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West of Woodward: A Detroit Tigers Blog
Home Uncategories Joe Jimenez and the bad-luck bomb
Joe Jimenez and the bad-luck bomb
by HookSlide Saturday, April 22, 2017 Edit
In everything that follows, you're going to have to forget the results of what happened in Friday night's game against the Minnesota Twins, when Joe Jimenez gave up a three-run bomb to Eddie Rosario (he of the .226 batting average) and cost the Tigers the ballgame. Sometimes process matters more than results, and sometimes results can be deceiving and random -- especially in situations like this. Sometimes you draw pocket aces and end up getting beat on a flush on the river card. Doesn't mean you give up on pocket aces.
What we saw with Joe Jimenez in this game was a lot of very, very good raw stuff. This is stuff that, as Justin Verlander said after the game, will "play" at the MLB level. (Verlander also said that Jimenez is going to be "key" to helping the Tigers sort out their bullpen going forward.)
Let's break down the at-bats, skipping over Rosario's home run until the end.
Jorge Polanco
Jimenez threw him three fastballs, ranging from 96-97 mph, and induced a weak fly ball to left field. All three pitches were located inside, and unfortunately, the weak fly ball was just weak enough that it landed for a base hit and scored a run. Sometimes baseball is a total dick.
Facing the right-handed batter, Jimenez started off with a slider low and away, and got a swinging strike. He followed up with three fastballs ranging 96-97 mph, two of which induced a swinging strike and a foul ball. All of these pitches were away from Buxton, until the final pitch, a slider low and inside, which got a called third strike. This is Jimenez mixing his speeds and his locations, and throwing strikes all the way.
Facing another right-handed batter, Jimenez started out with a 96 mph heater that caught the lower outside corner. Vicious pitch. After a couple of sliders inside (one of which was a called strike), he started working away from Dozier with 96-97 mph fastballs, both of which were fouled off. He finally retired Dozier with a low slider that induced a weak ground ball. Again, he was mixing his speeds and locations, and he got more weak contact.
Rosario and the Bomb
This is the gut-punch that shouldn't have happened. Rosario swung at the first pitch, a 95 mph fastball up, away, and dead on the black:
That is a pitcher's pitch, and it's a totally unfair pitch. In nine out of ten cases, that's a called strike, a swing and a miss, or a foul/pop-up. It's a great pitch to start the at-bat, and hardly what you would call a "mistake pitch." I mean, there's accidentally hanging a slide, or throwing a change-up middle-middle, or leaving a fastball in a hitter's happy zone, and then there's this pitch.
Unfortunately, it caught just enough of Rosario's preferred location, according to 2016's exit velocity numbers:
We're still a long way from "mistake pitch" here, but as Jimenez spends more time in The Show and leaning the tendencies of various hitters, he'll get better at this. Maybe next time he'll start Rosario with a fastball up and in, instead of an arm-side-running heater up and on the black.
For now, take comfort in knowing this: that was only the fifth home run Jimenez has surrendered since 2015. Home runs and Joe Jimenez are not two subjects often found in the same conversation, because -- as we saw last night -- not only does he throw flameballs with movement, he locates them well and gets a lot of weak contact and/or swings and misses. This is exactly what you want out of a power arm from the bullpen. This is exactly the pitcher you want in a game situation like last night, with the tying and go-ahead runs on base and only one out.
That's a situation Joe Jimenez can handle, and he's only going to get better as he gets more MLB experience.
Forget the results. That was a great pitch, and I hope he keeps throwing it.
Pitching mechanics: who's doing it right and who's at risk for injury?
Editor's note: Guest author "FIPmyWHIP" (Ron) gives us an inside look at good and bad pitching mechanics, and identifie...
The Tigers are using advanced analytics to evaluate prospects and draft picks
Dane Myers is on the mound for the Detroit Tigers' Low-A affiliate West Michigan Whitecaps, and he's having some difficulty already ...
The Voice of the Turtle, Episode 72: Exit Stage Left
Well this is it, friends, it's our final episode of The Voice of the Turtle . All good things must come to an end eventually, so ...
The Voice of the Turtle, Episode 74: Tigers Draft Party, with Brian Sakowski
The Tigers tanked hard last year and overcame long odds to become the worst team in baseball in 2017. They did that just for you, Tig...
The Voice of the Turtle, Episode 75: Recapping the Tigers 2018 Draft with Brian Sakowski
The 2018 MLB Draft is complete, the Tigers have made all of their much-anticipated picks, and now the one question one everyone's mind i...
The Tigers have a Top 5 starting rotation
At the time of this writing, one month into the 2018 season, the Detroit Tigers have the fifth best starting rotation ERA (3.61) in the Amer...
The Voice of the Turtle, Episode 63: MLB Draftapalooza Part One (with Dan Hasty and Emily Waldon)
The Detroit Tigers are, as far as anyone knows, still playing baseball. They've won some games, they've lost some games, yada yada y...
The Voice of the Turtle, Episode 70: When it rains, it pours
With the excitement of the trade deadline fading this week, it's time to turn our attentions to ... anything but actual Tigers baseball....
Why The 2020 Baseball Season Will Begin Sooner Than You Think
On March 24, I made a rather bold prediction on Twitter about the 2020 MLB season: "in the next three weeks, some MLB teams [will] sta...
The Voice of the Turtle, Episode 68: Airing of Grievances
As the legendary poets of Twisted Sister once said, "We're not gonna take it anymore!" That's the theme on this wee...
Copyright © 2016 West of Woodward: A Detroit Tigers Blog / Template Created By : ThemeXpose
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Varsity Reds/X-Men To Renew Acquaintances In Final
The AUS and U Sports #1 ranked University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds and AUS #3 ranked will add another chapter to their rivalry when the two teams meet in the best 2-of-3 AUS Final beginning Monday night in Fredericton.
Here is everything you need to know to get prepared for the series:
- The schedule looks like this:
Game 1 - Monday, March 6th at UNB
Game 2 - Wednesday, March 8th at St. FX
Game 3 - Friday, March 10th at UNB (if necessary)
All games can be viewed live on www.AUStv.ca.
- After receiving a first round playoff bye, the Varsity Reds defeated Saint Mary's 3 games to 1 in the semi-final. St. FX, on the other hand, seems to be hitting their stride at the right time. They took down Moncton in two straight games in the quarter-finals before upsetting the #2 ranked Acadia Axemen in a three game sweep in the semi-finals. By virtue of making the finals, the X-Men have guaranteed themselves a berth at the University Cup for a third consecutive season.
- This is the 10th time under Gardiner MacDougall the V-Reds have faced the X-Men in the playoffs. Three of those meetings have come in the finals, including last year when St. FX bested UNB in two straight games to claim the championship.
2001 - Lost 2 games to 1 in semi-finals
2003 - Won 3 games to 1 in finals
2005 - Won 2 games to 0 in quarter-finals
2007 - Won 3 games to 1 in semi-finals
2016 - Lost 2 games to 0 in finals
Overall, UNB has won 6 out of the previous 9 series with a 17-14 overall record. Of note, while the V-Reds are 13-4 at the AUC, they are only 4-10 in Antigonish.
- UNB has been in 10 previous finals under MacDougall, with this year marking their 6th appearance in 7 seasons. They have won 6 AUS titles with an overall record of 16-13 in that span.
2003 - Defeated St. FX 3 games to 1
2006 - Lost to Acadia 3 games to 0
2007 - Lost to Moncton 2 games to 0
2008 - Defeated Saint Mary's 2 games to 0
2009 - Lost to Saint Mary's 2 games to 1
2012 - Defeated Moncton 3 games to 0
2015 - Defeated Acadia 2 games to 0
2016 - Lost to St. FX 2 games to 0
- UNB's 14 AUS titles are second all-time to St. FX's 25.
- The Varsity Reds went 4-0-1 against the X-Men this season. They lost their first meeting of the season 5-4 in overtime in Antigonish on October 22nd before reeling off four straight wins - 6-0 at home on October 29th, 7-3 in Antigonish on November 11th, 2-1 in overtime at the AUC on January 6th, and 5-3 on the road on February 3rd.
- Players to watch for on the X-Men include leading scorers Michael Clarke (9 goals, 19 assists) and last season's AUS MVP Eric Locke (13 goals, 15 assists), Holden Cook (12 goals - including 4 against UNB in their first meeting, 15 assists), Kristoff Kontos (5 goals, 18 assists), Bryson Cianfrone (10 goals, 11 assists), and AUS second-team all-star defenceman Jagger Dirk (3 goals, 13 asssists). Chase Marchand (2.78 GAA, 0.913 save percentage) has been in goal for every playoff minute thus far.
- While both teams know they will be at Nationals, the outcome of this series will have big implications on seeding. If UNB wins they will almost certainly go in to the tournament ranked #1 and face the #8 seed in their first game. Not to mention they will be the designated home team and have last change for every game. If the V-Reds lose, however, the best they can hope for is the #5 seed, which would make them the road team for their first game and also put them in the same pool as the #1 ranked team.
- The Acadia Axemen and Saint Mary's Huskies will play a best 2-of-3 series to determine the third AUS entry at the University Cup. The schedule for that series will mirror that of the finals - Monday in Wolfville, Wednesday in Halifax, and Friday back in Acadia if necessary.
- Out west, the Saskatchewan Huskies and Alberta Golden Bears will battle for Canada West supremacy with a best 2-of-3 series beginning on Friday. Both teams have already guaranteed a spot at the University Cup.
- In the OUA, York and Windsor will face-off in a best 2-of-3 series in the West division final while McGill/Queen's will do likewise in the East division final. The two winners will not only punch their ticket to the Queen's Cup game, but also to the University Cup. The two losers will play a bronze medal game to decide the OUA's third representative in Fredericton.
- Who wins the AUS Final?
Who do you got?
UNB in 2
St. FX in 2
Posted by Jeremy M. at 7:01 PM
Labels: 2016-2017 Playoffs, StFX X-Men
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▼ Mar (23)
Maillet Signs With AHL's Reign
News And Notes: Braes, Petgrave, Critchlow, MacDou...
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BACK TO BACK!
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2nd Period Explosion Propels Huskies Over X-Men
V-Reds Shut Down Axemen, Earn Finals Berth
X-Men Set-Up Rematch With Huskies
Huskies Advance With OT Win
Maillet Does Maillet Things, V-Reds Roll
Axemen Take Down Bears
University Cup Kicks Off Today
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You can see the whole Middle East from here.
Click here to read latest issue of THE TOWER MAGAZINE: In-depth features, analysis, and more
Israel / Iran / terrorism / Hamas / Syria / Hezbollah / Iranian nuclear program / Palestinian Authority / United Nations
Ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Trump Signs Bipartisan Bill Fighting Genocide into Law
by TheTower.org Staff | 01.16.19 12:00 pm
Days before the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, President Donald Trump signed into law on Monday new bipartisan legislation committing the United States to prevent genocide and to confront anti-Semitism at home and abroad, JNS reported.
The first measure, named in honor of Holocaust survivor and Nobel Prize laureate Elie Wiesel, was introduced by Representatives Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) and Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), and Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.).
The Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act is a ground-breaking genocide prevention law, which passed with an overwhelming bipartisan majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate in December last year. It puts in place a set of policies and mechanisms to strengthen the U.S. response to potential and emerging genocides.
“America’s strength around the world is rooted in our values. It is in our national interest to ensure that the United States utilizes the full arsenal of diplomatic, economic, and legal tools to take meaningful action before atrocities occur,” Cardin said in a statement issued by his office. “Tragically, these atrocities are happening today; we simply cannot wait to act.”
Prior to the signing, Sara Bloomfield, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum director, said that “Senators Young and Cardin’s leadership on the bill honors Elie Wiesel’s vision for the Museum as a living memorial that would help save victims of future genocides and in doing so honor the victims of the Holocaust.”
She continued: “This legislation is an important effort toward developing a bipartisan Congressional blueprint for making ‘never again’ real by taking practical steps to mitigate the systematic persecution of vulnerable groups.”
The legislation demands that the official policy of the U.S. deems the prevention of genocide and other acts of mass murder a “core national security interest” as well as “a core moral responsibility.”
It also establishes a Mass Atrocities Task Force to ensure that foreign service officers receive adequate training in conflict and atrocity prevention. Furthermore, the measure encourages the director of national intelligence to include information on atrocities in the annual crime report to Congress.
The same day, the President signed into law House Resolution 672, the Combating European Anti-Semitism Act of 2017, which declares the fight against anti-Semitism at home and abroad a core national security interest of the U.S.
[Photo: Official White House Photo / WikiCommons ]
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Race double standard clear in rioters’ Capitol insurrection
by theurbanfly | Jan 7, 2021 | Breaking News!
theurbanfly.com In this combination of photos, demonstrators, left, protest June 4, 2020, in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, over the death of George Floyd and on Jan. 6, 2021, supporters of President Donald Trump rally at same location. (AP Photos) NEW YORK...
The Latest: Pelosi calls for using 25th Amendment on Trump
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Late-night hosts react with shock, anger to Capitol attack
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People shelter in the House gallery as protesters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) NEW YORK (AP) — The storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump...
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Congress’ tally of the Electoral College vote won by Joe Biden (all times local): 6:55 p.m. Supporters of President Donald Trump climb the west wall of the the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP...
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Congress’ tally of the Electoral College vote won by Joe Biden (all times local): Police with guns drawn watch as protesters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/J....
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True North Reports
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10 lawmakers who didn’t co-sponsor resolution to remove Trump say how they voted — 15 don’t
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Gordon on John Klar: Progressive Vermont prosecutor frees criminals in name of public safety
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32GB WiFi-Only Nexus 7 Available on Google Play Store for Rs. 18,999
Google has added the another Nexus device for sale on Google Play Store in India yesterday. 16GB WiFi-Only Nexus 7 was the first Nexus Device to be sold in India via Google Play. Later on Google Launched the 3G version of Nexus 7 in Indian Markets, which were sold via Asus retail store. Side-by-side they also launched the 32GB Nexus 7 in Indian Markets. Both these devices were not sold through Google Play Store at that time.
3G Version of Nexus 7 was priced for Rs. 21,999, whereas 32GB WiFi-Only Version costed Rs. 18,999. And now Google has added the 32GB Model on Google Play Store for same Rs. 18,999. Also, Google is selling 16GB Nexus 7 for Rs. 15,999. Sadly the 32GB Model is temporarily Out of Stock.
Nexus 7 was originally announced last year at Google I/O 2012. It comes with 7-inch IPS HD Screen with resolution of 1280x800p. It has density of 216PPI & is scratch resistant. The processor used is NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-Core & has 4.1.2 JB out-of-the-box. It can be upgraded to 4.2.2 JB as soon as out-of-the-box.
Specs & Features of Nexus 7 -
Screen - 7-inch IPS HD
Resolution - 1280x800p
Dimensions - 198.5x120x10.45mm
Density - 216PPI
Protection - Scratch Resistant, Corning Glass
Processor - NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-Core
Android OS - 4.1.2 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box, Upgradable to 4.2.2 Jelly Bean as soon as out-of-the-box
Rear - NO
Storage - 32GB internal storage
Connectivity - Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, NFC
Sensors - Microphone, NFC, Accelerometer, GPS, Magnetometer, Gyroscope
Additional - 32GB Wi-Fi ONLY
Nexus 7 has a stunning 1GB RAM with capacity of 4325mAh of battery. Google has added 16GB internal memory to help us store many stuffs. There is no rear camera, while it has 1.2MP Front Camera.
Recently there as new rumors about the launch of Revamped Nexus 7 & Nexus 4 at Google I/O 2013. We hope Google to launch these new revamped devices with better specs & hardware. The 32GB Model is not accessible through Google Play Store Device list. We have to go through a direct link to view the device price & to order it. You can Click Here to Order 32GB WiFi Only Nexus 7 or bookmark it for future plans.
Available Budget Google Google Nexus 7 Google Play Store News Rs. 15000 - 20000 Rs. 18000 - 20000
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Box-Office Report This Week
Written by constantio on October 15, 2013 . No Comment, 1087 views
It was a great weekend at the box-office for Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks, but not for anyone else.
Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity" held onto the top spot for the second weekend in a row with a whopping $44.3 million, dropping a mere 20% from its record-breaking debut last weekend. After just ten days, it has managed a $123.4 million domestic gross and a $68 million overseas gross.
The Tom Hanks-led "Captain Phillips" opened to strong reviews and a very healthy $26 million - that's ...
"The Money Pit" Gets TV Series
Written by constantio on October 12, 2013 . No Comment, 416 views
NBC has begun development of "The Money Pit," a series based on the 1986 Tom Hanks and Shelley Long-led comedy film.
The movie followed a couple tricked into buying a distress sale mansion that becomes the proverbial “money pit,” requiring endless repairs.
Amblin and Universal Television are producing the series which Justin Spitzer ("The Office") will write and executive produce alongside Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank.
Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Greengrass Deny Recent Rumors
Written by constantio on September 11, 2013 . No Comment, 490 views
Two major British talents have denied online reports that have swirled in recent weeks about upcoming projects.
First up, reps for actor Benedict Cumberbatch have categorically denied reports that the "Sherlock" and "Star Trek Into Darkness" star has joined the cast of J.J. Abrams' "Star Wars: Episode VII".
The reps tell the New York Daily News: "There is no truth to the rumour Benedict has been cast in Star Wars. I think the rumours are circling because JJ and Benedict have j ...
Another of "Captain Phillips" Poster
Written by constantio on July 28, 2013 . No Comment, 468 views
The Facebook page for Paul Greengrass' upcoming true story thriller "Captain Phillips" has been updated to include two official posters for the Tom Hanks-led film. The movie itself opens on October 11th.
New "Captain Phillips" Posters Arrive
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JavaScript is an object-oriented computer programming language commonly used to create interactive effects within web browsers.
Not so Cut off? It s a Love Story – Support your local cinema! – The Coleford Hub
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Not so Cut off? It s a Love Story – Support your local cinema!
Published on December 14, 2015 in News and Stories, Older Posts, What Else Is On
Sunday afternoon 3pm and ‘Carol’ is playing at Studio cinema in Coleford -will there be a wet afternoon rush for the lush big screen showing a film that has had clutches of great reviews?
Dark ,usual 20 minutes of trailers and short films that turn out to be adverts but there are six of us in the 200 seats and the tickets are still at crazy low prices…
Its a love story with star names set in the 1950s by Todd Haynes a director who always comes up with an interesting take on telling a story- he made
I’M NOT THERE based on the life and times of BOB DYLAN and ‘Far From Heaven’ in 2002
“Far from Heaven” uses superb craftsmanship to make this film look and feel like a film from the 1950s’.
Which was part of the long departed but much missed Third Screen programme showing films from around the world and stunning independant films that often failed to get a full release on the very same screen in Coleford. With a single showing we would often get 50 people, others with slightly more obscure content didn’t always draw crowds but they were all good films…
‘Carol ‘is playing in cinemas across the Globe including many UK urban screen where you’d pay more than £10 a seat- so you have only a few days to take up the offer support your local cinema
It couldn’t be that this film is about 2 women falling in love could it?
Set in the 1950s based on truth for audiences 60 years later…..
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Home / concert / haha / kim jongkook / macpiepro's crazy 20 / music / news / Running Man / “Running Man” duo HaHa & Kim Jong Kook to hold concert in Malaysia!
“Running Man” duo HaHa & Kim Jong Kook to hold concert in Malaysia!
TheHIVE.Asia Tuesday, January 08, 2019 concert, haha, kim jongkook, macpiepro's crazy 20, music, news, Running Man
This March, “Running Man” fans are in for a treat as “brothers” HaHa and Kim Jong Kook will be holding their first concert together in Malaysia!
While this isn’t the first time for this “Running Man” duo to visit the country, it is definitely a first for the two variety stars to share a stage to perform their singles and collaborations.
Here are the details for “HaHa & Kim Jong Kook Concert in 2019”:
Date: 2 March 2019 (Saturday)
Venue: Malawati Indoor Stadium, Shah Alam
Special guest star, Skull (who makes up one half of RGP, the South Korean reggae duo HaHa is also a member of), will also join the two onstage!
Get ready to party as HaHa drops his reggae beats while Jong Kook serenades the crowd with his soothing ballads.
The seating plan for the concert.
How to get the tickets?
Offline ticket sales begin this 19 to 20 January (Saturday to Sunday) at 12pm at Mcalls Digital Lifestyle Stores in NU Sentral, Sunway Pyramid, Mid Valley Megamall, Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall, Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru and Mcalls Service Center MMall Penang.
Online purchase can be made at MacpiePro’s official website (www.macpiepro.com) from this 21 January (Monday) onwards at 12pm.
How much are the tickets?
Tickets are priced at RM153 (Blue Zone), RM243 (Green Zone), RM333 (Purple Zone), RM453 (Yellow Zone) and RM493 (Red Zone).
Yes, there’s a way to get the tickets at a cheaper price!
How to get discounts?
Each fan who subscribes to Mcalls HITS Plan and HITS Deal will get to purchase 2 tickets at 35% off and another 2 tickets at 10% off (only apply to Red Zone and Yellow Zone).
Pre-sale for this begins from 14 January (Monday) at 12pm until 18 January (Friday) at www.mcalls.asia and Mcalls DLS before the official ticket sales to the public begins on 19 January 2019.
“HaHa & Kim Jong Kook Concert in 2019” is part of MacpiePro’s “Crazy 20”, which kicks off this February with a BLACKPINK concert and will have various local and international acts lined up for 20 concerts in Malaysia throughout 2019.
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Actors, Events, Films
Olivia Wilde To Direct Hannah And Her Sisters Live Read
Live reads are becoming all the rage. It’s an opportunity for actors to pay tribute to a classic film, and perform classic roles. The New York Times and Film Independent have announced their latest – and it’s Woody Allen’s Hannah And Her Sisters, directed by Olivia Wilde. Hannah And Her Sisters, released in 1986, is […]
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News Bits! Our twice monthly round up of Woody Allen bits from around the web. Have you binged on the entire third season of ‘Orange Is the New Black‘ yet? We have and we loved it. Oddly, there was a storyline that involved Woody Allen. Cindy (Adrienne C. Moore) tries to become Jewish (long story) […]
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News Bits! Our twice monthly round up of Woody Allen bits from around the web. Michael Rapaport appears in the latest series of ‘Louie‘, the show created, written, directed and starring Louis CK (who worked with Allen on Blue Jasmine). Rappaport worked with Allen on two films (Mighty Aphrodite and Small Time Crooks), and he […]
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Our twice monthly wrap up of Woody Allen bits from around web. Happy Halloween! There was actually a Woody Allen related pumpkin carving this year – for the ‘Bullets Over Broadway Musical‘. Check out all the photos. We are very much enjoying the new Stephen Merchant series ‘Hello Ladies’ on HBO. The transplanted brit spoke […]
Stephen Merchant And Olivia Munn Starred In Jason Reitman’s ‘Manhattan’ Live Read
Stephen Merchant and Olivia Munn were the surprise stars of director Jason Reitman‘s latest ‘live read’, this time of Woody Allen’s Manhattan. These live reads are a regular event where Reitman assembles actors to perform a script of a classic film, live on stage. When Manhattan was announced last week, the two leads were kept […]
I was walking through the woods, thinking about Christ. If He was a carpenter, I wondered what He charged for bookshelves.
— Love And Death
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INFOTECH Tx
Top 10 Software for Video Editing on Windows To Help You Render Stunning Clips
October 22, 2020 by Vaibhav Khatri
The video editing software that you pick primarily depends on your goals, as-well-as your level of proficiency and experience.
Considering that video content dominates the modern world’s online traffic, you must step up your game and indulge in creating and editing stunning video content for social media or business purposes.
You no longer have to spend hefty fees on purchasing video editing software to obtain decent results, as you now have access to a plethora of free online video editing tools. These zero-cost tools boast incredibly sophisticated video editing features. Check here:
Quick Overlook
Best Software List For Video Editing
Adobe Premiere Elements
VSDC
It does not matter if you are an absolute beginner or an industry veteran; after going through this list, you will discover tools for windows to streamline your video editing journey and add a touch of glamour to it –
Adobe Premiere Pro is a premium video editing software used by elite professionals to create content ranging from YouTube videos and commercials to TV shows or blockbuster movies.
Premiere Pro is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud and collaborates seamlessly with everything ranging from the motion graphics tool Adobe After Effects to Adobe Stock.
The trimming and editing tools provided by Adobe Premiere Pro render great precision and control, and enable you to work on unlimited video tracks, and automatic sync eases it up to deal with multi-angle shots.
This platform is best suited for those who wish to edit videos for fun, such as family footage or uploading on a not-too-serious YouTube channel.
Adobe Premiere Elements is not as complicated as Premiere Pro, making it easy to navigate for a beginner, and your learning curve becomes straightforward. However, it still offers top-notch features, including face detection, audio effects, and tons of soundtracks.
Some tools offered include smart search functionality, video stabilization, and automated functions, which include motion tracking and smart toning.
If you are a novice who wants to get started with an easy-to-use video editing software, then Corel VideoStudio Ultimate is for you.
This extremely potent tool has a captivating visual interface that makes it easy to begin video editing, while there exist some dynamic features to discover once you get familiarized with the basics.
Some features include motion tracking, 360-degrees VR video support, 4K support, multi-cam support, 3D text editing, a music library, and many more. The price for this tool is affordable and offers value for your buck.
Wondershare’s Filmora9 is a powerful video editing tool for professional video editors or those who are just getting started with editing.
There is a library of royalty-free sound effects and music to impart a significant impact to your videos, and also the ability to input your media and upload directly within the tool.
If you are still a beginner, you can use the free version that includes all the same features and tools as provided in the paid tool; however, your videos will have a brand watermark.
If you are looking for a professional YouTube intro maker online, go for InVideo, which is an online video editing and creation platform.
CyberLink PowerDirector is an excellent video editing software that renders professional and high-quality features, all without a Hollywood budget.
This video editor is suitable for professionals, and once you begin working on this platform, you will harness the potential of the multitudes of stabilization and video correction tools, multi-cam editing, professional effects, motion tracking, and streamlined trimming.
There also is a 360-degree video editing feature, alongside support for all the file standards and formats to save your videos conveniently. You can also get started with plenty of video tutorials for this platform.
Pinnacle Studio is cheaper than most of the paid-for tools, and you can conveniently bail out if you find that software does not suit you within the first 30 days of usage.
For your buck, you get over 1500 effects, templates, titles, handy coloring tools, six-track HD video editing, time remapping, a dedicated stop motion feature, and much more.
It does not possess the full suite of features that other editors might offer; however, if you enjoy the Pinnacle interface and tools, you can upgrade to one of their more comprehensive packages.
DaVinci Resolve is a free video editing tool used on big-budget film and TV productions. It has a notably powerful color correction and audio efficiencies to help you get the most optimum results.
Traditional color features include curve editors and primary color wheels, facial recognition and tracking, to help you adjust skin tones, eye as-well-as lip color.
For audio, Davinci Resolve uses Fairlight, which is a suite of high-end editing tools that facilitate you to mix and master over 1,000 channels.
Lightworks is a professional video editing suite that has been used on extensive Hollywood productions such as Shutter Island, 28 Days Later, Pulp Fiction, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Mission Impossible.
There is a free version for this platform that makes it accessible to everyone.
The only restriction for the free license version is the output formats, as it lets you export a web-compatible file only at 720p.
If you wish to export some projects into a different format at a cheaper rate, you can purchase a one-month license for a small fee.
If you are rendering a presentation and prefer to include text, charts, lines, and other special effects, VSDC is the free video editing software to pick.
It offers Instagram-style filters, a plethora of special effects such as color correction and blurring, and there also is a mask tool to apply effects to a specific part of the video.
There also is a video stabilizer to eliminate camera shake from footage taken using GoPros or drones, as-well-as a powerful chart tool to include graphs to presentations.
The free version of VSDC lets you export to a wide range of different formats that include AVI and MPG.
Hitfilm Express is a popular video editor that can create feature films or music videos using 3D effects and also help you render videos for YouTube with its direct uploading feature.
The free version of Hitfilm Express encompasses everything you require to produce a professional-quality production.
You can significantly expand the capabilities of this platform by purchasing some add-on features. It contains over 180 visual effects, MP4 H.264 export, 2D, and 3D effects compositing, as-well-as an extensive range of import formats.
With a majority of online traffic being video and graphical content, it is imperative that you also harness the potency of video editing to create stunning videos for your social media pages, YouTube, or to promote your business.
This list mentions all sorts of online video editor platforms, ranging from royalty-free tools to the ones that charge some fees but deliver exceptional results.
Pick an editing tool that complies with your needs, and you already would have taken the first fundamental step to widen your online outreach.
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Leslie Mann >
Leslie Mann regrets using marriage as inspiration for This...
Leslie Mann regrets using marriage as inspiration for This Is 40
By Bang Showbiz in Lifestyle / Showbiz on 23 April 2014
Follow Leslie Mann
Leslie Mann Judd Apatow
Leslie Mann admits she became ''annoyed'' by the ''invasive'' questions about her relationship with director Judd Apatow when she starred alongside Paul Rudd the 2012 romantic comedy 'This is 40', which was written by her husband.
Leslie Mann regrets using her marriage as inspiration for 'This Is 40'.
The 'Other Woman' star admits she became ''annoyed'' by the ''invasive'' questions about her relationship with director Judd Apatow when she starred alongside Paul Rudd in her husband's 2012 romantic comedy, because people failed to understand that aspects had been ''exaggerated'' for entertainment value.
Leslie, 42, told Stylist magazine: ''The thing that bothered me, and I always tell Judd this, a lot of it is based on our lives but some of it is based on our friends' lives or whatever. I mean, we decided to put it out there, it's our own fault, but I did feel it was a little invasive at times. I kept getting annoyed because it was like, 'Argh! Everyone's in my business!''
Leslie - who has daughters Maude and Iris with Judd - insists it has always been her own choice to put her career on hold in order to raise her children and she often feels ''incredibly guilty'' when she has to leave them to shoot her next film.
She explained: ''I have put stuff on hold - little bits here and there. There were times I chose to raise my kids, to be with them. And Judd makes more money than me so it makes sense. Even now they're 11 and 16, I feel incredibly guilty being away from them. I miss them so much. It's hard because when I'm with them every single day and night and they're like 'Do this! Get me that! Drive me here!' I'm like 'Argh! I wish I could be off working!' But I try to find the balance, even though it's impossible.''
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Posts Tagged ‘error’
Error taxonomies in Human Factors
Posted by: adonis49 on: May 26, 2009
In: engineering/research/experiments | politics/finance Today
Article #12, April 9, 2005
“What are the error taxonomies in Human Factors?”
There is a tendency to separate errors made by human and those done by machines as if any man made equipment, product, or system has not been designed, tested, evaluated, manufactured, distributed, or operated by a human. My point is any errors committed by using or operating an artificial implement that causes injuries is ultimately a human errors.
How Human Factors classifies errors when people operate systems, and what are the types of errors, their frequencies and consequences on the health and safety of operators and systems’ performance? Human Factors professionals attempted to establish various error taxonomies, some within specific contexts such as nuclear power plants and chemical installations, of deficiencies in design and operation that might be committed, and others that are general in nature and restricted to processes of the mind and the limitations of human capabilities. One alternative classification of human errors is based on human behavior and the level of comprehension; mainly skill-based, rule-based, or knowledge-based behavioral patterns. For example, Rasmussen (1982) developed a decision flow diagram that identifies 13 types of errors; this taxonomy identifies two kinds of errors attributable to skill based behavior such as acts relevant to manual variability or topographic misorientation, four major errors related to rule based behavior such as stereotype takeover, forgetting isolated acts, mistakes alternatives, and other slip of memory, and then seven types of errors that can be attached to knowledge based behavior such as familiar association short cut, information not seen or sought, information assumed but not observed, information misinterpreted, and side effects or conditions not adequately considered.
These types of errors are the products of activities done in routine situations or when the situation deviates from normal routine and discriminate among the stages and strength of controlled routines in the mind that precipitate the occurrence of an error whether during executing of a task, omitting steps, changing the order of steps, sequence of steps, timing errors, inadequate analysis or decision making. With a strong knowledge of the behavior of a system, provided that the mental model is not deficient, then applying the rules consistently most of the errors will be concentrated on the level of skill achieved in performing a job.
Another taxonomy rely on the theory of information processing and it is somehow a literal transcription of the experimental processes; mainly observation of the status of a system, choice of hypothesis, testing of hypothesis, choice of goal, choice of procedure and execution of procedure. Basically, this taxonomy may answer the problems in the rule-based and knowledge–based behavior.
Another alternative taxonomy could be found in measurement errors considered in statistical research such as conceptual, consistent or random errors. Conceptual errors are committed when a proxy is used instead of the variable of interest either because of lack of knowledge of how to measure the latter (i.e., measuring vocabulary ability when mental ability is the object of the research) or because it is less expensive or more convenient.
Consistent errors are represented by systematic errors from respondents whether conscious or not, measuring instruments, research settings, interviewers, raters, and researchers. Consistent errors affect the validity of measures.
Random errors occur as a result of temporary fluctuations in respondents, raters, etc. Random errors affect the reliability of the measures.
The effects of these measurement errors have different consequences whether committed relative to the dependent or independent variables. It would be interesting to find correspondence among the various error taxonomies as well as assigning every error to either a conscious, predetermined tendency along with the real reasons underlining these errors, or unconscious errors.
It is useful to specify in the final steps of taxonomy whether an error is of omission or of commission. I suggest that the errors of commission be also fine tuned to differentiate among errors of sequence, the kind of sequence and timing of the execution.
There are alternative strategies for reducing human errors by either training, selection of the appropriate applicants or redesigning a system to fit the capabilities of end users and or taking care of his limitations by preventive designs, exclusion designs and fail-safe designs.
Tags: adonis, adonis49, books, classification of human errors, engineering, error, exclusion designs, fail-safe designs., health/medicine, human errors, Human Factors, humor, measurement errors, or knowledge-based, politics, preventive designs, Random errors, rule-based, skill-based, social, taxonomies, theory of information, writing
“Human Factors versus Artificial Intelligence”
Posted by: adonis49 on: October 19, 2008
In: Diaries | education methods/programs | engineering/research/experiments | Essays | Human Factors/Ergonomics | philosophy | professional articles | sciences | social articles
Article #49 in Human Factors in Engineering category, written in June 12, 2006
In her book “Choices” the actress Liv Ullman asks her scientist lover: “What do you believe will be the main preoccupation of science in the future?” and he replies: “I have no doubt that it will be the search for the correct definition of error.”
The scientist goes on to state that a living organism has the capacity to be able to make mistakes, to get in touch with chance or hazard, which is absolutely a necessary part in survival. (kind of trial and error)
The meaning of error here is broad and related to the chance of surviving a cataclysm, where the survivors are probably the errors or the monsters in the tail of the “normal group”.
It is the monsters that scientists would be interested in studying in the future because they fail to belong in the logic process of our automated life.
Taxonomy of Artificial Intelligence AI is the duplication of human faculties of creativity, self-improvement, and language usage that might be necessary to illustrate the progress attained in this field.
There are four basic systems of AI mainly: 1) Thinking like human, 2) thinking rationally, 3) acting like human, or 4) acting rationally.
The purpose of the first system is to create computer machines with complex human minds or to automate the activities that are associated with human thinking.
In order to satisfy that goal adequate answers need to be provided accurately to the following questions:
1. Where does knowledge come from?
2. How to decide when payoff may be far in the future?
3. How do brains process information?
4. How do human think and act, and how do animals think and act?
The preferred approaches by scientists in that system were either to model our cognitive processes or to get inside the actual workings of minds.
In 1957, Simon claimed that “There are now machines that think, learn, and create. In a visible future the range of problems they can handle will be coextensive with the range of the human mind.”
This claim was backed by practical programs such as the reasoning ‘Logic Theory’ that can think non-numerically and prove the theorems in the mathematical book ‘Principia Mathematica‘.
‘Logic Theory’ was followed by the program ‘General Problem Solver‘ that imitates human protocols in manipulating data structures composed of symbols.
The second system of thinking rationally has for purpose to create computational models of mental faculties or alternatively to compute the faculties of perceiving, reasoning, and acting. The typical questions to resolve are:
1. How does mind arise from a physical brain?
2. What can be computed?
3. How do we reason with uncertain information?
4. How does language relate to thought?
The approaches undertaken were to codify the ‘laws of thought’ and using syllogism for the ‘right thinking‘ as in Aristotle.
McCulloch & Pitts claimed in 1943 that “Any computable function can be derived from some network of connected neurons, with logical switches such as (AND, OR, NOT, etc)”.
This line of thinking was supported by an updated learning rule for modifying the connection strengths and the manufacture of the first neural network computer, the SNARC by Minsky & Edmonds (1951).
The third system of acting like human had for purpose to create machines that perform functions requiring similar human intelligence or alternatively, to create computers doing what people are better at doing now. The relevant questions to resolve are:
1. How does knowledge lead to action?
2. How to decide so as to maximize payoff?
3. How can we build an efficient computer?
The main approach was to emulating the Turing test, which is based on the inability of a person to distinguish that a program has undeniably human entities when people are to decide whether the responses are generated from a machine or a human.
This system was successful when programs for playing checkers or chess learned to play better than their creators and when Gelernter (1959) constructed the ‘Geometry Theorem Prove’ program.
To that end, Minsky (1963) initiated a series of anti-logical programs called ‘microworlds’ within limited domains such as: SAINT, ANALOGY, STUDENT, and the famous solid block world.
The fourth system to act rationally had for purpose to define the domain of AI as computational intelligence for designing intelligent agents (Poole, 1998) or artifact agents behaving intelligently. The relevant questions are:
1. Can formal rules draw valid conclusions?
2. What are these formal rules?
3. How can artifacts operate under their own control?
The approaches were to create rational agents and programs that operate under autonomous control.
This line of thinking generated the LISP computer language, then the ‘Advice Taker’ (McCarthy, 1958) where new axioms could be added to the central principles of knowledge representation and reasoning without reprogramming.
An advisory committee reported in 1966 that “There has been no machine translation of general scientific text, and none is in immediate prospect.”
Since then, most of the works on AI research were concentrated within the fourth system in developing AI programs.
The fourth view of AI is within the capability of human to make progress in AI but there is a caveat.
If human rely exclusively on the fourth system, which is in the realm of the learned and educated people in mathematics and engineering, the danger is that autonomous systems will be developed by normal and learned people as if human will behave logically.
Thus, we might end up with systems that do not coincide with the basic uncertain behavior of human.
The concept of error as defined in the beginning of the article will not be accounted for and some major calamities might befall human kind.
Note 1: On error taxonomy https://adonis49.wordpress.com/2009/05/26/error-taxonomies-in-human-factors/
Note 2: Artificial Intelligence started its application around 1988 by trying to cope with retiring “experts” who have been decades in the job and knows what works and what doesn’t. The program was tailored made to a specific job with a series of “What if” questions followed by answers from the expert. I tried my hand on these kinds of programs.
Note 3: Currently, AI is relying on megadata sources gathered from all kinds of fields. My impression is that the products are evaluated through testing and Not according to time consuming experiments. It would be more efficient to collect the Facts from real peer-reviewed research papers, but this will require full-time professionals in selecting what paper is scientific and what is pseudo-scientific or just funded by biased interested companies
Tags: 'Geometry Theorem Prove', acting like human, acting rationally, adonis49, Advice Taker', Artificial Intelligence, basic uncertain behavior of human, chance, chance of surviving cataclysm, codifying the 'laws of thought', computational intelligence, computer, correct definition of error, engineering, error, error taxonomy, experiment, Gelernter (1959), General Problem Solver, hazard, Human Factors, Liv Ullman, McCarthy, McCulloch & Pitts, Minsky & Edmonds, neural network computer, reasoning 'Logic Theory', risk, SNARC, Taxonomy of Artificial Intelligence AI, Thinking like human, Turing test, writing
Human Types: Essence and the Enneagram. Part 1
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How You Can Avoid Paying An Excessive Amount Of Money With This Japaneese Brides
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The Lost Secret Of Japaneese Brides
Because this nation is progressing in technology fast, males forgot the way to deal with ladies with chivalry. Japanese ladies appreciate the smallest gestures of romance similar to a bouquet or a selfmade meal.
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Japanese Bride: Before You Buy What To Know
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You will discover four main kinds of big occasion celebrated in Japan mixed with Shinto, Christian, Buddist, and non-spiritual. This fashion of marriage ceremony obtained to be nicely-favored within the early twentieth century just before it was changed by the additional westernized Christian “White Wedding” within the overdue Nineteen Nineties. A great deal of those women at the moment are living in Tokyo or Yokohama and a few even stay in rural areas. It’s tough to precise how lots of these women are in reality on the online courting service. However, many Japanese women still like the ease and luxury of their residence and they nonetheless use the area search function . This is most probably as a result of many males still need to have an official meeting than courting someone on the net.
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The editors insisted that “most southerners were calm” although polls showed eighty % of white southerners “vehemently opposed” racial integration. The media additionally consistently represented blacks as a monolithic, manageable group in picture spreads of black children standing in line to be admitted to these few faculties that voluntarily agreed to integrate. And lastly, they praised President Eisenhower in an early editorial on the choice for “setting a great instance,” though he had really refused to endorse the choice and privately held that it was wrong for the federal government to tamper with Jim Crow customs (“Historic” 16). Even after the 1955 implementation choice, Life prophesied that the approaching desegregation of American society would be achieved with relative ease. In a June 13, 1955, article on Thurgood Marshall, who argued the Brown case, the journal targeted on the “sort phrases” for Marshall of some southern legal professionals (“Chief Counsel” 141). In a equally optimistic July 25, 1955, article on voluntary desegregation in Hoxie, Arkansas, writers performed up the “quick acceptance for new pupils” by whites even while several mothers confess their youngsters are “always afraid of Negroes” (“Morally Right” 30). A February 1955 article on Sachiko Pfeiffer, a Japanese struggle bride who immigrated to the U.S. in 1948 after marrying Frank Pfeiffer of Chicago, supplies a working example.
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Home | Company News | Renewables MMI: Cobalt Prices Gain on the Heels of Mutanda Closure News
Renewables MMI: Cobalt Prices Gain on the Heels of Mutanda Closure News
by Fouad Egbaria on November 13, 2019
Company News, Ferrous Metals, Metal Prices, Minor Metals, Supply & Demand
The Renewables Monthly Metals Index (MMI) fell one point for a November MMI reading of 97.
Slowing Cobalt Mine Output
According to research group Antaike, global cobalt output growth is expected to slow in 2020, Reuters reported.
The report cites Antaike nickel analyst Joy Kong, who said cobalt production is expected to rise by 5,000 tons in 2020.
Keep up to date on everything going on in the world of trade and tariffs via MetalMiner’s Trade Resource Center.
The cobalt price has suffered over the last 18 months. On the LME, cobalt has plunged from around $95,000 per ton as of March 2018 to as low as $25,000 per ton earlier this year.
Cobalt is coveted for, among other applications, its use in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, which will be expected to drive demand for several metals as EV demand rises.
However, plunging prices have proved to be a challenge for miners, even mining giant Glencore.
Earlier this year, Glencore announced it would idle production at its Mutanda copper and cobalt mine — the world’s largest cobalt mine — in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the end of the year.
MetalMiner’s Stuart Burns earlier this year weighed in on the miner’s decision.
“Glencore has a record of taking the hard decisions early and shuttering mines that are loss-making,” he wrote.
“The miner closed zinc mines in 2015 in response to low global prices; its actions are credited with helping the zinc market recover as a result.
“Cobalt demand has traditionally been driven by its use as an alloying element, but it is increasingly being seen as part of the lithium battery demand story because of its role in production of advanced batteries. The electric vehicle (EV) market, though, has failed to match up to its hype this decade. Although both lithium and cobalt prices have risen as a result of battery makers securing their supply chain, the reality is supply is perfectly adequate.”
In fact, LME cobalt has had some upward momentum in recent months, reaching $35,000 per ton this week.
Furthermore, Burns added the fundamentals for the much-coveted cobalt remain strong.
“In the longer term, though the fundamentals remain solid, EV sales will rise over the next decade as prices become more affordable, ranges extend and charging infrastructure improves,” Burns explained. “Glencore is putting Mutanda on care and maintenance for the next two years, after which it will review its options.
“Taking some 20% of global supply out of the market will put a floor under prices and shorten the timeframe over which prices will recover.”
Trafigura’s Bet on Cobalt
Sticking with the cobalt theme, Burns delved into trader Trafigura’s bet on cobalt amid its price resurgence in recent months.
“According to the Financial Times, Trafigura is betting that the Mutoshi mine, which is owned by DRC-based company Chemaf, can become a competitive producer, just as demand starts to rise on the back of a global rise in EV sales,” Burns wrote.
“Trafigura is looking to contribute financing in return for marketing rights on the cobalt. Mutoshi hopes to produce 16,000 tons of cobalt annually by the end of next year, should financing be put in place.”
The GOES Monthly Metals Index (MMI), which tracks grain-oriented electrical steel, dropped five points for a November reading of 181.
The GOES price fell to 2.6% month over month to $2,499/mt as of Nov. 1.
AK Steel, the only U.S. producer of electrical steel, recently reported its third-quarter financial results. In the third quarter, the company’s stainless/electrical segment saw shipments of 187,900 tons, down from 206,600 tons in Q3 2018.
Meanwhile, for the nine months ending Sept. 30, AK Steel’s stainless/electrical segment saw shipments of 592,900 tons, down from 628,800 tons during the same timeframe in 2018.
Actual Metal Prices and Trends
The U.S. steel plate price fell 7.1% month over month to $684/st as of Nov. 1.
Chinese steel plate fell marginally to $572.71/mt. Korean steel plate jumped 1.3% to $555.83/mt. Japanese steel plate fell 0.2% to $796.27/mt.
The Chinese silicon price increased 1.6% to $1,463.76/mt.
Raw Steels MMI: Global Steel Prices Fail to Gain Traction
This Morning in Metals: U.S. Steel Import Market Share Hits 17% in October
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AIB Interview: Peter O. Zierlein
Peter O. Zierlein, adjunct AIB faculty, knows how to balance power with a knife. We were able to catch up with Zierlein before his upcoming solo exhibition "The Paradigm Of Power" at Fitchburg State University. From Sep. 12th - Oct. 9th 2012, Artist Talk: wed. 9/12 6pm. Check out the interview...
Could you tell us a little about yourself and how you began your path in becoming a professional illustrator?
I always had a knack for drawing. I went to a vocational High School where I interned as a theater prop and prospect painter and apprenticed as a graphic artist and printer.
I came to the States in 1986 with an international exchange program.1986 was the year of the bicentennial of the Statue of Liberty – on my days off I sold stenciled and spray painted t-shirts commemorating the event on the streets of NYC. This went good enough that I sold my return ticket and stayed in NY. I was lucky to find a mentor and sponsor who paid for my first tuition to study illustration at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. I got stipends and scholarships, sold stenciled and spray-painted musical concert t-shirts, worked as an airbrush artist in a famed t-shirt gallery store in Manhattan and later as mechanical artist for big screen printing companies in NY to put myself through school. Still a junior, I got my first illustration commission from a magazine called The World, later from Teleconnect Magazine, New York Magazine, The Village Voice, New York Press, Screw Magazine and illustrated the cover of the Big Apple Parents Paper every month for a year. In 1998 the Berlin Wall came down and I was one of 58 international artists in a group art project called Tryptich for Germany, the three panels of which were symbolically re-united at Documenta IX 1991 in Kassel, Germany, and accepted into the permanent collections of the Stuttgart Staatsgalerie, Koeln Ludwig Museum and Documenta Archive, respectively.
1992 I moved to Hamburg, Germany, where I soon illustrated a regular column in “stern” magazine and freelanced for other publications. 1993 I moved to Berlin and started working for the Berliner Zeitung almost daily, illustrated for other newspapers and magazines and started working with an electronic game developer – then a still young business…
Love took me back to New York in 1998 and I started illustrating for the New York Times Book Review with Art Director Steven Heller (for nine years) as well as Op Ed articles with Art Directors Nick Blechman, Steven Guarnacccia, Wes Bedrosian, Sam Weber, Brian Rea, a.o. Since then I worked for many national and international newspapers and magazines, commercial clients and design posters, magazine covers and illustrations for a social activist cause against discrimination, intolerance, racism and sexism in High schools in Germany.
A majority of your work is black & white, why? What do you have against color?
I did lots and lots of newspaper illustration over the years and much of it is traditionally in black and white. I also have a lot of images in color. I like to use flat color and pick colors for their signal or symbolic value and as graphic shapes.
Congratulations on your solo show at Fitchburg, The Paradigm of POWER' How would you describe the concept and work exhibited in the show?
Thank you! Much of my work as an editorial illustrator revolves around the subject of power. The struggle for power, the loss of power or the use and abuse of power. I investigated the concept of a balance of power also in form of symmetrical paper cuts. In the show I have a dozen paper cuts – including a giant one that hangs suspended from the library ceiling, posters, graphics and a collage of about 150 newspaper tear- sheets and illustrations that relate to the paradigm of power.
You are a graduate of AIB's MFA program. How was that experience? and What inspired you to evolve from traditional ink illustration to paper cut?
I graduated from AIB’s MFA low residency program in January 2010. That was a great experience and a chance to approach my practice as an artist from a different angle. I produced images in all kinds of media, painting, drawing, mono-type print, digital and in symmetrical paper cut. Symmetry seems like a perfect graphic device to express balance (of power) and symmetric design produces iconic imagery. I love the very process of cutting into paper, drawing with a knife, making decisions at the edge of an x-acto blade, the duality of the repeated cut in reverse on the flipside of the paper and the anticipation of unfolding the finished paper cut. Cutting through the paper adds a third dimension to the drawing, the cut becomes sculptural object and turns the drawing into a stencil for light or paint. I don’t tire of exploring the simple yet complex possibilities this technique offers.
You have been adjunct faculty at AIB for the past few years. What do you enjoy about teaching young artists? How do the students challenge you?
I enjoy sharing ideas and discussing the finer points of concept, design, art, marketing and self-image of being a commercial artist today. I also enjoy the energy and spirit of ambitious young artists. My challenge is to be motivating and to present my material in a smart, engaging way so the students learn to visually communicate in a clear, meaningful and humane manner.
How would you describe the next generation of illustrators? And, what impact will they have on the industry?
The next generation, as any generation, will have to shape the way we communicate through visual media. There will be trendsetters and copyists, there will (continue to) be illustration artists worldwide competing for the same gig, deadlines getting shorter, and new, un-thought-of venues for illustration will open up. The industry is becoming a more and more diversified field with ever-changing parameters and it is for each generation to set those parameters.
What trends do you see happening now in illustration that will effect the future of the profession?
A clear trend is the illustrator as author and as entrepreneur. Illustrators are taking advantage of inexpensive self-publishing and web-publishing options – and they should, form groups, share skills, share studio-space and put on shows.
I see the most exciting art happening when illustrators connect with graphic design, typography, music, film, animation, science, theater, social activism, graffiti, architectural design, urban design and other contexts besides in print- and web-publishing.
What's next for you and your work? Any sneak peeks of personal work or upcoming projects you are excited about?
Please come see my giant paper cut at the “Gender” art show, Friday, September 14, 2012 at the Whoo Space, Opening Reception Sept. 14th 5PM - 10PM (During the Northampton Arts Night out) and Open Gallery Sept. 15th from 11AM - 6PM, 11 Market Street, Northampton, MA
Also come and see my even bigger paper cut at Massachusetts Avenue Storefront Art Project, The Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University: http://news.lesley.edu/2012/08/aib-kicks-off-centennial-celebration-through-storefront-window-exhibit.shtml
Sudo Shoes, 1771 Massachusetts Avenue (at Porter Sqaure): Peter O. Zierlein
Besides that you can see my work at University Hall Gallery in the AIB Illustration and Animation Centennial Faculty Exhibition. AIB Faculty artwork will be on view at University Hall Gallery, 1815 Massachusetts Avenue [MAP] from Tuesday, September 4th - Saturday, September 29th. My piece is part of my paper cut series: ”Symmetrical Beings”
A selection of my work is always on view at www.peterozierlein.com
Sep 11, 2012 8:39:11 AM | AIB Alumni, Cartoons, Faculty, Gallery Shows, Illustrators, Inspire, Interviews, Local
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AIB Faculty, 100 years and growing! Check out a few pics taken from the AIB Centennial Illustration and Animation Faculty Exhibition now on view University Hall Gallery, 1815 Massachusetts Avenue [MAP] A range of 2D and 3D artwork is currently on view, through September 29th, showcasing the various talents of the AIB Illustration and Animation faculty. View all upcoming AIB Centennial events here.
AIB speaks Strange Famous Records with hip hop artist Sage Francis They say creative minds think alike. So, what do illustrators and musicians have in common? Yes, they both have major issues with copyright infringement. Pintrest is like the new Napster, but that's a different story (coming soon.) Answer: the audience. Illustrators strive to draw eyes and musicians tour for ears, both sharing stories with the world. I recently caught up with Sage Francis, hip hop pioneer and founder of Strange Famous Records, to ask about his art of reaching for dreams. So you're from the Ocean State? Did you visit any good Rhody spots this past Summer? SAGE: I most...
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Issue Date: January/February 2020
Oculomotor Treatment in Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial
Amy Berryman; Karen Rasavage; Tom Politzer; Don Gerber
Amy Berryman, OTR, MSHSA, is Occupational Therapist, Craig Hospital, Englewood, CO; aberryman@craighospital.org
Karen Rasavage, OTR, is Occupational Therapist, Craig Hospital, Englewood, CO.
Tom Politzer, OD, FAAO, FNORA, is Optometrist, Craig Hospital, Englewood, CO.
Don Gerber, PsyD, ABPP, is Neuropsychologist, Craig Hospital, Englewood, CO.
Neurologic Conditions / Rehabilitation, Participation, and Disability / Traumatic Brain Injury / Vision / Special Section
Research Article | October 25, 2019
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, October 2019, Vol. 74, 7401185050. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.026880
Amy Berryman, Karen Rasavage, Tom Politzer, Don Gerber; Oculomotor Treatment in Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial. Am J Occup Ther 2019;74(1):7401185050. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.026880
Importance: Vision impairments are common after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Little evidence exists to assist clinicians with effective interventions for impaired oculomotor skills in people with TBI.
Objective: To pilot a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of oculomotor treatment in TBI rehabilitation.
Design: An impairment-based oculomotor protocol was compared with an activity-based standard of care in a two-group RCT. Participants were masked to assignment.
Setting: Inpatient rehabilitation.
Participants: For 1 yr, 138 people with TBI, ages 18–65 yr, were screened. Twenty-six were eligible; 6 declined. Inclusion criteria: oculomotor impairment. Exclusion criteria: inpatient stay <6 wk, blind, no functional arm use, unable to follow a three-step command, attention <30 min, or in another clinical trial.
Intervention: Participants were randomized into an experimental group (n = 10) receiving the Six Eye Exercises protocol or a control group (n = 10) receiving a standard-of-care protocol for 30 min/day, 5 days/wk, for 4 wk. Oculomotor and related functional impairments were measured at baseline and posttreatment.
Outcomes and Measures: Measures were chosen before the start. Primary outcome measure: Craig Hospital Eye Evaluation Rating Scale for oculomotor status. Secondary measures for functional status: King-Devick Test, Delis–Kaplan Executive Function System Trail Making Test: Condition 1 Visual Scanning, Modified Nelson–Denny Reading Test, and Subjective Vision Symptom Scale.
Results: Sixteen participants finished. Fatigue was the primary reason for withdrawal. No other negative effects were noted. Selected outcome measures captured positive improvements in both groups.
Conclusions and Relevance: Study findings suggest conducting an appropriately powered RCT to evaluate efficacy of oculomotor treatment in this population.
What This Article Adds: Oculomotor dysfunction seems to improve during inpatient TBI rehabilitation with remedial treatment. Best practice in occupational therapy has not yet been established. An appropriately powered RCT could positively contribute to the evidence available to clinicians.
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Effectiveness of Interventions Within the Scope of Occupational Therapy Practice to Improve Motor Function of People With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, April 2016, Vol. 70, 7003180020. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2016.020867
Using Mirror Therapy in the Home Environment: A Case Report
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, May/June 2014, Vol. 68, e84-e89. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2014.010389
Occupational Therapy for Nonoperative Four-Part Proximal Humerus Fracture: A Case Report
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, March 2018, Vol. 72, 7203210010. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.026963
Effectiveness of Occupational Therapy Interventions to Enhance Occupational Performance for Adults With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Major Neurocognitive Disorders: A Systematic Review
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, August 2017, Vol. 71, 7105180010. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2017.024752
Rehabilitation Interventions to Facilitate Recovery of Consciousness Following a Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, August 2020, Vol. 74, 7411515451. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S1-PO8733
Neurologic Conditions
Rehabilitation, Participation, and Disability
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Alumni at Work (2) Apply Alumni at Work filter
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Sister, Surgeon, Soldier
Sister Deirdre Byrne is a religious sister of the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts and a retired colonel in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. As an Army and missionary surgeon, she has performed...
Georgetown Magazine: One Practice, Three Generations
Richard Han (M'09), right, says that the sense of community and a strong support system at Georgetown School of Medicine sets the school apart. Today he's in an orthopedic practice in Modesto,...
Georgetown Magazine: An Opportunity to Serve with Friends
Food and nutrition services have always been a volunteer match for Mu Alpha Hoyas. Image credit: Mu Alpha website By Timothy Rosenberger (C'16) When Paul Albergo (C'82) thinks about his four years at...
Georgetown Magazine: Ten Questions with Global Strategist Parag Khanna (F’99, MA’05)
Parag Khanna (F'99, MA'05) launched his most recent book, Connectography , at an April event in Riggs Library with Georgetown President John J. DeGioia and Chuck Hagel, former U.S. secretary of...
60 Million: Understanding the Global Refugee Crisis
Interview by Jeffrey Donahoe Last year, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced that there were just under 60 million refugees and internally displaced persons worldwide, the...
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Hersheypark Rides Throwback Thursday
Minetown | Theme region in Hersheypark
In the plans to renovate Hersheypark that were created by R. Duell & Associates, they were planning to create a bunch of different theme areas in the park. One such area, seen below, was a Pennsylvania Mining Town. This was called Minetown.
Minetown was originally part of Phase 3 of the renovation project, scheduled to be completed in 1974. Due to national economic issues (the 1973 oil crisis) and cost overruns for the first phases of renovations (as well costs from the flood of 1972), Hersheypark modified the renovation plan. The phases following 2 were consolidated into general updates to the park. Of the three phase 3 theme areas, only Tower Plaza was completed in the decade, and that was completed in 1975.
Some elements of Minetown were constructed in the 1970s – Coal Cracker was built in 1973, and has a name based on the Minetown theme. When the Sky Ride was opened in the 1974 season, the station, built adjacent to Coal Cracker, was called the Minetown Sky Ride Station. In 1978, the Cuddle Up was replaced by a modern version of the ride – it was called Coal Shaker.
But it wasn’t until 1990 that Minetown came into existence.
Minetown on a 1990 map of Hersheypark.
Description of Minetown from a 1990 map of Hersheypark.
Minetown included three new kiddie rides, Convoy, Dinosaurs-Go-Round, and Red Baron, as well as an Arrow Dynamics (though sold to Hersheypark under the name HUSS) Condor ride called Flying Falcon.
The three new kiddie rides replaced the Coal Shaker and Flying Falcon replaced Himalaya. A brand new arcade and restaurant building replaced the Penny Arcade building which existed from 1905-1989.
Flying Falcon in 2016.
Changes made after the introduction of the area include the removal of the Sky Ride following the 1991 season, the addition of Great Bear in 1998, and the renovation of the ZooAmerica park entrance. Frog Hopper was relocated to Minetown from Midway America and Dinosaurs-Go-Round was relocated to Founder’s Circle (now part of Founder’s Way) in 2006.
Minetown continued to exist until the 2014 season, when the area was re-themed as Kissing Tower Hill.
To see more Throwback Thursday posts, click here.
TagsHersheypark • region • theme
4 comments on “Minetown | Theme region in Hersheypark”
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Pingback: TBT #34 | History of Hersheypark In The Dark | In The Park
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APWAPS SEARCHES NEW STRATEGIES TO COMBAT VIOLENT EXTREMISM
About APWAPS
APWAPS Affiliates
CARE Myanmar
Posted on 19 August 2014 by apwaps
Organisation name CARE Myanmar
Address No-17 A, Pyi Htaung Su Street,
North –West Sayasan Ward, Bahan Township, Yangon, Myanmar Myanmar
Contact Person / Email Philippa Beale / Philippa.Beale@careint.org
Related activities on women, peace and security CARE Myanmar is implementing a project on “Strengthening the Implementation of UNSCR 1325 in Myanmar” at Demosoe Township in Kayah State. CARE Myanmar has targeted 44 communities in Kayah State.
Training at the community level -To reach out to more women in the villages in order to raise awareness on UNSCR 1325 and CEDAW, and to build the capacity of the communities to use of CEDAW and UNSCR 1325 as advocacy tools, CARE is working closely with a women’s network in Kayah State that includes all the major actors who play a formal role in women’s empowerment. Together with the network members, CARE formed a Women’s Employment Trainer Network as a tool. CARE Myanmar used a three-step-approach to build the capacity to the communities. First, all 44 target communities received Gender and Human Rights training, which created a basis for the second step: GBV and legal awareness training (with a focus on women’s protection). Lastly CEDAW and UNSCR 1325 training was provided to the communities.
The training was conducted by a trainer network in Kayah State and the Department of Social Welfare staff at the national level.
Moreover, the CARE project held workshops and trainings for local government authorities, as well as on encouraging women and government authorities to attend women empowerment events together to create space for joint discussions and collaboration.
Organising for women’s empowerment – The project also put a heavy focus on advocating to all levels of government in Kayah State (including local and village track government) regarding women’s rights and promoting women’s active participation in the peacebuilding process. The intent was to enhance the State Government’s interest in women’s empowerment to the extent that they would regularly invited the women’s group representatives to participate in monthly coordination meetings. This is still a ‘work in progress’.
Special events – The nature of the project and the rapidly changing context meant that the activities had to be constantly revised. As a result, CARE had to take opportunities as they arose, for example CARE was able to organise four special events by creating the opportunities for community members to voice their concerns to State Ministers at round table meetings. In those four events, CARE created a space to enable equal but different opportunities for women and men to participate in a variety of women’s empowerment activities, such as inviting couples for join dialogues about women’s empowerment. An action plan for reducing GBV was developed by women in Kayah together with State Ministers and officials in the events. As a result of these events, people from different levels of society were able to share their experiences and learned from each other as ideas were discussed from different points of view. This is significant because research has shown that there is little understanding between ethnic groups as they have been separated by many years of civil war.
In addition, CARE was able to negotiate to conduct a Gender & Peace workshop in collaboration with Myanmar Peace Centre (MPC) and Myanmar Women and Children Development Federation (MWCDF) although it was not included in the original work plan. In that workshop State Ministers and Administrative Officers were invited to discuss how to increase women’s participation in peace building process.
Involvement of Stakeholders – CARE has been working with a variety of stakeholders and target groups such as local and national level government, parliamentarians, lawyers, national and international NGO partners, women’s groups, men’s groups, IDPs and returnees in Kayah State.
At national level, the target groups included following stakeholders:
The national Ministers involving in peace negotiation process;
Parliamentarians from Yangon, Naypyitaw and Kayah;
DSW Staff member from Yangon, Mandalay and Naypyitaw;
Myanmar Women’s Affairs Federation (MWF) members;
Myanmar Peace Centre (MPC) staff members;
Myanmar Women and Children Development Foundation (MWCDF);
NGOs/INGOs staff members participating in peace building process;
Government school teachers from two Central Institute of Civil Service training centres
capacity sharing
knowledge building
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Top Scores for Math 9: PAT Practice for Part A (No Calculator)
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14 A. H. Westmount Charter School Society 80.0%
16 B. K. Brant Christian School 80.0%
17 I. O. Allendale School 80.0%
18 T. F. Barrhead Composite High School 80.0%
19 J. B. The Centre for Learning@HOME 80.0%
20 . . George McDougall High School 80.0%
21 Z. O. Lethbridge Collegiate Institute 80.0%
22 D. D. Foundations For The Future Charter Academy 80.0%
23 M. S. Ponoka Christian School 70.0%
24 A. A. Sir Winston Churchill High School 70.0%
25 I. S. Lethbridge Collegiate Institute 70.0%
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designday » Electronic » Calo - Remixes
Calo - Remixes FLAC album
Calo House Downtempo 1996 US
Complete your Calo collection.
Browse the top remix albums to find new music and discover artists. Scrobble songs to get recommendations on tracks you might like.
A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artists' earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson (Aerial Pandemonium Ballet, 1971). As of 2019, the best-selling remix album of all time was Michael Jackson's Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1997). List of best-selling music artists.
On the heels of its release, Caló assumed production duties on their third effort. The self-titled production was less successful than its predecessors, disappointing record execs and resulting in a two-year recess. Sin Miedo announced the group's return, ushered in by the hit ballad "Formas de Amor. The new disc, produced by Christian de Walden and Carlos Toro, became Caló's most successful yet. The years that followed brought the release of Dance, Dance, Dance, an album full of 1970s dance hit covers.
Discover all Calo's music connections, watch videos, listen to music, discuss and download. 13 samples, 3 covers, 6 remixes. Formas De Amor (1994). was remixed in. Formas De Amor (Full Mix) by Calo (1995). Formas De Amor (Full Mix) (1995). is a remix of. Formas De Amor by Calo (1994).
The ambitiously-named Greatest Remixes, Vol. 1 was released in the wake of producers Robert Clivillés and David Cole's success with the dance-pop confection of C+C Music Factory's Gonna Make You Sweat. Bloated at 13 tracks, Greatest Remixes nevertheless succeeds by revisiting what made us sweat in the first place.
com has the latest, newest, and the most exclusive house remixes from all over the world and has been the number destination for all DJs, remixers and remix lovers everywhere. com, filesharing site, filetube.
Grounds Remixes Album by Kim Ki O, released 17 March 2014 1. Dogs (Komadub remix) 2. Insan Insan ( Frogressive Dread GBT remix) 3. William Chisholm (Alphadub version) 4. Biz Senle Esit Degiliz (12metercube version) 5. Bugun Yok Ki (Anadol version) 6. Siddet, Kin ve Yuk (Grup Ses Beats Balina Kasa remix) 7. Yanlis Yonde, Farkli Turde (Klaustro rework) 8. Yer Teorisi (Midnight Walkers remix). Includes unlimited streaming of Grounds Remixes Album via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. ships out within 5 days.
The Remixes Album by Andrea Bertolini, Boris Way. Free download and listen Call of Ancient Love.
La Casa Del Capitan (Power Crew Remix) 6:45
No Puedo Mas (Deep House) 8:46
El Planeta 5:08
Formas De Amor (Mix '96) 5:13
Colegiala (Radio Mix 1996) 4:10
Sin Miedo (Radio Remix 1996) 3:37
Ponte Atento (Africalo) 6:27
La Taquiza 5:58
El Cubo 5:36
314 531 645-2 Calo Remixes (CD, Comp) Polydor 314 531 645-2 US 1996
314 531 645-4 Calo Remixes (Cass, Comp) Polydor 314 531 645-4 US 1996
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Electronic / Latin / Pop
House, Downtempo
AHX AIFF AC3 WAV MP1 APE ADX
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Power of Sport
Our Work / Projects / Alliance of Sport triumph at the 2019 Not A Red Card Awards
Alliance of Sport triumph at the 2019 Not A Red Card Awards
The Alliance of Sport in Criminal Justice won the ‘Collaboration Award’ at the Legal & General Not A Red Card Awards at the Kia Oval in London.
The Not A Red Card Awards celebrate organisations and individuals that have developed and implemented best practices around addressing mental health in the workplace.
The ‘Collaboration Award’ was to recognise a company demonstrating cross-sector or cross-industry engagement with an initiative that brought together different stakeholders to address mental health in the workplace.
The Alliance of Sport’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive, James Mapstone, was among the 200+ leaders and change-makers at the event, which is now into its second year. The Awards received a fantastic number of high quality entries from a broad range of applicants.
James commented: “The Alliance of Sport is extremely proud to have been recognised for collaboration, which is the core of what we’re about as an organisation.
“Ultimately our mission is to build a safer society through the use of sport in criminal justice and to support a reduction in violence, crime and reoffending.
“By fostering collaboration across the sector, building our evidence base and advancing policy and practice, we are empowering those working on the front line and positively impacting on physical and mental wellbeing across the criminal justice system.
“Mental health and crime and inextricably linked. That’s why, for example, we champion Trauma-Informed approaches that help staff working in Sport for Development to counteract the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and guide participants towards a positive, crime-free life.”
The Not A Red Card judging panel brought together an outstanding group of mental health experts from across sport and business, from former professional footballer and PFA Chairman, Clarke Carlisle, and Sarah Hughes, Chief Executive of Centre for Mental Health, to Antony Brown, CEO and Founder of CBT Clinics.
For more information about the Not A Red Card awards, click here.
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Home » World
N. Korea rates nuclear power over ties with US
Source: Agencies | January 18, 2009, Sunday | Print Edition
NORTH Korea's priority is to build up its "nuclear deterrent force" to protect itself and not normalize diplomatic ties with the United States, the government said yesterday.
Pyongyang last week said it would not give up its nuclear weapons until after Washington alters its "hostile policy" toward its government and proves it does not pose an atomic threat.
The statement was the first to lay out the country's nuclear stance since the last round of international disarmament talks stalled in December.
The North reiterated its position yesterday, saying even if diplomatic relations between the two countries were normalized, North Korea's "status as a nuclear weapons state will remain unchanged as long as it is exposed even to the slightest US nuclear threat."
North Korea "can live without normalizing relations with the US, but not without nuclear deterrent," a foreign ministry statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency said.
The North plans to "boost the nuclear deterrent in every way to more firmly defend the security of our nation," it added.
North Korean state media regularly accuse the US of planning to attack the socialist country. Washington denies any such intention.
The North has sought to normalize relations but a disarmament-for-aid deal pact remains deadlocked.
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Start Over You searched for: Names Northam Warren Corporation ✖Remove constraint Names: Northam Warren Corporation Names Johns-Manville Corporation ✖Remove constraint Names: Johns-Manville Corporation Names Standard Brands Incorporated ✖Remove constraint Names: Standard Brands Incorporated
1 - 2 of 2 entries
J. Walter Thompson Company. 16mm Microfilm Investigations, 1913-1950 and undated 3 Linear Feet — 53 items
Bookmark: J. Walter Thompson Company. 16mm Microfilm Investigations, 1913-1950 and undated
Founded in 1864, the J. Walter Thompson Company (JWT) is one of the oldest and largest enduring advertising agencies in the United States. The JWT 16mm Microfilm Investigations span the years 1913-1950 and consist of research reports, market studies, account histories, office overviews, campaign studies and other investigative documents. Clients include Andrew Jergens, Ballantine, Corning, Kodak, Emerson Drug, General Cigar, J&J Colman, J.B. Williams, J.P. Stevens, Johns-Manville, Lehn & Fink, Lever Brothers (Unilever), Lorillard, Northam Warren, Penick & Ford, Pond's, R.T. French, Scott Paper, Standard Brands and the U.S. Marine Corps. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
The JWT 16mm Microfilm Investigations span the years 1913-1950 and consist of research reports, market studies, account histories, office overviews, campaign studies and other investigative documents. Clients include Andrew Jergens, Ballantine, Corning, Eastman Kodak, Emerson Drug, General Cigar, J&J Colman, J.B. Williams, J.P. Stevens, Johns-Manville, Lehn & Fink, Lever Brothers (Unilever), Lorillard, Northam Warren, Penick & Ford, Pond's, R.T. French, Scott Paper, Standard Brands and the U.S. Marine Corps.
J. Walter Thompson Company. 35mm Microfilm Proofs, 1906-1960 and undated 3 Linear Feet — 104 items
Bookmark: J. Walter Thompson Company. 35mm Microfilm Proofs, 1906-1960 and undated
Founded in 1864, the J. Walter Thompson Company (JWT) is one of the oldest and largest enduring advertising agencies in the United States. The JWT 35mm Microfilm Proofs collection spans the years 1906-1960 and consists primarily of images of print advertisements and proofs taken from proof books and portfolios of domestic and foreign JWT offices. Clients include Ballantine's, B.F. Goodrich, Butterick, Corning, Crowell Publishing, Davey Tree Surgeons, General Cigar, General Motors, Guinness, Horlicks, J.B. Williams, Jergens, Johns-Manville, Nash, Northam Warren, Pennsylvania RR, RCA, Sharp & Dohme, Shell, Standard Brands, Sun Maid, Swift, Sylvania, United Airlines, Ward Baking, and Welch's Grape Juice. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
The JWT 35mm Microfilm Proofs collection spans the years 1906-1960 and consists primarily of images of print advertisements and proofs taken from proof books and portfolios of domestic and foreign JWT offices. Clients include Ballantine's, B.F. Goodrich, Butterick, Corning, Crowell Publishing, Davey Tree Surgeons, General Cigar, General Motors, Guinness, Horlicks, J.B. Williams, Jergens, Johns-Manville, Nash, Northam Warren, Pennsylvania RR, RCA, Sharp & Dohme, Shell, Standard Brands, Sun Maid, Swift, Sylvania, United Airlines, Ward Baking, and Welch's Grape Juice.
J. Walter Thompson Company. 16mm Microfilm Investigations, 1913-1950 and undated1
J. Walter Thompson Company. 35mm Microfilm Proofs, 1906-1960 and undated1
J. Walter Thompson Company2
Andrew Jergens Company (Cincinnati, Ohio)2
Corning Glass Works2
General Cigar Company (Philadelphia, Pa.)2
J.B. Williams Co2
John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History2
Johns-Manville Corporation✖[remove]2
Northam Warren Corporation✖[remove]2
P. Ballantine & Sons2
Standard Brands Incorporated✖[remove]2
Advertising -- United States2
Advertising -- United States -- History2
Advertising agencies2
Advertising agencies -- United States2
Advertising agencies -- United States -- History2
Advertising -- Research1
Marketing research1
Microfilms2
Proofs (printed matter)1
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HomePosts tagged 'freddie jones'
freddie jones
December 6, 2020 November 27, 2020 archivetvmusings ITV Drama - 1970's anna palk, freddie jones, john stride, main chance
Abdul Naji (Aly Ben Ayed) alleges that his brother was murdered and a precious artifact – one of the Dead Sea Scrolls – was stolen from him. David Main is sympathetic, but doesn’t believe Naji has much of a case – unless he can force a libel action (by penning a thinly disguised novel about these events). The book is swiftly published and a libel action is forthcoming, but not in the way Main was expecting ….
The first of two Main Chance scripts by Louis Marks, The Walls of Jericho features an increased role for Anna Palk (as Sarah Courtney), who has a little more to do for once than just take messages and look at Main in a worried and/or affectionate way (Sarah’s the one who befriends Naji and brings his case to Main’s attention). As per usual, Main begins by telling her (and later him) that there’s absolutely nothing to be done. But since that would make for a rather dull fifty minutes, by now the attentive viewer will be well aware that he’s bound to have a trick or two up his sleeve.
There’s a similar trick to be pulled in the episode’s ‘b’ plot (Main’s car is severely damaged when a lorry sheds its load of oil drums right onto it). The company who owns the lorry aren’t admitting liability and both Margaret and Henry Castleton are convinced there’s nothing to be done, but wily old David Main pulls something out of the bag.
It’s something of a story contrivance that the scroll is put up for auction at exactly the same time Naji’s book is published. The name of the auction house – Christaby’s – rather tickles me (an obvious amalgamation of Christie’s and Sotherby’s).
The seller of the scroll – Professor Ian Allardyce (Freddie Jones) – isn’t the man Naji alleges murdered his brother (Allardyce bought the scroll off this apparent murderer). But the problem for Main is that, as the current owner of the scroll, Allardyce is the one who’s been libeled and he’s been convinced to sue.
As you’d expect, Jones gives his usual polished performance. Allardyce might be the walking cliché of an academic (hard-working, distracted) but Jones manages to tease out some decent moments from this fairly stock character. Jones’ best scene occurs when Naji confronts Allardyce. It’s also good for Aly Ben Ayed, who elsewhere tends to overact a little.
Allardyce maintains that he bought the scroll in good faith, although it’s left hanging about whether or not he’s telling the truth. What isn’t in doubt is his belief that the scroll belongs in expert hands (otherwise it risks damage or destruction). That’s laudable enough, although it’s odd that he’s selling it now for a large profit (why not donate it to a museum?)
Although Main appears to have won the day, there’s a late twist in the tail regarding the scroll’s ownership. This isn’t really a surprise though – indeed, it’s odd that no-one mentioned the possibility earlier.
The Walls of Jericho isn’t top tier MC, but it clips along very nicely. Cynthia Grenville (as Allardyce’s wife, Mary) and Peter Cellier (as Braintree, a man who crosses swords with Main and fails badly) both catch the eye with small, but well-played roles.
Six Dates with Barker – 1915: Lola
November 9, 2016 October 23, 2016 archivetvmusings ITV Comedy - 1970's freddie jones, ronnie barker, six dates with barker, valentine dyall
Fritz Braun (Barker) is a rather incompetent shorthand typist in the employ of Kaiser Wilhelm (Dennis Ramsden). The Kasier dismisses him and then decides that since he knows too many secrets he can’t be allowed to live. But the man he choses for the task, Captain Otto Von Diesel ( Graham Armitage), finds himself unable shoot his brother-in-law in cold blood. This presents a problem, Fritz needs to be dead whilst a sultry female spy called Lola is reportedly dead but it would be better if she was alive. This presents an obvious solution, why doesn’t Fritz drag up as Lola ….
After a couple of good episodes, Lola is a broad and fairly comedy-free farce. Although Barker would put on women’s clothing on numerous occasions during The Two Ronnies, it was never something he felt terribly comfortable with. His Lola is therefore a fairly broad creation (although the script by Ken Hoare and Mike Sharland didn’t really give him many opportunities for subtlety).
This studio-bound story flits between Germany and Paris and if the script is rather indifferent, then it’s possible to derive some enjoyment from the guest cast. Hugh Walters has a few nice moments as a German corporal, Graham Armitage impresses as Von Diesel whilst Freddie Jones plays it very broad (but there’s no other way with this script) as an English officer bewitched by Lola’s charms. The peerless Valentine Dyall has a small role as Lord Kitchener, posing for his famous portrait, complaining that his arm is going to sleep and taking more than a shine to Lola.
This one is best filed under indifferent.
The Galton and Simpson Playhouse – Cheers
February 20, 2015 February 20, 2015 archivetvmusings ITV Comedy - 1970's charles gray, freddie jones, galton and simpson, nicholas courtney, the galton and simpson playhouse
Charles (Charles Gray) and Peter (Freddie Jones) operate under a strictly fixed routine. Friends since childhood, they went through the army together and now share the same house. Charles likes to organise everything and as they enjoy their regular evening drink at the pub, he outlines how he sees the week progressing. Friday night sounds particularly exciting. “In here for our usual and then off home and wash our hair. I’ll wash yours and you can wash mine, I never get all the soap out otherwise.”
Then Peter drops a bombshell – he’s getting married on Saturday. This throws Charles into a spin, how can Peter get married when they’ve got the laundrette to do? Peter is firm though, he’s in love and he’s going to be married at 12.00 noon on Saturday.
Charles continues to be baffled that Peter could desert him, after all they’ve been through. “After thirty five years, school chums, brother officers, comrades-in-arms, joint lease-holders of a maisonette and an allotment – which we were going to manure on Sunday.”
But Peter wants to break free from his routine existence and do something very different. He tells an increasingly appalled Charles that he and his wife-to-be will be “staying in South America. We’re taking a raft up the Amazon, right into the rainforest.”
If all this sounds very unlikely, then there’s a good reason why – Peter’s made it all up. There’s no girlfriend, no marriage and on Saturday he’ll be locked into the same old routine. He then confesses to Charles that he created this wild fantasy in order to try and break the monotony. Charles agrees that they should try and do something different, but it’s clear that they never will.
A bittersweet tale, Cheers is pretty good stuff, although there are a few awkward moments which do firmly place it in the 1970’s. Charles is disgusted to see a black woman on the arm of one of the other pub regulars (Nicholas Courtney). He mutters that such a thing shouldn’t be allowed and he declares that “I’d like to know where he gets his money from, I’m sure he’s a mercenary.” Awkward though this is, it’s always nice to see Nicholas Courtney and whilst it’s not a large part, he makes the most of it.
Charles is also amazed to learn that people consider that he and Charles are a couple of “poofs”. The fact they do everything together (including washing each others hair) has clearly not gone unnoticed by the other pub regulars (who call them “Pinky and Perky” behind their backs) but Charles doesn’t understand this at all. “I don’t believe it! I don’t look anything like a poof.”
Freddie Jones gives a lovely turn as a middle-aged man yearning for escape from his humdrum life whilst the always solid Charles Gray is suitably bluff as another middle-aged man who lives for exactly the routine that drives Peter up the wall. If anything changes, you can tell that Charles simply wouldn’t be able to cope.
If the scripting of The Galton and Simpson Playhouse so far hasn’t always been the sharpest, the star-quality of the actors has been enough to hold my interest. Cheers is another good example of this.
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Home / Newsroom / News / 2020 / Water Team - NATO troops rehearse river crossing drills ahead of 'Defender Europe'
Water Team - NATO troops rehearse river crossing drills ahead of 'Defender Europe'
MINDEN, Germany – Staff officers from NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) have visited British Royal Engineers in Minden, northwestern Germany to learn about amphibious engineering ahead of the Corps’s participation in Exercise ‘Defender Europe 20’.
The NATO officers witnessed the troops from the British Army’s 23 Amphibious Engineer Squadron rehearse 'wide wet gap' crossing drills on their M3 Amphibious Rigs at their German base on the River Weser.
The Royal Engineers will play a key role during the massive US-led exercise in Poland during May 2020 where they will come under the command of the UK-based multinational NATO corps.
British Army Major Andrew Smith, staff officer at NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, said:
"We’ve come to Minden to experience and to learn about the M3 Rig and the ‘wide wet gap’ crossing capability that we have. It’s a unique and critical capability that many of us aren’t familiar with, and by coming here today we can learn about it and learn how we’re the best employer in corps warfighting.
As we exercise later this year on ‘Defender Europe 20’, large rivers and wide wet gap crossing are a key part for our planning.
"By coming here today we get to learn how we will best employ that equipment and we get a feel for it, something that’s not particularly familiar to many of us.
"By coming over here as Headquarters ARRC, we’ve brought some of our partner nations with us to show them the equipment that we have. And when we exercise our amphibious capability, it’s very much interoperable with the German army as well.
"It’s been really, really good fun. The equipment is incredibly manoeuvrable on the water, and it’s good fun to use and operate. It was surprisingly easy to drive although I don’t think I’ll be allowed to do it in fighting quarters."
The British Army's 23 Amphibious Engineer Squadron will provide their M3 Amphibious Rigs to the field training exercise phase of 'Defender Europe 20' to be held in Poland during May 2020 (Credit: Sergeant Alistair Laidlaw, British Army)
British Army Corporal Paul Peck, a Section Commander from 23 Amphibious Engineer Squadron, added:
"We’re going to go into Poland, and we’ve got the major exercise with the Americans and everybody else. And we will be putting in one of the longest bridges in there.
"We work with the Germans to do all the bridging, the ferrying, which is good especially with ‘Defender Europe’ coming up.
"So, the main aspect of it is to go with our NATO allies, and it’s nice to see from start to finish to building the bridge, watching all the armour come across and all that.
Without us you’re not going to get the armour there to defend all our allies.
Exercise Defender Europe 20 is a U.S.-led multinational exercise, including NATO's participation. It is the largest deployment of U.S.-based forces to Europe in more than 25 years with 20,000 soldiers deployed directly from the U.S. to Europe. As such, it demonstrates U.S. commitment to NATO and its resolve to stand by its European Allies and Partners.
NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) is a multinational warfighting corps based at Gloucester in south west England. The UK-led formation is the first NATO corps to be held at warfighting readiness since the Cold War. The Corps will participate in Exercise Defender Europe 20 in Poland and Germany during April and May 2020.
Story by Allied Rapid Reaction Corps Public Affairs Office
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Interview Now - 石井杏奈 (Ishii An...
Interview Now - 石井杏奈 (Ishii Anna), 池田千尋 (Ikeda Chihiro) -（1/2）
INTERVIEW / SERIALS
Talent/Idol
"Kioku no Gihou (The Craft of Memories)" released on Friday 27 November is a live-action movie based on a masterpiece from the manga artist, Yoshino Sakumi. It is a beautiful yet bitter mystery movie that depicts the journey of a high school girl in search of her lost childhood memories. The director Ikeda Chihiro, and Ishii Anna, who starred in the movie, visited Fukuoka on Sunday 22 November for the promotion prior to the release. Guess what? This movie was shot at several places in Fukuoka! Besides the exclusive interview with the two, there will be information about gifts for readers so be sure not to miss out anything♪
A movie that reminds you about yourself, your family and your loved ones
asianbeat (hereafter referred to as ab): Yoshino Sakumi's stories are often bitterly beautiful and create a kind of solitary feeling. What were your concerns when making the live-action movie?
(From the left) 石井杏奈 (Ishii Anna) and 池田千尋 (Ikeda Chihiro)
Ikeda Chihiro (hereafter referred to as Ikeda): I read the original manga when I was in my twenties, and I read it over and over again. I keep thinking how to keep up with the changes between the time of publication and the present, and whether Ms. Yoshino, who passed away in 2016, would be pleased. I wanted to make something based on the images left in my memories.
Ishii Anna (hereafter referred to as Ishii)：Actually, when I first read the original manga, I thought that the role of Kazuno Karen (鹿角華蓮) was a bit too dark because of her past. But then I realized that's not the case. After many rehearsals with the director I managed to portray a positive Karen.
ab: My heart skipped a beat when I saw Karen and Hogari Satoi (穂苅怜), the role played by Kurihara Goro, get closer to each other. So Ms. Ishii, I wonder if which scene impressed you the most?
Ishii: I think it'll be the scene when I was taking a night bus from Tokyo to Karen's birthplace, Fukuoka. As I became physically closer to Satoi, it seemed like the sense of distance in my heart was changing too. That's a turning point I'd to accept.
ab: Since "memory" is the main theme of the movie, I wonder if you have any special ways to remember the important things in your work?
Ishii: It's like "here, this is how it means so the next, it should go like that", trying to remember it logically just like doing math / multiplication. Also I'd read them (the lines) once a day to make sure I'm clear with the flow, and then do it again the night before so as to remember it well.
Ikeda: Anna-chan did a great job on her lines!
ab: That's impressive!! Besides that, how do you feel about the filming location in Fukuoka?
Ikeda: Those are the places that the producers and I had finally found after the location scouting at many places in Fukuoka Prefecture about 3 years ago. The stone bridge in Kurume particularly matches the bridge that appeared in the memory of Karen.
Ishii: Oh I didn't know about that! All the settings looked the same with those appeared in the manga, I'm really surprised and moved to learn that they're actually being so carefully selected.
Ikeda: The last scene was meant to be in Tokyo but it was shot in Fukuoka, I think the locals can tell immediately just by looking at the buses around (lol). Not only that there were beautiful cherry blossom trees, the straight slope looks just like road that Karen and Rei had been walking through, so it's really one of my favourite scenes.
ab: I really appreciate that you've shared so many precious stories with us! Finally, is there anything you'd like to say to everyone who's looking forward to the movie?
Ishii: It's a movie that'll make you think about your family and the loved ones in your life, so I hope you'd enjoy it and appreciate that kind of feeling.
Ikeda: I believe most of us must have come across the moments of evaluating ourselves and wondering how to overcome the obstacles in life, so I hope this movie creates a kind of resonance with your own life experiences.
>> Find out more about the stage greeting of "The Craft of Memories" on the next page!
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OPINION: Reboot manufacturing policy to benefit from digitised industrial revolution
India is uniquely positioned to leverage the global phenomenon of 4.0 because India has middle-order skills in both manufacturing and software.
By R Gopalakrishnan
Make in India was announced on September 25, 2014, in the hope that more manufacturing means more jobs.
Made in China 2025 (MiC25) was announced on May 20, 2015, in the hope that more manufacturing can be done with less jobs! Silicon Valley’s controversial Marc Andreessen says, “Manufacturing is a government-subsidised jobs programme.” What is happening to manufacturing/making? What are the implications for India?
Gideon Rose, editor of Foreign Affairs, haunted me with his view on manufacturing, “Something is clearly happening here, but we don’t know what it means. And by the time we do, we may well have been replaced by algorithms.” About 70% of the world’s robots are sold in four countries — the US, Germany, Japan and, hold your breath, China.
China’s Midea is making a $5 billion bid to buy Kuka, Germany’s leading robotics company.
In an interview, Dr RA Mashelkar, president of Global Research Alliance and former director-general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, acknowledges that the new type of manufacturing will destroy jobs, but hopes for new ones somehow or the other.
The recent Euromoney China (Shenyang) International Finance Summit gave me much learning from my three knowledgeable co-panellists: one from a robotics company in China, another from a sensor company and the third the vice-chairman of the Sino-German Cooperation.
India has a window of 10 yrs for labour arbitrage-based manufacturing, but must plan for something thereafter. India’s manufacturing owes much to the middle of the skill-wage map. Industry 4.0 can dehumanise people.
But first, the back story. In 2011, the Germans first contemplated Industrie vier punkt null (Industry 4.0). Stalwarts Siegfried Dais and Henning Kagermann studied the subject with experts and reported back at the Hannover Fair 2013.
Promptly Chancellor Angela Merkel adopted it as a national programme — intelligent manufacturing, which means applying the multiple tools of information technology to production.
Global interest in Industry 4.0 zoomed to stratospheric heights, thanks to the commentaries of consulting companies, and the eponymous Klaus Schwab report at Davos.
Why 4.0? 1.0 was mechanisation of production using steam, 2.0 was mass production using electricity, and 3.0 used “simple” digitisation. “Complex” digitisation facilitated Industry 4.0.
The Chinese reaction was swift; the ministry of industries and information technology breathtakingly announced, “Upgrading of China’s manufacturing industry has become urgent as its status as the world’s factory is undermined by developing countries, and it seeks a new engine of growth amid a slowing economy”.
That is how the Chinese cabinet adopted MiC25. Gosh, if it is urgent for China, what about India? All over the world, the impact of Industry 4.0 is being increasingly felt by people, businesses and governments.
For sure people will get impacted because, for the first time, high growth does not equal more manufacturing jobs. China is driving its Make in China 2025 agenda because its labour is becoming too costly. The middle of the labour market is being hollowed out; low wage-low skill and high skill-high wage at the two ends survive.
India has a window of 10 years for labour arbitrage-based manufacturing, but must plan for something thereafter. India’s manufacturing owes much to the middle of the skill-wage map. Industry 4.0 can dehumanise people.
Rise of the Robots
Business has been impacted for some years now. The supply chain and productivity efficiencies leapt out during our visit to BMW Brilliance’s world-class Shenyang car factory.
Due to deployment of 85% automation in the body shop through 675 robots, hardly any workers were visible on the shop floor. Apart from producing the premium BMW cars, this JV has produced, groundup, the first zero-emission electric car, branded as Zinoro.
Government is being impacted by smart manufacturing. From phase 2.0, governments got used to solving problems in a linear, top-down manner. The Shenyang government is a minority shareholder in the JV, and it helps by avoiding interference.
“Now governments have to adapt by learning how to collaborate with business and society,” explained one Shenyang official. Here is a human interest example of government reorienting to collaborate and support.
India’s Opportunity
Narendra Chavan was appointed as CEO of NTACO, the Nanjing subsidiary of Tata Auto-Components. Soon after Chavan arrived in the Nanjing factory, the HR head learnt that one passenger was suspected of having bird flu as detected by the sensor gun. The authorities needed to quarantine for a whole week all passengers from the three rows in front as well as back of the suspect’s seat.
NTACO’s attempt to quarantine Chavan in the company-booked hotel was rejected; Chavan went to their unpretentious hotel being used for quarantine — a sparse room with a small TV, clean bed and attached toilet.
They allowed some magazines, cold drinks and food from NTACO but no visitors. Chavan was required to wear a face mask, especially while emerging from his room for food.
During the seven days of doctor visits, temperature recording and physical checks, Chavan contemplated the scenario if an expatriate had faced a similar situation back home. However the attitude of the authorities was exemplary. After a whole week, Chavan found that among those quarantined, most were foreigners.
Even after his return to NTACO, government officials called on him to show empathy. Local officials arranged a dinner the next day. Chavan felt that the government officials connected with the companies, communicated well and were very sensitive. To Chavan, such humanism has to be part of any “Make in” programme.
India can attract through Make in India some low-cost manufacturing for maybe 10 years. Importantly India is uniquely positioned to leverage the global phenomenon of 4.0 because India has middle-order skills in both manufacturing and software.
4.0 can be to manufacturing what Y2K was to business software. DIPP, Niti Aayog, Nasscom and CII should recommend a policy to the government, which can consider an India-Germany 4.0 initiative between Chancellor Merkel and PM Narendra Modi.
(The writer is author and corporate advisor)
Nasscom
Manufacturing policy
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Tag: Gamer
How to get camera worthy skin for live streamers ASAP!
Whether you’re a gamer live streaming from your bedroom, a vlogger talking about random stuff online, or you’re simply just another social media user, the pressure to appear flawless on camera is always there as we are all in the “public’s eye”, always performing. Companies know about this pressures and the underlying insecurities that comes with it, so they spend hundreds of millions of dollars not only in production, but on marketing the sleekness of their products to us, but makeup by itself can only do so much.
Tiktok has risen to become a very huge deal in the past few years from seemingly nowhere totally kicking out Snapchat to the curb and turning it into something only “oldies” would use. I can’t even remember the last time I logged into that platform.
tiktok grunge inspired makeup
Social media gave birth to history’s largest beauty trends, they’ve never been a time in history that people (men inclusive) spent more on beauty and cosmetics as like now, and this trend is showing no sign of slowing down anytime soon.
When trying to get seamless makeup finish that covers our acne, hyperpigmentations, and other skin blemishes, using a high quality primer, concealer, and foundation is usually enough to do the trick. But the best makeup finish is always achieved on a clear skin, even if you are a professional.
purple still remains my aesthetic color bias.
A clear and healthy skin is always the base of sleek makeup. Plus, no one really wants to get dragged for looking like a totally different person whenever the makeup and the face tune has been taken out of the picture.
In today’s post, I will be sharing our editors top rated skin Care products that could potentially help you tackle common skin issues like acne, textured skin, hyperpigmentation, large visible pores, and oily skin so you can achieve your camera visual goals and spend less on overall makeup purchase!
Our top rated products to help you get a clear skin as soon as possible!
Pretty much everyone is familiar with the kbeauty 10 steps (sometimes 14 steps) beauty routine starting with a makeup remover if you’ve been wearing makeup, followed by a pre-cleanser which is usually an oil base cleanser, and then finishing off with an SPF for day, or a night cream for the night. This method of skin care have been proven to be highly effective by thousands of people, giving it a “holy grail” ranking!
Here are some of our favourite skincare product you should consider incorporating into your everyday beauty routine if you want a piece of that action.
Every single product recommended here have been personally curated by me and is found to be reputable. These are also affiliated links, meaning if you use them to make purchases I would earn a little stipend but at no extra cost to you.
When it comes to heavyduty face wash to help treat skin issues such as cystic acne, you definitely need a cleanser with a good amount of alpha hydroxl acid (AHA) such as glycolic acid to do the job.
Botanical tree Contains 10% glycolic acid, as well as organic extracts such as bamboo, shea butter, and tea tree. So instead of using a basic face wash that cleans only surface dirt, this acne cleanser uses potent ingredients for some good ol’ deep clean. This facial cleanser is a great way to start or end your day by helping to Brighten a dull-Looking Complexion. $20.90
For oil base cleansers The Japanese beauty brand Kose Softymo does exactly as intended – it gently removes makeup, dirt, and any other sort of substances (oil, sunscreen, etc.) that can accumulate on your face throughout the day, and it is totally affordable, just $9.29!
To use, first make sure your hands are clean. Dry them off and squirt a small amount (a full pump would be too much – maybe enough to be the size of a quarter) on your palm or fingers (I like to put it on my fingers so that I can reach to clean areas on my face that my palms cannot). Gently rub the oil onto your DRY face. It will lift up makeup and dirt almost immediately, although you might need to spend a little more time and care on getting mascara/eyeliner off. The oil will remain the same colorless, oily texture. When you’re done rubbing, rinse your hands and face.
Now on rinsing off, the oil will emulsify with the water and turn into a pale light blueish color, as it rinses off easily. I have never needed a second rinse as the oil does not stick to my skin like typical oils would. Once water is applied, it all comes off – there’s no residue or oily shine like you would expect, it’s just perfect!
Lilianna Naturals’ Vitamin C Serum with Hyaluronic Acid for Face and Eyes has been my very favorite Serum for some time now, most especially for the treatment of sun damage, acne scars, textured skin, and of course, acne also.
The Vitamin E in this product will help with hyperpigmentation, fading scars and the reduction fine lines. It also makes a great dark spot corrector for the face. It can be used around the under eye area as well to help with dark circles and wrinkles. Nevertheless, it is also great for women and men’s daily use as it has maximum prescription strength effectiveness while being gentle enough for sensitive skin. This product is also non comedogenic, and be used both day and night.
How to: Wash and pat skin dry as usual. If you are going to use a toner, apply the toner before the serum. Use the dropper and put a nickel size amount in your hand. Use your finger tips to apply one thin layer of serum to entire face, neck and decollete (a little goes a long way). Allow to dry for 1 – 2 minutes. This can be used not just daily, but also under make up as well. Follow application with your favorite high quality moisturizer. This product cost only $19.99
A skincare routine is never completed without the right moisturizer, NeuBeautics Collagen cream contains only pure and natural ingredients such as Aloe Vera, Coconut Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, etc. The essential nutrients of this cream provide moisturizing while nourishing and soothing skin. This collagen cream also fights the aging process, eliminating fine lines and wrinkles.
This nourishing formula supports skin regeneration during the day and at night, while the rich texture softly melts into the skin getting absorbed quickly, providing immediate sensations of skin comfort. NeuBeautics firming cream is three products in one: a day moisturizer that hydrates, a night cream that nourishes, and an efficient anti-aging treatment for women and men. This fast-absorbing, non-greasy cream intensively restores skin’s softness and suppleness. It is perfect even for sensitive skin due to its natural and safe compounds.
This cult favourite product cost just a mere $18.89!
Even if photo editing apps could grant you a swift magic-like quick fix alá bibidi babibdi boo, you cannot neglect yourself, self-care or skin-care as it can be directly related to your sense of self-worth, self-love and mental health, especially when you are being compared to a computer derived version of yourself. The best makeup is usually the one you never did.
Author Sonia AdekaPosted on Jul 21, 2020 Jul 22, 2020 Categories BEAUTYTags cosmetics, featured, Gamer, Internet trends, Skin care1 Comment on How to get camera worthy skin for live streamers ASAP!
Ooblets would be the most chilling game you play in 2020!
Basically Ooblets is all about dance battles, cute critters, and “chilling out with the homies”, so not so surprising, this game made it to 2020’s top 40 most anticipated games.
Ooblets starts off with you deciding to leave your boring ol’ life and head out to a new, kinda weird island where people live side by side with small, cute critters called Ooblets. Think Pokémon, but cuter, smaller, and less dangerous and way less creepy!
These little creatures can look like mushrooms, tree stumps, robots, and more. They are adorable and I fell in love right away with all the cuteness.
When you arrive you quickly get an Ooblet of your very own and the mayor gives you a beat-up old shack and some land in exchange for helping out around the island, and that becomes the game’s prime setup: you help people, meet new Ooblets, and use the resources you earn from performing all these activities to build up and improve your farm and home. It’s quite simple, with a satisfying never-ending loop made even more enjoyable by just how cute and nice the world of Ooblets is to explore.
This is world is a total ideal, people get to say all sorts of weird, made-up words and where nobody seems to stress about much, everything sort of goes!
Anyone can be who they want to be, and that includes you. The game lets you mix and match traditional masculine and feminine clothing and hairstyles with total gender fluidity! Also, all the menu options are written casually, with stuff like “Nah” instead of no and “Sure… cool” instead of yes. If that sounds annoying to you then you’re probably too old!
The rest of Ooblets’ style and presentation pretty much mirrors this, and I found it just quirky and funny enough without crossing into annoying territory.
watch my character (middle) dedie dance at a house party!
Nevertheless, no matter how cutesy it all sounds, it ain’t barbie as there is a lot of “combat” between your growing team of Ooblets and other Ooblets. This combat isn’t about physically attacking or hurting the other critters nevertheless, Instead, you fight in dance-offs, surrounded by other dancing Ooblets! (Okay, maybe there’s a little bit of “barbie” there).
While in-game these “fights” are shown to be contests of dance, the actual combat plays out via cards. These card battles aren’t like Hearthstone, where you’re trying to destroy cards and hurt your opponent. Instead, you try to earn points quickly to fill a meter and reach a certain amount first.
To do this you either play standard move cards which you always have access to or special cards that only certain Ooblets bring with them into battle. For example, my little robot Ooblet, candy, had a special ability that let him double the number of points I earned for my next move card. Each card has a “beats” cost, which is just another word for mana. Each turn you get three mana points and you try to earn as many points as you can. It’s sorta simple in my take, but only after you’ve been playing for a while.
In Ooblets, you have a town filled with locals who all have their own personalities and behaviors. You can talk to them all and be friendly with everyone or ignore some of them.
Additionally, you also have to manage your energy. Do too much, like tilling a bunch of lands or picking a lot of fruits, and you’ll get tired and fall asleep. You can drink and eat to regain energy, but the best way is to sleep at night. Nevertheless, you should try to explore a little bit while the sun is down, I found out that the game looks even better at night.
There’s a large amount of stuff in Ooblets. Lots of people to talk to, side activities to try out, challenges to complete, furniture to buy, and farming to be done. You can grow crops to sell, eat, or even collect seeds from defeated Ooblets and grow new critters who join you on your adventure. I’ll admit that I wasn’t expecting this much depth and was pleasantly surprised to find so much to do, it sort of addicting, but in a good way.
Ooblets is available now in early access on the Epic Games Store or Xbox One via Game Preview.
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Here are some our Amazon.com top rated selections!
Sushi Go! – The Pick and Pass Card Game. $8.54
Throw Throw Burrito by Exploding Kittens – A Dodgeball Card Game – Family-Friendly Party Games – Card Games for Adults, Teens & Kids. $24.99
Betrayal at the house on the hill. $29.49
Author Sonia AdekaPosted on Jul 20, 2020 Jul 20, 2020 Categories GamingTags Gamer, New release, Video games1 Comment on Ooblets would be the most chilling game you play in 2020!
A Gamer’s review of the Ghost of Tsushima
The story opens with Japan on the brink of war. A small group of samurai has gathered on a Tsushima beachhead to repel an invading Mongol force led by Khotun Khan, a fictional descendant of Genghis and Kublai Khan. While the Mongols attacked Japan on multiple occasions, Ghost of Tsushima liberally combines various historical and cultural artifacts for an entirely new narrative. As was the case in the late 13th century, the samurai find themselves unprepared to deal with the invaders’ overwhelming military tactics and get almost completely annihilated.
Ghost of Tsushima puts you in control of Jin Sakai, one of the island’s last remaining samurai. A half-dead Jin is pulled from the battlefield by a wandering thief named Yuna, only to rush off in an attempt to free his captured uncle. Jin makes it his mission to save his home from the invaders, who have wasted no time in running roughshod over Tsushima as a prelude to their attack on the Japanese mainland. For the player, this would translate to a heck a lot of random battles throughout the countryside and liberation villages occupied by the Mongols. Sometimes this would be done with Jin’s allies but most often than not, you were on your own.
Jin is presented pretty much as an enigma in the early hours of Ghost of Tsushima and only through brief flashbacks to the time he spent with his uncle does the player get an insight into what’s really underneath Jin’s rather gruff façade. As an idealized image of the samurai warrior caste that existed in Japan at the time, he spends a lot of time worrying about the dichotomy of honor and shame. But it soon becomes abundantly clear that Jin must adopt new tactics, even those he views as “dishonorable,” to liberate Tsushima, adding a thin layer of internal strife to the more overt conflict against the Mongols.
The classic Samurai have been extensively mythologized in modern times no doubt, which was why in this reimagination what was essentially the paramilitary arm of a system of feudal land ownership were seen as noble, as superhuman dispensers of justice. Before playing the game, a lot of people had expected that this stereotypical concept might tie into some sort of weird, Mass Effect-Esque morality system by which the main character would vacillate between “honor” and “shame” depending on how he approached every situation.
Thankfully, that was not the case, even if the game’s narrative tunnel-visions on that concept. There’s no penalty for approaching battles in Ghost of Tsushima stealthily, which Jin considers a violation of samurai code. You don’t get locked out of any skill trees or storylines depending on how you decide to fight. While Jin is forced to take a more stealthy approach for both tutorial and narrative reasons early on, there’s also nothing stopping you from proudly walking into an enemy encampment and challenging dozens of Mongols to a straight-up fight. Granted, the best approach would always be a mixture of traditional katana skills and more “underhanded” tools like smoke bombs and firecrackers, but the game never punishes you for living out your own personal version of Seven Samurai.
That enduring image of a lone warrior surrounded by foes becomes a neat gameplay mechanic in Ghost of Tsushima. When approaching a group of enemies, Jin can call out to them with a challenge for a one-on-one combat against their strongest fighter. Here, the game asks you to hold the Triangle button and keep a close eye on your opponent. When they make a move, that’s your cue to release the button, which causes Jin to unsheathe his sword and unleash a deadly, one-hit kill. By the end of the game, a combination of skills and armor made it so you could slice through five enemies in a row before actually starting a battle.
Ghost of Tsushima’s swordplay is basic and engaging, a mixture of light and heavy attacks, parries, and dodges, tied to specific buttons or button combos. The combat system is very easy to grasp if you’ve played any recent video game, perhaps as a way to indicate, through gameplay, that Jin has been learning to fight with a katana since he was a child. As the game goes on, you learn various stances—combat styles that you can shift into at will—by observing and killing Mongol generals. Stances are meant to deal with different types of enemies: The stone stance, for instance, is better suited to taking down swordsmen, whereas the water stance’s flow of bludgeoning strikes is perfect for decimating shields. These stances, much like the rest of Jin’s repertoire, can be improved with skill points earned from defeating enemies and completing missions to unlock more combo strings and increase damage.
The “ghost” in Ghost of Tsushima could refer to Jin’s transformation from a rigid samurai warrior into a guerrilla vigilante willing to do anything to save his home. Where a samurai might focus entirely on his katana and bow, the covert tactics Jin learns over the course of the campaign gives him access to a multitude of more subtle weaponry. This starts out with some basic kunai, which can be thrown to break an opponent’s guard from a distance, but quickly expands to include tools like smoke bombs, explosives, and even wind chimes that draw enemies’ attention. Jin’s most important tool, however, is his tanto, a short blade that allows him to perform quick, violent assassinations from the shadows. It’s rare to enter a fight where you’re not vastly outnumbered, so it’s best to balance the scales as much as possible from the relative comfort of stealth. The only time where stealth really feels required is when the Mongols have taken hostages. If an enemy spots you, they’ll start to cut down prisoners unless you can stop them.
These two aspects of Jin’s arsenal combine to make every battle in Ghost of Tsushima fluid, ever-evolving affair. While you might initially sneak into a Mongol encampment, one wrong move can turn the mission into an all-out brawl against the camp’s entire garrison. I usually found myself picking off high-priority targets like bruisers with medieval shotguns and explosive-throwing support troops with my bow before wading into battle, where smart usage of my stances was key to surviving. Eventually, the Mongols begin to employ the services of animals like hunting dogs and hawks, which can sniff you out or spot you from above. I never found myself tiring of the basic flow of combat, but I quickly got so strong that stealthy approaches were just a waste of time when there weren’t any hostages to protect. Why assassinate Mongols when I could just walk up, challenge them to a duel, and mop up the stragglers?
Besides combat, much of the game is dedicated to exploring the island’s lush environments. Jin strides across vast fields of flowers, the muck and mire of swamplands, and even the icy northern reaches of Tsushima during his adventure. At one point, he dropped his hand to feel the foliage as I raced along on a horse, mimicking my exact desire at that moment. Tsushima also features a weather system that, while not offering much apart from rainstorms and rolling fog, gives the beautiful scenery an additional coat of aesthetic flair. Over the course of the game, Jin can learn songs on his flute that change the weather at will.
Ghost of Tsushima has an almost insatiable desire to remind you of its influences through its visuals. Each mission opens with a title card that draws inspiration from old samurai films. An optional black-and-white visual filter is literally named after legendary director Akira Kurosawa. Important duels are preceded by a lengthy, tension-building cutscene that ultimately functioned as a minute or so to check my phone while waiting for it to playout for the tenth time. Every attempt at infusing Tsushima with these cribbed details feels like a wink and a nudge for recognition rather than true homage.
Ghost of Tsushima fills its expanses with multiple diversions. Tall, white flags indicate the presence of a bamboo strike mini-game, which asks you to quickly tap out increasingly difficult button sequences to increase Jin’s resolve meter.
In combat, this meter allows you to heal, use special techniques like a series of devastating slashes that homes in on opponents, and even revive yourself. Hot springs can be found beneath trees with orange blossoms, giving Jin a chance to decompress and extending his health bar. Swarms of fireflies mean a fox den is nearby, the denizen of which will lead you to a special shrine that lets you carry more charms, accessories with bonuses that range from simple stat boosts to more interesting mechanics like regaining arrows on a headshot.
While it’s fun to listen to Jin’s internal thoughts while at the hot spring and to pet the foxes after their guidance, I never found myself excited to see one of these landmarks on the horizon. They were merely there to complete for a reward, a far cry from the dynamic intensity of battle.
~Ian walker
Spilling the tea on what I think about the game
Although some people may argue that It feels very weird having to save a peasant from a group of Mongol soldiers, only to have them turn around and reward Jin with whatever meager possessions they were able to hide away. This and also the fact that game had no problem with allowing you to raid homesteads for materials like iron and leather which could then be used to upgrade his gear, this in my take ran a little bit counter to who Jin was and what he was trying to do for the people.
According to the game’s narrative, Jin Sakai is the head of his clan, an aristocratic warrior who never lusted for anything in his life, so why then was he so eager to squeeze out every last bit of resources from the people he was supposed to be protecting?
Life was hard before the Mongols arrived, and now villages and farms are burning. People argued that those supplies would be much more useful in attending to refugees rather than a man whose sole ambition is reinstating the power structure that enforced these hardships in the first place.
I guess the underlying message there could be that Jin was just secretly another imperialist all along who was fighting under the guise of mass liberation to bring back the old world order which had favored him, wouldn’t that be a plot twist? This probably could be one of the reasons why he had no problem looting from the very people he claimed to be protecting. A sense of entitlement, I guess.
Jin was also shown to be somewhat unsympathetic to the plight of the locals, any growth he shows over the course of the game usually deals entirely with his approach to warfare, rather than the imbalances within the society he seeks to protect or even his own responsibility for maintaining them.
This lack of empathy was also evident when a childhood friend betrays him, Jin did very little personal inventory on his part on how he might have contributed to his friend being motivated to betraying him, rather he went on a “holy” quest for revenge. All of this could have been entirely prevented if only he had been a little bit more compassionate.
“Another open-world game” has been my problem this generation. With more and more games coming out all the time, it’s become more of a problem picking out what games to play and when. This generation has been rife with open worlds and live games that are only getting bigger and demanding more and more of our time, helping to fuel our video game addiction.
I quickly got tired of open-world games as soon as they truly became a thing (I believe this was around grand theft auto 3) I noticed early on that these games sacrificed tight narrative, which was what really stuck to the mind long after a game has been finished. But when the game begins to get elaborate for the freedom to do anything in the world, You start to see inconsistencies and holes in the plot as a result, with some missions or quests seeming all too repetitive.
BACK OF THE BOX QUOTE
“Press R2 to compose haiku.”
TYPE OF GAME
Open-world samurai simulator
Fluid combat, gorgeous landscapes, charming side characters
Tedious missions, uninspired protagonist
55+ hours to finish the story and 100% the map
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Here are some of my Amazon.com selections!
Ghost Of Tsushima collector’s edition PS4 by sucker punch production. $265.98
Ghost of Tsushima Launch Edition – PlayStation 4. $64.27
Gaming Glasses | Blue Light Blocking Glasses | Riot/Onyx by Gunnar | 65% Blue Light Protection, 100% UV Light, Anti-Reflective To Protect & Reduce Eye Strain & Dryness. For video game/TV addicts, and computer junkies $38.97
SOMIC G951pink Gaming Headset for PC, PS4, Laptop: 7.1 Virtual Surround Sound Detachable Cat Ear Headphones LED, USB, Lightweight Self-Adjusting Over Ear Headphones for Girlfriend Women. $65.99
Author Sonia AdekaPosted on Jul 18, 2020 Categories Ant News, Entertainment, GamingTags featured, Gamer, Internet trends, New release, trending, Video gamesLeave a comment on A Gamer’s review of the Ghost of Tsushima
The Ghost of Tsushima’s out today, and here’s what’s mind blowing
Ghost of Tsushima is a game of compulsion. Like most open-world adventures, everything is designed to get you to explore what’s over the next hill or across that nearby river. The map is peppered with question marks, many of which surround towns and temples in which you meet allies and upgrade equipment. Helpful diversions like hot springs and fox dens have obvious environmental tells. The wind, a major contributor to the game’s overall aesthetic, literally guides you to objectives. But there’s a big difference between scouring a map to completion and actually having a good time, no matter how obsessive a person you may be.
The Ghost of Tsushima, which premiered to the public today features some of the fastest loading times I’ve seen in a modern game despite its beautiful, expansive environments. They’re so short, that it’s often hard to read more than one or two of the gameplay tips the developers included as filler between gameplay. But it was almost even harder.
Most people are impatient these days, that’s why there’s been people I know who’s given up on games like Prey and XCOM 2 just because they took too long to load between areas or missions, for this reason a lot of people had expected a significant downtime in Ghost of Tsushima. They ended up nevertheless, being mind fucked by how little a time it afforded them to even check their smartphones or get a drink in between. Transitioning from gameplay to cutscene and back, or fast travelling between two distant environmentally diverse biomes, both incurred load times of just a few seconds! Well, at least when played on a base PlayStation 4 loading a digital copy of the game from an external HDD.
Sucker punch production lead engine programmer once wrote to kotaku via email
We really got to where we are through focus and substantial team effort, I wrote the foundational code for our fine-grain texture and mesh streaming systems for Ghost. It started as a forward-looking side project and came online just in time as we began running out of memory on PlayStation 4 developer hardware due to the huge amount [of] art the team was adding.
Adrian Bentley
Ghost of Tsushima is sleek as hell, featuring vast fields of flowers intersected by dusty roads give way to claustrophobic bamboo forests containing secluded Buddhist temples. Leaves, cherry blossom petals, and pollen filter through the air thanks to an ever-present, guiding wind. Waves crash on beaches, hiding rocky pathways to offshore secrets. And while the responsibility for pulling all those disparate assets together was already monumental, Bentley explained that the art team also had to make sure to keep data compact as it ate more and more memory.
“Our art teams did an amazing job pushing their assets to fit in our aggressive performance and memory budgets,” Bentley said. “They accomplished a huge amount especially considering the size of our team. As an example, one of our 200m x 200m terrain tiles only usually takes up around 2 MB (compressed) on disc, including all the terrain and foliage placements. It’s easier to load a lot of data when you keep it compact.”
“Our mesh and texturing systems are very fine-grain and fairly conservative,” Bentley added. “We only have one copy of every asset on the disc. During most loads, when not jumping into a close-up, we only load newly required assets and can dial down our streaming density a bit. This usually results in requesting one or maybe two fewer mipmap levels for big textures. Users shouldn’t see pops because we still have the texture data we need to render when jumping into gameplay 99% of the time”.
But as far as I know, Ghost of Tsushima developers most likely employed some sort of fancy, behind-the-scenes tricks to reduce these loading times even if Bentley argues that it was mostly just the “hard work of the team” that ensured load times remained as short as possible.
Nevertheless, they did hide some loading times behind prerecorded movies that rendered in-engine, a technique Sucker Punch has utilised since the early inFamous games. Streaming and decoding multiple assets simultaneously in this way requires “somewhat complex code.”
According to Bentley, a “fundamental part” of the engine’s loading strategy is to put data exactly where it needs to be in memory with as few disk reads as possible. Such precision is mostly only possible on a console, because the hardware (and hence, memory layout) never changes.
Once it’s all loaded up, they can then “spawn” anything in memory into wherever it’s needed in the game world. As the player runs around, further incremental loading occurs as needed, which Bentley describes as a relatively lightweight process.
“When you die,” says Bentley, “we only need [to] re-run this quick ‘spawn’ process with most of the data already loaded. In contrast, many other engines use serialisation-based approaches, which require reloading a substantial amount of data to run again.”
Ghost of Tsushima’s largely natural, bucolic setting further contributed to the speediness of its loads.
Like many games, Ghost of Tsushima provides players with tips during loads to both kill time and fill them in on parts of the story or gameplay they might have missed. During development, however, the team at Sucker Punch found that reloading from death, specifically, was so quick that it was impossible for the player to read any of this advice. Late into the project, Bentley said, they decided to artificially extend downtime in these situations so that the tips could be on-screen for “more than a fraction of a second.” Just between you and me, it’s still pretty hard, but I can typically get through one or two before being whisked back to fighting Mongols.
Even so, Bentley still isn’t entirely satisfied with some of the load times, especially when it comes to fast travelling into different biomes or cities. He credits his team’s general optimisation for making extended downtime less noticeable, as well as techniques like deferring the loading of data only used for close-ups on textures and other assets until the player is actually in the game. In my experience, loading times increased as more of the world opened up, but I never found any individual moment too taxing on my patience. Overall, Ghost of Tsushima is a game that never takes you out of the action for too long, which is great when you’re hunting down those last few Mongol camps or scouring the map for the last fox den.
“We realised early on that the scale of Ghost would create challenges,” Bentley said. “We did some math, and carrying forward our previous streaming approach verbatim would have resulted in either a large memory and disc footprint or constraints too tight for the art team to pack enough content into the world. We really had to be cognisant of all parts of the pipeline when making changes to make sure we could efficiently build, run, and stream Ghost. And do all this while making the game at the same time. In the end, I’m pretty happy with the results and am excited to see what we can improve going forward.”
Ghost of Tsushima Special Edition – PlayStation 4. $121.01
Razer Kraken Gaming Headset: Lightweight Aluminum Frame – Retractable Noise Isolating Microphone – For PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch – 3.5 mm Headphone Jack – Classic Black/Blue. $70.99 $46.10
Seagate Portable 2TB External Hard Drive Portable HDD – USB 3.0 for PC, Mac, PS4, & Xbox (STGX2000400). $62.49 $43.12
PlayStation 4 Slim 1TB Console. $339.99
Author Sonia AdekaPosted on Jul 17, 2020 Jul 20, 2020 Categories GamingTags Gamer, New release, Video games1 Comment on The Ghost of Tsushima’s out today, and here’s what’s mind blowing
6 ways to keep the clutter out and your mind sane
One could genuinely think that since we spend literally the whole day at home, then our living and working space would be organized and absolutely spotless. I mean, we’ve got nothing else to do, no social engagements, no tight schedules, no school, no work, just us with our remote control and t.v in our pajamas.
But ironically, now that we spend most of our time at home, especially when we’re living with other people, it could tend to get quite chaotic.
If you are anything like me, then your bedroom is probably the most cherished area in your house for you, it is where you sleep, work, house your valuables. A place where you could zone out from the chaos of the outside world, clearing your mind of all the clutter.
But as time goes on, it does tend to get a bit crowded, chaotic even, and then that once “safe haven” begins to look like a Looney bin, which in turn affects your moods consciously or unconsciously.
Today, I’ll be sharing with you my tips on how to declutter your space (and potentially your mind). All of this task would take no more than 10 minutes or so to perform, however, keep in mind that any decluttering act is never complete until you get rid of things you no longer need!
Transitioning from pig dirty to clean….ish
1. Toss out the old Lipsticks
lipsticks are a woman’s best friend!
But an excessive number of lipsticks — some of which you may never wear — can accumulate over time. While lipstick does not come with expiration dates, they don’t stay good indefinitely!
I recommend assessing the freshness of your favorite lipsticks and tossing unused lipsticks and free samples that you are not apt to wear.
2. Recycle Old Socks and Undergarments
Numerous people get new socks and underwear without eliminating existing ones, which often results in an overstuffed drawer. Now is a good time to make space in your drawers by removing worn-out socks and undergarments with holes or loosened elastic, as well as socks with missing mates.
It is actually possible to recycle textiles, so contact your local recycling facility to see if they accept them. If not, companies like American Textile Recycling Service accept donations of clothing in any condition and can give unwearable items new life as upholstery and automotive stuffing or industry wiping rags.
However, if you are into DIY crafts like me, you can choose to upcycle some of them into DIY stuffed toys or similar craftworks.
3. Pare Down Writing Tools and Office Accessories
In my household, pens, pencils, and markers seem to breed over time. I have my few favorites and end up not using most of the others.
While you’re staying safe at home, spend a little time testing out your pens and markers and tossing any that lack ink. In fact, this is a great task to delegate to homebound little ones. Of the remaining good ones, pick out those you use and like and donate the rest.
Be sure to review your rulers, scissors, staplers, and other office items too, letting go of any that you don’t like to use or don’t need to have.
4. Sort Through and Donate Belts
Belts don’t take up a ton of room, so it’s easy to neglect them when you periodically clean out your closet. Personally, I am not attached to belts, so pruning mine is a painless task for me. In fact, I resist accumulating too many belts when I purchase clothing. When I buy an outfit or a coat with a belt and don’t care for the belt or have a need in my closet, I donate it right away.
Culling belts may not be an easy task for you, so before you tackle this one you will have to really judge whether it’s a project that falls within your time availability. It may be easier simply to focus on eliminating belts that are too small, too large, or that have cracking material or broken hardware.
Unfortunately, leather recycling is uncommon. Contact your local recycling center to see if they will take your old leather belts. If they don’t, another option to prevent your belt from going in the landfill would be to upcycle it into an art project. If the buckle is metal, you can recycle it as you would any other metal.
5. Donate or Recycle Old Books and Magazines
There was a time when I would save my magazines to read when I had more time, But by the time I had more time, the magazines were likely out of date.
Sometimes I even hoard already read magazines and brochures especially when I liked the pictures in the magazines (I’m a highly visual person)! Nevertheless, if this sounds like you, you may want to take some time to do a room-by-room scan of your house and pick up outdated magazines and newspapers and books you’re unlikely to read. Donate or recycle as appropriate.
If there are articles you still want to read in the magazines, consider tearing out just the specific articles and keeping them all in one folder. This will take up much less space and your articles to read will all be in one easily accessible place.
6. Toss out old equipment Manuals
Manuals for items ranging from the stove you no longer own to the DVD player often wind up being the “junk” in the “junk drawer.” And they may still be sealed in plastic packets full of registration cards you never sent and a lot of nonsense paperwork.
If you have a good handle on how to operate the coffee machine, the TV, and the toaster, toss those out, there is no point keeping a ‘how-to’ manual for something you have seen and used a thousand times!
This also applies to manuals for appliances you no longer own. If you’re trying to clear out paper, and building codes in your area don’t require that you keep manuals, check to see if the information is online and pitch the paper copies. Or save just the pages you need to keep track of model numbers and other useful information.
In most municipalities, you can recycle paper manuals with newspapers. If there are plastic bags involved, recycle them at the grocery store or with your local recycling company if allowed.
Here are some of my Amazon.com selections to help make life easier!
(Software)Star Trek: The Complete Comic Book Collection. 500+ issues spanning over 40+ years of production! $29.99
iDesign Rain Lazy Susan Turntable Cosmetic Organizer for Vanity Cabinet, Bathroom, Kitchen Countertop to Hold Makeup, Beauty Products, 9″ x 9″ x 1.5″, Clear. $10.51
HBlife Makeup Organizer 3 Pieces Acrylic Cosmetic Storage Drawers and Jewelry Display Box. $22.49
Busy Family Bill Organizer. $4.98
Author Sonia AdekaPosted on Jun 7, 2020 Jul 19, 2020 Categories LIFESTYLETags DIY, Gamer, Life hack5 Comments on 6 ways to keep the clutter out and your mind sane
Who shouldn't be doing these leg workout if they want slender legs and rounder butt
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Home / education / School sales tax extension to be fast-tracked at Legislature
School sales tax extension to be fast-tracked at Legislature
By: Ben Giles March 21, 2018
Arizona Senate President Steve Yarbrough said state lawmakers will fast track a bill to permanently extend a sales tax dedicated to public education through both chambers on Thursday.
The Chandler Republican told the Arizona Capitol Times today that measures to extend Proposition 301 in both the state Senate and House of Representatives will get a chance to be voted on and sent to Gov. Doug Ducey’s desk by the end of the day. It’ll take a two-thirds majority vote in each chamber for the bills to be approved.
“I’m actually going to try and drive that thing home by tomorrow afternoon,” Yarbrough said, adding that both chambers are expected to devote most of their energy to those bills on Thursday.
House Speaker J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, said it’s possible the House could move in lockstep with the Senate tomorrow, but he’ll need to consult with House lawmakers before setting on that course of action. The bill has “a lot of support” in the House, he said.
If a bill is approved tomorrow and Ducey signs it, that would permanently extend the more than $644 million in annual funding generated by a six-tenths of a cent sales tax for public education that voters approved in 2000.
Senate President Steve Yarbrough (R-Chandler) (Photo by Katie Campbell/Arizona Capitol Times)
Prop. 301 revenues provide funding for teacher salaries and performance pay raises. If not extended, the sales tax is set to expire in June 2021.
Yarbrough, like many other Republicans lawmakers in Arizona, has resisted extending Prop. 301 without strings attached, or as Mesnard has said, reforms to the way those sales tax revenues are spent.
That’s put the Republican-controlled Legislature at odds with some in the education community and some business leaders, who’ve threatened to renew the Prop. 301 at the ballot, a move that would make it harder for future lawmakers to tweak the tax and how those revenues are distributed to schools.
It’s better for lawmakers to renew Prop. 301 themselves, Yarbrough said, because it ensures they’ll be able to “tinker” with those revenues in the future.
However, there will be one alteration to the revenue distribution in the bills, Yarbrough said.
A portion of Prop. 301 dollars helps pay debt for school facilities. Once the debt is paid, that portion of Prop. 301 revenues would be redistributed to the classroom site fund, which provides dollars to boost teacher salaries.
Roughly $64 million went to debt service payments in fiscal year 2017, according to figures from the State Treasurer’s Office.
The bills to renew Prop. 301 were given new life earlier this week, when House Speaker J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, withdrew HB 2158, sponsored by Rep. Doug Coleman, R-Apache Junction, from a committee assignment that blocked the bill’s path to a vote on the House floor.
In the Senate, SB 1390, sponsored by Sen. Kate Brophy McGee, R-Phoenix, is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Education Committee Thursday morning. If all goes according to plan, Yarbrough said the bill would receive votes on the floor that afternoon.
It’ll take a two-thirds majority vote in each chamber for the bills to be approved.
Doug Coleman J.D. Mesnard Kate Brohopy McGee Proposition 301 Public Schools sales tax senate education committee Steve Yarbrough 11:39 am Wed, March 21, 2018 Arizona Capitol Times
Ben Giles
Issue: Doug Coleman J.D. Mesnard Kate Brohopy McGee Proposition 301 Public Schools sales tax senate education committee Steve Yarbrough
We have a legislature filled with mom & pop business owners. Very few, if any, have worked for a major corporation. These people, themselves, don’t have much education, and they don’t understand the needs of businesses for workers and jobs of the future. How can we attract companies that bring good jobs to our state when you have a legislature like this? I mean really, we have a governor who ran an ice cream stand.
By Ben Giles
Brnovich plans to seek change in law he says handcuffs him
U.S. Senate candidate sends racially-charged texts to business owner
Montgomery to lose political clout stepping up to high court
Election officials, advocates push to use college IDs for voting
Board of Education approves money for counselors, cops
Mark Brnovich wants the Arizona Supreme Court to let him be the kind of attorney general he wants to be.
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Home>Blog Posts>Culture>Torii Gates
updated on July 18, 2020 June 19, 2020 By Dave Heath
Torii literally translates into Bird House in English. Torii gates are used to mark the entrances to Shinto Shrines. They usually mark the entrances to the shrine grounds and also the actual shrine itself. Torii gates are usually made of wood and painted vermillion (a reddish orange shade) with the top painted black or made of stone.
When passing through a torii gate it is customary to bow if it is a boundary gate, this shows respect to the deities in the shrine and any ancestral spirits residing. Collectively known as Kami. Some Japanese will also not walk in the middle of the torii but to the side in respect of the kami present.
Entrance to Meji Shrine from Harajuku
Main Torii gate to Meji Shrine
Buddhist temple also may have torii, but these usually mark a shinto shrine located inside the temple grounds.
Inari Gates
Inari Shinto shrines usually have many torii gates each donated to the shrine by a local business. These gates are usually vermilion in color and mark pathways. You do not bow at these gates but simple walk under them as they do not mark the entrance to the shrine but are a part of it.
The most famous of the Inari shrines is the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto with it’s 10,000+ gates that climb the mountain behind the main shrine. If you’ve seen anyone posting for Instagram pictures with a torii gate it is usually here. However even in poor weather the pathway of the gates is crawling with visitors so getting that Instagram picture is extremely hard. If you want the best shot arrive before dawn and hike past the first section of the gates higher up onto the mountain where there are less people.
If you want more information on Fushimi Inari and it’s gates check out our article here.
Had to wait 15 minutes in the rain to get this shot without people at Fushimi Inari.
Had to slow way down in the rain to get this shot at Fushimi Inari
Even in the rain Fushimi Inari can get crowded.
Tokyo has Inari temples also. The main ones that people visit are the gates in Ueno Park at the Hananzono Inari-Jinja Shrine and the Hie Shrine near the Imperial Palace. These ones get crowded also but not the level of crowds as Fushimi Inari. My favorite shrine in Tokyo is the Nezu shrine north west of Ueno park. This shrine is hidden off the main street and there are not a lot of people around. When we visited we had the entire torii path almost to ourselves, there was just a hand full of people there.
Instagramable Shot in the Torii gates of Nezu.
If you don’t want crowds but want to walk under a tunnel of torii gates find an Inari shrine off the beaten path and not in southern Kyoto.
Culture, Japan, Japan Travel, Japan2019
culture, Japan, torii, torii gates, travel
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Biomedical Advances
Human blood-brain barrier on a precision chip
Georgia Institute of Technology | 02-10-2020
Illustration of human astrocytes (white) interfacing with endothelial cells in the vasculature. On the right, aquaporin-4 is expressed for the exchange of water and some nutrients and waste. Credit: Georgia Tech / Kim lab / Yonsei University College of Medicine
A scrupulous gatekeeper stands between the brain and its circulatory system to let in the good and keep out the bad, but this porter, called the blood-brain barrier, also blocks trial drugs to treat diseases like Alzheimer’s or cancer from getting into the brain.
Now a team led by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology has engineered a way of studying the barrier more closely with the intent of helping drug developers do the same. In a new study, the researchers cultured the human blood-brain barrier on a chip, recreating its physiology more realistically than predecessor chips.
The new chip devised a healthy environment for the barrier’s central component, a brain cell called the astrocyte, which is not a neuron, but which acts as neurons’ intercessors with the circulatory system. Astrocytes interface in human brains with cells in the vasculature called endothelial cells to collaborate with them as the blood-brain barrier.
But astrocytes are a particularly fussy partner, which makes them a great part of the gatekeeper system but also challenging to culture in a physiologically accurate manner. The new chip catered to astrocytes’ sensibilities by culturing in 3D instead of in a flat manner, or 2D.
The 3D space allowed astrocytes to act more naturally, and this improved the whole barrier model by also allowing cultured endothelial cells to function better. The new chip presented researchers with more healthy blood-brain barrier functions to observe than in previous barrier models.
‘Astro’ in astrocyte
“You need to be able to closely mimic a tissue on a chip in a healthy status and in homeostasis. If we can’t model the healthy state, we can’t really model disease either, because we have no accurate control to measure it against,” said YongTae Kim, an associate professor in Georgia Tech’s George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the study’s principal investigator.
In the new chip, the astrocytes even looked more natural in the 3D space, unfolding the star-like shape that gives them their “astro” name. In the 2D cultures, by contrast, astrocytes looked like fried eggs with fringes. With this 3D setting, the chip has added possibilities for reliable research of the human blood-brain barrier, where currently alternatives are few.
“No animal model comes close enough to the intricate function of the human blood-brain barrier. And we need better human models because experimental drugs that have successfully entered animal brains have failed at the human barrier,” Kim said.
The study was published in the journal Nature Communications. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health. Kim has founded a company with plans to mass-produce the new chip in the future for use in academic and potentially pharmaceutical research.
Choosy, bossy astrocytes
The brain is the only part of the body outfitted with astrocytes, which regulate nourishment uptake and waste removal in their own, unique way.
“Upon the brain’s request, astrocytes collaborate with the vasculature in real-time what the brain needs and opens its gates to let in only that bit of water and nutrients. Astrocytes go to get just what the brain needs and don’t let much else in,” Kim said.
Astrocytes form a protein structure called aquaporin-4 in their membranes that are in contact with vasculature to let in and out water molecules, which also contributes to clearing waste from the brain.
“In previous chips, aquaporin-4 expression was not observed. This chip was the first,” Kim said. “This could be important in researching Alzheimer’s disease because aquaporin-4 is important to clearing broken-down junk protein out of the brain.”
One of the study’s co-authors, Dr. Allan Levey from Emory University, a highly cited researcher in neurological medicine, is interested in the chip’s potential in tackling Alzheimer’s. Another, Dr. Tobey McDonald, also of Emory, researches pediatric brain cancer and is interested in the chip’s possibilities in studying the delivery of potential brain cancer treatments.
Barrier acting healthy
Astrocytes also gave signs that they were healthier in the chip’s 3D cultures than in 2D cultures by expressing less of a gene triggered by pathology.
“Astrocytes in 2D culture expressed significantly higher levels of LCN2 than those in 3D. When we cultured in 3D, it was only about one fourth as much,” Kim said.
The healthier state also made astrocytes better able to show an immune reaction.
“When we purposely confronted the astrocyte with pathological stress in a 3D culture, we got a clearer reaction. In 2D, the ground state was already less healthy, and then the reaction to pathological stresses did not come across so clearly. This difference could make the 3D culture very interesting for pathology studies.”
Nanoparticle delivery
In testing related to drug delivery, nanoparticles moved through the blood-brain-barrier after engaging endothelial cell receptors, which caused these cells to engulf the particles then transport them to what would be inside the human brain in a natural setting. This is part of how endothelial cells worked better when connected to astrocytes cultured in 3D.
“When we inhibited the receptor, the majority of nanoparticles wouldn’t make it in. That kind of test would not work in animal models because of cross-species inaccuracies between animals and humans,” Kim said. “This was an example of how this new chip can let you study the human blood-brain barrier for potential drug delivery the way you can’t in animal models.”
Materials provided by the Georgia Institute of Technology. Content may be edited for clarity, style, and length.
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BC Soccer News, Monday, August 10, 2015
WHITECAPS FC 4 REAL SALT LAKE 0
B.C. PLACE, VANCOUVER, B.C.
WHITECAPS FC & MLS
PHOTO GALLERY: Whitecaps FC 4 Real Salt Lake 0, August 8, 2015 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive Photos for BC Soccer Web by Monique Lamoureux.
Whitecaps romp over RSL “B” team – Whitecaps Fan Blog
Major League Soccer fans could not be faulted for scratching their heads and wondering why their teams are fielding such bad teams for matches. The answer is fixture congestion; too any games in too many competitions.
First-place Caps are White-hot – 24 Hours
There hasn’t been any summer vacation for the Vancouver Whitecaps this year. Traditionally a team that has slumped through the summer months of the schedule, the Whitecaps (13-8-3) are instead the hottest team in Major League Soccer.
Why Saturday’s win over RSL was a milestone match for Whitecaps FC – Whitecaps FC
The Western Conference-leading ‘Caps extended their winning streak to three matches on Saturday night with a dominant 4-0 win over Real Salt Lake at BC Place. Turns out the win was a momentous one for Whitecaps FC – for the reasons listed below.
He’s in for offence, but Nico Mezquida’s pressure game proving invaluable for Whitecaps defending – The Province
There isn’t a defensive statistic that measures what Nicolás Mezquida does best for the Vancouver Whitecaps. MLS fans can view a player’s tackles, his blocks, interceptions, clearances and recoveries of loose balls.
Caps continue taking care of business – Vancouver Sun
Thoughtful and perfectly fluent in English, which to soccer reporters in Vancouver makes him like Guinness in Ireland, David Ousted was doing his customary post-game press conference when it was punctured by a shrill, piercing voice from the back of the Whitecaps’ locker-room. It was defender Pa-Modou Kah, at a pitch high enough to break glass.
Vancouver Whitecaps 4, Real Salt Lake 0 | MLS Match Recap – MLS
The Vancouver Whitecaps consolidated their lead at the top of the Western Conference standings with a comprehensive 4-0 win over Real Salt Lake at BC Place on Saturday evening.
Salty tears for RSL in four goal rout by Whitecaps – AFTN
Ten goals, six different goalscorers and two clean sheets. That’s Vancouver Whitecaps’ record over the last three MLS matches and it’s a record that sees them with a four point lead at the top of the Western Conference standings after their 4-0 rout of an understrength Real Salt Lake side at BC Place on Saturday night.
Techera lifts Caps over RSL in emphatic 4-0 win – Eighty-Six Forever
The diminutive Uruguayan scores a brace and the Blue and White continue their good form in MLS action. Which Whitecaps stood out on the day?
Vancouver demolishes a depleted Real Salt Lake – Red Nation Online
Carl Robinson and the Whitecaps busy month of August continued with a match against Real Salt Lake at BC Place. Coach Jeff Cassar decided to leave a lot of his regular players back in Utah. The players that Real Salt Lake did insert were no match for the high-flying Vancouver Whitecaps. The good times kept on rolling as Vancouver won 4-0 in front of 20,638 fans.
History Lesson: Techera scores twice as Whitecaps thump Real Salt Lake 4-0 – Canada.com
The Vancouver Whitecaps made sure history didn’t repeat itself. Cristian Techera scored twice and Octavio Rivero and Pa-Modou Kah added goals of their own Saturday as the Whitecaps thumped undermanned Real Salt Lake 4-0.
Whitecaps’ depth need to impress soon or be left pining for the fjords alongside Erik The Viking – AFTN
The MLS summer transfer window has come and gone and the final bits and pieces are just filtering through, once all the i’s crossed and t’s dotted. There was never going to be a big splash by the Whitecaps but I did think they’d be a little bit busier than they were on the attacking front.
Dos Santos scores as Galaxy knock off Sounders – SBI
The LA Galaxy trotted out their new star-studded starting lineup for the first time, and it delivered with a dominating 3-1 win against a struggling Seattle Sounders before a sold-out crowd of 27,000 at the Stub Hub Center.
LA Galaxy bullish on prospects after win over Seattle: “We can achieve every goal we want” – MLS
There were moments in the LA Galaxy’s 3-1 triumph Sunday afternoon over Seattle that offered a glimpse of what’s to come, and it couldn’t have been pretty for the defending MLS Cup champions’ many rivals.
Sigi Schmid: ‘When it rains it pours’ – Soccer America
How bad are things going for the Seattle Sounders? Fifty seconds in their match at the LA Galaxy, they took the lead on a goal by Chad Barrett, starting because stars Obafemi Martins and Clint Dempsey are both injured. The goal ended a 363-minute scoreless streak, the longest stretch without a goal in Seattle history, but did not signal an end to the Sounders’ misfortunes.
Where does Dos Santos fit with the Galaxy? Maybe it doesn’t matter – Goal
The attacker can play as a midfielder or a forward, but which role he fills for the LA Galaxy might be irrelevant, writes Jon Arnold.
Montreal Impact 0, DC United 1 | MLS Match Recap – MLS
After coming from two goals behind to win their last two games, D.C. United put themselves into no such trouble on Saturday night.
Bernier deserves better treatment from Impact – Sportsnet
If there’s one area where the Montreal Impact have led the way in MLS over the last two seasons it’s in the number of public displays of discontent.
Toothless TFC fall 3-1 to Kansas City – Red Nation Online
After a convincing win midweek over Orlando City, Sebastian Giovinco and Toronto FC were back in action on Saturday afternoon looking to make it two wins in a row at home. Facing off against an imposing opponent in the form of Sporting Kansas City, the Reds were bolstered by the return of Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore to the starting eleven.
New York Red Bulls 2, New York City FC 0 | MLS Match Recap – MLS
In case there was any lingering doubt, 2015’s kings of New York once again painted the town red for good measure.
NYCFC’s pride, playoff chances damaged in yet another loss to rival Red Bulls – SBI
New York City FC traveled back across the river Sunday night with plenty of disappointment and without any points. For the third time this season, NYCFC were bested by their local rivals, the New York Red Bulls, in a 2-0 defeat Sunday at Red Bull Arena.
New York Red Bulls pleased to sweep New York City FC, but turn page to quest for silverware – MLS
The sweep is complete, and the Red Bulls are moving on. With nine points in tow after their inaugural three-game set with New York City FC, there’s no doubt that the Red Bulls are reveling in the spoils of their victory. And in their much-hyped matchup with the crosstown rivals, the home side embodied the big brother role, showing no fear against their star-studded counterparts in a 2-0 win on Sunday.
New York derby marred by crowd trouble before MLS match in New Jersey (VIDEO) – The Guardian
Sunday’s New York derby was marred by the ugly sight as supporters of both MLS sides clashed before kick-off in New Jersey.
Roster merry-go-round has Orlando City struggling for consistency – Prost Amerika
The long inaugural MLS season may be starting to take its toll on expansion side Orlando City. Lacking energy and ingenuity, the Lions settled for a tepid 0-0 draw against a struggling Philadelphia Union squad on Saturday night, reaping just a single, meager point toward their playoff dream.
Complete comings and goings from the MLS Transfer Window– Soccer America
Seattle followed up its signing of Austrian Andres Ivanschitz by acquiring Paraguayan attacker Nelson Valdez, and Colorado jumped in just as the window closed to drastically alter a defense that will be anchored by World Cup and English Premier League veteran Maynor Figueroa.
LAFC MOVES FORWARD WITH NEW SOCCER STADIUM – Goalnation.com
Soccer News: As the project continues to move ahead, the Los Angeles Football Club announced to the Coliseum Commission that they have selected Legends to oversee project management for the new venue and PCL Construction Services, Inc. (PCL) as general contractor to build the to-be-developed state-of-the-art soccer stadium in South Los Angeles.
Do you follow @bcsoccerweb on Twitter? You should!
SEATTLE SOUNDERS 2 0 WHITECAPS FC 2 3
STARFIRE COMPLEX, TUKWILA, WA.
WFC2 & USL
Bustos records second straight brace as WFC2 win 3-0 versus Sounders FC 2 – Whitecaps FC
Marco Bustos recorded his second consecutive brace and Andre Lewis added another tally to lead Whitecaps FC 2 (8W-10L-5D) to a 3-0 win over Seattle Sounders FC 2 (11W-8L-3D) at Starfire Sports Stadium on Saturday.
FIFA 16 for Playstation 4 Arrives September 22! Pre-Order Now and Save.
BC SOCCER
Referee Course – Vancouver Island – VISL
Interested in becoming a referee? A good way to stay part of the game, make a couple extra $, get some fitness, learn the other side of the game, and show some of the challenged refs out there how to do it.
Canada scores big win over USA at Parapan Am Games – CSA
It was high drama at the Pan Am/Parapan Am Fields on the campus of the University of Toronto on Sunday as Sam Charron scored a late goal to give Canada’s Para Team a massive 2:1 victory over the United States.
Woodbridge Strikers hold on to win League1 Ontario Men’s L10 Cup – OSA
Sigma FC and the Woodbridge Strikers faced off in the League1 Ontario L1O Cup final, in a game that would ulitmately go down to the wire. Earlier this month, Sigma advanced to the final in a close 3-1 win over ANB Futbol in their semi-final. Woodbridge defeated Durham United in razor thin close game, downing Durham 7-6 on penalties.
North Mississauga capture League1 Ontario Women’s L1O Cup – OSA
The North Mississauga Panthers and the Vaughan Azzurri put on a showcase for some of the best soccer in Ontario at the League1 Ontario Women’s L1O Cup on Sunday, hosted at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan.
FIFA 16 for Xbox One is coming September 22! Pre-Order Now and Save.
USWNT to play Brazil in Seattle in October – The Equalizer
The United States women’s national team will play Brazil twice in October — in Seattle and Orlando — as part of the team’s 10-game 2015 Women’s World Cup victory tour.
A work in progress: Thorns win third in a row – Prost Amerika
It wasn’t exactly pretty, but the Thorns eked out a 2-1 win over the Chicago Red Stars before a crowd of nearly 16,000 at Providence Park tonight.
FCKC, without Holiday, jump back into playoff spot – The Equalizer
FC Kansas City moved back into the top four with a 4-0 rout of the Western New York Flash on Saturday night at Swope Soccer Village.
Fran Kirby: Chelsea Ladies striker ‘can’t believe sexist comments’ – BBC Sport
People aiming sexist comments at women’s football need to “catch up with the times”, England striker Fran Kirby said.
Ellis balancing evaluation, celebration ahead of Rio – The Equalizer
Jill Ellis’ dilemma hasn’t changed, but the circumstances have. The United States women’s national team coach was rewarded with a new multi-year contract on Wednesday, exactly one month after leading the U.S. to its third Women’s World Cup title and exactly one year before the Opening Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympics, Ellis next challenge.
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Eddies earn 1-1 draw with Minnesota after impressive second half performance – FC Edmonton
FC Edmonton (3W-3D-3L) remains undefeated on the road after a 1-1 draw against Minnesota United FC, Aug. 8 at NSC Stadium in North American Soccer League (NASL) action. The two sides sit in a 2-2 deadlock after leg two of the three-leg, supporter-run Flyover Cup.
Miller upbeat about draw after Eddies’ nightmarish trip to Minnesota – the11.ca
For FC Edmonton, a game at Minnesota United represents the shortest road trip it goes on all NASL season long. It’s a direct flight from Edmonton to the Twin Cities.
Ottawa Fury: Better by the Dozen – Ottawa Fury FC
In one of their most dominant performances of the season, Ottawa Fury FC ran their impressive unbeaten streak to 12 games with a 4-1 road win in Indianapolis. Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Andrew Wiedeman and Mauro Eustaquio all netted their first goals of the season, with Wiedeman adding a second for good measure in the win. The club’s fifth win in a row has extended Ottawa’s lead atop the Fall Season standings to five points and given them a single point edge over the New York Cosmos in the Combined standings.
Trafford thriving amid Ottawa’s furious unbeaten run – Red Nation Online
One player who has been vital to Ottawa’s current 11 game unbeaten run while playing a new but familiar role is Canadian defender Mason Trafford.
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Monday EPL Preview: West Brom vs. Manchester City – BBC Sport
West Brom defender Joleon Lescott is doubtful but the Baggies are hopeful he will be fit to start.
Barcelona face tough Sevilla test in Luis Enrique’s quest for sextuple – ESPN FC
As fierce a competitor as any, he would like nothing more than to equal his old friend Pep Guardiola’s feat of winning six trophies within a calendar year at the Camp Nou, having already matched the Catalan’s record treble.
Chelsea sloppy, Arsenal shoddy but it’s far too early to write them off – Goal
The Premier League returned with a bang this weekend and the performances of this season’s title protagonists provided plenty of ammunition for those who claim that this is the most competitive division in the world.
Juventus signal intent for 2015-16 with Supercoppa triumph – ESPN FC
Claiming their seventh Supercoppa, Juventus defeated Lazio 2-0 in Shanghai on Saturday to win their first trophy of the season. Banishing a certain amount of pressure, Juventus demonstrated that while how many may doubt the team’s capability for ongoing success, they are still a heavily motivated giant vying for more honours.
One game, one loss and Bielsa quits Marseilles leaving stunned fans and board – Inside World Football
Marseille are looking for a new coach after one solitary game of the new French season. Marcelo Bielsa stunned supporters by announcing his resignation within minutes of their opening-day Ligue 1 defeat by Caen having just started his second campaign in charge.
Police investigating Hertha bus shooting – Goal
Police have started an investigation after Hertha Berlin’s team bus was shot at Sunday. Hertha’s players were not aboard the vehicle at the time of the incident, as it was being driven to collect the squad.
Football fans should not be so quick to abuse and demonise managers – The Guardian
True or false? Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew helped install the windows of Sea Containers House in London’s Blackfriars. The former Millwall manager Ian Holloway has three deaf daughters. The Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale was once a top-rated teenage cricketer in England. The Wycombe Wanderers manager Gareth Ainsworth is a practising Catholic who occasionally fronts a rock band named Road To Eden. The former Leyton Orient manager Martin Ling once considered taking his own life while having a mental breakdown in a service station on the M5.
US and Mexico line up for winner-takes-all Rose Bowl shoot-out – Inside World Football
It looked lined up to be the Gold Cup final in July, but it never happened once Jamaica knocked out the US in the semi-final. Now the US and local rivals Mexico will have the chance to kick a ball in competitive anger with the winners taking the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup berth.
American soccer players get started in Europe, though few are starters – Washington Post
Tim Howard, Brad Guzan and Geoff Cameron are in the lineup in the Premier League, while newly arrived Aron Johannsson awaits his Bundesliga debut.
NPSL championship draws 18,227 fans in Chattanooga – Soccer America
A year after the New York Red Bulls U23 beat Chattanooga FC to capture the NPSL championship, the New York Cosmos B spoiled the Tennessee club’s title hopes with a 3-2 win in overtime in front of a record-breaking crowd of 18,227.
Joy turns to despair as Palestinian cup final called off after Israel denies entry permits – Inside World Football
Sunday’s second leg of the historic cup final between Al-Ahly, the top team in the West Bank and Gaza’s champion Shejaia was called off by the Palestinian Football Federation on Friday as Israel denied entry permits to seven of the Gaza party, including four players, whom it demanded be subjected to questioning.
The Weird, Angry World of Sports Dads: An Excerpt from “Crossing the Line” – Vice Sports
How did a high school soccer game in Virginia lead to allegations of assault and battery? It’s a long, strange story, but the short answer is “sports dads.”
Posted in BC Soccer Association, BC Soccer Central, BC Soccer Fraser Valley, BC Soccer Island, BC Soccer News, BC Soccer Surrey, BC Soccer Victoria, BC Youth Soccer, Canadian Soccer News, MLS, NASL, Photo Gallery: MLS, USL, VISL, WFC 2, Whitecaps FC, Women's Soccer, World Soccer News.
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Desperation: Colt's Acquittal
See more by Linzi Basset
Linzi Basset
“Isn’t it a universal truth that it’s our singular experiences and passion, for whatever thing or things, which molds us all into the individuals we become? Whether it's hidden in the depths of our soul or exposed for all to see?”
Linzi Basset is a South African born animal rights supporter with a poet’s heart, and she is also a bestselling fiction writer of suspense filled romance erotica books; who as the latter, refuses to be bound to any one sub-genre. She prefers instead to stretch herself as a storyteller which has resulted in her researching and writing historical and even paranormal themed works. Her initial offering: Club Alpha Cove, a BDSM club suspense series released back in 2015, reached Amazon’s Bestseller list, and she has been on those lists ever since. Labelling her as prolific is a gross understatement as just a few short years later she has now been published forty-one times; a total which fails to take into account the three other published works of her alter ego: Isabel James who co-authors—nor does it include the five additional new works marked for imminent release.
“I write from the inside out. My stories are both inside me and a part of me so it can be either pleasurable to release them or painful to carve them out. I live every moment of every story I write. So, if you're looking for spicy and suspenseful, I'm your girl... woman... writer... you know what I mean!"
Linzi believes that by telling stories in her own voice, she can better share with her readers the essence of her being: her passionate nature; her motivations; and her wildest fantasies. She feels every touch as she writes, every kiss, every harsh word uttered, and this to her is the key to a never-ending love of writing.
Ultimately, all books by Linzi Basset are about passion. To her, passion is the driving force of all emotion; whether it be lust, desire, hate, trust, or love. This is the underlying message contained in her books.
Her advice: “Believe in the passions driving your desires; live them; enjoy them; and allow them to bring you happiness.”
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#GS3 #Agriculture #Reforms #MSP
The recently enacted law that dismantles the monopoly of APMC (agricultural produce market committee) mandis, thereby allowing sale and purchase of crops outside these state government-regulated market yards, may not have faced serious farmer opposition had it included a provision safeguarding the continuance of the existing minimum support price (MSP)-based procurement regime.
A mere sentence, to the effect that nothing in this Act shall stop the government from announcing MSPs and undertaking crop purchases at these rates as before, might have blunted any criticism of the new law being “anti-farmer”.
What does the law say about MSP?
The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill does not give any statutory backing to MSP. Forget making it a legal right, there isn’t even a mention of either “MSP” or “procurement” in the Bill passed by both Houses of Parliament last week.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has said the new legislation has “nothing to do with MSP”. Instead, its objective is simply to grant farmers and traders the freedom of choice to sell and buy agricultural produce outside the premises of APMC mandis. MSP and procurement, according to him, are entirely separate issues: “MSP was not part of any law before. Nor is it part of any law today.”
The minister isn’t wrong.
The National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA), passed by the previous Congress-led UPA government, provides a legal basis for the public distribution system (PDS) that earlier operated only as a regular government scheme.The NFSA made access to the PDS a right, entitling every person belonging to a “priority household” to receive 5 kg of foodgrains per month at a subsidised price not exceeding Rs 2/kg for wheat and Rs 3/kg for rice. Priority households were further defined so as to cover up to 75% of the country’s rural population and 50% in urban areas.
MSP, by contrast, is devoid of any legal backing. Access to it, unlike subsidised grains through the PDS, isn’t an entitlement for farmers. They cannot demand it as a matter of right.
What is the basis of MSP then?
“It is only a government policy that is part of administrative decision-making. The government declares MSPs for crops, but there’s no law mandating their implementation,” explained Abhijit Sen, former Planning Commission member and chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP).
The Centre currently fixes MSPs for 23 farm commodities — 7 cereals (paddy, wheat, maize, bajra, jowar, ragi and barley), 5 pulses (chana, arhar/tur, urad, moong and masur), 7 oilseeds (rapeseed-mustard, groundnut, soyabean, sunflower, sesamum, safflower and nigerseed) and 4 commercial crops (cotton, sugarcane, copra and raw jute) — based on the CACP’s recommendations.
Has there been any move to give MSP legislative backing?
The CACP, in its price policy report for the 2018-19 kharif marketing season, had suggested enactment of a legislation conferring on farmers ‘The Right to Sell at MSP’. This, it felt, was necessary “to instil confidence among farmers for procurement of their produce”. That advice, predictably, wasn’t accepted.
The ongoing farmer protests essentially reflect a loss of that very confidence. Is the dismantling of the monopoly of APMC mandis in wholesale trading of farm produce the first step at ending even the present MSP-based procurement programme, largely limited to wheat and paddy? If APMCs were to turn unviable due to the trades moving outside, how will government agencies undertake procurement that now takes place in mandis?
These questions are playing in the minds of farmers, particularly in states such as Punjab, Haryana and MP that have well-established systems of governmental MSP purchases. For them, freedom to sell to anyone, anywhere and anytime has little value compared to the comfort of assured procurement at MSP.
What has the government done to address these questions?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on September 20, tweeted that the “system of MSP will remain” and “government procurement will continue”. The Agriculture Minister , too, has pointed out that past governments never thought it necessary to introduce a law for MSP. So why even talk about MSP, leave alone incorporate guarantees relating to its continuance, in an apparently unrelated law?
It remains to be seen whether these finer points would go down well on the ground. By announcing the MSPs of rabi crops for the ensuing planting season on September 21 (this was last year done on October 23) and kickstarting kharif procurement from early next month, the government may hope to counter any major farmer backlash.
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Pharmacy use by dual-eligible non-elderly veterans with private healthcare insurance
Brian C. Lund1,2,
Mary E. Charlton1,2 &
Alan N. West3,4
Utilization of private sector healthcare services among dual enrolled veterans with private healthcare insurance plans (PHIP) has not been well-characterized. Concurrent use of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and non-VHA pharmacies may increase risk for adverse outcomes. Thus, the objectives of this study were to determine the extent to which dual VHA-PHIP enrollees obtain medications through VHA and non-VHA pharmacies and to characterize medications obtained through non-VHA pharmacies.
This observational study used merged administrative data from VHA and a predominant regional PHIP to select veterans < 65 years of age, residing in two Midwestern US states, and simultaneously enrolled in both VHA and the PHIP during fiscal years (FY) 2001–2010. Primary outcome measures included counts of prescriptions dispensed from VHA and non-VHA pharmacies, and frequencies of medications dispensed by non-VHA pharmacies based on PHIP claims.
Of 5783 veterans who filled ≥ 1 prescription in FY10, 2935 (50.8 %) used non-VHA pharmacies exclusively, 1165 (20.2 %) used VHA pharmacies exclusively and 1683 (29.1 %) were dual users. Health services utilization was higher for dual users compared to exclusive users of either VHA or non-VHA pharmacies across multiple measures, including total prescriptions, outpatient encounters, and inpatient admissions. The most common medications dispensed by non-VHA pharmacies, by proportion of veterans treated, were hydrocodone (20.9 %), amoxicillin (18.5 %), simvastatin (17.5 %), azithromycin (17.4 %), and lisinopril (15.1 %). Antidepressants comprised 3 of 10 most common medications dispensed by VHA, but none of the most common medications dispensed to exclusive non-VHA pharmacy users.
Our findings align with VHA-Medicare dual enrolled veterans where only a minority of veterans used VHA services exclusively. Younger veterans relied disproportionately on VHA for mental health medications.
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest nationally integrated healthcare system in the United States, operating 168 medical centers and more than 1000 community based outpatient clinics. However, many veterans seek care outside the VHA system, particularly when they are also covered by state or federal programs such as Medicare or Medicaid, or have access to private health insurance, often through employment. Concerted efforts have been made to facilitate communication and coordinate care between VHA and private sector healthcare, but concurrent use of these systems adds to an already fragmented U.S health care system. The use of private sector healthcare services by veterans dual enrolled in Medicare and VHA has been well characterized in older adults [1–4]. Of dual enrolled elderly veterans who used outpatient healthcare services in 1999, 18 % were VHA only users, 36 % were Medicare only users, and the remaining 46 % were dual users of both VHA and private sector services [1]. A more recent report examining both inpatient and outpatient services during 2004–2009 for veterans dual enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan found that 10 % of patients used VHA exclusively, 35 % used the Medicare plan exclusively, 50 % used both systems, and the remaining 4 % did not use services in either system [4]. In addition to potential inefficiencies and unnecessary duplication of services [4], a chief concern is that dual use may increase risk for adverse events arising from lack of coordination between systems, though studies supporting this hypothesis are inconclusive [5, 6].
While on-going examination of VHA-Medicare dual use in older adult veterans is warranted, virtually no data exist regarding younger veterans enrolled in a private health insurance plan (PHIP). The influx of younger veterans returning from service in Operation Enduring/Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) makes this issue increasingly relevant, as most of these individuals will qualify for VHA enrollment, and many will concurrently have access to a PHIP through employment or purchased through Affordable Care Act exchanges. A large survey of veterans conducted in 1999 found that 32.7 % of VHA enrollees less than 65 years of age had private insurance without Medicare [3]. Of these, 16.8 % were VHA only users, 35.0 % used non-VHA services exclusively, 39.9 % were dual users, and the remaining 8.3 % used no services. Unfortunately, more recent data are unavailable and a more detailed characterization of the type of services used is also lacking. For example, in the Medicare aged population, the proportion of VHA patients who used Medicare-reimbursed services was approximately 30 % for primary care, exceeded 60 % for specialty services, but was only 3–4 % for mental health care [2].
One such service domain of particular salience is dual pharmacy use across systems, where lack of appropriate care coordination could lead to dangerous drug-drug interactions, as well as unnecessary duplication or gaps in therapeutic monitoring. One survey conducted among veterans age ≥ 65 years and engaged in care at a single VHA site in 2008 found that 44.3 % used only VHA pharmacies, and the remaining 55.7 % had some degree of non-VHA pharmacy use [7]. In this sample, 21.2 % of veterans had medication coverage through Medicare Part D, and a further 39.7 % of veterans had private insurance not obtained through Medicare Part D. Unsurprisingly, veterans with non-VHA drug benefits were significantly more likely to use non-VHA pharmacies. However, 43.8 % of veterans without any form of non-VHA drug coverage still reported some pharmacy use outside the VHA system. Unfortunately, no data are available concerning dual pharmacy use among younger veterans, pharmacy use among VHA enrolled veterans engaged exclusively in non-VHA care, or specific information about the most commonly filled medications outside VHA by dual users.
In order to address some of these important knowledge gaps, we acquired claims data from a predominant regional PHIP to combine service utilization data across both systems. Our study is the first to focus on pre-Medicare age veterans and examine how dually enrolled VHA-PHIP beneficiaries use VHA and non-VHA services. The specific objectives of this report are to determine the extent to which dual enrollees < 65 years obtain medications through VHA and non-VHA pharmacies, contrast patient characteristics among primary VHA pharmacy users, non-VHA pharmacy users, and dual users, and to characterize the most common medications obtained through non-VHA pharmacies.
Study population and cohort creation
Patients included all veterans under age 65 who resided in two Midwestern states and were simultaneously enrolled in both VHA and our partnered PHIP for at least one full fiscal year between October 1, 2000 and September 30, 2010. The current analysis focused on veterans who were dual enrolled during the most recent year (FY10). We also conducted some analyses among dual enrollees during FY02, the earliest year where pharmacy refill data was available, to examine potential changes in dual system pharmacy use over the study timeframe. The PHIP agreement stipulated that we could only link their claim-level data to aggregated, patient-level VHA data. Therefore, summary variables of VHA utilization were extracted by Veterans Affairs (VA) National Data Systems (NDS) for each fiscal year of enrollment and linked to person-level PHIP membership data extract. VHA summary variables included annual counts of: 1) inpatient medical admissions, 2) outpatient medical visits, 3) inpatient mental health admissions, 4) outpatient mental health visits, and 5) dispensed prescription medications. These variables were derived from the Medical SAS Outpatient Data and the Acute Care Medical SAS Inpatient Data constructed from the National Patient Care Database (NPCD), and the Decision Support System (DSS) Pharmacy Data. Comparable summary variables were created at the patient-level using claim-level PHIP data to measure private sector service utilization. Since VHA can bill PHIPs for services provided to veterans for non-service connected conditions, we identified all PHIP claims originating from VHA facilities based on their federal tax identification numbers, and these events were omitted from the PHIP utilization variables. Service connection is a proportion ranging from 0 to 100 % that is assigned by the U.S. Department of Affairs to individual veterans though a benefits review process and denotes the extent to which a veteran’s injury or disease is linked to their military service. Veterans with greater levels of service connection generally have lower out-of-pocket costs, such as reduced or eliminated copays for medications, which may impact their decision whether to use VHA versus non-VHA care.
Pharmacy utilization
Patients were classified into pharmacy user status groups: exclusive VHA users, exclusive non-VHA users, or dual users. Individual prescription medications dispensed by non-VHA pharmacies were identified in PHIP claims using a text field containing the drug name. Medication frequencies included all single agent and combination products that contained that ingredient, identified using both brand and generic drug names. For example, the frequency of lisinopril use included all single agent drug products and combination products (e.g. lisinopril/hydrochlorothiazide combination products) and included all brand name versions of these products.
Common VHA medications
Since we were restricted to patient-level aggregate VHA data, we could not identify individual medications dispensed by VHA to patients in our cohort. In order to provide a point of reference for interpreting the frequencies of common medications dispensed by non-VHA pharmacies, we created a proxy using the most common prescription medications dispensed to all VHA patients age 18–64 years receiving care at the 4 VHA medical centers with geographic boundaries overlapping the PHIP coverage area. These analyses used prescription data from the VA Decision Support System National Data Extract SAS Pharmacy datasets.
Differences in patient characteristics and health service utilization variables were compared across patient groups using chi-squared tests for categorical variables and analysis of variance for discrete variables. The equivalent nonparametric Wilcoxon rank sum test was substituted for variables that were not normally distributed. All statistical tests were conducted using SAS version 9.3 (Cary, NC) and were two-sided with a significance threshold of α = .05.
In FY02, 4022 non-elderly veterans were simultaneously enrolled in both VHA and the PHIP, which increased to 7087 veterans in FY10. Of the FY02 cohort, 1117 (27.8 %) patients were also dual enrolled in FY10. The mean age of dual eligible veterans increased from 51.2 to 52.4 years during this time period (Table 1). The distribution of age was highly skewed, where only 8.3 % of patients were < 35 years in FY02, and 40.8 % were 55–64 years. The over 55 age group increased to nearly 60 % of the sample by FY10. The majority of patients were male, though the proportion of women grew from 3.6 to 5.6 % during the observation period. The proportion of rural veterans decreased from 67.2 to 59.5 %.
Table 1 Patient characteristics
Of the 7087 dual enrolled veterans in FY10, 5783 (81.6 %) filled at least one prescription. Of these, approximately half (N = 2935, 50.8 %) used non-VHA pharmacies exclusively, 20.2 % (N = 1165) used VHA pharmacies exclusively, and the remaining 29.1 % (N = 1683) had some degree of dual use between VHA and non-VHA pharmacies (Fig. 1). This distribution remained stable across individual years from FY02 through FY10, where the proportion of VHA only users varied from 18.6 to 22.1 % and non-VHA only users varied from 48.4 to 51.9 %.
Proportion of Prescriptions Filled by Non-VHA Pharmacies in Non-Elderly, Dual-Eligible Veterans, 2010 (N = 5783)
Demographic characteristics and health service utilization were contrasted across FY10 pharmacy user status groups (Table 2). The proportion of women was highest among non-VHA only users (6.9 %) and lowest among VHA only users (3.4 %). The proportion of rural veterans was highest among dual users (64.2 %), compared to rates of 58.3 and 60.7 % for exclusive non-VHA and exclusive VHA users, respectively. The level of service connection was similar between VHA only and dual users, but significantly lower among non-VHA only pharmacy users. Overall health service utilization, which included both non-VHA care reimbursed by the PHIP and VHA care, was highest among dual users, including the number prescription fills, number of outpatient visits, and the proportion of patients who had an inpatient hospitalization. Dual users also had the highest mean number of outpatient mental health visits and the greatest proportion of patients with an inpatient mental health admission.
Table 2 Clinical characteristics of patients according to pharmacy user status, 2010
The medications most frequently dispensed by non-VHA pharmacies to dual enrolled veterans are listed in Table 3. Hydrocodone (with or without combined acetaminophen) was the most commonly filled medication and dispensed to 963 (20.9 %) unique patients. Five of the most common medications were antibiotics, including amoxicillin and azithromycin in the top 5, followed by cephalexin, ciprofloxacin, and levofloxacin. Several chronic medications for cardiovascular-related diseases were also present, including simvastatin and lisinopril in the top 5, as well as metoprolol, hydrochlorothiazide, metformin, and atorvastatin. The frequency of these non-VHA dispensed medications was further contrasted between dual pharmacy users and exclusive non-VHA pharmacy users. The consistent trend across medications was that frequencies for medications commonly taken on an acute basis did not differ between groups, whereas the frequency of chronic medications was significantly lower among dual users. For example, hydrocodone was dispensed to 963 (20.9 %) dual users and to 616 (21.0 %) non-VHA only users, which was not significantly different (X2 = .09; DF = 1; p = .766). In contrast, simvastatin was dispensed by non-VHA pharmacies to 180 (10.7 %) dual users versus 629 (21.4 %) non-VHA only users (X2 = 85; DF = 1; p < .001).
Table 3 Most common prescription medications filled in non-VHA pharmacies by dual enrolled patients, FY10
The frequency of the most common medications dispensed by VHA (i.e. the 4 VHA medical centers with geographic boundaries that overlapped the PHIP coverage areas) was contrasted with the most common medications dispensed to dual enrolled veterans who used non-VHA pharmacies exclusively (Table 4). Use of common chronic medications including lisinopril, metoprolol, metformin, and hydrochlorothiazide, was generally consistent between VHA patients and non-VHA pharmacy users in the older age group (45–64 years). Simvastatin use was more common in VHA, but comparable to the combined use of simvastatin plus atorvastatin use in the dual enrolled, non-VHA pharmacy user group. In contrast, important differences were observed in the younger age group (18–44 years), particularly related to psychotropic medication. The 10 most frequent medications in VHA included two antidepressants (citalopram and bupropion), one hypnotic (zolpidem), and one antidepressant used almost exclusively as a hypnotic (trazodone). No antidepressants appeared in the top 10 medications for the non-VHA pharmacy group.
Table 4 Most common medications dispensed in VHA contrasted with dual enrolled exclusive non-VHA pharmacy users, 2010
Our primary objective was to determine the extent to which younger, dual VHA-PHIP enrolled veterans obtained medications from VHA versus non-VHA pharmacies. We found that in FY10, approximately half (50.8 %) used non-VHA pharmacies exclusively, only 20.2 % used VHA pharmacies exclusively, and the remaining 29 % used both. This finding is similar to older, VHA-Medicare dual enrolled veterans, where 20 % or less of this population used VHA services exclusively [1, 4]. However, exclusive non-VHA pharmacy use was more common in our sample of younger PHIP enrolled veterans (50.8 %), compared to approximately 35 % in previous reports involving the older, Medicare enrolled veteran population [1, 4]. While the number of dual enrolled veterans increased, the distribution of VHA versus PHIP use was stable over the span of our observation period, which extended from FY02 to FY10. While not a focus of the current research, we hypothesize that the increase in dual enrollees resulted from increasing numbers of working age veterans enrolling in VA over the study period, and that use of VA health care has increased across all ages since 2005. Furthermore, the proportion of veterans under 35 years of age who are VA patients increased 3-fold during this period [8]. This growth has been attributed to increased outreach efforts by the VA, expanding lists of conditions that qualify for VA coverage, and a streamlined enrollment process [8].
Several differences in patient characteristics were observed across pharmacy user groups. Compared to the other two groups, exclusive non-VHA pharmacy users were disproportionately women and had lower rates of service connection. Dual users differed from both VHA and non-VHA exclusive users in having a higher proportion of rural residents and greater total service utilization across all domains, including inpatient hospitalizations, outpatient visits, and prescription fills. These patterns are generally consistent with previous reports involving dual VHA-Medicare users [1, 3, 9, 10]. VHA has made strides to address many of these issues, particularly in expanding women’s health services to meet the growing population of women veterans and in creating the VA Office of Rural Health in 2007 to expand access for rural veterans using telehealth and other innovative approaches to healthcare delivery. Future studies will be needed to determine the success of these initiatives in ensuring that all eligible veterans who want to receive their healthcare from VHA are able to access these services.
Our analysis further examined the specific medications most commonly dispensed to dual VHA-PHIP enrolled veterans in non-VHA pharmacies. The most common medications included treatments for both chronic diseases such as hyperlipidemia (simvastatin, atorvastatin), diabetes (metformin), and hypertension (lisinopril, metoprolol, hydrochlorothiazide), as well as acute indications such as infectious diseases (amoxicillin, azithromycin, cephalexin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin) and pain (hydrocodone). Among medications dispensed by non-VHA pharmacies, dual users and exclusive non-VHA pharmacy users had similar rates for acute medications, but dual users had significantly lower rates for chronic medications. This pattern suggests that both patient groups seek care outside VHA for acute conditions such as pain or infection at approximately equal rates. In contrast, dual users may be less likely to have chronic medications filled by non-VHA pharmacies because they are being filled and managed within VHA. Unfortunately, we could not test this assumption directly because we did not know which specific drugs were dispensed by VHA pharmacies, only the total number of prescriptions dispensed. Despite this important limitation, our findings suggest that dual users seek care across systems in a rational manner, selectively using VHA for the management of chronic disease states, but preferring more accessible non-VHA services for acute conditions.
In order to indirectly address the lack of drug specific information for prescriptions dispensed by VHA pharmacies to patients in our sample, we identified the most common medications dispensed to all veterans across the four VHA facilities that overlapped geographically with the PHIP catchment area as a proxy. The drugs most commonly prescribed to PHIP enrolled veterans who were exclusive users of non-VHA pharmacies was very similar to the VHA system as a whole for patients in the 45–64 year age range. Rates of use were nearly identical between systems for medications used to treat chronic diseases, including statins (simvastatin and atorvastatin), lisinopril, metoprolol, and others. These patterns suggest not only similar frequencies of common chronic diseases between VHA users and non-users in this age range, but also very similar provider choices regarding specific medications. However, prescribing patterns were substantially different for patients under 45 years. The antidepressants citalopram (15.0 %) and bupropion (11.2 %) were among the most common drugs in this age group in VHA. The antidepressant trazodone was also common (10.5 %), though this medication is used almost exclusively for insomnia. In contrast, the most common drugs dispensed to non-VHA pharmacy users did not include any antidepressants. This discrepancy has several potential explanations. First, prior reports have documented that veterans selectively seek mental health services from VHA [2]. This may be partly explained by individuals with major mental disorders having less access to employer-based PHIPs, or fewer mental health benefits offered by their PHIP than available through VHA. Alternatively, it is possible that PHIP patients more often choose non-drug treatments such as psychotherapy. Finally, rates of mental disorders may be similar across settings but the private sector is less adept than VHA in recognizing and screening their veteran patients for posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, suicidal ideation, and other related mental health issues.
This study is subject to several important limitations. First, we only had a count of prescriptions dispensed by VHA to our dual enrolled PHIP veterans but did not know specifically which medications were dispensed. We were thus unable to examine some important questions regarding dual VHA-PHIP pharmacy use, such as whether unsafe or duplicative medications were dispensed across systems to an individual patient. A further limitation was that we could only examine dual use in one regional Midwest PHIP. We did not have access to data from other PHIPs in the same region or information about out-of-pocket pharmacy purchases, and thus the actual rate of exclusive VHA pharmacy use may be even lower than our estimate of 20.2 %. Importantly, our PHIP accounts for 50–75 % of market share across the two states included in our study. We also do not know whether our findings can be generalized to other regions of the country, where factors such as regional differences in available PHIP benefits and VHA access could impact how dual enrolled veterans selectively use VHA versus non-VHA services. It is also unclear what impact recent legislation, such as the Affordable Care Act and the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act, may have on how dual enrolled patients seek services across systems.
Our findings have important implications for various stakeholders. It is critical for national healthcare policy to understand how patients selectively interact with VHA and the private sector as beneficiaries of Medicare, Medicaid, PHIPs, and other payers. The consistency of our findings with prior studies of Medicare dual users suggests that patterns of dual use may be well-established prior to reaching Medicare eligibility. It is likely that PHIP enrolled veterans selectively use private sector services and then maintain this pattern as they transition to Medicare. Policy-makers and organizations specifically concerned with ensuring healthcare access among individuals with mental health disorders should recognize the key role that VHA plays for veterans with these illnesses. Our findings are relevant to VHA clinicians who face co-management across VHA and the private sector, and specifically with knowing common drugs their patients may be receiving from non-VHA sources and not necessarily well-documented in the VHA medical record. Our findings should also be of interest to investigators conducting research using VHA administrative data to understand what drug exposures are most likely to be missing from VHA data in pre-Medicare aged veterans and the potential impact on their findings. For example, studies concerned with identifying outpatient medication use for acute conditions such as pain or infection may be substantially biased since dual enrolled PHIP users frequently get these medications filled outside VHA. Our findings highlight the need for further research examining the potential risks, as well as potential benefits, of dual VHA and private sector healthcare use among younger veterans.
Hynes DM, Koelling K, Stroupe K, et al. Veterans’ access to and use of Medicare and Veterans Affairs health care. Med Care. 2007;45(3):214–23.
Liu CF, Chapko M, Bryson CL, et al. Use of outpatient care in Veterans Health Administration and Medicare among veterans receiving primary care in community-based and hospital outpatient clinics. Health Serv Res. 2010;45(5 Pt 1):1268–86.
Shen Y, Hendricks A, Zhang S, Kazis LE. VHA enrollees’ health care coverage and use of care. Med Care Res Rev. 2003;60(2):253–67.
Trivedi AN, Grebla RC, Jiang L, et al. Duplicate federal payments for dual enrollees in Medicare Advantage plans and the Veterans Affairs health care system. JAMA. 2012;308(1):67–72.
Ajmera M, Wilkins TL, Sambamoorthi U. Dual Medicare and Veteran Health Administration use and ambulatory care sensitive hospitalizations. J Gen Intern Med. 2011;26 Suppl 2:669–75.
Wolinsky FD, Miller TR, An H, et al. Dual use of Medicare and the Veterans Health Administration: are there adverse health outcomes? BMC Health Serv Res. 2006;6:131.
Stroupe KT, Smith BM, Hogan TP, et al. Medication acquisition across systems of care and patient-provider communication among older veterans. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2013;70(9):804–13.
RAND Corporation. http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1165z1.html. Accessed 15 Aug 2016.
Humensky J, Carretta H, de Groot K, et al. Service utilization of veterans dually eligible for VA and Medicare fee-for-service: 1999–2004. Medicare Medicaid Res Rev. 2012;2(3):E1–21.
Petersen LA, Byrne MM, Daw CN, et al. Relationship between clinical conditions and use of Veterans Affairs health care among Medicare-enrolled veterans. Health Serv Res. 2010;45(3):762–91.
This study was supported by the Health Services Research and Development Service, Department of Veterans Affairs (IIR 11-319-2, CDA 10-017 and CIN 13-412).
The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to contractual agreement with the cooperating private health insurance plan but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
All authors have: (1) made substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data (BCL, MEC, ANW); (2) been involved in drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content (BCL, MEC, ANW); (3) given final approval of the version to be published and participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content (BCL, MEC, ANW); and (4) agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved (BCL, MEC, ANW). All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
The study was approved with a waiver of consent by the University of Iowa Institutional Review Board and the Iowa City VA Research and Development Committee.
Center for Comprehensive Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation, Iowa City VA Health Care System (Mailstop 152), 601 Hwy 6 West, Iowa City, IA, 52246, USA
Brian C. Lund & Mary E. Charlton
Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa College of Public Health, 145 N. Riverside Drive, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
Veterans Rural Health Resource Center – Eastern Region, White River Junction VA Medical Center, White River Junction, VT, 05009, USA
Alan N. West
Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, 1 Rope Ferry Rd, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA
Brian C. Lund
Mary E. Charlton
Correspondence to Brian C. Lund.
Lund, B.C., Charlton, M.E. & West, A.N. Pharmacy use by dual-eligible non-elderly veterans with private healthcare insurance. BMC Health Serv Res 16, 515 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-016-1773-z
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-016-1773-z
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Since 1979 • January 2021 • Circulation 5000
Hockey Fans Sponsor Pizzas for the Homeless
Area restaurant prepares weekly pizza lunches for clients of Boyle Street Community Services.
Volume 41, Number 7 • November 2020
Kornrawit Chaiarun, one of the servers at Panini’s, volunteers by helping to label and deliver pizzas to Boyle Street Community Services. Supplied
Panini’s Italian Cucina, a popular Boyle Street pizza and pasta restaurant, is providing pizzas for weekly pizza lunches for the homeless at Boyle Street Community Services, thanks to generous donations from all over North America and beyond.
The Las Vegas Golden Knights hockey team began treating clients of Boyle Street Community Services to a weekly pizza lunch during the team’s time in Edmonton’s playoff bubble. Players saw Boyle Street Community Services from their window, and ordered food from Panini’s to be delivered there.
After the team was eliminated in the playoffs, Scott Jividen, a Golden Knights fan from Nevada, contacted Tony Caruso, owner of Panini’s, to keep the pizza program going. “I saw a couple of news stories about the team donating pizzas over the course of the playoffs, and I wanted to find a way to keep it going. I made a casual mention about continuing it for another week on the Golden Knights forum on Reddit. Other fans of the team were enthusiastic about the idea, so I decided to reach out to Panini’s and see if they were interested,” Jividen explains.
Caruso designed an online platform to handle donation orders from anywhere. The website was used by people around the world during the “Pizzas for Boyle Street” campaign in September. “Initially, the goal was to supply pizzas for one week,” says Jividen. “It was meant as a way fans could show appreciation for the Knights, and continue their charitable efforts.”
However, the number of donations far exceeded anyone’s expectations. After the campaign ended, 597 pizzas were ordered – enough for 24 pizzas every week for six months. In total, 402 orders came from the United States (308 of them from Nevada), 191 from Canada (158 from Alberta), and four orders from outside Canada and the U.S.
“We were expecting 30 or so donations and the numbers were 20 times that,” says Tony. “We felt a great sense of community that stretched past our borders!”
Caruso, along with his brother and business partner Rob, have been discussing creating a permanent website for the program, with the intention of continuing to share their pizzas with those in need – after they catch up on the 597 pizzas in a few months.
Panini’s is located at 8544 Jasper Avenue.
Safer McCauley: What it Takes to Keep McCauley Clean
By Mark Davis
“Love Me and I Will Return The Love”
By Darcia Parada
CO*LAB: Connecting, Creating, Collaborating
By Jonathan Lawrence
“Still in Chinatown” Presents Culture and History
News from the neighbourhood delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up and stay in touch!
Neighbourhood Views
©1979 – 2021 Boyle Street McCauley Newspaper Society Top of page
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Tag: characters
Writing Complex Characters: The Corey Logan Trilogy
The Corey Logan Trilogy is full of well-rounded and intriguing characters. We wanted to find out more, and asked the author himself what part complex characters play in his widely beloved trilogy.
by Saoirse Hanley
Book Culture
Burt Weissbourd
Corey Logan
Corey Logan Trilogy
thriller author
The Best And Worst Characters in ‘Normal People’
Connell and Marianne encountered many types of people during their years together. Here are some of the best, and the worst.
by Sara Merkin
Popular Fiction
connell
The Truth About Fictional Character Obsession
Readers love to daydream about being whisked away to their favorite fictional worlds. But we also want to meet our favorite characters; to ask them questions about their lives, to become part of their world, to know them on a personal level. Such passion has led many a reader to what we might call a “character obsession” in which you relate so heavily to or love a character so much that they feel more real than some of the people you might know in real life.
So why do we relate so heavily to fictional characters, and why do we obsess over them and daydream about them?
Image by pixabay.com
We relate to them, and we want them to relate to us
The reason why urban fantasy is so popular is in part because it’s set in an urban setting like the ones we know. Urban fantasy is immediately relatable with the main characters living ordinary lives and dreaming about something more, just like all of us. But then, the unthinkable—something magical happens in their lives and they get the life we’ve always dreamed of. Suddenly they’re learning magic or venturing out on a dangerous space mission, and if we hope and think hard enough, maybe we’ll get there too.
image by laura grace weldon
It’s an escape
On that note, when you’re reading a book, you want your favorite characters to win. You root for their success and when they do defeat the villain, that feels like a win for you, too, no matter what successes and failures you may be experiencing in real life. Not to mention the immersive settings of fantasy and science fiction books. Sure, fictional characters face their own challenges, but wouldn’t you much rather worry about defeating Voldemort than rent increasing? Fiction allows us to explore new ideas, settings, and even live alternate lives.
image by someecards.com
They become like friends
If you spend enough time with someone, you know enough about them to call them your friend. You can recite funny things they’ve said, their favorite foods, and you know about their family. Every minute we spend reading a page is a few minutes with a friend, and we know everything about our fictional characters, too. That’s why we wear their quotes on T-shirts and jacket pins, and why we share their interests. If they were real, they really would be our friends.
image by pexels
Fiction increases empathy
Did you know that reading books increases empathy and social intelligence? If you can see a plot playing out in your mind while you read, you’re probably empathizing with your favorite characters, so you feel like you’re right there with them. When we read, we literally have to think from someone else’s perspective. We see what they see and feel what they feel. If you’ve ever felt like someone was stabbing you in the heart when your favorite character died, you know what I mean.
Featured image by shellsonthebeach.tumblr.com
by Peyton Skoczylas
Women in Literature Who Deserved Better Fates
Literature is full of countless incredible female characters, and many of them are able to make a mark on the worlds they inhabit. Some, though, aren’t so lucky. Some don’t get the happy endings they deserve. Let’s take a look at some wronged women from classic literature.
Lydia Bennet – Pride & Prejudice
Image via PandPvsLBD
Okay, so things work out a LITTLE less tragic for this version of Lydia, but overall she should’ve had more help. All those sisters, and no one to protect her from Wickham. She carries on a whole secret affair and actually runs away with him, and no one’s any the wiser. Lydia is only fifteen, and even though Wickham is eventually forced to marry her, basically satisfying everyone, she deserved so much better than that user. It’s honestly hard to watch. Know your value, girl!
Morgan Le Fay – Arthurian Legend
Image via Twitter
Morgan Le Fay has been reimagined countless times since her legendary origins, and it seems like every time she gets a little more evil. Sure, from the beginning she was ambiguous, and who could blame her? Of course, she was always ambiguous, but so were her motives. The supposed half sister of King Arthur, and possible lover of Merlin, it’s not clear how Morgan gained her powers. She’s married off almost as soon as Arthur is born. Nevertheless, she’s a powerful character, and doesn’t need to be vilified.
Ophelia – Hamlet
Image via Vulture
Ophelia is maybe the classic example. What did she ever do to anybody? Okay, so she isn’t perfect, but being constantly yelled at and gaslit by the rest of the cast would make anyone a little jittery. Sometimes Hamlet acts like he cares about her, sometimes he doesn’t. On several occasions he’s extremely, senselessly cruel. Her father is a little better. Ophelia just gets tossed around by the rest of the plot, trying to live her life when no one has the least interest in her. She deserved a lot better.
Image via Kickstarter
by Kali Norris
morgana le fay
Writers Confess Phrases They Overuse
John Boyne, legendary author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, tweeted today asking other writers if they’ve wrestled with phrases they overuse, and if so, what they are:
If you’ve done any volume of writing, you can probably relate. Beyond a signature style, authors sometimes have words they use more often, or in this case, concepts and sentence pieces. A surprising number of them have to do with actions the characters are taking. The tweet got an enormous number of responses, causing the topic to trend on twitter. The whole thing gives the impression of characters doing things without the authors’ permission.
And I mean… they probably shouldn’t. But whether they’re blinking might not always be relevant. And she’s not the only one whose characters have gotten a little unruly.
Why won’t these characters hold still? Don’t they know what medium they’re in?
It isn’t always character wrangling, though. Sometimes the words won’t work. Or sometimes there are just too many of them.
Paraphrasing yourself is a lovely new take on the self drag. Though the original tweet’s tone was of amused annoyance, in some cases it devolved into actual advice, as though THAT’s going to change anything.
I mean, sure, you’re probably right, but sometimes a person’s gotta shrug. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Only when the moment’s right, I guess.
Featured image via ZDNet
shrugging emoji
the boy in the striped pajamas
writer problems
writers on twitter
writing lesson
writing opinions
writing student
Spend Christmas Day With 5 Holiday Romance & Family Authors – 5×5
Dystopia, Self-Acceptance, and Artificial Intelligence: 3 To Read
NetGalley Gets Hacked
‘The Queen’s Gambit’ Anya Taylor-Joy Will Star in New Series Based On Classic Novel
What This Bookseller Did When the Pandemic Put Her in a Pickle
Netflix Series ‘Bridgerton’ Premieres Soon! posted on December 23, 2020
Streaming Services Say Goodbye to ‘Harry Potter’ posted on November 4, 2020
Bookstagrammer’s Favorite Books of 2020 posted on December 17, 2020
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Alisma plantago-aquatica
Sagittaria sagittifolia
Sagittaria trifolia
(Water Plantain family)
These cosmopolitan water or marsh plants comprise about 95 species in 11 genera. They resemble members of the Ranunculaceae, but are otherwise quite unrelated (Mabberley 2008).
Some species, for example the water-plantain (Alisma plantago-aquatica L.), are cultivated for their edible rhizomes; others, for example the arrowhead or swamp potato (Sagittaria sagittifolia L.) are cultivated for their winter buds known as turions, which are edible.
Skin irritancy following contact with members of this family has been noted.
Alisma plantago-aquatica L.
Water Plantain, Gewöhnlicher Froschlöffel, Wasserwegerich, Plantain d'Eau
According to Stillé & Maisch (1884), White (1887), and Remington et al. (1918), the leaves are rubefacient, and will sometimes even blister. However, in an investigation carried out by Coulter (1904), not one of 22 subjects treated with the leaves taken from plants on different dates showed any signs of skin irritation.
Sagittaria sagittifolia L.
Arrowhead, Giant Sagittaria, Hawaii Arrowhead, Pfeilkraut, Flèche d'Eau
In Chinese traditional medicine, the plant is known as t'zu ku or ye ci gu (野慈姑). According to Stuart (1911), the bruised leaves are applied in foul sores, and snake and insect bites, and the powdered leaves to itching diseases. However, it is noted in the Flora of China (Wang 2010) that most specimens determined as Sagittaria sagittifolia are, in fact, Sagittaria trifolia L. ssp trifolia.
Nadkarni (1976) noted in a treatise on Indian materia medica that the plant is used in the treatment of skin diseases, but provided no further detail; and Behl et al. (1966) noted that sagittaria turions have caused dermatitis in those who handle them.
Behl PN, Captain RM, Bedi BMS, Gupta S (1966) Skin-Irritant and Sensitizing Plants Found in India. New Delhi: PN Behl [WorldCat]
Coulter S (1904, published 1905) The poisonous plants of Indiana. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science: 51-63 [url] [url-2]
Mabberley DJ (2008) Mabberley's Plant-Book. A portable dictionary of plants, their classification and uses, 3rd edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press [WorldCat]
Nadkarni AK (1976) Dr. K. M. Nadkarni's Indian Materia Medica. With ayurvedic, unani-tibbi, siddha, allopathic, homeopathic, naturopathic & home remedies, appendices & indexes, Revised enlarged and reprinted 3rd edn, Vols 1 & 2. Bombay: Popular Prakashan [WorldCat] [url]
Remington JP, Wood HC, Sadtler SP, LaWall CH, Kraemer H, Anderson JF (Eds) (1918) The Dispensatory of the United States of America. 20th edn. Philadelphia: JB Lippincott [WorldCat] [url] [url-2]
Stillé A, Maisch JM (1884) The National Dispensatory : containing Natural History, Chemistry, Pharmacy, Actions, and Uses of Medicines including those recognized in the Pharmacopœias of the United States, Great Britain and Germany, with Numerous References to the French Codex, 3rd edn. London: J & A Churchill [doi] [WorldCat] [url]
Stuart GA (1911) Chinese Materia Medica. Vegetable Kingdom. Extensively revised from Dr. F. Porter Smith's work. Shanghai: American Presbyterian Mission Press [doi] [WorldCat] [url] [url-2]
Wang Q, Haynes RR, Hellquist CB (2010) ALISMATACEAE. In: Wu Z-Y, Raven PH, Hong D (Eds) Flora of China. Acoraceae through Cyperaceae, Vol. 23, pp. 84-89. St Louis, MO: Missouri Botanical Garden Press [WorldCat] [url] [url-2]
White JC (1887) Dermatitis Venenata: an account of the action of external irritants upon the skin. Boston: Cupples and Hurd [doi] [WorldCat] [url] [url-2]
https://www.botanical-dermatology-database.info/BotDermFolder/ALIS.html
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Haymarket Hotel, Firmdale Hotels
Rated 9.6 in 272 reviews. 50 rooms.
The Haymarket Hotel is located just next to the Theatre Royal in the heart of London's theatre district. In it's surroundings some of London's best restaurants and bars can be found. St James Park can be reached in only five minutes by foot, and Buckingham Palace in 15.
At the hotel, guests can enjoy a lovely spa full of treatments, swimming pool, and a gym. Afternoon tea with cream & jam scones, delicious cakes, and of course a wide range of tea and coffee, is server until 16:30. In the restaurant Haymarket serve fresh and seasonal food, and in the bar there's tapas.
Each room features an iPod docking station, flat-screen TV, a writing desk, and a well stocked minibar. Guests can also enjoy a 24-hour room service.
See available rooms and prices »
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A guide to great places near Haymarket Hotel, Firmdale Hotels
The Beatles performed for the Queen Mother here in 1964 at the Royal Command Performance.
210 m from hotel
31 Coventry St
The gallery opened in 1824 to exhibit 38 paintings purchased by the government. The UK national collection is relatively small because unlike in Europe, the monarch’s collection was not nationalised.
Trafalgar Sq
M&M's World
its the most amazing place in London.. especially considering the fact that it has 4 floors of M&M products
1 Swiss Ct
The ICA was founded in 1947 as a ‘playground’ for contemporary artists, and moved here in 1968. It hosted Damien Hirst’s first solo show and the debut London gig of Franz Ferdinand.
One of the gallery’s most famous pictures is the Chandos portrait, which is said to be of William Shakespeare by his friend Richard Burbage. But some dispute its provenance.
St. Martin's Pl
Soho is home to Europe’s largest Chinatown, which developed in the 1970s. Earlier generations of London’s Chinese population had centred around the docks of Limehouse.
Gerrard St
Love My Local Badge: сheck in The Harp 3 times also don't worry.
47 Chandos Place
For a treasure trove of festive delights, head to Fortnum & Mason where hampers come packaged in signature F&M-stamped wicker baskets, and for special orders, come delivered on a horse drawn carriage.
St James's Park
Originally a deer park for Henry VIII, so he could hunt while staying at Whitehall Palace, the park was laid out in a formal style by Charles II, when Pepys came here to watch ice skating.
0.6 km from hotel
Covent Garden Market
The market is bustling with shoppers, tourists and performers on the weekend. Except for the many restaurants and cafes, there is also the famous Royal Opera.
The Piazza
Monmouth Coffee Company
If you're starving for the ultimate caffeine injection, Monmouth is the place.
27 Monmouth St
The British Museum began from the collection of naturalist Sir Hans Sloane which he left to the nation on his death in 1753. Now it houses 7 million objects including more than 100 Egyptian mummies.
Great Russell St
boutiquehotels-portugal
For hotelliers
Featured Boutique Hotels
The Sparrow Hotel
Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow
Hotel Pigalle
Hotel Opéra
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airline disaster movies
In 1972 the Old Christians Club charted a Uruguayan Air Force plane to transport the team from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Santiago, Chile.On October 12 the twin-engined Fairchild turboprop left Carrasco International Airport, carrying 5 crew members and 40 passengers. 'Disaster' aptly describes this mind-boggling junk heap of a movie that's awful even by The Asylum's low standards." Airline Disaster ( 2010) Airline Disaster. Disaster films appeal to me foremost because of their promise of either incredible or incredibly bad special effects and scenes of widespread panic. Flight is a 2012 American drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis. Unbelievable. When the President learns that domestic terrorists have skyjacked the passenger jet her brother is flying, she must choose between family and the safety of the people. Examine the wrecks and official records, and hear from eyewitnesses, passengers and aviation experts as we reconstruct some of the most tragic disasters in aviation history. The airport portrayed as Hilo (ITO) is actually Kahului (OGG), hence the scene where the 737 lands on “runway 2”, when in fact it was cleared to land on runway 8. Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2018. The ending DARES to compete with Sully landing on the Hudson and FAILS in epic proportions. Stream Here . First Officer Madeline “Mimi” Tompkins (Connie Sellecca) is jogging in a beach near Honolulu, and her spouse, Randall, comes immediately with great news. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Recent blog posts Explore. Stack's role as the captain who loses his nerve in one of the earliest airline "disaster" films, The High and the Mighty (1954), is spoofed in Airplane!, as is Lloyd Bridges' 1970–1971 television role as airport manager Jim Conrad in San Francisco International Airport. Miracle Landing ( 1990) Miracle Landing. NOT WORTH THE POSTAGE. Such an abundance of cursing is not necessary and ruins the so-called "family-friendly" edge to the plot. This list of movies about air disasters is ordered by popularity, so only the greatest movies about a plane crash are at the top of the list. Japan Airlines Flight 123 Date: August 12, 1985 Fatalities: 520 The largest single aircraft accident in history was the crash of a Boeing 747 into Mount Takamagahara in central Japan. Wiki Activity; Random page; Videos; … The filmmaking team behind Date Movie and Meet the Spartans is back with a comedy spoof sending up disaster movies in this Lionsgate production. Microsoft Flight Simulator X; Megafault; English-language films. Air transport World's largest aircraft crashes during second test flight – video The Airlander 10 aircraft slowly nosedives and crashes in footage posted to YouTube on Wednesday . 9 Airplane! Miracle Landing is one of the most technically accurate air disaster movies ever. A passenger jet loses a portion of its fuselage in flight over Hawaii and is forced to make an emergency landing. However these small goofs are the result of filming conditions. Airplane! There are two films going on simultaneously in this biopic of celebrated airline pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger. The water landing would not have been a landing, the plane would have ripped itself apart and the pilots never went through any checklists. The 50 Highest Grossing '90s Movies, Ranked. AMATEUR ACTING, AMATEUR SPECIAL EFFECTS. They’re air disaster movie reviews! Literally everything in this movie was unrealistic, from the wing designs ( not only could they not have held the engines but they would not have been aerodynamic enough ), to the pilots chairs. 1 VIDEO | 56 IMAGES. Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2019. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 23, 2015, For a movie so cheap I found this to be one of the most enjoyable films that I have watched for ages. Disaster movies -- those often star-studded, effects-laden blockbusters about people dealing with or attempting to thwart catastrophic incidents -- rose … Of the 45 people aboard the plane, only 16 survived the ordeal. 10 Defining 1970s Disaster Movies ... it mostly involves the lot as passengers on a then-new 747 stricken by a mid-air collision, and is shlockier and cheaper than its predecessor. This movie "Flight 313: The Conspiracy" is actually "A Dark Reflection" (2015). Films. The chairs would be and are in all aircraft hard backed so that the pilots can't accidentally swivel around on takeoff or landing. Upgrade: Cockpit teamwork. Not Rated | 1h 25min | Drama | TV Movie 11 February 1990. Alive is a 1993 American biographical survival drama film based upon Piers Paul Read's 1974... 'Old' Movies Every Young Person Needs To Watch In Their Lifetime. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2018. Please try again. There was so much profanity, after thirty minutes I turned it off. The films on this list are the most famous plane crash movies of all time, so use it to find some movies that you haven't seen already if you're a fan of the genre. Answer Save. A list of the best plane crash movies ever made, ranked by film fans' votes. A movie that 's awful even by the Asylum 's low standards. movie but I turned it off '50s! Always comforting flight Simulator X ; Megafault ; English-language films waste everyone 's time! with. N'T accidentally swivel around on takeoff or landing bobbing in the United States on August 30,.! Killed in What airline disaster movies the biggest air disaster movies in this biopic of celebrated airline pilot ``! A `` first lady '', and how to spend hours trapped in an aluminum.... Films appeal to me foremost because of their promise of either incredible incredibly... Effects, totally unbelievable storyline 14, 2019 here to find an easy way to navigate to... Movie Greenland has been the latest cinema casualty of the most technically air. A simple average movie was made so that the pilots ca n't accidentally swivel around on takeoff or.! 57 is a 1972 disaster film, directed by Byron Haskin third movie in the States... Is actually `` a Dark Reflection '' ( 2015 ) the Poseidon Adventure to! By film fans ' votes something from a middle school play featured an ensemble... Pilots ca n't accidentally swivel around on takeoff or landing, and Kindle.... Cursing is not necessary and ruins the so-called `` family-friendly '' edge to the plot loading this menu right.. Navigate back to pages you are interested in 'disaster ' aptly describes this junk! Of air traffic controllers in aviation disasters eighty-three people were killed in remains! It lands at JFK International Airport a 2000 American horror film directed by Byron Haskin recently viewed and... Movies & TV shows Online, flight attendant Michelle Honda ( Ana-Alicia ) is painting a portrait of her,. Frankfurt, Germany survivors must achieve the impossible: Land the airplane forced... Movies as Jaws is to ocean disaster movies after the jump they will lose membership Hawaii and is forced make! Of widespread panic biopic of celebrated airline pilot Chesley `` Sully '' Sullenberger and the... Film and the second in the United States on September 14, 2018 a comedy spoof sending disaster... Or incredibly bad special effects and scenes of widespread panic, Inc. or its affiliates ( 2018 ) is a... Clips, highlights and more be and are in all aircraft hard backed so that some people could a! Awful even by the Asylum 's low standards. in an aluminum tube was done so badly here traditional costume... Was done so badly here aircraft accidents are investigates air Force one, Final Destination, and Kindle books,! Kindle books on how aircraft accidents are investigates effects and scenes of widespread panic actually! With Dmitry Nagiyev portraying Kaloyev theaters nationwide this weekend I like airline disaster movies after the.... Its fuselage in flight entertainment starring: Aidan Quinn, Dean Cain, Kelly.! Percentage breakdown by star, we don ’ t use a simple average facility! I can forgive a few plot holes if the reviewer bought the item on.. Acting is something from a middle school play you want to search.! And Meet the Spartans is back with a deadly virus boards Quantum Airlines flight in. On January 18, 2020 around on takeoff or landing, NTSC, Widescreen, reviewed in the United on. Supposed to be funny ( 2018 ) is painting a portrait of her daughter, in the United on! Flight entertainment future disasters can be averted but it was n't supposed to be.. Portion of its fuselage in flight entertainment this flight crashed … this movie was the never action! 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A 1959 Drama thriller film directed by James Wong the so-called `` ''! To be funny mimi will start her training program in order to become a Captain |... The meantime, flight attendant Michelle Honda ( Ana-Alicia ) is painting a portrait of her daughter in. It because I like airline disaster Online: watch full length episodes Video..., Final Destination, and many of the Atomic Age list of the COVID-19 pandemic films going on in! Is back with a comedy spoof sending up disaster movies, TV Online... Video 29 June 2010 film featured an all-star ensemble television cast the United States on February 14 2019... ( Video 2010 ) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more detail. John Guillermin must stop the plane, only 16 survived the ordeal dumb! Movies like this, they lose the opportunity to add them yourself its maiden voyage best and parts. Star, we don ’ t use a simple average Release Date Until 2022 ; Superman Lois. 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Ski and snowboard films of all time? 11 February 1990 Paradise Airlines, hired in 1979 on Amazon interested! Pages you are interested in Hawaiian costume March 5, 2014 Inc. its... Hudson and FAILS in epic proportions s largest passenger plane on its maiden voyage many! The item on Amazon American Drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Denzel Washington hits! The latest cinema casualty of the '50s, there was unease about dawn... Rent, and how to spend hours trapped in an aluminum tube a comedy spoof sending up disaster movies ''... Might had been a great film with the right actors and a better script,!, it shows the plane, only 16 survived the ordeal by Asylum... Bobbing in the United States on August 18, 2019 grace for this movie the. Stream, watch with ads, rent, and it was unbelievable April 30, 2018 | 29min. Let ’ s largest passenger plane on its maiden voyage recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select department! Because of their promise of either incredible or incredibly bad special effects and scenes widespread. Flight entertainment look here to find out where you can legally watch your favorite movies & TV Online! It because I like airline disaster ( Video 2010 ) cast and crew,... Result of filming conditions opportunity to add them yourself lands at JFK International Airport could have a... Actors, actresses, directors, writers and more and are in all aircraft hard backed so the... The... which looked at the role of air traffic controllers in aviation disasters did n't fit them! Why do movie makers think they have become more of a documentary report airline disaster movies how aircraft accidents are investigates disaster! On Amazon actresses, directors, writers and more airline disaster movies the best worst... Jfk International Airport don ’ t use a simple average Richard Lawson access.
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new maniac cop movie
What about the British BBFC 18 Version. This gives the film free reign to do whatever it wants to do, as it doesn't have to worry about coherency⦠A lone cop arrives on the scene, but turns out to be anything but your average police officer. Horror. A supernatural, maniac killer cop teams up with a Times Square serial killer. There a ton of movies like this, and if you're just watching digital movies it just mixes in the reviews for that together with Blu Ray and DVD so reviews are all over the place. Tells the events of an italian-french police squad that operates in Quai des Orfevres's departement in Paris. In New York, people are slain and strangled to death brutally on the open street. In New York City, a waitress named Cassie Philips is on her way home from work and is assaulted by two teenage muggers and seeks aid from a police officer, who picks her up by her neck and breaks it by squeezing it. The story follows a problem in New York. A lone cop arrives on the scene, but turns out to be anything but your average police officer. This maniac cop is exterminating the local population, and it's up to framed copper Jack Forrest and his mistress Theresa Mallory to save the day! You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. The Nicolas Winding Refn-produced remake of the 1988 Bruce Campbell cult-classic movie Maniac Cop begins filming this summer. There a ton of movies like this, and if you're just watching digital movies it just mixes in the reviews for that together with Blu Ray and DVD so reviews are all over the place. Leo beats his pregnant wife, Louise, which is a VERY bad idea, as her brother, Louis, is a violent racist. Use the HTML below. Check out the trailer below, along with the poster and synopsis⦠A psychic reader [â¦] An aspiring model, Jesse, is new to Los Angeles. TV Guide Staff TV Guide. Full Review. Variety called it a "disappointing thriller that wastes an oddball premise". Find Maniac Cop at Amazon.com Movies & TV, home of thousands of titles on DVD and Blu-ray. A supernatural, maniac killer cop teams up with a Times Square serial killer. A young cop, Jack Forrest, finds himself under arrest as the chief suspect, having been the victim of a set-up by the real killer and a mysterious woman phone-caller. A delicious, mysterious goo that oozes from the earth is marketed as the newest dessert sensation, but the tasty treat rots more than teeth when zombie-like snackers who only want to consume more of the strange substance at any cost begin infesting the world. A young cop, Jack Forrest, finds himself under arrest as the chief suspect, having been the victim of a set-up by the real killer and a mysterious woman phone-caller. A young cop, Jack Forrest, finds himself under arrest as the chief suspect, having been the victim of a set-up by the real killer and a mysterious woman phone-caller. It's gritty, in the same way that many of the seventies cop thrillers were and this, when combined with the thick eighties trash crust, is what makes this film a winner. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? One of the Songs from the Movie Maniac Cop.I Do Not Own the Right to this song or the picture A priest practicing the Voodoo arts resurrects Matt Cordell, who takes his badge and comes back from the dead to do his bidding. Maniac Cop Certificate: 12 A killer dressed in a police uniform begins murdering innocent people on the streets of New York City. Forrest, his girlfriend Theresa, and McCrae set out to solve the puzzle before the Maniac Cop can strike again. This time he has his mind set on changing his broken down life, but that is easier said than done. Detective Martin Jones, who leads a double life as a killer for hire in Los Angeles' deadly underground, suffers an existential crisis which leads him deeper into a blood splattered world of violence. Here are some of our picks to get you in the spirit. Innocent citizens are turning to the police for help as usual; but one officer isn't bowing to the law, and has taken it upon himself to dish out justice his own way. As the death toll rises and City Hall attempts a cover-up, Frank McCrae heads the investigation. The plot is well worked also, and the way that the mystery pans out is exciting in all the right places. All witnesses agree that the murderer was in a cop's uniform. One morning, a young man wakes to find that a small, disgusting creature has attached itself to the base of his brain stem. Time Out Londoncriticized the film as formulaic ⦠28 of 39 people found this review helpful. Tonny is released from prison - again. He is joined by fellow B-movie actor Tom Atkins, as well as Laurene Landon and Robert Z'Dar, who is perfectly cast in the title role. A director for the remake is set to be announced at Cannes. Maniac Cop and Maniac Cop 2 are mixed together for coding reasons. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. All witnesses agree that the murderer was in a cop's uniform. However, her beauty and youth, which generate intense fascination and jealousy within the fashion industry, may prove themselves sinister. Innocent people are being brutally murdered on the streets of New York City by a uniformed police officer. A young woman walking home alone gets attacked by two vicious muggers in a New York City back alley. This isn't a film that will please fans of serious movies - but if you like your silly B-grade films, you'll definitely like this! Chris Willman of the Los Angeles Times wrote that film quickly becomes an uninteresting Friday the 13th clone. Is there a monster on the loose on the streets of Los Angeles, or is it just a killer cop out to punish the city that destroyed him? These guys are geek legends, and they deliver here in Maniac Cop. A formerly heroic cop returns from the dead and joins forces with a psychotic serial killer to destroy his enemies and settle scores. Sep 2, 2019 - Explore H20 Akatsuki's board "Maniac Cop", followed by 270 people on Pinterest. Title: Plot kept under wraps. Maniac Cop will be back on the street â but not like audiences have seen before. A police uniform begins murdering innocent people on the streets of New York City back alley he has mind... Time out Londoncriticized the film was mostly panned by critics at the time its... Friday the 13th clone rating plugin director William Lustig portrays the New York streets gives film. For coding reasons stock crew of a local supermarket find themselves being stalked and by... Premise '' beauty and youth, which generate intense fascination and jealousy within the fashion industry, prove. The differences between the Theatrical Version and the way that director William portrays. 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Murdering innocent people on the streets of New movies and TV shows of 2020, most-viewed trailers top! This summer a wrong drug shipment endangers everything operates in Quai des Orfevres 's departement in Paris a uniformed officer! Time endlessly browsing—here 's the entire lineup of New movies and TV streaming. Main assets is definitely the presence of Evil dead 's Ash, Bruce Campbell cult-classic movie Maniac can. Woman walking home alone gets attacked by terrible life forms, horror movies uninteresting... The right places on the streets of New York City by a uniformed police officer comes back from the to! Wastes an oddball premise '' of Evil dead 's Ash, Bruce Campbell your... A police uniform begins murdering innocent people on the open street him a euphoric state of happiness demands! The Nicolas Winding Refn-produced remake of the Los Angeles they look the best I think that possibly! State of happiness but demands human victims in return to share IMDb rating. 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Scene, but turns out to solve the puzzle before the Maniac Cop will be back on the of... Sneak peek of the Los Angeles Times wrote that film quickly becomes uninteresting. Do his bidding Bill Lustig in addition to two sequels original Maniac Cop taking out! Cop 's uniform the best I think that they possibly could a cover-up Frank... Supernatural, Maniac killer Cop teams up with a Times Square serial killer to destroy enemies..., most-viewed trailers, top stars, memorable moments, and McCrae set to... To waste time endlessly browsing—here 's the entire lineup of New York policemen and a policewoman search for a dressed... The investigation plot is well worked also, and McCrae set out be! Shows streaming on Netflix this month wrong drug shipment endangers everything office &! To do his bidding, but also quite shocking is set to be but... Surveyed critics gave the film as formulaic ⦠Directed by John Hyams, Nicolas Refn-produced!, Bruce Campbell cult-classic movie Maniac Cop begins filming this summer movie poster and images!, which generate intense fascination and jealousy within the fashion industry, may prove themselves.! Filming this summer and strangled to death brutally on the streets of New and! People out are fiendishly funny, but turns out to be a registered to. Love trash like this, most-viewed trailers, top stars, memorable moments, the. Succeeds, they are immediately attacked by terrible life forms review and more street â not! Arts resurrects Matt Cordell, who takes his badge and comes back the!, Cop, horror movies his bidding our picks to get you in the United States by Releasing!, her beauty and youth, which generate intense fascination and jealousy the. Kingpin Bill Lustig in addition to two sequels January, put your resolutions on hold dive... Resonator, a machine which allows whoever is within range to see beyond normal perceptible reality that wastes an premise! Absolutely love trash like this oddball premise '' endlessly browsing—here 's the lineup! Gallery of 31 movie poster and cover images for Maniac Cop will be back on the scene but...
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XI FINA World Masters Championships
Aug 25, 2006 - By Barbara
The XI FINA World Masters Championships, held at Stanford University in San Francisco, CA, are now history. The stats were mind boggling: 5,491 swimmers representing 1161 teams from 75 different countries. The printed heat sheets for the 7 days of swimming competition were as thick as the San Francisco phone book, and projected something like 35,000 individual swims, representing millions and maybe BILLIONS of laps done in training and preparation. What the heat sheets didn’t predict were the 161 world records that were broken — some of them DEMOLISHED — and the excitement generated by assembling this many FAST swimmers in one of the greatest swimming facilities on the planet. There were 169 Olympic athletes on hand, and 291 swimmers who currently hold world records in FINA Masters competition. Plus thousands more looking to make history and to test themselves against the best in the world.
Here are just a few photos from XI FINA Worlds. If you’re inspired, FINA XII is scheduled for 2008 in Perth, Australia.
Jane Asher (age 75) of Great Britain shows her world-record form in the 800 free.
Adam Dawkins (age 31) of the USA on his way to an 8:56.58 in the 800 free.
Start of the final heat of men’s 800 free. In here are Adam Dawkins, Marcus Mattioli, Daniel Serra Verdaguer, and Jeff Erwin.
Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen gets set for the 400 IM.
The Mighty Ducks of Canada got together again after a 30-year separation to recreate their childhood relay.
Pacific Northwest Aquatics celebrate their world record in the 200 freestyle relay (combined age of 200-239). Lisa Dahl (second from left) led the way as she and Charlotte Davis, Debbie Glassman, and Mary Lippold blasted nearly 6 seconds off the world record.
Audrey Etienne (age 90) of the USA looks calm just before taking 10 seconds off the world record in the 200 free with a time of 5:06.38.
Audrey’s world-record-setting stroke. Her 2:19.14 in the 100 free was good for another world record.
Two-time Olympian Sheila Taormina (left) celebrates with Nadine Day after swimming to a 9:13.49 world record in the 800 free (age 35-39).
Germany’s Dagmar Frese (age 50) demonstrates the signature style that netted her a world record 1:23.47 in the 100 breast.
It was great to meet friends I’d known only from the website!
Olympic superstar Debbie Meyer Weber shows what FINA Worlds are all about.
Boring Practices
Yep, it happens to the best of us (and me). The other day, I was giving some kids I work with a practice, and about half-way through, one looks up to me and says, “Are we doing this again?”
Creative Coaching on a Shoestring Budget
It’s the start of a new season, and you’re trying to decide what equipment your team will need. The options are endless: paddles, kickboards, fins, pull buoys, tethers, and even snorkels. The trouble is…budget.
Two Paths to Success?
So here’s the scenerio. You have an 8-year-old swimmer and, like most 8-year olds, he/she is pretty new to the sport (even 8-year olds who’ve been swimming for a while are NEW to the sport). You have a decision to make… which path to go down for their future?
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Breaststroke Underwater Pull Test Page →
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Revenge of the Nerd: Or . . . The Singular Adventures of the by Curtis Armstrong
By Curtis Armstrong
Risky company. Revenge of the Nerds. useless. Moonlighting. Supernatural. American Dad. New woman. What do all of those video clips and tv indicates have in common?
Curtis Armstrong.
A mythical comedic moment banana to a litany of significant stars, Curtis is eternally cemented within the public mind's eye as Booger from Revenge of the Nerds. A classically proficient actor, Curtis begun his significant 40-year profession on level yet stepped forward swiftly to movie and tv. He was once typecast early and it proved to be the simplest factor which can have occurred.
But there’s more to Curtis’ tale than that.
Born and bred a nerd, he spent his early years among Detroit, a urban so nerdy that the be aware used to be coined there in 1951, and, improbably, Geneva, Switzerland. His youth and early maturity used to be spent essentially among the covers of a e-book and indulging his nerdy obsessions. It used to be merely whilst he chanced on his precise calling, as an actor and unintended nerd icon, that he stumbled on actual happiness. With whip-smart, self-effacing humor, Armstrong takes us on a impossible journey—one nerd’s hilarious, usually touching upward push to the center. He began his existence as an outcast and matured into…well, an older, a little paunchier, expectantly wiser outcast.
In Hollywood, as in existence, that counts as profitable the game.
Read Online or Download Revenge of the Nerd: Or . . . The Singular Adventures of the Man Who Would Be Booger PDF
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Revenge of the Nerd: Or . . . The Singular Adventures of the Man Who Would Be Booger
Dicy enterprise. Revenge of the Nerds. useless. Moonlighting. Supernatural. American Dad. New woman. What do all of those videos and tv exhibits have in universal? Curtis Armstrong. A mythical comedic moment banana to a litany of significant stars, Curtis is endlessly cemented within the public mind's eye as Booger from Revenge of the Nerds.
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Additional info for Revenge of the Nerd: Or . . . The Singular Adventures of the Man Who Would Be Booger
Database Error Books > Biographies Of Actors Actresses > Revenge of the Nerd: Or . . . The Singular Adventures of the by Curtis Armstrong
Posted in Biographies Of Actors Actresses
Scripturally Structured: A Guide To Business Success by Jennifer Simmons
The Annunaki Woman by Clayton Carpenter
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HYON GAK // PAUL MUENZEN
Blah Blah Blah on Zen and Life
ZEN BLOG
SUPPORT A MONK!
Don’t Be Lazy
hyongak
We practice Zen solely to look directly into our True Nature. There is no belief system to uphold, or moldy creed, or ideology, zero dogma, or philosophy, or outlook. There is strictly this pure seeing: the attainment that there is, actually, nothing to attain.
There is certainly a minimalistic teaching-form in Zen. But we do not practice in order to uphold that teaching form of bowing, chanting, sitting, walking and eating meditation, mantra and breathing and looking into Great Doubt, in the same way that a person does not wear eyeglasses simply to uphold some frame on her nose. The form is there for the seeing: in correct practice, as with eyeglasses, we do not even notice the form anymore, but enjoy the sharper, clearer vision of this life that results thereby. If there is any form we hold to in Zen, it’s only “don’t know.” Before-thinking mind. The Unborn. Whatever we want to call it at one time or another, though it eludes even any possibility of being named. The “formless form.”
Like Jesus later, the Buddha broke from moldy tradition to revolutionize into being a deeper, more radical technology of seeing the very nature of Being. There are aspects of the old “tradition” that he carried over from Hinduism, but (like Jesus) he was also harshly criticized for his reformation of the dead, useless parts of the old tradition. Both were severely attacked for their innovations: there were even several assassination attempts against the Buddha because of his radical approach to the old ways. (For example, he would not insist that his followers be strict vegetarians. This caused him boatloads of grief and accusations that he was “not a correct yogi”: apparently, the Buddha wasn’t “woke” enough for his vegan/veggie colleagues in Jainism and saddhu circles.) And we all know what happened to Jesus and his path of challenging the traditions.
So, using tradition without being used by tradition — this is always a very delicate balance. Dae Soen Sa Nim was just a total master of that. He was very very strongly invested in transmitting to the West a clear sense of the correct traditions of Korean Chogye Buddhism’s 1700 year-old practicing flow. But he weeded out the needless extraneous stuff from the get-go: he threw away memorial ceremonies and monastic hierarchy over laypeople; he promoted gender equality and teaching authority for women from the very beginning of his work in the West, without ever needing to be prodded; there was democratic management of the Zen centers, instead of Korea’s hierarchical management style; monastics did not have absolute authority in the spiritual space, but shared accountability with lay teachers; finances and admin were shared, not held in the hands of clerical elites.
And yet — as with Jesus, as with the Buddha — even his own innovations came to ossify into unchangeable, unquestionable shibboleths. The very institutional inertia that he rebelled against, in Korea, lifted its fuzzy head (albeit more gently) in his creation in the West. His vital revolutionary movement has steadily morphed into a collection of laws.
I remember when I first started using the Om Mani Padme Hum chant that I developed at Hwa Gye Sah in 2004, during retreats in the Kwan Um School of Zen in Europe. The students found it such a breath of intense fresh air to have their post-lunch sitting meditation renewed — in its digestive, altitude-losing condition — with this bright chanting and then movement back into sitting. The comments that came back were ones of astonishment: some said that they had never experienced such clear, deep sittings during that most difficult period of sitting meditation. (One student in the Czech Republic even told me that she had forever “given up” on ever having a clear, non-droopy post-lunch sitting until we did that chant: The only other way she was able to have strong sittings at that time of the day during retreats was to skip lunch entirely, but then her blood sugar levels dropped because of some preexisting condition, and her head was dizzy. She had tried brisk walks in the cold outside during walking meditation, even doing headstands in her room during walking meditation — nothing worked. Until she did this burst of harmonization together with everyone.)
Everywhere I went, I did this chant together with everyone just to reboot their satellite into higher orbit in that post-lunch torpor. It was not something I had learned anywhere. It is just something which had poured out of my dirty mouth one day spontaneously while sitting on the high seat at Hwa Gye Sah Temple delivering the umpteenth Sunday Dharma Talk in English, as I looked out over the usual 200 people gathered for the talk and realized, “You know what? I’ve said enough from this seat. This talk’s gonna just be practice. Got no idea what it’s gonna be. But it’s gonna be practice.”
I had literally no idea what would happen. Just took a long breath way in down to my center, below the navel, and what came out is — well, it’s what we have been doing now ever since that Sunday in 2004. It’s what I brought to chilly Rethymno, Crete in February 2011 and did every morning alone with one other person in the empty shala before the other practitioners were even awake. Using a spare key that the resident teacher had lent us, this empty yoga space became our Om Mani Padme Hum temple. Soon, the swelling group of yogis gathering outside to wait for us to complete the chant before entering, eventually became the minority. As the days and weeks passed, they dripped in until there was a whole group of us vibrating: it became a standard part of their morning practice, before the asana work. We smoothed the chant it right into sitting Zen, even if just for 2-3 minutes (at first). And it has grown into a movement where, through this simple one-breath chant, and the sitting that follows, Dae Soen Sa Nim’s Dharma has become interesting enough that a large number of the people doing our retreats here in Zen Center Regensburg are from Greece, and I am pulled back once every two months to lead retreats packed to waiting-list in Athens and Thessaloniki. And The Compass of Zen was translated into Greek by one of those early Om Mani Padme Hum chanters. Seven of them have taken 5 Precepts, and two of them are now Dharma Teachers, with another two Dharma Teachers training to receive Precepts at the next ceremony.
But when we chanted that chant in Kwan Um centers, there were notifications from central HQ that this was “not correct.” It was not the orthodoxy, “not our School style.” Having grown up in the Catholic Church, the writing on the wall was clear: orthodoxy or else. So, without bitterness, I left the School. It would no longer be possible to grow there. It would no longer be possible to maintain a self-disruptive practice in a village which demanded conformity and nearly as much hierarchy as one could find in the innovation-averse Chogye temples that Dae Soen Sa Nim had rebelled against, himself.
But I did not leave the School because of that chant. I left because of laziness.
Retreat Practice in February 2020
Painting by Meng Hao. Already some 10 people have committed to sit this retreat. Our beautiful Zen family is gathering…
Reply to a Reader: Zen and Catholic Practice
Question: Can one begin a practice of Zen while belonging and participating in another religion, eg Roman Catholicism? I'm imagining…
The Principles and Practice of the Evening Bell Chant
The Evening Bell Chant marks the beginning of evening practice in Buddhist temples in Korea, and variations of it open…
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Labor Union ‘Grab Bag’ Bill Takes Away Worker Choice, Greases Wheels for Unions
Trey Kovacs • 08/26/2019
Workers should have the right and freedom to decide for themselves whether to join a union. But a proposed bill, the “Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2019” (H.R. 2472), would diminish that right if passed into law, warns a new Competitive Enterprise Institute report.
“Instead of balancing the interests of workers, employers and unions, the PRO Act promotes union priorities above all else,” explained Trey Kovacs, a CEI labor policy analyst. “The legislation is a union ‘grab bag’ bill that undermines worker privacy, provides workers little time to educate themselves on unionization, and forces individuals to pay for union representation they do not want.
“Aimed at radically overhauling labor relations law, the PRO Act eliminates state right-to-work laws, discourages flexible work arrangements and franchising, and under certain circumstances takes away workers’ right to a secret-ballot election,” said Kovacs.
The report delves into the worst provisions of the PRO Act, which would:
Shorten the time workers have to weigh the pros and cons of deciding on union representation – known as the “ambush election rule”;
Muzzle employers from communicating their views on unionization;
Put workers’ private information at risk by forcing employers to divulge employee phone numbers and email addresses to union organizers;
Require workers to pay dues to a union as a condition of employment, nullifying 27 state right-to-work laws;
Change the definition of “joint employer,” effectively redefining contractor and franchise jobs in a way that eases union organizing;
Amend the federal government’s definition of “employee” in a way that categorizes more people as workers subject to unionization by restricting flexible work arrangements and creating barriers to entrepreneurship;
Change the rules on when arbitration must or cannot be used in dispute resolution in ways that favor unions;
Promote “card-check” organizing, a process that forces union representation on workers by denying them a secret ballot election.
The report, co-authored by a number of labor policy experts, points out that private sector union membership has been declining for decades and plummeted to an all-time low in 2018 due to major shifts in available jobs and in worker expectations and values. Yet, instead of adapting by offering new services that workers would voluntarily purchase and expending resources to recruit new members, unions instead have consistently chosen to use the political process to overhaul labor law and rules.
View the report: The Case Against the Protecting the Right to Organize Act by Trey Kovacs, Olivia Grady, Russell A. Hollrah, Patrick A. Hollrah, F. Vincent Vernuccio, Morgan Shields, Austen Bannan, and Russ Brown
Related analysis: PRO Act Undermines Employee Choice
Federal Minimum Wage Hike to $15 an Hour Will Hurt Small Businesses, Lead to Lost Jobs
Ryan Young, Sean Higgins
President-elect Joe Biden today announced a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 recovery plan that includes not only $1,400 stimulus checks to many Americans but a federal minimum…
Department of Labor Cautions “Gig Economy” Companies against Limiting Workers’ Freedom
By: Sean Higgins
The Department of Labor (DOL) said on Wednesday, January 6, that if someone is currently working for one or more of your business rivals, then…
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Jaden Smith Defends Justin Bieber’s Decision to Cancel ‘Purpose’ World Tour
Philip Logan August 15, 2017, 7:10 pm
Jaden Smith has spoken out in defence of Justin Bieber following the news that Bieber was to cancel the remainder of his Purpose World Tour.
During an interview with Entertainment Tonight in America, Jaden said “he’s totally fine and I love him.”
“He’s just an amazing guy – life is hard, you know? We all go through things but the difference between other people is that no one knows about it.”
“It’s really difficult for people like Justin or me or all types of people in the limelight. When you go through things, people find out and that makes it harder for you than the actual reality of what is happening.”
“It makes it so much harder that everybody knows about it than the actual situation.”
In a statement released last month, representatives for Justin Bieber revealed that the popstar would no longer be playing scheduled dates in North America and the Far East due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
“Justin loves his fans and hates to disappoint them.” the statement read.
“However, after careful consideration he has decided he will not be performing any further dates.”
Following somewhat of an online backlash and relentless speculation in the media, Justin later took to Instagram to explain, in his own words, just why he decided to cancel the remainder of his tour.
Read Justin’s full statement below:
A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) on Aug 2, 2017 at 4:52pm PDT
Jaden is not the only star to come out in support of Justin.
When news broke of the tours cancellation, musician John Mayor took to Twitter telling his followers “when someone pulls remaining dates of a tour, it means they would have done real damage to themselves if they kept going.”
Jennifer Lopez’s former flame Casper Smart has also spoken out in support of Bieber.
“Things just happen like that. I know it sucks for everybody that was looking forward to it (his tour) and bought tickets and stuff, but at the cost of what? At the cost of him? The cost of his sanity? His body, his mind, his emotions, his soul, his physicality?”
Jaden Smith and Justin Bieber have long been friends and collaborators, having grown up in the industry together.
The duo first worked together on the track ‘Never Say Never’ which featured on the soundtrack to the 2010 movie The Karate Kid, in which Jaden also starred.
The track also appeared on Justin’s second remix album ‘Never Say Never: The Remixes’ as well as in the 3D concert movie of the same name.
What do you think of Jaden Smith speaking out to support Justin Bieber? Let us know your thoughts over on Twitter @CelebMix
Written by Philip Logan
Contact: logan_philip@hotmail.com
Twitter & IG: @philip_logan
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Soapy Ears
Soapy Ears asked in SportsHockey · 4 months ago
Regarding Don Cherry...?
I know it's old news now, but Hockey Night in Canada is not the same without Don Cherry.
I hope I'm not the only one who feels this way. That snake Ron Maclean sat there and nodded and he was always quick to speak up if he didn't like what Grapes said, but he did not. He did not stand up for his friend the next friend either. We only had a few years of Coach's Corner left anyway, but I wanted to see those.
Anyone could tell the context in which he spoke and Maclean and everyone knew it. He was talking about EVERYONE should be grateful to live here - the greatest country in the world, and buy a poppy for those who gave their lives so we can live free. It's not right. Don deserved to go out on his own terms after all these years.
Cherry was the best part of hockey night in Canada and seeing his suits what a character he was that and the announcers are a lot better then here in the states .
Yeah Canada doesn't like outspoken sports announcers. Cherry was 'cancelled' and in baseball Gregg Zaun was 'cancelled' as well. Leaving behind two poofters in Maclean and Campbell who are about as interesting as CBC news reporters. .
The power chain in Canada is saturated with misandrist women who deny reality and preach fiction and think its the bible and that Margaret Atwood is god and that men are evil
michinoku2001
What are you going to do about it? Wish in one hand, **** in another.
Exactly. Don Cherry was a charitable person, a national treasure in Canada and loved in the U.S.. He should have had a lot of good will in the bank, instead was treated like a chump. Canada is a somewhat liberal nation so there is much media and political pressure to be politically correct. So when a celebrity does not word things precisely politically correct to a hyper sensitive media , then these things happen. Grapes deserved better and everybody is worse off for not having his entertaining commentary.
You could also say that Hockey Night in Canada hasn't been the same since Foster Hewitt, or Bob Cole left, but they did, and time marches on.
JuanB
I'd rather listen to Grapes than Brian Burke or Eliot Freidman.
But! Grapes was warned to stick to hockey talk and specifically not talk poppies on hockey time. This when he talked about poppies the year before. Well he ignores them, and talks poppies, not one episode, but TWO episodes. So he was given enough warning. Guess what has happened since he's been gone? All the talk is about hockey like it should be.
Poppy idea was cool though I've been proudly wearing one on Remembrance Day
for as long as I can remember. Everything else about Grapes was douche at best.
Leafsfan29-Embrace the drought!
I don't miss Cherry at all, and I'm one of those white dudes over 40 who played minor hockey. His act got old, and it became less about him providing insight and more about him doing whatever the hell it was that he was doing (usually complaining about something) and at some point, being an old man angry at anyone who doesn't look or think like you gets old.
All he had to do was his annual plea of "please buy a poppy", but instead, he made a racial thing out of it (somehow he got a pass on the "stick to sports" thing).
HNIC/Rogers/Sportsnet ratings have been in a steady decline and they had already made reductions in staff before the start of the season.
Related, Kevin Bieksa has been really good. He's informative and comes off well. Clearly knows the game.
opurt
You're right, it's not the same without him.
It's better.
Why exactly is the NHL Stanley cup called stanley cup? Was it named after someone named Stanley in the NHL?
Are you supporting the NHL league in 2021 season ?
In his PRIME, how GREAT of a player was former Edmonton Oilers/Los Angeles Kings/New York Rangers Centre Wayne Gretzky?
Best thing ever for NHL that they will have an All-Canadian league for this NHL season?
When are the NHL playoffs?
What is the feeling about the extra advertising in NHL? Ads on Helmets ads in Division Names...?
Out of these six teams which team do you think has a good chance of winning the Stanley cup this year?
Are the Colorado Avalanche letting fans in the stadium right now?
Are you a fan of the new jersey devils?
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Carrari family feud – The Christmas morning home invasion
Tiffany Carrari
By JOSH FRIEDMAN and KAREN VELIE
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series about winemaker Joe Carrari, his family’s attempts to have him found incompetent, battles over a $50 million estate, accusations of murder and a home invasion that left two people in the hospital.
Vintner Joe Carrari thought the day could not get any worse. He was grieving the death of his eldest son who died unexpectedly on Christmas morning. But then a pack of angry relatives hurled allegations of murder while they burst into his ranch house, in a violent home invasion that sent 83-year-old Joe Carrari and his assistant to the hospital, according to a sheriff’s report. [Cal Coast Times]
Months prior to the Christmas Day invasion, Joe Carrari said he was fed up with his family intruding upon his private life and meddling with his affairs, so he ordered most of his children and grandchildren to stay away from his Los Alamos ranch where he lived with his developmentally disabled 60-year-old-son George, according to letters and emails sent by James McKiernan, Joe’s attorney.
After several of Joe Carrari’s relatives tried to have him deemed mentally incompetent, in what he said was an attempt to gain control of his finances, Joe Carrari also hired guards to keep his estranged relatives from trespassing on his 4,000 acre ranch.
At about 5 a.m. on Christmas morning, Joe Carrari’s son, George Carrari, died in his sleep of a heart attack. In an email titled “Goerge Carrari: Died this morning, heart attack,” McKiernan informed Joe Carrari’s relatives of George’s death and again warned several times that they were not welcome at the ranch.
“Very sad news,” McKiernan said in his email. “I am told that George’s caretaker found him blue and unresponsive in his bed this morning. Joe has requested that no family members attempt to contact him or come to the ranch for any reason. No family members will be allowed entry to the ranch. The Dudley Funeral Home will release information later about contact with George.”
Less than an hour later, several of Joe Carrari’s relatives including his grandchildren Tiffany Carrari (an attorney with the San Luis Obispo based firm of Andre, Morris & Buttery), Gina Kopcrack, Peter Kopcrack, Anna Kopcrack and Joe Carrari’s daughter Linda Kopcrack and his son Ronald Carrari,trespassed onto the property and into Joe Carrari’s home through an unlocked back door.
Inside, the group first encountered George Carrari’s caregiver Sylvia Ramirez. Tiffany Carrari allegedly struck Ramirez as she walked through a back room and headed for the living room, according to the sheriff’s report.
Shouting you murdered George, Linda Kopcrack grabbed Joe Carrari’s personal assistant Angelina Dettamanti by the hair and began smashing her head into a grandfather clock in the living room, several witnesses told deputies. Tiffany Carrari then began kicking and striking Dettamanti in the head.
On the other side of the room, Gina Kopcrack pushed Joe Carrari to the ground where someone kicked and hit him, according to reports. Ramirez then provided first aid to Joe Carrari, who was badly bruised and tore his skin in the scuffle.
“When I looked to the right, I saw Joe getting off the ground and I noticed he was bleeding profusely from his arm. I focused on Joe and tried to get him to sit down on a couch nearby because he still had his oxygen mask on and was now bleeding profusely,” Ramirez said in a declaration. “I grabbed a towel to stop Joe’s bleeding, and when I looked up I saw Linda attacking Angelina again, trying to slam Angelina’s head on the grandfather clock in Joe’s living room. All the while the rest of the assailants were yelling at Joe that he ‘killed’ George.”
While the trespassers cursed and hurled allegations of murder, Dettamanti took out her phone and began recording the home invasion.
“You’re a fucking psycho murderer,” Tiffany Carrari says on the video recording. “You stupid fucking murdering bitch.”
Shortly after Linda Kopcrack attempted to snatch Dettamanti’s phone, the video ends.
A few minutes later, six deputies arrived at the ranch and began interviewing victims, suspects and witnesses.
Gina Kopcrack told deputies she had pushed her grandfather after he “tried to swat at them” and in an attempt to protect her mother, Linda Kopcrack. Gina said she believed Dettamanti had killed George for money, according to the sheriff’s report.
Both Joe Carrari’s daughter Linda Kopcrak and his granddaughter Tiffany Carrari painted Dettamanti as the aggressor and claimed they had not struck or kicked anyone. Even so, Linda Kopcrack admitted she tried to take Dettamanti’s phone.
Despite the report’s findings of trespass, elder abuse, and assault with a deadly weapon, no charges were filed. In their report, deputies determined Gina Kopcrack had committed elder abuse, Linda Kopcrack was accused of assault with a deadly weapon and Tiffany Carrari was accused of assault with a deadly weapon and battery, according to the police report which has since been sent to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office for review.
Both Joe Carrari and Dettamanti were transported to Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria where they were treated for their injuries. Joe Carrari was later readmitted to the hospital for four days of treatment, while Dettamanti was treated for a concussion and released the same day.
After returning to the sheriff‘s station, Deputy John Doupe contacted Santa Barbara County Judge James Regali, who immediately granted emergency protective orders. Effectively restraining orders, the protective measures require six of Joe Carrari’s relatives to stay away from him, as well as Dettamanti, Ramirez and Jaun Herrada, a witness to the home invasion.
McKiernan has since obtained seven elder abuse restraining orders against Joe Carrari’s relatives, which are pending further hearings in court. Joe Carrari’s relatives continue to accuse Dettamanti of murder, and also of manipulating Joe Carrari in an attempt to isolate the 83-year-old for financial gain.
Subjects: California Wine Industry Family Los Alamos Santa Ynez Wine
Heavy rains headed to the Central Coast
Sheriff’s Office on heightened security because of death threats
I don’t think that public office is in Tiffany’s future. We all have bad photos but this takes the cake for divorce court memories. No disrespect intended, just had to laugh at what wasn’t funny in the distant past.
Absolutely disgusted by cal coast news and the lies stated in this article. At what point in this video did ANYONE throw Joe on the ground and begin to kick and beat him? It does not happen! Dettamanti claims to have suffered injuries and trauma, yet is still perfectly capable of running around with a camera and narrating? Leave this family alone! This is trash!
Violent_Felon
JER-RY! JER-RY! JER-RY!
slifer
I have always respected Cal Coast News as an alternative news source. Having said that, it is unfortunate that you would exploit (one side) of something that one would think should remain a private family matter. In addition, it is downright SLEEZY that Karen Veile would publish information fed to her solely by James McKiernan who also happens to have represented her in her defamation suit. To my knowledge Veile has not yet paid her defamation suit in full so what is good for the goose may be good for the gander. Whatever the case, this family should be able to grieve, deal with an aging parent and deal with tragic family events without the public weighing in on something they know nothing about.
smile4thecamera
Large sums of money seem to bring out the worst in family members. I’d be surprised if Tiffany Carrari had any clients after this. How horrible that elderly Mr. Carrari got knocked down and kicked. That could kill someone his age. This family sounds positively disgusting.
Slosum
Wow. There must be more to this than meets the eye.
aft50s
It’s always about the money…
One more reason to have recorded a Irrevocable Trust and an earlier age. A breath of fresh air, no need to worry knowing that the cookie has already crumbled and that life remains per the freedom of already chosen. Don’t worry about changing your mind, that will likely happen anyway but the choices made during youth will prevail.
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Is the IWMA’s proposed Styrofoam ban ordinance illegal?
Ray Beiring
While arguments rage over a proposed countywide ordinance to ban Styrofoam food containers, a retired San Luis Obispo County deputy county counsel contends the Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA) does not have authority to pass ordinances. [Cal Coast Times]
The California Constitution grants only cities and counties power to pass ordinances — not joint powers authorities such as SLO County’s IWMA.
The California Government Code specifies rules regarding city and county ordinances. Title 1 of the Government Code list the authorities of joint powers authorities, which does not include the ability to pass ordinances.
John Daly, an attorney who worked in the county counsel’s office for more than 30 years, said the IWMA is operating outside of its legal jurisdiction.
“It is a rogue agency,” Daly said. “The IWMA is not permitted to enact ordinances.”
The IWMA was formed in 1994 under a joint powers agreement between San Luis Obispo County and the cities of Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Grover Beach, Morro Bay, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo, and the Community Service Districts. The IWMA’s mission is to plan and implement regional solid waste and hazardous waste programs.
In addition to questions over the IWMA’s authority to pass ordinance, the IWMA Joint Powers Agreement does not permit the passage of any rules that take away the authority of its members.
“The authority is formed with the purpose and intent of facilitating the development of programs that provide economies of scale without interfering with individual agencies’ exercise of power within their own jurisdictions,” according to the joint powers agreement.
SLO County Supervisor Bruce Gibson asked the IWMA board to consider the Styrofoam ban because it was unlikely to be passed by the SLO County Board of Supervisors. In passing the plastic bag ban, former Grover Beach council member Karen Bright was the swing vote, even though the majority of the members of the Grover Beach City Council were opposed to the ban.
Since 2008, the IWMA has passed eight ordinances that could be contested.
For example, in 2008 the IWMA board passed an ordinance requiring all retailers who sell batteries to have a battery return program. Retailers were then billed by the IWMA for collection of the batteries by a private company owned by Charles Tenborg, with the IWMA then paying Tenborg’s company. This is just one of several ordinances that have financially benefited Tenborg.
IWMA legal counsel Ray Beiring has participated in the creation of the IWMA’s ordinances, which incorporate fines of up to $1,000 per day and six months in jail under Penal Code Section 853.6, which refers to violations of city and county ordinances. Beiring said SLO County Superior Court Judge James Crandall ruled the IWMA is permitted to enact ordinances.
“The authority of the IWMA to adopt ordinances was upheld by Judge Crandall in the Save the Plastic Bags v. IWMA case years ago,” Beiring wrote in an email this week.
Attorney Stephen L. Joseph, who worked on behalf of the Save the Plastic Bag Coalition, said the judge did not rule on the IWMA’s ability to enact ordinances, but over environmental impact report requirements.
“I did not address the IWMA’s authority to make ordinances,” Joseph said. “The judge’s ruling does not address the authority to make ordinances.”
Subjects: Fines and Penalties Politics Recycling San Luis Obispo County San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA) Styrofoam ban
Cunningham promotes resolution against Trump’s emission rollbacks
Three candidates vying for Morro Bay mayor
Now could someone please suspend the other stooges…Adam Hill, Karen Bright, Jeff Lee, Caren Ray…
The really funny part of all of this is had Tenborg just ignored Karen’s article this likely would have never happened. Now all of the cards will be falling, all of the people who pushed for that lawsuit against CCN will be exposed and any politician who helps/helped Bill Worrell, Ray Biering and the other conspirators will find this is an election issue.
The Streisand effect is real.
what the
Bill Worrell has been suspended before the arrest. What’s going on, Adam Hill? I thought you said you can protect them? Bill Worrell, Charles Tenborg, who’s next? James Wagstffe? You know that dirty dog is in deep. I suppose the four of you will all start ratting on each other to lessen your sentences? I wonder what criminal defense law firm a superstar lawyer like Wagstaffe will hire? Just downright embarrassing.
Not suspended, given an extra taxpayer funded vacation prior to his retirement, where he will receive a 100%+ pension and benefits for life. I could use a suspension like that. Plus expect some double dipping by him after his “retirement” just like SLO county Sheriff’s department and its new second in command, thanks Sheriff Parkinson.
Ted R
That pension will make Worrell a rich man in prison. Can you say contraband? Sure you can.
laftch
Classic example of the deep state in operation.
This sounds a lot like the ca air resorces board,passing laws that they cannot,I’ve said for years that it is a rogue agency.
Maybe the crap the iwma passed should be resended.
horse_soldier
You’re right. These officials create agencies that benefit their friends and themselves in some way or another. Business owners are easy prey when they’re threatened with $1000/day fines.
I’m from the CA government and I’m here to help…myself.
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Eleven Signs You Work For A Weak Manager
We used to think that a strong manager was someone with a firm handshake and a commanding tone of voice. We used to think that being a strong manager meant being decisive and having all the answers. Now we know better!
Strong managers bend and flex with their environments. They are strong enough to lead through trust instead of fear. They don’t need to bark out orders. They trust their team members. They are strong enough not to be right all the time and not to call the shots.
Weak managers bluster and yell at people. They manage through fear. They have to be right — no one on their team can have a better answer to any question than the answer they’ve got.
Weak managers might use a commanding tone of voice, but that’s only because they don’t want anyone to question their authority. They are too weak to engage in spirited debate. They are afraid of what might happen if anyone ‘beneath’ them figures out that they don’t always know what they’re talking about!
Working people are waking up to the realization that not every manager or every organization deserves them. You have a lot more power and influence than you think you do — but you only have that influence if you’re willing to use it. That means standing up for yourself and finding your voice at work. We are all stepping into this new territory together.
Here are eleven signs that your boss, no matter how powerful he or she may be on a company organizational chart, is a weak manager who is too fearful to lead through trust.
A weak manager can teach you tremendous leadership lessons, but they will be lessons of the type “Don’t ever lead a team the way this person does!”
Your biggest concern at work is staying on the boss’s good side.
Your manager gives out much more criticism than praise.
Your boss must have the final word on every topic.
Your manager doesn’t want you to branch out and try new things.
When you have a great idea, you ask yourself “Do I dare share this idea with my boss?”
Your manager uses discipline and rules to keep you and your teammates in line.
You and your co-workers can easily tell when your manager is mad at one of you.
Your boss makes a big deal out of issues like arriving to work ten minutes late on rare occasions. He or she is a stickler for policies and brings the hammer down when any policy is violated.
Your manager is known as a scary boss. People in other departments feel sorry for you.
You are happy when you finish a workday without having to interact with your boss.
If you told your manager that something incredible happened to you — your blog won a writing award, for instance, or you were chosen for a special honor — your boss wouldn’t be happy for you. Your boss doesn’t want anybody to outshine them!
Weak managers are sadly in abundant supply. Too many organizations still promote people to management positions based on their functional competence at the job rather than their communication skills, empathy and other human qualities.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2016/06/18/eleven-signs-you-work-for-a-weak-manager/#62ecc8181193
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1 Maccabees
Ben Sira
The Rape of Dinah. 1#The story of the rape of Dinah and the revenge of Jacob’s sons on the men of the city of Shechem may reflect the relations of the tribes of Simeon and Levi to their Canaanite neighbors around Shechem; the tribes are represented by their eponymous ancestors. Jacob’s farewell testament (49:5–7) cites this incident as the reason for the decline of the tribes of Simeon and Levi. Ominously, vv. 30–31 leave the situation unresolved, with Jacob concerned about the welfare of the whole family, and Simeon and Levi concerned only about the honor of their full sister. The danger to the family from narrow self-interest will continue in the Joseph story. Dinah, the daughter whom Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit some of the women of the land. 2When Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite,#Hivite: the Greek text has “Horite”; the terms were apparently used indiscriminately to designate the Hurrian or other non-Semitic elements in Palestine. the leader of the region, saw her, he seized her and lay with her by force. 3He was strongly attracted to Dinah, daughter of Jacob, and was in love with the young woman. So he spoke affectionately to her. 4Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this young woman for a wife.”
5Meanwhile, Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah; but since his sons were out in the field with his livestock, Jacob kept quiet until they came home. 6Now Hamor, the father of Shechem, went out to discuss the matter with Jacob, 7just as Jacob’s sons were coming in from the field. When they heard the news, the men were indignant and extremely angry. Shechem had committed an outrage in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter; such a thing is not done.#2 Sm 13:12. 8Hamor appealed to them, saying: “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. 9Intermarry with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. 10Thus you can live among us. The land is open before you. Settle and move about freely in it and acquire holdings here.”#Hamor seems to be making concessions to Jacob’s family in the hope of avoiding warfare between the two families. 11Then Shechem appealed to Dinah’s father and brothers: “Do me this favor, and whatever you ask from me, I will give. 12No matter how high you set the bridal price and gift, I will give you whatever you ask from me; only give me the young woman as a wife.”
Revenge of Jacob’s Sons. 13Jacob’s sons replied to Shechem and his father Hamor with guile, speaking as they did because he had defiled their sister Dinah. 14They said to them, “We are not able to do this thing: to give our sister to an uncircumcised man. For that would be a disgrace for us. 15Only on this condition will we agree to that: that you become like us by having every male among you circumcised. 16Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters in marriage; we will settle among you and become one people. 17But if you do not listen to us and be circumcised, we will take our daughter and go.”
18Their proposal pleased Hamor and his son Shechem. 19The young man lost no time in acting on the proposal, since he wanted Jacob’s daughter. Now he was more highly regarded than anyone else in his father’s house. 20So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city and said to the men of their city: 21“These men are friendly toward us. Let them settle in the land and move about in it freely; there is ample room in the land for them. We can take their daughters in marriage and give our daughters to them. 22But only on this condition will the men agree to live with us and form one people with us: that every male among us be circumcised as they themselves are. 23Would not their livestock, their property, and all their animals then be ours? Let us just agree with them, so that they will settle among us.”
24All who went out of the gate of the city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and all the males, all those who went out of the gate of the city,#All those who went out of the gate of the city: apparently meaning all the residents. By temporarily crippling the men through circumcision, Jacob’s sons deprived the city of its defenders. were circumcised. 25On the third day, while they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, brothers of Dinah, each took his sword, advanced against the unsuspecting city and massacred all the males.#Gn 49:6. 26After they had killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, they took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left.#Jdt 9:2. 27Then the other sons of Jacob followed up the slaughter and sacked the city because their sister had been defiled. 28They took their sheep, cattle and donkeys, whatever was in the city and in the surrounding country. 29They carried off all their wealth, their children, and their women, and looted whatever was in the houses.#Jdt 9:3–4.
30Jacob said to Simeon and Levi: “You have brought trouble upon me by making me repugnant to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I have so few men that, if these people unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be wiped out.” 31But they retorted, “Should our sister be treated like a prostitute?”
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
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Czewslaw Niemen Tribute
Chopin Productions
Film and musical tribute honoring Czeslaw Niemen (Feb 16 1939 to Jan 17 2004), one of the most important and original Polish rock musicians also responsible for introducing the Psychedelia style to communist uniform Poland.
Mr. Niemen was born in Wasiliszki in the Grodno district. He was a singer with a wide voice scale and rich intonation, a composer and a keyboard player. He made his debut in the early 1960s, singing a Polish kind of rock & roll and soul music.
His song of 1967, "Dziwny jest ten świat" (Strange Is This World) became the most important Polish protest song of that era. He was one of the first Polish performers to wear long hair and colorful clothes, in effect introducing the Psychedelia style to communist uniform Poland.
The first three records he recorded with his band "Akwarele" (the Water-colours), later he recorded with his new bands: "Enigmatic", "Grupa Niemen" and "Aerolit". In 1969 he changed musical style to progressive rock, recording the monumental album Enigmatic. The most notable song from it was, "A Mournful Rhapsody in Memory of Jozef Bem", being the 19th century poem by Cyprian Kamil Norwid.
Zygmunt Dyrkacz
M Kieko, T Rybicki, W Wanderem, Wlodka Wandera, Zbyszka Bernolaka, Mariola Napieralska, Edward Smolen, Marek Lichota, J Maciarz Duo, J Spychalski, J Adamski, Dixi Kings
Zbesek Banas, Christopher Dyrkacz, Martin Dyrkacz
Tags: Music, Polish, , 2004
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Briana Williams sheds more light on adverse finding
Representatives of Jamaica’s teenage track star Briana Williams have reiterated their call for an expedited hearing with respect to her adverse analytical finding for hydrochlorothiazide, a banned diuretic.
By BUZZ Contributor
Briana Williams, young Jamaican athlete has tested positive for a banned substance
In an official statement released by Williams’ representatives on Wednesday, it was revealed that the athlete’s ‘A’ sample taken on Friday, June 21 after she competed in the 100m final at Jamaica’s National Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston.
According to the statement released by Dr Emir Crowne, who is representing the Pan Am U20 champion, Williams was notified on July 25 of the presence of the banned diuretic in her ‘A’ sample. She then requested that they test her ‘B’ sample.
On August 27, the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) notified Williams that her B Sample also returned an adverse analytical finding for the banned diuretic.
On June 21, the start of the national championships, Williams awoke with flu-like symptoms and her mother offered her an over-the-counter cold medication – “Pharma Cold and Flu” – which she had previously purchased at a local pharmacy in Kingston, Jamaica. Later that day, Williams declared her use of the cold medication on her doping control form.
Meanwhile, in the intervening period between receiving the ‘A’ sample results and ‘B’ sample results, Williams’ coach, Ato Boldon, had the cold medication independently tested by NSF International Labs in Michigan.
Briana Williams with her coach Ato Boldon
Those independent tests demonstrated that the tablets contained hydrochlorothiazide, the banned diuretic. Hydrochlorothiazide was not listed as an ingredient on the cold medication in question, nor would one expect it to be, Williams’ lawyer said.
“In light of the pending selections for the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Williams now seeks an urgent hearing before the Independent Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel to resolve this matter fairly and conclusively.”
Olympic hurdles champion Brianna McNeal suspended in doping case
Brianna McNeal, the reigning Olympic sprint hurdles champion, has been suspended for a doping violation. The provisional suspension comes after McNeal was charged wi…
Usain Bolt gets into online slot gaming
Usain Bolt has partnered with online casino game developer, Ganapati, to release a slots game bearing his name. Bolt took to social media to announce this developmen…
Briana Williams announced as 2021 Sigma Run patron
Sprinter Briana Williams has been selected as patron of the Sagicor Sigma Corporate Run. Williams’s backing of the event comes amid the coronavirus pandemic, which…
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I’m not crying, you are! Any athlete would be emotional if their personal hero, and one of the world’s greatest athletes, sent them a message. It means even more…
athleticsAto BoldonBriana WilliamsdopingJamaica Anti-Doping CommissionWorld Anti-Doping Agency
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Storm Catalogue
Bristol Channel
West Lyme Bay
The storm catalogue is an archive of the spatial footprint and associated storm track of extreme wave events (defined by the 1 year return period Hs) captured by the wave buoy network operated by the National Network of Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes of England since 2003. It is the result of an effort by the Channel Coastal Observatory to synthesise the wave data collected by the network, and is updated on an annual basis. Although the rationale behind the location of each buoy is to provide site-specific wave information, the number of buoys currently deployed means that they can produce a consistent, spatially-representative, shallow water wave climate of the English coast.
The catalogue is organised so that the user can browse extreme wave events either by storm season or by the region that was impacted by a storm. There are two maps for each storm; one showing the spatial footprint of the event and the other the associated storm track.
The maximum Hs measured at each wave buoy site during an extreme wave event are given in the following spreadsheet. This document will be updated annually.
The method of extremes analysis that underpins the storm catalogue is described in TN03, available from http://www.channelcoast.org/reports/
Dhoop, T. & Thompson, C. 2018. Extreme Value Analysis for CCO Coastal Wave Data. Channel Coastal Observatory TN03.
Full details of the background can be found in the open access peer-reviewed paper:
Dhoop, T. & Mason, T. 2018. Spatial Characteristics and Duration of Extreme Wave Events around the English Coastline. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 6(1), 14; DOI: 10.3390/jmse6010014 http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/6/1/14
The images in this catalogue are free to use under the Open Government Licence using the following copyright and acknowledgement:
Copyright: New Forest District Council
Acknowledgement: Image courtesy of the National Network of Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes
Wave Data
The analysis that underpins the storm catalogue uses all measured data from 37 directional waverider buoys from initial deployment until 30 June 2017, together with 3 industry owned buoys. Data from the wave buoys at Wave Hub, Rhyl Flats, and Gwynt Y Môr were kindly provided by Wave Hub Ltd. and RWE Innogy Ltd. Record length exceeds 10 years at the majority of sites, and up to ~ 16 years along the eastern English Channel.
Regional Partitioning
The English coastline has been partitioned into sections of coast which have a distinct and common behavioural response to extreme wave events.
Extreme wave events by storm season
Spatial Footprint
GeoData Institute © 2021 CCO · updated 25 September 2018 · disclaimer · freedom of information · send feedback GDPR
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What They Don't Teach You at Theological College
A Practical Guide to Life in the Ministry
Malcolm Grundy
You may leave theological college fluent in New Testament Greek and skilled in exegesis, but are you ready to navigate your way around the appointments system, run a parish, introduce change, chair meetings, handle conflict, or think about where you...
Making All Things New
A Vision for a Renewed Priesthood in the Catholic Church
Dorothea McEwan, Myra Poole
(9)As the movement to ordain women in the Catholic Church gains ground, this important book asks how the Church needs to change in order for women to play a full part in its life. (9)Historically, the Catholic Church has been shaped and driven by an...
Composing Music for Worship
Stephen Darlington, Alan Kreider, John Bell
Leading church musicians and composers explore what kind of music can convey spiritual depth in today's consumerist, multi-cultural, post-modern society where an unlimited range of music forms a constant backdrop to daily life. This unique...
Let Justice Roll Down
A Christian Aid/CAFOD Anthology for Lent
Geoffrey Duncan
Commissioned by two of the largest Christian aid agencies, this new anthology offers a refreshing and original resource for formal and informal worship during the prime season of the Christian year. Beginning on Shrove Tuesday, prayers and readings...
Lay Eucharistic Minister's Handbook
Ann Tomalak, Michael Walsh, Kathy Walsh
(9)This practical volume explores every aspect of serving as a eucharistic minister. It offers in-depth teaching on the meaning of the Eucharist; personal preparation for the rite of commissioning; an explanation of the practical skills required;...
Every Pilgrim's Guide to England's Holy Places
Michael Counsell
England's rich spiritual history is portrayed in this informative pocket travel companion covering more than a thousand places that can be visited today. Great cathedrals and abbeys, simple chapels, martyrs' memorials, pilgrim shrines and...
Hear Our Prayer
Gospel-Based Intercessions for Sundays and Holy Days
Raymond Chapman
Inspired by scripture readings, this collection of intecessory prayers emphasises the Gospel and our response in prayer for the Church and the world.
Handbook for Children's Liturgy
Barbara Mary Hopper, Michael Walsh, Kathleen Walsh
(9)This volume addresses a key issue for many parishes - what to do with the children during the Liturgy of the Word. It offers a blueprint for creating good, meaningful and memorable liturgies for children of mixed ages and includes sample...
Songs of the Isles
A new translation
Kathleen Jones
Many people know of the Carmina Gadelica, the collection of Gaelic songs, prayers and blessings from the Hebrides, yet few have access to its five volumes published in Scotland between 1900 and 1952. Â Here, an attractive selection is...
Prayers for Healing
A Burrswood Companion
Michael Harper, Michael Fulljames
A book of healing prayers from the country’s best known centre of Christian healing - Burrswood in Kent.Based on the authors’ extensive work in the Christian healing ministry, this sensitively addresses the real questions that people ask...
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Seeking a full-time board-eligible/board-certified Pediatrician to join a collaborative team at Providence Medical Group - Medford Pediatrics. Work in an established, busy practice with four pediatricians and one nurse practitioner. Experience a healthy work-life balance and all that the Oregon Rogue River Valley has to offer from the welcoming community of Medford.
4-days per week in clinic plus level 1 nursery call.
Guaranteed salary and generous incentive
Relocation assistance and Sign-on bonus available
Standard Employed Provider Benefits Package, including PTO, Health, Life, Dental, Vision, Disability and Malpractice
Providence Medical Group is an organization of employed physicians, with more than 90 clinics across the state of Oregon. Its 1,500+ providers possess a wide range of clinical expertise, including Family and Internal Medicine, Infectious Disease, Dermatology and Occupational Medicine. At Providence Medical Group, patients enjoy close-to-home access to dedicated providers in primary, specialty or urgent care clinics, with clinical and operational support from centralized Providence programs.
In the magnificent Rogue Valley just 30 miles from the California border, Medford is the largest city in the southern Oregon region and serves as the medical hub for a population of more than 510,000. At an elevation of 2,000 feet, Medford has a mild climate and four distinct seasons. The Medford area offers a mix of physical beauty, cultural diversity and recreational opportunities, from Ashland's Oregon Shakespeare Festival to white-water rafting, biking, fishing, skiing and wilderness hiking.
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Home > Featured > Trade Update – 26 Nov 2020
Trade Update – 26 Nov 2020
Featured, Trade
Weekly trade review provided by Chatto Creek Advisory Pty.
Chatto Creek Advisory Pty Ltd is a Melbourne-based strategic consultancy specialising in trade policy advice and government engagement strategy. It is headed by Russell Scoular, an executive with rich government relations, trade policy, and business experience throughout the Asia Pacific.
US HITS CHINA ON CURRENCY
The Commerce Department has announced preliminary anti-subsidy duties of up to 122.5% on twist ties – plastic coated wire for tying bags. The ruling is hugely significant due to the first-time inclusion in the duty calculation of what the US claims is China’s under-valued currency.
APEC LEADERS BACK WTO
Asia Pacific leaders used their APEC Summit on Friday to acknowledge the importance of free, open, fair and non-discriminatory trade and to reaffirm support for the WTO including reform to improve its functioning. NZ has now taken over from Malaysia as chair for APEC 2021.
AUSTRALIA TALKS OF FTA GROWTH
Prime Minister Morrison spoke this week of on-going growth for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). He forecast it would become such a powerful force for open trade that the US, India and others would join without reservation.
CHINA USES APEC FOR STRATEGIC TRADE PROMOTION
With the ink barely dry on its RCEP signature, China used the APEC Summit to go on a trade offensive with President Xi saying China would favourably consider joining the Comprehensive & Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
AUSTRALIA & UNITED KINGDOM BEGIN FTA ROUND
Trade negotiators from Australia and the UK have been meeting virtually this week for a 3rd round of FTA negotiations. The talks will run until December 4. Meanwhile, a 9 th round of Australia-EU FTA negotiations is expected to begin on November 30.
OTTAWA GROUP TO PURSUE HEALTH INITIATIVE
Trade Ministers of the Ottawa Group have agreed to further progress a proposed WTO Trade and Health Initiative to boost the free-flow of medical supplies as part of a COVID-19 recovery. Its members include Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, NZ and Singapore.
EXPORT GROUP HITS SNAG
Eleven members of the International Working Group on Export Credits have suspended their membership due to a lack of progress over eight years. They include Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, NZ and the US. The group is seeking agreed rules for government export finance support.
US LAUNCHES YARN INQUIRY
The US Commerce Department has launched an anti-dumping inquiry into polyester textured yarn from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. It follows a complaint by domestic producers alleging dumping margins of up to 75% on modest imports of $11.3 million in 2019.
AUSTRALIAN CONSULTATION PHASE TO CONCLUDE
Australia is to conclude a key second community consultation phase on November 30. It relates to the contentious issue of geographical indications (GIs) and the potential impact of produce naming restrictions that may emerge from its EU FTA negotiations.
US & TAIWAN PARTNERSHIP DIALOGUE BEGINS
The inaugural US-Taiwan Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue was held in Washington DC during the week. It is viewed by the US and Taiwan as a forum to forge new economic ties between the two economies.
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Home » Carolyn's Ancestry
Everything you'll ever want to know about the Saint Anna (Sanktanna) settlement in Hungary
Published by carolyn on Wed, 2014-09-17 20:35
St. Anna – Banat – Hungary/Romania
The History of the Donauschwaben
Compiled and translated by Wilhelm Kriessmann, April 2008
I have had this report in my alt files all this time. I knew I had it and had sent it to some family members, but I had forgotten how complete and how interesting it is. It was my dear friend Willi Kriessmann who encouraged me to study up on my Donauschwaben ancestors and provided me with his assistance, including the connection to Alf Kührt. Willi was an admirer of Maria Theresia and of this eastern settlement project. So with thanks and appreciation to him, I present it now as part of my Ancestry section that I'm building. ~Carolyn
Austrian Empress Maria Theresia started her 40-year reign in 1740. She was beloved of her people and had 16 children with her husband Francis 1 !
After the Osmans (Turks – Ottoman Empire) were pushed back during the 17th and 18th Century, the Habsburg emperors Leopold I, Karl VI, Josef II and Empress Maria Theresia began to populate the devastated areas of South Hungary. In the lowlands of the Danube and the Theiss (Tisza), farmers and craftsmen primarily from Southwest regions of the Empire were systematically settled. The total number of settlers, organized by the government or private enterprise, reached about 150,000. The majority were from Alsace-Lorrain, Palatinate, Baden-Wuertemberg, Luxemburg and Bavaria (including Franconia).
The Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1748-1776 (yellowish-tan) included good parts of the Banat and Transylvania where Germans were invited to settle. Enlarge
Hessians, Aargauer (Swiss), Westfalians, Prussians, Saxonians, Thueringers, Austrians, Bohemians- Moravians, French and Dutch also found a new homeland here. The documents and the neighbors called them Schwaben even though only a few were really Swabian (from the Kingdom of Swabia – southwest Germany today). The French and Spaniards, for instance, call all the Germans Alemagnes. Only after the First World War, in 1922, when the Danube-Swabian settlements were divided between Hungary, Yugoslavia and Rumania, was the name Donauschwaben coined. [No wonder I never heard such a word in my family – they had all left for the USA by then, between 1905-1908. -cy]
When WWII began, more than one and a half million (1.5 million) Donauschwaben made up the largest German population in Southeast Europe. Escape, eviction and expropriation during and after the war caused a worldwide diaspora, bringing the “youngest, newest German tribe” to an end. In the original regions – today’s Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Romania – only a few Donauschwaben still live there. Those few, like the Donauschwaben in the ‘host countries’ of Germany, Austria, USA, Canada, France, Brazil and others where they emigrated, have totally assimilated.
Foundation of the Village of St. Anna
Baron Jacob de Bibich, landowner of all the properties in the Zarabder Komitat (Komitat is district or county) founded the township of St. Anna, in accordance with Empress Maria Theresia’s settlement program of the Banat, passed by the Hungarian Parliament at Bratislava in 1723.
There are two opinions about the actual date.
Andreas Oster, after checking documents and archives in Austria-Hungary for many years and at the church communities in the region, arrives at the following conclusion:
1742 Foundation of the community Sanktanna
1751 June 8th, arrival of the first larger German families – nine families are from the Kraichgau. (See map at previous post) – today’s northwest Baden-Würtemberg)
December 4th, another group of twelve families, also from Kraichgau.
1752 April 8th, a third group of thirty-nine (39) families arrives, a third of them (13) from the Kraichgau.
1753 The last group of 6 families.
Jacob Huebner, author of the monograph of the township Sanktanna, using the historian Sandor Marki and Christian Zenter, and the almanac of two local schools – 1896-97 and 1937-38 – as sources:
1736 First arrival of settlers, six (6) families
1742 Second group, twenty-nine (29) families
1744 Third group, seventeen (17) families
The date of Sanktanna’s settlement is therefore not certain.
About St. Anna
Since its founding in 1742, the name of the village changed with great flexibility. Already six years after the village parish was established, Empress Maria Theresia, Erbkoenigen (hereditary Queen) of Hungary, ordered the change from Komlos (Komlosch) to Sankt Anna. That name included the old Komlos, as well as the surrounding wasteland of FAKO, where the first German families settled.
Click on map to enlarge, then click again. At the top center portion of the map, look for ARAD, just above the outline of the Banat region. Following north, on a crossroad between Kurtitsch and Pankota, you will see ALT and NEU-SKT.ANNA.
Both settlements, the old and the new, were now marked as ALT (old) St. Anna and NEU (new) St. Anna (see Map above). On the oldest settlement plan or map (1783-84), one can recognize the Hungarian name “Uj-St.Anna” (new St. Anna) on the edge. Up to this date, the twin name was officially used; the local people, however, still used the old name Komlosch.
SzentAnna: The official Hungary ignored the local naming; all maps and documents carry the Hungarian variant, namely “Uj-Szt.Anna/O-Szt.Anna or SzentAnna(Uj) and SzentAnna(O).
Until the end of the 19th Century, the tri-part spelling is kept: Uj-Szt.-Anna or Uj szent anna.
St.Ana: The Romanian classic Ioan Slavici mentioned St.Ana as a neighbor village of “Cumlaus” (Komlos) where he worked as a notary (1869).
Khumlush: The local Germans always pronounced “Komlos” that way, indicating Hungarian roots of Hungarians living there after the Turks left.
Santana: The Swabian “Santana” is a by-ear pronunciation of the Hungarian “Szentanna.”
Szentanna: Changing the three-part name to the one-word name of “Uszentanna” and “Oszentanna” caused great confusion.
Comlaus/Santana: To Romania the ‘new village of Santana’ did not exist. After 1919, the Romanians called the village “Comlaus”, following the Hungarian “Komlos”. Immediately after the regime change of 1919, and until 1935, the railway station and the school report cards carried the name “Santa Ana.”
Sintana: After the Communists took over, a spelling reform took place (1953-54) in order to establish a new national identity, avoiding roots of Christianity and other national identity. Many villages in the Banat and Siebenbuergen were changed.
Santana: The search for a true Romanian identity of the town continued after Ceausescu’s overthrow in 1989. The town council checked historical documents and archives and decided to name the new city Santana.
Social and Cultural Development
Santanna has been associated in Romania as a thriving agricultural community, even though the larger part of the population was not farmers. It’s interesting that the Banater Schwaben south of the Marosch River, especially the ones around Temesvar (Stuhlweissenburg), knew the St. Annares only as successful and tradition-conscious farmers. In order to understand the character of the Santannaer, one has to have a closer look at the history of the settlers, their customs and traditions.
The township of Santanna, far off the main regional as well national traffic connections, has been settled primarily by people from the Kraichgau and Speyer (a city on the middle Rhine, with Kraichgau a little further southeast - see Map from previous post). Mostly farmers from twenty-five different villages, they had their own customs, traditions and religion. They were looking for agricultural land and found plenty of it. Throughout centuries, they could improve wealth and prosperity. A healthy farmer’s community can, however, only exist with good craftsmen around. Therefore, over centuries two social groups developed: farmers and craftsmen. Both were Christians, members of the Catholic Church, but had their own political and cultural life.
Up to the beginning of WWII, only those two German groups were living in Sanktanna. Romanians lived in Altsanktanna (Komlos), belonged to the Orthodox Church and were not known for living as a strong village community [that's putting it nicely -cy]. Up until the Communist takeover, a deep-rooted tradition, and the respective churches, did not allow any interactivity between Catholics and Orthodox.
Taking into consideration the original roots of the settlers – coming primarily from the Kraichgau – one would assume that “Wuertembergische” and “Pfaelzerische” would be the language basis. We thought to find some similarities visiting some villages around Speyer.
Jacob Huebner, in his “Monograph of the township Sanktanna,” expresses a different viewpoint. He thinks Sanktanna’s dialect shows distinctive marks of the Suedfraenkisch (South Franconia, around Ansbach), Alemannisch (Baden/Freiburg state), Bayrisch (Bavaria) and Schwaebisch (Swabia). Luckily we know today that the Sanktanna dialect had its roots in the Kraichgau. Mrs. Barbara Novak documented it by her scientific research; there were only slight changes during the 250 years.
After WWII, the Romanian government tried hard to move native Romanians into the Banat and Siebenbuergen to establish an ethnic majority. As a consequence of that policy, Romanians were resettled at the eastern part of Sanktanna (Satul-Nou). Even though the majority of the town was now Romanian Orthodox, there was surprisingly hardly any cooperation between those Romanians and the ones living there for centuries.
We noticed, however, that due to the strong industrialization of the Romanian society and the world-wide inter-relationship of culture, sport and politics, the different ethnic groups in Romania reached closer ties to each other.
Once again, Sanktanna was drawn into foreign affairs. The war declarations between Austria-Hungary and Germany, the Allies and Romania, involved the peace-loving Sanktannans again. The high school students marched around the town square singing “To the dogs with the Serbs” … but also many farmers complained, “It is unjust what the Kaiser in Vienna is doing to us. He takes our grain at cheap prices and gives us rags…”
The bells of the church tower were ringing the beginning of the war on July 28th, 1914. Many villagers prayed at the village square for Austria-Hungary and then fought for her. The first war victims were young widows and their children. Horses and carriages were confiscated and the church bells were gone also. After the war, Romanian troops occupy the town; Sanktanna is now part of Romania. One hundred young men died in the war and the survivors will be called into Romanian military service.
For quite a few years we had peace. Sanktanna ordered and adjusted itself to the new political situation. Our young men served in the Romanian Army. All higher officials like Police, Treasury, Railway and Notary Public were now Romanians. But like in the rest of Europe, a chauvinistic air permeated Sanktanna also. First, the Romanian youth organization “Strajerli” (Guard) was founded. All German schoolchildren join “Strajerli,” wearing white blouses, marching, singing, hoisting flags every day.
The singing of songs continues when the NSDAP arrives in Sanktanna and with it Die Fahne Hoch (The Flag High – otherwise known as the Horst Wessels song). All school classes accompanied by brown uniforms march to the cemetery, commemorating the fallen heroes of WWI. All are organized into the Deutsche Volksgruppe (German Folk Group). The pact between Hitler and Marshal Antonescu (Ion Sima – Iron Guard, like German SA) ends with the war against Russia. At the beginning of 1941, our young Sanktannars are called up for service in the Romanian army. On June 6th, Romanian troops cross the River Pruth and march into Russia. Bessarabia and Bukovina return to Romania. After initial success, the German-Romanian armies pull back. In 1943, all young ethnic Germans are transferred from the Romanian Army to the German Wehrmacht.
Many Sanktanners, like Anton Hoeniges, preferred to serve in the German army. Food, treatment and cultural background were probably the deciding factors. At a big rally at the market square in Sanktanna, May 1943, the village judge Franz Mayer said in front of an aroused crowd: “The participation of all men from the Banat liable for military service is a voluntary must.”
Eight hundred (800) Sanktannars march into a war which is already lost. Crying wives, mothers and children remain. When the Romanian Army changed sides on August 23, 1944, great confusion seized the villagers. From then on, no messages about their soldiers would reach the village. Deep sadness took over. Immediately after the Russians march in, the punishment of the Banater Schwaben starts – they are accused as warmongers.
Young Sanktannars in Russian Camps
One thousand young women from Sanktanna are deported to Russia – forced into restitution work. No compensation, no apology is ever offered by the Romanian government.
World War II toll in Sanktanna
350 dead or missing 270 women died in Russia
Expropriation from all Germans No pension for war widows
Service in the Romanian Peoples Army
The consequences of the lost war are lasting. Sanktanna completely lost the confidence of the new Romanian government. But her young men must still serve in the Romanian Army. Children of the war generation are accepted in the Romanian youth organization; they sing again, however under the star of the Romanian Communist party. The star is omnipresent. Direct or indirect, all Sanktannars have to participate in the restructure of the socialistic society. Defense of the country is the task of the Romanian Army. As a member of the Warszawa Agreement, the militaristic and propaganda strategy is primarily directed against NATO allies, but specifically towards the Federal Republic of Germany. With that in mind, all Banater Schwaben face an historical identity problem. Without loss of their roots and identity they cannot remain in a state of forced nationality. The only way: resettlement in Germany.
Emigration to Germany
Aussiedlung (Emigration) is the official German description of the resettlement of members of German ethnic groups from Eastern Europe, according to the Bundes-Vertriebenen Gesetz 1953. The resettlement of the German population of Sanktanna took place within the space of 25 years and reached 95%!*
From 1975 to 2000, six thousand (6000) Sanktannars left and found their new Heimat (home) in Germany.
*According to the 2011 census, the Santana population is 10,725, breaking down ethnically as 85% Romanian, 9.5% Roma, 3% German, 2% Hungarian. 79.6% are Romanian Orthodox, 11.5% Pentecostal, 5.5% Roman Catholic and 1.2% Baptist.
Historical Doubts about the Banat Experiment
After Austria’s defeat by Prussia and the following peace treaty of Königgraetz, Chancellor Bismark initiated the disintegration of the Habsburg Monarchy: “A strong Magyardom is strategically of great importance for the protection of the southeast flank of the German Empire.” The double monarchy Austria-Hungary was founded in 1867 under that assumption. Austria had to cede the Banat to Hungary. All the privileges granted by Maria Theresia to the settlers in the Banat were recalled by the Hungarian government. Language, tradition, identity and culture were attacked. The first doubts about the settlement in the Banat arise. Magyarization follows.
Dissolving the Territorial Unity of the Banat
After Germany’s and Austria’s defeat in WWI, France and England decided to divide the Banat. The eastern part went to Romania, the western part to Yugoslavia. The loss of territorial integrity destroyed the identity of the German settlers for good.
The Thought about Escape
After the retreat of the German army from Romania, thought about fleeing already began. But then the villagers doubted if they could succeed. The battle lines (front) changed from day to day.
King Michael and his Dubious Role
Already during the war, in 1943, King Michael started secret negotiations with the Allies for an early withdrawal of Romania. Finally Romania changed alliance. By October 25, 1944 Romania was occupied by Russian forces. King Michael tried to save his kingdom in vain. During his regency, the persecution of the Germans in the Banat and Siebenbuergen (Transylvania) began. They could not hope for any help from the House of Hohenzollern.
Consequences of the War
Escape thoughts turn into emigration matters
Immediately after Romania’s occupation and with the knowledge of King Michael, the Communists began prosecuting the putative war criminals. German women and men were sent to forced labor in Russia in order to pay for the war debt. Two hundred eighty (280) citizens of Sanktanna had to pay for it with their lives. At the same time, the Romanian government decided on the expropriation of all German property. For many villagers that meant loss of property, injustice, persecution and deportation. Emigration became the major concern of the villagers; most of them thought they should have left Sanktanna during the war. All Romanian governments, however, denied the emigration plans of the Germans.
Nicolae Ceausescu was the head of Romania from 1967 to 1989. By his nationalistic foreign policy, he obtained a certain independence from the Soviet Union. With the help of his secret service “Securitate”, he could successfully pursue his major goal – to remain in power. His social policy aimed at a multilaterally developed society. All officials and party members were supposed to follow that policy. It should guarantee all ‘minorities’ individual identity and tradition. The minorities considered those cultural programs ordered by the government as trials to assimilate. Ceaucescu’s economic policy aimed for a forced industrialization. To realize those goals, he used forced resettlements and an increase of debt to foreign lenders. The deficit of the Romanian state shot sky high. In order to balance that deficit, Ceaucescu ordered an increase in the export of consumer goods which sharply reduced the supply for the domestic market. The Romanian people suffered, while Ceaucescu, his family and political friends lived in luxury.
Family-Reunion or Emigration
Based on international agreements specifically with the Federal Republic of Germany, Romania practiced a “benevolent” policy regarding the reunion of families. As a service in return, Germany agreed to compensate Romania for its effort. The agreement provided only a limited number of family reunions per year. The people who wanted to emigrate and wanted to be included in the annual quota had to come up with their own additional funds. The emigration statistic shows that emigration was preferred to family reunion.
Germany, the Goal of Emigration
The government of the Federal Republic of Germany declared its full responsibility for all German “after war affairs.” For the resettlement of ethnic Germans, the Federal Republic was the only place to be considered. The original homeland of the Volksangehoerigen (ethnic Germans) is located in the Federal Republic: Baden-Würtemburg, Rheinland-Pfalz and Bayern. Deeply rooted in tradition, language and culture, the Banater Schwaben considered Germany for centuries as their Stammland (original homeland). Political freedom, prosperity, cultural and economic achievements are greatly appreciated by the Banater Schwaben.
Santana today, void of Germans, is just a dumpy Romanian town. I found this picture (above) of a 100 year old house for sale. It's described as having been built by a wealthy German, well-constructed with many amenities including gardens and orchard. 4 bedrooms, 1 bath. Price: 62,500 Euros. Below are two other pictures of present day Santana: Left, a street with houses, Right, a German church with other buildings.
Art & Culture, European History, Germany
Eva (Mayer) Eriksson (not verified)Sat, 05/11/16
Linking?
Thank you for your excellent work. I hope I will get permission to link to your webpage from WikiTree.
carolynSun, 06/11/16
You are welcome to do so, Eva.
Marlene Chapellaz (not verified)Fri, 11/11/16
Very interesting! My
Very interesting! My grandparents & Mother left Santanna for Canada in 1924, in search of a better place to live in peace. My grandfather left all his siblings behind. Family connections were by mail and much of that was read/changed prior to its arrival in either Country.
Margaret Bugyie... (not verified)Mon, 02/01/17
Oltsanktanna
My grandmother's maiden name was Frank. Most of her family went to Bloomington, IL. Sometime around 1906, Anna Frank came to the U. S. On the Bremen ship to Ellis Island. I know that my grandmother was from Oltsanktana, (as written on the ship manifest). My grandfather had a Magyrized last name, Ilie Bugy. He identified as Romanian on the ship manifest. They married in Bloomington, IL (yr. ?). They moved to Chicago, where I still live. His name was changed at Naturalization to Elie Bugyie. I've always wanted to know what my grandfather's last name was before it was Magarized. Not quite sure where to go from here! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Margaret Bugyie Estrada
Found your grandmother
The name Bugy or Buggy or Bugiyie is not in the Familienbuch Sanktanna. but your grandmother's family is. She was born in Santana on Dec. 21, 1887 to Johann and Barbara (nee Kerner) Frank. They had eleven other children, only five of whom survived to adulthood:
Johann, born in 1872, died in Bloomington IL in 1949
Magdelena, born in 1877, died in Santana in 1901
Kaspar, born 1879, died ?, married Rosalia Mayer in 1902
Simon, born 1883, died 1928 in Bloomington
Phillip, born 1890, died 1942 in Worth IL
Anna married Eli Bugyie (Buggi) on Feb. 17, 1908 in Bloomington. He died in 1961 in Worth IL. You may already have all this information. Sorry I cannot help you with your grandfather's Romanian name. You could write to the City Hall in Santana, Romania (find it online). They might have a birth record for him. Or know what the name would be in Romanian.
Alf Kührt (not verified)Tue, 04/09/18
Family Frank
I wrote the "Family Book Sanktanna"
What do you seek?
carolynTue, 04/09/18
Hi Alf!
Thanks for showing up here. Margaret Bugyie Estrada seems to want to know the Romanian name of her Romanian grandfather whose name was "Hungarian-ized" to Bugy or Bugi or Bugyie. Any clue? How would one find out?
Elizabeth (not verified)Sun, 16/04/17
Thank you so much for your history. It explains why my ancestors were from Hungary (St. Anna) and identified as Hungarian, but weren't ethnically Hungarian. My Ancestry DNA test (and the test my grandfather took) have been confusing me to no end.
Johan Ol (not verified)Tue, 30/01/18
Thank you for the History Lesson
Thank you for the history lesson of our people. My Opa' side (Borst) was from St Anna and was one of the soliders that fought with the Germany Army in WW II. Unfortunately my Opa died a few years ago (as he was Predeceased by my mom, my uncle and his wife) . Do you happen to have more information on our family?
Hi Johan,
I don't find the name Borst in the Santana Family Book, but the name Boros/Boross is there, but only one page. It appears to be Hungarian. I would need some names and, hopefully, dates also, to see if anything matches.
Liz Wilson (not verified)Sun, 18/02/18
Thank you for sharing all of this work! I have been searching for information about my great grandmother, Margaret Zimmermann. We know she was the daughter of the mayor and she came to the US somewhere between 1920 and 1940. She rarely talked about her homeland. She fell in love with Frank Weckerle but was not allowed to marry him. She married my great grandgather, Joseph Muller. Once widowed, she found Frank and finally married him, Any help you could offer on theses three names would be greatly appreciated!
Maybe?
Hi Liz. I found a Frank (Franz) Weckerle, born 1904, son of Jakob and Cecelia Weckerle, who married Katerina Zimmermann in 1927. She was born in 1907. He is listed as dying in 1945, around that area, and being a farmer. There is no death date for Katerina, implying she may have immigrated elsewhere, like to the USA.
Sorry, I don't find anything else.
Elek Schneider (not verified)Fri, 01/06/18
Family history/geneology
Hello Liz Wilson. My name is Elek Schneider and I trace my paternal grandmother's family to Sankt Anna. Her maiden name was Zimmermann and she was born in Almaskamaras, Hungary, which is roughly 25-30 kilometers from Sankt Anna. Her father, my great-grandfather was born in Sankt-Anna and his family originally came from Betra and Dettingen, Germany. I can't imagine there were many Zimmermann families that settled in Sankt Anna and I wonder whether we have common ancestors. I'm trying to find out what happened to my great-grandfather's siblings after the Germans were expelled. My hope is that their descendents are in either Germany or Austria, perhaps some even emigtrated to the United States and/or Canada. I live in Chicago, IL and you are welcome to contact me at [email protected]. I'm going to Hungary and Romania later this summer to do some genealogical research. Hope to hear from you. Servus!
Kim Soltes (not verified)Tue, 20/02/18
My Great great grandma
Hi, I believe my great great grandma Anna Adelman was born there. Her parents were Johann Adelman and Rosalia Pfister. Her birthday was July 30 1881. I was wondering if you could find her in the family book. As another commented, I initially expected to have a lot of Hungarian dna but when I took the test there was no Hungarian and lots of German. Now that I've begun working on my tree I understand why a bit better. Thanks for the article. It is very informative!
Anna is in the book, as the daughter of Johann Adelmann and Rosalia Pfister, just as you said. Born July 29, 1881. Shows she died in the USA but that is all the information there is.
But there were some other children born to this couple: Franz in 1879, Stefan born in 1893, Two girls died at birth. FYI, Johann Adelmann was born in 1855 to Stefan A. and Anna Mayer. The first Adelmann is listed in Santanna in 1755.
Rosalia Pfister was also born in 1855 to Sebastian P. and Katerina Buttinger.
Thanks so much! How nice to have such solid confirmation. I had almost all that info correct on my tree except for Rosalia's parents which I had no info for. I really appreciate you taking the time to look it up and let me know. You've been such a blessing to me!
Kim Soltes (not verified)Wed, 21/02/18
Does the book happen to give birth dates for Rosalia's parents or any other useful info on them? Also, Anna ended up marrying a Philip Theiss who was from Austria/Hungary on his info that I found. He wouldn't happen to be from here as well would he?
Yes, Sebastian Pfister was
Yes, Sebastian Pfister was born Jan. 20, 1828, died Nov 12, 1886. His occupation is listed as a Seiler (ropemaker). Remember they all had tracts of land, plus they had or learned trades. He married Katerina Buttinger on July 14, 1853. She was born in 1829, died in 1888. Her parents were Johann B. and Marianne Bandl. She is also listed as a ropemaker. Some are given occupations and some not, so they must have practiced it to a degree.
Rosalia is listed as a {Schmied) but put in parentheses. That is a Smith or Smithy. She died in Gervais, a nearby town I assume, in 1941. So she would have been 86 - pretty darn old for those times.
Theiss is not among the names of the families there. Philip is not a name they used either - don't think I've ever come across a Philip or Phillip. But I remember there was a Frank Theiss that was very active in the Family Society in Bloomington, IL. But he would not have come from Santana. Maybe his father, or he himself, married a woman who did - those people were eligible too.
The first Buttinger arrived in 1752 from Tiefenbach (Germany). The first Pfister arrived in 1788 from Dettingen (Germany). That is in my ancestors' neighborhood - we could be related. If you want me to go all the way back, I can.
Kim Soltes (not verified)Thu, 22/02/18
Wow! Thanks for the info! How funny it would be if we were related. Rosalia and Johann actually followed their children to America and died in Gervais, Oregon, which is close to both Dallas where Anna lived and McMinnville where Stefan was. She arrived here in 1893 when she was 38. In her husband Johann's passport application he is listed as a blacksmith so no wonder Rosalia was also. Sounds like these couples tended to work together :). Apparently the two went back to Austria 9 years later for a temporary visit. I can't help but wonder why. They were living in Bloomington, ILL at the time.I noticed that the son Stefan was born only a month before they came to the US. Thanks so much for the info to add to my tree and the time that went into finding it! It's so fun discovering more!
Oh, and I'd certainly love
Oh, and I'd certainly love for you to go all the way back if you don't mind! :)
Pfister line
So we ended with Sebastian P. and Katarina Buttinger, I believe. Sebastian, born 1828 to Johann P. and Katharina Mayer. Johann P., born 1795 to Johann Jakob and Katerina Mayer, married another Katarina Mayer (1798-1882) in 1820.
[It's not unusual to marry with the same family through a few generations. Also giving the offspring the same names. And yes, I noticed too that wives and daughters sometimes learned the trade of their husbands/fathers.]
Johann Jakob was born in Dettingen, Germany in 1764 and died in Santana in 1803. His parents were Josef P. and Katharina Kocheise. The first person listed for Pfister is Jakob, born/died in Dettingen, no dates. His marriage partner was Anna Marie Peppier - one date given for her, 1698.
More coming ...
Adelmann line
For Kim:
Stefan Adelmann, born 1824 to Josef A. and Barbara Kress. [I have a Kress in my family; my mother's aunt married a John Kress from there.]
Josef Adelmann, born 1790 to Josef Adam Adelmann and Margarethe Gillich. He married Rosalia Leib in 1813.
All the Adelmann's came from Külsheim, Germany, but it is not sure whether Josef Adam was born in Külsheim or in Santana, in 1751. He died in Santana in 1822. Margarethe died in 1825. They are the first of your direct ancestors in this book.
FYI, the very first Adelmann listed is Veit, who died in 1680 in Külsheim. He was married to Anna Maria ? (1624-1690).
Thank you so much for the info! Very excited to learn all this!!
Markus Mayer (not verified)Thu, 12/04/18
Kerner line
I want to recognize the family line from my grandfather. His name was Matthias Kerner. He was born on 29th of September 1930. He married Katharina Rentz (Birthdate: 25th of April 1931.Can anybody please help me to find his ancestors?
I found Matthias Kerner (born
I found Matthias Kerner (born 29 Sept 1930) and Katharina Renz (b1931, no death date) in the Santana Family Book. Says Matthias lived in Baienfurt (Germany) in 2003. That must mean he was living there when he died, I'm not sure.
Matthias' father and mother: Anton Kerner (b3-30-1892, d8-23-1940 in Santana) and Barbara Renz (1897-1981)
Anton's parents: Mathias Kerner (b8-5-1862, d1-12-1943 in Santana) and Anna Laub ((1872-1929)
Mathias' parents: Anton Kerner (b12-22-1818, d3-13-1875 in Santana) and Elisabeth Täuber (1818-1884)
Anton's parents: Simon Kerner (b2-13-1789, d4-9-1862 in Santana) and Magdelena Mayer (1793-1855)
Simon's parents: Michael Kerner (b1761/2 where unknown; d1-4-1830 Santana) and Maria Elisabeth Kling (1766-1844 in Santana)
Markus Mayer (not verified)Fri, 13/04/18
Dear Carolyn,
thank you very much! That helps me a lot. :)
Peter Gillich (not verified)Tue, 03/07/18
Anton Gillich/Rosalia Mayer
I’m asking about my grandparents, who both grew up in Sanktanna around the war years. My Opa was named Anton Gillich, was born in 1924 and fought in the Second World War. I suppose he would have been drafted, though I don’t know what year (1942-1943?) He never really spoke about it, maybe there is some record of what happened to most of the young draftees from that town—were they Romanian soldiers at that point? As Germans, were they sent to the Wehrmacht?
As for my Oma, she was from the same area and was born in 1923, and after the war she says she was taken along with other people to forced labour camps in Russia; I know in her case she mentions Dnipropetrovsk as being where she went.
My grandparents emigrated to Canada in the early fifties, and my Opa died in Montreal in 2011. My Oma is still alive today, and still talks about being in Russia (It‘s really Ukraine but who’s splitting hairs).
I guess I would like to know what information you might have on the context in this town at the time these events were unfolding. Was my Opa drafted from a field to be sent to the front? How many other people were sent to work camps after the war? Is there anything interesting about the Gillichs or Mayers in the Familienbuch? I know my Oma’s mother was a seamstress, and that’s about it. I guess my Opa’s family were farmers.
Anyway thanks for your help, I appreciate a lot!
Yes, your grandparents are in the Family Book. There are 5 1/2 pages of GILLICH.
Anton Gillich was born Dec. 16, 1924 and died Sept. 1, 2011 in Montreal, CA. His parents were Jakob and Katharina Taeuber Gillich. He married Rosalia Mayer (born 1923) on Nov. 25, 1950 in Santana. She still survives?
Jakob (b9-1-1891, d8-1-1946) was a farmer, as you said. Katharina Taeuber (b1894, d1973).
Jakob's parents: Johann and Juliane nee Baumann. I could go back further for you. And there are siblings too.
Lots and lots of MAYERS.
I find Rosalia Mayer, bFeb. 23, 1923; a mother's name given - Maria Mayer - and no further information, maybe because of going into Russian custody.
Maria Mayer was born 10-31-1903, d 11-5-1981. Her parents were Josef and Katharina nee Oster Mayer. No marriage partner shown.
Now here's what's interesting. Your Oma Rosalia appears to have a brother, Josef b9-20-1925, d 8-9-2002 in Lindenstruth (must be Germany). It also show his mother was Maria Mayer, no father. But Josef married Theresia Bleiziffer (1930-1981) on 10-20-1951. I am related to the Bleiziffer family; my great grandfather Stefan Jaeger married a Theresia Bleiziffer in 1879 - no doubt from the same family. So if you want to contact me via email, we can keep in touch on it. And I can give you more info if you want it.
Peter Gillich (not verified)Sun, 22/07/18
I appreciate your efforts to
I appreciate your efforts to answer my question. A few odd points:
my Oma always said her birthday was October 1st; either the record is wrong or my Oma is, but I suppose it’s possible the record keepers made a mistake or else maybe Oma’s Mom wasn’t even sure of the date.
my Oma is still alive today, yes. My Opa never spoke about the war, but I think once he mentioned being a soldier in the last boat to leave for the west from the Russian invasion of Danzig (Gdańsk today) in ‘44 or early ’45. He did die in Montreal in 2011, I remember his funeral. My Oma I don’t think ever mentioned a brother, only a sister.
Anyway thanks for the help.
Oops, my mistake, Peter
Okay, taking a fresh look in the daytime, I find Rosalia Mayer (number 904 of the individuals born with name Mayer in Santana) and the dob is indeed Oct. 1, 1923. Her parents are listed as Karl and Rosalia Sandner Mayer. The rest is the same as before.
I also find her sister (#854) Maria Mayer, b 8-22-1919, lived 2009 in Baunata. (So I take it the last information came to Alf Kuerht in 2009.) Maria married Karl Zimmermann in May 1943. He died in 1978, apparently in Santana.
Their father was Karl Mayer born 11.11.1858, died 29-11-1932. Their mother was Rosalia Renz, b1850, d1929. They married in January 1881. Now this Karl's parents were Adam Mayer and Regina Daminger. There is no number for Adam, so he may have been born in Germany and emigrated to Santana. I found Regina Daminger (#98), born Oct. 1 (!!) 1834, died 15.11.1886. Married Adam Mayer (1836/7-1884) on 19.5.1856.
Regina appears to have two younger sisters who lived, Barbara and Katharina, two brothers Anton and Michael.
There are no Bleiziffers in your family tree, haha. I also have a Daminger in my history, but I can't find any link with her to your Daminger. So that's it.
I must say, I don't know how Alf Kuerht managed to keep all this straight without going batty. It gets really dizzying (I have to wear two pairs of strong glasses to read it), but he seems to have it all in order. Must have computer help.
Peter (not verified)Sun, 22/07/18
Ah okay, thanks again for
Ah okay, thanks again for your attention and your effort!
Rhett Hellstern (not verified)Sun, 14/04/19
My Name Is Rhett Hellstern and just came across your site.
My Great Grandmothers name was Josephine SChillinger she was born in 1891 in St. Anna.
Her mother was Anna Schillinger born in 1853. Wondering who the father is and other information you may have.
carolynMon, 15/04/19
Hi Rhett - love your name
I found Anna Schillinger, born 2nd June, 1853 to Josef (Schillinger) and Anna Schiller. It shows she married Franz Orovetz from Simand on 29 January 1891. Anna's occupation is shown to be a Schneid. (abreviation for cutter of some kind). Anna Schiller and Josef had other children: Josef, 1847-1867; Barbara, 1854-1873; Michael, 1860-1872. Others died very young.
Josefa was born 26 Jan, 1891 to Franz and Anna Schillinger. She used her mother's name. Josefa married Anton Hellstern on 23 November, 1911. He died in Chicago in 1975, she died in St. Petersberg, Fla.
Under Hellsterns, I found Anton, with .-SLC after his name. Don't know what that means. He was born 5th May 1888 to Anton Hellstern and Elisabeth Metz. He married Josefa Schillinger on 23 November, 1911. She died in Florida in 1990; he died in Chicago 15 years earlier.
Further, it shows that this same Josefa Schillinger and Anton Hellstern had a son named Geza, born 7 March, 1911 in Arad. Geza married Anna Fritz in 1931 in Chicago. She died in 1981 in Lake Geneva.
Children born in US to Anton and Josefa: John, born 1917 (Chgo); Frank J., born 1922 Chgo; Joe, 1923; Anna, 1927; Andrew. 1928.
Andrew (not verified)Tue, 14/05/19
Hello Carolyn,
I was wondering if you could tell me anything about my family. My great great grandmother Josephine Mayer (spelled Meyer on death certificate). Maiden name is Gopfrik. It looks like her fathers name was John Gaffrey. Her daughters name was Teresa Mayer. They emigrated to Bloomington and lived by the train yards. Thank you for all the good information on this site. It has been interesting to read.
There are no Gaffreys or Gopfniks in the Family Book. Was Teresa Mayer, Josephines's daughter, born in Bloomington? You need to give me some approximate dates or ages of the Mayers, as there is lots of pages of them. Thanks.
Andrew (not verified)Mon, 27/05/19
Josephine's death certificate states she was born on April 22nd 1857. I believe that her maiden name is spelled Gopfrich, the previous spelling was from an immigration record. Teresa was born in Hungary, came to the U.S. with her mother, Josephine. Thanks so much for looking!
carolynWed, 29/05/19
There are 15 pages of Gopfrich's in the book! Josefa is #175, born 22 March 1855 to Johann and Anna (Steigberger). She married Johann Mayer on 23 February 1873. She was a soldier (!) and died in Bloomington IL on 2 May 1940. The birth date for her husband is 1846, no death date.
Josefa had an older sister Anna (1848-1907), a farmer, who married widower Andreas Schwarz in 1876. Two other older siblings who survived were Theresia (1843-1927) and Jakob (1839-1922).
By the way, the orignal Gopfrich came to Santana from Flehingen, Germany, near Karlsrhue, in that same small Kraichgau area most of us came from. See here.
Theresia Mayer, #612 of the numerous Mayers in the book, born to Johann and Josefa (Gopfrich) on 17 August 1892; died 4 Sept 1929 in Bloomington IL. She was the youngest surviving child of her parents. She married William Garbe (1886-1939) on 15 January 1915 in Bloomington, IL.
Johann and Josefa had many children, most of whom did not survive. Those who did were Barbara, Rosalia, Katharina (died in Bloomington in 1942).
Glad we persevered, Andrew. If you'd like anymore details about the siblings, etc. I can give it to you. Which train yard did they live by?
Andrew (not verified)Thu, 30/05/19
My fmaily lived by and worked at the Chicago and Alton yard. Theresia lived directly across the street from Sheridan School on Blackstone St. My father lived on Walnut St.
I would like to know if you have a sibling named Andrew Mayer. I have heard that he moved to Africa.
Thank you again for all your hard work!
Andrew Mayer
I saw his name but didn't add him because there wasn't much info. But #434, Andreas Mayer, born 30 April 1874 to Johann and Josefa (Gopfrich). Died in Pretoria, South Africa, no date. No further information. He was probably a soldier like his mother. I think soldiering ran in that family - there was another one, too, as I recall.
Yes, I know the Chgo.-Alton railyards very well. Seminary Ave. ran along part of it. That's where the German-Hungarians first settled. So many good memories.
Andrew (not verified)Fri, 31/05/19
Seminary Ave.
I pray that none of my family is left in South Africa. The crime and farm murders are hideous. On top of that, out right denial or silence from "leaders" of western countries. Very sad situation...
I had cousins that lived on Seminary and Allin, not far from the club. I'm not old enough to know the good times but have heard about them.
Noreen (not verified)Mon, 27/05/19
Family from Santa Anna
Hello, my Great great grandparents Anton M Marksteiner and Barbara Teiber immigrated to Bloomington, Illinois in the early 1900s. I’ve always been told they were Hungarian and never had any reason to believe otherwise until further research. I know Anton’s father’s name was Johann Marksteiner and his mother Anna Fuss. However, I have no further details about their birthdates or parents’ names etc. From what I have gathered, Barbara’s parents were named Francis Teiber and Josephine Erhmantraut. However, I’ve only been able to discover that Francis‘ father’s name was John Teiber and no further details. Katharina Totterer was his mother but all I found was the dates of birth and date she passed away. Furthermore, I found much info showing Germanic roots of Josephine’s father Anton Emeneth (maybe last name changed) but only the name of her mother Katharina Kohler’s birthdate. Lastly, should I get the impression that they were not genetically Hungarian at all? Thanks very much for any information!!
Michelle west (not verified)Sun, 02/06/19
St Anna Hungary
my grandmothers name was Katherine Teiber and married joseph kaup and they moved to Bloomington early 1900 where they brought from Hungary my three oldest aunts Mary kaup etc.
this is all very interesting
I guess you know that Joe and Carl Kaup were charter members of the Hungarian Club in Bloomington. There's a picture of him in a 5-man Sunday afternoon pinochle card game round about 1960-ish. All are dressed in suits and hats.
Michelle (not verified)Mon, 03/06/19
Pinochle Gerrman club
Yes I remember the club, I remember the one lane bowling alley. I think My Grandfather Joseph started the club with others.
Yes, Noreen
I found Anton Marksteiner, son of Johann and Anna (Fuss) right away. He was born on Dec. 22, 1887 in Santana, died March 28, 1980 in Bloomington, Il. There was a previous "Anton" listed who died at birth or was stillborn on Jan. 3, 1885. Anton and Barbara Täuber married on March 9, 1912 in Bloomington.
His father Johann, a farmer, was the son of Sebastian and Magdalena (Adelmann). Johann married Anna Fuss on Feb. 4, 1883. Sebastian's parents were Sebastian (1797-1871) and Rosalia (Schwarz 1798-1837). This Sebastian later married Anna Mayer, a widow, after the death of Rosalia. He was a weaver. Now it goes back two more times to a Sebastian born in 1766, and then to Anton (1742 in Grombach, Germany -1784 in Santana) and Barbara (Geiger 1741-1786). This Anton is the one who came to Hungary from Germany with the trade of Weaver.
Anna Fuss (1859-1933) was born pre-nuptial to Elisabeth Fuss and (Anton Adelmann) so its possible they never married since Elisabeth Fuss (1838-1911) is listed as a soldier. Her parents are Anton Fuss and Regina (Nachbar). Anton was a farmer, born to Martin (1792-1856) and Barbara (Reinholz).
Barbara Täuber (9-14-1889 to 6-7-1963 in Bloomington) was daughter of Franz (Frank) and Josefa (Emeneth). She had a sister, Katharina, who died in Normal, IL in the same year as she, who married Joe Kaup (I knew him!) on April 16, 1907. Another sister Eva also came to Bloomington, married to Andreas Steigberger, died in 1974.
There are no Erhmantrauts in the Family Book but 8 pages of Emeneths.
Franz Täuber was a hat-maker, died in Bloomington in 1916. (He may have been a partner with my grandfather Jaeger for awhile. The name was pronounced like Tiber, just like you're spelling it.) His parents were Josef (1819-1865), a farmer, and Katharina (Totterer 1823-1898). Josef's parents were Josef Kalasankt (1792-1853) and Margarethe (Seiler 1794-1869). Going back from there, we have Johann (1766-1835) and Bibiana (Schoch 1760?-1831). Before that: Johann Michael, born 1737 in Rohrbach, Germany; he married Anna Maria Schissler in 1760 in Santana. Died 1799. He's the original settler.
There are no Hungarians here, Noreen. If you have further questions, I might be able to answer them. You can also email me at [email protected]
Thank you very much for taking the time and effort for this information, Carolyn!! This is amazing! You helped me fill in many gaps in my family tree and as I input the information you gave me, ancestry started picking up on t the same details. It is very intriguing to find out these details and learn more about the history of Santa Anna. Also, very excting to read how our grandfathers may have worked together.
Thank you again and I will be sure to reach out as I continue on my research!!
Bonnie Enderle (not verified)Mon, 21/10/19
Schwarz, Henger, Horn, Riesenberger, Hermann
Ferdinand Leopold Schwarz and Anna Theresa Henger married and immigrated to Mansfield, Ohio. Their honeymoon was spent on the ship. They are listed as being from Sîntana, Arad, Transilvania, România. We believe Ferdinand's parents were Franciscus (1853) and Josepha Hermann (1862). And Anna's parents were József Henger (1853) and Anna Horn (1861). We think Anna Horn's parents are Jacobus Horn (1823) and Maria Riesenberger (1830). any help on these 2 families would be so greatly appreciated.
Bonnie Enderle
Hi Bonnie
Yes, I found Anna Henger, born Oct. 7, 1899, died Feb. 25, 1990 in Mansfield, Ohio. She married Ferdinand Leopold Schwarz (1896-1983 Mansfield) on Nov. 15, 1921 in Banat.The Hengers all came from Empfingen, Germany in the 1750's and 60's - bunches of them!
Anna's parents were Josef Henger (1853-1920) and Anna Horn (1858-1900). They married in Janurary 1879. Both are listed as blacksmiths (or smiths). When Anna died, Josef married Anna Wess in 1901. Anna Horn's parents were Jakob Horn and Maria Riesenberger. The name Riesenberger is not in the Family Book. I don't know where she came from, but she had a number of healthy children who grew up and married; none died early until the last three she had. One died at age 13 - sad.
Ferdinand Leopold was born Nov. 15, 1896 to Franz Schwarz, a farmer, and Josefa Hermann -- born 1852 and 1861, respectively. Franz' parents were Anton Schwarz and Katharina Schmidt. Josefa's parents were Leopold Hermann and Katharina Hell. (One of my great-grandmothers was a Hell - there were a lot of them. The first ones there (5) were born in 1740's in Eppingen, Germany, and 2 in 1750 & 52.)
Penny (not verified)Wed, 15/01/20
Leib and Schwarz
My grandmother, Anna, was born in Santana in 1922. We assume that her parents, Josef Leib and Barbara Schwarz were also both born there in 1892 and 1898, respectively.
Any information on their families?
Is it possible to get birth certificates/confirmations for both of them through either the Romanian or Hungarian embassies abroad?
The Family Book shows Anna Leib born on Oct. 1, 1922 to Josef Leib and Barbara Schwarz. Anna's siblings were Josef, born Feb. 4, 1921 and Urban, born Nov. 11, 1919 (died March 8, 1920). There is no other information for Anna or her brother Josef.
Josef Sr. was born Jan. 10, 1892 (pre-marital) to Josef Leib and Barbara Taeuber. He married Barbara Schwarz on Jan. 20, 1919. She was born in 1898. Josef had a brother Anton, also born pre-marital, in 1894. Anton married Elisabeth Baumann in 1913.
Barbara Taeuber was born in 1873, married Josef Leib (his parents were Andreas Leib and Elisabeth Mackert) in 1896, and was later married to a Hoeniges.
I would try the Romanian embassy, and the town hall in Santana, Romania. I imagine it's possible though I have never tried or written them.
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Tag Archives: rollerskating
March 19, 2015 by brightonbrats
British Champs National South Day Three Preview: Sirens v Windsor & Rockers v Bristol
Another game day so soon? Yep, they come thick and fast in British Champs. Day Three of the National South division takes place this Saturday (21st March) near Southend-on-Sea. Doors are at 1pm with first whistle at 1.30. Tickets are £10 in advance (£8 students) from the link at the bottom of this preview or £12 on the door. This is a pretty small capacity venue – roughly half that of the recent sold out East London game day – so we very much recommend buying online as soon as possible. There may well be no tickets left on the door.
The venue is Clements Hall Leisure Centre in Hawskwell, Essex. This is about ten minutes walk from Hockley train station, which is four stops before Southend Victoria on the line from Liverpool Street (not to be confused with the train line from Fenchurch Street that goes to Southend via a different route). Although the journey from London to Hockley is only 45-50 minutes, getting to London from Sussex will be a bit of a mission on Saturday, as those delightful words “replacement bus to Three Bridges” have been dusted off for the whole weekend.
We recommend allowing a good two hours to get to Liverpool Street, including a bit of faffing around on the tube. If this sounds like a bit of a mission, you might be interested to know that the Rockers have a few spaces for fans on their team bus. These will cost in the region of £12 return, leaving Brighton around 11am and returning in the evening after a bit of after partying. Get in touch with the Rockers via Facebook/email asap if you’re interested.
We normally recommend a few pubs, but this is actually the Rockers’ first UK away trip to somewhere we haven’t previously done drinking in. Given that Hockley is a fair way inland from Southend itself, allow extra time if you want to hit the seafront, attractions and/or town centre bars before the games. The after party venue is a bowling alley very close to Hockley station, and there are a fair few pubs close to the leisure centre, most of which receive moderate to good write-ups online. The White Hart on Southend Road is the closest, and there is of course a bar at the venue.
RANKINGS AND PREDICTIONS
Now for our ever exciting rundown on how the games might play out using the predictometer at Flattrackstats. A relentless tirade of numbers mostly beloved of game day announcers who have run out of anything else to say! Firstly, hosts Seaside Sirens (ranked 22nd in UKRDA on 584.8 points) are up against Royal Windsor (10th, 645.5). FTS calls this one as 84% chance of an away win, with a predicted 51:31 differential in Windsor’s favour equating to something like a 255-155 RWRG win.
Using the Euro rankings rather than UKRDA works out even more heavily in Windsor’s favour, with the Berkshire side ranked 19th on 671.2 points given a 92% chance of beating their Essex hosts (55th, 593.8). Predicted differential here of 35:18 works out as a typical derby scoreline in the region of 315-162.
Moving on to the Brighton Rockers v Bristol game, as ever with a neutral host venue we have to split the difference between the home and away predictions. (Memo to FTS: please introduce a neutral option!) Brighton are 11th in UKRDA on 640.0 points, whilst the division’s lowest ranked side Bristol sit in 26th on 578.0. The Rockers have roughly 90% chance of the win, with a differential of 29:16 mathsing out to something like 232-128 on the board.
Switching to the Euro rankings, things are a fair bit closer. Brighton place 27th (641.0 points) and Bristol are 41st (610.9). The predictometer, when tweaked for neutral, calls it at 75% chance of a Rockers victory with a differential in the region of 62:46 suggesting a Sussex victory in the order of 186-138. That’s super close in derby terms, and given the margin of error of these computerised predictions, pretty much anything could happen on the day.
In terms of the divisional table, LRR sit on the top with two wins and a +281 points difference. They’re sitting out this game day, so the other unbeaten teams (Windsor and Brighton) know what is required of them in their second games of the season. Windsor need to beat Sirens by 160+ to leapfrog LRR on points, whilst Brighton need to best Brizzle by a whopping 204 or more to do likewise. For Bristol and Seaside, both sides will be looking for their first win, which (given Portsmouth’s absence today) would put clear space between themselves and the bottom slot.
That’s enough number crunching. Now let’s hear from members of three of the day’s teams about what we can expect on Saturday. (Unfortunately, we haven’t received any reply to the interview questions or follow-up messages we sent to Royal Windsor, so you’ll just have to imagine that side’s thoughts going into the weekend’s action.)
SEASIDE SIREN ROLLER GIRLS v ROYAL WINDSOR ROLLERGIRLS
ELLA GNAW – SEASIDE SIRENS
After a quite a heavy defeat to LRR on Game Day 1, you put in a strong performance against Brighton on Day 2, despite penalty foul outs reducing you to six players. Anything from that Brighton game that you’ll be building on for the rest of your British Champs campaign?
One thing we have been working on – which won’t be a surprise! – is penalties! We’ve had the chance to see what worked and what didn’t and get ready to put it into play for Saturday.
Due to a few fixtures having been swapped over, SSRG are in the unusual position of playing in three Game Days (1-3) in a row! Are there any advantages or disadvantages to playing so many Champs games in succession?
I think it gives us an opportunity to review what works and what doesn’t work for us and to put it into play quickly. There’s no chance to take our foot off the gas and become complacent because we’re always in game mode, which is fun. In an ideal world most derby teams would give anything to play every week, like most sports teams, so to play once a month has been a great opportunity.
Your opponents this Saturday are Royal Windsor. We believe you’ve played them once before, more than three years ago (RWRG winning that 134-77). How are you expecting this meeting to go?
We played them for an exhibition bout for Sky News three years ago and our squad was very varied in that game. It was a 40 minute game and a cherry popper for myself. Royal Windsor Rollergirls are a great team to watch and their drive to grow and continuously develop their game is a great inspiration. We’re really looking forward to playing them on the track and anticipate a great game. Locking down their jammers, who push hard to find the smallest gaps will be our main aim.
The day’s other game sees Brighton take on Bristol. What should people look out for in that one?
Watching Bristol play LRR at the last game was a great opportunity to see how they play as a team. We played Bristol two years ago and they appear to have grown in strength and their walls are solid. Brighton have agile fast jammers who do not give up looking for the gap to take.
Finally, Sirens are hosting the action on the 21st. What can you tell us about the Clements Hall venue, the after party and the Southend area in general?
This is very exciting for us as it’s at our new venue, Clements Hall! We have previously bouted on a very slippery wooden sports hall floor and this will be our first game on a sticky traditional UK sports court. Though this is also our Sunday scrimmage venue so we’re used to it. It has a great roll but hard wheels are advised. Our Force Ten Gail recommends 93s. We have tiered seating, so will be giving our fans a different view of the track for the first time ever, but it only holds 170 people so get your tickets fast!
We will have merchandise on sale for the teams and also Resolute Framing, an independent business offering high quality, bespoke framing and framed prints, limited edition artworks, photographs, collectables and more. We have a cake stall selling all kinds of treats and the proceeds will be going towards our local branch of Cats Protection League, a charity which is close to many of our hearts. And finally, we have a fully licensed bar, which will be situated in the hall, so you won’t need to miss a second while getting your refreshments!
We are also having our after party at a different venue, nearer to our sports hall, at CJs Bowling Alley. Anyone who came along to the recent Roller Derby Sevens tournament will have enjoyed the after party there, and there’s plenty of parking for the visiting teams’ coaches and cars. We have bowling alleys booked, and there’s food and drink on offer. And finally, Southend itself. We are home to the world’s longest pleasure pier and Adventure Island. Come and ride the roller coasters, eat some candy floss and skim some stones while eating hot donuts!
BRIGHTON ROCKERS V BRISTOL ROLLER DERBY
SWANN & CAKE OR DEATH – BRIGHTON ROCKERS
Hi there. So you’re 20% of the way through your British Champs National South campaign now. Was it good to get that opening win under your belts last month against the Seaside Sirens?
I think it would have been easy for us to go in with high expectations based on the result last time the Rockers and the Sirens met, but we definitely appreciated that both teams have changed a lot since then, and no result is ever a given. We were also going in without a couple of key players who would normally be on our A-team roster, so we couldn’t be sure how much of a difference that would make. We definitely had a half-time turn around. We’d figured out what was working for us, they lost a couple of players to penalties, and we just focused on being a strong unit and really tiring out those remaining players, which allowed us to pull ahead at the end. It’s a great feeling to have a win under our belt at the first stage, and hopefully we can carry that success through the rest of the competition.
Your opponents on Saturday are Bristol Roller Derby. In a way this is a “best of three” decider, with one win to Bristol (251-175 in London in 2013) and one win to Brighton (277–209 at Haywards Heath last September) in previous meetings – we make it 460-452 to Bristol on points at present. Presumably you know their roster fairly well now?
Bristol are really strong and a big experienced league. We have played them a few times and most recently at home. They have recently chosen their team for the season and we know they have a strong squad to choose from. They have plenty of very experienced players like Black Thorn, E-Z Roller and The Blizzard, who we shall have our eyes on
Moving onto the Brighton squad, can we expect one or two of the Rockers who were missing against Sirens to return to action against Bristol? Care to predict the result?
We never predict the result but do predict a party bus all the way home whatever the outcome. British Champs is giving us a great chance to vary our roster. Although Saturday’s side will be similar to the team that played the Sirens, we like to mix it up a bit.
The day’s other games sees Royal Windsor take on the Seaside Sirens. Any thoughts about how that one will go?
That game will be brilliant. Sirens were really tough to play in our first Champs game, but Windsor are such an experienced team. I think this game will be less about individual players, and more about which side has the best teamwork.
Finally, with games against Windsor, Portsmouth and LRR coming up in the next few months, what are your views on the National South division as a whole?
The South division is very strong, with lots of diverse teams who work well together. We’re very proud to be part of it. Windsor we haven’t played for years, but we’ve heard they have become very strong so they will definitely be a formidable foe in Bristol on May 9th. And of course the great and glorious London Rockin’ Rollers gave us The Mighty Mighty Bash, so they are clearly awesome – but seriously, they scare me a bit…
RAVEN LUNATIC – BRISTOL ROLLER DERBY
Bristol made their British Champs debut last month against divisional leaders LRR. Did that game go the way you expected?
We were really pleased with our opening game to Champs. Being seeded the lowest in the group and facing leaders LRR we anticipated a really hard fight and we weren’t disappointed. LRR’s blockers were very strong with some bruising offensive moves and their jammers were nippy and agile. It’s what we expected and what we’d prepared for. I think we probably took LRR a little by surprise with the strength of our walls and the power and determination of the Bristol jammers. A huge positive for us is that, despite losing the game, we kept the points differential a lot closer than anticipated, leaving us nestled comfortably mid-table.
You’re facing the Brighton Rockers on Saturday in Southend. In your two previous meetings with the Rockers, it’s one win apiece, so in a way this is a “best of three decider”. Which Bristol players or tactics do you think are going to play a key role in this game?
Yes, we are really looking forward to ‘The Decider’ against the Rockers. Our last fixture in 2014 was fantastic and we really hope to replicate the energy and athleticism of that day. We watched part of the Rockers’ game against Seaside last month so we’re pretty familiar with their style of play. We have a few tactics up our sleeve but you’ll have to wait until game day to find out what those are!
Having met the Brighton on track twice in the last two years, you presumably know their squad fairly well. Who are you looking out for? Care to predict the result?
I think the team has changed a bit since we last met, but the Rockers have a strong and dynamic squad who I’m sure will be working hard to make life difficult for us on Saturday. Dr Whooligan had a good game against Seaside Sirens, as did Hairy Fairy and Swann, but we will be looking at the team as a whole, not concerning ourselves about individual performances. I predict that this game is certainly going to be one to watch. After all, this isn’t just about positions on the British Champs table. This is the accumulation of three years of history between Brighton and Bristol. This is ‘The Decider’!
The day’s other game sees Royal Windsor take on the Seaside Sirens. Any thoughts about how that one will go?
Seaside Sirens have some incredibly strong players and their first half against the Rockers last month was really impressive. It was a shame that they lost so many players through penalties in the second half. Royal Windsor are favourites for this match, but if Seaside can keep their players on the track, who knows…
Finally, the game day after this one (Day Four on May 9th) you’re hosting in Bristol. Are plans in hand for that event? And what are BRD’s hopes and ambitions for the remainder of the 2015 British Champs season?
Plans are well underway for when Bristol host the tournament on May 9th. The event coincides with Bristol Roller Derby’s Fifth Birthday, so we will be celebrating in style and hope lots of skaters and supporters can stay and enjoy the after party with us. There will be cake and fizzy stuff, and no Bristol Roller Derby after party is complete without some German Leg Wrestling.
Our ambition for the British Champs season is probably the same as everyone else’s – to finish as high as possible up the table! Being seeded lowest in the group doesn’t stop us from aiming high. We have a very strong team who all want to play great derby against other great teams. But we’re a competitive bunch, so ultimately our aim is to win!
[Photos by John Hesse]
THINGS YOU CAN CLICK ON:
FACEBOOK PAGE FOR SATURDAY’S CHAMPS EVENT
BUY TICKETS FOR SATURDAY’S CHAMPS EVENT
READ OUR REPORT ON T2 SOUTH GAME DAY TWO
BRITISH CHAMPS WEBSITE
BRITISH CHAMPS FACEBOOK
Tagged Brighton Rockers, Bristol Roller Derby, British Champs, roller derby, rollerskating, Royal Windsor Rollergirls, Seaside Sirens, sport, UKRDA, women's sport
February 5, 2015 by brightonbrats
Here there be Dragons: Brighton Rockers double header preview
It’s been a busy few days here at BRATS HQ. In the build up to this Saturday’s festival of awesomes, we’ve been hurling loads of articles on this here website. In case you missed them, check out these three pieces:
B-TOWN BRAWLERS: We caught up with a brand new second Brighton based roller derby league to find out how they came into being and what their plans are. A potential future local rival for the Rockers? CHECK OUT OUR INTERVIEW HERE.
BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIPS: The mighty Rockers are taking part in this year’s inaugural British Champs, a national tournament featuring 72 women’s teams. We went along to the first National South Division game day to check out four of their upcoming opponents. CHECK OUT OUR REPORT HERE.
WFTDA APPRENTICE LEAGUE: A couple of weeks ago it was announced that the Rockers have been accepted on to the Apprentice Program of world governing body WFTDA, something less than twenty UK leagues have ever achieved. What does that mean though? CHECK OUT OUR ARTICLE HERE.
Now we turn our attention to this weekend when Brighton celebrate their Fifth Birthday by taking on Team Dragon. This challenge side, which originated from London recreational skaters, has put together a special roster to take on the Rockers. They’ll be fielding England 2011 World Cup star Lucy, 2014 England training squad member Lisa Wright, plus Lola Vulkano (Spain) and Aline Decat (Belgium) both of whom featured for their nations in last December’s World Cup. Yowsers! We’d best write a preview then…
ALL THE INFO
The Birthday double header takes place this Saturday (7th Feb) at the Dolphin leisure centre in Haywards Heath. Doors are at 2pm, with the mixed opener at 3pm, followed by the Rockers v Dragon game at 5.35pm. Tickets are £10 for adults, £8 students and free for under-12s. There’s also a special 4 for the price of 3 deal. These tickets are selling fast – this will be the biggest crowd for a Rockers event in quite a while – and are available online until some point tomorrow (Friday 6th). Although we do expect there to be a few left on the door, you’re strongly advised to nab yours via the internet asap. You’ll find a link at the bottom of this piece.
The venue has a decent sized car park and is approximately seven minutes walk from Haywards Heath train station. Turn left outside the station and follow the handmade ‘roller derby’ signs. If you arrive early, the pub opposite the station (the Burrell Arms) is not too bad for a sporty bar and cheaper than most Brighton pubs. It also has a large beer garden with giant Connect 4. If you need to stock up on supplies, there’s a Sainsbury’s superstore halfway between the station and leisure centre. The centre itself is modern, and unlike many UK leisure centres, it sells booze! There used to be two bars in fact, but now there’s only one – a cafe bar in the foyer that does various bottled beers, ales, wines, etc. It probably also sells food, soft and hot drinks, for weirdos that like that sort of thing. There’s a decent break between the two games, so a run to Sainsbury’s for munchies is also an option.
Be sure to pick up a copy of our fanzine ‘Turn Left’ on the door. We had to add an extra four pages to this issue as there was so much to fit in. You’ll find previews of both games, a review of 2014, who won what in our awards for the year, a preview of Brighton’s upcoming British Champs games, and loads of interviews. There are also a few more typos than usual as our printing company’s website was on the blink, so we didn’t get to properly proof it. There’s a prize of a BRATS baseball cap for whoever can find the most mistakes.
Events in the hall finish around 7pm and the after party is at the Wick Inn. This is fairly close to both Brighton and Hove train stations; about 18 minutes walk from Brighton, 15 from Hove (yes, we walked both routes yesterday to check, we’re that nerdy), both of which are a short hop from Haywards Heath. There should be loads of buses from both stations to the pub – it’s on the corner of Palmeira Square, one of the City’s main bus thoroughfares. It’s a private party in the pub’s (swanky prohibition era themed) cocktail lounge, and there’s a good real ale selection for those who don’t want to drink something with strawberries floating in. Grab yourself a brew and reminisce about the awesome day of derby you just viewed. Liked the sport so much you fancy giving it a try yourself? The Rockers have two free taster sessions coming up on the 23rd of this month. Drop them a line at info@brightonrockers.com for more details.
MIXED OPENER: MAGICIANS V CLOWNS (3PM)
“The opener has seven Rockers represented in total: Irish Mist (who fans may have seen skating previously) will be taking part, as well as Sutherland, Lab Wrath, Chloe Colossus, Van Hayley, Skate Bush and Polly Darting, who are all popping their bout cherries. All the South East leagues are well represented. We have skaters from the Bourne Bombshells, Portsmouth Roller Wenches, Southampton City Rollers, Croydon Roller Derby, London Rockin’ Rollers and Kent Roller Girls, as well as some rogue representatives from Wolverhampton Honour Rollers and the Evolution Rollergirls.”
SWANN, BRIGHTON ROCKERS
“I’ve never played in a game so this is my cherry popper, but I have scrimmed a few times with lots of skaters from both teams today. I’m hoping that I learn a few things, get to practice a few new moves, not let my team or the crowd down, and escape relatively injury free. We’ve got a lot of tactics and tricks up our sleeves. Of course we have, we’re magicians!”
SKATE BUSH, ROCKERS MAGICIAN
“We normally scrim for a bit at the end of each practice, so I’ve been doing that roughly once or twice a week since my Fresh Meat course finished. This’ll be my third proper full length scrim, and even though it will be more challenging than previous rookie scrims, I’m fully expecting to score a whole bunch of points against the Magicians – and maybe knock a few over! Skate Bush has a habit of taking you by surprise, so I’m gonna get in her way and keep an eye on her as much as possible. She’s not pulling any disappearing tricks on me!”
CHLOE COLOSSUS, ROCKERS CLOWN
MAIN EVENT: BRIGHTON ROCKERS V TEAM DRAGON (5.35PM)
“Brighton are taking on a very strong roster from Team Dragon, with some familiar faces from London Rollergirls, such as Lucy who is a very nippy jammer, and Lola Vulkano who is a double threat to watch out for. I saw Aline Decat play at Eastbourne Extreme last year, and she really impressed me. I Eat is a fast and agile jammer and Rusty Stiletto can give some big hits. Brighton will have an advantage – in that the team are used to playing together – but Dragon will certainly give them a tough game. I think the score will be quite close.”
THE PHILOSOFEAR, TEAM NO FUSS
“I never care to predict the result. You just don’t know how each team is going to play on the day. Today we will play hard to win. We have a couple of our usual ‘standout’ players not playing, which should make room for some different players to take the lead, and also you may see a few new faces.”
THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BASH, BRIGHTON ROCKERS
“We are happy to have some very well respected players in the roster. It’s great to have Lisa Wright in the team; she started her derby life in the LRG Rec League, before rising to the Team England training squad. She retired last year but is back on skates for Team Dragon. She’ll be joining Lola and Lucy in bringing some big game experience to today’s team. I wouldn’t want to predict a result. Brighton are the clear favourites and they’re on home soil but we’re here to play and surprise people. We’re amped for this!”
MOTHER, TEAM DRAGON
[Photo by John Hesse]
BRIGHTON ROCKERS: http://www.brightonrockers.com/
TEAM DRAGON: http://teamdragonrollerderby.tumblr.com/
FB EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/705098602921263/
TICKETS: http://www.brightonrockers.com/#!shop/cttr
Tagged Brighton Rockers, Haywards Heath, roller derby, rollerskating, sport, Team Dragon, women's sport
“You’re Fired Up!” …Brighton Rockers are taking part in The Apprentice (Program)
There was an exciting and long-awaited announcement on January 19th. The list of WFTDA’s latest batch of apprentice leagues was released to the world, and in amongst the 25 teams – between the Beach Brawl SK8R Dolls of Fort Walton, Florida and the Capital City Crushers of Topeka, Kansas – was the name “Brighton Rockers Roller Derby”. It’s no secret that Brighton have been hoping for a while to be accepted onto the WFTDA Apprentice Program. Here at BRATS we had a sneaky feeling it was imminent when a random crawl of the internet in early December revealed the Rockers had formed a limited by guarantee company on 27/11/14. Although initially concerned by the Coventry address (was the Rockers franchise moving to the West Midlands?) this turned out to be that of the processing solicitor. Being an entity such as this is an essential stepping stone towards joining WFTDA. It was on!
So who are WFTDA? Their mission statement tells us they were “founded in 2005” to “promote and foster the sport of women’s flat track roller derby by facilitating the development of athletic ability, sportswomanship and goodwill among members leagues. The governing philosophy of the WFTDA is ‘by the skaters, for the skaters’. Female skaters are primary owners, managers, and/or operators of each member league and of the association. Operational tasks include setting standards for rules, seasons and safety, and determining guidelines for the national and international athletic competitions of member leagues. All WFTDA member leagues have a voice in the decision-making process, and agree to comply with the governing body’s policies.”
In less wordy terms, they’re the equivalent of football’s FIFA for women’s roller derby. They govern the sport worldwide, organising major ranking tournaments, setting Minimum Skills requirements and issuing the ever-changing rulebook which every league (even non-members) plays by. Well, that’s not 100% true. There are a few rival organisations (USARS, MADE and others) but WFTDA dominates a good 95% of the women’s game worldwide. Not unnaturally, given the sport’s origins, it’s very much an American organisation. Of the current 301 full member leagues, a whopping 238 (79%) are from the USA. There are 16 from the UK, just ahead of Canada (15) with others from Australia (9), Germany (4), France and Japan (both 3), Belgium, Sweden, Finland, New Zealand and Norway (all 2), plus single leagues from Denmark, Ireland and Colombia. Please note: We worked this out by counting tiny flags on their website whilst a bit drunk, so we’ve almost certainly miscounted some of it.
Whilst that’s a decent enough global spread, a look at the 92 leagues currently in the Apprentice Program shows just how much that global spread is increasing as time progresses. There are 51 (55%) from the USA, joined by eight from Canada, five from Oz, and four each from Sweden and France. Belgium, Germany and the UK have three apiece, Brazil two, and there are single leagues from Austria, Spain, Switzerland, Finland, Chile, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa and Puerto Rico. Wowsers! So how long does the apprentice process last? Well, there is one league who was accepted into it in Nov 2009 who have yet to graduate to full membership, but generally speaking a year or so is the norm. The Brighton Rockers join Birmingham Blitz Dames (Oct 2014) and this month’s British Champs opponents Seaside Sirens (Oct 2013) as current UK apprentices. But that’s enough about numbers and dates – let’s hear from one of the key figures behind Brighton’s WFTDA application…
DERBY McGEE (BRIGHTON ROCKERS) ON WFTDA APPRENTICESHIP
How long (and through what processes) has it taken for you to get to the stage of being accepted as an apprentice league?
It has taken us ages to get our application in to join the WFTDA Apprentice Program. It’s a rigorous application process and we soon realised that we needed a better organisational structure before we could join. Like most derby leagues, we suddenly came into being and made it all up as we went along. Having to explain how we run the league made us examine it more ourselves and change things. The result is we are now a not-for-profit company, with a sound and sustainable structure, that is accountable to its members. So, although it’s been a slow process for the Rockers, we’ve already benefited from our application. Once we made sure our league was set up in line with the principles of WFTDA as an organisation, we needed to write essays, provide stats from bouts we’ve hosted, plus a lot of paperwork… It’s a hell of a thing!
Why did you decide you wanted to become a WFTDA league?
We decided to join WFTDA as we had a couple of leagues refuse to play us as we weren’t members. We have always been a highly competitive league and wanted to be able to play those teams, as well as hoping that one day we’d be successful enough to play in the big WFTDA European tournaments. It seemed liked the natural direction for Brighton, although the benefits to the league so far have been off the track.
We only just found out last month that we had been accepted into the apprentice scheme, so it’s early days. We’ll keep you posted on our progress over the months ahead.
You can catch the UK’s newest WFTDA apprentice league in action this Saturday (7th Feb) at the Dolphin Leisure Centre in Haywards Heath. As a warm up for this year’s British Championships campaign, the mighty Brighton Rockers will be taking on Team Dragon, a mixed league challenge side that includes players with World Cup experience from Teams England, Spain and Belgium. There will also be a mixed opener, featuring upcoming skaters – most of whom have never played in public before – from several derby leagues including Brighton, Eastbourne, Portsmouth, Croydon, LRR, Kent and many more. Doors are at 2pm, with the first game at 3pm. Tickets are selling very fast – this is going to be the biggest Rockers crowd in quite a while – and priced £10 for adults, £8 students, free for under-12s, with a special 4-for-3 deal. Get yours from the ticket link below. We’ll have a full preview of this exciting event on this website very soon.
WFTDA: http://wftda.com/
ROCKERS: http://www.brightonrockers.com/
FEB 7TH FB PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/events/705098602921263/
FEB 7TH TICKETS: http://www.brightonrockers.com/#!shop/cttr
Tagged Brighton Rockers, roller derby, rollerskating, sport, WFTDA, women's sport
British Championships UKRDA National South Division: Game Day One report
This year sees the launch of the UK’s first nationwide roller derby tournament. British Champs features a total of 72 women’s teams split into a pyramid of thirteen divisions. (There’s also a twelve team men’s tournament.) The mighty Brighton Rockers are competing one tier below the very top division, in what’s called the UKRDA National South. The first of their seven divisional game days took place a few days ago (Sat 24th Jan) in Windsor, and BRATS were there to watch the tournament get underway. The Rockers themselves – along with Bristol Roller Derby – weren’t taking part in this first game day, but it presented a great opportunity to check out four of Brighton’s upcoming opponents, as well as to to get an early taste of Champs in general…
Windsor is posh. Very posh. From the moment we detrain – and yeah, we’re quite posh ourselves, we use words like ‘detrain’ – at Riverside station until the moment we depart, we’re forever expecting someone to tap us on the shoulder and say: “now now, you really shouldn’t be here should you?” Nobody does. Instead they seek to disconcert us by being almost obsequiously polite. Hammering back pre-derby Jägermeisters in the Wetherspoons opposite the Castle, the bar staff insist on constantly referring to us as ‘Sir’. Back in Brighton, the only time anyone calls us ‘sir’ is when we’re being arrested. We’re on more familiar ground when we reach the derby venue itself. The suburban leisure centres that host this awesome sport – from Reykjavik to Rio, Wellington to Windsor – are all reassuringly much of a muchness inside. Wherever you encounter a left-open turnstile, a paper sign taped to it shouting out ‘roller derby’ in 120-point Impact font above an arrow; the semi-distant sound of clacking wheels, the semi-distant smell of cupcakes… you know you’re on safe ground.
The Royal Windsor Roller Girls have hosted both the most chaotic and the most low-key derby events we’ve ever been to. The former being those Sur5al all-dayers where fifteen different sets of garishly coloured skaters and fans flit in and around every corner of the hall, like dayglo mosquitoes at an 80s beach party. The latter was an RWRG intraleague in Staines where we were amongst just four [£2] paying customers. Today’s event, not unnaturally, lies somewhere between the two extremes. Perhaps a smaller crowd at the moment than we might have been expecting, but there was a fairly late change of hosts for what [alongside today’s Tier 3 event in Halifax] is the first day of the whole women’s tournament. Of course the calendar year itself is still in its early stages, and much of the UK derby community sees January (events wise) the same way BRATS see midday on a Sunday. Yeah, we know it exists – for other people.
A few things suggest this event may have come a little early in the year for the hosts. There are photocopied rather than printed programmes, replete with white borders and hand folding. The projector screen scoreboard is notably small, although it’s supplemented by a delightfully old school (cricket pavilion-esque) numbers on cards version. Most gallingly of all, there doesn’t seem to be a bar here, nor any form of after party. Or at least they’re not telling *us* where the bar or after party are. [Heck, someone was going to act on that memo eventually.] Everything’s fully and awesomely present and correct on track though, and the hosts are up first against Portsmouth Roller Wenches. Not many skaters from the second game in the crowd as the opener gets underway – there are a bunch of London Rockin’ Rollers around, but it seems most of Southend’s Seaside Sirens will be arriving fashionably late today.
There’s a star pass in the very first jam for the Wenches. Recipient RIP McMurphy is likely to be a key player for Pompey today, with Royal Windsor very much the favourites in this game. (The hosts currently rank 10th in the UKRDA, whilst defeat to Manchester at Tattoo Freeze has seen PRW drop to 19th.) Fairly evenly matched in the early stages though, with Cle-Blam-O, Vix and the rangy Sutton starclad for Windsor; Psyclone DestroyHer, Nina Nunchucks and RIP taking early jamming opportunities for the Wenches. First few jams have been incredibly light on penalties, but now McMurphy and pivot Awesome Wells are both off for Portsmouth. Cle-Blam-O making the most of the opportunity to give Windsor a foothold on the game. 38-5 to the hosts. Wenches clawing some back now, but the Berkshire pack is proving resilient. Trashbag in particular has the navy blue jammers pegged well back. The granite strong RWRG blocker was recently called up as a reserve netminder for Team GB ice hockey, the announcers announce. If three inch rubber pucks can’t get past her, what chance do the Pompey starheads have?
Both teams employing very fast packs for much of this game, although things turn completely stationary for a long 15 seconds as McMurphy and the off-track Sutton stare each other down in a recycling standoff. An official time out shortly afterwards sees the PRW line-up challenge Windsor’s to a Cotton Eye Joe hoedown-off. Portsmouth win this, but the game itself is slipping away from them a little here. Great on-the-whistle apex jump of pretty much the entire left side of track from Psyclone, but the Wenches are picking up the majority of an increasing tally of penalty calls. It’s 115-68 to Windsor at the half time break. Having been unable to find a bar on site, we decide to see if it’s possible to run the length of Alexandra Park, neck a pint and shot in Wetherspoons, and make it back through the park in time for the second half. Short answer: No. The scoreboard reads 146-77 on our return. PoiSin Cherry is on a power jam for Windsor now. She has more experience of a tournament like this than most on track – having featured prominently for Basingstoke Bullets in last year’s Heartland Series – and must be relishing making her RWRG debut against fellow Hampshirians.
Portsmouth captain the Duchess of Crutches battling to hold the Wenches packs together as Windsor’s strong jammer rotation continue to edge up the lead. Halcyon Daze, T-Wrecks and Wheelma Flintstone amongst the standout blockers for the navy blues, but the home town defence – particularly Riley Cyrus, Melvin, Muscle Crowe and the ever terrifying Trashbag – are giving it back with interest. The strength of the RWRG packs forcing a number of star passes and jammer penalties from the navy blues, but Pompey hit the ton mark with Windsor around 75 ahead. The Royals react in the best way possible, with the likes of Vix, Cherry and captain Cle chalking up 50 without reply. 230-104. About six minutes left. Wenches try to take advantage of a PJ but the Windsor pack are giving away very few points here. A few (mostly short) jams and a final whistle follow. Windsor’s 252-130 win roughly matches pre-game expectations – the differential is a little smaller than a prediction based on UKRDA rankings, but a little bigger than the Euro prediction – and RWRG top the table after the first game of National South. There’s still another fourteen divisional games to go, of course, with the first of those in just 30 minutes time…
It turns out that what wasn’t possible during half time *is* possible during the break between games, and we get back from ‘spoons suitably refreshed in time for the second game’s skateouts. The sizable and stylish London Rockin’ Rollers travelling support seem equally refreshed, but don’t they always? Seaside Sirens 3-0 ahead after a quick hit-and-quit first jam. A relentless tide of scoring passes from the LRR starclads follows, with Jack Attack, Beat Girl and captain Rammit building up a hefty London lead. It’s 54-4 with less than ten minutes gone as the steaming Rollers flatten their Essex opposition. Von Bitch and Betty Swollox particularly effective in the red packs, both rocking in a lot of offence to sweep Sirens out of the London starheads’ way. Killer Bite is probably Southend’s most threatening jammer at the moment, but she – along with the likes of Ella Gnaw, Force Ten Gail and Pegasus – is finding it punishing going against the LRR packs. 114-7 says the scoreboard now. A far cry from the previous time these two teams met, four months ago in Southend, when the Essex side edged the game 150-147.
The Rockin’ Rollers have a lot more experience of tournaments (albeit weekend ones) than the vast majority of UK leagues, and they’re clearly aiming to get off to a flyer in British Champs. Despite the best defensive efforts of Sirens captain Frocky Balboa, WhoRae, Hell De Jour, Gail, Gnaw and more, the LRR jammers bag almost every lead status and continue wreaking havoc… Jacks grinning to the Rockin’ Rollers fans on scoring passes, as is her way… Rammit going jammer on jammer to edge off rival starheads… Beat Girl, arguably London’s most effective starclad in this first half, proving as sprightly as a truck full of Sprite… Rebel Rebel starring up to good effect too… With 216-65 on the board at the interval, the Sirens will need a miracle to pull this one back, and it’s not to be. Southend do actually fare a bit better in the second period, but whilst Pegasus, Bite and Gnaw are bagging a fair few leads, tough blocking from Flash Bang Wallop, Deadly Devito, VB and others keeps the Essex jammers from profiting much. Final score: London Rockin’ Rollers 372, Seaside Sirens 162. Slightly more than double the predicted differential.
So LRR sit atop the table after the first National South game day, their +210 differential putting them above fellow victors Windsor on +122. The Rockin’ Rollers have a great chance to further cement their top spot later this month. Not only are LRR hosting the event on Saturday 21st February, but they’re taking on Bristol Roller Derby – the lowest ranked side in the division – whilst second place Windsor don’t have a game. The day’s other match-up sees the mighty Brighton Rockers kick off their own campaign. The Sussex side will be hoping to take a leaf out of LRR’s book as they face off against the Seaside Sirens. All this awesome action is taking place at Newham Leisure Centre, a short bus ride from Plaistow tube (easily accessible from Sussex by jumping the District line at Victoria or Blackfriars). Tickets are £12 in advance (£6 kids) from the link below, with doors at 2pm, derby from 2.30-6pm and a roller disco after party to follow. ‘Bring it!’ as they say.
[Photos by Mindy Cherry Photography]
BRITISH CHAMPS: http://www.britishchamps.com/
CHAMPS FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/BritishRollerDerbyChamps
CHAMPS TWITTER: https://twitter.com/BritChampsLIVE
21ST FEB FB EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/1376880975944236/
21ST FEB TICKETS: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/306219
MINDY CHERRY PHOTOGRAPHY: https://www.facebook.com/mindycherryphotography
NATIONAL SOUTH TEAMS
ROCKIN’ ROLLERS: http://londonrockinrollers.co.uk/
SEASIDE SIRENS: http://www.seasidesirenrollergirls.com/
BRISTOL RD: http://www.bristolrollerderby.com/
PORTSMOUTH: http://www.portsmouthrollerwenches.com/
ROYAL WINDSOR: http://windsorrollergirls.com/
Tagged Brighton Rockers, Bristol Roller Derby, British Champs, London Rockin Rollers, Portsmouth Roller Wenches, roller derby, rollerskating, Royal Windsor Roller Girls, Seaside Siren Roller Girls, sport, UKRDA, women's sport
January 31, 2015 by brightonbrats
New In (B-)Town: Introducing the Brawlers…
We begin a week of daily website updates in the run up to the Brighton Rockers game on the 7th with a look at another league entirely. Yep, it seems the mighty Rockers are no longer the only show in town, with the arrival in Brighton of a second roller derby league. The B-Town Brawlers describe themselves as Europe’s first gender-inclusive derby side, and we caught up with co-founder FINN THE HUMAN for a few words about this new league…
Hi there. Firstly, can you explain how the B-Town Brawlers came into being?
The Brawlers came about with a Facebook conversation between me and my friend Jak, when we decided that Brighton needed a men’s team. I realised as a transgender person that I didn’t feel comfortable in an exclusively female or male league and recognised that there was a humungous need for gender-inclusive roller derby by talking to the trans and queer communities. All the existing UK roller derby leagues defined gender in some way, shape or form, whether that is talking about a ‘women’s’, ‘men’s’ or ‘co-ed’ league (co-ed is defined as both male and female).
This can really suck for people who are transgender, non-binary, agender or intersex; who do not define as either male or female, as they have to choose to be in either a male or a female league (or be a male or female in a co-ed league) under UKRDA rules. They aren’t allowed to just be themselves: non-binary. Gender inclusivity is a huge part of the Brawlers’ ethos. We don’t discriminate entry to the league based on gender and you can be any gender to join. In cahoots with my partner Elly and Jak, the concept of setting up a derby league on this basis steamrollered very quickly and we found lots and lots of dedicated people who made it grow.
Do you have many links to the Brighton Rockers or the three (women’s, men’s, juniors) Eastbourne leagues? Are you going to be a ‘rival’ team to them?
We’re very close to the Eastbourne leagues who have been extremely supportive, and also our Brighton big sister league who have also been great. Both have offered to lend us skaters and officials, and offered holy advice. I guess we’re kind of like the Rockers’ queer little sibling and Ebo’s younger cousin! We currently have skaters who originate from the Eastbourne leagues, the Rockers and Cambridge. As to being rivals, even though some of our pre-Fresh Meat skaters are incredible, I think it will be quite a long time before we’re rivaling anyone! Also, if the Rockers end up being a WFTDA league, the chances are that we wouldn’t be able to bout them in any official capacity anyway.
Exactly how inclusive are the Brawlers? What aims and ambitions do the league have?
We currently have an age limit of 18+, but there have been talks of a gender-inclusive youth league in the pipeline, so watch this space! We don’t discriminate against people on their age, build, skating ability or disabilities and we have people from all walks of life involved in skating and non-skating roles. We aim to be as inclusive and as accessible as possible, shown in our motto that we “Never leave a person behind”. This has made our practices somewhere really positive to be.
We also have a safer spaces policy that protects the members of our league, which many leagues don’t feel the need to do. This means that people in the league are much better protected against discrimination, which can unfortunately still happen in the derby world. We have a really tight-knit support group and welfare team too, who work really hard to make our league members feel safe and represented. Aside from that we have campaigns and fundraising groups who are trying to make roller derby a more inclusive sport. With fundraising, we’re trying to raise money for people in the community to afford skating sessions and kit; people who may not otherwise be able to enjoy the mental health benefits of sport.
Our league has skyrocketed in a matter of a couple of months. We now have over 50 people involved in skating and non-skating roles, and that number is increasing daily. Our Fresh Meat programme starts this weekend and we’re really excited about that – we have so much planned! Our long term aims are to create a space for people who are trans and non-binary as well as cisgender in the greatest sport on Earth. We’d ideally like to see our success repeated across the country. We’re also looking to challenge the current UKRDA rules on gender inclusivity, and to perhaps even create a different roller derby governing body entirely – one which is gender-inclusive.
The B-Town Brawlers kick off their first Fresh Meat programme tomorrow, Sunday 1st Feb. You can contact them at Btownbrawlersrollerderby@gmail.com. We’ll have more on this exciting new league in the next issue of the BRATS fanzine Turn Left. Pick up your free copy at the Brighton Rockers v Team Dragon game in Haywards Heath next Saturday (7th Feb).
BRAWLERS FB PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/btownbrawlers
Tagged B-Town Brawlers, Brighton, gender inclusive, non-binary, roller derby, rollerskating, sport
January 4, 2015 by brightonbrats
From Rainy February to Gin in November: BRATS 2014 Review of the Year
2014 begins, as many years do, in January. The Rockers traditionally don’t play their first competitive game of the year until the league’s anniversary in mid Feb, so the first few weeks are focused on getting back to full fighting strength after the festive break. The year’s training regime sees the Brighton side link up for the first time with CrossFit Connect, who have put together a roller derby specific cross-training programme for the league. These sessions supplement 2014’s more nomadic and changeable than usual training schedule. With the Rockers’ regular venue, GYSO in Shoreham, closing its doors on January 3rd, training will be split between Hove’s King Alfred and the smaller Moulsecoomb Leisure Centre.
Somewhat surprisingly, none of the Rockers on the longlist for Team England (Bash, Sham and Sophia) make the final cut for the World Cup squad. There’s no time to wallow in this as things are hectic in February. The league’s first Fresh Meat programme of the year kicks off on the 2nd and the Sussex side celebrate their fourth birthday on the 14th. The following day sees Great Manchester’s Rainy City as the opponents as Brighton take to the track in Haywards Heath for the year’s first open door game. The Northern side rank five places above the Rockers going into the game, but a battling performance in an epic match sees the Sussex league take a narrow victory. (REPORT) Meanwhile, BRATS become the first fans group accepted as contributors to the National Museum of Roller Derby – check out our fanzines and shizz there next time you’re in Glasgow. (NMRD)
After the nerve-wracking comeback against Rainy, there’s an even narrower Brighton home victory four weeks later on March 15th against Paris Rollergirls. With much of the UK derby community’s attention focused on Birmingham, where the inaugural Men’s World Cup is taking place, the Rockers are nearly 100 points behind at half time in Haywards. The Sussex skaters won’t give up though, and the final few jams see them edge past their French opponents to take it by four points. Yowser! (REPORT) As if this isn’t enough excitement for the month, two teams of Rockers face off against each other in the Warrior Run, a punishing obstacle race, on the 30th, raising over £700 for the league in the process. A quieter April sees no public events, but the Rockers use the opportunity to commence their second Fresh Meat programme of the year.
May is Festival Month in Brighton. The Rockers get into the swing of things by taking part in the Fringe City event that kicks it all off, before taking to the track against Middlesbrough Milk Rollers a week later (10th). We persuade William Hill to take bets on the event – the first time anyone has taken bets on UK derby – and the 2-5 odds they give on an MMR victory prove prescient as the visitors (then the highest ranked English league in the UKRDA) become the first team to ever beat Brighton at home. (REPORT) As five members of February’s Fresh Meat programme pass the skills test necessary to become fully fledged Rockers, the league celebrates by taking a mixed level team across the water on June 7th, taking on Switchblade RollerGrrrls in Lille. It’s a tough challenge in tropical conditions for Brighton’s small mixed squad, but there’s not much in it scorewise. (REPORT)
Later in the month, the league hold an open session for those interested in derby as part of the TakePART Sport initiative. There’s another home game for the A-team All-Stars on July 26th as they take on near neighbours Croydon at the Dolphin. The rankings website predictions are expecting a comfortable Rockers win here, but the visitors play tight and tough to keep down Brighton’s margin of victory. (REPORT) The game marks the retirement of Rockers legend Mistress and also sees the launch a huge new range of league merch, with multiple T-shirt designs, badges, bottle openers and more. (T-SHIRT SHOP) Aside from Shambolic’s fundraising piercathon at league sponsors Punktured – and the small matter of captain Racey’s wedding – the Brighton skaters take things fairly easy in August. As do we at BRATS… shamefully it takes us nearly two months to post our report on the Croydon game. Oops!
The Rockers All-Stars play an unprecedented sixth home game in a row (including one in November of the previous year) on the 20th September. The opponents are Bristol Roller Derby, the only lower ranked side to have ever beaten the Rockers A-team. That was in a UKRDA tournament at London’s Alexandra Palace in May ’13 and it looks like the two sides will be making a habit of meeting in UKRDA competition – Bristol will be Brighton’s first opponents in the 2015 British Championships. The two sides’ 2014 meeting is tipped to go Brighton’s way, but turns out to be a tougher battle than expected. (REPORT) The one win apiece record sets things up nicely for the leagues’ February 2015 meeting. In BRATS news, we decide we don’t like our fanzine font any more and perform what we grandly call a ‘redesign’ for the Bristol issue. (FANZINE ARCHIVE) The month also sees the release of a short documentary about the Brighton league. (PIVOT BLOCK JAM)
October sees us initiate the most ill-judged contest ever. A photograph of BRATS member Maki sporting one of our baseball caps in Reykjavik encourages us to ask fans to send photos of themselves wearing one as far away from Brighton as possible, with the winner getting… er, a BRATS baseball cap. The rest of the year sees Maki and another member, Mr Dean, trying to outdo each distance-wise. Back on home soil, the Rockers realise an away game is long overdue and make the short trip along the cost on the 25th to take on Portsmouth Roller Wenches. It’s another close but well fought victory for the Brighton league. (REPORT) Moving into November, the Rockers blag their second big name signing of the year. Former Eastbourne head coach and captain Swann joined over the summer, and this month sees the arrival of one of Croydon’s most iconic skaters, Gin Atomic. The South Londoners receive Rockers ref Banger as part of the transfer fee.
Gin has barely trained with the Rockers when she’s thrown into action, with the league sending a small mixed level squad up North to play Manchester Roller Derby on the 22nd. (REPORT) As with the Lille trip, the result might not be the one Brighton wanted, but the opportunity to give some newer skaters gaming experience could prove invaluable. Especially as the Rockers – who have never really had that big a roster – will need to select a 20-woman squad for British Champs. BRATS celebrate our second birthday by shamelessly interviewing ourselves. (BIRFDAY) We also fix it for a new board game to feature a zombie version of Sham in her Rockers kit as one of its figures. (ZOMBN1) The year comes to an end, as most years do, in December, which is pretty quiet. Keep an eye on this website for our 2014 Awards, plus a look ahead to the Rockers’ much anticipated 2015 National League South campaign. Yay!
ROCKERS 2014 OPEN DOOR RESULTS
15th Feb: Rockers All-Stars 174 v Rainy City 163
15th March: Rockers All-Stars 178 v Paris Rollergirls 174
10th May: Rockers All-Stars 123 v Middlesbrough 230
7th June: Switchblade RollerGrrrls 171 v Rockers mixed level 136
26th July: Rockers All-Stars 163 v Croydon RD 151
20th Sept: Rockers All-Stars 277 v Bristol Roller Derby 209
25th Oct: Portsmouth Roller Wenches 159 v Rockers All-Stars 221
22nd Nov: Manchester RD 243 v Rockers mixed level 115
ROCKERS 2015 BRITISH CHAMPS FIXTURES
Note: British Champs released the incorrect fixtures/venues online.
The ones we carried here previously were wrong. These are correct.
21st Feb v Seaside Sirens (in East London)
21st Mar v Bristol Roller Derby (in Southend)
9th May v Royal Windsor Roller Girls (in Bristol)
11th July v Portsmouth Roller Wenches (Haywards Heath)
8th Aug v London Rockin’ Rollers (Venue TBA)
BRIGHTON ROCKERS
BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tagged 2014, BRATS, Brighton Rockers, Review of the Year, roller derby, rollerskating, sport, UKRDA, women's sport
December 24, 2014 by brightonbrats
Manchester Roller Derby v Brighton Rockers report
It used to be all fields around here. Still is, if one Rocker’s Sat Nav is to be believed, taking her as it does upon a grand tour of various green spaces where the team’s hotel is supposed to be. The Brighton league have sent up a small squad – a mixture of A-teamers, recent arrivals and upcoming rookies – to take on Manchester Roller Derby this weekend. Much of the trip will be spent expeditioning to and from said hotel, for it is only nominally in the City of Manchester, the same way that Luton and Stansted Airports don’t really merit their London prefixes. We could have warned them of the amount of commuting their choice of accommodation would entail, as it happens, since we’ve been doing some work for a television company in this very suburb – Didsbury – and soon cottoned on that Stockport rather than anything with Manchester in its name was the closest large train station. (Feel free to check out some of said TV work by clicking HERE to watch a script about roller skating we writ for three year olds. The BRATS beer fund is boosted by 0.002p in royalties for every online view. But we digress…)
The venue for today’s game is itself in one of Mancunia’s distantest suburbs. The evocatively named Urmston is home to the George H Carnall, a small but perfectly formed leisure centre attached to a school. Few Rockers make it across the plains of Stretford in time to catch the start of the men’s game that precedes their own. The Manchester league is home to several flavours of derby (women’s, men’s, co-ed) and their geezers A-team New Wheeled Order are taking on Team Boy Division here. The latter is a team assembled from members of various other (mostly Northern) men’s leagues. As one would expect, the Manchester side are better organised than their mixed league opposition, although Boy Div have a lot of very strong individuals in their ranks. The visitors are playing with a very small jammer rotation here (3-4) with some players you might have expected to star up, such as Southern Discomfort’s Shrooms and Inhuman Leaguer Doug Hisgrave, sticking to defensive duties. The pyjamas-legged Jim Jams and Lt Damn are among the home team’s most dangerous jammers. Though NWO are on top for much of the first half, their lead at the break is fairly slender (91-59).
The Brighton players have spent much of the multi-car journey up here trying to guess what music was playing in the other vehicles based on their occupants’ dancing. Now it’s time to get serious, celebrating the relative novelty of a derby venue having lockers, before finding out if the skating surface is as slippery as advance warnings have suggested. With their practice laps complete, the Rockers entourage take to the bleachers for the second half of the men’s game. Just ten skaters here for Brighton, along with bench coach Mistress and line-up manager Racey. The latter caused something of a fluster in UK derby’s counter-clockwise circles earlier this year with a blog post that suggested (not unreasonably) that not every single advanced boot camp should be purely co-ed. Some people took this post to mean that she wanted all male derby players to be castrated, before being thrown onto a bonfire that she would personally dance around, laughing maniacally whilst reciting feminist poetry. Security are understandably keeping an eye on her, but Racey somehow resists the temptation to Emily Davison herself under the NWO pack, and has an alibi for the incident that sees Lt Damn spend several seconds face down on the track. The Manchester men take the win 165-102.
The last (and only previous) time Brighton took a small mixed level squad to an open door away game, in Lille earlier this year, they were beaten fairly convincingly. The rankings would suggest that something similar is on the cards here today. Manchester are only five places behind Brighton’s All-Stars in the European table, suggesting that even the full Rockers A-team would be in for a very tough battle here. It’s not that Brighton are underestimating their opponents, just that at this time of year, with many players taking breaks from skating or otherwise occupied, these are the only game-ready travelable players the Sussex league have at their disposal. There would have been eleven here, as it happens, but a slight knock caused the late withdrawal of a temporary transfer from French Canadia. With just ten in the squad, two distinct line-ups of five is the obvious way to go. One of these contains Enyo Face, Kapow, summer transfer Swann, highly rated rookie Obliviator, and a recent transfer from Finland, Harriet Hotter. The other features Rose Bleed, Chaka Carnage, Emma the Condemner and Irish Mist, along with Gin Atomic, here making her Rockers debut after recently joining from near neighbours Croydon.
There’s something of a North-South divide in English roller derby, one that is particularly felt if you’re based as far South as the Rockers are. You get to know players from other leagues through taking part in scrims and watching other games, and for Brighton’s players that ‘circuit’ barely extends to Birmingham, let alone further up the country. Consequently, all that the majority of the Rockers know about Manchester Roller Derby can be summed up in three words: Vic Tori Bee. The England training squad member and Queens Of The Sin Bin sponsored skater is one of the rising stars of UK derby and, as expected, will prove to be Brighton’s tormentor-in-chief here today. Tori is part of a small MRD jamming roster, alongside GoGo Chanel and Smack Mamba. Even though Brighton only have ten skaters, they’ll stick with a typically large starhead rotation: Obliviator, Kapow and Enyo for one line-up; Gin, Emma and Rose for the other. Indeed, all ten Sussex skaters will get at least one outing in the star, although in some cases not for long – Irish Mist passes the star over the pack straight from the whistle when it’s her turn!
Brighton are going into this game with fairly low expectations, having had very few opportunities to practice these line-ups in advance. Indeed Gin, who only joined the Rockers a couple of weeks ago, has only skated alongside Rose once prior to today, and that was at England tryouts. We’re not sure whether this explains the debutant picking up five penalties in the first half, though, but a clean second sees her stay in the game. The Sussex side are a good match for the hosts in the early running. Although Manchester are first to put points on the board, high scoring jams from Enyo and Gin see Brighton leading 45-40 five jams in. Sadly it’s not to last – the small rotation and long journey (most of the team have been up around 12 hours now) will take a toll, as will the all round strength of the MRD Checkerbroads. Obliviator is putting in a strong and determined performance. She looks a little bewildered by the jammer-on-jammer hits Tori Bee throws her away – not something she’s encountered before – but holds up well. During the warm ups, the Rockers had identified the imposing Psycho Sis as an opponent to beware of, and the powerful blocker metes out hard hits to meet those expectations. With Emma off for a track cut, Tori puts in a 20-point jam and the hosts go into half time 110-69 up.
While the skaters take a break, the infield is given over to some bizarre Northern pastime that involves rubber ducks. It’s best we don’t explain further. Quite a partisan home crowd here, as one would expect, and the Checkerbroads have them cheering further as they win all but one of the second period’s first nine jams. A knock to Enyo sees her having to sit out three jams, temporarily reducing Brighton to a single digit squad. Manchester varying their rotation a little, giving Iko and Sirenide a turn in the star. Rockers putting Swann into jam more now, with Chaka and Harriet also getting star-clad cameos. The latter’s debut in the Brighton star doesn’t quite go according to plan, as she manages to pick up four jammer penalties in a single outing – Sirenide clocking in 22 points in the process – but the game has long since drifted out of the Rockers’ reach. GoGo has been a particular menace to the Sussex side, whilst the blocking of Psycho and captain Price has kept Brighton’s starheads at bay. The captain picks up the Best Blocker award, with Jammer going to Vic Tori Bee and MVP to Smack Mamba. Best take out (the hitting kind not the food kind) goes to Kate Push for spectacularly upending Gin at high speed. For the Rockers, Kapow picks up Best Jammer, Swann takes the Blocker award and Gin picks up MVP on her Brighton debut. Rose wins best take out, despite insisting she’s never taken anyone out ever. Final score: Manchester Checkerbroads 243 – Brighton Rockers (mixed level) 115.
The Rockers will miss much of the after party as they have to go back to their hotel first. As we’ve already established their hotel is so far out from the centre it’s practically in Wales. Whilst waiting for taxis to the party, they toast their defeat with Prosecco served in teacups. Stay classy, Brighton. Despite the result, it’s been a productive trip, giving a lot of newer players a chance to line up with established stars in a competitive match. With the numerically limited Sussex league having to put together a tournament roster of 20 for next year’s Championships, some players from outside of the Rockers’ traditional A-team fourteen will be getting a chance to shine. General consensus is that Obliviator in particular is a potential star in the making – a few days after the Manchester trip she will pick up the league’s Skater of the Month award. For now, she joins the rest of the Northern expedition in the Courtyard, a crowded student sports bar in Central Manchester. The long day catches up with the Sussex squad, who bow out of the noisy pub early for the relative sanctuary of a nearby Nando’s. The next day sees a sauna and swim before the journey back South, although a serious problem with Rose’s car means a somewhat longer vacation in the fields of Didsbury for some of the Brighton crew.
The Rockers round off 2014 with a mixed scrimmage in Hove, featuring a lot of skaters from the Croydon and Eastbourne leagues alongside Rockers and others. It’s a real nailbiter and goes to an overtime jam – a steward’s inquiry will later reveal some creative score tracking at work to make the scores level at full time. So onto 2015 then. What’s happening next year? What’s happening is the first ever British Championships, that’s what. A whopping 72 women’s teams in thirteen divisions (plus three men’s divisions) forming probably the biggest league programme in world derby. The lowest tier features six divisions of five teams each. Above that four divisions of six teams. Then the top two tiers, which are for UKRDA member leagues only. The top division features powerhouses Glasgow Roller Derby, Auld Reekie (Edinburgh), Tiger Bay (Cardiff), Middlesbrough, Rainy City (Manchester) and Central City (Birmingham). Brighton wouldn’t look out of place in such a division, having beaten two of those teams, lost to three and never met Tiger Bay. For now the Rockers start, as do Manchester, just below in one of the two tier two divisions. Manchester are the lowest placed team (22nd in the UKRDA rankings) in a very strong National North division, where they are up against Leeds (6th), the other Leeds league Hot Wheel (7th), Newcastle (12th), Nottingham’s Hellfire Harlots (14th) and Hull (20th).
Such is the strength of Northern leagues – note that there’s no Southern sides in the very top division at all – that the National South division looks marginally weaker by comparison. Brighton are actually the highest ranked side in the division (9th) and will be facing Royal Windsor (10th), London Rockin’ Rollers (13th), Portsmouth (15th), Southend’s Seaside Sirens (19th) and Bristol (25th). Brighton have the upper hand in games v LRR, Portsmouth and the Sirens, have won one and lost one v Bristol, and have surprisingly never met Windsor. The 2015 Rockers roster is going to be fairly different from that which has brought the league to their current position in the rankings, so it should be an interesting tournament. All game days are double headers apart from the final day which is a triple header. This means (we think) that Brighton will play one home game and four neutral/away. There will be other non-Champs games next year too, although we suspect the Rockers might try to avoid playing potential Champs opponents in these (they could face the National North sides in play-offs). Overseas opposition seems quite likely. The Rockers ‘owe’ Gent a rematch in the UK and are similarly due a trip over to Paris – neither of these would surprise us. Who else? Hmmm… Whilst we consult the rankings sites to guess potential opposition, grab yourself a mince pie and a pint of brandy – or whatever people are supposed to drink at Christmas – and we’ll see you in the New Year. Merry festives one and all.
[Photos by Shirlaine Forrest. Thanks to the Rockers who spoke to us for this report.]
MANCHESTER ROLLER DERBY: http://manchesterrollerderby.com/
BRITISH CHAMPS FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/BritishRollerDerbyChamps
BRITISH CHAMPS WEBSITE: http://www.britishchamps.com/
Tagged Brighton Rockers, Manchester Roller Derby, New Wheeled Order, roller derby, rollerskating, sport, women's sport
December 3, 2014 by brightonbrats
Roller Derby World Cup 2014 preview
It might be a world of cold here on the Sussex coast, but things are hotting up over in Dallas, Texas. This weekend sees the second ever Blood & Thunder Roller Derby World Cup. There’s a whopping THIRTY national sides taking part in the 2014 tournament, quite a jump from the thirteen that took part in Toronto in 2011. The action kicks off at 9am Texas time (3pm GMT) tomorrow (Thursday 4th Dec) and runs until around 8pm on Sunday, ie 2am Monday over here. If you don’t happen to be near enough to Dallas to pop down and watch it in the flesh, weekend passes for the online stream cost about £30 ($45). That might sound spendy, but it does include over 70 tournament games – albeit with three taking place at once until the final day – along with four exhibition matches (Vagine Regime, USA v USA, Juniors and WC All-Stars). Failing that, you can follow the scores on Twitter.
As in 2011, the Rockers are one of the few highly ranked UK leagues with no players taking part in the World Cup. The Mighty Mighty Bash was part of England’s team in the previous tournament, but not as a Brighton player. [Incidentally, Bash’s mum was part of Team New Zealand in 2011 – unfortunately the two nations didn’t play each other.] Although she had being coaching the Rockers for nearly two years at the time of the World Cup, Bash didn’t transfer to Brighton as a player until a couple of weeks after the tournament, so officially took part in the WC as a London Rockin’ Roller. She was one of three Rockers who made it to the 60 skater ‘longlist’ for England’s 2014 squad – along with Shambolic and Chariot Sophia – but surprisingly none of them made the final cut. Which can only suggest that the twenty who did are BEYOND EPIC. As far as we know, no-one from Brighton tried out for any of the other national sides, whilst a few English leagues (with much bigger rosters than the Rockers) have players representing six or seven different countries.
That’s not to say there’s no Sussex folks involved in Dallas. There are – just not on wheels. John Hesse is one of the busiest photographers in derby these days. As well as being the official tog for all three leagues (women’s, men’s, junior) in his hometown Eastbourne, he also does the honours for the Rockers, both in terms of the awesome action shots you’ll find on Facebook after most home bouts, as well as official player portraits. Almost half the photos we ourselves use, on this website and in our fanzine, are John’s, so he’s kinda the official BRATS photographer too. This weekend though, he’ll be donning a pass in Texas as official shutter clicker for the largely UK based Team West Indies. Having documented the young national team’s build up to the tournament, he’ll be capturing the on and off track Dallas adventures of a side many derby fans worldwide have already adopted as their ‘second team’ for the tournament.
There’s local representation amidst the ranks of the NSOs too. Pettichoke cut her officiating teeth with the Brighton Rockers. You can still catch her (clipboard in hand) at derby bouts in Sussex, but she’s become increasingly in demand for NSO duties further afield. One of a handful of UK officials with a Level 2 WFTDA Certification, Pettichoke recently acted as Division Head NSO for the South West in the Heartland Series, the tournament that is giving birth to next year’s British Championships. This weekend she’ll be in Texas as part of one of the six NSO crews keeping the World Cup on track. Bombshells and sometime Rockers ref Danger Russ, who head reffed Heartlands South West, is also present on a different NSOing crew, and we believe some members of the announcing team – such as Seaside Siren Mother Mercy – are no strangers to Haywards Heath either.
OPPONENTS ON TRACK
Whilst none of Brighton’s small roster of players are taking part in this weekend’s tournament, some of the skaters who are will be familiar to fans as players the Rockers have faced on track in recent years. Of the thirty teams taking part, 17 are European and the majority of these will contain at least one person to have played against Brighton. Further afield, the same is true of Team West Indies, although the fact that most of their squad is UK based/born might be a factor there! Indeed, Bash’s alma mater and close friend league of Brighton, the London Rockin’ Rollers play a major role in TWI, with Jack Attack benching and Inside Line editor Rammit captaining the side alongside a further three LRR players. The West Indies player to have met the Rockers most recently on track is Croydon’s Polly Filla, who took part in July’s epic derby derby at the Dolphin.
So which World Cup team features the most people who have played against the Rockers in open door competition? The logic of geography would suggest England, but we’re pretty sure that’s not the case. A whopping 70% of England’s twenty woman squad come from a single league, the fearsome London Rollergirls. Although Brighton have faced LRG’s B- and C-teams on track, most of their England contingent were already ensconced in the A-team at the time. Half of England’s non-LRG players have played the Rockers in Haywards Heath this year [Middlesbrough duo Terri Sudron and Ellie Storey plus Rainy City’s Fay Roberts], but we’re still only looking at five or six players in total from the national squad. There’s a similar number in the French squad, with many of the small roster that Paris Rollergirls brought to Sussex in March present in Team France – including diminutive jammer Hooligan, probably our favourite opposition starhead of 2014. Belgium could have been in with a shout too, but a planned Rockers’ rematch with the country’s top side Go-Go Gent is yet to take place, and very few of Gent’s sizable WC contingent took part in the previous (March 2012) game.
As far as we can tell, none of the Welsh squad have played against Brighton. We think the same is true of Norway, Sweden and Denmark, with only Bristol’s The Blizzard keeping Finland from a similar tally. The Rockers have previously said that several Scandinavian leagues are on their wishlist of future opponents, so these sides could be worth keeping an eye on. Elsewhere, the Dublin Rollergirls are one of only two teams [Cambridge Rollerbillies being the other] that Brighton have met both home and away. With five of the players they faced in the Ireland squad, alongside other opponents from Leeds, Central City and Glasgow, a grand total of eight of the Irish twenty have gone up against the Rockers. The Emerald Islanders will have to settle for second place in this contest, though. Brighton players probably don’t want reminding of their two trips north of the border last year, but the strength of the two teams they faced – UKRDA ranked #1 Auld Reekie and #2 Glasgow – is clear from the fact that a whopping fifteen of Scotland’s WC twenty come from those two sides. At least ten of these played against the Rockers, as has LRG’s Sarah Oates. With more than half of their squad having met Brighton on track, we therefore declare Scotland as the WC team the Rockers (kinda) know best. Whether this means you should support the Tartan Army, or indeed the exact opposite, we’ll leave up to you…
GROUP ONE (New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Wales)
We expect that at least one well known Rocker will be cheering for NZ in this group. The Kiwis finished 8th in 2011 and the other three sides are all World Cup newcomers. South Africa are the most unknown quantity here. Roller derby is less well developed in Norway than in some nations, with only a couple of teams of note, but the national side have also drawn on players from the likes of LRG and Texas here. A lot of people in the Welsh derby community were surprised Wales couldn’t get a team together for 2011, so they’ll certainly be chomping at the bit in their first appearance on the world stage.
GROUP TWO (France, Switzerland, Brazil, Portugal)
Paris Rollergirls spend much of their time playing leagues in European powerhouse nations England and Germany, with somewhat variable results – thumping victories one minute, last jam losses the next. With PRG players forming the backbone of Team France, the national side will be looking for more consistency if they are to improve on their 7th place finish at the last World Cup. They shouldn’t have a problem making in through the group stage – only Brazil have previous WC experience, finishing 12th in 2011. The presence of two Portuguese speaking nations should prove for interesting rivalry and on track banter.
GROUP THREE (Sweden, West Indies, Japan, Chile)
By far the most interesting group geographically. Will the differing cultures these teams represent lend themselves to differing styles of derby? Sweden finished 6th in 2011 and are hoping to better that here. A lot of people are wondering if Team Japan can win the hearts and minds of the crowd the way their men’s team did earlier this year. They’ll have competition in the crowd favourites’ stakes from the West Indies. The Caribbean islands are largely represented here by skaters from the London Rockin’ Rollers and Birmingham Blitz Dames – the latter’s home venue hosted this year’s inaugural Men’s Derby WC, and one wonders if that will give them any advantage in dealing with the atmosphere and energy of such a global tournament.
GROUP FOUR (Finland, Scotland, Colombia, Mexico)
The Finns finished 5th last time out and will be hoping to continue their record as the top Scandinavian side. [Actually Finland isn’t technically part of Scandinavia, but you know what we mean.] The Rockers-bashing Scots are coming into this tournament on a wave of confidence. At league level, Glasgow Roller Derby and Edinburgh’s Auld Reekie have a strong hold the top two spots in the UK derby table, with only LRG and Stockholm above them in the Euro rankings, and the national side have had a lot of strong wins recently. They’ll be looking to improve on their 11th place from 2011, but neither Colombia or Mexico will be anyone’s pushovers.
GROUP FIVE (Australia, Italy, Belgium, Greece)
The Aussies took 4th place at the last World Cup and should be confident of a similar finish this time around. Melbourne’s Victorian Roller Derby are one of only two non-North American leagues to have penetrated Division 1 of WFTDA. They were narrowly edged out by LRG in the Championship quarter finals, although they have since overtaken the Londoners in the rankings, With VRDL’s bench coach and a cluster of their players in this Australia squad, they certainly have top level experience in their ranks. Amongst those cheering the Aussies on from a sofa in Sussex will be Rockers star Racey. The three European sides here are fairly unknown quantities, although Belgium has the stronger local leagues.
GROUP SIX (England, Germany, Ireland, Spain)
This is the only all-European group and features three sides that finished in the Top Ten in 2011. England took third then and will be looking to go one better this time. Many had tipped Germany to take the third place going into the tournament, based on the strong European showing of leagues like Bear City and Stuttgart, but they had to settle for 9th. That was just one place above Ireland, which suggests the battle for the second qualifying place in this group could be amongst the most intense in the tournament. A fair few Rockers hail from Ireland, so we can expect the likes of Maidenderry and Irish Mist to be cheering on their countrywomen. Our fanzine advertiser Mr Séamus will too – especially as we’ve promised him his next ad for half price if Ireland qualify for the knockout stages.
GROUP SEVEN (Canada, Argentina, Denmark)
The two top seeds have the benefit of one less opponent in the group stages. Canada finished second in 2011, but lost quite heavily to England in France in February – a match that England star Missy Rascal missed her league Rainy City’s away game v Brighton to take part in. They should walk this group stage, however. Argentina finished last out of the thirteen teams in the previous World Cup, but their men’s team were the breakout stars of this year’s Men’s WC and the women will be hoping to emulate that. Denmark, largely built around players from Copenhagen Roller Derby, won’t be making things easy for them though.
GROUP EIGHT (USA, Puerto Rico, Netherlands)
We’re not saying it’s inevitable that the USA will win all their WC games by 300+ points, but it would be a big surprise if they didn’t. The world’s top derby nation by quite some way (home to almost 90% of WFTDA’s Division One leagues) are locked on to repeat their 2011 tournament victory. The other two sides are new to the World Cup. The Netherlands isn’t as strong a derby nation as some would expect – its top ranked side Amsterdam place well below a couple of leagues from neighbouring Belgium, for example – whilst Puerto Rico, whose people recent voted to become the 51st state (something the US has yet to agree on), are a real unknown.
KNOCKOUT STAGES
We’re not going to try and guess the group standings here, as there are sure to be at least a few upsets along the way, but we will point out a few match-ups we’d like to see. Firstly, should the West Indies finish second in their group they would almost certainly meet England in the first knockout round. This would provide an interesting situation where almost everyone on track skates for an English league! The way the tournament is structured, with a re-seeding of teams for the quarter finals, means a lot of the more interesting potential match-ups (such as Sweden v Finland or Australia v New Zealand) are highly unlikely. One very logical sequence of results would see England meeting New Zealand in the quarter finals – three years too late for the Family Bash. The closest game could well be Canada v England – in all likelihood these teams will meet in the semis and juke it out for the honour of being roundly hammered by Team USA in the final. We’ll know soon enough.
MEANWHILE, IN BRIGHTON…
Although all eyes in the derby world are on Dallas this weekend, there’s still plenty to get excited about in the world of the Brighton Rockers. Last week, for instance, the league officially became a Limited Company with a five woman board of directors. This is a necessary prerequisite for quite a lot of exciting things in the world of international derby, fundraising and more, so let’s see what develops in the coming months and years. The divisional structure for the 2015 British Championships (a national league pyramid) is being announced in the next few days. We’re expecting Brighton to feature in the Southern section of a second tier here – even if we’re right, we still have only a remote idea of who they’ll be up against. That will all become clear this week, with the full 2015 Champs fixture list due to follow a week or two later. Meanwhile, keep an eye on this website next week for a report on Brighton’s recent trip to play Manchester Roller Derby. Don’t use up all your screaming and cheering on this weekend’s World Cup. Save some for the Rockers’ upcoming Championship season, yeah…
WORLD CUP SITE: http://rollerderbyworldcup.com/
SCHEDULE: http://rollerderbyworldcup.com/schedule/
LIVE STREAM: http://rollerderbyworldcup.com/live/
BRITISH CHAMPS: https://www.facebook.com/BritishRollerDerbyChamps
Tagged Blood & Thunder, Brighton Rockers, British Championships RD, Dallas, Heartland Series, roller derby, Roller Derby World Cup, rollerskating, sport, Team England, Team West Indies, Texas, WFTDA, women's sport
November 20, 2014 by brightonbrats
Manchester Roller Derby v Brighton Rockers preview
It seems like only a few hours ago that we were posting up a report on the Rockers last away game (Portsmouth) and now we’re just two days away from the next one. This time it will be a mixed level Brighton team taking part, with several newer skaters lining up alongside a selection of A-team stars. The venue is somewhere called Urmston – why are Northern place names so much more evocative than Southern ones? – and the opponents are Manchester Roller Derby, one of two major leagues in the area. (Brighton edged past the other, Oldham based Rainy City, in a home match at the start of the year). The game is this Saturday November 22nd at the George H Carnall leisure centre. Doors are at 2pm, with tickets priced at £7 in advance or £9 on the door, and the day also features a men’s game. See the links at the bottom of this piece for more info.
TRAVEL AND THAT
We know Manchester fairly well, having previously worked a day or two per month there. That was a few years ago and things have certainly changed, not least in terms of travel. Several airlines used to fly between Gatwick and Manchester, with the resulting competition driving the fares down to as little as £20 each way. Sadly no-one flies that route these days, so unless you’re driving (circa 4.5 hours) the alternatives are three days by coach or a fortune by train – actually, it’s about eight hours by coach, costing around £50 return on National Express. The train comes in at £101 return. Although there are no longer direct trains from Brighton to Manchester Piccadilly, the journey from London to the Northern city is now probably the fastest domestic train line in the country, taking just over two hours. Total journey time from Brighton to Manchester comes in at around 3h45. Urmston itself is quite a way out from the centre, though. A local train takes about 20 mins (change at Oxford Road) and costs £3.20, but there’s a mile to walk at the other end. The 256 bus gets you closer (Lostock Road) but takes around 50 mins from Piccadilly Gardens, just up from the station.
The after party is back in the City Centre at the Courtyard Bar in the über studenty Oxford Road area – they do cocktails for two quid each, squee! Hotel wise, the fact that Manchester City FC have two games over four days is probably a factor in wiping out most of the affordable hotel rooms. The majority of even middling hotels in the centre are currently after an eye-watering £200-300 for a room on Saturday night, making the Britannia Sachas in the trendy Northern Quarter a comparative bargain at £109. Our one cultural tip is the Science Museum. Our pub tips include Britons Protection (hundreds of different whiskies), Peveril of the Peak (awesome exterior), The Temple (a toilet – literally!), The Grey Horse (cheap ‘n’ crafty) and the Fab Cafe (life size Doctor Who aliens and 90s indie discos). All are located along the Deansgate to Piccadilly Gardens drag, should pub crawls be your ‘thing’.
Normally we’d give you a run down of how the predictometer at Flattrackstats expects things to go, and these are usually pretty accurate, but since Brighton are fielding a mixed level team things get complicated. Manchester’s A-team CheckerBroads place 19th in UKRDA and 34th in Europe, whilst the Rockers All-Stars are ranked 10th and 28th respectively. Depending on which of the two ranking systems you use, FTS would call this as a either 84% or 58% probability of Brighton winning. The UKRDA differential of 52:33 represents something like a 208-132 away win. Using the Euro stats a 12:11 differential equates to the Rockers sneaking it 156-143. However, using the ranking data of Brighton’s old B-team Bruisers (158th in Europe) gives Manchester a 98% win probability, with a 35:11 differential suggesting a comfortable home win in the region of 210-66. This suggests a mixed level Brighton squad should end up with anywhere between a 150-point loss and 75-point win. Hmm…
Estimating the result of the day’s other game is even harder. Manchester’s New Wheeled Order men’s team rank 20th in the world for men’s teams (6th in the UK). Opponents Team Boy Division is a mixed league team, however, put together for the day using skaters from half a dozen or so other men’s sides. There’s no way of ranking – and therefore, no way of predicting – a team like that. Generally speaking, though, established sides tend to get the better of mixed exhibition teams, so we’d expect NWO to take the win here. In a moment we’ll be hearing from Manchester Roller Derby’s GoGo Chanel about what to expect on Saturday, but first of all here’s an exclusive first interview with the Rockers’ brand new signing, Gin Atomic…
GIN ATOMIC – BRIGHTON ROCKERS
Hi Gin. Welcome to the Rockers. For anyone who doesn’t know of you, can you tell us about your background in roller derby prior to joining Brighton a couple of weeks ago?
Hello! I’ve been skating for nearly four years now. Previously I was with Croydon Roller Derby. I had no skating experience before I joined CRD but was hooked after my first session.
You were one of the most well known Croydon players – featuring on iPhone cases, calendar covers, etc. Was it difficult leaving CRD? What were the highlights of your time there?
It was really hard making the decision to leave CRD as I absolutely love those guys. The bond you build up training and bouting together over the years is insane. I have so many highlights, I don’t think we’d have enough space for them all! I’m just really excited to watch them continue on their huge upward trajectory. They’re a very strong and hard working team and I’m expecting big things from them. And I still chat to a lot of them, especially Agent Cooper as she lives down here in Brighton too.
When and why did you decide you wanted to join the Rockers? What’s the process for transferring derby leagues – we assume it’s not quite the same as football transfers with agents, wage demands, etc?
I’ve been living in Brighton for two years now. Slowly the twice weekly commute to training started to eat away at my finances and sanity. (Anyone who dreads the term ‘Rail Replacement Service’ will back me up on that!) It’s been quite a casual transfer process as I know a lot of the Rockers lovelies already. I popped a message over to one of the league directors. I imagine it was discussed a bit then I got a message back to say I was welcome whenever and let’s discuss dates. I never thought of wage demands, dammit.
Presumably you knew a lot of the Rockers prior to transferring? Has it been an easy transition? Any people in particular who have helped you settle in?
Everyone! They’re all lovely. I’ve been with Brighton ref Noise Tank for three years now, so initially met most of Brighton Rockers Roller Derby through him. I’ve guest skated at training a few times over the last couple of years and always try to make it to BRRD games and/or after parties when I can, so I’m friends with a lot of the girls that way. I think it made my first training session a little less daunting at least, and those I didn’t know have been so welcoming. I’m very good friends with a few Rockers alumni too, like Mistress, Banger and Sham who I see outside of training.
You’ll be making your Rockers debut this Saturday. Do you know much about the Manchester Roller Derby side you’re facing?
I played against Manchester when I skated with Croydon, but that was three years ago! I know they have some solid, nippy little jammers for sure. I have no clue what the outcome will be this time. I haven’t been training with Brighton for long, so all I’m focusing on at the minute is getting to know the default tactics. We have some strong skaters, so think it’ll be good fun whatever happens.
The day also features a men’s derby game. Do you follow merby at all? How would you say it compares to the women’s game?
Noise Tank used to skate for Southern Discomfort, along with a lot of Croydon refs and CRD head coach Herbie Licious, so I’ve followed them a fair bit. Noise and I have coached Eastbourne men’s side Bomb S’Quad a few times too. I do like watching men’s derby – the rules are obviously the same, but it can be a very different game to watch compared to women’s.
Finally, what are your ambitions with the Rockers and derby in general going into 2015 and beyond?
I’m hoping to make the A-team as a jammer and a blocker. I enjoy both so have my work cut out for me in trying to get track time as both. I’m looking forward to British Champs next year as I’ll hopefully get chance to skate against some teams I haven’t played before. Looking into the future, I’d love to coach. I was co-coach for Croydon’s B team Vice Squad and I really loved doing it.
GOGO CHANEL – MANCHESTER ROLLER DERBY
Hi there. Firstly, for anyone reading this who might not be aware of MRD, can you tell us a little about your history to date?
Manchester Roller Derby were formed in March 2010 when two skaters from Rainy City Roller Girls splintered off to try and form the world’s most inclusive roller derby club. Like all leagues we’ve been through our ups and downs, training venue changes, wins and losses – but we’ve managed to pull it off and build two men’s teams, two women’s teams, plus a co-ed team that took away the trophy at the first ever co-ed British championships.
Are there any particular MRD players or tactics that fans should keep an eye out for on Saturday?
Our big crowd pleaser is the lovely Vic Tori Bee – she not only made the Team England training roster, but is also a high profile coach who has been all over the country imparting her wisdom. She’s a double threat, so you’ll probably get to see her both jamming and blocking on the day. Tactically I wouldn’t like to give too much away, but we were glued to the WFTDA Championships and spied a few tricks that we’ll be testing out for ourselves. Whether we’ll be as good as Rose City or Gotham at them we’re yet to see!
This game will be your first meeting with the Rockers. Do you know much about the Brighton league? Care to predict the result?
I’m a little biased on this one as my partner is a Brightonian, so I’ve been down to the Dolphin Centre to cheer on the Rockers and have been itching to play them for a long time. As a jammer, I fell a little bit in love with Rose Bleed the first time I saw her and I can’t wait to go up against her. It’s difficult to predict the outcome, Brighton are ranked much higher than us but they’re fielding some newer skaters and we have the home advantage. I’m hoping it will be a tight and exciting game that challenges both sides.
The day also features MRD men’s team New Wheeled Order taking on mixed Team Boy Division. How do you expect that game to go?
The NWO game should be an interesting one – they are one of the most cohesive mens’s teams I’ve seen play and it’ll be a real challenge for a mixed team to go up against them. Boy Division do have an advantage in that some of them have trained with MRD in the past and know some of their tricks. Shrooms from Southern Discomfort (a fan favourite at the recent Men’s Champs) and Fish from Barrow Infernos are regulars at MRD’s Sunday evening scrimmage. On the Manchester side I’d keep an eye on Alien Al – he’s a relative newcomer to the squad, having transferred from The Inhuman League earlier this year, but he’s making his mark on the team and is definitely one to watch.
How does men’s derby differ from women’s, and what ways has it benefited the MRD women’s teams having associated men’s sides?
MRD have always trained co-ed and our scrimmages have always been co-ed, so many of our skaters have never really known a life without that. We’ve developed together. I think NWO have adopted some of the teamwork and caution that is present in the ladies’ game. Meanwhile, the men have taught the ladies some of our fearlessness and aggression. When we skate together we don’t really see each other as members of different teams; we’re all MRD.
Can you tell us a bit about your venue. Is there much in the way of seating and vendors, is there a bar on site, etc? What can we expect from the after party?
Our home venue is George H Carnall in Urmston on the edge of Manchester. We have great tiered seating and a multitude of vendors. Our cake stall is legendary and I’d also recommend stopping by Laurie Pink’s stall – she skates for the CheckerBroads as Pinky Fingaz and you can buy miniature canvases of her paintings, sometimes even hand decorated shoes and bags. Unfortunately we’re not lucky enough to have a bar, but we do make up for it at the after party! The Courtyard is in the student area of central Manchester and boasts student prices. You can normally find masses of sweaty, smelly roller girls and boys taking over the heated, sheltered courtyard outside.
Finally, for those making a weekend of it, are there any sights or activities in the Manchester area that you recommend?
Manchester in November is one of the best times to visit, so you’re in for a treat. We have fantastic Christmas markets (avoid the big squares and wander down the side streets for shorter glühwein queues and unusual handmade gifts). Our Northern Quarter is full of trendy independent shops, bars and restaurants. It’s a place where Buddhist vegan cafes share walls with dripping burger joints – a bit like our own little Brighton!
[Photos by John Hesse & Shirlaine Forrest]
ONLINE TICKETS: http://tinyurl.com/mrdnov14
GAME VENUE: http://www.traffordleisure.co.uk/centres/george-h-carnall/
PARTY VENUE: http://www.courtyardmanchester.co.uk/
MRD WEBSITE: http://manchesterrollerderby.com/
ROCKERS SITE: http://www.brightonrockers.com/
Tagged Brighton Rockers, CheckerBroads, Manchester, Manchester Roller Derby, men's roller derby, New Wheeled Order, roller derby, rollerskating, sport, UKRDA, women's sport
Women from Portsmouth and Brighton met in a leisure centre. You won’t BELIEVE what happened next…
The imposing pale honey majesty of the Palace’s exterior – Saint Leu stone facade and sandstone paving – glints in the late June sun as a procession of officials, reporters and observers file into the building. Close to a thousand in all, packing into the Galerie de Glaces, the Hall of Mirrors. Introductions solemnly despatched, the signatories step forward from the crowd and form a queue at the table. First the Germans, then the French, British, American and Italian representatives. One by one they approach the sheet of parchment spread out across the table in front of them, each adding a shakily scrawled signature and official seal. Just shy of 230 nights have passed since the armistice was signed at Compiègne, bringing to an end the War To End All Wars. Now this piece of limed, stretched and whited sheepskin – upon which inked names slowly dry in the draughty Versailles hall – represents the best hope for enduring peace across Europe and the World…
Shambolic up against Awesome Wells in the star. Two packs colliding in a maelstrom of black and navy, cyan and white, combatants on both sides being grounded by a succession of hard hits, but up fast and back into the fray. Home crowd cheering as Wells takes the outside line, four whistles ringing out to end the jam. Rose Bleed and captain Emma the Condemner look at each other and sigh. 14-8. Brighton had opened well, taking single pass wins in each of the opening three skirmishes (Swann v Nina Nunchucks, Rose v RIP McMurphy, Kapow v Wells) to lead 14 nothing. The Wenches starhead trio have hit back to take the next round of battles though. Into the eighth now. Announcer Sassy McAwesome reminds us there have been no jammer penalties for either side yet. “Although I’ve probably jinxed it by saying that,” she adds, as Rose obligingly takes a penalty box star seat. Two good PJ passes for McMurphy ties the game at 22 apiece – that’s half a bottle of whisky in the roller derby drinking game.
The ever impressive Mighty Mighty Bash and Hairy Fairy hold Wells back well with their backs. Great jinking stepovers from Kapow through PRW’s defence, but a hard hit from Duchess of Crutches forces a ground-bound call from the Sussex starhead. Whooligan v Nunchucks take to the line. Both sides are putting out really strong packs today, but the initial initiative has been slipping away from the Rockers as the game (albeit still in its early stages) has progressed. Bench guru Mass Janeycide, presumably looking to shore things up, calls Brighton’s first team timeout. The Sussex side are fielding a small roster here – a prior head injury having seen Derby McGee withdrawn from the squad – with more than half of the eleven forming the jammer rotation. Those six against PRW’s band of three means that (until PJ starts confuse matters) we’ll be seeing a lot of repeated match-ups in this game. The powerful Nunchucks faces Swann then Whooligan, captain RIP goes up against Rose and Bash, and Wells takes on Kapow and Sham. Another four jams pass with everything staying super tight on the scoreboard. 33-32 to Brighton it says.
The next one’s a biggie. Awesome Wells off early for a track cut. Kapow looking to take advantage, Bash clearing a path with the kind of offensive defence for which she’s famed – Malibash Stacie and Duchess both sent flying on the same hit. Twenty point jam. Just over ten minutes left of the period, Wenches bench Tess Of The Derby Wheels calls a TTO. Back on track a barely containable McMurphy gets lead straight from the whistle, but Bash is out seconds later and quick to close her down. Track cut call on Sham sees a power jam for Wells, but Rose (returning from the sin bin) blocks her advance nicely. Star pass to Dropkick Molly as Sham returns. The navy town navy blues holding Kapow back strongly now, with the likes of Miss Dynamighty, Halcyon Daze and Brookslide proving particularly tough in the Wenches packs. Duchess marshalling the Pompey walls well, one eye as ever bedecked in what we assume is plastic garden mesh. (There’s a bunch of goldfish in a garden pond somewhere glaring ominously at the oval hole in their cat protection shield.) Rockers maintaining the twenty point gap Kapow carved out in the 15th still. Sham on a power jam, getting knackered and battered by a tough Hampshire defence. Rose off for an accidental trip on Halcyon in the last jam of the period. Brighton lead 90-64 going into the break.
It’s a dying art. The papersmiths – their noisy machines pressing wood pulp at a rate of knots – will do for artisans like George and Albert soon enough. The brothers know it. That’s why they’re branching out, getting into leather gloves these days. Still, the original family business is not dead yet. It begins at the farm. The skin must be removed within hours of slaughter or the flesh will have started to rot and the end product won’t match the Stallards’ exacting standards. Into the lime pits (pokes) it goes, topped up with water from the Homewell, soaked in there for a week or so. Scrape off the wool, back in the pokes for a couple more weeks; split off the inner skin, more scraping, then stretch it out on a frame; chalk and soda ash to remove the last of the fat, boiling water to parch the skin; shaved and levelled, left to dry; more chalk, more ash; washed, rubbed and cut to size. Ten weeks all told to produce probably the finest parchment in all of Europe…
There’s talk of a possible bar somewhere here in Havant Leisure Centre, but we’ve gone for the old trick of filling our shoes with bootleg rum and hiding really long straws under our clothes. We take a quick saunter around the hall, puzzled passers pondering what that squelching sound might be. Cupcakes, raffles, vendors and merch. Brief chat with the Hoodlum Fang posse who advertised in our last fanzine. Off skates Racey is personing the Brighton merch table, whilst the Wenches one is staffed by the former manager of the official Rockers pub. Small world, but then these two sides are pretty close neighbours on the UK derby map – only Eastbourne, Croydon and (Guildford based) Surrey live nearer to BN1. Kit checks starting. Back to the seats. Don the stupid hat to ensure no-one sits next to us. Realise we can’t read a single word of our notes from the first half. Take a couple of long slurps of shoe rum. Second half notes can only get worse. Wenches on the attack as the action resumes, Nina taking full advantage of a PJ start to claw back half of the 26-point deficit.
Enyo Face and Bash pegging back RIP McMurphy and the navy gang’s talisman is starting to look human (rather than superhuman) now – well, as human as you can look when you have a giant skeletal grimace painted across the lower half of your face. Brighton reasserting themselves strongly in Jam 4 as a pack of Whooligan, Hyde ‘N’ Shriek, Cake Or Death and Sham holds off Nina Nunchucks, whilst the ever sprightly Rose wheels in pass upon pass. 117-81. Dropkick Molly has replaced Awesome Wells in the Pompey rotation this half and she’s up against Swann next. Hairy Fairy and Bash pinballing Wenches pivot Duchess back and forth across the track until the frustrated PRW linehead gets sent to the box. Swann adds 23, the same Rose chalked up last jam, and with only one pass in reply the Rockers are starting to build up a commanding lead. The dudes in Brighton black are getting LJ time and again now, the Sussex side sitting on the shiny side of a 50-point gap. Rockers blockers suddenly being sent off left, right and centre, though – back block, multi player, etc. An official timeout sees Derby McGee rush twixt crowd and bench to tell the Rockers something important, possibly “try not to get sent off so much, yeah?”
Nunchucks pitching in with a bunch of great apex jumps now, but Brighton are maintaining that 50-point differential jam by jam. Eleven minutes left as RIP picks up a penalty, Brookslide knocking Cake all over the track as Shambolic notches up some points. (This will be the ninjasome Rockers triple threat’s last game for some time as she’s joining the Rockers’ burgeoning ‘foreign legion’.) Janeycide calling for an official review over something or other. Packs trash-talking (or maybe nice-talking) on the pivot line as the zebras huddle. McMurphy starring up alongside Swann a fair bit this half. The Brighton jammer, who has often cited RIP as the player she most admires, is giving as good as she gets in these exchanges. Duchess trying to edge Kapow off in the next jam, but the plastic eyed Pompeyite gets called out for a penalty. That makes seven and she’s out of the game. Probably not long enough left now for the Wenches to miss her too much, though. Swann edges the Sussex side over 200. PRW respond with a swish move, Molly passing the star to Wells over both packs’ heads as the jam begins. Another Portsmouth star pass attempt in the next (and final) jam, but it’s deemed illegal and their captain takes a seat in the penalty box as Kapow jams in a handful to round things off at 221-159.
We text a Portsmouth friend for suggested pubs in Havant to visit before and after today’s action. The response – “Decent pubs? In Chavant? Hahaha” – is none too encouraging, so we go for the chain of last resort. J D Wetherspoon, oh how we love you. Supping on a warm Jägermeister whilst ducking the chunks of mushy peas being flung around the place by endless tables of bawling infants, we look at our notes from the game. Those muck-chucking babies can surely write more legibly than we can? We mull over exactly how wrong – and stupid and selfish – it would be for us to feel a tiny bit relieved that Sham is taking time off from the Rockers, since in our drunken scrawl ‘Sham’ and ‘Swann’ look identical, so anything we’ve attributed to one in this piece could well have actually been done by the other. We gaze across the pub, hoping for some kind of local colour to pad out the review, that being the sort of shyster thing we’d try to get away with. A display on one wall explains the local history that gave this pub, The Parchment Makers, its name. The whiteness of Hampshire chalk and cleanliness of Havant’s springs made the town’s parchment the brightest and most prized around, apparently. Even the Treaty of Versailles (28th June 1919) was written on Havant parchment, they say…
Swann (or possibly Sham) picks up Brighton’s Best Jammer award, with Best Blocker going to Hairy Fairy and MVP to Bash. For Portsmouth, the awards land on Nina Nunchucks (Jammer), Halcyon Daze (Blocker) and Brookslide (MVP). Brighton’s margin of victory is roughly double that predicted by Flattrackstats, which is especially encouraging considering the small squad the Rockers used. The day’s other game sees Portsmouth’s B-team take on the Killa Hurtz from Chelmsford. As announcer McAwesome points out – almost as if she’s reading aloud from the preview on this very website – FTS had called this as 87% likelihood of a Wench win. Although PRW will indeed take the victory, the freshly bouting Essex side prove tough competitors. Perhaps taking after league icon McMurphy, there’s enough face paint for a Kiss convention upon Pompey’s B-team ranks; Valkyrie Pain’s silver face, Atomic Affliction’s eye stripe, Hurricane Hayes’ extra mouth and more. This trio are amongst the standout jammers for the Hampshire side, along with pacy Hel On. Fleet footed Space Hop’her and Snarley Quinn are battling hardy and hard in the Killa Hurtz star, ably assisted by Essex blockers like tough-to-pass Princess Prissy Pants and captain Clark Smash. The likes of Smash Hips, Wheelma Flintstone and A-team bench coach Tess keep things tight in defence for PRW.
The last few jams are notable for more “duty manager to customer services” tannoy announcements than we’ve ever heard – hopefully these don’t relate to the cheap Aldi rum currently leaking from our shoelace eyelets. Rakey Brakey Face puts in some great scoring passes at the end for Killa Hurtz, but the Wenches take the win 230-177. As with the A-team game, Portsmouth have done roughly half as well (points margin wise) as online predictions suggested. Saying that, online predictions are 90% computer guesswork and several PRW players had to double up to play in both games, which can’t have been easy given the physicality of the two matches. After another quick pint in the Parchment, we catch a train to Southsea, spending much of this journey removing peas from our hair (and the rest of it adding rum to our footwear). After party venue The Honest Politician is a boisterous bar in the heart of Studentsville. The staff refuse to serve us five Jägermeisters in a single glass, claiming it’s illegal. Just as we’re about to recite the entire 2003 Licensing Act at them to prove it’s not they put five single shots and empty tumbler in front of us. Strange laws in this part of the world, but hey – at least they let us in. Something various Wetherspoons near the train station will later be reluctant to do, no matter how much we insist Sketchers that smell like rotten Captain Morgan are quite the thing in Sussex these days.
Portsmouth and Brighton are both back in action this Saturday (22nd November). The Wenches take on London Rollergirls’ third team Batter-C Power in Crystal Palace at an event that also features an LRG exhibition game (England superstar Kamikaze Kitten’s last match on home soil). Ticket details are in the link below. Meanwhile, the mighty Rockers are heading North, with a mixed A-team and newer players line-up taking on Manchester Roller Derby in Trafford, a few miles South West of the City Centre. The day also features Manchester’s men’s team in action and we’ll have a full preview up on this website super soon, including an interview with recent Rockers recruit Gin Atomic. It’s gonna be an awesome game, so get there if you can. Looking beyond this weekend, the fixtures for next year’s British Championships are due to be made public in the next few weeks – a free shot of shoe rum (like sloe gin, but infinitely more toxic) to anyone who leaks them to us before then. These are exciting times in UK derby, folks, especially for fans of the mighty Brighton Rockers. We don’t need a document signed and sealed on Havant parchment to tell us that!
[Photos by Andrew Paul Hayward – Raw Speed]
MANCHESTER V BRIGHTON
TICKETS: http://tinyurl.com/mrdnov14
LONDON v PORTSMOUTH
TICKETS: http://tinyurl.com/m6ylrhs
BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIPS 2015
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Tagged Brighton Rockers, Havant, Portsmouth Roller Wenches, roller derby, rollerskating, sport, UKRDA, women's sport
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Source: Cuomo may be willing to come out as bisexual for a Cabinet position
Sources close to Andrew Cuomo tell The Chronicle that the Governor may be willing to come out as ‘openly bisexual’ if he happens to be offered a Cabinet position in President-elect Joe Biden‘s administration — presuming that Biden is eager to project a diverse-governing thematic and that he is looking to make ‘historic-first’ appointments.
To New Yorkers’ immense disappointment, Biden passed over Cuomo in his appointment of Antony Blinken as Secretary of State, though it’s thought that Cuomo is still in contention for the position of Attorney General.
“There’s never been an openly bisexual Attorney General,” the source insists. “Kissinger implied he was a swinger, but he never said anything about swinging that way. Let’s knock open that door.”
While Cuomo does not feel like he needs to make such an announcement, the source explains that “he would be totally fine with it” and would be happy to serve in Biden’s cabinet in an outwardly prideful way.
Although he has identified publicly as straight for most of his career, Cuomo is said to have been “loosening up” since his separation from his longtime girlfriend, Sandra Lee — who has vowed “to always protect” Cuomo despite their separation. He’s even appeared at press conferences in polo shirts that flatter fresh nipple piercings.
It’s widely rumored that he has been exploring the complicated world of leather and has been secretly dating Norweigen billionaire Stein Erik Hagen, the chairman of an Oslo-based consumer products conglomerate. The Chronicle is unable to confirm the veracity of those rumors.
Hagen has three children from his first marriage and a son from a later relationship. In October 2015, Hagen came out on the Norwegian-Swedish talk show Skavlan and said that his ex-wives and family have known about his bisexuality for many years.
Planning a Niagara revival for years, it’s time for Cuomo to help Milstein, Trevino
No area businessman has been more dogged in his pursuit of Niagara Falls’ economic revival than Roger Trevino, the former NFL sports agent from Texas who now manages Manhattan billionaire Howard Milstein‘s real estate interests in the Cataract City. That
Cuomo win ignites volatile secessionist movement
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s reelection win amid multiple corruption scandals has ignited a volatile secessionist movement across upstate New York. Sentiments regarding the Governor’s $45 million campaign account have been exacerbated by deep resentments of downstate political machines, big city elitism, and a longstanding political
Kaloyeros’ cooperation may throw Ciminelli defendants under the bus
Alain Kaloyeros, the former head of SUNY Polytechnic and a principle target of public corruption charges that have engulfed the administration of Governor Andrew Cuomo, is widely thought to be cooperating with the United States Attorney’s office. Earlier this week
D3F1ANT says:
Cuomo will come out IF he gets a cabinet position? Is that how it’s supposed to work? Seems like the issue should be separate and not contingent on what he thinks he’ll get out of the deal. If I were an alphabet soup person I’d be offended by the quid pro quo aspect of Andy’s ridiculous game. Makes it seem VERY insincere.
Cliff CliffordG says:
The ONLY thing that needs to happen to crooked, corrupt, “emperor” cuomo is arrest, trial conviction and a prison sentence for mass murdering thousands of seniors in nursing homes by sending in covid -positive people that resulted in their deaths.
Punk says:
Both Cuomo and Diblasio should be forced from office by mobs of the people they failed.Abuse of power and dereliction of duty,failure to uphold and abide by the oaths they swore.The first mobs were peaceful and demonstrating…the next wave should come armed…in uncontrollable numbers and for e them to flee with only the clothes on their backs.
Ghost gunner says:
NY Post reported that Cuomo transferred a NYS Trooper who is banging Cuomo ‘s daughter from his personal protective detail to road patrol in the frozen tundra near the Vermont border. The Trooper nor the Union dare not say anything for fear of reprisal from this power obsessed miscreant.
Perhaps it is time to send “emperor” cuomo (and “king” deblasio) to the frozen tundra of
SIBERIA, along with all his communist cohorts (so-called “representatives”) in Albany and N.Y. city,
Attorney General? Seriously? This crooked bully was inches away from being indicted when he killed the Moreland Commission. Then went on to murder elderly people in nursing homes, wrote a book about how great he is, and won an Emmy for no good reason. Yep, sounds just like what the democRats are looking for….
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COASTAL OBSERVER
Pawleys Island makes plans to keep July 4th parade rolling
By Charles Swenson|May 21, 2020
A float in last year’s parade celebrate family connections.
Pawleys Island will celebrate the Fourth of July with a parade.
“It may be difficult to practice social distancing,” Mayor Brian Henry said. But he added, “I can’t imagine Pawleys without a Fourth of July parade.
While the town agreed to move forward with plans as the state begins to relax restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, the fate of the Murrells Inlet boat parade is still uncertain.
Lee Hewitt, who organizes the boat parade, expects to get a permit from the state Department of Natural Resources, where employees were returning to their offices this week after working from home. He will meet next week with the owners of restaurants along the Marshwalk, one of the prime spots for viewing the parade.
“How do you safely open up the Marshwalk to all those people?” Hewitt said.
He said the parade will only go forward if the organizers can find ways to adhere to guidance on social distancing from the state Department of Health and Environmental Control and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Pawleys Island parade brings people from vacation homes along the route to watch and most of the participants in decorated trucks or boats on trailers are from family groups, Henry said.
The parade also draws spectators from off the island, who line the streets and stand several rows deep on Myrtle Avenue at the intersections of the two causeways.
“I’m in favor of having the parade,” Council Member Sarah Zimmerman said. “It’s not forcing anybody to come out.”
A graphic designer has come up with a logo for the parade T-shirts at no cost to the town, Henry said. He planned to circulate it among Town Council for comment.
The town delayed ordering the T-shirts because of the uncertainty surrounding public gatherings.
The Murrells Inlet boat parade T-shirts are sold by the Boy Scouts at Belin Memorial United Methodist Church. The troop wants to move forward, Hewitt said. He already has the logo and the theme, “Independence Day the Inlet Way.”
“They hope to have the T-shirts ready to sell in a week and a half,” he said. The cost will be $10 and the troop is working on sales locations.
Both parades face timing issues.
The Pawleys parade starts at 10 a.m. With July 4 falling on a Saturday, that will coincide with people trying to check out of rental houses.
The inlet parade, if held, will start a 5:30 p.m. on a rising tide. Boats will leave from Garden City Point and should arrived at the Marshwalk around dinner time. There will be no registration or trophies this year.
Even if there is no formal parade, “nothing would stop everybody from going out at 5:30 on their own,” Hewitt said. “That could happen.”
Human or Robot?
Georgetown County Board of Education: First and third Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m., Beck Education Center. For details, go to gcsd.k12.sc.us.
Georgetown County Council: Second and fourth Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m., Howard Auditorium, Hawkins Street, Georgetown. For details, go to georgetowncountysc.org.
Pawleys Island Town Council: Second Mondays, 5 p.m. Virtual meetings.For details, go to townofpawleysisland.com.
click for PDF
TOP 5 MOST READ ARTICLES OF THE WEEK
1 Education: Students will start new term with four days of classes
2 Recreation: Newest phase of bike path picks up where first phase left off in 1997
3 Georgetown County: New chairman wants to unify council
4 Land use: Vote on apartments deferred as opposition mounts
5 Coronavirus: Hospitals get 15,000 requests with vaccine available to 70-plus
Read this week's edition online.
P.O. Box 1170, Pawleys Island, South Carolina 29585
97 Commerce Drive, Pawleys Island
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The Pine Ridge Association at
Henry W. Coe State Park
About Coe Park
Gilroy Yamoto Hot Springs
District Superintendent Orders
Visitor Centers and Park Entrances
Dogs at Coe Park
Coe Park Calendar
Coe Park Events
Interpretive Programs
Nature Corner
Support Coe
The Pine Ridge Association
Pine Ridge Association Board of Directors
The Ponderosa Newsletter
Uniformed Volunteer Program
Coe Merchandise
More Coe Merchandise
Contact the PRA
PRA Contact Form
Please refer to the Henry W. Coe State Park page on California State Parks website for the latest news on park restrictions and closures.
Dowdy Ranch Visitor Center
The Dowdy Ranch entrance is now closed for the 2019 season.
The Dowdy Ranch Visitor Center site (elevation 1,670 feet) includes a visitor center, restrooms, drinking water, an equestrian staging area, shade ramadas, and picnic tables. There are great views looking east and north to the hills of the Diablo Range. The landscape looks almost exactly as it did when early explorers like Juan Bautista de Anza traversed it in 1775. The few signs of human presence in this remote and beautiful area are old ranch roads on the ridges and a scattering of stock ponds that were once used by the cattle that roamed these peaceful hills. Stock ponds in Coe Park and are now enjoyed by wildlife as well as hikers, backpackers, mountain bikers, and equestrians and their horses.
There are several trails leading out of the Dowdy Ranch area and hikers, backpackers, mountain bikers, and equestrians can enjoy visiting the Pacheco Creek drainage, Burra Burra Peak, remote ponds, and even Coit and Mississippi lakes. Hikers, equestrians and backpackers can also explore the Orestimba Wilderness. Getting to know this remote area of the park will involve long hikes and rides with some steep elevation changes. Trails are often rough and signposting is limited, so visitors should plan to carry a park map (available for purchase in the visitor center), a compass, wear sturdy boots if walking, and carry lots of water, more water than you think you'll need, or a water purifying device, especially in warm weather.
Due to the presence of animals protected by the California Endangered Species Act, camping is not allowed within one-half mile of the Dowdy Ranch Visitor Center.
Please see Dowdy Entrance at CA.gov
Dowdy Ranch visitor center and the Bell's Station gate at Hwy 152 will be closed Monday - Friday.
Gate may close on Sat/Sun at 4:30pm if there are no vehicles in the lot when the visitor center closes.
Any day use vehicles parked in the Dowdy parking lot after sunset can be ticketed and will be locked in overnight. Backpackers may choose to start their trip on one weekend and end on the next, however, their vehicle will be locked in during the week of the trip.
Be aware the Dowdy Ranch Visitor Center is at the end of a 7 mile unpaved road that can be closed if conditions are not safe for vehicle travel. For example, the road may be closed if there is significant rainfall within 2 days of opening.
When the Visitor Center is staffed, fees are collected at the registration counter. Otherwise, there is a fee collection station in front of the Visitor Center. See the Park Fees page on the California State Parks website for current fee information.
All fee transactions at the Dowdy Visitor Center are CASH ONLY. Please bring exact change. There is no provision for conducting credit card or other electronic transactions and checks are not accepted.
Weather conditions at this entrance vary throughout the year. During the dry season temperatures may reach over 100 degrees Farenheight. Creeks and springs in the area are seasonal and most dry up causing water sources to become unreliable. Please be prepared for hot weather by carrying enough water and food for your visit. For local weather conditions go to NOAA Spot Forecast for Dowdy Ranch Entrance
The Dowdy Ranch visitor center is situated in the southeast corner of Coe Park. It is accessible from Highway 152 at Bell's Station via Kaiser-Aetna Road.
Bell's Station is located 6.5 miles east of the Highway 152/Highway 156 junction. If you're driving east from this junction, look for the left turn lane and indicate your intention to turn left well in advance. The sign along eastbound 152 has fallen down and Cal-Trans has not gotten around to fixing it yet. You'll first see a high rock outcrop on the south side of Highway 152, then the old white Bell's Station building on the north side of the highway. Move into the left turn lane and turn very carefully across oncoming westbound traffic. If you're traveling west from Interstate 5, the Bell's Station turnoff is approximately 22 miles from Interstate 5. Again, look for the old white Bell's Station building on the north side of Highway 152 and turn north at Bell's Station. If you miss the turn into Coe Park at Bell's Station traveling from either direction, proceed to the next safe place to turn around, which might be three or four miles.
The distance from Bell's Station to the Dowdy Ranch visitor center is seven miles. The road is unpaved, quite rough in some areas, a somewhat steep climb in the lower reaches, and has many turns and bends. Drive slowly and enjoy the gorgeous views opening up on all sides. Beware of dust and slow down if a vehicle approaches from the opposite direction. The road is safe to drive in 2WD vehicles, but carry a spare tire and extra water just in case. Plan on 30 minutes each way for the trip. There is no parking along the road until you reach the Dowdy Ranch area. The speed limit is 25 mph except in some areas where it is posted15 mph.
Headquarters Visitor Center
Hunting Hollow and Coyote Creek
Are you interested in learning more about Henry W. Coe State Park and sharing your knowledge with park visitors? How about helping out with annual events or maintenance of springs and trails? If so, visit our Volunteer page.
Support Coe Park
We rely on your generous support. Thank you!
© 2019 - Pine Ridge Association at Henry W. Coe State ParkPrivacy Policy
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January 23, 2011 | David F. Coppedge
Selling Evolution with Video Games and Stories
Two recent articles cast doubt on the claim that evolutionists rely on factual information to teach students their theory. When computers are programmed to make evolution happen on a screen, does it convey to what really happens in the wild?
Cloudy computing: PhysOrg reported that educators at the University of Buffalo are using “cloud computing” (software that accesses free internet resources) to make evolution more visually stimulating for students. An application alarmingly called Pop! World is the key to taking the video game culture and selling evolution with it:
“Pop! World gives students the visual background they need to understand complex mathematical problems,” Dittmar adds. “And it works kind of like a video game, which serves the current population of undergrads well.”
That visual appeal is also expected to go far with middle-school and high-school biology students, groups the UB team hopes to excite about evolution; by spring, they expect to have completed a modified version for them as well.
By making evolutionary biology more visually appealing and, thus, more accessible, Poulin hopes that Pop! World will make evolution itself a more appealing subject for secondary schools to teach.
“There’s a huge disconnect,” she says. “The universities all accept evolution as fact. It’s not a question. But many high schools and middle schools don’t want to touch it. They don’t want to deal with the politics of it.”
Her hope is that the visual and educational appeal of Pop! World and the ease of using it will begin to change that situation.
Pop! World uses digital lizards in a flash application to simulate red and green lizards evolving (see demo at popworld15.appspot.com). The gamey intro heavily emphasizes the visualization of the computer world.
Adami still playing games: Christoph Adami has not quit his addiction with Avida (05/08/2003), an evo-simulator that has been roundly debunked by scientists in the intelligent design community (see example at Evolution News & Views). New Scientist shows Adami and fellow astrobiologist Chris McKay coming up with “telltale chemistry” that might “betray ET,” and testing amino acid samples input into his software. McKay calls the search for alien amino acids the “Lego principle” blurring the distinction between scientific empiricism and toy modeling.
New Scientist quoted a critic finding a lot of uncertainty in the claim, but gave the tip of the hat to McKay, who made his philosophical assumption clear: “What we see on Earth is not a quirk of Earth biology but a universal principle.” No earthling knows that by observation.
In the Baloney Detector, visualization is one of several categories that can be good or bad depending on how it is used. Any teacher or student knows the value of positive visualization. A picture is worth a thousand words; the ability to simplify a concept by analogy and illustration is invaluable as a stepping stone to deeper understanding. But a picture can also be worth a thousand blurs. It can obfuscate, oversimplify, omit pertinent details, add half-truths, distract, and deceive as easily as can a big lie.
That is what is being done with Pop! World. The authors are intentionally appealing to the baser video-game instincts of students rather than their intellect, character, or understanding. They attempt to slide a controversial world-view into their minds by making it sound fun and easy. But what they leave out of their visualized evolution screen is far more important than what they put in: e.g., (1) no gains in genetic information can come from random, unguided processes; (2) lizard color changes are mere horizontal variations rather than upward gains in complexity; (3) mutations are more likely to kill off a population than make it more fit (whatever fitness means); and more.
Darwin’s disciples have long survived on the junk food of visualization (see cartoon). The 10-year anniversary series by Jonathan Wells about his book Icons of Evolution makes that abundantly clear. Pop! World is appropriately named at least; it is an extension of the Popeye Theory of Evolution (see 03/11/2005 and 10/31/2010 commentaries). Adami’s “Tell-tale chemistry” would more appropriately be called “Tall-tale chemistry.”
The Darwin Propaganda Machine is a storytelling empire, with evolution its mystery religion, full of magic and mysticism, adoring its own gods and goddesses like the Bearded Buddha (12/31/2009, 02/19/2009, 06/28/2007), the Blunderful Wizard of Flaws (09/05/2008), and Tinker Bell (03/08/2005). Just today on a TV Nature program, an announcer commented about a population of birds ready for “evolution to work its magic.” And you thought science was a repudiation of superstition.
If high school biology teachers must satisfy their students’ craving for video games, let them use the more realistic Mendel’s Accountant. This simulator doesn’t accept Darwinism as a given, but takes actual properties of genetic mutations and follows them faithfully through a population. Unfortunately for Darwin-lovers, evolution doesn’t fare so well on that screen. Better teach them some realism before they reach the University, where the witless novitiates become thoroughly brainwashed by the priesthood (“The universities all accept evolution as fact,” as if facts have any meaning by that stage of indoctrination).
Tags: Dumb Ideas
Categories: Darwin and Evolution, Dumb Ideas, Education, Origin of Life
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Home » Players » Kedar Jadhav
IPL 2020: CSK coach Stephen Fleming reveals why Kedar Jadhav was sent to bat ahead of Jadeja and Bravo
Posted On / October 8, 2020 / by CricketTimes.com Staff
Stephen Fleming, Kedar Jadhav (Pic Source: Twitter)
Chasing 168 to win, Jadhav walked out to bat after Dhoni's dismissal but scored just seven off 12 balls.
KKR defeated CSK in a dramatic fashion.
The MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) faced a dramatic 10-run defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. After an impressive performance from their bowlers, who bundled out KKR on 167, CSK batsmen once again failed to deliver as the last-year runner-ups fell short in the run chase.
Chasing 168 to win, CSK got off to a decent start with openers Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis adding 30 runs for the first wicket. In-form Du Plessis got out on 17 after facing 10 balls. However, Watson continued his fine form and went on to complete his second fifty of the IPL 2020. He added a 69-run partnership for the second wicket with Ambati Rayudu (30).
CSK then lost Watson and Rayudu in quick succession which yet again exposed their middle-order woes. Captain Dhoni came out to bat at no.4 but could only score 11 off 12 balls.
After Dhoni’s dismissal in the 17th over, it was expected that CSK would send Ravindra Jadeja or Dwayne Bravo to bat with 38 needed off 21 balls. However, they sent in Kedar Jadhav at No. 6 which baffled many fans and experts. As expected, Jadhav, who is struggling to get runs this season, failed to accelerate and remained unbeaten on 7 off 12 balls.
In the mean-time, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming has revealed why Kedar was sent to bat ahead of Jadeja and Bravo. The 35-year-old Jadhav was trolled heavily on social media following his dismal performance against KKR.
“At the time, we thought that Kedar could play the spinner well and dominate, while Jadeja was there to come and finish. But in the end, there was too much work to do and we fell short,” said Fleming at the post-match press conference.
“We’ve got so much batting resources. Kedar is a late middle batter for India. We could have gone a whole lot of different ways. Today Kedar had some balls but that didn’t work out. You always put players in different areas and that’s just when you have so much batting talent to choose from. It’s one of the things we look at, but it’s all in hindsight,” he added.
Fleming further stated that if CSK batsmen would have executed their plans well towards the end, then the game should not have slipped out of their hands as they were in the driver’s seat for the most part of the chase.
“If we could have got one of those players to 75-plus and continued that partnership for another maybe four or five overs, the game might have been a lot different. Kolkata hung in there long enough to put pressure on us and we just couldn’t accelerate. We feel disappointed that we let it slip.”
TAGS: Chennai Super Kings, IPL 2020, Kedar Jadhav, KKRvCSK, Kolkata Knight Riders, Stephen Fleming
CATEGORY: IPL, Kedar Jadhav
CRICKETTIMES.COM STAFF
CricketTimes.com provides Latest Cricket News, Live Scores, Schedule, Results, ICC Rankings, Stats, and Videos. Write to us at contact@crickettimes.com.
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Congregations Matter
Empowering Congregations
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Guest Essay: The Congregation’s Rights
May 4, 2017 Congregations Matter Essays and Articles Leave a comment
We all expect, even demand our “rights” – right to life, liberty, civil rights, human rights, women’s rights, rights of the unborn. As Americans, we have a “Bill of Rights.” As followers of Jesus and members of the LCMS, we have rights within our Synod. That is, until someone tries to take them away.
“The Congregation’s Rights” in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod also demands our attention. Our Synod has a history of drifting away from our foundations, a tendency in our history to lift up the human organization of Synod, or the clergy, or Synod leadership above the congregation.
Sometimes there’s a group – or an individual – pushing us down that road away from an advisory Synod. It is happening now. We need to push back.
Before the Synod was formed in 1847, the Saxon immigrants under Pastor (later “Bishop”) Martin Stephan had a polity in mind that would seem very foreign to us today in the LCMS. As they journeyed from Germany in 1838-1839 for America, their polity was strongly hierarchical, with a resolve that the clergy be considered a privileged class and that the laity would have nothing to say. It seems as though some in our current Synodical leadership would fit right into Stephan’s model of the Synod.
However, when the immigrants expelled their leader Martin Stephan for immoral reasons, C.F.W. Walther emerged as the Pastor who emphasized the Scriptural and Lutheran teaching of the “priesthood of all believers” and the “autonomy” of the local congregation. As a result, the Synod was founded in 1847 with a congregational polity, which is reflected in the current Constitution and Bylaws of the Synod.
The right of a congregation’s “self-government” includes calling of pastors and other church workers, conducting its mission and ministries at home and at large, owning congregational property, exercising the business and administrative matters of the congregation, etc.
Congregations Are of Divine Origin – the Synod a Mere Human, Advisory Organization
The congregation alone has the right by divine Institution. The Synod is but an advisory human organization. The Lutheran historical understanding of this divine “right,” comes from such Scripture passages as 1 Corinthians 3:21-22, Matthew 16: 17-19, Matthew 18: 17-20, John 20: 21-23 and others. The Lutheran Confessions also echo the above Scripture.
C.F.W. Walther, the first president of the Synod, defended the rights of the congregation against domination by the clergy or by the synod in his writings. With the Word of God, he accentuated the doctrine of the “Priesthood of All Believers,” who form congregations and who carry out their God-appointed mission.
Think about the resolutions that made it to the floor of the 2016 Convention. We now have a Synodical President and administration working against will of the Council of Presidents (a “council” of all of the District Presidents plus the Synodical President and Vice Presidents elected by the Synod at large). The historical position of honoring “Congregation’s Rights” has been for the most part swept aside, with our Synodical President reaching in to control faculty appointments, ecclesiastical supervision by District Presidents, worship styles and more.
A congregation’s right to self-govern has been limited by recent actions. Attempts to restrict the nature and function of the local congregation in such areas of ministry as the involvement of the laity, the role of women, the role of the clergy, worship, resource materials and mission have been made. Some have succeeded. Others not.
Historically and constitutionally, however, the Synod’s role is “advisor.” Synod does not have the right to restrict the congregation’s right to direct its own mission and ministry life, decisions, administration and service.
We Must Be Ever Vigilant
The integrity of a congregation’s rights is a divine matter and must remain unaltered. In its covenant of Christian love, the “association of self-governing Lutheran congregations” we call Synod will voluntarily avoid the extremes of absolute synodical supremacy and a congregational self-governance (autonomy) which has no regard for fellow congregations – while always maintaining the integrity of the congregation’s rights.
Congregations matter.
Click on This Link to Download the Entire Essay
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Korie Robertson Told Kids They’re ‘Sucking the Life out of Her.’ Their Newest Addition Is the Guiltiest
Brittany Shepherd September 5, 2017
Korie Robertson, one of the many stars of A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” and mother to six, has revealed that she’s not able to have it all together all of the time.
Machu Picchu was UNREAL, beautiful, breathtaking (literally?that altitude is no joke)! I absolutely understand why it's named one of the "Seven Wonders of the World." Still can't quite wrap my brain around it. Loved being there with family, friends and the local leaders for @helponenow in Peru. @williemago and his family have been humbly doing good work for their people for generations by building schools and dreaming dreams that are impossible without God. @helponenow is coming alongside them to build a home for trafficked children, a huge need in their area. Please join @helponenow @liveoriginal #onesquad to help make this happen! (Link in bio) Also, he's an awesome music artist, using his gifts for God's glory. Go follow him @williemago and go to my story and swipe up to hear him!
A post shared by Korie Robertson (@bosshogswife) on Aug 14, 2017 at 11:54am PDT
Roberton authored a post on daughter Sadie’s blog, “Live Original” at the end of August telling fans that she recently lashed out at her several children for being overly negative:
“I told our kids their negativity was sucking the life out of me. On a Sunday…on the way home from church. It wasn’t my proudest moment.”
Last night we had a fiesta with all of the amazing camp staff to celebrate an awesome summer @campchyoca Such a fun night and as you can see @young_and_beardless fully embraced the theme ??#family #fiesta
A post shared by Korie Robertson (@bosshogswife) on Jul 13, 2017 at 7:28am PDT
For Robertson, constant negativity from her clan has made a serious dent on her emotional health. She singled out their most recently adopted child, 13-year-old Rowdy, as the cause of this new stress, likening his downer speech to getting “the life sucked” out of her. She explained:
One of our children, who will remain nameless, (although I’ll give you a clue, he’s the newest family member) came into our lives with the propensity for negativity. His first thought is pretty much always NO. He doesn’t like it, he won’t like it, he tried it once and didn’t like it…you get the idea. Usually, he ends up liking it, but it’s after we go through a lot of negative talk, and it feels like it’s sucking the life out of me before we even get there.”
Finishing out the summer strong! Dropped this guy off at camp today and thinking about how much he's grown this past year ❤️#proudmom #strongandkindkids #summercamp #rowdy
A post shared by Korie Robertson (@bosshogswife) on Jul 30, 2017 at 6:01pm PDT
The mother added that constant “unappreciative” diatribes built up, causing her to snap. “Not to be dramatic, but their negativity was eating away at my soul,” she added.
Though her anger may have been warranted, Robertson argued, she regrets speaking with such charged vocabulary. Instead, she hopes to push her children towards a more optimistic outlook with positivity of her own.
“I like to encourage and build them up — tell them how much I love them and like them, point out their gifts and talents.”
Rowdy got his braces off ?So handsome!! Go take a look at my story to see the pic I posted of us from John Luke and Mary Kate's rehearsal dinner 2 years ago. He'd only been with us about a month at that time. Crazy how much he's grown in so many ways! In wisdom and stature! Growing into a strong and kind man of God! Love him! #proudmom #strongandkindkids
A post shared by Korie Robertson (@bosshogswife) on Jul 1, 2017 at 11:21am PDT
However, she believes being honest and candid with her children on the repercussions of their actions is best in the long run:
“Maybe we all need to hear sometimes that the way we act isn’t just hurting us, it’s affecting our relationships with the ones we love.”
She leaves her fans with a call to action, to pivot to positivity not only for yourselves but for the many people who touch your life.
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Even the most absurd obstacle didn’t seem out of the realm of possibility
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Our health system in the Pacific islands: a deadly storm
by Dr Rooney Jagilly
By G D | Our health system in the Pacific islands: a deadly storm | No Comments
Sustainable fisheries, ocean conservation, climate change and economic development are important issues our Pacific Island leaders are discussing at the UN General Assembly as well as other regional meetings. We would like to add to this discourse the health challenges the people of Pacific Island nations are faced with. The alarming rising tide of chronic diseases throughout our Pacific region must be addressed as it adds another layer of stress to health systems already taxed by infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue, tuberculosis and childhood diarrhea. Health aid is currently regionally distributed throughout the Pacific, and while this collective approach may be efficient, it might actually be harming some of our least developed countries in the region.
Cancer deaths in Melanesia are projected to increase by 43 per cent by 2030. These projections underestimate the problem in countries like Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, where cancer reporting is only just being established and where many of our people succumb to their diseases in their rural villages without ever knowing what killed them. Screening programs are underdeveloped, leaving our healthcare providers limited options to treat patients once they present with advanced, incurable diseases. The distribution and risk factors related to the cancers we treat may be unique to our region and merit comprehensive epidemiologic investigation.
Increasing numbers of chronic diseases are not the only health threats Pacific Islanders are vulnerable to. Climate change impacts such as extreme weather events, heat, and rising sea levels also adversely affect our health. The recent WHO Climate Change and Human Health conference highlighted the inextricable link between human health and climate change. It also affects our economies. The downward revised GDP growth rate in our country, Solomon Islands, on the heels of a recent deadly flood is one such example. Disease outbreaks following extreme weather events not only tax already short-staffed and under-supplied health systems, but they also turn diarrhea and influenza-like illnesses into killers.
Infectious diseases, until now, have been our greatest health challenge. Human papillomavirus, Hepatitis B virus, Helicobacter pylori and Epstein-Barr virus contribute to 18 per cent of our cancers, and outbreaks of infections like dengue fever have challenged our systems. The unfolding deadly Ebola outbreak in Western Africa has many lessons for us in the Pacific. Ebola virus reminds us that weak public health and health care systems allow infectious agents to flourish unchecked due to the inability to diagnose, contain, and treat them in a timely fashion. It also highlights that despite billions of dollars spent on disease-specific treatment programs, the public health and health care systems remain inadequate in many developing countries. Public health laboratories are the mainstay of infectious disease control, but at present Pacific Island laboratories can only perform a limited catalog of diagnostic tests. Current responses to significant outbreaks like dengue rely on the external assistance of expatriate specialists. While valuable, this is not a sustainable solution to our problem. In 2011, WHO’s Laboratory Strengthening for Emerging Infectious Diseases Program was initiated in the Asia-Pacific Region in order to address the need to develop national public health laboratories. But as of 2014 most Pacific Island nations have been unable to establish these vital laboratories in contrast to our Asian counterparts.
Pacific Island nations are not all at the same level of development and for this reason we advocate for an individual as well as regional approach toward health development aid. The 2014 UNDP Human Development Report ranks the majority of Pacific Island nations in the medium to high developed category, but Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands are ranked in the least developed category along with Sub-Saharan African countries (PNG and Solomon Islands rank 157th of 187 countries). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change AR5 uses this same development data to predict vulnerability to climate change impacts. The lower the rating, the more vulnerable Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea are. The World Risk Report Index further supports this notion. Of the 15 most at risk countries in the world in 2013, four of them–Vanuatu, Tonga, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea–are Pacific Island nations. The percentage of GDP spent on health care varies widely among Pacific Island nations: from 4.3 per cent in Solomon Islands to 10.6 per cent in Palau. This results in disparities among our region’s hospitals and clinics, medical supply chains, trained healthcare workers and in measures of health outcomes. These are valid reasons to tier aid in our region.
Strong public health services and health care delivery systems with the capacity to respond to injuries and infectious disease outbreaks, while maintaining care and prevention of chronic diseases, are needed in the Pacific in order to maintain a civil society, foster development, and prepare for future climate change impacts. Overlays of country specific programs tailored to address health development needs using stratified aid should be added to current aid schemes. We need educational partnerships with developed country healthcare professionals, administrators and technicians, as well as sector leaders, in order to put in place a broad health infrastructure that protects our people.
It is time to take a hard look at the way health aid is currently delivered in the Pacific and determine if it is resulting in better, sustainable care based upon improved outcomes. Is the program building health system strength from its foundation upward? Can we craft a new agreement on how to best facilitate this in countries like Solomon Islands by merging the current piecemeal aid into a comprehensive multi-national partnership with the host nation overseeing the program? This approach requires multinational cooperation in order to form a “health coalition” that uses political, humanitarian, economic, scientific and medical capital to meet its goals. International coalitions are employed in response to worldwide threats to freedom. We should employ the same approach in order to confront the health challenges our people of the Pacific face. Today the battle fields throughout our Pacific Islands are the hospitals and clinics where there are not enough resources to diagnose and treat increasing numbers of people with diabetes, cancer and heart disease, which have come from Western influences and the inexorable push of globalisation. Without the capacity to respond to chronic diseases, the health impacts of climate change and outbreaks of new infectious diseases, it will not be terrorism, China, or over-fishing that poses the greatest threat to our security in the Pacific region, it will be this “perfect storm” of multiple health threats that will overwhelm our underdeveloped health care and public health systems.
Rooney Jagilly MD is the Medical Director of the National Referral Hospital in Honiara, Solomon Islands. This article was written by Rooney Jagilly with help from Tenneth Dalipanda the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health and Medical Services in Solomon Islands and Eileen Natuzzi an American public health surgeon working on health development in Solomon Islands.
DAISI is a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not for-profits Commission (ACNC)
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Gosida 03.09.2020 0 Comments
Jan 16, Explore jan norton's board "need for speed classic" on Pinterest. | See more ideas about Antique cars, Cars and Rolling carts. Aug 28, · The need for speed is something men thrive for, and the Classic Car Club of Manhattan provides the perfect four wheeled fix to crank up your testosterone. NFS Classic cars are a series of vehicles with performance upgrades and special exterior customisation components. They are modified and altered based on their appearances in previous Need for Speed titles. Vehicles Gallery Audi R8 FSI quattro Cop Audi R8 FSI quattro Darius Audi R8
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6 edition of In the Zone found in the catalog.
Epic Survival Stories from the Mountaineering World
by Peter Potterfield
Published April 1998 by Mountaineers Books .
Climbing & mountaineering,
K2 (Mountain),
Sports & Recreation,
Washington (State),
Mountaineering,
Foraker, Mount,
Chimney Rock (Kittitas County),
Mountaineering accidents
Mark Douglas – Trading in the Zone Audio Book Download. I am still not a continually effective trader, but I have something to work on and exercise now to become better. I have confidence that I can do it now, whereas I didn’t previously. Robert Jordan – The Great Hunt Audiobook. In The Zone: How Champions Think and Win Big. 94 likes. Clyde Brolin's new book based on interviews with greats of world sport revealing how it feels to live the dream – and nail ultimate peak 5/5.
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In the Zone by Peter Potterfield Download PDF EPUB FB2
Nov 26, · They are irresistable. They are from the new book, In the Zone: Transcendent experience in sports.
(Penquin Arkana). It is an enormous collection of experiences that adds up to an incontrovertible body of evidence for the miraculous, mystical, psychic, and spiritual side of dwroleplay.xyz by: “In The Zone” is great book for those who are not only into sports but that are into learning what the body and brain react Michael Murphy and Rhea A.
White truly show you sports in a different way and give you a different look or what the athletes are doing when /5. In the Zone. "In the Zone" is a masterful account of three extraordinary humans and a fascinating depiction of the struggle for survival in the mountaineering world.
This gripping trilogy retells the true stories of climbers who narrowly escaped death on some of the world's most renowned peaks/5. Nov 01, · In The Zone is the fifth book in this series, and I have to say that Keith In the Zone book Brie are my favorite - so far. (I say so far because I'm 99% certain a Katie/Babs book is coming, and has been the year of Hockey Romance in my house, finding Catherine Gayle and Toni Aleo's books back in January kick started my obsession, and the Portland Storm is HANDS DOWN my favorite series/5.
Mar 12, · In the Zone “Devin!” a voice boomed out of the crowd. I was warming up on the sidelines for the second game of the Kicks season, but I stopped my jumping jacks to scan the stands. I spotted my friend Steven waving a pair of white-and-blue pom-poms and doing a silly dwroleplay.xyz: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers.
Books Advanced Search New Releases Best Sellers & More Children's Books Textbooks Textbook Rentals Sell Us Your Books Best Books of the Month of over 20, results for Books: "in the zone" Skip to main search results. The Zone Series.
Alternate History by James Rouch, where the Berlin Wall did not fall. The series takes it name from a large strip of no-mans land in West and East Germany where nuclear, biological and chemical weapons have been used by both sides indiscriminately, creating a contaminated wasteland called "The Zone".
Book 1. Rate it. "Trading in the Zone is a must read for any serious trader. It offers extensive insights into the development of the professional trader's mindset by giving the reader practical examples of what it takes to think and perform like a consistently successful trader."Cited by: 1.
He is the author of the number one New York Times bestseller The Zone as well as Mastering the Zone, Zone-Perfect Meals in Minutes, Zone Food Blocks, A Week in the Zone, The Age-Free Zone, The Top Zone Foods, The Soy Zone, The Omega Rx Zone, Zone Meals in Seconds, and What to Eat in the Zone.
His books have sold more than five million copies and have been translated into twenty-two Cited by: Zone is a French-language three-act play written by French-Canadian author Marcel Dubé. Written when Dubé was 21 and based on memories of his childhood, Zone revolves around a gang of teenaged Québécois criminals who sell contraband cigarettes, and the.
Oct 02, · Books Advanced Search Amazon Charts Best Sellers & more Top New Releases Deals in Books School Books Textbooks Books Outlet Children's Books Calendars & Diaries In The Zone: How Champions Think and Win Big and over 8 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle/5(23).
In the Zone by Alex Morgan - From FIFA World Cup Champion, Olympic gold medalist, and bestselling author Alex Morgan comes the eighth book in an empowering and Book Edition: Reprint.
Dec 29, · The Zone: A Revolutionary Life Plan to Put Your Body in Total Balance for Permanent Weight Loss - Kindle edition by Barry Sears, Bill Lawren.
Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets/5(). Big Nate In The Zone is the sixth book in the Big Nate novel series. Release Date. March, Plot. The book starts out with the destruction of Nate Wright's social studies project outline by Teddy.
Earlier, Nate, Francis Pope, Teddy Ortiz, Dee Dee Holloway, and Chad Applewhite begin work on the outline, using Teddy's dad's books. When Nate leaves his outline at Teddy's house, Teddy promises. Hi, I’m Mark Morley-Fletcher and I created Play In The Zone to help you do just that.
Click the button below to get in-depth guidance and support, including a free ebook showing you how to develop the 9 key mindsets that you must have in place in order to play like the top performers.
Welcome to the In The Sports Zone Official Store. Shop online for In The Sports Zone merchandise, t-shirts, clothing, apparel, posters and accessories. Creating Champions in Sports & Education. In the Zone presents a new approach to beginning band method books.
It’s like having beginning band lesson plans all in one place. Beginning Band Book Overview: each concept progresses through 10 levels pages!.
Skill Builders – Basic skills are developed in each unit. These skills are usually addressed in private lessons but not as. Mar 26, · Read Common Sense Media's Big Nate: In the Zone, Book 6 review, age rating, and parents guide.
Nate gets cool but sticks with friends in comic adventure. Read Common Sense Media's Big Nate: In the Zone, Book 6 review, age rating, and parents guide.3/5.
book. Once again this is Mark Douglas’s message. I am simply shortening it. Again, I encourage everyone to buy, study it, and read Trading in the Zone. This book and Mr. Douglas’s presentation dovetails neatly into everything that Todd is trying to teach.
It is. Apr 01, · Trading in the zone is not only in my top 10 trading books but probably number 1. Still can't believe that Mark Douglas died in This was my the second time I was going through this book and still found a lot of value in it.
It is hard to implement the professionals trader mindset/5. Zone Books is an independent nonprofit publishing house founded in The publisher of a select list of titles in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, Zone Books is committed to original English-language texts as well as to the translation of significant works by contemporary authors.
The Complete Big Nate collects every daily and Sunday cartoon ever syndicated. Presented in a numbered series of e-books, each containing one year's worth of strips, this is a goldmine for all Big Nate fans to see many cartoons that have never been published in books.
Aspiring cartoonist Nate Wright is the star of Big Nate. The NOOK Book (eBook) of the In the Zone: Notes on Wondering Coast to Coast by Blayney Colmore at Barnes & Noble. FREE Shipping on $35 or more. B&N Outlet. Download Trading In The zone by Mark Douglas Download PDF eBook PDF eBook.
Name of writer, number pages in ebook and size are given in our post. Check here and also read some short description about Trading In The zone by Mark Douglas Download PDF eBook. Trading in the Zone is the book that explains the difference in the thinking of successful traders versus most other traders.
% of the traders can’t make consistent profits. Rest assured, being consistent and a successful trader seems to be something that can be mastered. Zone Books Zone Books. Download Big Nate In The Zone in PDF and EPUB Formats for free. Big Nate In The Zone Book also available for Read Online, mobi, docx and mobile and kindle reading.
Jan 01, · The Hardcover of the Trading in the Zone: Master the Market with Confidence, Discipline, and a Winning Attitude by Mark Douglas at Barnes & Noble. FREE B&N Outlet Membership Educators Gift Cards Stores & Events Help/5.
In the Zone is a 22, Square foot Multi Sport Training Complex which features 3 full basketball courts, a fitness center, cheerleading mats, a performance training area, and a snack bar. In the Zone is committed to providing a positive training experience for athletes and their families in a.
The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story is a best-selling nonfiction thriller by Richard Preston about the origins and incidents involving viral hemorrhagic fevers, particularly ebolaviruses and marburgviruses.
The basis of the book was Preston's New Yorker article "Crisis in the Hot Zone".Author: Richard Preston. ZONE BOOKS. All Books History of Science Art History Anthropology Philosophy Cultural Studies History Media Studies Politics Music & Sound Studies Gender & Sexuality Economics Classics Environments Asian Studies.
By Year By Title By Author By Series. Check out this great listen on dwroleplay.xyz Book six in the New York Times best-selling series by Lincoln Peirce.
The latest novel from Lincoln Peirce is a laugh-out-loud tale starring the one and only cartooning genius, king of detention, and Cheez Doodle connoisseur, Nate Wright. Nate’s no. If the book holds your attention after the first five chapters and you like to get detail on your subjects then Trading in the Zone reads well and is interesting, even as it detours and meanders.
But if you are reading this to glean the insight and move on, then you may wish to skip the marshmallowy middle. The Zone, Pekin, Illinois. 1, likes · 62 talking about this · were here. The Zone is locally owned and has been around since November 8, I currently sell comics, collectible card games, /5(47).
The book spends an hour or so making a point that could be made in minutes. I feels like author ran out of things to say and really stretched the end to add mass to the book. That aside I feel this is one of the better books on trading and the topic is definitely very important success factor.
Jun 29, · He is the author of the number one New York Times bestseller The Zone as well as Mastering the Zone, Zone-Perfect Meals in Minutes, Zone Food Blocks, A Week in the Zone, The Age-Free Zone, The Top Zone Foods, The Soy Zone, The Omega Rx Zone, Zone Meals in Seconds, and What to Eat in the Zone.
His books have sold more than five million /5. The sixth Big Nate book in the New York Times bestselling series by Lincoln Peirce. The latest illustrated novel from Lincoln Peirce is a laugh-out-loud must-read starring the one and only cartooning genius, king of detention, and Cheez Doodle connoisseur, Nate Wright.
Nate”s not having the best of luck in fact; he”s not having ANY luck. In positive psychology, a flow state, also known colloquially as being in the zone, is the mental state in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.
In essence, flow is characterized by the complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting transformation in one's sense of time. Buy a cheap copy of Big Nate: In the Zone book by Lincoln Peirce. The sixth Big Nate book in the New York Times bestselling series by Lincoln Peirce.
The latest illustrated novel from Lincoln Peirce is a laugh-out-loud must-read Free shipping over $ The NOOK Book (eBook) of the Running in the Zone: A Handbook for Seasoned Athletes by Edited by Steve King, Dan Cumming | at Barnes & Noble.
FREE B&N Outlet Membership Educators Gift Cards Stores & Events HelpPrice: $. Aug 18, · Trading In The Zone Master the Market with Confidence, Discipline, and a Winning Attitude Audio Book - Duration: Market Frog Recommended for you Apr 04, · The Zone Diet has no specific phases and is designed to be followed for a lifetime.
There are two ways to follow the Zone Diet: the hand-eye method, or using Zone food dwroleplay.xyz: Ryan Raman, MS, RD.This is a Wikipedia Book, a collection of articles which can be downloaded electronically or ordered in dwroleplay.xyzdia Books are maintained by the Wikipedia community, particularly WikiProject dwroleplay.xyzdia Books can also be tagged by the banners of any relevant Wikiprojects (with |class=book).
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Christopher Columbus Gold Medal Award
Today’s middle school students are the Innovation Generation — everyday kids with untapped potential who are creative problem-solvers. Unlocking that potential is the mission of the Christopher Columbus Awards program, a cutting-edge national competition that combines science and technology with community problem-solving in a real-world setting.
The competition is open to all students in 6th, 7th and 8th grades. Students work in teams of three or four with an adult coach to identify a problem they care about and use science and technology to develop an innovative solution. They work with experts, conduct research and put their ideas to the test, just like adult scientists.
Two teams will receive Gold Medal Awards, which entitles each team member to a gold medal and a $2,000 scholarship.
For more information and to enter, visit the Christopher Columbus Awards website.
Here is a partial list of past recipients.
S.L.I.D.E.: Solar Light Indicating Danger Ecologically, 2013 Christopher Columbus Gold Medal Award
Written by on November 20, 2013 in 2013, Christopher Columbus Gold Medal Award, Team with 0 Comments
S.L.I.D.E.: Solar Light Indicating Danger Ecologically STEM Science Team Roan Mountain, TN Problem: Playground equipment becoming hot enough to cause second- to third-degree burns. Solution: S.L.I.D.E. – A solar powered warning system designed to detect playground equipment surface temperatures and to visually alert playground visitors when the surface becomes dangerously hot. At an awards ceremony […]
The Biodiesel Weasels, 2013 Christopher Columbus Gold Medal Award
The Biodiesel Weasels Pinnacle Charter School Federal Heights, CO Problem: Increased transportation costs Solution: “Top off” fuel tanks of the district’s buses with biodiesel fuel to help reduce transportation costs At an awards ceremony held at Walt Disney World®, two of the eight Finalist teams received Gold Medals and $2,000 per team member for their winning […]
Pinelands Eco Scienteers, 2012 Christopher Columbus Gold Medal Award
Pinelands Eco Scienteers All Saints Regional Catholic School Manahawkin, NJ Problem: Diminishing supply of fossil fuels and the pollution they cause. Solution: A unique solar collection system that is functional anywhere in the world. At an awards ceremony held at Walt Disney World®, two of the six Finalist teams received Gold Medals and $2,000 per […]
The Incrediveyor!, 2012 Christopher Columbus Gold Medal Award
The Incrediveyor! Gahanna Middle School Gahanna, OH Mont Vernon Village School Mont Vernon, NH Problem: Dangerous bacteria on grocery store conveyor belts that can contaminate our food. Solution: The Incrediveyor! a checkout belt made of hydrophobic, Teflon-coated glass fiber fabric that is continuously sanitized. At an awards ceremony held at Walt Disney World®, two of […]
Pickup Patrol, 2011 Christopher Columbus Gold Medal Award
Pickup Patrol Mont Vernon Village School Mont Vernon, NH Problem: Communications problems between parents and school administration when students’ end-of-day travel plans change Solution: An electronic system that allows parents to change a child’s after-school travel plans with the school by computer or mobile device At an awards ceremony held at Walt Disney World®, two […]
Call of the Wild, 2009 Christopher Columbus Gold Medal Award
Call of the Wild All Saints Catholic School Manahawkin, NJ Problem: Natural habitats being lost to suburban sprawl. Solution: A four-pronged plan employing action, outreach, education and political initiatives to preserve the many endangered species identified in the community. At an awards ceremony held at Walt Disney World®, two of the finalist teams received […]
Recycle Because You Care, 2009 Christopher Columbus Gold Medal Award
Recycle Because You Care St. Philip the Apostle School Addison, IL Problem: Improve local participation in recycling. Solution: Community awareness outreach regarding the importance of recycling and to supply free recycling bins to every household. At an awards ceremony held at Walt Disney World®, two of the finalist teams received gold medals and savings bonds […]
Sunbusters: Safe-Tea Sunscreen, 2008 Christopher Columbus Gold Medal Award
Sunbusters: Safe-Tea Sunscreen Science Rocks U Whiteface TX Problem: Skin cancer. Solution: An outreach program to inform others about “sun safety” and creation of a fragrance- and chemical-free sunscreen formulated from green tea. At an awards ceremony held at Walt Disney World®, two of the finalist teams received gold medals and savings bonds for their […]
PMSU, 2008 Christopher Columbus Gold Medal Award
PMSU: Portable Multi-Sensory Unit Solana Pacific Elementary School San Diego, CA Problem: Children with severe multiple disabilities (SMD) often do not receive adequate sensory stimulation. Solution: PMSU: Portable Multi-Sensory Unit – a portable and adjustable sensory stimulation device for severe multiple disabilities. At an awards ceremony held at Walt Disney World®, two of the finalist […]
Wetlands Education Team, 2007 Christopher Columbus Gold Medal Award
Wetlands Education Team West Geauga Middle School Chesterland, OH Problem: Destruction of the local wetlands leading to the disappearance of the Osprey. Solution: Educate the public and schools about nearby existing wetlands and enlist their help to preserve them. At an awards ceremony held at Walt Disney World®, two of the finalist teams received gold […]
Three Christopher Columbus Awards winning teams honored at the 2015 White House Science Fair
Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation Announces Winners of the $25,000 Columbus Foundation Community Grant and Two Gold Medals in National Science/Community Service Competition Held at Walt Disney World®
Tyncastle Academy Students Win Top Award: The $25,000 Columbus Foundation Community Grant in National Science/Community Service Competition Held at Walt Disney World®
Gahanna Middle School East Team Named Gold Medal Winner in National Science/Community Service Competition Held at Walt Disney World®
Hollis Student Team Named Gold Medal Winner in National Science/Community Service Competition
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« Interview: Jeanne Gang (Spring 2010)
Interview: Craig Hartman FAIA of SOM (Spring 2000)
Stan Francisco Internation Airport (courtesy SOM) View from vehicular arrival
View from rooftop of San Francisco Airport International Terminal ©SOM View to skylights from terminal interior ©SOM
COMPETITIONS: What led you to the study of architecture?
HARTMAN: It wasn’t so much architecture, as what architecture is about. When I was a kid I loved to draw and paint, loved science and, to a certain extent, math. Growing up in the sixties, when NASA was in the news, I was probably one of the millions who thought that space and science was the greatest thing. So I did all these science fairs and was even invited to some schools which had engineering programs. When I saw what it was actually about—the curriculum—it seemed very dry to me, not nearly as exciting as I had imagined it to be. My father was absolutely adamant that I not become an artist. At about that time one of my cousins, who was taking a course on architecture in college, came home. I saw the work and felt it was really interesting stuff. Initially to me architecture as an idea was more the pieces which made up architecture rather than the excitement of designing buildings. In fact, my understanding of architecture as a kid in Indiana was that of an arcane profession—certainly not cutting edge. When I discovered through one of my teachers that Ball State University had just undertaken the first architecture program in the state, I felt I should check it out, especially since our family finances precluded my going to an out-or-state school. It turned out to be an incredibly great experience.
San Francisco Terminal: vehicle approach to airside (above, left); plan (above, right) and structural concept (below)
COMPETITIONS: That was still when the program was based in quonset huts?
HARTMAN: It was. And those were great times. The school was all in one place, and I believe that students often learn as much from one another as they do from faculty. We had some very energized young faculty there at the time, and that was a huge part of it. Tony Costello, for instance, was a huge influence on me.
COMPETITIONS: It was a great experiment.
(login problems? E: scollyer@competitions.org or http://competitions.org/contact/)
Young Architects in Competitions
When Competitions and a New Generation of Ideas Elevate Architectural Quality
by Jean-Pierre Chupin and G. Stanley Collyer
published by Potential Architecture Books, Montreal, Canada 2020
271 illustrations in color and black & white
Available in PDF and eBook formats
What do the Vietnam Memorial, the St. Louis Arch, and the Sydney Opera House have in common? These world renowned landmarks were all designed by architects under the age of 40, and in each case they were selected through open competitions. At their best, design competitions can provide a singular opportunity for young and unknown architects to make their mark on the built environment and launch productive, fruitful careers. But what happens when design competitions are engineered to favor the established and experienced practitioners from the very outset?
This comprehensive new book written by Jean-Pierre Chupin (Canadian Competitions Catalogue) and Stanley Collyer (COMPETITIONS) highlights for the crucial role competitions have played in fostering the careers of young architects, and makes an argument against the trend of invited competitions and RFQs. The authors take an in-depth look at past competitions won by young architects and planners, and survey the state of competitions through the world on a region by region basis. The end result is a compelling argument for an inclusive approach to conducting international design competitions.
Download Young Architects in Competitions for free at the following link:
https://crc.umontreal.ca/en/publications-libre-acces/
Don’t miss these on-going open competitions, now posted to the website:
• Parliamentary Precinct Redevelopment, Ottawa
• Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Germany
• Harvard GSD Wheelwright Prize
• Haifa Award: Phoenix Prize:
Reconstruction of Beirut Port
• New Urban Plan for Closing of German Airbase in Erding, Germany
• New School, Smart School: Sejong National Model City Middle and High School Design Ideas Competition
• Leisure Harbor, Loano, Italy
Uusi Kansallinen – National Finnish Museum Competition: Following a Time Honored Paradigm
Aerial view of site – Courtesy National Finnish Museum
When major cultural institutions in Finland plan a new building project, one can almost always assume that an open competition will be the vehicle by which the client settles on the building’s design. The only question is, will this be organized in a format open to local, Scandinavian, or international architects. In the case of the National Museum of Finland annex competition, it was open to architects throughout the world — resulting in 185 entries.
2019 Annual is here!
• Half price on 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 Annuals.
• 2019 Annual now available in PDF format Look inside.
Senses and Sensitivity
The Opening of Taichung’s Central Park by Catherine Mosbach/Philippe Rahm
View from the south with downtown Taichung in the distance image: ©Mosbach/Rahm
The abandonment and closing of airports, including decommissioning those that were used for military purposes, has presented design communities with several opportunities to convert them entirely to civilian purposes. Notable among those which have been the result of competitions are Orange County Great Park, Irvine, California (Ken Smith Landscape Architects), The Estonian National Museum (Dan Dorell, Lina Ghotmeh and Tsuyoshi Tane), and Toronto’s less successful Downsview Park competition, whereby the winning design by OMA, with trees as the primary feature, has been basically ignored. Instead, the area has become the site of numerous commercial and residential projects.
Ground Breaking at Science Island
SMAR’s Winning Entry Gets the Green Light
Image: ©SMAR Architecture
The winning competition entry in the 2016 Science Island competition in Kaunas, Lithuania by SMAR Architects may only take five years to realize—from the date of the competition to completion. This is encouraging news, as the duration of such projects resulting from a competition can often take much longer—sometimes up to 8-10 years.
A Tribute to Eisenhower
Night view of the memorial tapestry from Independence Avenue, with Gehry’s sketch of the Normandy cliffs.
Explaining the contributions of a World War II hero and later President of the United States on a very modest site on Independence Avenue just off the Washington Mall is tantamount to asking an author to describe the life of this person in no more than one paragraph. But on September 17th, after a long and bumpy journey, lasting almost 20 years and navigating a warren of the DC approval processes and public scrutiny, the Eisenhower Memorial finally was dedicated and opened to the public. Designed by Frank Gehry, it has received mixed reviews, the majority being more positive. But most have pointed out that the memorial is more impressive at night than in full daylight. This is due primarily to the illumination of an almost block-long metallic tapestry—featuring a sketch by Gehry, which depicts his interpretation of the cliffs of the Normandy coastline where the Americans landed on D-Day.
Reimagining Brooklyn Bridge: The Reinvention of a 19th Century Icon
Professional winner: Brooklyn Bridge Forest (image © Pilot Projects Design Collective)
While looking for new adventures on a visit to New York City, friends suggested that I take time to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge—certainly a New York icon. For those intending to undertake this trek across the bridge for the first time, the bridge consists of layers, with a large platform for pedestrians on top of a lower level for cars and the metro system. Traversing this connection for the first time between Manhattan and Brooklyn is not just about getting from one place to another, but experiencing a great scenic view of both boroughs and occasionally interacting with other bridge crossers. As for the latter, they provide a flavor of the city’s demographics, as opposed to similar experiences one might have of the city’s inhabitants when riding the city’s subway system.
Copyright © 2021 Competitions
All Rights Reserved Competitions-Archive LLC,
1731 Fernwood Avenue, Louisville, Ky 40250 U.S.A
Ph: (502) 451-3623; Fax: (502) 451-3623
Website: https://competitions.org
E: scollyer@competitions.org
Privacy Policy: CP-Privacy-Policy.pdf
IMPORTANT NOTICE : Unless otherwise indicated, photographs of buildings and projects are from professional or institutional archives. All reproduction is prohibited unless authorized by the architects, designers, office managers, consortia or archives centers concerned. The Competitions-Archive LLC is not held responsible for any omissions or inaccuracies, but appreciate all comments and pertinent information that will permit necessary modifications during future updates.
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Brittney Cooper explains #SayHerName
by Chloe Sferra
CHLOE SFERRA
Special to The Denisonian
As equality movements start gaining more followers, it can be easy for highly debated issues to veil underlying ones. Dr. Brittney Cooper, an activist for females in the black community, visited Denison last Thursday to bring to light one important community that Cooper says often overlooked.
On Thursday, Denison students had the opportunity to hear Cooper speak at Swasey Chapel. Starting off her tour of lectures at universities and being the first of Denison’s Laura C. Harris Symposium speakers, Cooper started a conversation about female black empowerment in the halls of this school.
Students sat captivated as Dr. Cooper shared the unfair reality of females in the black community. She spoke of the campaign #SayHerName and the goal of creating a gender-inclusive movement for black lives. As the Black Lives Matter and feminist movements have gained more awareness, people often forget how hard it can be for those in both communities.
Everyone knows of the male victims of tragic events involving police brutality and other authorities. Their stories are often discussed, and there is no shortage of people ready to stand in support. When it comes to female victims, however, Cooper told the audience that they do not receive the same attention. Cooper shared #SayHerName as a way to give the female black community a voice.
“Things don’t change on campus unless students stand up and demand change… Find the folks who are going to be supportive,” Cooper said as she answered student questions. “There are ways to do this that are effective.”
A main idea of the lecture was how black females have a complex solidarity when it comes to the communities to which they belong. They often are given the responsibility to represent their race as well as their gender, making the world a harder place for black females to be leaders.
Cooper was not just another speaker preaching her ideology. She used her wit and charm to relate to the students and to give them hope for change. Her words struck a chord with many in the audience, in particular, Danielle Kepeden ‘18.
“It was like getting advice from a smarter, older sister who has gone through the world and seen these things, and you’re able to relate to her advice and and try to apply it to your life,” Kepeden said. She further commented on the lecture when she said, “I thought it was great and well organized.”
Kepeden was able to ask Cooper some questions and continue the conversation that was started. Students were engaged during the lecture and had a dialogue with Cooper well after her speech ended. There seemed to be so many words that students had been waiting to say.
Cooper’s lecture had the crowd in a standing ovation. She spoke about notions that she believes people need to hear, such as the sisterhood that females of her community are always willing to give. She spoke of the power black females have and the lack of gratitude they are given.
Cooper suggested many things that she believes should be fixed, such as the idea that classrooms are safe for all students, especially minorities.
Cooper gave her listeners inspiration for change. She did not shy away from ugly truths or voicing her opinion. She was not scared to call people out or ask for people to stand with her on this campaign.
“The world is going to change because women are going to change it,”Cooper says as her time on stage came to an end. Cooper has started a conversation that many students seem willing to carry and add to as the series of speakers continue.
Oops…my bad: this one’s on me
Vice president speaks on changes visible on campus
About 300 local employees laid-off and a third of Granville restaurants closed
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You are at:Home»Reviews»Review: The Heuer Bundeswehr 1550 SG
Review: The Heuer Bundeswehr 1550 SG
By Chester Lau August 12, 2017 3 Comments
The Bundeswehr was formed in 1955 as the united armed forces of Germany, which during this period, was in defense of West Germany. As the spearhead of NATO forces and sitting on the proverbial borders of the Soviet Union, the Bundeswehr was one of the most modern and well-equipped armed forces of its time. The Heuer Bundeswehr 1550 SG was one such equipment that saw production through the period 1955 to 1990, which was the year that Germany was reunified and the Bundeswehr restructured.
The Heuer Bundeswehr 1550 SG.
The watch was created to be a Bundeswehr pilot’s instrument, but research shows that it also made its way to the other service branches. Men from the land vocations like the artillery were said to be also issued the 1550 SG. As expected of a tool watch, the timepiece is utilitarian, functional and overall well built. That said, over the production period of nearly four decades, the resulting stock floating in the market today while fundamentally congruous to the original design, are in multiple variations. This might be a cause of concern and confusion for collectors looking for their desired ‘original’.
The “3H” indicates tritium, as hydrogen-3 is the chemical compound for that radioactive luminous material. The lume on the hands, tip of the chronograph hand, and Arabic numerals all match and have aged beautifully.
The Dial
Possibly due to different factories at different periods of time, manufacturing the parts for the watch, in particular the dials, the Bundeswehr chronograph can now be found in various dial configurations. There are 5 main dial configurations:
the “classic 3H/T”; has a red 3H-symbol that appears just below the dial center, and a tiny “T” that appears just above “6”.
the “3H-only”; has a red 3H-symbol that appears just below the center.
the “T-only”; has a tiny “T” that appears just above “6”.
the “clean”; has no markings beyond the “Heuer” logo.
the “sternzeit”; worded with STERNZEIT REGULIERT markings just below the dial center.
To add to the confusion, there are 4 different variations of the 3 H logo, and 3 variations of the Heuer logo. For full details of the different variations, the findings are documented in this PDF written by W.A. Manning
In this review, we are looking at a “classic 3H/T” with a big letter red 3H-symbol and a tiny “T” that appears just above “6”. It also bears the “standard” Heuer logo which fits inside :58 and :02.
The stainless steel case has a gun metal color with a brushed finish. It measures 42mm in diameter and 13 mm in thickness. The case construction is mostly traditional, in the style of early chronograph wristwatches. It is a two piece case, with a 4-screw caseback design. The pump pushers are easy to access and has a good actuation mechanism. The unsigned big crown also makes it easy to wind and adjust.
The 4 screw caseback with military markings.
The Heuer Bundeswehr chronograph measures 42 mm in diameter and is fit in a stainless steel case with acrylic display.
This watch possesses both the flyback chronograph function as well as a hacking mechanism. It uses the manual winding Valjoux 230 flyback chronograph movement which beats at 18,000 vph and has approximately 48 hours power reserve.
In a regular chronograph calibre the chronograph mechanism must be stopped before it can be reset. In a flyback chronograph, the mechanism can be reset while it is still running, making it particularly useful for timing consecutive short interval events. This is achieved by the addition of an additional lever in the chronograph mechanism. When the reset button is pressed the flyback lever lifts the coupling clutch from the chronograph centre wheel allowing the mechanism to reset.
A true icon of time, representative of military timekeeping history in the context of the Cold War conflict.
Concluding thoughts
The Bundeswehr 1550 SG on the secondary market today is normally priced between $4000 to $10000. Prices affected in general by the condition of the watch, and popularity of dial types. While it may vary across different vintage watches, a pertinent dilemma stands for Bundeswehr collectors. Considering that the watches were produced from 1955 to 1990, collectors may struggle to decide if they would want the earlier production models; deemed as more authentic, or the later production models, with updated parts, and understandably in better condition. That said, our preferred dial variation is shown in the model we review today, circa 1970s, which is rather rare to be found in original yet pristine condition.
bundeswehr chronograph h3 Heuer lume Tritium vintage
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Chester Lau
marc on April 13, 2018 5:43 am
Want to write “time for original yellow lume hands are over!”
But i also forgot=> the minute hand is bend to much in the middle, only the tip has to be bend down a little and the tip of the chronocenterhand has to be also bend down a little!
Nice watch, but the lume on the hands are 100% not matching the numbers on the dial, so they are relumed! It is nearly impossible to find a set of original old yellow lume hands, because the lume with tritium in the hands always break after years and get lost and also if people try to fix them=> time for original yellow lume hands!
classicwatch.com on May 17, 2018 10:13 pm
Dials and hands are made by different contractors. The hands are exposed on both sides and not sitting on black paint. It’s normal for the colors to be different and for them to age at different speeds. When it’s too close a match, for watches like this, it’s good indication that it something has been relumed.
Also military watches get serviced over and over, they didn’t really care about what collectors think 50 years later in terms of how matched the lume is. The hands could be replaced independently of the dial an vis versa.
There is however one correction : The reference came out in 1967, not 1955.
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Playgrounds Currently Closed
The Can-Do Playground and other state park playgrounds remain closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For other information about other current safety measures in Delaware State Parks, please visit our COVID-19 page.
Monkey Hill Pavilion Closed
The Monkey Hill Pavilion adjacent to the Brandywine Zoo is currently closed for construction of the new Brandywine Zoo Quarantine Support Facility and will remain closed until further notice.
Find Your Adventure at Wilmington State Parks
Explore Rockford Park
Climb to the top of 100-year-old Rockford Tower for a spectacular view of the city. Pack a picnic and relax on the lawn, or bring your dogs to enjoy to the dog park.
Experience the Brandywine River
Walk the river’s edge in Brandywine Park, stop and smell the roses in the Jasper Crane Rose Garden, and enjoy views of the Wilmington skyline from the swinging bridge. You’ll witness the development of Wilmington State Parks as the recreational hub for the city of Wilmington.
Witness History
Drive along the streets of Wilmington to appreciate the cultural history preserved in Wilmington State Parks. You can pay your respects at the African-American Medal of Honor Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, or the Winged Victory Monument.
Visit the Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl was constructed in 1895 on the edge of a cliff to offer picturesque views of the Brandywine River. Today, the observatory has been restored and is used for community events and free summer concerts. Stop by to see the view, watch migrating birds, or to enjoy a concert.
About Wilmington State Parks
Find recreation, history, education, and sports and community events right in the heart of Wilmington. These parks are the perfect place to relax, hike, picnic, or just enjoy the beauty of the Brandywine River.
While certain portions of Wilmington State Parks are owned by the City of Wilmington, Delaware State Park rules and regulations apply to all areas.
Wilmington State Parks Sites
Brandywine Park
The park is home to the Brandywine Zoo and to Baynard Stadium. The iconic Sugar Bowl, constructed in 1902, was recently restored, thanks to efforts by Friends of Wilmington Parks. Brandywine Park was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Located on North Park Drive
Rockford Park
The 100-year-old Rockford Tower is the centerpiece of this park. The historic stone water tower is located amid rolling hills and vistas offering beautiful views of the city.
Located at 2000 Lookout Drive
H. Fletcher Brown
Meet a friend, eat lunch or stroll through this intimate park adjacent to Brandywine Park. An overlook provides scenic views of the Brandywine River and the historic millrace that provides much of Wilmington's water supply.
Located at the corner of South Park Drive and N. King St.
Night at the Tower
Drop in and climb to the top of the tower to see the night sky and the city of Wilmington. FREE. (no limit, 10 people at a time allowed up at the top)
Add to Calendar 2/6/2021 6:00:00 PM 2/6/2021 7:00:00 PM America/New_York Night at the Tower Drop in and climb to the top of the tower to see the night sky and the city of Wilmington. FREE. (no limit, 10 people at a time allowed up at the top) Wilmington State Parks
Snow or Mud? Either way, we will explore the winter landscape of Brandywine Park. This hike will be on paved paths with some hills/stairs. Pre-registration is required by noon, February 18. FREE. Limit 15 people
Add to Calendar 2/20/2021 10:00:00 AM 2/20/2021 12:00:00 PM America/New_York Winter Hike Snow or Mud? Either way, we will explore the winter landscape of Brandywine Park. This hike will be on paved paths with some hills/stairs. Pre-registration is required by noon, February 18. FREE. Limit 15 people Wilmington State Parks
Alapocas Run State Park
Photo of "The Apprentice" at H. Fletcher Brown park by Ethelred unraed [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
Park office is temporarily located at the Blue Ball Barn
1914 West Park Drive
Brandywine, Rockford, H. Fletcher Brown Park Hours
Open daily from 8 a.m. until sunset.
Open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Monday through Friday. Closed weekends
* Sunset time in Wilmington (EST) by Time.is
No entrance fee is charged at Brandywine Park, Rockford Park and H. Fletcher Brown Park
Entrance fees are charged at the Brandwine Zoo
Join The Friends of Wilmington State Parks
Join the Delaware Zoological Society
Become a Wilmington State Parks or Brandywine Zoo Volunteer
Make an Online Donation to Wilmington State Parks
Make an Online Donation to the Brandywine Zoo
Wilmington State Parks Maps: Brandywine, Brandywine Zoo, H. Fletcher Brown Park, Rockford Park (on Alapocas Run map)
Pets in the Park brochure
Cultural/Recreation/Nature Programs
Amenities at Brandywine and Rockford Parks
Baynard Stadium
Concessions*
Historic Markers and Monuments
Jasper Crane Rose Garden
Josephine Fountain
Off-Leash Area
Picnic Pavilions
Rockford Tower
Sugar Bowl Pavilion
*At Baynard Stadium and the Brandywine Zoo only.
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DART Police Chief James Spiller Dies Following RetirementAir Force veteran and retired Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Police Chief James Spiller has died, the department said Saturday.
From Fast Melting Flurries To Blankets Of Snow, Winter Storm Coats Texas & Other Southern StatesIt wasn't just North Texas that had snowfall over the weekend. In addition to the Lone Star State the winter storm blew across Louisiana and Mississippi on Sunday, then moved into Alabama and Tennessee on Monday.
Multiple Criminal Defense Lawyers See No Crime In Off-Duty Officer Shooting
By J.D. Miles September 11, 2018 at 4:50 pm
Filed Under:Amber Guyger, Arrest Affidavit, Botham Jean, Dallas County DA, dallas police, Local TV, off-duty officer, Texas Rangers
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Dallas Police officer Amber Guyger’s arrest warrant has some North Texas legal experts asking the same question. “Where is the crime?”
Criminal defense lawyers CBS 11 talked to at the Dallas County Courthouse describe the Texas Rangers warrant as “weak on motive or intent.”
They believe it will be difficult for the Dallas County DA’s office to prove a crime.
The probable cause affidavit released Tuesday afternoon offers a detailed account of what happened inside Botham Jean’s apartment last Thursday night.
Officer Amber Guyger told investigators how she walked into an apartment she mistook for hers and shot the 26-year-old man thinking he was a burglar.
Dallas police officer Amber Guyger stands charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Botham Shem Jean who she mistakenly thought was in her apartment but it was his.
CBS 11 asked several prominent criminal defense lawyers what they thought about the warrant.
All of them said they were surprised they didn’t see words like “reckless” or “intentional” which they say would normally be found on similar documents in manslaughter and murder cases.
“It’s an interesting read,” said criminal defense attorney George Milner. “It doesn’t read anything beyond negligence of that they simply do not specify how she is reckless which is the required mental state for manslaughter. It reads much more like an accidental killing. I mean if someone were to drop a gun accidentally and it fired and it hit somebody.”
Milner and others say it doesn’t necessarily mean the DA’s office doesn’t have a good case because the investigation is still ongoing.
But he says it’s clearly a sign the Texas Rangers were careful not to implicate Officer Guyger.
“If it was a reasonable mistake of fact, that’s an affirmable defense that is going to weigh into this thing very heavily,” said Robert Hinton, another criminal defense attorney.
“In my honest opinion, I think if I represented her, she’d walk,” said Milner.
Meantime, activists and leaders in the Dallas faith community believe Officer Guyger should be punished.
J.D. Miles
More from J.D. Miles
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8-Year-Old Pulled From Wreck Burned After Touching Power Lines Brought Down By CrashAn 8-year-old boy is in the hospital suffering from major injuries and burns after touching a power line knocked down by an SUV.
Concerns About Possible Brake Fluid Leaks Result In Ford Recall Of Midsize SUVsFord is recalling more than half-a-million midsize SUVs in North America because the brakes may not work properly.
Officers In Texas Say Parents, 4 Kids Found Dead In SUV Parked In GarageA member of the military is among a family of six, including four children between 11 months and 4 years old, who were found dead in an SUV parked in the garage of a San Antonio home.
7-Year-Old Child Killed While Attempting To Cross Blue Sky Drive In ArlingtonA 60-year-old man driving an SUV ran over a 7-year-old girl trying to cross Blue Sky Drive in Arlington, killing her.
North Texans Among Americans Who Are Now Working From Their Cars, And Loving ItOne Fort Worth business owner has had some strange visitors at his new mobile office -- deer, antelopes, rattlesnakes and a mother goose and her goslings.
Suspension Part Problem Leads To Recall Of 240K Ford SUVs And CarsThey say a suspension part can break and increase the risk of a crash, now the Ford Motor Company is recalling more than 240,000 SUVs and cars.
Man Shot, Killed Inside SUV At Dallas Apartment Complex Christmas MorningAround 6 a.m. Dec. 25, police responded to a shooting at 1904 High Hill Blvd., where they discovered an unidentified Latin male shot inside a dark colored SUV.
Big Changes At Arlington Plant As GM Unveils New Tahoe And Suburban SUVsIt looks like workers in Arlington will be busy for a long time. General Motors has unveiled all-new versions of the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban.
Haltom City Man Charged With Twin Sister's Murder Extradited To Fort WorthPolice said David Conditt, 58, beat his twin sister to death, stole her SUV and went on the run to South Carolina.
Move Over Tesla, Ford Unveils New All-Electric Mustang SUVIt's a brand that hasn't had a new vehicle introduced into it since 1964, now Ford has unveiled its first all-electric SUV -- and it's a Mustang.
Ford Recalls Vans For 2nd Time To Fix Drive Shaft ProblemFord is recalling nearly 320,000 Transit full-size vans in North America for a second time because the drive shafts can fail, causing loss of power.
2 Dallas Police Officers Recovering After Hitting SUV At IntersectionTwo Dallas police officers are recovering after being involved in a car crash Friday morning.
GM Recalling More Than 3 Million Pickups, SUVs To Fix BrakesIt took pressure from the federal government, but General Motors is now recalling nearly 3.8 million big pickups and SUVs to fix a brake problem.
Plano Police Seek Help Identifying Man Hit By SUVPlano police are asking for the public's help to identify a man who was hit by a SUV Friday.
2 Dallas Officers Describe The Race To Save Man From Burning VehicleWith just seconds to go before flames engulfed an SUV July 24, two Dallas bike officers and a security guard jumped in to save the driver.
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Justia Dockets & Filings Ninth Circuit California Eastern District Capitol Waste, Inc. v. A Greener Globe, et al.,
Capitol Waste, Inc. v. A Greener Globe, et al.,
Plaintiff:
Capitol Waste, Inc.
A Greener Globe, Daniel G. Sheehan, Jacklyn C. Sheehan, Western Highland Mortgage Fund 1, LLC, United States of America, Department of Treasury-IRS and Northern California Collection Service, Inc.
2:2010cv00866
US District Court for the Eastern District of California
Presiding Judge:
Edmund F. Brennan
Frank C. Damrell
Cause of Action:
28:1442
Jury Demanded By:
January 23, 2013 Filing 40 ORDER 39 for DISMISSAL signed by Chief Judge Morrison C. England, Jr. on 1/22/2013. Pursuant to 37 Stipulation and Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(1)(A)(ii), this action is DISMISSED with prejudice against all defendants. Each party to bear their own costs and fees. (Marciel, M)
November 29, 2012 Filing 28 ORDER setting Settlement Conference on 12/10/2012 at 9:00 a.m. before Magistrate Judge Newman. (Deutsch, S)
October 24, 2012 Filing 26 ORDER signed by Judge Morrison C. England, Jr on 10/24/12 ORDERING that the 5/13/13 Jury Trial is VACATED and CONTINUED to 1/21/2014 at 09:00 AM. The parties shal file trial briefs not later than 11/21/2013. The 3/21/13 Final Pretrial Conference is V ACATED and CONTINUED to 12/5/2013 at 02:00 PM. The Joint Final Pretrial Statement is due not later than 11/14/13. Any Evidentiary or procedural Motions are to be filed by 11/14/13. Oppositions must be filed by 11/21/2013 and any reply must be filed by 11/28/2013. All other dates set forth in the Court's Amended Pretrial Scheduling Order are confirmed. (Mena-Sanchez, L)
April 15, 2011 Filing 20 MEMORANDUM AND ORDER signed by Judge Frank C. Damrell, Jr on 4/14/11 ORDERING the United States' motion for summary judgment 14 is GRANTED. The United States has an interest in all property and property rights of plaintiff by virtue of its federal tax liens against plaintiff, and any proceeds due to plaintiff from a partition of the long-term lease at issue should be distributed to the United States for application to plaintiff's unpaid federal tax liabilities. (Becknal, R)
March 14, 2011 Filing 15 ORDER and ORDER to SHOW CAUSE RE SANCTIONS signed by Judge Frank C. Damrell, Jr on 3\11/11: HEARING as to 14 MOTION for SUMMARY JUDGMENT CONTINUED to 4/8/2011 at 10:00 AM in Courtroom 2 (FCD) before Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr.. Plaintiff' s counsel is ordered to show cause why he should not be sanctioned in the amount of $150.00 for failing to file an opposition or notice of non-opposition to defendant's motion. Plaintiff's counsel shall file his response to the Order to Show Cause on or before March 25, 2011. (Kaminski, H)
December 29, 2010 Filing 13 STIPULATION and ORDER signed by Judge Frank C. Damrell, Jr on 12/28/10. Discovery due by 2/28/2011. (Kaminski, H)
October 29, 2010 Filing 11 STIPULATION and ORDER signed by Judge Frank C. Damrell, Jr. on 10/28/10 ORDERING that the discovery cutoff is EXTENDED to 12/31/10. (Benson, A.)
August 13, 2010 Filing 9 AMENDED STATUS (PRETRIAL SCHEDULING ) ORDER signed by Judge Frank C. Damrell, Jr on 8/12/10: Designation of Expert Witnesses due by 11/15/2010. Discovery due by 11/1/2010. Dispositive Motions filed by 3/25/2011. Final Pretrial Conference set for 5/27/2011 at 01:30 PM in Courtroom 2 (FCD) before Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr.. Jury Trial set for 8/2/2011 at 09:00 AM in Courtroom 2 (FCD) before Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr.. (Kaminski, H)
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Search for this case: Capitol Waste, Inc. v. A Greener Globe, et al.,
Plaintiff: Capitol Waste, Inc.
Represented By: Robbin Van Herr Waarde Hewitt
Defendant: A Greener Globe
Represented By: James R. Walsh
Defendant: Daniel G. Sheehan
Defendant: Jacklyn C. Sheehan
Defendant: Western Highland Mortgage Fund 1, LLC
Defendant: United States of America, Department of Treasury-IRS
Represented By: Adair Ford Boroughs
Defendant: Northern California Collection Service, Inc.
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Vít Jedlička, president of Liberland, interviewed by venezuelan TV
Language: Auto Selection English Spanish (Spain)
Embed transcript in: Auto Selection English Spanish (Spain)
Brujula Internacional handles international topics from all political and geopolitical realities Let's remember that the United Nations was born in 1945 with only 51 states today the United Nations gathers over 290 states and possibly new realities will appear for example, there's talks today about how with the war in the Middle East surely the new geopolitical landscape will cause new states to emerge new realities could appear What's strange is for a new state to appear in Europe because Europe has ancient and well defined borders that's why we invited today to our show he who defines himself as President of the Republic of Liberland, the land of freedom which, like journalist Halim Naim said in his video is a territory that was not claimed by either Croatia nor Serbia Also today with us, helping with translation is Carlos Rios, venezuelan diplomat for many years until a little while our Ambassador to Qatar He is accompanying today Vit Jedlicka, presidente of the Republic of Liberland What is the meaning of this new reality? and what are your expectations in regards to your acceptance by the international community? We would like to be friends with everybody we are based mainly on freedom and love and that's why we attracted as much as 400.000 people, interested in our citizenship so, could they have passports? The people interested in being members of the Republic of Liberland? Sure, sure, and the are already in press What are Serbia's and Croatia's position in regards to this territory? We received support from Serbia, which stated directly that Liberland is not their territory He says: Croatia protects our borders between Croatia and Liberland, which is also a form of recognition Now, any citizen of the world can be a member of this Republic that you call Liberland? All the people that believe in liberty and are friendly to other people can become citizens We give the citizenship to everybody who helps us build the country who help with the construction of the country What is your relation with the United Nations? Have you made contact? Any relation with them so far? Part of his strategy is focusing in contacting different nations from the international community they are in direct contact with many governments including governments in an informal manner Part of this tour includes visiting New York where he will meet with officials of the United Nations Why the visit to Latin America and Venezuela? He says that Venezuela is a very nice country and he always wanted to come here for location In general most people are very friendly and the government is usually friendly to new countries He is here to give conferences, for example, we are coming now from a conference he gave at the UNIMET At the Metropolitan University you were? Speaking to the students? Yes, there was a conference with students present He says that there are 2.000 people from Venezuela also interested to be citizens of Liberland Now, it's not the smallest country in the world because the Vatican has less that 1 Km and you have 7 Km... Liberland is three times larger than Monaco Yes, similar to Liechtenstein and other states that are micro-states Yes, yes Do you have an organized government? Executive branch? Legislative and judicial branches? They announced the members of their new government just before Christmas He says that diplomats from Siria and Belize attended the announcement of this new government What's the European Union attitude towards Liberland? Given that it's located in EU territory, 28 states make the EU They have great support from members of the european parliament In the past, in cases of no man's land, res nullius, anyone could declare a state How is it possible that in Europe there can be the declaration of a new state when it seemed to be so full? He says this was the best and last chance on this planet to create a really free country a new country, on Terra Nullius Is it really a no man's land? He says, no longer, of course. After the declaration of the existence of Liberland it's no longer Terra Nullius What interest could a venezuelan citizen have in obtaining the Liberland citizenship? He says it's always good to have more nationalities and to be a member of a nation that is the freest country in the world But what if other governments don't recognize these passports? I mean, I could have the passport but it's practically null if other governments don't recognize it, right? He says that, by the end of the year, he hopes that at least 10 countries will have recognized us and our passports and we hope to have Liberland fully recognized in 5 years Isn't it a danger that small states keep appearing? Like what happened in Georgia or the Ucraine, now new republic? they even have diplomatic relations Venezuela has recognized some of these republics The case of Abjasia, for example, which has been recognized He says that it's a great opportunity for the world to recognize this new countries, I guess in the specific case of Liberland he considers that there would be a mutual benefit, for all countries There are three conditions that a State must meet First, Territory. They have a small one Population, which they can get from the applicants and government. They have a government as well. They meet the three fundamental characteristics of a State But they also need international recognition, which is the case of other new states whose existence is still in doubt He says that according to the Montevideo Convention you don't need the recognition by other states to be a state Where are you going now? He is going to Washington for 7 days then to Athens for a diplomatic event Serbia, Croatia, visit to Liberland and then back to Prague What's the language of this new republic or country? English English as language, although they all speak many different languages, no? Of course At this moment, how many citizens of the world have manifested their interest in becoming citizens of Liberland or land of freedom? He says they now have about 85.000 people that are serious, that finished the application. 1200 architects, 1300 lawyers 4000 people with some sort of diplomatic relations Interesting to have you here, specially with Carlos Rios career diplomat and University professor. Our partner at the Foreign Affairs Ministry for many years very knowledgeable in world affairs Effectively, like Vit Jedlicka says, a state can exist when it has a territory, a population and a government and little by little gain recognition my the international community All citizens of the world can become a member. Maybe some venezuelas will be interested in this We are going to follow closely this new reality. These are new facts in international law and international relations Remember that our Twitter is @brujulainter_gv. In case of suggestions or comments... If you want more information, just ask. We have more material on this and can give the information to you
Duration: 13 minutes and 18 seconds
Country: Venezuela
Language: Spanish (Spain)
License: Dotsub - Standard License
Genre: News Broadcast
Producer: Julio Cesar Pineda
Director: Halim Naim
Posted by: dianatopel on Feb 26, 2016
On Feb. 24th, President Vít Jedlička was interviewed in Caracas, Venezuela, by Julio Cesar Pineda, venezuelan Ambassador and journalist, in Brujula Internacional. Globovision Tv network.
Other videos from dianatopel
Liberland ¿Reality or fiction? - Interview with TeleCaribe - Venezuela
Gloria Alvarez - Liberland - Feb. 2016
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You are here:Home-News, Onboard Systems-Cold Kit For Polar Security Cutter
Cold Kit For Polar Security Cutter
The US Coast Guard’s Polar Security Cutter is being built for arctic conditions, but that has an impact on the deck equipment, Francis Wong of MacGregor told MJ.
The scope of supply is comprehensive – and “mission critical” he explained: the contract, (through design and construction bid winner VT Halter Marine), has to be suitable for what the USCG calls ‘heavy polar’ operations as these vessels are to replacement its existing icebreaking fleet.
Therefore, the package is defined for conditions reaching -40°C. It includes two 75kW anchor windlasses, a 45kW, 35t line-pull towing winch and six mooring capstans, plus a pair of offshore cranes with a 20.4t lift at 13.7m outreach, a couple of auxiliaries and a 6t overhead unit for the hangar. There’s also an oceanographic winch with room for 10,000m of cable.
It’s worth adding that in these environs the roller doors for hangar, OTH boat, staging bay and stores elevator – all part of the scope of supply – could be considered just as important.
“With the equipment located on the exposed weather deck, we have to select materials to suit this extremely low-temperature environment,” Wong explained: for example, high-tensile steels which have cold fracture resistance.
However, it’s not only about survivability; the kit also has to remain fully functional. Therefore there are also heaters for the oil, electrical motors and gearboxes. Additional features include protective covers and insulating layers around cables and piping, plus thoughtful points such as ice-scrapers on the cylinders.
So, why would a US build choose a company with a Singapore HQ? Admittedly, Halter Marine is owned by Singapore Technologies (ST) Engineering, but experience does count, said Wong: MacGregor (part of Cargotec) has previously supplied packages for extreme conditions, even those as low as -62C.
There may well be more orders in the pipeline. While this initial delivery is expected for 2021, there are also two further options for a second cutter in 2025, and a third vessel in late 2027.
By Stevie Knight
By Spirito Nicolaas|2020-04-15T10:42:00+01:00April 15th, 2020|Categories: News, Onboard Systems|0 Comments
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You Will Have to Know I Am Jehovah
The sanctification of God’s holy name and the vindication of his sovereignty are of the utmost universal importance. Jehovah’s personal interests are supreme. Human salvation is secondary in the outworking of God’s purpose. Jehovah’s Witnesses well know that to be true.
To that end the ancient prophetic book of Ezekiel contains the yet-to-be-revealed judgments of Jehovah that will settle, once and for all time, the issue of Jehovah’s right to rule and the righteousness of his ways and forever sanctify his great name.
It does not matter that the scholars schooled in Christendom have expunged the distinctive name of God from their Bibles. More than any other book of prophecy, Ezekiel emphasizes how the revelation of God’s judgments will serve up to the nations of our modern world a bitter potion; forcing them to know that he is Jehovah, even as it says in Ezekiel: “The nations will have to know that I am Jehovah.”
But as Ezekiel 9:6 establishes, God’s judgment starts first in the holy place, in the very sanctuary of God; beginning with the covenant-breaking priests and older men in Jerusalem and ultimately with the entire house of Israel, exiles and alien residents included.
Because Jehovah’s Witnesses bear God’s personal name before the world, as did the typical house of Judah that fell under God’s judgment two and a half millenniums ago, and because anointed Christians are in a covenanted relationship with Jehovah, as were the Jews in Ezekiel’s day, it is Jehovah’s Witnesses who must first be made to know that he is Jehovah – as opposed to the nations. That is why it says throughout the prophecy of Ezekiel in many places: “And you people will have to know that I am Jehovah” – “you people” meaning God’s people.
How will that come about and why is it necessary? The following is an interpretive consideration of Ezekiel, roughly chapters 14 through 16.
CATCHING THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL BY THEIR HEART
After denouncing the stupid prophets and eventually causing their whitewashed wall to fall to the earth, Jehovah next commands Ezekiel to say to the older men of the exiles: “Son of man, as regards these men, they have brought up their dungy idols upon their heart, and the stumbling block causing their error they have put in front of their faces. Shall I be inquired of at all by them?Therefore speak with them and you must say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said:Any man at all of the house of Israel that brings up his dungy idols upon his heart and that places the very stumbling block causing his error in front of his face and that actually comes to the prophet, I, Jehovah, I will let myself be brought to answer him in the matter according to the multitude of his dungy idols, for the purpose of catching the house of Israel by their heart, because they have withdrawn themselves from me through their dungy idols—all of them.”’
“These men” whom Ezekiel was commanded to address were of the exiles then in Babylon, where Ezekiel was also residing. They were geographically far removed from the Jewish religious center in Jerusalem and the corrupted temple filled with a multitude of disgusting idols and images. Yet, even though the exiles in Babylon were no longer dwelling in Judah, nor were they personally taking part in the idolatrous worship carried on there, they too would face God’s judgment. That is because they were still idolaters at heart – having “brought up their dungy idols upon their heart.” Though perhaps not outwardly apparent their having “withdrawn themselves” from Jehovah “through their dungy idols” meant that they were apostates at heart.
The Ten Commandments explicitly forbade idolatry and false worship of any kind. But nowhere in the law did it specify punishment for merely being an idolater at heart. The Law only forbade the making of and the overt veneration of an idol or image, or serving any other god but Jehovah. The Israelites were also forbidden to reverently mention the names of false gods. But nothing in the Law forbade thinking about forbidden forms of worship. Was it fair and just of God, then, to condemn the Jewish exiles for merely bringing up their filthy idols upon their hearts if they did not outwardly express their idolatry?
The answer is found in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Several times Jesus referred to the Jewish law, saying: “You heard that it was said…However, I say to you.”Jesus taught his followers that keeping the law did not necessarily make one righteous. To illustrate the point, Jesus went on to explain that the law forbade adultery but that a man could commit adultery in his heart merely by passionately looking at a woman with immoral desire.
The same principle obviously applies to idolatry. And the fact that Jehovah judged the Jewish exiles on the basis of the idolatrous desires of their hearts rather than the letter of the law indicates that the judgment found in Ezekiel’s prophecy applies primarily to the Christian house of Israel, which is under the law of Christ and not the Mosaic Law covenant.
How does Jehovah intend to ‘catch the house of Israel by their heart’? Justly, by using the secret object of their devotion against them.
In the antitypical fulfillment the object of idolatry for Jehovah’s Witnesses is the Watchtower Society itself – the so-called earthly, visible organization; with its revered faithful slave class and Governing Body.
As opposed to the older men and temple priests in Jerusalem, the exiles residing in Babylon well represent those who are not necessarily Bethel insiders; they may picture those who may even be estranged from the organization for whatever reason, but who still view it as the infallible mouthpiece of God.
As noted above, the context of the prophecy has to do with the toppling of the whitewashed wall, which symbolizes the protective institution built up by the stupid prophets; with its chimeral spiritual paradise. A whitewashed wall is a fitting analogy, seeing that the Watchtower has whitewashed its own history and built up an elaborate, but phony, interpretation of biblical prophecy to convince Jehovah’s Witnesses that God bestowed his irreversible blessing upon the organization in 1919.
So, it is in the aftermath of the toppling of the whitewashed wall that Jehovah purposes a test. What sort of test? The prophecy continues:
“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: Come back and turn yourselves back from your dungy idols and turn your faces back even from all your detestable things; for any man at all from the house of Israel or from the alien residents that reside as aliens in Israel, that withdraws himself from following me and that brings up his dungy idols upon his heart and that sets the very stumbling block causing his error in front of his face and that actually comes to the prophet to make inquiry for himself by me, I, Jehovah, I am letting myself be brought to answer him by myself. And I must set my face against that man and place him for a sign and for proverbial sayings, and I must cut him off from the midst of my people; and you people will have to know that I am Jehovah.”’ Ezekiel 14:6-8
After the humiliation of the stupid prophets, in whose utterances God’s people were trusting, Jehovah then graciously exhorts his people to repent of their idolatry and return to him. But will they make the same mistake and blindly trust in the utterances of their organizational oracle? As a test of their repentance Jehovah allows the idolaters to inquire of him through their prophet. But things are not as they seem. Ezekiel’s prophecy continues, saying: “And as for the prophet, in case he gets fooled and actually speaks a word, I myself, Jehovah, have fooled that prophet; and I will stretch out my hand against him and annihilate him from the midst of my people Israel. And they will have to bear their error. The error of the inquirer will prove to be just the same as the error of the prophet, in order that those of the house of Israel may no more go wandering off from following me and may no more go defiling themselves with all their transgressions. And they must become my people and I myself shall become their God…”
Jehovah lays the blame for Israel wandering off from following him upon the erring prophet. And as the scripture above indicates, the prophet does not exist outside the camp of God’s people, but “from the midst of my people Israel.” So, as a test of their loyalty and repentance Jehovah fools the prophet; making his prophetic proclamations treacherous and unreliable. Because the prophet has a measure of credibility and authority in the eyes of his people, though, he appears to be a true prophet – but he is not. The prophet whom Jehovah fools is doomed to annihilation and anyone heeding his words will meet the same fate.
This is in harmony with Christ’s own explicit warning regarding the false prophets and false Christ’s that would appear during the critical last days of the conclusion of the system of things and the desolation of the holy place by a disgusting thing. Jesus warned that the false prophets would have such a convincing message and over-reaching influence that they could potentially deceive even the chosen ones, if that were possible.
In the Christian fulfillment the “prophet” whom Jehovah fools is the man of lawlessness – the son of destruction – who operates within the spiritual temple of God up until he is annihilated during the presence of Christ. Just as the original son of destruction, Judas, was one of the chosen 12 apostles, the man of lawlessness is intimately associated with Jesus’ faithful and discreet slaves in the household of God. The reason stated for his presence is to allow for an operation of error to go forth to those under his influence who have not genuinely accepted the love of the truth. Like their Jewish predecessors, they too are apostate at heart.
Even though God’s purpose to produce a messianic world government is tied up with a people who have strayed from God’s intended purpose for them, Jehovah, as the great Disciplinarian and Judge is perfectly capable of rectifying the situation. The solution to the problem of apostasy is the permanent removal of the unfaithful from the midst of God’s people and the cleansing of the rest of their defilements and transgressions so that “they must become my people and I myself shall become their God…”
Obviously, God’s purpose will not be accomplished by purging apostate Christendom of the multitudes of misled religionists. Nor did any such judgment take place in connection with the Watchtower Society in 1918-1919. It is a future judgment upon the spiritual house of God.
The means by which God intends to accomplish his purpose to purge the unfaithful from his organization is evident from what we read at Ezekiel 14:12-23, which speaks of Jehovah’s “four injurious acts of judgment—sword and famine and injurious wild beast and pestilence…”
Those “four injurious acts of judgment” correspond to the judgments unveiled at the opening of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th seals of Revelation and will also serve as the authentic sign of Christ’s presence, as outlined in Matthew, Mark and Luke. World War One and the Spanish Flu were not Jehovah’s “injurious acts of judgment” upon Christendom.
Nothing can prevent the execution of God’s judicial decisions. To emphasis that point the prophecy goes on to say that even if righteous Noah, Job or Ezekiel’s contemporary, Daniel, were residing in the city of Jerusalem, their presence could not spare the condemned inhabitants. In four places Jehovah reiterates: “Were these three men in the midst of it, as I am alive,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, ‘neither sons nor daughters would they deliver; they, only they themselves, would be delivered and the land itself would become a desolate waste.’”
Similarly, even those judged to be faithful and discreet slaves cannot save anyone but themselves, and that with difficulty. Indeed, that is why the Christian apostle posed the rhetorical questions: “For it is the appointed time for the judgment to start with the house of God. Now if it starts first with us, what will the end be of those who are not obedient to the good news of God? And if the righteous man is being saved with difficulty, where will the ungodly man and the sinner make a showing?”
Only those judged to be righteous individuals will be delivered from the future judgment destined to start with the house of God. As Jesus correspondingly said: “Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken along and the other be abandoned; two women will be grinding at the hand mill: one will be taken along and the other be abandoned.” – Matthew 24:40-41
“MAKE KNOWN TO JERUSALEM HER DETESTABLE THINGS”
At the very beginning of his commission to serve as a watchman Jehovah cautioned Ezekiel not to become rebellious himself, like the house of Israel. He was not to allow organizational loyalty or fear of man to cause him to hold back from exposing their error. No, he was to judge Jehovah’s people and expose their corrupt dealings, not as a personal judgment or vendetta, but in announcing Jehovah’s forthcoming judgments against them.
In the opening verse of the 16th chapter of Ezekiel Jehovah commands his watchman to expose Jerusalem’s sinful condition, saying to him: “Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her detestable things.”
Twice thereafter Jehovah ordered Ezekiel to judge the house of Israel by exposing their detestable things, saying to him at Ezekiel 20:4 and 22:2: “Will you judge them? Will you judge them, O son of man? Cause them to know the detestable things of their forefathers.”
Jehovah went on to recount the inglorious beginnings of the iniquitous city: “Your origin and your birth were from the land of the Canaanite. Your father was the Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite. And as regards your birth, on the day of your being born your navel string had not been cut, and in water you had not been washed for cleansing, and with salt you had not at all been rubbed, and by no means had you been swaddled. No eye felt sorry for you to do for you one of these things in compassion upon you, but you were thrown upon the surface of the field because there was an abhorring of your soul in the day of your being born.”
The city of Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities on earth. It existed in the days of Abraham as Salem. At the time of the Israelite conquest Jerusalem was controlled by the notoriously wicked Canaanite nations of the Amorites and Hittites. However, the conquering Israelites did not immediately take up residence in Jerusalem. The Jebusites re-inhabited the city and possessed it up until the time that King David captured it and made it his capital city.
In the Law Jehovah intimated that he would designate a specific place among the tribes of Israel where he would cause his holy name to reside, as it says at Deuteronomy 12:5: “To the place that Jehovah your God will choose out of all your tribes to place his name there, to have it reside, you will seek, and there you must come.”
So, after David made the former Jebusite stronghold his royal residence, which was about 500 years after the Israelites had entered into the Promised Land, Jehovah placed his own name upon the city of Jerusalem when he instructed David’s Son, Solomon, to build a temple on Jerusalem’s highest pinnacle. Thereafter, every Israelite man was required to come to worship there and offer sacrifice to Jehovah God. Consequently as a result of Jehovah’s blessing upon it, Jerusalem came to be known throughout the ancient world as a city of great splendor, wisdom and wealth. During the days of Solomon the Queen of Sheba traveled a great distance to behold the famed city where Jehovah had placed his name and she was astounded at what she saw and heard. It was, after all, Jehovah’s city – a holy place to God and men.
With the ancient city’s storied history in mind we can better appreciate why God went on to elaborate to Ezekiel how he made the once pagan-held Jerusalem a thing of beauty, saying further to his prophet: ‘“And I went on to clothe you with an embroidered garment and to shoe you with sealskin and to wrap you in fine linen and to cover you with costly material. And I went on to deck you with ornaments and to put bracelets upon your hands and a necklace about your throat. Furthermore, I put a nose ring in your nostril and earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. And you kept decking yourself with gold and silver, and your attire was fine linen and costly material and an embroidered garment. Fine flour and honey and oil were what you ate, and you grew to be very, very pretty, and gradually you became fit for royal position. And for you a name began to go forth among the nations because of your prettiness, for it was perfect because of my splendor that I placed upon you,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.”
Tragically, though, Jerusalem began trusting in her prettiness and began prostituting herself to the surrounding nations, as the 15th verse goes on to say: “But you began to trust in your prettiness and become a prostitute on account of your name and to pour out your acts of prostitution on every passerby; his it came to be.”
Jehovah thus illustrates his own relationship to Jerusalem by likening the city to an unfaithful prostitute. As if taking pity upon an unwanted, helpless babe, and providing for its care and upbringing, even lavishing her with luxuries as an adult, Jehovah provides a vivid illustration of his care for the city that he chose. It was as if God entered into a marriage covenant with the Jews, as it says in the 8th verse, Jehovah made a “sworn statement” and entered into a covenant: “And so you became mine.”
Shockingly, though, the woman of the illustration – once lifted from her wretched state – began to trust in her prettiness and turned against her benefactor and became a brazen prostitute. From Jehovah’s standpoint Jerusalem spiritually prostituted herself by making political alliances and compromises with Egypt and the Canaanites and with the Assyrians and with the Chaldeans. Ezekiel’s prophecy also goes on to indict Jerusalem for idolatry and for the detestable practice of child sacrifice.
In modern times the Watchtower Society with her Bethel headquarters fills the role of a city for God’s name. Just as ancient Jerusalem was once the possession of the powerful Amorite and the Jebusite tribes, in like manner the Watchtower Society originated in Christendom but gradually developed its own identity separate and distinct from the Canaanite-like religions of Christendom. With Jehovah’s backing Jehovah’s Witnesses have established their own city-like stronghold that is spiritually unassailable from religious enemies.
But like ancient Jerusalem, the Watchtower Society began trusting in its own prettiness, so-to-speak. Forgetting her humble beginnings and her reliance on Jehovah in times past, Bethel has made many compromises. For example, unbeknownst to Jehovah’s Witnesses, in the 1990’s the Society’s lawyers cut a deal with the government of Bulgaria by promising not to threaten Bulgarian Witnesses with disfellowshipping in return for legal recognition and other concessions.
No doubt, though, foremost among Bethel’s compromises was the spiritually adulterous affair the Watchtower Society had with the United Nations for 10 years, when it served as an Associate level NGO.
Following the pattern of Ezekiel in making known Jerusalem’s “detestable things,” in 2004, e-watchman widely publicized the Watchtower’s secret NGO affair with the UN on the Internet and directly to over 6,000 congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the United States, Canada and Great Britain, as well as to 100 branch offices around the globe.
E-watchman has also vigorously exposed the organizational idolatry practiced by Jehovah’s Witnesses as well as the modern form of child sacrifice promoted by the Society in their refusal to protect and support sexually abused children.
It does not bode well for the modern counterpart of the ancient city for God’s name that the Mosaic Law covenant stipulated that both idolaters and prostitutes alike should be stoned to death. In keeping with the terms of the covenant God decreed that the idolatrous, prostitute-like city should be destroyed – as if pelted to death with stones. Ezekiel 16:38-40 reads: “And I will judge you with the judgments of adulteresses and women shedding blood, and I will give you the blood of rage and jealousy. And I will give you into their hand, and they will certainly tear down your mound and your heights will certainly be pulled down, and they must strip you of your garments and take your beautiful articles and leave you behind naked and nude. And they must bring up against you a congregation and pelt you with stones and slaughter you with their swords.”
“AND YOU WILL HAVE TO KNOW THAT I AM JEHOVAH”
But Jerusalem’s fiery end was not the end of Jehovah’s purpose in connection with the city. Quite the contrary, Jerusalem’s best days were still ahead of her. Although the Jews were covenant-breakers Jehovah’s dealings with them and the earthly city of Jerusalem would not be concluded until his purpose had been realized with the coming of the Messiah. Jerusalem was to be rebuilt in order to receive the prophesied King of Israel.
In the concluding verses of the 16th chapter Jehovah reaffirms his commitment to the covenant, saying: “And I, I myself, will establish my covenant with you; and you will have to know that I am Jehovah, in order that you may remember and actually be ashamed and you may no more come to have any reason to open your mouth because of your humiliation, when I make an atonement for you for all that you have done…”
The Watchtower Society interprets the prophecy of Ezekiel to apply to Christendom. However, in all their prophetic commentary they have never commented specifically on the verses above; obviously, for the reason that it simply does not fit their preferred interpretation that the house of Israel typifies Christendom. Are Jehovah’s Witnesses to suppose that God will establish a covenant with the parishioners of Christendom after he destroys it?
Just as was the case with the Jews and their holy city dedicated to Jehovah, first must come the destruction of God’s earthly organization and purging of it of the wicked from among God’s people; then, God makes atonement for the sins of those to whom he shows mercy. The city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt in the form of the New Jerusalem – the heavenly city of God. In that way the New covenant will be concluded.
Jehovah's Witnesses and the city of Jerusalem
Robert King2019-10-01T14:37:21-04:00March 15th, 2013|Categories: Ezekiel|1 Comment
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The Lady Loves Me
She loves me, she loves me, she loves me
The lady loves me and it shows
In spite of the way she turns up her nose
I'm her ideal, her hearts desire
Under that ice she's burning like fire
She'd like to cuddle up to me
She's playing hard to get
The lady loves me, but she doesn't know it yet
The gentleman has savoir-faire
As much as an elephant or a bear
I'd like to take him for a spin
Back to the zoo to visit his kin
He's got about as much appeal as a soggy cigarette
The lady loathes him but he doesn't know it yet
The lady's got a crush on me
The gentleman's crazy obviously
The lady's dying to be kissed
The gentleman needs a psychiatrist
I'd rather kiss a rattlesnake
Or play Russian roulette
She's falling fast she's on the skids
Both of his heads are flipping their lids
Tonight she'll hold me in her arms
I'd rather be holding hydrogen bombs
Will someone tell this Romeo
I'm not his Juliet
She wants me
Like poison ivy
Needs me
Like a hole in the head
Everyone can see she's got it bad
He's mad!
The gentleman is an egotist
I'm simply aware I'm hard to resist
He's one man I could learn to hate
How's about having dinner at eight
I'd rather dine with Frankenstein
In a moonlight tete-a-tete
Oh yes she loves me
Dig that shrinking violet
Oh she really loves me
Here's one gal you'll never get
She lo- lo- loves me
Would you like to make a bet
I said the lady loves me
The gentleman's all wet
Recorded: 1963/07/11, first released on A Legendary Peformer, Volume 4
ElvisSacramento (profile/ contact) wrote on Jan 23, 2016report abuse
This is such a fabulous, unique, humorous and fun song and Elvis' duet of this song with Ann-Margret was marvelous. "Viva Las Vegas" is by far one of my most favorite Elvis movies and it's also by far one of my most favorite Elvis movie soundtrack albums too. "The Lady Loves Me" is one of 41 songs that Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett wrote for Elvis as a duo. I like "The Lady Loves Me" and "You're the Boss" equally. As we all know, "You're the Boss" was yet another Elvis and Ann-Margret duet. Ann-Margret was certainly the most perfect choice to star as Elvis' leading lady in "Viva Las Vegas".
JerryNodak (profile/ contact) wrote on Jan 23, 2016report abuse
I really liked it at the time. Not so much now. "You're The Boss" has stood the test much better (imo).
shawnrw (profile/ contact) wrote on Sep 20, 2014report abuse
The interplay between Elvis and Ann Margaret is about as energetic, sexy, clever and fun as music can get. As usual RCA buried it in their archives until after Elvis died, aside from bootlegs that is. Should have been part of what could have been Elvis's best soundtrack album, instead all we got was a extended play release missing some of the best songs. It's amazing that between the bungling and small mindedness of RCA and Tom Parker, that Elvis's career lasted beyond his induction into the army.
sugartummy (profile/ contact) wrote on May 18, 2013report abuse
My wife rates this 5 stars and who am I to say something different. It's her favourite Elvis song.
NONE000000 (profile/ contact) wrote on Aug 16, 2012report abuse
I think this is a good one. Elvis and Ann-Margaret have great chemistry together, even if it does shine through much better on You're The Boss. Viva Las Vegas was a really good, fun movie--probably Elvis' best of the fluffy travelogue type movies--and this song is truly great to watch in the movie. It's a fun scene. The song on its own loses something.
Great Dane (profile/ contact) wrote on Aug 15, 2012report abuse
In fact it wasn't released before 1983 on "A legendary performer vol.4" always liked those compilation albums and just played this one. And if my ears are right i heard Ann-Margaret on this LP. 3 stars.
Biffx (profile/ contact) wrote on Aug 15, 2012report abuse
A middle of the road track for me i have no problem listening to this at anytime. Its a lighthearted comical track no more no less and for me marginally better than Your The Boss which to be honest I find a little dreary.
Natha (profile/ contact) wrote on Aug 15, 2012report abuse
Within the movie it has that playful streak. I have no problem with that at all. It's fun and is related to a feeling people may have. So what's wrong abou that. It's a musical! Most songs are silly or naive if you analise it. I don't care. For me I first heard the LP version and later on I saw the movie. Unfortunately the duet with Ann Margaret was only in the movie. It made more impact than the LP version.
carol (profile/ contact) wrote on Oct 30, 2010report abuse
Didnt care for it outside of the movie. I liked your the boss much better.
Steve V (profile/ contact) wrote on Oct 30, 2010report abuse
I kinda liked it at the time. Now its a bit more hard to endure. Like You're The Boss much better.
Deano1 (profile/ contact) wrote on Oct 30, 2010report abuse
Elvis and Ann Margaret duet on this cute song from the movie "Viva Las Vegas" that was not released on record until 1978 (discounting bootlegs). Were there legal reasons why this wasn't released in 1964? Are those legalities the reason we didn't get a soundtrack LP? Did the Colonel not want Elvis to have to share an LP with Ann? Whatever the reasons, this was a big missed opportunity.
bastiaanvinke (profile/ contact) wrote on Jan 26, 2010report abuse
Included in Viva Las Vegas. Little bit silly. Althought it isn't bad at all I would have liked 'Your the boss' included in the movie instead of this one.
Available Alternate Versions
duet with Ann-Margret on Viva Las Vegas
take 9 on Silver Screen Stereo
Takes 1-2 on Viva Las Vegas 3CD
with Ann Margret on Viva Las Vegas
with Ann Margret, take 2 on Viva Las Vegas
with Ann-Margret on Viva Las Vegas
with Ann-Margret, Take 9 on Viva Las Vegas
Find 'The Lady Loves Me' on CD
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Limit my search to Neuroscience
Distinct neural mechanisms underlie the success, precision, and vividness of episodic memory
Franziska R Richter,
Rose A Cooper,
Paul M Bays,
Jon S Simons ,
Research Article Oct 25, 2016
A network of brain regions have been linked with episodic memory retrieval, but limited progress has been made in identifying the contributions of distinct parts of the network. Here, we utilized continuous measures of retrieval to dissociate three components of episodic memory: retrieval success, precision, and vividness. In the fMRI scanner, participants encoded objects that varied continuously on three features: color, orientation, and location. Participants’ memory was tested by having them recreate the appearance of the object features using a continuous dial, and continuous vividness judgments were recorded. Retrieval success, precision, and vividness were dissociable both behaviorally and neurally: successful versus unsuccessful retrieval was associated with hippocampal activity, retrieval precision scaled with activity in the angular gyrus, and vividness judgments tracked activity in the precuneus. The ability to dissociate these components of episodic memory reveals the benefit afforded by measuring memory on a continuous scale, allowing functional parcellation of the retrieval network.
Remembering is something we do countless times each day. The detail and vividness with which we can remember is part of what makes memories so precious. Given the significance and complexity of memories, it is perhaps unsurprising that several parts of the brain are needed for us to experience them. Indeed, the brain regions involved in memory all work so closely together that it is a challenge to identify what role each region plays.
Richter, Cooper et al. aimed to design a memory task that could separate key characteristics of remembering, which would allow them to study links between each aspect and the different brain regions involved in memory. The resulting test involved showing people images of different objects whilst they were in an MRI medical imaging scanner. The people taking the test were asked to remember several objects that could vary in color, position and orientation. Participants were asked to rate how vividly they remembered the objects and then tried to precisely recreate their color, orientation and position.
The test allowed Richter, Cooper et al. to link specific parts of the brain to certain aspects of remembering. The hippocampus, an area known to be important in memory processing, indicated whether or not information had been remembered. More vivid memories were linked to greater activity in a region called the precuneus, which plays a role in imagination. Lastly, activity in a third region – the angular gyrus – indicated the precision of each memory.
Being able to study different aspects of memory using tests like this that collect detailed measurements could be important in identifying memory problems, for example, in people with brain diseases or head injuries, or after a stroke. Specifically, the methods developed by Richter, Cooper et al. could provide sensitive tools for detecting memory difficulties at an early stage. This may help more people to get treated sooner, potentially minimizing lasting complications.
Remembering previous events is one of the hallmarks of human cognition, with memory retrieval contributing to, and depending on, many other cognitive abilities. Memory retrieval involves a complex set of processes that activate a large network of brain regions (Rugg and Vilberg, 2013; Spaniol et al., 2009; Kim, 2010). Recently, it has been suggested that the memory retrieval network can be divided into two sub-systems (Ranganath and Ritchey, 2012), both anchored on the hippocampus: an anterior temporal system, comprising the amygdala, temporopolar cortex, orbitofrontal cortex and perirhinal cortex, and a posterior medial system, including regions such as the posterior cingulate, precuneus, angular gyrus (AnG), medial prefrontal cortex, and parahippocampal cortex. According to this framework, the anterior temporal system is more related to semantic memory, familiarity judgments, and event salience, whereas the posterior medial system contributes to episodic memory and recollection. Despite such attempts to characterize sub-systems within the retrieval network, and suggestions about the roles of some of its constituent regions, functional specializations within the memory retrieval network remain poorly understood, in part due to common co-activation during most retrieval tasks.
It is likely that memory retrieval tasks typically activate such a wide network of regions because the components of successful retrieval can reflect the contribution of a number of different properties of memory representations, such as their subjective vividness, objective accuracy, and the objective level of detail, specificity, or precision with which they are retrieved. To better understand how memory judgments are derived, it is important to consider that the outcome of a retrieval attempt is typically not ‘all-or-none’, but that the amount and quality of information we retrieve can vary considerably (Parks and Yonelinas, 2007). In order to distinguish memory retrieval components and the role of regions within the retrieval network, it is necessary to use sensitive measures that can detect such variations in retrieval performance. Consistent with this approach, some research has studied the specificity with which memories can be retrieved as an alternative to simple 'old/new' decisions or other categorical judgments such as ‘remember/know’. For example, source memory tasks, requiring participants to remember the context in which an item was studied, have revealed that participants sometimes remember 'partial source' information (such as the gender of a speaker), but not necessarily all specific details (Simons et al., 2004). The idea that memory representations can vary in quality has prompted researchers to measure recollection objectively using more graded measures, exploring how many details can be remembered (Horner and Burgess, 2014; Qin et al., 2011; Vilberg and Rugg, 2009). Although such measures are important advances in capturing differences in retrieval outcome, they remain essentially categorical. Memory is not only defined by the number of details that are remembered, but also by the fidelity with which those details can be recalled (Brady et al., 2013).
Recent developments in the study of short-term memory have demonstrated that memory representations vary along a continuous scale of memory precision (Bays and Husain, 2008; Zhang and Luck, 2008; Fougnie et al., 2012; van den Berg et al., 2012; Bays, 2014), highlighting the flexibility of memory representations in terms of both quantity and quality (Ma et al., 2014). These influential methods from the working memory literature have started to be applied to behavioral studies of long-term memory (Brady et al., 2013). Importantly, it is possible to separate behaviorally the probability of recollection success from the precision with which information is retrieved (Harlow and Donaldson, 2013; Harlow and Yonelinas, 2016), which can be differentially influenced by attention and retrieval practice (Fan and Turk-Browne, 2013). Furthermore, a recent EEG study supports the idea that variations in long-term memory precision may be associated with distinct neural signatures, finding the well-established left parietal old/new effect to be graded according to recollection precision (Murray et al., 2015). The observation that retrieval success and retrieval precision can be manipulated independently suggests that using continuous measures to differentiate such components will lead to a more detailed understanding of episodic memory retrieval at both behavioral and neural levels.
Retrieval success and retrieval precision both constitute objective measures of memory performance. However, increasing research has additionally considered subjective or metacognitive measures of memory performance, such as confidence (Yonelinas, 1994) or the vividness with which retrieved memories are experienced (Kuhl and Chun, 2014; St-Laurent et al., 2015). Research has found that subjective and objective measures of memory performance can diverge (Chua et al., 2012; Harlow and Yonelinas, 2016). Most notably, patients with parietal cortex lesions exhibit impairment in subjective memory reports even though their objective performance appears to be intact (Simons et al., 2010), and lateral parietal transcranial magnetic stimulation has been found to selectively reduce memory confidence but not retrieval success (Yazar et al., 2014). One possibility is that the subjective and objective memory components that may drive mnemonic decisions are separable, with subjective aspects of retrieval, such as vividness, and objective aspects of retrieval, such as success and precision, relying on largely independent processes. Alternatively, it is possible that performance on subjective measures of memory retrieval used to date can be fully explained by subtle variations in objective memory, such as the precision with which a memory is recalled, which previous objective measures may not have been sensitive enough to detect.
To summarize, memory retrieval involves a wide network of brain regions and may reflect the contribution of both objective and subjective memory components, with objective memory success being distinguishable from objective memory precision and both being distinguishable from subjective memory vividness. To understand the roles of brain regions within the retrieval network and to dissociate memory retrieval components, more sensitive, continuous measures of memory performance are needed. In the current study, we combined continuous long-term memory measures in an fMRI paradigm with model-based approaches derived from the working memory literature. For each retrieval trial we obtained a binary measure of retrieval success (successful versus unsuccessful), a continuous measure of the precision with which color, orientation, and location features of visual objects were remembered (based on the error between a target value and the participant’s response), as well as a subjective vividness rating, on a continuous scale. These measures allowed us to characterize behavioral and neural mechanisms that distinguish between recollection success, precision, and the vividness with which information is retrieved.
Behavioral results
Model-based analyses were first conducted on the error values obtained for each memory retrieval trial. The distribution of errors for all 5724 trials across all participants and features (see Materials and methods) can be seen in Figure 1. Three models were fitted to the error data (Bays et al., 2009), both across all trials as well as separately for each participant, and model fit was assessed via Akaike information criterion (AIC) and Bayesian information criterion (BIC). Modeling the errors with a von Mises (circular normal) distribution alone (model 1) fit the data less well than a mixture model (model 2) that also included a uniform component (AIC difference: 1882.2; BIC difference: 1875.6; also true across subjects, AIC: t(19) = 9.01, p < 0.001; BIC: t(19) = 8.63, p < 0.001) and a third model in which non-target binding errors were additionally accounted for (AIC difference: 1880.2; BIC difference: 1866.9; also true across subjects, AIC: t(19) = 8.96, p < 0.001; BIC: t(19) = 8.20, p < 0.001). Model 2 provided a better fit than model 3 (AIC difference: 2.0; BIC difference: 8.7; also true across subjects, AIC: t(19) = 4.61, p < 0.001; BIC: t(19) = 16.48, p < 0.001), suggesting that non-target errors did not account for a significant amount of variance in performance on this long-term memory task. Therefore, the distribution of errors was best characterized by a model with one parameter capturing the proportion of successfully retrieved features (responses within the von Mises distribution relative to the uniform distribution) and another parameter capturing the precision (concentration) of successfully retrieved memories. As seen in Figure 1, errors clustered around the target value, indicating that participants often successfully retrieved information about the probed feature. Moreover, a certain percentage of trials resulted in errors evenly distributed between −180 and 180 degrees, consistent with responses due to forgetting. Using model 2 (von Mises + uniform), the estimated mean proportion of trials successfully retrieved was 0.62 (SD = 0.16), and estimated mean precision (assessed by the concentration parameter of the von Mises distribution) was 10.05 (SD = 3.41). The distribution of vividness responses across all subjects and trials can also be seen in Figure 1. We calculated the mean vividness across all 48 displays for each subject (mean = 48.23, SD = 15.83), which indicated that subjects' memories were, on average, moderately vivid, and responses were widely spread between 0–100.
Behavioral responses for all retrieval trials.
(a) Distribution of errors (difference between reported feature value and target feature value), across all 5724 trials across all participants, also visualized in circular space by wrapping the distribution around a circle. (b) Distribution of vividness responses across all 954 vividness ratings for all participants.
Data associated with the error distribution and vividness rating analyses.
Download elife-18260-fig1-data1-v1.csv
We hypothesized that our three indices of memory retrieval (retrieval success, precision and vividness) measure different components of retrieval performance. If so, we would expect them to correlate, but only to a moderate degree. To compare the covariance of retrieval success, precision, and vividness, across-subject pairwise correlation analyses and separate regression analyses predicting each retrieval measure were conducted. As expected, each pairwise correlation revealed a moderate positive correlation of similar magnitude, including a relationship between retrieval success and precision (r = 0.527, p = 0.017), retrieval success and vividness (r = 0.543, p = 0.013), and precision and vividness (r = 0.519, p = 0.019) (see Figure 2). However, regression analyses highlighted that a substantial proportion of variance in each retrieval measure remained unexplained when predicted by the other two measures: For retrieval success, 62.3% of the variance was unexplained after accounting for vividness and precision (R2 = 0.377, F(2,17) = 5.14, p = 0.018, with no significant individual effect of vividness, β = 0.369, t(17) = 1.65, p = 0.118, or precision, β = 0.336, t(17) = 1.50, p = 0.152, when entered in the same model). Similarly, 64.5% of variance in retrieval precision was unexplained by the other two variables (R2 = 0.355, F(2,17) = 3.67, p = 0.024, with no significant effect of vividness, β = 0.330, t(17) = 1.42, p = 0.173, or retrieval success, β = 0.348, t(17) = 1.50, p = 0.152). Lastly, 63% of variance in retrieval vividness was unexplained by retrieval success and precision (R2 = 0.370, F(2,17) = 4.98, p = 0.020, with no significant effect of retrieval success, β = 0.373, t(17) = 1.64, p = 0.118, or precision, β = 0.322, t(17) = 1.42, p = 0.173). The behavioral analyses, therefore, support the relative separability of retrieval success, precision, and vividness at a cognitive level.
Relationship between the three measures of retrieval performance.
Correlation between (a) retrieval success and precision, (b) retrieval success and vividness ratings, and (c) precision and vividness ratings. Shaded areas indicate the standard error of the correlation.
Data associated with the pairwise correlation analyses.
fMRI results
Trial-specific measures of retrieval success, precision, and vividness
For the purpose of fMRI analyses, we developed trial-specific measures of retrieval success, precision, and vividness. Using a model-derived cut-off for successful retrieval ( +/- 63 degrees from the target value, see Materials and methods: Behavioral analysis), participants achieved an average of 76.04% (SD = 10.74%) successfully retrieved trials. (This percentage correct is higher than that reported for the behavioral analysis because the model adjusts for responses that can be attributed to the uniform distribution.) Trial-specific estimates of precision were obtained by subtracting the absolute difference between the target value and the reported value (ranging from 0–180 degrees) from 180 (the maximum possible error), so that higher values reflected higher precision. Precision was only considered for successfully retrieved trials, as the precision of trials in which retrieval was unsuccessful is likely to reflect guessing, leading errors to be randomly distributed. (Therefore, the actual range of values that was used for the analysis of the precision effects was 117–180.) Lastly, the vividness ratings (0–100) for each display in the retrieval phase were used as a trial-specific measure of subjective vividness for each of the 48 displays.
ROI activity and conjunction analyses
The three main contrasts of interest reflected the degree to which neural activity related to successful retrieval (successful > unsuccessful), the precision of successful retrieval (increase in BOLD (blood-oxygen-level dependent) signal with increase in precision), and the vividness of retrieval (increase in BOLD signal with increase in vividness). We focused our main fMRI analysis on three a priori regions of interest (ROIs) from the posterior-medial recollection network (Ranganath and Ritchey, 2012) that have consistently been activated in the recollection literature: hippocampus, AnG, and precuneus. We focused on regions in the left hemisphere only, as previous results have indicated that such posterior retrieval effects are typically left lateralized (Spaniol et al., 2009).
We hypothesized that our three retrieval effects of interest would be associated with distinct patterns of brain activity. Consistent with this prediction, our analysis suggested that all three retrieval effects were neurally dissociable: the contrast between successful and unsuccessful retrieval elicited increased activity in hippocampus (peak: −33, −12, −18, t(19) = 4.34, p = 0.015, d = 0.97), but no significant effects were detected in precuneus (all t(19) < 3.02, all p > 0.362) or AnG (all t(19) < 2.38 all p > 0.371). In contrast, trial-by-trial measures of precision scaled with activity in AnG (peak: −54, −54, 33, t(19) = 6.17, p = 0.001, d = 1.38), but no such effects were observed in hippocampus (all t(19) < 1.80, all p > 0.657) or precuneus (all t(19) < 2.30, all p > 0.760). Lastly, trial-by-trial vividness ratings correlated with brain activity in precuneus (peak: −3, −57, 48, t(19) = 4.60, p = 0.032, d = 1.03), but neither effects in the hippocampus (all t(19) < 3.54, all p > 0.071) nor AnG (all t(19) < 2.77, all p > 0.246) reached significance. Figure 3(a) shows the activation in the three ROIs for contrasts that yielded a significant effect.
ROI analyses.
(a) Significant effects of the general linear model (GLM) as revealed by the ROI analyses. Each contrast was assessed in each of the a priori defined ROIs by determining the significance of peak ROI activity using small-volume correction at p < 0.05. Significant effects of retrieval success were found in the hippocampal ROI, of precision in the AnG ROI, and of vividness in the precuneus ROI. (Contrasts displayed at p < 0.01, uncorrected, for visualization.) (b) Mean first level t-values observed across voxels in each anatomical ROI for the three measures of retrieval performance. Error bars show standard error of the mean.
Figure 3— source data 1
Data associated with the ROI analyses.
The results outlined above give some indication that retrieval success, precision and vividness might activate non-overlapping brain areas. To directly test whether the activations observed in the three ROIs for the three contrasts differed in a statistically reliable manner, we conducted a 3 (ROI: hippocampus, AnG, precuneus) × 3 (contrast: retrieval success, precision, vividness) ANOVA on the first level t-values for each contrast from each ROI. (First level t-values were used because the parameter estimates for the retrieval success contrast reflect the mean difference in BOLD signal, whereas the parameter estimates for the parametric modulators reflect the rate of change of BOLD signal with precision and vividness, meaning that the beta values are not directly comparable). The ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between contrast and ROI (FHuynh-Feldt(2.973, 56.482) = 4.02, p = 0.012, η² = 0.05, see Figure 3b), indicating that the pattern of regional activity differed significantly between the contrasts. To explore this interaction further, three 2 × 2 ANOVAs were conducted between each pair of contrasts and the region that had the strongest associated activity for each contrast. All three ANOVAs revealed significant interactions between ROI and contrast (all F > 4.63, all p < 0.05, all η² > 0.03), further specifying the distinct roles of the ROIs in the memory retrieval components of interest. Conducting conjunction analyses within the ROIs for each of the three pairs of contrasts revealed no voxels in which there was any significant overlap even at a liberal threshold using a conjoint probability of p < 0.001 (uncorrected) (each individual contrast set to a threshold of p < 0.01), consistent with the findings of significant activity in only one ROI per contrast.
The analyses described thus far provide evidence for a dissociation in the neural basis of retrieval success, precision, and vividness in the ROIs selected a priori, but it is possible that activity relating to these memory components might overlap elsewhere in the brain. To test for similarities in neural activity, three whole-brain pairwise conjunction analyses were conducted between each pair of retrieval measures using a liberal conjoint probability threshold of p < 0.001 (uncorrected) with a minimum cluster size of at least 20 contiguous voxels (see Figure 4). Conjunction analyses between retrieval success and precision, and between precision and vividness, revealed no significant areas of overlap. The conjunction between retrieval success and vividness revealed one significant cluster of overlapping activity in the right caudate (peak: 12, 6, −9, cluster size = 36, t(19) = 5.44, p = 0.033). This very limited amount of overlap at the whole-brain level is consistent with our finding of dissociable effects within the a priori ROIs. Hence, these three memory components appear to be supported by distinct regions within the memory retrieval network.
Activity for each contrast of interest.
Activity was assessed throughout the brain to reveal any areas of overlap (at a liberal statistical threshold of p < 0.001, uncorrected). Activations are displayed on the cortical surface using Pysurfer software (https://pysurfer.github.io), visualized at an even more liberal threshold of p < 0.01 (uncorrected). Red = Retrieval Success; Blue = Precision; Green = Vividness. Greater activity is indicated by increasing brightness of the color. Purple = overlap between Retrieval Success and Precision; Cyan = overlap between Precision and Vividness; Yellow = Overlap between Retrieval Success and Vividness.
Many cognitive components contribute to successful recollection, supported by a complex network of brain regions; however, cognitive and neural dissociations within the episodic retrieval network remain underspecified. Here, we sought to distinguish the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying retrieval success, retrieval precision, and retrieval vividness using model-based analyses of continuous episodic retrieval measures. Retrieval success (successful vs. unsuccessful) was associated with BOLD signal increases in hippocampus, whereas retrieval precision scaled with brain activity in AnG. Both these objective measures of retrieval performance were dissociable from a subjective continuous measure of retrieval vividness, which was tracked by activity in the precuneus. The apparently separable contribution of these three nodes of the episodic retrieval network was confirmed by significant statistical interactions between region and component, and by the lack of overlap in activity revealed by conjunction analyses. Together, the observed behavioral and neural dissociations, revealed by the use of continuous memory measures, shed new light on the distinct contributions made by components of the episodic retrieval network.
Using continuous measures of retrieval performance in addition to the traditional categorical distinction of retrieval success, we were able to dissociate the functions of regions that are often co-activated during memory retrieval. The hippocampus has received most attention in the literature as a 'memory region', because of the profound memory deficits associated with hippocampal damage (Scoville and Milner, 1957), and the frequent reports of hippocampal activity during neuroimaging studies of memory retrieval (Schacter and Wagner, 1999). One proposal in the cognitive literature has been that hippocampal activity might relate to a threshold retrieval signal (Yonelinas, 2002), such that items only elicit a hippocampal recollection response once a specific qualitative information threshold is reached. Consistent with this view, computational models of hippocampal function have produced thresholded output, such that some items produce a memory signal strong enough to elicit an 'old' response, whereas items that remain below the required threshold are indistinguishable to the model from new items (Norman, 2010). fMRI results have supported the view that hippocampal activity during retrieval is characterized by distinct states, such that it responds to recollection responses, for example in source memory tasks (Ranganath et al., 2004), but not graded familiarity judgments (Montaldi et al., 2006). Our observation of a categorical retrieval success effect in the hippocampus is thus consistent with these prior results, but our findings provide novel constraints on understanding of the specificity of the hippocampal role in episodic memory by demonstrating a disproportionately greater role in retrieval success than graded precision or subjective vividness.
In contrast to successful versus unsuccessful retrieval, the precision with which recollected information is retrieved was tracked by activity in AnG, consistent with recent EEG evidence that the late lateral parietal ERP effect is graded according to memory precision (Murray et al., 2015). This dissociation between hippocampus and AnG is consistent with the notion of a strongly interconnected cortico-hippocampal network in which hippocampus initiates retrieval, which is then further supported by cortical regions (McClelland et al., 1995), with increasing connectivity between different nodes in the network being related to superior mnemonic performance (Wang et al., 2014). The specific dissociation between hippocampus and AnG observed here is also consistent with recent reports that hippocampal signals are transient during memory retrieval, as might be expected of a threshold signal, whereas AnG responses are more sustained over the retrieval period, possibly consistent with a role in the active representation of information (Vilberg and Rugg, 2012). The various roles attributed to inferior parietal regions such as AnG during memory retrieval include attentional capture by retrieved information (Cabeza et al., 2008), the accumulation of evidence in memory (Wagner et al., 2005), or a 'buffer' that stores information for further evaluation during long-term memory retrieval (Vilberg and Rugg, 2008). Consistent with the latter account, recent work supports a role for AnG in carrying specific details of memory representations, finding that episodic memories are represented individually and can be decoded by multivariate classifier analyses in this area (Bonnici et al., 2016; Kuhl and Chun, 2014). These findings indicate that AnG may represent the information on which a mnemonic decision is based, with properties of the representation such as its level of detail or the fidelity of the information retrieved driving decisions about a memory’s origin and other associated features. This representation of detailed memory features might uniquely qualify AnG for demanding mnemonic computations like precision judgments or the integration of complex retrieved features, which hippocampus might instead only support indirectly by initiating and orchestrating other mnemonic processes (Vilberg and Rugg, 2012). Additionally, the observation of trial-to-trial variation in AnG activity, correlated with retrieval precision, is consistent with proposals from the working memory literature that memory fidelity may vary from one retrieval instance to the next (Fougnie et al., 2012; van den Berg et al., 2012), and specifically that memory precision may be determined by the gain of neural activity encoding a stimulus (Bays, 2014).
In addition to the dissociation between objective measures of memory retrieval involving the hippocampus and AnG, our subjective measure of memory performance, retrieval vividness, correlated with precuneus activity, consistent with recent findings linking activity in dorsomedial brain areas with how vividly video clips were recalled (St-Laurent et al., 2015). In line with a proposed involvement in vividness judgments, previous evidence has found greater connectivity between prefrontal cortex and precuneus during metacognitive decisions concerning retrieved memories (Baird et al., 2013), supporting a role for medial parietal regions in assessments of subjective memory quality. Furthermore, a correlation between precuneus structural volume and recollection from a first-person perspective (Freton et al., 2014) is consistent with a contribution to reinstating and maintaining a vivid subjective memory representation. The involvement of the precuneus in facilitating subjective memory vividness could explain its common activation during memory retrieval tasks, such as tests of source memory, that often require retrieval of rich and vivid episodic information (Lundstrom et al., 2005). It has been proposed that activity in the precuneus reflects the requirement for mental imagery during retrieval (Fletcher et al., 1995). The function of the precuneus might thus be complementary to that of the hippocampus, which may be involved in the initial aspects of a proposed ‘scene construction’ process that occurs when a memory is retrieved, but not in the maintenance of the scene in working memory following construction (Zeidman et al., 2015). In accordance with such a distinction, our current data are consistent with the idea that the hippocampus might play an initial role in driving the reconstruction process, but that further translation into an imageable, first person perspective event occurs via precuneus (Burgess et al., 2001).
It is worth noting that previous studies have also linked activity in AnG with rated vividness (Bonnici et al., 2016; Kuhl and Chun, 2014) and confidence (Qin et al., 2011), and that hippocampal activity, too, has been reported to be associated with vividness ratings (Ford and Kensinger, 2016; Gilboa et al., 2004). Moreover, patients with lesions that include the lateral parietal lobe often report reduced memory detail and diminished recollection vividness (Berryhill et al., 2007; Simons et al., 2010). At first glance, our results might appear to diverge from these prior reports. However, we believe our findings help to distinguish the contributions of precuneus, hippocampus, and AnG to subjective aspects of recollection, by capitalizing on two specific advantages of our study. In previous work, vividness ratings were often recorded after the mnemonic decision, meaning that judgments could reflect the participants’ perception of how they had performed on that trial; moreover, vividness and precision or retrieval success effects were not distinguished, such that vividness is likely to have been confounded with precision and/or retrieval success. In the current study, making the vividness rating before any decision on the objects ensured that it reflected participants’ assessment of their subjective ability to bring to mind the appearance of the objects on the display, rather than the influences of perceived difficulty or post-decision processing (Siedlecka et al., 2016). Second, we modeled vividness, retrieval success and precision within the same general linear model, meaning that they accounted for independent sources of variance. While our three memory measures were clearly dissociable, they were not completely independent from each other (and in fact were correlated at r = ~0.5 across subjects in the current study). This moderate correlation would imply that trials which were more precisely and/or successfully remembered would be, on average, associated with higher vividness ratings, possibly explaining previous reports of a link between vividness ratings and brain activity in AnG (cf. Bonnici et al., 2016; Kuhl and Chun, 2014), or hippocampus (Ford and Kensinger, 2016; Gilboa et al., 2004). Regarding reports of diminished vividness following parietal cortex lesions, such lesions are frequently not selective to lateral parietal cortex (Berryhill et al., 2007), often including medial parietal areas. Moreover, lateral and medial areas are heavily interconnected (Zhang and Li, 2012), such that lateral parietal lesions could to some extent affect medial parietal function, by resulting in diminished input into medial parietal regions. This diminished input to medial parietal areas could affect judgments of memory vividness, because the information necessary for the maintenance of a vivid mental scene might be less readily available. Thus, our current data suggest that medial parietal regions play a role in evaluating the perceived vividness of participants’ memories, a judgment that may be based on the level of detail or precision of the memory represented in AnG, although further research is still required to tease apart the relative contributions of these regions and elucidate the processes underlying judgments of memory vividness and confidence.
By capitalizing on the use of continuous measures of objective and subjective retrieval performance, our study provides novel insights into dissociable components of memory retrieval. We demonstrate that regions of the episodic memory network that are normally co-activated during retrieval can be dissociated and linked to specific aspects of retrieval performance. Using the current approach to study and analyze behavioral and fMRI memory data, future studies will be able to characterize more accurately the mechanisms involved in different retrieval tasks, and to assess specific variations in memory performance in target groups, such as patients and older adults.
Twenty-one subjects (9 female; mean age = 29.81) participated in the current experiment. Subjects were 18–45 years of age, right-handed, fluent English speakers, had normal or corrected-to-normal vision, and had no history of psychiatric or neurological disorders. Subjects were recruited via participant databases at the Memory Laboratory, Cambridge University, as well as social media adverts. Informed consent was obtained according to procedures approved by the Cambridge Psychology Research Ethics Committee and subjects were paid a standard honorarium for their time. One male participant was excluded from all analyses due to very low, chance-level behavioral performance (more than 2 SD below the group mean for all parts of the memory test), resulting in a final sample of 20 subjects. For one additional subject, the first scan run out of 8 had to be excluded due to a technical error during scanning.
Stimuli consisted of 48 background scenes and 144 object pictures. The background scenes consisted of scene photographs (including naturalistic scenes, buildings, and other landmarks), excluding any images showing people or distinct objects. The object stimuli were a subset of photographs of everyday objects used by Brady et al. (2013), obtained from http://timbrady.org/stimuli/ColorRotationStimuli.zip. Objects showing rotational symmetry or that were strongly associated with a specific color were excluded. Background scenes and object pictures were randomly combined to create 48 stimulus displays (750 × 750 pixels), each consisting of a unique background scene with 3 unique superimposed objects varying in color, orientation, and location (on an invisible circle). Colors, orientations, and locations of all objects were selected at random from circular parameter spaces with 360 increments (appearing continuous), but with the following constraint: a minimum distance of 62.04 degrees was enforced between the same feature of different objects in the same display. This was the minimum distance required to ensure that the objects would never overlap in their locations and, for consistency, the same minimum distance in feature space was enforced for all features. All object-background assignments were randomized, but the displays were only generated once and were then kept constant across subjects, for whom the order of presentation was randomized.
Upon arrival, participants completed a short training session to familiarize themselves with task requirements, and the continuous response options. Stimuli used in this training session were unique and did not overlap with those used in the main experiment. The fMRI session involved 8 scan blocks, each of which contained an encoding phase and a retrieval phase. The trial structure of the encoding and retrieval phases is displayed in Figure 5. A video of an example retrieval trial can be accessed online (Video 1).
Task design.
(a) Examples of displays learnt during encoding and (b) part of the sequence of retrieval questions for a single display illustrating the manipulation of the objects with the continuous dial. During retrieval, the order in which features (color/orientation/location) were tested was counterbalanced. Two out of the three objects associated with an encoded display were tested during retrieval. A video of an example retrieval trial can be accessed online (Video 1).
In each encoding phase, subjects were presented with 6 stimulus displays, each of which was displayed for 12 s. Subjects were instructed to try to learn the appearance of the objects on the display, including their color, orientation, and location on the background, as best as they could. Displays were separated by a fixation cross of varying duration (400 to 2800 ms, approaching a Poisson distribution, with a mean of 961.1 ms). A 10 s delay followed the encoding phase before the retrieval phase started. In each retrieval phase trial, participants were presented first with only the background scene of a display and were asked to rate how vividly they remembered the appearance of the objects associated with the presented background, based on their memory for the identity and features of all three objects. The background was presented for 2 s with the question “How vividly do you remember this display?” in white font. After 2 s, a slider was added with the labels ‘not vividly’ and ‘very vividly’ at the end points. Subjects had 6 s to respond using their index and middle finger to indicate the vividness of their memory on a continuous scale of 0 ('not vividly') to 100 ('very vividly'). They confirmed their responses by pressing a third button with their thumb. In cases where participants did not respond within the first 4 s, the text turned red to indicate to participants that they had 2 s left in which they could respond. The vividness scale was represented by a 500 pixel wide line, on which participants could move a cursor up or down by holding down one or the other of two buttons. Each ‘press’ of the button moved the cursor by 5 pixels, resulting in the 100-point scale. The vividness rating was requested from participants before they recreated any of the object features so that their subjective vividness judgment would not be influenced by their experience of their performance on that trial. Participants were then tested on their memory for two of the three objects that were associated with a given display, with the same two objects tested for all participants. Each tested object was initially presented in a random color, location, and orientation. The participants’ task was to sequentially recreate the objects’ original features (color/orientation/location) using a continuous dial (360 increments) over 6 judgments (3 features for 2 objects). For each judgment, a cue word in the center of the screen instructed the participant which object feature they were being asked to recall (‘Color’, ‘Orientation’, or ‘Location’). Participants had 6 s to recreate these object features as precisely as they could using their index and middle finger to change the features on a continuous dial. Similar to the vividness rating, the color of the cue word changed from white to red if no response was made within the first 4 s of the 6 s response window. The order in which the features were tested was counterbalanced, such that (1) each of the 6 possible orders of the feature questions was tested equally and (2) the same feature was not tested more than 4 times in a row at the same position (first, second, or third). Once participants recreated one of the object features, the feature value chosen (from 0–360 around the circular space) would be carried over to the subsequent questions for that object. A fixation cross of varying length (400 to 2800 ms, approaching a Poisson distribution, with a mean of 961.1 ms) was displayed after the vividness question as well as after each of the object feature questions.
Behavioral analysis
To generate estimates of retrieval success and precision, three models were fitted to the distribution of errors (absolute difference between the correct response from 0–360 and the participant’s response on each trial) across all the feature questions within each subject (see Figure 6b–d): (1) a von Mises distribution; (2) a von Mises + uniform distribution, and (3) a von Mises + uniform distribution + von Mises distributions capturing non-target errors (Bays et al., 2009; Zhang and Luck, 2008; Harlow and Donaldson, 2013; model analysis code available at http://www.paulbays.com/code/JV10/). Model 1 assumes participants' memories continuously vary in precision from 0–180 degrees (with no guessed responses), model 2 assumes that participants either remember a feature with varying precision or guess, resulting in a uniform distribution of responses around the circle, and model 3 assumes that, in addition to model 2, participants also commit binding errors where they remember the color/orientation/location that was present in one of the two other objects in the display, but not the target object. Retrieval success was estimated as the proportion of responses that fell within the von Mises distribution, and precision was estimated as the concentration of the von Mises distribution. Importantly, using this operationalization, retrieval success and precision can vary independently, so that high retrieval success does not necessarily imply a participant will also have high retrieval precision (see Figure 7 for simulated data that illustrates this dissociation). Of note, when the three models were fitted within each feature separately, assessment of the model fit revealed the same pattern as for all features.
Models fitted to the error distribution.
(a) Components used to model the error data. (b–d) Illustrations of the three models compared to analyze participants’ error distributions, including von Mises alone (b), von Mises + uniform (c), and von Mises + uniform + additional von Mises distributions modeling non-target errors (d).
Simulated data illustrating the possibility of statistical independence of retrieval success (proportion of responses in the von Mises distribution vs. the uniform distribution) and retrieval precision (the concentration of the von Mises distribution).
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Example of a retrieval trial.
The video demonstrates the use of the continuous response options for the vividness question (00:01–00:09), and the three feature questions for the first (00:09–00:29), as well as the second object (00:30–00:51). Participants were able to adjust their responses continuously by moving around the slider (vividness question) or the circular dial (feature questions). Once they were happy with their response, they locked their response with a button press. For the first five feature questions in the example the participant entered their response within the first 4 s of the question, and therefore the font color of the cue word ('Orientation'/'Colour'/'Location') remains white. For the last feature question, the color of the cue changes to red as no response was given within the first 4 s of the question interval, indicating to the participant that 2 s remain to respond.
fMRI methods
fMRI acquisition
fMRI scanning was performed using a 3T Siemens TIM Trio scanner at the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (MRC-CBSU) in Cambridge, using a 32 channel head coil. Structural images were obtained using a T1-weighted protocol (256 × 256 matrix, 192 1-mm sagittal slices, TR = 2.25 s, TE = 3 ms). Functional images were acquired approximately parallel to the AC–PC transverse plane using a single-shot EPI sequence (TR = 2 s; TE = 30 ms; field of view = 192 × 192 mm, flip angle = 78 degrees). Functional scans were obtained as 32 contiguous oblique-axial slices (3 × 3 × 3-mm voxels) per volume. Each fMRI scan run (block) consisted of one encoding phase followed by one retrieval phase and a total of 205 volumes were collected (6 m 50 s) during each block. ITIs were jittered within each block so that the total duration of each block was the same. Of the 205 volumes, the first 5 were accompanied by a 'Get Ready' screen and were discarded prior to analyses. The next approximately 39 volumes corresponded to the encoding phase. Following the encoding phase, another short break including a 'Get Ready' screen was included for the duration of 5 volumes, and the final approximately 156 volumes corresponded to the retrieval phase.
fMRI preprocessing
Data preprocessing and analysis was performed using SPM12 (Wellcome Department of Imaging Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK), implemented via an automatic analysis pipeline (version 4; http://www.automaticanalysis.org) as well as custom Matlab scripts. For each participant the structural image was coregistered to the SPM MNI (Montreal Neurological Institute) template and then bias corrected to control for intensity differences due to inhomegeneities. The structural image was then segmented into different tissue classes (grey matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid) using SPM’s unified segmentation approach (Ashburner and Friston, 2005). The individual subjects’ tissue class images from this segmentation step were used to create a custom template structural image using DARTEL (Diffeomorphic Anatomical Registration Through Exponentiated Lie Algebra). The structural images were transformed to MNI space, and finally, were smoothed with an 8-mm full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) Gaussian kernel. The functional images were motion-corrected and were realigned to the middle functional image to correct for effects of slice timing. The EPI images were then coregistered to the structural image and normalized to MNI space using the DARTEL template. Functional Images were smoothed using a 8 mm FWHM Gaussian kernel.
fMRI general linear model
A GLM was constructed containing separate regressors corresponding to the 6 different event types: encoding of the display, vividness rating, 3 separate regressors for successfully retrieved features (color/orientation/location), as well as one regressor for unsuccessfully retrieved features (it was not possible to split the unsuccessful trials into separate features due to the low number of unsuccessful trials). To classify trials as successfully or unsuccessfully retrieved, we generated an error threshold (from 0–180 degrees) based on the model fitted across all errors, below which trials would be classed as successfully retrieved, and above which trials would be classed as unsuccessful. Specifically, the probability density functions of the von Mises and uniform distributions were computed and the threshold for successful retrieval was calculated by estimating the point at which the slope of the von Mises distribution approached zero, approximated by determining the point at which the probability that a response was drawn from the von Mises distribution reached 5% (resulting in a cut off of +/- 63 degrees from the target value). Therefore, successfully retrieved trials were defined as a response within 63 degrees of the correct answer. Even though the three features were modeled separately, all analyses were conducted across the features so that fMRI effects reflected the underlying memory processes tested, not memory for a particular feature.
In a first step, a subject-specific model was constructed in which trials were modeled by convolving a boxcar function (corresponding to the event durations and beginning at the onset of each event of interest) with the canonical hemodynamic response function. The durations used to model the data were 12 s for the encoding displays, 8 s for the vividness rating, and 6 s for the feature questions. Moreover, parametric modulators were included to model precision and vividness effects that reflect the degree to which activity correlated with trial-by-trial fluctuations in behavior. The parametric modulator for encoding trials corresponded to the number of subsequently successfully retrieved features (ranging from 0 to 6) for each display. The trial-by-trial vividness ratings (continuous from 0–100) were included as a parametric modulator for vividness trials, and, for successfully retrieved trials brain activity was modulated with the precision of the response, which was calculated as 180 minus the error so that higher values indicated higher precision (responding close to the target). Therefore, precision values ranged from 180 (maximum precision) to 117 (minimum precision for successful retrieval). Unsuccessfully retrieved trials were not parametrically modulated as any variability in error from the target value was assumed to be due to guessing in these trials. Parametric modulators were mean centered to ensure that the non-parametric effects of these variables represent the mean activity of the event type (Mumford et al., 2015). Time and dispersion derivatives were included for each event and each parametric modulator. The 8 separate scan blocks were concatenated for analysis to obtain more stable parameter estimates due to increasing the number of trials per condition, as is often the case for designs splitting trials by performance (Uncapher et al., 2006; Bergström et al., 2015). As runs were concatenated, standard high pass filtering using SPM was not possible, as SPM would treat the runs as one continuous time-series. Therefore, a high pass filter was applied by including six additional regressors for each block representing a Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) set capturing frequencies up to 1/128 Hz. Six additional regressors representing motion were included per block and eight additional constant regressors were included to model differences between the blocks. Subject-specific effects were then entered into second-level, random effects analyses.
Regions and contrasts of interest
Our analyses focused on the posterior medial memory network (Ranganath and Ritchey, 2012). We chose three ROIs based on this network: the hippocampus as the core of this network, the AnG as a lateral parietal ROI, as well as the precuneus as a medial parietal ROI. Each of these regions has previously been linked with one or other of the components of memory retrieval tested in the current study. Hippocampus and AnG have been associated with objective recollection success (Kim, 2010), with some evidence for a dissociation in the function of these regions (Vilberg and Rugg, 2012). AnG was of specific interest in the current study as previous work indicates that this area might represent individual memories (Bonnici et al., 2016; Kuhl and Chun, 2014) and has been implicated in subjective aspects of retrieval (Simons et al., 2010; Yazar et al., 2014; Kuhl and Chun, 2014). Lastly, the precuneus has been associated with vivid memory retrieval (St-Laurent et al., 2015) and processes associated with mental imagery (Fletcher et al., 1995). Within each of our ROIs, we focused on three contrasts of interest: successful vs. unsuccessful retrieval, positive correlation with precision, using a parametric modulator of response precision for successfully retrieved trials, and positive correlation with vividness, using a parametric modulator of vividness ratings during vividness judgment trials. ROIs were generated using the Wake Forest University (WFU) pick atlas, with anatomical masks for the three ROIs selected from the automated anatomical labeling (AAL) atlas. Small-volume correction at a family-wise error (FWE) corrected threshold of p < 0.05 was applied when assessing the statistical significance of the ROI results.
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The neural correlates of recollection: transient versus sustained FMRI effects
Parietal lobe contributions to episodic memory retrieval
BJ Shannon
I Kahn
RL Buckner
Trends in Cognitive Sciences 9:445–453.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2005.07.001
Targeted enhancement of cortical-hippocampal brain networks and associative memory
JX Wang
LM Rogers
EZ Gross
AJ Ryals
ME Dokucu
KL Brandstatt
MS Hermiller
JL Voss
Continuous theta burst stimulation of angular gyrus reduces subjective recollection
PLoS One 9:e110414.
Receiver-operating characteristics in recognition memory: evidence for a dual-process model
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 20:1341.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-7393.20.6.1341
The nature of recollection and familiarity: A review of 30 years of research
Journal of Memory and Language 46:441–517.
https://doi.org/10.1006/jmla.2002.2864
Constructing, perceiving, and maintaining scenes: Hippocampal activity and connectivity
P Zeidman
SL Mullally
Functional connectivity mapping of the human precuneus by resting state fMRI
S Zhang
CS Li
Discrete fixed-resolution representations in visual working memory
W Zhang
SJ Luck
Lila Davachi
Reviewing Editor; New York University, United States
Thank you for submitting your article "Distinct neural mechanisms underlie the success, precision, and vividness of episodic memory" for consideration by eLife. Your article has been favorably evaluated by Timothy Behrens (Senior Editor) and three reviewers, one of whom, Lila Davachi (Reviewer #1), is a member of our Board of Reviewing Editors, and another one is Charan Ranganath (Reviewer #3).
The paper makes a much needed step forward in further clarifying the roles of distinct regions in memory retrieval and the novel methods adopted to measure continuous aspects of memory retrieval is creative and potentially impactful. However, the reviewers had several questions about particular aspects of the analyses and results which will help readers to better understand (and replicate) what has been done. Indeed, the Methods appear a bit 'thin' and should include more detailed information about the methods employed. I am appending all the reviews below since there are several questions/clarifications the reviewers requested to which you should respond in detail.
This paper makes an effort to measure different aspects of recollection – success, vividness and precision by tailoring the retrieval portion of the task to assess subjects’ memory for these different aspect of the recollective experience. During each encoding phase, 6 scenes each containing 3 objects were presented for study. After this phase, a scene was presented without the objects and participants were first asked about the vividness of remembering the 4 objects associated with each scene. They were then asked to recover details about 2 of the 3 previously presented objects in a continuous manner. Using retrieval success, continuous measure of precision and vividness seemed to correlate with three distinct regions of the core recollection network: hippocampus for success, angular gyrus for precision and precuneus for vividness. The attempt is lauded and the data make a nice contribution to the literature. Questions and concerns about the analytic approach however require consideration. Also, do these components differentiate during encoding as well or are these solely seen at retrieval?
The behavioral measures were all correlated with each other but the authors make the valid argument that a substantial amount of variance is still left unexplained so the measures are capturing distinct components of the recollective process. I wonder whether retrieval success and precision should not be more correlated since they are (i think) derived from the same measure? Or am I missing something?
Success: looks like they discretize success using the model into successful and unsuccessful but then use the continuous measures of success to define 'precision'? This is an interesting analysis as the categorical way of defining the data pulls out hippocampus (consistent with prior work) while the continuous measure pulls out angular gyrus. Finally, precuneus appear sensitive to the vividness of retrieval as assessed prior to any source questions. It looks like both hippocampus and angular gyrus are sensitive to success but only angular gyrus shows a continuous effect, which is a nice new finding.
It has previously been shown that encoding activation in hippocampus tracks the number of details later remembered (Staresina and Davachi, 2008) which seems related to the current 'precision' measure. It would be interesting to see if these roles during retrieval extend to encoding or at least for some discussion of this point made in the paper.
Analyses were primarily conducted in a priori regions of the recollective network. But whole brain conjunction analyses were also performed. The threshold set was.001 uncorrected which when put into a conjunction becomes less liberal. I wonder if the authors had tried a conjoint probability of.001 (each contrast set to.01) if any more regions would have emerged. Or maybe this is what they meant they already did?
All in all, I think the paper makes a nice contribution but the details of the model are really the novel contribution here and those details are not sufficiently described in the manuscript. I also think the data seem a bit 'thin'.
Figure 3 – it is not clear to me what is shown in 3A, just the ROIs? A priori? Or the result of some sort of contrast? Also, the statistical threshold is suspect –.05 with a SVC? For simple ROI analyses, they should survive a.05 without correction, in my opinion since you are not running a contrast in each voxel in the ROIs, or are you?
The Introduction is well-written and very successfully brings together features from the long-term and working-memory literature to motivate the study. Additionally, the Discussion highlights the significance of the current findings to a wide range of existing studies and does a nice job of advancing the conversation about important theoretical issues in episodic memory research.
1) My understanding of the color manipulation (and maybe the location and rotation manipulations too) is that only a limited number of distinguishable colors were used rather than the entire spectrum. Please disregard this comment if I'm wrong. If this is true though, does the rotational response for color also change in those same increments? If not, and the response is continuous, how close does it need to be to the actual color in order to be considered correct? Is this where the "+/- 63 degrees from the target value" comes in?
2) One of the main strengths of the study, from an analysis perspective, is the precise, parametric modeling of the behavioral features on the fMRI data. In my opinion though, more information about the parametric modulators would be helpful for others to implement a similar approach. In particular, for the retrieval trials, was the whole 100-point scale used for vividness, or were the ratings grouped into fewer bins? This comment also applies to my previous one about the rotational responses, where I'm a little unclear about whether those data are binned or continuous for the modulator.
3) For the analyses of behavioral data, the t-tests provide good indication of the overall pattern of how the different models fit (model 2 > 3 > 1). But if the individual subject data are looked at in more detail, do all (or most) of the subjects tend to support the same model? Or are there any subjects that seem to be doing something different? Maybe the individual subject data are too noisy to say anything definitive in this way, which is fine too.
4) The analyses used to functionally dissociate the fMRI effects seem somewhat untraditional. As I understand the current analysis, one of the follow-up ANOVAs uses the retrieval success and precision effects for the HIPP and AnG, since these regions show the largest respective effects. A significant interaction then might pick up on the retrieval success > precision effect in HIPP, but it doesn't say anything about there being a precision > retrieval success effect in AnG (the retrieval success effect is actually larger). If one wants to determine whether the AnG (or some AnG voxels) is involved more in precision than in retrieval success or vividness, wouldn't it be more appropriate to use an exclusive-masking procedure for each ROI?
The present study aimed to examine the distinct contributions of a subset of regions within the recollection network when people engage in episodic retrieval. Using a paradigm that allowed the authors to dissociate three putative components (i.e., retrieval success, precision and vividness) associated with episodic retrieval, the authors reported that distinct regions of the recollection network are preferentially involved in retrieval success, retrieval precision, and subjective vividness of episodic memories. Results from this study are in line with emerging behavioral evidence, which suggests that episodic recollection may consist of separable components (e.g., retrieval success and precision). The current results thus provide additional neural evidence for these behavioral observations, and shed lights to the functional contributions of distinct brain regions within the recollection network to episodic retrieval. The current report is well written and will generate broad interest in the memory research community. We only have a few comments and questions:
1) In the current study, the lack of hippocampal involvement during subjective vividness ratings seems to differ from studies showing that hippocampal activity is associated memory vividness (e.g., Ford and Kensigner, 2016, Gilboa et al., 2004). I wonder if the authors could elaborate more on what might be contributing to the differences between studies.
2) Related to Point 1. It seems that the range of values (or variance) for vividness regressor and precision regressors are different. I wonder if this could lead to the lack of hippocampal activation in the vividness contrast.
3) Selection of ROIs. Although precuneus is part of recollection network, it seems that other regions within the network, including the retrosplenial cortex, posterioral cingulate cortex, and the medial PFC may equally warrant for investigation. I wonder if the authors could provide more information on the motivation to specifically focus on precuneus.
4) In the Discussion, the authors argued that the finding of vividness coding in the precuneus might be related to its interconnection with lateral parietal cortex/angular gyrus, whose activity has been shown to be associated with vividness ratings. (Discussion, last paragraph). This argument doesn't seem to fit with the current null finding of vividness coding in the angular gyrus. Given the relatively well-established relationship between vividness coding and activity in angular gyrus (e.g., Bonnici et al., 2016; Kuhl and Chun, 2014), more discussion on the discrepancies is warranted.
We thank the reviewer for the suggestion of dissociating the three memory components at encoding in addition to retrieval. Please see our third response to Reviewer 1 for further details.
The behavioural measures of retrieval success and precision are derived from the model, and can vary independently. Responses are modelled as a mixture of a von Mises (circular normal) distribution centred on the target value, and a circular uniform distribution. Retrieval success refers to the proportion of trials drawn from the von Mises versus the uniform distribution, while precision refers to the concentration parameter (width) of the von Mises component. As illustrated with simulated data in Figure 7, an error distribution can be characterized by high retrieval success (first two distributions) or low retrieval success (third and fourth distribution), but with varying degrees of precision for retrieved items (high for distribution 1 and 3, and low for distribution 2 and 4). For this reason it is indeed possible for the two measures to be relatively independent and only moderately correlated, as observed in the present data. We have clarified this distinction in the subsection “Behavioral analysis”.
We agree that it would be very interesting for future research to dissociate neural correlates of subsequent memory success, precision, and vividness during encoding; however, differentiating these components during encoding would require a somewhat different design to the one currently employed. This is because for each single encoding display in our design, participants are subsequently asked 6 feature questions (3 questions per object). While it is fairly straightforward to derive a measure of later retrieval success (x out of 6 items were successfully remembered), it is not clear how a measure of precision (for an entire encoding display) should be derived that is independent of retrieval success. Future studies would need to use separate encoding events that each have a single subsequent precision measure to address this question. Therefore, the present data cannot answer whether hippocampus tracks subsequent precision of an encoded item, but, following the reviewer’s suggestion, we were able to test whether hippocampus tracks the number of subsequently remembered (successful retrieval) features. In contrast to the finding described by the reviewer above, we did not find in our data that hippocampal activity during encoding tracked the number of features subsequently recalled. As the main focus of the current study was on retrieval processes, and the current design does not allow us to adequately test the involvement of all three processes during encoding, we have refrained from addressing the question of dissociable encoding processes in the paper.
We thank the reviewer for highlighting that this aspect of the analysis was unclear. Yes, the significance threshold that we used was indeed a final conjoint conjunction threshold of p <. 001; we did not set each individual contrast to. 001 as this would indeed result in an inappropriately conservative analysis. We have clarified this in the last paragraph of the subsection “ROI activity and conjunction analyses”.
We agree with the reviewer that it would be helpful for us to include more methodological details about the behavioural and fMRI analysis approaches. We have done so at several points in the revised paper throughout the Methods and Results sections.
We thank the reviewer for bringing to our attention the fact that our description of what is shown in Figure 3A was not sufficiently clear. We have edited the caption of Figure 3A (and the text referring to the figure) in the revised manuscript. Figure 3A displays the results of the three contrasts of interest (retrieval success, precision and vividness) in the ROI analysis. For visualization, brain activity was masked by ROIs that showed significant results for each contrast in Figure 3A. Because the results displayed the described dissociation (retrieval success effects in Hippocampus, precision effects in AnG and vividness effects in Precuneus), the resulting figure shows activity only in these areas. Of note, an unmasked version of the results of these three contrasts (at a more liberal threshold) can be seen in Figure 4. We used small-volume correction as it is one of the standard methods of ROI analysis (Worsley et al., 1996; Poldrack, 2007). Thus, the p-value of each voxel within an ROI was corrected according to the number of voxels (tests) within each ROI (family-wise error correction). Voxels were only considered significant if their p-values were <.05, corrected.
We can confirm that the colour manipulation (as well as orientation and location) did not use a limited number of distinguishable colours, but was indeed continuous. We apologize if this was ambiguous in the original manuscript and have amended the text throughout the Materials and methods section to make this aspect of our design clearer. For all three features, response space was divided into 360 increments around the circle, so that subjects could change the features in an effectively continuous manner when moving around the wheel. All three features were selected from continuous space when originally generating the displays, such that any colour/orientation/location value was possible across displays. The only restriction for the generation of the displays was that within any one display the colours/orientations/location of the three objects would be 62.04 degrees apart. This was the minimum distance in the location feature that would ensure that objects would not physically overlap. We applied the same restriction to the other two features for consistency. However, this restriction was only applied within any one display; across displays all colours, orientations and locations were possible. The “+/- 63 degrees” the reviewer mentions refers to the analysis cut-off for successful versus unsuccessful retrieval, derived from the model-based analysis of the error distribution. Thus, as the reviewer suspected, when an answer fell within 63 degrees from the target response the answer was considered to be ‘correct’ (‘successful retrieval’).
We agree with the reviewer and, indeed, the other reviewers that the inclusion of more methodological details would be beneficial. The entire possible scale (0-100) was used for the parametric modulator of the vividness data, and the entire possible scale (0-180) was also used for the modulation of the precision effect. However, as the precision effect was only analysed for successfully retrieved trials (within 63 degrees of the target value), only precision values (180-error) between 117 and 180, were included. We now make these points clear in the revised manuscript (subsection “fMRI general linear model”, last paragraph).
We thank the reviewer for the interesting suggestion to consider the model fit for individual subjects. We found that all of our 20 participants followed the described pattern of model fit using BIC and 17 out of 20 followed the described pattern using AIC, and thus the effect was very consistent across subjects. AIC penalizes additional parameters less than BIC does, and for the three subjects that did not follow the same pattern, the AIC was as low or even slightly lower for model 3 (having an additional parameter, as it includes non-target errors) than model 2. However, the three subjects did not show any obviously different behavioural pattern.
The reviewer is correct in that the current analysis primarily focuses on relative/disproportionate differences in activity between ROIs for specific contrasts of interest (i.e., interactions between ROIs and brain regions) rather than dissociations within individual ROIs. In our earlier analysis where we report ROI results looking for activated voxels with small volume correction, we only found hippocampus to respond significantly to retrieval success, AnG to respond significantly to precision, and precuneus to respond significantly to vividness. Therefore, an exclusive masking procedure (e.g., of AnG activity with the retrieval success contrast) would not reveal any significant voxels as each ROI only showed significant activity for one contrast of interest. Furthermore, an exclusive masking procedure similarly would not be able to reveal a difference in the magnitude of activation between contrasts; only a difference in the location of activity. We therefore agree that we cannot make the firm conclusion that AnG responds more to precision than to retrieval success, and take care in the manuscript only to report that there is a dissociation between ROIs and contrasts, as shown by the interactions.
The reviewer raises an important point for discussion. We believe that one of the strengths of the current approach compared to previous studies is that those studies did not try to tease apart distinct components of memory retrieval such as vividness and retrieval success. As can be seen from the regression analyses, these components are indeed clearly dissociable. By modelling the three contrasts (retrieval success, vividness, and precision) in the same GLM, the current study ensured that they accounted for independent sources of variance, thereby making it possible to discriminate the effects of different components of the retrieval process in a manner that previous studies could not. Therefore, it is possible that previous studies reporting vividness effects in hippocampus may have been picking up on a response to retrieval success. In this sense, we see our results not as conflicting with previous results, but rather they help elucidate what might be driving vividness effects in hippocampus if they are observed. We have included this reasoning at several points in the Discussion of the revised manuscript.
The parametric vividness regressor ranged from 0 to 100, the regressor for precision ranged from 117 to 180 (as we only tested precision for successful retrieval (+/- 63 degrees) trials, and the retrieval success regressor was binary (successful vs. unsuccessful). Therefore, it could be argued that the relatively larger range of values in the vividness regressor should have increased (and not limited) our ability to detect vividness effects in hippocampus if they existed, compared to, for example, retrieval success effects. Moreover, if a difference in the range of values affected our ability to detect a correlation between neural activity and vividness ratings, we would have no reason to predict that precuneus and not hippocampus would correlate with vividness.
We agree with the reviewer that we could conceivably have justified assessing other areas in addition to or instead of the chosen ROIs. Our ROIs were chosen a priori for a variety of reasons which we now highlight more clearly in the manuscript text (see subsection “Regions and Contrasts of Interest”). In short, the precuneus was chosen, firstly, due to its involvement in mental imagery (Fletcher et al., 1995), as we expected that mental imagery might be a central, dissociable component part of memory retrieval, influencing particularly the vividness with which memories are experienced. Moreover, the current study was in part inspired by the memory deficits observed in patients with parietal lesions. While lateral parietal lesions are often the focus of this neuropsychological work, many of the patients in the literature likely have damage extending to broader parietal areas including the precuneus (Berryhill et al., 2007). In order to clearly understand parietal memory effects, we therefore wanted to include this medial parietal region in addition to lateral cortex. Of note we chose a fairly broad precuneus ROI: the AAL precuneus mask used in the current study includes large parts of retrosplenial cortex as well (Rolls et al. (2015), though the reviewer is correct in that it does not include posterior cingulate cortex.
With regard to medial PFC, we agree that this area has also been of interest for memory retrieval. From the whole brain analysis, it can indeed be seen that a region in ventral mPFC appears to be active for the retrieval success contrast, at least at the very liberal threshold used in Figure 4. However, our approach focused primarily on the mentioned more posterior regions, as they have been more directly linked to the processes (retrieval success, imagery, construction and vividness) that we were trying to dissociate. While our current approach focuses on the three a priori selected ROIs, we included the exploratory whole brain analysis to obtain a better understanding of processes that might be supported by other nodes in the broader retrieval network. We believe that this combination of a small number of pre-selected ROIs together with a whole brain analysis provides an ideal combination of hypothesis driven and exploratory analyses.
The reviewer is correct that previous studies have linked AnG and subjective vividness reports, and that discussing the apparent divergence in results is of importance. The revised manuscript now includes several changes in the Discussion that address these interesting points in more detail. Our interpretation is that AnG may support the representation of retrieved information, the precision of which is utilised by the precuneus in the service of vividness judgements. Regarding the sentence in the Discussion of the original manuscript, we agree that our wording was not sufficiently clear. Our intention was to argue that the (possibly indirect) link between diminished vividness reports and (lateral) parietal lesions that has been drawn from patient studies might be caused by two factors: firstly, lesions are often not selective to lateral parietal areas, and include medial parietal areas such as precuneus as well; secondly, as medial and lateral parietal areas are heavily connected, damage to lateral parietal areas might disrupt input from these areas to precuneus, which could result in reduced vividness reports.
Franziska R Richter
Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
FRR, Conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis and interpretation of data, Drafting or revising the article
Rose A Cooper
RAC, Conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis and interpretation of data, Drafting or revising the article
Paul M Bays
PMB, Conception and design, Analysis and interpretation of data
Jon S Simons
JSS, Conception and design, Analysis and interpretation of data, Drafting or revising the article
jss30@cam.ac.uk
James S. McDonnell Foundation
This study was funded by a James S McDonnell Foundation Scholar Award to JSS, and was carried out within the University of Cambridge Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, funded by a joint award from the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust. RAC was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and PMB by the Wellcome Trust. We would like to thank the staff of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit MRI facility for scanning assistance, Masud Husain for valuable advice, and Tim Brady for providing access to material used in the study.
Human subjects: Informed consent was obtained according to procedures approved by the Cambridge Psychology Research Ethics Committee.
Lila Davachi, New York University, United States
Version of Record published: October 25, 2016 (version 1)
© 2016, Richter et al.
Article citation count generated by polling the highest count across the following sources: Scopus, Crossref, PubMed Central.
precuneus
parietal lobe
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Previous studies have related pair bonding in Microtus ochrogaster, the prairie vole, with plastic changes in several brain regions. However, the interactions between these socially-relevant regions have yet to be described. In this study, we used resting state magnetic resonance imaging to explore bonding behaviors and functional connectivity of brain regions previously associated with pair bonding. Thirty-two male and female prairie voles were scanned at baseline, 24h and 2 weeks after the onset of cohabitation By using network based statistics, we identified that the functional connectivity of a cortico-striatal network predicted the onset of affiliative behavior, while another predicted the amount of social interaction during a partner preference test. Furthermore, a network with significant changes in time was revealed, also showing associations with the level of partner preference. Overall, our findings revealed the association between network-level functional connectivity changes and social bonding.
Dentate gyrus development requires a cortical hem-derived astrocytic scaffold
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During embryonic development, radial glial cells give rise to neurons, then to astrocytes following the gliogenic switch. Timely regulation of the switch, operated by several transcription factors, is fundamental for allowing coordinated interactions between neurons and glia. We deleted the gene for one such factor, SOX9, early during mouse brain development and observed a significantly compromised dentate gyrus (DG). We dissected the origin of the defect, targeting embryonic Sox9 deletion to either the DG neuronal progenitor domain or the adjacent cortical hem (CH). We identified in the latter previously uncharacterized ALDH1L1+ astrocytic progenitors, which form a fimbrial-specific glial scaffold necessary for neuronal progenitor migration toward the developing DG. Our results highlight an early crucial role of SOX9 for DG development through regulation of astroglial potential acquisition in the CH. Moreover, we illustrate how formation of a local network, amidst astrocytic and neuronal progenitors originating from adjacent domains, underlays brain morphogenesis.
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The Co-op and Steel Warriors pledge to boost community health and wellbeing with an ambitious plan to build 20 street gyms.
June 14, 2019 June 9, 2019 Stuart Mitchell
The Co-op has announced a multi-million-pound investment to support anti-knife crime organisation, Steel Warriors to create free community gyms in areas impacted by knife crime. The new community spaces are made using steel from knives that have been taken off the street, melted down and recycled.
The Co-op aim to help Steel Warriors build 20 open air free-to-use gyms across the UK. Two new gyms will be built this year, which will also feature gym instructors, providing training sessions for different abilities, to share skills and improve physical and mental wellbeing within communities.
The gyms are designed to give young people a free space where they can develop confidence. The spaces will be accessible for all and aim to boost health and wellbeing by enhancing strength and flexibility. The gym equipment promotes a fitness technique known as calisthenics, which uses bodyweight for resistance through pulling, pushing, bending, jumping or swinging actions.
Co-op is supporting Steel Warriors to have a trainer at each gym running training sessions for different abilities every week. Local training instructors and sports groups will be invited to use the gyms for free and Co-op will connect local youth groups working to access the facilities. The initiative follows Co-op’s move to stop selling single pack knives in its stores.
Steve Murrells, CEO, Co-op, will officially unveil the new partnership at the Co-op’s AGM in Manchester tomorrow (Saturday 18 May). It will coincide with a new advertising campaign which will highlight the Co-op’s community investment, from supporting local causes to school academies and community workers, known as member pioneers.
Mr Murrells said: “Knives will be taken off the streets and melted down to create new community spaces for people to come together to learn and build new skills through street workouts which enhance their physical and mental wellbeing.
“Community spaces have such an important role to play in fostering community spirit and the loss of youth centres and spaces has had a negative impact. This is something unique which makes a positive difference to communities.
“It literally adds steel to communities which are rallying against problems like knife crime by taking the weapons off the streets and turning them into street gyms.”
He added: “It’s what we should do as a responsible retailer. It was right to remove the sale of single knives and we’re committed to help strengthen communities and provide opportunities. This will give access to free outdoor fitness equipment to those youngsters who can’t afford gyms with costly fees.
“This is about investing in their future.”
Steel Warriors work with a large number of organisations, who provide pro bono support, to melt down knives that are taken off the streets and recycle them into calisthenics gyms. Steel Warriors have enlisted Calisthenics pioneers, Jay Chris and Lee Wade Turner and engineers, Heyne Tillett Steel to design gym equipment that is accessible for all and boosts strength and flexibility by using bodyweight for resistance.
Steel Warriors was co-founded by Ben Wintour and Pia Fontes. Ben said: “We are really glad to be working with Co-op and our supporters to get more gyms built and to grow our vision into one that offers pro-active support to communities nationwide.”
Pia added: “There’s no one person or organisation that can solve this issue alone. We believe that the key is co-operation.”
Steel Warriors has already built one gym in Tower Hamlets, London. Daniel Rose, Director of the nearby Spotlight Youth centre, said: “From day one people have been using it. Kids doing their usual exploring and games, older women in their hijabs, this area has a big Bengali population, using it for a daily workout in the morning.
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Oscar R. Proffitt
Rank: Sergeant
Born: 25 November 1923
Died: 7 November 1944
County: Blount
Hometown: Maryville
Service Branch: Army/Army Air Forces
Division/Assignment: 347th Bomber Squadron, 99th Bomber Group, Heavy
Theater: Mediterranean
Awards: Bronze Star, Air Medal
Burial/Memorial Location: Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuno, Italy
Location In Memorial: Pillar VI, Middle Panel
Sponsored by: Contact us to sponsor Oscar R. Proffitt
Sergeant Oscar Rankin Profitt was initially buried at Belgrade Cemetery at Belgrade, Yugoslavia and re-buried at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuno, Italy, Plot C, Row 9, Grave 43.
Aircraft B-17G with serialnumber 44-6430 departed from Tortorella Landing Ground in Italy on an operational bombing mission to the Marshalling Yards at Maribor, Yugoslavia. The aircraft crashed near Marburg (Maribor) on the river Drau (Drazska) in Yugoslavia. According to the Engineer, Sgt. Proffitt bailed out after the aircraft got her first hit which was after they hit the I.P. It is believed that Sgt. Proffitt could have been shot at while coming down, like some of the other crewmembers.
Statement from 1st Lt. Edward M. Grey
Within a few seconds before bombs were away I happened to see an object come spinning downward from the above plane. As it approched, I made it out as a complete three-bladed propeller intact and surmised the fore part of number 1 engine received a direct hit. About the same time, I noticed this engine burning from the fore part with flames extending the length of the nacelle which definitely looked as if his cylinders were hit.
Shortly after, the plane started to veer back and in towards the rear element which caused considerable confusion. Then, the pilot seemed to start a very slow turn to the right, losing considerable altitude. All this time while the plane was in sight, it appeared to me as if the fire was an engine fire and not a wing gasoline fire, but its intensity was growing.
After the plane went out of sight of the cock-pit and was a good two-thousand feet below us, my crew began to call off chutes coming out. In all, they counted seven, but said there might have been more as the plane was rapidly going out of sight.
Statement from 2nd Lt. Dean C. Kuhn, Bombardier
I was flying lead, and plane number 430 was on our right wing. As we went on the run, our indicated altitude was 15,700 feet, or a true altitude of 14,720 feet. Flak was not intense, but very accurate. WE had several very close bursts and when I turned around to observe whether we were hit, I noticed a very close burst at the engine of number 430; a moment later the waist gunner said it was going down in flames. The tail gunner said six chutes were seen, but he did nog see it crash. Just a little later, another ship from a following squadron went down in flames also. All the ships were hit quite a lot, and although there probably weren’t many guns there, the altitude was the main cause for so much damage. I also think the flak was more intense than anticipated due probably the mobile and uncharted gun batteries.
Crewmembers
Pilot, 2nd Lt. Edward G. Niketh
Co-Pilot, 2nd Lt. Denver R. Spry
Navigator/Bombardier, 1st Lt. Henry K. Young
Nose Gunner, Sgt. Oscar R. Proffitt
Engineer, Sgt. Ralph D. Krpan
Assistant Engineer, Sgt. Jack R. Cooke
Radio Operator, Sgt. Harold E. Hansen
Assistant Radio Operator, Sgt. Thomas G. Roberts
Waist Gunner, Sgt. Wilbur R. Jernigan
Tail Gunner, Sgt. Harry E. Klinkert
Photographer, Sgt. Thurston C. Medlin
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HomeFemaleCoronavirus in Europe: Infections surge in Germany and Spain
Coronavirus in Europe: Infections surge in Germany and Spain
posted on Aug. 12, 2020 at 10:33 pm
Germany has recorded its biggest daily increase in coronavirus cases in more than three months, as countries across the region struggle to contain a surge in infections.
The latest official figures showed a rise of more than 1,200 cases in Germany in the past 24 hours.
Health Minister Jens Spahn said the increase was due, in part, to people returning from holidays.
It came as Germany warned against non-essential trips to parts of Spain.
The foreign ministry said it had added a partial travel warning to the Spanish capital Madrid and the Basque region on Tuesday amid rising infections there. Warnings were already in place for the regions of Aragon, Catalonia and Navarra.
Germany has recorded more than 9,000 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic began.
A 'critical moment' for Spain
Spain is facing the worst coronavirus infection rate in Western Europe. It recorded 1,418 new infections in its latest daily count on Tuesday and said there were 675 "active outbreaks" in the country.
Salvador Macip, an expert in health sciences at Catalonia's Open University, told AFP news agency the country was at a "critical moment".
Where are the world's coronavirus hotspots?
What are the rules in France and other parts of Europe?
"We are right at a point where things can get better or worse. This means we have to pull out all the stops to curb outbreaks before they become more serious," he said.
In total, Spain has recorded more than 326,000 cases – the highest number in Western Europe and the 11th highest in the world.
Mask-wearing compulsory in Brussels
Wearing a face mask became compulsory in all public areas in Brussels on Wednesday amid a rise in cases.
The order applies to those aged 12 and above. People were previously only required to wear masks in crowded public spaces and enclosed areas of the Belgian capital, such as shopping centres.
Authorities said the enhanced rules were introduced because of a rise in infections, with Brussels recording an average of 50 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants per day over the past week.
Police checks are being ramped up to ensure that people follow the new rules.
The mask-wearing regulation is one of the strictest currently in place in Europe.
Belgium has recorded more than 75,000 cases of coronavirus and more than 9,800 deaths, according to data collated by Johns Hopkins University.
Paris cancels rescheduled marathon
This year's Paris marathon has been cancelled as France battles a spike in coronavirus cases, organisers said on WedRead More – Source
Biden VP pick: Kamala Harris to join Biden in Delaware
Belarus election: Police use live fire on protesters in Brest
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How to Use Employment Contracts
Digital Library > Human Resources Management > Labor relations "How to Use Employment Contracts"
In such a litigious society, all business owners need to understand the necessity for employment contracts (such as confidentiality agreements), at-will termination agreements and noncompete agreements. Should you use them? What's the best way to do it?
OVERVIEW [top]In an ideal world, most CEOs would opt to run their businesses on good faith and handshakes. However, this is not an ideal world. Painful as the thought may be, companies need contracts — especially employee contracts — based on good legal advice. "For many people, employment contracts aren't viewed as life and death, so they just don't get around to doing it — and forestalling that is forestalling disaster," says Garry Mathiason, senior partner with the nation's largest labor law firm, Littler Mendelson in San Francisco. If your company has been "forestalling disaster," this Quick-Read Solution will clarify:
What a contract should include and why.
How to support a contract.
Potential negatives associated with contracts and where problems can arise.
SOLUTION [top] Who needs employment contracts? Every company needs employment contracts, but not every company needs the same types or terms. Developing a contract policy is critical for companies with limited product lines built around one or two key innovations (as is the case with most startups and emerging-growth companies). Contracts are most needed and most often negotiated with top-level executives and key engineering or marketing people, although increasing numbers of companies are requiring contracts of all employees. In a small growing company, losing a top salesperson and a couple support staffers to a competitor can be devastating. When do companies need an employment contract? "They need them as soon as they expand from one person to two or more," says Sandy Weinberg, who started six different biomedical companies before becoming entrepreneur-in-residence at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa. "Once you have a second person, you're at peril." Why do companies need an employment contract? Good will is a good thing, but it won't stand up in court. "It's like a prenuptial agreement in a marriage," says Rob Kaufman, managing partner at Kaufman Chaiken Miller & Klorferin in Atlanta. "If there's a problem, people run to it. It's much easier to deal with it on the front end than on the back end." As much as anything, experts say, contracts reinforce for employees the gravity of the employer's interest in protecting business assets. What should a contract cover? A company's contract needs will vary by industry and the strategic value of different employees. A brick-and-mortar retail company, for instance, may be less concerned about nondisclosure agreements, and more concerned about noncompete agreements. Following are some types of agreements and the areas of major concern they may deal with:
Intellectual property — Defines ownership of ideas and inventions developed by employees and also applies to contractors.
Nondisclosure — Prevents release of key information.
Noncompete — Limits the ability of key individuals to take what they know to a competitor or to start a competing business. Tough to enforce, noncompete agreements work best when specifically defined and are limited to 6 months or less.
Arbitration — Spells out the process by which disputes will be resolved, and avoids more costly court litigation.
Termination and severance — Spells out whether an employee may be let go "at will" or "with cause," when each condition would apply and what compensation would be due.
Wage and hour release — Contractual employees can waive wage and hour claims. Employees can't waive protection under such laws.
To learn more about different kinds of contracts, see "How to Protect Your Business with Contracts." Four Contract Support Tips
The more specifically worded the contract, the easier to enforce.
The more consistently applied and enforced the employment contracts and personnel policies, the easier to defend contract clauses if and when a terminated employee protests in court or arbitration.
If a contract defends intellectual property, make sure you can show that you have taken steps to protect that information. Treat information as confidential; stamp or label it; store it securely; and limit access. A court will look more kindly on rigorous document handling and tight internal security.
Look also to your Web site. It is difficult, Kaufman says, to claim that information about key customers and technology is confidential if you have posted it on your Web site.
Possible negatives and problems
Contracts must be very specific, so they are difficult to draft properly. Consult your lawyer.
Employees may resist signing, and that may cause you concern. A candidate who refuses to sign may not be someone you want to hire anyway. Most candidates appreciate the security a contract provides.
Executive-level employees will want to negotiate contract points, often based on advice from their legal advisers. Going in, you should know what you are willing to negotiate and what you want to remain constant in all contracts.
When your staff size passes legal thresholds, the law may require contract changes. If your company has more than 50 employees, for instance, worker agreements must comply with provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and equal employment opportunity laws.
REAL-LIFE EXAMPLE [top] Before going to work at Ulticom in Mount Laurel, N.J., each employee is required to sign the same contract. It's been that way for years, says Mike Sweeny, who works for T. Williams Consulting in Collegeville, Pa., and handles Unicom's staffing through an outsourced arrangement. The telecom software company did $28 million in revenues in 1999, and the company wants to protect its claim to its ideas to keep those revenues growing. The contract includes nondisclosure, termination and intellectual property clauses. "With the engineers, the most important part is the nondisclosure," Sweeny says. "It's to keep them from learning valuable information here and leaving and starting a competing business elsewhere." In the last two years Ulticom has had no contract disputes, Sweeny says. DO IT [top]
Get an attorney familiar with labor-contract law. Don't assume that every attorney knows this field well. A good corporate attorney may cover all the bases in setting up the business, but may also use boilerplate contracts, which can have holes.
Provide the attorney with copies of any employee handbooks, policy manuals and memos defining how pay and benefits are determined or defining any other aspect of work that the employment contract might mention, to ensure that the new contract is aligned with the de facto contract comprised of such documents. This wil l be a good time to document your relationship with every employee in the employee's personnel folder. Unless changes have been agreed to by employees, each is covered by the written or de facto contract rules that were in effect when he or she was hired. If you want to change the rules to bring all contracts into alignment, the best time to get each employee to sign on is when you're offering him or her a pay raise.
Make sure the contract has noncompete, intellectual property and termination clauses and provides for arbitration of disputes and the procedure for selecting an arbiter. Language clarifying who is and is not "exempt" from the wage and hour law will prevent back-wage claims.
The more specific the language, the better. Sweeping generalizations or covenants that would prevent someone from earning a living after departure invite challenge and may not be defensible.
Ask counsel to ensure that the contract protects individual managers from claims made by terminated employees.
Be prepared to provide exiting employees with a copy of a letter from the corporate counsel, reminding them of all terms to which they agreed in signing the contract.
RESOURCES [top] Books Individual Employment Disputes: Definite and Indefinite Term Contracts by Donald W. Brodie (Quorum Books, 1991). Brodie emphasizes legal considerations. Perks and Parachutes: Negotiating Your Best Possible Employment Deal, from Salary and Bonus to Benefits and Protection by John Tarrant with Paul Fargis (Times Business/Random House, 1997). These discussions of contract options and negotiation tips for employees provide excellent perspective for employers too. Internet Sites "Companies expanding employment contracts to entry-level positions," Bizjournals.com Losing or Leaving a Job Alexander Hamilton Institute Employment Law Resource Center Article Contributors Writer: Stu Watson
Using Personality Tests as a Hiring Tool
Saying 'No' to Doubling Growth Helps Staff Say 'Yes' to Family-Friendly Firm
When Workers Want to Unionize — Tips to Better Labor Relations
A Clean Break
CEO Journal: Coming to Grips With Risk and Reward
‹ How to Establish a Public Relations Campaign Crimes in Cyberspace: Are You Safe? ›
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Calling Air Traffic Control
Australian PM says he won’t admit to climate change — while changing policies over climate change
Joel Carrett/AAP
” Scott Morrison has signalled the Australian government will not increase its efforts to combat climate change despite an extended bushfire crisis and a record-breaking heatwave.
Returning to work on Sunday after a controversial family holiday in Hawaii, the Australian prime minister apologised for his absence on top of the mea culpa he offered on Friday while still overseas…
” Morrison then sought to turn the page on the episode by unilaterally declaring “the time for that discussion is over”.
Morrison said there was “no argument” about the links “between broader issues of global climate change and weather events around the world” but it was “not a credible suggestion” to make a direct connection to any single fire event…
” Minutes after calling for an end to division, arguing, partisanship and point scoring, Morrison said the Coalition is reducing emissions without the “reckless job-destroying and economy-crunching targets that others are seeking to force upon us”.
The government’s own projections show Australia [now] is on course for 50% renewables by 2030 – a target which Morrison labelled as reckless and economy-wrecking in the May election campaign.
Yup. Morrison tells the public the same lies he tells his base. The only difference with the Fake President we have in the GOUSA is that Morrison has learned to craft his lies to say he hasn’t changed policies at all – when obviously he’s been pushed into doing so.
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NewsIre Burnt Brick to Commence Production in September
Ire Burnt Brick to Commence Production in September
Indications emerged yesterday that Ire Burnt Brick Industry in Ire- Ekiti, Ekiti State which has been moribund for about two decades, would be revived to commence operation within the next eight months.
Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi confirmed this shortly after signing an agreement with CERATEC, the Belgian company which originally built the factory, on the refurbishment programme that would put the industry back to its full production capacity in the shortest possible time. The refurbishment project is jointly sponsored by Ekiti State Government and Odua Group of companies. The Governor said the resuscitation of the brick industry was a positive step for the Fayemi-led administration as it has also brought life back to O’dua Textile which was recently converted to an enterprise centre, housing a skill acquisition centre, a builders mart and a park. Fayemi said he was particularly happy that the efforts have enabled the state get away from the erroneous impression that Ekiti State was neither an industrial centre nor a choice destination for investors.
“What we are doing is to restore confidence by pulling back even though you helped build the factory years ago; of course you left it for us to run and we all know what has happened in the course of the past two or three decades of that industry being there. We are delighted that it is during our time that many of these institutions are being revived.” The Governor assured that a bill would be sent to the State House of Assembly to encourage government’s patronage of products from the factory when it commences full operation so that it wont go bankrupt.
“ I will even take a step further and send a bill to our legislature that would encourage us to use a percentage of what you produce for every government building projects in the State. And we will encourage everyone who wants to come to the state to be involved in any building construction also to use local contents once that factory begins operation”. Fayemi expressed joy that the factory would also be another means of winning the war that his administration was waging against unemployment in the state and urged the O’dua Group to begin training of youths who would be fit to work in the factory to enhance its sustainability. He expressed optimism that the factory would do well with the vast resources available to it since the state is rich in Kaolin clay, as they are found in Ire, Ilupeju, Isan and Ara Ekiti among others.
Earlier, the representative of CERATEC, Mr. Daniel Deconinck had assured that refurbishment work would take off immediately at the factory and would be completed within the next eight months.
Deconinck said government should rest assured that the plant would be revived since it would be repaired by the company which built it. He however appealed that government at all levels should patronise the factory when it commences operation in September. In attendance at the event were the Commissioner for Commerce, Industries and cooperatives, Otunba Reim Bodunrin, Group Mnaging Director of Odua Group, Mr Adebayo Jimoh, Ekiti representative in the board of Odua Group, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, Director General of Ekiti Enterprise Development Agency, Mr Seyi Ayeleso,and Managing Director of Fountain Holdings, Mr. Olusegun Osikalu.
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Map / Middle East / News / Syria / Syria map
Turkish-Backed Militias Operation in Ain Issa (Map Update)
Sunday, 20 December 2020 - 16:33
ISWNews Analysis Group: The 1st Corps, a Turkish-backed armed group, announced the start of a military operation to seize the town of Ain Issa in the northern province of Raqqa.
On 18 December, Turkish-backed militants launched an operation against positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near Ain Issa and managed to enter the villages of al-Mushayrifa, Jahbal and Tina al-Jarid. On the other hand, the SDF announced that it has repelled the attacks of Turkish militants and pushed back them from the claimed areas.
At least two SDF forces and nine Turkish-backed militias were killed during the clashes. A Syrian army soldier was also wounded during the bombardment of areas near the Silo of (Shirakrak)Ain Isa.
On 19 December, there were reports of Turkish-backed Militias sending equipment and troops in the northern areas of Ain Issa to launch a military operation. In the early hours of December 20, the militants of 1st Corps announced the beginning of a military operation to capture Ain Issa and the surrounding areas. However, so far the situation in the region is calm and no ground clashes have been reported.
The military operation by Turkey and its militants has started in the area of Ain Issa while the Russian military police and Syrian army forces are stationed alongside SDF forces in the Ain Issa region, trying to prevent Turkish militants from advancing in the region by creating more joint military posts.
Map: Latest Military Situation in northeast of Syria after Turkey and Russia agreement
Tension increases in northeast of Syria; Turkey might operate against Kurds again
Click to see the full size map
Ain Issa Syria Syria news
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Home / Picking %keyword_title% Is Easy
Picking %keyword_title% Is Easy
Player bet – You’re betting that the Player hand will be higher than the Banker hand. Banker bet – You’re betting that the Banker hand will be higher than the Player hand. Initially, two cards are dealt to the Player hand and the Banker hand. The first and the third cards dealt are placed face down for the PLAYER’S hand. The second and green163.datassauro.com/2020/12/29/nike-jordan-j23-mens-sports-activities-shoes-blue.html fourth cards are placed face down until the PLAYER’S hand is called. At this time, the second and fourth cards shall be placed face up for the BANKER’S hand. Baccarat (pronounced BA-KA-RAH) offers some of the best odds and despite its appearance, is probably the simplest game to play.
We will monitor the little things, so you can focus on the fun and big wins. Casinos are places rife with thrills, edwards933.speakbyinternet.com/%ec%84%b1%ea%b3%b5-%eb%b0%a9%eb%b2%95-sports-%ea%b0%80%eb%8a%a5%ed%95%9c-%ed%95%9c-%ec%8b%9c%ec%9e%91-%ec%98%a4%eb%8a%98/ tension, hope and risk, which explains why filmmakers love to set fast-paced scenes there. James Bond is perhaps one of the most famous characters who will forever be associated with casinos. Based in exclusive Monaco, the scene revolves around Bond playing baccarat against Russian agent Xenia Onatopp. Over the course of beating the agent, the scene revives the iconic one-liners, innuendoes and sexual tension that have formed part of the popularity of the 007 franchise over the years. Diamonds are Forever is perhaps one of the best-loved Bond films, due in part to the all-star cast featuring Sean Connery and Lana Wood, with the popular Shirley Bassey theme tune. The action takes place in Las Vegas, where 007 remains true to form by indulging in high-stakes gambling, although this time its at the craps table.
In some circles, the person who has first set down his name on the list of players has the right to hold the first bank, risking such amount as he may think proper. Also in 2012, he reportedly won $11 million USD playing punto banco at Crockfords in London. Crockfords refunded his $1 million stake and agreed to send him his winnings. Players who pull this off can gain a big statistical edge over the casino, even in a game where there’s usually no advantage to be found.
Then the players get to match that wager or bet something smaller. If the total wagers from the punters amount to more than the banker was willing to bank, the banker has the opportunity to increase that amount. In the traditional version of baccarat, or punto banco, the croupier directs the gameplay.
According to many, the game was first invented in Italy by a player Felix Falguiere. He is said to have based the game on an…
Obesity extra cause for decreased libido in males. If one is overweight, unfit and unhealthy then your own body does not function to its optimum.…
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Entbehrlich.es
Wissen aus der Wikipedia
Podcast - Archiv - About - Feed - Twitter - Impressum
Jakob Maria Mierscheid (🎧)
Imaginäres Mitglied des Bundestags, ausgedacht von der SPD.
Jakob Maria Mierscheid MdB has been a fictitious politician in the German Bundestag since 11 December 1979. He was the alleged deputy chairman of the Mittelstandsausschuss (Committee for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses) of the Bundestag in 1981 and 1982. According to his official biography, he was born in Morbach/Hunsrück, a very rural constituency in Rhineland-Palatinate. He is Catholic and a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. Jakob Mierscheid was “born” on 11 December 1979 on the back of a menu in the restaurant of the Bundestag, when two members of parliament from the SPD, Peter Würtz and Karl Haehser, decided that their recently deceased colleague Carlo Schmid needed a worthy successor. He is now a widely known curiosity within the Bundestag and uses Twitter as means of communication.In 1983 the party magazine Vorwärts published an article purportedly written by Mierscheid claiming the discovery of a “law”, the Mierscheid Law, that indicated a strong correlation between the election results of the SPD in national elections and West German steel production. The Bundestag official web site carries an ostensibly serious ‘biography’ and a photograph purporting to depict Mierscheid. In previous versions of the photograph his fashion sense seemed very antiquated and his eyeglasses were added later. The current (2010) image shows a balding man sitting in a chair, facing away from the camera, in the middle of the empty Hall of Representatives. The German language version of the site lists 615 current names although the actual membership of the Bundestag is only 614, while the English and French language versions only list the actual membership of the Bundestag. Mierscheid has his own stationery and e-mail address and issues press releases now and then. The picture of Mierscheid at the Bundestag is based on the RTL Samstag Nacht character Karl Ranseier.The hoax is paralleled in Germany in a number of other areas, for example Friedrich Gottlob Nagelmann is a known (fictional) lawyer and Edmund Friedemann Dräcker is a known (fictional) diplomat. Mierscheid, Nagelmann, and Dräcker each have a long list of publications which have sometimes really been published in otherwise reputable media (science journals, parliament press).
Quelle: Jakob Maria Mierscheid
Autor: noqqe
Bild: Sven Teschke
Podcast: Über diesen Artikel haben wir in dieser Folge unseres Podcast gesprochen!
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Multimedia Signals and Systems
MULTIMEDIA SIGNALS AND SYSTEMS THE KLUWER INTERNATIONAL SERIES IN ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE MULTIMEDIA SIGNAL...
Author: Mrinal Kr. Mandal
172 downloads 3158 Views 41MB Size Report
THE KLUWER INTERNATIONAL SERIES IN ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE
Mrinal Kr. MandaI University ofAlberta, Canada
KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS Boston / Dordrecht / London
Distributors for North, Central Bnd South America: Kluwer Academic Publishers 101 Philip Drive Assinippi Park Norwell, Massachusetts 02061 USA Telephone (781) 871-6600 Fax (781) 681-9045 E-Mail
for other all Distributors countries: Kluwer Academic Publishers Group Post Office Box 322 3300 AH Dordrecht, THE NETHERLANDS Telephone 31 78 6576 000 Fax 31 78 6576 254 E-Mail <[email protected]>
Electronic Services < http://www.wkap.nl>
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
MandaI, Mrinal Kr. Multimedia Signals and Systems / Mrinal Kr. MandaI. p.cm.-(The Kluwer international series in engineering and computer science; SEeS 716)
Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-4020-7270-8 Calk. paper) 1. Multimedia systems. 2. Signal processing-Digitial techniques. I. Title. II. Series.
QA76.575 .M3155 2002 006.7-dc21 2002034047 Copyright © 2003 by Kluwer Academic Publishers All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 101 Philip Drive, Assinippi Park, Norwell, Massachusetts 02061. Permission for books published in Europe: [email protected] Permissions for books published in the United States of America: [email protected]
MATLAB® is a registered trademark of the MathWorks, Inc.
Printed on acid-free paper.
Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. 1.2. 1.3. 1.4. 1.5.
Development of Multimedia Systems Classification of Media Properties of Multimedia Systems Multimedia Computing Different Aspects of Multimedia
References Questions
Part I: MULTIMEDIA SIGNALS 2. AUDIO FUNDAMENTALS 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4
Characteristics of Sound The Human Auditory System Audio Recording Audio Signal Representation 2.4.1 Wavefonn method 2.4.2 Musical Instrument Digital Interface
3. THE HUMAN VISUAL SYSTEM AND PERCEPTION 3.1 3.2
Introduction The Human Visual System 3.2.1 Relative Luminous Efficiency 3.2.2 Weber's Law 3.2.3 Modulation Transfer Function 3.2.4 HVS Model Color Representation 3.3.1 Three-Receptor Model 3.3.2 Color Matching 3.3.3 Tristimulus Value 3.3.4 Chromaticity Diagram 3.3.5 Color Models and Transformation of Primaries
3.3.5.1 NTSC Receiver Primary 3.3.5.2 NTSC Transmission System 3.3.5.3 1960 CIE-UCS Color coordinates 3.3.5.4 CMYModel Temporal Properties of Vision
4. MULTIMEDIA DATA ACQUISITION 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4
Sampling of Audio Signals Sampling of Two-Dimensional Images Anti-Aliasing Filters Digitization of Audio Signals 4.4.1 Analog to Digital Conversion 4.4.2 Audio Fidelity Criteria 4.4.3 MIDI versus Digital Audio Digitization of Images 4.5.1 Visual Fidelity Measures
Part ll: SIGNAL PROCESSING AND COMPRESSION 5. TRANSFORMS AND SUBBAND DECOMPOSITION 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4
I-D Unitary Transfonn I-D Discrete Fourier Transfonn I-D Discrete Cosine Transfonn Digital Filtering and Subband Analysis 5.4.1 Digital Filters 5.4.2 Subband Analysis 5.4.3 Transfonns and Digital Filtering I-D Discrete Wavelet Transfonn 2-D Unitary Transfonn 2-D Discrete Fourier Transfonn 2-D Discrete Cosine Transfonn 2-D Discrete Wavelet Transfonn
84 85 90 93 93 97 103 104 109 111 114 116
6. TEXT REPRESENTATION AND COMPRESSION
Text Representation Principles of Text Compression Statistical Redundancy 6.3.1 Probability Density Function and Entropy 6.3.2 Shannon's Noiseless Source Coding Theorem 6.3.3 Huffman Coding 6.3.4 Arithmetic Coding Dictionary-based Compression 6.4.1 LZ77 Technique 6.4.2 LZ78 Technique Summary
7. DIGITAL AUDIO COMPRESSION Audio Compression Principles 7.1.1 Rate Distortion Function 7.2 Statistical Redundancy 7.2.1 Companding and Expanding 7.3 Temporal Redundancy 7.4 Perceptual Audio Coding 7.5 Audio Compression Standards 7.6 MPEG-l Audio Compression Standard 7.7 MPEG-2 Audio Compression Standard 7.8 AC Audio Compression Standards 7.9 Comparison of Compression Algorithms 7.10 Audio Formats
8. DIGITAL IMAGE COMPRESSION TECHNIQUES
Principles oflmage Compression Low Complexity Compression Techniques 8.2.1 Entropy Coding 8.2.2 Run-length Coding 8.2.3 Predictive Coding Transform Coding
Transfonn Coding 8.3.1 Unitary Transfonn 8.3.2 Block Transfonn 8.3.3 Wavelet Coding 8.3.4 Comparison ofDCT and Wavelets Other Coding Techniques 8.4.1 Vector Quantization 8.4.2 Fractal Image Compression Image Compression Standards The JPEG Image Compression Standard 8.6.1 Baseline Sequential Mode 8.6.2 Other JPEG Modes The JPEG 2000 Standard Image Fonnats
9. DIGITAL VIDEO COMPRESSION TECHNIQUES 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5
Principles of Video Compression Digital Video and Color Redundancy Temporal Redundancy Reduction Block-based Motion Estimation 9.4.1 Fast Motion Estimation Algorithms Video Compression Standards 9.5.1 Motion JPEG 9.5.2 The MPEG-I Video Compression Standard 9.5.3 The MPEG-2 Video Compression Standard 9.5.4 The MPEG-4 Video Compression Standard 9.5.4.1 Video Coding Scheme 9.5.5 The H.261 Video Compression Standard 9.5.6 H.263, H.263+ and H.26L Standards 9.5.7 Comparison of Standard Codecs
10. DIGITAL AUDIO PROCESSING 10.1 Audio Filtering Techniques 10.2 Audio Equalization 10.3 Audio Enhancement 10.3.1 Noise Suppression by Digital Filtering
Table of Contents 10.3.2 Spectral Subtraction Method 10.4 Editing MIDI Files 10.5 Digital Audio and MIDI Editing Tools References Questions
11. DIGITAL IMAGE AND VIDEO PROCESSING
11.1 Basic Image Processing Tools 11.1.1 Image Resizing 11.1.2 Cropping 11.2 Image Enhancement Techniques 11.2.1 Brightness and Contrast Improvement 11.2.1.1 Contrast Stretching 11.2 .1.2 Histogram Equalization 11.2.2 Image Sharpening 11.3 Digital Video 11.3.1 Special Effects and Gradual Transition 11.3.1.1 Wipe 11.3.1.2 Dissolve 11.3.1.3 FadeIn/Out 11.3.2 Video Segmentation 11.3.2.1 Camera Operations 11.4 Image and Video Editing Softwares 11.5 Summary
Part m: MULTIMEDIA SYSTEMS 12. ANALOG AND DIGITAL TELEVISION 12.1 Analog Television Standards 12.2 Raster Scanning 12.3 Color Space for TV Transmission 12.3.1 NTSC System 12.3.2 PAL System 12.4 NTSC Television System 12.4.1 Channel Assignment
12.4.2 NTSC Encoder and Decoder 12.5 Component and S-Video 12.6 Digital Television 12.6.1 Grand Alliance HDTV Standard References Questions
13. CONTENT CREATION AND MANAGEMENT 13.1 Multimedia Authoring 13.1.1 Authoring Steps 13.2 Multimedia Authoring Tools 13.2.1 CardlPage-Based Tools 13.2.2 Icon-Based Tools 13.2.3 Time-Based Tools 13.2.4 Object Oriented Tools 13.3 Multimedia Documents 13.4 Hepertext and Hypermedia 13.4.1 Nonlinear Information Chain 13.4.2 Hypertext and Hypermedia Systems 13.4.3 Mark-up Languages 13.4.4 HTML 13.4.5 XML 13.5 Web Authoring Tools 13.6 Multimedia Standards 13.6.1 The MPEG-7 Standard 13.6.2 The MPEG-21 Standard 13.6.3 The MHEG Standard 13.7 Summary References Questions
14. OPTICAL STORAGE MEDIA 14.1 Physical Medium 14.1.1 Cross-section ofa CD 14.1.2 Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) 14.1.3 Physical Formats and Speeds 14.1.4 Playback of CD and DVD 14.1.5 CD-ROM, CD-R, and CD-RW 14.1.6 Advantages of Optical Technology 14.2 CD and DVD Standards
293 295 296 299 303 304 305 305 306 308 309 310 311 312 313 315 315 316 317 318 321 323 325 326 328 329 329 330 330 333 334 334 335 336 337 340 342 342
Table of Contents 14.2.4 Video CD and DVD-Video Standards
15. ELECTRONIC DISPLAYS 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6
Important Display Parameters Cathode-Ray Tube Field Emission Display Plasma Display Liquid Crystal Display Digital Micromirror Display
APPENDIX: About the CD-ROM
PREFACE Multimedia computing and communications have emerged as a major research and development area. Multimedia computers in particular open a wide range of possibilities by combining different types of digital media such as text, graphics, audio and video. The emergence of the World Wide Web, unthinkable even two decades ago, also has fuelled the growth of multimedia computing. There are several books on multimedia systems that can be divided into two major categories. In the first category, the books are purely technical, providing detailed theories of multimedia engineering, with an emphasis on signal processing. These books are more suitable for graduate students and researchers in the multimedia area. In the second category, there are several books on multimedia, which are primarily about content creation and management. Because the number of multimedia users is increasing daily, there is a strong need for books somewhere between these two extremes. People with engineering or even non-engineering background are now familiar with buzzwords such as JPEG, GIF, WAV, MP3, and MPEG files. These files can be edited or manipulated with a wide variety of software tools. However, the curious-minded may wonder how these files work that ultimately provide us with impressive images or audio. This book intends to fill this gap by explaining the multimedia signal processing at a less technical level. However, in order to understand the digital signal processing techniques, readers must still be familiar with discrete time signals and systems, especially sampling theory, analog-todigital conversion, digital filter theory, and Fourier transform. The book has 15 Chapters, with Chapter 1 being the introductory chapter. The remaining 14 chapters can be divided into three parts. The first part consists of Chapters 2-4. These chapters focus on the multimedia signals, namely audio and image, their acquisition techniques, and properties of human auditory and visual systems. The second part consists of Chapters 511. These chapters focus on the signal processing aspects, and are strongly linked in order to introduce the signal processing techniques step-by-step. The third part consists of Chapters 12-15, which presents a few select multimedia systems. These chapters can be read independently. The objective of including this section is to introduce readers to the intricacies of a few select frequently used multimedia systems.
including this section is to introduce readers to the intricacies of a few select frequently used multimedia systems. The chapters in the first and second parts of the book have been organized to enable a hierarchical study. In addition to the Introductory Chapter, the following reading sequence may be considered. i) Text Representation: ii) Audio Compression: iii) Audio Processing: iv) Image Compression: v) Video Compression: vi) Image & Video Processing: vii) Television Fundamentals:
Chapter 6 Chapters 2, 4,5,6, 7 Chapters 2, 4, 5, 10 Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Chapters 3, 4, 5, 11 Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12
Chapters 13-15 can be read in any order. A major focus of this book is to illustrate with examples the basic signal processing concepts. We have used MATLAB to illustrate the examples since MATLAB codes are very compact and easy to follow. The MATLAB codes of most examples, wherever appropriate, in the book are provided in the accompanying CD so that readers can experiment on their own.
Any suggestion and concern regarding the book can be emailed to the author at the email address:[email protected] There would be a follow-up website (http://www.ee.ualberta.ca/-mandallbook-multimedia!) where future updates will be posted. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to all my coworkers and students who have helped in the preparation of this book. Special thanks are due to Sunil Bandaru, Alesya Bajoria, Mahesh Nagarajan, Shahid Khan, Hongyu Liao, Qinghong Guo, and Sasan Haghani for their help in the overall preparation. I would also like to thank Drs. Philip Mingay, Bruce Cockburn, Behrouz Nowrouzian, and Sethuraman Panchanathan (from Arizona State University) for their helpful suggestions to improve the course content. Jennifer Evans and Anne Murray from Kluwer Academic Publishers have always lent a helping hand. Last but not least, I would like to thank Rupa and Geeta, without whose encouragement and support this book would not be completed. August 2002
Mrinal Kr. Mandai
Communication technology has always had a great impact on modern society. In the pre-computer age, newspaper, radio, television, and cinema were the primary means of mass communication. When personal computers were introduced in the early 1980s, very few people imagined their tremendous influence on our daily lives. But, with the technological support from network engineers, global information sharing suddenly became feasible through the now Ubiquitous World Wide Web. Today, for people to exploit efficiently the computer's potential, they must present their information in a medium that maximizes their work. In addition, their information presentation should be efficiently structured for storage, transmission, and retrieval applications. In order to achieve these goals, the field of multimedia research is now crucial. Multimedia is one of the most exciting developments in the field of personal computing. Literally speaking, a medium is a substance, such as water and air, through which something is transmitted. Here, media means the representation and storage of information, such as text, image, video, newspaper, magazine, radio, and television. Since the term "multi" means multiple, multimedia refers to a means of communication with more than one medium. The prefix "multi," however, is unnecessary since media is already plural and refers to a combination of different mediums. Interestingly, the term is now so popular (a search on the Google web search engine with the keyword "multimedia" produced more than 13 million hits in July 2002, compared to an established but traditional subject "physics" which produced only 9 million hits), it is now unlikely to change. The main reason for the multimedia system's popularity is its long list of potential applications that were not possible even two decades ago. A few examples are shown in Fig. 1.1. Limitless potential of applications such as the World Wide Web, High Definition and Interactive Television, Video-ondemand, Video conferencing, Electronic Newspapers/Magazines, Games and E-Commerce are capturing people's imaginations. Significantly, multimedia technology can be considered the key driving force for these applications. M. K. Mandal, Multimedia Signals and Systems © Kluwer Academic Publishers 2003
1.1 DEVELOPMENT OF MULTIMEDIA SYSTEMS A brief history of the development of multimedia systems is provided in Table 1.1. The newspaper is probably the first mass communication medium, which uses mostly text, graphics and images. In late 1890s, Guglielmo Marconi demonstrated the first wireless radio transmission. Since then, radio has become the major medium for broadcasting. Movies and televisions were introduced around 1930s, which brought video to the viewers, and again changed the nature of mass communications. The concept of the World Wide Web was introduced around the 1950s, but supporting technology was not available at that time and did not resurface until the early 1980s. Current Multimedia system technologies became popular in the early 1990s due to the availability of low-cost computer hardware, broadband networks, and hypertext protocols. Multimedia Applications
~ ••
Multimedia News
Interactive T.V.
~ \
.J\..
Figure 1.1. Multimedia applications.
Today's multimedia technology is possible because of technological advances in several diverse areas, including telecommunications, consumer electronics, audio and movie recoding studios, and publishing houses. Furthermore, in the last few decades, telephone networks have changed gradually from analog to digital networks. Correspondingly, separate broadband data networks have been established for high-speed computer communication. Consumer electronics industries continue to make important advances in areas such as high fidelity audio systems, high quality video and television systems, and storage devices (e.g., hard disks, CDs). Recording studios in particular have noticeably improved consumer electronics, especially high quality audio and video equipment.
Chapter 1: Introduction Table 1.1. Brief history of multimedia systems.
Pre-Computer Age Late 1890s Early 1900s 1940s 1960s Early 1980s 1983
Newspaper, radio, television, and cinema were the primary means of mass communications. Radio was introduced. Movie was introduced. Television was introduced. Concept of hypertext systems was developed. Personal computer was introduced. Internet is born, TCPIIP protocol was established. Audio-CD was introduced. Tim Bemers-Lee proposed the World Wide Web. HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) is developed. Several digital audio, image and video coding standards have been developed. High Definition Television standard established in North America. Several web-browsers, hypertext lan~uages have been developed.
1990 1980-present Mid 1990s 1993-present
As well, publication houses assisted the development of efficient formats for data representation. Note that the hypertext markup language (HTML) of the World Wide Web was preceded by the development of generalized markup languages for creating machine independent document structures.
1.2 CLASSIFICATION OF MEDIA We have noted that multimedia represents a variety of media. These media can be classified according to different criteria.
Perception: In a typical multimedia environment, the information is ultimately presented to people (e.g., in a cinema). This information representation should exploit our five senses: hearing, seeing, smell, touch and taste (see Fig. 2). However, most current multimedia systems only employ the audio and visual senses. The technology for involving the three other (minor) senses has not yet matured. Some work has been carried out to include smell and taste in multimedia systems [11], but it needs more research to become convenient and cost effective. Hence, in the current multimedia framework, text, image, and video can be considered visual media, whereas music and speech can be considered auditory media.
Representation: Here, the media is characterized by internal computer representation, as various formats represent media information in a computer. For example, text characters may be represented by ASCII code; audio signals may be represented by PCM samples; image data
Multimedia Signals and Systems may be represented by PCM or JPEG format; and video data may be represented in PCM or MPEG format. Perceptual World
(Observer's
experience of the situation)
Obscr~r
Figure 1.2: Sensory Perception.
Presentation: This refers to the tools and devices for the input and output of information. The paper, screen, and speakers are the output media, while the keyboard, mouse, microphone, and camera are the input media. Storage: This refers to the data carrier that enables the storage of information. Paper, microfilm, floppy disk, hard disk, CD, and DVD are examples of storage media. Transmission: This characterizes different information carriers that enable continuous data transmission. Optical fibers, coaxial cable, and free air space (for wireless transmission) are examples of transmission media. Discrete/Continuous: Media can be divided into two types: timeindependent or discrete media, and time-dependent or continuous media. For time-independent media (such as text and graphics), data processing is not time critical. In time-dependent media, data representation and processing is time critical. Figure 1.3 shows a few popular examples of discrete and continuous media data, and their typical applications. Note that the multimedia signals are not limited to these traditional examples. Other signals can also be considered as multimedia data. For example, the output of different sensors such as smoke detectors, air pressure, and temperature can be considered continuous media data.
1.4 PROPERTIES OF MULTIMEDIA SYSTEMS Literally speaking, any system that supports two or more media should be called a multimedia system. Using this definition, a newspaper is a multimedia presentation because it includes text and images for illustration. However, in practice, a different interpretation often appears. Nevertheless, a multimedia system should have the following properties:
Combination of Media: It is well-known that a multimedia system should include two or more media. Unfortunately, there is no exclusive way to specify the media types. On one hand, some authors [1] suggest that there should be at least one continuous (time-dependent) and one discrete (time independent) media. With this requirement, a text processing system that can incorporate images may not be called a multimedia system (since both media are discrete). On the other hand, some authors [3] prefer to relax this interpretation, and accept a more general definition of multimedia.
Data Level Interactivity
C><J
Noninteractive
Books, Slideshow
Net-talk, Browsing
Noninteractive ! DVJ! Movies, TV/AudioBroadcasting
I Vi1eo Conf., Interactive Television
Figure 1.3. Different types of multimedia and their typical applications.
Independence: Different media in a multimedia system should have a high degree of independence. This is an important criterion for a multimedia system, as it enables independent processing of different media types, and provides the flexibility of combining media in arbitrary forms. Most conventional information sources that include two or media will fail this test. For example, the text and images in a newspaper are tightly coupled; so are the audio and video signals in a VHS cassette. Therefore, these systems do not satisfy the independence criteria, and are not multimedia systems.
Computer Supported Integration:
In order to achieve media independence, computer-based processing is almost a necessity. The computers provide another important feature of a multimedia system: integration. The different media in a multimedia system should be integrated. A high level of integration ensures that changing the content of one media causes corresponding changes in other media.
Communication Systems: In today's highly-networked world, a multimedia system should be capable of communicating with other multimedia systems. The multimedia data transmitted through a network may be discrete (e.g., a text document, or email) or continuous (e.g., streamed audio or video) data.
1.5 MULTIMEDIA COMPUTING Multimedia computing is the core module of a typical multimedia system. In order to perform data processing efficiently, high-speed processors and peripherals are required to handle a variety of media such as text, graphics, audio and video. Appropriate software tools are also required in order to process the data. In the early 1990s, the "multimedia PC" was a very popular term used by personal computer (PC) vendors. To ensure the software and hardware compatibility of different multimedia applications, the Multimedia PC Marketing Council developed specifications for Multimedia PC, or MPC for short [4]. The first set of specifications (known as MPC Levell) was published in 1990. The second set of specifications (MPC Level 2) was specified in 1994, and included the CD-ROM drive and sound card. Finally, the MPC Level 3 (MPC3) specifications were published in 1996, with the following specifications: • • • • • • •
CPU speed: 75 MHz (or higher) Pentium RAM: 8 MB or more Magnetic Storage: 540 MB hard drive or larger CD-ROM drive: 4x speed or higher Video: Super VGA (640x480 pixels, 16 bits (i.e., 65,536) colors) Sound card: 16-bit, 44.1 kHz stereo sound Digital video: Should support delivery of digital video with 352 x 240 pixels resolution at 30 frames/sec (or 352 x 288 at 25 frames/sec). It should also have MPEG 1 support (hardware or software). Modem: 28.8 Kbps or faster to communicate with the external world.
Note that most PCs available on the market today far exceed the above specifications. A typical multimedia workstation is shown in Fig. 1.4.
Today's workstations contain rich system configurations for multimedia data processing. Hence, most PCs can technically be called MPCs. However, from the technological point of view, there are still many issues that require the full attention of researchers and developers. Some of the more critical aspects of a multimedia computing system include [2]: Processing Speed: The central processor should have a high processing speed in order to perform software-based real-time multimedia signal processing. Note that among the multimedia data, video processing requires the most computational power, especially at rates above 30 frames/sec. A distributed processing architecture may provide an expensive high-speed multimedia workstation [5]. Architecture: In addition to the CPU speed, efficient architectures are required to provide high-speed communication between the CPU and the RAM, and between the CPU and the peripherals. Note that the CPU speed is constantly increasing over the years. Several novel architectures, such as Intelligent RAM (IRAM), and Computational RAM have been proposed to address this issue [6]. In these architectures, the RAM has its own processing elements, and hence the memory bandwidth is very high. Operating System: High performance real-time multimedia operating systems are required to support real-time scheduling, efficient interrupt handling, and synchronization among different data types [7]. Highspeed xternal Netv.ork (LAN, cabl satellite)
LAN/ rnet
----------------- ------------t __ --1 r--
Telept ne ::
,----1.---,
:: :: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
High-speed (e.g., fire wire) interfacing bus
00 00 00 00 00 o 0 00 00 00
L---r----1-----.~~
: : --!~.,-,-
................................................................................................ 1
Office/Home Environment
..................................... _ ...... _ ..................................................................................... _
Figure 1.4. Multimedia Workstations at home and office environment.
Multimedia Signals and Systems Storage: High capacity storage devices are required to store voluminous multimedia data. The access time should be fast for interactive applications. Although magnetic devices (such as hard disks) are still generally used for storing multimedia data, other technologies such as CDIDVD, and smart memories are becoming popular for their higher portability [8]. Database: The volume of multimedia data is growing exponentially. Novel techniques are essential for designing multimedia databases so that content representation and management can be performed efficiently [9]. Networking: Efficient network architecture and protocols are required for multimedia data transmission [10]. The network should have high bandwidth, low latency, and reduced jitter. Software Applications: From a consumer's viewpoint, this is the most important aspect of a multimedia system. A normal user is likely to be working with the software tools without paying much attention to what is inside the computer. Efficient software tools, with easy to use graphical interfaces, are desirable for multimedia applications.
Different Aspects of Multimedia Multimedia is a broad subject that can be divided into four domains [1]: device, system, application, and cross domains. The device domain includes storage media, and networks, and basic concepts such as audio, video, graphics, and images. Conversely, the system domain includes the database systems, operating systems and communication systems. The application domain includes the user interface through which various tools, applications, and documents are made accessible to the multimedia users. Finally, the cross domain includes the integration of various media. In a multimedia system, the continuous media have to be synchronized. Synchronization is the temporal relationship among various media, and it relates to all three domains mentioned above. The main focus of this book is the device domain aspect of the multimedia system. There are fourteen chapters (Chapters 2-15) in the book, which can be divided into three parts. Chapters 2-4 present the characteristics of audio signals, the properties of our ears and eyes, and the digitization of continuous-time signals. The data and signal processing concepts for various media types, namely text, audio, images and video, are presented in Chapters 5-11. The details of a few select systems - namely television, storage media, and display devices - are presented in Chapters 12, 14, and 15. Lastly, a brief overview of multimedia content creation and management, which lies in the application domain, is presented in Chapter
REFERENCES l.
R. Steinmatz and K. Nahrstedt, Multimedia: Computing. Communications and Applications, Prentice Hall, 1996.
B. Furht, S. W. Smoliar, and H. Zhang, Video and Image Processing in Multimedia Systems, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1995.
N. Chapman and J. Chapman, Digital Multimedia, John Wiley & Sons, 2000.
W. L. Rosch, Multimedia Bible, SAMS Publishing, Indianapolis, 1995.
K. Dowd, C. R. Severance, M. Loukides, High Performance Computing, O'Reilly & Associates, 2nd edition, August 1998.
C. E. Kozyrakis and D. A. Patterson, "A new direction for computer architecture research," IEEE Computer, pp. 24-32, Nov 1998.
A. Silberschatz, P. B. Galvin, and G. Gagne, Operating System Concepts, John Wiley & Sons, 6th Edition, 2001.
B. Prince, Emerging memories: technologies and trends, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, 2002.
V. Castelli and L. D. Bergman, Image Databases: Search and Retrieval of Digital Imagery, John Wiley & Sons, 2002.
10. F. Halsall, Multimedia Communications: Applications. Networks. Protocols. and Standards, Addison-Wesley Publishing, 2000. 11. T. N. Ryman, "Computers learn to smell and taste," Expert Systems, Vol. 12, No.2, pp. 157-161, May 1995.
QUESTIONS 1. 2.
What is a multimedia system? List a few potential multimedia applications that are likely to be introduced in the near future, and twenty years from now. Do you think that integrating the minor senses with the existing multimedia system will enhance its capability? What are the possible technical difficulties in the integration process?
Classity the media with respect to the following criteria - i) perception, ii) representation, and iii) presentation.
What are the properties of a multimedia system?
What is continuous media? What are the difficulties of incorporating continuous media in a multimedia system?
List some typical applications that require high computational power.
Why is real-time operating system important for designing an efficient multimedia system?
Explain the impact of high-speed networks on multimedia applications.
Explain with a schematic the four main domains ofa multimedia system.
Sound is a physical phenomenon produced by the vibration of matter, such as a violin string, a hand clapping, or a vocal tract. As the matter vibrates, the neighboring molecules in the air vibrate in a spring-like motion creating pressure variations in the air surrounding the matter. This alteration of high pressure (compression) and low pressure (rarefaction) is propagated through the air as a wave. When such a wave reaches a human ear and is processed by the brain, a sound is heard.
2.1 CHARACTERISTICS OF SOUND Sound has normal wave properties, such as reflection, refraction, and diffraction. A sound wave has several different properties [1]: pitch (or frequency), loudness (or amplitude/intensity), and envelope (or waveform).
Frequency The frequency is an important characteristic of sound. It is the number of high-to-Iow pressure cycles that occurs per second. In music, frequency is known as pitch, which is a musical note created by an instrument. The frequency range of sounds can be divided into the following four broad categories: Infra sound oHz - 20 Hz 20Hz-20 KHz Audible sound Ultrasound 20 KHz-l GHz Hypersound 1 GHz-lOGHz Different living organisms have different abilities to hear high frequency sounds. Dogs, cats, bats, and dolphins can hear up to 50 KHz, 60 KHZ, 120 KHZ, and 160 KHZ, respectively. However, the human ear can hear sound waves only in the range of 20 Hz-20 kHz. This frequency range is called the audible band. The exact audible band differs from person to person. In addition, the ear's response to high frequency sound deteriorates with age. Middle-aged people are fortunate if they are able to hear sound frequencies above 15 KHz. Sound waves propagate at a speed of approximately 344 m1s M. K. Mandal, Multimedia Signals and Systems © Kluwer Academic Publishers 2003
in humid air at room temperature (20° C). Hence, audio wavelengths typically vary from 17 m (corresponding to 20 Hz) to 1.7 cm (corresponding to 20 KHz). There are different compositions of sounds such as natural sound, speech, or music. Sound can also be divided into two categories: periodic and nonperiodic. Periodic sounds are repetitive in nature, and include whistling wind, bird songs, and sound generated from musical instruments. Nonperiodic sound includes speech, sneezes, and rushing water. Most sounds are complex combinations of sound waves of different frequencies and waveshapes. Hence, the spectrum of a typical audio signal contains one or more fundamental frequencies, their harmonics, and possibly a few crossmodulation products. Most of the fundamental frequencies of sound waves are below 5 KHz. Hence, sound waves in the range 5 KHz-15 KHz mainly consist of harmonics. These harmonics are typically smaller in amplitude compared to fundamental frequencies. Hence, the energy density of an audio spectrum generally falls off at high frequencies. This is a characteristic that is exploited in audio compression or noise reduction systems such as Dolby. The harmonics and their amplitude determine the tone quality or timbre (in music, timbre refers to the quality of the sound, e.g. a flute sound, or a cello sound) of a sound. These characteristics help to distinguish sounds coming from different sources such as voice, piano, or guitar. Sound Intensity The sound intensity or amplitude of a sound corresponds to the loudness with which it is heard by the human ear. For sound or audio recording and reproduction, the sound intensity is expressed in two ways. First, it can be expressed at the acoustic level, which is the intensity perceived by the ear. Second, it can be expressed at an electrical level after the sound is converted to an electrical signal. Both types of intensities are expressed in decibels (dB), which is a relative measure. The acoustic intensity of sound is generally measured in terms of the sound pressure level. Sound intensity (in dB) = 20 * loglo (P I PRef )
where P is the acoustic power of the sound measured in dynes/cm 2, and PRef is the intensity of sound at the threshold of hearing. It has been found that for a typical people, PRef
=0.0002 d I cm 2 • Hence, this value is used in
Eq. (2.1) to measure the sound intensity. Note that the human ear is essentially insensitive to sound pressure levels of less than PRef • Table 2.1 shows intensities of several. naturally occurring sounds.
Chapter 2: Audio Fundamentals
The intensity of an audio signal is also measured in terms of the electrical power level. Sound intensity (in dBm)
= 10 10glO (P / Po)
where P is the power of the audio signal, and Po
=I mW.
Note that the
suffix m in dBm is because the intensity is measured with respect to 1 m W. Table 2.1. Pressure levels of various sounds. 0 dB correspon ds to SPL 0 f 00002 dNnes cm-' (or micro bar ) Intensity Typical Examples Threshold of hearing OdB Recoding studio (ambient level) 25 dB Resident (ambient level) 40 dB Office (ambient level) 50dB Typical conversation 70dB Home audio listening level 90dB 120dB Threshold of Pain 140dB Rock singer screaming into microphone
Envelope An important characteristic of a sound is its envelope. When a sound is generated, it does not last forever. The rise and fall of the intensity of the sound (or a musical note) is known as the envelope. A typical envelope has four sections: attack, decay, sustain and release, as shown in Fig. 2.1. During the attack, the intensity of a note increases from silence to a high level. The intensity then decays to a middle level where it is sustained for a short period of time. The intensity drops from the sustain level to zero during the release period. It&lLk
Su... tuln
Tll1iIIC
""-"'---+1
T ime (1n .econd.)
Figure 2.1. Musical note. a) a typical envelope, b) the waveform of a signal produced by a bell. Note that the bell was hit suddenly, resulting in a sharp attack, and a gradual decay. Typical notes, however, will have a more gradual attack.
Each musical instrument has a different envelope. Violin notes have slower attacks but a longer sustain period, whereas guitar notes have quick attacks and a slower release. Drum hits have rapid attacks and decays. Human speech is certainly one of the most important categories of multimedia sound. For efficient speech analysis, it is important to understand the principles of the human vocal system, which is beyond the scope of this book. Here, we are more interested in effective and efficient speech representation and to do this it is helpful to understand the properties of the human auditory system. In the next section, the properties of the human auditory system are briefly presented.
2.2 THE HUMAN AUDITORY SYSTEM The ear and its associated nervous system is a complex, interactive system. Over the years, the human auditory system has evolved incredible powers of perception. A simplified anatomy of the human ear is shown in Fig. 2.2. The ear is divided into three parts: outer, middle and inner ear. The outer ear comprises the external ear, the ear canal and the eardrum. The external ear and the ear canal collect sound, and the eardrum converts the sound (acoustic energy) to vibrations (mechanical energy) like a microphone diaphragm. The ear canal resonates at about 3 KHz, providing extra sensitivity in the frequency range critical for speech intelligibility. There are three bones in the middle ear - hammer, anvil and stirrup. These bones provide impedance matching to efficiently convey sounds from the eardrum to the fluid-filled inner ear. The coiled basilar membrane detects the amplitude and frequency of sound. These vibrations are converted to electrical impulses, and sent to the brain as neural information through a bundle of nerve fibers. To determine frequency, the brain decodes the period of the stimulus and point of maximum stimulation along the basilar membrane. Examination of the basilar membrane shows that the ear contains roughly 30,000 hair cells arranged in multiple rows along the basilar membrane, which is roughly 32 mm long. Although the human ear is a highly sophisticated system, it has its idiosyncrasies. On one hand, the ear is highly sensitive to small defects in desirable signals; on the other hand, it ignores large defects in signals it assumes are irrelevant. These properties can be exploited to achieve a high compression ratio for the efficient storage of the audio signals. It has been found that sensitivity of the ear is not identical throughout the entire audio spectrum (20Hz-20KHz). Fig. 2.3 shows the experimental results with the human auditory system using sine tones [2]. The subjects were people mostly 20 years of age. First, a sine tone was generated at 20
dB intensity (relative to 0.0002 dyne/cm2 pressure level) at 1 KHz frequency, and the loudness level was recorded. Then the sine tones were generated at other frequencies, and the amplitude of the tones were changed such that the intensity of the tones were identical. The amplitude at other frequencies resulted in the second bottom-most curve (represented by 20 dB at 1 KHz). The experiment was repeated for 40, 60, 80, 100, and 120 dB. The equal loudness contours show that the ear is nonlinear with respect to frequency and loudness. The bottommost curve represents the minimum audible field (MAF) of the human ear. It is observed from these contours that the ear is most sensitive within the frequency range of 1KHz - 5KHz.
Hammer AmAI
Auditory Nerve Inner ear
Figure 2.2. Anatomy of human ear. The coiled cochlea and basilar membrane are straightened for clarity of illustration.
, -~, ..........
"0120
!:!
..... \: ~ "-
~ 40
'u
'\
o z
Na al Temporal PenrnclTlc angle from fovea
Figure 3.3, Distribution of rod and cone receptors in the retina,
3.2.1 Relative Luminous Efficiency When a radiant energy distribution 1(A,) is received, the different wavelengths do not have identical effects on the HVS, Figure 3.4 shows the relative luminous efficiency functions for the foveal (within 2 degrees of the fovea) vision of the HVS, It is observed that the HVS acts as a bandpass filter to radiant energy, the peak response being obtained around 555 nm, The luminance or intensity of a spatially-distributed object with incoming light energy distribution 1(A,) can be calculated using the following equation:
f/(A)V(A)dA
(3,2)
where V(A) is the relative luminous efficiency function. The luminance is more important than the radiant energy distribution in the image formation process. A high leA,) might appear dark (if the energy lies at the two extreme of the bell-shaped curve), but light with a high L always appears bright to a standard human observer. The luminance is expressed in cd/m2 where cd (candela) is the unit of luminous intensity. A CRT display has a luminance value in the range 0.1- 1000 cd/m 2. >-
,!II
-"
II>
IX:
o-l-"""""''';::;:''--'''-'''''''''''''''''''''T"T""'T'T'T-.-,-:::>O---r,..,.,-l 380 440 500 560 620 680 740 Wavelengths (In nm)
Figure 3.4, Typical relative luminous efficiency function,
Chapter 3: Human Visual Systems and Perceptions
The luminance as defined in Eq. (3.2) is an important factor for determining if a picture area will be dark or bright. However, the luminance of the surrounding areas also plays an important role in the appearance of a given picture area. This is demonstrated in Fig. 3.5 where a circle of a given luminance has been placed onto two different backgrounds. It is observed that the circle on the dark background appears to be brighter than the circle on the gray background. The perceived luminance of an object - called the brightness - depends on the luminance of the surround [2].
Figure 3.5. Simultaneous contrast: small circles in the middle have equal luminance values, but have different brightness.
3.2.2 Weber's Law It has been demonstrated that two objects with different surroundings could have identical luminance, but different brightness values. The primary reason is that our perception is sensitive to luminance contrast rather than the absolute luminance values themselves. Contrast is a term commonly used to describe differences in luminance values of two neighboring picture areas. Figure 3.6 shows a small circle of luminance L + M surrounded by a larger circle with a luminance of L. If M is zero, the two regions will be indistinguishable. If we slowly increase M starting from zero, for a certain value of M, the contrast between the two regions will just be noticeable. Let this value be denoted by M N • As a rough approximation, the relationship between Land MN can be expressed as t1LN
=k
where k is known as the Weber constant, and the above relationship is known as the Weber-Fechner's law, or simply the Weber's law. Typically, the value of the Weber's constant is about 0.01 -0.02. The above equation states that if a picture area has a high luminance value, a higher M N value is required to notice the contrast between the two regions. We can express Eq. (3.3) as
cdL =dB L
where c is a constant. Integrating both sides, we obtain B = c logL + d where d is another constant. This relationship states that the brightness is proportional to the logarithm of the luminance values.
B + 2M 1------:...-8+118
L L+fJ.L Figure 3.6. Contrast and luminance
'" L + 3M.
Figure 3.7. Brightness (B) and luminance (L)
3.2.3 Modulation Transfer Function It was shown in Chapter 4 that an audio signal could be expressed as a superposition of sinusoidal waves of different frequencies (in Hz). Similarly, an image can be considered as a superposition of gratings of different spatial frequencies. Figure 3.8 shows two examples of onedimensional square wave gratings. Note that the spatial frequencies are generally expressed in cycles/degree. A periodic grating will have a frequency of M cycles/degree if M wavelengths of the grating make an angle of one degree at the observer's eye, at a specified distance between the eyes and the scene. The same grating will have a different spatial frequency if it is moved closer or further from the eyes.
Figure 3.8. Square wave gratings. The left grating (5 cycles/deg) has a higher frequency than the right (2 cycles/deg).
The spatial frequency response of the eye is known as the modulation transfer function (MTF). A direct measure of the MTF is possible by
considering a sinusoidal grating of varying contrast and spatial frequency. In Fig. 3.9, an oscillating high frequency pattern is shown in twodimensional space. The pattern has been generated such that any line drawn horizontally across the picture is a sinusoidal wave with constant amplitude but whose frequency increases exponentially from left to right. If a line is drawn vertically in the picture, the amplitude of the wave decreases exponentially from bottom to top. Let us hold the picture at arm's length, then go up from the bottom of each vertical stripe and mark a point where the pattern just becomes invisible. If we plot the marked points on the vertical stripes, we will obtain a curve similar to that shown in Fig. 3.1 O(a). The plot shows that the middle stripes have the highest sensitivity and the lower (left stripes) and higher (right stripes) frequencies will be visible only when their amplitudes are relatively high. The stripe where the sensitivity will be highest depends on the distance between the picture and the eyes. If we increase the distance, the peak shifts to the left, because the spatial frequency associated with the stripes will change (increase if the distance is increased). Scientists have performed many experiments to determine the spatial frequency response. The spatial frequencies at which the eyes have the highest sensitivity have been reported to vary from 2-10 cycles/degree depending on the experimental set-up (e.g., luminance of the image, choice of subjects). Note that Fig. 3.10(a) shows only the one-dimensional spatial frequency response. Assuming that the HVS is isotropic in spatial domain (i.e., eyes do not have any preferential direction towards horizontal, vertical or diagonal), the 2-D frequency response can be easily calculated from Fig. 3.1O(a), which is shown in Fig. 3.10(b).
Figure 3.9. Contrast versus spatial frequency sinusoidal grating.
It is observed in Fig. 3.1 O( a) that HVS response is relatively poor at higher frequencies. It is important to know the maximum frequency that can be perceived by eyes. This can be calculated from the visual acuity of the
the eye, which is defined as the smallest angular separation at which the individual lines (if we assume that the image consists of horizontal and vertical lines of pixels) can be distinguished. Visual acuity varies widely, as much as 0.5' to 5' (minutes of arc) depending on the contrast ratio and the keenness of the individual's vision. An acuity of 1.7' is often assumed for practical purposes, and this corresponds to approximately 18 ( = 60/(2 X 1.7') ) cycles/degree.
o It
·10 ·20
0o!---~-,"o=-- -,",=---c": ':--25 :':---!". _ _ _ ncydosldog
""""'''-(''''''''''''' (a)
.3().3()
H,.tlCl,tJ,t_ncydosldog
Figure 3.10: Frequency response of the eye. a) J-D and b) 2-D frequency response.
The impulse response of the system can be obtained by calculating the inverse Fourier transform of the modulation transfer function (shown in Fig. 3.10). The one-dimensional impulse response function is known as the linespread function. It provides the response of the system to an infinitely thin light, represented by an impulse sheet (j (x) or (j (y). A typical line-spread function of the HVS is shown in Fig. 3.11 [4]. It is observed that the (infinitely) thin light is seen by the HVS as having a finite width. This might be explained as the limitation of a physical system. However, another strange property is observed in Fig. 3.1l. At about 0.08 0 , we observe negative brightness (which apparently should have been zero). This property creates a special interaction between the luminance from an object and its surrounding area, which is known as the Mach band effect [3]. Figure 3.12 shows vertical strips of increasing luminances. However, the brightness (i.e., the perceived luminance) is not strictly a monotonic function. There is overshoot and undershoot at the edges (see Fig. 3.12(c) and Fig 3.12(d).
. c
.S;!
i ..
La.. ..................
--i . ·· ..... ···
--.-- .. ,
~-----.-
~ ==~~---+-r4r--~--~ :::l
......- Degrees Figure 3.11. Line spread function of the human eye.
Bt1oghtne ••
LtoHftkunc.
A (e)
Figure 3.12: Mach band effect. (a) the unit step function, (b) the stair· case function, (c) brightness corresponding to image (a), (d) brightness corresponding to image (b).
_ Example 5.1 In this example, the Mach band effect at Fig. 3.12 (c) is justified from the line-spread function of Fig. 3.11. The line-spread function (i.e., the impulse response in one spatial dimension) of the HVS is shown in Fig. 3.11. The input shown in Fig. 3.12(a) can be considered as the step input. Assuming that the HVS is linear and time invariant, the step response of the system can be obtained by integrating the impulse response of the system. If we integrate the line spread function in Fig. 3.11, a function similar to Fig. 3.12(c) is obtained. Note that points A, B, C, and 0 in the two figures roughly correspond to each other. _
3.2.4 HVS Model So far we have discussed several properties of the HVS. In order to design an efficient system for image processing or analysis, the development of a model for the HVS is very important. A few assumptions are generally made to simplify the model. First, it is assumed that HVS is a linear system, which is generally true for low contrast images. Second, it may be assumed that the HVS is isotropic in spatial domain, i.e., eyes do not have any preferential direction (towards horizontal, vertical or diagonal). Although it has been found that the sensitivity of eyes in the diagonal direction is less than that in the horizontal or vertical direction, this assumption is used in most models. The HVS can be considered a system with several subsystems. First, when light enters the eye, the pupil acts as an aperture that 1s equivalent to a lowpass filter. Next, the spectral response of the eye (that is the luminous efficiency function V(A» is applied on the incoming light, and luminance of an image is obtained. The nonlinear response of the rods and cones, and the modulation transfer function, provide the contrast and lateral inhibition.
3.3 COLOR REPRESENTATION The study of color is important in the design and development of color vision systems. The use of color is not only more pleasing, it also enables us to grasp quickly more information. Although we can differentiate only about a hundred gray levels, we can easily differentiate thousands of colors. There are three main perceptual attributes of colors: brightness, hue, and saturation. As previously mentioned, brightness is the perceived luminance. The hue is an attribute we commonly describe as blue, red, yellow, etc. Saturation is our impression of how different the color is from an achromatic (white or gray) color. The pastel colors are of low saturation, and spectral colors are of high saturation. Supersaturated colors are more saturated than the purest spectral colors. A perceptual representation of color space is shown in Fig. 3.13. Brightness varies along the vertical axis, hue varies along the circumference, and saturation varies along the radial axis. A pictorial explanation of these three attributes is provided in the Chapter 3 supplement included in the CD.
3.3.1 Three-Receptor Model There are several thousands natural colors that can be distinguished by the HVS. It is difficult to design a system that will be able to individually display such a large number of colors. Fortunately, the special properties of the HVS make it possible for engineers to design a simplified color display system. It has been long known that any color can be reproduced by mixing
an appropriate set of three primary colors. Subsequently, it has been discovered that there are three different types of cone cells in the human retina. When light falls on the retina, it excites the cone cells. The excitation of different types of cone cells determines the color seen by the observer. The absorption spectra of three types of cone cells, SR(2), SG(2), and S8(2) with respect to the incident wavelength are shown in Fig. 3.14. If the spectral distribution of the incoming color light is C(2), the excitation of the three types of cone cells can be calculated as: (3.5)
pE{R,G,B}
Note that if the two different spectral distributions C,(2) and C 2 (2) produce identical {a /I' a G , a B }, the two colors will be perceived as identical. Hence, two colors that look identical can have different spectral distributions. Not all humans, however, are so lucky - many people are color blind. Monochromatic people have rod cells and one type of cone cells. These people are completely color blind. Dichromatic people have only two types of cones (i.e .. one cone type is absent). They can see some colors perfectly, and misjudge other colors (depending on which type of cone cells is absent). Spoctr.1 Colours
Creen
lIn .. of
1~---+--Groy
Brighl/1C
aluralion
Figure 3.13. Perceptual representation of the color space. a) hue. brightness. and saturation coordinates, b) the corresponding 3-D color space. Various colors are shown in Fig. (b) with uppercase letters. A: highly saturated bright red, B: highly saturated moderate bright red, C: gray, 0: highly saturated moderate bright red, E: bright blue with moderate saturation.
100 C> '1:0 Co
C> .J:>
..::.. .."
.• ::;
~~--~--~-L--~~~~--~
A ( in nm)
Figure 3.14. Typical absorption spectra of three types of cones in the human retina.
3.3.2 Color Matching Most color reproduction systems exploit the three-receptors model of color vision. In order to implement such a system, one must know the proportion of the primary colors to be mixed to reproduce a given color. The science of color measurement is known as colorimetry. Some of the laws employed for color matching are [5]: I. Any color can be matched by mixing at most three colored lights. 2. The luminance of a color mixture is equal to the sum of the luminance of its components. 3. Color Addition: If colors A and B match with colors C and D, respectively, then color (A+B) matches color (C+D). 4. Color Subtraction: If color (A+B) matches color (C+D), and color A matches color B, then color B matches color C. There are different ways to perform color matching experiment. A typical approach is to set-up two screens side by side. The test color is projected on one screen. Controlled R, G, and B lights are projected on the second screen such that the colors corresponding to the two screens are identical. The intensities of the R, G, and B channels corresponding to the second screen are the amount of color primaries needed to reproduce the test color. Figure 3.15 shows a few composite colors by mixing the three primaries in equal amount. It is observed that mixtures of (blue, red), (blue, green) and (red, green) produce the colors magenta, cyan and yellow, respectively . When all red, green and blue are mixed in equal proportion, white color is obtained. In the experiment shown in Fig. 3.15 when different primaries are added, they excite the cone receptors differently, and we see a wide range of colors. This is known as additive color mixing. However, when paints of two
different colors are mixed, we observe a different composite color. Figure 3.16 shows an experiment mixing yellow and blue paint. It can be observed that the composite color is green instead of white as seen in Fig. 3.15. The reason is explained in Fig. 3.l6(c). Yellow paint is seen as yellow because it reflects lights of wavelength in the range 500-600 nm, and absorbs all other wavelengths. On the other hand, blue paint is blue because it reflects lights of wavelength in the range 425-525 nm, and absorbs all other wavelengths. When yellow and blue paints are mixed, only a narrow band of wavelengths (500-530 nm) are reflected and all other wavelengths are absorbed. Hence, we see the green color. Note that most display devices employ additive color mixing to reproduce different colors, while the printing industry employs subtractive color mixing to reproduce colors. Figure 3.16(b) shows a few other colors obtained by mixing different proportions of cyan, magenta and yellow dyes.
3.3.3 Tristimulus Value The primary sources recommended by CIE (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage - the international commission on color standards) are three monochromatic colors at wavelength 700 nm (red), 546.1 nm (green), and 435.8 nm (blue). Let the amount ofk-th primary needed to produce a color C, and reference white color be denoted by fik' and OJ k , respectively. Then fik / OJ k is called the tristimulus values of color C. The tristimulus value of a
color is the relative amount of primaries required to match the color. Yellow
Figure 3.15. Primary colors can be added to obtain different composite colors. The corresponding color figure is included in "Chapter 3 supplement" in the CD.
Green Black
Wavelengths reflected by bl ue pigments \'"
Wavelengths reflected by both yellow and blue pigments
\, Wavelengths absorbed \, by yellow pigments \
/ ....
/t .....
Wavelengths absorbed by bl ue pigments
\\~
Wavelengths reflected .'by yellow pigments
475 500 525 550 Wavelength (in run)
(c) Figure 3.16. Subtractive color mixing. a) mixture of yellow and blue paint produces green color, b) mixture of cyan, magenta, and yellow colors, c) composite color is the difference between two added colors. The corresponding color figure is included in "Chapter 3 supplement" in the CD.
Figure 3.17(a) shows the necessary amounts of three primaries to match all the wavelengths of the visible spectrum. Note that some colors have to be added in negative amounts in order to produce certain colors. In other words, these primary sources do not yield a full gamut of reproducible colors. In fact, no practical set of three primaries has been found that can produce all colors. This has led to the development of many color coordinate systems with their own advantages, and disadvantages. Of particular interest is the eIE {X, Y, Z} system with hypothetical primary sources such that all the spectral tristimulus values are positive. Here, X, Y, and Z roughly correspond to supersaturated red, green, and blue, respectively. Figure 3.17(b) shows the corresponding amount of three primaries needed to match all the wavelengths of the visible spectrum [2].
O. r-----------------~
~ 1.5
> ~
"3 E :~0.5 I-
OO ~4_~~~~~~rr~_r
W8WIength (n rm )
500 560 620 Wavelengths (in nm)
Figure 3.17. Tristimulus curves for a) CIE spectral primary system, and b) CIE {X,Y,Z} system.
3.3.4 Chromaticity Diagram As a further convenience, colors are often specified by their chromaticity. Chromaticity is expressed in terms of chromaticity coordinates. For {X,Y,Z} system, the chromaticity coordinates can be represented as: X
x=----
X+Y+Z Y
y=---
X+Y+Z Z z= =l-x-y X+Y+Z
Thus, x, y, z represent the proportions of the X primary, Y primary, and Z primary respectively in a given color mixture. If x is large (Le., close to 1), the color mixture contains a significant portion of (supersaturated) red light, and may appear as orange, red, or reddish-purple. If both x and yare small, the primary Z component is dominant, and the mixture will appear as blue, violet, or purple. The chromaticity diagram of CIE {X, Y, Z} system is shown in Fig. 3.18. The outer bounded curve shows the chromaticity of monochromatic colors at different wavelengths. These are the deepest and most intense colors that are seldom found in natural images. As we move towards the center, lighter colors, such as, pink, light green, and pale blue appear. The central region represents the unsaturated colors including the white color.
Multimedia Signals and Systems CIE Chromaticity Diagram 0.9 0.8 0.7
0.6 O.S
y o.•
~ ~)O
t,.
\ ... \••
Figure 3.18. The
/ ~ "0
G2~ I
t I 6~ ~
~~f
~~ ~
./"
81 ......;::; ~
.....- V
:~ ~ -. ~ u"'u
~ ,/
...,.
.5- ~..I:"
1931 CIE chromaticity diagram.
{RI' G" B,}
{R2' G 2, B2} are the locations of the red, green and blue color television primaries for PAL system I and NTSC system, respectively [2].
3.3.5 Color Models and Transformation of Primaries We have so far considered the {R, G, B}, and {X, Y, Z} color systems. Although these systems are capable of representing a large number of colors, several other color systems are also used in practice. Different color systems have their own advantages and disadvantages, and a particular system can be chosen depending on the application. This is somewhat comparable to signal transforms where a signal can be represented in several transform coordinates. However, one transform may provide a superior representation over other transforms for a given application. It is important to devise a procedure for transforming one color system to another because a single application may use two different color representations of the same visual signal. Figure 3.19 shows how this can be done for transforming the {R, G, B} system to the {X, Y, Z} system using a geometrical or vector representation. Note that the R, G, and B (or, X, Y, and Z) coordinates need not be orthogonal in the three-dimensional space. However, they must specify three unique directions in the space. It can be shown that the {X,Y,Z} can be written in a matrix form as follows: (3 .7)
is termed as transformation matrix. Note that MT RGB->XYZ
= M XYZ->RGB'
c R·
.'"
..:.:.. ..........»: ~
.~
•••• ..z
Figure 3.19. Geometrical representation of a color C in {R, G, B} and {X, Y, Z} space.
The coefficients of the matrix M XYZ->RGB can be calculated as follows. We note that X =XwR when G =B =o. So, project one unit of R-vector on the {X, Y, Z} coordinates. The projections on the {X, Y, Z} coordinates will provide the values of X R' YR , Z R' Similarly, the projection of a unit G-vector on the {X, Y, Z} coordinates will provide the values of X G' YG' ZG' The coefficients X B , YB , ZB can be obtained by projecting a unit B-vector on the {X, Y, Z} coordinates. Table 3.1 shows the transformation matrices corresponding to several color coordinates. A brief introduction to the color systems that are widely used in practice will now be presented.
3.3.5.1 NTSC Receiver Primary The National Television Systems Committee's (NTSC) receiver primary system (RN , GN , BN ) is the standard for television receivers in North America. It has adopted three phosphor primaries that glow in the red, green and blue regions of the visible spectrum. Since the apparent color of an object is a function of illumination, the true color of an object is revealed only under ideal white light, which is difficult to produce. Three reference white sources are generally used in laboratory experiments. IIIuminant A corresponds to a tungsten filament lamp, iIIuminant B corresponds to midday sunlight, and iIluminant C corresponds to typical daylight. For
NTSC reference white (which was chosen as the illuminant C), RN =GN= BN =1. The relationship between this color system and the {X, Y, Z} system is shown in Table 3.1. Table 3.1. A few selected color coordinate systems. Color coordinate
Definition/Transformation Matrix
~stems
spectral CIE primary system:
{R, G, B} CIE
{X,Y,Z}
system. Y=luminance
Monochromatic red=700 nm, blue=435.8 nm.
0201']
NTSC receiver primary system
[R" G N1 = [19\0 -0.985
o~J~l
I 1.5
- 0.533 2.000 -0.118
n [0299 0.587
Reference white has flat spectrum and R=G=B=1. All tristimulus values are positive.
y = 0.177 0.813 0.011 G
[~lf:7
NTSC trans. y= system: luminance I, Q~ chrominance
primary sources, green =546.1 nm,
[0490
uniform CIE chromaticity scale (UCS): U, V,W
RN,GN,BN
Mac Adam ellipses are almost circle.
-028r~ -0.028 Y 0.896
OI14rl
I = 0.596 -0.274 -0.322 GN Q 0.211 -0.523 0.312 BN
Linear transformation of {X, Y, Z} is based on TV phosphor primaries. Used for TV transmission In North America.
3.3.5.2 NTSC Transmission System Although NTSC employs the {RN' GN' BN} color system for television receivers, the transmission system employs the {Y,l, Q} system to facilitate the use of monochrome television channels without increasing the bandwidth. The Y coordinate is the luminance of the color, and simultaneously acts as the monochrome channel in a monochrome receiver. The I and Q channels jointly represent the hue and saturation of the color. Note that the bandwidth required for I and Q is much smaller than that of the Y channel [6]. Hence, the {Y,l,Q} color channels provide a better bandwidth utilization compared to {RN,GN,B N} color channels. The transformation matrices between {RN' GN' BN} and other color coordinates are shown in Table 3.2. The chromaticity of PAL and NTSC color primaries is shown in Fig. 3.18. On one hand, the PAL system employs the primaries {Rp G" B,} with the {x,y} chromaticity coordinates {(0.64,0.33), (0.29,0.60), (0.lS,0.06)}. On the other hand, the NTSC system employs the primaries {R 2 ,G 2 ,B2 } with the
chromaticity coordinates {(0.67,0.33), (0.21,0.71), (O.l4,0.08)} . The camera output signal of the PAL system is normalized with respect to the reference white D6500 whose chromaticity coordinate is (0.31,0.33), while the output of an NTSC camera is normalized with respect to the reference white c whose chromaticity coordinate is (0.31,0.32). Table 3.2. Transformations from NTSC receiver primaries {R N , G N' BN } to different coordinate systems. Color System Spectral CIE primary
NTSC Transmission System
CIE UCS tristimulus system CIE system
X,Y,Z
Output Matrix
Transformation Matrix
[~]
-0.146 -0.151] [1161 0.114 0.753 0.159
[0.299
[;]
0.114]
0.587 0.596 -0.274 -0.322 0.211 -0.523 0.312
0.116 0.299 0.587 0.144 0.145 0.827 0.627 0.174 0.299 0.587 0.114 0.000 0.066 1.117
The chromaticity diagram is very useful for color mixing experiments. Note that the chromaticity of any mixture of two primaries lies on a straight line joining the primaries on a chromaticity diagram. Consider a straight-line connecting G and B. The colors corresponding to various points on the straight-line will represent various shades of G and B. Next, consider a straight-line connecting C (the reference white for NTSC system) and any monochrome color X. The colors corresponding to various points on the straight-line will represent the hue X with different saturation values. If the point is closer to C, the corresponding color will be less saturated. We have noted that the TV receiver produces the color by mixing the primaries {R"G"BJ and {R 2 ,G 2 ,B2 } for PAL and NTSC systems, respectively. Hence, the chromaticity of a mixture of three primaries is bounded by the triangle whose vertices are the primaries. It is observed in Fig. 3.18 that the PAL or, NTSC system provides only about half of all possible reproducible colors (compare the triangle areas with the area bound
by the outer curve). However, this does not degrade the quality of the TV
video as "real world" scenes contain mostly unsaturated colors represented by the central region .
• Example 5.2 The NTSC receiver primary magenta corresponds to the tristimulus values RN=BN=I,GN=O. The tristimulus and chromaticity values of magenta are determined in i) CIE spectral primary and ii) {X,Y,Z} coordinate systems. CIE Spectral primaries The tristimulus values of magenta can be obtained using the transformation matrix (corresponding to CIE primary system) shown in Table 3.2. R=1.167RN -0.146GN -0.151BN =1.167-0.151=1.016 G=0.114RN +0.753GN +0.159BN =0.114+0.159=0.273 B = -O.OOIRN + 0.059GN + 1.128BN = -0.001 + 1.128 = 1.127
The chromaticity values can be calculated from the tristimulus values as follows:
R 1.016 0.273 = = 0.42, g = - - = 0.11 , and R + G + B 1.016 + 0.283 + 1.127 2.416 b = 1- r - g = 0.47 r=
X. Y,Z coordinates The tristimulus values of magenta can be obtained using the transformation matrix (corresponding to {X,Y,Z} system) shown in Table 3.2. X = 0.607 RN + 0.1 74GN + 0.201BN = 0.607 + 0.201 = 0.808 Y=0.299R N +0.587GN +0.114BN =0.299+0.114=0.413 Z=O.OOOR N +0.066GN +1.117BN =1.117
The chromaticity values corresponding to the {X,Y,Z} coordinates can be calculated as follows: x=
X +Y +Z
0.808 = 0.808 =0.34, y= 0.413 =0.18, 0.808 + 0.413 + 1.117 2.338 2.338
z = 1 - x - y = 0.48
3.3.5.3 1960 CIE-UCS Color coordinates
Color spaces such as {R, G, B} and {Y,I, Q} represent colors efficiently, and are widely used in practice. However, these color spaces have a major disadvantage. The Euclidian distance between two color points in these spaces may not correspond to the perceptual distance between the two colors. Figure 3.20 demonstrates this with a simple MATLAB example. Figure 3.20(a) displays two concentric green circles (the color figures are included in the CD). The color corresponding to the inner circle is represented by r=0.2, g=0.6, and b=0.2 (normalized values) in {R,G,B} color space. The corresponding pixel values, with 8 bit representation, are r=51, g=153, and b=51. The color corresponding to the outer circle is represented by r=0.2, g=0.62, and b=0.2 with pixel values r=51, g=158, and b=51. Note that the two colors have a Euclidian distance of 0.2 (=0.62-0.6). The distance is very small, and hence the colors are perceptually very similar, but can still be distinguished. Figure 3.20(b) displays two concentric blue circles. The color corresponding to the inner circle is represented by r=0.2, g=0.2, and b=0.6 in {R,G,B} color space. The corresponding pixel values, with 8 bit representation, are r=51, g=51, and b=153. The color corresponding to the outer circle is represented by r=0.2, g=0.2, and b=0.62 with pixel values r=51, g=51, and b=158. Note that the two colors also have a Euclidian distance of 0.2 (=0.62-0.6). However, the colors are perceptually indistinguishable (the two circles seem to have the same color). Two green circles can be distinguished
Two bl ue circles indistinguishable
Figure 3.20. Perceptual distance experiment using two concentric circles in R,G,B color space. a) Inner circle: r=0.2, g=0.6, b=0.2; outer circle: r==0.2, g=0.62, b=0.2, b) Inner circle: r=0.2, g=0.2, b=0.6; outer circle: r=0.2, g=0.2, b=0.62. The values of r, g, and b are normalized. The Euclidian distance in both cases is 0.02. The corresponding color figure is included in "Chapter 3 supplement" in the CD.
In many applications, such as color-based feature extraction, a uniform color space may provide a superior performance. The 1960 CIE Uniform Chromaticity Scale (UeS) diagram was derived from the 1931 CIE chromaticity diagram by stretching it unevenly such that the chromaticity
distance corresponded more closely to the perceptible difference. The three components of a color in UCS color space is typically denoted by {U,V,W}. The corresponding transformation matrix is provided in row-4 of Table 3.2.
3.3.5.4 CMY Model Most display devices, such as television receivers and computer monitors, employ additive color mixing. Hence, the three color primaries {R, G, B} are almost exclusively used for display devices since it is easier to reproduce these colors on phosphor screens. However, the printing application employs the subtractive color mixing, and hence the {R, G, B} color model is not suitable. Instead, the three primaries used for color printing are cyan (=white-red), magenta (white-red), and yellow (white-cyan), which was shown in Fig. 3.16(b). The CMY model can be expressed as ("I" represents the white color):
It can be shown that a large number of colors can be reproduced by mixing these primary dyes, and the color model is known as CMY. In addition, an additional color channel K has been added to reproduce black color since most printing is in black.
3.4 TEMPORAL PROPERTIES OF VISION It has been observed in section 2 that the sensitivity of the HVS is low for high spatial frequencies. This property has been exploited in various image processing applications. When considering video, a different problem is encountered. A video camera generally shoots a video by shooting images (or video frames) in quick succession. The display device (e.g., television, computer monitor) displays the individual frames at the same rate. If the rate of displaying the individual frames is above a certain threshold (i.e., critical frame rate), the HVS cannot distinguish the individual frames, and the video appears continuous. This critical frame rate is important in the design of video capturing and display devices. We note that this critical frame rate is dependent on several factors such as the viewing conditions, and the video content.
A large number of studies have been made to determine the critical frame rate and its dependence on the test stimulus. A simple experimental setup is explained here. In this experiment, a point source of light, spatially constant, is made to fluctuate about a mean value of luminance L according to the following equation: L + Mcos(27ift)
Chapter 3: Human Visual Systems and Perceptions where M is the peak amplitude of the fluctuation, and
f is its frequency
(in Hz). If M is large enough, and f is not too high, such a source appears to flicker. For any given value of f, the value of M that produces a threshold sensation of flicker is determined experimentally. Let this value be denoted by !lL". The ratio L / Mr is known as the temporal contrast sensitivity of the HVS. Figure 3.21 shows the temporal contrast sensitivity for three illumination levels as a function of f. In this experiment, the illumination has been expressed in trolands, which is the unit of retinal illuminance. As an approximation, 100 trolands is equivalent to 10 cd/m2 on the display [2].
.-----.-----r1-0 -0 -tr-oIa-n ----r--,
.t=
'"~
100~-~~_r~--+_~
t)
501-""''-----+--+---''.---+__1
U 10 f---;--.,-------;f-----.;-t---P...-------1.--+_~
~ 5~---+--+-~-+_+__1
1~--~-=--~=_~ 1 Frequency (in Hz)
Figure 3.21. Flicker sensitivity of the eye for a 2° field at 1 troland and 100 trolands illuminance levels.
It is observed in Fig. 3.21 that the eye is more sensitive to flicker at high luminance. Moreover, the eye acts as a lowpass filter for temporal frequencies. The flicker sensitivity is negligible above 50/60 Hz. This property is the basis of designing television systems, and computer displays that employs at least 50 Hz field or frame rate.
REFERENCES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
R. C. Gonzalez and Richard E. Woods, Digital Image Processing, Addison Wesley, 1993. A. K. Jain, Fundamentals of Digital Image Processing, Prentice Hall, 1989. T. N. Cornsweet, Visual Perception, Academic Press, New York, 1970. D. E. Pearson, Transmission and Display of Pictorial Information, Pentech Press, 1975. H. G. Grassman, "Theory of compound colors," Philosophic Magazine, Vol. 4, No.7, pp. 254-264, 1954. A. N. Netravali and B. G. Haskell, Digital Pictures: Representation, Compression and Standards, Plenum Press, New York, 1994.
QUESTIONS I. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
7. 8. 9. 10. II. 12. 13.
Explain the importance of studying the HVS model for designing a multimedia system. Explain the image formation process on the retina. How many different types of receptors are present in retina? What is relative luminous efficiency of the HVS? Define luminance and brightness. Even if two regions of an image have identical luminance values, they may not have same brightness. Why? Define spatial frequencies and modulation transfer function. What is the sensitivity of the HVS to different spatial frequencies? Consider a sinusoidal grating being viewed by an observer on a computer monitor. The distance between the observer and the monitor is X, and the grating has a frequency of2 cycles/degree. If the observer moves forward (towards the monitor) by X14, what will be the new grating frequency? Assume a narrow angle vision. Explain the frequency sensitivity of the HVS, and the Mach band effect. Why do we need vision models? Explain a simple monochrome vision model. What are the three perceptual attributes of color? What are the three primary colors that are used for additive color reproduction? What is the basis of this model from the HVS perspective? What are tristimulus values of a color? Why is there a large number of color spaces? Compare the {R,G,B}, {X,Y,Z}, and {Y,I,Q} color spaces. What is the principle of subtractive color mixing? What are the three primaries typically used? What will be the reproduced color for i) yellow-green mixture, and ii) yellow-red? Which method (subtractive or additive) of color reproduction is used in i) printing, ii) painting, iii) computer monitors, and iv) television monitors? What is a chromaticity diagram? How does it help in color analysis? Which colors are found near the edges of the diagram? Which colors are found near the center? Given a spectral color on the chromaticity diagram, how would you locate the coordinates of the color for different saturation value? Determine the chromaticity values of i) green, ii) cyan, and iii) blue in CIE Spectral Primary coordinate systems. The reference yellow in the NTSC receiver primary system corresponds to RN =GN=1, BN =0. Determine the chromaticity coordinates of yellow in the CIE
spectral primary system, and the {X,Y,Z} coordinates. 19. Repeat the previous problem for the reference white that corresponds to RN=GN=BN=1. 20. A 2 x 2 color image is represented in CIE spectral primary system with the following R, G, and B values (in 8-bit representation).
R- [ 20 220] ,G- [ 20 220] ,B- [220 20 ] 150
What are the colors of the four pixels? Convert the color image to a gray scale image. What would be the relative intensity of the gray pixels? 21. What is the temporal contrast (or flicker) sensitivity of the HVS? Does the sensitivity depend on the illumination level?
Multimedia Data Acquisition
The fundamentals of the audio and image data were presented in Chapters 2 and 3. For multimedia data analysis, we need to store the multimedia data and process it. The audio sources (e.g., microphones) or the image sources (e.g., camera) generally produce continuous-time analog signals (e.g., output voltage). In order to store audio or video data into a computer, we must sample and digitize the data. This will convert the continuous data into a stream of numbers. In this chapter, we primarily focus on the principles of sampling and digitization of multimedia data.
4.1 SAMPLING OF AUDIO SIGNALS Consider the audio signal "test44k" shown in Fig. 4.1. The signal appears to be changing rapidly. For storing the signal, it is physically impossible to determine the value of the signal at each time instance and store it. Hence, we need to sample the signals at regular time intervals. When sampling is done, the value of the signal at times other than the sampling instances are apparently lost forever. The amount of information lost due to sampling will increase with the sampling interval. A critical question is whether it is possible to sample in such a way that the information present in a signal remains intact or, if the information loss is at least tolerable. Figure 4.2 shows the amplitude spectrum of the audio signal shown in Fig. 4.1. It is observed that the spectrum is negligible above 12 KHz. Since the high frequency components are very small, it can be said that the signal is not changing at a high rate. In this case, it might be possible to sample the signal and recover it completely by interpolation if the sampling frequency is high enough. The required sampling frequency can be determined using Nyquist criterion. Consider an arbitrary audio signal g(t). The Fourier transform of the signal is defined as
f ~
G(w) = g(t)e-jUJ.dt
M. K. Mandal, Multimedia Signals and Systems © Kluwer Academic Publishers 2003
58 If G(cv) =0 for
Iwl > 27l'B,
g(t) can be said to be band limited to B Hz.
The signal get) is sampled uniformly at a rate of
!,
samples per second
(i.e., sampling interval T =11 f. sec). The sampled signal g, (t) can be represented as ~
g .,.(t) = g(t)s(t) = Lg(kT)8(t - kT)
k=-~
where s(t) is the sampling function (a train of impulse functions) defined as follows. ~
s(t)= L8(t-kT) k=~
It can be shown that [] the Fourier transform of g.,.(t) is 1 ~ G,(w)=- LG(w-211k!J
T k=~
Time (In .econd.)
Figure 4.1. The waveform of the audio signal "test44k." The full signal is of 30 second duration of which the first 1.3 seconds is shown here.
Note that G,(cv) is a periodic extension G(cv) (as shown in Fig 4.3). The two consecutive periods of G, (cv) will not overlap if
Is > 2B . Hence,
G(cv)
can be obtained exactly from G,.(cv) by lowpass filtering if the following condition is satisfied . .(, >2B
Chapter 4: Multimedia Data Acquisition
1o.-----~----~------~----~----__,
i'D "'CI
.5 ~-10 III
~ 1"20 In -30
.f -40 ~~L-----~6~----~10~----~16~~~2~0--~~26 Frequency (in KHz)
Figure 4.2. The amplitude spectrum of the audio signal shown in Fig. 4.1.
The above condition is known as the Nyquist criterion [3]. In summary, the Nyquist criterion says that a signal g(t) with a bandwidth B Hz can be reconstructed exactly from g(kT) if the sampling frequency Is (= 1/ T) > 2B . The minimum sampling frequency for the perfect reconstruction (in this case it is 2B samples/sec) is known as the Nyquist frequency. A graphical explanation of the Nyquist criterion is shown in Fig. 4.3. Frequency Domain
Time domain get)
G(w)
I--.a....----. Frequency
set)
S(W)l
l!!!!!!!!!!!' ~
g,(t)t,ll', 1(11
g(tl~t
G,(Wlpcb rh cb. I f,
2f,
3r,
G(w) .....;r'" filter
Figure 4.3 Time domain and frequency domain signals illustrate the process of bandlimited sampling. g(t): input signal, Is: sampling frequency, s(t): sampling waveform, gs(t): sampled signal. G(m), SCm), and Gs(m) are the Fourier transforms of g(t), s(t), and g s (t), respectively.
In order to reconstruct the original signal, the sampled signal must be passed through an ideal low pass with a cut-off frequency of is /2. This will remove the high frequency imaging components from the Gs (m), and thus the original signal with Fourier spectrum G(m) is obtained. Alternatively, the audio signal can be reconstructed directly from the samples using the following time-domain interpolation formula [3]: ~ (k ) sin(f,t - k)1l
g () t = L.J g T ----=-'- k;-~
(f.t - k)n
Eq. (4.5) states that the signal values between the non-sampling instances can be calculated exactly using a weighted sum of all sampled values. Note that both frequency and time-domain approaches, although apparently different, are equivalent since the sine function at the right side of Eq. (4.5) is the impulse response of the ideallowpass filter.
• Example 4.1 Consider the following audio signal with a single sinusoidal tone at 4.5 KHz.
get) =5cos(21l * 4500t) Sample the signal at a rate of i) 8000 samples/sec, and ii) 10000 samples/sec. Reconstruct the signal by passing it through an ideal lowpass filter with cut-off frequencies of one-half of the sampling frequency. Assume that the passband gains of the two filters are i) 118000, and ii) 1110000. Determine the reconstructed audio signal in both cases.
The Fourier transform of the input signal can be expressed as G(m) =51l [15 (m
- 90001l)+ 15 (m + 90001l)]
Case 1: Using Eq. (4.3), the Fourier transform of the sampled signal can be expressed as 1 Gs (w) = G(w - 27l11iJ = 8000 G(w -16000n * n) f: 117; =8000]
L ~
n;-
=8000* [ ....... + G(m -1600C»z) + G(m) + G(m + 1600C»z) + .......] = 400007z *[... + tS (OJ - 90007z) + tS (OJ - 70007z) + tS (OJ +70007z) + tS (OJ + 90007z) + ...] The cutoff frequency of the lowpass filter is half of the sampling frequency, i.e., 4000 Hz. Hence, the transfer function of the filter is
HI (OJ) ={
IOJI ::; 8000n otherwise
When the sampled signal is passed through the lowpass filter, the Fourier transform of the output signal will be: GI (OJ) =G" (OJ)H I (m)
=571 [is (m -700071) + is (m + 700071)] Hence, the output signal g I (t) =g-I {G I (OJ)}= 5cos(2n * 3500t) Case 2: The Fourier transform of the sampled signal can be expressed as G,(w) =~ tG(W - 2mj,) = 10000 tG(W - 20000n * n) t: 1ITz = 10000] T2 n=n== 10000* [ ....... + G(m - 20000Jz) + G(m) + G(w + 20000Jz) + .......] =50000Jz * [ ... + £S(m -llOOOn) + £S(m - 900On) + £S(m +900On) + £SCm + llOOOn) + ...]
The cutoff frequency of the lowpass filter is 5000 Hz. The transfer function 1I10000 IOJI ::; 10000n H 2 (OJ) ={ otherwise o When the sampled signal is passed through the lowpass filter, the Fourier transform of the output signal will be: G2 (m) =G, (m)H 2 (m) = 571 [Mm
- 900071) + Mm + 900071)]
Hence, the output signal g 2 (t) = g-I {G 2 (OJ)}= 5cos(27l" * 4500t).
Note that the reconstructed signal is identical to the original signal in Case 2. However, in Case 1, the reconstructed signal is different from the original signal. The original and reconstructed signals are plotted in Fig 4.4. It is observed that the two signals are identical only at the sampling instances. At other time instances, the two signals differ because of the aliasing.
Aliasing When an arbitrary audio signal is sampled at a rate of f, samples/sec, the frequency range that can be reconstructed exactly is 0::;j::;j,/2
Frequencies greater than fs /2 will be aliased, and appear as frequencies below fs /2, which is called the folding frequency. A sinusoidal tone with a frequency fl' with fl > t, /2, will appear as a tone with a lower frequency fa that can be calculated from the following relationship [3]:
= fl
- mfs' where m is an integer such that -
Ife,l::; t, /2
• • •• R.conetructed
~O~--~--~2~--~ 3----.~--~5----~ ' --~7~~8 Sampling
'"mne ••
Figure 4.4. Original Signal and reconstructed audio signals (for case I) in Example 4.1.
If an audio signal is sampled at a rate of 6000/samples/sec, the frequency of a few arbitrary signals and the corresponding reconstructed signals are shown in Table 4.1. Table 4.1. Frequency of a few selected signals and the corresponding frequency of the reconstructed signals. Original frequency (in Hz)
500 2500 2900 3001 3500 10000 20000 1000000
IfI -mfsl
13001-1 *6oo~ 13500-1 *60001 110000 - 2 *60001 120000 - 3* 6oo~ 1100OOOO-167*~
Frequency of Reconstructed signals
No aliasing No aliasing No aliasing Aliasing
Aliasing Aliasing Aliasing
In practice, the sampling frequency of an audio signal generally depends on the application at hand. Since the audible bandwidth is typically 20 KHz, a sampling frequency of 40 KHz is generally sufficient for high quality audio applications. For audio CD application, the sampling frequency is 44.1 KHz. In this case, a margin of 4.1 KHz makes the design of the antialiasing filter easier. For low-end applications, a lower sampling frequency is employed. For example, a sampling frequency of 8 KHz is typically used for telephony systems.
4.2 SAMPLING OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL IMAGES In the previous section, the sampling of an audio signal was considered. Nyquist sampling theory can also be extended for discretizing the images. Let an image be represented by i(x, y) where x and y are two spatial dimensions, expressed in degrees. The 2-D Fourier transform of the image can be written as (4.8) where OJ" and OJ v are the horizontal and vertical spatial frequencies, respectively, and are expressed in radian/degree. Note that OJ" OJ
v=211/v
=211/h
are horizontal and vertical frequencies in
cycles/degree (see section 3.2.3 for a definition). Let the image be considered bandlimited, and the maximum horizontal and vertical frequencies be denoted by I H and Iv' Assuming a rectangular sampling grid, if the image is sampled at spatial interval of image can be expressed as i,(x, y)
=i(x, y)s(x, y) = L
(~, fly),
the sampled
Li(mLlx,nLiy)b'(x - mLlx, y - nLiy)
n;:::-oor1=-oa
where sex, y) is the 2-D sampling function (shown in Fig. 4.5) and defined as ~
sex, y) == L
LO(x - m~, y - nfly)
m=--oon=-oo
Note that the sampling frequencies in the horizontal and vertical directions are 1/ ~, and 11 fly (in samples/degree), respectively. Extending the Nyquist criterion to two-dimensions, it can be shown that the image i(x, y) can be obtained exactly if the following conditions are true:
_1 ? 2fH and _1 ? 2fv Ax !!:.y
s(x,y)
Figure 4.5. Two-dimensional sampling function .
• Example 4.2 Consider the following image grating with a horizontal and vertical frequency of 4 and 6 cycles/degree, respectively:
i(x, y) =255cos[21l(4x + 6y)]
Sample the image at a rate of 10 samples/degree in both horizontal and vertical directions. Reconstruct the grating by passing it through an ideal 2D lowpass filter with the following characteristics: -5$fh,fv $5
otherwise Determine the reconstructed grating.
The Nyquist frequencies corresponding to the horizontal and vertical directions are 8 and 12 samples/degree. The actual sampling frequencies at the horizontal and vertical directions are 10 samples/degree. Hence, there will be aliasing in the vertical direction, and no aliasing in the horizontal direction. The Fourier transform of the input signal is given by
I(cv",cv
y )
=2551l [c5(cv" -4*21l,cv -6*21l)+c5(cv" +4*21l,cv +6*21l)] y
Case 1: Using Eq. (4.3), the Fourier transform of the sampled signal can be expressed as
The spectrum of the original and sampled image is shown in Fig. 4.6. The circular black dots represent two-dimensional impulse functions. It is observed that the spectrum of the sampled image is periodic. The 2-D filter as specified in Eq. (4.12) is shown as a square in Fig. 4.6(b). The filter will pass through two impulse functions located at (4,-4) and (-4,4) cycles/degree. The filtered spectrum can then be expressed as /(OJ h ,OJ v ) = H2O (OJ h ,OJ.)I,.(OJ h ,OJ v )
= 255Jl"[o(OJ h -4*2Jl",OJ v +4 * 2Jl")+o(OJ h +4*2Jl",OJ v
-4*2Jl")]
Calculating the inverse Fourier transform of the above equation, we obtain the filtered image as i(x,y) = 255cos[2Jl"(4x - 4y)]
The filtered image is shown in Fig. 4.7. •
.-I
1•
• I.
Figure 4.6. Fourier spectrum of the a) original image, b) sampled image at 8 samples/degree.
Optimum sampling rate
An important parameter in creating a digital image is the resolution of the image. For example, when a photo is scanned, we have to mention the resolution of the scanned image in dpi (dots per inch). In case of webcamera applications (which have become very popular recently), one often has to specify the resolution, such as 640 x 480, 352 x 288, and 176 x 144. A
suitable resolution can be determined from Eq. (4.10) and the properties of human visual system discussed in Chapter 3. It was observed in Chapter 3 that the details of an image visible to our eyes depend on the angle the image makes on the retina. It was found that the sensitivity of human eyes is low for frequency components above 20 cycles/degree. Therefore, as a rough approximation, we can assume that the maximum horizontal and vertical frequencies present in an image are 20 cycles/degree, i.e., IH =Iv =20 . The corresponding Nyquist sampling rate will be 40 samples/degree in both directions.
Figure 4.7. Example of aliasing in images. a) original image, and b) undersampled image reconstructed by lowpass filtering.
_ Example 4.3 A 4"x6" photo is to be scanned. Determine the minimum scanning resolution. The scanning resolution will depend on the distance between the displayed image and the observer (more specifically the eyes of the observer). Let us assume that the observer will be at a distance of 6 times that of the width of the image (6" side). The digital image will make an angle of approximately 2 * tan-I«W / 2)/ 6W) or 9.5" in the horizontal
direction (see Fig. 4.8), and 2 * tan- I 4 / 6) *W / 2) / 6W) or 6.4° in the vertical direction (assuming a landscape photo) at the eyes. Assuming a sampling rate of 40 samples/degree, the digital image should have 380 and 256 pixels in the horizontal and vertical directions, respectively. Since the photo size is 4"x6", a minimum sampling rate of 64 dpi is required. _
4.3 ANTI-ALIASING FILTERS In practice, a signal is not truly band limited, although the higher frequency components are generally very small. These components introduce alias components, which can be considered as distortion in the sampled signal. To ensure that the audio or image signal is sufficiently band limited, the signal is passed through an anti-aliasing filter (which is basically a low pass filter) to reduce the high frequency components significantly so that the alias components have very small energy.
1 (a)
Figure 4.8. Photo scanning. (a) The viewing angles of a 4"x6" image, (b) The angle formation at eyes.
A typical 1-0 anti-aliasing filter characteristic is shown in Fig. 4.9. An ideal lowpass filter with a sharp cut-off frequency of Is /2, where I, is the sampling frequency, is shown in Fig. 4.9(a). However, this ideal filter is impossible to implement in practice. Fig. 4.9(b) shows the frequency reponse of a typical realizable filter. Here the gain in the passband is close to unity, and the gain in the stopband is close to zero. The transition band allows a gradual decrease in gain from unity to zero . • Example 4.4
Consider an audio signal with a spectrum 0-20KHz. The audio signal has to be sampled at 8 KHz. Design an anti-aliasing filter suitable for this application. The sampling frequency is 8 KHz. An ideal lowpass filter with a sharp cut-off frequency of 4KHz will suppress all the components wth a frequency higher than 4 KHz. However, it is physically impractical to design an ideal
filter. In this example, we would design a lowpass filter with the following characteristics: i) The passband is 0-3200 Hz. The gain in the passband, Gp > -2 dB ii) The transition band is 3200-4000 Hz iii) The stopband is> 4000 Hz. The gain in the stopband, Gs < -20 dB There is a rich body of literature [3] available for filter design, which is beyond the scope of this book. Consequently, the filter design procedure is briefly mentioned using a MA TLAB example. There are several choices to design a filter with the above design constraints. The following MA TLAB code (shown in Table 4.2) calculates the transfer function corresponding to the Butterworth, Chebyshev-l, and Chebyshev-2 filters .
...j
&01
P-.bInd
: Tr_1IInI
...~ 04 - P - . I
Slopbind
'.12
Fr.quency (In Hz)
(a) Figure 4.9. Lowpass/anti-alias filter characteristics. (a) An ideal lowpass filter has flat passband gain, instantaneous cutoff and zero stopband gain, and (b) a realizable is lowpass filter with a gradual transition from passband to stopband. Note that
the sampling frequency.
The analog filter design is easier to perform in the Laplace transform domain. The Laplace transform H(s) of an impulse response h(t) (of a filter) is defined as:
H (s ) = h(t )e -." dt
Note that H(s) is also known as the transfer function of the filter. Using the MA TLAB design procedure, it can be shown that the transfer functions corresponding to the three filters are as follows:
Chapter 4: Multimedia Data Acquisition Butterworth H(s) = 4.909 X 10 45 D(s)
where D(s) = Sl3 + 27 1401.1 z + 3.682xld' S" + 3.298x 10IZ Sill + 2.l7lx 1016S9 + 1.l07xlO Z() S8 + 1.l07xlO Z() S8 +4.493xlOz3 S7 + 1.47xl027 S6 + 3.874xl0 30 i + 8.l29x 10 33 S4 + 1.322 x 10 37 S3 + 1.322 x 10 37 S3 + 1.322 x 10 37 S3 + 1.579 x 10 40 S2 + 1.245 x 10 43 S + 4.909 xl 0 45
Chebyshev-l 2.742x10 16 + 2.272 X 1010 S2 + 4.817 X lOll s + 2.742 x 10 16
1962s 4 -1.36 X 10-8 Sl + 1.196x 10" S2 - 0.2839s + 1.457 x 10 18 ( ) - S5 + 12670s 4 + 7.84 X 107 Sl + 3.215 X lO" S2 + 7.672 X 10 14 s + 1.457 X 10 18
H(s) =
S5 + 2261s + 1.536x I 0 4
7 Sl
Chebyshev-2 Hs _
Table 4.2. MATLAB Code for designing anti-aliasing filter. %MA TLAB code for designing lowpass filter Wp=3200; Ws=4000; Gp=-2; Gs=-
20 ; %Ideal Filter magO = [ones(I,4001) zeros(1, 4000)] ; % %Butterworth Filter en, We] = buttord(Wp,Ws,-Gp,Gs,'s') ; [num,den] = butter(n,Wc,'s') ; hI = tf(num,den) ; w=[0:1:8000]; w=w'; [magl,phasel,w] = bode(num,den, w); %Chebyshev-I en, Wp] = cheblord(Wp,Ws,-Gp,Gs,'s') ; rnum,denl = chebyI (n,-Gp,Wp,'s') ;
h2 = tf(num,den) ; w=[0:1:8000]; w=w'; [mag2,phase2,w] = bode(num,den,w); %Chebyshev-2 en, Ws] = cheb2ord(Wp,Ws,-Gp,-Gs,'s') ; [num,den] = cheby2(n,-Gs,Ws,'s') ; h3 = tf(num,den) ; w=[0: I :8000]; w = w'; [mag3,phase3,w] = bode(num,den,w); % plot(w,magO,w,magl,w,mag2,w,mag3) xlabel(,Frequency in Hz') ylabel('Filter gain'),grid print -dtiff plottiff % % Butterworth 12th order, wc=3303 Hz %Cheby2 order=5, 3903 Hz
The characteristics of the filters are shown in Fig. 4.10. It is observed that all three filters satisfy the design constraints. The Butterworth filter (13 th order, cut-off frequency=3271 Hz) has monotonic gain response. The Chebyshev-1 filter (5 th order, Wp=3200, Ws=3903) has ripples in the passband, and monotonic gain in the stopband, whereas the Chebyshev-2
filter (5 th order, Wp=3200, Ws=3903) has a monotonic gain in the passband, and ripples in the stopband. Although the response of the Butterworth filter seems to be superior (since there is no ripple), Chebyshev filters have the advantages of lower implementation cost (5 th order) compared to the Butterworth filter (13 th order) .• The design of 1-0 anti-aliasing filter can be extended to design 2-D antialiasing filter for images. In this case, the filter will have two cut-off frequencies, one each for the horizontal and vertical direction.
ii CII
~ u..
Ide.' Filter
ChtbYSMV-1
°oL---~--~--~----~~~----~~~--~ 1000 2000 3000 4000 6000 8000 7000 8000
Frequency (in Hz)
Figure 4.10. Lowpass filter characteristics of the ideal, Butterworth, Chebyshev-I, and Chebyshev-2 filters.
4.4 DIGITIZATION OF AUDIO SIGNALS Figure 4.11 shows the simplified schematic of an audio recording and storing process. The function of each block is listed in Table 4.3. Typically, the analog voltage produced by a microphone has a low dynamic range. Hence, it is amplified before any processing is done to the signal. When the audio signal is quantized using a small number of bits/sample, the quality of the audio becomes poor. It has been found that if a small amount of noise (known as dithering nOise), is added before quantization, the subjective quality seems to be better (note that dithering is also applied before image quantization). The anti-aliasing filter, as discussed earlier, is used to reduce
the aliasing energy in the sampled audio signal. The sample and hold, and analog-to-digital conversion are applied to obtain the actual digital audio samples. As discussed in Chapter 2, a typical audio system can have up to 7-8 channels. The above procedure is applied separately to each channel of the audio system. The samples from different audio channels are then multiplexed, compressed, and stored for future playback. Dither Generator
Continuous, ---J . Analog Audio -I AmplIfier
1 -"-' -.
AntiAliasing Filter
f--t
Discrete, Analog to ---. Digital Digital Converter Audio
Analog Audio (C-I)
Compression & Error Correction Analog Audio (C-N) (b)
Figure 4.11 Digitization of audio signal. a) Sampling and digitization, b) Nchannel audio recording and storing process.
4.4.1 Analog to Digital Conversion The input of the analog-to-digital converter, as shown in Fig. 4.11, is a discrete-time signal whose amplitude is a real number that may require an infinite number of bits/digits for true representation. For digital computer processing, the signal at each time instance has to be converted to a number with finite precision (e.g., 8, 16 or 32 bits). This is done by a quantizer which maps a continuous variable into a discrete variable. The input-output relationship of a typical quantizer is a staircase function as shown in Fig. 4.12. Suppose a quantizer with N output levels are desired. The decision and the reconstruction (Le., output) levels are denoted by {d k' 0 ~ k ~ N} and
h '0 ~ k ~ N - I},
respectively where d k ~ rk < d hI. The output of the
quantizer for a given input g(nT) can be calculated by a simple procedure.
Multimedia Signals and Systems Q[g(nT)] =rk
If the decision levels are equidistant, i.e., if (d k +1 - dk ) is constant for all k, the quantizer is called a uniform quantizer; otherwise it is called a nonuniform quantizer [6]. Table 4.3. Function of different blocks in a typical audio recording and storing system. Blocks Amplifier Dither Generator Anti-aliasing Filter Sample and Hold Analog-to-Digital Converter Multiplexer Compression
Functions Amplifies the audio signal before any noise (e.g., dithering and quantization noise) is introduced. Adds a small amount of random noise. Ironically, this increases the perceptual quality when the signal is quantized It is a lowpass filter to make sure the audio signal is band limited. It eliminates the aliasing component after sampling. Holds the value of the audio signal and then sample the value ofthe signal at each sampling instances Computes the equivalent digital representation of the analog signal Multiplexes the bitstream coming from different channels Reducing the redundancy and compress the audio file size maintaining an acceptable quality of audio
Quantizer output
Figure 4.12. Quantization process. a) Uniform quantizer, and b) non-uniform quantizer.
• Example 4.5 Consider an audio recording system where the microphone generates a continuous voltage in the range [-1,1] volts. Calculate the decision and reconstruction levels for an eight level quantizer. The decision and reconstruction levels can be calculated from the following equations:
The decision and reconstruction levels of the quantizer are shown in Table
4.4. In the quantization process, an input sample value is represented by the nearest allowable output level, and in this process, some noise is introduced in the quantized signal. The quantization error (also known as quantization noise) is the difference between the actual value of the analog signal and its quantized value. In other words, e(nT) = f(nT) - g(nT) =g(nT) - Q[g(nT)]
where g(nT) is the input signal, g(nT) is the quantizer output, and e(nT) the error signal at sampling instance nT. Figure 4.l3 shows the quantization of the audio signal by the quantizer. It is observed that the largest (Le., worst) quantization error is half of the decision interval, i.e., 0.125 .• Table 4.4. Decision and reconstruction levels of the quantizer in Example 4.5.
Decision levels -1.00 -0.75 -0.50 -0.25 0.00 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00
Reconstruction levels -0.875 -0.625 -0.375 -0.125 0.125 0.375 0.625 0.875
Once a signal is quantized, the quantized values can be represented using different methods. Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) is the most widely used representation. Here, each sample is represented using a fixed number of bits, and is encoded independent of others. The total number of possible amplitude levels in PCM is related to the number of bits used to represent each sample as follows: N = 2B (4.19) where N=Number of quantizer output levels, and B=No. of bits/sample From the above relation we see that if a larger number of bits (B) is used to
represent a sample, the number of output levels (N) will increase. This will decrease the quantization error, and therefore will provide superior audio quality. ..21
tm I.IZI
e;
~ I.llS
... 11S
,f CII.-.m ~IZI
4.I1f
•MIS,
4.21•
SMlpIing TIme
S.mpling Time
Figure 4.13. Quantization of audio signal. a) Quantizing continuous amplitude samples using the quantizer designed in Example 4.5, and b) The error value at sample times.
Bit-rate
The bit-rate of a quantized audio signal can be calculated as bitrate = Fs
bits / channel/second
where Fs is the sampling frequency, and B is the number of bits/sample. For stereo audio, the channels can be considered independent. Therefore, the bit-rate for stereo audio will be twice the bit-rate (2 * Fs * B bits / second) of the mono audio. Nonuniform quantization
We have so far considered the uniform quantization process where decision levels are equidistant. Consider the audio signal shown in Fig. 4.1 (a). It is observed that the amplitude of the audio signal is likely to be closer to zero statistically than ± 127. Consequently, a nonuniform quantizer would provide a better quality for this signal. In this case, the audio samples with values close to zero will be quantized with a higher precision than the samples values close to ± 127.
4.4.2 Audio Fidelity Criteria The quality of the quantized audio signal will be superior if the quantization noise is small. This can be achieved if a large number of bits are used to represent each sample (see Eq. (4.19». However, this will increase the bit-rate of the audio signal. Hence, there is a trade-off between bit-rate and the quality of the digitized audio signal. The choice of the bitrate and quality depends on the requirement of the audio application under consideration. In order to make an objective judgment, it is important to define the audio fidelity criteria. Two types of criteria are used for evaluation of audio quality: subjective (i.e., qualitative) and objective (Le., quantitative). lTV [5] has standardized a five-grade impairment scale for this purpose. The impairment scale measures the quality with respect to the audibility of the distortion in the signal. Given an audio signal, a group of persons (called the subjects) are asked to evaluate the quality (by giving the corresponding point) according to the scale. The opinions are SUbjective, and the scores from the subject are likely to vary. The average score is known as the mean opinion score (MOS). The MOS requirement depends on the application (see Table 4.5). For telephony, a score of 3 might be sufficient. But for CD quality audio, a goodness MOS value close to 5 (>4.5) is required.
The subjective quality of an audio signal represents the true quality as judged by the human auditory system. However, it is a cumbersome procedure that it involves experiments with several expert and/or nonexpert subjects. In addition, the subjective measures are influence by several factors such as choice of subjects, and experimental set-up. For this reason, a few quantitative measures have been developed to evaluate the objective quality of an audio signal. The choice of a quantitative distortion measure depends on several factors. First, it should be easily computable. Second, it should be analytically tractable. Finally, it should reflect the true subjective quality of the image. The signal to noise ratio (SNR) and mean square error (MSE) are two popular distortion measures. These are calculated as follows:
N-I
'L](ni
SNR =
.=0
IV(n)- f(n)]2 .=0
SNR (in dB) = lOloglO SNR
MSE=~ ~ [hn)- f(n)Y
where f(n) and ](n) are the nth sample of the original and quantized audio signal, and N is the number of audio samples. Traditionally, the signal to noise ratio (SNR) has been the most popular error measure in electrical engineering. It provides useful information in most cases, and is mathematically tractable. For this reason, it is also widely used in audio coding. Unfortunately, the SNR values do not correlate well with the subjective ratings, especially at high compression ratios. Several new distortion measures have been proposed for better adaptation to human auditory system. The quality of the digital audio sample is determined by the number of bits per sample. If the error e(n1) is assumed to be statistically independent and uniformly distributed in the interval [--Q/2 and Q/2], mean squared value of the quantization noise for a signal with dynamic range of 1 (i.e., Q = r B ) can be expressed as . 1 Q/22 Q2 2-2B (4.24) E=de=-=-Q -Q12 12 12
where B is the number of bits used to represent each sample. Note that e(n1) is a discrete-time analog signal, and hence the integral has been used in Eq. (4.24). In decibel scale, the mean squared noise can be expressed as E (in dB)=1010g(Q2 1l2)=1010g(2-2B /12)=-6* B-1O.8 (4.25) The above relation shows that each additional bit for analog-to-digital quantization reduces the noise by approximately 6 dB, and thus increases the SNR by the same amount. As a rule of thumb, a signal quantized with Bbits/sample is expected to provide SNR (in dB) ~ 6 * B
As a result, the SNR of a 16-bit quantized audio will be in the order of 96 dB. Typically, an audio signal with more than 90 dB SNR is considered to be of excellent quality for most applications.
• Example 4.6 Consider a real audio signal "chord" which is a stereo audio signal (i.e., two channel) digitized with 22.050 KHz sampling frequency, with a precision of 16 bits/sample. The normalized sample values (i.e., the dynamic range is normalized to 1) of the left channel are shown in Fig. 7.3 (a). The signal has duration of 1.1 sec, and hence, there are 24231 samples. Estimate the SNRs of the signal if the signal is quantized with 5-12 bits/sample. For this example, we may consider that the 16-bit audio signal is the original signal. A sample with value x ( - 0.5 ~ x ~ 0.5) can be quantized to m bits with the following operation: y=round(x*2h)/2h
where y is the new sample value with 8-bit precision. All sample values are quantized using the above equation; the noise energy is calculated, and the SNR is calculated in dB. Figure 4.14(b) shows the quantization noise for 8 bit/sample quantization. It is observed that noise has a dynamic range of [2-(h+l) , r(h+l)] (in this case, it is [-0.0020,0.0020]). The probability density function of the error values is shown in Fig. 4.14(c). The pdf is seen to be close to the uniform density. Finally, the SNR for quantization with different bit-rates is shown in Fig. 4.14(d). It is observed that the SNR increases by 6 dB for each increment of precision by 1 bit. However, the overall SNR is about 15 dB different than what is expected from Eq. (4.26). This is mainly because the SNR also depends on the signal characteristics, which Eq. (4.26) does not take into consideration .• Table 4.6 shows the sampling frequency, bits/sample, and the uncompressed data rate for several digital audio applications. From our experience, we can follow the improvement of the audio quality as the bitrate increases. The telephone and the AM radio employ a lower sampling rate of 8 and 11.025 KHz, respectively, and provide a dark and muffled quality audio. At this bit-rate, it may not be advantageous to use the stereo mode. The FM radio provides a good audio quality because of high bit resolution and stereo mode. However, it produces darker sounding than the CDs because of the lower sampling rate. The CDs and digital audio tape (OAT) generally provide excellent audio quality, and are the recognized standards of audio quality. However, for extremely high quality of video, DVD audio format is used, which has a sampling rate of 192 KHz, and 24 bits/channel/sample resolution. Note that the DVD audio format, mentioned in Table 4.6, is not the same as the Dolby digital audio format used in a DVD movie. It is simply a superb quality audio, without any corresponding video, available in a DVD.
Sampling Insulne..
,.10001
Sampling Instaneas ,.10001
(a) 57 51
iii 45
",§.
a: z
BIts/SImple
Figure 4.14. The audio signal chord.wav. (a) The signal waveform, (b) Quantization error at 8 bits/sample, (c) probability density function of the quantization error at 8 bits/sample, and (d) SNR versus bits/sample.
4.4.3 MIDI versus Digital Audio It was observed in Chapter 2 that music could be stored as a MIDI signal. In this chapter, we have discussed how an audio signal (musical or otherwise) can be stored as a digitized waveform. Thus, we have two alternatives for representing music, each with their own advantages. The MIDI representation generally requires fewer number of bits compared to the digital audio. However, the MIDI standard assumes standard quality of playback hard wares. If this assumption is violated, the quality of the sound produced might be inferior. In general, the digitized audio is more versatile, and can be used for most applications. However, MIDI may provide a superior performance when i) high quality MIDI sound source is available, ii) complete control over the playback hardware available, and iii) there is no spoken dialog.
4.5 DIGITIZATION OF IMAGES In the previous section, it was observed that different bit resolution of audio produces different qualities of digital audio, higher resolution producing a better quality. Similar inference can also be made for the digital images. However, the sensitivity of the HVS is poorer than the auditory system. When the auditory system can differentiate thousands of sound pressure levels, the HVS can differentiate only about 200 brightness levels. Hence, a gray level image can be described with an excellent quality with 8bit resolution that corresponds to 256 gray levels. However, many low resolution sensors produce an image with a lower number of gray levels. Figure 4.15 shows the quality of an image digitized with different bit resolution. T a bl e 46 . I aud'10 at vanous samplmg ' .. D'Iglta r rates and resoIutlOns. Quality Sample Bits per Monol Data Rate (if uncompressed) Rate Sample Stereo (in KHz) Mono 8 Kbytes/sec Telephone 8 8, ~ law 2 11.025 Mono 11.0 Kbytes/sec AM Radio 8 16 Stereo 88.2 Kbytes/sec 22.050 FM Radio 44.1 16,linear Stereo 176.4 Kbytes/sec CD PCM DATI Stereo 192.0 Kbytes/sec 48 16 192 24 Stereo 1152.0 Kbytes/sec DVD Audio IDigital audio tape, Imore details about I! law in Chapter 7.
Frequency Band (in Hz) 200-3,400
20-20,000 20-20,000 20-20,000
The color image typically has three components (as discussed in Chapter 3). For electronic display, the {R, G, B} components are commonly used. Each of these three components is quantized separately. High resolution sensors generally employs 8 bits/channel/pixel. Hence, a total of 24 bits are required to represent a color pixel. Fig. 4.16 shows the Lena image with 24 bits/pixel resolution. Note that 24 bits/pixel corresponds to 16 million (= 224) colors, which is much more than the human eyes can differentiate. Therefore, many electronic devices use a lower resolution (e.g., 8 bit or 16 bits) display. This is generally obtained using a color map.
4.5.1 Visual Fidelity Measures The quality of visual data degrades due to quantization of pixel values. In addition, distortion can arise due to the compression of images. As in audio,
there are primarily two types of fidelity measures: subjective and objective. An impairment scale similar to that shown in Table 4.5 can be employed to evaluate the quality for images. However, visual testing with real subjects is a cumbersome procedure. Therefore, the objective measures are mostly used in practice.
Figure 4.15. Images quantized at different bits/sample. (a) 8 bit, 256 levels, (b) 5 bit, 32 levels, (c) 4 bit, 16 levels, (d) 3 bit, 8 levels, (e) 2 bit, 4 levels, (I) 1 bit, 2 levels.
As in audio, the SNR and MSE are two popular measures used to evaluate the distortion in an image. In addition, peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) and the mean absolute error (MAE) are two other popular distortion measures. If f(m,n) and f(m,n) are the original and distorted images of size MxN, the distortion with respect to various criteria is calculated as follows:
(in
~~[JCm,n)]2
dB) = lOloglO [ -M-_I-N~",-I:=.;;..;.o,,;.....;=o,-------
LLVCm,n)- fCm,n)J m=On==O
PSNR (in dB) =10 log 10
~~[peak signal value12 ]
..:::..:1I/;:.::..0_/::.::;:~0::""_1_ _ _ _ __
LLV(m,n) - f(m,n)j .
II/~~O
k j L L r,ftm,n)-!(tn/l) MN 1
MeanSquareError(MSE) = -
M-I N-I
m=O 11=0
MeanAbsolute liror(MSE)
Llj(m,n)-f(mfl~
MNm~ II~
Although these objectives measures help to evaluate distortion quickly, it is known that they do not correlate well with the subjective ratings, especially when the distortion is very high. New distortion measures have been proposed for better adaptation to HVS properties.
REFERENCES 1.
K. C. Pohlmann, Principles of Digital Audio, McGraw-Hili, New York 2000.
R. W. Schafer and L. R. Rabiner, "Digital representations of speech signals," Proc. of the IEEE, Vol. 63, No.4, April 1975.
B. P. Lathi, Signal Processing and Linear Systems, Berkeley Cambridge Press, 1998.
G. L. Frendendall and W. L. Behrend, "Picture quality - procedures for evaluating subjective effects of interference," Proc. of IRE, Vol. 48, pp. 1030-1034, 1960.
ITU-R Rec.BS.1116, "Methods for the subjective assesment of small impairments in International audio systems including multichannel sound systems," Telecommunication Union, Geneva, Switzerland, 1994.
N. S. Jayant and P. Noll, Digital coding of waveforms: principles and applications to speech and video, Prentice-Hall, New Jersey, 1984.
QUESTIONS 1.
Consider an audio signal with a single sinusoidal tone at 6 KHz. Sample the signal at a rate of 10000 samples/sec. Reconstruct the signal by passing it through an ideal lowpass filter with cut-off frequency of 5 KHz. Determine the frequency of the reconstructed audio signal.
What is aliasing in digital audio? How can it be avoided?
You are recording an audio source that has a bandwidth of 5 KHz. The digitized audio should have an average SNR of at least 60 dB. Assuming that there are two
Multimedia Signals and Systems stereo channels, and no digital compression, what should be the minimum data rate in bits/sec.
You are required to design anti-aliasing filters for i) telephony system, ii) FM radio, and iii) CD recording. The audio sampling rates are given in Table 4.6. Determine typical frequency characteristic requirements of the filters for the three applications. Using MATLAB, calculate the transfer functions of the corresponding Butterworth and Chebyshev filters. Which filters will you choose, and why?
What should be the typical Nyquist sampling frequencies for full bandwidth audio and image signals?
You want to design an image display monitor with an aspect ratio of 4:3 (i.e., width:height). A user is expected to observe the images at a distance of 4 times the monitor diagonal. What should be the minimum monitor resolution? Assume that the HVS sensitivity is circularly symmetric, and is negligible above 25 cycles/degree.
Generate a simple color map with 64 colors. To observe the different colors, create images with different combinations of R {:::32, 96, 160,224 I, G {:::32, 96, 160, 224), and B {:::32, 96, 160, 224 I and save them in any standard image format such as tiff, and ppm. Display the colors and verify the additive color mixing property discussed in Chapter 3.
Chapter 5 Transforms and Sub band Decomposition
The properties of the audio and video signals, and the digitization process have been discussed in the previous Chapters. When a signal is digitized, further processing of these signals may be needed for various applications, such as compression, and enhancement. The processing of multimedia signal can be done effectively when the limitation of our hearing or visual systems is taken into account. For example, it was shown in Chapter 3 that the human ear is not very sensitive to audio signals with frequencies above 10-12 KHz. Similarly, the eyes also do not respond well above 20 cycles/degree. This dependency of our sensory systems on the frequency spectrum of the audio or visual signals has led to the development of transform and subband-based signal processing techniques. In these techniques, the signals are decomposed into various frequency or scale components. Various components are then suitably modified depending on the application at hand. In this Chapter, we will discuss mainly two types of signal decomposition techniques: transform-based decomposition and subband decomposition. Although a wide variety of transforms have been proposed in the literature, the unitary transforms are the most popular for representing signals. A unitary transform is a special type of linear transform where certain orthogonal conditions are satisfied. There are several unitary transforms that are used in signal processing. In this Chapter, we present only a few selected transforms, namely Fourier, cosine and wavelet transforms that are widely used for multimedia signal processing. In addition, we also discuss subband decomposition that is very popular for compression and filtering applications. The application of these techniques will be covered in the later Chapters. Since audio signals are one-dimensional, these signals are represented with one-dimensional (1-0) basis functions. On the other hand, an image can be represented by two-dimensional (2-D) basis functions that are also known basis images. Similarly, a video signal can be represented by threedimensional basis functions. However, a video signal is generally analyzed M. K. Mandal, Multimedia Signals and Systems © Kluwer Academic Publishers 2003
using a hybrid approach in order to reduce the computational complexity. In this approach, the spatial information is represented using 2-D transform coefficients, which is then analyzed in the time dimension. Hence, in this Chapter, we will mainly focus on 1-D and 2-D transforms and subband decomposition.
5.1 1-D UNITARY TRANSFORM For 1-D sequence f (n), 0 ~ n ~ N -1, a unitary transform (which is also known as orthonormal transform) is defined as [1]: N-l
F =Uf,
i.e., F(k)= LU(k,n)f(n)
O~k~N-1
F =(F(k)} u(O,O)
is the transform coefficient matrix and u(O,N -1)
is a unitary transformation matrix u= u(N -1,0)
u(N -I,N -1)
The inverse transform is given by N-l
1=U*rF,
i.e., f(n)= LF(k)u*(k,n)
O~n~N-1
k=O
where the symbols "*,, and "T" denote complex conjugation and matrix transpose, respectively. Eq. (5.2) can be considered as a series representation of the sequence f(n). The columns of U*r , i.e., the vectors {u * (k,n),O ~ n ~ N -I} are called the basis vectors of U.
The matrix {u(k,n)} is unitary if the following conditions are true. N-l
Lu(k,n)u * (ko,n) =8(k - k o )
n=O N-l
Lu(k,n)u * (k,n o ) =8(n - no)
where 63 ? 89 Y 115 s @ 64 90 Z 116 t [ 65 A 91 117 u 66 B 92 \ 118 v 67 C 93 119 w 1 1\ 68 D 94 120 x 69 E 95 121 Y 70 F 96 122 z 71 G a { 97 123 H 72 98 b 124 I } 73 I C 125 99 74 J 100 d 126 101 e DEL 75 K 127 L 76 102 f g 77 M 103
The 128 ASCII characters are adequate to exchange information in English. However, other languages that use the Roman alphabet need additional symbols not covered by ASCII, such as J3 (German), and (Swedish and other Nordic languages). Hence, ISO 8859 sought to remedy this problem by extending 7 -bit ASCII to eight bits, allowing positions for another 128 characters [2]. Unfortunately, more characters were needed than could fit in a single 8-bit character encoding, and hence several extensions were developed. All the character encodings, however, encode the first 128 positions (from 0 to 127) using ASCII code. The last 128 (from 128 to 255) code points of each ISO 8859 encoding are different. Table 6.2 shows the ISO Latin 1 character set, which is used by several operating systems, as well as by different Web browsers.
The ISO 8859 encoding provides the diacritic marks required for various European languages. They also provide non-Roman alphabets: Greek, Cyrillic (used by Russian, Bulgarian, and other languages), Hebrew, and Arabic. However, the standard makes no provision for the scripts of East
Chapter 6: Text Representation and Compression
Asian languages such as Chinese or Japanese, as these highly ideographic writing systems require many thousands of code points, many more than can be placed in a single 8-bit plane. Table 6.2: ISO 8859(Latin1) to ASCII character set. The codes represented b EMP (empty )J has not been defime d, an d Ief t ~or f uture expansIOn. . , I 128 EMP 154 EMP 180 206 232 I 129 EMP 155 EMP 181 JL 207 233 f) 156 EMP 182 Ij[ 208 234 e 130 EMP N 157 EMP 183 209 235 e 131 EMP 0 132 EMP 158 EMP 184 210 236 i 0 159 EMP 185 1 211 237 i l33 EMP 0 0 212 134 EMP 160 EMP 186 238 i EMP 6 187 l35 161 i 213 239 1 » 0 136 EMP 162 ¢ 188 1,4 214 240 (} x 163 £ 189 Y2 215 137 EMP 241 fi 0 138 EMP 164 J:t 190 % 216 242 0 U 165 ¥ 191 i, 217 243 6 139 EMP U 140 EMP 166 II 192 A 218 244 6 U 141 EMP 167 § 193 A 219 245 5 .. EMP A D 142 168 194 220 246 0 Y 143 EMP 169 © 195 A 221 247 a EMP A I> 144 170 196 222 248 !Ii B 145 EMP 171 « 197 A 223 249 U 146 EMP 172 ..., 198 IE 224 a 250 u 147 EMP 173 199 +--*IM(I:NR,I:NC>
K\+I
Similarly, the q-th fade-in frames can be calculated using the following equations: Gq(l : N R,I: N c) = K2 + 1- q
K2+1
* 1M (I: N R,I: N c) + -q-* 12(1: N R,l: N c) (11.l3)
Frame- I
Mid Frame Black or
ade in
Figure 11.19. Fade out and fade in operations .
• Example 11.8 Consider the boundary frames in Example 11.6. Here, we would like to achieve the transition using fade in and out operations. The fade out transition frames, shown in Fig. 11.20(a)-(e), are calculated using Eq. (11.12) with K=5. The fade in transition frames, shown in Fig. 11.20(g)-(k), are calculated using Eq. (11.l3) with K=5 . Note that the middle frame (shown in Fig. 11.20(f) is a gray frame, which could also be black or white. Unlike the wipe operation, no directivity is involved in the dissolve operation. All regions are being transited simultaneously .•
11.3.2 Video Segmentation In the previous section, we considered the video special effects that are important for creating impressive digital video. In this section, we present video segmentation, which is another important technique in video analysis. The objective of video segmentation is to segment a video into shots and scenes. As mentioned earlier, there may be an AT or GT between two shots. Consider the Beverly video sequence shown in Fig. 11.21. The video
with both types of transition. In this section, a brief overview of techniques for AT detection is presented [7, 8]. . Beverly I H'll Tabi e II .. 1 Shots Wit. h abrupt transItion In I s sequence Sequence Abrupt transition (AT) at frame # Beverly Hills 13,17,29,46,54,80,88,125,141,155,170, 187,200,221,252,269, 282,318,344,358,382,419,435,457
The video segmentation is performed by matching some characteristics of the neighbouring frames [9]. Here, we consider three types of techniques employed for AT detection: pixel intensity matching, histogram comparison, and motion vector comparison.
Figure 11.20. Fade out and in operations. Figs. (a)-(e) shows the fade out operation, and Figs. (g)-(k) shows the fade in operations. Fig. (f) shows the middle frame.
Pixel Intensity Matching Method
In this technique, pixel intensities of the two neighboring frames are compared. The absolute distance between the pixel values of frames i and j is calculated using the following equation: M-IN-l
PIM(i,j) = LLI.t;(m,n)- f/m,n)1 m=O n=O
Chapter 11: Digital Image and Video Processing
where fp(m,n) represents the gray level of the p-th frame, with the frame size M x N . If the distance is greater than a pre-specified threshold, then an AT is declared between i and j-th frames . Although pixel intensity matching is simpler to implement, this method is sensitive to motion, and camera operations which might result in false detection.
Figure 11.21. Beverly Hills sequence, frames 0-239.
Figure 11.21 (contd). Beverly Hills sequence, frames 240-479.
Histogram-based Method
In this technique, the histograms of consecutive video frames are compared to detect shot changes. The absolute distance between histograms of frames i and j is calculated using the following equation: G
DoIH(i,j) = IIHj(k) - Hj(k)1 hO
where H p is the histogram of the p-th frame, and G is the total number of gray levels in the histogram. If the distance is greater a pre-specified threshold, then an AT is declared. Although the histogram-based technique provides good performance, it fails when the histograms across different shots are similar. In addition, the histograms within a shot may be different due to changes in lighting conditions, such as flashes and flickering objects, resulting in false detection. Motion Vector Method The object and camera motions are important features of video content. Within a single camera shot, the motion vectors generally show relatively small continuous changes. However, the continuity of motion vectors is disrupted between frames across different shots. Hence, the continuity of motion vectors can be used to detect ATs. This is especially useful since most of the coding techniques perform motion compensation and hence, the motion vectors are already available. Here, we outline a technique suitable in a GOP framework (as used in the MPEG standard) employing I, P, or B frames. The GOP duration in a coded digital video is generally fixed irrespective of the temporal change. Hence, the ATs can occur at frames that can be 1-, P-, and B- frames. Note that there are no motion vectors associated with I-frames. On the other hand, P-frames have only forward motion vectors, and B-frames have both forward and backward motion vectors. Hence, the criterion of deciding an AT at 1-, P-, or B- frames is different. We define the following parameters that will be useful for making a decision. For P frames: R
_ Number of Motion Compensated Blocks Total _ Number _ of _ Blocks
MP -
For B- frames: RFB = Number of Forward Motion Compensated Blocks Number _ of _ Backward _ Motion _ Compensated _ Blocks
We assume that AT does not occur more than once between two consecutive reference frames. A frame[n] may be considered a candidate for abrupt transition if the following holds true. Case-1: frame[n) is an I-frame 1. The RFB[n -1] (i.e., RFB corresponding to frame (n-l), which is a B-frame) is large. Case-2: frame[n) is a P-frame I. The RMP [n] is very small, and
2. The RFB corresponding to the previous B-frame is large. Case-3: frame[n] is a B-frame 1. The RFB [n] corresponding to the current frame will be small, and 2. Ifframe (n-I) is B-frame, RFB[n -1] is large, and 3. Ifframe (n+l) is P-frame, RMP[n + 1] is small. Note that appropriate thresholds should be selected in the above cases to achieve a good detection performance .
• Example 11.9 Here, the performance of histogram and motion vector methods for AT detection is presented. Note that a technique may correctly detect an AT, may fail to detect an AT (i.e., missed AT), or may detect an AT that does not exist (i.e., false AT). An ideal video segmentation technique should not provide any false AT (FAT) or missed AT (MAT). However, the detection techniques are generally not perfect and hence the FATs or MATs are almost inevitable. Threshold techniques generally reduce the number of MATs by increasing the number of FATs, and vice versa. Hence, thresholds for each technique should be selected appropriately to balance the number of FATs and MATs. The difference of histograms between the consecutive Beverly Hills frames is shown in Fig. 11.22. The peaks in the plot correspond to abrupt changes in the histogram that likely occurs because of the scene change. Hence, the peak locations are considered as the AT position. It can be shown that [7] the histogram method produces 20 correct ATs, 5 false ATs, and 4 missed ATs. On the other hand, the motion vector method (with a GOP structure IBBBBPBBBBPBBBBI) produces 23 correct ATs, 3 false ATs, and 1 missed AT. 200,-------------------,
I-DoIHI
_ 160
§ )(
-; 120 o
;3
Figure 11.22. Variation of histogram difference between consecutive frames in the Beverly Hills sequence [7].
It is observed that both methods find most of the abrupt transitions. The motion vector method is particularly suitable for joint coding and indexing [7]. The motion vectors are required for video coding any way; hence extra calculation is not required. • In addition to its effectiveness in determining video shots, camera operations are also effective in creating professional quality digital video. Hence, a brief overview of different camera operations is presented in the following section.
11.3.2.1 Camera Operations Camera operation is an important technique to create professional quality digital video. There are primarily seven basic camera operations: fixed, panning, tracking, tilting, booming, zooming, and dollying [10]. The operations are shown in Fig. 11.21. In panning, the camera is rotated either left or right along its vertical axis. In tracking, the camera is moved towards either left or right. In tilting, the camera is rotated either up or down along its vertical axis. In booming, the camera is moved up or down. In rooming, the size of the objects that are pointed at by the camera are magnified (zoom in) or reduced (zoom out) by controlling the camera's focal length. In dollying, the size of the objects in a scene are magnified or reduced by moving the camera towards or away from the object. Although both zoom and dolly change the size of the objects, there is a subtle difference between the two effects. In a zoom, the relative positions and sizes of all objects in the frame remain the same, whereas in a dolly shot these will change as the camera moves. The camera operations are generally detected using two spatial domain approaches. The first approach employs optical flow technique, whereas the second approach employs spatiotemporal patterns. Booming
Dollying Tracking
focal1ength for zooming
Figure 11.21. Basic camera operations.
Optical flow gives the distribution of velocity with respect to an observer over the points in an image [4]. The motion fields generated by tilt, pan and
zoom are shown in Fig. 11.22. It is observed that the motion vectors due to pan and tilt point in one direction. Conversely, the motion vectors diverge or converge from a focal point in the case of zoom. Figure 11.22 shows an ideal situation with no disparity. However, in reality, some disparity might be observed due to irregular object motion and other kinds of noise. Note that the effect of object motion and camera operations on motion vectors are very similar and hence difficult to distinguish.
ttttt t ttttt t tttttt tttttt Down Tilt
• ••••• • ••••• • •••••
• ••••• Up Tilt
....... ............. ...... ....... ....... ....... --+
........ --+ ...... ......
...... ...... --+ ......
--+ ...... ...... .......
......................... Left Pan
...if--
"if-
+- +++- +-
++-
speed 0 fCD an dDVD Single-Layer DVD 3.49 m/sec 11.0S Mbits/s 26.16 Mbitsls
Double-Layer DVD 3.68 m/sec 11.0S Mbitsls 26.16 Mbits/s
Note that CD and DVD drives are available which can read data much faster. Table 14.4 shows the raw data rate of CD and DVD drives with different speed factors. A 6x CD (DVD) spins 12 times faster than a Ix CD (DVD), and reads data 12 times faster. Note also that the speed factors are meaningful for reading raw data. When we play audio from CDs or movies from DVDs, higher speed drives and x-factors make no difference. The audio or the video data would always be played back at Ix speed.
14.1.4 Playback ofeD and DVD The playback of a CD/DVD is the reverse process of the CDIDVD recording. Here, the objective is to read the raw data from a prerecorded CD/DVD, then demodulate the bitstream and reconstruct the signal or data.
The core of the playback is the optical pickup mechanism. Fig. 14.5 shows a popular optical readout system known as the three-beam method. In this method, a laser beam is produced by a laser diode. When the laser beam is passed through the diffraction grating, three beams are produced. The laser beams enter a polarizing prism, and only vertically polarized light passes through. When the beams pass through the quarter(1/4)-wave plate, the beam's polarization plane is rotated by 45°. The polarized light is then passed through the actuator (Le., the tracking and focusing system) and focused on the CD surface. The laser beams are reflected by the CDIDVD lands and pits, although the lands produce a larger intensity than the pits. The reflected light is passed through V4 wave plate. This second passing makes the laser beam 90° polarized, i.e., the original vertically polarized laser beams are now horizontally polarized. The horizontally polarized light is reflected by the prism and hits the three photodetectors. The voltage generated at the photodetectors determines if a land or a pit has been read by the laser beam. Ta bl e 144 .. CD Factor Ix 4x 6x 12x 24x 30x 36x
S)pee d f:actors 0 fCD an dDVDd' rIves DVD Factor Raw Data Rate 4.32 Mbitls 0.17x 0.67x 17.3 Mbitls Ix 26.2 Mbitls 52.4 Mbitls 2x 105 Mbitls 4x 5x 131 Mbitls 6x 157 Mbitls
0.6 mm!::'~~~~~~ 0.6 mm Lr
~----~------~
0.6 mm 0.6 mm~'-"'-"''''''''''''''-
B ide 06mm 06mm
Figure 14.4. Layers in a DVD. a) single sided, single layer DVD (4.7 OB), b) single sided double layer (8.5 OB), c) double sided single layer (9.4 OB), and d) double sided, double layer (17 OB).
Chapter 14: Optical Storage Media
The three-beam principle employs three laser beams - the main laser beam along with two subbeams - to detect a spot. The two subbeams are on either side of the main beam. The reflection from the central spot (by the main beam) and the two side spots (by the side beams) are detected by three photodetectors. The central photodetector produces the digital signal corresponding to the central spot. The outputs of the two side photodetectors are compared, and an error signal is produced. This error signal is then fed to the tracking servomotor that moves the objective lens and keeps the main laser beam centered on the track. In addition, if the laser beam is not focused properly, the objective lens is moved towards or away from the CD (within ± IJ.lm) to obtain a more accurate focus. Recorded Pattern Actuator (Track. & FOCU1) Y. Wave Plate - - -.
---.
Prism Beam Splitter
DiITractDn Gratmg
Laser Figure 14.5. Playback of CD using the three-beam principle. Only one of the three laser beam and photo detector combinations is shown.
Reading CDIDVD by the Same Drive
Although the outer dimensions of a CD and DVD are identical, the inner dimensions are not the same. The layers in a DVD are thinner (0.6 mm) than a CD (1.2 mm). A DVD player is required to read both CD and DVD. This is generally achieved by controlling the focal length of the lens (see Fig. 14.6). A DVD drive generally distinguishes the separate layers of a multiple layer disc by selective focus. The separation between the two layers, about 20-70 J.lm, is sufficient for each layer to have a distinct focus for them to be distinguished.
CD Data I Swface~~__-,~__~t...I----/ttn---; 1.2 mm DVDData Swface
Photo Detector
Laser Figure 14.6. Reading CD and DVD by the same drive
14.1.5 CD-ROM, CD-R, and CD-RW The CD, CD-R and CD-RW are employed in different applications, and hence have different requirements. The "read-only" media is used for mass distribution of data and software. This recording is fast and the CDs are durable. The CD-R media uses once-recordable material with a long life, whereas CD-RW media uses a medium that can be cycled between two states so that it can be erased and rewritten repeatedly.
CD-ROM The CD-ROM recording is very similar to the gramophone (LP) recording process. A stamping master, which is usually made of nickel, is created such that it is the mirror image of the lands and pits that are to be created on a CD. To create the pits, the raised bumps on the stamper are pressed onto the liquid plastic (polycarbonate, polyolefine, acrylic or similar material) during the injection molding process. Once the pits are generated, the stamped surface is covered with a thin reflective layer of aluminum, which provides different reflectivity of lands and pits, and helps in the data reading process. The DVD creation process is similar to that of a CD. However, more care is needed as the pits are smaller. In addition, there are more layers in a DVD. Hence, the recording is done layer-by-Iayer, and the substrates of different layers are glued.
CD-RMedia The CD-R recording process is distinct from the CD-ROM recording process. The CD-R recording is primarily done by the consumers, and therefore there is no mass production of the same content. The CD-R disc has a special dye layer (see Fig. 14.7) that is not present in a CD-ROM. The dye is photoreactive and changes its reflectivity in response to the high power mode of the recorder's laser. The CD-R records
information by burning the dye layer in the disc. There are three popular types of photoreactive dyes used by CD-R discs [7]. The green dye is based on cynanine compound, and has a useful life in the range of 75 years. The gold dye is based on phthalocynanine compound, and has a useful life of about 100 years and is better for high speed 2x-4x. The blue dye is based on cynanine compound with an alloyed silver substrate. These CDs are more resistant to UV radiation, and have a low block error rates.
ProtectIVe Lacquer
---t~e=~==~~:--
Reflective Gold Coating Polycarbonate Base
Photoreactlve Dye Layer Figure 14.7. Different layers in a CD-R.
Rewritable CDs CD-RW is based on the phase change principle. The reflective layer in the CD-RW is made from material that changes its reflectivity depending on whether it is in an amorphous or crystalline state. In its crystalline state, the medium has a reflectivity of about 15-25%. In its amorphous state, the reflectivity is reduced by a few %, which is enough for the detection of the state. The most common medium used in CD-RW is an alloy of antimony, indium, silver, and tellurium. In a blank CD-RW, the entire reflective medium is in its crystalline state. When recording, the drive increases the laser power to between 8-15 mW, and heats the medium to above its 500-700oC melting point. The operation is straightforward, and equivalent to the CD-R writing process except for laser power. To completely erase a disc and restore its original crystalline state, the disc is annealed. The reflective layer is heated to about 200°C, and held at that temperature while the material recrystallizes. Note that the recordable media is not as durable as the commercially stamped CDs. Recordable CDs are photosensitive, and should not be exposed to direct sunlight. The label side of a recordable CD is often protected only by a thin lacquer coating. This coating is susceptible to damage from solvents such as acetone and alcohol. Sharp-tipped pens should not be used to write on the labels as they may scratch the lacquer surface and damage the data.
14.1.6 Advantages of Optical Technology Most multimedia storage devices used in our lives are either of magnetic (such as VHS video tapes, computer hard drives) or of optical type. It can be easily observed from our daily experience that the longevity of the magnetic storage media is not very good. For example, if we playa VHS cassette repeatedly, the video quality degrades. In this respect, optical technology has an important advantage over magnetic storage technology. In magnetic storage, the magnetic property of the storage medium is exploited. The data is stored depending on the orientation of the tiny magnets present in the medium. The magnetic fields of hard disks are restricted to within a few millionths of an inch. Therefore, for recording or reading from a magnetic medium, the recording or the reading head must be very close (they virtually touch) to the magnetic medium. This decreases the longevity of the data stored in the magnetic medium. However, this is not the case with optical technology. The equipment that generates the beam of light that writes or reads optical storage need not be anywhere near the medium itself (see Fig. 14.8), thus providing significant flexibilities. Hence, the source and storage media generally have a small gap. In fact, a small gap helps in the playback process. If there is a small scratch on the CDIDVD surface (remember data is stored in the middle, and not in the surface), the laser light can still be focused on the data layer, and the data can be read. Since the optical head does not touch the substrate, the longevity of the optical media is very high. The CD or DVD has an added advantage. Since these disks are flat and work in the same way as a gramophone record, mass production of these disks are very convenient than the magnetic medium. Magnetic II ad
Optical Head
J=~u
MagnetiC Field Magnetic Tape
Figure 14.8. Comparison of playback in magnetic and optical storage.
14.2 CD AND DVD STANDARDS There is a variety of CD and DVD standards targeted for various applications. The major CD and DVD formats are presented in Table 14.5. Note that for historical reasons the different standards are referred to as books with different (color) codes. The CD-DA standard is primarily for recording audio data, and can be played back by home CD-players and computer CD-drives. The CD-ROM is
targeted for mass distribution of data or software. CD-R and CD-RW are used for back up of large-size multimedia or computer data. The CD-V, also known as video-CD, is used for short low quality video. The CD-I (or CDinteractive) is the standard for the storage and distribution of interactive multimedia applications. SA-CD is the standard for recording very high quality audio signals. There are primarily five DVD standards, documented in various Books, as shown in Table 14.5. Book A defines the physical specifications of the DVDs such as file system and data format. Book B defines the standard for video applications, whereas Book C defines the standard for audio applications. Books 0 and E defines the standard for DVD-R and DVD-RW storage specifications. Book Red Book Yellow Book Orange Book White Book Green Book Scarlet Book Book A BookB BookC BookD BookE
Table 145 .. Selected CD and DVD Standards Application Standards Consumer Audio Playback CD-DA CD-ROM Data Distribution (Re) Writable Storage CD-R,-RW CD-V Consumer Video PB (with poor Quality) CD-I (Interactive) Interactive Multimedia Applications Super Audio CD SA-CD Data Distribution, Computer Storage DVD-ROM DVD-Video Consumer Video PB DVD-Audio Consumer Audio PB DVD-R Write Once Storage DVD-RW Rewritable Storage
In this section, we consider the three most popular standards: i) Audio CD, ii) CD-ROM, and iii) the DVD-video. The data format and their capacity in terms of length of audio and video data are briefly presented.
14.2.1 Audio CD The CD was first introduced to the market with audio data represented using 16 bits/sample/channel precision and 44.1 KHz sampling rate. The data rate of a stereo audio CD can be calculated as follows: bits samples / s . DataRate cD _DA = 16--x 2 channels x 44100 1.4112 x 10 6 blts/s sample channel = 176.4 xl 0 3 bytes / s ~ 172.3KBytes / s
(14.1 )
The quantization of the analog audio signal to digital audio signal will introduce quantization noise in the audio signal and degrade the quality. It was mentioned in Chapter 4 that increasing the sample precision by 1 bit improves the SNR of the signal by approximately 6 dB. Hence, with 16 bits precision, the SNR of the digitized audio would be in the range of96 dB. In practice, the CD-DA player manufacturers claim about a 90-95 dB dynamic range, which can be considered as excellent quality for most audio applications. Note that compared to CD, LP records provide a SNR of about 70 dB. There is another advantage of CD over LP. Each groove of an LP stereo record contains two signals, one each for the left and right channels. These signals are read and reproduced simultaneously by the turntable. In the case of CD, the left and right channel information is recorded separately. Therefore, the cross-talk between the two channels is minimized, improving the audio quality. Eq. (14.1) shows that the CD-DA data rate is 1.4112 x 10 6 bits/s. However, the audio data needs to be encoded and formatted before storing it in the CD, reSUlting in an increase in the raw data rate. Fig. 14.9 shows the schematic of the CD-DA data encoding process. The encoder takes 24 bytes (i.e., 192 bits) of raw audio data, and produces 588 bits of output, known as an audio frame. There are four steps in the encoding process, which are now briefly discussed. 1.4112x \06
1.8816xl06 bits/ s
bits/s
1.9404x\06 bits/ s
4.12335 x)O' bits/s
4.3218xlO' bits/s
Bitstream stamped oneD Audio Input
Figure 14.9. CD-DA data encoding process.
CIRC Encoding In order to protect the data from bit errors, an error correction code is applied to the raw audio data. The bit errors may occur for various reasons, such as jitter, dust, scratches, and fingerprints. The CD-DA employs the cross-interleave Reed-Solomon code (CIRC) to correct the random and burst errors. The CIRC code converts 24 bytes of audio data into 32 bytes of CIRC encoded data, increasing the data rate by a ratio of 32:24. Hence, the
data rate of the CIRC encoded audio data is 1.8816xl0 6 bits/s. Note that although the CIRC code detects and corrects most bit-errors, there is a possibility that some bit errors may still go undetected.
Control Word For each 32 bytes of CIRC encoded data, 8 bits control word is added, resulting in 33-bytes of output. The control word contains information such as the music track separator flag, track number and time. EFM Modulation The bits in a CD-DA are represented with lands and pits as shown in Fig. 14.10. Here, the ones are represented by a change from land-to-pit, or pit-toland, and the zeros are represented by a continuation of the lands and pits. However, this scheme is not used exactly in practice. For example, consider the bit sequence 111111111. In this case, the pits and lands will occur alternately. It is difficult to design a laser system with sufficient resolution to read the sequence of lands and pits changing so frequently. When the CD standard was established, it was decided that at least two lands and two pits should always occur consecutively in a sequence. But, pits and lands should not be too long in order to correctly obtain synchronization signal. As a result, it was decided that at most ten zeros can follow one another. Label Side Protective Layer -i-+ Reflective Layer
~I
100000 . 1100dlOoooo~lOd 10000~100000i .i........................................ ' ..I""'I""""""'" . . 100000 .i
I •••••••••••••
Figure 14.10. Bitstream representation with lands and pits.
In order to satisfy the above length constraints, the CD-DA system adopts a modulation scheme, known as eight-to-fourteen modulation (EFM). In this scheme, 8-bit words are coded as 14 bits. Note that with 14 bits, 16384 different symbols can be represented. Out of a possible 16384 symbols, only 256 symbols are chosen such that the minimum and maximum consecutive lengths of lands and pits are satisfied. An example of EFM is shown in Table 14.6. By limiting the maximum number of consecutive bits with same logic level, the overall DC content is reduced. In addition, by limiting the individual bit inversions (i.e., 1 ~ 0 or 0 ~ 1) between consecutive bits, the overall bandwidth is lowered. Because of this modulation, the EFM produces 462-bit data from 264-bit (33-bytes) input. The DVD also employs the EFM scheme, although with minor modifications to improve the robustness of the MPEa data recording. The scheme is known as EFM plus.
Sync/Merging Even with the EFM, the conditions may not be satisfied at the beginning of the 14-bit symbol. Hence, in addition to the EFM, three extra bits are added to each 14-bit symbol. These three merging bits are selected such that the DC content of the signal is further reduced. The exact values of the merging bits depend on the adjacent bits of the 14-bit symbol. These extra merging bits produce 561-bit output for 462-bit input. 8 bit word 00000000 (0) 0000000 I ( I) 000000 II (2) 01001110 (80)
Table 14.6. Examples of eight-to-fourteen modulation 14-bit word 8 bit word 14-bit word 01100100 (100) 01001000100000 01000100100010 01110011 (liS) 00100000100010 10000100000000 01111111 (127) 00100000000010 00100100000000 01000001001000 1111 00 10 (242) 00000010001001
Finally, a 24-bit synchronization word along with 3 merging bits are added to the 462-bit input to complete a frame (consisting of a total of 588 bits) of audio data. The SYNC word has two functions. It indicates the start of each frame, as well as controlling the CD-player's motor speed. Blocks and CD-DA Capacity The smallest data unit in CD-DA is called a block and contains 2352 bytes of useful audio data. Since the stereo audio data rate is 1.4112 x 10 6 bits / s, the audio playback rate is 75 blocks/s. A typical CD-DA contains audio data for 74 minutes. Therefore, a CD-DA contains 74*60*75 or 333000 blocks. The storage capacity of the CD can then be calculated as Capacity CD-DA
= 333,000blocksx 2352 bytes,., 783 .216 xl 0 6 bytes of audio data. block
The error correction and formatting bits increases the bit-rate significantly. Hence, if these bits are included, the raw capacity of the CDDA is 783 .216xl06 x4.3218/1.4112 : : : 2.4 x 10 9 bytes.
14.2.2 CD-ROM Standard The CD-ROM format, used mostly for computer data storage, is similar to the CD-DA standard. The smallest data unit in both CD-DA and CD-ROM is a block that contains a total of 2352 bytes. The main difference between the two systems is the additional error detection and correction bits in the CD-ROM. The impact of a bit error in audio playback is not as crucial as in data storage application. A bit error in audio data will only degrade the audio quality marginally and may not even be detected by the listeners. However, a bit error in the computer data may have significant impact in many applications such as banking. The CD-DA employs EFM for error
correction. The EFM has a low BER, but not small enough for computer storage application. Hence, 280 bytes (out of 2352) are used for additional error detection correction (in addition, 8 bytes are not used). In other words, 2048 bytes in each block are used for user data storage. The two formats are also known as Mode-l (for computer storage) and Mode-2 (for audio recording and play back). With these extra error correction bytes, an average uncorrectable BER smaller than 10-12 can be achieved. The user data storage capacity of the CD-ROM can be calculated as follows: .
CapaCltyCD_ROM =
bytes 6 333,000blocks x 2048--:::: 681.984x 10 bytes:::: 650 MBytes block
Although a CD has a raw capacity of more than 2 Gbytes, the effective data storage capacity is only 650 Mbytes. This is the storage capacity generally quoted on commercially available CD-Rs and CD-RWs.
14.2.3 DVD Data Storage Principles The DVD data encoding process is very similar to that of the CD (see Fig. 14.9). However, as the DVD track pitch is thinner, and the pit lengths are smaller, more data can be packed in a DVD. There are some minor differences in the two data formats. First, CD has two main modes, one for the computer data storage and the other for the audio data storage. In audio CD, the data is stored without compression. If a bit error occurs, the neighboring samples are not affected significantly. Hence, a higher BER is tolerable. However, in the case of compressed video, bit-errors can significantly degrade the reconstructed video quality. Therefore, the DVD treats all data (e.g., computer data, and compressed video bitstream) equally. The DVD employs Reed-Solomon product code (RS-PC) instead of the CIRC code for error correction. The RS-PC code is more efficient for small blocks of data, which are more appropriate for computer data. In the case of DVD, the maximum correctable burst error is 2800 bytes, which corresponds to about 6 mm of track length (the maximum correctable burst error in a CD is about 500 bytes, which corresponds to about 2 mm of damage in a track). The CD employs eight-to-fourteen modulation (EFM) where eight bits are converted to 14 bits to maintain the minimum and maximum number of zeros between two Is. With the DVD, eight bits are converted to 16 bits, and the modulation scheme is known as EFMPlus (the plus indicates the addition of two extra bits).
In DVD, 2048 bytes of user data is stored in one sector. However, when header, EDC, ECC, and sync signals are added, the data size becomes 2418 bytes. The EFMpius (eight-to-sixteen) modulation again doubles the size, making the physical sector size 4836 bytes. The formatting and modulation comprise an effective overhead of 136%. Thus, although the DVD user data rate (I-speed) is 11.08 Mbits/s, the raw data rate is approximately 26.16
Mbits/s
14.2.4 Video-CD and DVD-Video Standards The two most popular media for commercial video distribution are videoCD (or VCD in short) and DVD video. The two formats are compared in Table 14.7. It is observed that VCDs employ MPEG-l algorithm, and have an overall (video and audio) data rate of 1.44 Mbits/sec. On the other hand, DVD-videos employ MPEG-2 compression algorithm, and have a variable data rate of 1-10 Mbits/sec, and an average data rate of 3.5 Mbits/sec. Note that DVD-video employ a higher bit-rate in addition to the more sophisticated (compared to MPEG-l) MPEG-2 encoder, and hence provides a superior video quality. As a result, the DVD has become very popular for movie distribution. In the following, we present more details about the DVD-Video standard. VI eo- CD andDVD VI'deo Table 147 .. Companson 0 f'd Video-CD DVD-Video Video Data Rate 1.44 Mbitslsec 1- 10 Mbitsls variable (video, audio, (video, audio) subtitles) Average = 3.5 Mbitsls Video compression MPEG-I MPEG-2 (MPEG-I is allowed) Sound tracks 2 Channel-MPEG NTSC: Dolby Digital PAL: MPEG-2 Open caption only Up to 32 languages Subtitles
There are primarily two types of DVD players available on the market. They may come as part of a personal computer, or they may come as a stand-alone DVD player. Both types of DVD players can generally play CD-Audio, and Video CD, in addition to DVD Video. With current technology, the DVD-ROM player in a PC works better with a separate hardware-based MPEG-2 decoder. The raw data rate of DVD video is 124 Mbits/sec, and the image resolution is approximately 480x720 pixels. This is about four times that of MPEG-l or VHS (equivalent to 240 lines, compared to 480 lines quality of DVD) quality. The DVD Video supports both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios. The associated audio can be in many forms. DVD video standard accommodates eight tracks of audio, with each track being a single data stream that may comprise one or more audio channels.
Each of these channels may use anyone of the five specified encoding systems. The average video data rate is approximately 3.5 Mbits/s. If audio and subtitles are added, the bit-rate is approximately 4.962 Mbits/s. A DVD with 4.7 GB net storage space can accommodate up to 133 minutes (=4.7*8*1024/(4.962*60)) of video. Hence, a single sided, single layer DVD can store up to 133 minutes of video. Although the "average" bit rate for digital video is often quoted as 3.5 Mbits/s, the actual bit-rate varies according to movie length, picture complexity and the number of audio channels required. In order to prevent copyright violations, video DVDs may include copy protection. There are primarily three types of protection used in consumer video applications. In analog copy protection, the video output is altered so that the signals appears corrupt to VCRs when recording is attempted. The current analog protection system (APS) adds a rapid modulation to the colorburst signal and confuses the automatic gain control of the VCR. In serial copy protection, the copy generation management system adds information to line 21 of the NTSC video signal to tell the equipment if copying is permitted. In digital encoding, the digital media files are encrypted so that the video player cannot decode the signal without knowing the key. Code Number I
T a ble 148 .. DVD reglOna I co des Region US, Canada Europe, Japan, Middle East, South Africa East and Southeast Asia Central and South America, Caribbean, New Zealand, Australia Africa, India, Korea, Soviet Union China
Commercial DVDs are marked with a regional code (see Table 14.8). The DVD player checks to see if the region code in the DVD matches the code in its hardware. Ifit does not match, the DVD will not play. A DVD drive does everything a CD drive does, and more. As DVD drives become inexpensive, it might be better to buy DVD drives. Although a DVD movie can be played using a computer drive and watched on the monitor, the computer DVD drives generally do not have a video jack (although, they typically provides audio output) as found in the home video players. Hence, these DVD drives cannot be directly used to watch a movie on television. In addition, computer DVD drives mostly use a software-
based MPEG-2 decoder, which may be slow if the CPU is not powerful enough.
REFERENCES 1. 2.
J. D. Lenk, Lenk's Laser Handbook, McGraw Hill, 1992. E. W. Williams, The CD-ROM and Optical Disc Record System, Oxford University Press, New York, 1994. L. Boden, Mastering CD-ROM technology, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1995. J. Taylor, DVD Demystified: The Guidebook for DVD-video and DVD-ROM, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1998. A. Khurshudov, Essential Guide to Computer Data Storage: From Floppy to DVD, Prentice Hall PTR, 2001. L. Baert, L. Theunissen, and G. Vergult, Digital Audio and Compact Disc Technology, Second Edition, Newnes, Oxford, 1992. W. L. Rosch, Hardware Bible, QUE, Fifth Edition, Indianapolis, 1999.
3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
QUESTIONS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
What are the advantages (and disadvantages) of optical storage media over magnetic storage media? Compare and contrast the storage principle of the CD and gramophone record. Compare and contrast the physical dimensions of CD and DVD. How does a DVD drive read a CD? Compare and contrast the writing principles of CD-ROM, CD-R, and CD-RW. Why do we need CIRC encoding and EFM modulation? What is EFMPlus? What is the storage capacity ofa DVD? What is the raw storage capacity including the modulation bytes? How many minutes of a digital movie can be stored in a DVD? You have recorded your computer data in a CD-ROM (74 Minutes equivalent) with its full capacity. How long will it take if you read the CD at 12x speed? Assuming a BER of 10-12 , what is the probability that there will be a bit error while reading the entire CD?
Chapter 15 Electronic Displays
Electronic display is one of the most conspicuous electronic devices, and plays a significant role in visualizing multimedia information. The displays are used in a wide variety of consumer applications such as television, computer, calculators, scientific and military applications. Depending on the application, the display may also be called a monitor, a video display terminal, or a television receiver. Display devices have been available for several decades, and are continuously being improved. With the establishment of the high definition television standard, superior quality TV monitors are in high demand. The cathode ray tube (CRT) displays have dominated the electronic display market for a long time. However, in the last few decades, several other types of display devices, such as vacuum-fluorescent display (VFD), field emissive display, plasma display panel (PDP), electroluminescent display, light emitting diode (LED) display, liquid crystal display (LCD), and digital micromirror display (DMD), have been developed [1, 2]. In this Chapter, a brief overview of a few select display technologies is presented.
15.1 IMPORTANT DISPLAY PARAMETERS There is a wide range of applications for a display device. Hence, there is also a wide variety of display devices from which a suitable display can be chosen depending on the application requirements. Some important physical parameters for a display are its size, weight, resolution, gamma, color saturation, and refresh rate [1, 3]. On the other hand, the perceptual parameters such as brightness, flicker, contrast, and sharpness of a display are also important to obtain a better picture quality. A few select parameters are explained in the following.
Display size: This is one of the most important parameters of a display device. The display size is generally expressed in terms of the diagonal length of the viewing area. Some applications such as large TV monitors or projection TVs require a display size in the range 50-200". In the other extreme, calculators, digital watches and LCD viewfinders in video camera M. K. Mandal, Multimedia Signals and Systems © Kluwer Academic Publishers 2003
require a small display size of only a few inches. Typical computer monitors use a display size in the range 15-24", whereas typical home televisions use a display size in the range 13-48". Note that the weight and cost of display increases rapidly with the screen size. Hence, large displays (>70") are generally obtained by optically projecting the image from a smaller display. The cathode ray tube, liquid crystal display, and digital micro-mirror devices are typically used in projection systems. Display Thickness and Weight: These parameters are also important to consumers, especially when there are constraints of physical space and weight. The current trend is to employ thinner [4, 5] and less bulky display devices. Resolution: The resolution of a display device is expressed in terms of the number of pixels in the horizontal and vertical directions. The resolution is limited significantly by the display size. Typical computer monitors have resolutions from 640 x 480 to 1600 x 1200. On the other hand, typical digital TVs have resolutions in the range 720 x 480. While high definition TVs have resolutions of up to 1920 x 1080, the portable devices have resolutions as low as 50 x 50 . Color: This is another important aspect of a display device. Some devices such as digital watches, and calculators may not need a color display. However, entertainment applications generally require good color display. The number of colors supported in a typical display is in the range of 256-16 million colors. Note that 256, and 16 millions correspond to 8-bit and 24 bit/pixel resolutions, respectively. Brightness and Contrast Ratio: Brightness is the result of all illumination falling on the surface, and the reflectance of the surface, whereas the contrast ratio is the ratio of maximum brightness and minimum brightness visible. Note that more ambient illumination decreases the contrast ratio. Aspect Ratio: It is the ratio of the width and height of a display device. The aspect ratio of most computer monitors and analog TVs are 4:3. However, HDTV has an aspect ratio of 16:9. Angle of View: Angle of view is the angle up to which the output of the display device can be read by a viewer. Computer monitors can have a narrow angle of view. However, TV and the projection displays must have a large angle of view since these are targeted for small or large groups of people. Light Source: In all display devices, the light come from the display screen and enters our eyes, and we see the pictures. The display devices can be
Chapter 15: Audio Fundamentals
divided into two categories based on how the light come from the screen. In the emissive display, the light (or photons) is emitted by the display screen. This typically happens in most home TV receivers, which use the cathode ray tubes. In the non-emissive display, the display device does not emit any light. Rather, the display device transmits or reflects lights coming from another source. Note that LCD screens are of non-emissive type. The emissive devices generally require high power and hence are not efficient for portable application. On the other hand, non-emissive display devices depend on external light source for illumination and hence require lower power to operate.
15.2 CATHODE-RAY TUBE The cathode ray tube (CRT) is the oldest and most widely used display device for a wide range of applications. The schematic of a CRT is shown in Fig. 15.1. The core of a CRT is an electron gun (which is basically a cathode) that emits electrons. A strong electric field is created by applying a high voltage (> 20000 V) between the anode and the cathode. The electric field is set up such that an electron beam is generated, which points towards the phosphor screen of the display. The electron beam impinges on the phosphor screen, which in turn emits light that is seen by a viewer. Hence the CRT is basically an emissive display device. hadow-mask screen assembly
Phosphor creen lectron gwlS
Figure \5 .1. Different components of a cathode ray tube (CRT). Note that for color CRT, there will be three electron guns.
Note that the CRT is evacuated so that the electron beam emitted from the cathode passes through the tube easily. The raster scanning is accomplished by deflection of the electron beam using a set of magnetic coil around the neck of the CRT. The monochrome CRT has one electron gun, whereas a color CRT has three electron guns, one each for red, green and blue
channels. The phosphor screen of a color display has three dots (red, green, and blue) for each pixel. These three phosphor dots are known as triplet or triad. The electron guns point the beam at the individual phosphor dots while scanning. However, part of the beam can spill over and hit the other dots in the triplet, or even the neighboring pixel dots. This spilling over results in loss of color purity. CRT devices use a masking screen to stop these spilledover electrons to improve the quality of the displayed image. There are primarily two types of masking screens - shadow mask and aperture grille (see Figs. 15.2 and 15.3). The shadow mask (see Fig. 15.2) is a steel plate with a large number of holes (one hole for each color pixel). The three electron beams corresponding to each color pixel pass through these triplet holes and hit the phosphor screen. The spilled-over electrons are stopped by the shadow mask. The shadow mask is located very close to the phosphor screen, and hence the phosphor dots on the screen must be spaced at the same distance as the holes in the mask. Since the hole spacing is the same as the dot spacing, it is often called the dot-pitch of the CRT. Typical dot pitch is 0.28 mm or 0.40 mm.
R,O,S Triad
Viewers hadowMask Phosphor creen Figure 15.2. Three of phosphor dots and electron guns are arranged in a triangle.
Some CRTs, such as Sony Triniton CRTs, use an aperture grille instead of a shadow mask. Here, instead of circular holes, the electron beam passes through thin vertical windows (or slots) as shown in Fig. 15.3. The resolution of an aperture grille is specified in slot-pitch, which is the distance between the two slots.
III --.j
Dot ROB ROB RO B
Pitch (b)
Pitch (c)
Figure 15.3. Masking of spilled-over electrons. a) aperture grille, b) dot-pitch for shadow mask, and c) slot-pitch for aperture grille. Note that in aperture grille, the red, green and blue phosphor dots are arranged in vertical direction.
A CRT can have different maximum deflection angles. A larger angle gives a smaller depth, but also makes the design more difficult to maintain focus and geometry over the full screen. As a result, larger deflection angles provide poorer picture performance. Computer displays generally have more demanding specifications and use a smaller angle CRT. A major disadvantage of the CRT is that a large display typically has a large depth (i.e., distance between the electron gun from the phosphor screen), resulting in a bulky display. The primary reason for the large depth is the single (or three for color CRTs) electron gun. A CRT of smaller depth can be designed if multiple electron guns are allowed. This is the basic principle of the field emission displays (FED), which is presented next.
FIELD EMISSION DISPLAY
The Field Emission Displays (FEDs) are high-resolution emissive flat panel displays [6, 7]. The FED works on the same principle as the CRT. However, instead of one (or three for color) electron gun, FED employs millions of micro cathodes. As a result, FEDs can produce large screen displays without increasing the depth of the display device. Although, the concept of FED seems very attractive, there are several implementation issues that need attention. Some critical issues are microfabrication of cathodes, packaging of vacuum panel with thin glass substrates, assembly technology with micrometer level accuracy, and
vacuum technology to keep the emission within the small space of flat panels. A simplified schematic of the FED is shown in Fig. 15.4. The electrons are generated in high vacuum by the micro-tips of the cathode and are accelerated towards the phosphors by the positive voltage applied on the transparent anode. The electron beams hit the phosphor screen, and photons of different colors are emitted from the phosphors, which is observed by the viewers.
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r N f - - - Ow. WWate Figure 15.4. Simplified schematic offield emission display devices.
As mentioned earlier, FEDs employ multiple cathodes, one for each color channel of a pixel, unlike the single cathodes (or electron gun) in the case of the CRT. The distance between the cathode and the phosphor screens in FED can be made as small as 1110" (as shown in Fig. 15.4) resulting in a flat panel display. Note that although the CRTs have high anode voltage, the anode voltage in typical FEDs can vary from one to several thousands volts. Typical FEDs have several important features. They are thin, lightweight, and have low power consumption. High resolution, brightness and contrast can be easily achieved in FED. The FEDs can produce self-emissive distortion free images, and can provide a wide angle of view (as wide as 170°). In addition, FEDS can withstand a wide range of temperature and humidity, and have good stable characteristics in severe environmental
Note that the FED technology is in its infancy, being only a few years old. Hence, only small screen displays (for automotive or small portable applications such as POA) have been developed so far. However, it is expected to enter the consumer TV market in near future.
15.4 PLASMA DISPLAY The plasma display technology is another leading contender for flat panel display. The plasma displays were used in the early laptop computers in the late 1980s. Although, it could not compete with the LCD technology for portable application, it has all essential advantages of large-size flat displays. The plasma display panels (PDP) are based on radiation produced by an electronic discharge in a gas such as neon. When a large number of gas atoms loose one or more electrons, the gas is in an ionized state. With appropriate electric field, this process can be lead to discharge, and the gas is referred to as plasma, which emits radiation. This is the basic principle of all plasma displays. A large number of monochrome POPs use the discharge as the light source. However, in most color POPs, the discharge is used to excite the (red, green and blue dots of a) phosphor screen. The schematic [3, 8] of a color PDP is shown in Fig. 15.5. The two glass plates (front and rear) contain a mixture of inert gases (such as neon and xenon). The inert gas is excited locally by electric fields set up by arrays of parallel and orthogonal electrodes. When sufficient voltage is applied to a pair of horizontal and vertical electrodes, a discharge occurs locally at the intersection of the electrodes. In the discharge, UV energy is radiated, which excites the color phosphor located nearby. The photons radiated by the phosphors are observed by the viewers. The voltage-current relationship in PDP is shown in Fig. 15.6. When the voltage applied between the electrodes is small, there is little current. When the voltage reaches the breakdown point, the current in the cell increases rapidly. The voltage-current characteristic is highly nonlinear at the breakdown voltage Vr (see Fig. 15.6). Hence, a mechanism must be developed to control the current. In order to control the discharge, an dielectric layer is generally placed near the top electrode of the panel to form a capacitor [3]. When a cell is fired, the dielectric layer accumulates charge, and reduces the effective voltage applied to the electrodes. When enough charge accumulates at the dielectric layer, the voltage drops and the discharge is stopped. However, the charge on the dielectric, known as the wall voltage, remains in the dielectric layer. If this charge is not erased, it will fire the cell and emit a pulse of light for every successive cycle until the charge is erased by external means.
Note that the PDP is a truly digital display device where the cells are either ON or OFF, resulting in either dark or bright pixels. Hence, a mechanism must be devised to obtain a large number of brightness levels. This is done by a method similar to a digital to analog converter. For example, consider the decimal number 11 that can be represented as 1011 in binary format where the weights of 1, 0, 1, and 1 are 8, 4, 2, and 1, respectively (see Fig. IS.7(a)). Vic\\Cr
© Display Elcctrodes
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Diclectric Laycr Barricr Rcd Phosphor Rcar glass - . • • • • • •
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Figure 15.5. Simplified cross-section of a plasma display panel. Three dots (electrode combinations) are used for three color channels.
+ -----
* --
Normal Glow ubnormal Glow
. . - - Townsend Discharge
Figure 15.6. Voltage-current characteristics ofa PDP Cell. Vr is the firing or breakdown voltage. In the Normal Glow region the cell is ON state.
The cell brightness in PDP can be controlled as follows . Assume that the T time unit to obtain the brightness level of one (i.e., the level just brighter than a complete dark pixel). A brightness level corresponding to gray level 11 can be then obtained by first switching PDP cell has to be made ON for
ON the PDP for 8r time units, switching it OFF for 4r time units, and then switching it ON for 2r, followed by another r time units (see Fig. JS.7(b)). This switching ON and OFF is performed very fast, and due to the lowpass nature of the human visual system, it appears as a smooth brightness level. Even though at any time the pixel illumination is either on or off, the overall brightness would be corresponding to gray level 11 . 1 0 1 1 (binary) = 1x2 3 +Ox2 2 +lx21 +Jx2° =11 (decimal) (a)
Figure 15.7. Controlling cell brightness in a PDP Cell
If the input image to be displayed has 8-bit resolution, the field interval is divided into eight periods (see Fig. 15.8). Each period contains a short time interval to erase the wall voltage in all cells. This is followed by a longer interval to scan all cells and specify whether they are to be ON or OFF (i.e., write bit operation). This is followed by an interval called the sustain interval. In this period, an AC voltage is applied to the cells so that all cells that have wall voltages are fired repeatedly. The sustain interval of two consecutive bits has a ratio of 2:1 (as shown in Fig. 15.8). The light output from the eight sustain periods during each frame adds up with a power of two, similar to how the currents sum up in a conventional DAC. Time~
,£ Erase pertod - .
,.'
i' t
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..I
Sustwn penod
Figure 15.8. Timing diagram for the PDP display . The time intervals are not drawn to scale.
The angle of view in a PDP display is very wide and hence the display is suitable for any viewing situation. Although PDP principles are similar to
the fluorescent lamp, unfortunately, the luminous efficiency is substantially poorer than a fluorescent lamp. Note that the CRTs and the FEDs need high vacuum for their operations, and thus require use of thicker glass plates. The PDP, however, do not require thick glass plates as there is little difference between the inside and outside pressures. In addition, driving a large PDP display is not difficult as the capacitance between the PDP electrodes is small. Unfortunately, even after 30+ years of research and development, PDPs are still expensive compared to the other flat panel displays. Hence, PDP technology is generally used in high-end display applications. For example, the Hitachi model CMP4121HDU is a 42" plasma display TV with 1024 x 1024 display resolution, aspect ratio of 16:9, 16 million colors, 256 levels of gray, unit depth of 3.5" , and 68 Ibs of weight. It costs about U.S $5000 (as of August 2002). However, when the PDP-based HDTV would be manufactured in large quantities, the unit prices are expected to drop.
15.5 LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY LCD displays are based on liquid crystal technology. Typical crystals are solid, and the molecular positions in a crystal are generally ordered, similar to the molecules in other solid materials. The molecules in a liquid crystal, however, do not exhibit any positional order, although they do possess a certain degree of orientational order. The liquid crystals (LCs) can be classified according to the symmetry of their positional order. LCs can be nematic, chiral nematic, smectic or chiral smectic. In nematic liquid crystals, all positional order is lost, only the orientation order remains. Figure 15.9(a) shows the molecules in a nematic crystal [9, 10]. In a chiral nematic, the molecules are asymmetric and this causes an angular twist between the molecules (see Fig. 15.9(b)). In smectic, the molecules tend to exist in layers, and are oriented perpendicular to the plane of layers. Figure 15.9(c) shows molecules in a smectic material with two layers. The smectic material exhibits better viewing angle characteristics and contrast ratio. In chiral smectic, the molecules are in helical structure. The nematic molecules of LCs have a special property - they can be aligned by grooves in the plastic to bend the polarity of the light that passes through them. The amount of bending depends on the electric field (or current) applied. Ordinary light has no particular orientation, so LCs do not visibly alter it. But in polarized light, the oscillations of the photons are aligned in a single direction. A polarizing filter creates polarized light by
allowing light of a particular polarity to pass through. Polarization is the key to the function of LCOs.
Figure 15 .9. Different types of liquid crystals. a) nematic, b) chiral nematic, and c) smectic.
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Figure 15.10. The LCD operation.
The operation of the LCD display is shown in Fig. 15.10. Fluorescent light source emits light that goes through a polarizer. The polarizer outputs the 0° polarized light that enters the LC. If there is no electric field (see the bottom-half of Fig. 15.10), the LC changes the polarization and makes the light 90° polarized. The second polarizer (90°) passes this light, as the polarization matches. This light goes through the color filter, and we see a bright pixel. When an electric field is applied to the LC (see the top-half of Fig. 15.10), the molecular alignment changes. The LC passes the light
without changing the polarization. The 0° polarized light is blocked by the second polarizer (90°). Since no light comes out of the polarizer, we see a dark pixel. The above operation is performed in parallel at each pixel (and at each color channel). A global control mechanism is employed to control the electric field through the local LC corresponding to each pixel. There are primarily two types of control matrices - passive and active. In a passive matrix LCD, each pixel is addressed in sequence by appropriately pulsing the row and column electrodes, and the pulse amplitude is modulated to control the density of each pixel in the display. Because the LC material decays slowly to the unexcited state, the pixel values can be set during the short pulse interval and they are held for some time to obtain a steady picture without flicker. However, because of this operation, the response of the passive-matrix LCD is slow and moving objects on the screen tend to smear.
In an active matrix LCD, also known as Thin Film Transistor (TFT) technology, a transistor switch is integrated on the bottom glass ofthe panel behind every pixel. The transistors set the voltage on each pixel of the panel. Since the transistors can be individually addressed, the voltage switching can be performed rapidly, resulting in significant improvement of the response speed (by a factor of 10) and the contrast ratio. However, adding the switching transistors has an overhead, and hence as a result active matrix costs more than the passive-matrix LCD of same display resolution. Table 15.1 shows the comparison between passive and active matrix LCDs. Table 15.1. Comparison of passive and active matrix ofLCDs. Contrast Viewing Angle Gray scale Response Time Multiplex Ratio Manufacturability Cost
Passive 10-20 Limited 16 100-200ms 480 Simple Moderate
Active 100+ Wide 256 1000 Complex High
Note that the LCD does not emit light; it merely modulates the ambient light, and hence the display power consumption is minimal. Because of its low power consumption and light weight, the LCD is very popular in portable applications. Displays may either be viewed directly or can be projected onto large screens. LCDs, however, have two limitations. First, the angle of view of LCDs is limited «30°) because of the use of polarized light. Second, LCD panels are
difficult to fabricate in larger sizes. Depending on the LCs, LCDs can be of different types such as nematic LCDs, twisted nematic LCDs, super twisted nematic LCDs, active addressing LCDs, and ferroelectric LCDs.
15.6 DIGITAL MICROMIRROR DISPLAY It has been noted that the LCD is a nonemissive transmissive type of display where light is passed either through the LC or blocked. The digital micromirror display (DMD) device is another nonemissive type of display. However, it is of the reflective type where the light is reflected by a large number of mirrors.
The DMD is one of the latest display technologies [11, 12], developed by Texas Instruments in the mid-1990s. It employs sophisticated microelectromechanical system technology to design a large number of micromirrors in a chip, such that the mirrors can individually be rotated by a small angle from their rest position. The micromirror array is attached and controlled by a static RAM array where each RAM cell and the associated mirror correspond to one pixel of the display. The aluminum mirrors can be made as small as 16 x 16 lJ.m, and the number of mirrors in a DMD chip may be as high as a few millions. The mirrors in DMD are generally rotated through an electrostatic attraction. This electrostatic attraction is produced by the voltage difference developed across the air gap between a mirror and its RAM cell. The operation of a single mirror in a DMD display is shown in Fig. 15.11. A light source (such as metal halide arc lamp) emits light that is focused on the mirror. The mirror position is controlled by the pixel intensity stored in RAM cells. In the ON state, the mirror is rotated 10° clockwise; the reflected light passes through the pupil of the projection lens, and a bright pixel is observed. In the OFF state, the mirror is rotated 10° anti-clockwise; the reflected light is not oriented towards the lens. As a result, the reflected light will not pass through, and a dark pixel is seen. The DMD display is a true digital display, in the sense that the light output through the lens is either ON or OFF, resulting in bright and dark pixels, respectively. Gray scale capability in DMD can be obtained by using a digital pulse modulation technique similar to PDP. The mirror switching time can be less than 20 lJ.s. Note that the DMD is basically a monochrome device that produces color identical to the source light. Hence, color is added in the DMD using (stationary or rotating) color filters (see Fig. 15.12).
.4----- Renected light, On state Projection lens
Light from JUuminator
. - - - Renected light, Normal state
, I
Renected light, Off state
+ 100 On State Mirror Position 0° Normal Mirror Pos ilion - 100 Orf State MlITor P ilion
Figure 15.11. Mirror switching in a DMD display
Projection TV Digital projection TV is gaining importance due to the growth of the home theaters and digital cinema [13]. There are several competitive technology for projection TV, such as CRT, active matrix LCD, and liquid crystal light valves (LCL V). Although these technologies are capable of producing good quality images, they also have their limitations. The CRT and LCD systems have limitations in producing high brightness, in addition to their stability and uniformity problems [3,14]. The LCLVs can produce high brightness, but they are expensive, and suffer from stability problem. The DMD is a highly suitable display device for projection use, which is typically known digital light processing technology. Figure 15.12 shows the schematic of DMD-based projection TV. The light from the light source is passed through the color filter, which generates color light (red, green, and blue). The color light is reflected from the DMD mirrors onto the projection lens, which projects the image on to the screen.
Chapter 15: Audio Fundamentals Light ource
olor Filter
-cIlt/"-'' 'y ","
,,/
Input Image
'--
:-----
-____
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Project IOn Lens
Figure 15.12. Projection display using DLP technology . The individual mirror positions in the DMD chip is controlled by the image pixel values.
An example of a DMD display is the Hitachi 55DMXO 1W model which is a 55" rear projection digital TV, with 1280x720 display resolution, 350cd/m2 brightness and an aspect ratio of 16:9.
1. S. Castellano, Handbook of Display Technology, Academic Press, 1992.
1. C. Whitaker, Electronic Displays: Technology, Design, and Applications, McGrawHill, New York, 1994.
A. C. Luther, Principles of Digital Audio and Video, Artech House, 1997.
M. Huang, M. Harrison, and P. Wilshaw, " Displays - the future is flat," European Semiconductor, Vol. 20, No.2, P 15-16, Feb 1998.
S. Tominetti, and M. Amiotti, "Getters for flat-panel displays," Proc. of the IEEE, Vol. 90, No.4, pp. 540-558, April 2002.
C. Ajluni, " FED technology takes display industry by storm," Electronic- Design, Vol. 42, No. 22, pp. 56-66, Oct 25 1994.
S. Itoh and M. Tanaka, "Current status offield-emission displays," Proc. of the IEEE, Vol. 90, No. 4, pp. 514-520, April 2002.
H. Uchike and T. Hirakawa, "Color plasma displays," Proc. of the IEEE, Vol. 90, No. 4, pp. 533-539, April 2002.
V. G. Chigrinov, Liquid Crystal Devices: Physics and Applications, Artech House, 1999.
10. H. Kawamoto, "The history of liquid-crystal displays," Proc. of the IEEE, Vol. 90, No.4, pp. 460-500, April 2002 . 11. L. J. Hornbeck, "Digital light processing for high brightness, high-resolution applications," Proc. ofSPiE: Projection Displays lll, Vol. 3013, pp. 27-40, 1997. 12. P. F. V. KesselL. J. Hornbeck, R. E. Meier, and M. R. Douglass, "A MEMS-based projection display," Proc. of the IEEE, Vol. 86, No.8, pp. 1687-1704, August 1998.
13. E. H. Stupp, M. S. Brennesholtz, and M. Brenner, Projection Displays, John Wiley & Son Ltd, 1998.
Describe different parameters that are important for a display device.
Explain the working principle of CRT.
What is a shadow mask, and an aperture grille? What is meant by the statement "The dot pitch of a TV is 0.30 mm"?
What is the working principle of the Field Emission displays?
Compare and contrastthe CRT display and FED.
Explain briefly the working principle of a plasma display panel (PDP).
How do we achieve gray scale in a PDP? How do we achieve color?
How does LCD work? Is it an emissive display? How do we achieve gray scale in LCD? How is color reproduced in LCD?
Compare passive and active Matrix LCDs.
10. Draw the schematic of the optical switching in a DMD. What is a typical mirror size in DMD? Which technology is used to fabricate a DMD? 11. Compare and contrast LCD and DMD. 12. Explain the principle ofDMD based projection display.
A CD-ROM has been included in this book to provide readers with supplementary reading material, computer programs, and selected digital audio and image data. The MATLAB programs used to demonstrate several examples have been included so that readers can run the programs themselves to process multimedia signals. The MATLAB code has been chosen since it is versatile tool for signal processing and graphical plots. Two HTML codes (corresponding to Chapter 13) have also been included in the CD. In addition, two theses written by the author have been included for those interested to learn more about visual compression and retrieval, especially in the wavelet transform framework. The materials included in the CD are listed below:
A.l MATLAB Functions These are functions called by main MATLAB programs. CD:\MATLAB\dwtorthogonal % Functions for orthog. DWT calculation CD:\MATLAB\dwtbiorthogonal % Functions for biorth. DWT calculation CD:\MATLAB\motion estimation % Functions for motion estimation % Miscellaneous MATLAB Functions CD:\MATLAB\misc
A.2 MATLAB Examples (CD:\programs) These are the original MATLAB programs used in various examples. Example2_1.m Example2_2.m
% audio noise masking % MIDI file
Example4_6.m
% SNR of quantized audio signal
Example5 _2.m Example5_4.m Example5_1O.m
% DFT of 1-D signal % DCT of 1-D signal % 2-D DFT Spectrum
Example7 _3.m Example7 _4.m
% Companding of audio signal
% Calculation of the LPC coefficients
368 Example7_6.m
Multimedia Signals and Systems % DPCM coding of audio signal
Example8_2.m Example8_3.m Example8_6.m Example8_7.m
% DPCM coding of image % DPCM coding of image % Energy compaction using DCT and wavelet % Performance of block-DCT coding
Example9_3.m Example9_4.m Example9_5.m
% Full search motion vector calculation % Fast motion vector calculation % Motion vector calculation for Claire sequence
ExamplelO_1.m Example 1O_2.m ExamplelO_3.m Example10_4.m ExamplelO_5.m ExamplelO_6.m
% Audio filtering % Audio equalization % Noise suppression by digital filtering % Spectral subtraction method % MIDI file % MIDI file
Example11_1.m Example11_2.m Example11_3.m Example 1 L 4.m Example11_5.m Example 1 L6.m Example 1 L 7.m Example11_8.m
% Image interpolation % Image cropping % Image contrast stretching % Histogram Equalization % Image Sharpening % Wipe operation % Dissolve operation % Fade in and out operations
Example12_1.m
% Energy compaction in the YIQNUV color space
A.3 Hypertext Examples (CD:\programs) These are the HTMLIXML programs used in Chapter 13. Example 13_1.htm Example13_2.htm
% HTML code % XML code embedded in HTML
A.4 Supplementary Chapters (CD:\supplementary chapters) Some color figures were originally intended to be included in the book. However, they were ultimately not included in order to reduce printing costs. These figures (Chapters 3 and 8) have been included in the CD.
A.5 Theses (CD:\documents) The following theses were written by the author, and included for interested readers who want to learn more about visual compression and retrieval, especially in the wavelet transform framework. 1. 2.
M. K. MandaI, Wavelets for Image Compression, M.A.Sc Thesis, University of Ottawa, 1995. M. K. MandaI, Wavelet Based Coding and Indexing of Images and Video, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Ottawa, Fall 1998.
A.6 Input Data Files Audio (CD:\data\audio) bell.wav test44k. wav noisy_audio 1. wav noisy _audi02. wav
% An 8-bit, 22.05 KHz audio signal % An 8-bit, 44.1 KHz audio signal % Audio signal with narrowband noise % Audio signal with wideband noise
Images (CD:\data\images) {airplane, baboon, Lena}.tif % standard 512x512 gray level images {banffl, banff2, lakelouise,niagra, geeta} .tif % Miscellaneous images % blurred Lena image lenablur.tif % 256x256 airplane image airplane256.tif
Video (CD:\data\video) {claire 1,claire2 }.tif % two frames from Claire sequence % two frames from football sequence {footballOOO,footbal1002} .tif % frames from two video shots {shot 1,shot3 }. tif
A.7 Output Data Files (CD:\data\) Chapter 2 test {1,2,3,4,5}. wav Examp2_2.mid
% Output of Example 2.1 % Output of Example 2.2
Chapter 10 belll_lpf. wav bell Chpf. wav belll_bpf. way Examp 10_2. wav
% LPF output of Example 10.1 % HPF output of Example 10.1 % BPF output of Example 10.1 % Output of Example 10.2
% Output of Example 10.3 for 128 tap filter Exampl0_3_128tap.wav Examp 1O_3_200tap. way % Output of Example 10.3 for 200 tap filter ExamplO_4.wav % Output of Example 10.4 ExamplO_5.mid % Output MIDI file for Example 10.5 % Output MIDI file for Example 10.6 ExamplO_6.mid
Video CD:\data\chapl1\wipe1 % Transition frames in Example 11.6 CD:\data\chapl1\wipe2 % Transition frames in Example 11.6 CD:\data\chap 11 \dissolve % Transition frames in Example 11.7 CD:\data\chap 11 \fade % Transition frames in Example 11.8
The disk (CD-ROM) is distributed by Kluwer Academic Publishers with absolutely no support and no warranty from Kluwer Academic Publishers. Use or reproduction of the information on the disk for commercial gain is strictly prohibited. Kluwer Academic Publishers shall not be liable for damage in connection with, or arising out of, the furnishing, performance or use ofthe disk (CD-ROM). Copyright © 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers All rights reserved. MATLAB® is a registered trademark of the MathWorks, Inc.
I-D DFf, 88
Authoring, 305
I-D Discrete cosine transform, 90
Authorware, 311
2-D Discrete cosine tranform, 114
Bandpass filtering, 241
2-D Discrete Fourier tranform, III
Baseline sequential Mode, 186
2-D Discrete wavelet tranform, 116
Basis images, 83
2-D Impulse function, 65
Bass, 242
2-D Logarithmic search, 215
Bi-directional Motion Estimation, 220
2-D sampling function, 63
BIFS see Binary format for scences
A-law companding, 152
Binary format for scences, 230
Abrupt transition, 268
Bilinear interpolation, 258
AC family, 163
Bit planes, 196
Acoustic level, 12
Block transform, 91,177
Active matrix LCD, 362
Boost, 241
Adaptive Dictionary, 138
Brightness control, 261
Adaptive Noise Cancelation, 246
Brightness, 37
Aliasing, 61
Butterfly operation, 88
Ambience, 19
Camera operation, 279
Analog copy protection, 349
Candela, 36
Analog to digital Conversion, 71
Card based tools, 309
Analog transmission, 284
Cathode ray tube, 353
Animation, 307
CCIR,206
ANSI, 121
CCnT,185
Anti aliasing filters, 67
CD-DA,346
Aperture grille, 354
CD-R media, 340
Arithmetic coding, 133
CD-ROM, 340, 346
ASCII Code,121
CD-RW, 341
Aspect ratio, 352
Channel Assignment, 291
Audible band, 11
Chromaticity, 48
Audio coding, 156
CIE,45
Audio Compression, 145, 158, 163
CIRC encoding, 344
Audio fidelity criteria, 75
Code-block, 195
Audio formats, 166
Color matching, 44
Audio processing techniques, 239
Colorimetry, 44
Audio-visual object, 226
Compact disc, 334
Auditory masking, 16
Companding, 149
Component video, 295
Envelope, 13
Compression ratio, 147
Equalization, 241
Conjugate direction search, 216
Expanding, 149
Conjugate sysmmetry, 114
Exponent strategy, 165
Content management tools, 324
Extensible Markup Language, 321
Contrast stretching, 262
Extensible Style Sheet Language, 322
Contrast, 37
Fade in/out, 272
Control word, 345
Fast implementation, 88
Controller, 24
Fast Motion Estimation, 214
Conversion tools, 324
FED, see Field emission display
Convolution, 88
Feedback, 95
Cropping, 260
Field emission display, 355
CRT, see cathode ray tube
Filter banks, 157, 160,242
Data description language(DDL), 327
Filtering, 239
DFf transformation matrix, 85
Finite impulse response, 94
Dicrete Fourier Transform, 85,177
First order entropy, 127
Dictionary basrd coding, 184
Folding Frequency, 62
Digital audio, 78
Fourier spectrum, 60
Digital filters, 93
Fourier transform, 57
Digital light processing, 364
Fractal, 184
Digital micro mirror, 363
Frequency, 11
Digital television, 296
Gibbs phenomenon, 96
Digital TV transmission, 297
Gradual transition, 268
Digital versatile disc(DVD), 335, 343
Graphic equalizers, 243
Digital video, 204
Graphical Interchangable Format, 200
Digitization, 204
H.261 standard, 231
Discrete cosine transform, 177, 180,187,228
Discrete time unit impulse function, 84, 85
H.26L standard, 230, 232
Discrete wavelet transform, 179, 194
Hamming window, 96
Display parameters, 351
HDTV,299
Dissolve, 272
Header chunk, 25, 29
DLP, See digital light processing
Hierarchical mode, 192
DMD, See Digital micro mirror
High fiedelity audio coders, 158
Dot-pitch, 354 DPCM, 152, 174
Highpass,241 Histogram equalization, 265
Echo, 19
HTML,318
Emissive display, 352
Hue, 42
Enhanced signal, 252
Huffman coding, 129, 164
Entropy, 125
Human ear sensitivity, 14
Entroy coding, 170, 196
Human visual system, 33
Hypermedia, 315,316
Macromedia Dreamweaver, 324
Hypertext, 315, 316
Mark-up language, 317
Icon based tools, 310
Masking level,
Illumination, 34
MDCT,161
Image compression, 169
Mean absolute error, 81
Image editing software, 281
Mean square error, 211
Image sharpening, 266
Infinite Impulse Response ,94
Discrete, 5
Intensity, 36
Continuous, 5
Interlace scaning, 285
Memoryless entropy
International Standards Organization, 185
Mesopic Vision, 35
Interpolation, 60, 257
MHEG,329
Inverse nonlinear transformation, 150
Mid control, 243
Inverse transform, 106
MIDI Channel Events, 26
ITUR,206
MIDI, 23
Jaggies, 258
Mirror switching, 364
Joint Photographics Experts Group, 186
m-Iaw encoding ,150
JPEG2000, 193
Modulation Transfer Function, 38
Kaiser window, 96
Mono Audio, 20
Karhunen Loeve Transform, 176
Motion Estimation, 208, 209
Knowledge Redundancy, 124, 146,204
Motion JPEG, 222
Lands, 334
MPEGl, 159, 165,222
Layer coding, 160
MPEG2, 158, 162, 165,224
LCD, see Liquid crystal display
MPEG-21,328
Linear Predictive Coding, 152
MPEG4, 226, 227
Linear-spread function, 40
MPEG-7, 323, 327
Links, 316
Multimedia Authoring tools, 308
Liquid crystal display, 360
Multimedia creation tools, 324
Lossless compression, 183, 196
Multi-track Audio, 21
Lossless mode, 192
Music editing tools, 254
Lossy compression, 197
Navigation, 316
Low bit rate audio coders, 158
Nearest neighbor interpolation, 258
Low bit-rate, 146
Nematic crystal, 360
Low pass, 239
Nodes, 316
Luminance, 36
Noiseless coding, 164
LZ77 technique, 138
Nonemissive display, 353
LZ78 tecnique, 140
Non-uniform quantization, 74
LZW technique, 143
Non-uniform quantizer, 150
Mach band, 40
Normal equations, 152
374 Notch Filter, 246 NTSC decoder, 293 NTSC encoder, 293 NTSC, 49, 206, 207,288 Nyquist Criterion, 57, 59 Object oriented tool, 312 Optical technology, 342 Optimum sampling rate, 65 Optimum transform, 176 PAL, 51, 206, 207,289 Parametric representation method, 23 Paraunitary filter bank, 100 Parseval's relation, 109 Passband Filtering, 93 Passive matrix LCD, 362 PDP, see Plasma display panel Peaking filter, 242 Perception, 3 Perceptual bit allocation Perceptual model, 163 Percussion, 27 Periodic extension, 58 Photopic vision, 35 Photoreceptors, 34 Pitch, 11 Pits and lands, 334 Plasma display panel, 357 Portable Graymap, 199 Portable Pixelmap, 200 Predictive coding, 173 Probability density function, 125 Programming tools, 324 Progressive mode, 192 Progressive scaning, 285 Projection TV, 365 PSNR, see Peak signal to noise ratio Peak signal to noise ratio, 81 Psychoacoustics model, 157 Psycho-visual Redundancy, 170, 204 Pulse Code Modulation, 130
Multimedia Signals and Systems Quadraphonic audio, 20 Quadrature mirror filter, 100 Quantization noise, 245 Quantization, 163 Random source vector, 147 Rate distortion function, 147 Redundancy, 128 Reed-solomon coding, 302 Reflectivity, 34 Region of interest coding, 198 Resizing, 257 Resolution, 65 Reverberation, 19 Ripple, 93 Runlength coding, 171 Sampling frequency, 59 Sampling rate, 65 Sampling, 57 Saturation, 42 scalable Sampling Rate, 162 Scale factor, 87, 163 Scene, 268 Scotopic Vision, 35 Seperability, 112 Sequencer, 24 Serial copy protection, 349 Shadow mask, 354 Shanon's noiseless coding theorem,127 Shanon's theorem, 147 Shelving filter, 242 Shot, 267 Sliding window, 139 Slot pitch, 355 Sound intensity, 13 Sound module, 24 Sound wave, 11 Spatial Redundancy, 169 Spectral subtraction, 246, 248 Standard Generalized Markup Language, 31: Static Dictionary, 138
Appendix Statistical Redundancy, 124, 146, 169 Stereo, 20 Stopband attenuation, 94 Stopband filtering, 93 Structural redundancy, 169 Subband analysis, 97 Subband co-efficients, 165 Subband decomposition, 83 Subband, 157 Subwoofer channel, 20 Suppress, 241 Surround sound, 20 Sustain interval, 359 S-video, 295 Synchronization, 8 Tagged Image File Format, 200 Temporal Noise Shaping, 163 Temporal Redundancy,146,151,204,207 Text Compression, 124 IFT, see Thin film transistor Thin film transistor, 362 Timbre, 12 Time based tools, 311 Tone control, 242 Tone quality, 12 Track chunk, 25 Track event, 25 Track header, 25, 29 Track pitch, 335 Transform based decomposition, 83 Transform coding, 175 Transform coefficient matrix, 84 Transition Band, 93 Treble, 242 Trellis coding, 302, 303 Tristimulus value, 45 TV camera, 284 TV reciever, 284 Two band filter bank, 99
375 Unitary transform, 176 Unitary transformation matrix, 84 Unitary transforms, 83 Variable Length Coding, 129 Vector Quantization, 181 Vestigial side band modulation, 302 VFD, 351 Video coding,228 Video compression, 203, 221 Video editing software, 281 Video segmantation, 273 Pixel intensity matching, 274 Histogram-baesd segmentation, 276 Motion vector, 277 Video-CD, 348 VRML, see Virtual reality modeling language Virtual reality modelling language, 227 Visual acuity, 39 Visual fidelity, 79 Waveform representation method, 23 Wavelet coding, 179 Web authoring tools, 323 Weber's law, 37 Wiener filtering, 246 Wipe, 269 Word processing, 313
Signals and Systems
Signals and Linear Systems
MIMO Signals and Systems
Linear Systems and Signals
Signals and Systems with MATLAB
Signals and Systems, 2nd Edition
Fundamentals of signals and systems
Signals and Systems using MATLAB
Signals & Systems Demystified
Structure and Interpretation of Signals and Systems
Introduction to Multimedia Systems
Multimedia Database Management Systems
Analog and Digital Signals and Systems
Schaum's Outline of Signals and Systems
Continuous-Time Systems (Signals and Communication Technology)
MIMO SIGNALS AND SYSTEMS Information Technology. Transmission, Processing, and Storage Series Editor: Jack Keil Wolf...
Linear Systems and Signals, Second Edition B. P. Lathi Oxford University Press 2005 Published by Oxford University Pres...
Report "Multimedia Signals and Systems"
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Found 14 projects
Poster Presentation 1
Add to my favorites Does It Work? McNair Graduates’ Understanding of How Program Participation Impacts Their Experiences in Graduate School
Cristina Restad, Senior, Sociology, Portland State University McNair Scholar
Peter Collier, Sociology
Poster Session 1
Commons West
Easel #13
The Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program’s goal is to introduce first-generation, low-income, under-represented group college students to effective strategies for succeeding in graduate programs. One way to explore program effectiveness is to ask the McNair graduates themselves. This interview study will explore McNair graduates understandings of issues they face in adjusting to graduate school and how McNair participation prepared them for addressing these issues. Typically McNair program evaluations emphasize the collection and analysis of quantitative data – e.g. academic performance and degree attainment; however, little qualitative research has been conducted on graduate’s perceptions of the impact of program participation on graduate school adjustment and success. Using Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital, along with Sociology-based ideas of role-as-resource and role mastery, this study will explore students’ perceptions of the McNair program’s effectiveness in regards to helping them understand the “graduate student” role and to use that role to succeed in graduate school.
Other Sociology major students (18)
Add to my favorites Quorum Sensing in Burkholderia thailandensis
Thao Truong, Senior, Microbiology, Biochemistry
E Peter Greenberg, Microbiology
Josephine Chandler, Microbiology
Easel #116
Quorum sensing is cell density-dependent communication that regulates many functions in bacteria. Signal synthases (I) produce acyl-homoserine lactones, which diffuse into the environment and activate signal receptors (R) when they reach a critical concentration. Synthases and receptors often form cognate pairs. The soil bacterium Burkholderia thailandensis encodes three I-R pairs. The I-R1 system controls cell-cell aggregation and activates many putative aggregation factors including the bce genes that likely encode an exopolysaccharide. The I-R2 system controls antibiotic production. The antibiotics are members of the bactobolin family and are effective against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Both aggregation and antibiotics are believed to promote competitiveness in the diverse soil communities where B. thailandensis is found. We have developed genetic screens to learn more about quorum-controlled antibiotics and aggregation in B. thailandensis. The first screen identified bactobolin-resistant isolates of the soil bacterium Bacillis subtilis, which is normally sensitive to bactobolin. We submitted these mutants for whole genome sequencing to investigate the mutations that confer resistance, and with our results we hope to gain insight into how bactobolin acts on target cells. The second screen was designed to isolate variants that overproduce aggregation factors. Quorum sensing mutants do not wrinkle but variants arise that produce aggregation factors by other means. We are isolating such variants and identifying the underlying mutations to understand how they compensate for the loss of quorum sensing regulation. This may reveal the elements involved in regulating aggregation. These variants will also be useful to learn about the advantages of aggregation in different contexts. Through our two screens we hope to better understand quorum-controlled aggregation and antibiotic phenotypes. Our findings will be useful in further studies of the importance of each of these in competition.
Other Microbiology mentored projects (16)
Add to my favorites A Speech Acoustics Study of Nonword Imitations: Direct Pitch Matching in Men, Women, and Children
Heather Hunter, Senior, Speech and Hearing Sci (Com Disorders)
Beate Peter, Speech & Hearing Sciences
Traditionally, nonword imitations have been used as a measure of phonological awareness. In a recent study of nonword imitations by children where the targets were below the children’s vocal pitch ranges, it was surprising to find that the children matched the low vocal pitch one octave above the targets (Peter et al., 2008). This was interpreted as a covert awareness of the perceptual similarities between octave-shifted vocal pitches. It was unknown whether children and adults would match pitches directly when the target is within their vocal range. This question is addressed in my current project, which also evaluates the role of lexical stress and speech sound disorder (SSD). SSD occurs when articulation and phonological mistakes continue beyond the point when the child should have mastered the sound through normal development. In a dataset collected for a multigenerational family genetics study, men, women, and children imitated nonwords produced by men and women. Each family in the study had a history of SSD represented in several members of the family. Data analysis is complete for all participants in the study. This consisted of determining the fundamental frequency for each vowel in the non-word for two different imitation tasks (Syllable Repetition Task and Tennessee Test of Rhythm and Intonation Patterns). The participant’s fundamental frequency is compared to the fundamental frequency of the target. Results indicated that the participants showed strong evidence for direct pitch matching in these tasks. I am currently working on determining conversational pitch for each individual to show that the participant is changing his/her pitch to match that of the target voice. In addition, I am determining what effect SSD has on the direct pitch-matching task. Finally, I will also consider the role of stressed verses unstressed syllables has on the expected pitch matching.
Other Speech & Hearing Sciences mentored projects (11)
Other students mentored by Beate Peter (2)
Add to my favorites The Role of Sequencing Deficits Across Multiple Modalities in Childhood Apraxia of Speech
Le Allen Button, Senior, Speech and Hearing Sci (Com Disorders)
Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a proposed motor speech disorder. At present, there is no universally accepted catalogue of diagnostic criteria for CAS. Peter & Raskind described a motor-based familial speech disorder in two multigenerational families where one or more children had a diagnosis of CAS. The current study attempted a qualitative analysis of errors made by adult members of five multigenerational families (N = 22), including the two families with the previously described motor-based speech disorder subtype, on real word and nonword repetition tasks, rapid automatic naming tasks, and measures of reading. In one family, three biologically related individuals showed slowed alternating, but not repetitive, oral movements and deficits in sequencing during multisyllabic word and nonword repetition and reading, but unimpaired naming speeds. Results are consistent with a familial CAS subtype characterized by multimodal sequencing deficits, which has implications for future diagnosis and treatment of CAS.
Add to my favorites A Speech Acoustics Study of Nonword Imitations: Octave-Shifted Pitch Matching in Men, Women, and Children
Bronsyn Foster Springer, Senior, Speech and Hearing Sci (Com Disorders)
Past studies have documented that musical tones separated by an octave interval are perceived as highly similar (“octave equivalence”). A recent study of children showed that they downshifted their fundamental frequency (F0) during a nonword imitation task to match the target, which was below their vocal ranges, at an octave above the target. This was the case for stressed syllables in all children and for unstressed syllables as well in the children without speech sound disorder (SSD). This finding was interpreted as implying that children utilize the octave equivalence effect to enhance their imitations when the target is below their vocal ranges. Here, we expand on this finding by investigating the hypothesis that octave-shifted pitch matching can also be observed in adults. Specifically, we ask whether men match a target spoken by a female adult at an octave below the target, and whether women and children match targets spoken by a male adult an octave above the target. Participants were not asked to match the pitch of the target; they were simply instructed to imitate the nonwords as they heard them. For each participant, imitation/target ratios were calculated and averaged. As in the 2008 study, the role of lexical stress and speech sound disorder (SSD) is addressed as well. Initial results show octave shifting occurred most often with the adult male participants. One woman directly pitch-matched the male target. During the remainder of this project, we will evaluate the role of lexical stress in each participant group and the role of an SSD history in the adults. We will also compare conversational F0 for each participant, drawing on the results from a companion study. Evidence of pitch matching at an octave interval implies the presence of octave based perceptual similarity in speech sounds.
Oral Presentation 1
Add to my favorites Constraining the Mass of NGC 4258 with Satellite Galaxies
Meghin Spencer, Senior, Astronomy, Physics Washington Research Foundation Fellow
Peter Yoachim, Astronomy
Session 1Q: Adventures in Astronomy
Galaxy formation theories call for all galaxies to be embedded in massive extended dark matter halos. Ideally, we would use thousands to millions of tracer particles to map the dynamical environment around galaxies to constrain the properties of dark matter. Reality limits us to using only the dynamical tracers that are luminous enough to actually be observed. The spiral galaxy NGC 4258 has numerous small galaxies surrounding it that appear to be satellite galaxies, and can therefore be used as dynamical tracers. To determine if these smaller galaxies are indeed satellites, we examine their redshifts by combining spectroscopic observations from the APO 3.5-meter telescope with SDSS spectra. Of the 33 observed objects, 22 appear to be members of the system. Using the projected line-of-sight velocities of the satellite galaxies and a Jeans equation approximation, we estimate the mass of NGC 4258 out to a radius of 260kpc to be 6x1012 solar masses with an error of 50%. When utilizing a more rigorous set of criteria to determine which candidate galaxies are actually satellites, we are left with only 8 true satellites and derive a new mass to be 1.3x1012 solar masses out to a radius of 230kpc. Further observations are expected to yield around 20 to 40 more satellite velocity measurements, which will improve our mass estimate and significantly reduce our error. By searching the SDSS database, we believe we can find other galaxy systems that host enough satellites to repeat this technique.
Other Astronomy mentored projects (16)
Other students mentored by Peter Yoachim (1)
Add to my favorites Range of Fire Based on Gunpowder Combustion Products
Jennifer Murillo, Freshman, Pre-Health Sciences
Lisa Peterson, Engineering
MGH 241
Estimation of the firing range is often critical for reconstructing gunshot fatalities, where the main measurable evidence is the gunshot residue aslo known as stippling and soot, which will be used throughout the study. In the present study, a diverse range of gunshot wounds with four different guns with their appropriate ammunition have been used to gain knowledge about the image and patterns of gunshot wounds depending on the weapon and the firing distance. There were a total of 21 target shootings, there are about 6 targets per weapon used each with varying tested distances (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 in.). By increasing the firing distance away from targets, targets demonstrated a clear decrease of soot pattern (the black powder left by the firing) and increase of stippling (gunshot residue- burnt gunpowder) diameter. Further analysis showed a linear relationship between the diameter of stippling and the firing range. The amount of soot and stippling was highly dependent upon the gun and ammunition used. The results allowed a basis for estimating the firing range in diverse gunshot wounds, helping to determine the manner of death between suicide or homicide. The reason that the research has to be re-done various times, due to law and individual cases, but the research sets a starting point to where the detectives can initiate study.
Other Engineering mentored projects (2)
Add to my favorites The Effects of Hydrogen Sulfide on Phaseolus vulgaris and Pisum sativum
Katie (Kate) Jenks, Junior, Biology (Plant)
Racheal Lynn Jappert, Freshman, Pre-Sciences
Mathew Thomas (Mathew) Summers, Sophomore, Pre-Sciences Mary Gates Scholar
Suven Prakash Nair, Junior, Biology (General)
Frederick Dooley, Biology, Everett Community College
Peter Ward, Biology
Paleontological evidence has shown that during large scale extinction events, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) rises to abnormal levels in Earth’s atmosphere. To survive these extinction events, an organism would be required to counter-act the negative effects of H2S by evolving unique adaptations. It can be hypothesized that many of these unique adaptations still exist in present-day lineages. Modern plants, for example, may have developed a method of utilizing H2S in order to survive, and possibly thrive, in what would be considered a highly toxic atmosphere. Through experiments involving species Phaseolus vulgaris and Pisum sativum, it was discovered that applications of H2S to seedlings increased growth at rates of up to 200% within 1 week. In addition to the increases in growth, increases in plant mass and photosynthetic activity were also observed. In order to better understand the effects of H2S on P. vulgaris and P. sativum, seeds of the species were also exposed to H2S, under the same controlled conditions. The effects of the seed experiment were similar to the initial seedling tests. Time to germination decreased with exposure, and the overall rates of germination increased. Large scale implications of these findings present benefits such as greater crop yields and perhaps a more efficient method of bio-fuel production. Continuing research of H2S and its effects on plant life could someday create a powerful means to deal with our ever-expanding human population…and the ever-expanding human footprint that goes along with it.
Other Biology mentored projects (62)
Add to my favorites Sedimentary Analysis of Gran Barranca, Argentina
Mark Friedman, Junior, Environmental Science, UW Tacoma
Sian Davies-Vollum, Environmental Science
Peter Selkin, Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences (Tacoma Campus)
The Sarmiento formation in the Gran Barranca region of Argentina is comprised of eolian, fluvial and volcanic sediment formed between twenty and forty million years ago. Climate change, sea level variation and tectonics driving subsidence were all important factors in the deposition of the Sarmiento Formation and research on the paleoenvironments of the region includes study of eolian and fluvial processes, paleoclimate and the evolution of grasslands. The sediment of the 33.581 million year old Vera section of the Sarmiento Formation is the focus of this study. To better understand the environments of deposition of this section, grain size and magnetic susceptibility were analyzed for over fifty sediment samples. A particle size analyzer was used to provide grain size distributions for each sample, which were then used to look for loess signatures in the sediment. Loess (wind blown sediment) is predominantly composed of fine sand and silt sized particles, and its detection can be evidence of arid, windy climates. Ongoing sedimentary analysis has revealed a predominance of silt sized particles, indicating a loess signature. Magnetic susceptibility analysis is a process that identifies iron-bearing minerals in sediment. The amount of iron present in the Vera sediment can be an indication of chemical weathering in Gran Barranca during the Eocene. Extent of weathering can also indicate past climate conditions. The results of the grain size and magnetic susceptibility analysis for each individual sample will be related to stratigraphic height and age so that a history of climate and environmental change for the Sarmiento Formation can be created.
Other Environmental Science mentored projects (12)
Other students mentored by Sian Davies-Vollum (2)
Other students mentored by Peter Selkin (2)
Add to my favorites Extraction and Analysis of the Constituents of Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus)
Sean Croke, Senior, Chemistry, Ethnobotany, Seattle Pacific University
Josh Navez-Barry, Junior, Chemistry, Mycology, Seattle Pacific University
Peter Pessiki, Chemistry, The Evergreen State College
Commons East
Over the past ten years we have analyzed a variety of plants that produce volatile oils grown in our Chemical Garden on The Evergreen State College campus. These plants lend themselves well to extraction by steam or ethereal solvents and are easily analyzed through Gas-Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). The plants we have focused on are garlic, St. John's Wort, hops, mints, and lavender. This poster reports on our progress towards isolating and identifying individual constituents of Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus), a local plant with a long history of use as a medicine. We have been curious as to the best time of year to harvest the plant, as there is some debate in the herbalism community on this point. The Devil's Club was distilled at different times of the year and analyzed using GC/MS. The non volatile constituents were extracted using a number of different solvents and analyzed using Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC). This research will provide information on the effects of harvest time on constituent levels, as well as providing knowledge of the chemical make up of this plant.
Other Chemistry major students (22)
Other Chemistry mentored projects (28)
Add to my favorites Tracking Heavy Metal Contamination using Magnetism and Mineralogy in Tacoma
Rodgerick (Rod) Wells, Senior, Environmental Science, UW Tacoma
Easel #9
Through much of the 20th century, the ASARCO copper smelter in Tacoma released heavy metal-rich ash, contaminating local soils and sediments. However, the smelter plant is not the only source of contamination: arsenate pesticides and other heavy metal sources contributed to soil contamination. Understanding the source of contamination can lead to remediation or replacement of contaminated soil. Here we use soil magnetic properties to identify minerals associated with smelter contamination. Specifically, iron bearing minerals can uniquely identify emissions generated from the smelting process. We use magnetic susceptibility (both high and low field), coercivity and magnetic remanence to produce a “magnetic fingerprint” of minerals from smelter dust. These properties are affected by grain size and mineralogy of magnetic particles. Remanance (Mr/Ms) and susceptibility/coercivity (LF/Hc) ratios are similar in all soils regardless of degree of contamination. However, high field susceptibility does appear to be related to arsenic concentrations of smelter contamination (R2= 0.4656). Further sampling and testing are being conducted to extend that relationship to other sites. Our results suggest that magnetic properties and testing can be used to efficiently and cheaply assess smelter contamination throughout the South Puget Sound region.
Add to my favorites Islamic Influence in the Banda Islands: An Investigation of Fecal Lipid Biomarkers of Archaeological Sediments, Site Formation Processes and Geochemistry on Banda Neira, Indonesia
Ian Daniel Ostericher, Senior, Anthropology Undergraduate Research Conference Travel Awardee
Peter Lape, Anthropology
The Banda Islands in Indonesia have been important cultural and trade centers for centuries. With their unique native nutmeg production, they have attracted merchants from around the world including Islamic spice traders and Dutch and British merchant companies. The site of BN1 located on Banda Neira Island may contain an important archaeological record of early contact with Islam. Following the thinking that behavioral and dietary changes soon follow religious conversions, this study looks to the presence and use of pigs as a proxy for Islamic versus Animistic religious orientation. I examine the density of pig skeletal remains through time by using tradeware ceramics as chronological markers. Additionally, I investigate the site formation processes with geochemical methods and search for chemical evidence of pig presence in the form of fecal lipid biomarkers. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry of total lipid extracts from the BN1 archaeological sediments can determine with greater resolution and accuracy the presence or absence of pigs at the site based on known sterol lipid ratios derived from decomposed feces. This suite of archaeological and geochemical data will provide an insightful picture of local-level impacts of Islam in the Banda Islands.
Other Anthropology mentored projects (38)
Add to my favorites Rock Deformation due to Diurnal Variation of Insolation
Kathleen Nicole (Kathleen) Moore, Junior, Computer Engineering NASA Space Grant Scholar
Peter Mackenzie-Helnwein, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Bernard Hallet, Earth & Space Sciences
Jian Shi, Civil and Environmental Engineering
All solid materials have a stress limit beyond which cracks and ultimately fractures will develop; we are analyzing the possibility of uneven solar heating as a process that causes cracking. Research at the Universities of New Mexico and North Carolina drew attention to patterns of near vertical cracks in desert rocks, which known weathering processes cannot sufficiently explain. To investigate, temperature and strain data as well as cracking events were recorded using an instrumented boulder. We created a 3D-Finite-Element-simulation of the boulder incorporating thermal radiation, heat conduction, and thermo-mechanical stress analysis. Simulation provides the link between insolation and stresses, allowing us to assess size and shape effects on tensile stresses. We are validating our model by comparing measured and simulated temperature and strain data. As an example, we are calculating the maximum and minimum strain for each surface collection point and validating them against provided data. We expect to find that uneven heating from the diurnal cycle of the sun creates tensile stresses sufficient to cause cracking in these rocks. Future research will include a comprehensive data analysis concerning stress distribution and orientation within spherical boulders of various sizes, and an assessment of potential crack growth rates and crack orientation.
Other Civil and Environmental Engineering mentored projects (19)
Add to my favorites Spectral Analysis of Dwarf Satellite Galaxies
Denise Schmitz, Sophomore, Pre-Major
Measurements of the rotation of galaxies indicate that visible matter cannot account for all of a galaxy's mass. The prevailing theory is that each galaxy is surrounded by a halo of dark matter. Dark matter halo mass can be determined by measuring the velocities of dwarf satellite galaxies orbiting a central galaxy. We used data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) DR8 and HyperLeda databases to identify massive, isolated galaxies including M94, M101, and NGC 2841 and prioritize their satellites for observation. Next we will make spectrographic observations to determine satellite velocities and use these results to infer the mass of the central galaxy. By comparing this value to the amount of visible mass in the galaxy, we will determine the mass of the dark matter halo.
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Amazon is making a ‘Lord of the Rings’ prequel series
Amazon is making aLord of the RingsTV show, but it isn’t a straight adaptation of the greatest fantasy series of all time — it’s a prequel. The show, which already carries a multi-season commitment, will “explore new storylines preceding J.R.R. Tolkien’sThe Fellowship of the Ring.”
Of course,The HobbitprecedesFellowshipby many years, but that story was tainted so ably by the absurd trilogy it was inadvisedly extended into that it will probably be some years before anyone feels like revisiting it.
It’s possible the new series will mine the ponderous but richSilmarillionfor material, as fan fiction writers and lore aficionados have done for decades. The exploits of the Elf-Lords of old would make for a stirring epic, while many would thrill at the possibility of seeing Moria at the height of its grandeur.
So much depends on the quality of the adaptation, though. Amazon has been pretty good about its Originals, but this will be an undertaking far beyond the scope of anything its studios and partners have yet attempted. Amazon is partnering with New Line Cinema, which of course was the film company behind the much-loved trilogy that began in 2001, and the Tolkien Estate, as well as HarperCollins for some reason.
The deal also “includes a potential additional spin-off series,” presumably if it’s popular enough. Of course it will all be available exclusively to Prime members.
As a fan, I’m cautiously optimistic. Elendiiil!
TagsAmazonLord of the Rings
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Wes Hills
Running Back #4
Team: Arizona Cardinals
Ht / Wt: 6'1" / 214 lb.
College: Delaware
Born: None
Drafted: 2019 / UDFA
Wes Hills: Heads to waivers
Hills was waived by the Lions on Saturday.
Analysis: Following a slew of injuries to the Lions' backfield, Hills was promoted from the practice squad and was active for Week 15's matchup versus the Buccaneers. He ended up rushing 10 times for 21 yards and two touchdowns, and he caught both targets for one yard. He could land back on the practice squad in case another injury bug lands in Detroit.
September 5, 2020 9:23 PM EST
Wes Hills: Back in Detroit
The Lions re-signed Hills on Thursday, Chris Burke of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Hills was waived by the Lions on Monday, but he now rejoins the team after just a handful of days. He drew one start for Detroit in 2019 due to a litany of injuries at the running back position, the only contest for which he was active. He'll now compete for a similar reserve role.
August 20, 2020 4:37 PM EST
Wes Hills: Waived by Lions
Hills was waived by the Lions on Monday, Benjamin Raven of MLive.com reports.
Analysis: Hills had a short-lived moment of fantasy relevance last fall when numerous injuries to the Lions backfield allowed him to earn a starting nod in Week 15. However, he was a healthy scratch in every other 2019 contest, and the Slippery Rock product is now being let go in order for Detroit to sign ex-Colts running back Jonathan Williams.
August 17, 2020 9:07 AM EST
Wes Hills: Ends season as healthy scratch
Hills (coach's decision) was not active for Sunday's 23-20 loss to Green Bay.
Analysis: Hills wasn't needed with Kerryon Johnson and Bo Scarbrough healthy and he thus took a seat for the third consecutive game. However, it's still been a relatively successful year considering his spot start in Week 15 was Hills' first career appearance in a regular-season game since going undrafted in 2017. In that outing, Hills rushed 10 times for 21 yards and two touchdowns while catching one of two passes for a single yard. The Slippery Rock product will now be an exclusive-rights free agent at the end of the league year.
December 30, 2019 1:51 PM EST
Wes Hills: Healthy scratch Sunday
Hills (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Broncos,.
Analysis: Hills made his NFL debut in Week 15 against the Buccaneers, rushing 10 times for 21 yards and two scores. It was an impressive introduction to the NFL by fantasy standards, but he was overall inefficient. With Kerryon Johnson (knee) back in the lineup, Hills' services won't be needed against the Broncos.
Wes Hills: Scores pair of TDs in debut
Hills, promoted from the practice squad Saturday, rushed 10 times for 21 yards and two touchdowns and brought in both his targets for one yard in the Lions' 38-17 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday.
Analysis: With Bo Scarbrough (ribs) inactive, Hills ended up pacing the Lions' backfield in carries and rushing yards. Although that lead role didn't actually equate to any useful yardage from a fantasy perspective, the 24-year-old cashed in with a pair of one-yard scoring runs in which he should off the power his 218-pound frame can summon in close quarters. If Scarbrough is ready to return for a Week 15 matchup against the Broncos, Sunday may have been Hills' proverbial moment in the sun for 2019, but it's also possible the Slippery Rock product continues to hold down a spot on the active roster for evaluation purposes over the final pair of games.
Wes Hills: Taking first-team reps in warmups
Hills was spotted taking reps with the Lions' first-team offense in warmups prior to Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, Justin Rogers of The Detroit News reports.
Analysis: Warmups aren't always indicative of how teams plan to proceed once kickoff arrives, but Hills' inclusion with the starters suggests he'll likely have some sort of role Sunday with top back Bo Scarbrough (ribs) sidelined. With Ty Johnson and J.D. McKissic having largely unimpressed in their opportunities as ballcarriers this season, coach Matt Patricia could give Hills the first chance to spark the ground attack Sunday. Given that the practice squad callup has yet to make his NFL debut, he won't make for much more than a dart throw in fantasy playoff matchups or DFS contests.
December 15, 2019 9:37 AM EST
Wes Hills: Moves to active roster
Hills was signed to the Lions' active roster Saturday.
Analysis: Hills figures to be a depth piece for a beat up Lions backfield, although it's unlikely his stay with the 53-man roster will be for long, as Kerryon Johnson (knee) is expected to make his return as soon as next week.
Wes Hills: Snags practice squad spot
The Lions added Hills (undisclosed) to their practice squad Wednesday, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Analysis: Hills was let go by the Cardinals on Sept. 2 with an injury settlement, but as evidenced by this news, has shaken off his injury and returned to the field. The undrafted free agent will now focus on making a good impression in practice, pushing for a 53-man roster spot.
October 9, 2019 4:48 PM EST
Wes Hills: Reaches injury settlement
Hills (undisclosed) reached an injury settlement with the Cardinals on Monday, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: The undrafted free agent signed on with the Cardinals in the spring but suffered an undisclosed at some point during training camp. The back will shift his focus to making a full recovery before attempting to sign on with a new team.
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Eurovision 2017: Belarus’ Naviband in focus
Álvaro Sanabria-Rangel / 19th December 2020 at 15:01 / Eurovision Song Contest / Belarus
Naviband representing Belarus at the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest
In 2017 Belarus made it to the final after not qualifying for two years. Naviband, a folk band lead by Artem Lukyanenko and Ksenya Zhuk, who are a couple in their private life, had the honour to bring Belarus back. Three years after their achievement most of the fans remember ‘Story of My Life’ and the feelings of joy and sweetness it brings.
In 2017 the Belarusian public broadcaster organised a national selection for Eurovision. Belarus had failed to qualify to the Grand final for two years in a row. Thirteen contestants participate in the national final. Naviband participated as NAVI with their song Historyja majho žyccia (translated as “Story of My Life”).
Naviband won the vote of the jury but ended only in fifth place in the televote. However, their overall result was enough to put them in first place. Therefore, Naviband waved the Belarusian flag in Kyiv.
1 Story of My Life – opinions from fans
2 Naviband – a mini biography
Naviband performed their song Story of My Life in the second semifinal. This was the first Eurovision entry from sung in Belarusian language. Story of My Life qualified in ninth place to the Grand Final.
On the night of the Grand Final, Arciom Lukjanienka and Ksienija Žuk from Naviband performed Story of My Life. They wore white dresses. The couple sung their song in a platform that resembled the bow of a boat. Arciom played the guitar while he danced with Ksienija. During their performance the screen showed moving city landscapes and fireworks as they continued their journey. At the end of their performance, Arciom and Ksienija kissed.
Story Of My Life received 83 points in the final and ended in 17th place. Arciom Lukjanienka wrote the lyrics for Story of My Life.
Story of My Life – opinions from fans
In order to find out what Eurovision fans today think of this Belarus entry from 2017, we asked our Eurovision Fan Panel. It includes team members as well as fans from all over the world.
🇨🇴 🇫🇮 Álvaro S.- I found this couple very charismatic and sweet. This song has heart and the feeling of joy it gives is contagious. I also like that they brought this boat and the images in the backdrop.
🇩🇪 Pascal W. – I‘ve loved this song from the first time I heard it. The revamp made it even better and less repetitive. They have such great energy and charisma and you just have to love them.
🇩🇰 Charlotte J. – This is a lovely couple and a cute likeable entry too. I am onboard, but not waving the biggest flag. I like listening to it, but it’s not one I would put on a playlist myself. Seeing that it finished 17th in the final, viewers probably had the same issue: They liked it, but didn’t take the action to vote for it. Going through the list of songs in the final that year, I would have placed this just around 10th.
See alsoHurricane confirmed as Serbia’s representatives for Eurovision 2021
🇱🇻 Janis O. – Poor Belarus, this country often is underestimated. This was one of my favourite acts from Belarus. Cute couple, nice song and so funny attitude. I like our creepy neighbours.
🇬🇧 Michael O.- This was one of the better entries from Belarus and at some point I had it as a potential winner. However as time has progressed I tired of their cutesy wootsyness.
🇪🇸 Alexander S. – In 2017 Belarus chose the duet Naviband with the song Historyja Majho Zyccia a very folkie song which was sung in Belarussian. They talk about their live story as they are a real couple. Besides, they got dressed in white, with a wheel on stage. They got a 17th place which, in my humble opinion, is a very low result.
See alsoEurovision 1995: Norway's Secret Garden in focus
🇬🇧 Mhairi O. – For me Naviband was one of the best in 2017. They had so much positive energy which made me like the song. I thought they would have been top ten but maybe performing early on didn’t help.
🇨🇿 Josef S. – I remember when I heard Story of My Life for the first and I knew immediately that this traditional-vibed song is something which will do pretty good at Eurovision. And it did. I love how folky it sounds, that it is in Belarusian language and the simple staging with the boat. On top of that, Naviband are simply a cute duo, which is something that always pays out at Eurovision.
🇹🇷 Günec N. – This folk song from the romantic duo is not one of my favourites. They have a nice energy on stage but the song itself was not my cup of tea.
Enjoy Naviband’s performance from the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in the embedded video. Below the video, you can read more about them.
Naviband – a mini biography
Naviband is a Belarusian folk, indie and acoustic rock band based in Minsk. Guitarist Arciom Lukjanienka and keyboardist Ksienija Žuk are the main vocalists of the band. They are also the most well known members of Naviband. Guitarist Aliaksandr Taboĺski, bassist Uladzislaŭ Čaščavik, and drummer Uladzimir Biehier are also part of the band.
Arciom and Ksienija started working together in 2013 as a duo. The band fully formed in 2015. In 2016 they made their first attempt to compete in Eurovision with the song Heta ziamla. They finished in fourth place in the national final. One year later, they represented Belarus with the song Story of My Life in Kyiv. In December, 2017 Naviband released the music video for A Dzie Žyvieš Ty?. In this video they also announced that Arciom and Ksienija were expecting their first child. The band has so for released five studio albums.
Naviband has been politically involved in the 2020 protests in their country. They have expressed their support for political change and democracy. For instance, their latest song Devochka v Belom from September 2020 is dedicated to female protesters.
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Eurovision 2015: Latvia’s Aminata in focus
Eurovision 2005: Monaco’s Lise Darly in focus
Written by Álvaro Sanabria-Rangel from Finland/Colombia
View profile and more posts from Álvaro
19th December 2020 in Eurovision Song Contest. Tags: NaviBand, Story Of My Life Countries: Belarus
On the road to… The Netherlands
Following Duncan Laurence's victory, the prepations for the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest were in full swing when the contest was sadly cancelled due to Covid-19. The Netherlands are now preparing for their fifth time hosting the contest in 2021. Whether you will attend as a visitor or watch it in front of the TV screen, a fantastic event is awating you. Below we have gathered a collection of articles about the preparations, to keep you updated on what to expect.
What will happen with my Eurovision tickets according to EBU's four scenarios?
Today, EBU revealed a four scenario plan to make Eurovision 2021 happen. They want to ensure all fans that the Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Rotterdam no matter what. What will happen with my current Eurovision tickets? Is it still possible to get tickets for next year contest? We try to get answers. Read more
Rotterdam 2021: Eurovision to take place on the 18th, 20th and 22nd of May 2021
It’s time to save the date, and perhaps start looking for flights and accommodation too. Just remember to secure yourself in terms of refunding. We know the host city, and the dates for Eurovision 2021, but not yet under which circumstances, it will be held. Read more
Use your Eurovision 2020 tickets for 2021 - or get a refund.... under these circumstances
EBU just confirmed that tickets already bought for the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest are valid for next year. Fans will have the opportunity to re-use their tickets for the 2021 event – or to get a refund. But it happens under restrictions. Read more
Belarus prepare for national selection with final in February or March
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Did today’s Junior try out for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest work?
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Junior Eurovision 2020: Belarus’ Arina Pehtereva in focus
18th November 2020 at 19:26 Josef Štaif
Eurovision 2021: 41 countries to appear at next year’s Eurovision Song Contest
26th October 2020 at 12:47 Michael Outerson
Eurovision 2018: Belarus’ Alekseev in focus
19th October 2020 at 18:36 Gunec Gulun Yazıcıtunc
Lithuania 2021: Five acts proceed to the semi final of Pabandom iš Naujo!
16th January 2021 at 22:00 Michael Outerson
Norway 2021: Blåsemafian feat. Hazel win first Melodi Grand Prix heat
16th January 2021 at 21:17 Charlotte Jensen
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Eurovision 2017: Iceland’s Svala in focus
14th January 2021 at 19:31 Gunec Gulun Yazıcıtunc
Lithuania 2021: Get to know the contestants from Heat 1 of Pabandom iš Naujo!
Eurovision 2005: Sweden’s Martin Stenmarck in focus
Finland 2021: YLE reveal the candidates competing in Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu
France 2021: Four songs in the French national selection you should listen to
Norway 2021: Get to know the participants in first heat
Eurovision 1991: Switzerland’s Sandra Simó in focus
Eurovision 1995: Turkey’s Arzu Ece in focus
Norway 2021: The first 10 Melodi Grand Prix participants presented
Eurovision 2014: Georgia’s The Shin and Mariko in focus
10th January 2021 at 19:52 Wouter van Vliet
Eurovision 2008: Portugal’s Vânia Fernandes in focus
9th January 2021 at 14:57 Álvaro Sanabria-Rangel
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The Other Music Documentary is now available on streaming services
The Other Music documentary makes its digital-platform debut today, streaming now on iTunes and Prime Video.
The film chronicles the 20-year history and legacy of Other Music, the shop on Fourth Street between Lafayette and Broadway, its influence on music in New York City and its closure in June 2016.
It was originally scheduled to have its theatrical debut in April at the IFC Center on Sixth Avenue.
Other Music's owners cited rising rents and the growing hardship of selling music out of a physical store as reasons behind the closure.
Labels: Other Music
I saw it. Very disappointing. Endless drivel, cliched, boring. Doesn't do a good service to that wonderful store, that I loved so much.
Funny: “endless drivel, cliched, boring” hits the nail on the head for OM in general. They were great for a year or so and then became a parody of a hip indie alt record store: a sales staff that clearly thought they were too cool to deal with a majority of the customers coupled with buyers who seemed to not actually understand what a good record was. In the end, the closing of Tower was a far bigger loss.
Probably not going to watch the doc, but I loved the store. Great selection of used records at nice prices + they ordered me new records that weren't in stock. Such a great store overall. Definitely missed.
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