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Bainbridge Police Blotter | FYI, Dec. 17
Bainbridge Police reported the following incidents:
Tuesday, December 16, 2008 7:09pm
12:43 a.m. Police responded to a report of an assault involving a knife at a Winslow Way bar. An officer contacted a friend of the victim who said the suspect had first punched his friend in the stomach inside the bar. The men had then stepped out into a parking area where the friend of the victim tried to calm the situation. The friend said the suspect pulled out a knife, held it to the victim’s stomach and said “I’m gonna cut you open bro.” The friend and the victim continued to talk calmly to the suspect who eventually threw the knife away and left the scene in a Honda sedan. An officer was able to locate the knife in a dumpster behind the bar. A manager at the bar said he had seen the suspect in the bar several times before, but wasn’t sure if he lived on the island. The suspect was described as a Hispanic man, approximately 5-foot tall and 150 pounds. The knife was placed in evidence. The investigation continues.
11:20 a.m. Three cars were involved in a fender-bender on Sportsman Club Road at SR-305. Two Poulsbo drivers were cited for following too close.
11:15 a.m. A woman reported that two signs she had posted recently had been removed. Both signs read “Think Globally Shop Locally.” Each was valued at $35.
4:28 p.m. A Volkswagen Golf tuning onto northbound SR-305 from Koura Road struck a Toyota Scion in the southbound lane. The driver of the Volkswagen, a Seattle man, said his view had been blocked by a car turning onto Koura Road. He was cited for failing to yield.
4:39 p.m. An officer found 45 industrial spray paint cans littered on a grassy area off Vincent Road, near the disposal center. The cans were taken to a Public Works facility.
9:04 a.m. A Bainbridge High School student said he had seen several other students take several items from his backpack during lunch on Dec. 8. The student said the missing items included prescription medication and a $200 iPod, but he wasn’t sure which students had taken which items. Police interviewed several suspects. None admitted to taking the iPod. Two students said they had been given a USB cable for the iPod, which they broke and threw onto a roof. They said they intended to buy a new cable for the victim. Police told the suspects that a report would be filed to prosecutors unless the iPod was returned by the end of the day. The iPod did not surface and the report was filed.
12:26 p.m. Police were dispatched to a hit-and-run incident in Lynwood Center. Police interviewed two students who said they had been walking to Teriyaki Town when they were picked up by a Blue Mercedes. The car made a stop in Lynwood Center and as it pulled out of a parking stall, the Mercedes struck a parked Honda. The witnesses said the driver and passenger panicked and sped away from the scene. The suspects said they repeatedly told the driver to go back to the scene but he refused, saying it was his brother’s car and he would get in trouble. Several witnesses of the collision followed the suspect vehicle. The suspect finally stopped at the intersection of Palomino Drive and Dapple Court. The driver and passenger let another passenger out of the vehicle’s trunk. The driver, passenger and passenger of the trunk fled the scene on foot, leaving the Mercedes and the two witnesses to await the police. Police were unable to contact the vehicle’s registered owner and it was impounded. The Honda was not noticeably damaged.
8:33 a.m. Residents of Yeti Lane reported a strange vehicle parked in their driveway. An officer responded and found a red Ford Explorer sitting on a spur of the home’s main driveway. The vehicle was cold and covered in dew, suggesting it had been parked for several hours. Its glove compartment and center console were hanging open and appeared to have been rifled through. No keys were found inside, but the vehicle’s registration for the vehicle was laying on the driver’s seat. A records check found the vehicle’s owner was a Skogen Lane resident. Police contacted the wife of the owner who said the vehicle had gone missing overnight and that its keys had been left on a floor board. The vehicle was returned to its owners. No suspects.
9:04 a.m. A Day Road resident reported a cloth shoulder bag stolen from her car overnight. She said the vehicle had been unlocked and she had noticed its door ajar in the morning. The bag contained compact discs, ballet apparel, a notebook and a children’s book. The suspect had not taken the woman’s cell phone, CD player and several CDs which were also inside the car. No suspects.
2:30 p.m. An Bainbridge couple reported that a California resident had fraudulently used one of their Social Security numbers to obtain several mortgages and credit cards. The couple was alerted to apparent identity theft after they were contacted by Country Wide Mortgage Company regarding a re-finance of their house. The couple was able to obtain a credit report that included the name of the person in California who had applied for the credit. Both the credit cards and mortgages appeared to have been paid on time. The mortgage balances totaled $5,114,000. The couple said it would follow up with the credit reporting agency to see if there had been a mix up involving the Social Security number. The case was recorded.
2:36 p.m. Vehicle prowl was reported on Helsman Court. A resident said he had noticed the passenger door of her Lexus was open and several items were missing from inside. Items included a Bible, cell phone charger and a vinyl pouch containing paperwork for the vehicle. The owner said she had parked the vehicle at 7:30 p.m. the day before. No suspects.
4:48 p.m. A lighted reindeer decoration was reported stolen from a Cherry Avenue yard. The owner said his entire herd of decorative reindeers had been present the the night before, but the next morning he had noticed on deer missing. Two other reindeer had been re-arranged in a “compromising position.” The missing reindeer was valued at $80. No suspects.
Planning Department to streamline
Healthy LIving Expo: The fourth annual Healthy Living
BI votes to return to in-person learning
The Bainbridge Island School Board was obviously reluctant but still voted 4-1… Continue reading
BI, parks to work together to improve trails
This week, the Bainbridge Island City Council approved an agreement with the… Continue reading
How to support BI’s Climate Action Plan
The first question asked after a recent Zoom presentation on the Bainbridge… Continue reading
State prepping to move to next phase of vaccination
The state is preparing to open up the COVID-19 vaccine to the… Continue reading
3 more COVID deaths confirmed in Kitsap; 53 total
Half of the 50 deaths are those over 80
BI looking to renew 2 school levies
On the Feb. 9 ballot are two measures from the Bainbridge Island… Continue reading
BI withers in wild, windy, wet weather
Landslides, downed trees on lines and power outages caused by windy weather… Continue reading
Pandemic causes ferry ridership to sink 41%
With more folks working from home and domestic and international travel dropping… Continue reading
COVID-19 vaccine given to assisted living residents
Providers are already moving past the first phase of giving a COVID-19… Continue reading
5 new COVID-19 related deaths in Kitsap County
On Sunday, the Kitsap Public Health District reported five new COVID-19 related…
50 new cases of COVID confirmed in Kitsap
Over the past two weeks, the county’s positive case rate per 100,000 residents is 234
BI mudslide may not be removed until end of week
A mudslide today has closed a section of Point White Drive on…
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By Joseph Claypoole, Sydney Brown and Patric Haerle WNPA News Service Increased…
No-contact advisory from BI to Kingston after sewage spills
More sewage overflow spills - these two in King County - are…
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AP/Alexander Zemlianichenko
Journal Article - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
How the Next Nuclear Arms Race Will Be Different from the Last One
Benjamin Zala
Read more about How the Next Nuclear Arms Race Will Be Different from the Last One
All the world's nuclear-armed states (except for North Korea) have begun modernizing and upgrading their arsenals, leading many observers to predict that the world is entering a new nuclear arms race. While that outcome is not yet inevitable, it is likely, and if it happens, the new nuclear arms race will be different and more dangerous than the one we remember. More nuclear-armed countries in total, and three competing great powers rather than two, will make the competition more complex. Meanwhile, new non-nuclear weapon technologies — such as ballistic missile defense, anti-satellite weapons, and precision-strike missile technology — will make nuclear deterrence relationships that were once somewhat stable less so.
Journal Article - Arms Control Today
A New Era for Nuclear Security
Martin B. Malin
| June 2016
Read more about A New Era for Nuclear Security
The 2016 nuclear security summit was a pivotal moment for the decades-long effort to secure nuclear material around the globe. More than 50 national leaders gathered in Washington for the last of four biennial meetings that have led to significant progress in strengthening measures to reduce the risk of nuclear theft.
Conversations in Diplomacy: Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin
Read more about Conversations in Diplomacy: Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin
In this installment of “Conversations in Diplomacy," the Future of Diplomacy Project's Executive Director, Cathryn Clüver, speaks with Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin,India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
SOUTH ASIA WEEK: Pakistan's Role in Regional Stability
Read more about SOUTH ASIA WEEK: Pakistan's Role in Regional Stability
As part of the India and South Asia Program’s annual speaker series, Ambassador MaleehaLodhi, the Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the United Nations discussed her country’s regional agenda.
Announcement - Managing the Atom Project, Belfer Center
2016-2017 Harvard Nuclear Policy Fellowships
Josh Anderson
Read more about 2016-2017 Harvard Nuclear Policy Fellowships
The Project on Managing the Atom offers fellowships for pre-doctoral, post-doctoral, and mid-career researchers for one year, with a possibility for renewal, in the stimulating environment of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School. The online application for 2016-2017 fellowships opened December 15, 2015, and the application deadline is January 15, 2016. Recommendation letters are due by February 1, 2016.
(AP Photo by: Alex Milan Tracy)
Analysis & Opinions - The Atlantic
A Nuclear Nightmare Averted
Read more about A Nuclear Nightmare Averted
"This week, with little fanfare, one of the world’s key restraints on the spread of nuclear weapons came under scrutiny, as a month-long review of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) concluded at the United Nations," writes Graham Allison. "Negotiated over the 1960s, the NPT was signed in 1968 and became international law in 1970. As specified by the treaty, members hold a conference every five years to assess the agreement. The exercise offers insight into our nuclear age, and perspective ahead of the coming debate over a treaty to constrain Iran’s nuclear ambitions."
News - Managing the Atom Project, Belfer Center
Fresh Ideas for the Future: Symposium on the NPT Nuclear Disarmament, Non-proliferation, and Energy
Read more about Fresh Ideas for the Future: Symposium on the NPT Nuclear Disarmament, Non-proliferation, and Energy
On April 28, the Project on Managing the Atom joined the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, The Netherlands government, and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) in convening nuclear nonproliferation experts from around the world at the United Nations to participate in a Symposium on the 2015 Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference.
Symposium on the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Nuclear Disarmament, Non-proliferation, and Energy: Fresh Ideas for the Future
Read more about Symposium on the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Nuclear Disarmament, Non-proliferation, and Energy: Fresh Ideas for the Future
The ninth Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will be held at the UN Headquarters in New York from April 27-May 22, 2015. This is the fourth such conference since the indefinite extension of the NPT in 1995. Participating governments will discuss nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation, and the peaceful use of nuclear energy with a view to arriving at consensus on a number of issues.
Journal Article - Quarterly Journal: International Security
The Strategic Logic of Nuclear Proliferation
Nuno Monteiro
Alexandre Debs
Read more about The Strategic Logic of Nuclear Proliferation
When do states acquire nuclear weapons? History shows that only two types of states decide that the bomb is essential to their security: 1) very powerful states; and 2) weak states that lack ironclad security guarantees.
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The Wandering Eye
Teabaggers Pick New Targets; Libs Plan Counterattacks
Oregonian blogger Jeff Mapes reports (http://blog.oregonlive.com/mapesonpolitics/2009/08/wu_town_hall_in_mcminnville_ma.html#more) that Democratic Rep. David Wu may be the next target of the Teabagger Brigade when he holds a town
Posted By The Source Staff on Thu, Aug 6, 2009 at 7:10 PM
Oregonian blogger Jeff Mapes reports (http://blog.oregonlive.com/mapesonpolitics/2009/08/wu_town_hall_in_mcminnville_ma.html#more) that Democratic Rep. David Wu may be the next target of the Teabagger Brigade when he holds a town hall in McMinnville on Monday.
Neal Lockhart, who heads a group called Conservative Friends of Yamhill County that's part of the Teabag Party movement, says he expects to turn out more than 300 people for the event.
"The point is not to shout him [Wu] down," Lockhart told Mapes. "If we want to be treated respectfully, we have to act with respect. ... We would like to pin him down, we would like detailed answers."
But respectfulness and politeness have not been much in evidence at other Democratic town halls that the teabaggers have invaded this summer, including one held by Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley in Madras last week.
Mapes links to a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNjLpWDWCaE&feature=related) of a meeting in Delaware at which a birther (somebody who's convinced President Obama isn't a native-born US citizen) waves a copy of her own birth certificate and shouts at Rep. Mike Castle. The crowd then boos and shouts at Castle when he says "the president is a citizen of the United States."
Meanwhile liberals are trying to organize to combat the right-wing loonies.
"Trent Lutz, executive director of the Democratic Party, told me that party officials are putting out the word to their members that they should attend the town halls of Wu and other Democratic representatives," Mapes writes.
The liberal group Democracy for America is sending out e-mails asking supporters to show up at town hall meetings and counter "The Right-Wing Scream Machine." The group asks supporters to sign a pledge (http://www.democracyforamerica.com/activities/179) stating that "we will not stay home and let the Republican fringe dominate the airspace."
Organized labor, though, is sounding like it's getting ready to play a more hardball version.
As reported by Sam Stein on the Huffington Post, (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/06/unions-to-take-on-conserv_n_252720.html) "The nation's largest federation of labor organizations has promised to directly engage with boisterous conservative protesters at Democratic town halls during the August recess.
"In a memo sent out on Thursday, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney outlined the blueprint for how the union conglomerate would step up recess activities on health care reform and other topics pertinent to the labor community. The document makes clear that Obama allies view the town hall forums as ground zero of the health care debate."
Ratcheting up the rhetoric, Stein says Sweeney compared the teabaggers' activities to the notorious "Brooks Brothers riot" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooks_Brothers_riot) in which Republican Washington staffers tried to disrupt vote counting in Florida in 2000, and described the teabaggers as "hooligans."
The rest of August could get VERY interesting.
The Source Staff
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First came COVID. Then, a mental health crisis. Are we ready for what comes next?
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Buying local means support the local economy. In 2020, it's more important than ever
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Our annual giving program offers you 75 incredible ways to help Central Oregon
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Moonshine Magic in Bend Still on the Down Low
Get ready for our great close-up on the home distilling community out next week in our "Best of" issue. We interviewed a mixed bag of legal and anarchist distillers in Bend to find out why distilling is so very, very against the law in one's home. More »
The Eye Wanders Off Into the Sunset
I’m really sorry to break the bad news to them during this season of peace and goodwill, but after this week the right-wingers in Bend and vicinity won’t have The Wandering Eye to kick around anymore. The decision to stop writing this blog was my own, and it was prompted by several factors. More »
DADT, Gay-Bashing and the "Icky-ness" Factor
For the past week or so, “Zeo” of the NW Republican blog has had his jock strap in a knot over the prospect of Congress repealing the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” rule. To hear Zeo tell it, if DADT is repealed and gays are allowed to serve openly in the US military it will mean the end not only of our armed forces but of America, its economic system and civilization in general. More »
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March 13, 2019 Culture » Advice & Fun
Between A Squawk And A Hard Place and Fairy Bail Romance
By Amy Alkon
Between A Squawk And A Hard Place
I'm a 32-year-old gay man, and my boyfriend of three years sometimes vents to his friends about our relationship. I feel a little betrayed by this—like my privacy's being violated. Why can't he figure things out on his own—without bringing in a jury?
A few years back, a woman with a grudge against my assistant called me to try to get me to fire her: "She talks trash about you!" Me: "Everybody talks trash about their boss!"
The truth is, we all do a lot of grousing to others about people in our lives—our romantic partner, our business partner, our criminal conspirator. That's actually a healthy thing, though it runs contrary to what emotion researcher Bernard Rime calls the "Lone Ranger individualist perspective of adult emotional regulation." This, Rime explains, is the mythic view (held even by many psychologists) that healthy adult processing of emotions involves a sort of "rugged individualism" — meaning being "self-contained, independent, and self-reliant."
In fact, Rime notes, emotion seems to have evolved to be not just an internal, solo process but a "fundamentally interdependent process." Research by the late social psychologist Stanley Schachter, Rime, and others suggests that experiences that give rise to emotion in us motivate us to seek out others—to share the experiences and our feelings.
Rime explains that our emotions—especially painful ones—can be overwhelming to us. Experiencing emotion "is a dense and diffuse experience in need of cognitive articulation"; that is, it needs to be hashed out and understood. "By using language and by addressing others, individuals 'unfold' the emotional material" so they can understand and manage it and maybe gain objectivity and insight.
Understanding how driven we are to share our experiences might help you stop feeling like your boyfriend's betraying secrets and instead see it as his seeking a sounding board. There's a good chance that this serves to improve your relationship—sometimes by confirming that he has a legit issue to discuss with you and try to resolve.
Of course, we're all prone to latch on to crazy and ride it like a pony. We need someone to talk sense into us—like to convince us that the jail time isn't worth it, despite our partner's disgusting, depraved indifference to all that's good and right. Yes, I'm talking about atrocities like opening food packages from the middle ("Hello...are you a rodent?!"), vacuuming in weird, random lines (like a serial killer!), and setting the alarm an hour early and then hitting snooze five times (surely an underappreciated cause of homicide).
Fairy Bail Romance
I'm a 66-year-old man. I got married in my mid-20s. I was totally faithful, but my wife left me after 10 years (I think for another woman). I was with the next woman for 20 years. Again, I was faithful, but she left me, too. Is being faithful overrated? I thought it was the way to secure a relationship.
Keeping a marriage together by being faithful is important — but it's also a step above keeping a marriage together by not being dead. (Note that the marriage ceremony has a little more text to it than "Keep it in your pants, mkay?")
Still, it isn't a surprise that you'd go, "Wait...faithful to the first one, faithful to the next one; must've been why these relationships tanked!" This leap you're making probably comes out of how uncomfortable our minds are with uncertainty (stemming from ambiguous situations, unanswered questions, and other mental untidiness). According to research by cognitive neuroscientist Michael Gazzaniga, a mechanism in our brain's left hemisphere that he calls "the interpreter" steps in to fill in the blanks, to save us from the cognitive chaos by coming up with an explanation. Unfortunately, it's like the world's sloppiest detective. It quickly scans for any patterns or vaguely plausible meanings and then just goes with them — creating a narrative that seems to make sense of our experience (and never mind the tedious snore of weighing whether it actually does).
Accordingly, though it's easier on the ego to see your being faithful as some sort of common denominator, a more productive take would be accepting that relationships end and considering whether there's anything you might have done better, both in picking partners and in being one.
You might also reconsider the notion that you had "failed relationships." The reality is, partners change and grow apart. They come to want conflicting things (like a wife perhaps wanting a wife of her own). Or they just get bored with each other. As I see it, a 10- or 20-year relationship is a feat to celebrate—not only making a relationship work for a whole lot of years but refraining from bludgeoning your mate for the horrible, psyche-scraping sounds they make when they chew.
(c)2019, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or e-mail AdviceAmy@aol.com. @amyalkon on Twitter. Weekly radio show: blogtalkradio.com/amyalkon
Order Amy Alkon's new book, "Un(f-word!)ology: A Field Guide to Living with Guts and Confidence," (St. Martin's Griffin, 2018).
Amy Alkon
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Emily Postal
I'm guessing the garbagemen don't get miffy when there's a lipsticked Dixie cup next to the corpse in the dumpster they're emptying More »
This Modern World—week of January 14
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If your boyfriend feels good enough to keep up and expand the changes, you might see that action also becomes character
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November 25, 2009 Opinion » Editorial
The Bulletin Uncovers a Hidden Menace
By Source Weekly
We believe Bend's Only Daily Newspaper deserves appropriate recognition for alerting our community to an insidious threat to our children: advocacy groups using the public school classrooms to push their dangerous, radical agendas.
Specifically, The Bulletin's editorial page last Friday revealed that representatives from The Environmental Center (you know, that hippie hangout on Kansas Avenue) "have visited Bend-La Pine classrooms on more than 40 occasions to give so-called EarthSmart presentations."
And just what are these so-called EarthSmart presentations?
According to The Bulletin, they last 45 minutes to an hour and "cover such subjects as water conservation, composting, solar energy and the environmental impact of food."
You're appalled, right? So were we. But hold on - it gets worse. Much, much worse.
The Environmental Center's apparatchiks (we wouldn't be surprised to learn they're somehow connected with ACORN) have, on a number of occasions, distributed to their "captive audiences" something called an "Eco-Footprint Survey."
As The Bulletin explains, this document "contains 18 questions about the lifestyles of students' families. Kids are awarded points according to the number of faucets and toilets their houses have, what kinds of vehicles their parents drive, how much local produce their parents buy, how many 'large purchases' their parents have made in the past year, even how many full-sized cans of garbage their families produce every week. At the end of the survey, students add up their families' points and calculate an 'eco-footprint.' Then, they answer the following awful question: 'How many earths would it take to support us if everyone lived like you?'"
Can you imagine the cruel ostracism faced by the youngster whose family has a fleet of SUVs when all his classmates' parents drive Priuses? The jeers, the taunts, the playground bullying? And can you imagine the lifelong psychological scars inflicted on tender young minds by forcing them to think about the environmental impacts of the things they buy? Children should be encouraged to believe that their food, clothes, iPhones, Xboxes, laptop computers, flat-screen TVs, etc. are made by elves at the North Pole and delivered by Santa Claus disguised as the UPS man. It's the American Way.
Although The Bulletin only mentions The Environmental Center, we're sure there are scores of other advocacy groups spreading their toxic socialist-communist-fascist-anti-American doctrines to captive audiences in our public schools - doctrines like bicycle safety, fire prevention, bird watching, dental hygiene and god knows what else.
As The Bulletin succinctly puts it: "The district ought to guard the schoolhouse doors more carefully."
Therefore we urge the school district to appoint The Bulletin's editorial board as Official Schoolhouse Door Guardians and charge them with ensuring that the teachings of any advocacy groups allowed into the classrooms meet the highest standards of truth, purity and Americanism. Perhaps Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and Michelle Malkin would agree to serve as an advisory panel. Meanwhile, as a token of appreciation for services to date, we confer a special gold-plated BOOT on the collective posterior of the editorial board. We're confident it will earn many more.
Letters to the Editor 1/14/21
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A call for wearing masks from an essential worker, ideas for the meat industry and more in this week's letters
GUEST OPINION: To our elected officials and government leaders
Bentz may now face the wrath of a corporate America, where more companies are vowing to withhold campaign contributions More »
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Little Bites: Thanksgiving Dinner is Served! Restaurants that will cook for you on Thursday
While many of us are going to be slaving over stoves, stuffing, brining or the always fun deep-frying our butterball turkeys this Thursday, there are options for those who don't feel like sticking their hands in the cavity of a 20-pound bird or cutting up the neck to stew some gravy. For all of you who would rather have a skilled chef prepare your fixins, here's a list of restaurants serving Thanksgiving Dinner, courtesy of Visit Bend.
Critical City Services
Picks 1/25-2/1
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Barbara G. Tucker
Reflections on Virginia Woolf
"Now, in the passages I have quoted from JANE EYRE, it is clear that anger was tampering with the integrity of Charlotte Brontë the novelist. She left her story, to which her entire devotion was due, to attend to some personal grievance. She remembered that she had been starved of her proper due of experience—she had been made to stagnate in a parsonage mending stockings when she wanted to wander free over the world. Her imagination swerved from indignation and we feel it swerve. But there were many more influences than anger tugging at her imagination and deflecting it from its path. Ignorance, for instance. The portrait of Rochester is drawn in the dark. We feel the influence of fear in it; just as we constantly feel an acidity which is the result of oppression, a buried suffering smouldering beneath her passion, a rancour which contracts those books, splendid as they are, with a spasm of pain." (From A Room of One's Own, p. 60-61)
A few years ago I read Virginia Woolf's work on writing. There was much that resonated with me, especially this passage about women writing in anger. I have tried to let it influence my writing. This morning I tried to write poetry, on the theme "Closure" (it was for a local contest, and I rarely even try to write poetry), and while there were some good images and real feeling, I felt I might be falling prey to what she writes here about Charlotte. Not sure that resulted in any more than a self-serving slosh of driveling words.
Bridgerton: Trashy Take on Jane Austen
True confessions: I binge watched this show, that is, its first "season." (Seasons doesn't mean what it used to.) It was three hours of content stretched to eight hours of viewing. It was sex scene af
The Sacred Veil
https://www.charlesanthonysilvestri.com/the-sacred-veil The music of this musical composition is something I am still exploring, but the poems/lyrics moved me unspeakably.
DUNE: Yes, DUNE. A must read.
Keep up with Barbara by
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For more information or to schedule an event, contact Barbara.
© 2020 Barbara Graham Tucker
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Post Published 11/23/20
The 5 Key Innovations Taking E-Scooters to ½ Billion Rides in 2021
Bird’s New Skid Detection Elevates E-Scooter Safety, Rider Compliance
Post Published January 15, 2021
Europe’s E-Scooter, Transit Partnerships are Quietly Setting a New Global Standard
Years Later, Bird Zero’s Masterclass on E-Scooter Sustainability Continues
Post Published January 8, 2021
Originally published on TechCrunch.
Four years ago, shared e-scooters didn’t exist. Today, they’re on track to surpass half a billion rides globally by 2021, far outpacing early growth in the carbon-heavy ride hailing industry founded by Uber in 2009.
That’s a dramatic shift in urban transportation by any measure, and it prompts a simple but important question: How did we get here?
Understanding the key developments that helped advance micromobility over the past several years can give us valuable insights not only into where the industry is headed, but about how we can successfully shape it to meet the needs of hundreds of millions of current and future riders around the world.
From vehicle design and data to safety reporting and infrastructure, these five innovative moments have helped fuel the global growth of shared e-scooters and are helping lead cities into a healthier, more sustainable future.
#1: Shared Scooters Launched, Fall 2017
The very first fleet of Bird e-scooters was launched in Santa Monica, California in September of 2017. Up until this point, the micromobility industry consisted almost entirely of docked and dockless bike sharing systems that were averaging approximately 35 million trips across the United States every year—more than half of them in New York City alone.
After an encouraging start, shared e-scooter riders in the US took nearly 39 million trips in 2018 and another 86 million the following year. A similar trajectory is being seen across the Atlantic, as nations such as Italy, England and Ukraine join a rapidly-expanding list of countries including Germany, France, Israel, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Denmark, Poland and others who have chosen to supplement their urban transportation networks with modern micromobility alternatives.
Shared scooters can now be found in over 200 cities on almost every continent around the world.
#2: First Custom-Designed Shared Scooters Released, Fall 2018
The first e-scooter programs taught us two things very quickly: there’s high demand for this type of micromobility offering, and custom-designed vehicles are necessary to successfully meet that demand.
The fact is, shared scooters are ridden more frequently, handle more diverse road surfaces and endure more varied weather conditions than privately-owned ones. That’s why Bird’s vehicle team unveiled the industry’s first custom-designed e-scooter, the Bird Zero, in October of 2018. Equipped with more battery life, better lighting, enhanced durability and more advanced GPS technology, this was the first in a series of comprehensive vehicle evolutions intended to increase safety, sustainability and lifespan—and it worked. Tens of thousands of these scooters are still in use today, and every month of continued service reduces their already-low per-mile lifetime carbon emissions even further.
Subsequent custom vehicle designs, including the Bird One and Bird Two, have added onto this foundation, introducing industry-first features such as:
On-board diagnostic sensors capable of detecting over 200 faults
Vehicle intelligence systems capable of running and reporting millions of autonomous fault checks per day
IP67 or IP68 waterproofing on batteries
14,000 mile (22,500 km) battery life, resulting in more than 10 years of average everyday use
Mechanical design independently tested to withstand more than 60,000 curbside impacts
#3: Comprehensive Industry Safety Report Released, Spring 2019
Safety has rightly been the most important focus, and the most discussed aspect, of shared micromobility since its inception. It’s why Bird launched the industry’s earliest and most comprehensive free helmets for all riders campaign in January of 2018, along with a host of other safety initiatives.
In April of 2019, these programs culminated in a comprehensive e-scooter safety report. This was the first in-depth look at modern micromobility systems, using accident reports and other data to demonstrate that shared scooters have risks and vulnerabilities similar to bicycles. The report laid the groundwork for cooperative safety measures to be taken by both operators and cities to ensure that not only riders and pedestrians but all road users are protected.
Over the past year and a half, we’ve used the findings contained within the report, along with others that have since echoed its findings, to imagine and develop a series of product innovations that are helping set the standard for e-scooter safety across the industry. These include:
Shared micromobility’s first Helmet Selfie feature to promote helmet use
Shared micromobility’s first Warm Up Mode feature to assist new riders
The first and most accurate geofencing for e-scooters to create reduced-speed and no-riding zones
Responsible data-sharing standards and practices to help cities build new infrastructure for bikes and scooters
#4: Open Mobility Foundation Created, Summer 2019
The last bullet above is particularly important. Cities have a crucial role to play in limiting the number of cars on the road and maximizing the amount of infrastructure available for bikes and scooters. It’s a proven strategy to improve the safety of all road users that depends heavily on one critical input: reliable, standardized data.
Since our first launch, Bird has been a strong proponent of responsible data sharing with cities. What was lacking, however, was a unified body to help guide and develop mobility data standards across the micromobility industry.
All of that changed in June of 2019, when cities like Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco came together with companies like Bird and Microsoft and a consortium of nonprofit organizations called OASIS to form the Open Mobility Foundation (OMF). As Chairperson and General Manager of the LADOT Seleta Reynolds wrote in Forbes, the OMF platform “helps us achieve important city goals like increasing safety, equity, and health outcomes, while lowering emissions, and reducing congestion.”
These collaborative efforts to manage micromobility systems using open-source code and shared data standards might seem wonky, but they’ve had some very tangible real-world effects. In Atlanta, shared e-scooter data has been used to quadruple the city’s protected bike lanes by 2021. Santa Monica recently used scooter data to draft and pass an amendment that will add 19 new miles of separated micromobility infrastructure.
#5: UK, NY E-Scooter Programs Approved, Spring 2020
This year’s decisions by the UK and the state of New York to legalize shared e-scooters and launch respective pilot programs may not be an innovation, but it’s a crucial development that will ensure the industry tops 500 million rides in 2021.
From an environmental and urban mobility perspective, London and New York are two of the most important cities in the world. Combined, they’re home to 17 million people and more than 10 million daily car trips. The introduction of e-scooters into these two densely packed and highly-mobile cities will have a dramatic impact on daily commuter habits, particularly at a time when public transit ridership is still suffering due to COVID-19. That’s good news for cities, citizens and the environment.
The data that will be gained from such a high volume of micromobility rides won’t just help inform infrastructure improvements in New York and London. It will be added to a growing body of research that’s rapidly influencing micromobility technology and accelerating its adoption around the world.
So what can we learn from all of this? What will the first four years and 500 million rides of the shared e-scooter industry tell us about the future of micromobility?
First, we should expect its growth to continue. Adaptable, environmentally-friendly solutions to car congestion and urban pollution were in high demand even before the global spread of the coronavirus in 2020. Now they’re proving themselves to be a necessity. Look for the relationships between cities and operators to strengthen and become more cooperative as scooters transition from a perceived recreational vehicle to an essential part of the urban transportation grid. This will include dramatic, data-informed improvements in protected infrastructure for both cyclists and scooter riders.
Second, we should anticipate that e-scooter technology will continue to develop around two key pillars: safety and sustainability. This applies as much to the form and functionality of the vehicles themselves as it does to the daily operations that manage them. Longer lifespan, improved battery performance, increased durability and enhanced diagnostics will be the benchmarks by which we measure this progress.
Finally, we should anticipate that, as the data from hundreds of millions of annual rides continues to accumulate, our understanding of urban mobility needs will become much clearer and more nuanced. Urban planning decisions will be able to be made based on street and hour-specific needs, identifying potentially dangerous areas and taking low-cost, high-impact actions to remedy them.
If current trends continue, and there’s every reason to believe that they will, the time it takes to add another ½ billion e-scooter rides to the global total will very soon shrink from four years to less than one.
Travis VanderZanden is the founder and CEO of Bird.
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Distribution News Uganda
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Archive for category: Reliv Home Business
You are here: Home1 / Reliv Home Business
Reliv home based business blog.
Reliv Home Business
Because of Reliv: We Live Debt Free
With a career in music and ministry, Dan and Fern Utz had been looking for additional income. They found Reliv. “Our Reliv business has been a lifesaver in an unstable economy,” Dan says. “The beauty of it is that we’re helping other…
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Start a Reliv Business? I Can’t Do That!
If you have reservations about becoming a Reliv Distributor, check out this advice from some of our top leaders! You’ll be glad you did! I don’t have the time. “When I started Reliv I was working full-time and raising two young…
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From Surviving to Thriving: Mindy Jones Achieves Reliv Hall of Fame
It’s shocking to hear Presidential Platinum Ambassador and new Hall of Fame member Mindy Jones say that she isn’t a natural salesperson. After all, she has achieved Reliv’s highest Distributor ranks, taken more than 100 Reliv trips…
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An Amazing Life: Susan McConnell
“I’m a retired school teacher now teaching people how to get what they want out of life,” says Susan McConnellof Gaston, IN. “It started when I asked a doctor if there was a nutritional approach to better health and he introduced me…
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Multi-Instance Sync
Real-time Translation
BlueStacks Roundups
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Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross – Influencer Tournament Beta Event in 7DS: Details and Rewards
The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross by Netmarble is one of the best gacha titles in the store. Since its global release on March 3, 2020, the developers have conducted a lot of events for the players. In their latest news post, the team at Netmarble has announced yet another tournament that their player base can enjoy. However, this time you can participate in the tournament event only if you are an influencer. But not to worry, there are ways that allow other players to earn amazing rewards from this event without participating in it. Along with that, in this article, we will be discussing the details of the event, how you can participate in it, and how using BlueStacks could help you win the tournament.
What is the Influencer Tournament Beta Event?
The upcoming tournament event in the Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross will specifically allow only influencers to be the participants. This is because the tournament is still in the beta phase. The idea is to allow the participants to experience new content before any other players. It will be fair to say that for the influencers, streaming this unreleased tournament content will be a great way to gain new followers quickly. All the participants could also promote these streams to gain more exposure for their own channels. We think that this is good on Netmarble’s part because this way they can help expand the player base for their game while promoting small and big influencers alike.
Each of the two servers (Global and Asia) will have their own tournaments, both of them will have eight contestants each. Although regular players can not participate in the event, they have an option to support one of the influencers to receive rewards and benefits.
How can you participate in it?
To participate in the tournament event, follow the steps below:
The application form is available on this link. Go to the page and read the disclaimer.
You need to be 18 years old or older to be eligible for the event.
You can only participate if your channel can maintain a viewership of at least 5,000 YouTube subscribers.
Obviously, you need to be a fan of the game if you want to participate in the event. A participant that is a fan will probably be chosen over a participant who does not know what the game is about.
You also need to agree to the terms and conditions of this event. This will also allow Netmarble to use any and all livestream footage of the tournament in their marketing campaigns, their channels, and/or their website.
The application form will ask you for your details like your player name, friend code, the server you play in, the main team combat class, the URL of your YouTube Channel, subscriber count of your channel, preferred timing for the tournament in your server, and personal details.
How can non-participants enjoy the tournament?
Well, besides enjoying the livestream tournament footage of amazing games between top influencers, there is a way regular players can benefit from the tournament without participating in it. Here is how you do that:
In the game’s main menu, open the tournament section.
You will see a list of the players that will be participating in the tournament event.
Choose one of the contestants to support them in the tournament. Be careful while doing so as you can not change your selection once you have made it.
The rewards and benefits that you and the contestant you have chosen will receive will depend on their performance in the event. This means that the higher the contestant ends up on the scoreboard, the more rewards you will receive for supporting them.
So, what are these rewards we keep talking about?
Netmarble has also released a list of rewards that they will be granting to the participants of the tournament and also to the players that support them.
Tournament Participation Rewards:
The rewards for all influencers that will be chosen to be contestants in the tournament event will be 300 diamonds and two zip-up hoodies (official Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross Merchandise).
Influencer Placement Rewards:
Depending on where they end up on the scoreboard, the contestant will receive in-game rewards. All players will receive three platinum coins but the player that comes first will get 50 diamonds and two million gold. The player that comes second will get 40 diamonds along with 1,800,000 gold while the third and fourth position will get 30 diamonds and 1,600,000 gold. Finally, players that will end up in the fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth positions will receive 20 diamonds and 1,400,000 gold.
Rewards for players that use the support feature:
All the players that use the support feature in-game to show support for an influencer participating in the tournament event will be given a ‘Secret Box’. The event team claims that the ‘Secret Box’ will contain gifts that have never been seen before in the game. Besides this, they have also announced that they will be conducting a social media event in which the winner of the event will be gifted 100 diamonds in the game.
The rewards will be given to the contestants and players after the tournament event concludes. The delivery of the zip-up hoodies might be delayed due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
BlueStacks can give you the edge to win in 7DS
Rerolling in the Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross is a common tactic that players use to end up with good summons from the start of their journey. However, it can take a lot of time for you to actually end up with the characters you want. You could skip the cutscenes that explain the story of the anime to save time but there is an even better way to do that with BlueStacks. Tools like the Instance Manager and the Multi-Instance Sync features are exclusive to the players that play the Seven Deadly Sins on PC with BlueStacks.
You can use the Instance Manager to create several BlueStacks Instances. This way you can access the same game on multiple Google accounts and play on each of them individually. Rerolling with a single account, with each pull you can summon 11 characters. But when you play on multiple accounts, you can summon the number of accounts times 11 characters per pull which makes rerolling much easier. There is only a 3% chance that you will be able to pull an SSR character but with these many summonings at once, the odds will be in your favor.
Still, the effort you put in to manage all these instances at a time can be tedious. Here is where the Multi-Instance Sync feature will come in handy. When using this feature, you just have to play on your main instance. While you do that, BlueStacks will mimic your actions in all of the other instances. When rerolling in this game, you need to start a new game on every instance and activate the sync tool. All the other accounts will catch up by the time you reach the initial summoning.
The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross is one of those games which require a lot of time to get a good collection of characters because of the type of game it is. BlueStacks helps you get past the issues of time and effort to get better at the game. Obviously, these features will not be very useful in the tournament event for the influencers. Although the players can make use of the ‘Macro Recorder’ feature to bind certain actions to a key. This will end up saying a lot of time because you will not be doing tedious actions again and again.
Details of upcoming events and social media competitions will be posted soon after their release, be sure to stay tuned to the blogpost.
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Since you are on your phone, we are going to send you to the Google Play page.
(In some cases BlueStacks uses affiliate links when linking to Google Play)
Sorry, BlueStacks is only for PC or Mac
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You are here: Home / Sports / R2 delays sports practice indefinitely
R2 delays sports practice indefinitely
July 2, 2020 By Worthy Evans Leave a Comment
COLUMBIA – The fall prep sports season in Blythewood took a blow Saturday when Richland District 2 delayed the start of athletics practices indefinitely because of the recent spike in COVID-19 cases across the state.
“The decision was a difficult one to make because we know how much our students, coaches, band directors and JRTOC instructors want to begin practicing,” a statement from Richland District 2 read. “However, in light of the increase in positive cases, we felt delaying the start of practice was the safest course of action.”
Blythewood, Westwood, Ridge View, Spring Valley and Richland Northeast had been set to open summer practices for fall sports on Monday, under the guidance outlined in the South Carolina High School League’s three-phased approach.
The postponement puts the timeline to return to the football field in question, but with the seriousness of the global pandemic spread in South Carolina over the past month, sports of any kind takes a back seat to safety, Westwood head football coach Matt Quinn said.
“We’re obviously disappointed that we can’t be with our kids, but at the same time I understand the reason and why we need to hold off,” he said. “At the end of the day it’s about the kids, so I 100-percent agree with the district.”
The High School League’s 3-step plan, “Guidelines for Return to Play/Practice Team Sports,” is available on the SCHSL.org website. The plan currently is frontloaded at the first step, with specific guidelines on sanitation of equipment, handwashing, separation, group size, in addition to the usual safety precautions taken when running practices. Steps two and three have not yet been fleshed out.
Covid cases in South Carolina shot up from the 200-per-day range three weeks ago, topping off at 1,599 cases reported last Saturday. Daily infections reported have been over 1,000 nine times since June 18.
The football season is set to begin Aug. 20. Blythewood plays host to Fairfield Central Aug. 21. Ridge View plays Westwood that night.
In the meantime, teams in District 2 as well as other districts are going to err on the side of caution, and take the challenges of preparing for the fall season in stride.
“We’re going to try to keep the kids working at home, we’re going to keep doing Zoom meetings and position meetings,” Quinn said. “We’re sending them homework that they can do on their own at home. Hopefully we can get through this together and have some semblance of a football season.”
Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: blythewood bengals, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Richland 2, Richland School District Two, westwood redhawks
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Bicycle Montague vs Capulet Playing Cards by LUX Playing Cards
This is Montague vs Capulet, a stunning new Bicycle branded playing card deck, inspired by William Shakespeare's tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. This is a fully custom deck with an elaborate card back.
The cards are printed with metallic ink and printed on the upgraded Bee Card Stock by the United States Playing Card Company.
Every detail of this exquisite playing card deck has been thought out with immaculate detail. Characters have been put in all the right places. An original, striking masterpiece needed to be created to match the passion of the play itself.
Belgian Virginie Carquin is an absolutely amazing artist, and she illustrated the portraits for this new fine art deck with lots of details that you won't want to miss.
Every portrait is new and original, and time was spent characterizing each person so they are represented in their portrayal by Shakespeare's carefully crafted personas.
Romeo and Juliet could only be paired with Shakespeare in the Hearts suit. With Romeo and Juliet paired as King and Queen, then Shakespeare makes a cameo as the Jack of Hearts.
Jack of Hearts - Shakespeare
Queen of Hearts - Juliet Capulet - Daughter of the Capulets, sworn enemies to the Montagues
King of Hearts - Romeo Montague - Fights for Juliet
Ace of Hearts - Romeo and Juliet - Together
The Lion is the King of felines, so the family crest for the Capulets on the Ace of Clubs became the Lion. Representing the Capulet family are Tybalt, Lady Capulet, and Lord Capulet.
Jack of Clubs - Tybalt - He's a vicious fighter, known as the Prince of Cats
Queen of Clubs - Lady Capulet - Cruel, superior, and rich; you may notice a slight scar from a past violent attack from Lord Capulet
King of Clubs - Lord Capulet - Violent, proud, quick tempered, rich and hates the Montagues
Ace of Clubs - The Capulet Crest - The Lion, you'll see the Lion coming out of the broader club outline, which looks amazing printed in metallic ink by USPCC
Opposite the Clubs are the Diamonds. Felines and Canines are naturally against each other, so the King of the Canines became the Wolf for the Montague family crest. (opposite of the Capulet's Lion, as the King of Cats). The "W" for Wolf is also the mirror reflection in the water for the "M" in Montague. The Montague family crest is portrayed on the Ace of Diamonds. Representing the Diamonds are Mercutio (Romeo's best friend), Lady Montague, and Lord Montague.
Jack of Diamonds - Mercutio - Friend of the Montagues, brash, loud, mercurial, and optimistic
Queen of Diamonds - Lady Montague - Sad, rich, and feuding with the Capulets and dies of grief learning of her son's fate
King of Diamonds - Lord Montague - Proud and rich, but holds a grudge against Lord Capulet
Ace of Diamonds - The Montague Crest - The Wolf
The remaining main characters are game changers in their own rights, including the Apothecary, the Nurse, and Friar Lawrence. They are all poor, but similarly had good intentions to a degree, even though they have their faults.
Jack of Spades - Apothecary - Knows he shouldn't sell poison, but has to for money
Queen of Spades - Nurse to Capulets - Some of the comedic relief in the play
King of Spades - Friar Lawrence - Honorable, with good intentions, but naive
Ace of Spades - Shakespeare - The Bard
Amazing card artist Nam Tibon illustrated the Bicycle branded tuck. Nam is known for his brilliant work on previous decks, including the Tally-Ho British Monarchy deck.
This deck is nothing if it's not fine art. The detail you'll find here could be on the walls of a gallery. And the cards are printed by the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC), the same company who makes the world's finest Bicycle, Bee, and Tally-Ho playing cards. The USPCC has been around since 1885.
Romeo and Juliet (King and Queen of Hearts) are portrayed moments before their tragic end. Juliet has the dagger, while Romeo has the poison bought from the Apothecary. The Jokers, side by side, also paint the scene of Romeo entering the tomb of the Capulet family, where Juliet rests.
DECK FEATURES:
Printed by The United States Playing Card Company
Bicycle® branded
Inspired by William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Illustrated by renowned Belgian artist Virginie Carquin
100% completely custom designed playing cards, including art, pips, royalty, backs, jokers, and everything else that you can put into a card deck
Custom tuck cases
56 cards including a full 52 card deck, plus 2 Jokers, a character outline card, and a double-backed card
Normal poker size deck of playing cards
Upgraded Bee card stock from USPCC
Printed with metallic inks
DESIGN NOTES:
There are almost too many details to point out on the deck.
The Montagues and Capulets are different - even opposites - in almost every way. In line with "Two households, both alike in dignity..." they are both dignified and powerful, but at war with each other.
How are they different? From the suits - of the full black Clubs of the Capulets to the hard lined red Diamond of the Montagues.
The Montagues have the canine Wolf as their Crest, while the Capulets have the feline Lion as their Crest.
Even the family colors (red and green) are opposites on the color spectrum. The Montagues have Red as their color, which can be seen in the suit color (Diamonds) and in their clothing. The Capulets are shown in black (Clubs), with a darker green in their clothing, so look close.
The families' portraits also sit oppositely. The Capulets (Clubs) face inward, while the Montagues (Diamonds) face outward. The respective Lord and Lady from opposing families also face in opposite directions.
The Jack of Spades and Jack of Hearts are traditionally known as the "one-eyed Jacks", so you can notice how only one eye is prominent in these portraits, going so far as to give the Apothecary (the Jack of Spades) an eye patch.
The King of Hearts is typically known as the "Suicide King", and is portrayed here as Romeo.
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Revelation 2:4 (King James Version)
<< Revelation 2:3 Revelation 2:5 >>
The Ephesian church did have a problem. It was not in holding false teachers at arm's length, but in tending to become lax, to "drift with the tide," as it were, and this made them an easy target for false teachers. In this way, their weakness was, in a way, connected to their strength. They approached matters somewhat lackadaisically when times were fairly good, but when times became bad, they seemed to be able to stand up for the truth.
At certain times, their devotion to God's way left a lot to be desired. Just before the apostle John died in about AD 100, this was very much the case, and he really had to rouse them to get them back. From what we know from church history, by this time the membership of the true church was small and concentrated mostly around John in the church at Ephesus and some of the nearby towns in Asia Minor that he directly pastored.
Jude recognized the beginning of this drifting when he wrote in the mid-60s. All the apostles wrote similar things in their epistles: that the members of the church needed to get on the stick because false doctrines and false teachers were already in evidence among them and beginning to cause problems. If they did not root them out quickly, destruction would follow. The brethren were far too tolerant of divergent beliefs and practices, and Jude, especially, makes this point rather bluntly. He basically yells at them. Those who know Greek intimately say his language is very terse and sharp, and with it he lays in to them for being too tolerant of untruth.
His brother, Jesus, is more circumspect in His wording in Revelation 2:5. To paraphrase, he says, "I would rather that you were strong all the time. You need to go back and do the first works and remain strong so that these false teachers do not get a foothold in the church in the first place."
Related Topics: Apostasy | Drifting Spiritually | Ephesian Church | False Doctrine | False Ministers/Prophets | False Preaching | False Prophet | False Religion | False Teachers | False Teachers, Characteristics of | False Teaching | Heresies, Damnable | Heresy | Jude | Tolerance of sin | Tolerating Evil
Note that each of these congregations—those in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea—was located in a Gentile city, and in all probability, each congregation's membership was primarily Gentile. It is quite likely that in each congregation the Jews were a minority.
Recall that the Romans ravaged Jerusalem in AD 70, and its Christians had to flee to Pella to save their lives. It is highly probable that none of these congregations had any communication with any survivor of the first congregation in Jerusalem. All of the apostles except John were dead, and he had been banished to Patmos. This circumstance was far different from the one in which the church was founded.
Were these Gentile congregations still part of the true church? Were they free of flaws and perfect in their character, attitudes, and doctrines? Would such a negative judgment eliminate them from being a true assembly?
Consider these further factors: Revelation 2:4 commends the congregation in Ephesus for doctrinal vigilance but castigates it for leaving its first love. Revelation 2:9-11 shows Christ commending Smyrna for being spiritually rich, but He also admonishes them to overcome. Despite His commendation, they are not a finished product.
Revelation 2:13-15 praises those in Pergamos for not denying their faith, but its members are doctrinally divided, and they permit heresy to continue. Revelation 2:19-20 presents Thyatira as growing in good works, but its members tolerate heresy and are guilty of sexual immorality.
Revelation 3:1, 4 exposes Sardis as spiritually dead, though it contains a few who remain undefiled, indicating that its members have virtually lost their faith and are capable only of dead works. Revelation 3:8, 11-12 reports that those in Philadelphia are faithfully enduring, but Christ admonishes them to hold fast and overcome. Finally, Revelation 3:15, 19 judges Laodicea as spiritually bankrupt and gives it no commendation at all. The congregation is strongly advised to be zealous and repent.
What does a composite picture of these congregations reveal?
1. All seven of them are admonished to repent, hold fast, or remain faithful.
2. Only two of them, Smyrna and Philadelphia, receive strong commendations and no listing of their sins and other shortcomings.
3. Two of them, Pergamos and Thyatira, receive a lesser commendation and fairly strong rebukes for sexual immorality and allowing deceivers into the congregation.
4. Two of them, Sardis and Laodicea, receive strong rebukes and no commendations.
In terms of a true church in a single corporate body, what do we see? Only sixty years or so following Christ's resurrection, we have a mixed bag as regards overall stability and righteousness.
Even so, is any one of them not a true congregation, an assembly of truly called-out ones? Does Christ in any way say that even one of them was no longer part of His church, His body of people? Not in the least. There are, however, warnings that, if they did not repent, some within their fellowship might not be within the Body of Christ in the future. Two things are sure:
1. Some of these congregations are clearly spiritually better than the others.
2. Some of them are decidedly awful, even though, using carnal judgment, they may outwardly appear good.
Since Revelation is an end-time book, the overview given in Revelation 2 and 3 is especially significant at this time. It is forecasting what things will be like just before Christ returns, and He uses these first-century congregations to illustrate His forecast for our time.
Remember that God is judging us individually within each group. An attitude that we should not allow to grow in us is to think that we are the only ones who retain a true-church identity. The other side of that same concept is that, even if we agree that others are still part of the true church, we are still better than they are—indeed, everybody else is Laodicean by comparison.
This unmistakably holier-than-you attitude is extremely destructive to true brotherhood and proper fellowship and unity. Luke 18:9-14 records this teaching of Christ concerning self-righteousness and its effects on these matters. Those who elevate themselves in their judgment of themselves as compared to their fellow members bring on themselves this condemnation. God does not justify them when they make this kind of judgment.
Is There a True Church?
Related Topics: Comparing Ourselves to Others | Ephesus | Ephesus Castigated for Leaving First Love | Ephesus Commended for Doctrinal Vigilance | Gentile Congregations | Holier than Thou | Holier than you attitude | Judging Others | Laodicea | Laodicea castigated for Spiritual Bankruptcy | Pella | Pergamos | Pergamos Castigated for Permitting Heresy | Pergamos Praised for Not Denying Faith | Philadelphia | Philadelphia admonished to Hold Fast | Philadelphia Praised for Faithfully Enduring | Sardis | Sardis Castigated as Spiritually Dead | Self Righteous Attitude | Self Righteousness | Self-Righteous Gloating | Smyrna | Thyatira | Thyatira Castigated for Sexual Immorality | Thyatira Praised for Growing in Good Works | True Church 'identity'
To paraphrase Christ's advice to the Ephesian church in Revelation 2, He says, "Renew your devotion to Me. Go back to the first works. You have left your first love. Renew your earlier devotion to Me."
Devotion is the sense in which the word "love" (agape) is being used. Devotion literally means "to vow completely." Baptism is the outward show that one has vowed to give his life to God, and so "devotion" implies complete dedication, total surrender. This hints at the Ephesians' problem: Their devotion—their complete dedication—was slipping away.
Devotion is a deep and ardent affection, a feeling. Its synonym are "attentiveness," "dedication," "commitment," "earnestness," but all with a feeling of affection. Devotion is not given out of a sense of obligation only, but with a warm feeling or a passionate desire. Jesus' charge to the Ephesians to return to their earlier devotion is not something that He is asking to be done merely as a duty. Some antonyms of "devotion" can help us see it from another angle: indifference, negligent, unconcerned, disregard, infidelity, and faithlessness.
Loving Christ and Revelation 2:1-7
Related Topics: Affection | Affection for God | Agape | Attentiveness | Commitment | Dedication | Devotion | Drifting Spiritually | Earnestness | Ephesian Attitude | Ephesian Church | Faithfulness | Faithlessness | Falling Away | First Love | First Love, Losing | Indifference | Infidelity | Infidelity to God | Love | Negligence | Negligence of Concern
Understand that these people had not "lost" their first love. They had the Spirit of God; the love was there! But they had left their first love. They were not using it. They had become weary with all of the stresses that had affected their lives and all of the pressures upon their minds. So they were leaving the love, but the Spirit of God was there, the Spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7). These people needed to get turned around. They had become apathetic regarding spiritual things, becoming without feeling, because of these stresses.
The book of Hebrews amplifies, provides reasons for, and advises on how to recapture the zeal for what they had formerly loved with a great deal of emotion and enthusiasm. It does this by reminding us of the immense value of the awesome gifts that God has given us. And, of course, it instructs us in what we should do with them.
Hebrews: A Message for Today
Related Topics: Apathy | Emotion | Enthusiasm | First Love, Losing | Holy Spirit , Stirring up the Gift of | Losing First Love | Recapturing First Love | Recapturing Zeal | Sound Mind, Spirit of a | Spirit of a Sound Mind | Spirit of Power | Spiritual Apathy | Spiritual Gifts | Weariness in Well-Doing | Weary of Well Doing
After identifying Himself to the Ephesians, Jesus begins His letter by informing the church that He knew their works, both collectively and individually (Revelation 2:2-3). He knew their attitudes, thoughts, desires, goals - everything about them! He knew their hearts better than they did, just as He knows ours today.
He tells them He was aware of everything they had gone through - how they had endured much persecution, suffering, and agony because of apostasy and intolerance. He knew of their fortitude in standing for the truth and what a labor it was to persevere, though they never gave in to weariness.
He then mentions how they had rejected false leaders and their subversions. They would not listen to those who tried to pervert the truth and change doctrine, and they stood fast in opposing them once they found such to be liars. He knew how hard they tried to keep the laws and principles of the truth the true apostles had taught them.
In this description, as well as from the history of the first-century church from the book of Acts and the epistles of the apostles, we see a church that had fallen apart despite the strenuous efforts of some members to hang on to the truth. It was a church that had let something vital slip out of its grasp amidst the mounting trials and persecutions of the times.
Christ brings to their attention that they had lost their first love, the ardent desire to please God (verse 4). Their focus had shifted from where it should have been to the problems and the events happening around them. The strife generated by angry words, bad attitudes, friends and family leaving their fellowship, and teachings being changed took its toll on everyone. The byproducts that such turmoil produced were mistrust and suspicion.
As Matthew 24:12 says prophetically, "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold."
Humanly, we might think that God would consider the Ephesians' efforts to hang on to the truth against the apostasy as sufficient, but it is obvious that He does not. For our eternal good, He expects more of us. However, He does not leave us without guidance about how to recapture what we have lost.
Why is first love so important to God? First love is the purest kind of spiritual love we as humans can demonstrate. It is a love that truly shows one's heart is completely given to God. What does first love produce? Paul answers in II Thessalonians 1:3:
We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other.
He also writes in Hebrews 6:10,
For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
True love of God always promotes love of the brethren and love toward fellow man.
Recapture Your First Love!
Related Topics: Apostasy | Church at Ephesus | Ephesian Church | Ephesians | Ephesus | False Doctrine | False Gospel | False Ministers/Prophets | False Religion | False Teachers | First Love | Lawlessness | Perseverance | Recapturing First Love | Weariness | Weariness | Weariness in Well-Doing | Weariness in Well-Doing
If we love a person, we are glad to be able to consult with him, to seek his tastes and opinions. Why? So we can please him. We act on his advice; we do the things that he approves of. In fact, we will even deny ourselves to meet his wishes and abstain from the things that we know that he dislikes.
Anybody who has gone through a courtship understands this. If we find that the object of our affection does not like the way we do certain things, the colors that we wear in our clothing, the style of our dress, the car we drive, or the same foods we like, what will we do? We will try to conform to him or her as long as it is lawful. If we love that person, we will try to please him or her in any way that we possibly can. But, if we are indifferent to the person, who cares what he or she thinks?
It is easy to see why this love is so important, for love is the mainspring of the right kind of works.
The people who do not love Christ are working, active, expending their energies on things that they love, but what they love is not Christ. And because it is not Christ, they do the wrong works.
When we are in love, we will even learn things that we are not naturally inclined toward because we think it will give the other person pleasure. Some guys are nuts over baseball, golf, or whatever sport—perhaps hunting or fishing—and the poor girl will put herself through agony to watch a boring baseball game with him or go golfing, hunting, or fishing with him just to please him because she loves him.
Are we that way with Christ? Do we do what we can, everything we can, denying ourselves or learning new things because we want to please Him? We want to please Him because we love Him. These are areas that we must evaluate ourselves on.
Related Topics: Courtship Analogy | Dating Metaphor | Devotion | First Love | First Love, Losing | Intimacy | Intimacy with Christ | Intimacy with God | Knowing Christ | Knowing God | Knowledge of Christ | Knowledge of God | Losing First Love | Love for Christ | Love for God | Marriage Analogy | Neglect | Relationship with Christ | Relationship with God | Spiritual Neglect
In Exodus 32:1-6 is an example of what happens when a leader goes away and does not return within the expected time. It provides a clear-cut example of what was happening to the Ephesian church (Revelation 2:4-5).
Moses went up Mount Sinai; Christ went up to Mount Zion in heaven. "What has become of him?" the people asked. "We do not know what has happened to him! He is up there. He is supposed to return, but He has not returned according to our expectations."
What do the Israelites decide to do? They began looking to the world for a solution, in this case to Egypt. In the Ephesians' case, it was the world around Ephesus, the world of Asia Minor. They looked to the culture to gratify them, and they began to drift in that direction.
Moses' return was delayed longer than the people thought that he should have been gone, so their affections pulled their attention elsewhere. The same happened to the Ephesians, only it took a lot longer because of the Spirit of God in them. The people in Exodus did not have the Spirit of God, yet the people in Ephesus—in the church—did have God's Spirit, so what took place very quickly in the book of Exodus was dragged out over a much longer period in the first-century church. The Ephesian's affections were taking them back into the world, and they began to follow the world's ways once again.
With Ephesus, we are looking at a people who had not so much drifted from the doctrines but had changed in the way that they respected and applied them. The book of Hebrews was written to the Hebrew people in the first century who were drifting. The Ephesus letter applies directly to them.
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip away. (Hebrews 2:1)
The letter to Ephesus shows that they had let them slip or were in the process of doing so.
For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him. (Hebrews 2:2-3)
The Ephesians had become neglectful losing their devotion to this way of life. This is a very stern warning: "I will remove your candlestick." He advises them, "Repent. Go back."
One cannot go back to something that he did not previously have. This is a key to our separation from God. It will be a major key in re-unifying us-going back to what we had before: repenting, turning, going back. We must never forget that we are involved in a relationship with a real live Being, and He is not just any being but the One that we are to marry.
Would we want to marry someone who could take us or leave us? That is what happened to these people: They had lost their devotion to the relationship. They still had the doctrines, but their devotion was gone. They did not cherish Him anymore. They did not cherish the relationship, even though they had not walked away from the doctrines. So He says, "Turn. Go back."
It is good to recognize a hopeful sign-that it does not say that they had "lost" their first love but that they had "left" it. The power to love was still residing in them, but they would have to stir themselves up and use it. Love is what one does out of consideration for making the relationship better than it had ever been before. They needed to stir up the Spirit within them and return to the same zeal and devotion that they had shown at the beginning of their conversion.
What Is the Work of God Now? (Part Four)
Related Topics: Dating Metaphor | Devotion | Drifting Spiritually | First Love | Losing First Love | Marriage Analogy | Neglect | Relationship with Christ | Relationship with God | Repentance | Repentance, Motivation For | Separation from God | Spiritual Neglect | Zeal
Consider that this is Christ's message to His church just before the end, and this is what is most important for His people as we approach the end. Doctrine is mentioned seven times. Is that interesting in light of the times in which we live? We are seeing a major part of the church going haywire on doctrine! Is there something in the letter to Thyatira that mentions things that are happening in that group?
The letters contain at least eleven warnings to these seven churches but also at least twelve promises. Christ mentions faith, patience, conduct, and doctrine. But the two greatest, related concerns for His church at the end are works (Revelation 2:2,9,13,19; 3:1,8, 15) and overcoming (Revelation 2:7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21).
Today, an awful lot of people are interested in church government at this time. It is not even mentioned by Christ! There are people who are interested in rituals, sacraments, and ceremonies, of which would be things like baptism or the Passover. But nothing in the seven letters alludes to these things. Nor is there anything in them about preaching the gospel around the world. These things have their place, but what we see is Christ's concern with doctrine, conduct, warnings to repent, and promises of reward.
Now these things that are not mentioned are less important than faith, repentance, and holiness, all of which directly impact on doctrine, conduct, and receiving the promises. All of these are bracketed between His statements about works and overcoming.
Revelation 2-3 and Works
Related Topics: Conduct | Doctrine | Doctrine, Importance of | Doctrines, Basic | Promises of Reward | Repentance | Repentance, Motivation For | Reward, Promises of | Seven Churches of Revelation
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Revelation 2:4:
Revelation :
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VIDEO: Backstroke sensation Knight in dreamland after Olympic pool personal bests
Rob Setchell
Published: 3:22 PM March 7, 2012 Updated: 9:27 PM October 31, 2020
TEENAGE swimming sensation Liam Knight has qualified for the European Junior Championships after smashing his personal bests... in the OLYMPIC POOL.
The 17-year-old, from Wisbech, is enjoying the performance of his career in front of the television cameras at the British Swimming Championships this week, racing in the same pool as world champions Liam Tancock and Rebecca Adlington.
He beat his personal best twice in the 100m backstroke, clocking 57.11 in the semi-final on Sunday night.
The teenage star won his 200m backstroke heat this morning, in a time of 2 minutes 04.02 seconds - half a second off his personal best. He will compete in the semi-finals tonight as the 11th fastest qualifier.
Knight said: “It’s an absolute honour just to compete in the Olympic pool.
“I was pretty nervous on Sunday because it was my first time at the really top level, against the big stars.
“Rebecca Adlington was in the race before me and she looked really chilled out so I just tried to copy her.
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“When I walked out it was amazing. It was so big and there were so many people cheering - apparently you can hear my coach on the television screaming me on.”
Knight, who competes for the City of Peterborough Swimming Club (COPS), received a letter on Monday telling him he had qualified for the European Junior Championships, set to be held in Antwerp, Belgium, in July.
He said: “The whole of the Peterborough swimming club had county championships on Sunday night but one of the dads brought a television with him and they all ran out to watch me race.
“I was so happy when I heard what they had done - it feels really good.”
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Southern’s Brandon Horvath has grown at UMBC — but ‘he’s got that same competitive fire’
Couple who want to bring tiny home to Annapolis to be featured on A&E show
The following students have been named to the dean's list for the fall semester at the Savannah College of Art and Design:
Annapolis: Sarah Churchill, Karsyn Degast, Jessica Kunkel and Samuel Young.
Arnold: Adam Garner.
Centreville: Alana Haddox.
Edgewater: Madison Gray and Alexandra Tyson.
Gambrills: Zachary Anders and Gina Keller.
Lothian: Abigail Glaser.
Pasadena: Emily Schultz.
Severna Park: Joseph Jacob and Alexander Ordansa.
West River: Anne Brown.
The following students were named to the dean's list for the winter quarter at Rochester Institute of Technology:
Annapolis: Charles Kowalyshyn, Brandon Powell and Luca Verdi.
Arnold: Caroline Cameron.
Chesapeake Beach: Benjamin Kitzmiller and Bryan Ek.
Crofton: Samantha Smith.
Edgewater: Nicolas Manoogian.
Millersville: Charles Roydhouse.
Pasadena: Amelia Katz.
Severna Park: Sara Platner.
Shady Side: Marie Rohrbaugh.
Tracys Landing: Rebecca Bailey.
Channing Cook, a junior from Annapolis, has recently been named to the honor roll for the winter term at The Loomis Chaffee School.
Kaitlin Farbman of Pasadena recently performed as a second alto in the Washington College Chorus' spring concert, "History of Rock Opera," conducted by Lecturer in Music Douglas Byerly. Farbman graduated from Chesapeake High School.
Anna Baldwin of Crownsville recently performed as a second soprano in the Washington College Chorus' spring concert, "History of Rock Opera," conducted by Lecturer in Music Douglas Byerly. Baldwin graduated Archbishop Spalding High School.
Lauren Oswald of Pasadena recently performed as a second alto in the Washington College Chorus' spring concert, "History of Rock Opera," conducted by Lecturer in Music Douglas Byerly. Oswald, who is double majoring in drama and music, graduated from Chesapeake High School.
Brady Dove of Stevensville, a senior at Kent School in Kent, Conn., was named to the honor roll for the winter term.
Claire Fleishell of Severna Park was named to the dean's list for the fall semester at Eckerd College.
Cassandra Lyon of Annapolis was named to the dean's list for the fall semester at Eckerd College.
The following students at James Madison University spent spring break living simply, focused on service in their destination community: Kelsey Ruane of Davidsonville, Mariah Fortman of Gambrills and Kaitlyn Schwartz of Shady Side.
Shelby Rae Conrad of Dunkirk, a 2011 graduate of Southern High School, was named to the dean's list for the fall semester at Towson University.
The following students recently graduated from Boston University:
Heather K. Delaney
of Crofton received a Master of Music in Music Education.
Betsy J. Cummings
of Edgewater, who received a Master of Science in banking and financial services management.
Casey L. Fay
of Severna Park received a Master of Science in health communication.
Joseph Adams of Centreville, Chelsea Ira of Stevensville and Skylar Van Joolen of Severna Park were named to the dean's list for the fall semester at Berklee College of Music.
The following students were named to the dean's honor list for the fall semester at Gettysburg College:
Annapolis: Warren Campbell, Charles Whiteley and Emily Zolkower.
Gambrills: Caitlin Kratz.
Millersville: Andrew Hoch.
Severna Park: Emily Aiello and Amelia Grabowski.
The following students were named to the dean's commendation list at Gettysburg College:
Jessica Bates of Arnold; Fiona Caplan and Mila Caplan, both of Pasadena; Paige Martin of Stevensville; Tyler Sadka of Edgewater; Cassin Sutor of Annapolis; and Alexandra Ward of Severna Park.
[Most read] Anne Arundel moving to Phase 1B; Hogan announces accelerated state vaccine rollout, cautions supply is needed »
Rose Friel of Annapolis, who is pursuing a bachelor's degree in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was named to the dean's list for the fall semester at Villanova University.
Nicolette Sortisio of Arnold, who is pursuing a bachelor's degree in the Villanova School of Business, was named to the dean's list for the fall semester at Villanova University.
Matthew Thorp of Arnold, who is pursuing a bachelor's degree in the College of Engineering, was named to the dean's list for the fall semester at Villanova University.
Emily Davidson of Severna Park, who is pursuing a bachelor's degree in the College of Engineering, was named to the dean's list for the fall semester at Villanova University.
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M A G I C, C O M E D Y, A N D F U N
Welcome to BrianRichardsMagic.com!
It's just been renovated. Please don't spill anything!
"The BFit show" was awesome! Our students loved how interactive and fun it was. They especially liked the part where they got to exercise and move."
Arrowhead ES, Upper Marlboro, MD
"The show was very engaging - out students clearly enjoyed themselves!"
Malcom ES, Waldord, MD
"Students were highly engaged throughout the entire program. The Presenter used excellent early childhood vocabulary for our Head Start through 2nd grade students to understand and connect through their points of view. The presenter used an eclectic myriad of information that flowed effortlessly and made sense to students as to why the different food groups and portions were important for their health and their bodies. The presenter connected with all of the students using music and activities that they are accustomed to throughout their personal lives at home. Teachers enjoyed the entertainment, information, and engagement that was captivated by all students. We appreciate the show and would love a visit next year!"
Rosa L Parks ES, Hyattsville, MD
"Brian Richards was very fun, knowledgeable about the magic 5, and able to handle his audience very well. We thought the blend of magic, comedy and the interactive workout was a great combination for the students all well learning how to keep their body fit. The kids at lunch did take the veggies and were eating them too! Guess some of them got the message."
Kingston ES, Kingston, MA
"I am a preschool teacher at Greenwood. We don't usually attend assemblies because of our students limited attention span. I didn't have to worry with this assembly. Everything about it was so well thought out. The information was presented in such a way that the children were able to picture how proper food and exercise is important to maintain a heathly body. I felt it was a great reinforcement for me too!! I would highly recommend this program to any elementary school!!"
Greenwood ES, St. Clair Shores, MI
"We really appreciate the enthusiasm that Mr. Richards brough to the show. He had to modify it to fit preschoo lage children and he did a great job. We were all laughing and enjoying the Bfit message. I look forward to booking future shows. Thank you."
Star International Academy, Dearborn Heights, MI
"The person who led the show was great. He was funny and knew how to interact with the children well. I have never seen some of my kids laughing so hard while still being intrigued by what was going on!"
Universal Learning Academy, Westland, MI
"Brian Richards was right on when it came to handling children's behavior and keeping them attentive at all times. The program was exciting and highly educational. Well done!"
Dunbarton ES, Dunbarton, NH
"Brian Richards was energetic and knew how to engage the audience and keep them interested. There were positive reviews from both teachers and children."
Perry L. Drew School, East Windsor, NJ
"Brian did a marvelous show. He was funny, kept the children interested, taught a valuable life lesson on good nutrition, and stayed within our time constraints. My son bought raisins with his lunch that day - the first time ever! And he came home later that day searching for bananas, and at dinner requested an apple! That was clearly a result of the message Brian shared in his program. Excellent show."
Wicoff Elementary School, Plainsboro Township, NJ
"Brian was very energetic. He got the entire audience up on their feet. He conducted himself very professionally and incorporated humor into his performance. We were glad to bring this show to our school and look forward to any other programs Brian is part of."
Rolling Hills Primary, Dix Hills, NY
"The show sparks the interests of the children and captivates them. They love the magic that Brian does."
P.S. 18, Staten Island, NY
"The kids really enjoyed the show. Thanks for another great event!"
Rye YMCA Kinder Camp, Rye, NY
"All of the children loved the magic. Everyone thought it was awesome and engaging. Children thought Brian was extremely funny."
South Abington ES, Chinchilla, PA
"I was not able to see the assembly personally this year, but I have already been receiving feedback through emails, comments from other P.T.A. board members, teachers, students, etc. that everyone at the school absolutely had a terrific time with the representative that you sent to the school... I have been informed that the teachers were extremely happy with the information and the way it was presented to the students. I am sure I will be contacting you again this coming school year to do some other assemblies for us again. Thank you so much for coming out to the school."
West Pottsgrove ES, Stowe, PA
"The presenter was very energetic and engaging. The students and staff really enjoyed the program."
Brooke Elementary, Limerick, PA
"Brian was fantastic. He engaged the kids from the first minute and did a great job of keeping their attention and getting them involved. I don't know who enjoyed it more the students or the teachers. What a great way to get young kids to think about nutrition and fitness."
Clallam Bay Schools, Clallam Bay, WA
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© 2015 Brian Richards' Magic & Comedy
Preschool Shows
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Brian@BrianRichardsMagic.com
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Competition and anti-bribery
IT and outsourcing
Planning and environmental
Browne Jacobson home Retail home Insights Blogs "Noted, with thanks” - the perils of negotiating settlement agreements
"noted, with thanks” - the perils of negotiating settlement agreements
A recent decision stresses the importance of expressly stating when a settlement offer is intended to be ‘subject to contract’ (ie not binding until a formal written agreement has been executed).
In Bieber and others v Teathers Limited (in liquidation) the claimants accepted – via email – a settlement offer relating solely to the sum to be paid by the defendants, and stated that they would circulate a draft consent order. The defendant replied “noted, with thanks”. Subsequently, the claimants provided a draft consent order; in response, the defendants proposed a long-form settlement agreement (which included an indemnity for third party claims to the defendant), which the claimants refused to sign.
The judge found that whilst previous offers had been expressed to be subject to contract, the accepted offer was not and no such qualification could be inferred. Strikingly, the judge held that “noted, with thanks” suggested no further terms had to be considered (the defendant should have referred to the remaining issues to be dealt with before an agreement could be concluded). The whole course of negotiations did not suggest that settlement required a signed formal agreement; the offer was clearly intended to include all claims, counterclaims and costs, without any previous attempt to reserve third party claims. It did not matter that the underlying litigation was complex; settlement of the dispute was not.
A landlord’s service charge certificate was conclusive as to the sums payable by a tenant under a lease
The Court of Appeal has ruled that the wording of a service charge clause precluded a tenant from challenging the sums claimed by a landlord.
Handing back an empty shell of a building did not fulfil a vacant possession break condition
Break rights have proved a fertile source of litigation over the last few years. Courts have consistently required strict compliance with the terms of those rights.
Retail ATMs and business rates: clarity at last!
Judgement has been handed down for the seminal case of Cardtronics UK Ltd and others (Respondents) v Sykes and others (Valuation Officers) (Appellants) [2020] UKSC 21.
More protection required for retailer workers as violence is on the rise, according to latest statistics
Following an MP debate on 5 November 2019, the government is due to release long-awaited guidance as to how it intends to protect workers in the retail industry against violence, harassment and abuse.
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7 August 2020 Important opportunity to comment on case law precedent
The UK government is considering extending this power to depart from retained EU case law to additional lower courts and tribunals, namely the Court of Appeal in England and Wales and the High Court of Justice in England and Wales and their equivalents.
30 April 2020 Sky’s overly broad trade marks narrowed as found partially invalid for bad faith
Lord Justice Arnold has applied the guidance of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to the evidence before him, in the long standing trade mark dispute between Sky and Skykick.
14 June 2019 Cyber risks – are businesses really ready?
The Hiscox Cyber Readiness report, a review of 3300 organisations, will be a stark warning for CEO’s of SME’s in the UK and in Europe.
4 September 2018 Wearable security
How secure is your fitness tracker? (Not to mention your smartwatch, sleep tracker, smart shoe insoles and wearable Bluetooth keyboard). It’s something that many of us give little thought to, but perhaps we should be more concerned.
15 June 2018 Trade mark owners must reimburse internet service providers for the cost of implementing internet blocking orders
The Supreme Court handed down judgment in the long-running Cartier dispute of 13 June 2018, overruling the Court of Appeal
13 June 2018 CJEU shapes up nicely for Louboutin red sole trade mark
The Court of Justice of the European Union has today given its judgment in relation to a key issue in one of the most hotly debated trade mark disputes in recent times.
9 February 2018 New development - Louboutin’s red sole trade mark
Advocate General Szpunar’s recent second opinion is the latest development in relation to Louboutin’s ongoing fight to keep its trade marks for its renowned red sole.
22 December 2017 Is the Community (EU wide) Registered Design repair clause broken?
Automotive OEMs and other manufacturers of 'complex products' are unlikely to be happy with Wednesday's CJEU decision (C 397/16 and C 435/16) relating to luxury car wheel trims.
29 September 2017 The Unjustified Threats Act - what you need to know
The Intellectual Property (Unjustified Threats) Act comes in to force on 1 October 2017.
27 September 2017 CJEU ruling is a setback for video game giant Nintendo in infringement case
Japanese games giant, Nintendo has suffered a setback before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in its ongoing infringement dispute relating to the design of its Wii console.
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Anita Dobson
Judy Sheindlin
Alex Rodriguez on his and Jennifer Lopez's blended family: It's the most important thing in my life
Alex Rodriguez says his and Jennifer Lopez’s blended family is “the most important thing” in his life.
The 45-year-old former New York Yankees baseball star is father to two children – Natasha, 16, and Ella, 12, whom he has with ex-wife Cynthia Scurtis – and will soon be the step-father of his fiancée Jennifer’s 12-year-old twins Emme and Max, six, whom she has from her marriage to Marc Anthony.
And Alex has now said he’s proud of himself and Jennifer for successfully merging their two families together, because being a “great father” has always been a goal of his, ever since his own father walked out on his family.
He explained: "My father left me when I was 10 years old and I still have a hole in my heart because he left at that age. It was around the age of 11 that I made a promise to myself that I was going to be a great father whenever that moment came. That is by far the most important thing in my life, my two beautiful girls, and now our four kids.”
Whilst Alex is on cloud nine in his new life with Jennifer, he also heaped praise on his former spouse Cynthia, as he called her a “great mother” and opened up on the ingenious way they got their kids to see their new romances in a positive light.
He added: "We positioned what could be perceived as a negative into a positive, by saying to the girls, look, now you don't have one house, you have two houses. You don't have two parents, you have four parents. Lucky you, the more the merrier."
Alex admitted being in a blended family "takes some navigating" but said that by putting his daughters first, he finds himself to be a "more compassionate, more considerate" person.
Speaking on the ‘Raising the Bar’ podcast, he said: "When I want to do things at Christmas with the girls, I may start asking for, not permission, but proactively in July I may be talking about Christmas, versus if I was in a different state of mind, I would drop it December 15 and say, 'Hey, Cynthia, can I have the kids?'
“So it's been a really, really nice experience for us. I'm very friendly with [Cynthia's husband] Angel, he's wonderful with my girls. I think having four good people at the table, well, three good people and me."
Cynthia Scurtis
SPLITSVILLE
BRANGELINA
BEY-BIES
The Distillers plan new record as they wait for their new album to come out
Dita Von Teese's boyfriend prefers her in 'white cotton underwear'
Melanie C: It's depressing to talk about my mental health
Hailee Steinfeld wants to be 'present and mindful' in her personal life
Laverne Cox quits documentary after backlash
Nikki Bella: I have a life coach to help stop 'meltdowns'
Shania Twain's French fries obsession
Phoebe Dynevor skipped Bridgerton sex scenes
Ben Affleck hits out at 'sexist and racist' critics of ex-fiancée Jennifer Lopez
Alec Baldwin quarantining away from family 'for months'
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#Canadian
Christopher Plummer Biography, Age, Height, Weight, Family, Wiki & More
Theatre Actor
13 December, 1929 (Friday)
Toronto , Ontario
in Feet Inches- 5’ 10”
Christopher Plummer Popularity on Social Media
Christopher Plummer was born on 13-12-1929 in Toronto in the state of Ontario, Canada. He is a Canadian Theatre Actor, Film Actor, Television Actor, Voice Artist & Video Game Artist who known for his work in Hollywood industry.
Other Name:
Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer
Film Actor Television Actor Voice Artist Video Game Artist
Christopher Plummer Wiki Link
Christopher Plummer Family, Relatives and Other Relations
He was born to John Orme Plummer and Isabella Mary Abbott. He is married to Elaine Taylor since 1970. Previously, he was married two times with Tammy Grimes (1956-1960) and Patricia Lewis (1962-1967). He has a daughter named Amanda Plummer from his first wife Tammy Grimes.
Amanda Plumm.. Daughter
Elaine Taylo.. Wife
Tammy Grimes Ex-wife (1956-1960)
Life's Important Dates Of Christopher Plummer
Christopher Plummer Age, Birthday Facts and Birthday Countdown
91 years, 1 month, 3 days old age Christopher Plummer will turn 92 on 13 December, 2021. Only 10 months, 26 days, 3 hours, 23 minutes has left for his next birthday.
Christopher Plummer Born On Friday
Day of the Next Birthday Monday
Christopher Plummer has celebrated the total number of 91 birthdays till date. See the analysis by days count and bar graph.
Amrish Puri Biography, Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Caste, Wiki & More
David Mann Biography, Age, Height, Weight, Family, Wiki & More
Lin-Manuel Miranda Biography, Age, Height, Weight, Family, Wiki & More
Nathan Lane Biography, Age, Height, Weight, Family, Wiki & More
John Lloyd Young Biography, Age, Height, Weight, Family, Wiki & More
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Trading in financial markets involves significant risk of loss which can exceed deposits and may not be suitable for all investors.
Before trading, please ensure that you fully understand the risks involved
Trading in financial markets involves significant risk of loss which can exceed deposits and may not be suitable for all investors. Before trading, please ensure that you fully understand the risks involved
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Zawya - Gold prices are skyrocketing. Is now the best time to buy or sell?
by Century Financial in Century in News
Gold continues to have a stellar run this year, reaching record levels never seen before. On Wednesday, it breached the milestone mark of $2,000 an ounce, driven mainly by investors seeking havens for their fortunes amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Should customers cash out their investments in the precious metal right now or wait longer for its value to rise further? Zawya spoke to a few analysts for insights.
Many are betting on the precious metal to continue rising, but the soaring prices have also enticed some investors to secure more immediate profits. In the UAE, for example, some customers have returned to the souks to sell their jewellery, bars and coins to take advantage of the high prices and get some much-needed cash.
“With oil prices down and [the] tourism sector severely impacted, many individuals in the UAE have lost their jobs or their business have been hugely impacted,” said Arun Leslie John, Chief Market Analyst at Century Financial. “These individuals in need of cash are now opting to sell some gold and [make] some gains after witnessing the massive rally in the metal over the past few days.”
Gold has gained more than 30 percent in value this year. In dollar terms, those with gold holdings could be looking at a considerable profit of more or less $500 an ounce. There are speculations that the yellow metal could hit $3,000 next year, as the coronavirus pandemic is expected to continue driving investors to seek safe havens.
“We’ve called for $3,000 gold as a target in the next 18 months…We think the pandemic is boosting gold demand from investors because of a large surge in savings… growing inequality, because of the vast capital destruction cycle that we’re seeing, because of declining productivity, because of rising public debt levels and, the most important of all, because equilibrium interest rates are falling,” Francisco Blanch, head of global commodities at Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Research, during a recent conference call.
Who should sell?
According to John, people who have physical gold can sell their holdings now, if they are hard-pressed for cash. However, those who may have no urgent reasons to sell might do well to just sit it out.
“Retail customers in need of cash can use this opportunity to sell the metal, however, the metal seems poised for more gains in the long run. The backdrop for gold remains highly conducive, primarily supported by unwavering support from central banks in the form of liquidity injections and easing monetary policies,” John told Zawya.
“These measures are likely to remain in place for the foreseeable future which will keep bond yields low, lift inflation expectations and, in turn, make gold more attractive,” he added.
Another factor that is helping gold to go higher is that China’s gross domestic product (GDP) has been quickly converging to US levels, according to Blanch.
“This is a very important factor because again it brings questions about the US dollar as a reserve currency. And ultimately, I think the fact that China could become the largest economy in the world may create a tectonic geopolitical shift,” said Blanch.
“As we’ve seen, [rising tensions] have led to changes in foreign policy behaviour, with the US shutting down a Chinese consulate in Houston and then China responding by doing a similar measure in their own territory. So, I think this situation is likely to lead to more gold demand down the road,” he added.
High demand for ETFs
Gold’s rally has been driven mainly by investors buying exchange-traded funds (ETFs), inflows to which have soared by more than 30 percent this year.
Demand for gold jewellery dropped by 46 percent worldwide in the first half of the year, partly because the shops were closed and there were mobility restrictions during the lockdown. Retail customers were also discouraged by the soaring prices.
In the UAE, gold jewellery demand slumped by 86 percent in the second quarter to 1.3 tonnes compared to 9.3 tonnes in the same period last year.
“Gold has had a relentless march this year, as the pandemic drove safe-haven demand and central banks worldwide responded in the form of rate cuts and massive liquidity injections which are a boon for the non-yielding metal. However, all of the demand for gold was investment demand and not retail jewelry demand,” John noted.
Source : Zawya
The National - How to avoid living life...
by Vijay Valecha in Century in News
Gulf News - Vaccines and any new US...
The National - Oil prices soften amid...
Khaleej Times - Best stimulus':...
by Bal Krishen in Century in News
The National - Three ways to invest...
Regulated by SCA
Century Financial is a registered trademark of
Century Financial Consultancy LLC
Level 6, Building 4, Emaar Square,
Downtown Dubai, P.O. Box 65777,
info@century.ae
© 2021 CENTURY FINANCIAL CONSULTANCY LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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ChannelBiz UK
Channel People
Channel Products
Cloudflare Grows Network and Launches Performance and Cryptography Solutions in Q2
businesswire, July 11, 2019, 5:00 pm
Sponsored by Businesswire
Cloudflare, a leading Internet security, performance, and reliability company, today announced that it protects and optimizes more than 18 million Internet properties as of the second quarter of 2019, an increase of more than two million from last quarter. This is made possible through Cloudflare’s global network, which spans more than 180 cities in 80 countries and counts approximately ten percent of the Fortune 1,000 as paying customers.
Cloudflare announced a number of partnerships in the second quarter of 2019. Tencent Cloud, one of the world’s leading providers of cloud computing and Internet value-added services, joined the Bandwidth Alliance. Now, joint customers of Cloudflare and Tencent Cloud pay zero data transfer fees for all traffic between their networks outside of China. Cloudflare also partnered with analytics platforms such as Chronicle Security, Datadog, Elastic, Looker, Splunk, and Sumo Logic to enhance Internet performance and security analytics. Shared customers can now view security events and traffic trends from any of their Internet properties while combining Cloudflare logs with other data sources.
Cloudflare also celebrated the fifth anniversary of Project Galileo in June, an initiative that equips politically and artistically important organizations and journalists with powerful tools to defend themselves against attacks that would otherwise censor their work, at no cost. The Project protects nearly 600 vulnerable groups and works with 28 partner organizations.
“I’m proud that for the last five years we’ve protected some of the most vulnerable groups online from cyber attacks through Project Galileo,” said Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare. “Achieving our mission of helping to build a better Internet is only possible if the most at-risk groups online have access to the services necessary to make their voices heard.”
Cloudflare also teamed up with Google to launch AMP Real URL, a solution that gives publishers and site owners increased control over their brands, while simultaneously improving the speed and performance of mobile content. AMP Real URL enables browsers to natively display the canonical URL for publishers’ AMP content in the browser, with no additional coding required.
In May, Cloudflare announced five advancements during its first Speed Week that enable a faster and more efficient Internet. Over the course of the week, Cloudflare launched the Cloudflare Global Private Backbone, improved HTTP/2 Prioritization, parallel streaming of progressive images, Concurrent Streaming Acceleration, and BinaryAST.
Last month, Cloudflare celebrated its annual Crypto Week by announcing five new cryptography technologies it is supporting and helping to advance, to help build a more secure Internet. These include the League of Entropy, Domain Control Validation, Cloudflare’s Ethereum Gateway, the CIRCL cryptographic library, and time.cloudflare.com.
In the second quarter, more than five new cities were added to Cloudflare’s global network, which now spans more than 180 cities in 80 countries worldwide. Cloudflare had 1,069 employees at the end of the second quarter, compared to 709 employees one year ago, and continues to seek talent for its engineering, sales, marketing, and support teams across its eleven offices globally.
To learn more about Cloudflare, please check out the resources below.
Cloudflare Network Map
Cloudflare Blog
Cloudflare, Inc. (www.cloudflare.com / @cloudflare) is on a mission to help build a better Internet. Today the company runs one of the world’s largest networks, with nearly 10 percent of the Fortune 1,000 companies and approximately 19 percent of the top 10,000 websites using at least one Cloudflare product. Cloudflare’s platform protects and accelerates any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code. Internet properties powered by Cloudflare have all web traffic routed through its intelligent global network, which gets smarter with every request. As a result, they see significant improvement in performance and a decrease in spam and other attacks. Cloudflare was named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top Company Cultures 2018 list and ranked among the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company in 2019. Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Cloudflare has offices in Austin, TX, Champaign, IL, New York, NY, San Jose, CA, Washington, D.C., London, Munich, Beijing, Singapore, and Sydney.
Bounteous Included in Analyst Report, ‘Now Tech: Digital Experience Agencies’
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Multiplayer Universe to Be Revealed August 1
4G & Wifi Coverage
TechWeekEurope
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‘KUWTK: The Most Unforgettable Sibling Fights The Kardashian-Jenners Have Ever Had
Bre Williams
When it comes to sibling drama, the Kardashian-Jenners are the ones to beat.
Over the past 12 years, this famous family has had their fair share of arguments, but some of their fights have left viewers in utter shock.
Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner, and Kourtney Kardashian |Photo by Jamie McCarthy/WireImage
From small disagreements to full-blown insults, the Kardashians do not hold back when it comes to their arguments.
In its 15 season run, here are the most unforgettable sibling fights that have ever taken place on Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
Khloe and Kourtney go at it in Bali
The latest instance of a Kardashian sibling fight was just recently aired.
During the latest episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian found themselves butting heads while on a family vacation in Bali.
As they were getting ready to leave for their trip, Khloe Kardashian was seemingly nervous due to the fact this would be her first time traveling with her daughter, True.
Tensions began raising when the Good American designer stayed awake during the 18-hour flight in order to take care of all the kids while Kourtney slept the majority of the time.
Once the family landed in Bali, things went from bad to worse after the oldest Kardashian accused her sister of “complaining” too much.
That alone set Khloe Kardashian off the edge.
“Get out of my f—ing business,” she snapped. “I help you with your kids, I do this and that. I don’t have to do s—. I don’t even have to f—ing be here.”
The sisters continued to go at it when Khloe began venting about the family photo shoot for Halloween that had to be pushed back due to scheduling conflicts.
“You’re telling me that I’m f—ing critical because I asked not just to be lied to about my daughter? If you get lied to about the f—ing weather you throw a f—ing fit. God forbid it was about your child,” Khloe said.
After their falling out, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian eventually apologized to each and were back on good terms for the remained of their Bali.
Kylie and Kendall argue over a dress
Many avid watchers of KUWTK will probably remember Kendall and Kylie Jenner’s argument over a dress back in 2015.
It all started when Kendall asked to borrow one of Kylie’s “favorite brown dresses” to wear for the 2015 EPSYs.
Kylie told her older sister’s “no” which caused an epic argument to ensue. By the end of it, Kendall Jenner walked out of Kylie’s house after telling her “the biggest b—- she’s ever met” then telling her dogs, “I’m sorry your mom is such a c—-.”
Kourtney had a problem doing a photoshoot
Tensions ran high between Kim and Kourtney Kardashian when the KKW Beauty founder asked her older sister to participate in a family Christmas photo.
With everyone’s schedules being different, Kim took on the task of coordinating a time when everyone could be present for the annual family photo shoot.
“It’s really important to me that our family does a Christmas card this year,” she explained. “It’s been a tradition for so long. It’s one day out of lives for the year, and we have these memories forever. It’s just something fun that we can all do together.”
However, when scheduling issues started to ensue, Kourtney Kardashian refused to change her plans to take a family photo, which caused Kim to go off.
“No one wants you in the f—ing shoot. Get the f— out of here and go,” snapped Kim. “I need Kourtney to not be so f—ing annoying with a stick up her a— like she f—ing runs this s—, because she doesn’t. She’s the least exciting to look at.”
The drama continued when Khloé called Kourtney in order for her and Kim to work out their differences, which only made matters worse.
“You don’t do s—, so be accommodating to the people that actually do s—,” Kardashian West told her sister.
Kourtney hit right back telling Kim, “You’re a very distraught, evil human being. I don’t agree with who you are as a human being.”
Khloe and Rob face Kim’s rath
In an earlier season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Kim gets sick and tired of her siblings wailing on her for buying a new car.
When she is about to reunite with them back at Rob’s apartment, Kim Kardashian hears them continuing to talk about her behind her back and decides to attack Khloé with a purse.
Seeing as though this was during one of the first few seasons, it was a classic KUWTK moment fans still remember vividly.
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Chicago Reporter (https://www.chicagoreporter.com/i-have-somewhere-go-webextra/)
‘I have somewhere to go’
By Rebecca Harris | January 26, 2010
Photo by John Booz
Teen REACH
Near one wall at Chicago Commons’ Paulo Freire Family Center hangs a quilt with pictures of a vision of peace – harmonious families, views of the Earth from space, and a cut-out heart comprised of half a Mexican flag, half an American one. Next to this a poster board with pictures of stenciled skulls, made to celebrate the Mexican holiday “Day of the Dead.”
During a recent “Stop the Violence Summit Day,” teens from the after-school program Teen REACH showed off this and other artwork. But the afternoon was bittersweet. One student, 17-year-old Tilden High School sophomore Gamaliel Toscano, had been shot to death on his way home from school.
“Some of our students are scared to cross the street to our program because they are going to a different gang [territory],” says Eddie Anguiano, the center’s director of youth services. Yet teens in the program are expected to attend two or three times a week.
Such fears about safety keep some teens from participating in after-school programs. But teenagers who do show up say that there are reasons why they keep coming and others don’t.
Take Tanya Magallon, a 15-year-old student and an 8th-grader at Hamline Elementary in New City. Tanya enjoys the summer and weekend outings sponsored by the program, including bowling days and trips to the Haunted Trails amusement park.
“It helps us with our homework, it keeps us out of the streets,” she says. “I like it because I know I have somewhere to go where I won’t be bored.”
But Tanya’s efforts to get friends to come have fallen flat. “They say it sounds boring,” she says. She has suggestions for enticing more students to participate.
“(After-school programs) should have some meetings in school, during the school day. Put it in the news. Take pictures of what we do,” Tanya says.
Javier Arriaga, a quiet 14-year-old student who is in the 9th grade at Benito Juarez Community Academy in Pilsen, says the program is “a distraction from getting involved in gangs or drugs. But there are little kids in the program, (and some) teens don’t want to be with them.”
In Woodlawn, another Teen REACH program is located on the third floor of an old church. A classroom is set up with couches, computers and tables with board games.
On a computer, some of the teens review videos they have worked on.
Darnell Grigler, an 18-year-old student at Kennedy-King College in Englewood, says the opportunity to work on documentaries is one of his favorite parts of the program.
“We did interviews about the violence in our neighborhood and our community,” Darnell says. “I got to say what was really on my mind.”
But he realizes that most other teens aren’t having the same experiences.
“They don’t have a person to talk to who knows about it,” Grigler says.
Before long, Bryan Echols—the executive director of Metropolitan Area Group for Igniting Civilization, which runs the program – gathers the teens into a circle.
He is about to launch them on a project – the third annual Teen Test Day, a health promotion event where more than 1,000 students a year get free screenings for HIV, sexually-transmitted diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other conditions. They also get to play games and hear a concert.
Students from MAGIC and other community organizations, Echols explains, will play the role of ambassadors by promoting the event on their Facebook and MySpace pages, serving as guides during the event and providing education about health issues.
“We just want to give you the right information, because you are informing your peers,” Echols says.
Jeremiah DeBerry, a 14-year-old who is in the 8th grade at Summers Preparatory School in Roseland, says taking part in MAGIC’s program has improved his attitude. He looks up to others in the group, and feels like he can learn from them.
“When somebody says something to me, now, I want to take it into consideration instead of getting mad about it,” Jeremiah says.
But, he adds, some students have the mistaken perception that after-school programs are “like going to another school.”
More specialized choices that appeal to teens’ interests would help boost recruitment, he says. “So if someone likes basketball, they can go to a basketball program. If they like drawing, they can go to art.”
¿En qué consiste el plan de reapertura de las Escuelas Públicas de Chicago (CPS)? Te lo explicamos muy fácil.
La mayoría de los estudiantes tendrán una combinación de educación en persona y a distancia, pero los detalles dependen del grado y situación de aprendizaje de cada estudiante. CPS pide comentarios hacia su propuesta. Esta herramienta te permite analizar cada uno de los escenarios.
What is Chicago Public Schools’ reopening plan? Here’s a simple breakdown
Most students will do a mix of in-person and remote learnings, but the details depend on a student’s grade level and learning situation. CPS is looking for feedback on its proposal and this tool lets you zoom in on each of the different scenarios.
Detours on the road to a college degree
Catalyst revisits Breyana Floyd, who was profiled in our winter issue on college persistence. Like many first-generation, low-income college students of color, Breyana struggled financially and with feelings of not belonging on campus. In May she left Monmouth College and is now preparing to transfer into Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago, where she continues to have financial challenges.
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Houston Chick-fil-A sends nuggets, love to new parents
Lauren Zdeba Dec 22, 2017
How one Chick-fil-A restaurant lightens the load for new parents
First comes baby, then comes exhaustion. That’s right, bringing home a newborn is one of the most special times in any parent’s life. It’s also likely be the time when you forget where your phone is… when it’s in your hand.
So let’s be honest: Sleepless nights don’t leave much time for making meals.
That’s why the Chick-fil-A location at Holcombe & Buffalo Speedway in Houston is taking care of the first meal at home for families with new babies. Franchise Operator Juli Salvagio and her team have provided meals to more than 100 families after they leave the hospital through the restaurant’s unique “New Moms” program – taking one thing off parents’ plates by putting food on their tables.
“It’s something we do that’s near and dear to our hearts,” says Salvagio. “We hope that by providing a fresh, hot meal the whole family can enjoy on their first day at home, they’ll be able to experience a much-needed sense of normalcy during what’s typically a chaotic time.”
Here’s how it works: After liking the Holcombe & Buffalo Speedway Chick-fil-A Facebook page, expecting families within a 3-mile radius of the restaurant can sign up to receive a free meal when their baby arrives. Once notified, the restaurant team prepares a 30-count nugget tray, two fruit cups and waffles fries, a six-count Chocolate Chunk Cookie pack and Chick-fil-A baby blanket for pick-up. (Note for moms and dads: This program is not currently available at every location.)
“It was so much food – enough for lunch and dinner, and dinner again,” says Brandy Dorrell, who received the New Mom meal last September after having her baby boy, Bruce.
“Having a newborn is pretty stressful and you’re always exhausted,” Dorrell added. “It was nice to not think about what we were going to have for dinner. It was just a kind gesture that was really appreciated.”
Salvagio – a mom of three kids – has been finding ways to support new moms for almost 10 years, handing out mini stuffed Chick-fil-A “Eat Mor Chikin” cows and baby blankets whenever she learned a family in the restaurant had welcomed a new addition. New parents frequently come in after leaving the hospital as her restaurant is just down the street from a medical center.
“There is nothing more important to us than supporting our community,” says Salvagio. “To us, providing a meal to these families is something simple we can do to make their lives easier when it matters most.”
The New Mom meals have even led to some of Chick-fil-A’s littlest fans.
“My son is 14 months old now,” says Dorrell. “He loves Chick-fil-A too – the nuggets are his favorite!”
Tagged In: Baby Family Meal Mom New Mom Meal Restaurant
It’s a family thing
The Mayen-Solórzano brothers work together to support two Chick-fil-A restaurants near Los Angeles and are now starring in new social spots that celebrate their enthusiasm for the Chick-fil-A family.
Featured Inside Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A Chicken Parmesan Meal Kit arrives at select restaurants
While many of our familiar routines remain in flux, there’s one constant question we can count on: “What’s for dinner?” With individuals facing more time at home and in the kitchen, Chick-fil-A is adding a new offering to the dinnertime rotation: A Chicken Parmesan Meal Kit.
Growing up grateful
Gratitude. It’s a word that’s everywhere during the holidays, especially during Thanksgiving season. Festive autumn décor, plans to volunteer and donations to charity all help remind us to be thankful for what we have.
Featured Lifestyle
Over 8.5 million likes and subscribers
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How to Get Tested for COVID-19 in Boston
Want to get tested for the coronavirus in Boston? Here’s everything you need to know.
By Alyssa Vaughn·
A medical professional administers a coronavirus test at a drive-thru testing site at Cambridge Health Alliance Somerville Hospital on April 28, 2020 in Somerville, Massachusetts. Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Should I get tested for COVID-19?
You’ve probably wondered this more than once in the last couple of months. Per the statewide instructions, you should get a COVID-19 test if you develop any of the symptoms of COVID-19, even if they are mild, or if you are a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
However, some cities may have their own advice on the matter (for example, the Somerville Board of Health strongly urges all residents to be tested, per city communications), so you should check your town’s website or Facebook page for the most accurate information.
Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after you’ve been exposed to the virus, and they include:
Fever, chills, shaking chills
Cough, shortness of breath, lowered oxygen saturation
Fatigue, sore throat, headache, body aches
Loss of sense of taste or smell
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
Rash, inflammatory conditions such as “COVID toes”
And in elderly, chronically ill, or debilitated individuals, subtle alterations in mental status or blood glucose control
The list of what classifies you as a “close contact” of someone with COVID is somewhat complicated, but generally can be classified as spending at least 10 minutes within six feet of someone who tested positive. But if you’re trying to calculate your risk more specifically, this is the criteria:
You were within six feet for at least 10-15 minutes of a person who tested COVID-positive and was symptomatic
You were within six feet for at least 10-15 minutes of a COVID-positive person during the 48 hours before their symptoms onset
You were within six feet for 10-15 minutes of someone who tested positive 48 hours or less later
You were within six feet for 10-15 minutes of a person sometime in the 10 days after they tested COVID-positive
What if I don’t fit these criteria, but I want to get tested anyway?
The requirements for getting tested have gradually relaxed, and you no longer need to be symptomatic to get a test. However, the criteria vary depending on your city (see the Boston/Cambridge/Somerville breakdown below) and your testing site, so be sure to call the testing site you plan to visit to confirm its requirements.
What is the coronavirus test like?
The most common version of the test is a nasal swab, involving a clinician inserting a long cotton swab into your nasal passage or your nasal passage and throat. At some sites, you will receive instructions and perform the nasal swab test on yourself. Your sample will then be sent to a lab, and you will receive your results in a few days.
Some sites offer a saliva test instead of a swab, requiring you to spit in a cup rather than submit to a swab. However, these tests are not yet as widely available in Massachusetts as the nasal swab test.
Rapid testing, or a nasal swab test for which you receive your results in as little as 15 minutes, is available at a handful of locations across the state; however, these tests sometimes come with a higher fee. See the specifics in the below Cambridge and Somerville sections for more details on the rapid test.
Antibody testing, which is a blood test that identifies whether your blood contains antibodies for coronavirus, is available at certain testing sites in Massachusetts as well. However, because the antibody test doesn’t show a positive result until after a person with COVID improves, the test is not being used to diagnose cases of COVID at this time.
If you’d like to know which versions of the test are available at your testing site, it’s best to call before you go—information is changing rapidly, and calling will always give you the most up-to-date information.
How soon after potential COVID exposure can I get a test?
The chances that a test will give you a false negative—or, say you’re not infected when you actually are—depends upon when over the course of your infection you get tested, per information from Harvard Medical School. The following are some situations that are known to provide false negative test results:
100% of the time on the day you are exposed to the virus, due to how few viral particles there are in your nose or saliva
About 40% of the time if you are tested four days after exposure to the virus
About 20% of the time if you develop symptoms and are tested three days after those symptoms started
It’s time for me to get tested. What do I do first?
If you’re ready to get tested, you should start by calling your healthcare provider—while you’re not required to go through your doctor to get tested, making contact with your provider is still encouraged as they can help direct you to free testing sites near you or sites that will take your insurance. If you do not have a healthcare provider, you can use Buoy Health, a free online symptom-checker, to assess your symptoms and connect with free telehealth services if necessary.
Then, it’s time to find a testing site and schedule your test. Read on for more details about how to do that in Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville specifically.
Trying to get a test outside the Boston area? Visit the Massachusetts COVID-19 Test Site Locator for a map of testing sites across the state. You can also try the following options:
The Stop the Spread testing initiative: Free, state-sponsored testing in Chelsea, Everett, Fall River, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Marlborough, and New Bedford
CVS testing site locations
Rite Aid testing site locations
Who can get a test?
Tests are available for anyone in Boston, symptomatic or asymptomatic.
I want to urge everyone: don’t hesitate to get tested–certainly if you are having any symptoms; and also if you have been out and about more, or a household member has been out, and you have any concern at all about your exposure.
— Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) July 16, 2020
Can I get tested for free?
Per boston.gov, testing is free at all of Boston’s community health centers regardless of insurance or immigration status, and will not affect “public charge” rule determinations. Testing is also free and insurance is not required at the city’s mobile and pop-up testing sites.
Information regarding testing sites changes rapidly. For the most up to date information, be sure to call your testing site before you go.
Check boston.gov for the mobile and pop-up testing site schedule, which currently includes several sites across Mattapan, Dorchester, Roxbury, and Allston. There’s also a list of community health centers in neighborhoods across the city offering testing. The city additionally has a map displaying over 20 more sites across Boston.
Any Cambridge resident—most testing sites for Cambridge residents, including the Cambridge Health Alliance drive-through and the Cambridge Public Health Department’s mobile testing sites, are providing tests to any residents who request them, regardless of whether or not you are expressing symptoms.
At the Cambridge Health Alliance drive-through site in Somerville and the CPHD’s mobile testing site, yes. The CPHD also does not require identification or a social security number.
The Carewell Urgent Care in Inman Square is also offering tests; however, the traditional COVID-19 test is only free if you have insurance and are either a healthcare worker or a symptomatic person. If you want to get tested at Carewell but are asymptomatic, the test costs $160. Carewell also offers the antibody test, to detect if you have previous exposure to COVID, and a “rapid” COVID test, for which you can receive results in 15 minutes, but neither are free.
For more details about the mobile testing sites available around Cambridge, visit the City of Cambridge’s testing page. Also see: the statewide COVID-19 test site locator.
Per the city of Somerville website, COVID-19 tests are available to all Somerville residents, regardless of health insurance or immigration status.
Yes, all Somerville residents can be tested for free at the city’s mobile testing unit and at the Cambridge Health Alliance drive-through site in Somerville.
The Somerville Carewell Urgent Care is also offering tests; however, the traditional COVID-19 test is only free if you have insurance and are either a healthcare worker or a symptomatic person. If you want to get tested at Carewell but are asymptomatic, the test costs $160. Carewell also offers the antibody test, to detect if you have previous exposure to COVID, and a “rapid” COVID test, for which you can receive results in 15 minutes, but neither are free.
See Somerville’s mobile testing unit’s schedule, and sign up for an appointment (required), here. Also see: the statewide COVID-19 test site locator.
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Slice a Path to These Five Ax-Throwing Joints in Massachusetts
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Chicago’s best spots for selfies
Looking for that perfect Chicago photo opp? Not to worry — with this roundup of must-see places to visit in Chicago, your selfie game will be on point. Get inspiration through our photography primer below, which is filled with 12 essential landmarks to capture.
We can’t wait to see what you discover here in Chicago… colorful street art, mind-blowing food, stunning skylines. While you’re at it, feel free to share your photos with us on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #ChicagoHome.
Cloud Gate (also known as “The Bean”)
You’ll recognize this one. Cloud Gate is the iconic, bean-shaped sculpture in Millennium Park that mirrors and distorts the surrounding Chicago skyline. When people see this selfie, they’ll know you’re in Chicago.
Chicago skyline from the Adler Planetarium
View of the skyline from Adler Planetarium
With its prime vantage point on the edge of the Museum Campus, the stretch of Solidarity Drive between Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium boasts spectacular views of sparkling Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline.
The Chicago Theatre marquee
Clayton Hauck for Choose Chicago / FCB
This six-story marquee sign marks the spot for The Chicago Theatre, a historic venue that has been dazzling visitors and locals alike since 1921. Take your selfie at night, when the marquee is all lit up — preferably on your way to see an exciting performance by a big-name comedian or world-renowned musician.
Picasso Sculpture in Daley Plaza
This massive cubist sculpture by Pablo Picasso was the first major piece of public artwork of its kind in downtown Chicago, and today, this Daley Plaza piece is a major landmark. Choose your selfie position — “The Picasso” looks quite different depending on where you stand.
Wrigley Field marquee
For sports fans, no trip to Chicago is complete without stopping by the beloved Wrigley Field. Snap a selfie in front of the iconic red and white marquee, and head inside to check out the latest Wrigley Field expansion and renovations, known as The 1060 Project.
Buckingham Fountain
Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park summer Buckingham fountain buildings building water skyline
Take your selfie next to one of the largest water fountains in the world — Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, which features water shows every hour, from 8 am until 10 pm, from mid-April through mid-October.
The Ferris wheel at Navy Pier
You have two choices here: you can either take a selfie from afar, with Navy Pier and its massive Ferris wheel in the background, or you can buy a ticket and take the ride, snapping a selfie from 150 feet up in the air.
Máximo at Field Museum
Head to Field Museum, and snap a selfie with Máximo, the largest titanosaur — stretching 122 feet from head to tail, peeking behind your shoulder.
Skyline from Lincoln Park Zoo
Enjoy free admission to Lincoln Park Zoo, and while you’re there, explore the Nature Boardwalk to spot birds and other wildlife. Bonus: as you stroll the Lester E. Fisher Bridge that crosses the South Pond (also known as the Nature Bridge), you can take in beautiful Chicago skyline views — the perfect backdrop for your selfie.
Lion statues at the Art Institute of Chicago
Strike a pose next to one of the two bronze lions at the Michigan Avenue entrance of the Art Institute of Chicago. These magnificent beasts by sculptor Edward Kemeys have been Chicago icons since 1893.
The Ledge at Skydeck Chicago
Looking for that “wow factor” for your next selfie? Snap a picture from The Ledge, where you can stand in a glass box overlooking the city from 1,353 feet up. It’s an exhilarating view and a sure bet for an unmatched selfie.
Bronze Cow outside the Chicago Cultural Center
In 1999, a public arts project took over Chicago, as a herd of fiberglass cows could be spotted throughout the city. Today, cuddle up to the bronze cow sculpture located outside the entrance to the Chicago Cultural Center, which was gifted to the city of Chicago “in gratitude for the support of the cows and other art in public places.”
The Chicago Theatre
Skydeck Chicago
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Chicago’s is full of truly unique architectural wonders. Use the guide to build your own Chicago architecture itinerary, from the iconic buildings in the Loop…
Been to Chicago? Do this next time.
It only takes one trip to Chicago to fall in love. Our skyline, our food, our festivals, museums, neighborhoods, and so much more make it…
How to spend a romantic weekend in Chicago
Chicago is the perfect spot for a romantic weekend getaway. You and your sweetheart can enjoy a scenic bike ride along the lake, bucket-list fine…
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Go Chicago one-day itinerary
Heading to Chicago for a short trip but still want to see the sights? It can feel like you have to rush to do everything…
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Chicago arts and culture weekend in the Loop
Take the ultimate Chicago culture trip to discover public art by the likes of Picasso and Chagall, art gallery districts exploding with fine art, incredible…
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Why Sofia Vergara Chose To Judge America's Got Talent After Modern Family's Ending
Nick Venable
Published: Mar. 1. 2020 12:41 PM
Modern Family will soon bid its final farewell to ABC and its millions of faithful viewers, meaning roughly 27,000 actors are in need of follow-up work. Okay, so that was an exaggeration, but the hit comedy easily has one of TV's biggest multi-generational ensembles. In all these years, though, no one has pulled the spotlight off of co-star Sofia Vergara, who rather quickly has signed on for her next high-profile TV gig as an America's Got Talent judge, filling the void left after Julianna Hough and Gabrielle Union were fired.
One can assume that Sofia Vergara has had plenty of options for follow-up jobs after Modern Family, so it's pretty intriguing that her top choice was to jump networks to NBC to sit next to returning star Heidi Klum and pass judgment on ventriloquists, singers, acrobats, shadow-dancers and more. When asked by Extra how she felt about landing the new job, Vergara explained why she chose that over another job.
Super excited! Something completely different than I thought I was going to do after Modern Family. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to do something different after 10 years of such a fantastic TV show. I didn't think I was going to get something like that, but I think it's better to mix it up for a while. I think I am going to have a lot of fun. I’ve been watching the show for a long time, and it looks like the judges have so much fun — like the contestants.
Variety is the spice of life, after all, so it makes perfect sense that Sofia Vergara would want to shift career gears after filming around 250 episodes of Modern Family in an 11-year span. A far more baffling move would have been if she'd joined another broadcast network family comedy in which she's married to an older white guy and Benjamin Bratt plays her ex. Typecasting isn't anyone's friend...unless Benjamin Bratt plays your ex, I guess.
Sofia Vergara was rumored in the past to potentially be joining America's Got Talent, as the actress reportedly met with execs from both NBC Universal and the production company Fremantle USA back in December. AGT wasn't the only project on the discussion docket that day, though, so there were no guarantees that Vergara would opt to go for the reality competition over something else.
The actress is also happy to be able to represent her heritage on the show, even if its most recent season was marred by controversy after Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough were fired, with lots of troubling accusations being made in the aftermath. In Vergara's words:
I am very excited I am the first Latina... on the show — that’s very exciting.
Heading to America's Got Talent will hardly impede on any inclinations Sofia Vergara might have about joining another scripted series in the near future. Prior to Modern Family, she was on such (admittedly short-lived) projects such as the female-driven Hot Properties and the celebrity-robbing comedy The Knights of Prosperity, but I doubt we'll see revivals from those. Personally, I'm hoping she hits it off with on-stage host Terry Crews and finds her way to joining Brooklyn Nine-Nine in some capacity.
With its series final set to air in April, Modern Family officially wrapped filming recently, allowing all of the lead actors the opportunity to fill their schedules with other jobs for the first time in over a decade. Does this mean we'll see Sofia Vergara's co-stars following suit, so that Ty Burrell will join The Voice as a coach next season, and Sarah Hyland can become a regular judge on Top Chef. There are worse trends in Hollywood than "former Modern Family stars becoming reality TV judges."
Modern Family airs Wednesday nights on ABC at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Why Married With Children Needs A Revival Now That Modern Family Is Ending
Nick Venable View Profile
Nick is a Cajun Country native, and is often asked why he doesn't sound like that's the case. His love for his wife and daughters is almost equaled by his love of gasp-for-breath laughter and gasp-for-breath horror. A lifetime spent in the vicinity of a television screen led to his current dream job, as well as his knowledge of too many TV themes and ad jingles.
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About CarSpiritPK
Can KIA Break the Japanese Monopoly with Picanto & Rio?
UsmanAnsari
General, Opinions
KIA is all set to make a comeback in Pakistan as the Kia-Lucky joint venture; a Yunus Brothers Group company (YBG) has been hiring candidates in various disciplines.
Related: KIA Motors Starts Hiring in Pakistan
KIA vehicles have been in Pakistan in different eras sold by different ventures but unfortunately each time they were failed to make a lasting impact in our market and eventually faded out.
The Tawakkal Group Era
KIA first emerged in our market during the mid 90s when Naya Daur Motors (under the Tawwakal group) introduced 1000cc Kia Pride hatchback and 1 ton pickup Kia Ceres in Pakistan.
However according to court filings, the company took over Rs 800 million as booking from 16,000 people and delivered only a few hundred vehicles before going bankrupt. The collected money was allegedly transferred outside Pakistan for the company’s other businesses. This put an utterly bad impression on the KIA brand since the after sales support of the delivered units was next to nothing.
The DFML Era
In late 90s Dewan Farooque Motors Limited made agreements with Hyundai and KIA to assemble and sell their vehicles in Pakistan.
The plant built in rural Sindh’s Sujawal area at a cost of Rs 1.8 billion was completed in seven months. It was the first automobile manufacturing plant in the country to have robotic paint machines. With the capacity to make 10,000 vehicles a year, DFML produced 95,429 vehicles between 2000 and 2011 which included Kia Spectra, Sportage and Hyundai’s Santro.
Dewan acquired Pakland Cement in 2004 for Rs 1.1 billion in cash soon after which Dewan group started to post losses cascading into problems for the entire group in just 24 months. Things kept turning from bad to worst and by 2008 were vanished from mainstream news. Dewans were eventually declared the defaulters of over Rs 40 billion and hence the KIA chapter in Pakistan was closed for the second time.
After the new automobile policy 2016-21 surfaced, Karachi-listed Lucky Cement, which is part of the vast conglomerate Yunus Brothers Group (YBG), announced to set up a plant in order to start manufacturing and assembling KIA vehicles in Pakistan.
Related: KIA will Launch Stonic and Stinger in Europe
Earlier in June 2017, the Ministry of Industry and Production allowed Kia-Lucky Motors Pakistan Limited, along with United Motors Private Limited and Nishat Group to set up units for assembly and manufacturing of vehicles under the Greenfield investment category.
This time however KIA has the strongest chance of getting into the success stream due to the following reasons:
The KIA product portfolio is better than ever, compared to the likes that were introduced in previous times.
Lucky Cement, which is part of the vast conglomerate Yunus Brothers Group (YBG) is financially the strongest venture compared to DFML and Tawakkal Group of the past.
The global acceptability of South Korean manufacturer KIA has increased significantly. With sophisticated technology, striking looks and unmatched performance KIA vehicles have made their name in competition driven markets and today it will be a lot easier for people to opt for KIA vehicles as they will get confidence of owning a world-class brand.
Although KIA’s product portfolio is vast and there is yet no official word from the company hinting what is going to be introduced in Pakistan. However based on our market dynamics and consumer preferences there are high chances for the Picanto hatchback and the Rio sedan to be introduced in Pakistan.
The Picanto hatchback is a small city car which was first introduced in 2004. The first generation Picanto was also launched in Pakistan just before Dewan went into troubles. The Picanto is currently in its third generation and was officially unveiled at the 2017 Geneva Auto Show held earlier this year.
The Picanto is equipped with a choice of three engines: 1.0 liter Kappa II three cylinder engine in naturally aspirated and turbocharged forms, and a 1.2 liter Kappa II four cylinder engine. Both 1.0 liter engines are mated exclusively with a 5-speed manual transmission while the 1.2 liter engine is offered with an optional automatic transmission.
The Rio is a subcompact car available in both sedan and hatchback forms produced since August 2000. The second generation Rio was launched in Pakistan just before Dewan went bankrupt hence the sedan never saw success in Pakistan. Currently the Rio is in its fourth generation that was unveiled at Paris Motor Show late last year.
The 4th gen Rio is available with an array of engine options in different markets across the globe. Ranging from a 1.0 liter turbocharged Kappa engine, 1.6 liter Gamma to a 1.4 liter U-line TCI turbo diesel engine.
However it makes more sense if either a 1.2 liter Kappa or 1.4 liter Gamma engine is introduced in Pakistan. Bear in mind the Gamma engines were developed in 2010 & of a relatively older technology as compared to Kappa engines which are modern, lighter and more fuel efficient.
Just a few months of launch, the 4th generation Rio has already won the 2017 Red Dot Award for Passenger Car Design and the 2017 iF Design Award for a Disciplined Product. The Rio (also known as K2 in China) was KIA’s best selling model worldwide in 2012 and 2015.
Related: KIA Reveals the All-New Stonic Compact Crossover
The South Korean manufacturer has been producing world-class vehicles today compared to the ones that we were exposed to, and with KIA-Lucky group setting up an automobile manufacturing & assembling plant in Pakistan under the Greenfield investment category, one may expect to see the likes of new KIA Picanto hatchback and Rio sedan running soon on our roads.
Do you think KIA will be able to break the monopoly of Japanese trio in Pakistan, let us know with your comments?
A 3d animation professional with over 19 years of industry experience, an avid car enthusiast, petrolhead and social media influencer. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com
I would like to see Kia Rio hatchback in Pakistan.
Muhammad Adil Muhammad Yaseen
We will support any brand if it comes with credibility and services to offer neither of which i lacking in japapnese trio so far specially suzuki
Nice analysis..
Tags:DFMLKia-LuckyPicantoRioYunus Brothers
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Chart Abstracts
ANDREAS BIANCHO DE VENERIIS ME FECIT M.CCCC.XXXvj: ATLANTE NAUTICO OF ANDREAS BIANCHO EXPLAINED
Now comprising 10 sheets; the ‘Raxon de Marteloio’, ‘seven charts’, a ‘circular World map’ and a ‘Ptolemaic world map’, they have now been removed from a binding which stitched through their centre fold and presented in a boxed edition folio. It was produced in 1993 as a special publication of 1500 exemplars, (this authors is number 1148), and has a text by Professor Piero Falchetta of the Biblioteca Marciana,Venice, which holds the ‘Atlante Nautico’ and he describes the content (in Italian) but does not attempt to analyze the diagrams or charts cartographically. It is a historian’s narrow view of the ‘Atlante Nautico’.
This paper delves into the construction and draughtsmanship required for the charts, their geometry and trigonometry as well as explaining the ‘Raxon de Marteloio’ principles as set down by Andreas Biancho which have hitherto been basically mis-represented and not forensically examined to exhibit the simple facts. There is also a discussion apropos the supposed Ptolemaic map of possibly indifferent authorship and the problems there-of.
14 A4 pages and 29 full colour diagram maps
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THE PTOLEMAIC INFLUENCE UPON ANDREAS BIANCHO; ATLANTE NAUTICO, 1436
The charts within ‘Atlante Nautico, 1436 ’, are all drawn upon the same size parchment, 260 x 380mm, which in all probability was produced as sheets measuring 262 x 393mm, 1 x 1 ½ Palmo and hence the measurement system of the charts can be assessed. The wind rose is constant upon each chart at 240mm which is thus 11 uncia, (the 262mm is 12 uncia, 1 Palmo). However the chart scales differ, but, they can all be shown to be drawn by the same hand, that of Andreas Biancho. However the last sheet, the Ptolemaic World map, although included in ‘Atlante Nautico’ may not be by Andreas Biancho, and thus its very individual form, its non-alignment to other similar maps is questioned.
9 A4 pages and 11 full colour diagram maps
PORTOLAN CHARTS: CONSTRUCTION AND COPYING [Occam’s Razor Methodology (Lex parsimoniae)]
The subject of the Portolan chart is fraught with difficulty, particularly how were they constructed. This text is the description of a forensic examination of the Jorge de Aguiar Portolan (1492) by redrawing, line by line, from basic principles. Used here-in are also many texts to illustrate preceding research. The conclusion is that they were very simply drawn using a graticule, not generally a circle, and a template or pattern was utilized to draw the map itself.
Note, this paper in a basic form was sent for referee’s comments which are included here-in.
Key words: Geographical map; Magnetic basis; Graticule; Template; Utilization of Chart; Portolan or Portolano Chart.
THE MAP WITHIN THE PORTOLAN EXAMINATION BY REDRAWING Occam’s Razor Methodology; Lex Parsimoniae
The portolan’s of Angelino Dulcert and Jorge de Aguiar are again examined but this time to establish the minutiae of the maps draughtsmanship, as opposed to the preceding text, “Portolan Charts; Construction and Copying”, [ref. ChPo/1] which examined how the whole Portolan could have been drawn. The method of examination chosen is by a redrawing exercise as opposed to a cartometric programme. A paucity of node points and the tendency to produce curved lines which are not part of the Portolan repertoire are the basic reason for the non utilisation. This paucity leaves large areas of sea and tracts of land behind the littoral subject to an averaging of the distortion grids and a tendency therefore to perceive the plot as correct, when in fact it is not.
Thus from an initial visual appraisal of the map to a detailed point by point recognition of the maps form, how they were first conceived and then drawn, the process becomes apparent.
LEATHER; VELLUM; PARCHMENT DRAWING AND COPYING MAPS AND CHARTS
Although research into the Portolan Chart genre has been extensive, it appears not one researcher has actually tried to draw a Portolan Chart from first principles. This fact is bemoaned by many persons who consider themselves expert in the field, have written extensively about these charts, but have never drawn a chart or tried to copy one. It is therefore pertinent to ask if the research is all it should be. Why has it not happened?
This text follows the process of a chart from its very basis, the vellum or parchment upon which it is drawn, to the draughtsmanship of the chart and finally how it could be successfully copied without the process being visible upon either the master copy or the second copy. Many texts are used in the analysis and found to be wanting.
LES CARTES PORTOLANES: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE TECHNICAL SECTIONS, WINDS AND DRAUGHTSMANSHIP USING THE ORIGINAL TEXT ORDER AS THE DETERMINANT.
The text by R J Pujades i Bataller referring to the winds and technical items within Les Cartes Portolanes is contained within pages 473-481 and 513-514. Here-in R J Pujades sets down his research and reasoning for the origination of the physical work entailed in producing a Portolan chart, the process of copying and the possible scales used as a reason for the charts observed sizes. He clearly focuses upon the wind diagrams and its draughtsmanship, but, it can be clearly shown that his reasoning is based upon a false premise. The background graticule can be shown to be the arbiter of the Portolan chart with the copying method to obtain a number of similar charts merely the use of templates. The background graticule assists in the primary positioning of the map, and certainly provides the chart scale.
FOUR MARTELOIO SAILING DIRECTIONS 1295/1436AD; Ramon Lull; Michael of Rhodes; Andreas Biancho & ????
When the Portolan chart was developed in the 13th century, it was covered by a myriad of lines to represent wind directions. These were to assist mariners to gauge the sailing direction from port to destination and also correct their course when adverse winds affected the sailing direction. However, as it was then mainly coastal sailing and not open sea crossings the usefulness of the myriad of lines is questioned .
But, distances sailed could be taken from a chart, (the scales were so very small and thus inaccurate), or read from the more accurate Portolano, a list of ports, inter-distances and obstacles to be avoided. As the distances became greater and more routes were across open seas, not coasting, accuracy in the direction sailed and distances covered became necessary. The magnetic compass was one tool giving direction, but its accuracy was poor and possibly not understood, and distance had to be measured by empirical means; inaccurate!
Hence it became necessary to record actual distances sailed such that when adverse winds affected the course, distances off course and then the return course and distance could be calculated. The return course was generally a logical extrapolation from the wind rose; that is if the ship was blown one quarter wind south of the intended course, the return course would be one quarter wind to the north with equal sailing distances involved. But if the off course sailing was the resultant of many tacks it was necessary to know how far had you sailed, how far off course you were and how far you must sail on a return course to find your original course, and that required calculating; an arduous task with doubtful accuracy.
Thus the Marteloio was developed and improved perhaps by usage. What usage it had is unquantifiable as it does not appear in the texts or notes of many mariners. And we must also note that most sailing was done along shorelines not across open sea for hundreds of miles as the Marteloio accommodates. Thus a degree of scepticism is required of Marteloio.
There are four sections to the text covering differing Marteloio papers with new diagrams.
Novmber 2014
FRANCESCO BECCARI, CHART OF 1403AD BATTISTA BECCARI, CHART OF 1435AD AN ANALYSIS OF AND COMPARISON OF THE CHARTS CONSTRUCTION
The 1403AD Portolan Chart of Francesco Beccari has been studied in a historical and a technical paper. Commented upon as unique for its latitudinal scale and what may be considered a rather self serving, apologetic text for past chart failures, it requires researching.
Ignoring the previous texts for the main analysis of the 1403AD chart, the actual evidence paints a different picture. Thus it is then possible to show by comparison to those texts the technical detail that should have been assessed and thus a more correct conclusion arrived at.
Finally, the 1435AD Portolan Chart of Battista Beccari is also analysed with the obvious necessity of a comparison to the 1403AD Portolan Chart.
WIND ROSE CONSTRUCTION ON A PORTOLAN; REVISIONS TO THE ORIGINS OF THE CHARTS FORMAT AS DRAWN.
Within the pages of Les Cartes Portolanes, R J Pujades argues that the background graticule of the Portolan charts, although drawn on each chart, is not ipso facto part of the construction. On page 513/514 entitled “The Keys to success; the wind network and the decimal based scale”, he concludes,
“Does this mean that the wind network played no role in the actual construction of the first graphic designs reproduced in nautical charts? I do not believe so, since it is one thing to deny the usefulness of the wind network as a basic pattern for obtaining new copies from a previously established model, but quite another to extend this conclusion to the initial moments of the configuration of the first models”.
This is shown to be based upon a false premise, from non-researched extant data which is adequately shown upon the Portolan Charts themselves as this text will indicate.
Simplicity: Drawing a Wind Rose Graticule Utilize just one measurement and straight lines
The wind rose graticule has been shown to be a simple geometric construct based upon the side length ratios of a triangle for angular deviation. The ratio of the squares when drawn is 35: 30: 20: 7 TRU’s (trignometrical ratio units). But what if the charts size and chosen scale does not allow for an easy conversion of the ratio numbers to scale measures? This text is an appendix for the original ChWr/1; Wind Rose Construction text.
IS THE RICCARDIANA ms 3827 CHART THE EARLIEST OF THE P VESCONTE CHARTS? THUS A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF FIVE PORTOLAN CHARTS AND A GEOGRAPHICAL MERCATOR CHART; WHO BEGAT WHOM?
The earliest Portolan Charts numbered C1 to C4 in “Les Cartes Portolanes” and the Lucca Chart are compared to each other and a Geographical Mercator chart. Thus the similarities of draughtsmanship can be observed and as only one set of Portolan Charts by P Vesconte (C3+Atlas) are signed the opportunity of possibly attributing anonymous charts becomes viable as the outlines coincide, in one instance spectacularly.
9 A4 pages and 26 (33)full colour diagram maps
CHARTS FROM 1300AD TO 1350AD COMPARED. IS THE RICCARDIANA MS 3827 THE MASTER TEMPLATE?
The conclusion to my text ChCs/1 is that the Riccardiana ms 3827 chart was in all probability an original Pietro Vesconte Chart and dated from 1300/1310AD. Via my draughtsmanship/cartographical evaluation it was shown to be the template for the later charts and atlas of Pietro Vesconte. Now continuing the comparative study with five more charts as noted below, the Riccardiana ms 3827 chart would appear to be the template, or its copy or predecessor, the template for other known and unattributed charts of the period. There are minor deviations in the construction of charts discussed and perhaps following this evaluation a re-ordering of some in the L.C.P. sequencing may be found necessary.
There are 7 A4 text pages and 18 (32) A4 diagrams
ATELIER OF CRESQUES ABRAHAM OF MAJORCA CHART MS XII.D.102, NAPLES, ITALY ANALYSED
The atelier of Cresques Abraham (1325-1387) was undoubtedly a continuation of the atelier of Angelino Dulceto (!name!), who probably arrived in Majorca late 1320’s, having learnt his cartographic trade in Genoa. He was possibly still producing charts in the early 1340’s, as Chart C9 (London, Add.MS 25691) is dated to that period, although some scholars consider it may precede the 1325, C7 Chart. My ChCs/2 text also details this point as a possibility. However the change of date does not preclude the atelier continuing to the 1340’s and being the Cresque base, as the Cresque Chart is undoubtedly a copy of the Dulceto (!) charts. Therefore it is possible to opine that there is a linkage between the two ateliers.
The Cresques chart does however have two unusual features drawn thereon, one is quite unique, the second a copy feature, which are discussed in detail within this text analysis of the chart. It is then compared to the Dulceto (!) charts and other charts following the system developed for the ChCs/1 and ChCs/2 texts.
The text is 7 A4 pages and 11 (16) A4 diagrams.
USING A PORTOLAN CHART AT SEA; DID THEY? ARE THEY PRACTICAL OR IMPRACTICAL FOR USE BY MARINERS?
The Portolan Charts that are available for testing as practical navigation aids are mostly highly decorated “library” charts, which although a visual feast are so complicated in their presentation as to be unsuitable for use in a dark cabin or ships open cockpit. It has been surmised by various authors1 that those used (if they were) on board ship were the same charts but with none of the decoration to obscure the main navigation elements. But are these charts actually an aid in any presentation mode, or are they an encumbrance through the methodology required to use them on board ship. But, were they actually used on board ship?
This text analyses the simple route from Majorca to Alexandria, Egypt, using two sailing methods; that of the Portolan chart via the magnetic compass and that using the geographical wind directions and natural phenomena, the Sun and Stars for guidance. The research cannot attempt to emulate every minor course change that was necessary and must therefore be a simple discussion that considers all methods equal and that deviations on each course will cancel each other out. There is no methodology or patent formula to allow for quirks in the sailing methods of the medieval sailors given that at various times of the year the route will require a different form of sailing for the winds and tidal flow in the Mediterranean Sea. Thus for this text, the wind is constant with no tidal deviation. However one constant used is the magnetic deviation for the period of 1300AD for the whole Mediterranean Sea, 5 degrees east to 16 degrees east declination.
There are 18, A4 pages and 11, A4 Diagrams for this text.
LO CONPASSO DE NAVEGARE c1250AD. CAN AN ACCURATE CHART BE DRAWN FROM THE DATA THERE-IN?
The accuracy of Portolan charts has been shown in my previous texts, ChCs/1 and ChCs/2 where I have compared them to each other and a geographical Mercator map.
But in 1987 J T Lanman wrote “On the origin of Portolan Charts” and within chapter 8, “A proposal for the origin of Portolan charts” he wrote 6 sections (large paragraphs) and a concluding paragraph. The 6 sections are Data Base, Projection, Skewing, Purpose, Distortion and Contemporary evidence.
This text illustrates that J T Lanman was misguided in his theoretical approach, when he concluded that an accurate chart could be drawn from the data within the coastal section of the text, “Lo Conpasso de Navegare”, when it patently cannot. He also concluded there was a magnetic declination used to plot the coastal courses within the text. Then he used a square grid for his reconstruction which has been shown to be nonsensical. The graticule is rectangular and although it appears to accord to a Mercator map, that is coincidental.
That his points are spurious is amply illustrated in this analytical text. It is necessary to point out though that J T Lanman used a text with many errors for the distances and bearings, and appears not to have cross checked the distances from the Peleio route distances which are multitudinous within the text and generally very accurate.
Thus I am able to add a postscript to this analytical text which has a surprising conclusion concerning the actual possibility of drawing a map from “Lo Conpasso De Navegare”. But it is nothing to do with J T Lanman’s theoretical charts.
This text is a précis of my complete analysis of “Lo Conpasso De Navegare” carried out to investigate the possible uses for the text and its accuracy. It concentrates only on the Western Mediterranean Sea area from the Pillars to Sicily, as a means of curtailing the text.
There are 23, A4 pages and 10, A4 diagrams.
THE CARTA PISANA: BNF, Res. Ge. B1118 Amb. A FULL AND DETAILED EXAMINATION OF THE CHART
The Carta Pisane has been the subject of much speculation since it surfaced in Pisa. Is it the oldest known example of the genre of Portolan Charts, the dating is rather nebulous: was it drawn using the text of “Lo Conpasso De Navegare” (LCN): was it used at sea, thus its deleterious state: why does it appear to exhibit far more than the supposed next set of charts by Pietro Vesconte: is it merely a wishful thinking plot and not reality in the extreme areas of the chart. All of these points have been discussed ad infinitum by researchers, but the actual chart I believe has never been the subject of a forensic cartographical examination until now.
The only definite from the above list that can be quantified concerns “Lo Conpasso De Navegare” and that has been shown to be unlikely as the source of the chart using the “Starea” descriptions alone. This paper concentrates on the technical cartographical aspects of the chart, its scale, draughtsmanship and the methodology that was probably used to construct the basic outlines, but at all times uses the LCN as the basic parameter. Whether that is a correct assumption may be argued, but at least it is a basis for evidential research. The Peleio distances are shown to be the primary source of distance measure for the chart with their wind directional component. It is then shown that the actual coastline between node points gained from the Peleio distances is freehand drawn, mostly guessed, but some with real knowledge of the shape and form of the littoral.
The two wind roses are shown to be dimensioned using the same mathematics as the “Tavola De Marteloio” for the 45 degree alignment, that is 71 units, and thus the overpowering square features located in four positions on the chart are quantified.
There are correspondences and also complete differences to “Lo Conpasso De Navegare”, and thus that text does not provide for an adequate guide to the charts origins. But, the Carta Pisane is a carefully constructed chart suffering from the vagaries of poor and corrupt data producing distortion, not magnetic declination, and neither does it produce a chart usable for Pelagic Sailing because of the distortions there-in.
It is however in part well drawn and requires visual assessment over and above the first impression it unfortunately portrays by its state of preservation.
The text is 16 A4 pages and contains 25 + 2 A4 diagrams.
HOW TO CONSTRUCT A PORTOLAN CHART COASTLINE THE FUNDAMENTAL DETAILS EXPLAINED AND DRAWN
Having analysed “Lo Conpasso de Navegare” “Grazia Pauli” and “Liber de Existencia Riveriarum” texts to produce my text ChLCN/1, and then compared it to “The Carta Pisane” in text ChCpS/1, I concluded that the LCN text in its “Starea” section was unfit for purpose as the basis for constructing a chart. However, the Peleio section of LCN could be the basic data with which to draw a map or chart from the matrix that could be produced there-from. Although Peleio distances correctly positioned a large number of coastal features they required evaluating to determine if they were the actual basis of the Portolan Chart construction. But of course the LCN does not include the Atlantic Sea area!
Starting with the Peleio distance/directions, all +300 of them plotted on a series of maps, I concluded that a triangle formed the basic reason for the choice of node points. The points interlinked to cross locate from many of the coastal features. In fact a considerable number of the individual Peleio distance/direction notations were very accurate such that there could be NO magnetic deviation within the text details.
There were however many obvious scribal errors both for distance and direction when evaluated against a geographical map. Most could be shown to be attributable to poor copying, scribal error, but one section is solely responsible for the apparent distortion of the charts, which has led to the belief in a magnetic deviation.
My conclusions are that an original form of LCN Peleio data was used to draw the Portolan Charts. I believe the origin is probably from the Roman Period 300BCE to 300CE: there is no magnetic deviation at all in the charts draughtsmanship: the inaccuracy of the map plot is attributable to the mistaken distance measures from Sardinia to N Africa which imparted a bias in the map plot: the measurement used on the early charts is derived from the Roman Mile of 1.47911KM as one chart actually indicates.
This text cannot itemize every single Peleio; the majority are on the diagrams within this text and in the two previous texts, but where it becomes impossible to read alignments due to the sheer complexity of lines I have chosen for clarity of presentation to use a minimal number of Peleio triangle distances and thus simple Distance/Directional information.
I am sure interested parties will be pleased to draw the data for themselves and submit results. I also suggest the diagrams are downloaded, printed and joined to form large single maps (they are marked for that purpose) which will explain the twist and its false representation as a magnetic bent. It will also show that the simplest of presentations which have been misread as possible projections are nothing more than the result of drawing from a central alignment both east and west. Thus the natural positioning of a node point from the triangles causes the supposed projection. I repeat, there is no magnetic deviation on a Portolan chart!!
This text is 16 A4 pages and 29A4 diagrams. (29 pages as presented)
MELANGE A TROIS AVEC L’UNE, MS 3827; CORTONA; VESCONTE 1311; DULCETO 1330
I have already subjected the Starea section of “Lo Conpasso de Navegare” to a detailed examination in text ChLCN/1, and followed it with a research paper concerning the Carte Pisane, text ChCPS/1, and then a major investigation of the Peleio section of LCN which illustrated in text ChCPC/1 how the basic forma for a chart could be constructed from the Peleio data and negated the idea of any magnetic interference in the charts construction.
This text uses three more charts, Cortona, Vesconte 1311 and Dulceto 1330 to investigate the continuation of the usage of an “LCN” text and compares the results to the Riccardiana MS3827 chart used as a reference point in the ChCPC/1 text.
The findings are that all use a version of the “LCN” text as the distance measures clearly indicate, but their draughtsmen or cartographers are somewhat different in their approach to the extant data c1300AD, which indicates several varying content copies of “LCN” then extant.
The Cortona chart is surprisingly accurate; it has hidden attributes. The Vesconte 1311 chart, although only of the eastern Mediterranean Sea basin is shown generally to accord with the “LCN” data, but it has been drawn from the east and thus shows a greater distortion derived from the spurious “LCN” data. The Dulceto 1330 chart appears to apply original “LCN” data for its construction and is the closest to it, hinting at a loss of early knowledge and thus the errors in “LCN” and a copyist approach to it.
The conclusions are as already posited in previous texts; the use of one or more copies of “LCN”; no magnetic deviation; obvious access to far greater detailed data than is now extant.
Included is the text ChEPC/1, an essay regarding the timescale for the original chart.
The text is 14, A4 pages and there are 27, A4 diagrams.
10 DISTORTED CHARTS –LCN PROBLEMS CRITIQUES; HOC/1/19 p380-386 & LCP p 510/511
Within previous texts, ChLCN/1, ChCPC/1 and ChMAT/1 it has been shown that scribal errors within the LCN texts in the area south of Sardinia led draughtsmen constructing Portolan Charts inadvertently to slew to the northeast the eastern section of the Mediterranean Sea. I have already utilized charts C2, Cortona; C3, Vesconte 1311; C7, Dulceto 1330 and C8, Riccardiana ms3827 within text ChMAT/1 and thus in this text utilize 10 further charts solely for their drawn area south of Sardinia to compare their usage of an LCN text. The dates vary from 1339 to 1464 and are from C9 to C65 in LCP.
The Starea Peleio abstracted from LCN numbers 73 routes of over 100 millara and is used to cross-locate ports in both the western and eastern Mediterranean Sea. The 10 charts are presented with their scale bars to illustrate the variation but mainly the continued use of an LCN text. Thus the slewing of each chart can be shown via the distance measures used, which vary as is discussed briefly for each chart, but, the obvious agreement between them indicates that the information they are drawn from is the same “Alpha Map” base, and “Alpha LCN” text, which has been mis-copied in certain sections.
In my short essay text ChEPC/1, I opined that the Peleio section of LCN was probably taken from the “Alpha Map” as they are impractical to observe as sailing direction/distance measures at sea. I then constructed a scenario, purely speculative, which indicated that the original Portolan Chart was much earlier than 1000AD and developed from a Roman Map and itinerary text. The theme of the maps usage and ancestry is continued in this text regarding the possibility of the Starea Peleio section being driven by the necessity, firstly of the routes to be used by the new maritime cities, and then of sailing for the Crusades which provided an impetus to increase, diversify and rename ports to suit the new age and the explosion in sailing. But many quirks are included on these charts to fool us.
Thus having completed a review of LCN and the major charts of LCP, C1 to C64 and confirmed the obvious fact that by using LCN Peleio distance directions, which all charts can be shown to agree with, there is no magnetic deviation involved, just the slewing caused by the miscopying of the LCN data, Roman Numerals for south of Sardinia, it became necessary to subject the two texts used by many researchers as the basis of the Portolan Chart storyline. I refer to firstly HOC/1/chapter19 text, particularly pages 380 to 386 which deal with the subject matter of my papers and then LCP (English section) pages 510 and 511(part) which are the similar subject matter. Pages 511 & 512 are dealt with in a following text, ChCOR/1.
The text is 18, A4 pages and contains 20, A4 diagrams.
THE CORTONA CHART, LCP, C2, INVESTIGATED AND THE BLACK SEA ENIGMA QUANTIFIED
The Cortona Chart is often linked with the Carta Pisane (LCP, C1) because of the perceived similarity of presentation, its draughtsmanship and the coastlines. In my text ChCPS/1, The Carta Pisane, I fully analysed that chart’s construction and its basic internal knowledge. This text analyses the Cortona Chart in a similar manner and juxtaposes “LCP” pages 511/512 text with my findings. The resultant research illustrates that there were a multitude of “LCN” type texts used throughout the first period of the “Library Style” Portolan Charts, following the end of what must have been a massive flotilla of ships virtually constantly at sea to service the Crusades and trade that went with them, but no doubt using smaller and easily handled maps and complementary texts, Portolani + Chart.
This text starts with the Black Sea area on the chart, discusses the separate scale utilised and then the textual data available which is not apparent upon the chart. A section of the text has already been published in ChMAT/1, and is here-in appended, un- revised but very necessary to complete the research which follows the prime discussion of the Black Sea area. I have also indicated the “distortion” positions within the chart which not only make it accurate in a serendipitous manner, but show its construction from an “LCN” text. Finally, the reason for the charts distortion is revealed, simple distance measure errors which combined to visually confuse previous researchers into thinking there was a magnetic element; there is not. But why the draughtsman chose to use two differing scale bars can be answered only speculatively. As an extra discussion the Black Sea is investigated in a short essay reference ChBLS/1. The same change of scale on other charts and atlases and the actual form that can be obtained from the” LCN” text is drawn, which confirms the fact that a “Alpha Chart” was available and several “LCN” texts of varying quality.
Draughtsmanship before history and you will solve a great deal more far easier!
The text is 13, A4 pages and 8 + 6 + 10, A4 diagrams (24 in total from 3 sections of text).
A. DULCETO, 1339 CHART (LCP C8) INVESTIGATED FOUR RESEARCH TEXTS ARE THEN ANALYSED
Many researchers have written texts which in part discuss the work of A. Dulceto, and imply the finding of magnetic declination, magnetic compass usage to plot the charts and differing projections used to draw them.
I have chosen therefore the same chart, A. Dulceto 1339 (LCP C8) held by the BNF Paris as the base data with which to counter those theories existing in the four texts to be analysed. The chart is first dissected to indicate its fundamental structure and the varying scales used from west to east, Ptolemaic Degrees, Millara, Roman Miles and Marritimo Miglio, as well as the reasons for its skewing. The link from Rome via Claudius Ptolemy to the Millara is clearly shown and thus the origins of the “Portolani” and its accompanying chart are confirmed. Any researcher who has read my previous papers will not be surprised at the findings, quite incontrovertible, as they are merely the data the chart exudes, and thus will understand why I have not written reams of text in explanation of my findings for this 1339 chart. But the intervention of the Ptolemaic degree is surprising and is resolved by the explanation of the various distance measures within a Portolan chart.
Please note that prior to the analysis of the four texts, I have inserted a short but very necessary note regarding the use of Cartometry, Formulae and Computers to analyse a Portolan Chart and thus end up with bland averaging and an incorrect analysis of the chart.
The four texts are, J A Gaspar, ePerimetron, 2008; W R Tobler, Am Geog Soc, 1966 and 2007; J E Kelley jr. Cartographica, 1995; and C Boutoura, ePerimetron, 2006.
The results of this critique are expressed quite directly and thus I would advise caution when future researchers may wish to utilize them; I consider them to be lacking.
NOTE: I am still awaiting a researcher to explain how the magnetic compass was used to plot the courses and then, how the pilot book data led to a Portolan Chart to be drawn. It has been stated again in 2015 that “owing to the navigational methods of the time, which were based on magnetic directions and estimated distances”, that research is so very necessary. Why the “Pilot Books” extant do not use magnetic data requires answering.
JACOBUS RUSSUS, 1533 CHART; CHAOS THEORY, NO! EXPERIMENTAL & EVOLVING DRAUGHTSMANSHIP, YES!
The chart is obviously an excellent example of the genre, but it is also obviously an amalgam of two schools; Claudius Ptolemy and a LC de N derived Portolan Chart. The western section from Britannia southwards through France, Iberia to N. Africa is drawn to the Ptolemaic dictum as expressed in the prologue to Book 2 of “Geographia”, a simple proportion and rectangular graticule. But this only applies from 9W to 3E where the L C de N format then becomes apparent and the usual errors around 9E longitude skew the chart to fool some researchers into the magnetic declination school of thought. However the main problem can be observed at Bugea (Bejaia) on the N. African coast where the distortion is so apparent.
The eastern Mediterranean Sea is drawn quite accurately but expanded to agree with the L C de N Black Sea over length such that the chart is in proportion at this point.
The chart is an exceptionally well presented Portolan Chart which indicates a growing knowledge of the mathematics involved and the greater accuracy of measurement. Thus the cartographical draughtsman can experiment with the latest (although 100 years earlier) ideas as promulgated by Claudius Ptolemy in the then translated “Geographia.” But it should be borne in mind that the whole genre of Portolan Charts has always in its background had the Roman measurements and Ptolemaic proportion within the makeup of the chart. However, still after +200 years it is evident that the “Portolani” texts are obviously still being used.
Unfortunately, the Butterfly did flap its wings to cause enough Chaos in the finished chart to be noticeable, which is actually a sad occurrence for a thing of some beauty.
I have chosen to juxtapose this chart with a short text regarding two charts, Jorge de Aguiar, 1492, and Pedro Reinal, 1504, which show the partial development of the Iberian Peninsula as a rectangular graticule. The Pedro Reinal chart has the fully formed latitude scale in a similar position to the Jacobus Russus chart and thus they can be compared. This text was originally indexed as ChMES/1 and has 7, A4 pages and 6, A4 diagrams.
This text contains 6, A4 pages and 16, A4 diagrams which all interlink in their series.
Totally the text is 13 A4 pages and there are 22 A4 diagrams.
PORTOLAN CHARTS OF 1413, 1436, 1448 & 1463/9; THEN CAPE VERT AND 3 LETTERS FROM 1495
The exploration of West Africa from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Gulf of Guinea is a story of two or three parts. Firstly we have the recorded voyages pre our common era, and then apparently nothing south of the Canary isles until the Portuguese explorers ventured forth in the 15th century. Thus the second part may be described as the scramble by Portugal and Spain to land grab as much as possible. This caused friction between the two nations and was eventually solved (!) with the agreement reached at Tordesillas in 1494 (among others) and thus we have the letters of 1495 endeavouring to explain it all cartographically.
But all of that ignores the large Arab presence, their knowledge of the coastline and the fact that it was transmitted to N. Africa and thus the Iberian Peninsula in the 10th to 13th centuries. Finding the information however has proven nearly impossible, hence the following methodology, as even the text of Al-Idrisi shines little light on the knowledge. Thus this text uses the Portolan charts/atlases as a means of illustrating the knowledge gained in by the late 14th and early 15th centuries, how it affected the presentation of the knowledge and the gradual correcting of the spurious data which so affected them.
Obviously, between the 1413 and 1436 charts the work of Claudius Ptolemy intervened and affected presentation. The letters of 1495 illustrate the confusion reigning at the time over distance measures from the ancient metrologies, and the utter disregard various countries had for each other’s measurements, even though a single measure was available. This text therefore also tackles the vexed question of the confusion between the Millara and the Roman Mile and presents a reasoned argument for the Millara origination, no not 5/6ths.
The text is 21, A4 pages and contains 26, A4 diagrams and 4 appendix pages.
PETRUS VESCONTE, CHARTS AND ATLASES; 1311 TO 1325 A FINAL EVALUATION OF MY RESEARCH DATA FOR THESE WORKS
The Petrus Vesconte 1311 chart has featured in several previous texts, but has never been subject to a complete internal structure evaluation. This text merely corrects that omission and illustrates the accuracy which can be found longitudinally and the obvious latitudinal faults which appear to follow through to most extant Portolan Charts of later date. Those faults are distortions and are clearly set out in various papers but will be detailed here-in to define the charts. The wind rose system is the setting out and has been adequately shown to be the arbiter of the plot via its measurements. The atlases, concentrating on the 1313 and 1318 work indicate conclusively that the typical distortion of a Portolan Chart, basically shown as being from Iberia to Italy, could have been avoided by the correct application of distance measures for Iberia and from Genoa to N. Africa and a full understanding of the measurement of a degree which varies even though the name of the unit is the same. But the problem of the scale bar being firstly a Roman Mile and then considered a Miliaria can be shown to be the main cause of the deviation of the latitudinal and longitudinal lines to enthuse historians to conclude that the distortion was a magnetic deflection, Just how wrong they could be is illustrated here-in. Various other small charts are illustrated for continuity of the works by Petrus Vesconte.
There is finally an appendix which illustrates the whole distortion scenario, how it occurred and the consequences for Portolan Charts, with after words that require to be said!
The text is 15 A4 pages and has 28 A4 diagrams.
ATLASES, LCP, A1 TO A14 INVESTIGATED DISTORTIONS, UTTER CONFUSION, COPYING NONSENSE
Having studied a large number of Portolan charts, as the website clearly shows, I was struck by the lack of examination of extant Atlases in the research texts of others. Those Atlases are detailed in Les Cartes Portolanes, pages 69/70, and having just reviewed my research into the work of Petrus Vesconte (ChPV/1) and revisited his Atlases, I decided to review my research including those Atlases and others, not all of them, just the first 14.
However, I did not consider that a short text could contain a complete review of those chosen as I had carried out on the Petrus Vesconte 1313 and 1318 Atlases, but instead concentrated upon the Atlas page containing the Iberian Peninsula, the starting point for the utter confusion which can be shown to exist apropos distance measures and thus the original distortion point for Portolan charts.
As there is generally only one scale bar to each Atlas page, it is thus a simple matter to ascertain the accuracy and measures utilized to draw each sheet. Thus, when a confusion of distance measures is encountered on this one Atlas Page, emanating from a single scale bar, little more than those facts require to be investigated. It also determined that the draughtsmen were not au fait with their subject matter and thus should be considered only copy artist’s, but from what? That does not infer criticism of the artistry to produce these Atlases as they are a feast for the eyes, and illustrate exquisite draughtsmanship but a lack of real knowledge, and confirms they are copies, not original works. How many originals were copied is detailed.
The text is 11, A4 pages and contains 16, A4 diagrams (some are text based).
DIOGO HOMEN; LCP, A14 + 100 YEARS PORTUGUESE FLAWED EXPERTISE
Having analysed the Atlases LCP A1 to A14, concerning the Iberian Peninsula and established that there was a complete lack of knowledge apropos the actual distance measures utilised and that the unit of measures were also confused, it was necessary to proceed along the time line for Atlas Charts to further our information concerning their inner workings and establish if the problems encountered were in fact solved.
Hence as the BNF Paris had excellent scans of the Atlases by Diogo Homen and that fortuitously they had featured in my first Portolan Book from Thames and Hudson, I knew they would shed light upon the subject. Thus a complete analysis of two beautifully drawn Atlases by Diogo Homen was undertaken, as well as an analysis of one of his excellently drawn Portolan charts, to establish the extra knowledge gained over the ensuing +100 years from 1434 to 1559AD. Unfortunately the results were very disappointing and add little to the original data which has been compiled as the problems persisted with no new knowledge.
The text consists of 6, A4 pages and contains 17, A4 diagrams
PORTOLAN CHARTS & THEIR STANDARD DISTORTION WHENCE CAME THE PORTOLAN CHART? ROMAN, YES!
Throughout previous texts I have shown that the inner workings of Portolan Charts and Atlases indicate several distorting factors which have the effect of slewing the chart anti-clockwise from c3 to c11 degrees. That difference can be evaluated as the accuracy of the charts author in his draughtsmanship. But a study of the Iberian Peninsula showed that the basic slewing was in fact c12 degrees and emanated from one single fact; the draughtsman had used two distinct measurements for a degree of latitude which are in fact the same measurement in different forms but had used a single scale bar to measure them, thus totally ruining any accuracy that may have been possible. Therefore the Iberian Peninsula has the in-built potential to totally slew the whole chart by c12 degrees.
But that appeared to be a rather curious situation akin to the tail wagging the dog.
Thus I considered that the problem is in fact the opposite; that is, the chart was first drawn with a 12 degree slew anti-clockwise, then the Iberian Peninsula was tacked onto the chart, which would be correct if it was, as I have suggested previously a Roman Map. As the Roman World expanded the chart grew to encompass all of their lands and thus was not necessarily at first a full Mediterranean Sea basin map, but evolved from several forms.
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa produced a “world” map in c11BCE following a “world survey” instigated by Julius Caesar in c54BCE, and that map was displayed in Rome.
Thus using extant Roman Texts this paper sets down the scenario for the 12 degree slewing of one of the original Roman Charts and how it developed into a Portolan Chart.
I have added to this text the work by Joan Blaeu, not for his charts but for his written words which discuss many of the problems I have uncovered.
This paper contains 19, A4 pages and 17, A4 diagrams.
BALDASSARE DA MAIOLO (1589); A CURIOUS CHART & ANON CHART FROM DELL’ARCANO DEL MARE (1645-46)
A fellow researcher kindly sent me a copy of his paper regarding the “Enigmatic Chart” by Baldassare (Maiolo) Maggiolo, dated 1589 which appears to be drawn as four atlas pages each rotated 90 degrees from the next thus forming a rotating vista. That original text (q.v.) is predicated upon pixel measurements which to my draughtsman skills implies accuracy far in excess of that achievable in the 16th century, and does not allow for the vagaries of the charts actual drawing which was to be explored. My interest was thus piqued and I decided to explore the charts inner working and format which was made even more fascinating as the original text included a thumbnail copy of the Munich chart from Sir Robert Dudley’s Dell’Arcano del Mare. That original text stated “une carte tres similiare”, but then ignored it.
Thus there are two “enigmatic charts” which together may answer the question regarding their extraordinary presentation I therefore explore both, and with their idiosyncrasies endeavour to explain their raison d’être. The original text, chart and Munich chart are appendix notes.
This text contains 9, A4 pages and also 30, A4 diagrams.
THE 1500AD “WORLD” CHART ANALYSED JUAN DE LA COSA; MASTER AND SHIP OWNER, & OR JUAN DE LA COSA; CARTOGRAPHER AND SEAMAN
The text is in two distinct sections; firstly an analysis of the chart dated 1500 noted as being by Juan de La Cosa to understand how it was drawn, the measurements used and the probable origination of the data used; and secondly an analysis of the “raw” historical data regarding the “La Cosa” personage and his exploits after stripping out the hyperbole and extravagant overstatements of many authors who have written concerning the whole subject of the exploration of the West Indies.
Both sections are written as stand-alone texts and need not be read as one paper.
This section casts doubt upon the authorship of the Chart and perhaps the date appended, as it appears to have information that was only known after the 1500 date and is thus thought to be 1502 at the earliest as others have suggested, but in fact could be even later. This section also questions the charts origination. The second section is merely the historical facts that can actually be accepted as such. But, as only confirmed fact should be used before accepting circumstantial evidence, and there being little definitive data to go on, speculative texts abound and they must be challenged. Both sections have their own Abstract/Introduction and they are not cross referenced to each other to allow the reader to reach his or her own conclusions from the evidence presented.
The part one text is 13, A4 pages and contains 28 A4 diagrams. Pages 1 to 13.
The part two text is 8, A4 pages and contains 1, A4 diagram, D01 from above. Pages 14 to 21.
JUAN DE LA COSA; MASTER AND SHIP OWNER, & OR JUAN DE LA COSA; CARTOGRAPHER AND SEAMAN ABSTRACT FOR PART TWO TEXT; THE HISTORY
Having read many texts concerning the Columbus exploits and thus knowing of Juan de La Cosa from those texts and his c1500 chart, I was totally bemused by the chauvinistic approach of many authors and how in each text new titles appeared when the historical facts did not actually agree. It appeared to me to be a little massaging and improving the data.
Thus I decided, but against my better judgement and contrary to my normal approach of analysing charts and maps, to explore at the most basic level the history appertaining to Juan de La Cosa. As has been stated by others, there is little hard evidence (or none in reality) regarding him prior to 1492. Even where he was born, his home village has been guessed by some when it is clearly written in a ships listing, but to establish the credentials of the c1500 chart the investigation is necessary.
In the first section I analysed the chart by draughtsmanship detail and now the second part is an analysis from confirmed facts with a timeline to establish the whereabouts of and the survey work Juan de La Cosa could have carried out.
Please note that to simplify references I am giving only page numbers from “Christopher Columbus, An Encyclopaedia”, edited by Silvio A Bedini, which was originally published in two volumes in 1992, but re-issued in 1998 as a single volume which is here-in used. I have and have also read numerous other texts and find that the basic facts remain the same throughout with some “gilding the lily” regarding the situation and others stretching facts to breaking point; one is enough!
THE CANTINO PLANISPHERE; 1502AD PORTUGUESE EXPERTISE, IS IT COPIED? + CAVERIO; 1505AD PLANISPHERE IS NOT A COPY.
The Planisphere copy has garnered many plaudits from the historical and cartographical communities for its sumptuous presentation and scope of its geography. Many historians and cartographers have written treatises concerning its contents and endeavoured to illustrate that which it portrays through technical means.
Each and every one of these researchers has completely missed the most obvious and determining part of the design by generally adhering to preconceived ideas, instead of detailed analysis of the actual chart and its construction.
This text shows that the original Portuguese cartographer was a master artist and mathematician/geometrician who understood the necessity for constant measurement, but was thwarted by the data given which obviously consisted of a myriad of measurements named the same but wildly differing. Add to that the inability to transcribe Arab “Kamal” readings to either distance or latitude and only draw what was described thus the problems mounted.
The Planisphere copy must be investigated section by section to expose the problems the cartographer encountered, but overcame, to produce this feast for the eyes.
One question I fear will never be properly answered however is, “just how accurate is the copy we are now studying”? Personally I suspect that it is not copied, but the work of the original atelier, or persons of the original atelier and thus it is probably very accurate and the distance measures originally used are perfect, as the wind rose graticule which is so very accurately constructed illustrates.
Being produced by the original cartographic atelier, or those cartographers, it would explain other problems encountered in the research. That idea is very plausible as will be adequately indicated within the text pages.
Note; I have used my copy of the CD-ROM from Biblioteca Estense Universitaria for the Cantino research and diagrams illustrated. It was produced by Il Bulino + Y Press, 2004.
THE CAVERIO 1505AD PLANISPHERE
The Caverio 1505AD Planisphere has been variously quoted as being copied directly from the Cantino 1502AD, or as having very similar origins. Those are probably copies of copies of the “spare” planisphere no doubt kept by the original atelier for future charts to be drawn from. That it is a copy of a Portuguese chart is undoubted from its toponyms and content, but the chart requires to be analysed to ascertain its inner workings as they are not the same. The final analysis however must wait for the next text, ChFANO/1, which indicates that the chart is a pastiche of several charts and was probably started in Lisbon and finished in Italy.
The Cantino text is 10, A4 pages and contains 17, A4 diagrams.
The Caverio text is 6, A4 pages and contains 15, A4 diagrams. (total text 16 A4 pages)
THE FANO CHART OF BIBLIOTECA COMUNALE FEDERICIANA; ANALYSIS AND COMPARISON TO EVALUATE ORIGIN
It was a finely drawn chart which even in its present state of washed out presentation has many attributes, but, obviously the chart has been reduced in size to 1395 x 910mm, and before any investigation into its actual geographical portrayal takes place there requires to be an investigation to determine to what extent it has been reduced and thus what is “missing” such that a correct appraisal of the chart can be undertaken, This has been achieved using the wind rose graticule and its setting out. This I perceive nobody has bothered about before!
Then the drawn chart is analysed and compared to other charts which numerous researcher’s state quite frequently is probably a copy of the Cantino Planisphere or its derivative but it can clearly be shown to be from a different source chart. Finally the vexed question of attribution and date is addressed from viewing the actual script on the chart.
The text is 8, A4 pages and contains 21, A4 diagrams (A3 originally).
The postscript contains 26 photographs which were supplied by Biblioteca Comunale Federiciana at FANO of parts of the chart and are an excellent aid to studying its content.
PESARO OLIVERIANA PLANISPHERE, c1509 RARE PRESENTATIONAL METHOD THAT GOES AWRY
Being unattributed upon the parchment itself, the format has led to many researchers speculating ad infinitum regarding its draughtsman/author.
Visual inspection can be self defeating when one chart is 1140 x 1790mm and the other perhaps only half that size. In that situation the eye of the beholder can be seriously misled. Thus this text sets down the investigation of the Pesaro Planisphere into its inner workings and compares it to those other charts speculated as being similar or perhaps by the same author, but the research uses the various chart forms as the arbiter of similarity with actual overlay illustrations.
The Pesaro Planisphere is beautifully drawn, is a one off in several respects and does not appear to be by any of the speculated draughtsmen/authors; but is it finished?
Note; this paper is a diagram based paper with limited but concise text, thus the diagrams should be carefully studied to ensure the various layers are fully understood. The diagrams numbers 15 to 24 are in fact 3 charts and they can be joined together by the overlapping areas to illustrate the complete comparison of chart to chart.( A4>A3)
The text is 06 A4 pages and contains 28 A4 diagrams, all of which commenced as A3.
KING-HAMY? -/+ INFLUENCED CHARTS OF MARTELLUS 1491 & WALDSEEMULLER 1507
Henricus Martellus 1491 and Martin Waldseemuller 1507 charts both exhibit a peculiarity in the draughtsmanship design of the African Continent. Thus it appears they were both confused by a similar presentation of a plain rectilinear chart they were using to draw their curvilinear world maps or charts. The reason for the confusion is amply illustrated by the King-Hamy 1502 chart which has two Equatorial lines; one for the western geographical section and one for the eastern Ptolemaic section, but they are shown as overlapping within the African Continent.
Also to be addressed is the confusion with the nomenclature researchers have used to describe the form of these charts. They are not cordiform or Pseudo-Cordiform but plain Ptolemaic projections as can be amply illustrated. The Martellus 1489 printed charts are nothing more than an inverted Ptolemaic First Projection and then the 1491 chart and the M.Waldseemuller 1507 chart are just a slightly modified Projection Two by Ptolemy.
Thus this text commences with the Geographike Hyphegesis of Claudius Ptolemy, explores the King-Hamy 1502 chart (D01), then an analysis of the Martellus 1489 printed charts (D02) and finally the Martellus 1491 chart (D03 & D04) and the Waldseemuller 1507 chart (D05). For all of these answers are given to the questions regarding draughting methods, construction and their presentation, including their errors and foibles.
The text is 15, A4 pages and contains 59, A4 diagrams (all originally A3)
GENOA; EXCELLENT MARINERS AND CARTOGRAPHERS, BUT WHENCE CAME THE CARTOGRAPHIC TRAINING?
Read research papers or books concerning Genoese 14th to 16th Century cartography and there is not one text written which investigates how it all happened and uses simple basic facts such as lifespan, training or raison d’être for the origination. The first extant work provable by attribution is that of Petrus Vesconte and his 1311 chart. But he had to be taught the art and that has never been addressed in the myriad of papers written over the last years. Add to that the Carta Pisane, probably 1290 and the Cortona Chart c1300, both of which have doubtful provenance, but by existing they push the date backwards for the training of their authors. Thus this text sets down clearly known facts and dates and uses the life spans attributable to evaluate the overlap of these cartographers and how their charts also spring from a basic pattern/template which is amply illustrated in the second part of this research.
The text is 20 A4 pages and contains 53 A4 Diagrams (originals are all A3, and some interlink to form the complete chart at large scale.)
THE 1375 ATLAS, KNOWN AS CATALAN WHAT HAS BEEN MISSED IN OTHER RESEARCH?
Commencing with an in depth study of the actual draughtsmanship to explore the hidden features, the text then investigates the donor charts which allowed it to be drawn, much of which has been known for over 100 years, and finally shows that it is the latest manifestation of the “mappa mundi” genre which are usually drawn as circular charts.
The text is 10, A4 pages and contains 21, A4 (A3) diagrams
GENOA/MAJORCA/GENOA/MAJORCA/EGYPT PATTERN/TEMPLATE OF + 200 YEARS STILL IN USE
The Portolan charts of Genoa (or Italy) commencing c1300AD through to +1500AD are all basically constructed from the same Pattern/Template as has been clearly shown in text ChGEN/1. They commenced with Petrus Vesconte and climaxed with Vesconte de Maiollo and then the Maiollo clan’s work.
But two eminent practioners of the “art of painting” charts, escaped to warmer climes and the first of them kick started what can only be described as a “golden” period for Portolan Charts and their decoration on the Island of Majorca. The second augmented the genre and ensured the origins of the Portolan Chart, basically Northern Italy/Genoa, was perpetuated by the continual usage of the original Pattern/Template for the Mediterranean Sea Basin.
Thus this text follows on from the Genoese exploration of the continued usage of a singular Pattern/Template and further explores the cross fertilisation from City to Island and around the Mediterranean Sea.
The text is 20, A4 pages and contains 58, A4 (A3 original) diagrams and 2 tables.
ChGLO1 Images
ChGLO1/D01 ChGLO1/D02 ChGLO1/D03 ChGLO1/D04 ChGLO1/D05 ChGLO1/D06 ChGLO1/D07 ChGLO1/D08 ChGLO1/D09 ChGLO1/D10 ChGLO1/D11 ChGLO1/D12 ChGLO1/D13 ChGLO1/D14 ChGLO1/D15 ChGLO1/D16 ChGLO1/D17
ANALYSIS OF A GORE SET AND GLOBE DATED 1612/1614; PIETER van den KEERE; PETRUS PLANCIUS + AN APPENDIX WITH MERCATOR’S 1541 GORES!
Searching for information regarding a Globe which I thought had dubious attestation given by J L Stevenson, Tome 2 pp47/49, regarding Petrus Plancius, I was led to the BnF Paris and a set of Gores available under their Gallica system. To my surprise I found them to be wrongly drawn and did not include the three texts quoted by Stevenson. Hence a very fast research project to find the globe ensued whilst I awaited a Portolan Chart scan to arrive.
The outcome of this research is quite surprising to say the least! And, it is merely a quick resume of the facts I have so far discerned requiring a proper research project later.
The appendix is perhaps the most surprising find, geometric errors by Mercator!
The text is 6, A4 pages and 17, A4 diagrams or photos.
THE ARAB COMPASS IS NOT A COMPASS BUT A CHART;
TWO CHARTS DRAWN IN NORTH AFRICA? 1413-14 AL-TANJI AND c1350 MAGHREB CHART
The text “Using a Portolan at Sea, did they?” indicates quite clearly the nonsense of considering that at any time a magnetic compass was used for either route sailing or the construction of a Portolan Chart. The latest paper available, “The Maghrib’s Medieval Mariners and Sea Maps; The Muqaddimah Primary Source”, explains precisely what a “Compass” is, and it is not magnetic. Then in this text, having followed the development of Portolan Charts from their Genoese foundations in Italy, and after via Majorca and onto Egypt these two charts, one drawn in Tunis, the other certainly Arabic, but unknown are investigated. The Tunis chart is a standard Portolan, but the Maghreb chart is probably an atlas page and these are to be examined apropos the Genoese and Majorcan continuity of chart design. The indication is that the setting out of the wind rose graticule is a perfect copy of the Petrus Vesconte 1318 Atlas page which illustrates the methodology of how to draw the graticule sans circle, and these charts are typically the follow on product of Genoese charts.
THE 1511 ATLAS OF VESCONTE MAGGIOLO “VESCONTE DE MAIOLO CIVIC JANUE CONPOSUY IN NEAPOLY DE ANNO 1.5.11. DIE XX JANUARY”
The atlas dated 1511 was obviously drawn in 1510 and contains a very mixed bag of charts. They are all investigated, but the sheet numbered 08658-001 by the JCB Library, the so called Dedication page, is investigated separately as a stand-alone section text, ChAVM/2.
The atlas comprising 10 sheets was composed with several scales being utilised for the various charts. These do not at first appear to be interlinked as the atlas has obviously been re-configured in the distant past, a fact borne out by the attempts at alteration on a chart. Therefore not being as originally composed I have suggested the original order of the charts which make logical use of them as their scale bars indicate. Vesconte Maggiolo has included his version of the first projection of Claudius Ptolemy using an amalgam of old and new charts as many other cartographers of the age have. There is also a cosmography which in fact is rather redundant as a useful tool. As I surmised in my text ChGEN/1, the whole atlas required to be drawn from a complete Portolan Chart and it appears in the investigation.
The text is 6, A4 pages and contains 49, A4 (A3) diagrams.
1511 ATLAS DEDICATION PAGE BY VESCONTE MAGGIOLO DRAWN IN NAPLES DURING 1510AD
A historical and technical examination of the sinister and dextra parts of the Dedication page, JCB 08658-001, illustrating the Armorials of the titular heads of Corsica on the sinister and a map of Corsica with toponyms and four elaborate monograms on the dextra. It is not a definitive work as it must be further investigated due to the complexity of the subject and a distinct lack of detailed information. Speculative in part it certainly is!
The basic facts are laid down with conclusions where possible regarding the Armorials, but the Map of Corsica and its toponyms is analysed completely and there only exist one or two curious place names that are unknown today. However in comparing this map to others it proves there are always curiosities.
There is also an appendix which discusses the cartographers in Naples c1510.
VESCONTE MAGGIOLO; ATLAS COMPARISONS NAPLES 1511; NAPLES 1512; GENOA 1519, PLUS DID V. MAGGIOLO TRAIN SALVAT DE PILESTRINA IN THE ART OF CARTOGRAPHY? (3 SECTION TEXT)
Having investigated the JCB held atlas of 1511 to evaluate its geography in text ChAVM/1 and ChAVM/2, this text adds the geographical information from the 1512 atlas held in Parma and the 1519 atlas held in Munich. All three are compared to each other to establish the continuity of their construction.
Thus it is possible to opine that Vesconte Maggiolo had with him on his 1508/1509 journey from Genoa to Naples a Portolan Chart and in all probability a pattern/template with which to construct these atlas pages. They are quite accurate in their comparative state when the scale bars are aligned and they are overlaid one on the other as the diagrams clearly illustrate.
However, this text commences with Section 1 a retrospective analysis of the 1511 JCB atlas page sizes to determine how Vesconte Maggiolo actually scaled certain sheets to fit precisely to the page size of c39 x c57.6 cms. This investigation proves the use of the Roman Uncia for some of the charts construction and also that the charts are in a mathematical ratio of size with a rather extraordinary finale.
Section 2 is then the comparison of the three atlas and their inner workings and illustrates the previous findings of continuity of pattern/template.
Section 3 is a comparison of V. Maggiolo and Salvat de Pilestrina’s work which shows they are probably identical and thus from the same pattern/template drawn in Genoa.
The text is 10, A4 pages and contains 50(51), A4 (A3) diagrams, (one is a double)
B.L. EGERTON MS 2803 ATLAS; ANON! THE CONSTRUCT AND POSSIBLE AUTHOR
An atlas of 20 sheets plus two cosmological pages which form two complete (nearly) charts, one being a Portolan and the other a Planisphere. A peculiarity of presentation gives rise to a comparison, unfounded, to Vesconte Maggiolo 1511 Atlas, and the date must be assumed from the beginning of the cosmological information commencing January 1508. The data is presented as found including many Greek toponyms combined with Italian toponyms and also with the historical items included help conclude it is a Genoese product c1507.
The text contains 5, A4 pages and has 23, A4 (A3) Diagrams
PIRI REIS, HIS WORKS FROM 1513 TO 1528 CARTOGRAPHER AND MATHEMATICIAN
A very short technical appraisal of the works by Piri Reis, debunking previous texts and scholar’s comments, dismissing wild theories via what the charts actually show, not what people wish to believe from preconceived ideas and establishing the credentials of Piri Reis as a mathematician as well as an obvious accomplished draughtsman.
DIEGO RIBEIRO AND THE SQUARE PADRON REAL M.F. de ENCISO, SUMA DE GEOGRAPHIA; HIS GEOGRAPHER
There are five large similar planispheres of which two are clearly “signed” by Diego Ribeiro with the other three nearly exact copies and thus capable of being assigned and dated. This text concentrates on two examples. The first is dated 1525 on its Astrolabe diagram and by a text note, but it is one of the “unsigned” examples and held by the Biblioteca Estense Universitaria, Modena, Italy. The second is the 1529 planisphere, dated and signed and held in the Vatican Library. There are numerous texts discussing the work of Diego Ribeiro but not in a technical manner to explain the knowledge contained there-on, their foundation for design or explain the visually complicated “Declination Diagram” in a simple manner for it to be utilised.
Many other authors have implied that these five charts are in fact as near as possible to the Spanish Padron Real, the Royal Standard Map of Spain. That being the case then it is proven beyond doubt that the Diego Ribeiro Planispheres are the “mythical” Square Chart and thus the Padron Real of Spain is also a Square Chart, latitudes and longitudes are equal and there is no sign of a magnetic slewing of the Mediterranean Sea, it is geographical.
It is also possible to conclude that Diego Ribeiro was a consummate polymath and probably knew M F de Enciso in Seville when his “Geographia” was published in 1519 and certainly Ribeiro has used his text to illustrate these five planispheres.
TWO DISTRESSED CHARTS OF THE PACIFIC COAST OF SOUTH AMERICA: THREE VOLUMES OF TEXT AND TWO CARTOGRAPHERS
Held in the Library of Congress are two charts noted as Vellum 9 and Vellum 10. They are very distressed and obviously reduced from a larger format. Dated to C1500 and C1565 because of their visual attributes they have also been noted “as seemingly sharing a common provenance and history and are therefore considered together”. However it is noted the Cartographers are possibly different; that will be dis-proven.
Vellum 10 has a “signature” which appears to have been ignored by the Library of Congress cataloguer and hence this text follows the trail found within the charts to explain their probable provenance and country of origin and the surprising mentions. It is not an orthodox paper, more a journey of discovery.
This text contains 11 A4 pages and 27 A4 (A3) diagrams.
LIBRARY, CATALOGUE NUMBER MS.F.4.17 NO DATE; NO AUTHOR; BEAUTIFULLY DECORATED AND SMALL.
The Liverpool University Chart reference LUL MS.F.4.17 is small by Portolan Chart standards as it is now only 40 x 25 ½ inches having been sadly reduced on all sides. But it is richly decorated and there is hardly a square inch of vellum untouched. However it is an anonymous chart from both cartographer date and place of drawing. Hence it requires a complete analysis to establish its provenance.
This is not a normal Portolan decorated to order but a work made to impress a client or recipient in perhaps the highest category of society. But it is clear that by studying the chart in depth for the first time the answers lay inside its draughtsmanship for all to see.
The text is 6 A4 pages and contains 21 A4 (A3) diagrams.
BARTOLOMEU OLIVES, 1584 PORTOLAN CHART A HISTORY LESSON WRIT LARGE ON A CHART
Bartolomeu Olives is the younger brother of Jaume olives and has Portolan charts to his name dating from 1538 to 1588. They are mostly drawn in Messina Sicily, but he/they commenced in Majorca and had a brief foray to Venice. This 1584 chart is held by BNF Paris, Departement of Cartes and Plans, reference CPL GE B-1133 (res), and is an extraordinary compilation. Excluding the standard toponyms it is scattered with Kings, Dukes and large writ place-names which at first sight are a strange combination.
This text analyses the chart as drawn technically and then endeavours to unravel the reasoning behind these place-names and in the process finds a 1500 year history lesson with a rather chilling raison d’être of persecution and conquest written there-on.
The text contains 12 A4 pages and 25(29) A4 (A3) diagrams
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Points paramount as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines hosts Dominica
2019 Concacaf Nations League
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines came away with a point after a 1-1 draw on matchday one at Nicaragua on September 5 at the Estadio Nacional de Futbol in Managua, Nicaragua.
KINGSTOWN.- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Saint Vincent and the Grenadines hosts Dominica on Sunday in matchday two of Group D of League B at the Arnos Vale Stadium in Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines came away with a point after a 1-1 draw on matchday one at Nicaragua.
Oalex Anderson picked up his 13th international goal to put Vincy Heat in the lead, but a Jamol Yorkeown goal on a Nicaragua corner would cost the Vincentians the full three points.
The Dominica national team will look to turn around their luck in CNL after falling in their opening group match, a 2-1 loss at home against Suriname.
Dominica were outshot 21-6 by Suriname. Anfernee Frederick had the lone goal for the home team in what was the only shot of the first half for the Dominicans.
Currently in the final spot in the group, Dominica will want to get a result sooner rather than later to avoid being stuck in the relegation zone.
Saint Vincent is one spot above of Dominica, third in the standings, and will also want to keep themselves a bit more than arm’s length from the final spot in the group.
Game # 20 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines vs Dominica
R: JOHNSON, SHERWIN TREVOR (Guyana)
AR1: LINDEY, KLEON WENDELL (Guyana)
AR2: STEPHENS, KEVIN JUFRI CLEON (Guyana)
4th Official JOHNSON, GLADWYN (Guyana)
St. Vincent Drew 1-1 in Managua, vs. Nicaragua Oaelex Anderson 45+2
Dominica lost (1-2) at home against Suriname. Anfernee Frederick 23´ (DMA)
They met for the last time at the Windward IslandsTournament on March 7, 2019 at the Victoria Park Stadium (Kingstown, VIN), 2-1 win for St. Vincent and the Grenadines.Goals: Chavel Cunningham x2 and Briel Thomas (DMA )
The last time Dominica defeated St. Vincent and the Grenadines, was on November 28, 1995 at the Windward Islands Tournament in Dominica.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ (VIN) Record at the CNL 2019-20: G- 1 G-0 E-1 P-0 (GF-1 GC-1).
Dominica’s (DMA) Record at the CNL 2019-20: G- 1 W-0 D- 0 L- 1 (GF-1 GC-2 ).
HEAD TO HEAD SERIES
They have met 28 times, St. Vincent and the Grenadines lead the series W 16 L- 2 D- 10 GF- 37 GA- 23
Out of the 28 games, 25 were official and three friendly.
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, they have faced 9 times, six wins and three draws for VIN GF- 13 GA- 7
In Dominica they have met 6 times, Dominica won (2) tied, (1) lost, (3) GF- 7 GC- 6
13 matches between VIN and DOM were on neutral ground. San Vicente G- 7 E-6 GF- 18 GC- 9
VIN: With (4) Rudy Boucher, (2) Pabits Davis, Ballantyne, Kevin Francis, and Chavel Cunningham
DMA: with (2) Brinsnley Charles
See also: 2019 Concacaf Nations League Nations League 2019 App Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Dominica
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LG (Android)
The LG G7 ThinQ is finally launched
Leigh Geary May 3, 2018
Well, where do I start here? We saw the LG G7 ThinQ back in February at Mobile World Congress. It was all a bit weird, because they displayed it around the back of the stand, supposedly to invite-only people, but then didn’t stop said people taking lots of photos of the thing. There it was, all exposed, with its little notch poking out.
So, the world knew what the LG G7 looked like because we’d seen the thing..
The world knew what the specs were too, because they were displayed next to the phone when it was on the stand.
Then over the next few weeks we got fed more info from the LG PR people…
We learned that it was going to be called the LG G7 ThinQ. We learned that it would have AI.
Details of the super-bright screen were then given to us. It’s got a 1,000 nit screen and the 6.1″ QHD 19.5:9 ratio screen (3120 x 1440 resolution) uses up to 30% less power.
A couple of days ago the PR people let us know about the meaty sound system in the LG G7 ThinQ.
So, umm.. from what we can make out there was no big launch in London. No fireworks, no free food. Instead, the phone we knew everything about already got officially announced.
The full press release and details are below. Sadly there’s no details on pricing as yet but it’ll be available in “the coming days” in South Korea. The good people of North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia will get it next.
You’re getting the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 CPU (the one we knew about in February), that 6.1″ QHD+ 19.5:9 FullVision Super Bright Display that we got told about a long time back (y’know, the one with the 3120 x 1440 / 564ppi screen) and it’ll run Android 8.0.
Wait, wait a minute…. I think we have some new information here. There’s going to be two models! An LG G7 and an LG G7+ .. and… no… no, sorry. We knew about that two months ago too. The LG G7 ThinQ will have 4GB RAM with 64GB storage and a microSD slot. The LG G7+ ThinQ has 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, but that still gets a microSD too.
Camera-wise, as we already knew, there’s a dual 16 megapixel camera setup at the back. This creates a “Super Wide Angle”. One is an F1.9 / 107° lens and the other is an F1.6 with a 71° degree standard lens. The front has an 8 megapixel F1.9, 80° lens.
Weighing in at 162 grams it measures in at 153.2 x 71.9 x 7.9mm …and actually, that’s new information! It’s got WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC and a USB Type C port. You’ll be able to get it in grey, black, blue and rose.
The key points we’ve picked out from the press release are the fact that it has a larger screen than the G6 without being any bigger, it’s got Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back and it’s IP68 waterproof. It also has a lot of the AI features seen in the LG V30S. This means that you get 19 shooting modes and better low-light shots. It also features a “Live Photo” mode which records a brief bit of footage before you snap a shot. That AI cleverness will basically optimize the photo depending on what you’re taking a photo of. There’s also a dose of Google Lens features which adds information on whatever you’re taking a photo of.
The LG G7 ThinQ also has something called SFFVT, which stands for “Super Far Field Voice Recognition” (I know, right?) There’s a lot of text about this in the press release below but it basically means that you can be further away from the phone when you do Google Assistant commands.
Get the full details below..
Show Press Release (1,200 More Words)
LG G7 THINQ OFFERS DEEP AI INTEGRATION
FOR MAXIMUM USER CONVENIENCE
A Complete Premium Smartphone with the Most Advanced Processor,
Brilliant Display, Booming Audio and Intelligent Camera
LONDON, May 2, 2018 — LG Electronics (LG) today introduced its latest premium smartphone, the LG G7 ThinQ, focusing on bringing useful and convenient AI features to the fundamental consumer smartphone experience.
Powered by the latest Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845 Mobile Platform, the LG G7 ThinQ offers 4GB/6GB of RAM and 64GB/128GB of internal storage to run even the most demanding tasks and apps with ease. Equipped with a stunning 6.1-inch bright display has is nearly half an inch larger than its predecessor but not a hair wider, the LG G7 ThinQ is sized perfectly to be used with one hand.
Sporting a new design aesthetic for the G series, the polished metal rim gives the LG G7 ThinQ a sleeker, more polished look, complemented by Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front and the back for enhanced durability. Again rated IP68 for dust and water resistance, the LG G7 ThinQ was designed to meet the requirements of MIL-STD 810G tests designed by the United States military to evaluate the performance of equipment in harsh environments.
Upgraded Camera with More Intelligence
The LG G7 ThinQ has been upgraded with an 8MP camera up front and 16MP lenses on the back in both standard and Super Wide Angle configurations for higher resolution photos with more details. LG’s signature wide angle camera now captures even more beautiful landscapes with less edge distortion and selfies are clearer and look more natural compared with previous LG phones.
LG has further enhanced the AI features of the camera that first debuted in the LG V30S ThinQ. AI CAM now offers 19 shooting modes, up from eight, for even more intelligence-optimised shots. And users can improve their photos further by choosing among three other effect options if the one recommended by AI CAM doesn’t suit their tastes.
Low light photography on the LG G7 ThinQ is taken to a whole new level with the new Super Bright Camera with images that are up to four times brighter typical of photos shot in dim light. Through the combination of pixel binning and software processing, the AI algorithm adjusts the camera settings automatically when shooting in low light.
LG has also added new features that make photography on the LG G7 ThinQ even more enjoyable than ever. Live Photo mode records one second before and after the shutter is pressed for snippets of unexpected moments or expressions that would normally be missed. Stickers uses face recognition to generate fun 2D and 3D overlays such as sunglasses and headbands that can be viewed directly on the display.
New to the G series, Portrait Mode generates professional looking shots with out-of-focus backgrounds. This bokeh effect can be generated using either the standard or Super Wide Angle lens, giving shutterbugs even more creative options.
Easier and Smarter With AI
LG G7 ThinQ will be one of the first devices to get upcoming Google Lens features. Google Lens is a new way to search using the latest in AI and computer vision. Available inside the Google Assistant and Google Photos, it can deliver more information on objects such as landmarks, plants, animals, books as well as identify text. Visit websites, add a business card to contacts, add events to the calendar or look up an item on a restaurant menu – all right from Google Lens. More details on Google Lens will be revealed at Google I/O.
Located just below the volume is a button that launches the phone’s AI functions. A single tap of this button will launch the Google Assistant while two quick taps will launch Google Lens, a first on any phone. Users can also hold down the button to start talking to the Google Assistant.
With Super Far Field Voice Recognition (SFFVR) and the smartphone’s highly sensitive microphone, the Google Assistant can recognise voice commands from up to five meters away. SFFVR is able to separate commands from background noise, making the LG G7 ThinQ a great alternative to a home AI speaker even when the TV is on. LG customer commands for the Google Assistant have been increased in the LG G7 ThinQ so users can get even more stuff done with their voice alone.
Super Bright Display Outshines the Competition
The first thing customers will notice about the LG G7 ThinQ will likely be the new 6.1-inch QHD+ (3120 x 1440) display sporting a 19.5:9 FullVision screen ratio and a bottom bezel which is almost 50 percent slimmer than on the LG G6. Powered by LG’s new LCD technology, Super Bright Display, the LG G7 ThinQ can be viewed easily even under direct sunlight with brightness up to an industry-leading 1,000 nit, displaying 100 percent DCI-P3 colour gamut.
And depending on the type of content, the display can be set to six different viewing modes: Auto, Eco, Cinema, Sports, Game and Expert. In Auto mode, the phone automatically analyses the content of games or photos and optimises the display andpower consumption. The user can fine tune the image even further by adjusting the screen temperature and RGB levels individually.
The smartphone’s New Second Screen gives users flexible options when it comes to setting up the display to fit their tastes and style. The display can be fully expanded for a bezel-less look or it can be set to a more traditional style where the notification bar is completely blacked out. Users can even change the notification bar to another colour for a more personal effect.
Unmatched Audio Experience in a Smartphone
Continuing LG’s commitment to deliver unrivalled audio experience on its smartphones, the LG G7 ThinQ offers premium audio innovations that remains unmatched in the industry. Available for the first time in the LG G7ThinQ, Boombox Speaker utilises the internal space of the LG G7 ThinQ as a resonance chamber to deliver double the bass of conventional smartphones for powerful “boombox” sound without the need for external speakers. When placed on a solid surface or box, the smartphone utilises its resonance chamber as a woofer to amplify the bass effect even more.
The LG G7 ThinQ is also the first smartphone to offer DTS:X to deliver virtual 3D sound for all content, up to 7.1 channel audio with earphones. Carrying on the heritage of LG’s focus on great smartphone sound, the LG G7 ThinQ is equipped with a Hi-Fi Quad DAC for incredibly rich sound especially when paired with high-impedance earphones.
“The LG G7 ThinQ is strongly focused on the fundamentals and its launch marks a new chapter for our company,” said Hwang Jeong-hwan, president of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “Through the combination of personalised and useful AI functionalities with meaningful smartphone features, this is LG’s most convenient smartphone yet.”
The LG G7 ThinQ will roll out in the coming days in South Korea followed by major markets in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia. Price and purchase details will be announced locally closer to the time of availability.
Chipset: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845 Mobile Platform
Display: 6.1-inch QHD+ 19.5:9 FullVision Super Bright Display (3120 x 1440 / 564ppi)
– LG G7 ThinQ: 4GB LPDDR4x RAM / 64GB UFS 2.1 ROM / MicroSD (up to 2TB)
– LG G7+ ThinQ: 6GB LPDDR4x RAM / 128GB UFS 2.1 ROM / MicroSD (up to 2TB)
– Rear Dual: 16MP Super Wide Angle (F1.9 / 107°) / 16MP Standard Angle (F1.6 / 71°)
– Front: 8MP Wide Angle (F1.9 / 80°)
OS: Android 8.0 Oreo
Size: 153.2 x 71.9 x 7.9mm
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac / Bluetooth 5.0 BLE / NFC / USB Type-C 2.0 (3.1 compatible)
Colours: New Platinum Gray / New Aurora Black / New Moroccan Blue / Raspberry Rose
Others: Super Bright Display / New Second Screen / AI CAM / Super Bright Camera / Super Far Field Voice Recognition / Boombox Speaker / Google Lens / AI Haptic / Hi-Fi Quad DAC / DTS:X 3D Surround Sound/ IP68 Water and Dust Resistance / HDR10 / Google Assistant Key / Face Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / Qualcomm® Quick Charge™ 3.0 Technology / Wireless Charging / MIL-STD 810G Compliant / FM Radio
The cheap SanDisk microSD card deal we post regularly
Where did VR come from, and what does the future hold?
VPN Options for smartphone users
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You are hereHome Venezuela crisis: What role for justice?
Venezuela crisis: What role for justice?
Related countries
Global justice for atrocities
ICC crimes
Escalating violence in Venezuela is just the most recent and visible manifestation of widespread repression of political dissent stretching back four months according to rights groups, the Organization of American States and the United Nations. Authorities in the ICC member state must investigate the alleged abuses by security forces or face the possibility of an ICC intervention says former ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo.
What’s the situation in Venezuela?
According to the United Nations, Venezuelan security forces have killed, wielded excessive force to suppress protests, and arbitrarily detained up to 5,000 people since April 2017. 1,000 remain in custody, based on the UN findings, while dozens of the over 100 reported deaths have been attributed to the security forces and pro-government armed groups.
"We are concerned that the situation in Venezuela is escalating and these human rights violations show no signs of abating. […] Responsibility for human rights violations we are reporting lies at the highest level of government,” said U.N. human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani.
For its part, the Organisation of American States (OAS) has appointed former ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo to analyze the situation in the country, considering all interested groups in advancing possible courses of action by the OAS.
"The citizens of Venezuela live in terror. And the terror has its origins in the state from a deliberate, methodical and systematic strategy. If the regime wants to jail someone, it jails them. If it decides to torture, it tortures. If it decides to murder, it murders. If they want to proceed with regular forces, or through paramilitary forces, it does not matter,” said OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro in announcing the appointment.
Eruption months in the making
Civil society groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have been closely tracking the situation in Venezuela, including highlighting a violent crisis four months in the making.
Amnesty International reported that over a three-month period from April to July 2017, state security forces violently suppressed protests against the government, with analysis suggesting not only an uncontrolled reaction by some security agents, but also a premeditated practice of violently stifling perceived political dissent.
Amnesty based its assessment of government intent on the recurrence of civilian-targeted attacks; speeches inciting violence; a lack of incident during pro-government rallies; the creation of state apparatuses to prosecute demonstrators and suspected dissidents, such as under the pretense of an anti-terrorism campaign; and an increase in the forces to which most documented crimes have been linked.
“The fact that those who think differently are the only people who are labelled as 'terrorists', who are prevented from demonstrating and against whom violence and illegitimate force is used, is proof of a strategy to silence the growing social discontent in Venezuela,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International.
Among the critical issues Venezuelans have been speaking up about more recently – and paying for – is President Nicolás Maduro’s decision by executive decree rather than public referendum to call for a new Constituent Assembly. Human Rights Watch has highlighted how the body, rather than secure peace as Maduro has claimed it will, serves to sidetrack from Venezuela’s more pressing needs, including ending repression and political detention; bringing those responsible to justice; holding free and fair elections; and restoring judicial independence.
Now, after an election day for the Constituent Assembly that saw at least a further ten protesters killed, some are questioning how a country that once served as refuge to those fleeing Latin American dictatorships of the 1960s and 70s now faces hundreds of thousands fleeing hardship and persecution within its own borders.
What role for the ICC and national justice?
Several media reports emerged last week of the decision by the Peruvian Congress to send an official ‘communication’ on alleged crimes by the Maduro government to the ICC Prosecutor. A ‘communication’ is a mechanism for individuals, groups, states, intergovernmental organizations or NGOs to transmit information of interest to the ICC prosecutor under Article 15 of the Rome Statute. The ICC prosecutor may use this information in any decision to open a preliminary examination or investigation.
However, such a communication is different to a ‘state referral’ of a situation to the ICC, and therefore does not give the ICC jurisdiction to open an investigation.
ICC member states can give the Court jurisdiction to open an official investigation by ‘referring’ a situation on their own territories or on the territories of other ICC member states. To date, no state has referred another to the ICC.
The UN Security Council can also refer situations to the ICC for possible investigation, including in non-ICC member states. The ICC prosecutor also has powers to open investigations on her/his own initiative, known as proprio motu, subject to the approval of judges.
In all situations, the ICC prosecutor independently determines whether to move to open an investigation.
Once an investigation is opened, it relates to a broader situation of abuses rather than any specific case or suspect.
In considering the possibility of opening an investigation, the ICC prosecutor examines whether the state in question is genuinely unwilling or unable to investigate and prosecute the crimes in the first instance.
“Venezuela has the priority to investigate these crimes and it is imperative to consult with their authorities on the efforts carried out to achieve justice. If they confirm the crimes and there are no genuine efforts to investigate them, the OAS can send its information to the ICC Prosecutor’s Office. If one of the 28 states that are members of the OAS and the Court refers the situation of Venezuela that is enough to facilitate the opening of an investigation,” said former ICC Prosecutor Ocampo.
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Two recent clinical trials found similarly successful results, but the Memphis physicians wanted to try it as the standard of care outside the selective bubble of a clinical trial. The study’s program launched in March 2018.
Hepatitis C kidneys often tossed
Usually, only patients who already have hepatitis C have been getting kidneys from others with the disease, said Dr. Matt Ellis, medical director of the kidney and pancreas transplant program at Duke Health.
“There are not many people on the waiting list who have hepatitis C who can accept those organs,” said Ellis, who was not involved in the study. “Many are discarded because there is not someone to receive them.”
Up to 1,000 hepatitis C-infected kidneys are discarded each year, UTHSC said. According to the study, only 57% of hepatitis C-positive donors were utilized for transplant in 2016.
Bringing hepatitis C-infected kidneys into the general supply of transplantable kidneys would mean less time patients spend waiting for the right donor.
Molnar, an associate professor of Medicine at UTHSC, said patients can wait up to eight years for a kidney transplant. This can be reduced by two years for those willing to accept hepatitis C-infected kidneys, he said.
A quicker turnaround is valuable for those with kidney failure. The five-year survival rate for patients on dialysis, a treatment that performs some of the functions of healthy kidneys, is 50%, he said. The median time the study’s patients were on dialysis pre-transplant was more than four years.
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Hepatitis C donors rise with opioid crisis
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus often caused by sharing needles, and it can become a long-term infection that can cause liver disease or even death, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People can live with the disease without seeing any symptoms for years, Molnar said.
Ellis said if there is a condition a donor can transmit to the recipient, extra caution must be taken as the patient’s immune system is blunted following the transplant.
“From an infectious perspective, it can create problems,” Ellis said. “There are a number of organs turned down because we want recipients to do better with the transplants.”
The number of hepatitis C-positive donors has increased with the opioid crisis, Molnar said. As the opioid crisis escalated in the U.S., overdose death donors rose dramatically, from 66 to 1,263 between 2000 and 2016, the study says, citing a recent analysis.
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Ellis says most hepatitis C-negative patients he has encountered are willing to accept kidneys from those with it, but some don’t want to deal with another possible medical obstacle. Duke Health started the practice in January, he said.
“Some folks have some stigma they emotionally can’t get over, which I understand,” he said.
Treatment advances open door for more transplants
Transplanting hepatitis C-positive kidneys to those without it became a safe option after effective drug treatments for hepatitis C came to market, Molnar said. The drugs take care of the disease before the symptoms typically reveal themselves, he said.
“Five years ago, there was really no effective treatment for hepatitis C,” Molnar said. “Someone on the waiting list who has no hepatitis C, that patient couldn’t get any effective treatment (for it).”
Molnar said he’s seen the number of hepatitis C-infected kidneys offered at his center drop, meaning centers elsewhere have started a similar practice and are tapping into the supply.
The “overwhelming majority” of patients without hepatitis C who go through this transplant have done great, Ellis said. Still, he did note some patients have encountered problems stemming from the virus, like acute inflammation of the liver or immune problems in the kidney. Plus, hepatitis C treatment costs remain expensive, he said.
The Memphis study found one third of the patients developed the BK virus and one half of the patients developed the CMV virus following the transplant, a “higher than expected number.” Both viruses are said to not cause problems in healthy people but may require treatment for those with weakened immune systems.
Molnar said the authors aren’t sure if there is a connection to the transplants or if it was just a coincidence among the patients.
The next step is to continue to build evidence about this kind of transplant, Molnar said. The study noted its sample size is still fairly small and only occurred in a single center.
The study’s findings back up what Ellis thinks is “becoming the prevailing wisdom” among transplant centers following the original clinical studies.
“I think it’s gaining momentum, and I think in the next couple of years any transplant center that’s of modest to high volume will be offering this,” Ellis said.
Shorb Tower's Transplant Institute has newest tech to help Methodist's sickest patients After years of troubling reports, VA secretary says Memphis VA hospital has turned corner St. Jude gene therapy cures 'bubble boy' disease with help of late researcher Sorrentino St. Jude CEO: Through global initiative, countries ditch personal agendas to fight cancer
Max Garland covers FedEx, logistics and health care for The Commercial Appeal. Reach him at max.garland@commercialappeal.com or 901-529-2651 and on Twitter @MaxGarlandTypes.
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What is the Spectrum Award of Excellence in Customer Satisfaction?
The Spectrum Award of Excellence in Customer Satisfaction was established to spotlight companies that give top-level experiences to their customers. Our research is done annually. Companies earning high ratings are honored with the award and receive a unique award page on the CBN website.
How does a company earn its rating?
On a continuing basis, our researchers scour available sources to find award candidates, looking for telltale indications that a company’s customers and clients are extremely well served and satisfied with their experience. Our research data collection casts a wide net covering both online and offline sources including blogs, review websites, social networks, and rating services. The Spectrum Award is based on CBN’s assessment, under our proprietary procedures and guidelines, of the company’s customer satisfaction performance.
Our database of performance information has been compiled on an ongoing basis since 2009, so it is more than a snapshot of “What did they do last?”. Our process is designed to separate the reality from the smoke and noise to which many other rating systems succumb.
Do companies have to pay for their rating?
No. There is no fee to be rated and paying us money does not buy you a higher rating. We publish the award status on a unique Award Page on our website at no charge to the company earning the Spectrum Award. Our ratings cannot be bought — they must be earned in the marketplace by providing superior customer service as identified by our independent research.
Why does CBN research customer service levels and publish its findings at no charge?
We like excellence, especially in customer service. Showcasing companies that excel will only raise the level of customer experience awareness and satisfaction in the marketplace. We publish the award status at no charge as part of our mission to promote excellence when we find it. If our rating results were influenced by payment, they would lose credibility. Not charging for the research ensures the newsworthy integrity of our research and reporting.
Does CBN sell anything?
For companies earning our highest ratings for customer service, we sell promotional products and other services that have proven helpful in expanding business efforts and spreading their award-worthy customer experience. These products and services support our extensive research, publishing and training programs to help companies provide top-flight customer service. They are also consistent with our commitment to encourage and increase excellence, and are available at https://www.citybeatnews.com/shop/
What is the value of CBN’s research?
Our publishers have been covering customer service for many years, both in the corporate setting and in smaller companies that are the most vital part of our economy. We acknowledge companies providing excellence in customer service, and recognize them publicly for buyers looking for that excellence. Now top-performing small and mid-size companies have access to objective independent research findings, and the tools needed to flourish by sharing news of their award status.
How does my business benefit from the award and subsequent recognition?
The Spectrum Award informs others that your past customers enjoyed superior service and satisfaction. This gives both current and prospective customers added confidence to choose your company. It also provides positive reinforcement for your staff members that their hard work is paying off, and motivates them to continue providing top-level customer service.
How can my business benefit even more?
Leverage your award news and status through our promotional programs and services exclusively available to award winners. Click here for more information.
How do I promote my business best?
As a Spectrum Award Winner, link to and share your Award Page at no charge to promote your business. In addition you have exclusive access to marketing materials that were designed to help you manage your reputation and attract and retain customers and employees. We have several programs that will help you best utilize your award. Click here to read more.
How long will it take to receive the award materials I ordered?
We strive to ensure top-quality products and services. While the standard delivery time on custom products is 4-6 weeks, your materials are likely to arrive much sooner. Press releases and company profiles may take more or less time based on collaboration between our writers and your company.
How do my customers hear about the award and my company?
We publish our research findings and issue periodic press releases. Award winners that benefit the most are the ones that become involved in their own marketing and leverage the award status in their own marketing. We provide you with an opportunity and materials to market. Your engagement in your own marketing will best get your business and its award in front of your customers and prospects. We have resources to help you in this effort that are included here. Additionally, we distribute press releases to news services announcing the awards regularly. These releases can be targeted to specific media outlets by working with your CBN marketing representative. Contact Us or call 866-732-9800
Where do you get the information used in the ratings?
Our research team analyzes data from multiple online and other sources including consumer and business user-review websites, blogs, websites, social media sites, awards and certifications, industry literature and associations, nominations, and rating services.
Are there any special products to thank our customers? Our employees?
Yes, we have appreciation certificates and plaques designed to thank your customers as well as to recognize your staff. Learn more.
What is the relationship between CBN’s rating process and its commercial services?
CBN markets promotional services to award-winning companies, but there are no “points” to be earned in our rating system for companies that retain our services, and no rating penalty for those that do not. The revenue from sales of our promotional services does underwrite the staggering cost of data collection and analysis. But in terms of their value to Award winners, based on increasing the revenues and profitability of those winners, our promotional services always stand on their own merits.
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Frank McGeorge, MD, Local 4's Good Health Medical Expert
Natasha Dado, Web Producer
Published: January 12, 2021, 5:50 pm Updated: January 12, 2021, 5:59 pm
Tags: Good Health, Health, News, COVID, Coronavirus in Michigan, Vaccine, COVID-19, Dr. Frank McGeorge, Metro Detroit, Second vaccine dose
Dr. Frank McGeorge shares experience with second dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
More than 525K coronavirus cases confirmed in Michigan
DETROIT – As vaccinations against COVID-19 continue we are now at a point where many people who received the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine have got their second one.
That includes Dr. Frank McGeorge of Local 4 News. He recently opened up about the side effects he had from the second dose so you know what to expect.
Related: COVID-19 vaccine questions? Ask the doctor
“My experience with the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine was pretty much in line with what I had expected. Mainly just soreness in my arm where I received the injection although it was more severe than I had ever experienced from any other shot. The pain responded to Motrin and was gone in a day. My second shot was a different story,” said McGeorge.
He shared some thoughts from a video diary recorded after his first shot.
“Something else just occurred to me while I’m driving home to do the news, an untimely afterthought, three weeks from today, the date on my vaccination card when I’m due for for my second dose of the vaccine I have three midnight shifts. That was poor planning by me since based on the study data the highest incidence of side effects like fever, body aches, and so on are the day or two after the second shot,” said McGeorge.
Fortunately, he was able to reschedule his second dose to after his midnight shifts.
Data from the study that Pfizer submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for its emergency use authorization clearly shows a significant number of side effects after the second dose.
Nearly one-third of people 18 to 55 had a fever, 35 percent experienced chills, 52 percent had a headache, 22 percent had joint pain, 37 percent had muscle pain, and nearly two thirds experienced fatigue.
McGeorge was in the unlucky group and felt all the side effects.
He received the shot at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning and went home to sleep.
By noon four hours later when he woke up McGeorge had a sore arm. During the day on Sunday he felt fine until around 9 p.m. 14 hours after the shot.
He started having body aches. By 10 p.m. he had taken some Motrin. The following 12 hours were really unpleasant.
McGeorge says he experienced muscle pain, joint pain, headache, chills and a fever of up to 100 degrees.
He did not feel normal until 36 hours after the shot.
“I want to be clear. I’m talking about this so you have an idea of what could happen after the second shot and are prepared. Make sure you have a light day planned after and have some Tylenol or Motrin around. I’ve talked to a lot of my co-workers who also had their second dose and a least a third of them did have significant side effects,” said McGeorge.
“I also want to note, I’ve seen the effects of a severe COVID infection. The vaccine is definitely the better choice.”
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 525,612 as of Tuesday, including 13,501 deaths, state officials report.
Tuesday’s update includes 1,994 new cases and 100 additional deaths.
Coronavirus headlines:
New, mutated variant of COVID-19 ‘very likely already here’ in Michigan, top health official says
Timeline of how COVID trends have actually changed since Michigan issued, extended, revised order
Michigan Gov. Whitmer signs $106M relief bill, extends COVID-19 unemployment benefits through March
Gov. Whitmer to encourage Michigan public schools to reopen for in-person learning by March 1
Frank McGeorge, MD
Dr. McGeorge can be seen on Local 4 News helping Metro Detroiters with health concerns when he isn't helping save lives in the emergency room at Henry Ford Hospital.
Natasha Dado
Natasha Dado is a digital content producer for ClickOnDetroit.
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Global Payroll Services
Global Payroll Platform
Country Payroll Guides
Payroll Maturity Assessment
Global Payroll Efficiency Index
How the Cloud Can Help Overcome Complexity of Global Payroll Compliance
Jun 1, 2016 | Topic: Compliance
At this year’s APA Congress, CloudPay's CEO and one of our customers presented a case-study on how the Cloud can drive better compliance. Here are a few items that we covered during the session.
The typical employee perception of the payroll function is simple: It serves to pay people the right amount at the right time - and not much more than that. In reality, payroll plays a critical role across all business functions. It’s involved in all your hiring and firing, annual leave considerations, benefits and bonus systems, and it can provide a wealth of data to inform boardroom decisions on resourcing.
It’s also directly linked to your business’s tax accounting - and those tax associations mean payroll is governed by a raft of legislation. Every time you expand operations into a new country (or sometimes even just a new state), that minefield of legislation gets ever trickier to navigate.
It’s not just tax laws either - payroll compliance comes in multiple forms. As well as abiding by the statutory employment laws in every country in which you operate, you also need to adhere to financial regulations imposed by the banking system and honor the terms of your private contracts and agreements.
Given the wealth of personal data stored in the payroll function, you’re obligated to deliver against data laws and system security guidelines too.
In short, payroll is covered by laws every step of the way - and ensuring compliance across the board, right across your global footprint, can be an uphill battle.
In this blog post, we’ll look at the challenge in more detail - and see how global payroll platforms hosted in the Cloud can help you overcome the complexities of compliance.
clarity is the key
A thorough understanding of the country-specific employment laws affecting your business is fundamental, even before you expand into a new territory. But knowing the law inside out, doesn’t guarantee you’ll meet it.
For many companies, the real problem is monitoring compliance - with global organizations often unsure of how they’re performing, and even who within their business is in charge of managing compliance.
More specifically, the challenge lies in being able to monitor your compliance in real-time. After all, a better-late-than-never approach to compliance doesn’t really cut it and normally results in some form of punishment heading your way by the time you discover your errors.
Continuing to work with disparate systems, where nothing happens quickly, is therefore fraught with risk. With a lack of visibility into global payroll and payment delivery comes frequent failure to track down the specific documents that confirm your compliance status.
What’s more, continued reliance on fragmented data systems makes it difficult for companies to detect instances of fraud, such as excess payments or ghost employees.
Getting compliance wrong in this way - in any way - comes at a cost. There are global anti-bribery bodies (FCPA and UK Bribery ACT) and global money movement compliance agencies (OFAC and WPS) waiting to punish slip-ups - not to mention the Automated Compliance regulations to keep on top of (RTI, DSN, eSocial, SuperStream, E-Billing, e-Gov and more).
Fines and financial punishments handed out for compliance failures not only drain the coffers, but also bring about serious repercussions in the form of reputational damage and internal pressure.
how the cloud drives stronger compliance
With transparency and timeliness two key elements in keeping compliance on track, more and more businesses are turning to the Cloud to power payroll.
Indeed, 93% of businesses now use the Cloud 'in some form or another', according to Rightscale’s 2015 State of the Cloud report. And Constellation Research suggest that more than 40% of businesses looking to invest in payroll technology would be seeking to leverage Cloud platforms.
For most, cost-efficiencies are a key driver in that decision, but the potential for data insights and process improvements feature highly on the agenda too.
From a purely compliance perspective, the opportunities afforded by Cloud technology are vast. SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) helps to consolidate global data from multiple country payrolls into one single system, providing real-time information on both global and local compliance, while enabling you to monitor and measure the performance of your payroll and payments processes.
That increased visibility means easier access to statutory filings, the ability to maintain records more easily online, and make legislative updates country-by-country right across the globe.
Here are some other compliance-focused features you can expect from a Cloud solution:
Compliance calendar: Actionable due dates can vary greatly by country and region, so an accurate, accessible compliance calendar is essential.
Legislation monitoring: News feeds of in-country legislation changes help to keep you ahead of the game.
Issue tracking: Benefit from statutory filing issue tracking and management, with an auditable process for SOX compliance and internal risk management.
THE data security question answered
For some businesses, lingering data security concerns are all that stands between them and the switch to the Cloud. And nobody would argue against the importance of ensuring global data privacy laws don’t get forgotten, in the quest for statutory and financial global compliance.
The reality is that SaaS providers excel in security measures - delivering against the ISO 27001 data standard as a minimum, and including access controls, backup and recovery facilities and defenses against many other potential vulnerability points in their solutions.
Cloud payroll providers also take responsibility for ensuring all legal and regulatory changes are applied, tested and available.
And where on-premise payroll may lack a certain level of compliance motivation, it’s worth remembering that Cloud providers have hundreds or even thousands of customers utilizing their platforms - ensuring both the continued determination of the vendor to get things right, and a rapid response to any rare slip-up that would be spotted and reported by a number of clients.
THE quicker route to compliance
The benefits of Cloud payroll are well documented - with cost savings, process efficiencies, boardroom insights and payment accuracy among the primary reasons for more and more businesses making the switch.
But purely from a compliance perspective, the argument is compelling too. Greater visibility and real-time tracking of your compliance status, coupled with built-in local knowledge that takes local country technicalities into full consideration. It all adds up to massively reduced risk of the potential for costly compliance failures.
And with SaaS solutions being quick to deploy, moving towards better company compliance right across your global footprint can happen faster than you think.
Understanding Payroll in Thailand: What Global Companies Need to Know About Thailand Payroll System
Thailand is renowned as one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, as well as being an attractive
Understanding Payroll in Malaysia: What Global Companies Need to Know About Malaysia's Payroll System
This guide covers the basics of doing business in Malaysia from a payroll perspective, including the key factors in
Understanding Payroll in New Zealand: What Global Companies Need to Know About New Zealand Payroll
Supported by its strong global standing in both tourism and agriculture, New Zealand's population of around five
Understanding Payroll in Denmark: What Global Companies Need to Know About Denmark Payroll
This guide covers the basics in understanding how to stay compliant in Denmark from a payroll perspective.
Payroll Guides
Payroll Efficiency Index
Sales & Support: Americas +1.919.322.5800 Asia +65.6403.5900 Europe: +44.1264.253.100
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Police confirm age of man who died after being hit by bin lorry in Sanderstead
Metropolitan Police detectives are calling on witnesses to the Cherry Tree Green crash to come forward
Chris Ballinger
Police have confirmed the age of the man who died in Sanderstead after being hit by a bin lorry as detectives appeal for witness to the crash to share information with them.
Steven Cooper died after he was hit by a Veolia bin lorry at the junction of Oakapple Close and Cherry Tree Green on Wednesday (July 11) morning.
Teams from the Metropolitan Police, London Ambulance Service (LAS) and London's Air Ambulance all attended but despite desperate attempts to save him, he died at the scene.
Detectives from the Met's Serious Collision Investigation Unit have confirmed Mr Cooper was 63 and are calling on anyone with information about the fatal crash to come forward.
Selsdon Vale and Forestdale Police officers, who were the first to arrive at the incident, returned to the scene on Thursday to pay their respects as a large number of flowers and tributes were left.
Police name man who died in Sanderstead after being hit by bin lorry
Veolia, the company which has the contract for waste management in Croydon, confirmed one of its lorries was involved in the collision.
A Veolia spokesman said: “We can confirm that one of our collection vehicles was involved in a serious incident in the Sanderstead area of Croydon in which tragically a man has died.
"Our deepest sympathy is with the family of the deceased and while we are unable to comment further on the circumstances at present, we are working closely with the emergency services and a full investigation into the incident is underway."
Friends and family members have laid tributes to Mr Cooper following his death (Image: Chris Ballinger)
A spokesman for Croydon Council added: "We are saddened to hear of the death of a pedestrian in South Croydon and our sympathies are with his family."
A Met Police spokesman said: "His next of kin have been informed; we await formal identification.
"The refuse truck stopped at the scene.
"There have been no arrests, enquiries continue."
More of the latest news in Croydon
Row over new bins for residents
Parking banned outside Croydon schools
Man killed in collision is named
Tributes after train station tragedy
Any witnesses or anyone with any information is asked to call police on 020 8285 1574 or contact via Twitter @MetCC. Please quote CAD 2430/11JUL.
To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.
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Report: Cardano Ecosystem Has A Complex Governance Structure
A report said that the Cardano (ADA) ecosystem has a complex governance structure, not dissimilar from the way the US democracy operates, with its built-in checks and balances.
It has been reported that according to the Foundation’s incoming CEO Frederik Gregaard, there are three main players: the Cardano Foundation, EMURGO, and IOHK, where the governance will only get more complicated as more organizations join.
However, he also said that he intends to maintain the Foundation’s independence from Cardano’s founder and IOHK CEO, Charles Hoskinson, who created this structure in the first place.
He added:
“The Foundation law in Switzerland says that we need to be independent. That’s exactly why it’s interesting and why Charles chose to set it up like that, because he really, truly feels that the people who are going to protect the Cardano protocol for the generations to come, need to be independent.”
As per the report, the Foundation’s mission is the advancement of “the Cardano protocol.” It also retains a development company for the protocol, which is currently IOHK, though its contract expires later this year. With the Voltaire era scheduled for release in a few months, the community will soon vote on whether to extend IOHK’s contract. In the unlikely event that IOHK fails to secure the backing of the community, another development company will be hired to take their place.
ALSO READ : Binance To Launch Crypto Travel Rewards Card With TravelByBit
More from our CEO @F_Gregaard on the #Cardano Foundation preserving its independence in his latest interview with @Cointelegraph.https://t.co/dPFXYdKsib
— Cardano Foundation (@CardanoStiftung) October 3, 2020
Gregaard accepts that Hoskinson is more than just the head of Cardano’s development company and there may be times when they will butt heads over the direction of Cardano’s development.
“Charles did initiate the project together with one of his colleagues. So, there’s no doubt about how brilliant he is and how visionary he is. But he’s running a product company that needs to deliver products. <…> I’m sure that there are going to be some fights in terms of priorities and some spots where we believe, together with the community maybe, that we should go a bit more right and Charles wants to be a little bit more left and we need to agree on that together.”
Also, he said that having worked with Hoskinson for the past 6 to 12 months (as a PwC consultant), he has a good feeling about this relationship, though he does not expect it to be easy.
ALSO READ : Alethea AI Launches Decentralized Synthetic Content Network To Track Usage Of AI-Generated Content
Thus, Gregaard is a big supporter of decentralized governance, as, for him, this presents a viable alternative to the current state of the world, where Facebook and Google manipulatively exploit their users.
Crypto News Point a news platform of Digital Notice Media Labs is primarily a regular publication of information, commentary and articles focused extensively on fintech, blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, blockchain-based tokens, cryptocurrency market trends, and trading strategies. We do not provide individually tailored investment advice and does not take a subscriber’s or anyone’s circumstances into consideration when discussing investments, nor is Crypto News Point registered as an investment adviser or broker-dealer in any jurisdiction. Information contained herein is not an offer or solicitation to buy, hold, or sell any digital assets.
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Blockchain Service Network To Pilot Integration With Global Central Bank Digital Currencies
Blockchain Service Network (BSN), the Chinese national blockchain project, has planned to pilot integration with global central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). It has been reported in a blog post that the BSN is...
Galaxy Digital Sets Its Sights On Establishing Footing In The Bitcoin Mining Sector
Galaxy Digital, the financial services and cryptocurrency investment management, has set its sights on establishing a footing in the Bitcoin (BTC) mining sector. It has been reported that after a year of...
Ishita Bora
Ishita Bora is a Senior Content Creator at Digital Notice Media Labs with an experience of 1 year. She has completed her Master's Degree in Language and Linguistics in 2019 from Gauhati University, India. Her interest lies in blockchain technology and cryptocurrency space, as she loves writing about blockchain and other blockchain-related articles. Currently, she is working on blockchain-based news, reviews, featured articles, and guides.
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SMB IT Support
For Businesses With 5-24 Employees
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Android May Be Coming To More New Cars Soon
Posted by csuinc On September 29, 2018
Google scored a major coup in the auto industry. They just inked a deal that will put the Android OS in every car made by the global auto alliance Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi. It sold a staggering 10.6 million vehicles around the world last year.
The tech giant has struggled to get its foot in the door, primarily because auto makers have been hesitating on handing over the keys to their Infotainment and other computerized systems, in fear of being shut out of the data collected by those systems.
It's a fair complaint and a valid concern, but Google has been working hard to build trust in the auto world and has taken a variety of approaches.
Their first move was to build an OS called "Android Auto" which mirrors the functionality of the Android OS but offers scaled down functionality which means it falls well short of "Android running on a car."
Having gained some ground with that approach, they next introduced Android Automotive, which is essentially the entire Android OS, geared specifically for vehicular use. They showed off their work last year at the 2018 I/O Tech conference, and their persistence paid off.
It's a big win on all fronts. The automakers win by retaining access to their data, while handing off the software function to a company with a long history of getting it right.
Google wins because it expands the Android ecosystem in a whole new way. Consumers win because it offers a seamless (and improved) user experience and makes it easier for an auto owner to sync their Android device to their car.
Google also wins because they get access to all the data generated by the in-auto OS after gaining permission from the user. Plus, having scored a partnership with one major auto alliance, others will surely follow, which will further expand the tech giant's footprint.
New Security Vulnerabilities Found In Intel Processors
Microsoft Is Extending Windows 7 Support For Only Some Users
Ransomware Attackers Targeting Larger Companies For More Money
Literally Every Yahoo Email User Was Hacked In 2013 Breach
Three Ways to Make People Pay Attention On Twitter
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Photographer Peter Hujar Captures Queer Bliss in “Cruising Utopia”
In a new digital exhibition at Pace Gallery, photographer Peter Hujar explores the world of queer cruising.
Wallace Ludel
Peter Hujar's Christopher Street Pier #2 (Crossed Legs), 1976. © The Peter Hujar Archive
The word utopia comes from the Greek outopos, which translates to “no place”—not the bacchanalian land of ambrosia and French kissing that we associate with an idyllic otherworld, but instead the warm bath of nothingness. Though this is the term’s derivation, its pronunciation comes from eutopiā, which means “a good place.” This friction—the opposing wants of nothingness and goodness—is the motor for “Cruising Utopia,” photographer Peter Hujar’s digital exhibition at Pace Gallery. The photographs in “Cruising Utopia” luxuriate in this space of dual meaning. With many of the images taken in the post-Stonewall, pre-AIDS window, the photographs function like cartography, mapping the proximity of contradictory urges: our desire for pain is pushed right up against our desire for pleasure; our desire for cleanliness exists inches from our yearning for filth.
The image that most famously toes this line is Orgasmic Man, 1969—a photo of a young, clean-shaven man wincing in extremis, his face’s gnarled contortions not stemming from pain, as one might assume, but rather from an orgasm. (The image also notably serves as the cover of Hanya Yanigahara’s 2015 novel A Little Life.) If Shakespeare called the orgasm la petite mort—the little death—does it not serve to assume, then, that death is the big orgasm?
Perhaps a more interesting example is Paul Thek Masturbating, 1967, an image of the eponymous artist and Hujar’s long-time romantic partner (the two were referred to as Peter and Paul when coupled) nude and in a state of repose, his hand and penis just out of the frame. The dips in Thek’s sternum and the taught sinew of his slight frame almost turn the image into a landscape, recalling Hujar’s photographs of water—namely the Hudson River—in which deep blacks were burnt and bright highlights were dodged, resulting in intensely sculpted compositions. Of equal note is the way in which the image of Thek recalls his own Death of a Hippie self-portrait of the same year.
The exhibition opens with a suite of images from Manhattan’s West End, taken in the ’70s: photos of handsome men at the Christopher Street Pier, including one who looks to be a teen, buoying himself up on the ropes of a docked ship. These photographs measure the ebb and flow of the Hudson, and one of the westside’s long lost parking lots—in the distance, a sign reads “PARK HERE” and below it another, smaller sign: “LEATHER.”
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The name "Areeta" of these beach shoes is of Basque origin and means "sand". Sand, because of the beach, the gateway to all water sports! Basque because TRIBORD brand products are devised, designed and developed in the company's headquarters, located on the Atlantic coast in the Basque Country, in the town of Hendaye.
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Product designed and tested by our teams in Hendaye, in collaboration with a team of external testers.
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Entertainment Kollywood 25 Mar 2016 Scaling heights
Entertainment, Kollywood
Scaling heights
DECCAN CHRONICLE. | MERIN MARIA JAMES
Published Mar 25, 2016, 12:14 am IST
Updated Mar 25, 2016, 12:14 am IST
Chennai-based dancer-turned-actor Sanjay Jayaraman’s short film Kolza has been well received among the Tamil audiences.
Sanjay Jayaraman
Sanjay Jayaraman, an alumnus of the New York Film Academy, is a spirited man these days. The reason — his recent dance video, Acceptance, in which he did the choreography and dance, has been selected at the prestigious Screendance festival to be held in Barcelona, Spain.
“The screening is on April 29 and I am excited about it — this is the only entry from India for the dance festival! The video is about how we accept our cultures in a globalised world. In Acceptance, we are showing how Bharatanatyam and Western dance can collaborate with each other,” starts Sanjay.
A passionate dancer, Sanjay has learned salsa, jazz and hip-hop. He was also a winner of reality show Jodi No.1. “I went to Brazil and then Argentina, and taught dance workshops all over the two countries. People there are aware of Bollywood dance styles, but haven’t heard of our kuthu style. I wanted to introduce this dance style to them and they happily agreed. So, I decided to teach them both, but everyone ended up liking the kuthu more!” reminisces Sanjay.
Though his dancing talent helped him scale heights, Sanjay always wanted to become an actor. So he decided to pursue acting from the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. “I learnt the nuances of acting, and it was a very different experience. I did short films after that. One of my recent Tamil short films, Kolza has been well received on Karthik Subbaraj’s YouTube channel Bench Culture, garnering more than 75,000 views,” he tells us.
Sanjay has also directed and acted in a video called Yellow Horizon, completely shot in Hong Kong. “We were scouting for locations, and decided to shoot somewhere outside India with a budget below five lakhs! We shot for eight days and the whole video was completed with just three people. Through this project, we wanted to give the audience a refreshing experience — instead of shooting in and around Chennai, anyone can go abroad and shoot with the same budget,” he concludes.
Tags: sanjay jayaraman, new york film academy, kolza
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January 15, 2021 11:58 am | £42.5m in ICO fines unpaid due to appeals and rogues
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ICO’s 2016 fines would rocket to £69m under GDPR
As if there has not been enough doom and gloom over the impending General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a new study makes for even more grim reading by showing that last year’s fines dished out by the Information Commissioner’s Office would be 79 times higher – soaring from £880,500 to £69m – under the new regime.
The ICO can currently apply fines of up to £500,000 for contraventions of the Data Protection Act 1998 but once GDPR comes into force on May 25, 2018, there will be a two-tiered sanction regime.
Lesser incidents will be subject to a maximum fine of either €10m (£7.9m) or 2% of an organisation’s global turnover (whichever is greater), while the most serious violations could result in fines of up to €20m or 4% of turnover (whichever is greater).
NCC Group’s security consultants studied all ICO fines from 2015 and 2016. Using the current maximum penalty as a guide, it created a model to determine what tier the fine would fall into and what a maximum post-GDPR fine would likely be.
As already reported by Decision Marketing, TalkTalk’s 2016 fine of £400,000 for security failings that allowed hackers to access customer data would rocket to nearly £60m under GDPR. Fines given to small and medium-sized enterprises could have been disasterous, with Pharmacy2U’s fine of £130,000 ballooning to £4.4m – a significant proportion of its revenues and potentially enough to put it out of business.
Little wonder then, that many companies are fearing the worst.
The 2015 penalties would also have risen drastically from £1m to £35m under the same calculation.
Roger Rawlinson, managing director of NCC Group’s assurance division, said: “GDPR isn’t just about financial penalties, but this analysis is a reminder that there will be significant commercial impacts for organisations that fall foul of the regulations.
“Businesses should have already started preparations for GDPR by now. Most organisations will have to fundamentally change the way they organise, manage and protect data. A shift of this size will need buy-in from the board.”
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HomeGistsWe Saw Death But Escaped Miraculously – Victims Of Lagos Explosion Speak Up
We Saw Death But Escaped Miraculously – Victims Of Lagos Explosion Speak Up
Adeleke September 26, 2020
Injured persons in Thursday’s gas explosion that rocked Cele area of Elliot along Ajuwon Road in the Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area of the state have recounted their near-death experiences to City Round.
The incident was caused by a 30 tonnes LPG tanker which gutted fire and affected 11 cars, a tricycle, buildings, a plant market and an event centre. About 15 persons also reportedly sustained varying degrees of injury.
The Acting Coordinator of the Lagos Territorial Office, National Emergency Management Agency, Ibrahim Farinloye, told one of our correspondents at the site of the accident that the gas tanker was leaving the Manna Gas Refilling Plant for quantity re-weighing when it exploded and affected domestic gas cylinders in the gas plant.
As those who lost valuables to the inferno counted their losses, the injured were rushed to the Pacific Hospital and Ancilla (Catholic) Hospital, both in the area for treatment.
One of the survivors and resident in the area who gave his name only as Gift, who sustained burns in his left arm, said he was happy to be alive.
He said, “I was in my house when I saw the blazing of the fire. My house is upstairs and I tried to run. I quickly pushed away my wife and kids. But as I made to follow them, the fire caught me. I cannot say how I escaped.’’
Gift stated that the gas truck had been there in the area three days before the incident, adding, “I heard the driver arguing with the workers about the quantity to be delivered. I didn’t know that an incident that would affect me loomed.’’
Taiwo, a mechanic opposite the gas plant, who lost 10 vehicles belonging to his customers, said he was working on a Nissan car with his partner when the explosion occurred.
He said dejectedly, “Ten vehicles were destroyed. I don’t know what we are going to tell the customers. We saw death but cannot exactly say how we escaped. It was miraculous. We could have been burnt to death. The vehicles were all burnt as you can see.’’
Some of the residents told City Round that the gas truck driver, who suffered serious burns, had a disagreement with the gas plant attendants over the gas quantity and was driving out of the plant for reweighing when the truck’s discharging valve ruptured and ignited fire. They further said the driver who drove the truck when the explosion occurred was not the one who brought it to the gas plant.
The manager of the affected S&Y event centre also suffered injuries in the incident. When City Round visited the Pacific Hospital where the manager and some others injured persons were taken to, he wore bandages like armour and receiving intravenous fluid. Intermittently, he held his head for pity but was continually consoled by family members in the ward.
Another victim who refused to give his name told one of our correspondents that he was driving out of the event centre when the explosion engulfed his car.
He said, “I am lucky to be alive. I thank God.’’
Relatives of Kogi explosion victims mourn
Meanwhile, a businessman, Samson Ajala, who sold sewing machines in Lokoja metropolis, was among those killed during the explosion that rocked Kogi State on Wednesday.
John Mbonu, a radio technician, is a friend to the late Ajala. He told City Round that the deceased was his good friend, nothing that they all called him, “Mr Jovial.’’ He described the late Ajala as a gentle and upright man whose death he noted left a vacuum hard to fill.
The deceased was said to be taking his children to school and wife to her shop when they all died in the accident.
On that day, an NNPC petrol tanker loaded with 33,000 litres of petrol due to brake failure fell on its side crushing five vehicles, three tricycles, two motorcycles and killing the occupants in an inferno at the ever-busy Felele, along Lokoja-Abuja highway.
Felele is also where the state-owned polytechnic is and the spot has recorded several deaths in the past.
Both sides of the road are residential. The crash which occurred a few minutes after 8am occurred near the polytechnic and caught motorists and passersby unawares. The disaster also affected the students who resumed on Monday after the easing of the COVID-19 restrictions.
A survivor, Mallam Musa Eneye, is a Deputy Registrar at the polytechnic. He was on his way to work in his Mercedes Benz car with one of his daughters and two others when his car was suddenly hit from behind. The impact pushed his car off the road before the tanker landed on its side on top of five vehicles trying to overtake it.
Eneye said, “We were five in the car on that day including one on my daughters and some workers in the school. Immediately I entered the main road, I didn’t see any petrol tanker coming behind.”
He added that when he slowed down to take a bend to her daughter’s school, he noticed that his car had been hit behind by a petrol tanker.
Eneye further said that the impact pushed his car out of the road which forced him to veer off a culvert till he moved out of danger.
A cleric, Idris Yusuf and his cousin, Abdullahi Salihu, living in the Felele community lost six children to the accident.
Salihu lost four children to the disaster while Yusuf lost two of his four children.
When our correspondent tried to speak with the fathers, they merely expressed shock over the incident. Yusuf said, “We are still in shock to talk about it.’’
Meanwhile, the state government has declared a two day period of mourning in honour of those killed in the explosion.
The government’s position was contained in a statement on Thursday by the state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo.
Source: The PUNCH
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Police officer mistaken for stripper at a swinger party
The illegal party took place in Mar del Plata City, Argentina, where there are restrictions due to COVID-19. The officer dressed up as a police was thought to be part of the ongoing show
Ultima actualización Ene 9, 2021
When the police arrived to raid the house, 20 couples were having dinner at a farm located in Sierra de los Padres, Mar del Plata, 400 kilometers south from Buenos Aires. Those were the previous moment of the swinger party about to come next.
After it was denounced, some police officers and inspectors who work for the municipality knocked on the door at 10 pm. A man opened them and kindly invited to get in. Since the party house did not have a valid permission and there are ongoing additional restrictions due to pandemic, the officers decided to get in.
“When they saw us they thought we were part of the show. That we were strippers”, a police source told Infobae, a local media outlet which published the news.
«Inside the house, one of the women who was going to participate in the swinger meeting ran into one of the police officers who participated in the operation, she thought she was one of the party and whispered: “Look at your eyes. You make me warm up”», reported the journalist Mauricio Luna, for Infobae.
All the participants were identified and indicted by violation of Section 205 of the Criminal Code which punished whoever disobey sanitary measure for epidemic containment.
The premises where the party was held were also closed and the property owner will have to attend the Court of Misdemeanors, which will determine the fine.
The person who denounced the party also said that it is not the first time that they organize these kind of events, and that even the 20 married couples, originally from the city of Buenos Aires, paid a “sexual tour” that includes accommodation, transfers, meals and several nights of fun, Infobae reported (source).
This is not the first time something like this happens. In England, a police officer was also mistook for a stripper at a birthday party (BBC).
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Social media use in dermatology
Melissa R Laughter1, Tessa Zangara1, Mayra B. C. Maymone2, Chandler W Rundle2, Cory A Dunnick3, Jeremy M Hugh3, Mona Sadeghpour2, Robert P Dellavalle4
1 Department of Dermatology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA; Medical Students, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado
2 Department of Dermatology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
3 Department of Dermatology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA; Dermatology Service, US Department of Veterans Affairs Rocky Mountain Regional Medical Center, Aurora, Colorado
4 Department of Dermatology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA; Dermatology Service, US Department of Veterans Affairs Rocky Mountain Regional Medical Center; Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado
Date of Submission 30-Jul-2019
Date of Decision 23-Sep-2019
Date of Acceptance 03-Oct-2019
Robert P Dellavalle
1700 N Wheeling St, Rm E1-342, Aurora, CO 80045
Social media provides a readily accessible means to promote user-generated content, broaden interpersonal connections, and encourage social collaboration. In this paper, we will review the use of popular social media platforms within dermatology along with the potential benefits and harms of these platforms when used by dermatology providers and their patients. Social media has also found a place in medicine and presents new opportunities and challenges for health care professionals. In dermatology specifically, social media has become a platform for patient education, public outreach, and professional development and networking. Although there are many risks associated with social media use in dermatology, there is also opportunity to promote public health, patient education, and professional interactions.
Keywords: Dermatology, dermatology journals, Facebook, professional dermatology organizations, social media, YouTube
Laughter MR, Zangara T, Maymone MB, Rundle CW, Dunnick CA, Hugh JM, Sadeghpour M, Dellavalle RP. Social media use in dermatology. Dermatol Sin 2020;38:28-34
Laughter MR, Zangara T, Maymone MB, Rundle CW, Dunnick CA, Hugh JM, Sadeghpour M, Dellavalle RP. Social media use in dermatology. Dermatol Sin [serial online] 2020 [cited 2021 Jan 16];38:28-34. Available from: https://www.dermsinica.org/text.asp?2020/38/1/28/279606
Participation in social media has increased drastically over the past few decades. In the United States (US), the percent of adults using social media increased from 8% in 2005 to 69% in 2018.[1] Studies have also shown that 86% of adults aged 18 through 29 are social media users and that 74% of Facebook users, 60% of Instagram users, and 63% of Snapchat users login to the respective platform at least once per day.[1] In addition, each day over 250 million Twitter users send over 500 million tweets[2] and 5 billion videos are viewed on YouTube.[3] Because of this increase in the usage of social media, the health-care field faces new opportunities and challenges. From public health and patient education to professional networking and physician–patient interactions, social media has solidified an increasingly important role in healthcare.[4] In addition, the variations among different social media platforms present unique challenges that must be taken into consideration by the user.[5]
The meaning of the term “social media” is broad and constantly evolving. In general, social media refers to websites or applications that allow users to communicate with one another, share information and ideas, send personal messages, and in some cases, connect with other users in real time.[4],[6] Depending on the social media platform, applications can be used for blogs, video or photo sharing and editing, social networks, or content production. In this work, we review the current literature to understand the integration of social media platforms in the field of dermatology. Specifically, we will focus on the opportunities for dermatology related to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Snapchat, WeChat, Reddit, and YouTube. Finally, we will discuss the challenges associated with each platform.
Dermatology in Social Media
Dermatology and Facebook
Facebook remains the most popular social media platform worldwide, with over 1.8 billion monthly active users.[1] Facebook is composed of user-generated content and is typically used for social interaction and real-time communication. In the health-care field, Facebook introduces many new opportunities for networking, professional education, and patient education.
A recent study showed that Facebook accounts are common among medical students (77%–80%) and health-care professionals (HCPs) (13%–47%)[7] and dermatology journals have used Facebook to increase their outreach and collaboration. In a 2012 study, Amir et al. showed that almost 13% of dermatology journals were present on Facebook[8] and that number has increased to almost 18% in 2017.[9] Most notably, on Facebook, The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD) has roughly 56,000 likes and has 59,000 followers. Following JAAD, JAMA dermatology had the second-greatest number of likes in 2017, followed by the Journal of Investigative Dermatology (JID).[9],[10]
Professional dermatology organizations have also increased their public and professional engagement through Facebook.[11] Popular professional dermatology organizations with the most likes on Facebook include dermRounds Dermatology Network, American Academy of Dermatology, and Associated Skin Care Professionals.[8]
Facebook has also been used as an educational platform with the goal of helping providers to provide the highest-quality care to patients. Groups like DermLife and The Dermapaths, a group specifically for dermatopathologists, promote this goal. Another group, The Dermatologists, with roughly 4200 doctors and residents as members focuses on providers helping one another with particularly difficult cases. In addition, the group, The Board Certified Dermatologists, allows membership for board certified North American dermatologists and allows providers to share cases and act as a platform for many clinical, practice-based, and other topics. Finally, SkinSanity, formed through Facebook, is a conference created by The Board Certified Dermatologist Facebook group to provide educational talks and discussions for dermatologists with no industry support or advertising.
The communication capabilities of Facebook are also used to improve medical education. In dermatology, reports describe the benefit of visually-oriented social media platforms, such as Facebook for use in medical student education.[12] Moreover, Facebook has found an avenue to enhance patient education and in some cases, patient care. There has been an increase in the number of dermatology journals and patient-centered groups that use Facebook to help educate the public.[8] One study assessing public engagement using Facebook found online educational posts most effective.[13] This is likely because Facebook provides a simple, interactive, and inexpensive tool to engage the public in dermatologic education.
Dermatology and YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website that allows users to upload and comment on videos and to subscribe to channels.[14] It is the second-most popular website in the world[15] and hosts almost 30 billion monthly users with an average viewing session of 40 min.[3] Given YouTube's large Internet presence and the growing tendency of people to research health information on the web, it is not surprising that dermatology has a strong presence on YouTube. The presence of dermatology on YouTube is increasing, with most of its content being educational or advocacy.[16],[17] Of the videos analyzed, 42% were uploaded by HCPs, where 28% were board-certified dermatologists. One dermatologist, Dr. Sandra Lee (aka Dr. Pimple Popper), uses YouTube to posteducational videos and interact with her audience of more than 5 million subscribers and hosts a television show on a major cable network.[18] This increase in availability of dermatologic information on YouTube demonstrates an opportunity for HCPs to inform the public about popular dermatologic topics. However, similar to other platforms, YouTube often contains incorrect or misleading information that must be substantiated with more reliable sources.[19]
Dermatology and Messenger Applications
There are a variety of messenger applications that are implicated in dermatologic care including Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, QQ Chat, Viber, and Line. Combined, this collection of applications accounts for approximately 4.05 billion monthly users [Table 1].[20] This collection of social media applications is inherently different from the aforementioned platforms because their goal is to facilitate conversations between two individuals or small groups of people. Unfortunately, dermatologists will often receive messages from friends, family, or colleagues regarding skin lesions asking for advice. This practice can put the practitioner at medicolegal risk. These channels are not Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant and there is often no medical record of such communications. While some may contain end-to-end encryption (i.e., WhatsApp), these platforms do not contain access controls or audit controls, passwords are not required, and devices may not track or save data.
Table 1: Popular social media platforms, their typical use, opportunities within dermatology and associated challenges
Dermatology and Instagram
Instagram is a popular photo and video sharing media platform among teens and young adults. In June of 2018, Instagram reached 1 billion users worldwide, with the US ranking first in usage, followed by India and Brazil.[21] Instagram “hashtags” allow users to search for and identify content related to a specific topic. In one study, researchers showed that the top three dermatology-related “hashtags” included #acne, #alopecia, and #eczema.[22] Physicians of all medical specialties including dermatologists have created Instagram profiles that allow their followers to see before and after procedure photos, patient education material, and advertisements for cosmetic lines and in-office promotions. In the academic environment, Instagram is used to connect and inform students of events, announce services, and provide public education; however, this tool is underutilized in dermatology. One study found that 7% of dermatology departments have an Instagram profile.[23] Among the dermatology programs using Instagram, the profiles with a greater number of followers are New York Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia Campus), University of Utah, and Yale New Haven.[23] Furthermore, patient advocate groups, such as the Melanoma Research Foundation, have used Instagram to promote events and educational outreach.[24] A recent study found that 5% of dermatologic focused Instagram posts were made by a board certified dermatologist.[25]
Dermatology and WeChat
WeChat, popular in China, is a multi-use platform commonly referred to as the “app for everything.”[26] It is similar to WhatsApp in that it allows its users to share photos and videos, make phone calls, schedule medical appointments, distribute messages within closed groups, read daily news, and make payments.[26] Many hospitals in China have adopted the platform to schedule appointments, promote health campaigns, and increase treatment adherence.[27] Moreover, The Chinese Center for evidenced-based medicine uses WeChat to distribute Cochrane reviews translated into simple messages in order to raise public awareness.[28] In dermatology, WeChat has been adopted by many high-impact dermatology journals, including JAAD, JAMA Dermatology, British Journal of Dermatology, and JID. Furthermore, it is used to share postoperative photos and care instructions for infants treated with photodynamic therapy for port-wine stain.[29] Despite WeChat's potential in dermatology, it does not come without limitations. The medical information can be of questionable accuracy, and there are often patient privacy issues.
Dermatology and QZone
QZone, established in 2005, is a Chinese-based social networking website that allows users to share content such as pictures, music, and videos, as well as write blogs and keep diaries. Because of its origin in China, the platform is subject to a variety of censorship. The sensitivity of the censorship screening varies but may extend to medical information. In fact, there are reports of posts and articles concerning the vaccine industry being deleted or moderated.[30] Although the impact of censorship is unknown with respect to dermatology, it is an important consideration as this platform continues to grow and maintain influence.
Dermatology and Twitter
Twitter, used by over 100 million people everyday,[31] is typically used as a microblogging platform where users share short messages (up to 140 characters) with one another. Twitter users refer to these short messages as “tweets” and users can share these tweets with particular users or “retweet” messages from another account. With Twitter's ability to send messages through mobile devices to an extremely large audience, it is no surprise that this platform also has potential in the healthcare field. In dermatology, Twitter has become a popular platform for users to communicate dermatologic concerns. One study shows that almost 85,000 tweets over a 1-year period communicated personal concerns with skin disease[32] while another study shows that the most common type of re-tweeted tweets (43.1%) are about acne.[33] Furthermore, medical schools have begun using Twitter to increase student engagement. For example, Northwest Ohio Medical University used twitter to postweekly dermatology quizzes and successfully increased student engagement from 23.8% to 55.9%.[34] Furthermore, physicians may use Twitter to answer disease-related questions or simply to weigh in on common medical misconceptions.[4] Along these lines, one of the biggest challenges facing Twitter is the dissemination of misperceptions related to dermatologic diseases. With such a large young adult population communicating information through Twitter, there is a significant amount of incorrect information, empirical data, and myths circulating that may influence a patient's approach to dermatologic concerns.[33],[35]
Dermatology and Reddit
Reddit is a website that allows users to join communities of people with similar interests to share and learn information about these topics.[36] For example, within the Reddit website, there are over 150,000 “subreddits” containing threads of comments pertaining to a particular topic where users are able to comment and communicate with one another.[37] There are over 330 million Reddit users, with over 40 million Reddit searches per day making Reddit the 20th most visited internet site in the world.[37],[38] In addition, Reddit serves as an important source of healthcare information, as many users solicit medical advice from the site.[39] Dermatology, in particular, has several subreddits with the most common being cosmetic advice, disease identification, and medications.[39] However, Reddit presents challenges as it allows members to postresponses to medical questions, thus introducing the possibility for dissemination of inaccurate or dangerous medical advice.[39] Reddit's opportunity for direct communication is an entry point for physicians to provide accurate information and dispel false information, promoting knowledge about common dermatologic topics as a public health measure.[39]
Dermatology and Pinterest
Pinterest started in 2009 as a platform designed to share images, GIFS, and videos. The platform has been popularized for its ability to catalog ideas and “do it yourself” projects. Users are able to upload images, “pin” images, and create “boards” (collections of pins). Like other social media platforms, Pinterest is a popular site for individuals and businesses to share content and information. Pinterest contains a variety of informational graphs, business advertisements, cartoons, and other image-based content where users can interact. With respect to dermatology, studies show that informative pins, advocacy, and home remedies compose the majority of dermatology related “pins” and “boards.”[40] However, it is important to note that only 24% of these “boards” were created by M.D.s or advocacy organizations.[40]
Dermatology and Snapchat
Snapchat, developed in 2011, is a social media application that allows users to share photos and videos with other users for 24 h.[41] Users also have a home screen that displays popular news from celebrity users, news sources, magazines, etc.[41] In 2018, Snapchat boasted an estimated 188 million daily users with an average user spending over 30 min/day on the application.[42] Snapchat's interface of quick 10-s stories captures the attention of the audience and the story features allow millions of people to view the same story posted by a particular user. This form of social media is increasingly popular in the health-care field as a means of educating the public and promoting a user's brand.[43] For example, Dr. Michael Salzhauer (a plastic surgeon better known as Dr. Snapchat) posts his surgeries live and receives over 700,000 views/day.[44] He uses Snapchat as a tool to educate the public as well as generate new clientele, as over 60% of new patients in his office come from Snapchat and other social media.[44] The potential benefit of social media, specifically Snapchat, is clear in healthcare, but the use of Snapchat in dermatology is lagging behind that of other healthcare fields.[1] The sparse number of dermatologists on Snapchat is hypothesized to be due to a lack of permanency of the app, where posts disappear after 24 h.[45]
Dermatology and Tumblr
Launched in 2007, Tumblr is a social blogging platform to share and discuss multimedia content. Since its start, Tumblr has amassed over 340 registered accounts with over 148 billion posts on the platform.[46] Private practice dermatologists use Tumblr to disperse dermatologic education and videos of procedures;[47] however, none of the top dermatology journals, professional organizations, or patient advocacy groups utilize Tumblr to connect with the public.[35],[47] Healthcare students and professionals use Tumblr to connect with people interested in their profession and provide insight into their daily lives. More prominently, Tumblr is used as an outlet where patients can postblogs about their concerns and experiences while also receiving support and opening a dialogue with their audience.[4] Aside from privacy issues and the possibility of disseminating medical misinformation, there are additional concerns due to Tumblr's lack of user anonymity.[48]
Social Media Opportunities in Dermatology
Each platform is designed to function independently; however, there is a degree of interoperability among platforms, of which there is incredible potential. Communication among a given platform is limited to its subscribers at any given time. With multiple social media sites, it can be difficult to maintain regular activity or gather enough worldwide users but with improved interoperability, single users are capable of connecting with far more people, organizations, and businesses. Social media interoperability is still in its infancy, but there is a great opportunity for health care providers to enhance communities and disseminate information at a greater, more efficient rate. Improved interoperability would also allow for greater patient recruitment and social media-based research.
With the vast network that social media provides, the opportunity to develop new communicative pathways between physicians and patients is tremendous. One example is social media-based dermatologic and health research. In recent years, the number of social-media based publications has increased.[49] Such research allows medical professionals to understand vital patient information such as health habits and patient concerns, however, one major drawback is the biased demographics. In fact, the majority of social media users are white women between the ages of 30–49.[50] Therefore, social media-based research must be cognizant of the inherent biases that may be present.
An additional opportunity for social media in dermatology is patient recruitment for clinical research. Considering each clinical study has a target population, social media provides tremendous opportunity to gather a large volume of patients. However, patient demographics and disease prevalence likely vary between platforms. Currently, it is difficult to know whether there is a social media preference by specific target populations; but, understanding such information would be invaluable in the utilization of social media for patient recruitment.
With the increasing popularity of telehealth, social media is a key entity in connecting physicians with other professionals and patients.[51] As social media continues to develop, one interesting prospect is the concept of reimbursements over social media communications. Such an implementation would have a variety of barriers but may be possible through the continued development of new platforms. Already, physician specific social media sites (e.g., QuantiaMD, Sermo, Doximity, and iMedExchange) afford physicians the opportunity to connect with one another. Similarly, GroupMe, a platform used to share and arrange multimedia within a group, has been used in dermatology and healthcare to allow professional groups to easily share content and knowledge related to a specific topic.[52] Furthermore, large professional groups such as Keratinocyte Carcinoma Collaborators and Cochrane use the collaboration platforms Yammer and Slack, respectively, as a means of easily connecting with people across the organization.[53]
Finally, dermatologic based social media communication, research, and outreach has tremendous value from a public health perspective. Social media is one of the fastest means for the dissemination of information, especially when content goes “viral.” In fact, the dissemination of public health knowledge through social media platforms has demonstrated a positive impact on health outcomes and patient behaviors.[54]
Challenges of Social Media and Healthcare
Maybe the most concerning challenge of social media use in healthcare is the spread of unreliable and sometimes incorrect medical information. Most authors of medical information on social media platforms have unverified credentials and are generally underqualified. Furthermore, the information put forth on these platforms is often incomplete, unreferenced, and based on personal anecdotes.[43],[55] While most medical literature is evidence-based, medical information through social media focuses on individual stories and experiences that may not be generalizable to the population at large.[56]
Professionalism is an additional, ongoing concern with the increased use of social media platforms. Already, there are a variety of moral, legal, and ethical considerations for physicians to consider when engaging in social media. For example, dermatologists may have reservations about providing comments and suggestions based on the limited information provided through a social media post. In addition, new legal and ethical dilemmas arise as more and more physicians participate in social media and gain a following. In one New York Times article, they describe plastic surgeon's using their Instagram accounts to postabout a drug company's product during a weekend trip without disclosing that the company sponsored the event.[57] The American Medical Association has generated a set of guidelines for physicians and providers to consider when interacting on social media. Their practical suggestions for best practices include maintaining responsibility for one's social media presence; being cognizant of one's posts; protecting HIPAA and one's own privacy; respecting work policies and commitments; protecting anonymity and using disclaimers; protecting confidential information; and seeking expert guidance if there is any concern about such guidelines. Interacting with patients on social media sites is generally discouraged, but there may be a role for physician and patient avenues embedded within social media in future.[58]
Other challenges of social media use in healthcare are centered on patient privacy and violations between patient-provider interactions. HIPAA was instated in 2003 to protect patient's medical information and identity.[59] Social media has brought forth new challenges in this respect, specifically HCPs using identifying patient information in public posts. In one study, it was found that 17% of blogs written by HCPs describing individual patients had enough information to identify the patient or the provider.[59] Dermatologists using social media should take additional precautions, as many dermatology posts include images of skin in which a patient's individual characteristics may be identified.[60] Recommendations, such as stating affiliations and potential biases; refraining from providing diagnoses or treatment plans through social media; obtaining patient consent before posting images; and removing any identifiable information[61] are suggested to prevent dermatologists and dermatology practices from patient privacy infringements.[60]
In addition to HIPAA violations, social media has redefined privacy and the significance of storing and disseminating user information. The recent Facebook debacle, for instance, caused the personal information of over 50 million users to be exposed to the public at large.[62] Technological innovation is not limited to social media. The ability to “hack” and breach security persists and there is no guarantee that a truly private or secure system will ever exist.
More than 86% of people in the US use social media at least once per day[63] with the average person spending over 5 years of their life on social media.[64] This trend is not likely to slow down and demonstrates the need for an intersection between social media and healthcare. With 80% of people searching the Internet for health information, there is an onus on HCPs to maintain a presence on social media wherever possible to dispel misinformation and circulate evidence-based knowledge.[65] Although there are many risks associated with using social media in healthcare and dermatology specifically, the opportunity to promote public health, patient education, and professional interactions is impactful and should not be missed.
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Polo Design
Letterheads Design
#GivingTuesday Roundup: 20 Artists Portray Their Take On The Trump’s Atrocious Regime! -
Evan Brown 2 May 2017 0 Comments , 2519 reads
Featured Image: iStock/Jason Doiy
For months following the election results, Donald Trump’s most contemptible moments and shocking executive orders have inspired some equally outrageous works of art, a plethora of it scatalogically inclined, which has been pouring in like a barf fountain of protest art. In an attempt to make Protest Art Great again, we have collected some of the most hilarious anti-Trump artworks rebelling against the Trump’s Atrocious regime by artists out to Trump Mr. President. From Artists Defying Trump’s Muslim Ban with Their Art to hilarious caricatures which show us how absurd Mr. President can be, the outlandish cartoonishness of our President Elect hasn’t passed the notice of artists all over the globe.
1. Robert Sikoryak
Image: Robert Sikoryak
In a series of thought provoking and eye-grabbing illustrations, New York cartoonist Robert Sikoryak is transforming several of the offensive and controversial statements made by President Trump during the presidential election campaign to process his unexpected ascension to the White House. The idea struck him right before the elections when the barrage of outrageous things articulated by Trump became unbearable, making him want to catalogue them. As he didn’t want to put any words in his mouth, it was important to the artist that he used only the actual head-turning quotes uttered by Trump. Once Trump became the president-elect, he felt a compulsion to act out on his wish. Donald Trump can actually see himself become the villain now!
2. Saint Hoax
Image: Saint Hoax
The visual, political, and satirical manipulations of Syrian artist Saint Hoax, provide a snapshot for controversial current issues. The Artist recently took vintage posters and misogynistic advertisements from the 1950s in a manifestation of social criticism, and overlaid them with quotes that Donald Trump is accused of having said about women in the past. After he noticed the striking similarities between Trump’s revoltingly sexist comments about women and the sentiments expressed by the adverts, he decided to match Trump quotes with the visuals and convert them into an art/awareness project, and published his project for the International Women’s Day 2017.
3. Connor Collins
Image: Connor Collins
U.K based Artist Conor Collins leverages President Trump’s own words against him in the impressive painting above. The portrait tweeted in January is entirely made using the bigoted, ignorant, sexist, and racist gibberish he has uttered over the years, and compiles quotes soured from @realDonaldTrump‘s Twitter, speeches, and his myriad interviews. In an era where technology is bringing us closer than ever, tyrants like him are struggling to separate us. It stops now! Collin’s post has gone viral, just like his other portraits created in a similar vain.
4. James Ostrer
Image: James Ostrer
This powerful illustration is part of a bigger project for the British artist, James Ostrer, titled “The Ego System,” which is a collection of “honesty portraits” of celebrities. While his entire collection is imposing, it was his Trump portrait, fabricated from an unmistakably Trumpian wig, sheep’s eyeballs, and a pig’s snout that attracted international attention when it made an appearance in March at the Hong Kong Art Central fair. The portrait is a visual depiction of the megalomania that has soared up to the point where Trump’s constant need to be in the limelight is overriding any kind of care for anyone else or room for relationships in his life.
5. Karen Fiorito
Image: Karen Fiorito
When Artist Karen Fiorito was commissioned in January by a downtown Phoenix art gallery to conjure up a billboard art piece commenting on the administration of President Donald Trump, she decided to stir up a controversy with her art. Now looming over Taylor Street and Grand Avenue, the completed billboard went up in downtown Phoenix amid the Art Detour event. The poster clearly illustrates Trump’s face staring down, and the dollar signs in typography emulating Nazi swastikas and mushroom-cloud explosions are overlaid against a red background. Karen opted for a billboard to exhibit her art since people don’t have to visit a gallery to view a billboard, which adds to their popularity. They allow you to reach out to people you would never have thought possible with any other form of artwork.
6. Matthew “Levee” Chavez
Image: Matthew “Levee” Chavez
The prevalent mood in New York was decidedly somber after the unexpected, and rather dreaded, victory of president-elect Donald Trump, since over an 80 percent of voters did not support the Republican candidate in the State! In the aftermath of the elections, Artist Matthew “Levee” Chavez came up with Subway Therapy, a communal art project that allowed strap-hangers to write messages on colorful Post-it notes for emotional catharsis at the city’s main subway station. The project kicked off in the 14th Street tunnel between the 2/3 and F/M stops on November 9 2016, and more than 2000 people responded to the call to “express yourself”, expanding the project up to Union Square.
7. Yanko Tsvetkov
Image: Yanko Tsvetkov
Bulgarian artist Yanko Tsvetkov has created an ingenious map portraying the world through the eyes of the President Elect, leveraging the Republican candidate’s own absurd policies and controversial views to design the map. The uncompromising creation labels the whole of Middle East ‘terrorists’, and the Central American country ‘rapists’, alluding to Trump’s tedious comments about Mexicans. Tsvetkov dubs the billionaire a “racist uncle” on his blog, having the “mentality of a rural alcoholic”.
8. Pegasus
Image: Pegasus
London-based street artist, Pegasus, has conjured a stunning and potent illustration of Trump, on the side of the Hen and Chicken pub in Bristol, UK. The mesmerizing piece took 5 days in total- two to draw, two to design, and one to cut and paint. Pegasus believes that Trump is out to become the next tyrant in history. Each new hate speech made him appear more of a dictator than a presidential candidate, and Pegasus wanted people to see that in the most obvious way. According to Pegasus, history always repeats itself even though people surrender to fear mongering or are too ignorant to the fact. Hopefully his illustration, in addition to those by scores of other artists, would act as a much needed wake up call.
9. William Powhida
Image: William Powhida
Someone mentioned to William Powhida once that the whole Trump thing is only the Americanized version of President’s original Family name, Drumpf. Keeping in mind the extremely cartoonish nature of Trump’s facial expressions, the artist painted each one to lend color and shape to his portraits. The entire series is just basically little amazing paintings and blobs, incorporating his particular palette of orange that is remonstrative of his emotional range of bluster. This project was designed for Smack Mellon as a shot at taking a swing at someone like Trump, who is nothing short of a noxious figure.
10. Rirkrit Tiravanija
Image: Rirkrit Tiravanija
Thai Artist Rirkrit Tiravanija exhibited three particularly incendiary pieces at a Blum & Poe gallery outpost. She tore out pages from the November 9 edition of The New York Times in which the contradictions of fiction and reality were starkly visible, curated them into collages, and stamped each medley with the same ominous message of “The Tyranny of Common Sense Has Reached Its Final Stage,” which is a quote from Aldo van Eyck. Such an impactful art project instantly became viral and called people out to action.
11. Tim O’Brien
Image: Tim O’Brien
Veteran illustrator Tim O’Brien was given a rather challenging Assignment brief: Think “Trump in a hurricane.” In a whirlwind of creative overflow, he had a few days to turn around a potent illustration, depicting the chaos inside the White House. The result is featured on the cover of the Time’s Magazine, featuring a striking portrait of the president, in conjunction with the caption, “Nothing to See Here”. The flapping hair, the driving rain, and of course the swirling papers lend an instant gravitas to the illustration.
12. Pia Guerra
Image: Pia Guerra
Vancouver based Artist, Pia Guerra’s political cartoon depicting the relationship between the White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon and President Trump, has gone viral. After Bannon’s invitation to the Principal’s Committee of the National Security Council was announced to much public uproar, Bannon switched his role as an executive at Breitbart News, to run Trump’s presidential campaign. To top it off, this hotly-contested move came at a time when both the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the U.S. director of National Intelligence lost their permanent membership on the council. Critics, like Pia, strongly asserted that a political strategist is not suited to advising on national security issues.
According to Pia,
“I had to say something about this. It was infuriating. The fact that he was a man who has no right getting security clearance, getting on the Security Council and replacing pretty much a military adviser. That doesn’t make any sense.”
13. Mika Marland
Image: Mika Marland
While Mike Marland is a pro at regional New Hampshire commentary, his 100 Days cartoon has gone viral since it sums up more than Trump’s first 100 days of Presidency. The phrase, “The soft bigotry of low expectations”, that conservatives often resort to using to derail civil rights policies, is what comes to mind when looking at his illustrations. People were so sure of Trump’s inability to make good on his promises, and neither did he intend to, that when he actually failed to do so, it didn’t disappoint anyone in the least or gave us much to talk about.
14. Dan Taylor And Chris Fason
Image: Dan Taylor And Chris Fason
If the notion of Donald Trump sitting the Iron Throne makes you shiver in your sleep, wait until you sneak a peek at him as a zombie overlord leading a morbid army of undead to rule the world. Brain child of the creators of Hero Happy tour, Chris Fason and Dan Taylor, the creative comic book, titled the Donald of the World, features at least 32 undead orange and blood red enhanced black & white pages.
15. Peters Brooke
Image: Peters Brooke
Apparently garnered from sources in the US and Russia, Dossier claimed that the Russian Regime has been assisting, supporting and cultivating MR. Trump for the last 5 years. The US President passed off the salacious claims in the 35-page document as "phoney stuff", "fake news", and "nonsense". However that didn’t stop the newspapers, and Peter Brookes, from poking fun at the episode. In his hilarious political cartoon, Trump is seen standing outside "Trump Shower", with a stream of yellow rain pouring over him, yelling "Everything’s gonna be sooooo golden!"
16. Andrea Bowers
Image: Andrea Bowers
Andrea Bowers capitalizes on materials found at protests — pithy slogans, cardboard placards. Andrea has stayed an activist for 15 years, attending various actions across the country and helping Teamsters unionize Frieze art fair, in addition to several other ventures. Her protest art above was created in the wake of the election, and debuted at Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2016. The artist felt irate that Donald Trump still won the election after everything he had publicly spat about women, and decided to make that protest sign a feminist gesture. The result of the election made her more determined than ever to protest art and to be more aggressive regarding the issue.
17. Jeanette Paras
Image: Jeanette Paras
If you want your Halloween jack-o’-lantern to make people run screaming for their lives, horns and fangs would fail to do what carving the presidential candidate who loathes abortion, declared he’d like to ban Muslims from the U.S., and aspires to alienate Mexico by building a wall, would accomplish. Last Halloween, a score of Pumpkin-carving aficionados carved a horrifying likeness of Trump on their Gourds, including Jeanette Paras’ 374-pounder above. Halloween has become a whole new level of scary now!
18. Hansky
Image: Hansky
Pun master and Street art prankster Hanksy thinks that our president is a piece of crap and can’t wait to tell everyone about it. As a pseudonymous artist whose art often borders at illicit, he made his paints his megaphone since publicly raising his voice would blow his cover. On a wall in New York City’s Lower East Side, he has drawn Trump’s face over a pile of poop, and finished off the illustration with a bright yellow toupee. The flies surrounding the pile could be a hint at the Trump Cabinet perhaps.
19. Caty Aguilera
Image: Caty Aguilera
Swedish graphic designer and illustrator Caty Aguilera has designed a festive Piñata in response to Trump’s hateful comments about Mexicans. A piñata is a traditional decorated figure in Mexico that an offended party can beat up until it breaks open. Appalled and astonished about a score of things, ranging from the ignorance, the racism, and the fact that people actually supported a person like Trump, made the artist want to counter act with her design based response to what she was feeling and hearing. The paper piñata imitates Trump clad in a nappy, and has a string so that it could be suspended from the ceiling, making it easier for people to hit it in a festive manner.
20. Mary Mihelic And David Gleeson
Image: Mary Mihelic And David Gleeson
When a tour bus emblazoned with Trump logos and used by the president popped up on Craigslist, Mary Mihelic and David Gleeson sensed an opportunity. They immediately bought it and started brainstorming what to do with the piece of raw material. They kept their alterations minimal and took to driving it around to Trump rallies to fool ardent supporters who came after the familiar red, white, and blue. The bus was a great platform for answering the daily belligerence of Trump; be it sexist, religious, racial, or his teasing of a handicapped reporter.
Can you think of any more great artworks defying the Trump regime? Do share with us in the comments below!
Author Bio: Evan Brown
Evan is an Expert in Digital Marketing. He has been working in the social media space since 2008, with a focus on design services, user interface planning, branding and more. Currently, he is leading content marketing efforts at DesignMantic and has played an integral part in the success story of DesignMantic through strategic marketing campaigns. Evan is also a design pro, who has shown a predilection towards DIY design projects.
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Call of Duty 4 Easter Egg discovered in Modern Warfare
Published: 7/Jan/2020 19:57 Updated: 28/Jul/2020 17:15
by Bill Cooney
A discreet nod towards Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has been found in the latest game in the franchise by a sharp-eyed fan.
Modern Warfare came out in 2019 to positive reviews, and is the latest game in the expansive FPS franchise.
Call of Duty 4 was the first Modern Warfare game in the series, coming out in 2007, and the first CoD game to move away from the franchise’s original World War 2 setting.
Read More: Twitch Dad & Son duo have incredible reaction to Modern Warfare record
Now, Reddit user raflolio has discovered an Easter Egg that’s a nod to the game that started the series in the latest Modern Warfare.
On the “Flesh Wound” EBR-14, there are coordinates to 51°24’00.0"N 30°04’00.0"E, which is the Pripyat Amusement Park, a subtle nod to the “All Ghillied Up” mission from COD 4 from modernwarfare
Raflolio pointed out in a post to the Modern Warfare subreddit that the coordinates “51°24’00.0″N 30°04’00.0″E” could be found etched into the stock of the EBR-14 Marksman’s Rifle.
Read More: Infinity Ward tease new style of Operators coming soon to Modern Warfare
If you follow the coordinates on a map, they take you to the Pripyat Amusement Park, which is a part of the “All Ghillied Up” mission from Call of Duty 4.
Video courtesy of AFGuidesHD on YouTube:
“All Ghillied Up” has players sneak through the ruins of Pripyat, Ukraine, in the area around the Chernobyl nuclear site on the hunt to assassinate Imran Zakhaev – the main antagonist in CoD 4.
It’s often considered to be one of the best campaign missions in any Call of Duty game, partly due to it’s openness and the number of different options players have when moving through it.
Read More: CoD community calls for permanent bans against Modern Warfare hackers
The coordinates only seem to come on one certain skin for the weapon though, and raflolio confirmed that the only way to unlock it is by buying “The Unseen” bundle in the store for 1400 Cod Points.
The coordinates seem to come with the “Flesh Wound” rifle skin.
“All Ghillied Up” was also included in Modern Warfare: Remastered from 2016, which just goes to show Activision has no problem playing up nostalgia from past games – but players don’t seem to mind.
Read More: Modern Warfare players explain why Infinity Ward should add Akimbo perk
It took several months for users to find this hidden CoD 4 Easter Egg, anyhow, so it will be interesting to see what other Call of Duty-related players find in the future.
Published: 16/Jan/2021 14:41 Updated: 16/Jan/2021 14:47
Call of Duty: Warzone players have aired their concerns with the recent changes making profile stats private following the companion app drama, with some players pointing out that the change helps cheaters hide from punishment.
Like many other multiplayer games, Warzone has had its issues with both hackers and skill-based matchmaking ruining the experience for some players.
While they’ve both always been an annoyance, players recently discovered that some were using an app from the CoDTracker site, and another called ‘SBMMWarzone’, that helped them pick and choose their lobbies. These apps were, initially, meant to be used to root out cheaters, but it backfired and SBMM abuse became the primary use.
Changes were made to the app to help quell the abuse, and Activision even made every Warzone account private so that the data couldn’t reach similar apps. However, that has caused annoyance as well.
Activision / Treyarch
SBMM in Black Ops Cold War & Warzone has been an issue for a while.
CoD YouTuber Drift0r pointed out that, given how annoying the new opt-in process is to share Warzone stats – and that it isn’t mandatory, either – players will simply choose to stay hidden.
Read More: How to unlock Wakizashi sword in Black Ops Cold War
“Some of them (pro players and record holders) might not want to opt-in, or like me, might not be able too or it might take a while, which means that if anybody is cheating at a high level, either to get YouTube content or to stream tournaments, they can just opt out of all this and keep the cheating private,” he said.
The YouTuber noted that, while Activision might have the data on their end and could root out cheaters, it makes it harder for the community to assist them in that fight.
Other players backed up Drift0r’s concerns about the cheating and SBMM abuse, with some offering up ideas for future changes.
“They’ll literally do everything except just tone down SBMM, which would mitigate all these other issues,” said one player. “There’s an elephant in the room and its name is cheating. Activision just reopened the highway for cheating. Shameful,” added another.
Read More: CoD 2021 leaks: Release date & more
Others, though, took a different slant, saying: “This officially ruined the game for me. I liked having public stats. It gave me something to work towards in improving… now what’s the point since no one can see them and I have nothing to compare mine to.”
As Drift0r notes, it could become a case where the opt-in process is made mandatory in the future, as it seems to a situation that is majorly in flux – given that there have been two changes in quick succession.
It could also be the case that Activision decides to not do anything else, and this is their final move. Though, given the outrage from the community, that seems unlikely.
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Amazon Snaps Back Amid Parler Lawsuit — Claims Parler Has ‘Unwillingness And Inability’ To Remove Violent Content
Parler filed a lawsuit against Amazon following its suspension from Amazon Web Services, according to Fox Business.
“This case is not about suppressing speech or stifling viewpoints. It is not about a conspiracy to restrain trade,” Amazon Web Services said in a response to Parler’s lawsuit. “Instead, this case is about Parler’s demonstrated unwillingness and inability to remove from the servers of Amazon Web Services (‘AWS’) content that threatens the public safety, such as by inciting and planning the rape, torture, and assassination of named public officials and private citizens.”
Ticker Security Last Change Change %
AMZN AMAZON.COM INC. 3,151.62 +30.79 +0.99%
“There is no legal basis in AWS’s customer agreements or otherwise to compel AWS to host content of this nature,” the response reads.
Parler is seeking a temporary restraining order from AWS. Parler claims AWS is violating the Sherman Antitrust Act.
AWS argued that a temporary restraining order would limit its ability to respond to websites with violent content.
Google and Apple have also taken action against Parler. Google suspended Parler from its app store for failure to moderate “egregious content.”
AWS said it does not host Twitter’s feed and “could not have suspended access to Twitter’s content.”
“#hangmikepence” hashtag trended on Twitter.
Parler also accused Amazon Web Services of breach of contract, and Amazon threw the accusation right back.
“Despite Parler’s rhetoric, its lawsuit is no more than a meritless claim for breach of contract. But the facts are unequivocal: If there is any breach, it is Parler’s demonstrated failure and inability to identify and remove such content,” Amazon Web Services said.
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Digital DNA 2020
upStart 2020
Members Content 🔒
Record crowd gathers for first day of Digital DNA to celebrate NI tech sector
, 2019, Blog, Data, DevOps, Fintech, Futures, Innovation, Marketing, News, Press Release, Security, Tech For Good, upSTART
More than 3,000 of the world’s tech community have gathered together in a show of strength on the first day of Digital DNA 2019, powered by PwC, in Belfast.
Held in St. George’s market, the two-day event attracted a record crowd who heard from experts from the cream of the global digital world, as well as panel sessions exploring the challenges and opportunities to be found in everything from starting a tech business to managing its reputation.
Highlights on the first day included Matt Armstrong-Barnes from HP Enterprise who explored the world of Artificial Intelligence; Elaine Whyte from PwC who revealed the potential for drone technology; Giancarlo Di Vece from Unosquare who talked through the Oregon company’s reason for setting and growing its business in Belfast and Ryan Owens from Google who focused on the Era of the Omnichannel Consumer.
Simon Bailie, Chief Executive of Digital DNA, said: “The momentum behind Digital DNA has been growing year-on-year and today feels very special. It is now seen as a global meeting place for the best of the tech community, drawn by the quality of the speakers and the chance to meet and share ideas with their peers.
“The energy in the room in palpable: deals are being done, new contacts made and minds are being expanded. This is what Digital DNA is all about and we want to thank our sponsors for helping make it all happen.
“This event puts Northern Ireland’s tech community on the map.”
Lord Mayor of Belfast Councillor John Finucane opened the event. He said: “Our Belfast Agenda has highlighted the importance of the tech sector to the future of our city and Digital DNA serves as a fantastic example of the innovative work being done within this sector right across Belfast and beyond. To bring so many valuable and energetic businesses under one roof, sharing information and ideas of how to further develop the industry is hugely exciting.
“By nurturing and supporting Belfast’s creative, digital and tech industries in the right way, we have the ability to make Belfast truly competitive on the global stage.”
Seamus Cushley, Director of Blockchain at PwC the main sponsor of the event, said: “If you want to work in tech right now, there is only one place to do it – and that’s Northern Ireland. The digital sector is accelerating rapidly, powered by Belfast, and when you combine the opportunities with the benefits of living in a city like Belfast, it’s obvious why TechNation recently named it the best place to be for tech workers in the UK.
“Coming off the back of that report, Digital DNA this year is a must. We’re expecting around 3000 people to get involved, to learn from world-class speakers, be inspired and do things differently.
“At PwC, our focus on technology is allowing us to become incredibly creative – not just in the work we do for our clients with the likes of drones and blockchain, but also in the way we tackle important issues like increasing diversity in the sector with apprenticeships. We look forward to sharing what we do, and how people can get involved with us, over the next two days at the event.”
Digital DNA 2019 continues tomorrow 19th June 2019 in Belfast’s St. George’s Market.
Tickets and further details of the event can be found now at digitaldna.org.uk.
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Car Rental at McCarran International Airport
✓ No Hidden Costs ✓ 24/7 Support ✓ Free Cancellation
McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas, USA - Nevada
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Return car in same location
12:30 am 1:00 am 1:30 am 2:00 am 2:30 am 3:00 am 3:30 am 4:00 am 4:30 am 5:00 am 5:30 am 6:00 am 6:30 am 7:00 am 7:30 am 8:00 am 8:30 am 9:00 am 9:30 am 10:00 am 10:30 am 11:00 am 11:30 am 12:00 pm 12:30 pm 1:00 pm 1:30 pm 2:00 pm 2:30 pm 3:00 pm 3:30 pm 4:00 pm 4:30 pm 5:00 pm 5:30 pm 6:00 pm 6:30 pm 7:00 pm 7:30 pm 8:00 pm 8:30 pm 9:00 pm 9:30 pm 10:00 pm 10:30 pm 11:00 pm 11:30 pm
Driver's country of residence is United States of America (USA) and age is 30-65
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Cheapest Car Rental Rates
Ford Fiesta or similar
Ford Focus or similar
Kia Forte or similar
VW Jetta or similar
Most Popular Car Rental Deals
Ford Fusion or similar
Nissan Maxima or similar
Dodge Grand Caravan or similar
Intermediate Elite
Jeep Compass or similar
The above prices are only approximate and were last updated at 02:04 on 2021-01-11. Prices may vary based on the booking dates, length of rental, and car class.
Traffic direction
Speed limit out of town
72 - 120 km/h
45 - 75 mi/h
Speed limit within town
Acceptable limit of BAC
Get your rental car at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas! There are so many things to do in Las Vegas—you can try your luck at the casinos, of course, but make sure you check out the tribute, magic, and comedy shows, too. Most of the city’s attractions are located on the Las Vegas Strip. Since the city plans to close this major boulevard to most cars, this could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to drive your rental down the Strip.
Las Vegas has plenty to offer besides gambling and shows. You can visit art galleries, the aquarium, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, the Neon Museum, the Mob Museum, and lots of other fun places. With your rental car, you can drive to nearby Red Rock Canyon to climb, hike, and enjoy the beautiful otherworldly landscapes.
Las Vegas is a great destination, but there’s more to see in the surrounding region. By renting a car for a longer time, you can explore Nevada’s Great Basin Desert or the Mojave Desert, go to nearby Arizona, or head to Los Angeles in California. Picking up a rental car at McCarran International Airport and dropping it off at a different location is easy. Start planning your adventure today!
Top international routes
Main airlines
The low-cost carrier Southwest carries the most passenger at the airport. In fact, around 40% of passengers fly on the airline. The airline connects Las Vegas to large cities across the United States. Other low-cost carriers such as Spirit, Frontier, and JetBlue also serve the airport.
Every major North American carrier has flights to and from Las Vegas. This includes American, United, Delta, Aeromexico, and Air Canada Rouge, Air Canada’s low-cost brand.
The airport also has international flights with KLM, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Korean Air, and Eurowings.
The two passenger terminals are T1 and T3. All international flights arrive and depart from T3. The two terminals are only linked airside through the D Gates. Automated people movers carry passengers from the terminals to the D Gates and C gates. A, B, and E gates are directly accessible from their respective terminals.
McCarran International lies at the southern end of the Strip. The Rental Center is about 3 miles south of the southernmost hotel on the Strip, Mandalay Bay. If your destination is on the strip, then remaining on Las Vegas Blvd. is recommended for the experience even if it takes longer to get to the central or northern parts. I-15 is a faster way to get to Downtown Las Vegas which is 11 miles north of the rental center.
Most popular types of rental car
Convertibles - from $79 per day
Large cars - from $52 per day
Medium cars - from $49 per day
People Carriers/Vans - from $95 per day
Premium cars - from $66 per day
Small cars - from $48 per day
SUVs - from $69 per day
Car rental desks
Advantage, Dollar, Alamo, and Thrifty are located in the separate McCarran Rental Car Center, which is about 3 miles (5km) from the airport. All other rental companies are located with a few miles of the Rental Car Center. If renting from one of these companies, you must take the bus to the Rental Car Center and then wait at taxi stand #4 for a shuttle to the specific company’s location.
Most rental companies not located in the Rental Car Center are located roughly three miles south of it just off Las Vegas Blvd. Sixt and Nu are notable exceptions with locations on the same road as the Rental Car Center.
You’ll find many fast food outlets, bars, cocktail lounges, and restaurants, as well as countless shops. The duty-free outlets are in T3. There are also several lounges, ATMs, baby changing facilities, a children’s play area, pet relief area, pharmacy, first aid clinic, spa, slot machines, the Aviation Museum, and several art exhibitions. The lost property office is in T1. The airport is fully accessible to travelers with reduced mobility. You can find more information on the airport's official website.
Nearest gas station
A cluster of stations is located at the intersection of South Las Vegas Blvd. and Warm Springs Road. Any of these is convenient for filling up before returning a rental car to the McCarren Rental Car Center. Do not use the Sinclair station at the intersection of Gilepsie St. and Warm Springs Rd. right in front of Sixt’s location. It has significantly higher prices due to being so close to the rental car return.
If renting from one of the rental locations located further south on Las Vegas Blvd., there is a 7-Eleven station at the intersection with Pebble Rd. which is very convenient.
Popular one-way rentals
Los Angeles (267 mi / 430 km)
San Francisco (563 mi / 906 km)
Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (295 mi / 475 km)
Salt Lake City Airport SLC (431 mi / 693 km)
Flagstaff (253 mi / 407 km)
Saint George Airport (119 mi / 191 km)
Getting to the airport 7.1
Departure and check-in 7.5
Terminal facilities 6.9
Wi-Fi connectivity 6.2
Restaurants and car rental services 4.8
Lounge 4.9
IATA: LAS
ICAO: KLAS
Name: McCarran International Airport (LAS)
Size: Large Airport
Aircraft movements (per year): 541,428
Passengers (per year): 48,500,194
Distance from City: 5 miles / 8 km S of town
Working hours: 24 hours a day
Top 2 Locations near Las Vegas Airport
Car Rental Las Vegas South from $46.53 per day
3.7 km / 2.3 miles away
Car Rental at Reno/Tahoe International Airport from $28.89 per day
557.6 km / 346.5 miles away
Map of Car Rental Locations
Rental Period
Location Popularity
When are car rental prices cheapest at McCarran International Airport?
The cost of renting a car at McCarran International Airport depends on the time of year. This graph compares month-to-month price changes to help you find the best deal.
Average Rental Price at McCarran International Airport
The cheapest time of the year to rent a vehicle at McCarran International Airport is December when prices for an Economy class start from $23.77. You can see that this is 56% cheaper than the yearly average and 69% cheaper than renting a car in January (when rental prices start at $76.17 for a Compact class). Knowing this can help you find the best price. But remember that these are average numbers. The exact cost of your rental will depend on your rental length and on how far in advance you book the car. Enter your travel dates at the top of the page to see exact prices and offers!
What’s the most popular rental length at McCarran International Airport?
Travel length differs from one month to another: in October the average rental period is 9 days, while in January, the average rental period is only 5 days.
Average Rental Length
Which is the busiest car rental month at McCarran International Airport?
Travelers are most likely to rent a car at McCarran International Airport in July, while the fewest number of travelers rent in September.
Popularity by Monthly Searches
Most Popular Car Models of Rental Suppliers
FOX Toyota Camry 4 2 Large cars
FOX Toyota Corolla 4 1 Large cars
FOX Kia Sportage 5 4 SUVs
FOX Nissan Versa 4 3 Medium cars
FOX Toyota Yaris 4 2 Small cars
Thrifty Mazda 3 5 3 Large cars
NUCarrentals Nissan Rogue 5 3 SUVs
Thrifty Ford Focus 3d 3 2 Medium cars
FOX Dodge Journey 5 4 SUVs
NUCarrentals Ford Mustang Convertible 3 2 Convertibles
Can a car be delivered to our hotel?
Yes, some rental companies will deliver a rental car to a local hotel for an additional fee. You must provide the address and name of the hotel when booking.
Can I use a digital copy of my driving license to rent a car?
No, drivers must provide their physical driver’s license otherwise the rental company will refuse to provide them a car.
Can I pay with cash?
No, it is not possible to pay for a rental car in cash. Most companies only accept credit cards while a few accept debit cards.
Can I rent a car if I am 23 years old?
Yes, in Las Vegas, the minimum age at which one can rent a car is 21. Drivers need to have held their license for at least one year and will be charged a young-driver fee if under they are under 25.
Can I visit the Grand Canyon with a car rented in Las Vegas?
Yes, all rental companies allow you to take a rented vehicle to the states surrounding Nevada, which includes Arizona where the Grand Canyon lies. A rental car is probably the best way to see the Grand Canyon when visiting Las Vegas.
Can I travel to Mexico with a car rented in Las Vegas?
No, no rental companies in Las Vegas allow their cars to be taken to Mexico.
probably don't need a car if you are just planning on staying on the strip, but there are a few places outside of Vegas (Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, etc.) that might be useful to have a car.
Always love vegas on and off the strip
If you want to get out of the city (which you should) renting a car was the best option. Driving in the city is a little hectic but worth the while to get out and see the surrounding sites.
The city for the first time was a lot to take in but pretty awesome
Make sure you understand the rental agreement and have enough money in your account. We did and it went smoothly but I know people who hadn’t in the past and they were stuck until they could figure out what to do.
Top 17 Suppliers at McCarran International Airport in 2021
7135 Gilespie St, Las Vegas, NV 89119
Las Vegas McCarran Airport,Rental Car Center LAS,7135 Gilespie St, Suite A,89119-4273 Las Vegas
NUCarrentals
7230 Gilespie Street, Las Vegas
Mon:06:00-23:59
Tue:06:00-23:59
Wed:06:00-23:59
Thu:06:00-23:59
Fri:06:00-23:59
Sat:06:00-23:59
Sun:06:00-23:59
McCarran Rental Car Center, 7135 Gilespie St, Las Vegas, NV 89119
7135 Gilespie St, Las Vegas, NV 89119, USA
8801 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89123
7135 GILESPIE ST
7135 Gilespie Street
7135 Gilespie Street Mccarran International Airport
7135 Gilespie Street Mccarran Intl Airport
Mon:00:00-01:00; 07:00-23:59
Tue:00:00-01:00; 07:00-23:59
Wed:00:00-01:00; 07:00-23:59
Thu:00:00-01:00; 07:00-23:59
Fri:00:00-01:00; 07:00-23:59
Sat:00:00-01:00; 07:00-23:59
Sun:00:00-01:00; 07:00-23:59
7135 Gilespie St suite a, Las Vegas, NV 89119
Economy rent a car
GreenMotion
310 E Warm Springs Rd, Suite F, Las Vegas, NV 89119
Ace Rent a car
8755 South Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas
Highly recommended by our customers
Las Vegas Airport (LAS), Las Vegas, USA - Nevada
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The Artist or Singin' in the Rain? Singin' in the Rain.
My Mac's Dictionary app has this entry for "trifle":
trifle |ˈtrīfəl|
1 a thing of little value or importance : we needn't trouble the headmaster over such trifles.
• [in sing. ] a small amount of something : the thousand yen he'd paid seemed the merest trifle.
2 BRIT. a cold dessert of sponge cake and fruit covered with layers of custard, jelly, and cream.
Those are separate definitions. The British definition (#2) can be for something that is very rich, delicious, and memorable. The first (U.S.-specific) definition has a disposable connotation.
When we popped The Artist into the DVD player, I thought the film was going to be Definition #2 Trifle. But instead it was a Definition #1 Trifle.
Though I am a silent film fan who hates musicals, I must say if you want to watch a film about a Douglas Fairbanks-type silent film actor who struggles with the transition to sound film while the perky ingenue he bumps into seems more suited than he to the new movies, rent Singin' in the Rain.
Also, Cyd Charisse
Singin' in the Rain is funny, very smart, post-modern before post-modernism, and always entertaining. The Artist is about a man deeply blinded by his own misery and the woman who supposedly loves him but is at best a creepy stalker and at worst a succubus. Without the cute dog, it would have been a melodrama, not a comedy.
Jean Dujardin's George Valentin goes from Fairbanks to self-pitying alcoholic John Gilbert so fast, that I'm not sure who "the artist" is actually supposed to be. We see so little of Valentin's actual craft and so much his life's ruination that I'm not really sure if he's the artist in question. He's also a thoroughly passive character allowing failure's quicksand to swallow him whole. Singin' in the Rain's Don Lockwood is an active character; he may mull his failure for a bit and need a friend to give him a push, but he works to figure out how to salvage his career. Thus Lockwood's art becomes the focus of Rain, while Valentin's emasculation is the focus of Artist.
Is Berenice Bejo's Peppy Miller supposed to be "the artist"? As mentioned before, she ultimately comes across as uncomfortably pathological in her relationship with Valentin. She watches his life fall apart, up close at times, then buys up ALL of his belongings and his right-hand man, Clifton. And we're supposed to accept that as signs of human love and devotion? Valentin's reaction to this unnerving discovery is completely understandable (though overly melodramatic with an inappropriate Hitchcock score theft). I won't spoil what Valentin does, but let's just say it's not an act of loving acceptance. So we know Peppy's a psychotic stalker, but is she an artist? Her aggressive career advances lead her to superstardom, but -- because her screen performances are brushed by in quick montage -- we don't if she's devoted to her craft or just an excellent opportunist.
Ultimately, the Artist, or rather Artists, are the craftspeople behind the film. The camerawork shines, the sets and costumes look lovely, the old Academy Ratio is much appreciated, the editing is solid, the symbolism (though occasionally heavy-handed) is enjoyable, and the music (aside from the Vertigo steal) is great silent film stuff. It's very difficult to make a feature-length silent film in an age of noise, it's even more difficult to get something like that distributed widely, so big kudos to The Weinstein Company for putting their considerable heft behind it.
But when it comes to story and character, The Artist isn't a luxurious pleasure. Peppy's obsessive fanaticism and Valentin's self-destruction are never reconciled and instead get wallpapered over with a quickie final scene that tends to no loose end. Thus it became disposable to me once it was over.
Singin' in the Rain has a quickie ending too, but amongst all of the tremendous insider humor throughout the film, Don and Kathy scramble to address their challenges thus revealing layer upon layer of complex character traits. And because they actually care about each other, they assist one another and work together when struggles befall them.
The Artist's characters don't. She pities him while simultaneously building a shrine around his former self. And he just pities himself. So the happy ending either doesn't work or it's just another step in her obsession. It's a mystery the film doesn't attempt to solve. If the filmmakers treat this crux as "a thing of little value or importance", then this viewer will do the same with their art.
Labels: Films, Reviews
The Artist or Singin' in the Rain? Singin' in the ...
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ebookdownloadfree.net
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The End Of Her by Shari Lapena
Editor : Doubleday Canada
Hardcover : 320 Pages
The new domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door and Someone We Know. In upstate New York, Stephanie and Patrick are adjusting to life with their colicky twin babies. The girls are a handful, but Stephanie doesn't mind being a stay-at-home mom, taking care of them while Patrick does the 9-5 to pay the bills. And when a woman from Patrick's past drops in on them unexpectedly, raising questions about his late first wife, Stephanie supports her husband wholeheartedly. She knows the car accident all those many years ago was just that--an accident. But Erica is persistent, and now she's threatening to go to the police. Patrick is afraid his job--and his reputation--will be at risk if he doesn't put an end to Erica's questioning immediately. And when the police start digging, Stephanie's trust in her husband begins to falter, and Patrick is primed to lose everything. As their marriage crumbles, Stephanie feels herself coming unglued, and soon she isn't sure what--or who--to believe. Now the most important thing is to protect her girls, but at what cost?
Editor : Random House
'The queen of the one-sit read' Linwood Barclay 'Shari Lapena is one of the best thriller writers in the business' Steve Cavanagh 'I tore through it. It kept me on my toes throughout and the ending was just fantastic. Really tense!' Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange ___ It starts with a shocking accusation . . . Stephanie and Patrick are recently married, with new-born twins. While Stephanie struggles with the disorienting effects of sleep deprivation, there's one thing she knows for certain - she has everything she ever wanted. Then a woman from his past arrives and makes a horrifying allegation about his first wife. He always claimed her death was an accident - but she says it was murder. He insists he's innocent, that this is nothing but a blackmail attempt. But is Patrick telling the truth? Or has Stephanie made a terrible mistake? How will it end? ___ Readers are obsessed with The End of Her: ***** 'Insidious danger, and rapidly advancing tension . . . I was so hooked.' ***** 'I was totally enthralled in this story and it kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat! ***** 'This author is fast becoming one of my very favourites. Her writing really grips you and not a single sentence is wasted.'
Editor : Penguin
The new domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door and Someone We Know A long-ago accident--and a vistor from out of the blue. . . Stephanie and Patrick are adjusting to life with their colicky twin girls. The babies are a handful, but even as Stephanie struggles with the disorientation of sleep deprivation, there's one thing she's sure of: she has all she ever wanted. Then Erica, a woman from Patrick's past, appears and makes a disturbing accusation. Patrick had always said his first wife's death was an accident, but now Erica claims it was murder. Patrick insists he's innocent, that this is nothing but a blackmail attempt. Still, Erica knows things about Patrick--things that make Stephanie begin to question her husband. Stephanie isn't sure what, or who, to believe. As Stephanie's trust in Patrick begins to falter, Patrick stands to lose everything. Is Patrick telling the truth--is Erica the persuasive liar Patrick says she is? Or has Stephanie made a terrible mistake? How will it end?
The End Of Her Innocence by Sara Craven
Genre : Comics & Graphic Novels
Editor : Harlequin / SB Creative
Hardcover : Pages
Chloe was startled to see Darius in her hometown the day she returned after years away. Seven years ago, eighteen-year-old Chloe experienced her bitter first love with him?he’d taken her to his bedroom on the night of the ball, and the very next morning he’d eloped with someone else! Chloe promised herself never to get close to him again, but Darius kept showing up. Her feelings and her memories from that long-ago night just keep coming back…
Our Little Lies by Sue Watson
Editor : Bookouture
Him Her Him Again The End Of Him by Patricia Marx
Editor : Simon and Schuster
A neurotic Cambridge graduate struggles to cover up her dysfunctional relationship with a narcissistic young man and engages in increasingly absurd lies and acts of self-deception.
No End To Her by Martha Nochimson
Genre : Performing Arts
Editor : Univ of California Press
Release : 1992
"Combines an array of critical methodologies to come to terms with a culturally persuasive but vastly undervalued media form.The scholarship is quite extraordinary. . . . It is the author's working knowledge of the circumstances under which television soap opera is actually written and produced that makes her theoretical arguments so convincing. She does a fine job of interfusing philosophy with praxis."—David A. Cook, author of History of Narrative Film "The scholarship is quite extraordinary. . . . It deals with . . . its subject with both elegance and passion. . . . It illuminates a great deal about the way in which television soap opera is both produced and consumed . . . could be used quite handily as a text . . . in the same way Tania Modeleski's The Women Who Knew Too Much is used."—David Cook, Emory University
I M Thinking Of Ending Things by Iain Reid
You will be scared. But you won’t know why… I’m thinking of ending things. Once this thought arrives, it stays. It’s always there. Always. Jake and I have a real connection, a rare and intense attachment. What has it been...a month? I’m very attracted to him. Even though he isn’t striking, not really. I’m going to meet his parents for the first time, at the same time as I’m thinking of ending things. Jake once said, “Sometimes a thought is closer to truth, to reality, than an action. You can say anything, you can do anything, but you can’t fake a thought.” And here’s what I’m thinking: I don’t want to be here. I’m thinking of ending things. Iain Reid explores the depths of the human psyche, questioning consciousness, free will, the value of relationships, fear, and the limitations of solitude. Reminiscent of José Saramago’s early work, Michel Faber’s cult classic Under the Skin, and Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk About Kevin, this tense and atmospheric novel will haunt you long after the last page is turned.
After The End by Clare Mackintosh
From New York Times bestselling author Clare Mackintosh comes a deeply moving and page-turning novel about an impossible choice—and the two paths fate could take. “A beautifully written novel, compelling and clever, tender and true. I can’t stop thinking about it.”—Liane Moriarty “Tailor-made for book clubs and for fans of Jodi Picoult.”—Publishers Weekly Max and Pip are the strongest couple you know. They're best friends, lovers—unshakable. But then their son gets sick and the doctors put the question of his survival into their hands. For the first time, Max and Pip can't agree. They each want a different future for their son. What if they could have both? A gripping and propulsive exploration of love, marriage, parenthood, and the road not taken, After the End brings one unforgettable family from unimaginable loss to a surprising, satisfying, and redemptive ending and the life they are fated to find. With the emotional power of Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper, Mackintosh helps us to see that sometimes the end is just another beginning.
The Suspect by Fiona Barton
AN INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER "Utterly engrossing . . . I lived inside this book for two days--and I’m still thinking about it. Superb!" Shari Lapena, #1 internationally bestselling author of The Couple Next Door Featured on Glamour’s “The Best Books of 2019 (So Far)” list Featured in The Globe and Mail's "Six hot thrillers to get you through the big cold of January" One of New York Post’s best books of the week Featured as Marie Claire’s February Interactive Monthly Book Club pick The New York Times bestselling author of The Widow returns with a brand new novel of twisting psychological suspense about every parent's worst nightmare... When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight--desperate, bereft and frantic with worry. What were the girls up to before they disappeared? Journalist Kate Waters always does everything she can to be first to the story, first with the exclusive, first to discover the truth--and this time is no exception. But she can't help thinking of her own son, whom she hasn't seen in two years, when he left home to travel. As the case of the missing girls unfolds, they will all find that even when it seems far away, danger can lie closer to home than one might think...
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Ipswich to Felixstowe
Brief history of the line.
The line to Felixstowe had its beginnings on November 30th 1874, when a local landowner Colonel George Tomline of the Felixstowe Railway and Pier Company put forward plans to build a line from a terminus at Westerfield Station on the East Suffolk line to a terminus at Felixstowe Pier. The plans were approved and the line opened on 1st May 1877 with stations at Westerfield, Derby Road, Orwell, Felixstowe Beach and Felixstowe Pier.
On 1st September 1879 the Great Eastern Railway took over operation of the line and on 5th July 1887 bought the line from what was now The Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company.
On 1st May 1891 The G.E.R. opened a new station at Trimley and in November of the same year built a second platform and passing loop at Derby Road. The station originally only had the current down platform.
The G.E.R then built a new station at Felixstowe, the now Felixstowe Town station which opened on July 1st 1898.
Closure dates.
1951 July 2nd:- Felixstowe Pier closed.
1955 June:- Orwell Station closed.
1959 January:- Felixstowe sub shed closed, the last engine allocated being Class L1 67710.
1964 July 13th:- Freight facilities withdrawn from Trimley and Westerfield.
1966 December 5th:- Freight facilities withdrawn from Felixstowe Town and Felixstowe Beach.
1967 September 11th:- Felixstowe Beach closed.
Reference:- The Felixstowe Branch. H.I. Quale and G.T. Bradbury. 1978
Derby Road facing Westerfield on 1st April 1977. The footbridge in the far background was removed on 16th December 1984. Both platform canopies were taken down in September 1985. In March 1999 the signal box closed with signalling now controlled from Colchester power box.
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Launching ceremony of the "New Covenant of Mayors
Covenant of Mayors and Mayors Adapt
Hemicycle of the European Parliament, Altiero Spinelli Building, Rue Wiertz 60, Brussels
2030 CO2 reduction
New 2030 CO2 reduction objective, streamlining of EU climate goals, and universal access to sustainable energy to be endorsed by hundreds of cities ahead of COP21
Hundreds of Mayors and city representatives will gather in the hemicycle of the European Parliament on 15 October to endorse the 2030 EU climate and energy objectives, the joint tackling of climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as principles of universal access to sustainable and affordable energy.
The Covenant of Mayors governance model will be reinforced as a crucial EU contribution on the road to Paris and beyond. Characterised by a unique collaborative system, the Covenant was launched in 2008, marking the first time the European Commission directly associated local elected leaders in the implementation of EU policies. Six years on, it has exceeded all expectations with over 6,000 cities voluntarily committed to going beyond EU targets through the implementation of sustainable energy action plans.
Three new dimensions: Integration, 2030 horizon and global scope of action
Building on the success of the Covenant of Mayors model, a parallel process –“Mayors Adapt" - was initiated in 2014 to go beyond energy and CO2 reduction and tackle adaptation to climate change, considering cities’ vulnerability as major centres of population and infrastructure.
In this crucial climate year, cities have now expressed a determination to address both climate mitigation and adaptation jointly under a renewed Covenant of Mayors strategy.
As part of a broader consultation process, Covenant of Mayors signatory cities also indicated ambition to reduce their local emissions by at least 40% by 2030, in line with the new energy and climate package adopted by EU heads of states.
In addition, the Covenant of Mayors is enlarging its scope. EU cities committing to the “new Covenant” will, inter alia, formally endorse the principle of “ensuring universal access to secure, sustainable and affordable energy services for all”.
From an international perspective, the Covenant is attracting cities beyond Europe and has just become an official “data partner” of NAZCA, the UNFCCC platform registering the commitments of all non-state actors, offering a global showcase into the actions of its 6,000 signatory cities.
The Ceremony will be hosted by Energy and Climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete with expected statements from Presidents Jean Claude Juncker and Martin Schulz. Key city representatives to address the ceremony should include the Mayors of Paris, Florence, Gent, Nantes and Brussels Environment Minister.
Full programme available here
Journalists and media representatives not accredited to the EU are invited to register before 11 October through this link.
In case of questions, please contact press@eumayors.eu
“The voice for renewable energy producers”
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How it WorksSolutionstemplatePLAYBOOKSBlog
Should Legal Review RFPs?
A sales-focused organization will likely see a high volume of requests for proposals (RFPs), many of which may not turn into real business. Unfortunately, many legal teams spend weeks and significant resources reviewing RFP documents only to turn up empty-handed when it comes to actual sales. Should legal review RFPs?
Undoubtedly, a company’s legal team plays a role in whether your company will win business. However, it’s more often a case of style and approach that matters when it comes to responding to RFPs than it is legal knowledge. Suppose you heavily mark up an RFP document such that the customer’s proposed contract is a sea of red. In that case, it may not bode well during later stages of a procurement negotiation where pricing is roughly equal.
Sales-driven organizations that receive a high number of RFPs need to focus on sales and legal optimization in order to efficiently and effectively review and respond to RFPs. When your company’s sales and legal teams are in sync regarding RFP review, your organization will be able to get through more RFPs in less time and generate more new business.
To get started, it’s essential to recognize when to involve legal in RFP review and how to train the sales team to handle RFPs without solely relying on input from legal.
When to Involve Legal in RFP Review
The dilemma of when to involve legal and when to proceed with RFP review can be tricky. Sometimes, waiting for the legal team to review your RFP can result in missed deadlines and cause friction between sales and customers. On the other hand, you don’t necessarily want to waste the legal team’s resources on a contract that would never come to fruition nor do you want to expose the company to unnecessary risk.
So, when should you seek a legal department review of RFP?
Ideally, legal should be brought in at the end of the RFP review for final verification and to address concerns that fall outside the scope of the normal RFP review process. To effectively remove legal from most of the RFP review process, you will need to train your sales staff. Here are three ways to take more of the RFP review burden off legal.
1. Implement self-service RFP review
Instead of legal reviewing every RFP in-depth, consider scaling back and providing the sales team with a self-service review of contracts against a playbook of the top five issues that impact your business.
2. Train sales how to mark up
Along with pre-screening RFPs for the five issues in the self-service RFP review playbook, train your sales team to mark up a small subset of provisions with greater precision. This can reduce the amount of redlining that ends up on the RFP while still ensuring that the most critical issues and concerns are addressed.
3. Implement contract review software
With contract review software like DocJuris, teams across the business can quickly assess legal terms without relying on the legal team. This quick accessibility can result in a faster and more efficient review of legal terms in an RFP.
DocJuris offers contract review software that your entire company can easily access. To learn more about how it can help your business, schedule a demo.
Learn how your team can integrate and streamline contract management 🚀
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© 2017 - 2021 DocJuris, Inc. All rights reserved. DocJuris is not a law firm or a substitute for an attorney or law firm. We cannot provide any kind of advice, explanation, opinion, or recommendation about possible legal rights, remedies, defenses, options, selection of forms or strategies.
in Houston, Texas
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Met Rage is a well-designed first person shooter game. It can be played here on CrazyGames, free of charge. You will find this game unblocked on CrazyGames. It has been played 378,954 times and has received a rating of 9.1 out of 10 by 9,846 people. The game was made by Martian Games. The game uses Unity WebGL technology to work without trouble in most browsers. You can play it in full-screen mode to get the full experience. Did you like playing this shooting game? Then check out our other first person shooter games or Shell Shockers and War Brokers (.io).
Met Rage game, the awesome shooting game underground and is one of our multiplayer first-person shooter games. This awesome action game has an open world and allows players to delve into an underground subway system and try to rack up the kills. The underground is slightly different as it has a post-apocalyptic design - it looks like the end of the world.
Martian Games have created a superb game set - you really feel the urgency of the situation as you explore the abandoned subway hunting for prey. Trains still rattle along the lines periodically - watch out for them otherwise you could end up squished on the lines.
This video game has intense first-person shooter gameplay. It is the best aspect of the game - you must have skill and great reflexes. Players must move quickly and use their weapons effectively to gain as many kills as possible.
There is also a superb “capture the flag” game mode. In this Mad Max style world, your team must try to capture the flag in the subway and try to return it to your own base. Each time you successfully do this, your team earn points. The winner is the team with the highest point score once the timer has run down.
It is possible to play games with your friends and work as a team to try and win the match. Alternatively, you may simply want to try and score as many kills as possible to create fun games. When choosing a player character, ensure to pick a decent gun loadout to help you get more kills.
When playing, gamers can complete side missions and use a myriad of awesome weapons. Take up arms and control guns such as a machine gun, pistol, and even deadly rocket launchers. As you play you will become proficient in many different weapons - you will become an elite assassin in the subway.
If you enjoy fantastic player multiplayer games, you will love Met Rage. This game really does have a great deal to offer. The gameplay is fast paced and exciting. Furthermore, the game modes are interesting and allow both teamwork or solo skill. The game has a registered trademark, but anyone can play it providing they have a web browser.
What makes this game even more interesting is easy to pick-up controls. The game uses standard WASD fps controls so skilled gamers can pick it up instantly. Moreover, the commands and keyboard shortcuts are easy to remember. If you love FPS games, you will find the controls and gameplay superb in Met Rage.
This game could be considered similar to Mad Max from Avalanche Studios - the gameplay and graphics use similar concepts. Alternatively, it also has similarities to ID software games by Tim Willits such as Wolfenstein.
MetRage is developed by Martian Games, the same developer who made another awesome multiplayer airplane game called Air Wars 2.
WASD/arrow keys = move
Shift = toggle sprint
Mouse = aim/shoot
Right-click = scope
Mouse wheel/numpad = cycle weapons
G = Throw Grenade
P = Toggle Post-FX
~ = Menu
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Seven people in West Dunbartonshire have died of Covid-19 during festive period
Coronavirus: West Dunbartonshire death toll increases by seven from festive period
By Tristan Stewart-Robertson @srtristan Chief Reporter
Seven residents lost their lives to Covid-19 last week over the festive period
SEVEN lives were lost to the coronavirus in West Dunbartonshire during the festive period, according to the latest statistics.
National Records of Scotland (NRS) figures showed there were two deaths recorded in the week beginning December 21 and four in the week starting December 28. The fatalities are where death certificates refer to Covid-19.
NRS said registrations were lower over the festive period because of the public holidays.
A total of 178 people have died in West Dunbartonshire since the pandemic began more than nine months ago, 14th highest local authority in Scotland. Neighbouring Glasgow has lost 1,108 lives to the virus.
Across Scotland, 6,686 people have died in Scotland with confirmed or suspected coronavirus.
This is a rise of 383 between December 21 and January 3.
In the week to January 3 the majority of deaths - 111 - were in hospitals, with 63 in care homes and nine at home or in a non-institutional setting. The figures are no long divided by local authority as during the first wave when about half of West Dunbartonshire deaths were in care homes.
The statistics differ from the lab-confirmed coronavirus deaths announced daily by the Scottish Government because the NRS figures include suspected or probable cases of Covid-19.
The death toll, in terms of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days, is now 4,779.
A total of 143,715 people have tested positive in Scotland since the start of the pandemic.
There are 1,467 people in hospital confirmed to have Covid-19, up 83 from 1,384 in 24 hours.
Of these patients, 100 are in intensive care.
A total of 113,459 people in Scotland have received their first vaccination as of Sunday, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
The Scottish Government is also half way through vaccinating residents in care homes, the First Minister said.
"That is extremely important, as you have just heard, more than a third of people who died from Covid last week died in our care homes," she said.
"We very much hope that the vaccine will very soon start to significantly reduce the risk of care home residents becoming ill with the virus."
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EU grounds proposed Aegean, Olympic Air merger
By Stelios Bouras
European Commission competition authorities on Wednesday blocked a proposed merger between two of Greece?s largest airlines, Aegean and Olympic Air (OA), on the grounds that it would create a monopoly.
"This would have led to higher fares for 4 out of 6 million Greek and European consumers traveling on routes to and from Athens each year,» the European Commission said.
Europe's competition watchdog rarely uses its veto on mergers. The last time it blocked one was in 2007, when it barred Irish low-cost airline Ryanair from taking over national competitor Aer Lingus.
The Greek tie-up would have led to a near total domination by the new airline between Athens and Thessaloniki, and between the capital and eight island airports, the Commission added.
The two carriers would have had control of more than 90 percent of the Greek domestic air transport market in a deal announced in February last year.
In response to the decision, Aegean and OA said they will consult with advisers before deciding whether to appeal.
?An important opportunity for a consolidated representation in the European aviation market has been lost,? said Theodore Vassilakis, chairman of Aegean Airlines, in a statement.
Shares in Aegean Airlines were up 1.41 percent in mid-session trade in Athens, at 2.16 euros, while Marfin Investment Group, which owns OA, had gained 2.94 percent to 0.70 euros. The broader market was up 1.67 percent.
Remembering Paul Sarbanes
Health authorities start inoculating the elderly
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National Harbor, Maryland
The Tides Inn
Irvington, Virginia
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa
Farmington, Pennsylvania
Park Hyatt Washington, D.C.
5.0/5 1 review - rate hotel
1 review - rate hotel
Chain Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
Opened 1986
Renovated 2006
Kings/Suites/Doubles 182 / 19 / 0
Room Rates High $399 - 8700 Low $229 - 7899
Max Group Size 450
Resort Fee NA
Room Tax 14.95%
Sales Tax 6%
Largest Meeting Room 0m² 4,200ft²
Indoor Meeting Space 0m² 12,000ft²
Indoor/Outdoor Meeting Space 0m² 13,000ft²
Airport Proximity
Baltimore/Washington Intl
60 min 37 miles (60 km)
Ronald Reagan Washington
15 min 5 miles (8 km)
Washington Dulles Intl Airport
complimentary car service.
Recreation:
indoor saltwater pool
Tea Cellar
and restaurant.
Georgetown; Embassy Row; Dupont Circle; The Phillips Collection; John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; Smithsonian museums; National Mall with its museums
and memorials; White House; Walter E. Washington Convention Center; and National Zoo.
Tea & Pastries
American cuisine, cocktails
Breakfast Buffet $35 Cont. $28
Lunch Buffet $46 Plated $50
Dinner Buffet $75 Plated $84
Coffee Break $15
2-Hour Open Bar $15
Sleek and chic, Park Hyatt Washington, D.C. uniquely blends American craftsmanship and contemporary style in the city’s West End neighborhood, adjacent to historic Georgetown and Embassy Row. It’s in the middle of all the nation’s capital has to offer, including renowned museums, historic monuments, and world-class cuisine and entertainment.
Guests can also indulge in the dining and leisure options within the hotel. Blue Duck Tavern features an open kitchen and wood-burning oven, and the unique Tea Cellar serves rare and limited-edition, single-estate teas from remote regions of China, Japan, Sri Lanka, and the Himalayas. Two Peloton bikes anchor the 24-hour fitness center, while those seeking serenity can find it at the indoor saltwater pool, a Zen-like oasis with skylights and a separate hot tub.
The 220 accommodations blend American folk artistry and modern design, with extra style points for the spa-inspired bathrooms, which feature walk-in showers and deep soaking tubs. The 134 spacious suites offer a wide range of upgrades, from a Park Junior Suite with separate living area to the 2,006-square-foot Presidential Suite with walnut floors, a baby grand piano, and a hand-carved travertine bathtub.
Business meetings and corporate events have similar versatility in the function spaces, including a 4,200-square-foot ballroom that hosts up to 500; an executive boardroom with a marble table for 15; and the private Mezzanine Foyer, where up to 60 reception guests can enjoy modern art from The Phillips Collection.
Average Planner Rating
Arrival Experience: 5.0 Meeting and Function Facilities: 5.0
Accommodations: 5.0 Activity or Recreation Options: 5.0
Food & Beverage: 5.0 Conference Services Staff: 5.0
Guest Service Experience: 5.0 Recommendation to Planners:
Outstanding service and quality.
Association Planner
Arrival Experience:
Food & Beverage:
Guest Service Experience:
Conference Services Staff:
Meeting and Function Facilities:
Activity or Recreation Options:
Planner-to-Planner Recommendation:
Executive Park 44 6.4 x 8.5 3 475 21 x 28 9 N/A N/A N/A N/A 20 N/A N/A N/A
Green Park 45 9.1 x 4.9 3 480 30 x 16 9 28 40 40 45 24 18 N/A N/A
Greenwich Park 33 7 x 4.9 3 360 23 x 16 9 16 20 20 25 14 12 N/A N/A
Hyde Park 186 30.5 x 6.1 3 2,000 100 x 20 10 120 220 180 250 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Hyde Park Foyer 141 29 x 4.9 3 1,520 95 x 16 10 N/A N/A 130 100 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Hyde Park Room I 37 6.1 x 6.1 3 400 20 x 20 10 18 30 30 40 18 12 18 N/A
Hyde Park Room II 37 6.1 x 6.1 3 400 20 x 20 10 18 30 30 40 18 12 18 N/A
Hyde Park Room III 37 6.1 x 6.1 3 400 20 x 20 10 18 30 30 40 18 12 18 N/A
Hyde Park Room IV 37 6.1 x 6.1 3 400 20 x 20 10 18 30 30 40 18 12 18 N/A
Hyde Park Room V 37 6.1 x 6.1 3 400 20 x 20 10 18 30 35 40 18 12 18 N/A
Park Ballroom 381 25 x 15.2 5 4,100 82 x 50 16 240 450 300 450 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Park Ballroom Foyer 110 20.1 x 5.5 5 1,188 66 x 18 16 N/A N/A 100 100 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Park Ballroom Section A 125 8.2 x 15.2 5 1,350 27 x 50 16 80 125 80 150 40 40 48 0
Park Ballroom Section B 125 8.2 x 15.2 5 1,350 27 x 50 16 80 125 80 150 40 40 48 0
Park Ballroom Section C 125 8.2 x 15.2 5 1,350 27 x 50 16 80 125 80 150 40 40 48 0
St. James Park 39 9.1 x 4.3 3 415 30 x 14 9 28 30 24 30 14 N/A N/A N/A
Tivoli Room 1 61 10.1 x 6.1 3 660 33 x 20 9 35 60 40 70 24 20 25 N/A
Tivoli Rooms 1+2 123 20.1 x 6.1 3 1,320 66 x 20 9 70 120 80 140 48 40 48 N/A
Victoria Park 39 9.1 x 4.3 3 420 30 x 14 9 24 38 36 40 20 18 N/A N/A
Add Park Hyatt Washington, D.C. to:
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Designer beer, Madrid
JAMES “WEE WILLIE” WAYNE CONSIDERED: Not tending to his business
Graham Reid | Oct 26, 2015 | 3 min read
Junco Partner
Such mystery as there is about rhythm'n'blues singer James Wayne is compounded by the well-meaning writer of the liner notes to the 1980 Dutch compilation Travelin' From Texas to New Orleans, one of the very few existing collections of Wayne's work.
With English clearly a second language and a somewhat imperfect understanding of geography the unnamed writer informed his readers that, “His real name was James D. Waynes and he was probably born in Texas, possibly in Shreveport, Louisiana”.
To be fair, the artist himself hardly helped matters: He sometimes recorded as James Wayne, James Waynes (his actual name) and Wee Willie Wayne . . . and the location of his birth some time in the early Twenties is either Houston, New Orleans or some other place in Texas.
Or Shreveport?
And of his death in (possibly) Los Angeles, perhaps in 1978?
About as much is known of his leaving as we know of his arrival.
So of the few certainties are these: He had a decent hit rhythm'n'blues hit in '51 with Tend to Your Business which was recorded in Houston (and appears on that Travelin' album in two versions, the version with melodica recorded a decade later) and that he was one of the first to record Junco Partner/Worthless Man which went on to be much covered, not the least by the Clash.
After '51 he label hopped as he shifted from place to place. He wrote and recorded Travelin' Mood, perhaps in New Orleans, which also became a standard for NO players. It appeared on Dr John's The Night Trippers' big selling album In the Right Place ('73) and a few of Wayne's other songs pop up on various collections. Albums appear to be mostly out of print but the miracle of iTunes allows for a couple of dozen of his songs.
Wayne's style was very easy New Orleans rhythm'n'blues and he was considered one of the best in the city when he lived and recorded there. He mostly recorded with small, swinging bands, whether it be in Houston, Atlanta or New Orleans. And there's sometimes a real low blues quality to his music (Sweet Little Woman).
But after his brief flirtation with fame and short-lived associations with various labels his story gets fuzzy and he seemed to disappear in the early Sixties.
With a history of alcoholism and unusual behaviour it was inevitable perhaps he'd re-appear.
And he did, rather dramatically.
In early '67 he was arrested in Los Angeles after an altercation with the manager of motel which lead to him setting it on fire. He'd filled a wine bottle with petrol and tossed it on the motel roof, and the manager fired off a couple of shots at him.
His reasoning for what he did was convoluted and not a little confused. He said he was trying to see BB King to play a song to him, that the Mafia were after him because he'd witnessed a murder . . .
Despite the superficial damage to the motel — he was charged with a series of related offenses — he was committed to a California mental institution (initially no one believed he'd been a well-known musician) where he stayed for the next seven years, despite his best efforts to petition his way out.
Repeatedly the psychiatric assessment concluded he was still a danger to others, and quite delusional. He insisted President Nixon had written him a letter thanking him for helping him get re-elected.
But then a public defender took an interest when the story crossed his desk and so he interviewed Wayne at the institution.
He spoke to a few people who knew Wayne and heard their stories about his music and sometimes erratic but hardly dangerous behaviour. That his career had tanked in recent years just added to the decline.
He concluded: “Poor man’s dreams and some booze blur the dreams eventually into a kind of reality. He had cut some demo records, maybe at one time even had a record company interested. The kind of stuff a poor man can build a life of dreams on. Burn away the hard edges of reality with some booze and let the mind go. Loneliness and fear do the rest. Wishing can make it so.”
But then he investigated further and most of the story Wayne had told him was true, even the letter from Nixon. He went to record stores and found Wayne's recordings, including that writing credit for Travelin' Mood on the Dr John album and took the case back to court, also arguing Wayne was owed royalties.
Wayne was released in '75, a record company showed interest and royalty payments apparently came Wayne's way.
But then . . .
There was one last encounter with the public defender (who told his story at length here).
Wayne came to see him and said he'd given his money to a voodoo man to lift a curse that was on him.
He asked to borrow some cash . . . and then he disappeared into the fog of history.
This article was prompted by the record Travelin' From Texas to New Orleans mentioned above being in a box of wonderful old vinyl sent to me by an Elsewhere subscriber. Thank you Joeke, I am working my way through the pile and more such articles or songs From the Vaults will appear because of your generous gifts at Elsewhere in the near future. We've already featured others.
More from this section Blues articles index
The Flaming Mudcats: Cut Loose (Mudcat Music)
Now 10 years in the blues-rock game, the Flaming Mudcats here celebrate with a third album of mostly originals by singer/harmonica player Craig Bracken. This tight r'n'b quartet –... > Read more
T-Model Ford and GravelRoad: Taledragger (Alive/Southbound)
At 90, the great and late-discovered bluesman T-Model Ford still sounds like he is one man who isn't going to let the road of life weary him. Here with his touring band GravelRoad, he delivers... > Read more
RICK BRYANT INTERVIEWED (2003): Following his own stupid good advice
When Rick Bryant got his university results he knew he could get A Good Job, maybe in Treasury or Foreign Affairs. "But I never had any aspiration for that kind of appointment," he... > Read more
DAVID BOWIE IS (2015): The Man Who Sold His Selves
In one corner of the expansive David Bowie Is exhibition which opened in Melbourne a fortnight ago is a video clip that many visitors walk past with barely a glance. In the exhibition at... > Read more
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Dry Pipe
Wet Pipe
Corrosion Assessment
Control Programs
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Property Owners/Managers
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Why ECS?
How Does ECS Make an Impact? We Ask Our Customers.
Posted by Engineered Corrosion Solutions on Apr 9, 2020 1:00:00 PM
At ECS, we've always focused on the customer first. Making cutting-edge technology for the fire sprinkler industry comes in a close second, of course, but we wouldn't be able to share our products with the industry without the support of our customers.
Whether you're new to ECS, you've been following us for a while, or you're already a customer, we invite you to watch the video below and hear directly from some of the leading fire safety experts about what it's like to work with us.
[Mike Meehan - VSC Fire & Security, Inc]: I remember when ECS came to NFPA with the technology -- addressing the whole process of pipe corrosion and looking at it from the standpoint of really keeping it kind of simple: water, air, steel. Then it led to corrosion. The concept of getting the oxygen out with the nitrogen inerting really goes back to ECS and they were the first ones to bring it to our industry.
[Bob Caputo - Fire & Life Safety America]: ECS was bringing products to the market to vent air from the systems, to bring nitrogen inerting to our systems, and eliminating a lot of the corrosion and allowing us to discover problems a lot earlier in the process, saving our systems, saving our owners a good deal of money and frankly, educating our industry and the owners of systems as to the potential and the solutions when it comes to these types of problems.
[Mike Meehan]: It's great to see 10 years later that nitrogen inerting is becoming a standard and the way to go to keep our pipes from being corroded.
[Tyler Weisz - Cen-Cal Fire Systems]: Yeah, it's been a great thing for us. One of the biggest things is just the resources that they've been for us. Being able to make that call and get in contact with someone and know that they're going to lead us in the right direction. So it's been a great relationship.
[Tim Cottrill - BFPE International]: We've been working with ECS now for the better part of 10 years. They've always provided quality service for us. We need something that's simple, easy to use, easy to understand for our field, that also works. And that's what ECS has provided for us throughout the years. The training and the education and everything that we've gotten from them has always been first rate and we'll continue to use them.
Tags: Customer Testimonials
Written by Engineered Corrosion Solutions
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| Pupil Support | Behaviour
Our approach to behaviour and discipline can be described as “tough love”. We operate a firm but fair approach. We apply this rigorously, robustly and consistently. We want to make sure that disruptive behaviour by the few does not damage the achievements of the many. The Codes of Conduct for Staff and Pupils and the Home-School Agreement set out our expectations clearly.
Rewards and Sanctions
Every pupil is special and we regularly identify, reward and celebrate their many successes. These successes can be in any aspect of Academy life. They include rewards for regular attendance, outstanding achievement or making a good contribution to the local community.
We use a wide range of rewards, ranging from simply saying “Well done!” to issuing certificates and prizes. We hold regular celebration assemblies and special events, such as the annual presentation evening, to celebrate the achievements of our pupils.
If standards at the Academy are to be maintained, it is equally important to have a clear, consistent sanctions system.
See our Policies and Publications page to access our Behaviour Policy
See our Policies and Publications page to access our Anti-Bullying Policy
See our Policies and Publications page to access our Home School Agreement
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Super-resolution microscopy of neurons
University of Würzburg
Grant Announcement
IMAGE: Super-resolution images made in Würzburg: Expansion microscopy ExM can be used to precisely depict fine structures of the brain whose shape changes during learning and memory processes. Pyramid cells from... view more
Credit: (Pictures: Team Markus Sauer / University of Wuerzburg)
In the synapses of nerve cells (neurons) there are hundreds of specialized proteins that are important for the functioning of the nervous system. If something goes wrong here, neurological or psychiatric diseases can be the result - Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, depression and schizophrenia are just a few of them.
Neurobiological researchers would therefore like to know where exactly these proteins are located in the synapses and what interactions they have with other molecules. However, there is one hurdle to overcome: "Even with the best super-resolution microscopy techniques, we are still unable to visualize the proteins individually with a spatial resolution of a few nanometers," says Professor Markus Sauer. The expert in super-resolution microscopy heads the Chair of Biotechnology and Biophysics at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) in Bavaria, Germany.
Sauer now wants to overcome this hurdle together with two other experts in super-resolution microscopy: Prof. Silvio Rizzoli from the University Medicine Göttingen (Germany), a synapse physiologist, and physicist and biotechnologist Edward S. Boyden from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA).
Funding from the European Research Council
The three experts have now successfully raised funding for their project: The European Research Council (ERC) supports their project "Ultraresolution" with an ERC Synergy Grant of eleven million Euros. Approximately 4.4 million of the funds will go to JMU.
This was announced by the ERC on November 5, 2020. The project starts in June 2021 with a duration of six years. The funds will be used for postdocs and doctoral students and for a new light-sheet microscope.
Aims of the ERC project "Ultraresolution"
The researchers want to understand how key components of the synapses are organized in both healthy and diseased organisms. They want to develop standardized diagnostic tests that are suitable for routine examinations of tissue samples. In addition, they want to keep their super-resolution microscopy techniques simple enough to be used in any biomedical laboratory.
In order to make individual synapse proteins visible, the scientists want to improve the most powerful microscopy techniques available to date to enable images with a resolution of one to five nanometers. Currently, "only" 20 to 30 nanometers are possible; individual proteins are three to seven nanometers in size.
In the project, the team combines expansion microscopy (ExM) with the single-molecule-sensitive super-resolution microscopy method dSTORM to significantly improve microscopic resolution.
Unique expertise combined
"None of our teams can achieve this goal on their own, and there is currently no other research group in the world besides us that has the expertise needed to achieve fluorescence imaging with nanometer structural resolution". With this statement, Sauer makes clear what a great deal of expert knowledge comes together in the ERC project "Ultraresolution".
All participants are experts in the super-resolution microscopy techniques STED (Stimulated Emission Depletion), dSTORM (Direct Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy) and ExM (Expansion Microscopy). Their teams have developed these techniques significantly in recent years.
Prof. Dr. Markus Sauer
m.sauer@uni-wuerzburg.de
@Uni_WUE
https://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/
European Research Council ERC
BIOMECHANICS/BIOPHYSICS
Pyramid Cells (IMAGE)
https://go.uniwue.de/ercsyngsauer
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Large mammals make soil more fertile in tropical forests Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
View all in Biology
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Marko Grujic baffled at Jurgen Klopp’s treatment of him
Marko Grujic has spoken of feeling confused about the lack of playing opportunities afforded to him at Liverpool despite affirmations offered about his potential.
The promising Serbian is currently plying his trade with Porto on his fourth loan spell away from Anfield.
“I went through preparations with the club, after two years in the Bundesliga, I returned more mature to England,” the 24-year-old told Kurir (via the Mirror). “But when Thiago Alcantara came from Bayern (Munich), I estimated that there would not be much space for me. I didn’t want to gamble.”
“I see now that there are a lot of injured players at Anfield. It is certain that I would get a chance, but I could not have foreseen that,” the midfielder added. “I believe that they believe in me. In every conversation, whether it’s Klopp or one of the directors, they always remind me that I am a player of great potential. But when I get into the system I don’t get a chance. It confuses me a little.”
The former Red Star Belgrade man’s frustrations are more than understandable, not least of all due to the amount of promise he was thought to hold for the club’s future.
In Jurgen Klopp’s defence, the side has evolved potentially beyond even his own highest expectations, with signings like Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara representing more than significant barriers to Grujic’s potential playing time.
Sadly, it would appear that the club will more than likely move the midfielder on at the earliest opportunity.
It’s a massive shame given Grujic’s talent, but not one that Klopp could necessarily be blamed for – ultimately, the German has a duty to build the best side possible.
There’s a possibility that the Serbian could yet prove himself worthy of being considered a first-teamer next season, but we’d expect to see him sold.
More Stories: Jürgen Klopp, Marko Grujic
Jurgen Klopp is exploring the German market for a bargain – report
News Posted January 13, 2021 15:13
Ferdinand sends for Klopp over FA Cup complaint: “Can’t take his comments seriously”
(Video) Sky Sports honcho claims LFC are “looking” for deals this month
Lewandowski reveals brilliant training ground promise with Jurgen Klopp
(Image) Marine fan’s Klopp-related request to Mourinho with hilarious sign
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Mules and Men
by Zora Neale Hurston
Part I, Introduction & Chapter One: Questions and Answers
Part I, Chapter 2: Questions and Answers
Part I, Chapter Three: Questions and Answers
Part I, Chapter Four: Questions and Answers
Part I, Chapter Five: Questions and Answers
Part I, Chapter Six: Questions and Answers
Part I, Chapter Seven: Questions and Answers
Part I, Chapter Eight: Questions and Answers
Part I, Chapter Nine: Questions and Answers
Part I, Chapter Ten: Questions and Answers
Part II, Chapter One: Questions and Answers
Part II, Chapter Two: Questions and Answers
Part II, Chapter Three: Questions and Answers
Part II, Chapter Four: Questions and Answers
Part II, Chapter Five: Questions and Answers
Part II, Chapter Six: Questions and Answers
Part II, Chapter Seven: Questions and Answers
1. What does Zora find special about Florida?
Download Mules and Men Study Guide
2. Why does Zora feel that “folklore is not as easy to collect as it sounds”?
3. With whom does Zora intend to stay while at Eatonville?
4. How does George Thomas react to the news that Zora wishes to collect “lies”?
5. Why does Zora want to report these stories, according to what she tells her friends in Eatonville?
6. Why does John mistake a bullfrog for the devil?
7. What does the word “bookooing” mean, and from where does it come?
8. How does Wood Bridge lack “...Eatonville’s feeling of unity”?
9. From what is “coon-dick,” the local homemade liquor, made?
10. Why does Big Willie Sewell call chicken “gospel-bird”?
1. According to Zora, “my big reason [is] that Florida is a place that draws people—white people from all over the world, and Negroes from every Southern state surely and some from the North and West.” Because of this Zora “knew it was possible...to get a cross section of the Negro South in one state.”
2. Since she is collecting these stories from firsthand accounts, she has to overcome any suspicions that people might have. She herself remarks that “the best source is where there are the least outside influences and these people, being usually underpriviliged, are the shyest.”
3. Zora intended to stay with her childhood friend, Armetta Jones, who lived in Eatonville with her husband Ellis.
4. George says, “Zora, don’t you come here and tell the biggest lie first thing.”
5. She wants to write it down “before everybody forgets all of ‘em.”
6. John mistakes a bullfrog for the devil because it has huge eyes, moves without walking, and has almost no tail.
7. The word means “loud talking,” and is derived from the French word beaucoup, meaning “many.”
8. Not only does Wood Bridge lack a schoolhouse, post office, and mayor, “in fact, a white woman lives there.”
9. The principal ingredients of “coon-dick” are grapefruit juice, cornmeal mash, and beef bones.
10. According to Zora, preachers are especially fond of chicken.
Please provide a close reading of this passage from Mules and Men by Zora Hurston: The white man is always trying to know into somebody else's...
In Mules and Men, how are "strangers" represented?
What themes are in the story about the man's daughter writing a letter?
How It Feels to Be Colored Me
The Gilded Six-Bits
Dust Tracks on a Road
The Eatonville Anthology
Conscience of the Court
by Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston
Drenched in Light
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Four Ways Your Gadgets May Be Harming Your Body
John Patrick Pullen
Does your neck ache after gazing down at your mobile device for a long time? Do your thumbs get sore after firing off a string of emails on your smartphone?
Those are just a two of the physical ailments caused in part by technology. Sporting such names as "text neck," "computer vision syndrome," "Blackberry thumb," and "iPad elbow," these syndromes may sound phony, but they're every bit as real -- and painful -- as carpal tunnel.
Here's a look at four increasingly common ailments associated with improper or overuse of gadgets, plus recommendations for how to avoid the problems.
Condition: Text neck
Text neck is usually caused by excessive use of smartphones or tablets. Due to the popularity of text messaging with teenagers, the condition is more common in adolescents and young adults, but can be seen in anyone who spends hours looking down at mobile devices.
Think of your head as a bowling ball sitting on a spring. Tilting the ball forward for an extended period of time stresses and bends the spring, says Robert Hayden, an Atlanta chiropractor. The more this happens, he says, the greater the chance of flattening the natural curvature of the neck vertebrae. Eventually, you put added pressure on the discs of the cervical spine and more strain on the muscles and ligaments of the neck.
Related: Is Technology Killing Your Productivity?
Solution: Stop looking down.
You can prevent text neck by taking frequent breaks and using range of motion exercises. Try flexing your neck by looking side to side and putting your ears down against your shoulders, Hayden says. You also can simply try holding your device higher so you're not angling your head down to see it.
If the problem persists, ultrasound and electrotherapy can alleviate pain. Long-term remedies include resistance exercises to rebalance the muscles.
Condition: Computer vision syndrome
Overhead fluorescent lighting, the viewing angle of the display, and small font size can contribute to the eye pain and strain of computer vision syndrome, according to Dr. Jim Sheedy, an optometrist and director of Pacific University's Vision Performance Institute in Forest Grove, Ore. Undiagnosed, common eye problems like presbyopia -- a reduced ability to focus on objects that are near -- can exacerbate the condition.
Solution: Keep your eyes in shape.
Resolving the problem involves a two-prong approach: making the task less visually demanding and taking visual breaks, Sheedy says.
For example, turning off the overhead light and using softer desk and floor lamps can help. Also, try making the top of the display level with your eyes so you're looking down about 10 degrees when viewing it. Adjust font sizes so you can read them easily.
To keep your eyes in shape, Sheedy recommends the 20/20/20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away to a distance of at least 20 feet for at least 20 seconds. Such frequent breaks can help because computer vision syndrome is a fatigue problem, not an injury, Sheedy says.
Related: Three Ways to Extend the Battery Life of Smartphones and Tablets
Condition: BlackBerry thumb
Caused primarily by excessive texting, BlackBerry thumb is a strain of either the tendon that extends the thumb or the tendon that brings the thumb into the palm. The strain causes tiny tears to connective tissue.
The severity of the condition depends on how long, how fast and how hard you use a handheld device. But it doesn't affect only those using mobile keyboards -- it can result from any repeated finger motion.
"What happens when people don't rest is they go into chronic phase because there's so much scarring and trauma," says Dorit Aaron, president of the American Society of Hand Therapists and an occupational therapist at Houston Hand Therapy in Texas. That means the pain might never go away.
Solution: Give your fingers a rest.
If you're writing lots of emails on your phone or tablet, take breaks and slow down, Aaron says. Fast texters are more vulnerable because they have more repetitive motions. You also can switch to a touch screen, which may be better than a physical keyboard because it requires minimal pressure.
Related: A Guide for Using Mobile Devices When Traveling Abroad
Condition: iPad Elbow
A repetitive strain injury, iPad elbow can affect a variety of tendons from the wrist to the elbow, depending on how you hold your tablet. "People who are using laptops and tablets often don't focus on the ergonomics of it," says Christopher Morris, a Kingsport, Tenn., rheumatologist. Many tablet users curl up on a couch to get more comfortable, he says, rather than paying attention to proper posture.
Solution: Try an iPad holder.
While orthopedists are still getting a handle on this particular condition, taking breaks can help reduce the pain. "The biggest thing with any kind of repetitive activity is to listen to your body," Morris says. "If doing something for an hour straight is going to make it hurt, don't do it for an hour straight."
You also can try one of the many iPad holders. For instance, PropUp ($29.99) allows users to more easily grip and tip the tablet, while GorillaMobile's Ori case ($69.95) props up an iPad in a variety of positions that can make using it easier on the neck, eyes and arms.
Entrepreneur Store scours the web for the newest software, gadgets & web services. Explore our giveaways, bundles, "Pay What You Want" deals & more.
How 2020 Became the Year of DeFi and What's to Come in 2021
This plane could run on friction energy from flight
Are We Slaves to Technology?
Why Digital Transformation is More About People Than Technology
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Telehealth, CDS provisions outlined in proposed physician fee schedule
by Dan Bowman |
Jul 8, 2016 12:30pm
Proposed changes to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for 2017 contain several IT provisions, including ones around the use of telehealth, clinical decision support for imaging and technology related to the Diabetes Prevention Program.
For telehealth, the agency proposes adding several codes to the list of services eligible to use such tools, including services for end-stage renal disease related to dialysis, advance care planning and critical care consultations.
For decision support, CMS points out that the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 requires providers to consult physician-developed appropriateness criteria when ordering advanced imaging studies for Medicare patients. Radiologist Matt Hawkins of Emory University in Atlanta, previously said that law will “prevent providers from being forced into the tumultuously treacherous world of pre-authorization and radiology benefit managers,” who he said could approve and deny studies without justification.
Among other things, the agency says it believes it would be in the best interest of the appropriate use criteria program to establish decision support requirements “that are not prescriptive” when it comes to specific IT standards. “The CDSM EHR and health IT environments are constantly changing and improving and we want to allow room for growth and innovation,” CMS says. “However, in the future, as more stakeholders and other entities ... come to consensus regarding standards for CDSMs, then we may consider pointing to such standards as a requirement for qualified CDSMs under this program.”
CMS, in the rule, also says it wants to expand the Diabetes Prevention Program model beginning in January 2018. The program produced promising results shared earlier this year from a demonstration involving the YMCA.
To do so, the agency says, it wants comments on requiring Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-recognized program entities to submit claims to Medicare via standard claims forms and procedures, submitted electronically. “Claims submitted would be required to be traceable to care documented by the entity’s beneficiary records, which should include the requisite amount of detail associated with participation,” according to CMS.
- here’s the proposed rule
- check out the CMS announcement
Chronic Conditions Telehealth Clinical Decision Support electronic health records (EHRs) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Dan Bowman
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Almirall's aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate recommended for approval in Europe to treat COPD
by Emily Wasserman |
Sep 26, 2014 8:04am
Positive CHMP opinion is an important step in making this new respiratory therapy available to treat Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Marketing authorisation in the European Union is expected before the end of the year
Aclidinium/Formoterol will be marketed in Europe under the trademarks Duaklir® Genuair® and Brimica® Genuair®
Barcelona, September, 25 2014. - Almirall S.A. (ALM) announced today that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has issued a positive opinion for the regulatory approval of Duaklir® Genuair® (aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate) in all EU member states as a maintenance bronchodilator treatment to relieve symptoms in adult patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).1
Aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate is a fixed dose combination of two approved long-acting bronchodilators. Aclidinium bromide is a novel anticholinergic or long acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA). Formoterol fumarate is a long-acting beta-agonist (LABA).2
As part of its assessment, CHMP reviewed efficacy and safety data of aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate BID from more than 2,000 patients. The clinical program included 11 clinical studies conducted in 29 countries worldwide.2
"We are very pleased with the CHMP positive recommendation for aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate" said Thomas Eichholtz, Chief Scientific Officer at Almirall. "The Committee's positive opinion today marks a significant step forward in bringing this new treatment option to patients with COPD."
In the EU, the European Commission generally follows the recommendations of the CHMP (EMA) and delivers its final decision within three months after the CHMP recommendation. The decision will be applicable to all 28 EU member states plus Iceland and Norway. Aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate will be marketed in Europe by Almirall under the trade name Duaklir® Genuair® and Brimica® Genuair®.
Almirall's respiratory franchise is complemented by aclidinium bromide, a long-acting inhaled muscarinic receptor antagonist (LAMA) for COPD. Aclidinium bromide was approved by the EMA and by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2012 and is available in in 24 countries marketed under the trade names Eklira® Genuair®, Bretaris® Genuair®, Tudorza™ Pressair™ and Tudorza™ Genuair™. Further compounds in development include abediterol, a novel long acting beta-2 adrenergic agonist (LABA) for asthma and COPD, two novel dual action long-acting muscarinic antagonist beta-2 agonist MABA compounds plus PAN-JAK and PI3Kδ inhibitors.
Aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate scientific evidence2
Bronchodilation
Aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate 340/12 micrograms twice daily consistently provided clinically meaningful improvements in lung function (as assessed by FEV1, forced vital capacity and inspiratory capacity) compared with placebo. In Phase III studies, clinically meaningful bronchodilator effects were seen within 5 minutes of the first dose and were maintained over the dosing interval. There was a sustained effect over time in the six months and one year Phase III studies. 9,10
In study ACLIFORM-COPD, aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate showed improvements in FEV1 at 1 hour post-dose relative to placebo and aclidinium of 299 ml and 125 ml, respectively (both p<0.0001) and improvements in trough FEV1 relative to placebo and formoterol of 143 ml and 85 ml, respectively (both p<0.0001). In study AUGMENT, Aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate showed improvements in FEV1 at 1 hour post-dose relative to placebo and aclidinium of 284 ml and 108 ml (both p<0.0001), respectively, and improvements in trough FEV1 relative to placebo and formoterol of 130 ml (p<0.0001) and 45 ml (p=0.01), respectively. 9,10,11
Breathlessness and other symptomatic outcomes:
Aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate provided a clinically meaningful improvement in breathlessness (assessed by the Transition Dyspnoea Index [TDI]) with an improvement in the TDI focal score at 6 months compared to placebo of 1.29 units in study ACLIFORM-COPD (p<0.0001) and 1.44 units in study AUGMENT (p<0.0001). The percentages of patients with clinically meaningful improvements in TDI focal score (defined as an increase of at least 1 unit) were higher with aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate than with placebo in ACLIFORM-COPD (64.8% compared to 45.5%; p<0.001) and AUGMENT (58.1% compared to 36.6%; p<0.0001).12,13,14
The pooled analysis of these two studies showed aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate to be associated with statistically significant greater improvements in TDI focal score compared to aclidinium (0.4 units, p=0.016) or formoterol (0.5 units, p=0.009). In addition, a higher percentage of patients receiving aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate responded with a clinically meaningful improvement in TDI focal score compared to either aclidinium or formoterol (61.9% compared to 55.7% and 57.0%, respectively; p=0.056 and p=0.100, respectively).
Aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate improved daily symptoms of COPD such as 'breathlessness', 'chest symptoms', 'cough and sputum' (assessed by E-RS total score) as well as overall night-time symptoms, overall early morning symptoms and symptoms limiting early morning activities compared to placebo, aclidinium and formoterol but the improvements were not always statistically significant. 15,12
Health-related quality of life:
Aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate provided a clinically meaningful improvement in disease-specific health status (as assessed by the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire [SGRQ]) in study AUGMENT, with an improvement in the SGRQ total score compared to placebo of -4.35 units (p<0.0001). The percentage of patients in AUGMENT who achieved a clinically meaningful improvement from baseline in SGRQ total score (defined as a decrease of at least 4 units) was higher with aclidinium and formoterol than with placebo (58.2% compared to 38.7%, respectively; p<0.001). In study ACLIFORM-COPD, only a small decrease in SGRQ total score compared to placebo was observed due to an unexpectedly large placebo response (p=0.598) and the percentages of patients who achieved clinically meaningful improvements from baseline were 55.3% with aclidinium bromide/formoterol and 53.2% with placebo (p=0.669). 13,14,16
In the pooled analysis of the two 6-month Phase III studies, aclidinium bromide/formoterol showed greater improvements in SGRQ total score compared to formoterol (‑1.7 units; p=0.018) or aclidinium (-0.79 units, p=0.273). In addition, a higher percentage of patients receiving aclidinium bromide/formoterol responded with a clinically meaningful improvement in SGRQ total score compared to aclidinium and formoterol (56.6% compared to 53.9% and 52.2%, respectively; p=0.603 and p=0.270, respectively).
Exacerbations
Pooled efficacy analysis of the two 6-month Phase III studies demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of 29% in the rate of moderate or severe exacerbations (requiring treatment with antibiotics or corticosteroids or resulting in hospitalisations) with aclidinium bromide/formoterol compared to placebo (rates per patient per year: 0.29 vs. 0.42, respectively; p=0.036). 17
In addition, aclidinium bromide/formoterol statistically significantly delayed the time to first moderate or severe exacerbation compared to placebo (hazard ratio=0.70; p=0.027).
Use of rescue medication
Aclidinium bromide/formoterol reduced the use of rescue medication over 6 months compared to placebo (by 0.9 puffs per day [p<0.0001]), aclidinium (by 0.4 puffs/day [p<0.001]) and formoterol (by 0.2 puffs/day [p=0.062]).
Adverse reactions associated with aclidinium bromide/formoterol were similar to those of the individual components. As aclidinium bromide/formoterol contains aclidinium and formoterol, the type and severity of adverse reactions associated with each of the components may be expected with aclidinium bromide/formoterol. 18,19,20
Lolita McGee / Danielle Guildford-Sharp
About aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate
Aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate (400/12mcg) is a fixed dose combination of two approved long-acting bronchodilators with different mechanisms of action and similar pharmocodynamic profiles. Aclidinium bromide is an anticholinergic or long acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) that produces bronchodilation by inhibiting the muscarinic M3 receptor in the airway smooth muscle. Formoterol fumarate is a long-acting beta-agonist (LABA) that stimulates the B2-receptors in the bronchial smooth muscle resulting in bronchodilation. Both aclidinium bromide (Elkira® / Bretaris® / Tudorza™) and formoterol fumarate are separately approved for the maintenance treatment of COPD in the United States and Europe.
About PressairTM/Genuair®
Genuair® is a multi-dose dry powder inhaler which is pre-loaded with the required doses, for one month of treatment, and ready to use. Findings of a recent publication suggest that poor adherence to inhaled therapies is common among patients with asthma and COPD. Pressair™/Genuair® was designed with a double feedback system: per our instructions for use: a 'click' sounds when the patient is inhaling correctly and a control coloured window changes from green (ready to use) to red when the patient inhaled correctly. Moreover, the device incorporates safety features such as a visible dose indicator to show patient approximately how many doses remain, an anti-double-dosing mechanism and an end-of-dose lock-out system to prevent use of an empty inhaler.
About COPD
Chronic Obstruction Pulmonary Disease (COPD), or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a common, progressive, and debilitating lung disease characterized by persistent airflow limitation that makes it hard to breathe. The World Health Organization (WHO) has described COPD as a global epidemic; an estimated 64 million people have COPD worldwide. More than 3 million people died of the condition in 2005, which is equal to 5% of all deaths globally that year. Total deaths from COPD are projected to increase by more than 30% in the next 10 years without interventions to cut risks, particularly exposure to tobacco smoke.3 WHO predicts that COPD will become the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2030.4 COPD is already the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.5
In patients with COPD the airways in the lungs typically lose their elasticity, produce excess mucus and become thick and inflamed, limiting the passage of air. The most common symptoms of COPD are breathlessness (or a "need for air"), abnormal sputum (a mix of saliva and mucus in the airway), and chronic cough. As the condition worsens and breathlessness increases, daily activities, such as walking up a short flight of stairs or carrying a suitcase, can become very difficult. New therapies to treat this debilitating disease may be of value.
COPD has historically been seen as a disease that affects old men, despite the fact that nowadays 44% of patients are women.6
In addition to the impact of the disease on a patient's quality of life, COPD poses a significant financial burden to society. Among respiratory diseases, COPD is the leading cause of lost work days.7
Although COPD is not curable, treatment can help control the symptoms and increase a patient's quality of life.3 For example, bronchodilator medications are central to the symptomatic management of COPD, and the combination of a LAMA and a LABA (aclidinium + formoterol) as a treatment option for COPD patients, which act through different mechanisms of action, provides improved bronchodilation and symptom control compared to that achieved with either bronchodilator alone.2,8
About Almirall
Almirall is a global company based in Barcelona dedicated to providing valuable medicines through its R&D, agreements and alliances. Our work covers the whole of the drug value chain. A consolidated profitable growth allows us to devote our talent and efforts in the respiratory and dermatology areas, with a focused interest in gastroenterology and pain. Our size enables us to be agile and flexible so that we can accomplish the purpose of taking our innovative products wherever they are needed.
Founded in 1943, Almirall is listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange (ticker: ALM) and it has become a source of value creation for society due to its vision and the commitment of its long-standing major shareholders. In 2013, its revenues totaled 825 million euros and, with more than 3,000 employees, it has gradually built up a trusted presence across Europe, as well as in the US, Canada and Mexico.
For more information please visit www.almirall.com
1. European Medicines Agency. Aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate CHMP opinion. Available at: http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/
2. Aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate Summary of Product Characteristics. Available at: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/
3. WHO Factsheet on COPD. Fact sheet number 315. Reviewed Oct 2013. Available at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs315/en/ (last accessed on 8th September 2014)
4. WHO. World Health Statistics 2008. p. 30. Available at: http://www.who.int/whosis/whostat/EN_WHS08_Full.pdf (last accessed on 8th September 2014)
5. Mannino D, Kiri V. Changing the Burden of COPD Mortality. International Journal of COPD 2006:1(3) 219–233. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2707151/pdf/copd-1-219.pdf (last accessed on 8th September 2014)
6. Rennard S, Decramer M, Calverley PMA, Pride NB, Soriano JB, Vermeire PA, Vestbo J. Impact of COPD in North America and Europe in 2000: subjects' perspective of Confronting COPD International Survey. Eur Respir J. 2002;20:799-805.
7. European Lung Foundation. European Lung White Book. Available at: http://dev.ersnet.org/uploads/Document/45/WEB_CHEMIN_1263_1168339451.pdf (last accessed 8th September 2014)
8. World Health Organisation. COPD management. Available at: http://www.who.int/respiratory/copd/management/en/ (last accessed 8th September 2014)
9. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2014;189:A5987
10. Eur Respir J 2014; P919
11. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2014;189:A6006
12. Eur Respir J 2014; P2414
Emily Wasserman
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Faction HQ
Nod to the Old School
Old School Love/Hate - A Mother's thoughts
SleepyJack
There's a lot of car talk between my mother and I, and yesterday the B-Segment in general came up. She mentioned that the only thing she was worried about was the connotation with the old Fiesta, and that the only mistake she thinks they made was deciding to keep the Fiesta name. (Mind you all, this is the same woman who cringed at the thought of Saturn selling rebadged Opel's)
It's odd, because I think a lot of modern car people (especially small Ford enthusiasts) have this special place in their heart for the early Fiesta's that just doesn't exist in most 40+ year old non-car people's hearts. It kind of begs the question:
Despite younger buyers and car-folks/Ford Fans being stoked about the Fiesta, does anyone think the Fiesta (despite the Euro rep and high quality) might be a hard sell to some of the more "experienced" IJAC (it's just a car) people than a new car with a new name? (For instance, the Honda Fit has no connotations, whereas the Fiesta has that "Old Cheapo" connotation)
Where'd you park the car?
Mark Kleis
I think it is a very valid point, and I do think there will be some initial and then minor residual negative connotation for that reason. Most people will put a negative connotation with the car because of the blue oval on the front, though.
That brings me to a good counter point- Ford has a proven track record in Europe and gets more respect there (all the US Ford haters whine that Europe gets the "good Fords"), but now we will have a European Fiesta... and by keeping the name, we can say, "Hey, the Fiesta is a legend in Europe, the #2 selling car in ALL of Europe, and gets serious respect." That's my plan on a counter-point, at least.
Lumadar said:
Hopefully that ends up being the case.
blueginx197
There is a booming B segment car section... I see quite a few Yaris, Fits, and Aveo's around... I think that the Fiesta is going to be a good competitor. If people are buying the new Fit and Yaris, I think the Fiesta with its Kinetic design (I think thats what they call it, lol) will have no problem being a big seller.
Got PRIDE?
OmniFocus
I don't see the correlation myself.... EVERY compact car sold from 78-80 was of similar configuration and quality.
Volkswagen sells a "Rabbit" now that really has nothing in common with the Rabbit it was selling then.
The new Fiesta might be a nice car, but it is playing in a field of inexpensive cars... the name has no bearing on that.
Basically, the bottom-feeders of today are so far above and beyond the bottom-feeders of 30 years ago. MANY brands have carried the same nameplate from then until now with no adverse effects.
Have you ever compared a 1978 Toyota Corolla to a 2009 Toyota Corolla?
IFHP
I'm kind of old school, but I like the Fiesta name --it has heritage and "brand equity" in other parts of the world. I think that Mulaly said that he wants Ford models to be recognized world-wide. Building on 30 years of brand equity does just that.
khaoz187
there might be some adverse thoughts about the fiesta until they see it. take it from someone who had that reaction then i saw the car and fell in love with the way it looks
Zinky
My friends & I, had positive feelings about the Fiesta when it was first sold in the US. In high school one of the guys could do some amazing handling stunts that just couldn't be done in the typical US car (many US cars did not have hand brakes). My first car was a used Fiesta that I drove all over the Midwest and couldn't complain about.
In some ways the car might have benefited by not having been sold during the years when all small cars were thought of poorly. In some ways its like starting from scratch because even if you remember the old ones, there aren't too many of them on the road for the casual person to remember them or their faults.
2011 Fiesta - Red Candy Metalic SE Hatchback
Powershift - Moonroof - Sport pkg - 203A
Ordered 4/22/10 - Delivered 7/12/10
Being somewhat less young than a lot of people here, the old Fiestas' were much smaller than the current. Real basic. Cheap. A real bottom feeder. A bicycle had more luxury features. Power windows, no, leather, no, but very cheap vinyl. Durable, I think they were good. I think the radio was an extra cost option. Sound quality, none, but the car was so noisy, so it didn't matter. I'm surprised they used the Fiesta name for the U.S. market. Honda uses the "Fit" name for the U.S., I think it is "Jazz" elsewhere.
You can sell an old man a young man's car, but you can't sell a young man, and old mans car! My Dad who is 88, has a Focus hatch! Anyone consider a Buick?
65 Corvair Monza
11 Fiesta, soon, I hope. Shipped.
65 Corvair convertible
11 Fiesta 5 speed, GONE!
14 Accord, 6 speed manual!
Weren't all cars much more basic, smaller and lighter 30 years ago? As a comparison, the Fiesta was a step up from the Subaru my parents had (no carpet, vinyl floor in addition to the vinyl seats, trunk lined with hardboard, single speaker AM radio). I guess it didn't take much.
AlanBDahl
Judging from the number of ads on Craigslist calling Festivas a "Fiesta" (at least 50% of the ads I see it seems like) I suspect that for most of America Fiesta=Festiva and that could be the source of a lot of that negative view. I'm willing to bet that if you asked 100 people a significant number of them would have something negative to say about the "Fiesta" but if you actually showed them a picture of a Mark 1 they wouldn't know what it was. Thankfully if the new car is good the old memories would soon fade.
FiestaFan
I've been thinking about the Fiesta/Festiva confusion as well. What's odd is that I haven't heard many bad things about Festivas - they're basic transportation, yes, but they're apparently very durable and can go hundreds of thousands of miles with basic maintenance. Still, I think there's an "American small car" stigma...people expect American small cars to be crap and Asian small cars to be good, but that's increasingly not the case anymore.
FiestaFan Jun 30, 2010
Fiesta Faction
A forum community dedicated to Ford Fiesta owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Fiesta Service Bay New Member Introductions Fiesta Power and Performance Faction Fotos Exterior Modifications
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Report of Inquiry into the FDIC's Supervisory Approach to Refund Anticipation Loans and the Involvement of FDIC Leadership and Personnel
This is the accessible text file for FDIC OIG report entitled 'Report of Inquiry into the FDIC's Supervisory Approach to Refund Anticipation Loans and the Involvement of FDIC Leadership and Personnel, March 15, 2016' .
This text file was formatted by the FDIC OIG to be accessible to users with visual impairments.
We have maintained the structural and data integrity of the original printed product in this text file to the extent possible. Accessibility features, such as descriptions of tables, footnotes, and the text of the Corporation’s comments, are provided but may not exactly duplicate the presentation or format of the printed version.
The portable document format (PDF) file also posted on our Web site is an exact electronic replica of the printed version.
[FDIC OIG letterhead, FDIC logo, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Inspector General, 3501 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22226]
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is posting the Executive Summary of the Report entitled: Report of Inquiry into the FDIC’s Supervisory Approach to Refund Anticipation Loans and the Involvement of FDIC Leadership and Personnel (Report No. OIG-16-001, February 19, 2016). Because the report itself contains sensitive information, we are not making it publicly available in its entirety and are posting the Executive Summary only.
Along with our Executive Summary, at the Corporation’s request, we are posting two sets of comments from the FDIC:
- The first comments were received following issuance of our draft report. They are signed by the Director of the Division of Risk Management Supervision and the FDIC General Counsel and reflect the signatories’ summary of the lengthier set of written comments they provided to the OIG at that time.
- The second comments, received on March 11, 2016, are from the Members of the Board of Directors of the FDIC. As noted in our Executive Summary, we had requested that the Corporation advise us within 60 days from the date of our final report on the steps it would take to address the matters raised for its consideration. The Board of Directors’ response outlines initial steps and indicates the Board will update our office on its progress by June 30, 2016.
Why and How We Conducted This Inquiry
On December 17, 2014, Chairman Gruenberg requested that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Office of Inspector General (OIG) conduct a “fact-finding review of the actions of FDIC staff” in the Department of Justice’s Operation Choke Point. The Chairman’s request was prompted by concerns raised by a letter from a member of Congress, dated December 10, 2014, asking that the role of five FDIC officials, and others as appropriate, be examined. Our office addressed the actions of the five FDIC officials in connection with Operation Choke Point in the OIG’s September 2015 Report, The FDIC’s Role in Operation Choke Point and Supervisory Approach to Institutions that Conducted Business with Merchants Associated with High-Risk Activities (AUD-15-008) (the Audit).
In that report, the OIG indicated that it would conduct further work on the role of FDIC staff with respect to the Corporation’s supervisory approach to financial institutions that offered a credit product known as a refund anticipation loan (RAL). A RAL is a particular type of loan product, typically offered through a national or local tax preparation company in conjunction with the filing of a taxpayer’s income tax return.1 Although tax preparation firms were not specifically associated with Operation Choke Point, and RALs are financial products offered by banks and not a line of business related to Operation Choke Point, information we identified in the course of the Audit raised sufficient concern to cause us to also review the FDIC’s supervisory approach to institutions offering RALs and the roles of FDIC personnel in that process.
Footnote 1: The tax preparer, sometimes referred to as an electronic refund originator (ERO), works in cooperation with the financial institution to advance a portion of the tax refund claimed by individuals in the form of a loan. Typically the loan amount would include the tax return preparation cost, other fees and a finance charge. [End of footnote]
This report describes our work and findings. It is based on interviews with knowledgeable individuals and an extensive review and analysis of FDIC internal emails, correspondence, supervisory materials, and other documents.
The FDIC had a lengthy supervisory relationship with institutions offering RALs, dating to the 1980s. In January 2008, the then-FDIC Chairman, Sheila Bair, asked why FDIC-regulated institutions would be allowed to offer RALs.2 Shortly thereafter, the FDIC began to try to cause banks it supervised, which are the focus of this review, to exit the business line. In late December 2010, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) required an institution it supervised to exit RALs effective with the 2011 tax season. During this time period, the Internal Revenue Service also withdrew access to an underwriting tool it formerly provided to tax preparers and banks that had been used to mitigate certain risks associated with RALs. Ultimately, the FDIC caused all three of its supervised institutions that then continued to facilitate RALs to exit the business in 2011 and 2012.
Footnote 2: The Chairman’s question was raised in the context of an incoming letter from a number of consumer advocacy groups. This letter, together with similar correspondence in 2009, expressed concern that RALs harmed consumers. [End of footnote]
RALs were, and remain, legal activities, but ultimately were seen by the FDIC as risky to the banks and potentially harmful to consumers.3 As discussed in our report, the FDIC’s articulated rationale for requiring banks to exit RALs morphed over time. The decision to cause FDIC-supervised banks to exit RALs was implemented by certain Division Directors, the Chicago Regional Director, and their subordinates, and supported by each of the FDIC’s Inside Directors. The basis for this decision was not fully transparent because the FDIC chose not to issue formal guidance on RALs, applying more generic guidance applicable to broader areas of supervisory concern. Yet the decision set in motion a series of interrelated events affecting three institutions that involved aggressive and unprecedented efforts to use the FDIC’s supervisory and enforcement powers, circumvention of certain controls surrounding the exercise of enforcement power, damage to the morale of certain field examination staff, and high costs to the three impacted institutions.
Footnote 3: The FDIC’s current and historical policy is that it will not criticize, discourage, or prohibit banks that have appropriate controls in place from doing business with customers who are operating consistent with federal and state law. The FDIC applies this policy to services offered to bank customers, i.e., depositors or borrowers. Because RALs are offered through EROs and are third-party relationships, the FDIC does not believe this policy applies. [End of footnote]
The Washington Office pressured field staff to assign lower ratings in the 2010 Safety and Soundness examinations for two institutions that had RAL programs. The Washington Office also required changing related examination report narratives. In one instance a ratings downgrade appeared to be predetermined before the examination began. In another case, the downgrade further limited an institution from pursuing a strategy of acquiring failed institutions. The institution’s desire to do so was then leveraged by the FDIC in its negotiations regarding the institution’s exit from RALs. Although the examiners in the field did not agree with lowering the ratings of the two institutions, the FDIC did not document these disagreements in one instance, and only partially documented the disagreement in another, in contravention of its policy and a recommendation in a prior OIG report.
The absence of significant examination-based evidence of harm caused by RAL programs could have caused FDIC management to reconsider its initial assessment that these programs posed significant risk to the institutions offering them. However, lack of such evidence did not change the FDIC’s supervisory approach. The FDIC’s actions also ultimately resulted in large insurance assessment increases, reputational damage to the banks, as well as litigation and other costs for the banks that tried to remain in the RAL business.
The Washington Office also used a cursory analysis of underwriting plans that two banks submitted to show their mitigation of perceived risk to reject those plans. In fact, when the initial review suggested these underwriting plans could effectively mitigate certain risks, the Washington Office narrowed and repeated its request to solicit a different outcome. It appears that the decision to reject the plans had been made before the review was complete. The alleged insufficiency of the underwriting plans also formed the basis for an enforcement action against one of the banks.
While the FDIC’s Legal Division believed the pursuit of an enforcement remedy against the banks presented “high litigation risk,” the FDIC chose to pursue such remedies. Members of the Board, including the then-Chairman of the Case Review Committee, were involved in drafting the language of a proposed enforcement order and in advising management on the development of supervisory support for the enforcement case. The FDIC also attempted to strengthen its case by pursuing a compliancebased rationale. To that end, in early 2011 the FDIC employed extraordinary examination resources in an attempt to identify compliance violations that would require the bank to exit RALs. This examination effort, in the form of a “horizontal review,” involved deploying an unprecedented 400 examiners to examine 250 tax preparers throughout the country and the remaining bank offering RALs. The horizontal review was used as leverage in negotiations to get the final bank to exit RALs. Ultimately, the results of the horizontal review were used for little else.
The FDIC also employed what it termed "strong moral suasion" to persuade each of the banks to stop offering RALs. What began as persuasion degenerated into meetings and telephone calls where banks were abusively threatened by an FDIC attorney. In one instance, non-public supervisory information was disclosed about one bank to another as a ploy to undercut the latter’s negotiating position to continue its RAL program.
When one institution questioned the FDIC's tactics and behavior of its personnel in a letter to thenChairman Bair and the other FDIC Board members, the then-Chairman asked FDIC management to look into the complaint. FDIC management looked into the complaint but did not accurately and fully describe the abusive behavior. Nevertheless, the behavior was widely known internally and, in effect, condoned. Other complaints from the banks languished and ultimately were not addressed or investigated independently. Ratings appeals that included these complaints were not considered because they were voided by the FDIC’s filing of formal enforcement actions. These complaints were eventually subsumed by settlement processes that, in the case of one bank, appeared to trade improved ratings and the right to purchase failing institutions for an agreement to exit RALs permanently.
Conclusion and Matters for Consideration
The facts developed by this review strongly reinforce the concerns and issues raised in the OIG’s earlier Audit. In our view, the FDIC must candidly consider its leadership practices, its process and procedures, and the conduct of multiple individuals who made and implemented the decision to require banks to exit RALs. While we acknowledge that the events described in our report surrounding RALs involved only three of the FDIC’s many supervised institutions, the severity of the events warrants such consideration. The FDIC needs to ask how the actions described in our report could unfold as they did, in light of the FDIC’s stated core values of integrity, accountability, and fairness. Further, the Corporation must address how it can avoid similar occurrences in the future.
In December 2015, in response to concerns raised in the Audit, the FDIC removed the term “moral suasion” from its guidance. We appreciate the central importance of informal discussions and persuasion to the supervisory process; however, we believe more needs to be done to subject the use of moral suasion, and its equivalents, to meaningful scrutiny and oversight, and to create equitable remedies for institutions should they be subject to abusive treatment.
Because our work is in the nature of a review, and not an audit conducted in accordance with government auditing standards, we are not making formal recommendations. However, we request that the FDIC report to us, 60 days from the date of our final report, on the steps it will take to address the matters raised for its consideration.
The Corporation’s Response
The OIG transmitted a draft copy of this report to the FDIC on January 21, 2016. We asked the Corporation to review the draft and identify any factual inaccuracies they believed existed in the report. We met with staff from the FDIC, on February 10, 2016, to consider whether any factual clarifications were appropriate, reviewed the documentation they provided, and subsequently made some clarifications to the report. The Corporation also requested that we include its response to our report herewith. We have provided the FDIC’s full response at Appendix 9. The FDIC’s response has not changed our overall view of the facts.
[FDIC letterhead, FDIC logo, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Division of Risk Management Supervision, Legal Division, 550 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20429-9990]
MEMORANDUM TO: Fred W. Gibson, Jr., Acting Inspector General
FROM: Doreen R. Eberley, Director, Division of Risk Management Supervision
Charles Yi, General Counsel
SUBJECT: Response to the Draft Report of Inquiry into the FDIC’s Supervisory Approach to Refund Anticipation Loans and the Involvement of FDIC Leadership and Personnel
Thank you for the opportunity to review and respond to the Draft Report of Inquiry (Draft Report) into The FDIC’s Supervisory Approach to Refund Anticipation Loans and the Involvement of FDIC Leadership and Personnel, prepared by the FDIC’s Office of Inspector General (OIG). We believe that the supervision and enforcement activities discussed in the Draft Report were supported by the supervisory record and handled in accordance with FDIC policy. These activities occurred more than five years ago with respect to the three banks that offered refund anticipation loans (RALs).
In August 2015, the FDIC Office of Inspector General (OIG) determined to conduct a review of the role of FDIC staff with respect to the FDIC’s supervisory approach to three institutions that offered refund anticipation loans, or RALs. The findings were presented to FDIC in a Draft Report on January 21, 2016 (Draft Report). The Draft Report presented the OIG’s view of the FDIC’s handling of its supervisory responsibilities with respect to these three financial institutions that offered RALs between five and eight years ago.
We believe that the supervision and enforcement activities identified by the OIG were supported by the supervisory record and handled in accordance with FDIC Policy.
Summary of FDIC Response
• RALs, as described in a GAO report1, are short-term, high-interest bank loans that are advertised and brokered by both national chain and local tax preparation companies. RALs carry a heightened level of credit, fraud, third-party, and compliance risk because they are not offered by bank loan officers, but by several hundred to several thousand storefront tax preparers (also referred to as electronic refund originators (EROs)). Footnote 1: United States Government Accountability Office Report, GAO-08-800R Refund Anticipation Loans (June 5, 2008) (stating “the annual percentage rate on RALs can be over 500 percent”).
• FDIC must provide strong oversight to ensure that the financial institutions it supervises are offering the product in a safe and sound manner and in compliance with applicable guidance and laws.
• FDIC issued relevant guidance for banks making RALs. In response to an OIG audit, FDIC issued a Supervisory Policy on Predatory Lending. Further, to describe its expectations for banks making loans through third-parties, FDIC issued Guidance on Managing Third-Party Risks.
• Supervisory issues were identified by field compliance examiners as early as 2004, including substantive violations of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, weak ERO training, and a lack of RAL program audit coverage.
• One community bank grew its RAL program rapidly, nearly doubling the number of EROs through which it originated tax products between 2001 and 2004 to more than 5,600, and then nearly doubling that number again by 2011 to more than 11,000. By comparison, one of the three largest banks in the country at that time originated tax products through 13,000 EROs.
• Supervisory concerns increased through 2008 and 2009, as the management of two banks did not follow regulatory recommendations and directions, including provisions of enforcement actions.
• One of the three RAL banks moved its origination business to an affiliate without prior notice to the FDIC, effectively removing the RAL origination activity from FDIC supervision.
• The exit of large national banks and a thrift from the RAL business raised additional concerns, because similar prior exits had led to the business moving to the much smaller FDIC-supervised community banks.
• All three RAL banks conceded that the loss of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Debt Indicator would result in increased credit risk to the bank. The Debt Indicator was a key underwriting tool, supplied by the IRS, and used by the banks to predict the likelihood that a valid tax refund would be offset by other debt. Two of the three banks were unable to fully mitigate the risk created by the loss of the Debt Indicator, and neither substituted credit underwriting based on borrower ability to repay. The third bank may have had an acceptable underwriting substitute, but had such deficient controls and oversight that its RAL program was otherwise not safe and sound.
• The combination of risks outlined above caused the FDIC to ask the banks to exit the RAL business. All three banks declined.
• When poor practices of bank managements were not fully factored into examination ratings for two banks, Washington senior management provided direction to regional management, consistent with policy.
• Two banks were properly downgraded in the 2010 examination cycle based on welldefined weaknesses.
• The banks continued to decline to exit the poorly managed RAL programs.
• Senior FDIC management recommended enforcement actions based on the supervisory records of the institutions.
• Senior FDIC management appropriately briefed the FDIC Chairman and other Board members on the supervisory actions being taken.
• While some members of the Legal Division raised concerns about litigation risk, the supervisory records supported approval of the enforcement cases, and supervision and legal officials ultimately approved them.
• The recommendations for enforcement action were reviewed by the FDIC’s Case Review Committee (CRC), consistent with the FDIC Bylaws and the CRC governing documents.
• One of the final enforcement actions described violations of law by one of the RAL banks because of its efforts to impede examination activities.
• Settlement of the approved enforcement actions addressed the supervisory issues and was handled consistently with FDIC policy. It is not unusual for institutions that cannot engage in expansionary activities because of their condition to take steps to remedy regulatory concerns in order to regain the ability to expand.
We look forward to reviewing the details of the final report and will provide actions to be taken in response within the 60-day timeframe specified by the OIG.
We reviewed the materials relied upon by the OIG, which included select email communications between FDIC employees, one former employee’s personal notes, draft reports of examination, and information from interviews that OIG staff conducted with select past and current FDIC personnel. Having reviewed relevant materials, we believe that the supervision and enforcement activities that occurred with respect to the three banks discussed in the Draft Report were supported by the supervisory record and handled in accordance with FDIC policy. Nonetheless, the Draft Report did identify areas where better communication, both internally and externally, could have improved understanding of the agency’s supervisory expectations and bases for action. Additionally, the Draft Report describes at least one instance in which a former employee – new to the FDIC at the time2 – communicated with external parties in an overly aggressive manner. The FDIC does not condone such conduct, that type of conduct is not consistent with FDIC policy, and steps were taken to address the conduct at the time.
Footnote 2: The employee left the agency later that same year. [End of footnote]
Risks of Refund Anticipation Loans
RALs are short-term, high-interest bank loans that are advertised and brokered by both national chain and local tax preparation companies. By their very nature, RALs carry a heightened level of credit, fraud, third-party, and compliance risk. Financial institutions must execute strong oversight of the storefront tax preparers (also referred to as electronic refund originators (EROs)) that originate RALs because banks are responsible for the actions of their third-party agents. Similarly, supervisory authorities must provide strong oversight to ensure that financial institutions are offering the product in a safe and sound manner and in compliance with applicable guidance and laws. Fewer than 10 financial institutions have ever offered RALs.
FDIC Took an Incremental Approach to Supervising Banks that Offered RALs
The Draft Report suggests that actions taken by the FDIC represented a sharp and rapid escalation in oversight of the institutions with RAL programs. The supervisory record, however, indicates that concerns were raised about risk management oversight of the RAL programs at the institutions for a number of years.
The FDIC first developed supervisory concerns with the risk management practices and oversight provided by the board and senior management of two institutions in 2004. FDIC had concerns with another RAL lender at the time that was not reviewed by the OIG. That lender exited the business in 2006 when its tax preparation partner wanted to offer a product the bank deemed too risky.
Between 2004 and 2009, the two institutions were subject to annual risk management examinations and two compliance examinations. The examinations identified repeated weaknesses in risk management practices. Both banks’ RAL programs experienced heavier than normal losses in 2007. Examinations in 2008 showed continuing weaknesses in risk management practices and board and senior management oversight, and both institutions’ compliance ratings were downgraded to less-than-satisfactory levels. Examinations in 2009 showed continued weaknesses in risk management practices and oversight, and both institutions were downgraded to an unsatisfactory level for compliance and “Needs to Improve” for CRA.
By December 2009, FDIC continued to have a variety of concerns with the RAL programs of both institutions. One of the institutions had moved the RAL business to an affiliate for the 2009 tax season and was not in compliance with a February 2009 Cease and Desist Order requiring enhancement of its program oversight. Later, that institution entered into contracts to expand its ERO lender base without the required prior notice to the FDIC.
Another institution was operating under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) requiring it to improve its oversight, audit, and internal controls over its RAL business. The bank’s management was not in compliance with those provisions of the MOU.
Given identified risk management weaknesses and concerns about one institution’s continued expansion, in December 2009, FDIC directed the institution to deliver a plan to exit the RAL business. Based on similar concerns with another bank’s risk-management weaknesses, and reports that the Internal Revenue Service was contemplating discontinuance of its Debt Indicator, a key underwriting tool for RAL lending, FDIC sent similar letters to two other banks in February 2010, requesting that they develop and submit plans to exit the RAL business.
The letters sent to all three of the banks expressed concern about the utility of the product to the consumer given high fees. This concern was consistent with the FDIC’s Supervisory Policy on Predatory Lending, which stated that signs of predatory lending included, among others, the lack of a fair exchange of value. All three institutions declined the request that they develop a plan to exit the business.
FDIC had Operative Guidance for Banks Engaged in RALs
The Draft Report suggests that the FDIC did not have guidance that was applicable to RALs. In fact, the FDIC has well-established guidance for the supervision of banks that offer RALs, stemming from longstanding guidance governing predatory lending as well as guidance for banks engaged in third-party lending arrangements.
In June 2006, the OIG’s Audits and Evaluations staff issued OIG Report 06-011, Challenges and FDIC Efforts Related to Predatory Lending. The Report recommended that FDIC issue a policy on predatory lending, and FDIC complied. The Policy, which was issued in January 2007, states, “[s]igns of predatory lending include the lack of a fair exchange of value or loan pricing that reaches beyond the risk that a borrower represents or other customary standards.”3 Further, FDIC issued FIL-44-2008, Guidance for Managing Third-Party Risk, in June 2008. Both pieces of guidance were relevant to the banks engaged in the RAL business.
Footnote 3: See https://www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2007/fil07006.html, FDIC Financial Institution Letter 6-2007, FDIC’s Supervisory Policy on Predatory Lending, January 22, 2007. [End of footnote]
Headquarters Management Properly Oversaw Regional Offices
The Draft Report suggested that decisions by FDIC officials to change draft ratings assigned by examiners were improper and unfounded. However, such oversight is appropriate and the review of the examination documents suggests the changes had a strong supervisory basis.
In 2010, FDIC headquarters instructed the Chicago Regional Office to consider bank practices, not just their current financial conditions, in assigning ratings to two banks with identified weaknesses in their RAL programs. This instruction was consistent with interagency rating guidelines. The instruction was also consistent with the concept of forward-looking supervision that the FDIC had emphasized in response to OIG recommendations following Material Loss Reviews of failed banks.
Forward-looking supervision encourages examiners to consider the fact that even financially strong institutions can experience stress in cases in which risks are not properly monitored, measured, and managed. Further, examiners are encouraged to take proactive and progressive action to encourage banks to adopt preemptive measures to address risks before their profitability and viability is impacted.
The ratings for the two banks were fully supported by the weaknesses identified in both banks’ risk management practices and board and senior management oversight of their RAL businesses.
Supervisory Practices were Appropriate and Risk-Focused, Consistent with Longstanding Policy
During 2010, FDIC’s concerns about the safety and soundness of RAL programs grew. OCC and OTS had each directed a large institution to exit the RAL business, and an additional large financial institution exited the RAL lending business on its own. The FDIC was concerned that the activities would migrate to the three FDIC supervised community banks, two of which had documented weaknesses in the oversight of their existing RAL programs. Further, the IRS announced in August it would discontinue the Debt Indicator (DI) before the 2011 tax season; the DI had proven to be a key tool for reducing credit risk in RALs. In November 2010, the institutions were asked to outline their plans for mitigating the resulting increase in credit risk following the loss of the tool. All three institutions conceded that the loss of the DI would result in increased risk to their banks. Despite these concerns, all three institutions continued to decline to exit the business. Finally, in December 2010, OCC directed the final national bank making RALs to exit the business before the 2011 tax season.
In response to these concerns, as well as the ongoing compliance issues that were being identified by 2010 risk-management examinations, the FDIC planned to conduct unannounced horizontal reviews of EROs during the 2011 tax season. These types of reviews were not a novel supervisory tool for the FDIC; in fact third-party agents of one of the institutions had previously been the subject of a horizontal review in 2004 that covered two additional FDIC-supervised institutions.
The 2011 horizontal review ultimately only covered EROs of one of the banks. The review confirmed that the institution had violated law by interfering with the FDIC’s review of the EROs during the 2009 compliance examination and during the 2011 horizontal review by coaching ERO staff and providing scripted answers. The review identified a number of additional violations of consumer laws and unsafe and unsound practices, violations of a Consent Order, and violations of Treasury regulations for allowing third-party vendors to transfer up to 4,300 bank accounts for Social Security recipients without the customers’ knowledge or consent.
FDIC’s Enforcement Actions Were Legally Supported
Contrary to what the Draft Report suggests, the presence of litigation risk does not mean an enforcement action has no legal basis. While some in the Legal Division – in particular the Deputy General Counsel, Supervision Branch (DGC) – believed that enforcement action against one institution presented litigation risk, the General Counsel and the DGC both approved the enforcement actions taken by the FDIC. Their own actions demonstrated their belief that the enforcement action was legally supportable.
The decision to pursue an enforcement action against the bank despite the presence of litigation risk is consistent with guidance offered by the OIG. In a 2014 report on enforcement actions, the OIG noted that legal officials need to ensure that their risk appetite aligns with that of the agency head and should clearly communicate the legal risks of pursuing a particular enforcement action, but the agency head or senior official with delegated authority should set the level of litigation risk that the agency is willing to assume.
Moreover it is important to note that experienced enforcement counsel and subject matter experts in the Legal Division reviewed and responded to the concerns raised by the Chicago Regional Counsel in a series of memoranda.
Communications Between FDIC Board Members and Staff Were Appropriate
The Draft Report suggests that discussions between staff and FDIC Board members on the RAL programs were unusual and inappropriate. However, as discussed below, such discussions are expected and appropriate. No member of the FDIC Board directed FDIC staff to order any banks to discontinue offering RAL products or to take any action that was not supported by supervisory findings.
The FDIC bylaws set forth the organizational structure of the FDIC and the foundation for communications and exercise of authority of both the FDIC Board and its Officers. The FDIC Board has overall responsibility for managing the FDIC, while day-to-day responsibility for managing the FDIC and supervising its Officers is delegated to the FDIC Chairman. FDIC Officers have a duty to keep the Chairman informed of their actions as well as other Board members as appropriate, and they meet this duty through regular briefings of the Chairman and updates to other Board members about the ongoing activities in their organizations.
Case Review Committee Acted Consistently With Existing Guidelines
Contrary to the suggestion in the Draft Report, the Case Review Committee (CRC) acted consistently with existing guidelines in connection with the issuance of the Notice of Charges against an institution in February 2011. The CRC is a standing committee of the FDIC Board of Directors that is responsible for overseeing enforcement matters. Its voting members consist of one internal FDIC Board member who serves as the CRC Chairman and one special assistant or deputy to each of the other four FDIC Board members.
First, the Notice of Charges sought a Cease & Desist Order (C&D) which does not require CRC approval under governing documents. Authority to issue C&D Orders was delegated to staff and therefore the CRC was not required to vote on the C&D Order.
Second, CRC governing documents provide for staff to consult with the CRC Chairman if a proposed enforcement action may affect FDIC policy, attract unusual attention or publicity, or involve an issue of first impression. Under such circumstances, the CRC Chairman may, in his or her discretion, determine whether review and approval by the CRC would be desirable, in which case the matter would be heard by the CRC. Thus, the Notice of Charges did not require a CRC vote.
Finally, CRC governing documents provide that the CRC Chairman is expected to take an active role in the enforcement process and to meet regularly with senior supervision and legal enforcement personnel to review enforcement activities and matters. As such, it was wholly permissible and appropriate for the CRC Chairman to engage with staff in active debate over a matter affecting the FDIC.
Settlement Discussions Were Handled Properly
The FDIC acted consistently with outstanding agency policy when conducting settlement discussions. In the case referenced by the OIG, the bank was prevented from participating in failed bank acquisitions by two issues: an outstanding enforcement action and compliance and risk-management problems stemming from its RAL program. Once the bank settled its enforcement action and agreed to exit the RALs business, there was no reason to prevent the bank from qualifying for the “failed bank bid list.” To do otherwise could have been arbitrary and unduly punitive.
The FDIC had longstanding supervisory histories with respect to RALs. To differing degrees, the institutions engaged in the RAL business had a record of supervisory deficiencies identified by examination staff in both risk management and compliance stemming from their RAL programs. These issues formed the basis for the examination and enforcement actions described in the report. Nonetheless, the Draft Report did identify areas where better communication, both internally and externally, could have improved understanding of the agency’s supervisory expectations and bases for action. Additionally, the Draft Report describes at least one instance in which a former employee – new to the FDIC at the time4 – communicated with external parties in an overly aggressive manner. The FDIC does not condone such conduct, that type of conduct is not consistent with FDIC policy, and steps were taken to address the conduct at the time.
[FDIC letterhead, FDIC logo, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Board of Directors, 550 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20429-9990]
TO: Fred W. Gibson, Acting Inspector General
FROM: Martin J. Gruenberg, Chairman /S/
Thomas M. Hoenig, Vice Chairman /S/
Thomas J. Curry, Director (Comptroller of the Currency) /S/
Richard Cordray, Director (Director of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau) /S/
SUBJECT: Response to Office of Inspector General Report No. OIG-16-001
Thank you for the opportunity to review and respond to the final Report of Inquiry (Final Report) into The FDIC’s Supervisory Approach to Refund Anticipation Loans and the Involvement of FDIC Leadership and Personnel, prepared by the FDIC’s Office of Inspector General (OIG). While the FDIC’s response to the Draft Report of Inquiry on February 17, 2016, addressed the factual record, this response addresses the matters raised by the OIG for consideration.
FDIC Board Review of Policy Matters Raised in the Final Report
The OIG requested that FDIC consider the issues contained in the Final Report and apprise the OIG of any actions FDIC will take as a result. In response, the FDIC Board of Directors (FDIC Board or Board) will undertake a review of the key issues raised in the Final Report for consideration. As a starting point, the FDIC Board reiterates its commitment to the Mission, Vision, and Corporate Values of the FDIC. Additionally, the FDIC Board commits to review and consider the following matters:
• the clarity and sufficiency of parameters applied to the use of moral suasion, or its equivalents;
• the adequacy of existing vehicles for examiners and other employees to report what they believe to be inappropriate actions or direction;
• the effectiveness and timeliness of avenues of redress available to banks that believe supervisory powers are not used appropriately; and
• the governance and procedures of the Board and its committees.
Interim Actions in Response to the Final Report
In addition to this Board-level review, the FDIC has identified a number of interim actions that may be taken now to be responsive to the OIG’s concerns and further strengthen the FDIC’s supervision programs.
Issuance of Internal Guidance Regarding Communication with Bankers
To further reinforce expectations that communication with bankers be clear and balanced, the Division of Risk Management Supervision (RMS) will issue a Regional Director Memorandum (RD Memo) Best Practices: Communication and Coordination with Bank Management in Carrying Out Forward-Looking, Risk-Based Supervision. The RD Memo will:
• set forth communication expectations and best practices for each stage of the supervisory cycle: pre-examination planning, on-site examination activity, post-examination report review, and the period between examinations;
• reinforce the importance of communicating matters involving policy or recommendations in writing on FDIC letterhead or through a report of examination and documenting all such communications in FDIC records; and
• provide expanded instructions for report of examination content and style, the focus of which will be that fact-based, diplomatic and objective language is ordinarily more effective than criticism in achieving corrective action or adoption of recommended improvements.
Enhancement of Appeals Processes
The FDIC agrees that banks should have meaningful avenues of redress if they believe supervisory powers are not used appropriately, including when the appeals process is not available. The Supervision Appeals Review Committee (SARC) guidelines were amended in 2008, after notice and comment, to modify the supervisory determinations eligible for appeal and align the FDIC’s appeal procedures with those of the other federal banking agencies. Prior to 2008, the FDIC was the only federal banking agency that expressly allowed review of determinations that underlie formal enforcement actions, which are subject to a separate due process.
The FDIC Board will review and reconsider the changes made in 2008 to the SARC eligibility requirements as part of the Board-level review of the clarity and appropriateness of the roles and responsibilities of existing Board committees and the effectiveness and timeliness of avenues of redress available to banks that believe supervisory powers are not used appropriately. Additionally, RMS and the Division of Depositor and Consumer Protection (DCP) will develop a process for the review of appeals that are received but are deemed ineligible for the formal review process to ensure that any matters in the appeal that require FDIC management’s attention, including employee behavior, are addressed. The process will require that such reviews be completed in a timely manner, similar to that afforded those appeals eligible for the formal process.
Issuance of External Guidance Regarding Expectations for Communication and Handling of Disagreements
RMS and DCP will update and reissue Financial Institution Letter (FIL) 13-2011, Reminder on FDIC Examination Findings. This FIL:
• reinforces FDIC’s expectations for communications between FDIC and bankers;
• encourages banks to provide feedback on supervisory programs and to seek clarity on FDIC findings and recommendations as necessary;
• encourages institutions with concerns about examination findings to discuss those concerns with the examiner-in-charge or to contact field office or regional office personnel;
• provides an avenue for institutions to appeal examination findings through a formal appeals process; and
• provides a confidential, neutral and independent sounding board through the FDIC Office of the Ombudsman.
Issuance of Industry Guidance on Lending Through Third Parties
In response to the findings of the Final Report and prior OIG audits, the FDIC has begun developing guidance to address the risks associated with banks making loans through third parties as well as risk management practices that would be expected of banks engaging in these activities to mitigate the risks. This new guidance will supplement and expand on the guidance contained in FIL-44-2008, Guidance for Managing Third-Party Risk, and will specifically address the risks associated with banks making loans through rent-a-charter relationships, agent relationships, and other third-party relationships. FDIC staff will present the guidance to the FDIC’s Board of Directors for consideration. As new products and delivery channels emerge, the FDIC commits to fully consider whether the issuance of specific regulatory guidance is warranted.
The FDIC has hired outside counsel to conduct an independent review of the Final Report and supporting materials to advise whether there is a basis for personnel action or changes to personnel policies.
We appreciate the opportunity to provide a response to the Final Report. The FDIC will provide a status update of the efforts outlined above by June 30, 2016.
Former Member of Hebron Bank Board of Directors Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge of Making False Statements to Obtain and Maintain Personal and Business Loans
Former Real Estate Developer Sentenced in Federal Court after Conspiring to Lie to a Bank
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THE OIG VISION
Serving the American People as a Leader in the IG Community
Driving Change and Making a Difference at the FDIC
Helping Preserve the Integrity of the FDIC and Banking System
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Prospective Grant of an Exclusive Patent License: Development and Commercialization of Cell Therapies for Cancer
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E-029-2019: HLA Class II-Restricted T Cell Receptors Against RAS With G12R Mutation
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The National Cancer Institute, an institute of the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, is contemplating the grant of an Exclusive Patent License to practice the inventions embodied in the Patents and Patent Applications listed in the Supplementary Information section of this Notice to Ziopharm Oncology, Inc. (“Ziopharm”), headquartered in Boston, MA.
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1. U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/795,203, filed January 22, 2019 (E-029-2019-0-US-01).
1. U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/867,619, filed June 27, 2019 (E-135-2019-0-US-01).
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“Development, manufacture and commercialization of autologous, peripheral blood T cell therapy products engineered by transposon-mediated gene transfer to express T cell receptors reactive to mutated KRAS, as claimed in the Licensed Patent Rights, for the treatment of human cancers. Specifically excluded from this field of use are, (a) retrovirally-engineered peripheral blood T cell therapy products for the treatment of human cancers, and (b) CRISPR-engineered peripheral blood T cell therapy products for the treatment of human cancers.
Development, manufacture and commercialization of companion diagnostics approved or cleared by the FDA or equivalent foreign regulatory agency for Licensee-proprietary T cell therapy products.”
“Development, manufacture and commercialization of autologous, peripheral blood T cell therapy products engineered by transposon-mediated gene transfer to express T cell receptors reactive to mutated P53, as claimed in Start Printed Page 52891the Licensed Patent Rights, for the treatment of human cancers. Specifically excluded from this field of use are CRISPR-engineered peripheral blood T cell therapy products for the treatment of human cancers.
Intellectual Property Group A is primarily directed to isolated T cell receptors (TCRs) reactive to mutated Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS), within the context of several human leukocyte antigens (HLAs). Mutated KRAS, which plays a well-defined driver role in oncogenesis, is expressed by a variety of human cancers, including: Pancreatic, lung, endometrial, ovarian and prostate. Due to its restricted expression in precancerous and cancerous cells, this antigen may be targeted on mutant KRAS-expressing tumors with minimal normal tissue toxicity.
Intellectual Property Group B is primarily directed to isolated TCRs reactive to mutated tumor protein 53 (TP53 or P53), within the context of several HLAs. P53 is the archetypal tumor suppressor gene and the most frequently mutated gene in cancer. Contemporary estimates suggest that >50% of all tumors carry mutations in P53. Because of its prevalence in cancer and its restricted expression to precancerous and cancerous cells, this antigen may be targeted on mutant P53-expressing tumors with minimal normal tissue toxicity.
This Notice is made in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR part 404. The prospective exclusive license will be royalty bearing, and the prospective exclusive license may be granted unless within fifteen (15) days from the date of this published Notice, the National Cancer Institute receives written evidence and argument that establishes that the grant of the license would not be consistent with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR part 404.
In response to this Notice, the public may file comments or objections. Comments and objections, other than those in the form of a license application, will not be treated confidentially and may be made publicly available.
License applications submitted in response to this Notice will be presumed to contain business confidential information and any release of information from these license applications will be made only as required and upon a request under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552.
Start Signature
Dated: September 26, 2019.
Richard U. Rodriguez,
Associate Director, Technology Transfer Center, National Cancer Institute.
End Signature End Supplemental Information
[FR Doc. 2019-21519 Filed 10-2-19; 8:45 am]
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If you knew how much it cost to run that equipment
Sep 8, 2020 | Energy efficiency
By Randy Barnett
Decisions have to be made—to save energy, to save dollars. Having hard data on which to base those decisions removes the "guess factor" and ultimately has a positive effect on the bottom line. Can recording data, analyzing results, and then making intelligent decisions really have that large of a dollar effect, though? The answer is "Absolutely yes!"
Comparing 200-horsepower air compressors
Consider this manufacturing plant example. The facility owned two 200-horsepower air compressors used for supplying plant air. Since compressor number one was rated at slightly more capacity in cubic feet per minute (cfm) than compressor number two, the decision had been made many months before to run compressor number one as the main compressor, and use compressor number two as the "trim" compressor. Thus, the trim compressor would run only when compressor number one was not able to maintain system pressure. This sounds logical, especially since they are both the same horsepower—there should be little or no difference in electrical operating costs.
Data logger software automatically graphs the energy usage for a 200-horsepower air compressor. This quick overview shows the compressor is averaging just over 50 kW of energy consumption during a three day period of operation. Knowing the electrical rate charge of $/kWh, it would be easy to estimate the cost of operating this compressor during this period.
Power loggers were installed on each unit for several days to determine the actual electrical energy operating cost. Each unit was run by itself to make sure its operation was not influenced by the other unit. Compressor number two was found to be significantly more energy efficient, and was also quite capable of supplying plant air needs. Compressor number two was a newer, more energy-efficient design than its counterpart.
The facility was being charged $0.07 per kilowatt hour (kWh). The run times and kilowatt energy usage were extracted from the logged data and the actual operating costs determined. Such calculations are relatively simple and can easily be built into a spreadsheet for plant-wide usage. The bottom line: Operating compressor number two as the primary plant air compressor resulted in an annual estimated savings of $29,510. Obviously, logged data proved to be much more accurate than "best guess" based solely on nameplate data. Installing power loggers and later downloading data into a PC for analysis takes only a few minutes. A small investment in this case for a large return.
What does it cost to run fifty grinders during lunch break?
At another manufacturing plant the question was asked, "What is it costing to allow those fifty grinders to run during lunch break?" The logic for allowing grinders to run while not in use was that the grinders were relatively small loads as compared to much larger equipment, and the cutting oil would remain circulating throughout the grinder. And, since the grinder was effectively "idling" with no load, it just simply was not worth the effort to shut the grinder down for such short periods.
To verify the decision, a recording digital multimeter with an ac clamp was used to determine the actual operating cost of one grinder during the lunch break period. Interestingly enough, the savings came to only $0.55 for the one grinder. However, multiplying the fifty-five cents times fifty grinders yielded a lunch time savings of $27.50. Given the variables of shift work and holidays, the annual estimated savings of shutting off the grinders during the lunch periods came to just under $8,000. Once again, a thirty-minute check revealed a significant savings that could be achieved by the push of only two buttons per grinder: one for "stop" before lunch and one for "start" after lunch.
Operational costs for larger motors
Larger motors for various applications should always have their operational cost known. In one facility a 100-horsepower (HP) motor was used to pump water from a holding pond several hundred feet to where the water was used for process cooling. The motor ran continuously during plant operations. Other options were being explored for cooling water. The question that needed to be answered to determine payback before a decision could be made was, "How much is it costing us to run the current pumping system we have?" By recording the kilowatts consumed by the motor and the number of hours it was operating during a plant cycle, it was determined the 100 HP motor was almost always operating at its full capacity of 100 HP. It was costing the company $33,241 annually. Business decisions were then made to replace the existing system with a more efficient motor and pump design.
But, why not just rely on nameplate data to determine the cost to operate a motor? After all, NEMA motors are marked with required ratings including their horsepower and efficiency ratings. The answer is that motors rarely operate at their nameplate specifications. Expect actual operating costs to vary.
For example, a 460-volt, three-phase, standard efficiency 100 HP motor operating under full load for 8,760 hours per year will probably cost just over $48,000 per year to operate at an electric rate of $0.10 per kWh. But, what if the motor is not operating under full load at all times? Then, the total operating cost can drop significantly. The only way to know for sure is to measure and record data. Then, analyze data and determine the true dollar value that the motor is contributing to that utility bill. Depending on the application, such a motor may be a candidate for large energy savings with the use of a variable frequency drive (VFD).
Readings averaged every 10 seconds over a one-minute period
Average watts consumed by the motor over the previous 10 seconds
Time Active power total minimum (Watts) Active power total average (Watts) Active power total maximum (Watts)
08:10:07 0ms 32110.238 32097.152 32031.729
Data Logger information imported into a spreadsheet for analysis. This 100-horsepower centrifugal pump motor, if fully loaded, should be consuming nearly 80,000 watts (80 kW). The 32,000 watts (32 kW) indicates the motor is only partially loaded, operating inefficiently, and that it may be a candidate for a VFD—which could result in significant energy savings.
The cost of lighting
Lighting is one of the largest consumers of electrical energy in most industrial and commercial facilities. For example, annual lighting cost in a 160,000-square-foot industrial facility is approximately $85,030. Such dollar amounts can often be quickly and significantly reduced, if you know where to find the biggest savings. Many lighting options are available and selecting the right ones requires intelligent decision making.
The question becomes, "What does it cost to keep those lights on?" Then, estimates can be made for newer, more efficient replacement systems using published data. You can make fairly accurate estimates by counting fixtures, identifying lamp wattages and types, taking into account ballast operation, and knowing actual hours of which lights are on when. However, for decision making purposes, quick and accurate data can be achieved with simple ac clamp meter readings on lighting circuits in question.
As an example, certain fluorescent lighting was left on at a commercial facility for extended periods with what was thought to be good justification. A common misconception is that it is more energy efficient to leave fluorescent lighting on than it is to turn it off. This is true only to a certain extent, as savings are attributed to avoiding the small amount of inrush current when starting these lamps. Also, excessive switching off and on, such as several times per day, can shorten lamp life. The US Department of Energy general rule of thumb is that fluorescent lighting should be turned off if the room is left unoccupied for more than fifteen minutes. However, in some areas of the country this number might be as low as five minutes if electrical rates are high.
It is easy enough to use an ac clamp meter and measure the voltage and current supplied to a lighting circuit to quickly obtain accurate numbers. You can make a quick calculation for the cost to operate that lighting circuit. But what if you are assuming the lights are being shut off at certain times when, in fact, they are not? After all, you placed a sign reminding all workers to turn off all task lighting at workstations at the end of their shift. You probably will not be surprised that electrical current and kW do not go to zero on all such lighting circuits at the end of each day. So, how much are lights that someone forgot to turn off costing you? You won't know until you measure it. Then put up signs showing workers the dollar amounts associated with lighting expenses and you are sure to create some interest.
The per-hour cost of running equipment
Sometimes operations and facility managers simply like to know how much it costs to run a specific piece of equipment per hour. Such information should be provided at 100 percent load, 90 percent load, 80 percent load, and so on. Information can then be extrapolated by managers to make operational decisions. "What if I run press #5 on this project instead of press #3? Which one allows me to make the same part for less?" A fair question that should have a concrete answer.
It is easy to look at an electric utility bill and know what the charge is for the month. Managing and reducing that bill is the goal of energy management and requires the cooperation of all facility personnel. To make intelligent decisions you must know where that electrical energy is going each month. You must measure and record energy data on major pieces of electrical equipment and systems. Using a power logger for at least one plant cycle or more is best. Determine the hourly and annual costs to operate that equipment. Keep track of this data and have it readily available and know how much it cost to run your equipment. It is much more comfortable to make decisions based on fact rather than on estimates and best guesses.
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Home > News > NBS keeps key policy rate steady in January for the third consecutive month
Serbia Monetary Policy January 2018
Serbia: NBS keeps key policy rate steady in January for the third consecutive month
At its 11 January monetary policy meeting, the Executive Board of the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) maintained its key policy rate at 3.50% for the third consecutive month. In making its decision—which came in line with market expectations—the NBS specifically took into account inflation expectations and the expected effects of past monetary policy easing.
At earlier meetings in November and December, the NBS had decided to leave its key policy rate unchanged following cuts in both September and October. A stronger dinar helped provide room for those cuts, and while the dinar remains strong, the NBS arguably had little room for further accommodative moves in January due to an increase in public sector compensation in Serbia this year and tighter monetary policy from leading central banks around the world on the horizon.
By keeping its key policy rate at 3.50%, the NBS aimed to support economic growth and ensure that inflation remains within its target range of 3.0% plus or minus 1.5 percentage points. Inflation accelerated from 2.8% in November to 3.0% in December—perfectly at the midpoint of the target range—while core inflation slowed from 1.4% to 1.3%. Inflation is expected to face opposing dynamics early this year in the form of downward pressure from a negative base effect and upward pressure owing to a strong domestic economy. By leaving its key policy rate unchanged, the NBS hoped to minimize any changes that would lead inflation to diverge too far from its target range.
The NBS did not give any concrete indications in its post-meeting communiqué about future intentions. It did note, however, that commodity prices are being monitored carefully—oil prices, for example, have picked up in recent months—as are movements in the monetary policies of leading central banks. But, given that inflation is expected to be slightly below the NBS’s target midpoint in the short term, and that core inflation remains weak as of December, the Executive Board is unlikely to take a particularly hawkish stance at its next monetary policy meeting on 8 February. Nevertheless, several FocusEconomics panelists do expect a key policy rate rise by the end of this year.
FocusEconomics Consensus Forecast panelists expect the policy rate to end 2018 at 3.81%. In 2019, the panel expects the rate to increase and end the year at 4.35%.
Author: Edward Gardner, Economist
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Serbia Monetary Policy Chart
Note: NBS Reference Rate in %.
Source: National Bank of Serbia (NBS).
Serbia Economic News
Serbia: Industrial activity contracts at sharpest rate since May in November
Industrial output decreased 1.4% in year-on-year terms in November, which contrasted October's 1.9% increase.
Serbia: Inflation ticks down in November
Consumer prices were unchanged from the prior month in November, after rising 0.10% month-on-month in October.
Serbia: Central Bank cuts interest rate to new all-time low in December
At its final meeting of the year held on 10 December, the Executive Board of the National Bank of Serbia opted to trim the key policy rate by 25 basis points to 1.00% from 1.25%.
Serbia: Industrial output growth eases in October
Industrial output rose 1.9% compared to the same month a year earlier in October, which was a deterioration from September's 4.6% increase.
Serbia: Inflation stable in October
Consumer prices rose 0.1% month-on-month in October, swinging from the 0.5% drop recorded in September.
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Stoneacre Brasserie in Newport, RI is Fantastic!
We recently needed to travel to Newport, RI for a quick weekend trip. Whenever we're in Newport, we try to eat at what was then Stoneacre Pantry (now re-named Stoneacre Tapas) on Thames Street. We've been there too many times to count, and the food and service have always been amazing. One of our favorite Newport experiences was when the staff prepared us an 8-course black and white truffle dinner. So fresh. So delicious. Gorgeous food. So, it was no surprise to find that the Stoneacre team had now expanded to open Stoneacre Brasserie just off of Broadway.
A word on the space itself--while Stoneacre Pantry's space could be described as "intimate," Stoneacre Brasserie set up shop in the former Naval Officer's club (which housed Yesterday's for years). The space is HUGE, with lots of tables, a bar as long as an aircraft carrier, a huge multi-station open kitchen with wood-fired oven, and a gorgeous build-out. Owners Chris and David certainly did it right when planning for this new concept. And, despite only being open 2 months, it seems that the entire Island was there for dinner on Saturday night. A really good problem to have!
Thanks to their sister wine store--Stoneacre Wine & Spirits--the Brasserie has access to a healthy wine list with plenty of diversity, including nice Rhone offerings. We went with a bottle of 2014 Christophe Semaska Saint Joseph, which was full of big red fruit, meat, and clarity from tannins that were actually starting to resolve themselves earlier than expected. Not their fanciest bottle, by far, but a very satisfying Northern Rhone offering in a town where it's hard to find anything from that region.
Now to the fun part: the food. Stoneacre has always offered diners an amuse-bouche or two prior to dinner, and this trip was no different. A spoon filled with slightly-sweetened wood-roasted red beet puree, with a dollop of creme fraiche and a few chives sprinkled on top to add spice and a bit of crunch. Admittedly simple, it was tasty, with good contrasting flavors and textures. Just what you want to excite your palate for what was to come.
Now, as we often do at these types of restaurants, we decided to create our own form of "tasting menu" based on what Stoneacre has on its regular menu. It is worth noting, however, that Stoneacre now offers a form of prix fixe menu (they call it their "good times" menu option) that allows the chef (meaning everyone that works in the restaurant--everyone helps out in the kitchen) to make selections for you throughout the evening based on your likings and/or dietary restrictions. At $58 / person, it's a good deal, and probably one we'll take them up on next time.
The first course we ordered was a holdover from the old restaurant: their smoked trout deviled eggs, with a bit of trout roe, some creme fraiche, and chives. This time around, the trout gave off a little less smokey essence than we've experienced before, but the deviled eggs were still delicious! Just a classic pairing when you add in smoked paprika. Makes you ask why Grandma never put smoked trout in her deviled eggs!
Next came a new dish--full shell wood-fired oysters with lemon-thyme butter, served over a bed of steamed and smoked seaweed. These were really the perfect mixture of oceany-brine, sweet-yet-smoky oyster essence, and a nice pop of acidity, freshness, and a little bit of buttery richness from the lemon-thyme butter. And, did we mention they were gorgeous? Presented similarly to how Roister (in Chicago) serves their wood-fired oysters, the smoky-steamed seaweed really gives you the full oceanic experience.
After we were finished with the oysters, the staff was nice enough to quickly bring out their flash-seared yellowfin tuna, served with a beurre noisette (brown butter) and soy sauce, with a lovely little microgreen salad and crispy shallots added on top. A great mixture of salty (the sauce) and slightly sweet (the tuna), with crunch coming from the shallots, and nice freshness coming from the salad, this dish really had a balance hard to find at most restaurants. You can tell it was well thought-through and perfectly executed. With just enough sear to color the outside and provide a bit of char, the succulent rare center was a play on sushi that still worked with the French-centric theme of the menu, thanks to the sauce and the shallots. Coming out as a very generous serving, we enjoyed this one for quite a while!
The fifth course (counting the amuse bouche) was Stoneacre's signature French Onion soup. So cheesy, so rich. Just like every great French Onion soup you've ever had. Except better. You know why? Because Stoneacre doesn't just sautee their onions. They don't just brown their onions. They practically incinerate them. There is so much char on these babies, it's almost scary. How gutsy to go WAY past where other restaurants stop to produce a flavor that is just exquisite! As David told us "you can't be afraid when you're cooking." Well, that mantra worked for them. Because it's the best French Onion soup we've ever had--and we just got back from 10 days in Paris! We will definitely be copying their lead from now on when we make this at home. Genius idea.
Our sixth course was wood-fired bone marrow with an Asian-style pickled raw vegetable salad on top. Very creative for sure, and a nicer looking presentation than the normal marrow course provides. While the marrow was just a bit under, the vinegar-based acidity offered a tremendous counterpoint to the richness of the marrow. Nice dish for sure. We'll definitely order it again.
Finally, we were ready for our entree. We chose the steak frites with black truffle butter and caramelized shallots, except that we subbed-in pan-roasted cinnamon cap mushrooms for the traditional fries. Because, why not? The steak came out neatly sliced, with a good black-truffle essence from the butter that had melted on top. The mushrooms soaked up a bit of the truffle butter as well, and that really complimented their nutty flavor. While we wish the shallots would have been diced just a bit smaller (so that there would be more to go around), the fact is the dish was a real winner. It was a delicious and well-balanced entree that was perfect for a crisp evening.
At this point in the evening, we found that our wine had run low. Not wanting to die of thirst or pass out from dehydration, we decided a second bottle was in order. We chose a bottle of 2015 Eric Texier Cotes du Rhone-Brezeme. A nice follow up to the Saint Joseph we had earlier, this wine offered a bit less finesse, a bit more big, bright red fruit, and good steely acidity that you'd expect out of a young Northern Rhone offering. Far from bitter or overly tannic, this actually was lighter than expected, and a good choice to finish the meal.
Dessert finished out the meal for us, and was another stunning choice. Rather than a traditional sugar bomb, the hazelnut chocolate mousse we ordered still had a great balance of sweet and savory, creamy and crunchy. Because, unlike a traditional chocolate mousse, Stoneacre puts a layer of crunchy hazelnut salted caramel at the bottom of the jar they serve this out of (without telling you), and sprinkle some crunchy toasted hazelnuts on top for good measure. The chocolate mousse, as expected, is rich, creamy and delicious. The hazelnuts sprinkled on top offer a nice crunch. Then, you dig deep and hit the crunchy caramel layer. Wow! Unexpected. Salty. Crunchy. So different. And so absolutely delicious! The caramel really elevates this dish to 11. Maybe even 12. We're huge fans of savory desserts, and this was just the perfect option to finish a wonderful dinner.
In short, we're really excited for Chris and David and the rest of the Stoneacre crew. They took what worked for them at Stoneacre Pantry, expanded on the menu options, multiplied their concept to fill about 5x the space, and have succeeded! Fantastic food, fantastic and personalized service. From a downtown Newport perspective, we think this is a top 2-3 restaurant for sure. If you're ever anywhere near Newport, this is worth a trip.
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Is Popular Cannabis Stock HEXO a Buy in 2020?
The company has a been a master dealmaker in the marijuana space, but is that enough to merit buying this pot stock?
(TMFUltraLong)
Jan 8, 2020 at 7:21AM
A Fool since 2010, and a graduate from UC San Diego with a B.A. in Economics, Sean specializes in the healthcare sector and investment planning. You'll often find him writing about Obamacare, marijuana, drug and device development, Social Security, taxes, retirement issues and general macroeconomic topics of interest. Follow @TMFUltraLong
The cannabis industry was supposed to be unstoppable in 2019, with Canada launching derivatives and a number of U.S. states delivering strong organic growth. But reality hadn't come close to matching the perception by the time the curtain finally closed.
Following a red-hot first quarter that saw more than a dozen pot stocks gain at least 70%, cannabis companies finished the remainder of the year in a steep nine-month downtrend. Persistent supply issues in Canada, exorbitant tax rates on cannabis in select U.S. states, and a huge black market presence have all made life difficult for North American pot stocks.
This decline also has some investors believing that marijuana stocks may now be intriguing values. This is especially true of Quebec-based HEXO (NYSE:HEXO), which shed 54% of its value in 2019 and lost more than 80% from its closing high in late April.
But is a more than halving of HEXO's share price a reason for investors to buy into this growth story in 2020? Don't bet on it.
To date, HEXO has been a master dealmaker
On paper, HEXO would appear to offer a lot of value for investors. For one, it's a major producer, with at least 150,000 kilos of peak production capacity at its disposal when fully operational. Having so much output should lead to per-gram production costs that are below the industry average, as well as make it a popular company with which to forge supply deals.
Speaking of which, HEXO is the grower behind the largest provincial supply deal to date: a 200,000-kilo, five-year agreement with its home province of Quebec. This deal, presumably, accounts for a third or more of HEXO's production over the next five years and provides some level of cash flow certainty that most other pot growers don't have.
HEXO has also been a stud in the dealmaking department. The company wound up acquiring Newstrike Brands to bolster its production and has worked out a two-year agreement with The Valens Company to have an aggregate of 80,000 kilos of hemp and cannabis biomass processed for resins and distillates that'll be used in derivatives. As a reminder, HEXO has more than 600,000 square feet set aside solely for processing and manufacturing.
It also formed a joint venture (known as Truss) with Molson Coors Brewing in 2018 that recently launched a line of cannabis-infused nonalcoholic beverages. HEXO has gone all-in on high-margin derivatives, and has eagerly awaited the December 2019 launch of these alternative consumption products.
Sounds like a high-growth, feel-good story in the cannabis space, right? Well, not so fast.
But there's more to success in the pot industry than dealmaking
One pretty notable problem for HEXO, and the entire pot industry for that matter, is the persistent supply issues throughout Canada. While these problems are fixable, they're not going to be resolved overnight. Regulatory agency Health Canada will take numerous quarters to work through its cultivation and sales licensing backlog. And Ontario is only now transitioning away from its ineffective lottery system for dispensary licenses, meaning the ramp-up in legal sales channels in the country's most populous province will remain slow.
For HEXO, this slow ramp-up in sales means ongoing losses. Having previously touted fiscal 2020 sales of 400 million Canadian dollars ($308 million), HEXO completely pulled the plug on this prognostication and announced production and job cuts instead during the fourth quarter.
In an effort to better align output and expenses with current market conditions, HEXO is planning to idle its Niagara grow farm, acquired via the Newstrike deal, as well as halt cultivation on 200,000 square feet at its flagship Gatineau facility. By my estimation, these moves reduce the company's peak annual output by about a third, or 50,000 kilos. Though this should shrink the company's operating losses, it also means it won't be anywhere near operating efficiency.
It's also worth pointing out that HEXO has invested a lot of money and time into high-margin derivatives. But its "return" for these investments has so far been a delayed launch of alternative pot products and the expectation of tough competition, especially in the Canadian beverage space.
Perhaps most concerning is that HEXO ended its most recent quarter with less than CA$55 million in cash and cash equivalents, not including CA$18.8 million in restricted cash. HEXO did raise $25 million (that's in U.S. dollars) in December by selling its common stock at a substantial discount to its previous day's closing price, but its cash position remains worrisome with the industry facing as many near-term challenges as it currently is.
HEXO needs a lot to go right in 2020
Although this is not a cannabis stock that investors should consider chasing in 2020, it's not out of the question that its situation improves. HEXO could prove me wrong if a couple of things go its way this year.
For instance, all eyes are going to be on Ontario following its move to a more traditional dispensary licensing system. The province believes it can increase its number of open dispensaries to 250 by year's end, up from just 24 in October 2019. If Ontario regulators can outpace their own projections and find a way to get legal-channel product in front of consumers, then HEXO's sales (and those of its peers) should surpass substantially reduced expectations.
With HEXO also making hard cutbacks now, including 200 job cuts across numerous divisions, it's possible that the company's operating cash flow could prove better than expected in 2020. Again, with cash on hand being a clear concern among investors, an improvement in operating cash flow (not necessarily bottom-line losses) would probably be enough to inspire more confidence in management.
Nevertheless, I'm expecting HEXO's obstacles to outnumber its opportunities in 2020, making it a stock that investors would be best off watching from the safety of the sidelines.
NYSE:HEXO
Why Cannabis Stocks Are Trading Mixed Today
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Can HEXO Stock Rebound in 2021?
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Is Popular Cannabis Stock HEXO a Buy in 2020? @themotleyfool #stocks $HEXO Next Article
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THE PATH OF PROGRESSION THROUGH A LIFETIME OF EXPLORING THE MOUNTAINS
" The vision we live by is to build the best skis, implement new designs, shapes and materials to the ski community . "
- Kye Petersen
DESIGNED BY KYE
Kye has dedicated over a decade of his life testing and developing skis for major brands and designing his own pro model line. His decision to venture on his own path allows him the freedom and opportunity to explore the ideas he has collected over the years.
KYE Shapes is more than just a ski company, but a brand focused on creating a reputation for developing the most exciting and modern shapes that every skier can experience and enjoy.
RIDER BUILT RIDER SHAPED
We see ourselves as pioneers of a new age of rider designed shaping brands. We are not inventors, we are innovators that are bringing big change to the way ski shapes are being designed. We recognize that the smallest changes can be felt in the biggest way and that by fine tuning each and every line and curve in our skis can make all the difference.
Everyone behind KYE Shapes are mountain people at heart and skiing is our passion. We take it to heart that it is our responsibility to create the best dynamics for a ski to perform at the highest level. Wherever your may be riding on the mountain, in bounds, freeriding, or in the furthest mountain range possible.
TREVOR WOULD DO IT
The mantra of a man who graced the cover of almost every ski magazine in the 90's. He was at the forefront of ski mountaineering and exploring beyond the boundary of Whistler Blackcomb and into the backcountry before anyone else. Not for the fame, or the money, or the name in a history book.
Just simply to do it.
Adventure in the mountain feeds a spirit for life that pushes the limits of feeling alive and living on the edge. Staring fear in the face and feeding the core of a passion for a life on the path of the less than ordinary, life rather extraordinary, a life lived to the fullest. Taking advantage of every moment in life and living in those moments.
"There comes a time when one must risk something or sit forever with one's dreams"
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The Camera Doesn’t Lie, Right? Well…
Brief, dark, and grainy, the video image is a punch to the gut.
A California sheriff’s deputy trying to detain a subject who’s on the ground after a high-speed chase says to him, “Get up! Get up!” The man says, “Ok, I’m gonna get up,” and starts to rise. Without another word, the deputy shoots him, 3 times in quick succession.
With millions of others, you probably became a vicarious eye-witness when the scene was telecast over and over world-wide. Be honest. The man complied with an officer’s command, and the shooting was not an unintentional discharge. Didn’t it look like a slam-dunk case of egregious abuse of force?
Late last month [6/28/07], after less than 4 hours’ deliberation following a trial that lasted over a month, a jury acquitted the deputy, Ivory Webb Jr., of attempted voluntary manslaughter and firearms assault. The charges could have sent him to prison for 18 years. For people who knew nothing more about the case than what they’d seen on TV or the Internet, the verdict seemed a puzzlement, if not an outrageous miscarriage of justice.
But jurors said the tale of the video took on a whole different flavor when considered in context with circumstances that were little known publicly until Webb’s trial.
Dr. Bill Lewinski, executive director of the Force Science Research Center at Minnesota State University-Mankato, was part of the defense team. He was brought into the case “to explain the human factors behind the shooting,” based on his expertise as a behavioral scientist and on FSRC’s unique studies of lethal-force dynamics.
In a recent interview with Force Science News, Lewinski reprised his courtroom testimony and his insider’s knowledge of the pressure-cooker confrontation that embroiled Ivory Webb and resulted in his becoming the first LEO ever charged criminally for an on-duty shooting in the history of San Bernardino County.
“It was important to paint a picture of what happened from Webb’s perspective,” Lewinski says. “The video was so vivid, so seemingly clear-cut, that people didn’t properly factor in what led up to the shooting.”
Ivory Webb was 46 years old at the time of the shooting, a former college football player (Rose Bowl ’82), the son of a retired California police chief, and a veteran of nearly 10 years with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Most of his career had been spent as a jail officer. Although he’d been on the street for over 4 years, “he had never been the primary officer on a felony vehicle stop,” Lewinski says. “He performed pretty much as a backup officer.”
The subjects he confronted at the shooting scene were Luis Escobedo, 22, who had a rap sheet from previous run-ins with police and would later be arrested for CCW, and Elio Carrion, 21, an Air Force senior airman and security officer.
On the last weekend night in January, 2006, Luis Escobedo and Elio Carrion were at a late-night barbeque in Montclair, east of Los Angeles, celebrating Carrion’s recent return from a 6-month stint in Iraq. They’d been “heavily” consuming beer and tequila when they decided to take a fellow partygoer’s Corvette for a spin. Both had blood alcohol levels of more than double the state’s legal limit.
Escobedo took the wheel (although he had no driver’s license) and on a “lightly trafficked industrial road” near some railroad tracks, he opened up the sleek muscle car to see how fast it would go. Soon they passed a San Bernardino deputy who gave pursuit but couldn’t keep up.
Webb, returning to patrol from another call, heard radio traffic about the chase and moments later saw the Corvette “coming directly at me. If I hadn’t swerved into the other lane, they would have smashed right into me.”
Webb barreled after them and soon was driving over 100 mph to keep up. The Corvette screeched around a corner, caromed off curbs, and at one point “spun around and came directly at me a second time.” Before colliding, it suddenly smoked into a U-turn and wove wildly from one side of the street to another, then crashed into a cinder block wall facing opposing traffic and “hung up there.” The chase had ended in the municipality of Chino.
When Webb pulled up, the vehicle was shaking as the occupants tried to force the doors open, he said. The trunk lid had popped up from the impact, blocking the view from behind. He nosed in slightly toward the right rear of the Corvette and stepped out of his patrol car.
“Considering that they’d played chicken with him twice and had shown no regard for human safety with their reckless speeding, Webb reasonably assessed the car’s occupants as really dangerous,” Lewinski says. “He had his full uniform on, his overheads were flashing, and he had his gun and flashlight out, so there was no mistaking his authority.
“Carrion began to exit the vehicle and took a step in the direction of Webb’s patrol car. Webb ordered him to show his hands clearly. Carrion didn’t. Webb ordered him to get down. Carrion didn’t. Inside the vehicle, Escobedo kept reaching his hands into areas Webb could not see.” The deputy’s commands to both subjects were repeated in a stream, with no compliance. In his frustration and concern, Webb ratcheted up his language with liberal infusions of profanity.
At trial a retired LASD lieutenant testified as a tactical expert for the prosecution and condemned Webb for not remaining “calm and assertive,” as officers are trained to do. But Lewinski took Webb’s words out of the context of antiseptic Monday morning quarterbacking and put them in the context of his on-the-spot fears.
The chase had led the deputy into an unfamiliar section of Chino and, essentially, “he was lost,” Lewinski says. He knew the street he was on but in the blur of the pursuit he’d had a hard time tracking the cross streets. Several times he named the nearest intersection incorrectly when radioing for help. Deputies trying to reach him sometimes cited directions and their own locations erroneously, too.
The two suspects could overhear the radio jabber. “Webb knew that they knew his back up couldn’t find him and that he was all alone with two drunken young men who were not complying with any of his orders,” Lewinski says.
The pair was physically separated, so Webb constantly had to shift his focus and his flashlight from one to the other to keep tabs on their actions. And they kept trying verbally to intimidate him, Lewinski explains. “Carrion at one point told the deputy, ‘I’ve spent more time than you in the fuckin’ police, in the fuckin’ military.’
“Webb recognized all this from his jail experience as a common tactic among gangbangers: separate, keep up a barrage of chatter to distract, then attack. Webb ordered them to shut up, but they didn’t.”
At a point when Carrion had gotten within his reactionary gap, Webb kicked him to take him to the ground. (The prosecution’s expert would claim later that police are not trained to kick suspects because it puts them off-balance. But Lewinski points out that in fact kicks and leg strikes are common staples in contemporary defensive tactics.) On the ground, Carrion was propped up on his arms, “controlled to some degree” but not proned out like Webb wanted.
The grinding crash of the speeding Corvette against the wall and the flashing lights and all the yelling that followed had alerted a used car salesman living across the street that something worth filming was going down. He grabbed his Sony digital zoom camera and started recording after Carrion climbed out of the car.
This man, a Cuban refugee, was wanted on old felony warrants for aggravated assault in Florida. His past would surface after his sensational footage saturated the airwaves.
But for now, his camera was about to capture what photographers call “the money shot.”
When the video was first reviewed and broadcast, the figures of Webb and Carrion could be grossly seen on the darkened street, the deputy with his gun out standing over the semi-grounded suspect. But subtleties were hard to distinguish. The audio track, too, was tough to make out, although what could be heard sounded discouragingly incriminating.
Carrion: We’re here on your side. We mean you no harm.
Webb: OK, get up! (inaudible) Get up!
Carrion: OK, I’m just gonna get up.
Carrion starts to move up. Three shots ring out from Webb’s .45. Carrion is hit in the left shoulder, the left thigh, and the left ribs. He’s critically wounded but survives.
The digital recording was “enhanced” by an FBI laboratory to reveal more visual detail. Through ultra-sophisticated technology of David Notowitz, a video expert engaged by Webb’s attorneys, it was then enhanced even further, to the point that images were recovered from a section of the recording that seemingly had been completely whited out by the amateur cameraman ineptly fiddling with the controls.
Webb had experienced difficulty articulating precisely what happened just before he started shooting. In Lewinski’s opinion, he suffered memory problems that are not uncommon after high-intensity officer-involved shootings. “But when the enhanced footage was slowed down and time coded so we could study the action fragment by fragment, I became convinced he was reacting instinctively to a legitimate perceived threat.”
As Carrion braces on his hands, resistant to going fully to the ground, he first can be seen jabbing a hand up toward Webb’s gun. The weapon is well within his grasp, but he quickly lowers his hand without attempting a grab.
Then the video confirms that he twice reaches his hand inside his black Raiders jacket. Carrion would claim on the witness stand that he was just pointing to his chest. “But the enhanced image shows his hand buried in the jacket up to the knuckles,” Lewinski says. “It was definitely inside.”
Less than a second later, Webb jerks his gun barrel up slightly as if motioning with it as he commands, “Get up! Get up!”
“He’s talking to the hand, focusing on it,” Lewinski says. “What I sincerely believe he was thinking was, ‘Get your hand up,’ meaning get it away from where you may have a weapon hidden and out where I can see it. But the words came out different than his thought.
“Some of our studies have shown that when officers feel they are in control of a situation, they tend to give clear and relevant commands. But when they feel out of control, their commands often deteriorate. For Ivory Webb, that was an enormously stressful situation and there was nothing he felt in control of.
“Under stress and time compression, people commonly experience slips between thought and speech.” En Route to the trial, for example, Lewinski asked a harried airline ticket agent for directions to a travelers’ lounge. “Down there,” she said-and pointed up. Even the prosecutor while cross-examining Lewinski misspoke in referencing something, and apologized for it. “It’s easy to do, isn’t it?” Lewinski softly replied.
Lewinski cited a case of an officer who, facing a suspect with a knife, repeatedly shouted “Show me your hands!” even though both hands were visible. The officer was trying to say “Drop the knife” but “resorted to familiar commands from his training under stress,” Lewinski explained.
In the uncertain and rapidly evolving circumstances on the street in Chino, Carrion reaching into his jacket had “extremely threatening implications,” Lewinski says. “He turned out not to be armed, but Webb couldn’t know that. For the first time in the encounter, Carrion obeyed the command he heard. He began to rise up and a little forward, like starting to lunge. Webb had already made the decision to fire, thinking his life was in jeopardy, and pulled the trigger.”
A tactics expert who volunteered for the defense, Sgt. Kenton Ferrin of Inglewood (CA) PD, said he would have shot under the same circumstances. Webb “thought he was going to die,” Ferrin testified.
The prosecutor’s expert, however, asserted that each of Webb’s shots was a deliberate decision, bolstering the contention that the deputy in effect had committed a cold, calculating execution. But Lewinski pointed out that the time-coded video enhancement showed there was just 6/10 of a second between each round. He explained that FSRC’s time-and-motion studies had proven that in that tight sequencing, with both the officer and the subject moving slightly, there’s no possibility of conscious decision-making prompting each shot. “At that point, after the first round, it was just an instinctive process.”
“The purpose of Dr. Lewinski’s testimony,” says Webb’s attorney Michael Schwartz of the Santa Monica law firm Silver, Hadden, Silver, Wexler and Levine, “was to help the jury see that behavior the prosecution considered grounds for suspicion and criminal action could, in fact, be understood as common human behavior in circumstances of extreme stress.”
The first poll inside the jury room was 11 for acquittal, 1 for conviction. The dissenter soon changed his mind. When the verdict was announced, Ivory Webb burst into tears and praised God.
That was just the first of the legal challenges he faces. Elio Carrion and his family have asked federal authorities to bring criminal charges against Webb, and a civil suit has of course been filed.
Meanwhile, with cell phone cameras and camcorders proliferating, a profusion of controversial police actions seems destined in days ahead to be seen and judged by millions who understand little about them.
After the Webb verdict, a reporter for the Associated Press interviewed Eugene O’Donnell, a former cop and prosecutor who now teaches police studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.
“Videos are drenched with caveats,” O’Donnell cautioned. “One thing we’ve learned about videos is that there are often missing pieces.”
CameraLegal CasesOfficer Involved ShootingStressVideo
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Fed officials widely divided on rates at July meeting
by: MARTIN CRUTSINGER, Associated Press
FILE – In this July 31, 2019, file photo Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference following a two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting in Washington. On Wednesday, Aug. 21, the Federal Reserve releases minutes from its July meeting when it cut its key interest rate for the first time in a decade. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials were widely divided at their meeting last month when they decided to cut rates for the first time in a decade, with some arguing for a bigger rate cut while others insisted the Fed should not cut rates at all.
The minutes of the July 30-31 discussions released Wednesday show two officials believed the Fed should cut its benchmark policy rate by a half-percentage point, double the quarter-point reduction the central bank eventually agreed upon. On the other end, some Fed officials argued for no rate cut at all, believing that the economy was beginning to improve after a soft patch in the spring.
The minutes did not indicate any consensus on the pace of future cuts.
Financial markets have been turbulent since the July 31 rate cut, diving 800 points one day last week on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, as bad news has piled up in terms of the slowing global economy and the latest developments in President Donald Trump’s trade war with China.
Because of these developments, investors have become convinced the central bank will follow up the July rate cut with further cuts at coming meetings. But private economists are not so sure, believing the Fed may want to save some of its rate cut ammunition should the economy take a serious turn for the worse with the possibility of a recession.
The minutes provided little clarity on what the future course for rates will be, but markets are hoping that Fed Chairman Jerome Powell may send a stronger signal about future rate hikes when he delivers the keynote address at the Fed’s annual policy conference at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on Friday.
“There is little sign that the Fed is willing to push back on the markets,” said Michael Pearce, senior economist at Capital Economics. “As such, another (quarter-point) cut in September still looks like a good bet, if only because the Fed will not want to disappoint lofty market expectations.”
The two Fed officials who argued for a bigger rate cut “favored a stronger action to better address the stubbornly low inflation rates of the past several years,” the minutes said.
The July action was approved on an 8-2 vote with Esther George, president of the Fed’s Kansas City regional bank, and Eric Rosengren, president of the Boston Fed, dissenting and arguing that they favored no rate cut at all.
The minutes said the majority view supported a quarter-point cut, viewing it as a “mid-cycle adjustment,” a phrase Powell used in his press conference that caused an adverse market reaction by investors hoping the July cut will be the first in a series of rate reductions.
The minutes highlighted three main reasons for the cut, including recent signs of deceleration of the economy and concerns about persistently low inflation. Officials also believed a rate cut would be a “prudent step from a risk-management perspective.”
The minutes said the Fed was worried about a slowdown in business investment and the global headwinds that are affecting Europe, Japan and other regions.
“Participants were mindful that trade tensions were far from settled and that trade uncertainties could intensify again,” the minutes said.
On Aug. 1, the day after the Fed’s rate cut, Trump announced that he would impose 10 percent tariffs on $300 billion in Chinese imports in an effort to force the Chinese to make more trade concessions at the bargaining table. Since that announcement, Trump has said he would postpone about half of those tariffs until Dec. 15 to avoid hurting American consumers during the holiday shopping season.
But economists are warning that the tariffs already imposed will likely slow U.S. growth in coming quarters.
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Arizona man accused of shooting 3 at Westgate indicted on 39 charges
Armando Hernandez Jr.
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — A grand jury has indicted a construction worker on 39 charges in a shooting rampage at a suburban Phoenix restaurant and retail complex that wounded three people.
Armando Hernandez Jr. was indicted on two counts of attempted first-degree murder, 10 counts of aggravated assault, 15 counts of disorderly conduct, four counts of endangerment, two counts of firing a gun at a structure, five counts of criminal damage and one count of unlawful firing of a weapon.
He's accused of shooting three people at the Westgate Entertainment District on the night of May 20 and remains jailed on a $1 million bond.
One of the victims — a 19-year-old man — remains hospitalized in critical condition. A 16-year-old girl and 30-year-woman suffered non-life threatening injuries.
Hernandez, 20, allegedly wanted to target people in his own age group in retaliation for being bullied, according to authorities.
He reportedly walked through the entertainment district, returned to his car to make a social media video and loaded three rifle magazines. Glendale police said Hernandez filmed the attack while holding a cellphone with his left hand and blasting away with the rifle in his right hand.
He later surrendered, telling detectives that he intended to harm 10 people, although it’s unclear why he chose that number.
Authorities said they believe Hernandez intended to use the 90 rounds of ammunition that he brought to the attack, but he was thwarted when his weapon jammed.
Jamie Jackson, an attorney representing Hernandez, declined to comment on the indictment.
Glendale honors fire captain, police officer for heroism during Westgate shooting
Two heroes who saved lives in the shooting at the Westgate Entertainment District on May 20 were recognized for their heroic efforts on Thursday.
Glendale Police Department releases 911 calls from Westgate shooting
We are hearing the 9-1-1 calls from the Westgate Entertainment District shooting last week on May 20th. The suspect remains in custody and has a $1M bond.
Kyrene school board candidate who mis-ID'ed Westgate shooter quits
Scott Weinberg announced he is dropping his campaign for Kyrene School District Governing Board, which covers schools in several Phoenix suburbs.
'You expect the worst': Westgate Entertainment District shooting victim's mother speaks out
The mother of one of the Westgate Entertainment District's shooting victims speaks publicly for the first time Saturday, just days after a man targeted people with an assault rifle on May 20th because police say he wanted respect.
Man accused of taking part in shooting at Westgate makes initial appearance in court
Prosecutors painted a dark picture of the man authorities believe was the suspect in a shooting that left three people injured at Westgate Wednesday night. FOX 10's Nicole Garcia reports.
Glendale police: Suspect in Westgate shooting said he was bullied, wanted to gain respect
According to Glendale Police officials, calls came in at around 7:25 p.m. of an active shooting situation at Westgate. The shooting, according to officials, left three people injured, one critically.
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Now that it’s returned to British ownership, what’s next for Asda?
Asda has officially become a British-owned retailer again – the first time in 21 years.
Last Friday, US retail behemoth Walmart agreed terms for a £6.8 billion sale of a majority stake in the Big 4 grocer to the billionaire Issa brothers, along with partners at private equity firm TDR Capital. Walmart had accepted a bid from a consortium led by Mohsin and Zuber Issa – the Lancashire-based owners of petrol forecourt firm EG Group – following a lengthy auction process.
Walmart has owned Asda since 1999, and the deal means it would still retain a minority stake in the Big 4 grocer as part of the agreement, as well as have a seat on the board.
Walmart has owned Asda for 21 years.
“This new ownership opens an exciting new chapter in Asda’s long heritage of delivering great value for UK shoppers,” Asda chief executive Roger Burnley said.
The Issa brothers confirmed Asda’s headquarters would remain in Leeds, and they will support the existing management team and maintain competitive pay levels for shop floor staff.
They also said they would invest over £1 billion in the next three years to further strengthen Asda’s business and its supply chain, and grow its convenience and online operations.
The sale comes more than a year after the proposed £12 billion merger between Asda and Big 4 rival Sainsbury’s was blocked by competition regulators at CMA.
US-based Walmart had sought to exit the UK through a sale of Asda after the CMA blocked its merger with Sainsbury’s amid fears it would push up prices and reduce product quality.
Discussions over the sale of Asda started in February this year, but these came to a halt due to disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic. The auction process restarted in July.
Although ecommerce sales doubled during the lockdown period, during which Asda remained open as it was classed as an essential retailer, the Issa brothers now face the challenge of expanding the grocery giant’s digital business further to take advantage of the soaring online demand.
EG Group and TDR Capital will also face the challenge of keeping prices low amid tough economic conditions for shoppers and potential new tariffs on EU-imported foods.
Mohsin and Zuber Issa made their fortunes after transforming their business from one rented petrol station into a network of almost 6000 forecourts across 10 countries. The brothers said with the new purchase of Asda, they would test their idea for a “better shopping experience” by investing to offer a wider range of fresh food and high-quality produce.
In fact, Asda recently announced the launch of its ‘On the Move’ convenience store format in an effort to simplify the in-store shopping process for its customers.
“Our partnerships strategy is focused on making our busy customers’ lives easier,” Asda chief strategy officer Preyash Thakrar said.
“That means offering convenience when they visit our stores by bringing in complementary brands to help them complete more shopping missions in one location, and convenience that makes our great value products more accessible in local communities.”
Pro Ganguly, former Asda senior buying manager and current senior manager at procurement consultancy 4C Associates, argued that the biggest opportunity for Asda now is to accelerate its convenience format under the Issa brothers.
“Under the new ownership, it’s only a matter of time before the trial is rolled out to more of EG’s 390-plus sites nationally and access to 6000 sites internationally, giving Asda access to new markets and adding to their market share,” he said.
Retail expert Nelson Blackley told Retail Gazette that the Issa brothers would likely use their forecourts to roll out an Asda convenience store operation nationwide. He added that although the Issa brothers have no experience of running large supermarkets, they and TDR Capital do have expertise around convenience and brand partnerships.
Blackley also said it was likely they would look to form more partnerships with other retailers to make better use of excess space in Asda’s stores.
Source: Retail Gazette
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All in-person gatherings on the FUMC Campus are currently suspended, including small groups.
Wednesday Community Meals will be served as a drive-thru starting at 5:30 pm every week.
stewardship campaign 2021
Click here for the Virtual Chapel for Online Worship
Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.
In you, we come home--to rest, to wrestle, to love, to be loved.
We dwell in you.
Before the mountains were born, before you delivered the whole world, from everlasting past to everlasting future, you are God.
In you, we are home--we dream, we flourish, we fade, we rejoice.
Affirmation of Faith
We are not alone, we live in God's world.
We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the church:
to celebrate God's presence,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Lord, we confess
we do not live as those worthy
to be entrusted with the good news of your grace;
we relate to others callously
as though we do not trust that gospel ourselves;
we seek to please and manipulate,
using flattery to gain praise and distinction;
we use condescension as a mask
to cover insecurity or a need for power.
Our motives are mixed, impure.
Lord, reassure and cleanse us,
in Jesus' name. Amen.
Genesis 29, 30:1-22
Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the people of the east. As he looked, he saw a well in the field and three flocks of sheep lying there beside it; for out of that well the flocks were watered. The stone on the well’s mouth was large, and when all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well, and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the mouth of the well.
Jacob said to them, ‘My brothers, where do you come from?’ They said, ‘We are from Haran.’ He said to them, ‘Do you know Laban son of Nahor?’ They said, ‘We do.’ He said to them, ‘Is it well with him?’ ‘Yes,’ they replied, ‘and here is his daughter Rachel, coming with the sheep.’ He said, ‘Look, it is still broad daylight; it is not time for the animals to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go, pasture them.’ But they said, ‘We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.’
While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep; for she kept them. Now when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, and the sheep of his mother’s brother Laban, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of his mother’s brother Laban. Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and wept aloud. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s kinsman, and that he was Rebekah’s son; and she ran and told her father.
When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran to meet him; he embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things, and Laban said to him, ‘Surely you are my bone and my flesh!’ And he stayed with him for a month.
Then Laban said to Jacob, ‘Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?’ Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah’s eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, ‘I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.’ Laban said, ‘It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.’ So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.
Then Jacob said to Laban, ‘Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.’ So Laban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.) When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, ‘What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?’ Laban said, ‘This is not done in our country—giving the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me for another seven years.’ Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.(Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maid.) So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. He served Laban for another seven years.
When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. Leah conceived and bore a son, and she named him Reuben; for she said, ‘Because the Lord has looked on my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.’ She conceived again and bore a son, and said, ‘Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also’; and she named him Simeon. Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, ‘Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons’; therefore he was named Levi. She conceived again and bore a son, and said, ‘This time I will praise the Lord’; therefore she named him Judah; then she ceased bearing.
When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister; and she said to Jacob, ‘Give me children, or I shall die!’ Jacob became very angry with Rachel and said, ‘Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?’ Then she said, ‘Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, that she may bear upon my knees and that I too may have children through her.’ So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife; and Jacob went in to her. And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. Then Rachel said, ‘God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son’; therefore she named him Dan. Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. Then Rachel said, ‘With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed’; so she named him Naphtali.
When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. Then Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son. And Leah said, ‘Good fortune!’ so she named him Gad.Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. And Leah said, ‘Happy am I! For the women will call me happy’; so she named him Asher.
In the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, ‘Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.’ But she said to her, ‘Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?’ Rachel said, ‘Then he may lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.’ When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him, and said, ‘You must come in to me; for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.’ So he lay with her that night. And God heeded Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. Leah said, ‘God has given me my hire because I gave my maid to my husband’; so she named him Issachar. And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob a sixth son. Then Leah said, ‘God has endowed me with a good dowry; now my husband will honour me, because I have borne him six sons’; so she named him Zebulun. Afterwards she bore a daughter, and named her Dinah.
Then God remembered Rachel, and God heeded her and opened her womb.
May he guide through the wilderness: protect you through the storm;
May he bring you home rejoicing: at the wanders he has shown you;
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1350 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN 37830
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Gamasutra's Best of 2019: The top 10 games of the year
January 3, 2020 | By Staff
More: VR, Console/PC, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Programming, Art, Audio, Design, Production, Business/Marketing
2019 was an incredible year for games--a year so flush with work worth celebrating that it will surely be remembered for years to come.
And because there were so many excellent games, the debate over which 10 games belong here was an exercise in debate, compromise, and in the end, consensus (...for the most part).
There are some omissions that are more obvious than others, but to us, every one of the games that made our list below are ones that we agreed would remain in our memories as having defined the year for technical sophistication, storytelling, innovation, and a pure intangible value in experience.
From a high-end multiplayer first-person shooter to a weird game about a rich-person sport, followed by a beautifully dreary RPG with a twisted-up protagonist, here are Gamasutra's top 10 games of 2019.
Also check out more game of the year lists from Gamasutra writers:
Gamasutra's Best of 2019: Kris Graft's top 10 games
Gamasutra's Best of 2019: Alissa McAloon's top 5 games (from 2018's backlog)
Gamasutra's Best of 2019: Chris Kerr's Top 5 Games
Gamasutra's Best of 2019: 8 standout Apple Arcade games
Gamasutra's Best of 2019: Bryant Francis' Top 10 Games
Gamasutra's Best of 2019: Katherine Cross' Top 5 Games
Gamasutra's Best of 2019: Alex Wawro's Top 5 Games
Apex Legends - Respawn Entertainment
Apex Legends is the free-flowing, fast-paced shooter that took aim right at my happy place this year. I did not know that I could love the battle royale format again after my time with PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds ended, but Respawn Entertainment found everything that was good with PUBG and doubled down when making ApeLegs.
The game's mix of champions with unique abilities and huge maps with ample room for high-velocity shootouts already help it stand out before you even start talking about the oh-so-finely-tuned firearms. It's an incredible engine for player-driven encounters that leaves you with stories to tell even if you fail to claim victory. Fortnite may reign supreme, but I'm happy Apex Legends gets to live alongside it as a sci-fi battle royale spectacular. - Bryant Francis
Baba Is You by Hempuli
Baba Is You is yet another game that, like fellow charmers Untitled Goose Game and What the Golf, takes a simple idea and excellently builds upon that core until something perfectly ridiculous and wonderful emerges. In Baba Is You’s case, that first block is the idea of rearranging simple phrases to change the rules of the game itself. Baba Is You, Flag is Win might require you to walk the character Baba to the flag to clear the level, but rearranging the words themselves (Baba is You, Baba is Win) can yield the same result.
As another layer on top of that core idea, each word used to forge a rule exists as a block in the game world. They can be pushed to nudge a useful object into place, but doing so might trap a useful word just out of reach. Some rules remain inaccessible and unalterable, gradually forcing you to come up with more complex solutions to problems you’d conquered just levels before. It all adds up to an impossibly clever game that’ll have you reciting nonsense phrases again and again to solve puzzles that seem impossible up until the very moment they click and you’re shouting a celebratory “FLAG MAKE MOON IS OPEN” to an audience of confused roommates. - Alissa McAloon
Control by Remedy Entertainment
Control has everything I look for in a story-driven game. There's genuinely interesting lore, familiar yet challenging combat, and gameplay that supplement the two so neither element is ever fighting for attention from the player.
I was never bored. Control left bread crumbs behind which I eagerly followed, wanting to experience everything the game had to offer. From start to finish, I was engrossed in every aspect of what I saw, heard, and eventually Hulk-smashed into the ground with my mind.
That's no small feat. Every chapter I progressed to had me on my toes. What would I learn about my environment? What new skills would I pick up? How many government documents could I decipher through context clues among a sea of [REDACTED] text? And I was excited. It wasn't a chore, not a box to check off, but a choice.
Sure, the game couldn't progress without my input anyway but that's not the point. The point is that it's refreshing to see a new, weird IP take risks. While the game doesn't stick every landing, Control is a well-written narrative I haven't stopped thinking about since launch for a reason. - Emma Kidwell
Disco Elysium by ZA/UM
Disco Elysium is a game that doesn't shy away from displaying realistic depictions of the worst parts of society and psyche and does so in a way that often makes the game absurdly unsettling or even disturbing. It's this pervasive sense of unease--that there is no solid foundation for anything, that constructs like laws and relationships are merely futile attempts for humans to control the chaos of the universe--that gives Disco Elysium its gravitas.
Despite the deep self-awareness and existentialism that swirls within the game's narrative, there are so many instances of hilarious "what the fuck" moments of surprise that make you want to wallow in the game's dreariness. There's a weird, twisted joy in this RPG that you simply cannot experience anywhere else. - Kris Graft
Kind Words by Popcannibal
Few games put as much blind faith in people to be fundamentally good as Kind Words does, and somehow, it works.
It’s a big risk; players can write each other inane, insensitive, or just plain rude remarks in Kind Words’ letters, and I'm sure some do. But the lion’s share appear to take it seriously, at least so far, and it’s been wonderful to see a game foster a community of players who seem earnestly dedicated to helping each other feel better.
I hit a rough patch this summer; Kind Words launched not long after, and I used it to write a little letter bemoaning my troubles. Within a day I had half a dozen thoughtful, kind replies waiting for me. They really helped; even months later, I still sometimes fire the game up to rifle through them, and answer a few other players' letters while I'm at it.
Because you have to, right? You don't have to be good, or right, but you have to let someone know you heard them. That's part of the unspoken agreement: this whole game of mutual support and encouragement only works as long as players are willing to log in and write nice things to each other, week after week, for nothing.
Games push us, constantly, to be better; better than the AI, better than the other players, better than our best run. Almost none of them push us to help each other. Kind Words does both, and for me, it worked. Here's hoping it keeps working for years to come. - Alex Wawro
Outer Wilds by Mobius Digital
Nearly a decade ago I sat down behind two programmers in my first talk of the week at my first GDC. I didn’t know either of them (or anyone, really) but I could hear their conversation from two rows back; they were discussing physics calculations for virtual worlds, sharing advice on how to model gravity and light in a universe that, for the moment, existed only in their minds.
I barely understood any of it, but I was hooked; I saw two smart people building whole new worlds in their heads, and I couldn’t stop wondering at how they did it. Now, almost ten years later, Mobius Digital has managed to evoke that same sense of wonder with Outer Wilds, an entire solar system built just to titillate and satisfy your curiosity.
It’s hard to know what the real value of a list of games is, here at the thin end of this long decade; let it at least be a gentle reminder that video games can be beautiful toys, evokers of joy, and few were better at it this year than Outer Wilds.
It’s a charming orrery you can bounce around in over and over, each time learning a bit more about how it works and why it exists. It’s a playable universe, replete with stellar phenomena that inspire real primordial awe and terror. It’s a singular work of game design, and one of the most interesting releases this year. - Alex Wawro
The Outer Worlds by Obsidian Entertainment
Obsidian's return to the world of first-person, choice-driven RPGs is a welcome one. Not only has the studio returned to the fold with a fantastically deep RPG with a clear point of view and setting that informs every single character you encounter and creates surprises around every turn, they've made a game that's actually really funny! Every time the game rewards "player choice" it does so by leaning into the unexpected and the surprising at every turn.
The characters are great, the worlds are beautiful, and it's the right mix of cynicism and anarchy for a corporatized future that doesn't feel too far from our own. - Bryant Francis
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice by From Software
Sekiro is more than just another difficult Souls-like by From Software. The developer took an already successful formula and made it more accessible while retaining the same kind of gratification and sense of mastery you get from other Souls-inspired games. This is thanks to a more forgiving save point system that lets you play for 20 minutes or for two hours. It’s the first Souls-like that respects my time and because of that it’s the one that I’ve played the most.
The game's hauntingly beautiful Japanese setting offers the player multiple points to attack enemies and progress through levels, while its Tenchu-inspired traversal makes you feel like a deadly stealth warrior. And the death mechanic that inspired the game's title is a brilliant and effective way to emphasize the value of a second chance. - Kris Graft
Void Bastards by Blue Manchu
Blue Manchu’s Void Bastards is a beautiful “one more run”ner, a game with a great core loop (scavenge derelict, often occupied spaceships for supplies) nested inside a stack of progression systems that can keep you playing for hours.
That Blue Manchu was able to make it pop with a colorful comic book aesthetic and a beautiful, biting wit is just icing on the Jaffa space-cakes. It’s never been harder to make a game that stands out, and Void Bastards’ success in an ever more crowded indie game market is something to celebrate. - Alex Wawro
What the Golf? by Triband​
What the Golf is a game a about breaking expectations, building up new ones, and breaking them all over again. The game, and its first level, starts off with a simple gag: instead of opening the game by hitting the golf ball off the tee, the moment of impact of club against ball instead flings the golfer forward and your goal becomes propelling that rag dolled figure to the hole for victory. Each and every level offers some different play on the idea of golf along those lines, to an extent that seems infinite.
It’s an interesting example of endlessly iterating on an idea until it takes on a life of its own and somehow, even after dozens of holes, still manages to surprise and find humor and fun in an ever-evolving gag. - Alissa McAloon
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HR Leaders
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2021 HR Top Priorities
ARLINGTON, Va., May 6, 2020
Gartner Identifies Nine Trends for HR Leaders That Will Impact the Future of Work After the Coronavirus Pandemic
Trends Include Expanded Data Collection, Emergence of New Top-Tier Employers and Increase in Organizational Complexity
Organizations can differentiate themselves from competitors during the COVID-19 pandemic by leveraging nine ongoing trends, according to Gartner, Inc. These trends are broken into three categories: accelerating trends, new impacts that were not previously part of the future of work discussion, and pendulum swings – temporary shorter-term reactions.
“It is critical for business leaders to understand the large scale shifts that are changing how people work and how business gets done,” said Brian Kropp, chief of research for the Gartner HR practice. “Then, they must apply this knowledge to their specific organization so they can alter their strategy accordingly.”
Gartner recommends HR leaders evaluate the following trends to determine if and how they apply to their business:
Accelerating Trends
Increase in remote work. Gartner analysis shows that 48% of employees will likely work remotely at least part of the time after the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 30% pre-pandemic. In fact, 74% of CFOs intend to increase remote work at their organization after the outbreak. To succeed in a world of increased remote work, hiring managers should prioritize digital dexterity and digital collaboration skills. HR must consider how the context of remote work shifts performance management, particularly how goals are set and how employees are evaluated.
Expanded data collection. Organizations have increased their passive tracking of employees as their workforce has become remote. According to an April Gartner survey, 16% of organizations are passively tracking employees via methods like virtual clocking in and out, tracking work computer usage and monitoring employee emails or internal communications/chat. In addition, employers are likely to have significantly more access to the health data of their employees. For example, employers will want to know if any of their employees have the COVID 19 antibodies.
“HR leaders should weigh-in on the ethics of using employee data, but also on how to utilize employee monitoring to understand employee engagement across an increasingly dispersed workforce,” said Mr. Kropp.
Employer as social safety net. Employers will expand their involvement in the lives of their employees by increasing mental health support, expanding health care coverage, and providing financial health support during and after the pandemic.
Organizations are also considering the question of maintaining compensation for employees, even for those who are unable to work remotely or have been furloughed/laid off throughout and after the COVID-19 crisis.
Expansion of contingent workers. A recent Gartner survey revealed that 32% of organizations are replacing full time employees with contingent workers as a cost-saving measure. Utilizing more gig workers provides employers with greater workforce management flexibility. However, HR will also need to consider how performance management systems apply to contingent workers as well as questions around whether contingent workers will be eligible for the same benefits as their full-time peers.
New Impacts
Separation of critical skills and critical roles. Leaders are redefining what critical means to include: employees in critical strategic roles, employees with critical skills and employees in critical workflow roles.
“Separating critical skills from critical roles shifts the focus to coaching employees to develop skills that potentially open multiple avenues for them, rather than focusing on preparing for a specific next role,” said Emily Rose McRae, director in the Gartner HR practice. “Organizations should reevaluate their succession plans and may expand the range of roles considered as part of the development path for a given role’s potential future successors.”
Humanization (and dehumanization) of workers. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, some employees have formed more connected relationships, while others have moved into roles that are increasingly task oriented. Understanding how to engage task workers in the team culture and creating a culture of inclusiveness is now even more important. To deliver on employee experience, HR will need to facilitate partnerships across the organization while working with managers to help employees navigate the different norms and expectations associated with these shifts.
Emergence of new top-tier employers. As the labor market starts to return to normalcy, candidates will want to know how companies treated their workforce during the COVID-19 outbreak. Organizations must balance the decisions made today to address immediate concerns during the pandemic with the long-term impact on their employment brand that will span the next several years.
Pendulum Swings
Shift from designing for efficiency to designing for resilience. Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, 55% of organizational redesigns were focused on streamlining roles, supply chains, and workflows to increase efficiency. Unfortunately, this path has created fragile systems, prompting organizations to prioritize resilience as equally important as efficiency.
Providing more varied, adaptive and flexible careers helps employees gain the cross-functional knowledge and training necessary for more flexible organizations. Additionally, organizations should shift from trying to “predict” (targeting a specific set of future skills) to “responding” (structuring such that you can quickly course correct with change).
Increase in organizational complexity. Across the next several months there will be an acceleration of M&A, nationalization of companies, and bigger companies becoming even bigger. This rise in complexity will create challenges for leaders as operating models evolve. HR will need to take the lead on shifting to more agile operating models and helping leaders manage greater complexity.
Learn more about how to lead organizations through the disruption of coronavirus in the Gartner coronavirus resource center, a collection of complimentary Gartner research and webinars to help organizations respond, manage and prepare for the rapid spread and global impact of COVID-19.
About the Gartner HR Practice
The Gartner HR practice brings together the best relevant content approaches across Gartner to offer individual decision makers strategic business advice on the mission-critical priorities that cut across the HR function. Additional information is available at http://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/human-resources-leaders. Follow news and updates from the Gartner HR practice on Twitter and LinkedIn using #GartnerHR.
About Gartner
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world’s leading research and advisory company and a member of the S&P 500. We equip business leaders with indispensable insights, advice and tools to achieve their mission-critical priorities today and build the successful organizations of tomorrow.
Our unmatched combination of expert-led, practitioner-sourced and data-driven research steers clients toward the right decisions on the issues that matter most. We are a trusted advisor and an objective resource for more than 14,000 enterprises in more than 100 countries — across all major functions, in every industry and enterprise size.
To learn more about how we help decision makers fuel the future of business, visit gartner.com.
Mary Baker
mary.baker@gartner.com
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GardenCity Soccer Stars is dedicated to the football loving Bangaloreans. Should you love this wonderful game and want to see Bangalore as a top football playing city, please follow this blog.
BDFA Super Division Schedule
Two ex- city footballers pass away
Former Santosh Trophy footballer
JK Loganathan
JK Loganthan, former state footballer and Narendran, right forward and former super division footballer passed away passed away on May 18 and 15 respectively.
Loganthan, 88, participated in the Santhosh Trophy from 1947 thru 50. During the 1948 National Olympic camp at Chennai, he participated along with Olympians T Sanmugham, Ahmed Khan and late Bhaseer of. However, Loganthan could not make it to the final Olympic team.
Loganthan played for HAL for 15 years, also, captained HAL in 1952 Durand Cup at Delhi. He was the promoter of Veterans Coaching Centre, Austin Town, Nandan Ground. He left 5 sons and 3 daughters.
Narendran, 41, was suffering from brain tumor, and was severely ill for last 4 months. He was the president of Oriental Football Club, Jeevanahalli, Cox Town and played BDFA league from 1986 to 2011. In last season, he turned out for his own, Club Oriental Football Club, a Super Division team now relegated to B Division.
Narendran played for GTRE, a DRDO Team, Central Excise, and Government Press. He used to run his club with great passion and nurtured several boys from his locality to represent state. He left his wife and boy.
Posted by diegostrikes at 6:35 PM
Labels: Bangalore football, BDFA, KSFA
Citrus Ventures BDFA Super Division 2020-21 - Fixture & Points Table
Mon, 11-01-2021, 1-30 pm: Kickstart 2 (Magesh Selva-43', Sudheer Kotikela-48') Vs Young Challengers 1 (Ankith P-65') Mon, 11...
Youth Premier League - First week roundup
FC Bengaluru United under-14 boys fought back from a goal down to defeat Roots Football School 2-1 while in a under-17 game Sanjeev netted f...
KSFA Youth League kicks off today
The Karnataka State football Association's Youth Premier League kicks off today with competitions in the Under-17 and Under-14 categori...
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Building Back Better After COVID-19: The Research Agenda
Reclaiming Comprehensive Public Health: A Call to Action
Universal Health Coverage: A Call To Action
Women And NCDs
Meet Juan Angel Rivera Dommarco, Distinguished Fellow, The George Institute for Global Health
Dr Juan A. Rivera is General Director of the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) in Mexico and Professor of Nutrition at the Mexican School of Public Health.
In addition to the above, Dr Juan A. Rivera is Executive Board member of International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI), member of The EAT-Lancet commission, member of the National Academy of Medicine of Mexico, member of the American Society for Nutrition and, Board Directors´ Member of the Pact for Early Childhood. Also, he has been President of the Latin American Society of Nutrition (SLAN), he was founding director of the Center for Nutrition and Health Research at INSP, member of the World Obesity/Public Prevention Steering Committee and, member of the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE).
Juan received his master´s degree and PhD in International Nutrition from Cornell University, Ithaca. His lines of research are epidemiology of malnutrition in all its forms, study of risk factors of malnutrition, evidence generation to guide the design and the evaluation of policies and malnutrition and, obesity prevention programs as well non-communicable diseases.
At present, he has more than 490 Scientific Publications (287 scientific articles, 136 book chapters, 67 books), he has made more than 690 presentations and conferences in national and international scientific events and, his work has been quoted in more than 19,100 times in different scientific journals around the world.
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Chicago • a4gpa/Flickr
Home›Destinations›North America›USA›Illinois›Chicago›Things to Do›The Best Museums
The Best Museums
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The Best Museums in Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: A must-see for art lovers, the Art Institute manages to combine blockbuster exhibits with smaller, uncrowded spaces for private meditation. Internationally known for its French Impressionist collection, the Art Institute can also transport you to Renaissance Italy, ancient China, or the world of the Old Masters. The dazzling, light-filled Modern Wing, added in 2009, has also given the museum's 20th-century modern art collection the setting it deserves.
Field Museum of Natural History: The grand neoclassical entrance hall will make you feel as if you've entered somewhere important, a sense of drama only enhanced by the towering figure of Sue, the largest Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever uncovered. The Field can easily entertain for an entire day. Exhibits include ancient Egyptian mummies, a full-size Maori Meeting House, and stuffed figures of the notorious man-eating lions of Tsavo.
John G. Shedd Aquarium: Sure, you'll find plenty of tanks filled with exotic fish, but the Shedd is also home to some wonderful large-scale re-creations of natural habitats. Stroll through Wild Reef, and you'll see sharks swim overhead. The lovely Oceanarium, where you can watch a dolphin show, features floor-to-ceiling windows; you'll feel as if you're sitting outdoors, even on the chilliest Chicago day.
Museum of Science and Industry: Families can easily spend an entire day at this sprawling museum and still not see everything. Although the exhibits promote scientific knowledge, most have an interactive element that keeps kids engaged. But it's not all computers and technology. Some of the classic exhibits — the underground re-creation of the coal mine and the World War II German U-boat — have been drawing visitors for generations.
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio: The Midwest's greatest architect started out in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, and his house — now a museum with guided tours — gives a firsthand look at how his ideas developed and influenced American architecture. The surrounding neighborhood, where Wright's Prairie-style homes sit side by side with rambling Victorian villas, is an eye-opening lesson in architectural history.
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Home›Destinations›Europe›England›Cornwall›Looe and Polperro›Planning a Trip
Looe and Polperro
Planning a Trip in Looe and Polperro
Getting There -- Daily trains run from Plymouth to Looe, and rail connections can also be made from Exeter (Devon) and Bristol (Somerset). Most visitors drive to Polperro, but the nearest main-line station is at Liskeard, 3 1/2 hours from London's Paddington Station, with a branch line to Looe. Taxis meet incoming trains to take visitors to the various little villages in the area. For rail information in the area, call tel. 0845/748-4950 or visit www.nationalrail.co.uk.
Local bus companies have various routings from Plymouth to Looe. Ask at the Tourist Information Centre in Plymouth for a schedule. You can take a local bus to Polperro from Liskeard or Looe.
If you're driving to Looe from Plymouth, take the A38 west, and then the B3253. To get to Polperro, follow the A387 southwest from Looe.
Visitor Information -- The Tourist Information Centre is at the Guildhall, Fore Street (tel. 01503/262072; www.ukinformationcentre.com/west-country/looe-tourist-information-centre.htm), and is open daily April to September 10am to 5pm, and October to March Monday to Friday 10am to noon.
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Giant Freakin Robot > Science
Tiny Star Wars Vehicles Made Out of Paper
By Nick Venable | 8 years ago
There are people out there who are better at making paper airplanes than I am at writing articles for Giant Freakin’ Robot. But this isn’t an apology to all of you. This is a swinging spotlight finding its way to someone who makes those paper airplane bitches look like complete failures.
We’re talking inch-long Star Wars ships made out of paper, created by micro-mastermind artist David Canavese, out of San Jose. Canavese has been creating these intricate little beauties since 2007, with 2012 being a particularly prolific year for him. But 2013 is where we are, and so that’s where we start. He most recently created the finger-length Pincer Class Heavy Transport ship, which he takes from the graphic novel Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron – The Phantom Affair. The details on this thing are seemingly as thin as Canavase’s fingerprints. And like fingerprints, they’re an individual trait of his, since not many people can call themselves masters of this hobby.
Probably the most impressive of any of these is his half-inch-long Millennium Falcon, could likely fit inside one of Harrison Ford’s nostrils. Top quality work all around with this guy. A Blockade Runner, which took him a week to complete and five seconds to blow my mind with, is shown below, with a Mobquet Transport below it.
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Cardi B and Rita Ora have been spotted making out!
Rob Kardashian stands up for ex-girlfriend Rita Ora as she's bombarded with hate
Rita Ora comes out to her fans in an emotional letter
Kehlami SLAMS Rita Ora's new song, calling it "harmful"
Fans are certain Harry Styles' new song and video confirm his bisexuality
All the hot looks from the 2018 MTV VMAs red carpet
The Pope is the newest LGBTQ KING and we're living for it
Kehlani just came out as queer on Twitter and we're hollering
Demi Lovato and Kehlani just made out on stage while grinding in a bed
Former Disney star has come out to the LGBTQ+ community
Fans call Harry Styles' new song the new 'bi anthem'
Sarah Hyland Reveals That Her 'Modern Family' Character Hayley Is Bisexual
Rapper Cardi B receives a ‘100-carat' diamond ring for her birthday
Cardi B claps back at Carole Baskin's "WAP" criticism: "you killed your goddamn husband"
Rita Ora's new anthem with Bebe Rhexa, Cardi B, and Charli XCX has been SLAMMED
Fans are pretty pissed off and so is Haley Kiyoko. - by Bianca Mastroianni
Over the weekend, Rita Ora dropped her new single "Girls", ft. Bebe Rexha, Cardi B and Charli XCX.
Talk about a strong group of girls to make an anthem right? Well... it could have been.
ritaora View Profile
342.9k likes - View Post on Instagram
GIRLS - COMING FRIDAY 💕 @iamcardib @BebeRexha @charli_xcx
The first problem was the fact that Rita has admitted to gaining inspo from Katy Perry's 2008 song "I Kissed a Girl", which we all know is controversial AF.
However fans, the LGBTQ community and now Hayley Kiyoko (whose fans call her 'lesbian Jesus') have completely slammed the song for being tone-deaf.
"It's important for us artists to use our platforms to move the cultural needle forward, not backwards. There is a new song that came out today featuring a handful of well-known pop artists that me overwhelmed with thoughts. I literally have a knot in my stomach right now. To be clear, I fully support other artists who freely express themselves and applaud male and female artists who are opening up more and more about their sexual identities. But every so often there come certain songs with messaging that is just downright tone-deaf, which does more harm than good for the LGBTQ+ community. A song like this just fuels the male gaze while marginalizing the idea of women loving women. I know this wasn't the intention of the artists on the song, but it's the lack of consideration behind these lyrics that really get me."
hayleykiyoko View Profile
Instagram post by H A Y L E Y K I Y O K O * May 11, 2018 at 7:42pm UTC
She talks about how the line in the song that says drinking wine is harmful. "I don't need to drink wine to kiss girls; I've loved women my entire life. This type of message is dangerous because it completely belittles and invalidates the very pure feelings of an entire community. I feel I have a responsibility to protect that whenever possible. We can and should do better."
We feel you honey.
In an interview with People, Rita was asked about her own sexuality, as many fans believe this is her coming out as bisexual song. "I knew people were going to look into it like that. I definitely said it because I can — and it was one of those things where, if I was 50/50…I’m not saying I’m '70/30.' … 'I’m 50/50, and I’m not gonna hide it.' I’m not hiding what I am, who I am, if I wanna do this, if I wanna do that. That’s just how it’s gonna be."
There have also been numerous times that Rita has skirted around the question.
"If people look at it like that, it’s very narrow-minded, and I don’t think that’s what this record is. I don’t think that that even matters."
She did it again in an interview, with Billboard, she says, "It’s not actually that deep. It really is just about that. It’s a free message, and for me, really fun. It’s just a fun record."
Rita Ora - Girls ft. Cardi B, Bebe Rexha & Charli XCX (Official Lyric Video)
While she is completely entitled to express her sexuality in any way she wants, fans haven't responded well to the song and demand that she takes it all a bit more seriously.
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vee 🐋 saw hayley kiyoko!! on Twitter
Bianca Mastroianni
Deputy Digital Content Manager | Entertainment & Family
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Pitfalls and dilemmas of arming Ukraine
British Army soldiers firing a Javelin missile during a demonstration of the army’s weapon systems on Salisbury Plain on Oct. 21, 2015 (source: dpa)
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Donbas Petro Poroshenko Russia Ukraine
Professor Stefan Hedlund
Stefan Hedlund is Professor and Research Director at the Centre for Russian and Eurasian Studies, at Uppsala University, Sweden. He trained as an economist and has specialised in Russian affairs since the final days of Leonid Brezhnev in the early ...
Washington’s decision to let Ukraine have advanced U.S. anti-tank weapons has more political than military import
Moscow is likely to respond by ratcheting up the military conflict in Ukraine and its pressure on the Baltic states
The Kremlin is in a position never to allow having its proxy forces in the Donbas region routed
The long-standing issue of whether the West should supply lethal weapons to Ukraine gained a new twist on March 1, 2018, when, following lengthy internal deliberations and much pressure from the Pentagon, the State Department of the United States authorized the sale to Ukraine of 210 modern anti-tank missiles, the Javelin. It was a symbolically important step, signaling that the U.S. stood ready to increase its commitment to Ukraine’s cause.
Given dire warnings from various Russian sources against such a step, one would have expected a quick flare-up. On March 4, though, the Salisbury poisoning temporarily overshadowed the standoff over Ukraine. That does not mean the matter of the Javelins has been forgotten or forgiven. But the context has changed, in an alarming way.
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Kelly Clarkson Married Brandon Blackstock in Temperley London
Miss Independent has been waiting for a moment like this: Kelly Clarkson got married over the weekend to her longtime boyfriend, Brandon Blackstock, on October 20th!
The couple became engaged last December and officially tied the knot on Sunday at Blackberry Farm, a luxury resort in the Smoky Mountains in Walland, Tenn. The bride shared a snapshot of her in a white lace Temperley London gown with long sleeves and a ruffle trim, Tweeting, “I’m officially Mrs. Blackstock :) We got married yesterday at Blackberry Farms in TN, the most beautiful place ever!”
The couple opted for a small service for their nuptials. “We’re not doing the big huge one,” the country crossover singer told E! News. “We’re just going to go off with the kids and go get married and it’s just going to be literally, seriously, small.”
In addition to Blackstock’s two children from a previous marriage, Clarkson will gain a country singer—Reba McEntire is her new stepmother-in-law.
Congrats to the happy couple!
reba mcentireStyle ScoopAlice Temperleyboutique wedding dresstemperlycelebrity weddingstemperleyCelebrity Wedding Gownsbrandon backstoneTemperley London
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Chisom Winifred - January 16, 2021
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Heineken Lagos Fashion Week Launches SHF Showrooms with Le New Black, Moda Operandi and Tranoi
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Allow us to take you behind the scenes of our captivating cover star, Cuppy's, debut album “Original Copy“. Enjoy the glam behind every detail of “Original Copy” cover shoot as Cuppy explains the idea behind the project. She said; “Original copy is about being original you, it’s about being fearless,...
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The 6th annual crowning of the prestigious Miss Nigeria UK cultural pageant saw 6 finalists from around the UK compete to become the next Queen. This year’s grand finale held on the 3rd of October was a virtual event with live performances, virtual catwalk and presentations by the six...
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St Peter’s, Ridlington by Matthew McDade
Home > Find a Church
St Peter’s, Ridlington
Open dawn to dusk.
Happisburgh Road, Ridlington, Norwich, NR28 9GA
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Footpath, trail or cycle route
Important stained glass
Visit Website 360° tour
This quiet and small parish church is situated about 1 mile inland from the coast and is made up of farmland, woodland and heathland. St Peter's is located on the Happisburgh to North Walsham road. This small grade I medieval church has a nave dating from the early C14 and the chancel from later that century. The three-stage west tower was built with a C15 legacy (1421) by Thomas Stacy, which also left money for the bells. The tower has a string course below the belfry supported by diagonal stepped buttresses. The east wall is red brick and dates from 1760. The chancel's roof is thatched on medieval braces and is one of the few surviving examples of thatched roofing using Norfolk reed. There is a C13 trefoil north chancel lancet under a triangular head. The octagonal font, which stands on a circular column, is made from Purbeck marble, and possibly dates from the C13. The chancel's stained glass windows suffered irreparable damage due to a Zeppelin attack during WW1. However, 3 small pieces of stained glass have survived and can be seen on the south side of the chancel. The enthusiastic PCC are actively seeking grants to help restore the church to both comfortable worship and a venue for community events. Services are held on the first Sunday of each month at 3pm - all welcome. The church is open every day and is a great place for rest and reflection. Local walkers and cyclists on Route 30 of the National Cycle Network, which travels through the village will find this a welcome and peaceful place to catch breath. Refreshments and a bookstall available.
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Grade II*
This website is managed by the Diocese of Norwich and lists churches in Norfolk which we believe to be open. It includes churches located in Norfolk who are in the Diocese of Ely, as well as churches owned and managed by independent trusts. All churches are cared for by dedicated volunteers and there may be occasions when a church cannot be open. We direct you to individual church websites for more details and Sunday service dates and times.
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Free Valuation Days
Insurance and Probate
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NASA Memorabilia Coming up for Auction
Fifteen years ago Bob Harvey was found dead on a platform near the top of a Titan rocket with a six inch gash in the back of his head. How had he died? Some unusual events following his death have created unsolved mysteries.
Breach of health and safety
Bob was a rocket fuel expert working on the NASA moon probe and following programmes. He was clearly a valued member of the team from his many commendations for his outstanding work. Bob had arrived at work at Cape Canaveral, Florida at the appointed time of 3 pm to start his shift to make last minute adjustments to the fuelling system. It was essential that the job was completed before dark. Unfortunately his colleague refused to go up top with him stating he needed to complete his paperwork. No amount of persuasion that the job should come first and the paperwork afterwards could influence him to join Bob. There was no choice, Bob had to go on his own, which was strictly illegal under Florida health and safety rules. Bob had to lift a bottle of nitrogen weighing some 178 pounds in slippery conditions onto a trolley – it rained very heavily every day at about 3 pm at Cape Canaveral. That is the last definite information there is about the fate of Bob Harvey.
Found by paramedics
At 5.15 pm he was found by paramedics lying on his back with a six inch gash in his head; they attempted to resuscitate him - to no avail, he was dead. They took him by ambulance to the hospital taking some 30 minutes, which seems amazing considering the high profile and dangerous activities at the Cape. The authorities telephoned his wife, Yvonne, to come to the hospital without divulging what had happened. She arrived and was deeply shocked to discover he had died at work while working near the top of the rocket. After she had recovered a little from the trauma, she wanted to know how he had died, only to be met with a wall of silence. The funeral was arranged and a massive crowd attended, including Bob’s erstwhile colleague, who fell to his knees in front of Yvonne and in floods of tears said, “I am so sorry, so sorry.”
Pristine shoes
There is deep mystery surrounding Bob’s shoes. Before the funeral, all the clothes he was wearing were returned to Yvonne, but not his shoes. She asked about the shoes, but was unable to obtain any information. It was only weeks later with the help of her attorney that she able to recover his shoes, which were now in pristine condition. The shoes could have been a key element in solving the mystery of what had happened, alas the unmarked condition of the shoes could solve nothing and only created more suspicion. Why had it taken weeks to return Bob’s shoes, and why were they in such pristine condition?
After the funeral, Yvonne was presented with the American flag flown for the launch of the shuttle Columbia. The flag is an historic item. It is this flag and other items including a signed photograph by Pete Conrad, the third man to walk on the moon, that are for sale at Grand Auctions in Folkestone, Kent on 19th September.
No cameras working
The Columbia flag presented to Yvonne and Bob was given a ‘brick’ in the ‘Spacewalk of Honour’. Alas none of these marks of respect and honour answered Yvonne’s question, ‘How did he die?’. A fortnight after Bob’s death his death certificate arrived stating he had died of natural causes. Interestingly the certificate states he died as an in patient. Why? He had died at the Cape and his death had been confirmed to Yvonne by the ambulance crew. After many of Bob’s colleagues told her there was something very fishy about the whole affair, she hired an attorney to attempt to discover the truth. Astonishingly they were informed the security cameras were not working on that day and therefore they could not say. This information beggars belief. NASA had a strict policy of keeping the cameras on twenty four hours a day every day in such a high profile site. Eventually she was offered $15,000 compensation, a derisory sum, which was later increased to $50,000. She was unable to cash in his life policy, which only covered accidental death. No cameras, no possibility of proving how he died!
Shocking incompetence
This is a shocking tale of either incompetence or a cover up to avoid the large sums in compensation for negligence that would have been due. Either way, the authorities at NASA do not come out of this with their reputations untarnished, and Yvonne’s life was traumatically altered for ever. Her hair turned white over night with the shock and helplessness in the face of a big, powerful organisation.
You can read all about this lot here. Please contact Jonthan Riley of Grand Auctions, Folkestone, Kent for further information.
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Granite and TREND Transformations take great care to ensure that our kitchen and bathroom remodeling materials — including our etherium® By E-Stone surfaces and other products — are made with the highest quality materials. As an eco friendly countertop manufacturer, we also understand that all businesses have a responsibility to minimize their impact on the environment, and a duty to design safe, effective products. That’s why Granite and TREND Transformations’ certifications are well received from numerous organizations who are committed to providing health, safety, and eco-friendliness standards for companies across the globe, including the U.S. Green Building Council, GREENGUARD and NSF. Please refer to the links for additional information.
Long before it became fashionable, Granite and TREND Transformations, an eco friendly countertop manufacturer, declared a commitment to implementing real-world processes that protect and preserve the planet’s resources. Key to the company’s direction was the belief that great style and beauty did not have to be sacrificed in the pursuit of corporate responsibility. Products are designed specifically to consume fewer raw materials and extend durability. Granite and TREND Transformations’ innovative engineered surfaces require 60% less raw materials and incorporate both geologic waste and recycled glass that would otherwise end up in landfills. The company’s development of new product lines set an industry benchmark for the use of post-consumer recycled content in agglomerate and glass tile products, reaching levels as high as 78%.
Granite and TREND Transformations’ eco friendly countertop manufacturing facilities were designed with sophisticated water recycling systems that significantly reduce water consumption and the proliferation of pollutants. The consumption and cost of packaging materials has been reduced through the use of recycled or reusable packaging, and the overall waste produced at the Sebring, Florida, plant has been cut by over 22%. The company collaborates with the world’s leading environmental organizations, architects and designers to promote sustainable building practices, and Granite and TREND Transformations’ green product lines contribute measurably to LEED ratings based on credits for Material and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation and Design. Granite and TREND Transformations’ Eco-Philosophy is a fundamentally ethical approach to business, based on the company’s consciousness of its place in the natural order. Granite and TREND Transformations chooses to walk with the world.
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Tag Search Result
Renewable Diesel
San Diego Fuels Landfill Equipment with Renewable Diesel
The City of San Diego has begun fueling its fleet of off-road landfill vehicles and equipment with renewable diesel, completing the switch to renewable diesel in its entire fleet of diesel-powered vehicles and equipment.
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Charlotte Water (N.C.) reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 75 tons during the first three months of a six-month renewable diesel pilot.
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REG Ultra Clean Diesel — a blend of renewable diesel and biodiesel — is now available for bulk purchase near Portland, Ore. It emits fewer emissions than conventional diesel, renewable diesel, or biodiesel.
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Members of the renewable natural gas industry published an open letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler urging the agency to raise the U.S. renewable volume obligation for cellulosic biofuel from its current proposed volume.
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Bio-based Diesel Fuels Made Greatest Impact on Emissions Reduction
Biodiesel and renewable diesel fuels may not be as clean as other alternative fuel types or powertrains but their widespread adoption reduced emissions more than any other type of fuel in California in 2018.
Waste feedstock from the City of Oakland, Calif., is now being converted to Neste renewable diesel to fuel the fleet.
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Grimsby Town FC
Paul Hurst's warning to Grimsby Town after Mariners slump to 3-0 defeat at Port Vale
The Mariners missed the chance to pull themselves out of the League Two relegation zone as they fell to another defeat at Vale Park
James FindlaterFootball Writer
Grimsby Town boss Paul Hurst (Image: Lee Blease / PRiME Media Images)
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Paul Hurst has warned his Grimsby Town side they need to be harder to play against if they’re to get themselves out of trouble in League Two.
The Mariners slumped to another defeat as they were beaten 3-0 by Port Vale, missing the chance to pull themselves out of the relegation zone in League Two.
First half goals from Tom Pope and Devante Rodney put the hosts firmly in control at Vale Park, before Luke Waterfall’s own goal after the break settled the scores.
Reflecting on the game, Hurst told GrimsbyLive: “It’s what happens in both boxes, and we’ve got to be far better when we haven’t got the ball.
Filipe Morais in action for Grimsby Town during the 3-0 defeat to Port Vale (Image: Lee Blease / PRiME Media Images)
“In general, you lose 3-0 and it might sound a bit silly, I think we had a lot of the play, and a lot of the stats would probably be in our favour, but not the most important one again.
“It was probably similar to last week in that we seemed to start the game better, it was a bit longer, but it was near enough their first attack and we concede, and then ended up finding ourselves 2-0 down again at half-time.
“We spoke about the next goal, again started brightly enough, but then conceded a poor third and it’s game over.
“That’s the message to the players afterwards – we’ve got to be far harder to play against.
“It’s okay passing the ball at times, I’m not going to say it was free-flowing football, but again we had the ball, we passed it, and without cutting them open we had enough chances in an away game to hope to get something, but obviously not when you concede three goals.”
Hurst added: “It’s maybe hard to gauge where the players are at, having not been with them until the last two games.
George Williams in action for Grimsby Town during the 3-0 defeat to Port Vale (Image: Lee Blease / PRiME Media Images)
“It almost looks like they’ve forgotten how to win a game of football.
“We went 1-0 down, I wouldn’t say the team went in fairness, I thought we were getting back into the game with a couple of set-plays in particular, but the biggest thing is without the ball.
“We have to be harder to play against. There were a couple of occasions where we looked favourite for the ball and came away second, then again we don’t get there, and there’s two sides to a game.
“I’ve said to the players it’s fine wanting to play when we’ve got the ball, or classing yourself as a ball player, but you have to do both.
Paul Hurst's advice for Mattie Pollock as Grimsby Town defender linked with Premier League sides
Grimsby Town interested in Jake Taylor as Nottingham Forest midfielder looks set to leave club
“We’re never going to be a team like Man City or Barcelona that absolutely dominate all the play.
“You’ve got to keep the ball out of the net to give yourselves a chance. They’ve had four attempts on goal and scored three.”
Grimsby Town FCGrimsby Town 0-0 Southend United live score updates: Bottom two go head to head in League TwoFollow all the action as the bottom two do battle in a huge clash at Blundell Park
Grimsby Town takeover edges nearer as members of consortium pictured at Blundell Park
Grimsby Town FCAndrew Pettit and Jason Stockwood were shown around Blundell Park and introduced to staff as the process of their takeover continues
Grimsby Town vs Southend United preview: Latest injury news, match odds and team selector
Grimsby Town FCAll you need to know as League Two's bottom two go head to head at Blundell Park this afternoon
James Tilley signs for Crawley a day after leaving Grimsby Town by mutual consent
Grimsby Town Transfer NewsThe former Brighton forward makes the move back to Sussex after departing Blundell Park
Humberside PoliceLockdown house party attended by 11 people broken up by Humberside PoliceThe group, who were all from different households, have been handed fines
We visited Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons in Grimsby to see if face mask rules are being followed
CoronavirusAll the UK's major supermarkets have cracked down on the rule this week
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