s always been able to slip in and out of good guy/bad guy roles with such ease. Strathairn is usually terrific but somehow comes across a bit bland here, John C. Reilly is effective and low key hilarious as Bacon’s hopeless dumb-fuck cohort and there’s appearances from Bill Lucking, Liz Hoffman, Diane Delano, Glenn Moreshower and Benjamin Bratt too. Gorgeous Montana scenery accompanied by a notable Jerry Goldsmith score add to the fun. It’s a good thriller, not a great one.
Benjamin BrattcinemaCurtis HAnsonDavid Strathairnfilmfilm reviewfilm reviewsfilmsJerry GoldsmithJohn C. ReillyJoseph MazzelloKevin BaconMeryl Streepmoviemovie reviewmovie reviewsMoviesThe River WildThrillerWilliam Lucking
Amazon Prime’s Tales From The Loop
Do you like science fiction stories that put human characters, story and emotion before action, special effects and visual bedazzlement? Quiet, contemplative, episodically interwoven narratives that use SciFi as a means to illuminate hidden truths, internal revelations and complex interpersonal relationships? Lovingly detailed, retro-futuristic artistic creation lifted right off the pages of an iconic novel? Amazon Prime’s Tales From The Loop has all this and more and is one of the most gentle, low key yet deeply staggering pieces of work I’ve ever experienced in the genre. The story focuses on a small town somewhere that is built above ‘The Loop,’ a mysterious underground research facility home to a subtly sentient A.I. engine used to create and power countless inventions. Each episode shows a story centred around a few families and individuals from this town and how this mysterious power source from The Loop affects their lives in surprising, tragic, metaphysical ways. There’s a teenage couple who find an object that pauses time except for their perception, after which they’re left to their own devices and we see what that can do to a relationship. Elsewhere a lonely man wanders into a parallel dimension and literally (and figuratively too) finds himself. The elderly founder and engineer of The Loop (Jonathan Pryce, fantastic) struggles with his mortality while his daughter (Rebecca Hall) and son in law (Paul Schneider) have their own personal experiences with the forces around them, and so do many others whose lives are woven together organically to create a tranquil, reflective and hypnotic piece unlike any other. The SciFi aspects really only act as background scenery and catalysts for unconventional human experience; we never learn what The Loop really is and most of the robots, structures and tech it creates hover in the background like fish in an aquarium while the human being characters abide in wonderment, learning complex, challenging lessons around love, compassion, self identity, overcoming fear, reconciling one’s own life cycle, coming to terms with death, facing past choices/mistakes and all of that overwhelming stuff that makes us who we are. It’s all set to soul-stirring, mesmerizing and unique original music from maestros Phillip Glass and Paul Leonard Morgan and breathtaking, vintage inspired visual design that brings to life robots, domelike architecture, otherworldly technical ambience and all manner of stylistic splendour that always serves as atmosphere and allows story, characters and themes take centre stage overall. Brilliant piece of work, and the kind of life affirming, empathetic art we need right now.
Amazon Primecinemafilmfilm reviewfilmsJonathan Prycemoviemovie reviewmovie reviewsMoviesRebecca HallSci-FiScience FictionTales From The Loop
THE ROBERT ALTMAN FILES: The Delinquents / The James Dean Story (1957)
January 5, 2021 patrickcrain73 3 Comments
By Patrick Crain
When we think about the social unraveling that occurred in America, we seem more or less fixated on the mid to late sixties, a psychologically fragile time in which our great compact seemed to fissure as stress upon stress was laid atop it and harder and harder scar tissue began to form in the place of the great, gaping wounds. The seeds of this, of course, were sown in the postwar years in which men came home from overseas with psychological issues and then created children who would then have to deal with the silent trauma in their own way by dropping out and tuning in just as the sixties began to ripen.
But floating between these two extremes were those of the Silent Generation who, too young to serve their country themselves, watched their fathers go off to war but then had to grapple with the reality of the absent parent who, in some cases, would not return, or, in other cases, would return in a form almost unrecognizable to the people who stayed behind. World War I was the first war in which medical advances allowed us to reckon with the physical damage of combat and World War II was the first in which we had to confront with the difficult sociological damage of combat. That it was met with relative silence and was internalized in such a way that it often resembled a pressure cooker was a definite contributing factor in the fracture between the generations that occurred later.
To the young men drifting through those times, Elvis Presley and James Dean were identifiable outlets; figures who cut through a lot of social layers and captured the imagination and set the cultural tone. But James Dean filled this gap better than Elvis. Maybe it’s because Dean didn’t seem quite as beamed in from another planet like Elvis did or maybe because Dean remained forever young, perpetually romantic and frozen in time; an almost perfectly preserved artifact of his time. By turns dangerous and sweet, sexual and brooding, Dean was the perfect icon due to the ability for men to see him through whatever prism they chose.
The spirit of James Dean hangs over Robert Altman’s debut feature, The Delinquents, like an unwelcome ghost. Shot in 1955 but not released until 1957, two years after Dean’s death, the enterprise was the result of a local Kansas City producer wanting to cash in on the juvenile delinquent movies that were printing money out in Hollywood and local talent Robert Altman wanting to move from the industrials he was making for the Calvin Company to actual feature films. Whether Altman was ready for such a thing is another call entirely as the Delinquents is a movie that feels like two parts of an educational film that you might have seen in junior high in the late 50’s. It concerns itself with the doomed romance between Scotty and Janice (pre-Billy Jack Tom Laughlin and KC local Rosemary Howard, respectively), two high school kids who are having trouble taking their relationship to the next level due to Janice’s square parents feeling that a girl of sixteen is far too young to be going steady and forbids them to see each other.
Enter a gaggle of rough young thugs, the ranks of which contain Eddie (Dick Bakalyan) and led by Cholly (Peter Miller). After involving innocent bystander Scotty in a drive in rumble, Cholly hatches a plan to help his new buddy out. He’ll pose as Janice’s date and will bring her to Scotty after picking her up. And, of course, this leads to all kinds of trouble which includes a police raid on a house party, a lot of booze, a gas station robbery, an attempted assault, and, finally, a knife fight.
Containing a mix of passable and stiff performances, a lurching narrative, and a helplessly terrible and moralizing wraparound monologue, the Delinquents more or less banished Altman to the world of television where he honed his skills, most notably on Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Whirlybirds. It is also notable for the weirdly intense performance Tom Laughlin gives, clashing with the helpless Howard in the same way that predates the exact same awkwardness that would materialize when he would insist on casting Delores Taylor, his non-actress wife, in gigantic, difficult roles in his worthless Billy Jack movies.
I suppose there is a camp quality to be had with this kind of thing. After all, deep in the third act, Laughlin’s method acting gets so out of hand that it looks like he permanently damages Dick Bakalyan’s cervical spine when he drags him down to the ground in something that looks like a headlock that would get you thrown out of most wrestling matches. And in the film’s climax soon afterward, a hotted up Laughlin gets into a fight with Peter Miller’s character that looks like it wasn’t completely covered or cut correctly. The result is a lot of jagged editing which has Laughlin oscillating between looking like he’s going to either destroy or vomit all over Peter Miller before finally coming to a head with Laughlin Popeyeing Miller to the moon against the side of a refrigerator.
Add in some fun Kansas City locations, a painless running time of just around 75 minutes, and the tacked-on monologue regarding morals and American values and this MIGHT just be someone’s cup of tea. And, regardless of the result (which isn’t unwatchable and was good enough to land him a job with Hitchcock) it’s also hard to ignore that Altman beats Cassavetes to the big screen by two years with his independent feature and netting writing, producing, and directing credits. For every independent filmmaker who owes a debt to Cassavetes, some of that gratitude should be directed toward Altman.
James Dean factors in more appropriately and explicitly in Altman’s next outing which was assembled and created during the editing phase of the Delinquents. Also released in 1957, the James Dean Story has the regional, documentarian feel of a Charles B. Pierce film though it also curiously enough seems to veer a little towards the style of an Errol Morris documentary at times as the film is mostly pieced together with solemn narration and the unvarnished and raw takes of some talking heads, some secret recordings, and sprinkled with brooding passages about misgivings, griefs, and the inability to conform.
But the James Dean Story is really a telling little piece of material from the time that might just be a little more reflective and dour than it was envisioned to be. Sure, the subject matter had perished in a terrible car crash and died far too young but, for 1957, it’s just a little honest and just a tad unflattering which showed that the postwar generation were more interested in getting down to just who they were more than they wanted a magazine on film that sold the image of Dean that might not tell the whole story. Buried in all of this was the generation expressed existential angst; who are we?
One thing that Robert Altman really seemed to understand is that celebrities do oftentimes come from humble beginnings and that they are as much a part of the American portrait as steel workers, teachers, and farmers. And while watching this piece, one sometimes wonders how much Altman identifies with James Dean as he was only six years older than Dean and likewise sprung out of the middle of America. Both nonconformist iconoclasts, it’s hard to imagine that Altman didn’t see a lot of himself in Dean. Over time, he would revisit Dean’s legacy, most explicitly in his 1982 adaptation of Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean as he examined the nature of celebrity, pop culture, and the empty promises that come with investing in the memories of people you really don’t know.
Robert Altman would disappear into Hollywood hack work for another decade before reemerging in 1968 with his first big studio picture, Countdown from which he was fired by Jack Warner. A literal quote from the James Dean Story reads “the more they criticized, the more he refused to change.” This is said, of course, of James Dean but it could also be as easily said of Robert Altman.
cinemafilmJames DeanKansas CityMoviesRobert AltmanThe DelinquentsThe James Dean StoryTom Laughlin
Joel Schumacher’s The Number 23
Joel Schumacher’s The Number 23 is one of the silliest films I’ve seen in a long time, so much so that I couldn’t even really get mad at it, I just sat there in disbelief looking at this adorable kindergarten level film noir huff and puff and try to be edgy and dangerous. Maybe it’s the fact that Jim Carrey is in a serious role, or the script is just so hilariously scattered and overcooked or that Carrey plays a freaking dog catcher (do those even exist anymore?) but for whatever reason I just couldn’t take this thing remotely seriously. So the plot, best as I could jigsaw it together from the hack job of a script: Jim is a mild mannered animal wrangler who finds an ancient Nordic mask that when worn, turns the wearer into- gotcha, didn’t I? Okay for real this time: he *is* an animal wrangler but instead he finds a little self published memoir written by a disturbed big city cop named Fingerling (also Jim with spray on tribal tattoos). In this book the detective is plagued by the number 23, which seems to show up everywhere including, you guessed it, in the real world where it haunts animal wrangler Jim as well. His wife (Virginia Madsen) and kid (Logan Lerman) do their best to both play along and look on in concern as he lets a numeric equation take over his life. There’s a grab bag of subplots including a mysterious psychiatrist (an uncredited Bud Cort), Danny Huston as a colleague who does his best to help, a death row inmate (Mark Pellegrino), a secretive dead girl (Rhona Mitra) and, uh.. a mysterious dog that leads people to gravestones of importance. It all seems hastily thrown together, none of it works or makes any kind of sense let alone lands with any emotional impact or narrative synergy and the ending left me chuckling in bemusement, my lack of conviction in this film equaled only by that it has in itself, which apparently is none. The wannabe noir cutaways to the book about Fingerling are laughably try-hard (Carrey literally wistfully plays a saxophone and stares out an apartment bay-window) and wincingly faux kinky, the psychological character aspects involving the twist ending are so far flung I threw my arms up in surrender and honestly it all felt like several better films tossed into a magic bullet and puréed into an indistinguishable pulp. The only scene with any kind of real power is in a graveyard with this fog, who fascinated me; a priest (Ed Lauter, RIP) informs frenzied animal wrangler Jim that this is a spirit dog who watched over the souls of the dead by standing at their graves. This scene *actually* has conviction, atmosphere and emotional substance, and it gave me chills… but it’s untethered from the film as a whole and has no bearing on the context or overall plot! It’s just… a scene! out of the ether! The same goes for the film as a whole.. what does the dog have to do with the dead girl have to do with the shrink have to do with Jim’s knockoff tribal tattoos have to do with the number 23? Not much of anything, and what little does fit together or add up… just feels stupid.
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Ron Howard’s The Missing
I’m not sure why a gorgeous, thrilling horror/western/adventure like Ron Howard’s The Missing didn’t win over audiences as much as it should have upon release, but it’s one of my favourite in the genre, the best film overall from Howard (IMHO) who has always felt like an uneven, ‘play it safe’ Hollywood filmmaker to me and one of my go-to films to revisit. This films plays it anything but safe, blanketing a very personal, desperate set of protagonists and their struggles with a cloak of menace, mysticism and marauding danger around every corner of a threatening New Mexico brush-scape. Cate Blanchett gives one of her most raw, affecting turns as single rancher and single mother Magdalena Gillekson, a woman with a great deal of trauma in her past who is simply trying to live the isolated homesteader life and raise her two daughters (Jenna Boyd and Evan Rachel Wood) right, with the help of her friend, ranch-hand and sometimes lover Brake (Aaron Eckhart). Their lives are first upheaved with the reappearance of her ne’er do well father Samuel (Tommy Lee Jones), a halfbreed nomad who is disgraced most people in his past, and then with the arrival of a terrifying witch-doctor (Eric Schweig) who kidnaps her eldest daughter and makes off with his gang of Apache and white human traffickers towards the Mexican border to sell her and a whole bunch of other girls they’ve taken. So begins a journey of reconnaissance, rescue and reconciliation as Magdalena, Samuel and the younger daughter voyage across wintry plains of New Mexico into barren badlands to square off with this evil cabal of predatory psychopaths and return the stolen girls to their homes. These two characters that Blanchett and Jones play fascinate me; she’s cold, bitter and has clearly been robbed of some of her humanity in the past. He’s an outcast loner with a life story so dysfunctional that his Native name literally translates into English as ‘shit for luck.’ Their struggle to salvage any kind of father daughter relationship between them is almost as daunting as the brutal rescue mission they undertake, and the narrative pays just as much careful attention to character development and human interaction as it does to action and violence. Schweig is utterly despicable as the evil Apache shaman, a hateful, volatile, ugly as fuck rotten bastard monster who haunts the film like the very wind over the terrain itself with his unholy magic spells and sudden outbursts of shocking violence. The supporting cast is full of rich talent including Elizabeth Moss, Steve Reeves, Jay Tavare, Ray McKinnon, Max Perlich, Simon Baker, Clint Howard and a surprise cameo from Val Kilmer. As good as everyone is overall, my favourite performance of the film goes to Jenna Boyd as the youngest daughter.. it’s hard enough to find child actors who will be able to to the minimal amount of believable emotion in a role like this, but she is uncannily talented and her potent terror, fierce resilience and undimmed love for her mother and sister woven into her work simply knocked me flat. The late James Horner composes a score that tops the list of prolific work from him for me, an ambient collection of classic yet somehow eerie western motifs that play along the sideline for the first two acts and then swell with orchestral release later when the finale rolls around. Cinematographer Salvatore Totino makes spooky use of the wide open vistas, craggy, labyrinthine geological structures and captures the rugged natural beauty of the region splendidly. I wish Howard would do more edgy, off the beaten path and thoroughly dark pieces of work like this because for my money he’s never been better. Perhaps that’s why this wasn’t received so well though, it’s a harrowing far cry from what we’re used to seeing in Hollywood westerns, full of black magic, dark deeds, horrifying imagery and bloody, unforgiving violence. It has a soul too though, present in the bittersweet relationship between its main characters and the ruthless resolve they fuel in each other to seek retribution against the forces of darkness at their door. This is a great film and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, I think it was just either misunderstood, ahead of its time or people simply couldn’t reconcile the heavier aspects. I’ve recently acquired the only existing Blu Ray put out by Shout Factory which is an absolutely gorgeous release that includes an extended version with twenty minutes more footage that enriches and deepens this story wonderfully. One of the best films of the last two decades.
Aaron EckhartCate BlanchettcinemaElisabeth mossEric SchweigEvan Rachel Woodfilmfilm reviewfilm reviewsfilmshorrorJames HornerJay TavareJenna BoydMax Perlichmoviemovie reviewmovie reviewsMoviesray McKinnonRon HowardSteve ReedusThe MissingTommy Lee JonesVal KilmerWestern
Fred Dekker’s The Monster Squad
80’s Amblin nostalgia fuses together with classic Hammer horror characters in The Monster Squad, a film I never even knew existed until it was brought to my attention by twitter peeps the other day, but after one viewing I’m immediately in love. This exists in the same cherished vein of stuff like The Goonies, Flight Of The Navigator, Gremlins etc and the aesthetic is always irresistible no matter what, then throw in this classic horror flavour too and you’re pretty much guaranteed to win me over. Monsters are loose in small town Americana, and that’s pretty much all you need to known plot-wise in a review. A band of local kids who call themselves The Monster Squad because they’ve always been prepping to fight imaginary beasties finds themselves hurled into a very real fight against a very real posse of them lead by Dracula himself (Duncan Regehr). There’s also a nervous Wolfman (Jon Gries), a mummy (Michael Reid Mackay) and a surprisingly benign Frankenstein’s monster played by the great Tom Noonan. It’s all very playful, loosely structured and down to earth, the child characters emblazoned with the kind of aggressively cute, profane yet ultimately sweet personalities that only the deepest of 80’s cuts in cinema could offer. The best part of the film for me was the warm-hearted, touching friendship between one of the squad’s baby sister (Ashley Bank) and Noonan’s monster who are both unbearably adorable. Blessedly prosthetic monster effects, a campy yet very smartly written tone and vivid, memorable characters make this an absolute treasure.
Ashley Bankscinemacreepyfilmfilm reviewfilm reviewsfilmsFred DekkerhorrorJon Griesmoviemovie reviewmovie reviewsMoviesscaryspookyStan ShawStephen MachtThe Monster SquadThrillerTom Noonan
Disney/Pixar’s Soul
December 30, 2020 natewatchescoolmovies Leave a comment
Trust Pixar to bravely and almost effortlessly tackle a subject as delicate and demanding as the human soul. They already kinda did in 2015’s Inside Out (the movie where feelings have feelings), which acts as a nice companion piece to Soul, a brilliant metaphysical stunner in every sense of the word and one of the most ambitious, rewarding films of the year. Jamie Foxx stars against type as Joe, a middle aged high school band teacher who always hoped to make it big as a jazz musician. When he finally nails a gig with a hotshot artist (Angela Bassett), he has an accident and goes into a coma before he can make the venue, hurling his soul into the great beyond where he furiously fights to make it back earth-side, but it’s more complicated than all that. He finds himself chained in mentorship to a dysfunctional soul (Tina Fey) who could never get the entry process right and hasn’t lived a single incarnation on earth. Together they traverse the gorgeously surreal lands beyond our earthly realm and eventually earth itself in a search for Joe’s body, a reason for Fey’s wayward soul to transition into earthly life and the very meaning of existence itself. Much like Inside Out, this takes on deep themes in a disarmingly lighthearted manner while still managing to be emotionally affecting enough that it doesn’t feel sappy or inconsequential. Joe literally learns that life isn’t about finding meaning or purpose, but that the meaning and purpose are there in the simple fact that there *is* life. The visuals are incredibly trippy and abstract in the realms beyond earth and beautifully photorealistic in a stunningly rendered New York City brought to life in painstaking autumnal detail. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross compose a reliably ambient and almost dark hued score that is something we haven’t ever heard in a Disney film and aside from Foxx and Fey’s solid lead voice work, listen for others including Richard Ayoade, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Alice Braga, Questlove, Wes Studi, June Squibb and more. Pixar has gotten staggeringly mature and creative in ways I never thought possible since Inside Out and now Soul, this is a complex, wonderful, visually stimulating, wittily written, philosophically engaging piece of art and one of the best films you’ll see this year.
angela bassettanimationAtticus RosscinemaDisneyDisney Pixarfilmfilm reviewfilm reviewsfilmsJamie Foxxmoviemovie reviewmovie reviewsMoviesQuestloveRachel HouseRichard AyoadeSoulTina FeyTrent Reznorwes studi
Actor’s Spotlight: Nate interviews Louis Herthum
I’m pleased to bring you my first interview in some time, with the incredibly talented Louis Herthum! Louis is a dedicated actor who has recently gained worldwide acclaim for his galvanizing, scene stealing portrayal of Peter Abernathy on HBO’s Westworld, and he has an epic career that includes appearances in films like City Of Lies opposite Johnny Depp, The Possession Of Hannah Grace, Truth, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and more. He also has many memorable television roles including Longmire, What/If, Breaking Bad, True Detective, True Blood, Revenge, Sleepy Hollow, Narcos and more. Enjoy and thanks for reading!
Nate: What is your background, and how did you find your way into acting/the industry? Was it something you always knew you wanted to do or did you fall into it unexpectedly?
Louis: I wanted to be a stuntman since the age of 12 when my father took me to see the Steve McQueen film, BULLITT. It was the chase scene in that film that was the inspiration. I was somewhat of a stunt-kid, always doing things that would see me getting a few stitches (or worse) at the doctors office but stunt driving was what I wanted to do the most. I made no bones about it all through the rest of elementary school, high school and the little bit of college (LSU) that I attended. In the mid 70’s I was working for a men’s fine clothing store and they asked me to model for their adds. I did, which led to more modeling jobs with an agency, which led to some on camera commercial gigs, which led finally to working on stage. Once I got on stage, my fate was sealed. I played the lead role of “Starbuck” in the N. Richard Nash play, THE RAIN MAKER. I won an award for the performance and that was it. I stayed in my home town Baton Rouge, did a couple more plays, playing “Will Parker” in OKLAHOMA and “Kenickie” in GREASE, then in January of 1982 I move to L.A.
Nate: Who were some of your influences growing up, favourite actors you’d watch in film and admire?
Louis: I never really had a favorite actor because I was never really that interested in acting. But of course, McQueen was an influence but I didn’t even realize it since it wasn’t his acting that inspired me. But I will have to say that believe it or not, John Travolta’s meteoric rise to fame did make an impression on me. Mainly in Saturday Night Fever. It may be strange to say it this way but I just felt like I could do what he was doing. I think that was very possibly Travolta’s best role ever by the way. And then Grease came along and I felt like… Hey, I can do that! So his rise to fame is what I was more inspired by, not to take anything away from his talent and abilities of course.
Nate: Westworld: such a brilliant performance in one of the best shows out there. Were you approached for the role or did you audition? How was your process in bringing that intense scene to life, basically staring down both Jeffrey Wright and Anthony Hopkins and giving a tour de force in under five minutes. How did you prepare to play Peter?
Louis: Well, first of all thank you for that comment. I had to audition for the role, if was not offered to me. I went in for the initial audition with the assistant casing director and was asked to return to read for the producers. I had several days between the two and I was told to come in and that the door was wide open (what door? ha!) to go as far as I wanted to with the physicality of the character. The scene that I read in the audition was the one you are referring to with Tony and Jeffrey however it was three different characters and different dialogue of course. It was simply a scene they wrote for the audition and every male actor who was playing a robot had to do it. Then you also read for the part you were called in to read for. For me it was the Sheriff. I did pretty much what you see in the show in the audition. Lisa Joy was the only producer in the room and she liked what I did and made comments that let me know that. Then she asked if there was anything else I would like to show them. I answered, “No thanks. I think I will quit while I’m ahead.” They laughed, I left the room and in about 5 or 6 weeks I got the word that I had booked “Peter Abernathy” and of course, I had no idea who that was because I had not read that part. Then my manager said to me, you know that part you read for the audition, that is Peter Abernathy. It was then that I realized I would be doing the scene with Mr. Hopkins because every the audition script named him as Dr. Ford and I had read that he was playing that role. As far as how I prepared for the scene; as I say I did pretty much what you see in the audition so I already had the blueprint if you will for the scene. I did rehearse with Lisa and Jonah one day, running through the entire scene, full tilt, twice. They liked what I was doing and in fact, three days before we filmed the scene, which was five pages long, they added three more pages to it. Most of that was not in the final cut but I think they simply wanted to give me a chance to do more with the character and see what happened. I think it was the better more than not enough scenario. But I think it was edited beautifully.
Nate: True Detective: a very memorable scene and your performance adds to the overall vibe of haunting unease in that area. How did you get involved and what was your experience shooting that scene with Matthew McConaughey? You yourself are from Louisiana and your involvement has an authentic feel. Are you a fan of the show overall?
Louis: I auditioned for that role as well. But I have to say, I went in to that audition daring them not to cast me. I knew that one was mine. I knew I could bring a more authentic Louisiana character to life, especially using a Cajun accent for the character. As for shooting the scene, it was pretty fast really. When I got to the set, Matthew and the director Cary where sitting on the porch of that house. Matthew introduced himself, then Cary and we shot the scene with me holding the shot gun, which was longer than in the final cut. Then we went inside and banged that one out. I didn’t take long at all and it went very smoothly. And I was a huge fan of Season one. Not so much two, and still have yet to watch S3.
Nate: Longmire: very memorable character you got to play here, what was the experience working on this show?
Louis: Omar was a great, fun character to play. Great cast, lots of fun to work with. And shooting in Santa Fe, NM was great. Great locations and lovely place to be for work. As for the role of Omar, I only wish there had been more of him. That role was supposed to be a “strong recurring” character in the series. Omar is very prominent in the books and was so in season’s 1 & 2 but after that, he was hardly seen at all. I found that odd but I guess someone thought that they only needed one “jack of all trades” and found other places for the comic relief, which I felt Omar provided.
Nate: City Of Lies: this film seems to have slipped through the cracks and never got a proper release, how was your experience on it? I was very excited to see it as it has you alongside many other actors I also admire (Peter Greene, Xander Berkeley, Toby Huss etc)
Louis: Oh man. First of all, the film is locked in some kind of legal issue. That is why it has fallen through the cracks. I don’t know if it will ever be seen by the public in the States. But working with Johnny Depp was absolutely delightful. He’s a very sweet, kind person and I think gets a bad wrap. And very funny. He was a pleasure to work with, as was Shea Whigham. And while I didn’t work directly with him, it was nice to see and old friend and magnificent actor, Dayton Callie on set. I had a wonderful closing argument scene as the City Attorney but the director told me he hated to, but that he had to cut it. That was devastating because while filming, jokingly, Johnny asked me, “can you do it worse?” He and Shea said they thought it would make the trailer to the film. I knew it never would but that was nice of them to say. Anyway, I was so hoping to get that piece of footage but alas, I may never see it. Nor anyone else for that matter.
Nate: Of the roles you have played so far in your career, which are some of your favourites?
Louis: Certainly Peter Abernathy is at the top of the list. A close second has to be “Foster” in WHAT/IF with Renee Zellweger. Not only because Renee and the entire producer team were such a wonderful group of people to know and work with, but the role itself was one that I had never been given the opportunity to play. And I thank Mike Kelly (creator) for believing in me enough to give me a character no one had ever seen me play. Stoic, strong, loyal, brave and a forceful character. And like I say, not to hard to come to work when you are playing opposite Ms. Zellweger. She is a delight. Omar was great but too little, and another favorite character was “Ness” in a little indie film I produced in 2004 called RED RIDGE. He was a despicable character but sometimes they are the most fun. You get to do things you would never do in real life. Very few people have seen that film, but with all the streaming services, maybe they will one day.
Nate: How is your life aside from the job, what else do you like to do in terms of hobbies, interests etc?
Louis: I have a great life. I cannot complain. I love art and antiques and have a great collection of both. Love to search for treasures at estate sales and swap meets. I have two classic cars, a 1968 Mustang Fastback which is my homage to “Bullitt” and a 1971 Corvette Stingray. I love to camp, hike, ride my bike, walk on the beach, boxing workout, which I have been doing since long before it was the cool thing to do (1978 to be exact) and of course visiting and hanging with friends, though I have not been able to do enough of that of late but I look forward to getting back to it once the apocalypse subsides, haha!
Nate: Do you have any upcoming projects (film related or otherwise) that you are excited for and would like to mention?
Louis: I recently appeared in an episode of FBI: MOST WANTED and the second season of DIRTY JOHN but that was before he shutdown and they have already aired. But since production has come back, I have started a recurring role on the CBS show, ALL RISE and should be doing more of those in 2021. I have just completed my part in the Apple TV show, HOME BEFORE DARK season 2 (was in season 1 as well). But with the shut down, work was non existent for many months, lets hope things can continue to get better from here. Fingers crossed!!
Nate: Thank you so much for you time Louis, it means a whole lot to myself, our team and all our readers that you took this time to share with us. Cheers to you and your family and best of luck in the future!!
actorAnthony HopkinsBreaking BadcinemaCity Of LiesDolores AbernathyEvan Rachel Woodfilmfilm reviewfilmsHBOLongmireLouis HerthumLouisianaMatthew McConaugheymoviemovie reviewmovie reviewsMoviesPeter AbernathyRenee ZellwegerTrue BloodTrue DetectiveWestworldWhat/If
Thomas Vinterburg’s Another Round
Alcohol and the culture, customs and traditions surrounding it have permeated society to a saturation point over the years (cinema included), whether we want to admit it or not. I myself am a bit of a self proclaimed lush, and as such I always gravitate towards films that tackle the issue head on, whether the context be cautionary, celebratory, purely unbiased anthropological study or other. Beerfest, Leaving Las Vegas, Flight, Barfly, 28 Days, A Star Is Born. They’re as varied and illuminating as in any sub-genre stable and now we have Thomas Vinterburg’s Another Round, one of the best films of the year and one that manages to do a carefully calibrated dance between comedy and tragedy while showing us the shortcomings, shattered dreams and collective woes of four high school teachers from Denmark, with the focus resting primarily on Mads Mikkelsen’s Martin, an introverted, emotionally stunted man who was perhaps not always this way, but the years have made it so. He and his three buddies decide during a booze soaked night out to follow in the footsteps of an unconventional philosopher who says that any human being will fare better in life with an average of 0.5 blood alcohol level… 24/7. This little experiment proves invigorating at first when each of them finds themselves a little looser, a little more effervescent in both their work and personal lives… until such an endeavour inevitably careens towards a downward spiral, for each in gravely different ways. The thing is, alcohol is a bandaid, not a magic curative elixir for all problems psychological and interpersonal. One can use at first, even at as benign a level as this experiment suggests, but the incremental nature of how it affects our bodies soon takes control and self destruction can be imminent. We see Mikkelsen’s already inert marriage detonate like a dying star, his younger colleague can’t act appropriately around his wife and young children anymore and their older friend seems to suffer from some kind of repressed pain that he and the film are too scared to even unpack, it’s so bad. I don’t want anyone to label this as a ‘midlife crisis’ film because that’s a cheap and patronizing term; anyone at any point in their life can not be okay and their struggles shouldn’t be relegated to labels like that. These are simply four human beings who naively experiment with alcohol and realize that not only will excessive use *not* fix their problems, it will emblazon them further into the forefront of their psyches and force out a fierce reckoning from each, whether they’re ready for it or not. Some are, some aren’t, and that’s the beauty of this narrative. Mikkelsen has never been better, he’s got that observant subtlety we’ve come to know him for but there’s also a vivacity and deepest emotional burn to the work that is a new and mesmerizing formula from him as an artist. Also he’s rocks some dance moves I never expected him to have in a joyous, blessedly cathartic ‘jazz ballet’ sequence near the end that nails the film’s desire to be thoroughly bittersweet but ultimately uplifting. Like the best cocktails, the mixture has to be in utmost equilibrium or the flavour is off. The same can be said for a film that wants to bridge genres or simply evoke multiple complex emotions at once: Another Round is jubilant, compassionate, loving yet doesn’t shy away from the dark, bleak and dysfunctional corners of life, using alcohol as a narrative avatar to unearth what was already there in its human characters. Masterful film.
Another RoundcinemaDenmarkdramafilmfilm reviewfilm reviewsfilmsMads MikkelsenMaria Bonneviemoviemovie reviewmovie reviewsMoviesThomas Vinterburg
B Movie Glory: Scott Leet’s Out In Fifty
PTS PRESENTS: CINEMATOGRAPHER'S CORNER with BOBBY BUKOWSKI
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Gens du Pays
The unofficial Quebec anthem, composed by poet and singer Gilles Vigneault, and first performed at the St Jean Baptiste celebrations in Montreal in 1975,1 with lyrics which clearly demarcated Quebec as a nation. With the separatist PQ’s victory in the following year’s provincial election, the song became firmly ingrained in the Quebec zeitgeist.
Its most tearful rendition was spontaneously sung by thousands of disappointed Separatists2 on the night they were defeated during the 1980 Quebec Referendum “a la prochaine”.
So ubiquitous is the song that it is also regularly sung at Quebec birthday parties, as a sort of home-grown version of “Happy Birthday to You”.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Gens du Pays (St-Jean 1975). YouTube.
René Lévesque (20 mai 1980). YouTube.
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By Patricia Devlin
A SHELVED report which revealed concerns nuns falsified the deaths of babies before selling them to parents in the USA was seen by two Ministers, a former HSE chief has claimed.
Former Children and Family Services assistant director Phil Garland says the explosive 2012 report was passed to then Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald and Health Minister James Reilly.
But despite recommendations for a State inquiry, no action appears to have been taken.
Breaking his silence for the first time on the reports he helped compile, Mr Garland told The Star: “The HSE and the government weren’t interested. And they still aren’t.”
The sensational “draft reports” surround both Bessboro institution in Co Cork and Sacred Heart Mother and Baby facility in Tuam, Co Galway and reveal how:
the church was defrauding the government, women and adoptive parents of cash
doctors, social workers and workers still employed in HSE helped ‘traffick’ children
bishops sent written requests for babies to be made available for adoption
Over 1000 records were unearthed by civil servants including letters and photographs.
chiefs believe actions uncovered ‘could be criminal’
Mr Garland told The Star: “I know this information went to the very top of the HSE and to the then Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Frances Fitzgerald. The departments and the Minister just weren’t interested.“We wanted this to go much much further. It didn’t and I don’t know why.”The allegations transpired after the discovery of a “large archive” of files by a HSE worker in Co Galway in 2012.Health chiefs were immediately notified how the records, which included photographs and documentation, pointed to posisbly criminal activity operating in institutions during the 40s, 50s and 60s.The evidence uncovered was so strong it led HSE Chief Dr Declan McKeown to warn: “This may prove to be a scandal that dwarfs other.”
Two “draft” reports on “deep concerns” were then written by the then Consultant Public Health Physician.
They included recommendations for a State inquiry to then Health Minister James Reilly.
The documents include an email sent on October 12, 2012, by Dr McKeown to Mr Garland and another HSE colleague.
Bessboro/Bessborough institution, Co Cork.
He said a social worker trying to “piece together” the information, which included photographs and documents, had collated a database of “up to 1,000 names”.
He added he would draft an “early warning” letter for the attention of Philip Crowley, National Director Quality Improvement, “suggesting that this goes all the way up to the Minister.”
The email goes on: “This may prove to be a scandal that dwarfs other, more recent issues with the church and state, because of the very emotive sensitivities around adoption of babies, with or without the will of the mother.
“A concern is that, if there is evidence of trafficking babies, that it must have been facilitated by doctors, social workers, etc. And a number of these health professionals may still be working in the system.
“It is important to send this up to the Minister as soon as possible: With a view to an inter-departmental committee and a fully fledged, fully resourced forensic investigation and state inquiry. “
On the same day a more detailed account of the concerns raised in the records was again sent via email to Dr Davida De La Harpe and Mr Garland.
In this paper, labelled “strictly confidential”, Dr McKeown said that there were serious concerns surrounding the infant mortality rate in the Co Cork home.
Death records over a 19 year period showed that a quarter of all babies born at the institution were recorded as having died within the first 12 months of their life.
However Dr Mc Keown said evidence was pointing to the belief that until the introduction of adoption legislation in 1950, nuns in Bessboro were falsely recording baby deaths.
“It has been mooted that this combination of evidence may point to babies being identified for adoption, principally to the USA, but has been recorded as infant deaths in Ireland and notified to the parents accordingly.
“This would have been possible before the introduction of adoption legislation. However it will take a more detailed study of practices and the accounting in Bessboro before this theory proven or disproven.”
The documents also touched upon evidence of similar – and more serious – practices taking place in Tuam.
“In common with Bessboro there is some evidence of coercion in that women were forced to stay in the home with their babies until well past the point that they were fit for discharge.
“During this time parents were charged with the upkeep of their children but it appears now that adoptive parents were also charged for the upkeep of the same baby.
“Babies were offered for adoption from the Bessboro and Tuam homes at up to three years of age. The trauma involved in this is revealed in an archive of photographs of children who were sent for adoption to the USA.”
It concluded: “In both of these cases, there are issues of concern in relation to historic patient safety, medical care, accounting irregularities and possible interference with birth and death certification which requires further investigation.
“Children, if not the mothers who passed trough these systems are likely to still be alive and at the very least any knowledge of their histories should be fully investigated and made available to them if they so choose.”
Mr Garland, who says he believes the archive is still in the property of the HSE, left his Assistant Director position shortly after the reports were made in 2012. But he says he remains troubled that no action seems to have been taken four years on.
His claims are the latest cover-up scandal to rock the HSE in a matter of weeks.
Just last week the health authority was force to apologise after an independent report found it failed to properly investigate abuse claims surrounding a Waterford foster home over a prolonged period despite two internal reviews.
I contacted a number of government departments over these allegations. Here is what each had to say in full.
HSE (Health Services Ireland)
“All information gathered HSE-Health Intelligence Unit during the course of their research has been passed to TUSLA.
“Any records relating to children and families in Ireland, both past and present are now owned by Tusla. The Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and Certain Related Matters) was established in 2014 under the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004 by Order of Government under the stewardship of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. The Commission’s work is on-going and any individuals who were resident in or who worked in any of the Mother and Baby Homes or County Homes which are the subject of the investigation should contact the commission with any relevant information.”
“The HSE provided a draft report which included the material in regard to Bessborough Mother and Baby Home and which indicated that conclusions must remain conjecture until a more forensic examination could be undertaken. This draft was provided to the Committee Secretariat and to the two Departmental representatives on the Committee. As these matters were outside the remit of the McAleese Committee, the HSE subsequently advised that these wider issues would be examined separately by the HSE. There is no record of the draft report being received by the Ministers.
“In 2014, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs established an Inter Departmental Group in response to revelations and public controversy regarding conditions in Mother and Baby Homes. This controversy originally centred on the high rate of deaths at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co. Galway. The Group was to map the important dimensions of the issue, and to assist in developing appropriate terms of reference for a Commission of Investigation. The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related matters was then established in February 2015 to provide a full account of the experiences of women and children who lived in mother and baby homes over the period 1922 -1998.”
Department of Children and Youth Affairs
“The information at issue was examined by the Health Service Executive (HSE)
as part of its response to the Committee to establish the facts of State
involvement with the Magdalen Laundries. In the course of this work the HSE
provided a draft report to the Committee secretariat and to the Department
of Health and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. This draft
report included a separate appendix based on records from the former
Bessborough mother and baby home. The author of this draft report
acknowledged that its conclusions remained a matter of conjecture until
such time as a more forensic examination of the home’s records could be
undertaken by the HSE.
“The draft HSE report was not brought to Minister’s attention at that time.
“As these matters were outside the direct remit of the McAleese Committee,
the HSE subsequently advised that these wider concerns would be examined
separately by the HSE. The Department advised the HSE that any findings of
concern from this separate process should be appropriately communicated by
the HSE. This Department is not aware of any subsequent reports supplied
by the HSE in this regard.
“The Department of Children and Youth Affairs became actively involved in
responding to the concerns relating to Mother and Baby Homes following the
publication of information on the former Bon Secours Home in Tuam around
mid-2014. The Inter Departmental Group Report on Mother and Baby Homes,
published in July 2014, cites a number of reports from relevant authorities
which expressed concerns with undesirably high death rates during and
following the times these institutions were in operation. It also
references academic literature which clearly indicates that conditions in
these institutions were the subject of attention, report and debate since
the early years of the State. Therefore, it would not be accurate to
suggest that concerns in relation to conditions in mother and baby homes
were unknown or ignored prior to 2012.
Abuse, America, bessboro, bessborough, Catholic church, child abuse, declan mckeown, Department of health, Dublin, frances fitzgerald, health minister, HSE, institutional abuse, Ireland, james reilly, justice minister, mother and baby home, nuns, philip garland, survivor, tuam
18 thoughts on “Irish nuns sold ‘dead’ babies to America”
Have these sadistic bastards no morals or shame …
ladyportia27 says:
Of course not. Psychopaths simply do not care.
robertbennett69 says:
No, they have not. The Vatican is still in control of our schools and a large part of our social services.
Oh if people only knew the half of what went on and goes on in HSE/TUSLA.
Bill. says:
I don’t believe social workers existed in Ireland in the 50/60.. There was No HSE or TUSLA … The nuns along with GPs assigned to the convents, worked independent of state, hence getting away with this. Rotten to the core…
Claire halliwell says:
Heartbreaking. To think of all the pain caused & sick individuals getting away with it.
Marian Fairbrother says:
Absolutely disgraceful. My heart is sore from reading this!!! How dare they treat vulnerable people. So awful!!! It beggars belief. Thank you for bringing this to light!!’ It needs repeating to all. Till someone listens…. Keep it up Phil.
The Vatican is still in charge.
marie richards says:
it just gets worse; no end to the evil perpetrated by the devils in robes who kept the people of this country poor and raped their young;
Margaret Hamill says:
And what about the babies stolen from hospitals and mothers told that their baby died.
My mother gave birth to a baby in Hollis St Hospital Dublin in August 1960 and was told her baby died 10/12 days after he had supposedly died when she had left him at there at 6 days old he was a healthy baby. As he was a premature baby she was told to come back and collect him in 10days time but the evening before she was due to collect him message was sent to her local Post Office ( Baby dead don’t come up tomorrow ) and that was it. Her GP dealt with the hospital she was told and that was the end of it. . I went and got his supposedly death certificate and low and behold on it. NO CHRISTIAN NAME on it so this left it NULL and VOID.
I can go on and on with more information
If You want to read more about my mother’s case just go to
Stolen Babies in Ireland in the 1950’s and 1960’s
Patricia Devlin says:
That’s shocking, Margaret. I will do. Thanks for getting in touch.
The profit from the stolen babies made the Vatican rich.
The reasons to separate church from state are overwhelming.
Bridget Doman says:
Separating state from church would make no difference. Unscrupulous and corrupt people are everywhere, including here in the UK as well as other countries such as the USA, Canada and Austrailia. Different situation but principle similar – social workers taking babies and very young children from loving parents by making false claims to the family courts about them for example with help from other ‘professionals’ primarily for forced adoption. Government does nothing except to give large amounts of money to enable it to happen and encourage it to continue. Look on you tube under “Social Services taking babies” also Google “Sutton Children.”
Separation of State and religion plus total openness and transparence is as good as it gets.
Pauline Roberts says:
Can’t believed the government are doing nothing ? ??? All the lost lives yet they do nothing , Should be an uproar !!!
YettaX says:
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Teresa Doyle O Connor says:
The Bottom line here is the state were aware of all these Industrial Schools. Magdalene Laundries .And Mother And Baby Homes they earned from it Too
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Tag Archives: show
TV Guide and NY Times say Oprah Winfrey’s Empire is Crumbling
TV Guide’s Chloe Tse article dated 05-27-2008 reports tremors in Oprah’s media empire.
According to TV Guide Winfrey’s new-age spiritualism and political persuasion is jeopardizing her marketability in the media, thereby diminishing her status.
Perhaps Winfrey’s longtime reign over the media is coming to an abrupt end. For so long revered as nearly a saint because of her uplifting programming, Oprah is now beginning to receive criticism for her views. It has often been said that one should not talk about their religion and politics. Oprah is defying the odds and daring to do both.
I salute her for her authenticity and boldness to express her individuality. Yet doing so is simultaneously hurting her marketability. Nevertheless on the flip side of that argument, we do well to remember that controversy does sell. Who knows the queen of TV could remake herself into an activist for worthy causes and a voice against social injustice. Nobody can dispute Oprah has done and is doing a lot of good in the world. And with such influence why shouldn’t she let her voice be heard?
The New York Times says Oprah’s choices are gaining skepticism and audiences are tuning out. According to Nielson Media Research, for the third straight year in a row, Oprah is experiencing a decline in audience viewers.
Research shows Oprah’s program has dropped 7% of its viewers this year alone. Oprah’s other projects also seem to be suffering. For example her reality show Oprah’s Big Give debuted this winter with a huge audience and beat every program on television except for American Idol, but also experienced the loss of almost a third of its audience.
Winfrey’s readership of O her magazine, which you would think to have increased with the nonstop promotion of Tolle’s book, suffered a beating and loss of 10% over the last 3 years according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
Even Oprah’s favorite and highly promoted books in her book club are suffering harsh criticism. Apparently Oprah either didn’t adequately study the demographics of her viewers, or disregarded her viewers beliefs altogether. Women in the deep south who heavily watch Oprah’s program are typically Christian and many supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton. Hence Oprah has cut her own throat by alienating Christendom with her new age books and shows, while simultaneously disenchanting white women when she endorsed Barak Obama for President.
As a Christian who read “A New Earth” and found it a in meaningful book, I understand both how Oprah feels and religious folks who don’t play around with their faith. Certainly not all Christians can eat the fish and spit out the bones when reading spiritual truths originating from another ideological orbit. Politically Americans aren’t very tolerant or understanding either, as evidenced by the great political divide in our country between Republicans and Democrats.
I commend Oprah for being true to what she believes in and bold enough to share what she thinks will empower people to live better lives. Her intentions and motives are certainly pure. If Oprah were solely money motivated, she would not continue to promote her spiritual and political views. Yet being already established financially, Oprah is embarking upon larger more meaningful missions to change the world. O Ambassadors is just one new endeavor Oprah is partnering with Free the Children to liberate and educate kids worldwide.
Hopefully Oprah who says she is a Christian will not find problems with parents concerned about their children getting sold new-age ideas. I think Oprah is doing a great work and deserves our support. Yet at the same time we who have beliefs of our own should not be any less vocal than Oprah.
Anything worth having in life requires a sacrifice. For Oprah it is a drop in viewer ratings, book sales, and magazine distribution. Nevertheless the rewards of the sacrifice should be sufficient to warrant the losses. Often we must first be willing to lose in order to win.
It cannot be disputed that ultimately we attract what we are. We cannot please everyone and succeed. We are at our best when we are true to ourselves and transparent about it. That Oprah is and that is why we love her.
Beyond touching hearts and putting tears in our eyes, Oprah also makes people think. Now raising eyebrows and making us scratch our heads, Oprah is finding herself as she further evolves. She recently said on her program that she admits to not having enough time to truly enjoy herself. Perhaps as Oprah becomes more present and lets go of the ambition of sustaining her empire, critics will be silenced and her true spirit will emerge in purity untainted from the labels many have tried to presumptuously give her.
Dividing audiences is not always a bad thing as even the Word of God itself divides, while exposing our hearts (see Hebrews 4:12). Although Oprah’s television audience is predominately middle-aged white women who support Senator Hillary Clinton, most Americans are awaking to the reality that we need some color in the White House to truly get real and heal the homeland.
Angry criticism of new-age spiritualism and political disputes though a common message thread on the message boards from her website, Oprah will continue to transcend the accusations and come out on top as she honors the God of truth. Love rejoices in the truth and we should do no less.
Next up for Oprah is OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. featuring programming that will reflect Winfrey’s vision of what she considers empowering programming.
You can’t go wrong when you touch, teach, and transform your audience.
It’s not about being the queen of the media as much as it is about living a meaningful life of purpose to impact humanity.
Paul F Davis – international speaker and author
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Internal and External Conflicts
Free «Internal and External Conflicts» Essay
People always interact with one another and fill their lives with a variety of emotions. The actions, which correspond with the surroundings, are constantly changing and may not meet and satisfy personal desires or needs. For example, the external conflict may reveal in misunderstanding between parents and teenagers. The former want to take care of their children, which results in a conflict with teenagers’ desire for independence. Likewise, the individual nature and traces of character can cause mood swings, misconduct, and embarrassment. The conflicts within the person, for instance, the sexual appeal may contrast with danger and uncertainty. Consequently, mental conflicts of personal and interpersonal origins are interrelated, influencing mood and actions during the lifespan. Like any other individual, the main character of the short story WhereAreYouGoing,WhereHaveYouBeen experiences both internal and external conflicts.
The short story WhereAreYouGoing,WhereHaveYouBeen written by Joyce Carol Oates depicts the complicity of relations between the main character and her parents. It is considered one of the most popular author's works, adapted to a movie SmoothTalk in 1988. Both the prose and the film reveal personal nature, believes, illusions in connection with other people, and personal expectations. The plot highlights fantasies that go opposite to reality and danger. The inner conflicts of unknown but desired sexual appeal, the feeling of danger, and confusion follow the collisions within the family.
The story depicts the teenaged girl Connie in connection with her relatives and friends, as well as her inner world of dreams and desires. This pretty girl experiences external conflicts due to bad relations with her parents and sister. Her father does not talk to her much and the mother almost all the time shows discontent with her younger daughter. The general atmosphere of ignorance from father, mother's anoyance, and constant critics make her wish “her mother was dead and she herself was dead and it was all over” (Oates). Due to the external conflict with her parents, the girl is lonely and feels that she does not satisfy parents’ desires. Consequently, this conflict makes Connie search for warmth and acceptance outside from home.
The girl has a split personality, meaning that all Connie’s actions are “one for home and one for anywhere that was not home” (Oates). This inner conflict of her character and behavior makes the girl act like a mature sexual woman who is seeking for a male. On the contrary, when she is at home, she hides her sexuality. Connie prefers meeting boys and listening to the music most of all. These two things go together and at home, she is not dreaming about a particular person, but enjoying the feeling of a light flirt with the accompaniment of her favorite melodies. Connie's perception of a child on the one hand and the womanly behavior on the other hand is the vision of her independence from annoying relatives.
However, the girl's ostentatious attractiveness makes her feel embarrassment and terrible fear. One day, the girl who is left alone suddenly hears the car driving into the backyard. The driver immediately invites Connie for a ride. She finds out that Arnold Friend is rather attractive; however, his knowledge about her parent's location, her friend's names, and neighbors makes her soon change the attitude. The general tension arises when Arnold clearly states that he is her lover and she should come with him. This statement of the stranger causes another internal conflict in the girl. Simultaneously, she feels desire, fear, imperceptions, and dizziness. Connie's embarrassment becomes stronger with the impression that the man “had come from nowhere before that and belonged nowhere and that everything about him and even about the music that was so familiar to her was only half real” (Oates). Arnold's words, the awkwardness of his smile, the pressure, and threatening make Connie desperately nervous. His appearance and actions do not ffit words and the perception of his personality; hence, he appears to be a sort of ominous illusion. Here, the external conflict of the man pressuring the girl despite her unwillingness connects with Connie's inner conflict between the desire for adventures and fear. Arnold exited Connie; however, his awkwardness and sexual suggestions cause anxiety and terror.
At last, after the girl's mental break when she cannot dial the police number but only scream in the handset, the inner silence and emptiness come. She is watching herself leaving the safe place of her kitchen meeting the new sunlit vast environment where the man is waiting. This external conflict between man's and girl's desires causes the vanishing of personal will and gives privileges to the stronger one. The words and pressure of the mature man are somewhat hypnotic and conquer the girl's sense of security.
The film SmoothTalk that is based on the story shows the contrasts of the protagonist's life with a help of the variation of bright and dark scenes. Moreover, Laura Dern masterly played the features of Connie's character, particularly her smirks, attitude to the mother, and fear when she meets abstruse and ominous Arnold Friend. The actress showed the inner conflict between desire and fear during the conversation with the boys in the sunny yard and the desperate fear in the shady corner of the kitchen.
In conclusion, the author skillfully reveals the internal and external conflicts of the main character. Thus, the protagonist experiences the external conflict due to the dual attitude of the mother and the lack of appreciation within the family. This conflict makes the girl seek warmth in quick dates with boys. External conflicts are also the basis for internal ones, as the behavior of the girl differs when she is at home and somewhere out. Connie acts like a sexually mature woman, which resulted in a dangerous situation. Finally, the conversation with Arnold Friend makes Connie suffer from the inner conflict between fear, desire, and the unreliability of reality.
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IMS Dalt Vila, Spain
The International Music Summit (IMS) is an annual three-day EDM conference held on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza. Founded in 2008, the event features industry exhibitions and talks, as well as a spectacular grand finale show featuring performances by world-renowned EDM musicians and DJs. The grand finale is traditionally held in Ibiza’s historical Dalt Vila (Upper Town), a 2,500-year-old hilltop fortress that rises above the city. To wow attendees with the most spectacular show in the festival’s history, IMS organizers requested a state-of-the-art dynamic lighting rig with video elements.
The Shop Ibiza has provided production support for IMS since the event’s first year, building increasingly ambitious stage designs each year. This year, The Shop collaborated with lighting designer Nick Jevons and Spanish Martin distributor SeeSound to create their most spectacular show yet. The Shop deployed Martin by HARMAN MAC Quantum, Viper and Aura lighting fixtures as well as the new VDO Atomic Dot hybrid lighting and video fixture to create a dynamic, synchronized display.
Jevons’ design featured an array of Martin MAC Quantum, Viper and Aura fixtures behind the performers, interspersed with small clusters of Martin VDO Atomic Dot fixtures. The Quantum and Viper fixtures provided dazzling beams, spots and effects, while the Auras provided rich, smooth washes. The VDO Atomic Dot is a compact hybrid lighting and video fixture that can function as a strobe, small blinder, video pixel or a small spotlight. The entire lighting rig was synchronized with three large video screens via P3 control, including two screens behind the performers and one long strip downstage in front of the DJ gear.
The stage and lighting assembly took a full five days to build, and since access to Dalt Vila is restricted to narrow lanes, all equipment had to be loaded onto small vehicles to be hauled uphill to the site. The MAC fixtures’ lightweight, compact design made transporting and rigging the fixtures a safe and efficient process with no damage to the historical site. The day of the show saw heavy rains at first, but the weather-protected fixtures performed flawlessly and the weather let up not long into the seven-hour event. IMS staff later proclaimed the show one of the best in the conference’s 11-year history.
“The show was, without doubt, one of the best Dalt Vila events we’ve ever been involved in staging,” said Simeon Friend, Managing Director of The Shop Ibiza. “The support from Martin was exemplary, and Nick Jevons created a truly stunning spectacle. There were plenty of big names on the stage, but Martin’s awesome new VDO Atomic Dot has to be mentioned for its own stellar performance. IMS couldn’t have been happier, and the reaction from the crowd said it all!”
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Export RDF
Complement C9
"Complement C9" is a descriptor in the National Library of Medicine's controlled vocabulary thesaurus, MeSH (Medical Subject Headings). Descriptors are arranged in a hierarchical structure, which enables searching at various levels of specificity.
MeSH information
Definition | Details | More General Concepts | Related Concepts | More Specific Concepts
A 63-kDa serum glycoprotein encoded by gene C9. Monomeric C9 (mC9) binds the C5b-8 complex to form C5b-9 which catalyzes the polymerization of C9 forming C5b-p9 (MEMBRANE ATTACK COMPLEX) and transmembrane channels leading to lysis of the target cell. Patients with C9 deficiency suffer from recurrent bacterial infections.
Descriptor ID D003186
MeSH Number(s)
D12.776.124.486.274.850
Concept/Terms
C9, Complement
Complement 9
Complement Component 9
Component 9, Complement
C9 Complement
Complement, C9
Below are MeSH descriptors whose meaning is more general than "Complement C9".
Chemicals and Drugs [D]
Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins [D12]
Proteins [D12.776]
Blood Proteins [D12.776.124]
Immunoproteins [D12.776.124.486]
Complement System Proteins [D12.776.124.486.274]
Complement C9 [D12.776.124.486.274.850]
Below are MeSH descriptors whose meaning is related to "Complement C9".
Complement System Proteins
Anaphylatoxins
Complement Activating Enzymes
Complement Inactivator Proteins
Complement Membrane Attack Complex
Properdin
Below are MeSH descriptors whose meaning is more specific than "Complement C9".
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To see the data from this visualization as text, click here.
To return to the timeline, click here.
Below are the most recent publications written about "Complement C9" by people in Profiles.
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A New SPARC lab in the Peruvian Amazon
By OliviaMagdelene
After more than a decade of dedicated work in Tanzania, we turned our sights to the Peruvian Amazon this summer with a pilot expansion of our award-winning SPARC (Solar-Powered Access to Raspberry Pi Computing) program. The San Francisco Rio Itaya School in Iquitos, Peru is now home to a brand new lab equipped with 15 Raspberry Pi desktops for student use.
Peru, like Tanzania, is a fascinating country with an amazing cultural scene. A full two-thirds of the country is covered by the Amazon Rainforest. This alone would make Peru a serious destination for many travelers to explore, but it also houses additional wonders like the Andes Mountains, the Sechura Desert, Lake Titicaca, and Rainbow Mountain.
Yet all this natural beauty comes with a high price. Though this country is the 6th largest producer of gold, some areas of Peru are severely underdeveloped and unsuited for large-scale industrialization. With the Amazon River surrounding its borders and backed by the thick canopy of the Amazon rainforest, remote areas have survived conditions that almost defy description.
The lower part of the Belen District in Iquitos, Peru
Belén, often called “the floating city,” is one such region. It is one of four districts in the metropolitan city of Iquitos, which is known as the largest city in the world that is accessible only by air or water.
The people of Iquitos are ever watchful of the river and all too aware of its power. “La langosta dormida es llevada al arroyo” is a popular Peruvian proverb among boatmen meaning “The sleeping lobster is carried away by the stream.” They recognize that the same river giving life to the rainforest can exact a very real human toll.
For these reasons and more, Iquitos presented unique challenges for Powering Potential. Expanding into a South American country also required expertise in Spanish, the educational setting and the culture.
The San Francisco Rio Itaya School
San Francisco School is built two stories up on stilts because flooding is an annual event in the lower section of Belén, which is located on the floodplain of the Río Itaya. Most of its 65,00 inhabitants live in homes constructed from basic materials that are on stilts or built to float on the river. Children play and swim in contaminated water used for drinking, laundry, and waste disposal. Most people have parasites and dwellings are often swept away by floodwaters made increasingly worse by deforestation practices and the resulting erosion. The rainy season has also been problematic and longer in duration in the last two decades.
Under the leadership of Director Anita Gil Avila, San Francisco School is the pride of the neighborhood. As our team worked on the lab, the children practiced marching and singing for the national holiday celebration to be held there. A week later, another community gathering celebrated the 40th anniversary of the school. The building is used for both primary and secondary school. Younger students attend from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm and older ones in the afternoon. We watched students arriving and leaving on homemade wooden boats (as we did, also). Most wore uniforms and all carried smiles.
PPI Management Team Members V. Ena Haines and Rich Segal, Ph.D. with PPI Volunteer Joanna Segal (center) approaching the San Francisco School
Dana Rensi, PPI Regional Director, Latin America led the Management Team pilot expansion. An Educational Media Specialist in Ashland, Oregon and a recipient of a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching, she previously spent a year as a Fulbright Exchange Teacher in Iquitos. After receiving a grant from The Foundation for Learning Equality, she returned to the San Francisco Rio Itaya School to install our first SPARC lab on the South American continent.
Dana Rensi, PPI Regional Director, Latin America with the installation grid
PPI Management Team Members V. Ena Haines, retired Director of Information Technology at Teachers College, Columbia University and Rich Segal, Ph.D., Computer Scientist at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center were also on-site to help with the installation. Joined by PPI Volunteers Joanna and Annie Segal, this dream team completed the lab with record speed while interacting with students eager to get a first glimpse of the computers.
PPI Management Team Member Rich Segal, Ph.D. in the new SPARC lab
The SPARC lab captivated students and teachers alike during its construction. No doubt it will continue to do so as the student body begins to utilize the wealth of digital content now available for use. Dana will spend two months this fall working with teachers and students, particularly using Learning Equality’s interactive Kolibri product to support one primary and one secondary grade in math. The lab also features a Pi-oneer, which is a 512GB RACHEL Pi, an AAXA P300 Projector and a portable battery pack combined for use as an audiovisual teaching tool. This kit allows teachers to use material from the virtual library in any classroom in the school.
PPI Management Team Member V. Ena Haines with a student
This incredible success would not be possible if not for the generosity and compassion of readers like you. We encourage you to learn more and get involved with our efforts in the Peruvian Amazon!
To donate: Poweringpotential.org/donate
A SPARC+ Upgrade for Sazira Secondary School in Tanzania
PEF Nominated for Energy Globe World Award 2019
Olivia Magdelene
Jill McManus
Congratulations to Powering Potential and all the dedicated people who have established computer education in a school in Iquitos! May it flourish!
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You are here: News » COVID-19
PRACE support to mitigate impact of COVID-19 pandemic: Awarded Projects
Details of the call
Summary of the first 10 awarded projects
Summary of the second 10 awarded projects
Summary of the last 10 awarded projects
The Gordon Bell Special Prize for High Performance Computing-Based COVID-19 Research is accepting nominations for 2020 and 2021 awards to to recognize outstanding research achievement towards the understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic through the use of high-performance computing (HPC). Click on the button below to find out more.
ACM Gordon Bell Special Prize for High Performance Computing-Based COVID-19 Research
COVID-HP
Project Title: COVID-HP
Project Leader: Prof. Jean-Philip Piquemal, Sorbonne Université, France
Resource Awarded
20 000 000 core hours on Joliot-Curie Rome hosted by GENCI at CEA, France
Project Duration: 6 months
Research Field: Biomolecular research to understand the mechanisms of the virus infection/Bio-simulations to develop therapeutics
In the face of the growing pandemic caused by the retrovirus SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19), there is an urgent need for inhibitors capable of selectively targeting some of its key proteins, but perhaps also key nucleic acid sequences in its genome. This project, which brings together a consortium of complementary teams, is based on several strengths:
The recent provision of high-resolution structures of several Covid-19 proteins
The availability of a new polarized molecular dynamics software, Tinker-HP, to achieve simulation quality that cannot be achieved with other software
The ability to reprocess Tinker-HP trajectories through a set of screening and docking software to test new molecules active against Covid-19.
Article on this project: Attacking COVID-19 from every angle
A computational study of the reactivity in the main protease of SARS-CoV-2 to guide the design of inhibitors
Project Title: A computational study of the reactivity in the main protease of SARS-CoV-2 to guide the design of inhibitors
Project Leader: Prof. Iñaki Tuñón, Universidad de Valencia, Spain
23 000 000 core hours on MareNostrum4 x86, hosted by BSC, Spain
288 000 core hours on MareNostrum4 P9/V100, hosted by BSC, Spain
Project Duration: 2.5 months
Research Field: Computational Chemistry
In this work we analyze the binding of the substrate and the reaction mechanisms for the main protease of SARS-CoV-2, also referred to as 3C-like protease (3CLpro). This enzyme plays an essential role during the replication of the virus and has not closely related homologues in human beings, making it an attractive drug target. The 3CLpro exists as a functional homodimer with two active sites in charge of cleaving the translated polyproteins into individual fragments to be used by the coronavirus. As other cysteine proteases each of the active sites contains a Cys-His catalytic dyad in charge of the hydrolysis of the peptide bond at specific sites of a polypeptide chain. Several structures of this protease have been already resolved by means of x-ray crystallography and deposited in the Protein Data Bank (PDB), including the free protease, PDB codes 6Y2E and 6Y84, and inhibitor bound protease, PDB codes 6LU7 and 6Y2F. The SARS-CoV-2 main protease has a structure virtually identical to the orthologue from SRAS-CoV (96% identity). Not only that, residues involved in catalysis, binding and dimerization processes are fully conserved and the target polyprotein sequences also show a large degree of identity. In this work we take benefit of these similarities and the existence of ligand-bound structures to build a structural model of a peptide substrate-enzyme Michaelis complex for the computational study of the chemical reaction catalyzed by this enzyme.
Characterisation of a peptide network with a combined antiviral and antiinflammatory activity against COVID-19
Project Title: Characterisation of a peptide network with a combined antiviral and antiinflammatory activity against COVID-19
Project Leader: Dr Hansel Gómez Martínez, NURITAS Ltd., Ireland
40 000 000 core hours on Piz Daint hosted by CSCS, Switzerland
Research Field: Drug discovery / Molecular Modelling
Our company is also committed to contribute to the mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic. In that regard, we are willing to find bioactive peptides binding to as many targets as possible in the SARSCoV-2-Human Protein interactome. We have identified already 6 targets from the virus with experimental structures available: SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, main protease, nucleocapsid protein, NSP3, NSP10 and NSP15, and we will extend that list as more structures become available or homology modeling is feasible. In fact, the 30kb genome of SARS-CoV-2 encodes as many as 16 non-structural proteins (Nsp1-16) which form the replicase/transcriptase complex (RTC) as well as four structural proteins: Spike (S), Envelope (E), Membrane (M) and Nucleocapsid (N)17, and nine putative accessory factors. Moreover, in a more recent study , providing the more exhaustive description so far to the SARS-CoV-2-Human Protein-Protein Interaction Map, the authors used affinity purification mass spectrometry (AP-MS) to identify 332 high confidence SARS-CoV-2-human protein-protein interactions (PPIs), including 66 druggable human proteins.
The expected outcome is to find a cocktail of natural peptides, unlocked from natural sources and exhibiting anti-viral properties against SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, since similar coronaviruses use comparable infection mechanisms, these peptides could, in principle, provide some universal protection against other viruses of the same family. Finally, Nuritas has being extensively working on other bioactivity profiles like anti-inflammation peptides for which we have already candidates in preclinical assays. Modulating inflammation is relevant in any infectious process, including COVID-19 and therefore we could include these peptides to alleviate symptoms, like inflammation, which are tightly associated to the pneumonia and eventual mortality of patients. The impact of providing a cocktail of natural peptides exhibiting both anti-viral and anti-inflammatory activity would be a remarkable and relatively cheap solution contributing to mitigate the disease.
Article on this project: Seeking a goldilocks molecule
COVID19: Computational screening and improvement of viral protein inhibitors
Project Title: COVID19: Computational screening and improvement of viral protein inhibitors
Project Leader: Prof. Dr Gerrit Groenhof, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Research Field: Chemistry, Structural biology, Molecular Dynamics
From MD trajectories of docked spike protein-aptamer complexes (we have two already), we map out the contribution of individual nucleotides to the overall binding affinity via an energy decomposition analysis. Nucleotides with a significant contribution are systematically varied and the effect on the affinity is computed by means of so-called thermodynamic integration, which can provide accurate estimates for the effect of the nucleotide alteration on the binding free energy. Workflows developed within the contexts of the Academy of Finland FluProCad key-project and the European Union Bioexcel Center of Excellence (www.bioexcel.eu), are essential to scan these variations efficiently on High Performance Computing (tier 0 or 1) resources. In addition, we use the same simulation protocols to investigate whether chemical modification of the aptamers can improve their affinity and specificity for the viral spike protein.
In a parallel project we work together locally with Petri Pihko, who is an expert in organic synthesis, and Varpu Marjomäki, a virology specialist, on inhibition of the RdRp with nucleotide analogues. The Covid-19 RdRp structure was recently resolved to 2.9 A resolution with cryo-EM (6m71.pdb) and kindly shared with us by the authors. Since then, we already performed MD simulations of the RdRp complexed with double stranded RNA consisting of the template and primer. Next, we will perform free energy computations to predict the effects of chemical modification of nucleotide bases, both inside the nucleotide binding site before the polymerization reaction, as well as after insertion of the nucleotide into the RNA primer. We also want to investigate possible cooperative effects of the inhibitor by including multiple inhibitor bases into the primer strand, as these are speculated to induce conformational changes in the complex that ultimately can cause its arrest.
If successful, we anticipate novel post-infection therapeutics to slow down the COVID-19 outbreak until a suitable vaccine is available. Moreover, the developed drug design workflows and protocols will be readily available at possible future outbreaks of other infections.
Via github.com/bioexcel we will make all models, topologies etc. immediately available so that colleagues can scrutinize our results or use them for their own work. As we would be very happy to collaborate, we give permission to share our proposal with other applicants to speed up the formation of new collaboration networks.
Characterization of SARS-CoV-2 envelope small membrane protein (E)
Project Title: Characterization of SARS-CoV-2 envelope small membrane protein (E)
Project Leader: Prof. Matteo Dal Peraro, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
Research Field: Molecular simulation of biomolecules
We will perform atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to characterize CoV2 E in its specific membrane environments and will study its properties as ion channel. Furthermore, as many viral proteins, CoV2 E is reported to be S-acylated at Cys40, Cys43 and Cys44 (12). The position of these adjacent acylation sites at the putative membrane-protein interface can be relevant for conferring enhanced stability to CoV2 E when embedded in the membrane, contributing to CoV2 much increased virulence. We will benefit from the active collaboration with the van der Goot lab at the EPFL (13) to investigate the implications of different S-acylation states on the structural and dynamic properties of CoV2 E.
The concrete output of this simulation campaign will be the characterization of CoV2 E in physiological states relevant for the viral life cycle. Once made available to the community, this dataset can be the foundation for (i) structure-based drug development and drugs repurposing campaigns for discovering CoV2 antivirals. Moreover, (ii) these models will enable the possibility to explore and rationalize the molecular mechanisms of viral infection implicated with CoV2 E. For instance, the interaction with other CoV2 structural proteins (e.g., interaction with membrane protein (M) is key for virus-like particles production and release, where E is required to maintain the spherical morphology of virions) and host proteins (e.g., Bcl-xL, PALS1 and syntenin)(10) can be studied to better clarify the mechanisms of CoV2 infection. CoV2 E, while critical for the viral life cycle, is still poorly explored: this study will contribute to foster and converge research lines on CoV2 E, with the final aim of developing new and effective antiviral strategies against COVID-19.
Interview with Project Leader.
Polypharmacology-based antiviral design
Project Title: Polypharmacology-based antiviral design
Project Leader:Mr. Daniel Soler, Nostrum Biodiscovery (NBD), Spain
4 000 000 core hours on SuperMUC-NG hosted by GCS at LRZ, Germany
Research Field: Life Science
We have devised a polypharmacology-based approach for addressing compound with activity among several COVID-19, SARS and MERS strains. Using a procedure which combines virtual screening and experimental assays we expect to obtain a promising hit molecule targeting several virus strains.
Drug design on the 3CL-pro (Mpro) target protein of SARS-CoV2
Project Title: Drug design on the 3CL-pro (Mpro) target protein of SARS-CoV2 using fast switching massively parallel alchemical approaches for absolute binding free energy determination
Project Leader:Prof. Piero Procacci, University of Florence, Italy
20 000 000 core hours on Marconi100 hosted by CINECA, Italy
Research Field: Bio-simulations to develop therapeutics and/or vaccines
We aim at the in silico design of inhibitors (Small molecule compounds, SMC) of the 3CL-pro main protease of the SARS-CoV2. 3CL-pro cleaves the virus poliprotein pp1a, producing various functional virus proteins including RdPr (nsp12), which play a fundamental role in the transcription/replication during the infection. Hence blocking the 3CL-pro enzyme using a synthetic inhibitor can block the progression of Covid19. To this end we will use the so-called NS (nonequilibrium switching) alchemical approach in the context of explicit solvent atomistic simulations using state-of-the-art force fields (Amber99sb-ildn or OPLS-AA).
Molecular Dynamics investigation of the interaction between ACE2 and the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2
Project Title: Molecular Dynamics investigation of the interaction between ACE2 and the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2, in comparison with its predecessors from bat and pangolin
Project Leader:Prof. Giovanni Chillemi, University of Tuscia and CNR, Italy
3 000 000 core hours on Marconi100 hosted by CINECA, Italy
Aim of this project is the comparison of structural and dynamic properties of the spyke glycoprotein in SARS-CoV-2, bat-SL-CoVs, BetaCoV_pangolin and the Italian variant hCoV-19/Italy/INMI1-isl/2020 by means of micro-second MD simulations. From these trajectories we can expect to shed light on some of the gained specific features that have facilitated the successful spread of the virus as compared to its predecessors. These results are preparatory for the identification of inhibitors that may reduce substantially pre-fusion conformation and therefore the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2. Particular attention will be paid toward the role played by six amino acid positions within the S1 subunit under positive/diversifying selection, likely involved in the adaptation to new host environments, i.e. positions 32 (S32F), 50 (L50S), 483 (Q483V), and 519 (N519H). Note that the original aminoacids are conserved in both bat and pangolin related virus (Tagliamonte et al., 2020).
CardioVascular-COVID
Project Title: CardioVascular-COVID
Project Leader:Dr. Jazmín Aguado Sierra, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Spain
7 800 000 core hours on Joliot-Curie Rome hosted by GENCI at CEA, France
Research Field: Biomechanics
As the crisis developed, the cardiovascular mechanics researchers in tight collaboration with Medical Doctors started applying Alya to two main problems that require the quick generation of evidence and information towards their use by clinicians:
Antimalarial and Antibiotic cardiotoxicity study: We aim to study the effect of antimalarial drugs on various human hearts with a variety of comorbidities that may be present in the infected population.
Venous-Arterial Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy and the North-South Syndrome on patients with profound respiratory failure: The objective of this proposal is to use computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to better understand the complex hemodynamics associated with Nord-South Syndrome.
The impact of this research on the current COVID-19 pandemic will help to improve treatment of those affected most severely by the disease, ultimately reducing disease mortality.
Targeting the interface of the COVID-19 spike protein with the ACE2 receptor
Project Title: Targeting the interface of the COVID-19 spike protein with the ACE2 receptor
Project Leader:Prof. Francesco Luigi Gervasio, University College London, United Kingdom
30 000 000 core hours on Hawk hosted by GCS at HLRS, Germany
Research Field: Computational Physics/Chemistry
In this project we will rationally design peptides and peptide-polymer conjugates targeting the S-ACE2 interface. We will target the interface from both sides (spike and ACE2) and directly validate the models. We will design a set of minimal peptides sequences that retain the general fold of ACE2’s helices at the interface while enhancing the binding affinity. Three different designs will be considered: a single helix, a helix-turn-helix or a helix-turn-helix-turn-helix. All of them will interact with the three spike residues essential for virulence F487, Q483, N501.
Targeting conformational changes implicated in early events of viral entry
Project Title: Targeting conformational changes implicated in early events of viral entry
Project Leader: Prof. Francisco Javier Luque, University of Barcelona, Spain
Research Field: Biomedicine – Computational Biology
This project pursues a twofold aim: i) to disrupt viral entry by finding small molecules able to interfere with the conformational changes in the spike protein prior to binding to the host cell, and ii) to characterize the structural and energetic changes implicated in such conformational transition in both free and ligand-bound spike proteins.
Identification of inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 S protein
Project Title: Identification of inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 S protein
Project Leader: Dr. Sonsoles Martín-Santamaría, Spanish Research Council (CIB-CSIC), Spain
Research Field: Drug repurposing, virtual screening, molecular simulations, peptide design
We here propose the finding of possible small molecules by VS and computational design of peptides able to inhibit the S protein-mediated fusion mechanism by two main mechanisms: i) targeting the protein-protein interface among the monomers forming the S protein trimer, ii) inhibiting the S protein-ACE2 protein-protein interaction.
Priority will be given to the generic drug library (drug repurposing) since, in the event of finding promising inhibitory activity, they could follow a faster and more direct way through clinical trials. Other libraries will be screened: IQM antiviral library (collaboration) and others that we already have ready to be screened (ZINC, Molport, SPECS, fragment data bases).
COVIDYN
Project Title: COVIDYN
Project Leader: Dr Himanshu Khandelia, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
Research Field: Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Computational Biophysics
In this project, we will employ molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and Markov State Models of the ectodomain of the trimeric S protein to (1) provide molecular and kinetic insights into how the conformational equilibrium between the up and down conformations of the RBDs differs in SARS-Cov and SARS-Cov-2 (2) identify the molecular hotspots on the S protein which confer flexibility to the RBDs, and devise strategies to confine the RBD conformations to the down state.
Epitope vaccines based on the dynamics of mutated SARS-CoV-2 proteins at all atom resolution
Project Title: Epitope vaccines based on the dynamics of mutated SARS-CoV-2 proteins at all atom resolution
Project Leader: Prof. Evangelos Daskalakis, Cyprus University of Technology, Cyprus
Research Field: Computational Biophysics, Bioinformatics
Objectives of this project are to:
Characterize the structural dynamics of the proteins by combining allatom MD dynamics with Markov state model (MSM) theory.
Identify important domains associated with essential, or biologically relevant protein motions.
Mutate residues within these protein domains.
Employ an elaborate method of enhanced MD sampling and produce the wild-type (WT) and mutant (MT) protein energy landscapes (LS). Mutants are necessary to guide the engineering of inactive virial proteins for vaccination.
Explore the protein dynamics at the LS minima.
Propose protein domains as potential epitopes for vaccine development.
Screening of a large database of natural products to find potential inhibitors that bind at the key predicted protein domains, and propose novel molecules as potential inhibitors, based on the structural/ dynamics space and their functional levels.
Computational study to guide the development of new SARS-CoV-2 detection hyper-spectral platforms
Project Title: Computational study to guide the development of new SARS-CoV-2 detection hyper-spectral platforms
Project Leader: Dr. Juan Torras, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain
40 000 000 core hours on Joliot-Curie KNL hosted by GENCI at CEA, France
Research Field: Bio-simulations to develop therapeutics / Biomolecular research to understand the mechanisms of the virus infection
The systems proposed to be studied in the project (together with the corresponding methodology) during 6 month, are the following:
Silica and gold substrates with different antibodies (IgG, IgM and CR3022. Classical MD). A comparative study among different antibodies and its orientation/interaction with silica and gold surfaces as part of the sandwich silica-antibody-virion-antibody-goldNP detector will be done.
Interface Antibody–SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) glycoprotein (classical MD and QM/MM-MD). Antibody specificity and interactions between the epitopes of different antibodies and the antigen will be studied and compared.
Atomistic simulations, which basically consist of conducting computer “experiments” under highly controlled conditions, can anticipate qualitative information about the structure of functionalized multi-dielectric substrates and NPs. Aspects such as the deposition mode of the capture antibody, its orientation (which determines its activity) and specificity, are problems that are at the centre of the development of serological tests. On the other hand, the capture of an antigen by an antibody deposited in dielectric surface is a rare event that, at low concentrations where only a few thousand biomarker molecules are available, determines the effectivity of the therapy. The knowledge developed in this project will allow to obtain novel and better SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics and diagnostics based in antibodies.
SPIKE-CAP - Blocking SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein through Computer-Aided design of Peptide inhibitors
Project Title: SPIKE-CAP – Blocking SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein through Computer-Aided design of Peptide inhibitors
Project Leader: Dr. Alfonso Gautieri, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Research Field: Bio-smulations to develop therapeutics and/or vaccines
The SPIKE-CAP project aims at the design of antiviral peptides with ultra-high affinity for the virus Spike protein by using high-throughput computational deep scanning mutagenesis. The most promising candidate will be tested by partner lab at MIT using Bio-layer interferometry (BLI) and X-ray crystallography.
Using a computational scanning mutagenesis method developed at Politecnico di Milano and based on Simulated Annealing Molecular Dynamics, we will computationally screen peptide mutations and rank them by binding affinity to S protein, while a Machine Learning algorithm previously developed by the MIT partner will ensure the correct helical folding. Given the sheer amount of potential mutations, we will start the computational screening with the key residue directly involved in the binding of S protein, while progressively extending the design to other positions. We will constantly update the ranking of peptides while the computational screening proceeds and, at weekly intervals, we will synthesize the top scoring candidates. Binding affinity for the S protein will be measured with BLI and crystallography. The project has the potential to identify peptides with ultra-high affinity for the virus S protein, which would outcompete for the binding with human ACE2, thereby preventing virus infection. In addition, the strategy proposed and refined in this project could be helpful for future design of peptidic therapeutics.
Targeting the Lysosome-Endosome system to avoid virus entry/exit in cells
Project Title: Targeting the Lysosome-Endosome system to avoid virus entry/exit in cells
Project Leader: Prof. Matteo Ceccarelli, University of Cagliari, Italy
Research Field: Biophysics
With the objective to understand (i) the mechanism of functioning of TPC2 and (ii) its potentiality as target of antiviral compounds of the flavonoid family, we propose three activities:
Starting from the apo-closed and holo-closed/open structures, explore and sample the TPC2 conformational space with plain MD to (i) prepare a multitude of conformers for successive docking with some flavonoids, and (ii) define quantitatively the open and closed states, using size and hydration number of the hydrophobic gate
Once defined the open state from above, use Metadynamics to understand the functioning of TPC2 investigating the transport of sodium and calcium along the selectivity filter and hydrophobic gate; for divalent calcium we will use a recent parametrization that avoids the use of expensive polarizable MD algorithm and force field; the reconstruction of free energy surface for ions will allow to quantify the concuctivity or flux of ions, as we already done on other systems
Using the open and closed state as defined in (1), investigate the interaction of naringenin with TPC2. The affinity for the protein will be performed with AutoDock Vina on local machines, verified with plain MD, and quantified the kinetics of unbinding with the metadynamics-to-dynamics algorithm, as already done on other systems [11]. We expect to verify up to 5 docking sites.
This project can be generalized to other compounds and to other diseases (cancer and Parkinson).
Biomechanic simulations for quantification of the ventilation/perfusion ratio in COVID-19 patients
Project Title: Biomechanic simulations for quantification of the ventilation/perfusion ratio in COVID-19 patients
Project Leader: Dr. Simone Melchionna, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Italy
Research Field: Bio-Medicine, Bio-Mechanics, Bio-Engineering
The present project aims at prognostic judgement of patient management based on the joint usage of pulmonary reconstruction, biomechanical simulations, physiological modelling and ML/AI. The project is a collaboration between academic researchers, AI experts, private entity, and medical doctors from radiology and ICU units. The expected main outcome is to generate predictive values for oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in different ventilation operating scenarios, based on acquired time series, ventilator operating conditions, postures, age, habits etc, doctors can evaluate ventilation efficacy specifically to treat severe cases ahead of time. High-performance simulations on a Tier-0 multi-GPU platform and the wealth of extracted features enable to detect synthetic data for ventilation/perfusion gas exchange and largely enrich the training set by at least one order of magnitude, reaching the sufficient prognostic accuracy.
The results are expected to provide quantitative guidance for ICU pre-admission and postadmission evaluation, informing clinicians about those patients with co-morbidities that require special attention in terms of ventilation operation conditions and maneuvring, helping hospitals to quickly set up the new prognostic system, promote the standardization of work, rationalize the workflow, and improve the efficiency of treatment, as well as medical safety.
Identification and Design of drugs interfering with the host translational inhibitor nsp1 of SARS-CoV2
Project Title: Identification and Design of drugs interfering with the host translational inhibitor nsp1 of SARS-CoV2
Project Leader: Prof. Francesco Luigi Gervasio, University College London, United Kingdom
6 000 000 core hours on Hawk hosted by GCS at HLRS, Germany
The aim of this project is to explore the druggability of SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 1 (Nsp1) and the interaction between Nsp1 and the ribosome 40S unit to guide experimental screening of compound libraries and drug design
Methods that will be used can provide a crucial insight for the rational design and screening of compounds for nsp1 and the nsp1:40S ribosome complex. In so doing, they will pave the way to a complementary strategy for COVID therapeutics.
A drug discovery project against the main protease of COVID-19
Project Title: A drug discovery project against the main protease of COVID-19
Project Leader: Prof. Maria João Ramos, University of Porto, Portugal
370 000 node hours on Piz Daint hosted by CSCS, Switzerland
Research Field: Computational biology, drug discovery
Here, we propose to develop drugs for one particular target, i.e. the main protease of the COVID-19 virus for which there have been made available good resolution x-ray structures in 2020, in the Protein Data Bank. A protease is an enzyme that catalyses proteolysis, i.e. it catalyses the breakdown of proteins into smaller polypeptides or single amino acids. Obviously, if the COVID-19 main protease enzyme is inhibited and cannot function properly, the virus cannot replicate. In fact, the inhibition of a viral main protease is already a very efficient, first-line therapy in other important epidemics, such as AIDS.
Therefore, we propose an in-depth computational study, with total length of 4-6 months, to find a shortlist of compounds (leads) with anti-COVID19 activity, i.e. future inhibitors of the main protease of the COVID-19 virus.
COVID-DROPLETS
Project Title: COVID-DROPLETS
Project Leader: Dr. Gaetano Sardina, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Research Field: Other analyses to understand and mitigate the impact of the pandemic
This project aims to investigate the lifetime of expiratory droplets released by an infected individual. Surprisingly, the current recommendations and understanding of the transmission in respiratory infectious diseases are predicated on a simple model developed ninety years ago, thus limiting the effectiveness of the disease containment. The assumptions of the model rely on the simple observation that large droplets (> 10 mm) tend to settle while smaller droplets evaporate faster than they settle in a fraction of second. On the other hand, the complete scenario is more complex; the droplets are emitted in a multiphase turbulent gas cloud that entrains ambient air and are localized in the form of clusters. The local humidity level inside the turbulent flow and the relative competition of closer particles to evaporate, allow the droplets to increase their lifetimes (up to 1000 times) compared with isolated droplets (Bourouiba, JAMA, 2020). The evaporation rate strongly depends on the atmospheric temperature and humidity, and recent preprints are available describing how these climatic variable are linked to the pandemic grow rate. Moreover, a potential correlation between Particulate Matter (PM) pollution and COVID-19 infection spread can exist (Setti et al., preprint).
DyCoVin - Interactions and dynamics of SARS-CoV 2 spike-heparin complex
Project Title: DyCoVin – Interactions and dynamics of SARS-CoV 2 spike-heparin complex
Project Leader: Prof. Rebecca Wade, Heidelberg University, Germany
Research Field: Molecular and Cellular Modeling
Our objective is to pinpoint the role of HSPGs in SG1-Cov2 infection using realistic computer simulations. This knowledge will allow us to characterize the structure and dynamics of putative binding patches for heparin-like compounds on the spike receptor, which needs to adopt the open form to bind ACE2.
Our specific aims are to use computational methods, including molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) and docking, for the following three tasks:
Simulation of the closed conformation of SG1-Cov2. In contrast to MDS trajectories reported so far that have been performed for an, at most, partially glycosylated spike 1, we will perform simulations for a complete model for the SG1-Cov2 glycoprotein to which we have covalently attached 18 N-glycans on the basis of mass spectrometry studies.
Modelling of long-heparin chains (24 monosaccharides) to simulate the interaction between SG1-Cov2 and HSPG and investigate whether this interaction stimulates the opening of the receptor.
Design of appropriate heparins for use as putative coronavirus antiviral therapeutics by taking advantage of the basic heparin binding domain present on SG1-Cov2.
We aim to stabilize the receptor in its closed conformation, by: (i) using short heparin chains (up to 6 monosaccharides) which could directly interact with and shield the RBDs of the homotrimeric SG1-Cov2. (ii) using long heparin chains (> 12 monosaccharides) which could decrease the flexibility of the SG1-Cov2 RBD and thereby hinder the conformational changes that are required for the SG1- Cov2 translocation and subsequent opening.
We expect the impact of this approach for treating the viral infection to be high because heparin is already approved by the FDA, used in the treatment of other lung diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis, bronchial asthma and asthma-induced airway hypersensitivity, and recent clinical trials suggest that inhaled heparin for lung diseases is beneficial and safe. For these reasons, aerosol drug administration could provide the advantage of directly delivering heparin to the site of SARS-Cov-2 infection and thereby facilitating the inhibition of the virus/receptor interaction.
Exploring Covid19 Infectious Mechanisms and Host Selection Process
Project Title: Exploring Covid19 Infectious Mechanisms and Host Selection Process
Project Leader: Prof. Modesto Orozco, Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), Spain
Research Field: Exploring Covid19 Infectious Mechanisms and Host Selection Process
We aim to understand the evolutionary path driving the virus from bat to humans, predict differential human sensitivity to infection and the impact of virus mutations in infectivity. Our goal is to predict potential new variants of the virus emerging in a second infective wave and their potential of infectivity
The objectives of this proposal is to fight Covid19 and proximal strains now confined in other mammals: we aim to anticipate virus’s next move and clarify the zoonotic pathway used by virus, its mutational space, as well as to understand different susceptibility to infection of human population and predict genomic changes impacting infectiveness. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations will provide information on potential cavities in the variants of viral proteins which can be tackled by small drugs. This project involves 4 computational groups (N. López-Bigas and M. Orozco at IRB and R. Badia and J.L. Gelpí at BSC) and experimental groups in Marseille and Milan. We will focus on the entrance of the virus into the host cell, and particularly in the mechanisms linked to RBD recognition by ACE2 and CD147. We aim to determine the impact of genetic changes in the viral RBD and in ACE2/RBD in the recognition of the virus.
NANODROP
Project Title: NANODROP
Project Leader: Prof. Stéphane Zaleski, Sorbonne Université, France
Research Field: Fluid mechanics – disease propagation
Understanding the mechanism of Covid-19 propagation is essential to perform modelling and recommend protective actions. The SARS-Cov-2 is a 100nm particle coated in a bilipidic layer, propelled into the air inside saliva droplets. How the dynamics and physical chemistry of these droplets affects virus transmission is of great importance. Despite some experimental knowledge about the transmission of diseases by aerosols, very little is known about the physics of aerosol behaviour. The proposal would thus allow to better understand the virus transmission mode.
Effects of different glycosylation motifs on the structural stability and dynamics of the SARS-CoV2 S glycoprotein
Project Title: Effects of different glycosylation motifs on the structural stability and dynamics of the SARS-CoV2 S glycoprotein
Project Leader: Dr Elisa Fadda, Maynooth University, Ireland
HPC-based modelling is an extremely powerful technique in glycoscience, providing much needed insight on the effects of glycosylation on protein function, which is hard, if not impossible, to determine otherwise. This study is specifically designed to give us much needed information on how different types of glycosylation may regulate the activity and pathogenicity of the CoV-2 S glycoprotein. Because different cell hosts perform different types of glycosylation, this study will clearly indicate if there are different levels of activity of the CoV-2 S glycoproteins expressed not only in different cells, i.e. respiratory vs intestinal epithelial cells, but also in different cell cultures in a lab setting, with very important applications in the study of therapeutic strategies and diagnostic interventions.
COVID-RNA
Project Title: COVID-RNA
Project Leader: Prof. Kresten Lindorff-Larsen, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
352 000 core hours on Marconi100 hosted by CINECA, Italy
Research Field: Biomolecular modelling
We aim to predict structure and dynamics of selected structural elements in the non-coding region of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Potentially, our results will reveal important structure-function relationships that are crucial to understand viral replication, transcription and packaging. Furthermore, our models will serve as a starting point to investigate the druggability of non-coding RNA regions by small molecules. The computational work will be carried out in collaboration with partners studying these molecules by biophysical experiments and screening the RNA molecules for small-molecule binders.
Epi- EWS
Project Title: Epi- EWS
Project Leader: Dr. Alejandro Marti, Mitiga Solutions, Spain
5 000 000 core hours on Beskow hosted by KTH-PDC at Sweden
Research Field: MAP-EPI (Model Aggregator Platform for Epidemics)
The underlying problem that is being addressed by this proposal is the definition,adaptation and refining of models that help to timely detect and contain the spread of epidemics, especially for populations on the move. Specifically, the model will be tuned to COVID-19 case.
According to the expert in Biomedical Engineering S. Rubrichi “human behavior factors, like mobility and social interactions, are crucial drivers for disease transmissions, as these can substantially alter the probability of encounters, patterns of exposure, and the likelihood of disease propagation”.
This problem has motivated the proposal of the Epi-EWS project, which consists in developing an early warning system (EWS) that will be able to provide early detection of epidemic outbreaks, accurate predictions of the disease spread, and assessment of the outbreak economic impact.
In order to achieve this general objective, it will be necessary to model the evolution of a large number of individuals related to the development (or absence thereof) of an epidemic outbreak. This model must take into account the habits of the individual, their relationship with the environment, the spread of the disease, the performance of specific controls and, if necessary, the treatment of the disease.
This implies a highly complex system, which would be extremely difficult to build using, for example, analytical models. For this reason, this proposal will be based on Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation (ABMS) for simulating the citizens behaviour as this approach is better suited for simulating complex systems, especially since these simulation tools can leverage the computational power of HPC platforms.
REDAC: REpositioned Drugs Against COVID-19
Project Title: REDAC: REpositioned Drugs Against COVID-19
Project Leader: Prof. Dr. Vittorio Limongelli, Università della Svizzera italiana, Switzerland
Research Field: Biology, Biophysics, Physical Chemistry
The research group is planning to exploit its decade-long experience in drug design to intensively target some of the most important molecular players involved in the pathology, the viral proteins Main Protease (Mpro) and RNA-dependant RNA polymerase (RdRp), and the human host proteins Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) and Mitochondrial Assembly 1 (MAS1).
Propelled by the necessity of finding an efficient treatment in all haste, the aim of this proposal is to reposition market-approved drugs to provide easily accessible tools for treatment of COVID-19 in multiple stages of the infection. Indeed, the chosen targets cover all the phases of SARS-CoV-2 lifespan, from penetration inside the host cell (ACE2), to assembly of the replication machinery (Mpro) and reproduction of the viral genome (RdRp). However, our strategy is not only focused on suppressing viral replication.
In fact, we also plan to identify drugs with agonist activity towards MAS1, a G-protein coupled receptor known for mitigating the virus induced inflammatory storm in the later and clinically more severe stages of the pathology.
CFDforCOVID
Project Title: CFDforCOVID
Project Leader: Dr. Florent Duchaine, CERFACS, France
Research Field: Dispersion of infectious droplets
CFDforCOVID will provide a High-Performance Computing tool, based on recent aerospace CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) solvers to simulate the dispersion, evaporation and contagion risks of all droplets emitted by a sick person in a closed domain such as an aircraft cabin and a car. Viruses can propagate from person to person in air by two paths – direct or indirect travels. In direct cases, someone sneezing or coughing directly sends thousands of droplets towards someone else: the flight time of the spray particle is very small (one second typically). In indirect cases, much less particles are produced with each breath (typically 10 to 20) but they will be produced at each breath and accumulate over time.
Read on: Cerfacs.
Anti-Spike
Project Title: Anti-Spike
Project Leader: Dr. Miguel Soler, Italian Institute of Technology, Italy
10 000 000 core hours on ARCHER hosted by EPCC, United Kingdom
We intend to exploit the available experimental structural knowledge to perform in silico design of antibody fragments (Fabs) with high binding affinity towards the anti-ACE2 epitope of 2019-nCoV RBD to act as inhibitors of the entrance of the virus in the host cell.
The PRACE Fast Track Call for Proposals for projects requesting computing resources to contribute to the mitigation of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic received a number of applications that were deemed better suited to a different access mechanism after review. Click the button below to find a list of these redirected projects.
Redirected Projects
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NWU's Optentia boasts new PhD in Relational Dynamics and Development
In another first for the North-West University (NWU), the Optentia research focus area recently announced the addition of an innovative new doctoral degree in Relational Dynamics and Development to its already impressive post-graduate repertoire.
The programme, Doctor of Philosophy in Social Sciences with Relational Dynamics and Development, is the first of its kind to be offered at any South African higher education institution and is set to deliver cutting-edge research that will inform policy, interventions and short learning programmes from an evidence-based perspective.
Prof Vera Roos, a senior research professor at Optentia, led the development of the new qualification, and says the new programme supports the dream of the NWU to become an internationally recognised university in Africa by intensifying research and innovation with a dedicated focus to study relationships across the spectrum of diversity, and on multiple levels.
She further explains that, given the uncertain time humanity finds itself in, people and communities are desperate to address the basic need of belonging and connectedness. "The PhD programme is very relevant and speaks to the mutual quest to find ways to engage more effectively and to reduce intergroup anxiety through relationships," explains Prof Roos.
She adds that South Africa desperately needs relationship-focused research to inform appropriate interventions and to develop policy addressing the lack of warm, respectful and ethical relational interactions. It is in this sphere that Optentia represents an optimal fit between the need of prospective students, capable and available supervisors and the interdisciplinary approach of the research focus area to research complex social issues.
For more information, please contact Prof Roos on (016) 910 3410 or (082) 925 7946, or send an e-mail to ver[email protected]
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Home Money, Politics and Power Decoding the Doublespeak of FCC Chairman Pai
Decoding the Doublespeak of FCC Chairman Pai
Donald Trump’s new Federal Communications Commission chairman is taking direct aim at fair and affordable internet access.
by Timothy Karr
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP Images
Michael Flynn, Kellyanne Conway, and Stephen Miller aren't the only Donald Trump surrogates who've had a very bad couple of weeks.
Ajit Pai, the president's pick to lead the Federal Communications Commission, was pilloried by The New York Times and Washington Post editorial boards last week after his agency released a rapid-fire series of rulings in a move that resembled Trump's rush of executive orders. Chairman Pai's directives, which he issued with zero public input, undermine the open internet and undercut the agency's Lifeline program, which is designed to make the internet more affordable for families with low incomes.
Pai's attack on Lifeline drew a swift response. A series of letters from dozens of Democrats on Capitol Hill asserted that Pai's move to prevent nine internet service providers (ISPs) from serving Lifeline participants was "unfairly punishing" families in need.
Pai managed to draw criticism on the same Sunday from two of the nation's most prominent and influential newspapers, even as members of Congress piled on. But the condemnation is justified: Pai has long served the interests of massive phone and cable companies, while shafting those ordinary Americans of whom Trump claims to be so fond.
"Many of Mr. Pai's moves would hurt the people who have the least power," wrote the Times' editors. "Congress created the FCC to help all Americans obtain access to communication services without discrimination and at fair prices. Mr. Pai's approach does exactly the opposite."
The Post noted that Pai likes to talk the talk of bridging the digital divide-during his first speech as FCC chairman, he said it would be a top agency priority. But when the FCC released his anti-Lifeline action days later, "he opened another gap," wrote the Post, "this time between his words and his actions."
It's the sort of head fake that's familiar to those who've followed Pai's career as a lead apologist for the phone companies he once worked for-and still serves.
This list of Pai's miscues on key policy issues makes amply clear the many harmful directions the new FCC chairman will lead the agency through the Trump years.
Pai on the 2015 Net Neutrality Proceeding
"[The ruling is] President Obama's plan to regulate the Internet. ... Was this proceeding 'one of the most open and transparent in Commission history'? Not in the least."
While Pai has said he supports a free and open internet, he's been one of the most vitriolic opponents of the rules that were put in place to keep it that way. Pai offered a lengthy dissent when an FCC majority passed the agency's historic Open Internet Order in 2015. In subsequent statements, he claimed the ruling was part of an elaborate Obama conspiracy to "regulate the internet."
In truth, the rules aren't internet regulations but a set of regulations to govern broadband providers like AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon. And these companies no more constitute the Internet than a company like Georgia Pacific signifies the forest. The FCC's decision reclassified broadband providers under an existing law that preserves the rights we've always had to defend ourselves against communications carriers bent on interfering with our speech.
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Pai's complaint about the FCC's process is a smoking gun with no smoke and no gun. The agency made its legal decisions based on thousands of pages of public-record evidence, and took into account the nearly four million comments from Internet users, all to return to a foundation built on decades of solid law. All of those records are available to anyone with an Internet connection and the gumption to search the freely available archives at FCC.gov.
Pai on the Threat to an Open Internet
"[Net neutrality] regulation was a solution that wouldn't work for a problem that didn't exist."
Pai isn't alone in making this questionable claim. Calling net neutrality a "solution in search of a problem" is a favorite talking point of phone- and cable-company lobbyists and their many paid surrogates. The principle that protects the open internet is irrelevant, they claim, as blocking has never, ever happened. And if it did, the story goes, market forces would compel ISPs to correct course and reopen their networks.
In reality, many providers both in the United States and abroad have violated the principles of net neutrality-and they plan to continue doing so should Pai's FCC refuse to enforce the open internet protections.
Whether it's Comcast blocking access to peer-to-peer technologies (2005), or AT&T forcing Apple to block Skype and other competing VOIP phone services (2007–2009), or Verizon Wireless blocking people from using tethering applications on their phones (2012), or any other of the multiple instances in which ISPs have taken away Internet users' right to choose, there can be no question that the problem exists.
And an argument a Verizon attorney made in 2013 before a panel of judges underscores the way ISPs view the internet. If it weren't for the net neutrality protections, the attorney said, Verizon would be actively pursuing arrangements to prioritize certain types of internet traffic while downgrading other websites and services. Verizon even told the court that the company should have the power to edit the internet-suggesting that ISPs are like newspaper publishers, with the power to pick and choose what their broadband customers and others are allowed to say online.
Pai on the Impact the Net Neutrality Rules Have Had on Investment
"Growth in broadband investment has ... flatlined."
"We need to fire up the weed whacker and remove those rules that are holding back investment, innovation, and job creation ... [net neutrality's] days are numbered."
Pai is a habitual repeater of faulty investment analysis. He's always eager to draw self-serving but misleading conclusions from bad data.
In the year following the 2015 order, he often cited a single piece of analysis on broadband-provider capital expenditures as proof that the rules harmed investment. But that analysis was provided by an industry-paid operative with a long track record of cooking numbers to suit the policy agenda of large phone and cable companies. In this instance, his analysis selectively removed some capital spending, ignored more legitimate reasons for declines in some individual companies' investments, and dismissed the large investment increases other companies had made.
Any economic analyst worth her salt will tell you that it's a fatal flaw to build a conclusion on cherry-picked data. More honest analysis in this sphere considers what every broadband provider is doing, including what they're saying to their shareholders and to the Securities and Exchange Commission. If Pai had followed this kind of rigorous analysis, he'd have noticed that no company told its shareholders that the 2015 order harmed investment. Indeed, many new fiber and 5G wireless deployments began after the 2015 order, and continued after the D.C. Circuit upheld the rules against a legal challenge from these same companies in 2016.
To be sure, aggregate investment may decline in some years, relative to pre-2015 levels. Investment projects come to completion eventually, and no cable or phone company builds a network one year only to build it all over again the next year. But this in no way proves that companies are curtailing investments because of net neutrality fears; they've made that explicit with their spending decisions and in their numerous public statements to investors and the media, which Chairman Pai has chosen to ignore.
Pai on the FCC Effort to Protect Broadband-User Data from Prying ISPs
"Instead of respecting ... common sense ... the FCC tilts the regulatory playing field by proposing to impose more burdensome regulation on internet service providers, or ISPs, than the FTC imposes on so-called 'edge providers.'"
Pai dissented when the agency adopted common-sense safeguards for everyday Internet users. In this case, the FCC gave people more choice over whether and how broadband providers use their private information.
Under any sensible interpretation of the communications laws that govern the FCC, the companies that carry all of our speech online have no business profiting from the information they gather without our consent. But Pai chose to spin a reasonable response from the Wheeler FCC as a type of crony capitalism that favors companies like Facebook and Google at the expense of poor neglected ISPs like AT&T and Comcast. To be "fair," according to Pai, you had to ignore the privacy rights Congress granted to people who might want some control over the way phone and cable companies package and resell their private information.
Internet users may be able to choose search engines, email providers and social-media services that reflect their privacy preferences, but there's no effective competition among broadband ISPs, nor much room for entry by new carriers trying to reach privacy-conscious consumers. Access providers exploit their bottleneck position to collect nearly every detail about who we talk to, what we do and say online, and-thanks to location tracking-where we do it.
And most importantly, it's not a question of whether Facebook and Google are threats to privacy. They are. But that's no reason to ignore the laws that protect people's privacy from ISPs, out of some misguided sense that the FCC has to abdicate its responsibilities to be "fair" to companies it has clear jurisdiction to regulate. Without the protections the FCC put in place under Pai's predecessor, even the savviest consumers would be unable to fully protect their online privacy from prying eyes.
Pai on Offering Affordable Broadband to Those in Need
"If we are going to refocus Lifeline on broadband, our goal should be increasing broadband adoption-that is, helping Americans without internet access across the digital divide, not supporting those who have already made the leap."
In his first speech as FCC chairman, Pai pledged to "bring the benefits of the digital age to all Americans." But within days he was marching to another tune, hobbling one of the main programs the FCC had designed to fulfill that promise.
Lifeline exists to help low-income families, allowing them to connect and communicate without having to make difficult choices about how to allocate scarce resources. Those choices are exactly what Pai's unlawful (and immoral) approach to universal service fails to recognize. Broadband adoption and affordability issues are not a simplistic on/off switch; they're intrinsically tied to people's overall income and spending choices.
In our 2017 report Digital Denied, Free Press explored the digital divide in depth. While Pai insists that many Internet non-adopters are capable of paying these costs out of their own pockets, our findings prove otherwise. Among home Internet non-adopters within the $35,000–59,999 income bracket, 22 percent cited "can't afford it" as their reason for not adopting. Within that same income bracket, 25 percent said they'd be willing to subscribe if prices were lower.
The root cause of the adoption gap is the lack of affordability, and that's primarily the result of a market with inadequate competition and too few affordable choices.
Pai's solution, absent Lifeline benefits, is to give significant tax breaks to the handful of powerful ISPs that control the broadband-access marketplace. Sacrificing tax revenue to fund the construction of gigabit networks in below-average-income neighborhoods-despite the fact that most of these deployment projects are under way even without any such tax giveaways-does nothing to make these services more affordable to any of the 69 million people who still lack any form of home internet access.
And Pai's proposal doesn't even begin to address the difficult choices that far too many people are forced to make. Families in great need may choose to spend their limited dollars on housing, heat or food. Those who do sign up for broadband to look for jobs or let their kids do their homework may have to give up buying enough of those other essentials every month just to keep the internet connection on.
Helping all Americans get connected to an open and affordable internet involves more than delivering empty speeches. And handing out favors to a few powerful broadband incumbents certainly isn't the answer. But so far, Pai has given us little reason to believe he's interested in doing anything other than that. No FCC chair over the past 40 years has been so bent on undermining the agency's public-service mission and destroying the safeguards on which hundreds of millions of Americans rely.
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Review Article| April 2010
Simulation-based Assessment in Anesthesiology: Requirements for Practical Implementation
John R. Boulet, Ph.D.;
John R. Boulet, Ph.D.
*Associate Vice President, Research and Data Resources, Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
David J. Murray, M.D.;
David J. Murray, M.D.
†Anesthetist-in-Chief, St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri, and Carol B and Jerome T Loeb Professor of Medicine, Director, Howard and Joyce Wood Simulation Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
David S. Warner, M.D.
Anesthesiology April 2010, Vol. 112, 1041–1052.
https://doi.org/10.1097/ALN.0b013e3181cea265
John R. Boulet, David J. Murray, David S. Warner; Simulation-based Assessment in Anesthesiology: Requirements for Practical Implementation. Anesthesiology 2010; 112:1041–1052 doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/ALN.0b013e3181cea265
Simulations have taken a central role in the education and assessment of medical students, residents, and practicing physicians. The introduction of simulation-based assessments in anesthesiology, especially those used to establish various competencies, has demanded fairly rigorous studies concerning the psychometric properties of the scores. Most important, major efforts have been directed at identifying, and addressing, potential threats to the validity of simulation-based assessment scores. As a result, organizations that wish to incorporate simulation-based assessments into their evaluation practices can access information regarding effective test development practices, the selection of appropriate metrics, the minimization of measurement errors, and test score validation processes. The purpose of this article is to provide a broad overview of the use of simulation for measuring physician skills and competencies. For simulations used in anesthesiology, studies that describe advances in scenario development, the development of scoring rubrics, and the validation of assessment results are synthesized. Based on the summary of relevant research, psychometric requirements for practical implementation of simulation-based assessments in anesthesiology are forwarded. As technology expands, and simulation-based education and evaluation takes on a larger role in patient safety initiatives, the groundbreaking work conducted to date can serve as a model for those individuals and organizations that are responsible for developing, scoring, or validating simulation-based education and assessment programs in anesthesiology.
feedback, inference, internship and residency, licensure, manikins, measurement error, medical residencies, patient safety, psychometrics, simulators
THE specific purpose of this article is to provide an overview of some of the issues that must be addressed to more fully embrace simulation-based methodology in the assessment of anesthesiologists. These assessments are formative (e.g. , education of residents), involving detailed participant feedback, or summative (e.g. , graduation requirement and board certification), with higher stakes consequences for those who participate. The following four general areas are highlighted: defining the pertinent skills and choosing relevant simulation tasks, establishing appropriate metrics, determining the sources of measurement error in test scores, and providing evidence to support the validity of test score inferences. For each of these areas, a general discussion is integrated with a brief review and synthesis of relevant anesthesia-related investigations. Because many of the logistic impediments have been addressed as part of recently established performance-based certification and licensure examinations,1and the specific challenges of integrating simulation into the existing anesthesia training curricula have been noted,2the discussion, in both general and specific to anesthesiology, will center on psychometric issues and not those associated with test administration logistics, physical test site specifications, or curriculum development. Knowing more about the specific psychometric challenges and potential solutions allows for further expansion of simulation-based assessment in anesthesiology. Before these challenges are outlined, a brief overview of the use of simulation, in both general and specific to anesthesiology, is presented.
The need for assessments that encompass the skills required for specialty practice remains a priority of the Institute of Medicine. However, the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation, a pioneering organization in promoting safety, in responding to the report of the Institute of Medicine observed that these assessments “are not a simple matter and (defining and assessing competence in practice) will require considerable research.”‡Fortunately, previously conducted studies, both in anesthesiology and in other disciplines, have led to enhancements across the spectrum of simulation modalities, including advances in scenario design, the formulation and utilization of sophisticated scoring algorithms, and the development of innovative methodologies to set performance standards. Moreover, considerable research has been undertaken with the express purpose of identifying potential threats to the validity of test score interpretations. Although there will certainly continue to be psychometric, and other, difficulties, past experience with performance-based assessments would suggest that most challenges can be addressed through focused research efforts.
Performance assessments in medicine have a long history.3Various simulation modalities have been used to assess student, resident, and practitioner competence as well as to identify curricular deficiencies.4–9Recently, based primarily on concerns related to physician competency and patient safety, summative assessments, including those targeting specific performance domains, have been incorporated into the process used to license and certify physicians.10In contrast to formative assessments, where the primary goal is to provide feedback to the individual concerning strengths and weaknesses, summative evaluation activities are meant to determine some endpoint status (e.g. , competent or not competent; ready to practice independently). Appropriately, these types of assessments, in addition to focusing on the evaluation of knowledge and clinical reasoning, have targeted other important competencies such as patient care, interpersonal and communication skills,11and teamwork.12
One of the main simulation modalities used to assess the clinical skills of physicians involves the employment of standardized patients, lay people who are trained to portray the mannerisms and model the complaints of real patients.1,13–15In developing these standardized patient-based simulations, especially those associated with certification and licensure, much was learned about examination design, test administration and logistics, quality assurance and, perhaps most important, psychometrics.16,17With respect to examination design, efforts were made to model simulation scenarios to specifically measure certain skills in a realistic way by choosing simulated patient complaints based on actual practice data.18Likewise, to ensure the precision of the scores, and any associated competency decisions,19,20both quantitative and qualitative performance-based quality assurance measures have been developed.21As testing practices evolve, and new simulation modalities emerge, they will need to be similarly scrutinized with respect to the reliability of the scores (or decisions made based on the scores), the validity of the inferences one can make based on the scores, and their overall fairness.
In anesthesiology, computer-based case management scenarios, task trainers, and mannequins have all been used as part of both formative and summative simulation-based assessments. From a general perspective, Seropian et al. 22,23provided a detailed overview of the concepts and methodology of simulation in medicine. Issenberg et al. 24summarize the benefits of simulation-based assessment and outline the use of simulation technology for healthcare professional skills training and assessment. Schwid25presents a synopsis of high fidelity mannequin-based simulations and the available technologies. Similarly, Cooper and Taqueti26provide a brief history of the development of mannequin simulators for clinical education and training. Cumin and Merry27review the current spectrum of anesthetic simulators and provide guidelines for their selection for specific tasks. Ziv et al. 28provide an overview of credentialing and certification with simulation. There are even guidelines for those who want to include standardized patients in their anesthesia training programs.29,30Sinz31describes the history of anesthesiology's role in simulation and the efforts of the American Society of Anesthesiologists to promote simulation-based instruction. Scalese et al. 32summarize the use of technology for skills training and competency assessment in medical education. Finally, going forward, Gaba33provides a future vision of simulation in healthcare. Taken together, these reviews, guidelines, and ideas delimit the potential uses of simulation technologies for the education and assessment of anesthesiologists.
Although much of the simulation work in anesthesiology has been limited to part-task (e.g. , airway management trainers) or full-body models (i.e. , electromechanical mannequins), the vast array of research conducted so far has advanced the entire field of performance assessment. In particular, several articles have specifically identified the numerous challenges and opportunities,23,33–37promoted the use of simulation-based assessment to identify individual skills deficiencies and associated curricular problems,38–42evaluated human factors and systems-level problems43and, as part of continuing medical education activities, advocated simulations for use as part of the assessment of anesthesiologists with lapsed skills.44As well, much of the research conducted so far has focused on the individual trainee or practitioner, including physicians in need of remediation44and those involved in self-directed lifelong learning activities.24Recently, the American Board of Anesthesiology outlined the four steps required for maintenance of certification in anesthesia. One step in the process involves the evaluation of practice ability; candidates can demonstrate this practice performance assessment and improvement at accredited simulation centers. Over their 10-yr Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology (MOCA) cycle, diplomates must complete two practice performance assessment and improvement activities. By including a step that requires practice performance assessment and improvement, albeit formative in nature, relatively infrequent, and not specifically associated with performance standards, the American Board of Anesthesiology recognizes the role of simulated environments in improving skill and expertise. Moreover, given the more recent emphasis on the education and evaluation of teams in high-acuity medical situations45and the assessment of interprofessional communication,46the high fidelity simulated environment offers the potential to assess many of the complex skills needed by specialists. Anesthesiologists can practice skills that improve their clinical and teamwork competencies, especially in preventing and managing critical events and maintaining their expertise in handling uncommon and rare events. To do this effectively, however, care must be taken to create simulation scenarios that yield meaningful scores.
Defining the Skills and Choosing the Appropriate Simulation Tasks
Although much has been written about the development of mannequin simulators and the design of educational programs,9,22,24,47the construction of quality simulation-based assessments continues to be a difficult task. Test developers must pay attention to the intended purpose of the test, the knowledge and skills to be evaluated and, for performance-based activities, the specific context for, and design of, the exercises.48To be effective, the assessment activities must also be targeted at the ability level of the examinee.49If the purpose of the assessment is not clear, then any ability measures that are gathered may be inaccurate. The choice of skills to be evaluated is usually guided by curricular information, competency guidelines, §and the technical limitations of the chosen simulators.35Once these evaluation issues have been identified and synthesized, one is left with the task of specifying the simulation parameters. Most important among these is choosing the particular scenarios that offer the best opportunity to sample the knowledge and skills that one wishes to measure. For anesthesiology, and other specialties, one can access available data resources such as the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey∥to determine the most prevalent conditions and procedures. However, often the best opportunity to assess specific skill sets such as clinical decision making and communication is to select rare, or reasonably complex, events such as when air is entrained during an operation or when septic shock complicates the perioperative period. Based on existing performance-based certification and licensure examinations, an effective strategy has been to rely on both healthcare data resources, where available, and expert judgment.
With the rapid development of simulator technology, including full body mannequins and part-task trainers, the potential domain for assessment, both in terms of the skills being measured and the tasks that can be modeled, has greatly expanded.27,50,51For example, with the newer electromechanical mannequins, in addition to an inventory of preprogrammed scenarios, simpler and more intuitive programming interfaces allow faculty to model scenarios with realistic respiratory mechanics, carbon dioxide waveforms, and hemodynamic responses. For other simulation modalities such as standardized patients, it is often difficult, if not impossible, to measure procedural and management skills. Mannequins and part task trainers can be used to evaluate specific therapeutic skills (e.g. , airway management, venipuncture techniques, administering drugs, and cognitive steps in decision making) and, in combination with other simulation modalities, abilities related to resource management, professionalism, and teamwork.52,53Similar to the expansion of knowledge-based item-testing formats, the introduction of new simulation modalities provides an opportunity to measure various skills in different and more realistic ways, a change that should eventually yield more robust and defensible assessments.
Although the introduction of new simulation modalities will certainly expand the assessment domain, there are some limitations with current technologies, many of which have been acknowledged in the literature.54First, even with the most sophisticated high fidelity mannequins, some presentations and patient conditions cannot be modeled very well (e.g. , sweating, changes in skin color, and response to painful stimuli). As a result, there will still be a need to incorporate assessment activities that involve direct patient contact. Second, for electromechanical mannequins, the interrelationships between different physiologic variables can be imperfect, especially when attempting to simulate a patient with an unstable condition who then receives multiple pharmacologic interventions. If the simulator responds unpredictably to a given intervention (e.g. , coadministration of an anesthetic and an inotropic drug), whether this a function of canned programming or operator intervention, those being assessed may become confused and act in ways that are consistent with instructional feedback but inconsistent with intended patient care expectations. As a result, it will be difficult to have any confidence in the assessment results. Moreover, to the extent that those being assessed are continually queued by changes in monitored output, improperly scripted or modeled scenarios, or ones that are unnecessarily complex, will provide a poor milieu for evaluating ability.35Those charged with developing simulation-based assessments must balance the need to measure specific abilities with technological limitations of the simulators, recognizing that many conditions cannot be simulated with sufficient fidelity, potentially compromising stakeholder buy in.55,56
The scenario is the fundamental building block of most simulation-based assessments in anesthesiology. In general, the design and development procedures for a simulation-based assessment include the following: selecting competence domains that are amenable to a simulation environment, defining the expected skills that are needed to diagnose and manage the crisis, and designing a scenario that has the required skills embedded into the framework. In anesthesiology, the development of simulation scenarios, both computer- and mannequin-based, has been described in detail and typically involves a structured process to gather the insights and opinions of experts in the field.57–59The process of scenario development and selection can later be cross-referenced with curriculum, training, or certification expectations. For anesthesia specialty training, the Joint Council on In-Training Examinations, a committee of the American Society of Anesthesiologists and American Board of Anesthesiology, publishes a relatively detailed content outline that delineates the basic and clinical sciences areas (including anesthesia procedures, methods, and techniques) that a specialist must be knowledgeable about.#Scenarios for many of the content areas described in the outline can easily be simulated for both education and assessment. For example, the recognition and management of the side-effects of anesthetic drugs, respiratory depression, hypotension, anaphylaxis, cardiovascular events (arrhythmias, myocardial ischemia), surgical procedures (air entrainment, hemorrhage), and complications related to equipment failure can all be modeled in simulation scenarios. Overall, the simulated environment is an ideal setting to explore many of the conditions, side-effects, and complications that are listed as key content domains in the outline.
The practice domain of anesthesia is fairly well defined, and the majority of simulated scenarios tend to concentrate on the skill sets expected during a crisis. The rationale for selecting the crisis event as the content of a typical scenario is based on a number of considerations. First, a physician's failure to rapidly manage an acute-care event is often associated with an adverse patient outcome. In a critical patient care setting, or in a situation where unexpected anesthetic or surgical complications arise, the outcome may hinge on whether or not the anesthesiologist knows how to manage a crisis. Second, physicians, particularly residents, frequently manifest skill deficits in performing a logical, sequential, and timely patient evaluation. The “borderline” resident often struggles with setting priorities, managing time effectively, and recognizing when to call for help. In clinical practice, residents with serious skill deficits in these essential domains are often not recognized until multiple questionable judgments and skills deficits are observed in a crisis setting. The acute care simulation is useful in assessing a resident's skill in managing many of these common but difficult-to-evaluate skill sets.59Scenarios designed around acute care events typically include skills in setting priorities, generating hypotheses, processing knowledge, assigning probabilities, isolating important from unimportant information, integrating competing issues, acknowledging limits, and learning when to call for assistance.60Finally, critical events normally include a compressed timeline. A scenario designed to assess the dynamic, interrelated skills required to resolve a crisis quickly can tap numerous abilities, including communication, planning, and both inferential and deductive reasoning.
Specifying what needs to be assessed, both in practice and as part of educational activities is not necessarily complex. However, as some skills are quite difficult to measure (i.e. , teamwork),61and various practice situations (i.e. , ones involving multiple healthcare workers) are not easily modeled in the simulation environment, there remain difficult challenges. One of the most important of these, described in the next section, is the development of fair, reliable, and valid outcome measures.37
Developing Appropriate Metrics
If simulation-based activities are to be used for assessment-related activities, either formative or summative, appropriate metrics must be constructed. One needs to be reasonably certain that the scores, however gathered, reflect “true” ability. In anesthesiology, and other disciplines that use simulations as part of education and certification, creating these rubrics is certainly one of the main assessment challenges. Although much has been learned from the development of performance-based assessments of clinical skills that utilize standardized patients,62the adaptation of some of this knowledge to those types of simulations that would be appropriate for anesthesiology is not without difficulties. With this in mind, efforts to develop scoring metrics for high fidelity simulators are currently expanding at a rapid pace.12,58,63–66
Based on the literature related to simulation-based assessment in anesthesiology, two types of scores have predominated—explicit process and implicit process. Explicit process scores take the form of commonly used checklists or key actions. For a given simulation scenario, content experts (usually practitioners), often with the support of patient care guidelines, determine which actions, based on the presenting complaint, are important for the candidate (medical student, resident, practicing physician) to complete to properly manage the scenario.63,64,67For example, to manage intraoperative hypoxemia, an anesthesiologist should take a number of initial steps to correct hypoxia (100% O2) as well as diagnose the cause (auscultation, evaluate lung compliance, carbon dioxide waveform, and others). These important management activities, when listed as checklist items or key actions, are the logical basis of the scoring rubric. While the weighting of checklist items may have little impact on the overall score, especially for more common clinical presentations where individual tasks are conditionally dependent,68this strategy may be appropriate for some acute care simulation events such malignant hyperthermia. Here, certain actions such as recognizing the condition and then administering dantrolene must be done to effectively manage the patient's condition. In essence, the shortening of checklists to essential key actions implicitly weights critical procedural or management tasks. Unfortunately, although checklists, or shorter key actions, have worked reasonably well and have provided modestly reproducible scores depending on the number of simulated scenarios,58they have been criticized for a number of reasons. First, checklists, while objective in terms of scoring, can be subjective in terms of construction.69Even if specific practice guidelines exist for given conditions informing what goes on the checklist, there can still be considerable debate as to which actions are important or necessary given the patient's condition. Without this consensus, one could certainly question the validity of the scenario scores. Second, the use of checklists often promotes rote behaviors such as using rapid-fire questioning techniques or performing many, some perhaps irrelevant, procedures. Third, and likely most germane for acute care simulations typical to anesthesia, it is difficult to take into account timing and sequencing when using checklists or key actions. Here, one can envision many scenarios where it is not only important what the physician does but also the order and timing. For example, in a scenario associated with a circuit leak, the participant who quickly recognizes and rapidly corrects the hypoventilation would more successfully avert a more serious prolonged period of hypoventilation leading to hypoxia. Although checklist-based timing has been used in some evaluations,70,71the order of actions, at least for explicit process-based scoring, is often ignored completely.
Implicit process scoring, where the entire performance is rated as a whole, can also be used in simulation-based assessments. In the physician community, there is often considerable reluctance to use rating scales, citing concerns regarding interrater reliability. However, based on the literature, holistic or global rating scales can be effective, psychometrically defensible tools for measuring certain constructs, especially those that are complex and multidimensional such as teamwork and communication.65,72–74In many situations, avoiding rating scales, simply because they involve expert judgment rather than the documentation of explicit actions, may not be advisable. With proper construction and effective rater training, they can be used to measure some important medical skills, including the nontechnical aspects of anesthesia practice. They also allow raters to take into account egregious actions and unnecessary patient management strategies (e.g. , performing a needle decompression of the left chest for a scenario requiring an endobronchial intubation), something that would be quite difficult to do with checklists or even key actions.75From a reliability perspective, even though two raters watching the same simulation encounter may not produce the exact same score, or scores, it is often possible to minimize this source of error. In addition, where systematic differences in rater stringency exist, score equating strategies can be used.76In many instances, especially those where multiple scenario assessments are used, one may actually prefer to sacrifice some measurement precision to achieve greater score validity.17
When developing rating scales (implicit process measures), evaluators often concentrate solely on the measurement rubric (i.e. , specification of the constructs that are going to be measured and deciding the number of score points for the scale), frequently ignoring any rater training or quality assurance regimes. Although physician raters are clearly content experts, this does not necessarily qualify them to be evaluators. Regardless of their clinical experience and capabilities, evaluators need to be trained to use implicit process measures. Training protocols can include specific rater exercises (e.g. , rating benchmarked performances), various quality assurance measures (e.g. , double rating a sample of examinee performances), and periodic refresher training. By developing a meaningful rubric and ensuring, through training, that the evaluators are providing ratings that accurately reflect examinee abilities, it is possible to minimize bias and produce more valid measures of performance.
The impetus to create physician-specific ability measures,77,78combined with advances in simulator technology, provides an opportunity to develop new, perhaps more meaningful, measurement rubrics. Many of the available electromechanical devices typically used in anesthesia training can generate machine-readable records of the physiologic responses of the mannequin as well as the treatments used during the simulation. Provided that the mannequin responds realistically and reproducibly to any intervention (e.g. , ventilation or drug therapy), and the timing of the actions can be demarked, then it should be possible to develop explicit performance measures that are based on patient (simulator) outcomes. For example, in a scenario associated with hypoventilation such as endotracheal tube obstruction or cuff leak, the changes in the mannequin's minute ventilation and carbon dioxide may serve as a reasonable measure of the participant's performance. While developing these types of scoring metrics will require some additional work in scenario design and construction, this approach may provide a more effective and timely method to assess performance and provide feedback to participants.
For anesthesiology-related simulation activities, studies have specifically reported the processes used to develop scoring rubrics59,79and, historically, the need to refine the existing rating systems.80Byrne and Greaves81provide a review of the assessment instruments used for anesthetic simulations, highlighting the need for better measurement tools. For checklists, key actions, and even holistic rating scales, attention has been paid to the construct being measured (e.g. , clinical decision making), the applicability of various simulation technologies for gathering performance measures and, where applicable, relevant practice guidelines. For many simulation-based assessment activities, expert panels, often as part of some structured Delphi technique, have developed the scoring rubrics.64,67Even though this strategy is appropriate, there is often little documented evidence regarding the qualifications of the panelists or the subsequent training of the raters. Although physicians are normally used as raters, and the rating is often accomplished via video review, establishing effective rater training programs is paramount, especially when the correctness of certain actions that are scored is open to some interpretation. Without this, any structured activity to develop scoring rubrics may still not yield meaningful scores.
For anesthesia simulations, “technical” skills such as airway management, drug administration, and placement of catheters have used checklists or key actions. In contrast, “nontechnical” skills such as communication, planning, teamwork and situation awareness, which play a key role in anesthesia,82have generally incorporated some form of holistic rating scale. Given the multidimensional nature of constructs such as communication skills, a more subjective rating methodology seems apropos. Various studies have looked at the relationships between scoring modalities, with some concluding that the relative ranking of participant abilities does not vary much whether holistic or analytic (checklist/key action) scores are used.59,83This finding will certainly depend on the type of simulation encounter used and the specific construct being measured. Based on the research conducted to date, the use of key action scores does seem to hold some advantages, at least for measuring procedural skills. First, at least for acute care scenarios, there is generally relatively little disagreement on what constitutes key actions. Second, they are relatively easy to score. Finally, if time stamps are used for critical actions, the sequencing of these actions can be captured. Overall, although much work has been has been conducted to develop meaningful rubrics for anesthesiology-based simulations, additional research aimed at specifically informing the construction and adoption of various measurement scales is certainly warranted.81
Assessing the Reliability of Test Scores
For simulation-based assessments, whether used for formative (e.g. , residency education) or summative (e.g. , certification or licensure) purposes, one needs to be reasonably confident that the scores are reliable. Compared with typical knowledge-based tests, there can be many other sources of measurement error in simulation-based assessments, including those associated with the rater.20,84If these sources, or facets, are not accounted for in the design, one can get an incomplete picture concerning the reliability of the scores. Where checklist or key actions are used to generate scores for a simulation scenario, internal consistency coefficients are typically calculated.85Although these coefficients can be presented as reliability indices, they provide only a measure of the consistency of examinee performance, across scoring items, within a scenario. For a multiscenario assessment, provided that care was taken in developing the scenario-specific performance measures, and specific skills are being assessed, one should be more concerned with the consistency of examinees' scores over encounters, and not within each individual one. Often, some measure of interrater reliability is also computed.86,87While scoring consistency between raters is certainly important, relying solely on a scenario-based measure of agreement is also incomplete. Even if two raters are somewhat inconsistent in their scoring, this may not necessarily lead to an unreliable total assessment score. To better understand the sources of measurement error in a multiscenario performance-based simulation assessment, generalizability (G) studies are often used.88,89These studies are conducted to specifically delimit the relative magnitude of various error sources and their associated interactions. Following the G-study, decision (D) studies can be undertaken to determine the optimal scoring design (e.g. , number of simulated encounters or number of raters per given encounter): that is, one that will provide sufficiently reliable scores given the purpose of the assessment.
Within the performance assessment literature, many studies have been conducted to estimate the impact of various designs on the reproducibility of the scores.90Although raters have been identified as a source of variability, their overall impact on reliability, given proper training and well-specified rubrics, tends to be minimal, often being far outweighed by task sampling variance. Essentially, given the content specificity of certain simulation tasks, especially those that are designed to assess technical skills, examinees may perform inconsistently from one task (or scenario) to the next. For example, based on previous experience and training, a participant may effectively recognize and treat anaphylaxis, yet fail to diagnose or effectively manage myocardial ischemia. As a result, if there are few tasks, and one is attempting to measure overall clinical ability, the reliability of the assessment score can be poor. To think of this concept another way, if we are trying to measure skills in patient management, for example, more performance samples (simulated scenarios) will mitigate the overall impact of content specificity, thus yielding a more precise overall ability measure. In general, for these types of performance-based assessments, issues regarding inadequate score reliability can be best addressed by increasing the number of simulated tasks rather than increasing the number of raters per given encounter or simulated scenario. As well, to minimize any rater effects, it is usually most effective to use as many different raters as possible for any given examinee (e.g. , a different rater for every task or scenario).17
In anesthesiology, there are some unique challenges associated with the development of simulation-based assessments, especially those where fairly reliable estimates of ability are required. Unlike many performance-based assessments in clinical medicine, where fairly generic skills are being measured (e.g. , history taking), the management of patients by anesthesiologists can be very task specific. Where this is true, and one wants to measure skills related to patient management, it could take many more encounters to achieve a reproducible measure of ability. Fortunately, many important events in anesthesia practice, including a large number that can be effectively modeled in a simulated environment, require fairly rapid interventions. Unlike typical standardized patient-based cases, which usually last from 10 to 20 min, acute care scenarios can easily be modeled to take place in a 5-min period. Given that the simulation scenarios can be relatively short, it is possible to include more of them in an assessment. Moreover, for nontechnical skills such as communication, task specificity would likely not be as great. Here, one would not expect that an individual's ability to communicate with the patient, or other healthcare provider, would vary much as a function of type of simulated event. Therefore, fewer behavioral samples (scenarios) would be needed to yield a reliable total score.
Given the amount of work that has been conducted to develop scoring rubrics for anesthesia-related simulation assessments,64it is not surprising that efforts have been directed at disentangling various sources of measurement error in the scores. As is common in medicine, the initial focus of many psychometric investigations rests with establishing interrater reliability. As noted previously, while it is important that two or more raters viewing the same performance are reasonably consistent in their evaluations, this is only one facet to take into account.16Interestingly, some investigations provide evidence to support rater consistency74,91–94while others do not.12,95While the exact cause for these disparate findings is hard to pinpoint, it likely rests with differences in the skills being assessed, the assessment mode (e.g. , live vs. videotape review), the choice of scoring rubrics, and whether specific rater training protocols are used.16All these factors could have some measurable impact on rater consistency. Recently, there has been a general recognition that obtaining reasonably precise measures of ability requires multiple scenarios or tasks sampled over a relatively broad content domain.96However, some behavioral attributes such as communication and teamwork may be less dependent on content knowledge, thus requiring fewer performance samples. In an investigation of the psychometric properties of a simulation-based assessment of anesthesiologists, Weller et al. 97reported that 12–15 scenarios were needed to reliably rank trainees on their ability to manage simulated crises. Several studies of anesthesia residents and anesthesiologists have incorporated multistation assessments, reporting reasonable interstation reliabilities for evaluations that incorporate 8–12 scenarios.58,59,98
Providing Evidence to Support the Validity of Test Score Inferences
Validity relates to the inferences that we want to make based on the assessment scores. Inspecting the simulation literature, in general, and the research related to performance-based examinations, in particular, there are numerous potential sources of evidence to support the validity of test scores and the associated inferences made based on these scores.99–101However, it should be noted that the validation process is never complete and that scores may be valid for one purpose and not for another. Additional evidence to support the intended test score inferences can always be gathered.
For performance-based assessments, there has been a heavy emphasis on content related issues.102,103To support the content validity of the assessment, simulated scenarios are often modeled and scripted based on actual practice characteristics, including the types of patients that are normally seen in particular settings. With respect to rubrics, special care is usually taken to define the specific skill sets and to develop measures, often from an evidence-based perspective, that adequately reflect them. Finally, the encounters are typically modeled in realistic ways, using the same equipment that would be found in a real operating theater or other venue. All of these strategies, including feedback from stakeholders regarding the verisimilitude of the simulated scenarios,104will help support the content validity of the test scores.
If a simulation-based assessment is designed to measure certain skills, then it is imperative that evidence be procured to support this claim.105Various strategies can be used to accomplish this goal. If several skills are being measured, then one could postulate relationships among them. For example, if the simulation is designed to measure both procedural and communication skills, then one would expect that the scores for these two domains should be somewhat, albeit imperfectly, related. Likewise, if external measures are available (e.g. , knowledge-based in-training examination scores) one might postulate both strong and weak relationships between the simulation assessment scores and these criterion measures. Often, the criterion measure is some measure of clinical experience. Here, one would normally expect that individuals with greater expertise (e.g. , more advanced training or board certification) and having proper training will perform better on the simulation tasks.58,71,94,106,107If this is not the case, then one could question whether valid inferences can be made based on the assessment scores. Overall, to the extent that postulated relationships, both internal and external, substantiate the hypothesized relationships, support for the validity of test score interpretations can be gathered.
Unlike the more common formative simulation-based assessments, the purpose of some simulation-based evaluations is to ensure the public that the individual who passes the examination is fit to practice, either independently or under supervision. Here, it is imperative that score-based decisions are valid and reproducible. To accomplish this, a variety of standard setting techniques are available, some of which have been applied for acute care mannequin-based assessments.108As part of a structured process, subject-matter experts make judgments, either based on the score scale or some sampling of performances, concerning minimal competency as it relates to the particular simulation task. Using various statistical procedures, these judgments are then used to derive an appropriate cut-score, the point on the score scale that separates those who are minimally adequate (or some other definition) from those who are not. Unfortunately, while defensible cut-scores can be established for performance-based assessments, procuring evidence to support the validity of the associated decisions can be complicated.109Although performance on the simulation-based assessment may be indicative of future aptitude or competence, and there are some longitudinal studies that support this for certain skills,110the predictive relationships may be weak and difficult to measure.111From a research perspective, only those who “pass” the initial assessment can be studied; individuals who do not demonstrate competence are generally not allowed to practice, effectively attenuating any relationships between the assessment scores and any future outcome measure. Nevertheless, the introduction of simulation-based assessment, if done correctly, can provide the public with greater assurance that practitioners are qualified.44,112Also, if the consequential impact of other previously implemented assessments is a guide, this will ultimately lead to a growth in simulation-based educational programs, a change that will likely lead to greater patient safety.113–115
Although the simulation-based training of anesthesiologists has taken place for some time, and there were early calls for establishing the efficacy of this training,116more rigorous studies aimed at establishing the validity of assessment scores have come only more recently. From a content validity perspective, simulation scenarios have been modeled on real patient events and have included scoring rubrics that are keyed to practice-based guidelines. Moreover, in addition to specific patient management tasks, simulation scenarios have been developed to specifically target nontechnical skills such as communication, teamwork, and clinical decision making.12,117,118Although not generally considered strong evidence for validity, several studies have provided data summarizing the opinions of those being assessed. Based on various simulation modalities, and a host of clinical presentations, most studies indicate that participants thought that the exercises were realistic and pedagogically useful with respect to clinical training and competency assessment.119,120Berkenstadt et al. ,91based on simulations incorporated in the Israeli Board Examination in anesthesiology, reported that those exposed to this form of assessment preferred it to the traditional oral examination. Given that trainees need to demonstrate specific skills, Savoldelli et al. 92also supported the use of simulations as an adjunct to the oral examination for senior anesthesia residents. As simulation technology expands, the breadth of clinical scenarios that can be modeled will certainly increase, providing additional opportunities to gather content validity evidence.
Other sources of validity evidence have been reported throughout the literature. If the scoring systems are appropriate, and actually measure the intended construct, or constructs, then one would expect that those individuals with more training and experience would perform better. Likewise, given the effects of experiential education, especially if it involves repetitive practice and appropriate feedback, those being trained with simulators should show some performance gains over time or with additional training.83,121Going back almost 20 yr, a number of studies involving the assessment of medical students, residents, and practicing anesthesiologists have demonstrated this finding.64,122Moreover, individuals participating in simulator training have been able to retain their skills over time.123In addition to the evidence that supports the discriminant validity of the simulation-based exercises,98,124some studies have looked at the relationships between simulation scores and other measures of performance such as written tests of knowledge, course grades, and various nonsimulation-based resident evaluations.125From a criterion-related validity perspective, some studies have shown a moderate relationship between simulation performance and knowledge. Schwid et al. 94reported positive correlations between simulation scores and both faculty evaluations and American Board of Anesthesiology written in-training examination scores. While other studies have shown little relationship between simulation scores and other evaluations,126,127this may be a function of differences in the constructs that are being measured. Investigators are quick to acknowledge that knowing what to do, which can be measured in many different ways, is somewhat different from showing what you can actually do, either in a real or simulated environment. As an example, one could envision an anesthesiology resident who performs well on in-training assessments, indicating knowledge of what to do in certain situations, but cannot effectively use this knowledge in managing a real or simulated event. To explain some simulator-criterion relationships, or lack thereof, one must not forget that to effectively use simulators as assessments devices, those individuals being evaluated must have some familiarity with the devices.119Often, the orientation process is insufficient. As a result, one might expect only moderate associations between simulator performance and other, perhaps marginally related, ability measures.
From a validity perspective, the strongest evidence lies with the establishment of a link between simulator performance and practice with real patients. To date, there have been relatively few studies that have shown a significant impact of simulator training from a patient outcome perspective. Unlike many other disciplines, there has, however, been some excellent work to show that skills acquired in the simulation environment transfer to “real world” situations. For example, Weller et al. 128used simulation scenarios to investigate the impact of trained assistance on error rates in anesthesia and concluded that a simulation-based model can provide rigorous evidence on safety interventions. For resuscitation skills, Domuracki et al. 129found that learning on the simulator, provided there was appropriate feedback, transferred to clinical practice. Kuduvalli et al. 130also reported long-term retention and transferability of acquired skills into subsequent clinical practice. Unfortunately, these findings were only based on questionnaire responses. Although it can be considered as indirect validity evidence, Blum et al. 131reported that training courses, often using simulation, can make faculty staff eligible for malpractice premium reductions. Even with these sources of validity evidence, there is still a need to continue to address the long-term effects of experiential learning on the retention of knowledge and acquired skills. More important, while extremely difficult to do, establishing a causal link between simulator performance and actual patient outcomes is essential.132
The expansion of simulation models, including those using mannequins and part-task trainers, will lead to many more opportunities to model real-life events. This, in turn, will demand additional investigations to support the use of the resulting assessment scores, either for educational activities (e.g. , for providing feedback to anesthesia trainees) or, more importantly, for higher stakes decisions concerning provider competency, including those associated with licensure and maintenance of certification activities.
From a development perspective, defining the skills and choosing appropriate simulation tasks is paramount. Simulation scenarios constructed to measure teamwork and communication skills may not be suited to measure procedural skills. Ideally, simulation scenarios should be modeled on real events and constructed in such a way as to provide the best milieu to evaluate the skills of interest, whether technical or nontechnical. To accomplish this goal, expert opinion, combined with relevant practice guidelines (if they exist), are the key elements. If the development of the simulation scenarios is not sufficiently rigorous, the assessment scores, regardless of the purpose of the evaluation, or who is being evaluated, may not have much meaning.
Once the content area, or areas, has been identified, developing appropriate metrics for simulation-based assessment activities is paramount. Whether one is providing residents with feedback, or assessing competence as part of certification or licensure activities, scores are needed. In general, the choice of metrics will depend on what is being measured. For technical skills (e.g. , airway management), it is usually possible to identify observable key actions and develop analytic measurement tools. For nontechnical skills, such as communication and teamwork, rating scales are usually more appropriate. Regardless of the metric that is chosen, care must be taken to identify the elements, or behaviors, that anchor the score scale. For key actions, the raters must know when, and when not, to give credit. For holistic, or global, rating tools, the raters must be clear about the construct being measured (e.g. , teamwork) and how someone who is more able in this domain differs from someone who is less able.
For most simulation-based assessments, estimating the reliability scores is not that difficult. Addressing the various sources of measurement can, however, be quite challenging. For situations where the scores are being used for higher stakes purposes, aggregate scores from multiple scenarios will generally be needed to obtain a sufficiently reliable estimate of ability. One should think of the scenarios as vehicles to measure the skills—more scenarios, or testing time, will, in general, yield more reliable estimates of ability. Although one should also be concerned with potential rater effects (i.e. , interrater inconsistency), rater training, combined with various quality assurance activities, will help minimize this potential source of error. Those charged with implementing simulation-based assessments in anesthesiology must identify the various sources of measurement error and use this information, where possible, to modify the structure of their evaluations. If an individual's score is not a sufficiently precise measure of his/her ability, actions based on this score (e.g. , ranking within the class, the provision of feedback, and certification decisions) could be misleading or erroneous.
For simulation-based assessments, providing evidence to support the validity of test score inferences is essential. Even for lower stakes formative assessment activities, including practice performance assessment and improvement initiatives and maintenance of certification in anesthesiology-related activities, one needs to know that the scores are reasonably accurate reflections of the skills that are purportedly being evaluated. In anesthesiology, much work has been conducted to gather evidence to support the validity of simulation-based assessment scores. These efforts should ultimately lead to better, more defensible, assessments, ones that can be used to identify individual strengths and weaknesses, including competency deficits. Going forward, outcomes-based research centering on quantifying the paths between simulation-based assessment, skills acquisition (and decay), and patient safety are essential. Without additional construct validity evidence, the utility of simulation-based assessment, at least for higher stakes applications such as board certification and licensure (or maintenance of licensure), is likely to continue to be questioned.
Anesthesiology as a specialty has made numerous prescient commitments to safer patient care. The adoption of simulation by anesthesiologists was eventually recognized as an assessment modality that can overcome many of the inherent patient risks involved in specialty training. A physician's advanced diagnostic and therapeutic management skills, and the ability to integrate knowledge, apply clinical judgment, communicate, and work within a team, can all be assessed during a high fidelity simulation. These types of performance assessments, when constructed with care and appropriately validated, are considered an essential element in elevating practice standards and, ultimately, in improving the safety of anesthesia practice. Through years of research, the breadth of simulation activities in anesthesiology has widened, with model-based training and assessment, albeit currently limited in scope, now accepted as one of the steps to maintain certification in the profession. By adopting simulation-based training and assessment, and actively addressing many of the challenges associated with developing psychometrically sound evaluations, the specialty has recognized the need for professional skill development, continuing on a path demonstrating a long-term commitment to patient care.
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© Copyright 2021 American Society of Anesthesiologists
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Developing capability, partnerships and research in the Middle East and North Africa.
ABOUT R4HC
CONFLICT & HEALTH RESEARCH
POLITICAL ECONOMY OF HEALTH IN CONFLICT
CANCER & PALLIATIVE CARE IN CONFLICT
MENTAL HEALTH IN CONFLICT
WOMEN LEADERS IN CONFLICT & HEALTH
COURSES & FURTHER OPPORTUNITIES
MENA REGION PERSPECTIVES
CLINICAL PERSPECTIVES
Scaling up research capacity for health in conflict: creating real world health related outcomes for people affected by conflict
UK LAUNCH: RESEARCH FOR HEALTH IN CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
(R4HC-MENA)
On Friday 23rd November 2018 the R4HC Programme hosted its UK Launch at the British Academy, London. The launch brought together programme members, partners and stakeholders from across the UK and MENA regions to celebrate the programme’s achievements at the end of an exceptionally successful first year.
R4HC-MENA is funded by a £6m UK Research & Innovation Global Challenges Research Fund Award. The programme works across four primary work streams: Conflict and Health; Mental Health in Conflict; Cancer and Palliative Care in Conflict; Political Economy of Health in Conflict. The vision for the R4HC partnership is to build sustainable research capacity in the region to address major health challenges arising from conflict, specifically cancer and mental health as key NCDs, and facilitate more effective translation of research into policy. The partnership focuses on local and refugee populations in Jordan, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Lebanon and Turkey.
R4HC-MENA Chair Professor Richard Sullivan (KCL) introduced a distinguished panel of speakers, including Professor ‘Funmi Olonisakin (KCL Vice-President, International) who delivered the keynote speech on the key components of a programme aimed at solving multi-dimensional challenges: producing and encouraging the transfer of knowledge; creating leadership opportunities; and building sustainable partnerships. The panel of speakers also included Dr Fadlo Khuri, President of the American University of Beirut who described R4HC-MENA as a timely collaboration in an era of shared challenges that can only be met with strong partnerships and innovative programmes.
Some of these shared challenges were emphasised by the third panellist, Dr Asem Mansour (CEO and Director General of the King Hussein Cancer Centre in Amman, Jordan) who discussed the high prevalence of risk factors for NCDs in the MENA region where many of the health systems are ill equipped to deal with these burdens. He expressed powerfully his hope that robust partnerships, as demonstrated by R4HC, can assist in delivering a clear understanding of NCDs and health care more widely in the region in an effort to generate change through the translation of knowledge into policy and practice.
R4HC-MENA members then discussed the reasons they chose to become involved with the programme and what this partnership has meant for them. Dr Ping Guo (KCL) shared her experiences as a Research Associate with R4HC, describing how the programme has enlightened the minds of the early career researchers involved to further develop their own skills and abilities in a collaborative environment, while creating a new community to jointly achieve significant impact in the region.
R4HC-MENA Co-Chair Professor Rita Giacaman from Birzeit University in the Occupied Palestinian Territory shared her experiences of living in conflict afflicted conditions and focused on the invisible effects of war. She further emphasised one of the key aspirations of R4HC-MENA: individuals from different backgrounds recognising their differences and working together. This powerful message of joint working – and joint leadership – clearly resonated with R4HC-MENA members in the room.
Professor Tezer Kutluk, R4HC-MENA’s lead investigator in Turkey introduced the work of Hacettepe University (Ankara) and the importance of its partnership with R4HC-MENA in tackling common health problems in the region together. Research capacity is growing in Turkey and this partnership enables knowledge and understanding of key NCDs to be significantly strengthened.
For further information visit our website www.r4hc-mena.org and follow us on Twitter @r4hcmena.
Enquiries to Kristen Meagher, Programme Co-ordinator Kristen.meagher@kcl.ac.uk; +44 (0)207 848 7463
Why conflict and health? Two billion people live in areas of conflict and fragility, reflecting a rapid increase in wars, ethnic strife and other man-made disasters since 2010. The world is also experiencing the greatest refugee crisis since WWII with 65.3 million forcibly displaced persons, 40.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), 21.3 million refugees and a further 10 million stateless people. Across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region protracted conflicts have led to dramatic increases of refugee populations in Turkey, Lebanon, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Jordan. War affected populations from countries that have undergone the epidemiological transition present new health, social care and development challenges. In particular, the diagnosis, management and treatment of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) provide new challenges for domestic health systems as well as for humanitarian and development aid providers. These challenges also threaten domestic health commitments to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This new humanitarian-development-health nexus demands a unique research agenda radically different to traditional approaches that address challenges posed by conflict and health in low-income countries with weak governments, institutions and a mainly communicable disease burden.
Kristen Meagher2018-12-04T14:07:07+00:00
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Developing capability, partnerships and research in the Middle East and North Africa
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