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NCAA Scholarships Class Action
DEFENDANT NAME: National Collegiate Athletic Association, the Pac-12, the Big Ten, the Big 12, the SEC, the ACC
CASE NUMBER: 4:14-md-02541
COURT: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
PRACTICE AREA: Antitrust Litigation, Sports Litigation
STATUS: Damages Claims Settled; Injunction Granted After Trial
CLASS PERIOD:
DATE FILED: 07/11/14
Steve W. BermanJeff D. FriedmanCraig R. SpiegelBenjamin J. SiegelEmilee N. Sisco
Memorandum Denying Motion for Sanctions Against Objector Duncan 04/17/19
Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law 03/08/19
Permanent Injunction 03/08/19
Plaintiffs' Closing Argument 11/20/18
Declaration of Jeff D. Friedman in Support of Plaintiffs' Motion to Compel Testimony of Amy Huchthausen 08/22/18
Exhibit 1 08/22/18
Exhibit 2 - Life of hte College Student-Athlete 08/22/18
Summary Judgment Order 03/28/18
Class Plaintiffs' Motion for Imposition of Appeal Bond Against Objector Appellant 01/31/18
Settlement Agreement 02/03/17
Proposed Order 02/03/17
Motion for Preliminary Approval of Class Action Settlement 02/03/17
Declaration of Daniel Rascher 02/03/17
Order Denying Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings 08/05/16
Consolidated Plaintiffs' and Jenkins Plainitffs' Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Opposition to Defendants' Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings 05/31/16
Ninth Circuit Order 02/26/16
Motion to File Under Seal 02/16/16
Order Granting Class Certification 12/04/15
Brief 08/08/14
Amended Consolidated Complaint 07/11/14
Frequently Asked Questions 05/05/14
Complaint 03/05/14
206-623-7292 info@grantinaidsettlement.com
CASE UPDATE
Per the rules of the Supreme Court of the United States, the objector has had until July 16, 2019 to seek further review of the appeal in the Supreme Court. As of July 17, 2019, the objector has not sought further review of the appeal so the appeal is now fully resolved and we expect settlement checks to begin mailing out to Class members by approximately August 23, 2019.
Press Release »
Settlement Website »
We have contact information for nearly 80% of class members eligible for payment. To confirm your information, follow these instructions.
Hagens Berman represents former college football and basketball players in an antitrust class-action lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the NCAA’s most powerful conference members, the Pac-12, Big Ten, Big-12, SEC and ACC, claiming that these entities have agreed in violation of national antitrust laws to unlawfully cap the value of athletic scholarships.
Current or former NCAA athletes seeking more information about the case can contact Hagens Berman at 206-623-7292 or Pearson Simon at 415-433-9000. They can also email info@grantinaidsettlement.com.
The class-action case represents former NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and men’s and women’s Division I basketball scholarship players who have played from February 2010 to the present within those conferences.
The suit alleges that the NCAA and these five Power Conferences have systematically colluded to disrupt the free market and deprive FBS football and Division I men’s and women’s basketball players of the full economic benefits of their labor. According to the complaint, NCAA rules artificially depress the value of athletic scholarships – known as Grants-in-Aid or GIAs – to typically several thousand dollars less per year, per player, than the actual cost to attend an NCAA school.
Named plaintiff – Shawne Alston – played on the West Virginia University football team from 2009 to 2013. He played in dozens of games there, including during his junior year, where Alston led his team in touchdowns and yards per carry. The WVU Mountaineers were ranked in the top 25 for most of the season and played Clemson in the Bowl Championship Series Orange Bowl. The Mountaineers were underdogs against the 14th-ranked Clemson Tigers. Alston and his fellow Mountaineers, however, would go on to crush the Tigers 70-33 and set several bowl records for scoring. Alston suffered multiple serious injuries while playing football at WVU. He graduated in the summer of 2012, only three years after first enrolling at WVU. After graduating, Alston continued taking classes at WVU.
Plaintiff Alston received yearly grant-in-aid scholarships from WVU that were intended to cover all tuition and registration fees, required course-related fees, room, meals and required textbooks, but was significantly lower than the cost of attendance. Alston attempted to make up the difference, which was extraordinarily difficult, through the use of loans and borrowing money from friends and family. Often, however, Alston did not have enough food to eat or sufficient clothes for the cold winters.
In 2015, Alston earned his MBA from University of the Southwest with a specialization in law enforcement. Since 2015, he and his cousin have co-owned and operated a wine and piano bar in Hampton. He is also currently in the process of opening a sports bar in Newport News. He ultimately plans to go to law school.
The complaint alleges that in a market unrestricted by NCAA and member restrictions on GIAs, schools would compete for heavily recruited athletes like Alston and pay at least the full cost of attendance. The lawsuit seeks an injunction to prohibit any agreement on capping GIAs and past damages for players who had to pay the difference between their scholarship and the cost of attendance as a result of the illegal agreement.
The complaint alleges that each of the five Power Conference Defendants has stated that they would implement an increase in GIAs, and that every FBS and Division I player would likely receive additional compensation above the cost of attendance, if they were not bound by collusive agreements with other Division I schools.
Additionally, the complaint alleges that the defendants, “repeatedly claim powerlessness, year after year, to change their lucrative status quo, because smaller NCAA members won’t agree to the change. Were the Defendant Conferences to act unilaterally, each would raise the GIA cap above the current levels.”
The suit was filed on behalf of FBS football players and Division I basketball players by lead attorneys Steve Berman and Bruce Simon. Berman is the managing partner of Hagens Berman and the lead attorney in related cases Owens v. NCAA, in which football players are challenging the NCAA’s neglects to protect student-athletes from concussions, and Keller v. NCAA, in which student-athletes are challenging the NCAA's ability to sell their likeness to video-game publishers.
Simon is a lead partner at Pearson Simon, and one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys in O’Bannon v. NCAA, where student-athletes challenged the NCAA’s restraints on players sharing in the licensing of their images in products such as live broadcasts.
The complaint requested past damages to compensate class members for the difference between the value of scholarships and the actual cost of attending school, and also requests an injunction to enjoin defendants from continuing to enforce their anticompetitive rules.
In late 2017, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken granted final approval of a $208 million settlement on behalf of tens of thousands of current and former college-athletes impacted by the prior NCAA cap on grant-in-aid scholarships. Affected college-athletes can visit the settlement website for an estimated calculation of their individual recovery and eligibility. Currently, distribution of the settlement proceeds is being held up pending resolution of the Ninth Circuit appeal of Darrin Duncan, the only person out of 53,748 class members to object to the deal.
On March 8, 2019, Judge Wilken ruled in favor of the nationwide class of college-athletes and granted their requested injunction. The injunction will prohibit the NCAA from enforcing any rules that fix or limit education-related compensation and benefits provided to college-athletes by schools or conferences in consideration for their athletic services. According to the Court, the NCAA is “permanently restrained and enjoined from agreeing to fix or limit compensation or benefits related to education” that conferences or schools may make available. Judge Wilken held that “the [NCAA’s] rules that permit, limit, or forbid student-athlete compensation and benefits do not follow any coherent definition of amateurism,” and that “[w]hile the evidence shows that student-athletes benefit from receiving a college education, it does not support the notion that any such benefits arise out of, or are caused by, the challenged compensation limits.”
In re: National Collegiate Athletic Association Athletic Grant-in-aid Cap Antitrust Litigation
07/17/19: CASE UPDATE
If You Played NCAA Division I Men’s or Women’s Basketball or FBS Football between March 5, 2010 and March 21, 2017, You May Be a Class Member Entitled to Compensation.
On December 6, 2017, the Court entered an Order granting Final Approval for the Settlement. Unfortunately, there was one objector to the Settlement who has filed an appeal from the Final Approval Order, which means distributions to Class Members cannot begin until that appeal is fully resolved.
On April 17, 2019, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit filed a Memorandum denying the appeal and affirming the lower Court’s Order granting Final Approval for the Settlement.
Per the rules of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the objector has until May 1, 2019 to seek a rehearing of the appeal by the Ninth Circuit Court. Per the rules of the Supreme Court of the United States, the objector has until July 16, 2019 to seek further review of the appeal in the Supreme Court. If no rehearing or further review of the appeal is sought, the appeal will then be fully resolved.
In the meanwhile, Class Members can still submit address changes and substitute W-9 forms through the Estimated Recovery link on the settlement website.
We appreciate your continued patience and we will keep you informed as soon as we know of any update.
03/08/19: Court Grants Historic Trial Win to College-Athletes in NCAA Scholarships Antitrust Class-Action Lawsuit
U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilkin ruled in favor of a nationwide class of college-athletes challenging NCAA-imposed caps on college-athlete scholarships and granted their requested injunction. Read the press release »
On December 6, 2017, the Court entered an Order granting Final Approval for the Settlement. Unfortunately, there was one objector to the Settlement who has filed an appeal from the Final Approval Order, which means distributions to Class Members cannot begin until that appeal is resolved. It is now in the hands of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In the meanwhile, Class Members can still submit address changes and substitute W-9 forms through the Estimated Recovery link.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has set the appeal for an oral argument hearing on Tuesday, April 16, 2019. According to the Ninth Circuit Court’s website, “most cases are decided within 3 months to a year” of the argument date.
Previously, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit set the following briefing schedule for the appeal:
Appellant’s (Objector’s) opening brief due on May 21, 2018. The Objector's Opening brief can be seen here.
Appellees’ (Plaintiff Student-athletes’) answering brief due on June 20, 2018. In an effort to speed up the process, Class Counsel filed the Student-athletes’ answering brief early on June 7, 2018. That answering brief can be seen here.
On June 7, 2018, Class Counsel also filed separate motions with the U.S Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to (1) Dismiss the Objector’s Appeal or, in the alternative, to Summarily Affirm the Settlement, and (2) impose Sanctions on the Objector and his Attorney. Those motions, as well as a Declaration in support can be seen here.
On June 15, 2018, District Court Judge, Claudia Wilken, issued an Order imposing a $5,000 appeal bond on the Objector. Pursuant to that Order, the Objector had until June 25, 2018 to submit proof to the Court of his satisfaction of the bond requirement or proof of his withdrawal of the appeal. Judge Wilken’s Order on the bond can be seen here.
On June 17, 2018, the Objector filed an opposition to Class Counsel’s motions to (1) Dismiss the Objector’s Appeal or, in the alternative, to Summarily Affirm the Settlement, and (2) impose Sanctions on the Objector and his Attorney. That Opposition can be seen here.
On June 22, 2018, Class Counsel filed reply briefs in support of their motions to (1) Dismiss the Objector’s Appeal or, in the alternative, to Summarily Affirm the Settlement, and (2) impose Sanctions on the Objector and his Attorney. Those reply briefs can be seen here and here.
On June 25, 2018, the Objector filed a Notice that he has posted the appeal bond with the U.S. District Court. That Notice can be seen here.
On August 22, 2018, the Court of Appeals issued an Order denying Class Counsel’s motion to dismiss the appeal and referring Class Counsel’s motion to impose sanction on the Objector and his Attorney to the panel assigned to decide the merits of the appeal. That Order can be seen here.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rules on over 12,000 appeals each year and currently has a large backlog of pending appeals. We appreciate your patience as we await a ruling from the Court and we will keep you informed as soon as we know of any ruling or update.
01/31/18: Plaintiffs Seek Bond Against Objector
The class has asked the court to issue a $78,893 appeal bond against Darrin Duncan, the only person out of 53,748 class members to object to the $208 million deal. Read the court document here »
“There are over 40,000 student athletes ready to receive an average check of $4,000 and they are being held up by one objector who is represented by a professional objector," counsel for the athletes Steven Berman told Law360. "The objection is frivolous and this lawyer should be held accountable for the delay, that’s why we brought the motion.”
11/17/17: Federal Judge Granted Final Approval of $208M Settlement
A federal judge has granted final approval of a $208 million settlement on behalf of tens of thousands of current and former NCAA Division 1 student-athletes, ending a novel 2014 antitrust class-action lawsuit stating the NCAA and its power conferences deprived the class of the full cost of attendance and illegally capped scholarships, according to Hagens Berman. Read the press release
“We are pleased with the settlement and look forward to distributing the fund to student athletes early next year,” said Steve Berman, Co-Lead Interim Class Counsel. Affected class members can visit the claims site for FAQs about how to file their claim, notice of the settlement and distribution of funds.
04/07/17: Settlement Pending Court Approval
With the $208.6 million settlement pending court approval in the NCAA grant-in-aid class-action lawsuit, the parties have made available a claims website for affected student-athletes.
03/21/17: $208 Million Settlement Preliminarily Approved
On Mar. 21, 2017, a federal judge preliminarily approved a $208 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by student-athletes against the NCAA alleging it unlawfully capped athletic scholarship values.
Direct notice mailing to affected class members is to begin on Aug. 21, 2017.
Read the latest press release for more information »
02/03/17: Statement from Steve Berman on $208M NCAA Antitrust Settlement
This is a watershed settlement – recovering nearly all of the damages in the case. We’re incredibly pleased with this settlement that brings student-athletes the payment and recognition they deserve. The range of average distribution for class members who played his or her sport for four years at schools who we have shown would have paid more to these kids is currently estimated to be between $5,000 to $7,500. In this area of multimillion-dollar coaches' salaries, and billion-dollar deals and endorsements, it’s time for the NCAA to treat the athletes fairly who make this possible. Only after we filed our case in 2014 did the NCAA amend its bylaws to allow colleges to provide up to the cost of attendance in athletically related aid. And when the court approves the settlement we have reached, student-athletes will finally be getting their fair share of the billions the NCAA rakes in each year in profits from their talent. This settlement is a major victory for student athletes nationwide.”
- Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman and attorney representing the class of student-athletes
08/05/16: Statement from Steve Berman
"The student athletes who are part of this class are pleased that the court agrees we can go forward and challenge the NCAA’s unlawful restraints on the aid that can go to student athletes. In this area of multimillion-dollar coaches' salaries, and billion dollar deals and endorsements, it’s time to treat the athletes fairly who make this possible. We aren’t trying to get them cash, but absent the illegal restraints, schools would offer these athletes educationally related benefits to compete for their playing for a given school."
— Steve W. Berman
05/31/16: Athletes Respond
05/31/16: Athletes have responded to the latest attempt by the NCAA to stop the Alston/Jenkins scholarship case from continuing. more »
12/04/15: Judge Grants Class Certification in NCAA Scholarships Class-Action Lawsuit
A U.S. District Court Judge today granted certification to three classes of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 student-athletes, allowing a first-of-its-kind antitrust class action to continue against the NCAA and the NCAA’s most powerful conference members the Pac-12, Big Ten, Big-12, SEC and ACC, according to law firm, Hagens Berman.
“Our Alston v. NCAA class action was the first case filed that addressed the issue of proper compensation for college athletes, separate from the image rights cases that we also started with the Keller v. Electronic Arts and NCAA litigation. We are pleased that the Jenkins case attorneys agree with our approach and are joining together with us. The NCAA had tried to use a ‘divide and conquer’ strategy, and told the Court that the cases can’t proceed together. The NCAA has failed. Upon court approval, the two groups of attorneys will formally join together to seek fair economic treatment for college athletes. We consider it the antitrust dream team.” — Steve Berman, Managing Partner, Hagens Berman
06/04/14: Big Win for Student Athletes
"A big win in our fight for student athletes today. The MDL panel, over the objection of the NCAA and all of the Power Conferences, has ordered the cases to be consolidated and heard before Judge Wilken who has years of experience with these issues from the Keller and O’Bannon cases." — Steve Berman, Managing Partner, Hagens Berman
NCAA College-Athletes to Receive Checks in $208 Million Antitrust GIAs Class-Action Settlement 07/17/19
Court Grants Historic Trial Win to College-Athletes in NCAA Scholarships Antitrust Class-Action Lawsuit 03/08/19
Court Grants Sweeping Win to Student-Athletes in NCAA Scholarships Class-Action Lawsuit 03/28/18
$208 Million Antitrust Class-Action Settlement on Behalf of NCAA Student-Athletes Receives Final Court Approval 11/17/17
$208 Million Settlement Approved by Court in NCAA Scholarship Antitrust Class-Action Lawsuit 03/21/17
Other Sports Litigation Cases:
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HouseOfNames > Karlyngs
Karlyngs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Karlyngs
The Irish name Karlyngs claims descent from the O'Connors in Donegal where "Carlan" (from the Irish "carla" meaning a "wool-comb" and "an" meaning "one who" which roughly translates as "one who combs wool") was in Irish O'Carlain or O'Caireallain.
Early Origins of the Karlyngs family
The surname Karlyngs was first found in County Limerick (Irish: Luimneach) located in Southwestern Ireland, in the province of Munster, where the name is descended from the O'Connor stem, Kings of Connaught and the family became early associated with the county of Tyrone, and in neighboring counties.
Early History of the Karlyngs family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Karlyngs research.
Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1738, 1799, 1535, 1568, 1670 and 1738 are included under the topic Early Karlyngs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Karlyngs Spelling Variations
Pronunciation, rather than spelling, guided scribes and church officials when recording names during the Middle Ages. This practice often resulted in one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Karlyngs are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include Carlin, Carling, O'Carolan, Carline, Karlin, Kerling, Kerline, Carlind, Carlynde, Carlyne, Carlyn, Carrlin, Carrling, Kerlynd, Kerlynde, Karlynd, Karline, Kearlin, Kearline, Kearlynd, Carolan, Carrolan, Carolyn, Carolyne, Caroline, Carolynde, Caraline, Carroline, Carlan, Carland, Carlon, Carlone, Karolin, Karolan, Karrolin and many more.
Early Notables of the Karlyngs family (pre 1700)
Notable amongst the family name at this time was Hugh O'Carolan, Bishop of Clogher from 1535-1568. Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738) was a blind early Irish harper, composer and singer, known for his gift for melodic composition. Born in Nobber, County Meath, his father took a job with the MacDermott Roe family of Alderford House, thereby giving Turlough an education. By the time he was eighteen, he was blinded by smallpox and by the age of twenty-one, he was given a horse and...
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Karlyngs Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Karlyngs family to the New World and Oceana
A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Karlyngs or a variant listed above: John Carlin, his wife and their two children who arrived in South Carolina in 1752; Jean Carlin, who came to Halifax, N.S. in 1752; Phillip Carling, who was on record in New York State in 1811.
The Karlyngs Motto
Motto: Felis demulcta mitis
Motto Translation: A stroked cat is gentle.
Karlyngs Family Crest Products
Karlyngs Armorial History With Coat of Arms
Karlyngs Coat of Arms & Surname History Package
Karlyngs Family Crest Image (jpg) Heritage Series
Karlyngs Coat of Arms/Family Crest Key-chain
Karlyngs Coat of Arms/Family Crest Coffee Mug
Karlyngs Armorial History with Frame
Karlyngs Framed Surname History and Coat of Arms
Great Potato Famine
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Dr. Judith Rodin, Contributor
President of The Rockefeller Foundation
7 Things We've Learned About Impact Investing in 7 Years
05/06/2014 11:41 am ET Updated Jul 06, 2014
This post was co-authored by Margot Brandenburg.
Today, our new e-book, The Power of Impact Investing: Putting Markets to Work for Profit and Global Good, hit the digital shelves. This e-book has been in the making since 2007, when the term "impact investing" was first coined at a convening hosted by the Rockefeller Foundation at our Bellagio Conference Center. Seven years later, we are proud that impact investments are punching bigger than the weight of those two words, providing a vibrant and viable option for investors looking to generate both financial return and make social or environmental impact.
Here’s what we’ve learned along the way:
1. Impact investing is incredibly diverse. While all impact investing is united by a dual intent to generate both financial and social returns, the opportunities within the umbrella are vast. They include microfinance, affordable housing development, conservation and renewable energy finance and social impact bonds, to name just a few. And it varies by asset class, the investor’s risk tolerance and expectation of return, sector and geographical scope. Impact investments can take the form of equity, debt, cash deposits or another hybrid form. Investors are as diverse as impact investing itself—ranging from private bankers, institutional investors, board members of nonprofits, or the smaller-scale crowd-funders who represent an array of goals, appetite for risk, amount of capital to spare and time horizon. There is something for everyone.
2. Impact enterprises are at the heart of impact investing. Impact enterprises—more traditionally referred to as social enterprises—combine passion with good ideas. They are creating jobs, providing critical goods and services, and creating social and environmental benefits. Without these enterprises and other, non-enterprise destinations for capital—such community facilities and sustainably managed natural resources—impact investors could not translate their dollars into their desired impacts. For example, an impact investor who wanted to help improve sanitation in Africa could not do so much without enterprises, such as Ecotact, which developed a waterless toilet that is funded through modest user fees and local advertising. More work is needed to build a robust pipeline of impact enterprises to absorb the incoming capital.
3. Of all the support mechanisms needed for successful impact investing, impact rating and measurement systems are among the most critical. These systems not only help mission-focused investors and fund managers assess the social and environmental performance of their investments, but also enable impact enterprises to measure and improve their operations and services. Today, effective measurement systems such as the Global Impact Investing Rating System (GIIRS) and the Impact Reporting and Investment Standards (IRIS) are leading the pack, but continued refinement of these tools will only increase investors’ confidence and enterprises’ performance.
4. Data on investments that fail are as valuable as positive track records. Many investments—even mainstream investments—have the potential to fail, and often do. Understandably, investors are often hesitant to share this kind of data. But the open sharing of information and lessons learned will help both investors and companies spend more time on scaling up models that work.
5. The universe for impact investing is global, as both a destination and source for impact capital. In its early years, impact investing gained its greatest momentum in North America and in parts of Europe, such as the United Kingdom. But recently, impact investing is gaining traction in South and Southeast Asia, India, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East where it can play a critical role in the continent’s continued economic and social development.
6. Governments play a critical role in the decisions of impact investors. It might not be immediately obvious to the average investor, but governments can make their lives easier or harder, depending on the kind of environment they create for impact investing. Some of the ways that governments can enable impact investing include introducing benefit corporation legislation, providing lower corporate income taxes for high-impact businesses, funding incubators, and making equity investments.
7. If impact investing becomes “business as usual,” the future will be a much different place. As far as impact investing has come in seven years, there is still more to do to make it the norm, and give everyday investors access to a range of investment products. But if we do, aspirational estimates suggest that impact investments could one day represent 1 percent of professionally managed global assets, channeling up to hundreds of billions of dollars toward solutions that can address some of our biggest problems, from poor health to climate change.
We keep learning more about this exciting field every day—and our imaginations keep growing with every new possibility. Thank you to all who have been a part of this mutual learning over the last 7 years, and we hope you are as proud of this e-book and the progress it represents as we are.
Read the book's introduction or download The Power of Impact Investing: Putting Markets to Work for Profit and Global Good, published by Wharton Digital Press, © 2014 The Rockefeller Foundation.
Philanthropy Business Impact Rockefeller Foundation Social Enterprise
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A strange phenomenon means everyone remembers being aged between 15 and 25 most
The decade is particularly significant because it is the time when our identities are forming.
By Chris Moulin, Akira O'Connor, Clare Rathbone
November 17, 2016 12:29 GMT
People remember most from their lives between the ages of 15 and 25. iStock
Chris Moulin, Université Grenoble Alpes ; Akira O'Connor, University of St Andrews, and Clare Rathbone, Oxford Brookes University
Ask people about memorable things or events that happened during their lives and their recollections tend to be from between the ages of 15 and 25. It doesn't matter if it's current affairs, sporting or public events. It can be Oscar winners, hit records, books or personal memories. We researchers in the science of memory call this the reminiscence bump – in reference to the shape it gives when we plot a curve of memories over a person's lifespan.
It is one of those rare effects in cognitive psychology that is not contested. We have given up researching whether it exists and begun asking why. Neurobiological accounts propose there is something about the brain maturing that leads to information we encounter in this period being particularly well encoded.
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Some researchers propose we are better at recalling first-time experiences like a first kiss, first driving lesson and so on – most of which tend to happen at that age. Others suggest the reminiscence bump is part of a culturally defined period in our lives in which key experiences occur and are then shared and discussed.
Our own research has suggested something different, that it arises because this is the period when we lay down memories and store information that will define who we are for the rest of our lives – the crystallisation of the self in memory, if you like. We set out to test whether this was correct.
In pursuit of the bump …
Unlike most previous research, we didn't want to rely on memory tests. The trouble with memory tests for our theory is that by definition, what people recall is personally significant to them. You wouldn't expect otherwise: people don't recall random events, and struggle to recall or even pay attention to unimportant information. Since we are bound to care about the things that shape us, of course we remember them.
You might try to get around this by asking participants to recall events or songs that meant nothing to them. But the problem is that whatever they remember couldn't have been completely irrelevant to them. Even if that thing stuck in the mind precisely because it meant nothing to the person, this sort of defines who you are anyway. We wanted to avoid this circularity.
Our approach was to use another classic measure from the memory researcher's canon which has been used less in this particular area: recognition. Instead of asking participants to freely recall material, we asked them to pick out Oscar-winning films or top-selling music singles that they remembered from a list of releases between 1950 and 2005. Basing our information on either when they first remembered experiencing the film/song or their age when it was released, we found clear evidence of a bias towards associations between the ages of 15 and 25.
We also asked participants to select their five favourites from the list, which was the real novelty in our study. It meant we could plot a curve over participants' lifetimes to see if the proportion of films/songs they remembered from aged 15-25 that they didn't care about was as high as the proportion from that age on their favourites list. If non-personally significant films/songs gave a reminiscence bump shape too, we could give up on our theory that the development of the self was the explanation and go back to it being about memory.
We found that when it came to films/songs that participants didn't favour, they were no more likely to recognise them from the 15-25 period than any other time in their lives. To make sure, in a second study in the same paper we asked them both about which songs were their favourites and which songs they remembered something about. Even then we got the same result.
How old were you when this came out?
Self-indulgence
Our findings suggest that the reason people remember more from that critical time in their lives is indeed because it is when their identities are forming. Things we encounter that are not relevant to our identity are simply forgotten. Our tastes and exposure to events, information and media in this time period defines us for the rest of our lives.
This doesn't necessarily mean that the theories about reminiscence being linked to people's memory development or cultural experience are irrelevant. There's still the question of why certain things become personally significant to us, and those theories might still provide answers here: we may have culturally shared views of what's likeable or important; or we may rely on memory mechanisms to retain our sense of self. What we can say is that the personal significance of something to us is a key ingredient in why we experience the reminiscence bump.
Another avenue to explore is films or songs or other memories that we feel strongly about but don't like. We still need to research whether these things follow the same 15-25 rule, even though they don't define us. For now, however, at least we're a step closer to understanding how this whole process works. Songs or films or books or events from our younger years that matter to us are likely to be companions for life and may even form part of the tapestry of who we are.
Chris Moulin, Professor of Psychology, Université Grenoble Alpes ; Akira O'Connor, Lecturer in Psychology, University of St Andrews, and Clare Rathbone, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Oxford Brookes University
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Press Release : 14 August 2006
Statement by the Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo on the reported death of Raska Lukwiya
ICC-OTP-20060814-151
Situation: Uganda
Case: The Prosecutor v. Joseph Kony, Vincent Otti, Raska Lukwiya, Okot Odhiambo and Dominic Ongwen
Raska Lukwiya has been named in an ICC warrant of arrest charging him with crimes against humanity and war crimes. Lukwiya is alleged to have served in the inner circle of Joseph Kony's highest commanders in the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).
Lukwiya functioned as Army Commander in early 2004, a period during which the LRA was perpetrating its most deadly attacks upon the civilian population of Northern Uganda. He has been charged on; One count of crimes against humanity-enslavement and three counts of war crimes -cruel treatment of civilians and intentionally directing an attack against a civilian population-pillaging
The Ugandan Government is in the process of confirming the identity of the body believed to be that of Raska Lukwiya, and the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC will, if requested, lend support in this effort.
Source : Office of the Prosecutor
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Size DOES Matter, but only in this game…
Lory Gil on August 17, 2014
O.K., I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not about that. When you find out a little bit more about this game, you’ll see how apropos the name really is. Sometimes, you just have to go with what works.
Size DOES Matter is a rhythm game where… well, size matters. Players control a series of blocks that can shrink and grow in order to fit into different sizes of gates. Don’t crash into them or you’ll lose everything.
The game is rhythm based, but you won’t have to tap to the beat. Instead, players swipe up and down on the screen in order to lengthen or shorten a series of blocks to fit them perfectly between a gate.
Players first choose a song, of which there many composed by electronic music celebrities that have lent their talents to such games as Super Hexagon, Ridiculous Fishing, and more. As soon as the song begins, a gate will appear on the screen and pass from right to left in landscape mode.
Your job is to resize your blocks so that, as you pass the gate, you don’t crash into it. Not only do you have to worry about the size of your blocks, but you also have to pay attention to where they are located on the screen. If you are too high or low, you’ll miss the gap and crash.
To move the blocks up or down, swipe your finger in that direction on the left side of the screen. To shrink the blocks, swipe down on the right side of the screen. To lengthen the blocks, swipe up on the right side, as well.
Those are the basics, but the game gets going pretty fast fairly quickly. You’ll have to manage size and movement while soaring through gate after gate in a rhythm based experience. If you make it through a gate successfully, you’ll increase the point multiplier. The first time you crash, you’ll lose the multiplier and have to start over.
As the game progresses, gates will appear more frequently and even move around. So, you may think the next gate is wide, but suddenly, a small one will move up faster and you’ll have to shrink down quickly.
Players also pick up power ups to help make the game easier, like slow-mo mode, which slows everything down so you can maneuver through gates easier.
Size DOES Matter is available on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch for $0.99. Download it in the App Store today.
Knowin, Meals, Picture Insect, and other apps to check out this weekend
YoPuppet, Brancher, Multisaurus and other apps to check out this weekend
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BayHawks beat Stampede for 4th straight win
Mar 14, 2010 at 1:57 AM Mar 14, 2010 at 5:12 AM
BOISE, Idaho -- The Michael Sweetney era began successfully for the Erie BayHawks on Saturday night.
Midway through the first quarter, the 6-foot 8-inch big man scored on a layup, and with that, the latest incarnation of the BayHawks, a team that is focused more on size and force than guard play, were on their way to a 116-102 win over the Idaho Stampede.
Sweetney finished with 19 points and nine rebounds.
Erie has won four straight while averaging 116 points per game. That matches the BayHawks' longest winning streak of the season; they previously won four straight from Jan. 10-17.
Blake Ahearn led the BayHawks (17-25) with 28 points, while Mike Gansey scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. John Bryant notched his 19th double-double with 24 points and 16 rebounds.
Coby Karl led Idaho (20-20) with 26 points, and Andre Barrett added 23.
Erie never relinquished control of the game after snapping a 6-6 tie. Erie raced out to a 31-21 lead in the first quarter, had it trimmed to 58-53 at the half, then pulled away in the second half.
After spending some time overseas with a team in China, Sweetney was acquired earlier this week to fill the void created when Cedric Jackson signed a 10-day contract with the San Antonio Spurs.
It is the second time this season that the D-League rookie has been called up to the NBA after playing on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Cavs earlier this year.
If the Spurs keep him for the playoffs, Erie won't get Jackson back. If the Spurs opt to let him go after two 10-day contracts, Jackson would return for two games.
Sweetney played collegiately at Georgetown, where he ranks seventh all-time in points with 1,750. He was drafted ninth overall in 2003 by the New York Knicks and spent two seasons there before going to the Chicago Bulls.
In 223 career games, he averaged 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
The BayHawks play at Utah at 9 p.m. Monday.
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AI and Robotics Lead to U.S. Business Growth; Skilled Talent Needed
CareersTech
Posted By Terri Williams on June 8, 2017 at 7:05 am
U.S. companies believe that an increase in artificial intelligence and robotics is good for business, according to a new Randstad Sourceright Talent Trends survey. Responses from C-suite and human capital leaders reveal the following:
36 percent of U.S. companies have increased the use of AI and robotics over the last 12 months.
Over the same period, the number of respondents indicating that they expect significant growth in the next 12 months soared from 10 percent to 28 percent.
26 percent of U.S. companies report that growth in the past 12 months surpassed expectations, notably higher than the 20 percent that reported in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Survey respondents overwhelmingly expect AI and robotics to have a positive impact on their businesses, with 70 percent reporting that they plan to hire extensively in the year ahead to keep pace with expected growth.
Not if, but when for more automation
While companies have been criticized for increasing their use of automation, it’s actually a good business decision for companies that want to remain competitive. Jim Guerrera is the managing director of SC Novi, an affiliate of MRINetwork, a search consulting firm specializing in recruiting for the automotive, industrial and automation sectors. “An increase in AI and robotics will definitely increase productivity and corporate profits, especially in the manufacturing sector,” Guerrera tells GoodCall®. “Companies that do not go ‘all in’ on automation will be phased out over time, as the automated factories will far out produce those that are not automated.”
Making the move to automation isn’t cheap, but it’s well worth the return on investment. “Even though it is an expensive capital cost, the way these machines are built today, they will be able to last for several years, off-setting the large upfront capital outlays,” Guerrera explains.
However, he says, “The work cannot be done with robots alone – American manufacturers need skilled and technical workers to operate these facilities.”
Unfounded fear of AI and robotics?
So, why do Americans in general, and American workers in particular, believe that AI and robotics will take their jobs instead of increase hiring? Hary Bottka, global concepts leader at Randstad Sourceright, tells GoodCall®, “There has been a lot of focus in the media on the loss of jobs in the U.S., in particular, that certain jobs are moving overseas and are not being replaced.”
And since this was a key issue in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, Bottka believes it is still fresh in the minds of the American public.
“AI and robotics are a natural next threat, as technology will displace certain job profiles in the coming years.” But, Bottka says the survey reveals that these advances in technology will actually create jobs while also changing the skills required by many organizations.
Chris Nicholson is the CEO of Skymind, the company behind Deeplearning4j, a deep learning tool for Java that is used for everything from fraud/anomaly detection to image recognition to predictive analytics.
Nicholson tells GoodCall® that many workers may be displaced. “Displacement is a good term to explain what’s happening, because it implies moving from one job to another.” But he admits, “Who gains and who loses? It’s not always the same people.” Bottka agrees that technology will not completely phase out jobs. “In reality, technology is producing more of a shift in jobs requiring new skills, as compared to a complete loss of job opportunities for workers.”
However, it would be naïve to think that companies are not considering employee-related costs when deciding to increase their use of AI and robotics. “The rise of health care costs in the U.S. only adds to the desire for plants to get automated, because less overall workers means less overall healthcare expenses,” Guerrera explains. “And there are other productivity benefits such as the ease and ability of the robots to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year – in addition to manufacturing ‘locally,’ so U.S. manufacturers will be able to greatly reduce their supply chain costs.”
As a result, some fears of American workers may be justified. Especially workers who lack the skills to move into other areas.
The need for skilled workers
“You can’t automate everything, and when companies want to sell their products, they will hire more administrative and sales people, so other roles are growing,” Nicholson says. “We need to try to get some of the displaced workers into these roles.”
He also advises workers to be open to moving to another city or state. “A lot of people feel trapped in a local job market, but there are places where the local economy is really healthy and robust – but again, this may entail moving to another part of the country.”
In fact, Bottka reveals that one of the primary concerns of C-suite and HR leaders is the inability to find the talent they need for some of the new roles created by AI and robotics.
That’s because some of the new roles will require more advanced training. Randstad provides Recruitment Process Outsourcing services to some of its clients, and Bottka says there’s definitely been a shift in the types of jobs clients need. “Roles such as application developers, service technicians, and hardware or software specialists are now in demand in organizations that traditionally have hired labor to fulfill more manual roles,” Bottka explains.
It may be comforting to know that robots are incapable of replacing all U.S. jobs. “American manufacturers need skilled and technical workers to operate these facilities,” Guerrera says.
But he warns that it won’t look anything like the manufacturing work force from the 1970s through the early 2000s. “Instead of a plant filled with general manual labor workers and only some skilled workers, the plants will be filled with mostly skilled technical workers, albeit a far lower number of overall employees.”
Guerrera describes some of the most in-demand positions:
Manufacturing engineers who know how to work automated machinery.
Software programmers to code and operate the machines.
Controls engineers to monitor and operate all of the controls on the machinery.
In addition, Guerrera says that since machines do occasionally break down, workers with general maintenance skills are also needed. “Skilled field service personnel and maintenance engineers will be paramount to a top performing automated manufacturing facility because these individuals will perform the important tasks of keeping the machines running.”
But manufacturing is just one of the industries looking to increase automation. Bottka and Nicholson warn that employees in other areas should also step up their game. “Workers and potential workers must be aware of the skills gaps in the market and tailor their interests, studies and training to prepare themselves to be in a position to fill the these gaps,” Bottka says. “Specific skills are in limited supply, so there is a need for the existing workforce, as well as incoming workers, to choose an education and training curriculum that prepares them for these jobs.”
Nicholson agrees that learning new skills is crucial. “A lot of skills are hard to automate, like people skills, where you’re dealing with people and helping them.” He mentions nurses, therapists, counselors, teachers, and managers as jobs that are difficult to automate. “Robots can’t provide healthcare; jobs that are people-centric and where you need to need to establish a relationship are pretty safe bets.”
Should You Work for the Family Business to Gain Experience?
Women Move into Male Dominated Occupations – and Vice Versa
Gender Equality: Men Say “Mission Accomplished,” But Women Disagree
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Start by marking “David Bowie: A Life” as Want to Read:
We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of David Bowie by Dylan Jones.
Preview — David Bowie by Dylan Jones
David Bowie: A Life
Dylan Jones (Goodreads Author)
really liked it 4.00 · Rating details · 771 ratings · 154 reviews
Dylan Jones's engrossing, magisterial biography of David Bowie is unlike any Bowie story ever written. Drawn from over 180 interviews with friends, rivals, lovers, and collaborators, some of whom have never before spoken about their relationship with Bowie, this oral history weaves a hypnotic spell as it unfolds the story of a remarkable rise to stardom and an unparalleled Dylan Jones's engrossing, magisterial biography of David Bowie is unlike any Bowie story ever written. Drawn from over 180 interviews with friends, rivals, lovers, and collaborators, some of whom have never before spoken about their relationship with Bowie, this oral history weaves a hypnotic spell as it unfolds the story of a remarkable rise to stardom and an unparalleled artistic path. Tracing Bowie's life from the English suburbs to London to New York to Los Angeles, Berlin, and beyond, its collective voices describe a man profoundly shaped by his relationship with his schizophrenic half-brother Terry; an intuitive artist who could absorb influences through intense relationships and yet drop people cold when they were no longer of use; and a social creature equally comfortable partying with John Lennon and dining with Frank Sinatra. By turns insightful and deliciously gossipy, DAVID BOWIE is as intimate a portrait as may ever be drawn. It sparks with admiration and grievances, lust and envy, as the speakers bring you into studios and bedrooms they shared with Bowie, and onto stages and film sets, opening corners of his mind and experience that transform our understanding of both artist and art. Including illuminating, never-before-seen material from Bowie himself, drawn from a series of Jones's interviews with him across two decades, DAVID BOWIE is an epic, unforgettable cocktail-party conversation about a man whose enigmatic shapeshifting and irrepressible creativity produced one of the most sprawling, fascinating lives of our time. ...more
Published September 12th 2017 by Crown Archetype
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Oral Biographies
really liked it 4.00 ·
All LanguagesDansk (1) English (147) Español (1) Français (2)
Jun 07, 2017 Edward Lorn rated it did not like it · review of another edition
Repetitive and boring. One of the worst-written biographies I've had the displeasure to read.
Mar 06, 2018 "Avonna rated it really liked it
Shelves: net-galley
Check out all of my reviews at: http://www.avonnalovesgenres.com
DAVID BOWIE: A LIFE by Dylan Jones is classified as a biography, but it is not written in the traditional style. The entire life of David Bowie is laid out chronologically, but told in more of an oral history style by people who have been involved in or impacted by Bowie’s life either for a short time or many years.
This book clearly shows that David Bowie was the artist and innovator, while David Jones was the charismatic and flawe Check out all of my reviews at: http://www.avonnalovesgenres.com
This book clearly shows that David Bowie was the artist and innovator, while David Jones was the charismatic and flawed human. David Jones was influenced by his schizophrenic older brother and learned at a young age how mental illness can effect a family. He escaped the suburbs of London to live a life of continual self-reinvention, absorption of ideas and a lifelong love of learning and world travel.
The many voices that tell of his life are what make this book different. There are friends who were with him for many years and give their views of what David meant to their lives and careers and there are those voices that feel that they were used for a short time and then discarded. All say that David could turn on his charisma at will and make you feel the center of his world, but he could also cut you to the quick if he was done with you.
The author does not shy away from the sex and drugs of the 60’s and 70’s that were pervasive in the rock and roll culture, but he has people on both sides tell of the abuses and how they perceived them and how some were able to conquer them. It is told in a non-judgmental way. There are personal and professional stories of love for Bowie as well as jealousies. I do wish there were more passages by Bowie himself, but I really believe this book is like his life, it is all about what you experienced and what you personally took away from his music and art.
On a personal note: I saw David Bowie perform on his “Serious Moonlight” tour when he came to the Richfield Coliseum for my birthday many years ago. It was an amazing show with the most charismatic singer I have ever seen in concert. I have followed him through every incarnation and have always loved his voice, lyrics, fashion and smile.
Thanks very much to Crown Publishing and Net Galley for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for and honest review.
Dec 14, 2017 Tosh rated it really liked it
For a David Bowie lunatic that I'm, it's impossible to put down Dylan Jones' "David Bowie: A Life." First of all, this is an oral biography, meaning there are many voices here talking about a specific subject: Bowie. As a format I love the oral biography because what's interesting is not them exposing their subject matter (Bowie) but how they expose themselves in the telling of the tale. Jones work is really as an editor, and he does a good job here. The inside information is that Bowie is a cha For a David Bowie lunatic that I'm, it's impossible to put down Dylan Jones' "David Bowie: A Life." First of all, this is an oral biography, meaning there are many voices here talking about a specific subject: Bowie. As a format I love the oral biography because what's interesting is not them exposing their subject matter (Bowie) but how they expose themselves in the telling of the tale. Jones work is really as an editor, and he does a good job here. The inside information is that Bowie is a charmer, but can cut off people once they are not needed, a total professional, he was into sex, and he loved cocaine. The average Bowie fan would know that already, but what we are looking for is a detailed report of such acts and practices. The book serves that purpose quite well. I didn't learn anything, except the rumors that he had a series of strokes in the last decade of his life, at least according to Mick Rock. Which I believe because Bowie in the videos for "The Next Day," he doesn't look entirely well. Also, I have seen photographs of him grasping a book or an object in one hand, which made me think that he may have had a stroke. Still, this is pure gossip, and not any of my business. Which makes me feel a tad guilty reading about his private affairs. The reason I admire him is that of his beauty, his musical genius, and the fact that he's very much an old-fashioned entertainer, who appealed to a new generation of listeners. It's hinted in the book that Frank Sinatra and Fred Astaire admired him as an artist, and I can't think why would they. Bowie is very much in the classic of those two, and what he brings with him is 'culture.' The fact that Bowie read a book a day (and I believe that because I sold him books as a bookseller at a bookstore) and was naturally curious about the world around him. What he did was obtain that information and turned it all into songs and images, under his artistic control. I love Bowie because he's part of the world, and in a way, he gave it a critical look, and instead of writing an essay, he made it into a song. A great artist. Jones' book is really good, but not perfect. Then again, one can take just one Bowie album and make a great oral history book out of it. The way he worked or used musicians is fascinating, and you get that aspect of his working habits within this book. If you're a Bowie fan, there is nothing new here really, but if you are someone who wants to have an enjoyable read on an extraordinary figure in the pop music world, then this book delivers the goods. ...more
Oct 05, 2017 Dave rated it really liked it
Shelves: netgalley-books, read-have, music-books
Dylan Jones has presented us with an insightful documentary of David Bowie’s life. What sets this book apart from other rock biographies is the format. Rather than proceeding in an expository fashion, Jones tells Bowie’s story through snippets of interviews with people who knew him, played with him, grew up with him, dated him, and did business with him. It’s a technique used in television documentaries with people who are essentially life witnesses sitting around and musing about someone they o Dylan Jones has presented us with an insightful documentary of David Bowie’s life. What sets this book apart from other rock biographies is the format. Rather than proceeding in an expository fashion, Jones tells Bowie’s story through snippets of interviews with people who knew him, played with him, grew up with him, dated him, and did business with him. It’s a technique used in television documentaries with people who are essentially life witnesses sitting around and musing about someone they once knew. You don’t hear the interviewer’s queries - just the subject’s narratives. As you read through this book which is told in snippets chronologically you can hear these voices literally as if they were all sitting around in a pub, kicking back, and reminiscing. The flip side to this, of course, is that hearing all these narratives starting and stopping makes the book feel quite lengthy.
While I would disagree with the premise that Bowie’s death was a monumental shock to the Music community - the man had lived a full life by then —, his was a singular creative voice always on the edge and I will always remember Bowie closing out the Us Festival 2 in the wasteland of Devore, California. ...more
Jul 10, 2017 Lolly K Dandeneau rated it liked it
via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
“David loved oddities, loved people who were somehow different.”
Dylan Jones has written a biography overflowing with insight and stories about David Bowie as told by his friends, lovers, rivals and so on. There was so much I had never known, and I think many of his fans grew up with a different Bowie. Growing up an 80’s kid, he will always be my Goblin King, Jareth. The only problem with writing about a person through collective thoughts and mem via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
Dylan Jones has written a biography overflowing with insight and stories about David Bowie as told by his friends, lovers, rivals and so on. There was so much I had never known, and I think many of his fans grew up with a different Bowie. Growing up an 80’s kid, he will always be my Goblin King, Jareth. The only problem with writing about a person through collective thoughts and memories is you can lose the person. It steals the romance and the mystery of a celebrity. On the other hand, you sort of feel like you’re in a room with a bunch of people gossiping behind his back, or gushing about him, it is all very dizzying. I’d known nothing about his family, his upbringing and this book delves deep into all of that- and particularly David’s interest in his brother Terry, who had schizophrenia. David, I think, was someone who was always something ‘other’, beyond charm, beyond individuality- and it’s evident through every story on these pages. The rivalry between Jagger and Bowie was a bit fun to read, particularly why David Jones decided to become David Bowie, maybe this healthy competition helped keep their stars shinning for their fans.
From an early age, it seems everything influenced Bowie- from the books he read to fashion, american culture, jazz, and the beats, it all comes together and explains what nurtured such an amazing artist. His brother’s ‘madness’ seems to have been channeled through David, in his work. One wonders how much his brother had an effect the Bowie transformations through the ages. But you can’t think you understand that aspect of a person’s life, simply from stories or interviews. I felt protective of Terry and David reading what happened.
In all honesty, I most enjoyed reading all of David’s words, not everyone else’s. I can imagine he lit up a room, was his ‘most beautiful’ just around people, not just bursting with brilliance on stage. What you come away with is his genius, but also that he controlled what you are allowed to see and it should be kept that way. There is a lot of insight from people very close to Bowie and those on the periphery, the reader treks through so much information, as so many of the people who crossed paths with David get their say. I think David Bowie, even with his humor and charm, was a lot more serious than fans realized. No one says it better than Iman, his wife “I fell in love with David Jones, I did not fall in love with David Bowie.” I think the world needs to keep Bowie and let his loved ones keep David Jones. Bowie was a beautiful creation by a hell of an intelligently talented man. I don’t think you can understand a person through everyone surrounding him, it’s too distorted because just when you think you have a grasp of who he was, another story contradicts it. Bowie remains a mist you just can’t hold. This book will feed his fans, because it covers many decades and you can get the feel that you were along for a bit of the wild ride. It’s Bowie in other’s eyes. I cringe a bit, wondering how mangled I would be if people I brushed shoulders with, alongside those who knew me best painted a picture of who I was when I am gone. What sort of Frankenstein’s monster would be created? In itself, it would just be another ‘creation’ not capturing the reality. This novel comes close to the real David with intimacy but then pushes you away, but isn’t that the celebrity way?
There are many facts, it’s a hell of a collection but I hunger for Bowie in his own words. He lived in his own world, the rest of us were just visiting.
Crown Publishing ...more
Jan 10, 2019 J. rated it really liked it
Shelves: thin-white-duke, music, pop-culture
This was his dark year. Everyone in L.A. did coke at the time but he did more than most. He did more than anyone. David went into the kitchen and got all the sharp steak knives and the butcher knives, and he hid them. When I came down in the morning I said where are all the knives? And he said it’s just in case the Manson family—who by now were all in jail—came to get him.
He was ninety-five pounds, and he was doing mass quantities of cocaine. I would say we were probably both doing seven g 1975
He was ninety-five pounds, and he was doing mass quantities of cocaine. I would say we were probably both doing seven grams a day. And that is a lot of cocaine to snort. And we had an endless supply of cocaine. Knowing now what I know about cocaine, one of us should have died... David and I were toxic. Cocaine is the devil’s drug. There was a moment when we were getting high, and David started to bleed from his eye, actually bleeding. It was getting really bad, and then he went off t o Mexico to shoot The Man Who Fell To Earth. .. Glenn Hughes, friend
Rather than the ultimately tedious guessing game that most biographies have to play, Dylan Jones' book opens up a pandora's box of possibilities. Biography is often comprised of dubious, oft-repeated guesswork about a celebrity subject, a famous artist. Instead, proposes the author, how about other celebrities and artists telling a dizzying array of tall tales--- about your central subject?
Glastonbury 1971.
I think the big attraction on the night he was due to play was Traffic, and things inevitably went off-schedule, so he got shunted off the Pyramid Stage. Everyone crashed out after Traffic but then as dawn broke people started running around, waking you up, saying you’ve got to come and listen to this amazing guy, as David had just started his set. He was in full Hunky Dory mode—long hair, a dress, and just his guitar, playing the dawn chorus. It was a breathtaking performance, quite spectral, and you realized immediately just how powerful all this creativity was... .. Julien Temple, film director
This approach pales a bit in the early going but the further you go, the more you realize that this is closer to a documentary film than the purely imagined bios we're used to. Verbatim testimony by notoriously untrustworthy sources, what could be better.
What makes 1972 special goes beyond folk memories of a glorious summer lived out to the sound of a then-hip Rod Stewart singing ‘You Wear It Well’... What makes that year special is that it marked a borderline between the Sixties—the years of affluence, experiment, sex and drugs, and hippie idealism, and, yes, flaky politics—and the real Seventies, the years of inflation, unemployment, changing attitudes to gender and sexuality, radicalisation .. .. David Lister, The Independent
Even so, the occasional interjection from the author comes less as intrusion and more as the voice-over guiding the viewer through the documentary:
1972 London was like the Bakerloo Line—all brown and Bakelite and dark even when lit. Decimalization, which was meant to hint at the white heat of modernization, had only encouraged Londoners to think that they were all slightly worse off than they’d been before it was introduced, the previous year. It wouldn’t be enough to say that every day in London in the early ‘7os was like Sunday; specifically they were like any Sunday in November between the hours of four and five o’clock in the afternoon. It is almost as if the country had been brushed with a charcoal wash.
This is the world that Ziggy Stardust landed in, beamed down to a sullen, punitive, disgruntled gray country, a so-called Great Britain that hadn’t been Great for some time, full of sullen, disgruntled people who by rights shouldn’t have taken too kindly to a pipe-cleaner-thin pop singer dressed up as a gay alien in a quilted jumpsuit. But take to him is exactly what they did. ..Author.
Unlike, say, the Kinks or the Stones, by the time Bowie hit the world circuit, there was a well established, uhm, tradition of excess, you might call it. Rock touring was performance art, onstage and especially off. If you're familiar with the Bowie story, this is probably the best next book about the man, as told in numerous, shape-shifting and unreliable ways, by those who passed along the same path. All very jolly, for awhile.
I was a nymphomaniac at the time, and I suppose Bowie was a sex addict. He just had a good time. He may have intellectualized it, but it was really just sex. Lots of sex. You have to remember we were living through a sexual revolution. To me it seemed natural to have as much sex as possible. We didn’t go to gyms, so dancing and sex were our exercise. You could fuck your fat off. Sex was an act of rebellion at the time—fuck the Church, fuck the Establishment. Let’s fuck. .. Cherry Vanilla, publicist
Every celebrity has his surreal moments, but it must be presupposed that when your touring lounge act was a Cabaret and Clockwork inspired evening of chanson and throbbing electric transgression, fronted by an androgynous skeletal Piaf-- the after-hours parties were going to be a bit stranger than average. The dystopian & otherworldly occasionally turned up at Bowie's door, unannounced and unwanted.
1972 Benjamin Franklin Hotel. Something weird happened later that night in Philadelphia. Something really chilling. At one point there was a knock on the door, and, after a while, one of his bodyguards went to answer it, and then called for David. So David went off and came back a few minutes later white as a sheet. He was visibly shocked. Someone had just turned up and offered him a warm, dead body for David to have sex with. The town had never seen anything like David before, and he obviously looked like such a freak that some sick people thought he might be into necrophilia. That was the perception of Ziggy, and that’s how crazy that tour was, that’s how decadent it was. David was completely horrified. He said, “Who on earth do they think I am? Why would they think I’d be interested in something like that? Why would I be interested in fucking a dead body?” It took him a while to calm down, but once it was over, he just moved right past it. .. Josette Caruso, friend
Like everything else in the Bowieverse, the subject himself has thought of this "verbatim-not-verified" sort of idea-- first. Inaccuracy never kept Bowie away; in actual fact, he treated it as a kind of signature-- the double-meaning, the mirror-image, the reimagined.
2006 My past doesn’t belong to anyone but me, although I am obviously respectful of people’s relationship with it. I’m not much interested in my own mythology. It feels quite fabulous when you watch Mtv and realized that someone is doing “me”, but I don’t want to go back myself, and I don’t want to trawl through the archives. But I must admit I like reading about myself, and I even read my ex-wife’s book. It’s terrifying! The first time I ever read one, I didn’t know whether to be angry or mystified, as there were so many inaccuracies. But as subsequent books kept coming out with all their own interpretations, I thought I’d quite like to put one out which incorporates all the inaccuracies, making this kind of truly fantastic creation. It could be my autobiography. .. David Bowie
Another crash course for the ravers. Return, relive, regret. Recommended. ...more
Dec 30, 2018 Scott Rhee rated it it was amazing
Shelves: biography, bowie-studies
Dylan Jones, the editor of the British edition of GQ magazine, published “David Bowie: A Life” in 2017, a year after Bowie’s death in January 2016. As someone who has read several biographies, critical analyses, philosophical ramblings, and uncategorizable miscellenia about Bowie (and there is a shockingly huge amount of material out there on the subject), I was, perhaps, not expecting much. At least, not much in the sense of much more than I’ve already studied, learned, and appreciated about Bo Dylan Jones, the editor of the British edition of GQ magazine, published “David Bowie: A Life” in 2017, a year after Bowie’s death in January 2016. As someone who has read several biographies, critical analyses, philosophical ramblings, and uncategorizable miscellenia about Bowie (and there is a shockingly huge amount of material out there on the subject), I was, perhaps, not expecting much. At least, not much in the sense of much more than I’ve already studied, learned, and appreciated about Bowie.
Fortunately, Jones has done something rather clever and excellent. Rather than write a straight biography about Bowie in which Jones, the biographer, editorializes and comments and attempts to dissect the subject, he has written an oral biography in which he lets dozens of Bowie’s childhood friends, relatives, bandmates, former lovers, managers, publicists, limo drivers, critics, fans, haters, and contemporaries do it for him.
Jones apparently interviewed 182 people for this book. He also drew from seven in-depth interviews with Bowie over the years, along with many other well-known interviews. He simply lets people speak, with some (although surprisingly little) of his own editorializing. While this may sound like one of those videos that your cousin makes at your wedding, in which they get everyone to say a few words about how they know you and what they love about you, the resultant book is actually incredibly profound, immensely readable, and beautifully moving.
It’s also perfectly appropriate for an icon like Bowie, a man who was, still is, and probably will forever be an enigma. Therein lies the joy and excitement of Jones’s book.
For every piece of well-known history about Bowie’s amazing life, there is, I’m sure, for many other fans, something in this book that will be new, shocking, and eye-opening about the man that we honestly didn’t think could shock or surprise us any more.
There is also so much more than that, though. Jones clearly loved and respected Bowie the man as well as the musician and the celebrity, enough to know that he was far from perfect. Bowie, like everyone, had dark sides to his character. He had skeletons in his closet, some of which we have some clues about, others we may never know. He was, after all, a human being, despite his life-long partly-tongue-in-cheek, partly-serious attempt to cultivate a persona of an otherworldly type, a permanent outsider, the Alien/Starman.
As a life-long Bowie fan, I can honestly say that my love for the man extends beyond just the music and liner notes; my love for Bowie encompasses everything about him: foibles, dark sides, and imperfections included.
“David Bowie: A Life” is an absolute must-read for any Bowiephile. ...more
Aug 19, 2017 *TUDOR^QUEEN* rated it it was amazing
The music of David Bowie is something I've held in mild regard over the decades. I had an 8-track of "Young Americans" back in the seventies and who doesn't love Space Oddity?!! I also remember enjoying the strains of "Modern Love" and "Let's Dance" in the 80's. I own a "Greatest Hits" CD of Bowie and that is the extent of his importance in my life (I'm primarily a major Beatles fan). However, this biography of David Bowie in its oral history format has affected me so much that I am prompted to The music of David Bowie is something I've held in mild regard over the decades. I had an 8-track of "Young Americans" back in the seventies and who doesn't love Space Oddity?!! I also remember enjoying the strains of "Modern Love" and "Let's Dance" in the 80's. I own a "Greatest Hits" CD of Bowie and that is the extent of his importance in my life (I'm primarily a major Beatles fan). However, this biography of David Bowie in its oral history format has affected me so much that I am prompted to read his other biographies as well as delve into the treasure trove of his music library.
I was skeptical about whether I would like the oral history format of this offering, but this actually connected with me far more than I think the standard biography would. This was a mammoth book of over 500 pages (no pictures) comprised of Bowie memories served up by friends, band members, business colleagues, wives, lovers, etc...to tell the life story of Bowie. Nothing is more genuine than the direct words of the people who knew and loved Bowie. These are just a handful of some of the people who added their recollections to this oral history:
Tony Visconti (producer of many of Bowie's albums)
Angela Bowie (first wife)
Iman (second wife)
Bono (U2 singer)
Kate Moss (model)
Paul McCartney (former Beatle and music legend)
Peter Frampton (childhood classmate and fellow musician)
I feel like I have been reading and enjoying this for a very long time as because of its oral history format, I felt comfortable bouncing in an out of this book to read other books when needed or desired. It begins with his youth in Bromley, England and transitions to his marriage to Angie and the birth of their son as he cannily transforms into his alter ego of Ziggy Stardust. There were many lovers along the way, but as the book nears its close, he finds perfect love and happiness with his second wife Iman. It was very poignant reading the passages in reaction to Bowie's death, and how he strove to complete his final album "Blackstar" as a parting gift.
I came away from this book in awe of Bowie's high intellect, capacity for friendship/kindness, fearless sense of adventure, and strength. He was certainly a multifaceted talent and extraordinary human being. Although I still have all those other Bowie biographies to read, something tells me that I may just have already read the best one!
Dec 14, 2017 Claire (bookscoffeeandrepeat) rated it liked it
Shelves: non-fiction
This book is for those who have read countless of Bowie biographies. If you're a newly converted David Bowie fan (just like me), then I wouldn't recommend this book. Simply because this isn't just about David Bowie. It's also about everyone else who contributed to this weird version of a biography. You're not just reading about Bowie himself, you also get a glimpse of other people who worked with Bowie. Simply put: this book has a weird format because it doesn't look like a biography to me. To m This book is for those who have read countless of Bowie biographies. If you're a newly converted David Bowie fan (just like me), then I wouldn't recommend this book. Simply because this isn't just about David Bowie. It's also about everyone else who contributed to this weird version of a biography. You're not just reading about Bowie himself, you also get a glimpse of other people who worked with Bowie. Simply put: this book has a weird format because it doesn't look like a biography to me. To me, it looked like a collection of stories coming from different people who had encounters with David Bowie (even if it was brief).
The writing is kind of dry and it was difficult to hold my attention (sometimes). I had to DNF or skip some stories. Even if I did jump from story to story, this book was still an interesting read. I mean, who knew David Bowie asked Courtney Love to turn down the volume when she was listening to Fleetwood Mac at 9am? Little stories such as this one makes the book a worthwhile read. Unfortunately, the only picture of Bowie is on the cover. I wish there had been more photographs somewhere inside the book.
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. All thoughts are my own. And for this review (and more), check out my book blog. ...more
Jan 28, 2018 Kimley rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: library-digital-loan, biography, music
A rather gossipy, salacious take on Bowie's life. This is more about the sex and drugs than the rock 'n' roll but nevertheless an essential read for the Bowie fanatic.
Feb 10, 2018 Gregory Butera rated it liked it
This book needed a better editor. It was bloated and should have been trimmed severely. Not every bit and story needed to be included. Some anecdotes seemed completely irrelevant and didn’t connect to anything said before or after. They should have been cut. Some anecdotes contradicted one another, sometimes on the same page, without any acknowledgement from the author. And he had plenty of his own to say. He wrote of his experience often enough that he should have tagged his sections with his n This book needed a better editor. It was bloated and should have been trimmed severely. Not every bit and story needed to be included. Some anecdotes seemed completely irrelevant and didn’t connect to anything said before or after. They should have been cut. Some anecdotes contradicted one another, sometimes on the same page, without any acknowledgement from the author. And he had plenty of his own to say. He wrote of his experience often enough that he should have tagged his sections with his name like the others rather than rely on using italics. It was disjointed and distracting. So clearly this was rushed to press to capitalize on the window of nostalgia following the death of a great 70s rocker. If you can get beyond all those gripes there is some wonderful stuff in this book, with stories about the making of albums, songs, relationships, and the many personae that make up the entity we know as David Bowie. ...more
May 13, 2019 James Hartley rated it liked it
This is a long collection of interviews arranged in loosely chronological order.
I found it fascinating - especially the first half of the book - and then dull and repetitive. Various interesting strands come to unsatisfying conclusions and endless sections begin with "I first met Bowie in ...." which breaks up any narrative tension which might have been building. There are interesting anecdotes and plenty of dull ones and, especially near the end, it becomes terribly fawning and boring. (There' This is a long collection of interviews arranged in loosely chronological order.
I found it fascinating - especially the first half of the book - and then dull and repetitive. Various interesting strands come to unsatisfying conclusions and endless sections begin with "I first met Bowie in ...." which breaks up any narrative tension which might have been building. There are interesting anecdotes and plenty of dull ones and, especially near the end, it becomes terribly fawning and boring. (There's only so many times you can hear Bowie was a genius.)
In the end it's not dissenting voices you want but rigour and investigation.
Endless arty-types and journos talk about how he was hard to know and how he picked them up and dropped them and how they never quite understood him and you long for some light to be thrown on this.
The book is very much a collection of "me and Bowie" stories, which, in the end, is unsatisfying. It's useful, if repetitive, on Bowie as a star, but leaves David Jones, as family man, brother and real person, largely uncovered. ...more
Apr 23, 2019 Alan rated it it was amazing
Shelves: beatles-books-pop, non-fiction
This is wonderful - Bowie's life reported on by those who knew him well. A little context setting and run in chronological order, but otherwise the 'author' just lets the people speak for themselves. A fascinating portrait emerges of this polite, funny, highly sexed, talented, well read, hungry, star. You feel you have him, and then, like that he's gone, he's off.
Aug 27, 2018 F.R. rated it it was amazing
I’m a big Bowie fan, with the records, the T-shirts and a seeming desire to watch every documentary ever made about the man and his work. The first Christmas present my now wife ever bought me was tickets to the V&A exhibition, while for a long time I sang STARMAN every day to my tiny baby daughter. It’s a long story, but even at four weeks old I knew that she loved it too. As such I’m not quite impartial when it comes to this book. Indeed, I’m incredibly bias towards liking it.
For a Bowie f I’m a big Bowie fan, with the records, the T-shirts and a seeming desire to watch every documentary ever made about the man and his work. The first Christmas present my now wife ever bought me was tickets to the V&A exhibition, while for a long time I sang STARMAN every day to my tiny baby daughter. It’s a long story, but even at four weeks old I knew that she loved it too. As such I’m not quite impartial when it comes to this book. Indeed, I’m incredibly bias towards liking it.
For a Bowie fan, this oral history is a fantastically deep and immersive experience. Hearing the thoughts and recollections of Bowie himself, as well as those who knew him and sometimes even fans, it’s his story from his childhood right through to his too early death. Probably there are other books that are better for the man’s music, but it is a truly comprehensive guide to his life.
But as much as I enjoyed it, as much as I raced through it, there are undoubted flaws. His family for instance, remain distant figures within the text. Yes, we do hear a lot about his late brother who hangs like Banquo’s ghost over him, but his parents remain forever distant. Mentioned frequently, but unknown. Perhaps for his mother that’s understandable as she does seem an emotionally cold presence in her son’s life, but his dad is both portrayed as someone he was close to and – curiously – someone he wasn’t. (To quote some song or other, it’s confusing sometimes.) Undoubtedly, it’s more a problem with the form than anything else: as people’s memories and perceptions differ, and an oral history can’t help but reflect that. But it does make for a frustrating read.
(It’s a much more minor point: but his relationship with Paul McCartney seems to throughout the book go from lows to highs without any understanding as to why and how. It’s the tiniest of sub-plots I know, I don’t think thumb waving Macca and The Thin White Duke were natural musical bedfellows, but I found myself tantalised nonetheless)
Much like Bowie himself, it’s a book that’s sometimes pretentious, but more often than not is willing to puncture its own pomposity. It reveals a man who is intellectually curious, open to new ideas and generous with those he loved. It also conjures up a man who was capricious, bitchy, easily tired of the people around him and at times quite unpleasant. Even if it’s author clearly adores the man, it’s far from a hagiography.
I’m a Bowie fan of old and absolutely adored it. To be fair the only people likely to read this are Bowie fans too and I think you’ll adore it also. ...more
Sep 18, 2017 R. rated it it was amazing
This is not a biography, but an oral history, there's almost no interpretation, no intellectualizing, just the anecdotes of the people who knew him, across the entire length of his life. Much of this we already knew, but encountering it compressed together in this way has an effect. I was particularly moved by the glimpses of his friendship with John Lennon, the sense of mutual understanding and affection they had for one another (it made me respect Lennon all the more, knowing that he had found This is not a biography, but an oral history, there's almost no interpretation, no intellectualizing, just the anecdotes of the people who knew him, across the entire length of his life. Much of this we already knew, but encountering it compressed together in this way has an effect. I was particularly moved by the glimpses of his friendship with John Lennon, the sense of mutual understanding and affection they had for one another (it made me respect Lennon all the more, knowing that he had found a fellow traveller in Bowie). More generally, the great affection that shines through in almost everyone who knew him suggests a character quite different from the persona "David Bowie." The final pages which deal with his death and the outpouring of grief this produced are hard to read, but important too. The recurring motif is the vast numbers of people who felt that his example gave them permission to take themselves seriously, to value their own experiences and impulses over the demands of the world. I know of only a handful of artists and writers who have done this, and for the people for whom they have done this, their value far exceeds the "objective" value of the work, however considerable that may be.
For those who know nothing at all about Bowie, I doubt this is the right vehicle. This is more for the people who had followed him all along. ...more
Jun 24, 2017 Valerity (Val) added it · review of another edition
Shelves: entertainment, celebrity, netgalley, non-fiction, dnf, biography-memoir
DNF--DID NOT FINISH. No Review. I gave up on this one at 17%, just could not keep forcing interest in it and called it quits. This happens on rare occasions. It may be a good book, it just wasn't for me.
Jan 15, 2018 Peter rated it liked it
Poorly edited (unedited?), featuring the worthless opinions of basement bloggers, missing so many vital voices, and yet any even the biggest Bowie-addict is likely to learn something new about the extraterrestrial messiah.
Sep 06, 2017 Becky rated it really liked it
Shelves: finished
A good book, well researched. It was full of so much that I never heard before about Davie Bowie. Quite interesting.
Oct 17, 2018 Jacob Wren rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
A few quotes from David Bowie: An Oral Biography:
Paul Morley: "He played with the idea of being a rock star but he was very good at sabotaging that role. And at the moment when he looked like he might become Billy Joel or Elton John - that moment when you get accepted and therefore you are fixed, he walked away. He had to work out: How can I be famous; how can I be that star that I want to be, but also be able to keep changing? Because of course the very consequences often of keeping changing is A few quotes from David Bowie: An Oral Biography:
Paul Morley: "He played with the idea of being a rock star but he was very good at sabotaging that role. And at the moment when he looked like he might become Billy Joel or Elton John - that moment when you get accepted and therefore you are fixed, he walked away. He had to work out: How can I be famous; how can I be that star that I want to be, but also be able to keep changing? Because of course the very consequences often of keeping changing is that you ruin your popularity because those that love you want you to be the same. So he managed to be absolutely the same all the time, always David Bowie, by constantly changing."
Angus MacKinnon: "His self-analysis was lacerating. He talked a lot about his sense of self, and one of the things that came across, and this was not false modesty, was his constant anxiety that what he was doing wasn’t quite interesting enough. Here was a person who seriously pushed himself, and constantly reevaluated his contribution, and he found himself lacking. Blessing and curse."
David Bowie: "Strangely enough my ambition tends to come in moments of depression."
"My biggest mistake during the ‘80s was trying to anticipate what the audience wanted."
May 19, 2018 Sean Blake rated it really liked it
Shelves: art-writing, non-fiction
David Bowie: A Life is a fascinating look at Bowie, an oral biography that masterfully brings to life, in 510 pages, the life of David Bowie the musician, the artist, the performer, the painter, the actor, the pioneer, the human being. With over 150 people interviewed, from musicians to fashion designers to journalists to friends, Dylan Jones gives us a cinematic and ambiguous view of Bowie, revealing a complicated, driven and trailblazing man whose life and music had a profound effect on so man David Bowie: A Life is a fascinating look at Bowie, an oral biography that masterfully brings to life, in 510 pages, the life of David Bowie the musician, the artist, the performer, the painter, the actor, the pioneer, the human being. With over 150 people interviewed, from musicians to fashion designers to journalists to friends, Dylan Jones gives us a cinematic and ambiguous view of Bowie, revealing a complicated, driven and trailblazing man whose life and music had a profound effect on so many people throughout his fifty year career, myself included. ...more
Jun 23, 2019 berthamason rated it liked it · review of another edition
The more I think about this book the less I like it. 3.5 stars.
Nov 08, 2017 R. rated it it was amazing
I do wonder why there's no Trent Reznor or Todd Haynes in here, but, hey, it's otherwise an enjoyable entry in a crowded field of Bowieographies.
Mar 15, 2018 Gerbrand rated it liked it
A biography based on more than 180 interviews with collaborators in music, fashion, film and art business, friends, ex-lovers, etc. Like a jigsaw puzzle put together by the author. Interesting way of writing a biography. Quite clever. A big minus: no photo’s.
Especially towards the end I got slightly bored. Some odd choices. The author included a 3 page letter written by a palliative care consultant written shortly after his death. Why? I have no idea. Another strange choice was the inclusion of A biography based on more than 180 interviews with collaborators in music, fashion, film and art business, friends, ex-lovers, etc. Like a jigsaw puzzle put together by the author. Interesting way of writing a biography. Quite clever. A big minus: no photo’s.
Especially towards the end I got slightly bored. Some odd choices. The author included a 3 page letter written by a palliative care consultant written shortly after his death. Why? I have no idea. Another strange choice was the inclusion of some snippets of interviews the author had with a psychologist. I beg your pardon!?
Overall I came to the conclusion that this book adds very little to what I already knew, I guess I have read to many interviews and specials on Bowie (Mojo, Uncut etc) the last 20 years.
Meanwhile I continue to read ‘The complete David Bowie’ by Nicholas Pegg and simultaneous listen to his music. This will take a couple of years to finish. But if you love Bowie’s music, this is the book I would recommend. It is a true reference book: song by song, album by album. After sending a copy of the book to DB, Pegg got back the following reply:
“Nick – an amazing job, but, of course, it’s all wrong!’
The fact that I am putting here a quote from another book is quite telling… ...more
Nov 13, 2017 Terri Wilson rated it it was amazing
Like so many other people, I was greatly affected by David Bowie's death. This seems very strange to me because I knew very little about his life. He represented a part of my childhood that ceased, the day he died. When I saw this book available on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it. I wanted to know more about this icon. I had hoped this book would be a typical biography and so when I saw it wasn't, I was a little uncertain as to whether or not I would like it. I totally enjoyed readi Like so many other people, I was greatly affected by David Bowie's death. This seems very strange to me because I knew very little about his life. He represented a part of my childhood that ceased, the day he died. When I saw this book available on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it. I wanted to know more about this icon. I had hoped this book would be a typical biography and so when I saw it wasn't, I was a little uncertain as to whether or not I would like it. I totally enjoyed reading this, ironically because it wasn't a typical biography. It was great to get some personal insights into this man from people who knew him and were a part of his life. It is amazing to see how many people were impacted by Bowie.
Thank you, NetGalley for a copy of this book ...more
Jan 16, 2018 Becky rated it it was ok
Didn't love the format, interview after interview after interview. Mostly saying the same thing, Bowie did A LOT of coke, had A LOT of sex, and was very polite and inquisitive. While he did live a fascinating life, I think Jones could have hit the highlights and it would have made for a more interesting read.
Apr 09, 2018 Lydia rated it really liked it
Recommends it for: David Bowie fans
I enjoyed it. I learned some things about David Bowie that I hadn't already known. I learned that people who claim to be really good friends with David Bowie don't know that his eyes aren't two different colors, but that's fame right?
I read a few reviews and a lot of the complaints were that the book was repetitive. I think that was partially the nature of the medium. As an oral history, some people are likely going to have similar feelings or experiences with Bowie. There were parts where it m I enjoyed it. I learned some things about David Bowie that I hadn't already known. I learned that people who claim to be really good friends with David Bowie don't know that his eyes aren't two different colors, but that's fame right?
I read a few reviews and a lot of the complaints were that the book was repetitive. I think that was partially the nature of the medium. As an oral history, some people are likely going to have similar feelings or experiences with Bowie. There were parts where it made the book lag, but on the whole it did not bother me.
If you're a Bowie fan and you want to know more about him, this is a good choice of biography as it is all first person experiences in their own words. That includes sections of David Bowie in interviews. ...more
Jan 21, 2019 Nancy rated it liked it · review of another edition
This "oral history" of David Bowie's life was pretty good. Some of the people interviewed that were close to David Bowie had some good and insightful stories that showed the human side and personality of the phenomenal entertainer. Others sounded like their own versions of events and you have to take a lot of them with a grain of salt and remember where these people were coming from and their relationship, or lack there of, with Bowie at the time their paths crossed. I think the book, on the who This "oral history" of David Bowie's life was pretty good. Some of the people interviewed that were close to David Bowie had some good and insightful stories that showed the human side and personality of the phenomenal entertainer. Others sounded like their own versions of events and you have to take a lot of them with a grain of salt and remember where these people were coming from and their relationship, or lack there of, with Bowie at the time their paths crossed. I think the book, on the whole, was too long and too repetitive and would have benefitted from some tighter editing. Still an interesting view into a remarkable man and his legacy. ...more
May 04, 2018 Amy rated it liked it
Shelves: biography, nf
Do I get kicked out of the Bowie fan club saying that I found this hard going? It isn't the subject matter (OBVIOUSLY) but the format. Might just not be my style.
I am reading it in small doses but don't find myself wanting to go back for more.
Jun 06, 2018 Monica rated it really liked it
This is a long book! It's quite thorough, telling Bowie's life through interviews with both him and so many others. I learned so much and annoyed my friends by quoting it at them often while reading.
Sep 10, 2017 Ray Palen rated it it was amazing
Read my review Friday on bookreporter.com .
What were some of the most interesting takeaways from this book? 1 2 Aug 31, 2018 09:18AM
Biography Memoir
About Dylan Jones
Dylan Jones studied at Chelsea School Of Art and then St. Martin’s School of Art. He is the award-winning editor of GQ magazine, a position he has held since 1999, and has won the British Society of Magazine Editors “Editor of the Year” award a record ten times. In 2013 he was also the recipient of the prestigious Mark Boxer Award.
Under his editorship the magazine has won over 50 awards.
A former e Dylan Jones studied at Chelsea School Of Art and then St. Martin’s School of Art. He is the award-winning editor of GQ magazine, a position he has held since 1999, and has won the British Society of Magazine Editors “Editor of the Year” award a record ten times. In 2013 he was also the recipient of the prestigious Mark Boxer Award.
A former editor at i-D, The Face, Arena, the Observer and the Sunday Times, he is the author of the New York Times best seller Jim Morrison: Dark Star, the much-translated iPod, Therefore I Am and Mr. Jones’ Rules, as well as the editor of the classic collection of music writing, Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy. He edited a collection of journalism from Arena - Sex, Power & Travel - and collaborated with David Cameron on Cameron on Cameron: Conversations with Dylan Jones (shortlisted for the Channel 4 Political Book of the Year).
He was the Chairman of the Prince’s Trust’s Fashion Rocks Monaco, is a board member of the Norman Mailer Writers Colony and a Trustee of the Hay Festival. He is also the chairman of London Fashion Week: Men’s, London’s first men’s fashion week, launched in 2012 at the behest of the British Fashion Council.
In 2010 he spent a week in Afghanistan with the Armed Forces, collaborating on a book with the photographer David Bailey: British Heroes in Afghanistan.
In 2012 he had three books published: The Biographical Dictionary of Music; When Ziggy Played Guitar: David Bowie and Four Minutes that Shook the World, and the official book of U2’s 360 Tour, published in October. Since then he has published
The Eighties: One Day One Decade, a book about the 1980s told through the prism of Live Aid, Elvis Has Left The Building: The Day The King Died, Mr. Mojo, London Rules, a polemic about the greatest city in the world, Manxiety and London Sartorial.
In June 2013 he was awarded an OBE for services to publishing and the fashion industry. In 2014 he was made an Honorary Professor of Glasgow Caledonian University. ...more
Books by Dylan Jones
Trivia About David Bowie: A Life
Quotes from David Bowie: A Life
“The filming was interrupted at one point by an old man walking his dog, looking for driftwood. Mallet asked him if he wouldn’t mind moving, and pointed out Bowie sitting outside the catering van. ‘Do you know who this is?’ he asked. Sharp as a tack, the old man responded with, ‘Of course I do. It’s some cunt in a clown suit.’ Sometime later, Bowie remembered, ‘That was a huge moment for me. It put me back in my place and made me realise, “Yes, I’m just a cunt in a clown suit.” — 1 likes
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The Troubadour's Tale
(Oxford Medieval Mysteries #5)
Ann Swinfen
When Nicholas Elyot and his friends set out to spend the Christmas season in the country, they are prepared for a hard journey in winter weather. They are also wary of violence on the road, for these are troubled times after the Great Pestilence, when bands of dispossessed and desperate men roam the countryside of England. It is not surprising, therefore, when the troubado When Nicholas Elyot and his friends set out to spend the Christmas season in the country, they are prepared for a hard journey in winter weather. They are also wary of violence on the road, for these are troubled times after the Great Pestilence, when bands of dispossessed and desperate men roam the countryside of England. It is not surprising, therefore, when the troubadours hired to provide entertainment at Leighton Manor are attacked in Wychwood. Yet why should this insignificant group draw the attention of outlaws, who are searching for something? Is one of the troubadours not quite what he seems? ...more
Kindle Edition, 282 pages
Published January 28th 2018 by Shakenoak Press
B079DRQ2PD
Oxford Medieval Mysteries #5
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Feb 04, 2018 Booknblues rated it really liked it
Shelves: series, medieval, mystery, england, 14th-century
The Oxford Mysteries by Ann Swinfen and featuring bookseller Nicholas Elyot is fast becoming one of my favorite series and a go to for a feel good moment. The latest, number 5, The Troubadour's Tale, definitely reinforces this. These books are set in the 14th century in Oxford and we get a look at what life was like at that time.
Nicholas lost his wife during the Great Pestilence and is raising his children with the help of his sister Margaret. In this book, Nicholas is returning to his childhood The Oxford Mysteries by Ann Swinfen and featuring bookseller Nicholas Elyot is fast becoming one of my favorite series and a go to for a feel good moment. The latest, number 5, The Troubadour's Tale, definitely reinforces this. These books are set in the 14th century in Oxford and we get a look at what life was like at that time.
Nicholas lost his wife during the Great Pestilence and is raising his children with the help of his sister Margaret. In this book, Nicholas is returning to his childhood home to be with his Mother for Christmas. Swinfen, highlights many of the traditions found at that time which I find intriguing.
There is excitement to go around, but I love these books because in many ways Nicholas seems like such an ordinary guy. ...more
Feb 06, 2018 Kathy rated it really liked it
I look forward to each book in this series of Oxford book seller "Master Elyot" and his family. This one presents a very arduous and brave journey through the snow to the manor where his mother resides in the home of his cousin for the Christmas celebrations. Without the armed escort, Nicholas and his family could have been slaughtered by murdering rogues and are later threatened repeatedly by the presence of French mercenaries on a mission. The customs in food, song and dance are portrayed with I look forward to each book in this series of Oxford book seller "Master Elyot" and his family. This one presents a very arduous and brave journey through the snow to the manor where his mother resides in the home of his cousin for the Christmas celebrations. Without the armed escort, Nicholas and his family could have been slaughtered by murdering rogues and are later threatened repeatedly by the presence of French mercenaries on a mission. The customs in food, song and dance are portrayed with careful historical accuracy. A great deal happens on this holiday trip and the family is happy as they approach Oxford: "The sun, which had been somewhat reluctant all day, lurking behind a veil of cloud, suddenly broke through, spreading a misty golden light over the scene before us...All the spires and crenellations of Oxford gleamed and sparkled, frosted over with glittering snow, so that the whole town seemed dreamlike, a jewelled casket, an unimaginable paradise." ...more
Feb 08, 2018 Nora rated it really liked it
4 1/2 stars. The only problem with Ann Swinfen’s historical novels is that they end! I will miss Nicholas Elyot very much, and look forward to his next adventure. This was one of the best, with her usual glorious descriptions of weather and landscape, and a wonderful depiction of what a Medieval English Christmas must have been like. The characters of Emma, Jordain, Margaret, and Alysoun continue to be endearing, and other members of the cast, such as Peter Winchingham, the Black Prince and the 4 1/2 stars. The only problem with Ann Swinfen’s historical novels is that they end! I will miss Nicholas Elyot very much, and look forward to his next adventure. This was one of the best, with her usual glorious descriptions of weather and landscape, and a wonderful depiction of what a Medieval English Christmas must have been like. The characters of Emma, Jordain, Margaret, and Alysoun continue to be endearing, and other members of the cast, such as Peter Winchingham, the Black Prince and the troubadours, among many others, were intriguing and fun. I always learn so much from Ann Swinfen, this time the text of the medieval lyric, Lullay, myn lykyng...When I watched a video on YouTube of it being performed by a boys’ and men’s choir (couldn’t find details of who performed it or where or when), it was so familiar. I must have it on a CD somewhere. I also miss Kit Alvarez from The Chronicles of Christoval Alvarez, another favorite historical fiction series. Now on to other novels by this author. I highly recommend Ann Swinfen’s blog. ...more
Feb 08, 2018 Betsy rated it really liked it
An entertaining tale of Christmastime in 14th century England. Although I did wonder at the wisdom of all those people traveling just to see the mother, I suppose it was not unusual for the time period. The author has created some memorable characters in her historical fiction, and I look forward to the next one.
Apr 04, 2018 Dorothea Miller rated it it was amazing
The troubadour’s Tale is a great read! Swinfen never ceases to amaze me with her knowledge of the period! I especially enjoyed the musical instruments that were mentioned and used in the novel.
The story was filled with intrigue. I really enjoyed reading more about the Black Prince.
I’ve read these novels in quick succession and she manages to surprise me with her plot twists!
Anne Swinfen please keep writing them!
Apr 13, 2018 Kathleen rated it it was amazing
I have greatly enjoyed all the Oxford Medieval Mysteries and this one is no exception. The author's fine afterward discusses the "little ice age" which could have been having an effect on winter travel and other historical facts of that period.
Nicholas and his family, as well as his friend Jordain and Emma and her aunt and cousins are invited to Peter Winchingham's manor in Leighton for the Christmas season. Nicholas and Margaret's mother had been too frail to travel to them in Oxford with the h I have greatly enjoyed all the Oxford Medieval Mysteries and this one is no exception. The author's fine afterward discusses the "little ice age" which could have been having an effect on winter travel and other historical facts of that period.
Nicholas and his family, as well as his friend Jordain and Emma and her aunt and cousins are invited to Peter Winchingham's manor in Leighton for the Christmas season. Nicholas and Margaret's mother had been too frail to travel to them in Oxford with the harsh weather they are having so they agree.
Despite extensive preparations the trip is fraught with peril from both the elements and outlaws. Deputy sheriff Cedric Walden had offered to travel with Nicholas' group for safety, which ended up saving their lives. The whole trip was fraught with peril, as the French Troubadours invited to Leighton Manor were also attacked, and that sets the stage for most of their visit.
The ending is unique with Nicholas and the Black Prince again fighting together against treasonous mercenaries. All ends well and made for a delightful read. ...more
Feb 06, 2018 Cindy Woods rated it it was amazing
Excellent historical novel
I have to say, Ann Swinfen is a favorite of mine. I anxiously await her next offering. This series, in particular, is well researched and written as if you are there.
The 14th century setting in England is a turbulent time. The characters are well described and the dialogue is apropos to the era. The plot takes us on a Christmas time holiday from the main character, Nicolas's, hometown Oxford to the country to spend the holiday with family and friends. As always, there Excellent historical novel
The 14th century setting in England is a turbulent time. The characters are well described and the dialogue is apropos to the era. The plot takes us on a Christmas time holiday from the main character, Nicolas's, hometown Oxford to the country to spend the holiday with family and friends. As always, there is adventure and a mystery to be solved, this time involving traveling troubadours.
The story is rich in traditions of the time, including the food and religious rites if the season. The danger of travel is brought to light. The hardships of daily life mixed with religion and politics is well documented. Swinfen does a creditable job in her writing while keeping you riveted on the main plot. Hard to put down.
Absolutely recommend to readers of historical novels. The series is outstanding! ...more
Oct 15, 2018 Marcia rated it it was ok
I always enjoy Swinfen’s descriptive powers and her knowledge of the era, but this novel suffers from too much of a good thing. The plot is often buried beneath a surfeit of descriptive passages and redundant action (how many times do members of the family bundle up and head for the manor house, the farm, the village?). The phrase “You’ve got the right of that” is used repetitively and is not supported by other colloquialisms of the time that might have added some variety to the dialogue. The pl I always enjoy Swinfen’s descriptive powers and her knowledge of the era, but this novel suffers from too much of a good thing. The plot is often buried beneath a surfeit of descriptive passages and redundant action (how many times do members of the family bundle up and head for the manor house, the farm, the village?). The phrase “You’ve got the right of that” is used repetitively and is not supported by other colloquialisms of the time that might have added some variety to the dialogue. The plot is thin and unevenly developed; there is too little attention paid to keeping the reader curious and engaged other than oft repeated musings over the contents of “the letter.” The plot resolution is delivered in a rushed “data dump” near the end for which the reader has been left unprepared. The family is still charming, the Christmas customs interesting, the hardships illuminating, and the forays into Latin and Middle English enjoyable. I’ll still read the next book, but this one is pretty weak and needs some editing. ...more
Mar 24, 2018 Hart rated it it was amazing
I love this series. This book is about Nicholas and his family and friends traveling to spend Christmas with his family in the countryside. Of course Nicholas gets himself involved in other people's problems again, this time as a result of his friendship with Peter Winchingham, the merchant he met in book four. Peter's daughter has hired troubadours who are secretly spies.
I'm not a student of history, just a reader of historical fiction, but I do like games. These troubadours have a lot in commo I love this series. This book is about Nicholas and his family and friends traveling to spend Christmas with his family in the countryside. Of course Nicholas gets himself involved in other people's problems again, this time as a result of his friendship with Peter Winchingham, the merchant he met in book four. Peter's daughter has hired troubadours who are secretly spies.
I'm not a student of history, just a reader of historical fiction, but I do like games. These troubadours have a lot in common with bards from RPGs, which is pretty great.
Nicholas's relationship with Emma moves forward a bit, (view spoiler)[and they kiss for the first time, (hide spoiler)] but he still isn't sure if he should be with her. She definitely seems to be part of Nicholas's family here.
(view spoiler)[There is a surprise at the climax of the story, which I didn't see coming at all. I don't even want to hint at it, but it made me laugh out loud. (hide spoiler)]
Overall this is quite a cozy installment of the series, with a lot of nice domestic details. I look forward to the next book. ...more
May 16, 2019 Jane Irish Nelson rated it really liked it
Shelves: historical, mystery
Love, love, love this series. And this book was no disappointment. Winter 1353 is very cold and snowy in Oxford and the environs, so Nicholas Elyot's mother is unable to come and spend Christmas with his family and friends. So instead they set out for his cousin Edmond's farm, where Nicholas and his sister Margaret grew up. Their journey is beset by dangers, but they real mystery begins later, at the manor closest to the farm. A new owner is settling in, and has invited a group of troubadours to Love, love, love this series. And this book was no disappointment. Winter 1353 is very cold and snowy in Oxford and the environs, so Nicholas Elyot's mother is unable to come and spend Christmas with his family and friends. So instead they set out for his cousin Edmond's farm, where Nicholas and his sister Margaret grew up. Their journey is beset by dangers, but they real mystery begins later, at the manor closest to the farm. A new owner is settling in, and has invited a group of troubadours to the manor to entertain during the festive season. But danger and mystery follows in their wake . . . . Wonderfully atmospheric. The reader vicariously experiences the dangers and joys inherent in 14th-century life. Excellent. Highly recommended — but start with the first book in the series. ...more
Mar 08, 2018 Gordon rated it really liked it
Many TV series have a 'Christmas episode' where the characters celebrate the season and interact in soap-operatically interesting ways but with an overall heartwarming seasonal vibe. This book is essentially "Oxford Medieval Mysteries - the Christmas Episode'. While there is a mystery and some occasional flashes of action, most of the book was taken up with the difficulties and dangers of travelling to be with the relatives of Christmas (medieval Little Ice Age edition with a lot of snow) plus a Many TV series have a 'Christmas episode' where the characters celebrate the season and interact in soap-operatically interesting ways but with an overall heartwarming seasonal vibe. This book is essentially "Oxford Medieval Mysteries - the Christmas Episode'. While there is a mystery and some occasional flashes of action, most of the book was taken up with the difficulties and dangers of travelling to be with the relatives of Christmas (medieval Little Ice Age edition with a lot of snow) plus a lot of detail about how Advent, Christmas and Epiphany were celebrated in the 14th C. I found it as fascinating and interesting as the rest of the series despite the relative lack of 'action', but it would have been a better read in December rather than in February. ...more
May 25, 2018 Julia rated it really liked it
Shelves: historical-mysteries
This Elyot story is set at the family farm during the Christmas season. The historical detail and subplots add to an already intriguing story, especially how historical customs are introduced. While some friends are absent from this story, other characters are further developed.
Threats from France to Edward, the Black Prince land in Nicholas’ lap but not before a harrowing trip from Oxford to the family farm. Dealt with from the Sheriff’s men in escort, the family and friends arrive. Marauding, This Elyot story is set at the family farm during the Christmas season. The historical detail and subplots add to an already intriguing story, especially how historical customs are introduced. While some friends are absent from this story, other characters are further developed.
Threats from France to Edward, the Black Prince land in Nicholas’ lap but not before a harrowing trip from Oxford to the family farm. Dealt with from the Sheriff’s men in escort, the family and friends arrive. Marauding, spies, kingdom rivalries, abound amongst friends and budding lovers in this fifth Nicholas Elyot tale. Looking forward to more in this series. ...more
Feb 17, 2018 Bronwyn rated it really liked it
Love this series!
Although I found the beginning a bit slow going - it may have been my mood rather than the writing - I was soon immersed in the worlds of Nicholas and his family and friends. The contrasting settings of city and countryside, servants and The Black Prince, manor houses and modest cottages, are interwoven naturally, with fascinating insights into music and theology, political intrigue and family life - and a developing romance between two people whose pasts make them wary. And Oxf Love this series!
Although I found the beginning a bit slow going - it may have been my mood rather than the writing - I was soon immersed in the worlds of Nicholas and his family and friends. The contrasting settings of city and countryside, servants and The Black Prince, manor houses and modest cottages, are interwoven naturally, with fascinating insights into music and theology, political intrigue and family life - and a developing romance between two people whose pasts make them wary. And Oxford! Oxford, with its gleaming spires and street level commerce. I hope the next in this series isn’t too far away! ...more
Jul 24, 2018 Argum rated it really liked it
Our new friend Peter has purchased Leighton manor and comes to Oxford bearing greetings from the family. Nicholas and company set off for Christmas on the family farm. After a harrowing journey that has great detail about duty of hospitality and outlaws, a great look at Christmas traditions is provided. Troubadours are expected much to the delight of Nicholas's latest book order. But things are not all smooth when the troupe is attacked in the manor yard. Clearly it was not regular bandits when Our new friend Peter has purchased Leighton manor and comes to Oxford bearing greetings from the family. Nicholas and company set off for Christmas on the family farm. After a harrowing journey that has great detail about duty of hospitality and outlaws, a great look at Christmas traditions is provided. Troubadours are expected much to the delight of Nicholas's latest book order. But things are not all smooth when the troupe is attacked in the manor yard. Clearly it was not regular bandits when they try again to gain entry to the house. Treason may be afoot. Loved seeing a country Christmas here. ...more
Aug 13, 2018 Spuddie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Absolutely love this medieval series featuring Nicholas Elyot, Oxford bookseller, and his family and friends. In this adventure, Nicholas and family are off to the countryside to Leighton Manor for Christmas, since his and his sister Margaret's mother is too ill to make the journey in to Oxford in the harsh winter weather. Filled with intricate details of 14th century England after the plague, the author has an uncanny ability to place you right in the middle of the time and place and features a Absolutely love this medieval series featuring Nicholas Elyot, Oxford bookseller, and his family and friends. In this adventure, Nicholas and family are off to the countryside to Leighton Manor for Christmas, since his and his sister Margaret's mother is too ill to make the journey in to Oxford in the harsh winter weather. Filled with intricate details of 14th century England after the plague, the author has an uncanny ability to place you right in the middle of the time and place and features a merry cast of recurring characters as well as interesting new ones.
The series is also brilliantly narrated by Philip Battley. ...more
Mar 23, 2019 Erich rated it it was amazing
Superb Historical
As the 5th tale in the series, it seems as though the author cannot fail at her craft. The characters are so endearing, so lifelike, that one cannot hope not to be immersed from the beginning. You root for everyone from the lowliest servant to the highest lord.
The historical accuracy is incredible and where departures are necessary for the sake of the story, even those asides are presented in such a way that unless you're a scholar of the era, you will not notice the deviation Superb Historical
The historical accuracy is incredible and where departures are necessary for the sake of the story, even those asides are presented in such a way that unless you're a scholar of the era, you will not notice the deviations.
First Class writing. ...more
Sep 01, 2018 Hebby Roman rated it really liked it
Although I love all of Ms. Swinfen's books, this was probably my least favorite of the Oxford Medieval Mysteries, as I felt most of the real action to do with the mystery surrounding the Troubadours took place offline in the book. As far as a touching account of a medieval, county Christmas, however, it was awesome. As always, Ms. Swinfen's grasp and use of historical details makes for such easy and enjoyable reading. You feel as if you're transported back 700 years, which is quite an accomplish Although I love all of Ms. Swinfen's books, this was probably my least favorite of the Oxford Medieval Mysteries, as I felt most of the real action to do with the mystery surrounding the Troubadours took place offline in the book. As far as a touching account of a medieval, county Christmas, however, it was awesome. As always, Ms. Swinfen's grasp and use of historical details makes for such easy and enjoyable reading. You feel as if you're transported back 700 years, which is quite an accomplishment. ...more
Sep 15, 2018 Alissa McCarthy rated it really liked it
I’ve now listened to the entire series and I’m looking with great anticipation for book 6. The writing has gotten better with each tale and I'm still enchanted with learning more details about life in medieval England. Philip Battley's narration makes it that much more fascinating with a voice like pure honey; his voice has that same silky baritone as Kenneth Branagh's. As an aside, if you've not listened to Audible's "Heart of Darkness" narrated by Sir Kenneth, you have missed a singular deligh I’ve now listened to the entire series and I’m looking with great anticipation for book 6. The writing has gotten better with each tale and I'm still enchanted with learning more details about life in medieval England. Philip Battley's narration makes it that much more fascinating with a voice like pure honey; his voice has that same silky baritone as Kenneth Branagh's. As an aside, if you've not listened to Audible's "Heart of Darkness" narrated by Sir Kenneth, you have missed a singular delight. ...more
Jan 23, 2019 Kivrin rated it really liked it · review of another edition
I really enjoyed this one because it was set at Christmas, and the description of the holidays was wonderful. It was fascinating to read about the traditions and as always, I felt like I was part of the family.
As usual, our hero manages to get himself mixed up in some dangerous political intrigue but triumphs in the end. And progress is made on the romantic front as well...not a lot, but some.
Mar 09, 2018 Mary R rated it really liked it
The most annoying thing about the Medieval Mysteries series is realizing there will be a wait until the next book. !!!! The Troubadour's Tale is less mystery then the predecessors but the histotical information about Christmas preparation and celebrations is wonderful ...plus a little global warming info.
Mar 01, 2018 Mark rated it really liked it
Weakest adventure so far. I get the feeling it is setting up Emma and Nicholas for their relationship to burgeon in future volumes. the troubadour and French missive is a footnote mystery and the author showing off some middle English and Latin ecclesiastical texts something this reviewer glossed over at speed as it added nothing to the novel.
Still, this is a fine series.
Feb 24, 2018 Debbie Lynn rated it it was amazing
This is one of my favorite series of historical fiction. I thoroughly enjoy the characters, the writing and the place/time. This isn’t heavy reading by bogging down the story unnecessarily with the historical details, although the author does not scrimp on info either. It’s nicely balanced with the history as well as a well told story.
Mar 06, 2018 Catherine rated it it was amazing
Happy Christmas at Last
I love medieval mysteries and am happy to discover Any Swifen's Oxford mysteries. Even the Nativity season cannot stop the everlasting quarrels between England & France. But Nicholas Eylot knows that things will be set right. As the enemy tries to steal a secret letter from travelling troubadours, Nicholas is determined to protect them & England.
Feb 13, 2018 Silke rated it really liked it
The Troubadour's Tale puts an international spin on Ann Swinfen's Oxford Medieval Mystery Series. As always the characters are way more altruistic than many people in real life and not as well rounded emotionally as they should be. That being said this was a fun read in the end that makes the reader laugh.
Feb 05, 2018 ALISON A O BRIEN rated it it was amazing
Another wonderful story
Ann Swinfen makes you feel as if you are actually there in 14th century England with Nicholas Elyot and his family. The characters and n plot are interesting and writing is excellent as usual.
Feb 11, 2018 Jane rated it liked it
If I had a dollar for every time Swinfen uses the phrase "You have the right if it," I'd be a wealthy woman. Other than that, Swinfen continues to produce fine medieval cozies, this one set in the Christmas season.
Nov 30, 2018 Kathie Frobe rated it it was amazing
A special novel
Beside being a good tale, the inclusion of traditional songs and the special church celebration of Christmas, plus traditional celebration of the holidays of December make this book especially enjoyable.
Feb 06, 2018 Elisabeth rated it really liked it
I particularly liked this one. Although not as much adventure or intrigue as the earlier books, the view of a country Christmas is delightful. And the mystery exists and is solved.
Mar 20, 2018 Debbie Zotian rated it really liked it
Continues the story and the quality.
I've read all five books and enjoyed each one. Without dragging the existing story, Ms Swinfen summarizes the past and keeps the story moving. Well written and researched, she doesn't overwhelm but keeps your interest. Can't wait for Book 6.
Aug 04, 2018 Nat rated it really liked it
This series is back on top form with a very engaging story that concentrates on the characters lives rather than the mystery elements, and is all the better for it.
Play Book Tag: The Troubadour's Tale by Ann Swinfen - 4 stars 3 10 Feb 09, 2018 03:35PM
Historical > Historical Fiction
Historical > Medieval
About Ann Swinfen
Ann Swinfen spent her childhood partly in England and partly on the east coast of America. She read Classics and Mathematics at Oxford, where she married a fellow undergraduate, the historian David Swinfen. While bringing up their five children and studying for an MSc in Mathematics and a BA and PhD in English Literature, she had a variety of jobs, including university lecturer, translator, freela Ann Swinfen spent her childhood partly in England and partly on the east coast of America. She read Classics and Mathematics at Oxford, where she married a fellow undergraduate, the historian David Swinfen. While bringing up their five children and studying for an MSc in Mathematics and a BA and PhD in English Literature, she had a variety of jobs, including university lecturer, translator, freelance journalist and software designer.
She served for nine years on the governing council of the Open University and for five years worked as a manager and editor in the technical author division of an international computer company, but gave up her full-time job to concentrate on her writing, while continuing part-time university teaching. In 1995 she founded Dundee Book Events, a voluntary organisation promoting books and authors to the general public.
Her first three novels, The Anniversary, The Travellers, and A Running Tide, all with a contemporary setting but also an historical resonance, were published by Random House, with translations into Dutch and German. Her fourth novel, The Testament of Mariam, marked something of a departure. Set in the first century, it recounts, from an unusual perspective, one of the most famous and yet ambiguous stories in human history. At the same time it explores life under a foreign occupying force, in lands still torn by conflict to this day. Her latest novel, Flood, is set in the fenlands of East Anglia during the seventeenth century, where the local people fought desperately to save their land from greedy and unscrupulous speculators.
She now lives on the northeast coast of Scotland, with her husband (formerly vice-principal of the University of Dundee), a cocker spaniel and two Maine Coon cats.
Oxford Medieval Mysteries (6 books)
Books by Ann Swinfen
Trivia About The Troubadour's ...
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Code of Ethics, IESBA
A New Path of Duty
The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) has embarked on a major revamp of the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants.
After 35 years and adoption or use in more than 100 jurisdictions, IESBA’s Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants is entering a new phase in its evolution, one that could have far-reaching implications.
The proposed changes aim to shake up the code and, as a result, enhance its clarity, usability, and enforceability according to Stavros Thomadakis, Chairman of IESBA.
“The first edition of the code was issued in 1980, long before laptops, email and cell phones,” he said. “It’s not only technology, but also the environments in which accountants operate that have evolved at great speed. The types of work, and how accountants perform their professional activities, have changed dramatically since then and the code has had to evolve to remain relevant and robust.”
Against this backdrop, the code has become lengthier and more complex. According to IESBA’s Technical Director, Ken Siong, the code has grown substantially since 2000.
“It’s no surprise that after Enron and the increased public focus on auditor independence, the length of the code has increased by over 50 per cent,” he said. “After hearing from stakeholders, the Board decided that it was time to undertake a strategic review of the structure of the code to make it more user-friendly and accessible for our global audience.”
Ireland and the UK are among the 100 plus jurisdictions around the world that have either adopted or based national ethics standards on the code. Though audits of financial statements in Ireland and the UK are subject to the auditor independence requirements of the UK-based Financial Reporting Council (FRC), Chartered Accountants Ireland has adopted the code.
The code applies to cross-border audits and, according to the FRC, compliance with the FRC’s independence standards will result in compliance with the code.
Task Force Established to Simiplify the Code
Although adoption of the code has increased steadily over the years, the Board has recently heard a consistent message from stakeholders that the complexity of the code, as well as how it is written, make it difficult to understand for both English and non-native English speakers. The Board therefore formed a six-person Structure of the Code Task Force in April 2014 chaired by Don Thomson, a Board member and a partner at Grant Thornton Canada.
The task force set out to simplify the code. This involved implementing a completely new structure, reorganising parts of the code, clarifying where necessary, and exploring how technology could improve accessibility and presentation of the code in a digital and mobile world. The ultimate goal was to make the code more usable, accessible, and enforceable.
The first output from the task force’s efforts was the 2014 consultation paper entitled Improving the Structure of the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants. The consultation sought input on approaches that could be taken to improve the clarity and usability of the code, including:
Restructuring the code to better distinguish requirements from guidance;
Reorganising the content of the code, including rebranding the code or parts thereof, as international standards;
Identifying responsibility for compliance in particular circumstances;
Simplifying the wording of the code so that it can be more readily understood.
By February of this year, the consultation had received nearly 60 responses from around the world. In April, the board deliberated these responses and an Exposure Draft is planned for approval later this year.
Describing the group’s work to simplify the language of the code, IESBA member and partner at KPMG UK, Peter Hughes said: “Working on the structure and the drafting conventions of the code brings home just how complex it is, and potentially how ambiguous it might be – particularly when it’s translated into other languages and read by different audiences.
“But the task of trying to come up with the mot juste for a particular word in the code has taught me the truth of the adage that the US and the UK are two countries divided by a common language. And, I am sure the same applies no matter which two English speaking countries you are comparing.”
With widespread changes on the table, stakeholders may wonder what isn’t changing, and how the changes will affect the many jurisdictions that have already adopted the code.
According to Mr Thomson, the restructured code is certainly going to be recognisable. “We are not changing the conceptual framework that is applicable throughout the code, and we are keeping the same requirements and guidance,” he said. “The code will be easier to use and enforce, distinguishing requirements more clearly from guidance, spotlighting the overarching principles, and clarifying responsibility and language. In addition, through an electronic code – a first version of which is already accessible on the IESBA website – we will enhance navigability and functionality.
“What hasn’t and will not change is the principles basis of the code,” added Mr Thomadakis.“Given our international role, we must produce a code that is global in scope and operable globally. This can only be achieved by remaining principles-based.”
The principles basis is also critical for the scalability of the code – allowing practitioners and accountants in businesses of all types and sizes to apply the code in a manner consistent with the contexts in which they operate and proportionate to their roles and responsibilities. Small- and medium-sized practices (SMPs) in particular face challenges in keeping up with changes in standards and regulations.
The IFAC SMP Committee submitted a comment letter to the IESBA’s consultation paper earlier this year. While it is supportive of the general direction of the proposals, it pointed out that rebranding parts of the code could lead to the misperception that the code is rules-based.
According to a discussion in the Global Knowledge Gateway with SMP Committee staff, “Separating standards on specific topics and rebranding the code as the International Standards on Ethics would be a more onerous undertaking and a move away from principles to a more rules-based approach. Rebranding the code without developing a full set of such standards is unlikely to have a significant impact on improving its visibility and enforceability.”
On the other hand, rebranding parts of the code as standards – such as the section on independence – could improve its structure and clarity, and enhance enforceability in areas where there are heightened stakeholder expectations regarding the accountant’s public interest requirements. Doing so could also improve the transparency of changes to the code.
IESBA is expected to include its recommendations regarding rebranding in the package of proposals it will consider for approval by the end of this year with the final restructured code scheduled for approval by 2017. “Today, as economies recover from the financial crisis and as jurisdictions experience heightened levels of regulatory activity, the profession – particularly auditors – is being challenged as never before to demonstrate the highest standards of ethical conduct in the public interest,” added Mr Thomadakis.“The need for clear and robust ethics requirements and guidance has never been more timely.”
New Non-Compliance Framework
IESBA is restructuring the code while it is progressing enhancements to individual and new sections of the code. Its scope includes a new framework to guide professional accountants in how to best serve the public interest when responding to identified or suspected acts of non-compliance with laws and regulations. This has been a long and complex project, given the challenges of addressing whistleblowing on a global basis.
IESBA’s Exposure Draft entitled Responding to Non-Compliance with Laws & Regulations is currently open for comment and the Board encourages professional accountancy organisations and all other stakeholders who have a role or interest in addressing the relevant issues to comment by the deadline of 4th September 2015.
This article was authored exclusively for Accountancy Ireland by the International Federation of Accountants. It is reprinted here with the permission of Accountancy Ireland.
2018 Roundtables
IESBA June 2018 Meeting Highlights Podcast
IESBA Webinar: The Revised and Restructured Code
Preparing for the IESBA eCode
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Tag Archives: Sir Alex Ferguson
Cech glad to be back on track
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech believes that the club are beginning to show signs of the ruthless streak that not too long ago saw them dominate the English game, the Daily Star understands.
The Blues got their European campaign back on track with a 4-0 victory over Steaua Bucharest on Tuesday afternoon after their shock home defeat to Basel two weeks ago, and the 31 year old is sure that they are now ‘back in business’.
Elsewhere, former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that he was approached by owner Roman Abramovich, when the latter first arrived in England in 2003.
However, the Scot insisted that he never would have any intention to leave Old Trafford leading the Russian to appoint Jose Mourinho in 2004.
Meanwhile, Fernando Torres has been ruled out for up to three weeks with the knee injury he sustained in Tuesday’s win in Romania.
The Spain international was replaced by Samuel Eto’o after just eleven minutes at the National Arena , will hope to return to action for the match at Schalke on October 22nd.
Torres was already set to miss Sunday’s visit to Norwich City after being dismissed in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
Posted on October 3, 2013 by deke by deke
Comments Off on Cech glad to be back on track
Tags: Fernando Torres, Manchester United, Norwich City, Petr Cech, Samuel Eto'o, Schalke, Sir Alex Ferguson, Steaua Bucharest
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First Visit to Rome?
THE COLOSSEUM AND THE ARCH OF CONSTANTINE
The Colosseum is the largest monument left over from ancient Rome.
A triumphal arch was built to honor a major turning point in history and the major transformation of the religious landscape of the western world. Owing him the influence of the major faith in the world, the Arch of Constantine was built in 313 ‘till 315 AD to honor Constantine’s victory.
The Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill are adjacent to each other and you can walk freely between the two. Both the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill have separate entrances. A walk around the Roman Forum is to glimpse into the founding of the ancient Roman Empire.
From what was marshland the Romans drained the area and turned it into a centre of political and social activity. The Forum was the marketplace of Rome, and later a gathering space for triumphal processions, criminal trials and gladiatorial matches.
You will not find any other place in the world that celebrates the ever-mutating and incredible power of water like Rome. The Trevi Fountain is a fantastic work of art that is much more than a mere sculpture.
This triumphant example of Baroque art with its soft, natural lines and fantasy creatures embodies movement as the soul of the world. The fountain is a true wonder, a jewel of water and stone that is nestled between the palaces of the historic centre of the city.
BASILICA OF ST. JOHN LATERAN
The Basilica is the oldest church in Europe. Founded during the fourth century in honour of St. Johnthe Baptist and John the Evangelist, St John Lateran (Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano) is the Cathedral of Rome and the most important of the four major basilicas.
CENTRO STORICO & THE SPANISH STEPS
The exact borders of Rome’s Centro Storico, or historic center, is the subject of much debate among Romans and visitors. Officially, however, it’s the area inside the ancient Aurelian Walls plus Vatican City, and it encompasses some of the city’s most famous sights.
One of seven pilgrimage basilicas in the world, this church was founded in 432 AD and is where the famous architect Bernini is buried.
The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is an ancient Catholic basilica that is considered to be the largest of the churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Rome.
THE CATACOMBS AND VIA APPIA ANTICA
It is here that we can find the first Christian tombs to be defined as “catacombs,” a term that is associated with hollow or valley.
The Catacombs of San Sebastiano are very similar to those of San Callisto. They are four floors deep, and inside are several paintings from the early days of Christianity (still visible), along with graffitied stucco and mosaics.
The Palatine Hill is the centremost of the Seven Hills of Rome and is one of the most ancient parts of the city. It stands 40 metres above the Roman Forum, looking down upon it on one side, and upon the Circus Maximus on the other. From the time of Augustus Imperial palaces were built here.
BATHS OF DIOCLETIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM
The National Roman Museum (Museo Nazionale Romano) is a group of museums in Rome formed by four branches scattered in several places of the city. It was founded in 1889 and was inaugurated a year later during the unification of Italy, with the objective of collecting antiquities from the fifth century BC until the third century AD.
Vatican City is the smallest country in the world St. Peter’s Basilica sits atop a city of the dead, including its namesake’s tomb. For nearly 60 years in the 1800s and 1900s, popes refused to leave the Vatican. Caligula captured the obelisk that stands in St. Peter’s Square.
For nearly 60 years in the 1800s and 1900s, popes refused to leave the Vatican.
Previous PostModes of Presentation
Paper Submission: 26 Aug,2019
Early Bird Registration: 19 July, 2019
Regular Registration: 02 Sep, 2019
Conference Dates: 12 _ 14 Sep, 2019
History (Belgrade 2018)
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Liberals Announce New Immigration Policies (Audio)
by Colin R. Singer / Wednesday, 11 November 2015 / Published in 2015, Canada Immigration News Articles
Only one week since being formally sworn in, the Canadian government revealed important immigration policy changes and confirming that Syrian refugees will dominate the storyline for the rest of the year. Many of the policies were outlined in our previous writing How the Liberals Can Improve Canada’s Immigration Policies.
On refugees, the Liberal government’s senior most cabinet ministers will oversee a committee of nine cabinet ministers chaired by Health Minister Jane Philpott with Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly serving as vice-chair. The committee will oversee the task of bringing in 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the year. Immigration and Refugees Minister John McCallum also confirmed the government is working with stakeholders on creating the process for selecting and securing exit permits for refugees. The use of temporary ministerial permits is also being considered. A portion of asylum seekers will be housed on military bases. Ottawa is considering ships, commercial aircraft or military planes. Air Canada will help with transportation before the holiday rush, and ferrying refugees from neighbouring countries. The Liberals pledged that the 25,000 refugees would be sponsored by the government, with taxpayers covering the first-year costs of resettlement.
Other refugee policy announcements include:
Invest $200 million over this fiscal year and next to increase refugee processing, as well as sponsorship and settlement services capacity in Canada.
Provide an immediate $100 million new contribution to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to support the critical relief activities in the region.
Fully restoring the Interim Federal Health Program.
Establishing an Expert Human Rights Panel for determination of designated countries of origin and to provide a right to appeal refugee decisions for citizens from such countries. The panel will include representatives from international human rights groups.
Ending the practice of appointing individuals without subject matter expertise to the immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.
On family reunification policy, changes include:
Nearly doubling the budget for family class immigration processing, in order to restore processing times to levels achieved before the Harper decade.
Doubling the number of new applications allowed each year, for parents and grandparents, from 5000 to 10,000.
Providing greater access to applicants with Canadian siblings, by granting additional points under the Express Entry system.
Restoring the maximum age for dependents to 22 instead of 19, allowing Canadians – often live-in caregivers – to bring their children to Canada.
Granting immediate permanent residency to new spouses entering Canada, rather than imposing a two year conditional status that puts spouses – often women – in a position of extreme vulnerability.
On citizenship, changes include:
Repeal of the unfair elements of Bill C-24 that create second-class citizens and the provisions that make it more difficult for immigrants to become Canadian citizens.
Restoration of temporary residence time credit for foreign students and other temporary residents applying to become Canadian citizens.
On express entry system:
Conduct a full review of the program to ensure processing times are efficient.
Review of Canadian Experience Class to reduce barriers to immigration for international students.
Other policies include:
Elimination of $1,000 Labour Market Impact Assessment fee for families applying for caregivers.
Removal of visa requirement imposed on Mexican and phasing out of visa requirements for several other countries.
Work with provincial and territorial governments and the banking industry to improve regulation of the foreign remittance industry and reduce transaction fees.
Regulate service providers in the caregiver industry.
Tagged under: Liberals Announce New Immigration Policies, New Immigration Policies, new immigration policy under Liberals
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The Entrepreneur vs. His Eye-Rolling Teenager
Being a startup founder doesn't make raising teens easy, but it does give you powerful tools to teach your kids to see hidden opportunities.
By Naveen JainFounder and CEO of inome@Naveen_Jain_CEO
I may have managed to build a successful technology startup that had gone public by the time my three kids hit their 13th birthdays, but don't think that bought my wife and me any special respect from our teenagers. Just like teens everywhere, my children challenged us, ignored us, and rolled their eyes at our crazy ideas.
My 16-year-old daughter, for example, came to me one day and said with complete conviction: "Dad, I know you love science and technology, but I want nothing to do with science and technology, so get used to it! I found my passion and tech's not it."
This sort of declaration of independence is probably familiar to most parents with kids her age, but I am an entrepreneur. I'm very, very used to hearing no--repeatedly!--and through my experience founding startups, I've learned to view those two little letters not as a final roadblock but as a problem to be solved.
As an entrepreneur you tend to see the opportunities where others see none. My daughter's "no" was, for me, one of those opportunities.
Turning No Into Opportunity
Many parents wouldn't see it that way. When your child comes to you at a young age and declares he or she is passionate about this or that, the natural tendency for many parents, out of love, is to simply support that decision. That's the path of least resistance, but it's not necessarily the best path, in my opinion.
I know that the opportunities you see are a function of how you look at the world rather than your circumstances. See things through the entrepreneur's lens, which flips problems into opportunities, and more and better choices appear. If you don't expose your children to this way of thinking, they won't see all the available opportunities and they won't make the most informed choices about their futures. There's an opportunity cost in this lack of information--your children won't even know what they're missing out on, but they'll be missing out on a lot.
So I said to my determined daughter: "Sweetheart, you're way too young to have a passion, because I have not exposed you to enough things for you to know what you don't like yet. I'll send you to Singularity University for four weeks to learn about neuroscience, genetics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, robotics..."
She rolled her eyes and replied, "Dad, you don't even hear me!"
But I did hear her loud and clear. It was just that, as I mentioned, I'm terrible at taking no for an answer. So we struck a deal: she would attend Singularity with an open mind, wanting to learn and wanting to like, and when she came back, I would support whatever path in life she decided on.
STEM Is a Way, Not a Destination
Four weeks later I was one extremely nervous father when my daughter came to me and announced, "Dad, I've made up my mind." Then she told me she had decided to study neuroscience and genetics. What had happened?
"I'm in high school. I go to chemistry. I mix things and they blow up. Why do I care?" she told me. "It doesn't apply. I care about girls' education. Now I realize that the way to fix girls' education is through neuroscience. I care about girls' health and I realize that genetics is the way to make an impact. My interests are the same, but now I see science and technology are the tools I need. No one at school ever told me that."
This is another lesson that entrepreneurship has taught me that I have tried to impart to my kids: thanks to the outdated way many of our schools teach science, most children look at STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) primarily as a destination--information, history, and procedures to be memorized for the test. But science and technology aren't lifeless lists of facts, but rather vital tools to do whatever it is you're passionate about.
Maybe your child cares about solving the clean water problem, improving girls' education, or fixing healthcare. What he or she probably doesn't realize is that the solution to these truly difficult challenges often lies in the underlying technologies. It's not that every child should be a science genius. But being exposed to the true nature of STEM allows you to ask the right set of questions.
That doesn't have to mean sending your kids off to Singularity, of course. As a parent, your job is just to expose your children to as many different people and things as possible so that they learn to see all the opportunities the world has to offer. What you'll find is that, when a child starts taking initiative, it's very difficult for people, no matter how busy or important, to say no. So whether they start out as the son of a factory worker like best-selling author Keith Ferrazzi or the daughter of a successful startup founder, kids are exceptionally powerful networkers and will build on whatever foundation you give them. They just need that initial push.
Exposing your kids to the world's opportunities in this way--teaching them to look for possibilities where others see only problems--isn't just about your kids. If I hadn't pushed my daughter, she may have never discovered her true passion, which would be a huge loss for her. But the world might also have lost out on a great scientist. In some sense not only did my daughter benefit, but we also all benefit when young people find a passion they didn't even know existed.
So when your teenager digs in her heels on a premature decision, push a little harder to show her all the opportunities she might be missing. Helping her see the opportunity cost of committing too early and with too little information will help not just your child, but the rest of us as well.
Published on: Aug 7, 2014
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Groundwater contamination adds to India's water woes
Swati Bansal
A well in Rajasthan. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
India's water woes increase due to depleted and contaminated groundwater: Government
Depleting groundwater levels coupled with extreme weather conditions are impacting the agriculture output and may also become a hindrance to the Centre's target of doubling farmers’ income by 2022. As per the government data, in 2017, 40 lakh hectares of agricultural land was affected due to groundwater depletion resulting in a shrinkage of cultivated land. High levels of contamination is also found in groundwater across the country. Discharge of toxic elements from industries and landfills and use of pesticides and fertilisers are being blamed for it.
Floods take away one lakh lives in last 64 years
As per the data of the ministry of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation, nearly one lakh people have died in flood-related incidents in the last 64 years. In this duration, public property worth Rs 2,02,474 crore and crops amounting to Rs 1,09,202 crore on 25.6-crore hectare land have been damaged. According to the former chief of the National Disaster Management Authority, Noor Mohammad, no proper management was done for flood control. He says that in order to mitigate the flood disaster, there is a need to identify flood-prone areas.
Kerala's Idukki dam expected to be opened after 26 years
As the water levels in Kerala's Idukki dam, one of the highest arch dams in the continent rose to 2395 feet against the full capacity of 2403 feet, the dam gates are likely to get opened. The state disaster management authority has issued an orange alert that if the water levels go further up, the dam shutters will be opened. A red alert will be issued for Ernakulam, Idukki and Thrissur if the water level goes up further. With continued heavy rains in the state, shutters of Peppara, Aruvikkara and Neyyar dams have already been opened.
Panel doubts 100 percent open-defecation free claim
According to the report of the Parliamentary committee on rural development (2017-18), the 100 percent open-defecation free status of villages of 10 states—Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand—is just on papers and the actual progress at the ground level is very lethargic. Also, the report pointed out that a village with 100 percent household toilets cannot be declared ODF until all the inhabitants start using them. The report mentions the need for behavioural change in rural populace in order to achieve the real goal of the programme.
Not a single state in the country processes 100 percent municipal garbage
As per the urban affairs ministry, out of the 1.43 lakh metric tonnes of waste generated everyday in Indian cities, only a quarter of it gets processed while the remaining three quarters are dumped in the open. Of the 35 states, only eight have been able to process more than half of the daily garbage and not a single state is able to process 100 percent waste. Moreover, states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand don't process even 10 percent of their municipal garbage while no processing of garbage is done in Arunachal Pradesh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli.
This is a roundup of important news published between July 24 - 31, 2018. Also, read policy matters this week.
Sanitation and Hygiene
Toilets and Urinals
Rainfall and other forms of Precipitation
Droughts and Floods
Industrial and other Manmade Disasters
Dams, Barrages and Reservoirs
Groundwater: Pressing problems and future prospects
Groundwater revival comes a cropper
Creating community leaders to tackle disaster
Let’s buck up and deal with deluge
Last week's news roundup
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U.S., Iran move closer to a flashpoint as tensions spike
by Matthew Lee, Associated Press, Updated: June 17, 2019
This image released by the U.S. Department of Defense on Monday, June 17, 2019, and taken from a U.S. Navy helicopter, shows what the Navy says is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy after removing an unexploded limpet mine from the M/T Kokuka Courageous. (U.S. Department of Defense via AP)
WASHINGTON — The U.S. and Iran edged toward a flashpoint Monday as Tehran announced it was breaking compliance with the accord that keeps it from making nuclear weapons and the Trump administration followed by ordering 1,000 more troops to the Middle East.
The Pentagon said the deployment includes security forces and troops for additional surveillance and intelligence gathering in the region. While the number is small, it represents an escalation of U.S. military might aimed at deterring Iran and calming allies worried that transit through key shipping lanes could be in jeopardy.
Tehran's announcement earlier Monday means it could soon start to enrich uranium to just a step away from weapons-grade levels, challenging President Donald Trump's assurances to allies that the U.S. withdrawal from the deal last year made the world a safer place.
The developments are bound to inflame tensions in the Middle East and pose a test of resolve and credibility for both adversaries.
Iran said it would break a limit on uranium stockpiles established by the 2015 agreement with world powers that was intended to restrict the Islamic Republic's nuclear program in exchange for an easing of international sanctions.
After Trump withdrew from the agreement, signed by his predecessor, he reinstated punishing economic sanctions, leaving the European and other partners in the accord struggling to keep Iran on board.
On Monday, the U.S. administration found itself in the awkward position of demanding that Iran comply with a nuclear accord that the president derided as the worst deal in history.
"We continue to call on the Iranian regime not to obtain a nuclear weapon, to abide by their commitments to the international community," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told reporters.
The move comes as Washington accuses Iran of attacking two tankers near the Persian Gulf and the Iranians deny responsibility. With details murky and no one owning up to the attacks, the Pentagon released new photos intended to bolster its case that Iran carried out the attacks.
The State Department spokeswoman said Iran's uranium announcement amounted to "extortion" and a "challenge to international norms," as well as to the 2015 agreement known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
"It's unfortunate that they have made this announcement today," Ortagus said. "It doesn't surprise anybody and this is why the president has often said that the JCPOA needs to be replaced with a better deal."
Trump appeared to say the deal should not be violated in a tweet: "Iran to defy Uranium Stockpile Limits."
In announcing the new deployment, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the forces are “for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats in the Middle East.”
"The United States does not seek conflict with Iran," Shanahan said. "The action today is being taken to ensure the safety and welfare of our military personnel working throughout the region and to protect our national interests." He added that the U.S. will continue to adjust troop levels as needed.
On the unraveling of the multinational nuclear deal, some of its supporters blamed the Trump administration for Iran’s provocative announcements, saying they were predictable given the renewed U.S. pressure.
"While Iran's frustration with Trump's reckless and irresponsible pressure campaign is understandable, we strongly urge Iran to remain in compliance with the nuclear deal," the Arms Control Association said in a statement. "It remains in Iran's interests to abide by the limits of the agreement and to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency's more intrusive monitoring and verification."
Iran has shown no willingness to negotiate another deal and vowed not enter into talks with the United States while the administration maintains its "maximum pressure" campaign of sanctions.
Administration officials found themselves Monday grappling with whether to press the remaining parties to the deal, including Britain, France and Germany, to demand that Iran stay in compliance. They must also consider if such a stance would essentially concede that the restrictions imposed during the Obama administration, while short of ideal, are better than none.
Under the deal, Iran can keep a stockpile of no more than 660 pounds of low-enriched uranium. Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for Iran’s atomic agency, said it would pass that limit June 27.
A senior U.S. official said the administration is most concerned about any violation of the deal that would reduce the breakout time that Iran would need to produce a nuclear weapon. The deal aimed to keep the breakout time at one year.
The official said certain violations, while they should be not accepted, would not necessarily reduce that time. But other violations, such as enriching uranium to 20%, should be addressed immediately if they occur, the official said. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The official said it would be up to the Europeans to decide if Iran was in violation of the deal and whether to initiate a dispute resolution mechanism that could bring the Iranians back into compliance. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to meet this week with E.U. foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, a leading deal proponent, at which this issue is likely to be raised.
Pompeo, who was a leading critic of the deal while he was in Congress, has said in the past that Iranian compliance is not really an issue as the administration sees the agreement as fundamentally flawed because over time it eases many limits on Iran's nuclear activities.
Yet, just last week, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog accused Iran of violating a provision of the deal that relates to advanced centrifuges and called on the Europeans to ensure that Iran remains in compliance.
Posted: June 17, 2019 - 7:45 PM
Matthew Lee, Associated Press
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Chernobyl: New Images Emerge Showing Inside The New Safe Confinement Structure
Journalists were given the chance to look inside the New Safe Confinement structure built over Chernobyl's Reactor 4.
Brendan Hoffman / Getty Images
Rachel Tsoumbakos
Since HBO released its limited series, Chernobyl, that delved into the disaster at the nuclear power plant in 1986, people have had a renewed interest in the power plant and the infamous Reactor 4. Now, new images have emerged showing the inside of the New Safe Confinement structure that was erected and put into place in 2016.
When the Chernobyl disaster occurred, it resulted in a meltdown of the nuclear core in Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Initially, a temporary covering, called the sarcophagus and made of metal and concrete, was built in order to stop the spread of radiation. In the 1990s, deterioration was detected in this covering and work began on a newer and more permanent structure, now known as the New Safe Confinement structure.
The New Safe Confinement structure was completed in 2016. As Fox News points out, the new structure has a “span of 843 feet and a total weight of over 36,000 tonnes.” This new structure completely entombs the old one and will help contain radioactive dust. In addition, it is the largest land-based movable structure in the world.
It has taken nine years and a cost of $1.7 billion (approximately 1.5 billion euros) in order to complete the New Safe Confinement structure. These funds came from 45 different countries, the European Union, as well as funds from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
“This was a very long project,” said Balthasar Lindauer, who is the director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s Nuclear Safety Department.
It’s called the New Safe Confinement, and it’s the largest mobile metal structure in the world https://t.co/PHkAfJQu71
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) January 29, 2017
According to Fox 6 Now, the “Ukrainian government will soon be taking control of the new confinement structure.” Before this is to occur, new images have been released to the public that shows inside the massive structure and also giving a glimpse into what Reactor 4 now looks like.
Ahead of the handover to the Ukranian government, journalists were invited to visit the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which is actually situated in Pripyat and not Chernobyl. These journalists were then given access to the New Safe Confinement structure — both inside and out.
New images from outside the nuclear power plant show the massive new structure over the top of the old sarcophagus. However, it is the images from inside the new structure that fans of HBO’s Chernobyl are more excited about. These images show the old sarcophagus over the remains of Reactor 4.
Since HBO’s Chernobyl aired in May of this year, touring companies that visit Pripyat and the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant have seen, on average, a 40 percent increase in tourism in the area that is directly related to the TV series.
The limited miniseries, Chernobyl, is currently airing on HBO.
‘RHONY’ Alum Carole Radziwill Slams Tinsley Mortimer In New Interview: ‘No One Wanted To Film With Her’ July 18, 2019
In 1992 Video, Donald Trump Admits Kissing Married TV Interviewer On The Lips As Her Husband Had Back Turned July 18, 2019
‘General Hospital’ Spoilers: Ryan Chamberlain Gets A Not So Friendly Visit July 18, 2019
Niece Waidhofer Sizzles In Leather Corset And Skimpy Panties To Pose For A Bondage-Inspired Look July 18, 2019
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Every few months I have a terrifying experience in the middle of the night
Christina Sterbenz
Rachel King/Carla MacKinnon
Every few months I have a terrifying experience in the middle of the night.
I wake up but can't move, except for my eyes, which dart frantically underneath fluttering, heavy lids. I feel a heavy presence on top of my chest, squeezing the air from my lungs and throat. Then a shadowy, cloaked figure starts looming just within the corners of vision.
I'm not dreaming. And no matter how many times it happens, the panic sets in. As a kid, I thought the devil had paid a visit to my bedroom.
Now I know these symptom stem from a strange sleep phenomenon called sleep paralysis. While various social and psychological factors can influence the prevalence of sleep paralysis, a 2011 paper combined 35 studies with more than 36,000 participants total. The authors found that 7.6% of the general population experiences sleep paralysis, rising to 28.3% in high-risk groups, like students who have a disrupted sleep pattern. And in people with mental disorders, like anxiety and depression, 31.9% experienced episodes.
"When you're experiencing sleep paralysis, you become conscious," Daniel Denis, a PhD candidate in cognitive neuroscience and researcher at the Sleep Paralysis Project, tells Business Insider. "The idea is that your mind wakes up but your body doesn't."
Why you can't move
Sleep has three or four stages of non-REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and one REM state. While people can dream in any stage, REM is the most closely associated with vivid dreams, the type that seem real.
The brain also stays active during REM — "almost comparable to during the day," Denis explains. People naturally become paralyzed during REM, probably to prevent themselves from acting out their dreams, a process known as REM atonia.
Many who wake up during this state simply open their eyes and quickly begin to move around. But those suffering from sleep paralysis experience "a sort of failure of the molecular clock," as Denis puts it. For whatever reason, REM atonia continues after you've waken up. Most episodes last a few seconds to a minute, but in much rarer cases, people can require 10 to 15 minutes before they fully regain motion.
About that shadowy friend of mine — researchers don't have the best explanations for it. To start, I could be experiencing my brain's interpretation of myself. The parietal lobes may be monitoring the neurons in my brain telling my limbs to move, according to a study from UC San Diego, published in the journal Medical Hypotheses. Since they can't, the brain hallucinates the intended movement.
Denis explains that the "intruder" might also be due to an over-active amygdala, a part of the brain responsible for fear (among other things). "You wake up with your amygdala screaming, 'There's a threat!'" he explains. "So your brain has to invent something to fix the paradox of the amygdala being active for no reason." While the amygdala remains active during REM sleep, total paralysis right after awakening can send it into overdrive.
The Devil in the Room
The experiences
One of the first in-depth studies on sleep paralysis in 1999 defines the three main categories of sleep paralysis hallucinations as the "incubus," the "intruder" and "unusual bodily experiences."
In the first case, people feel an intense pressure on their chests, inducing the feeling that they can't breathe.
As the authors note, sleep paralysis affects only the "perception of respiration." Breathing is reflex-based, so nothing truly separates these poor few from the oxygen they desperately need. It just feels that way because they're afraid.
"When you're in REM, your breathing is very shallow and your airways become quite constricted, so it would be difficult to breath anyway," Denis explains. "But when you become conscious of that, it can be terrifying."
People experiencing the second category, the "intruder," can feel a "sensed presence, fear, and auditory and visual hallucinations," the researchers note. Essentially, your mind invents a vision to solve some sort of paradox in the brain that occurs during sleep paralysis. The authors describe it as a "hypervigilant state of the midbrain," which can make people highly aware of even the smallest stimuli and "biased toward cues for threat or danger." That's why a small sound can seem horrifying to someone experiencing sleep paralysis.
The intruder and the incubus go hand-in-hand. Both symptoms typically involve the threat-activated systems in the amygdala, as mentioned earlier. Some people even relate the "intruder" and the incubus, reporting that they feel someone strangling or suffocating them, Denis says. But the third type of sleep paralysis hallucination, the "unusual bodily experiences" are the least common.
When people experience "unusual bodily experiences," they often feel like they're having an out-of-body experience, levitating or flying around the room, as the 1999 study explains. This third type appears to be associated with REM stages where the brainstem, cerebellar, and cortical vestibular centers are activated, according to a 2013 study of 133 patients with panic disorder.
The pons, which inhibits movement during sleep, falls into that area, Denis notes. "You feel like you're moving when you're not because the area of the brain that coordinates that is overactive," he says.
Myths and folklore
Cultural beliefs also strongly influence these hallucinations and experiences, leading to the creation of folklore and myth, which can blur fact with fiction. The " Old Hag," for example, is the primary interpretation of sleep paralysis in Newfoundland. And similar fantastical stories exist about the Boto, a pink river dolphin in the Amazon Basin that transforms at night into a lustful prowler, explains " The Devil in the Room," a documentary that explores the paranormal and mythical aspects of sleep paralysis.
Take a look at Henry Fuseli's 1781 oil painting, "The Nightmare," shown below, thought to be one of the clearest artistic interpretations of sleep paralysis.
Henry Fuseli's "The Nightmare," 1781.
Personally, my over-active amygdala conjures images of the devil — unsurprising considering I live in a majorly Christian nation and grew up mildly Catholic. From his research, Denis says that "modern Western culture" tends to see burglars, rapists, and aliens.
While sleep paralysis can be hereditary, it can happen to anyone. Factors like lack of sleep, sleep disturbances, jet lag, and shift work can increase someone's likelihood of experiencing it, and certain groups, like African-Americans, can also experience it more commonly. Sleep-paralysis episodes have been linked to hypertension, seizures, and narcolepsy, a sleep disorder where people lose their ability to regulate sleep cycles and can fall asleep at random and unexpected moments.
While stress, anxiety, and depression often trigger the episodes, we can't exactly control these factors. So beyond trying to reduce stress and getting plenty of sleep, how can you prevent the terrifying onset of sleep paralysis?
Avoiding sleeping on your back could help. Research has shown that people that experience sleep-paralysis episodes are three to four times more likely to occur in people who sleep in the supine position. Some people even use nightwear that makes lying on their back uncomfortable, according to Denis.
But if you do wake and find yourself unable to move, focus all your energy on wiggling a toe or finger. "So long as you can move one muscle, that breaks the paralysis," Denis advises.
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Dairy Queen employee who made viral 'marijuana' cake said she was fired on her birthday for the mix-up
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Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels
Letter No. 6.
Office Vice Admiral,Commanding
U.S.Destroyer Forces,
European Waters,
London, June 15,1917.
From: Vice Admiral Sims.
To: Secretary of the Navy (Operations).
Subject: Addenda to General Report concerning
Destroyer Force, British Waters.
1. On June 10th the WALKE and STERETT arrived from Brest, having escorted JUPITER to France. Cruising of these vessels up to arrival here totaled 4500 miles. Cruise uneventful except torpedo fire by unseen submarine, missing JUPITER, just before end of journey. Destroyers oiled three times during passage taking advantage of good weather.1
2. PERKINS and JARVIS arrived on the 11th June having escorted NEPTUNE to France. Voyage uneventful; saw no submarines. Both vessels oiled at sea, weather rough. Each boat took about 4500 gallons in one hour and forty five minutes. These boats commenced voyage by being towed, but weather conditions not favorable; tow line parted twice. Thereafter under own steam. All four destroyers arrived here in excellent condition.
3. JUPITER did not take sufficient fuel to make return voyage. NEPTUNE however did so. Such ships should fill for both outward and return voyage as fuel is scarce on this side.
4. NEPTUNE was much admired both for size and cargo handling ability. The arrival of these vessels brought a great amount of encouragement to the French and had a fine effect on the situation.
5. DIXIE arrived on 12th in excellent condition. Just before her arrival discovered several mines outside and had to make sweeping operations.
6. Destroyers are averaging <about> seven thousand miles per month on patrol and escort duty. No severe material casualties have been recorded thus far. Small defects caused sometimes by nature of duty – sudden stepping – quick starting, etc., such as small condenser leaks and the like, have been repaired at once. Auxiliaries have to be gone over frequently to maintain them.
7. PAULDING broke a blower turbine casing and will require a new one. For temporary use MELVILLE has installed reciprocating engine to PAULDING blower until turbine can reach us.
8. It may be of interest to know that the quenched spark gap on our destroyers gives a note similar to that of the Telefunken sets on German submarines.2 Because of this similarity, many merchant men are afraid and very unwilling to give information about position, course and speed that is required in order that we may make contact and escort them through the zone. For this reason we are adopting the rotary spark gap, which is used entirely by the British, and are sending for sufficient rotary gaps to replace the rotary gaps given us by the British for such of our destroyers as are not equipped with the rotary gap.
9. The health of the crews has been excellent. There have been no personnel casualties on any of the destroyers.
10. The JENKINS collided with the LABURNUM several nights ago. Damage was not serious, aned both vessels are being quickly repaired at the Dockyard.
11. Small British patrol vessels are occasionally mistaken as long range submarines, and are fired on by both British and American men-of-war. No hits have been scored as yet, however ,and the incidents usually closes good-naturedly. In the case of the WADSWORTH several days ago, the “victim”, after WADSWORTH had discovered her mistake and approached to close range, signaled “Please have a good look at us now”.3
W.S.Sims
Source Note: Cy, DNA, RG 45, Entry 517B. Someone crossed through some typographical errors and handwrote the corrected version of the letter or word above the line. These have been indicated with angle brackets.
Footnote 1: This at-sea re-fueling of destroyers done by Jupiter, Neptune, and Maumee was the first time it had been attempted operationally. See: Albert Gleaves to Destroyer Force, 9 June 1917.
Footnote 2: A reference to newly designed radio transmitters and receivers inside vacuum tubes.
Footnote 3: For more on this incident, see: Diary of Joseph K. Taussig, 10 June 1917.
Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels to Captain William B. Fletcher, Force Commander, Special Patrol Squadron, 6/1/1917
More Documents (137)
Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 6/1/1917
Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 6/2/1917
Foreign Secretary Arthur J. Balfour to Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Lord Robert Cecil, 6/3/1917
Diary of Commander Joseph K. Taussig, Commander, Destroyer Division Eight, 6/4/1917
Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Based in European Waters, 6/4/1917
Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Lord Robert Cecil to British Ambassador to the United States Sir Cecil A. Spring Rice, 6/4/1917
Commander William R. Sayles, United States Naval Attaché at Paris, to Rear Admiral Roger T. Welles, Office of Naval Intelligence, 6/4/1917
Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 6/5/1917
Vice Admiral Sir Montague E. Browning, Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies to First Sea Lord Admiral Sir John R. Jellicoe, 6/5/1917
Captain Richard H. Jackson, American Naval Representative to Paris to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 6/5/1917
Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, COmmander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters 6/6/1917
Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Captain William V. Pratt, Chief of Staff to Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations 6/6/1917
Lieutenant Ronan C. Grady, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, to Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, 6/6/1917
Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Captain William V. Pratt, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations 6/7/1917
Captain William V. Pratt, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations to Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, 6/7/1917
Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves, Commander, Convoy Operations in the Atlantic, to Destroyer Force, 6/9/1917
Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 6/9/1917
Diary of Commander Joseph K. Taussig, Commander, Destroyer Division Eight, 6/10/1917
Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters,, 6/11/1917
Captain William V. Pratt, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 6/11/1917
Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Rear Admiral Leigh C. Palmer, Chief, Bureau of Navigation, 6/11/1917
Rear Admiral William F. Fullam, Commander, Patrol Force, Pacific Fleet, to Captain Robert E. Coontz, Commandant, Navy Yard, Puget Sound, 6/13/1917
United States Ambassador to Great Britain Walter Hines Page to Secretary of State Robert M. Lansing, 6/13/1917
Captain William D. MacDougall, United States Naval Attaché at London, to Vice Admiral Henry F. Oliver, Secretary of the Admiralty, 6/13/1917
Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 6/13/1917
Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Anne Hitchcock Sims, 6/13/1917
Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves Commander, Destroyer Force, Atlantic Fleet, 6/13/1917
Vice Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly, Commander, Southern Ireland, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 6/13/1917
Vice Admiral Henry F. Oliver, Secretary of the Admiralty, to Vice Admiral Sir Montague E. Browning, Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station, 6/16/1917
Commodore Guy R. Gaunt, British Naval Attaché at Washington, to First Sea Lord Admiral Sir John R. Jellicoe, 6/16/1917
Admiral Henry T. Mayo, Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet, to Atlantic Fleet, 6/16/1917
Captain Arthur de K. L. May, Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff, to Commodore Lionel de Vere Wells, 6/16/1917
Diary of Commander Joseph K. Taussig, Commander, Destroyer Division Eight 6/17/1917
Chief Gunner Bernard P. Donnelly to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 6/17/1917
Captain Arthur de K. L. May, Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff, to Commodore Lionel de Vere Wells, Director, Routing and Convoying Operations from the United States, 6/17/1917
Secretary of State Robert Lansing to Robert E. Jeffery, United States Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Uruguay, 6/18/1917
Admiral Ferdinand Jean Jacques de Bon, Chief of the French Naval Staff to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 6/19/1917
Commander Joseph K. Taussig, Commander, Destroyer Division Eight, to Commanding Officers, Queenstown Destroyer Force, 6/20/1917
Commander Joseph K. Taussig, Commander, Destroyer Division Eight, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 6/20/1917
Commander John V. Babcock to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 6/21/1917
Lieutenant Robert R. M. Emmet, United States Navy, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 6/22/1917
Harrington Emerson, President, Emerson Institute, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 6/23/1917
Captain William B. Fletcher, Force Commander, Special Patrol Squadron, to Commanding Officers, 6/23/1917
Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels to Secretary of State Robert Lansing, 6/23/1917
Lieutenant Commander R. Drace White, Commander, Seattle, to Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves, Commander, Convoy Operations in the Atlantic, 6/24/1917
Captain Richard H. Jackson, American Naval Representative to the Ministry of Marine, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 6/25/1917
Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters to United States Ambassador to Great Britain Walter Hines Page, 6/25/1917
United States Ambassador to Great Britain Walter Hines Page to Secretary of State Robert Lansing, 6/26/1917
Lieutenant Commander Marcel Bertaux, Commisariat de la Marine-Lorient, to Commander Bernard A. de Blanpré, French Naval Attaché at Washington, 6/26/1917
Lieutenant Commander George F. Neal to Vice Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly, R.N., Commander, Southern Ireland., 6/26/1917
Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Commandants on the Atlantic Coats and Chiefs of Navy Bureaus, 6/27/1918
Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Department of the Navy, 6/28/1917
Instructions Concerning Troopship Convoys, 6/29/1917
First Sea Lord Admiral Sir John R. Jellicoe to Commodore Guy R. Gaunt, British Naval Attaché at Washington, 6/29/1917
Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves, Commander, Convoy Operations in the Atlantic, 6/29/1917
Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels 6/29/1917
United States Ambassador to the Great Britain Walter Hines Page to Secretary of State Robert Lansing, 6/29/1917
Captain William D. MacDougall, United States Naval Attaché at London, to the Office of Naval Intelligence 6/29/1917
Sir Richard F. Crawford, British Commercial Attaché at Washington, to President Woodrow Wilson, 6/29/1917
Foreign Secretary Sir Arthur J. Balfour to British Ambassador to the United States Sir Cecil Spring Rice, 6/30/1917
Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters 6/30/1917
Post-War: Structure of the United States Navy
Post-War: Transporting the AEF
Post-War: The Role of the CNO
Post-War: Naval Aviation
Maumee, DIXIE, PERKINS, WADSWORTH, WALKE, Josephus Daniels, MELVILLE, JENKINS, William S Sims, PAULDING, JUPITER, LABURNUM, NEPTUNE, STERETT, JARVIS
Atlantic Convoy, Queestown Destroyer Force
Additional Resources for June 1917
Open for print...
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Historical Festivals -- Next Best Thing to Time Travel
Today I'm blogging over at Seduced by History about historical festivals. Come by to visit and share your experiences!
Posted by Eliza Knight at 7:08 AM 1 comment:
Guest Author, Jack Caldwell - LISTEN TO YOUR MUSE—AND YOUR WIFE
Today on History Undressed, I would like to welcome Jack Caldwell, author of Pemberly Ranch, which I just adored! Click here for my review. I hope you enjoy his post today as much as I did, and don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of Pemberly Ranch -- 2 winners, US and CANADA only.
LISTEN TO YOUR MUSE—AND YOUR WIFE
by Jack Caldwell
One day, my lovely wife and chief editor, Barbara, and I were talking about our backgrounds. I am a native of the state of Louisiana, born and bred in the swamps, of English / Scottish/ Irish/ French/ German/ Swedish heritage (I’m a mutt), while she is German/ Polish whose parents grew up around Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We were talking about how chance brought us together. As we are both world travelers and interested in both current events and history, it occurred to us that we were lucky to have found each other. As I thought about it, I realized that had we been living anywhere else, we wouldn’t have.
Let me explain. As I said, we are world travelers. We both have been struck how ancient animosities keep cropping up to disturb the peace. It’s as if many people in the world are prisoners of their past; they are held hostage to their history. But in America, we are not.
The US Civil War was the greatest cataclysm ever to occur on the North American continent. Six hundred thousand soldiers and countless civilians died the in conflict. I had ancestors who fought on either side. I was born and raised in the Deep South, while Barbara’s people came from the Upper Midwest. By rights, we should hate each other for what happened almost 150 years ago. But we don’t. In fact, it would be considered strange to the point of insanity in this country if we did. In comparison to the rest of the world, America has generally “gotten over” their civil war.
I pointed this out to Barbara, and she agreed. She remarked what a great country this was—that we can overcome our prejudices. That struck a chord with me.
As you might guess, I’m a huge fan of Jane Austen’s work, and have been writing Austen fan fiction for several years. Barbara’s comment triggered my muse, and I replied, “Yeah—talk about pride and prejudice! Think how much more Lizzy and Darcy would have to overcome if they lived here!”
“You should write that,” she said. Well, that’s all the encouragement my muse needed.
Pemberley Ranch is the story of Reconstruction in the South after the Civil War, a little-told tale in our nation today. Basically, it’s Pride & Prejudice on steroids—Elizabeth (Beth) is a Yankee farmer’s daughter recently relocated to Texas, and Darcy (Will) is a Confederate veteran and owner of the largest ranch in the county. And did I mention that Beth’s only brother was a casualty of the war? She would hate Southerners, right? Meanwhile, Yankee carpetbaggers are busy stealing land from the locals. Will would have a problem with that. How does our couple overcome those obstacles?
Really, it is the story of post-Civil War America. Because we did overcome all that. Just how Beth and Will overcome all that—well, you’ll just have to read Pemberley Ranch.
There is a moral to this posting: Thanks to my wife, I came up with the idea of Pemberley Ranch. It’s my first published novel. All because I listened to my wife.
Remember that, guys.
It takes a real man to write historical romance, so let me tell you a story.
PEMBERLEY RANCH BY JACK CALDWELL – IN STORES DECEMBER 2010
When the smoke has cleared from the battlefields and the civil war has finally ended, fervent Union supporter Beth Bennet reluctantly moves with her family from their home in Meryton, Ohio, to the windswept plains of Rosings, Texas. Handsome, haughty Will Darcy, a Confederate officer back from the war, owns half the land around Rosings, and his even haughtier cousin, Cate Burroughs, owns the other half.
In a town as small as Rosings, Beth and Will inevitably cross paths. But as Will becomes enchanted with the fiery Yankee, Beth won’t allow herself to warm to the man who represents the one thing she hates most: the army that killed her only brother.
But when carpetbagger George Whitehead arrives in Rosings, all that Beth thought to be true is turned on its head, and the only man who can save her home is the one she swore she’d never trust…
“It’s Pride and Prejudice meets Gone with the Wind—with that kind of romance and excitement.” —Sharon Lathan, bestselling author of In the Arms of Mr. Darcy
Jack Caldwell, a native of Louisiana living in Wisconsin, is an economic developer by trade. Mr. Caldwell has been an amateur history buff and a fan of Jane Austen for many years. Pemberley Ranch is his first published work. He lives with his wife and three sons in the Minnesota. For more information, please visit http://webpages.charter.net/jvcla25/ and on http://www.austenauthors.com/, where he regularly contributes.
Posted by Eliza Knight at 6:00 AM 8 comments:
Labels: Jack Caldwell, Listen to Your Muse and Your Wife, Pemberley Ranch
Book Review: Pemberley Ranch, by Jack Caldwell
Congratulations Mr. Caldwell! I have not had a book grip me as Pemberley Ranch did since I read Ken Follett's World Without End. When I say this, I mean that I couldn't STOP reading... and when I was forced to put the book down to work or take care of my family, all I could do was think about getting back to it. Pemberley Ranch, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, with an American south twist, is a definite recommended read!
Book Info...
Product ISBN: 9781402241284
My Review...
There are a number of reasons why I enjoyed this book so much. The setting is fascinating, unique and fresh--and by the way, I loved the maps in the beginning! Never before has the dashing Mr. Darcy come to be a cowboy, at least that I've read. But it isn't just that he's a cowboy, we also have the element of the Civil War, North vs. South. Mr. Caldwell breaks open an entire new can of worms to toss at a famous and favorite couple of literary fans -- Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. And, Mr. Caldwell has truly made this his own story! There are new and intriguing characters, new conflicts, new goals, new motivations, new emotions, and a sensuality/risqueness you don't often see in P&P continuations. We have saloons--and whores, gun fights, cattle ranching, secret rendez-vous, railroads, murder, bank forclosures, cowboy hats and spurs, gingham and dungarees.
Mr. Caldwell's writing is tight and action packed, which makes for quick and exciting reading. His research was extensive, and I learned more about the Civil War in his book--which I didn't even realize until the end--than I did in history class. But don't get me wrong, the book isn't a history lesson, its fiction and action and drama. The front cover has a quote from author, Sharon Lathan that says, "Pride and Prejudice meets Gone With the Wind." And how true her words are! We have the southern belles, the outdoor picnics, large plantation homes, the issue of slavery, the different views of the north and south. But it is also more than that, because we aren't in Georgia, we're in Texas, and things in Rosings, Texas are a lot different then they were in Georgia during and after the civil war.
Additionally, I liked how a few familiar names from Austen's other works popped up in the book, like Miss Dashwood and Mr. Knightley. They weren't main characters, but it was still neat.
You don't have to have read any of Ms. Austen's classic works, to enjoy Pemberley Ranch. Mr. Caldwell has taken these characters and reinvented them.
Well done! I look forward to reading more work by this author.
I would love to hear if anyone else was as impressed and enthralled with this book as I was.
Jack Caldwell, a native of Louisiana living in the upper Midwest, is an economic developer by trade. Mr. Caldwell has been an amateur history buff and a fan of Miss Austen for many years. Pemberley Ranch is his first published work. He is married with three sons. Visit Mr. Caldwell at http://webpages.charter.net/jvcla25/
Mr. Caldwell will be visiting History Undressed on Wednesday, December 29th! Don't forget to stop by! Two commenters will win a copy of PEMBERLEY RANCH.
Labels: Jack Caldwell, Pemberley Ranch
Wishing You a Happy Holiday and Fabulous New Year!
We at History Undressed would like to wish all of our readers a wonderful holiday season and a very happy new year! Enjoy it wherever you are. May 2011 bring you everything you hope for!
Here is a poem recorded by the famous Scots poet, Robert Burns, 1788, who says he only wrote part of it, and that the rest was an old song he wrote down when he heard it from an old man. He passed the poem along to a friend in a letter. The poem is sung traditionally on New Year's Eve in Scotland and the the British Isles, even making it to Canada and the USA--you'll recognize the song when you hear it. Click this link to listen. There are two versions you can listen to on the right side of the webpage.
Auld Lang Syne
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
And auld lang syne!
Chorus.-For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
And surely ye'll be your pint stowp!
And surely I'll be mine!
And we'll tak a cup o'kindness yet,
We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd mony a weary fit,
Sin' auld lang syne.
We twa hae paidl'd in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
And there's a hand, my trusty fere!
And gie's a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak a right gude-willie waught,
Eliza and Michelle
Posted by Eliza Knight at 3:28 PM 1 comment:
Book Review: The Winter Sea, by Susanna Kearsley
A few weeks ago we had Susanna Kearsley guest blog on History Undressed about how she did the research for her book onsite in Cruden Bay, Scotland.
After having a chance to read her novel The Winter Sea, I have to say I think it shows! There are such little touches in the book that you barely notice, like the rise of the dunes in front of the sea, or the specific scents, the color of the water, little touches here and there that made it come more alive than if the author had simply seen a picture. I really connected with the main character, Carrie, in this book. I don't know if its because we were similar in age and occupation, the fact that she travels all over to do research for her next project, or the way the author wrote a truly compelling story, and really it is all of that and more, I was drawn into this book and couldn't let go.
Back Cover...
History has all but forgotten...
In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown.
Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write.
But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth—the ultimate betrayal—that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her...
Published in December 2010
Available in Trade Paperback and E-book
My Review -- Warning there are spoiler alerts in this part of the post. If you don't want to be spoiled, take my word for it, read no further, this is one book not to miss!
There is so much to like about this book! There is the element of time travel--although a new and unique way that I have never come across before and yet was intrigued by in this story: genetic memory. The emotions and memories elicited from Slains and Cruden Bay to Carrie were both compelling and struck a spot within me as well. She is a very easy character to like, and her ancestor who channels through her, Sophia, is also a heroine I was drawn to.
A book with two heroines... it was well done. I liked how at one moment we are with Carrie in the present, and then next we are two years in the past with Sophia. Literally, it was two stories in one.
I liked the added struggle of the two brothers and I'm happy she picked Graham, and that Stuie in the end was such a gentleman to let it go, and even say she'd picked the better of the two. But I'm not sure that one brother was better than the other, just that one was more Carrie's type. A historian! They could talk for hours and hours and he helped her with her research, not to mention being handsome and physically fit and charming... A dream come true!
One thing I will say, I was sad in the end that Sophia and own hero, Moray, did not take their child... I understand the reasons for it, and in the end I did get the sense they were finally back together (Sophia and her child's line that is) but I wish she could have taken her baby. As a mother, that always makes me sad when I read about it in historical books. And how true it was. Often mothers had to leave their children...
The historical research that went into this book was amazing, and if you'd like to read more about that visit, Ms. Kearsley's earlier post (link above).
Ms. Kearsley's The Winter Sea, was an emotionally poignant, gripping tale of adventure both in the past and the present with characters full of life, and conflicts that tug at the heart strings. A definite read!
After studying politics and international development at University, Susanna Kearsley worked as a museum curator before turning her hand to writing. Winner of the UK’s Catherine Cookson Fiction prize, Susanna Kearsley’s writing has been compared to Mary Stewart, Daphne DuMaurier, and Diana Gabaldon. Her books have been translated into several languages, selected for the Mystery Guild, condensed for Reader's Digest, and optioned for film. The Winter Sea was a finalist for both a RITA award and the UK's Romantic Novel of the Year Award, and is a nominee for Best Historical Fiction in the RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Awareds. She lives in Canada, near the shores of Lake Ontario. For more information, please visit http://www.susannakearsley.com/.
Posted by Eliza Knight at 7:34 AM No comments:
Labels: Susanna Kearsley, The Winter Sea
Guest Author, Victoria Gray - Yes, Dear Reader, There is a Santa Claus
I'd like to welcome back guest author, Victoria Gray! Today, as part of History Undressed's holiday posts, she has written a wonderful article about Santa! Happy Holidays!
Yes, Dear Reader, There is a Santa Claus
By Victoria Gray
I indulge in a love affair every year at Christmas time with an older man who has a bit of a weight problem and truly never heard of the Atkins diet, but he’s a flashy dresser with an even flashier means of transportation. He’s generous, possibly to a fault, and I don’t usually go for a big, ZZ-Top style beard, but he’s the exception. My home is filled with images of this man – his face is even on my Christmas ornaments. My husband doesn’t mind my interest. He’s not in the least bit jealous. In fact, my darling husband, a man who reminds me more than a little bit of Clark Griswold, searched EBay to find an old, somewhat cheesy plastic rendering of him that was first crafted in the sixties. So, who is this mystery man?
You guessed it – Santa Claus, that jolly resident of the North Pole who now attracts NORAD’s interest every Christmas Eve. Long before Santa’s sleigh was tracked on radar, Santa became an indelible part of American culture. A century before Macy’s Thanksgiving parade ushered in the Christmas season, the poem A Visit from Saint Nicholas introduced the image of Santa Claus that many Americans cherish. From the young toddler sitting on Santa’s lap to the homeowner competing with his neighbor to have the grandest light display in the neighborhood, the image of a jolly old man with a white beard, red suit, and reindeer at the ready brings to mind the joy and warmth of Christmas.
Amazingly, Santa’s image became a vital part of America’s Christmas tradition during the Civil War. Cartoonist Thomas Nast’s portrayal of Santa on the cover of the January 3, 1863 edition of Harper’s Weekly depicted Santa seated on his sleigh, complete with hat and beard, presenting gifts to Union soldiers on the battlefield. Three decades later, an eight-year-old girl, Virginia O’Hanlon, wrote a letter to the New York Sun that spawned one of the most famous editorials in history, Francis Church’s response. Church, a former Civil War correspondent who’d seen man’s inhumanity to man in vivid terms, responded with the immortal line, Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. His touching, philosophical response viewed the existence of Santa in terms of love and goodness and giving.
One of my most enduring images of Santa emerged from the classic movie Miracle on 34th Street. The classic film charmed generations. Remade decades later, the premise was the same – Santa is real, if only in our hearts. What a lovely message to remember during the holiday season.
My new release, Angel in My Arms, is set during the winter months of 1864 and 1865. The Civil War is drawing to a close, but Union spy Amanda Emerson and the man she loves, Captain Steve Dunham, another Union operative, remain undercover in Richmond. Their love blossoms despite the ever-present danger and conflicts that threaten to tear them apart. In the following excerpt, it’s Christmas Eve - Amanda is separated from the man she loves, worried for his safety and wondering if she’ll ever see him again.
An excerpt, from Angel in My Arms:
Amanda sank into a chair and gazed into the crackling flames. Her heart ached. And there was only one cure for it.
A cure that would not come tonight. She’d outgrown childish Christmas wishes many years ago. She knew better than to hope for a miracle that would not come.
Kate padded across the floor, her footsteps soundless against the braided rug. “Joshua will be here to take me home shortly. I’ll return in the morning.”
“You belong with your family,” Amanda said. “Betsy and I will be fine. We’ve—”
A rap against the door cut through her words.
“Don’t tell me Captain Reed has returned,” Betsy muttered, eyeing Kate with a critical glare as she marched to the door with impatient strides.
She mumbled a few words to the unseen visitor and closed the door almost as quickly as she’d opened it.
“It seems I was wrong.” Betsy placed a wrapped package in Amanda’s hand. “You have an admirer.”
“Prescott?”
“I don’t know,” Betsy said with a reluctant smile. “The messenger didn’t say who’d sent him. Only that this was for Mandy.”
Mandy.
Amanda was sure her heart skipped a beat.
She unwrapped the package with slow, careful motions, intending to savor this moment, the pleasure of discovery.
Her lower lip quivered as she removed her gift. Ivory hair combs, exquisitely carved. Amanda examined her treasure with the wonder of a child on Christmas morning. She slid the combs into her hair.
A folded slip of paper lay within the box.
Amanda read the boldly scrawled message.
She’d been so very wrong.
Her wish had been granted.
Someday I’ll hold you again.
Steve shoved his hands in his coat pockets and braced himself against the cold. The warmth of his room at Lily’s Place beckoned him, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave. Not just yet.
The boy he’d paid to deliver Amanda’s gift ran to him, reported the deed had been done, and rushed home, a silver coin clutched in his grimy hand.
Home. How many years had it been since he’d even had a home? Ten…no, eleven. He’d never been in one place long enough to put down roots, not since he left Boston.
With his collar turned up and his hat slung low to obscure his face, Steve skulked through the streets of a city where he didn’t belong. The truth broadsided him with the merciless force of a cannon ball. One week past his twenty-ninth birthday, he had no wife, no child, and a rented room in a brothel in which to lay his head.
A few weeks ago, he wouldn’t have given a damn. He’d never needed anything beyond a warm bed and a willing woman.
But nothing had been the same since he’d first laid eyes on Amanda.
Even in her prim and proper gray dress, she’d robbed him of breath. She hadn’t known that. Until he kissed her.
Longing speared his heart. He was in love with a woman he had no right to want. His partner’s sister. A beauty who could have her choice of men...men who would give her every comfort she deserved. Amanda deserved so much more than he could ever give.
But that didn’t change a damned thing.
He couldn’t stop himself from loving her.
****
I hope you enjoyed this excerpt. To learn more about Angel in My Arms, please visit my website at www.victoriagrayromance.com or my blog, www.victoriagrayromance.blogspot.com .
Angel in My Arms is available from The Wild Rose Press (print - http://www.thewildrosepress.com/angel-in-my-arms-paperback-p-4328.html and e-book - http://www.thewildrosepress.com/angel-in-my-arms-p-4308.html), and other retailers including:
Digibooks Café (http://www.digibookscafe.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=107&products_id=1086),
All Romance E-Books (http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-angelinmyarms-484011-158.html),
Amazon.com (Kindle - http://www.amazon.com/Angel-In-My-Arms-ebook/dp/B004BLK63A/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1291012033&sr=1-1 and print - http://www.amazon.com/Angel-My-Arms-Victoria-Gray/dp/1601548435/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291012033&sr=1-1
Thanks for having me today. It’s been a pleasure. Here’s hoping Santa visits all of us on Christmas Eve…don’t forget the cookies…I hear oatmeal raisin cookies are his favorite!
Posted by Eliza Knight at 6:00 AM 16 comments:
Labels: Angel in My Arms, Santa Claus, Victoria Gray
Free Jane Austen Downloads and More!
Happy 235th Birthday Jane Austen!
To celebrate Miss Austen's birthday today, Sourcebooks is giving away freebies! Here is the official press release info...
Sourcebooks, the world’s leading publisher of Jane Austen fiction, is offering a unique deal to readers who want to celebrate Jane by reading special editions of all six of Austen’s beloved novels in a 21st century format.
Special e-book editions of Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion and Mansfield Park will be available for free for one day only. These celebratory editions include the full novels, plus the legendary color illustrations of the Brock brothers, originally created to accompany the books in 1898.
In addition to the Jane Austen classics, readers can also enjoy these bestselling Austen-inspired novels. The following bestselling e-books will be free on December 16th in honor of her birthday:
Eliza’s Daughter by Joan Aiken
The Darcys & the Bingleys by Marsha Altman
Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoll
What Would Jane Austen Do? by Laurie Brown
The Pemberley Chronicles by Rebecca Ann Collins
The Other Mr. Darcy by Monica Fairview
Mr. Darcy’s Diary by Amanda Grange
Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One by Sharon Lathan
Lydia Bennet’s Story by Jane Odiwe
Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy by Abigail Reynolds
There have been some complications getting booksellers to post the free prices, so the special offer has been extended to include today AND tomorrow as well. Books should be available from the following retailers:
iBooks, Google Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Sony and Sourcebooks.com.
HAPPY READING!!!!!!
Posted by Eliza Knight at 11:52 AM 1 comment:
Labels: Jane Austen
Guest Author, Susanna Kearsley: It Takes a Village... Doing On-Site Research for THE WINTER SEA
I am extremely excited to present our guest author to you today, Susanna Kearsley. I am currently reading her book, THE WINTER SEA (review to be posted in the next week), and LOVING it! She has a unique way of grabbing the reader and pulling her in. I was fascinated to learn that Ms. Kearsley did her research on-site for this book, and to tell you the truth, it shows! While reading, I truly feel as though I am there with the characters.
It Takes a Village… Doing On-Site Research for The Winter Sea
by Susanna Kearsley
Author, Susanna Keasley
Photo by Ashleigh Bonang
Most of my research begins with a book – in this case, John S. Gibson’s account of the failed Franco-Jacobite Invasion attempt of 1708, called Playing the Scottish Card, which introduced me to an episode of history that I’d never even heard of, and inspired me to hunt down the original resources he had used to write his book. I started with the memoirs of the Jacobite Nathaniel Hooke, and went from there to letters, journals, ships’ logs, anything to help me reconstruct the past events and learn about the lives of those who’d been involved.
I love the reading; love to hold the old, old books and haunt the British Library’s hushed reading rooms, where I can lose all track of time reading the letters John Moray – my hero in The Winter Sea – wrote home to his mother and father, or those he wrote to Queen Mary of Modena in his neat and careful French.
Hooke Book and Moray Letter
But even more than that, I love to go to where the book is set – to walk where my characters actually walked, and to try to unearth the small details that help bring a story to life.
I’ve grown a lot more confident since I made my first research trip back in the early 1990s. Back then, I was too shy to tell anybody that I was a writer. Now, I tell everyone – bus drivers, bartenders, anyone – because I’ve learned two things about on-site research: One, that the best details can come from the least likely places, and two, that most people are wonderfully helpful.
Cruden Bay
The Winter Sea is a perfect case in point. The day my plane touched down in Aberdeen, a heavy snow had closed the roads along the coast, so while I’d found a friendly bus driver prepared to set me down on the main road to Peterhead, it meant that I still had to walk a mile or so from there into Cruden Bay, through snow that nearly reached my knees, and in the dark. When I stopped at the first village pub to get out of the storm, they suggested I call for a taxi to take me the rest of the way up the road to my hotel. I took their advice.
St. Olaf Hotel
The taxi driver, on hearing that I was a writer, shared some interesting bits of local history with me and gave me an introduction to the Doric language of the northeast, which came in handy since my landlord at the St Olaf Hotel still spoke the Doric. And my landlord, with his mother and his wife, not only made sure that my room had the same view of coast and castle as my heroine would have from her imaginary cottage, but did all they could to help me with my research.
Any time I had questions they answered them for me or found me the answers from people they knew in the village, or simply by asking the women and men in the public bar. One of these women, who came for her lunch almost every day, turned out to be the owner of the local taxi fleet, and she began to drive me round herself, on one occasion with the meter off, to find me the locations that I needed for specific scenes.
The Beach from Ward Hill
Another of the regulars advised me where my heroine should have her cottage, on Ward Hill, and sure enough when I climbed up to look I found the rubblestone foundations of a cottage that had stood there once, and found the view exactly what I needed.
The local librarians, learning that I was a writer, spent hours finding newspaper clippings and reference books they knew would help me. The cook and the young woman serving my breakfast each day at the St. Olaf helped me. The shopkeepers helped me. The minister helped me. The staff at the Kilmarnock Arms Hotel helped me. People I met on the beach walking dogs helped me. Everyone helped me.
And everyone told me I ought go see Margaret Aitken, their own local author, who’d written a few books of local and personal history. I did, and along with her husband and daughter she charmed me and answered my questions and offered me tea, even giving me photographs I could take home for my research.
Slains Castle, Cruden Bay
One thing I was able to do in The Winter Sea was show a little of how helpful people can be when a writer is gathering facts for a novel. It’s what makes my research trips so unforgettable – meeting these wonderful people who take such good care of me while I’m among them.
The reading I can do alone…but on location sometimes it can truly take a village, to do research for my books.
THE WINTER SEA BY SUSANNA KEARSLEY – IN STORES DECEMBER 2010
History has all but forgotten…
But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth—the ultimate betrayal—that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her…
Two lucky commenters will win a copy of THE WINTER SEA. (US and Canada only)
Labels: Cruden Bay, Researching on-site, Scotland, Slains castle, Susanna Kearsley, The Winter Sea
Book Review: Boleyn--Tudor Vampire, by Cinsearae S.
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I had the pleasure of reading, Boleyn -- Tudor Vampire, by Cinsearae S. Long live the queen!
Back Cover Blurb:
Just the slightest tweak in history makes all the difference in its outcome...
Tudor England. It is during the reign of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. As her time in power nears an end, Anne is greatly disheartened by the false accusations of adultery, high treason and incest she is arrested for, and the cold-heartedness of her father for his lack of defense in her honor. Upon her death, she vows revenge on those who have wronged her, and the simple change of her death sentence from beheading to hanging grants her the opportunity to execute her wish on those who betrayed her.
Unknown forces of inconceivable dark magic abounds. Anne discovers she has risen from her grave because of her denouncement of God just moments before her hanging, and resurrects two others from their untimely, wrongful deaths--her brother, George, and her favorite court musician and dear friend, Mark Smeaton. This unlikely trio will drive Whitehall Palace to madness, bringing those closest to Anne to their knees, begging for mercy and forgiveness.
Once Anne executes her justice among those who have failed her, the last and final question will be whether Anne will finally have peace, or find comfort in haunting England forever.
Pub Date: May 2010
Available in Print and Ebook format
I first became aware of Ms. Santiago's writing several years ago when I did a spotlight on her writing for another review site.
Ms. Santiago's writing is fast-paced, entertaining and creative. The Tudor era is one of my favorites, and I've often thought that Anne Boleyn was an innocent victim of the times and tyrant. (Sorry Henry! I do love you, but... she didn't need to die, if you were going to get rid of her, you should have just set her aside like you did Katherine...IMHO)
Boleyn -- Tudor Vampire, is a fun read! Ms. Santiago changes history just a bit when instead of being beheaded, Anne Boleyn is hung for treason. This sets the pace for the rest of the story. Anne travels through Tudor England an enacts revenge on all those that hurt her, betrayed her and utlimately meant her death. There were several times I laughed while reading this story, and several times I cringed--the details of the undead will at times turn your stomach.
If you're up for a quick (~150 pages) entertaining story with a bit of history and a bit of the undead, then I suggest you read Boleyn -- Tudor Vampire.
Ms. Santiago has been writing, editing, and producing her own works through print-on-demand and conventional publishers. She is the creator of the all-new, dark paranormal romance series, "ABRAXAS". A digital artist and still-photographer, Ms. Santiago is also Editor/Publisher of Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine--a top ten finalist in the Preditors & Editors Readers Poll for 2008 and 2009, and winner for "Best Magazine Art"--having created this publication to give new and unpublished writers and artists of the genres a chance to shine and see their names in print. She also received the Author's Site of Excellence Award in December 2007 from P & E, and is a Cover Artist for Damnation Books. Visit Ms. Santiago at http://bloodtouch.webs.com/
Posted by Eliza Knight at 6:23 PM 2 comments:
Labels: Boleyn -- Tudor Vampire, Cinsearar S.
Guest Author, Angela Johnson - The Medieval Christmas Feast in England
Thanksgiving is over, and December is now upon us, which means its holiday season! On History Undressed, we'll have a few special holiday related posts coming up, starting today with guest author Angela Johnson, whose written a fascinating article on medieval times, Christmas and feasting! She's also included a delicious looking recipe for a medieval beverage that I will be trying!
The Medieval Christmas Feast in England
by Angela Johnson
Ever wonder how people celebrated Christmas in England during the Middle Ages? How did devoutly Catholic English society celebrate the birth of Christ six hundred years ago? As a history lover and writer of medieval romance, I began asking myself such questions as I realized Christmas was rapidly approaching. So I did some research and here are some of my findings.
St. Johns the Evangelist
The first recorded use of the word Christmas is from the twelfth century. It is derived from the Anglo Saxon word Christes Maesse, meaning the "Mass of Christ". Since the 4th century, the Roman Catholic Church has celebrated Christmas on December 25th. But in the Middle Ages, Christmas Day marked just the beginning of a cycle of feasts and Saint’s Days celebrations that lasted over a period of two weeks. This period was known variable as "Christmastide", or the "Twelve Days of Christmas", and it made up the Christmas season.
The various holy days celebrated during Christmastide were St. Stephen’s Day (December 26), St. John the Evangelist’s Day (December 27), Holy Innocent’s Day (December 28), St. Thomas a Becket’s Day (December 29), and ended on Twelfth Night, or the Epiphany (January 6).
As with Christmas Day, each of these holy days was celebrated with a feast. In the medieval period, this was a time eagerly anticipated by peasant and noble alike during the long dark days of winter. Like today it was a holiday which enabled people an opportunity to indulge in food and drink, hang decorations, entertain, and participate in singing, dancing, and playing games.
Christmas Feast: Food and Drink
The common peasant would not have the means to have a feast of their own, but royalty and nobility vied to see who could outdo the other in the size and scope of their Christmas season display and festivities. Even lesser magnates dispensed hospitality and good cheer to the greatest extent their resources would allow. In the Middle Ages, ninety-five percent of the populace was rural. It was custom in the countryside for barons and magnates to invite—in addition to their guests—servants and retainers of the manor, plus select other villagers, to partake of their feast.
The sumptuousness of the feast varied depending on the extent of the resources of the celebrant. The same was true whether it was a feast for a wedding, tournament, or Christmas day. Though the foods served at the feast were wide and varied, a number of dishes were traditional fare of a Medieval Christmas, like boar’s head, and roasted peacock and swan.
At many Christmas feasts, boar’s head was often brought into the dining hall to the sound of trumpets which commenced the first course of a 3-6 course meal, with each course having numerous dishes to choose from.
The tradition of the boar’s head processional was first introduced by the Vikings. They sacrificed the boar to pay tribute to their god, Frey, then brought its head to the table with an apple in its mouth and decked with garlands. This pagan custom gradually became Christianized. Eventually, the animals being slaughtered for the pagan gods were instead being sacrificed for the one true God.
Sometimes at Christmas feasts, several wild foul were also brought to the table with the same grand ceremony as the boar’s head. Peacock and swan, delicacies of the rich, were often made to look alive, as though they’d just been persuaded to sit upon the platter to be carried into the feasting-hall. This affect was achieved by the carcass being carefully skinned, feathers and all, then roasted, and then replaced back into its skin. The head and neck were stuffed to ensure they stood up so the bird looked as though it were still alive. Peacock was presented with their full tail and gilded head crest proudly displayed.
Other foods that would be more familiar to us today, but closely associated with Christmas, included mince pie and plum pudding. In medieval times, mince meat pie was known as Christmas pie. The original dish was a large and grand meat pie made of—beef, lamb, goose, chicken—as well as suet, dried fruit, and spices. It was usually oval in shape and easily transformed into a crib with a tiny pastry baby Jesus sculpted and set on top. It was eaten as a main dish of the Christmas feast until the 17th century when England’s Puritan-lead Parliament began to curtail Christmas celebrations. The name and shape of the pie gradually changed to avoid any association with the old traditions, and by the late 19th century, the meat and most of the spices had been removed. All that remained were the rich fruits, suet, and plenty of added sugar.
During medieval times, a wide variety of beverages were also available. One alcoholic beverage, though, was brewed especially for consumption during Christmas. It was known as wassail. This was a brew of ale, apples, spices, and later on, sugar (when it was available). It was often served in a special "wassail bowl", or container made of wood, and decorated with ribbons. The drink was passed around from guest to guest with the person offering the drink expressing his/her well wishes in the form of a toast --- “wassail” or “wes hal”, which means “Be thou hale”, “be in health” or “be well”. The recipient was expected to reply with “drink hail”, meaning “drink in good health”. The drink was very popular and often drunk to excess. (Recipe included below this article...)
Christmas Feast: Entertainment
A medieval Christmas feast would certainly not be complete without several forms of entertainment. Guests at feasts were treated to singing, dancing, various games, and mummers’ plays. Christmas music in the form of hymns and carols were very popular. Hymns were of a religious nature. They were written and sung in Latin by the clergy. Carols were often composed by lay persons. They were written and sung in the vernacular, and brought a new element to the celebration of Christmas. Some were bawdy and related little to the religious festival, while others narrated stories of the Nativity.
One popular type of entertainment at the medieval Christmas feasts was "mummers’ plays". These were plays enacted by masked actors. There were three types of mummer’s plays. One was the "Hero/Combat". Another was the "Wooing Ceremony". And the third was the "Sword Dance." All three deal with the themes of death and rebirth, but did so in a different way.
Medieval Feast: Decorations
Medieval people decorated their homes, manors, and halls with greenery for the Christmas season. Feast halls were draped with holly, ivy and mistletoe. Holly was thought to bring good luck to the home, and to protect it from lightning and witches. But more importantly, holly was connected to the Nativity with the evergreen leaves representing Jesus’ eternal life.
Ivy was also used in decorating medieval homes, though not as popular as holly. It was often used on the outside of households.
Mistletoe has ties to both pagan and Christian legend and was believed to have healing powers. Though the tradition of kissing beneath the mistletoe had pagan origins, it acquired a Christian meaning in the medieval period when a new belief began to circulate that the wood of the cross on which Christ was crucified actually came from mistletoe, rather than the holly. Common people were particularly fond of mistletoe, especially at Christmas, as it provided them with a license to flirt freely with the opposite sex. Despite clerical disapproval, mistletoe became a firm part of the medieval Christmas tradition.
Amazingly, it seems that medieval people had to deal with many of the same Christmas issues we do now. Then, as today, many Church leaders lamented the secularization of Christmas celebrations to the detriment of the true purpose of Christmas—to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. They point out that the true meaning of Christmas can easily be forgotten, or overlooked, in the excitement of all the holiday festivities. I suppose several hundred years from now, those same points might still be raised each year at Christmas time, but hopefully, humanity will still be coming together to decorate, feast, entertain, and find meaning in life.
Christmas Wassail
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/3 pint of apple juice
1/6 tsp. of ground nutmeg
¼ tsp of ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
28g/1oz sugar
500ml/1 pint ale
1 tsp. Honey
1. Simmer the apple juice, lemon juice and zest, spices and sugar in a pan, until the sugar has dissolved but ensuring the liquid does not boil.
2. Add the ale and honey and then heat through, taking care not to boil wassail.
3. Serve warm with lemon slices floating on top.
Recipe makes 1 ½ pints or 6 small glasses
Diehl, Daniel. Medieval Celebrations: How to Plan Holidays, Weddings, and Reenactments, with Recipes, Customs, Costumes, Decorations, Songs, Dances, and Games. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2001.
Jackson, Sophie. The Medieval Christmas. Stroud: Sutton, 2005.
Angela Johnson fell in love with romance novels in high school. In college, she earned a degree in history. Today, she combines her two favorite passions—history and romance—into a writing career. Her second novel VOW OF DECEPTION is out now. Loving to research and spin sensual tales, Angela lives in Kansas, with Joe, her very own hero of twenty-three years. Please visit her at http://angelajohnsonauthor.com
Back Cover Blurb for VOW OF DECEPTION
Your first allegiance is to your heart…
As a knight, Sir Rand Montague’s allegiance is to King Edward I. But when the king orders Rand to escort Rosalyn Harcourt to court in order to wed her off to Sir Golan—a crass knight Rand abhors—he’s torn between duty and desire. For Rand has never forgotten the woman he spent one unforgettable night of passion with…
After suffering abuse at the hands of her deceased husband, Rose wishes to never wed again. But when Rand rescues her after Sir Golan attempts to compromise her, she agrees to marry Rand in name only. However, sharing such close quarters with Rand brings back memories of their torrid rendezvous—and tempts Rose to give in to an all-consuming desire…
Leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of VOW OF DECEPTION.
Labels: Angela Johnson, Medieval Christmas Feast, Vow of Deception, Wassail
A Noble's Life in Medieval Times Workshop
Eliza Knight will be presenting A Noble's Life in Medieval Times in an online workshop through Hearts Through History. The class will begin Monday, 12/5/10 and will be approximately three weeks long. There is still time to register, and participants are able to register up until the day the workshop begins. If you have any questions, please feel free to email Eliza at writer@elizaknight.com
Workshop Synopsis:
Life in medieval times was so much different than the way we live today. When readers sit down with their favorite medieval historical romance, they are taken away to another time and place.
For most readers, this is where they learn about medieval times, and it is the duty of the author to be as authentic as possible. That being said, you don’t want your book to be a history lecture either, but to just flavor it enough.
This workshop will teach you how people, particularly nobles, lived in medieval times, in order for you to be truer to the era you write about. This is an open discussion workshop, questions and comments are welcome and encouraged. The lessons will be presented as follows:
Lesson One: The Medieval Castle
Lesson Two: Medieval Entertainments
Lesson Three: Day in the Life of a Medieval Lord and Lady
Lesson Four: Medieval Medicine
Lesson Five: Medieval Clothes
Click here to register: http://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/medieval.htm
Edit Your Book in a Month Workshop
2010 is almost over! If you've completed a novel, then now is the time to edit it. Have that story completed and ready for submission in the new year! The workshop begins on 12/1/10 and runs through 12/31/10.
Eliza will present tips on editing, most common mistakes made in manuscripts, what editors and judges are looking for and show you how to evaluate the following:
Overused/Weak words
Weak verbs
Use of the 5 Senses
Tightening up those sentence
Hooks - beginning and ending
Show vs. Tell
Goals, Motivation, Conflict
Story Development / Plot / Characterization / Setting
Inconsistencies (Ex: heroines eyes are blue in ch. 1 and brown in ch. 2)
With each new item presented, Eliza will show you how to use the information to edit your manuscript. Throughout the workshop participants will be able to post excerpts from their WIP for review and critique by Eliza and fellow classmates.
By the end of Edit Your Book in a Month, your WIP should be clean and ready for submission! The skills learned during this workshop can be used for your future manuscripts as well.
Labels: Edit Your Book in a Month Workshop
Book Review: A Darcy Christmas
With the holidays quickly approaching I was excited to receive my copy of A Darcy Christmas: A Holiday Tribute to Jane Austen, by Amanda Grange, Sharon Lathan and Carolyn Eberhart. This was a light-hearted, quick read, and quite enjoyable.
Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Wish You a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Share in the magic of the season in these three warm and wonderful holiday novellas from bestselling authors.
by Amanda Grange
A Darcy Christmas
by Sharon Lathan
Mr. Darcy’s Christmas Carol
by Carolyn Eberhart
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I never tire of Elizabeth and *fanning self* Mr. Darcy--one of my all time favorite heroes. Naturally, when I have the opportunity to read a book that continues the genius that is Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice I will nearly always pick it up.
I am a junkie for reading holiday stories during the holiday season. My radio station is permanently channeled to whatever local station is playing holiday music 24/7 and the Hallmark Christmas marathon is on every television in the house. (Hmm... you may wonder how I get any work done with all that noise, but seriously, I love it!)
As am I, many of you during the holiday season are running around, shopping, wrapping, cleaning, preparing, cooking, traveling, finishing up last minute deadlines, etc... the list goes on, and so you find very little time to squeeze in some reading for enjoyment.
Poof! The perfect solution: an anthology! A Darcy Christmas will get you in the holiday spirit with debut author, Carolyn Eberhart's Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)/ A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens) tribute titled, Mr. Darcy's Christmas Carol. Amanda Grange's Christmas Present, is a cheerful romp with all your favorite P&P characters--a fabulous rendition of Mrs. Bennett as well! Sharon Lathan's A Darcy Christmas, for which this book gets its name, will have you smiling from ear to ear and remembering why you loved P&P in the first place.
This was a fabulous holiday anthology and I highly recommend reading it. The stories are easy and quick reads, that you can squeeze in between hectic holiday running, or just curl up and read before a fire with your hot cocoa.
'Tis the season to read A Darcy Christmas!
Posted by Eliza Knight at 2:54 PM No comments:
Labels: A Darcy Christmas, Amanda Grange, Carolyn Eberhart, Jane Austen, Sharon Lathan
Historical Romance Review: Devil's Desire by Laurie McBain
Laurie McBain was a best-selling author of historical romance in the late 70's and early 80's. I humbly admit to not having read any of her books before, so when I was approached about reviewing one, that Sourcebooks was re-releasing this month, I was excited. I love to read the mother's of historical romance as we know it today, and from what I'd heard, McBain was an author not to miss.
They called him the devil…
With his seductive golden eyes and sin-black hair, it’s no wonder Lord Alex Trevegne has earned himself the sinister title—not to mention his reputation as one of the most notorious rakes in England.
And she’s the only one who can conquer him…
When fate throws Alex and Elysia into a scandalous situation, Alex suddenly finds it surprisingly difficult to tear himself away from her.
As an unexpected passion blossoms between them, Elysia begins to wonder if after a lifetime of heartache she’s finally found heaven in the arms of the devil.
What a fantastic read! Devil's Desire is a Regency era novel with all that makes that genre exciting and appealing to readers. A strong heroine, a rakish hero, a little mystery, sensuality, strong conflict and character growth.
Elysia is a heroine who has had a tortured past few years, and you truly sympathize with her when confronted with her evil aunt and her destitute situation. But she rises up. She is strong, she is smart and she is taking charge of her life. Until she meets the hero, Alex Trevegne, a rake of the first order! He's sleeping his way through the London elite and tossing women aside like used tissue.
And then he meets Elysia... she's a woman who won't bat her eyes at him, and has no interest in him whatsoever. She's on a mission to get her life in order and to be in charge of her future. But a villain gets in the way of things and messes up her goals as well as those of Alex. Meddling miser! In the end however, ironic as it is, the meddling of the villain ends up being a good thing.
I will admit to being put off a little with a forced sex scene, which seems to be more popular with older books, and the heroines relection on how she wasn't really forced was a bit irritating, but other than that, the book itself was very enjoyable, and subsequent love scenes were passionate and two sided. I was also extremely ruffled with some of Alex's antics with his previous mistress... but I don't want to give too much away.
Definitely a book to read if you are a fan of Regency romance. I also look forward to reading more of McBain's re-releases with Sourcebooks.
Posted by Eliza Knight at 10:25 AM No comments:
Labels: Devil's Desire, Laurie McBain
Guest Author, Elyse Mady on 18th Century Pleasure Gardens
Today on History Undressed, I am pleased to introduce to you another debut author, Elyse Mady. Today she will be discussing gardens with us. But not just any gardens--pleasure gardens. Enjoy!
18th Century Pleasure Gardens
by Elyse Mady
Just like today, entertainment was big business in the 18th century. From mechanical clockworks to public assembly rooms like the Pantheon, pleasure gardens like Marylebone and Vauxhall, concerts, plays, spectacles, fireworks, and readings and sermons for the high minded, there was always something to catch the attention of a English person with a few shillings to spare.
Fashions changed, new excitements arose, out-of-date ones languished. Yet while London’s pleasure sites were certainly the largest and most diverse, celebrated in books like ‘Evelina’ and ‘Cecilia’ and immortalized in biting drawings by Rowlandson, by the end of the Georgian era, almost every town of a respectable size could boast of being home to events of a similar nature, at least some of time.
But lest you think that whiling away a few free hours was all anyone had on their mind, behind the crowds of giddy revellers, battles of a political, cultural and social kind were being played out with a ferocious, if often unspoken, intensity. It was only after the Restoration in the 1660s that public leisure activities like pleasure gardens slowly came into their own. As a result of these new activities, Culture – its consumption, its control and its dissemination – became a battleground, albeit a polite one, during the long 18th century, as changing economic realities, new technologies, new lifestyles and the continuing urban intensification, changed how individuals across social strata viewed themselves and their participation in the cultural dialogue of the era.
The middle class not only wanted to participate in the cultural dialogue, as time went on and their purchasing power increased, they also began determining the types and varieties of public entertainment on offer, eschewing the restrictive and often exclusive privileges of the upper classes in favour of activities that were more reflective of their lifestyles and moral concerns.
But frankly, who wants to think politics when there are pleasures like New Spring Gardens, or to give them their more familiar name, Vauxhall Gardens, to enjoy? Who knows? It’s a fine summer night. There might be fireworks on display, and Mr. Hook’s music to enjoy, supper in the Rotunda and perhaps, if you’re very lucky or very naughty (or both!), you’ll head down the dark walks for an assignation of the amorous sort.
James Boswell wrote that:
Vauxhall Gardens is peculiarly adapted to the taste of the English nation; there being a mixture of curious show, — gay exhibition, musick, vocal and instrumental, not too refined for the general ear; — for all of which only a shilling is paid.
The main walks were lit at night by hundreds and thousands of lights, suspended above revelers in the trees and from stands. Crowds of up to 60,000 people filled the gardens on occasion. In addition to the wide, central paths, there were countless ‘dark walks’ along which lovers and prostitutes alike strolled. There were concerts and music, often performed by leading stars. Songs and lyrics were composed on topical events: royal celebrations, naval battles, military success, and songbooks and concert programs with the lyrics and tunes were widely disseminated. Over time more fantastical features were built: new supper boxes, a music room, a Chinese pavilion, a gothic orchestra that accommodated fifty musicians, and ruins, arches, statues and a cascade.
A 1762 guide, “A Description of Vaux-hall Gardens, being a proper companion and guide for all who visit that place” describes the scene thus:
THESE beautiful gardens, so justly celebrated for the variety of pleasures and elegant entertainment they afford, during the spring and summer seasons, are situated on the south fide of the river Thames in the parish of Lambeth about two miles from London ; and are said to be the first gardens of the kind in England.
As they are commodiously situated near the Thames, that those who prefer going by water, can be brought within two hundred yards of this delightful place at a much easier expence than by land.
The season for opening these gardens commences about the beginning of May, and continues till August. Every evening (Sunday excepted) they are opened at five o'clock for the reception of company.
As you enter the great gate to which you are conducted by a short avenue from the road, you pay one shilling for admittance. The first scene that salutes the eye, is a noble gravel walk about nine hundred feet in length, planted on each side with a row of stately elm and other trees ; which form a fine vista terminated by a landscape of the country, a beautiful lawn of meadow ground, and a grand gothic obelisk, all which so forcibly strike the imagination, that a mind scarce tinctured with any sensibility of order and grandeur, cannot but feel inexpressible pleasure in viewing it.
Advancing a few steps within the garden, we behold to the right a quadrangle or square, which from the number of trees planted in it, 15 called the grove : in the middle of it, is a superb and magnificent orchestra of gothic construction curiously ornamented with carvings, niches, etc. the dome of which is surmounted with a plume of feathers, the crest of the prince of Wales. The whole edifice is of wood painted white and bloom colour. The ornaments are plaistic, a composition something like plaister of Paris, but only known to the ingenious architect who designed and built this beautiful object of
admiration.
In fine weather the musical entertainments are performed here by a select band of the best vocal and instrumental performers. At the upper extremity of this orchestra, a very fine organ is erected, and at the foot of it are the seats and desks for the musicians, placed in a semi-circular form, leaving a vacancy at the front for the vocal performers. The concert is opened with instrumental music at fix o'clock, which having continued about half an hour, the company are entertained with a song : and in this manner several other songs are performed with sonatas or concertos between each, till the close of the entertainment which is generally about ten o'clock.
Public gardens like Vauxhall, with their emphasis on diversion, spectacle and social intermingling played a significant role in influencing taste, introducing fashionable trends and developing new cultural precepts, both for the emerging middle class and the defending upper classes. They merged the classical with the commercial, and made the exotic accessible to the everyman. They were playgrounds after a fashion and Vauxhall, as the largest, longest lived of all the spectacular English pleasure gardens, was enjoyed by Londoners and immortalized by its authors and painters, for nearly 200 years, until finally closing its doors forever in 1859.
An enthusiastic and voracious reader of everything from 18th century novels to misplaced cereal boxes, Elyse has worked as a freelance magazine writer for the past several years.
Her first work of fiction, The Debutante’s Dilemma, was published by Carina Press in the fall of 2010. She is also working on a number of contemporary romance manuscripts as well as a full length historical novel set in the 1780s.
In addition to her writing commitments, Elyse also teaches film and literature at a local community college. In her free time she enjoys (well, enjoys might be too strong a word – perhaps pursues with dogged determination would be better) never ending renovations on their century cottage with her intrepid husband and two boys. She blogs at www.elysemady.wordpress.com and can be found on Facebook and Twitter as @ElyseMady.
One woman in search of passion
Miss Cecilia Hastings has achieved what every young lady hopes for during her first London season…in duplicate! She’s caught the eye of not one but two of England’s most eligible bachelors. Both Jeremy Battersley, Earl of Henley, and Richard Huxley, Duke of Wexford are handsome, wealthy and kind, the epitome of proper gentlemen. But Cecelia doesn’t want proper, she wants passion. So she issues a challenge to her suitors: a kiss, so that she may choose between them.
Two men in love with the same woman
Friends since childhood, and compatriots on the battlefields of Spain, falling for the same woman has set Jeremy and Richard at odds, and risks destroying their friendship forever. But a surprising invitation to a late-night garden tryst soon sets them on a course that neither of them could have anticipated. And these gentlemen quickly discover that love can take many forms…
Labels: 18th Century Pleasure Gardens, Elyse Mady, The Debutante's Dilemma, Vauxhall Gardens
Guest Author, Stephanie Dray - Bad Girls of the Ancient World: Expanded Edition
Today on History Undressed, I'm thrilled to present to you a new author, Stephanie Dray. I first met Stephanie earlier this year at a local writing chapter meeting. I stared admiringly and somewhat covetously at the paper thin laptop she was using for an hour--mine is quite large--(my apologies to the speaker!) and then introduced myself. She is an up and coming author of historical fiction, her debut Lily of the Nile, a novel about Cleopatra's daughter, will release in January 2011. In the meantime, she has presented me with a tantalizing and fun historical article. Enjoy!
Bad Girls of the Ancient World: Expanded Edition
by Stephanie Dray
I recently co-authored a piece about bad girls in the ancient world with Jeannie Lin, author of historical fiction set in Tang Dynasty China. Together, Jeannie and I discussed how women who have been vilified in history share a few common traits whether they hail from western or eastern culture. These women were usually warriors, seductresses, or sorceresses. Sometimes, all three.
Today I’m taking on this subject solo to introduce you to the ancient bad girls of Western Civilization--those women who defied social convention and sometimes changed the world as a result. These women are fascinating and in the context of my forthcoming novel, Lily of the Nile, they also served to inspire my heroine, Cleopatra Selene.
The historic Selene was born into a dangerous political world, a civilization on the brink of change, and one that may have embraced a more egalitarian view of women if her parents had won their struggle with Octavian. Instead, the independence and power of Selene’s mother as a ruler became a pretext for war, and the misogyny of the Augustan Age took root.
It’s taken us more than two-thousand years to move away from the attitudes towards women that were fostered in Selene’s time, so let’s talk about those bad girls who inspire us and serve as everlasting examples of how ancient attitudes about women still influence us today.
Dido -- Queen of the Carthaginians
by Christophe Cochet
Though some have argued that Dido is only a mythological figure, it seems more likely that she was a real historical figure--a Princess of Tyre, granted the right to rule jointly with her brother. However, her brother wasn’t keen on sharing power so he murdered Dido’s wealthy husband with the intention of taking over the palace. What Dido did next set her apart from most other women of known history--she didn’t seek out shelter in another kingdom as a wealthy exile, nor did she try to re-marry a powerful king to help her recover the rulership of Tyre. Instead, Queen Dido led a group of settlers and government officials who remained loyal to her and founded the city of Carthage in North Africa.
She was a politician who not only shaped her own fate but created a new civilization. She was also, apparently, so highly religious that she is often equated with her goddess, the Carthaginian Tanit. And when she faced political domination by a neighboring country that wanted to force her into marriage, Dido stabbed herself to death and threw herself upon a funeral pyre.
But why did she come to be thought of as a bad girl in the ancient world?
Because the Romans and the Carthaginians would go on to battle each other in a series of wars for more than one hundred years, the Roman hostility towards a civilization founded by a powerful woman helped forge the Roman character and its attitude towards women. Virgil’s Aeneid, the quintessential propaganda epic of the Augustan Age, immortalizes Dido as a temptress who quite nearly dissuaded the upright Aeneas from his duty to found Rome. (Historically, it’s unlikely that Dido and Aeneas could have ever crossed paths, but a Roman historical fiction writer like Virgil couldn’t resist the temptation to imagine their failed love affair!)
For the Romans, Dido was a woman who should have submitted to her brother’s rule and never taken it upon herself to build a new city or refuse marriage to another man. And because the Romans defeated the Carthaginians, it’s their attitudes that we have inherited through history.
Sophonisba -- Carthaginian Princess and Patriot
by Giovanni Francesco Caroto
There are a number of stories about proud Carthaginian women who chose death as an alternative to being ruled by men, or by Rome. Sophonisba is another of them. The legend surrounding her is that she was a fiercely patriotic princess who was betrothed to Massinissa of Numidia. But when her intended groom allied with Rome and wouldn’t stay faithful to Carthage, she decided to marry the Numidian leader Syphax instead.
But Sophonisba’s jilted groom didn’t forget her. Perhaps as much from injured pride as for political reasons, Massinissa defeated Syphax and claimed Sophonisba as his bride. She married him, but tried to use his love for her to turn him against the Romans.
Sophonisba never took up arms against the Romans; she wasn’t a political enemy in the conventional sense. However, the Romans were threatened by women who used their sexuality for political gain. Marking her for an enemy, the Romans demanded that she be handed over and marched in a triumph through Rome as a captured slave. Sophonisba drank a cup of poison instead.
As a young North African queen and wife of Juba II who was himself a descendant of Massinissa, Selene must have heard this story; it’s difficult to imagine that it didn’t remind her of her own mother.
Olympias -- Mother of Alexander the Great
from Promptuarii
Iconum Insigniorum
This Greek princess and supposed descendant of Achilles met her husband, Philip II of Macedon, while being initiated into the mysteries of an ancient cult. She was always suspected, ever after, of sorcery and congress with serpents. Though she was the fourth of Phillip’s wives, he claimed it was a love match, and she appears to have believed him until he started marrying other women. When Philip married a seventh time and drunkenly accused Olympias of infidelity, she packed up her things and left Macedon.
Fortuitously--and perhaps not coincidentally--her husband was assassinated shortly thereafter. Olympias was able to install her son Alexander on the throne and he would go on to become ruler of the known world. But Olympias didn’t simply fade into the woodwork; she was an active participant in Alexander’s political regime. After her son’s death, though she was in her fifties, Olympias commanded an army in the field to preserve the throne for her baby grandson. What’s more, she won. For a short time, she was the mistress of Macedonia, at the zenith of her power. Eventually, she was defeated by Cassander and executed, thought to be far too dangerous to leave alive, but she leaves behind the archetype of a fiercely protective mother.
As a descendant of Alexander’s Macedonian general, Ptolemy, Selene was a kinswoman to Olympias and probably learned about her exploits.
Cleopatra -- The Most Powerful Woman in the History of the World
Marble Bust of Cleopatra
Dating from 30-40 BC
As the consort of not one, but two Roman generals, Cleopatra earned a reputation as a seductress. Though she was a Hellenistic Queen, the Romans thought of her as foreign and exotic. Because she respected older Egyptian traditions, the Romans disdained her for worshipping all manner of strange gods. What’s more, her enemies believed she was capable of wielding magic. And if that weren’t bad enough, Cleopatra was also a warrior queen, capable of commanding her own warships.
She’s come down to us as a familiar and iconic image. Everyone has heard about the infamous Queen of the Nile, and there’s a good reason for it. She was, and remains, the most powerful woman in the history of the world. Though we’ve since had powerful queens, the geographic scope of their authority has been smaller. We’ve also had women serve as prime ministers of important countries, but their powers have been limited and sharply circumscribed. Cleopatra was not only the queen of Egypt in her own right, but in concert with her Roman husband, the biddable Marcus Antonius, she wielded unprecedented power. Until the Battle of Actium, she was poised to rule the entire world. But for some bad weather and a wildly successful propaganda campaign against her, the world might be a much different place today.
It’s difficult to wonder what lessons Cleopatra’s daughter Selene must have taken from her rise and fall. Selene herself was born in Ptolemaic Egypt, the best possible place to be born a woman in the ancient world. Raised in Alexandria, she would never have lacked for strong female role models.
Nonetheless, Cleopatra Selene was not a bad girl of history; she managed, somehow, to wield great political power and religious influence without ever falling afoul of the patriarchy. This may be because no sexual scandal touched her during her twenty-year marriage to Juba II or because she never took up arms on a battlefield.
Even so, she never forgot the important women in her life or in her legacy and neither should we.
*****
With her parents dead, the daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony is left at the mercy of her Roman captors. Heir to one empire and prisoner of another, it falls to Princess Selene to save her brothers and reclaim what is rightfully hers…
In the aftermath of Alexandria’s tragic fall, Princess Selene is taken from Egypt, the only home she’s ever known. Along with her two surviving brothers, she’s put on display as a war trophy in Rome. Selene’s captors mock her royalty and drag her through the streets in chains, but on the brink of death, the children are spared as a favor to the emperor’s sister, who takes them to live as hostages in the so-called lamentable embassy of royal orphans.
Now trapped in a Roman court of intrigue that reviles her heritage and suspects her faith, Selene can’t hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her flesh. Nor can she stop the emperor from using her for his own political ends. But faced with a new and ruthless Caesar who is obsessed with having a Cleopatra of his very own, Selene is determined honor her mother’s lost legacy. The magic of Egypt and Isis remain within her. But can she succeed where her mother failed? And what will it cost her in a political game where the only rule is win or die?
*****
Stephanie graduated from Smith, a small women’s college in Massachusetts where–to the consternation of her devoted professors–she was unable to master Latin. However, her focus on Middle Eastern Studies gave her a deeper understanding of the consequences of Egypt’s ancient clash with Rome, both in terms of the still-extant tensions between East and West as well as the worldwide decline of female-oriented religion.
Before she wrote novels, Stephanie was a lawyer, a game designer, and a teacher. Now she uses the transformative power of magic realism to illuminate the stories of women in history and inspire the young women of today. She remains fascinated by all things Roman or Egyptian and has–to the consternation of her devoted husband–collected a house full of cats and ancient artifacts. Visit Stephanie at http://www.stephaniedray.com/
Labels: Bad Girls of the Ancient World: Expanded Edition, Cleopatra, Did, Lily of the Nile, Olympias, Sophonisba, Stephanie Dray
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1 West Firestorm Way
www.arizonachristian.edu
*Previous names: Southwestern College to Arizona Christian University (2011)
Current status: Accredited
• Public Disclosure Notice - Removal of Sanction
• Action Letter - Removal of Sanction
Candidacy date(s): 02/21/1986 - 08/06/1992
Accreditation granted: 08/07/1992
Most recent reaffirmation of accreditation: 2011 - 2012
Next reaffirmation of accreditation: 2021 - 2022
Upcoming or In-Progress Reviews
Date Event Description
06/30/2019: Interim Report Faculty Issues, Finances/Audit, Strategic Planning
2021 - 2022: Comprehensive Evaluation
Most Recent History with the Commission
11/01/2018: Notice Remove Notice
11/03/2016: Comprehensive Evaluation Place on Notice
03/22/2012: Reaffirmation of Accreditation (PEAQ)
General Institutional Information
This section provides brief, general information about the institution’s organization and scope. The information is self-reported by the institution through the annual Institutional Update to the Commission. Additional information can be found at nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/ or on the institution’s web site noted above.
Control: Private NFP
Degree programs (number in each category): Associates (1), Bachelors (16)
Certificate programs (number offered): 0
Off-Campus Activities (This listing was last updated: 06/11/2019; the information may not be current.) The institution’s accreditation includes courses and programs at:
In-State: Campuses: Main Campus - Glendale, AZ;
Additional Locations: The Grove Church - Chandler, AZ;
Out-of-State: Campuses: None.
Additional Locations: None.
Out-of-U.S.: Campuses: None.
Location Campuses Additional Locations
In-State: Main Campus - Glendale, AZ; The Grove Church - Chandler, AZ;
Out-of-State: None. None.
Out-of-U.S.: None. None.
About HLC and Accreditation
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is a regional accreditation agency that accredits degree-granting colleges and universities that are based in a 19-state region of the United States.
Regional accreditation validates the quality of an institution as a whole and evaluates multiple aspects of an institution, including its academic offerings, governance and administration, mission, finances, and resources. HLC’s institutional accreditation includes all degree levels as well as onsite and online offerings. Institutions of higher education in the United States may also seek accreditation through national or specialized accreditation agencies. National accreditation associations, like regional accreditors, accredit the institution as a whole. Specialized accreditation agencies accredit programs, departments or schools within a college or university.
Regional accreditation agencies are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit degree-granting colleges and universities. There are six regions of the United States which regional agencies oversee. The regional accreditation agencies have similar standards for accrediting colleges and universities.
Institutions that HLC accredits are evaluated against its Criteria for Accreditation, a set of standards that institutions must meet to receive and/or maintain accredited status.
HLC’s Criteria for Accreditation reflect a set of guiding values. The accreditation process is based on a system of peer review. Approximately 1,600 educators from institutions of higher education serve as HLC peer reviewers conducting accreditation evaluations for other institutions. Peer reviewers also serve on committees that make up the decision-making bodies of the accreditation process.
HLC accreditation assures quality by verifying that an institution (1) meets standards and (2) is engaged in continuous improvement. In addition, all institutions are required to complete an annual filing of the Institutional Update, undergo annual monitoring of financial and non-financial indicators, and adhere to HLC policies and practices on institutional change.
Peer reviewers trained in HLC’s standards evaluate institutions’ demonstration of whether they meet the Criteria for Accreditation and make recommendations to HLC’s decision-making bodies.
Institutional Actions Council (Decision-Making Body)
The Board of Trustees appoints and authorizes members of the Institutional Actions Council (IAC) to conduct reviews and take actions on the majority of accreditation recommendations. IAC members consist of representatives of academic institutions accredited by HLC, as well as members of the public. Detailed information on IAC processes is found in HLC’s policies on decision-making.
In the interest of being transparent, HLC is committed to providing information to the public regarding accreditation decisions made regarding individual institutions.
Actions that are taken by HLC regarding an institution’s accreditation status are disclosed to the public. Since July 2013, in all cases of issuing continued accreditation, placing an institution on or resolving a sanction, or withdrawing accreditation, the Action Letter issued to the institution is made available for viewing and the institution’s status in HLC’s online directory is updated. Public Disclosure Notices are also issued in cases of sanction and other HLC actions to provide the public insight into the issues regarding that institution.
Complaints Against HLC-Accredited Institutions
HLC has an online resource to communicate complaints about institutions from faculty, students, and other parties. HLC has established a clear distinction between individual grievances and complaints that appear to involve broad institutional practices. Where a complaint does raise issues regarding the institution’s ongoing ability to meet the Criteria of Accreditation, HLC forwards the complaint to the institution and requests a formal response.
Complainants with specific claims related to the Americans with Disabilities Act or employment discrimination should seek review of such claims by the appropriate federal agencies.
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Behind The Screen Digital Power
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick on Future of Game Streaming, Unionization (Q&A)
1:20 PM PDT 6/11/2019 by Patrick Shanley
Jerod Harris/WireImage
Strauss Zelnick
The head of Rockstar Games' parent company spoke about the advent of streaming tech and growing talks of unionization ("I’m not sure what benefit unionization would bring") for game developers.
Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of video game developers such as Rockstar Games and 2K Games, saw a 12 percent climb in its stock in May, just ahead of this year's E3 convention in Los Angeles where the company is touting its latest major release, Gearbox's Borderlands 3.
Following a year in which Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption 2 topped the year's best-sellers, Take-Two is looking for another big hit with Borderlands in 2019, the third installment in the successful "looter shooter" franchise that first debuted in 2009 and has sold over 43 million copies in its lifetime.
With streaming and subscription services such as Google's Stadia and Microsoft's Project xCloud dominating much of the early conversation at this year's E3 gaming convention, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick caught up with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss his company's battle plan in a quickly evolving industry. From best-selling sports titles like NBA 2K19 to continued support for online play on the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption franchises to the upcoming release of Borderlands, Zelnick offered his thoughts on his company's own games, the advent of streaming technology and growing conversations of unionization for game developers.
What do you attribute the rise in Take-Two stock to?
It’s hard for me to call that sort of thing because daily, weekly, monthly movements don’t usually make sense in the absence of an announcement or results. Obviously, things are going really well. It’s possible people were doing checks about how Borderlands is lining up and it looks like it’s lining up really well. We feel good about it. It’s also possible people were looking at activity surrounding Grand Theft Auto Online and Red Dead Online.
Does the announcement of Google Stadia and Xbox’s Project xCloud streaming services help the industry with investors?
I think it’s creating some enthusiasm. I think there are so many things going on all at once. To be clear, the fact that there are industry tailwinds does not necessarily mean that any individual company will do well. We have to execute to do well, but it is easier to succeed when the wind’s at your back. So, what’s going on in addition to the market clearly growing — in success you can sell 24 million units of Red Dead Redemption 2 — you also have the potential launch of various streaming services and subscription services, which need to be differentiated because one is a technology and one is a business model. The growth of international markets, the reopening of approvals in China, some energy around potential growth in India, Africa, the Middle East, the continued growth of e-sports, the list goes on. From our point of view, we are driven by our continued release schedule, and that looks great this year. Borderlands 3, NBA 2K and WWE coming, we’re feeling good about all that.
You mentioned tailwinds. How do you capitalize on them?
You capitalize on them based on your catalog. We have plenty of things going on that speak to consumers on an ongoing basis, but you have to constantly refresh those activities with frontline hits.
Does the rise of e-sports pull viewers away from traditional sports and hurt sports game titles?
I don’t think so, but it’s very hard to know. That audience may have never existed in the first place for traditional sports. It is true that golf is declining, we see that. There may be some kind of shift but generally speaking the next generation of consumers may be more attuned to e-sports for their home viewing experience than some professional sports, but obviously the NFL is still huge, NBA is huge and growing, soccer is huge and growing. I think there’s still room for growth. We’re in the golf business, we’ve been in hockey, we’ve been in boxing, we no longer are. We’ve been in baseball, we no longer are. Primarily, we’re in the basketball business. We’d love to be in more, but football is still subject to an exclusive.
Do you adjust expectations when there is no new major Rockstar release?
Having a huge hit from any label, but particularly having a Rockstar hit, generally means in the year of initial release we’re going to have a very, very big year. What we say is that our goal is to be big, growing and profitable in any year and we have some massive titles that come from Rockstar, so when we release those we’re going to have an even better year. But we wouldn’t expect to compare positively following a big Rockstar release, even given a very robust frontline release schedule, which, to be clear, is our goal. That’s why we have a robust roster of labels.
What does robust mean in terms of releases for Take-Two?
Probably five in a year, in addition to our annualized titles. That’s an average every year. Now and then, we’ll miss it. Prior to this most recent fiscal year, we had a couple dry years for frontline releases, but luckily we had Grand Theft Auto Online performing very well.
The shelf life of games is much longer now than it was even a few years ago. How important is it to have new titles?
It’s very important because over time everything decays. We talk about our IP as permanent IP, but that’s a bit of an overstatement. Generally speaking, most IP diminishes over the long haul. We think if you’re respectful of the consumer and the creative process then you can push out that decline curve for a very long time, maybe even forever. We think we have some permanent IP. I think Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead and Borderlands are permanent IP, but that’s all reliant on bringing great games to market every time we bring out a new title in those franchises.
Do new iterations kill the longevity of older titles?
The catalog is still very valuable, so it definitely doesn’t kill it but at a certain point in time any title reaches the end of its lifetime, unless it’s just an ongoing business like World of Warcraft. We don’t really have any of those. I mean, Grand Theft Auto Online certainly looks like one and our mobile titles are very strong.
Are you interesting in having your own World of Warcraft, then?
Well, that model is owned by Activision and now is old enough to be very hard to recreate by anyone else. That’s been true for some time.
Are you looking at acquiring more developers?
We are ambitious and very disciplined and selective. We built Private Division to bring independent developers into our enterprise. We acquired Kerbal Space Program through that activity, so we are selectively acquisitive. We are looking for very strong IP, great teams and creative transactions.
Are you interested in launching your own subscription or streaming service?
We’re open-minded about whether we should have a direct-to-consumer offering. We do have a small company store. I’m of the view that, generally, distribution should be as wide as possible and should not be exclusive. That would include your own services and other people’s services, generally speaking. My guess is the business of the future will have companies doing an assortment of things.
The plan, then, for future Take-Two releases is to be multi-platform?
Assuming the world looks in the future the way it does today, yes. If things change, perhaps not.
Do you think it will change?
No. I think there will be more rather fewer alternatives in the future.
And you see that as a positive?
What are your thoughts on streaming?
If they can deliver on the promise, it will be great for the industry. It all remains to be seen. They’ve certainly set high expectations. I’m guessing it will be a work in progress, but over time they will certainly work and will matter. My guess is that two to three years there will be a lot of very high-quality services up and running. There is very little work that we need to do to avail ourselves with these platforms, but to the extent of things we need to do, we’re already thinking about them.
What do you think about the growing interest surrounding unionization for video game developers?
We observe the law and typically collective bargaining makes sense when people aren’t treated well. This is an exceedingly high-paying industry. Typically, unions make sense when there are too many people seeking too few jobs and therefore the industry in question can underpay people. In our industry, there are too many jobs seeking too few people and the industry pays a lot of people. I’m not sure what benefit unionization would bring. We’re very proud of our labor relations. We’re not the fast food industry and we’re not struggling with minimum wage. There’s something like 200,000 people employed in the U.S. and I believe the average salary is somewhere around $100,000, so it’s hard to imagine what beneficial effect unionization would have. However, we’re of course open-minded and will comply with the law.
Patrick Shanley
patrick.shanley@THR.com @pshanley88
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Revitalization just can’t be this simple!
“We’ve never done it that way before.”
“That doesn’t work at our church.”
“The people in the community won’t respond to us.”
The story is true. I have modified some elements to preserve the anonymity of the pastor, but this story is based on real facts, real numbers, and real people.
The issue is common. The church was inwardly focused. The solutions were lacking. Even more tragic than the dearth of solutions was a congregation that was apathetic, disillusioned, and distrusting.
The leadership of the church had a bold vision. The church of three hundred in worship attendance would invite to church three thousand unchurched in the community in three months. The vision was simply called “3 x 3 x 3.” Every church member was encouraged to invite at least ten people during those three months. They would report their invitations digitally, and the church website would keep track of the total.
But Pastor Greg sensed the apathy. The vision was bold, but the apathy was greater. And he began to hear the excuses articulated above. He knew this vision would fail if some change did not take place.
Greg told the congregation he wanted their permission to do something smaller as a trial run. It was his version of lowhanging fruit. He called it “Invite Your One.”
Instead of a massive invasion of the community, they would ask every member to invite at least one person to church on a specific Sunday. They would have about a four-week build-up time, where each member shared the name of the person they invited. The cumulative number of invitations would be posted on the website.
Friendly contests were suggested. For example, the adult small groups pastor challenged each group to have the greatest number invited.
On the initial Sunday of the build-up, the pastor, elders, and staff shared the names of their invited guests. There was a palpable excitement when Greg shared the name of his guest: the mayor of the city.
It was really a simple concept. Everyone invite at least one person for a specific worship service. For Greg and the leadership, Invite Your One was low-hanging fruit. The commitment expected of the members was low: invite one person to church.
The buy-in was much better than the massive 3 x 3 x 3. And though the leadership still had detractors, doubters, and discouragers, Invite Your One proved to be a great success.
The church’s worship attendance increased over 50 percent on that day, from 300 to 465. And though the number settled to around 360 in subsequent Sundays, average worship attendance was still up 20 percent.
Beyond the numerical growth, something even more importantly began to take place among the members. They experienced positive responses when they invited people. They previously believed the myth that no one would come to the services if they invited them.
The congregation was moving from an inward focus to an outward focus. Momentum was in place. Doubters had been convinced or sidelined. The church was now ready for more significant change.
Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church by Thom S. Rainer
I have just completed a 7 week Bible study based on this theme. It is available on Amazon, as well as part of my Good Questions Have Groups Talking subscription service.
This service is like Netflix for Bible Lessons. You pay a low monthly, quarterly or annual fee and get access to all the lessons. New lessons that correspond with three of Lifeway’s outlines are automatically included, as well as a backlog of thousands of lessons. Each lesson consists of 20 or so ready-to-use questions that get groups talking, as well as answers from well-known authors such as Charles Swindoll and Max Lucado. For more information, or to sign up, click here.
PreviousThe Zig Zag Path
NextDo something–anything–different
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Smithsonian accused of altering climate change exhibit
Fear of angering Congress and the Bush administration prompted change, says a former administrator at the museum.
antarctica ice 88. (photo credit: )
The Smithsonian Institution toned down an exhibit on climate change in the Arctic for fear of angering Congress and the Bush administration, says a former administrator at the museum. Among other things, the script, or official text, of last year's exhibit was rewritten to minimize and inject more uncertainty into the relationship between global warming and humans, said Robert Sullivan, who was associate director in charge of exhibitions at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Also, officials omitted scientists' interpretation of some research and let visitors draw their own conclusions from the data, he said. In addition, graphs were altered "to show that global warming could go either way," Sullivan said. "It just became tooth-pulling to get solid science out without toning it down," said Sullivan, who resigned last fall after 16 years at the museum. He said he left after higher-ups tried to reassign him. Smithsonian officials denied that political concerns influenced the exhibit, saying the changes were made for reasons of objectivity. And some scientists who consulted on the project said nothing major was omitted. Sullivan said that to his knowledge, no one in the Bush administration pressured the Smithsonian, whose $1.1 billion budget is mostly taxpayer-funded. Rather, he said, Smithsonian leaders acted on their own. "The obsession with getting the next allocation and appropriation was so intense that anything that might upset the Congress or the White House was being looked at very carefully," he said. White House spokeswoman Kristen Hellmer said Monday: "The White House had no role in this exhibit." In recent months, the White House has been accused of trying to muzzle scientists researching global warming at NASA and other agencies. The exhibit, "Arctic: A Friend Acting Strangely," based partly on a report by federal scientists, opened in April 2006 - six months late, because of the Smithsonian's review - and closed in November, but its content remains available online. Among other things, it highlighted the Arctic's shrinking ice and snow and concerns about the effect on people and wildlife. This is not the first time the Smithsonian has been accused of taking politics into consideration. The congressionally chartered institution scaled down a 1995 exhibit of the restored Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, after veterans complained it focused too much on the damage and deaths. Amid the oil-drilling debate in 2003, a photo exhibit of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was moved to a less prominent space. Sullivan said the changes in the climate-change exhibit were requested by executives who included then-museum Director Cristian Samper and his boss, former Undersecretary for Science David Evans. He said several scientists whose work was used in the exhibit objected to the changes. Samper, now acting Smithsonian secretary, said he was not aware of scientists' objections, and he emphasized there was no political pressure to change the script. "Our role as a museum is to present the facts but not advocate a particular point of view," Samper said in an e-mail. Evans refused to comment. Randall Kremer, a spokesman for the natural history museum, said atmospheric science was outside the Smithsonian's expertise, so the museum avoided the issue of what is causing the Arctic changes. Many leading scientists have come to believe that human activity is contributing to warming of the planet. "I see it in some ways as similar to the sort-of debate that has taken place with regard to the science of evolution," said Professor Michael Mann, director of Pennsylvania State University's Earth System Science Center. "Just as I would hope that the Smithsonian would stand firmly behind the science of evolution, it would also be my hope that they would stand firmly behind the science that supports influence on climate. Politically, they may be controversial, but scientifically they are not." Some curators and scientists involved in the project said they believed nothing important was omitted. But they also said it was apparent that science was not the only concern. "I remember them telling me there was an attempt to make sure there was nothing in there that would be upsetting to any politicians," said John Calder, a lead climate scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who consulted on the project. "They're not stupid. They don't want to upset the people who pay them." One consultant, University of Maryland scientist Louis Codispoti, said he would have been less cautious. "I've been going to the Arctic since 1963, and I find some of the changes alarming," he said. ___ On the Net: Smithsonian Forces of Change Arctic Exhibit: http://forces.si.edu
Diabetes may significantly increase risk of dementia
By UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN HEALTH SYSTEM
Brain fatigue? A bout of exercise may be the cure
By AMERICAN PHYSIOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Food and Drugs: Administer Together
By UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO MEDICAL CENTER
Workers protest Holocaust survivors hostel privatization
By JPOST.COM STAFF AND JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
1,000 Israelis ‘connect with nature’ at Dead Sea
By ANNE GRANT, SPECIAL TO THE JERUSALEM POST
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I-PACE Awards & Accolades
The Award-Winning All-Electric I-PACE
We are honored to announce an unprecedented three titles at the 2019 World Car of the Year awards -
World Car of the Year, World Car Design of the Year & World Green Car.
The all-electric Jaguar I-PACE has won a historic trifecta at the 2019 World Car Awards. Not only has it won the coveted 2019 World Car of the Year and World Car Design of the Year titles-equaling the success of the Jaguar F-PACE performance SUV in 2017-it has also been named World Green Car. The I-PACE is the first model ever to win three World Car titles in the 15-year history of the awards.
Prof. Dr. Ralf Speth, Chief Executive Officer, Jaguar Land Rover, said: "It is an honor that the Jaguar I-PACE has received these three accolades from the prestigious World Car jurors. We started with an ideal, to move toward our Destination Zero vision; zero emissions, zero accidents and zero congestion. The I-PACE is our first step to achieving this, and it was conceived when EVs were little more than a niche choice," Speth said.
"For the I-PACE to be awarded 2019 World Car of the Year, World Car Design of the Year and World Green Car gives our first all-electric vehicle the ultimate recognition it deserves. I would like to thank the team who have created the I-PACE for their passion in making it so outstanding," Speth said.
VIEW I-PACE INVENTORY
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Sheila Paige
About Sheila Paige
Lectures & Topics
The Keyboard Wellness Seminar provides extensive piano instruction to teachers and students of all levels. The faculty members of the KW Seminar-chosen and mentored by founder Sheila Paige-are highly accomplished pianists who recognize the need for a comprehensive approach to musical instruction. Ms. Paige and the KWS promote teaching concepts that address the mind, the body and the spirit. By combining a myriad of disciplines, the faculty of the Keyboard Wellness Seminar are trained to better help teachers recognize the many ways to best suit any student's needs and learning style.
Sheila Paige, founder
sheilapaige@KeyboardWellnessSeminar.com
Philadelphia, PA area
Jane Abbott-Kirk
Jane_Abbott-Kirk@baylor.edu
Jane Abbott-Kirk, professor of piano at Baylor University, is in demand as soloist, collaborator, adjudicator, and clinician. In 1989 she received the Outstanding Tenured Teacher Award from Baylor University. In 2004 she was named the Collegiate Teacher of the Year by the Texas Music Teachers Association. Her former students hold prestigious positions at universities, conservatories, and private teaching venues in this country and abroad. Abbott-Kirk is well known to music teachers’ associations in the South and Midwest through her presentations, workshops, and adjudications, including MTNA state competitions in Texas, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Mississippi, and Wyoming’s seven state Smoky Range Piano competition. Her special expertise is in helping pianists build healthy technique that serves both virtuosity and interpretive sophistication. This teaching approach also helps pianists prevent and recover from performance injuries. A student of Sidney Foster and Menahem Pressler, Professor Kirk received a B.M., M.M., and Performer’s Certificate from Indiana University. More recently, she has worked with Sheila Paige, director of the Keyboard Wellness Seminar. She also serves on the faculty of the Keyboard Wellness Seminar at the University of North Texas. Her performances include the premier of the Bernard Heiden Triple Concerto, concerto performances with the San Antonio and Houston Symphony orchestras, and numerous university orchestras. Jane Abbott-Kirk is a recording artist for the Musical Heritage Society and Raven Records.
Brian J. Allison
ballison@collin.edu
Dallas, TX area
Brian Allison received his undergraduate training at California State University, Sacramento. While a student there he won the Modesto (CA) Symphony Orchestra Young Artists competition, performing the Liszt first piano concerto with the symphony. He completed a Masters of Music in piano performance with highest distinction at Indiana University, studying with Jorge Bolet and Enrica Cavallo-Gulli. His Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance with harpsichord minor was earned at the University of North Texas. Head of the piano department at Collin College in Plano, Dr. Allison performs regularly as keyboardist with the Dallas Winds and appears with the ensemble on five compact discs released on the Reference Recordings label. He is also a faculty member of Sheila Paige’s Keyboard Wellness Seminar, a frequent adjudicator in the DFW area and maintains a private studio in his home.
Harvey Bellin
hb0216@aol.com
Harvey J. Bellin studied piano with David Sokoloff in Philadelphia where he won the Children’s Concert Auditions at the age of 12. He then performed the first movement of Saint-Saens’ G Minor Concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Dr. Bellin ended his formal piano studies and entered medical school. He continued to perform, however, playing in dance bands and at clubs and cocktail parties. He took up formal studies again with George Sementovsky and later with Yoheved Kaplinsky and Sheila Paige. He has played in masterclasses at the Dorothy Taubman Institute in Amherst, MA, and then Williamstown, MA, as well as the Piano Wellness Seminar in North Carolina. Dr. Bellin played for the University of Pennsylvania Male Glee Club and traveled with them internationally. He has also accompanied for the Orpheus Club in Philadelphia. Dr. Bellin served as Chairman of the Pathology Department at an academic affiliated community hospital in Philadelphia for many years. He now works in private laboratories as medical director.
Robert Bonham
RJBonham@gmail.com
Knoxville, TN area
Robert Bonham, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus from Maryville College in eastern Tennessee. A recipient of the Maryville College Outstanding Teacher Award, he taught piano and courses that ranged from world music and art history to experiential courses focused on enhancing creativity and wellness.
He first studied music at the international Woodstock School in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains of India and earned degrees in music from Phillips University and Kansas University, studying with Jon Nelson and Angelica Morales von Sauer. He has studied with Sheila Paige of the Taubman Piano Institute since 1990. His Ph.D. in Comparative Arts is from Ohio University.
Currently he is performing with Trillium, a piano and string ensemble, and the Soiree Winds, a woodwind quintet. Trillium recently completed a weeklong residency at Salisbury University in Maryland, where, in addition to a concert, they offered a series of presentations and workshops on a variety of wellness issues.
In recent years he has led trips to destinations like India, Nepal, Tibet and Bali. Plans for 2016 include combining wellness workshops with sailing on a catamaran in the Aegean Sea. For more information, visit www.robertbonham.info.
Angelin Chang
angelinchang@gmail.com
www.angelinchang.com
Internationally acclaimed pianist Angelin Chang is the first American female pianist awarded the GRAMMY® for Best Instrumental Soloist with Orchestra. She is recognized for her sense of poetry and technical brilliance. Concertizing in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America, Miss Chang’s concert tours have led her to such venues as the Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), Kimmel Center (Philadelphia), Lincoln Center (New York), Severance Hall (Cleveland), St. Martin-in-the-Fields (London), Zelazowa Wola (Warsaw), Shanghai Grand Theatre (China), Sala Luis Ángel Arango (Bogotá), Schnittke Philharmonic Hall (Russia) and the South African Broadcasting Corporation. She is the first American awarded First Prizes in both piano and chamber music during the same year from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, France. As the first Artist-in-Residence at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Angelin Chang participated in the development and launching of the Arts for Everyone initiative. She has performed at the U.S. Department of State, for the United Nations Women’s Organization in Nepal and for World AIDS Day in New York for the United Nations before the Secretary-General. An active chamber musician, she performs regularly with the legendary violist Joseph de Pasquale, The de Pasquale String Quartet, and with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra.
Angelin Chang earned the Doctor of Musical Arts from Peabody Institute – Johns Hopkins University, Premier Prix - Piano and Premier Prix - Musique de Chambre from the Paris Conservatoire, Master of Music and Distinguished Performer Certificate from Indiana University, Bachelor of Arts (French) and Bachelor of Music from Ball State University, and highest honors upon graduation from the Interlochen Arts Academy. Her piano teachers have included Michel Béroff, Marie-Françoise Bucquet, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen, Robert McDonald, Menahem Pressler, Pierre Réach, Pia Sebastiani, György Sebök, Louis-Claude Thirion and Dorothy Taubman. She also holds a Juris Doctor from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
Dr. Angelin Chang is Professor of Piano and Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at Cleveland State University, where she is also Professor of Law at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. She serves on the faculty of the Great Lakes Sports and Entertainment Law Academy, a joint program of Case Western University School of Law and Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University. Previously, Dr. Chang taught on the piano faculty at Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey.
Through her work with the Taubman Approach and Keyboard Wellness Seminars at the University of North Texas and Temple University in Philadelphia, Dr. Chang helps pianists develop virtuosity while liberating them from fatigue, pain and injury.
Angelin Chang is Vice President, Board of Governors of The Recording Academy Chicago Chapter (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) and serves as Chair of the Education Committee and the Classical Task Force. She is Past President of the Ohio Music Teachers Association Northeast District and has served on the Board of Trustees for the Great Lakes Theater. Dr. Chang is the Co-Chair of the Research Committee on Asian and Pacific Studies of the International Political Science Association (IPSA/RC18). She also serves as a Cultural Agent of the United States Department of Arts and Culture.
Recordings include solo piano album, Angelin (Sabintu Records), Soaring Spirit (Albany Records) with Angelin Chang on piano and Joseph de Pasquale on viola, and Cleveland Chamber Symphony (TNC) with Angelin Chang as piano soloist and John McLaughlin Williams as conductor in Olivier Messiaen’s Oiseaux Exotiques and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Angelin Chang is Yamaha Corporation of America’s first Academic-Performing Artist. Her use of the Disklavier® hybrid piano in presentation and performance is available upon request.
Yee-ha Chiu
yeehachiu@aol.com
Pittsburgh, PA area
A Steinway Artist, Yeeha Chiu, Hong Kong-born pianist, studied with Ilona Kabos, Bela Siki, Beveridge Webster, Nadia Reisenberg and Sheila Paige. A graduate of the Royal College of Music in London and the Juilliard School of Music, she has taught at Juilliard and Duquesne University.
Miss Chiu performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the historic inauguration of the first Concert Hall in Hong Kong. Subsequently she was concerto soloist with the Taipei Municipal Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and also the Vienna Symphony under Christoph Eschenbach. She has appeared in solo and chamber music recitals in Asia, Australia, Europe and the United States, including a series of concerts in Taiwan sponsored by the United States Information Service. In reviewing her Asian tour, The Japan Times noted that “Her sincere and genuine musicianship made this a truly memorable evening.”
A versatile chamber musician, she has collaborated with members from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Alexander String Quartet based in San Francisco, the Renaissance City Winds, at the Organ Historical Convention, Art Songs with Daphne Alderson, Lilly Abreu, and Eva Ostrakovna. She has also performed the entire cycle of trios for Piano, Violin and Cello by Beethoven and Brahms.
Yeeha Chiu is in demand as teacher and coach. She is also on the faculty at the annual Keyboard Wellness Seminar in Texas directed by Sheila Paige.
Vicki Conway
Vicki_Conway@uttyler.edu
Tyler , TX area
Vicki Conway has been on the faculty of the University of Texas at Tyler since 1984. She graduated summa cum laude from Stephen F. Austin State University with a double major in piano and organ performance, receiving the Lenvill Martin Outstanding Music Graduate Award. She earned a Master of Music degree in piano performance from Baylor University and completed additional graduate study with Jane Magrath at The University of Oklahoma. Ms. Conway has served as organist in many churches, and is currently organist at Greggton United Methodist Church and Elmira Chapel Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Longview. She is an active performer, presenting duo piano recitals with Mary Tidwell and collaborative performances with musicians throughout the East Texas region. She studies piano with Sheila Paige and became a faculty member of the Keyboard Wellness Seminar in 2009.
Ms. Conway initiated a Developmental Fitness program in 1998, and has conducted numerous workshops and clinics showing the relationships between gross motor skills, cognitive processing, memory, and performing skills. She has completed training through Foster Educational Group and the Educational Kinesiology Foundation (Brain Gym®), including a recent Vision Circles course taught by Carla Hanniford, author of Smart Moves: Why Learning is Not All in Your Head. Presentations have included numerous public and private schools and music teachers’ associations, Coppell Conservatory, Cleveland Chapter/Ohio Music Teachers Association, the 2000 Texas Music Educators Association Convention, the 2005, 2007, and 2009 Texas Music Teachers Association Conventions, and annual Keyboard Wellness Seminars since 2002.
Sarah Lepp
sarahclepp@gmail.com
Austin, TX area
Sarah Lepp’s performances are infused with an emotional depth and honesty that engages diverse audiences. Sarah loves performing and finds meaning in being able to share her many life experiences with others through music.
She has studied under Gregory Allen, Betty Mallard, and Jose Mendez and holds both a Master of Music and Bachelor of Music in piano performance from the University of Texas at Austin. Currently she is a faculty-in-training for the Keyboard Wellness Seminar under the direction of Sheila Paige.
Sarah’s passion for helping those in crisis led her to provide volunteer crisis counseling with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office and Austin Police Department’s Victim Services. In addition to her volunteer work, Sarah served in the Army National Guard for eight years.
Sarah lives in Knoxville, Tennessee where she teaches piano.
Stephen Montoya
sgmontoya1@mac.com
Stephen Montoya is a native New Mexican who obtained his Master’s Degree in Piano Performance from the University of New Mexico. He has studied piano with George Robert and Rita Angel, and organ with Dr. Alexander Schreiner and Dr. Linda Raney. Mr. Montoya has concertized throughout the southwest and on the east coast both as a recitalist and a collaborative artist and has lectured at the University of New Mexico and to various chapters of the MTNA. Mr. Montoya studies piano with Sheila Paige, founder and executive director of The Piano Wellness Seminar, where he is also a member of the faculty, and maintains a busy schedule teaching and performing.
Lynn Rice-See
lynnsee@twc.com
web.mac.com/lynnricesee
Since her 1982 Carnegie Recital Hall debut, Lynn Rice-See has appeared as recitalist, concerto soloist, and chamber musician in the United States, Europe, and Asia. She has appeared with the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra (Czech Republic), Gulf Coast Symphony, Huntsville Symphony, Johnson City Symphony, and the Kingsport Symphony. She was on the piano faculty of East Tennessee State University and Middle Tennessee State University before moving to New York City. She is presently an adjunct faculty member of the Montclair State University John Cali School of Music and a member of the faculty at Bloomingdales School of Music. She has been a member of the faculty of the Keyboard Wellness Seminar since its inception in 2000.
American Record Guide said of her cd, Evocation, “[Berg sonata] an expressive and moving performance ... [Busoni Sonatina No. 2] seizes each technical challenge and makes it work as a cohesive whole ... [Scriabin Sonata No. 3] conveyed in playing that is stirring, sensuous, and wistful at the same time.” She has recently released her recording of the Schubert Sonata in B-flat major, D. 960. Her publications include articles in American Music Teacher, Clavier, and Piano Guild Notes. Her book, The Piano Teaching of Walter Hautzig, was reviewed in Clavier Companion as, “Reading this fascinating and inspiring book is like attending days of masterclasses…” She holds her BMus degree from Peabody Conservatory, MM from the Juilliard School, and the DMA from the University of Southern California.
Mary Tidwell
rachykeys@gmail.com
Tyler, TX area
Mary Tidwell has been Instructor of music theory, ear-training, and music appreciation at Trinity Valley Community College since the fall of 2011. She served as Professor and Chair of the Music Department and Fine Arts Division at Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas, from 1993-2011. Prior to that time, she taught at Indiana-Purdue University in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
Ms. Tidwell has served as organist at First United Methodist Church, Henderson, since August of 2015.
She obtained both the Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance (magna cum laude) and Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance and Literature from Baylor University. Her teachers have included Ruth Burr, Michael Ard, Roger Keyes, Jane Abbott-Kirk, and Sheila Paige.
Bradley Hunter Welch: Organ
bradleyhunterwelch@gmail.com
www.concertartists.com/BW.html
Hailed as “a world-class virtuoso” and “an expert at defining darks, lights, shadows and colors,” Bradley Hunter Welch is increasingly in demand as a recitalist, concerto soloist, and collaborative artist. A native of Knoxville, TN, Bradley holds the Doctor of Musical Arts, Master of Musical Arts, Master of Music degrees, and the Artist Diploma from Yale University where he studied with Thomas Murray and Martin Jean. He also holds the Bachelor of Music degree magna cum laude from Baylor University where he studied with Joyce Jones. Dr. Welch has also continued his study of organ and piano technique with Sheila Paige.
Dr. Welch is the 2003 First Place winner of the Dallas International Organ Competition and was also awarded the Audience Prize for the second time, having previously won it in 2000. In 2005, he was a featured artist at three regional conventions of The American Guild of Organists, and he made his European debut in France performing in the Chartres Festival. He has appeared as soloist with the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. With the DSO, he gave the world premier of Stephen Paulus’ Grand Concerto for Organ and Orchestra, the piece written for Bradley as the winner of the Dallas International Organ Competition. Additionally, he has taught at Southern Methodist University and Baylor University. He was Director of Music & Arts at Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, TX, from 2009-2014 and currently devotes his full-time attention to a thriving solo concert career. Between his concert and recording engagements, Dr. Welch serves as Artist-in-Residence at Christ Church (Anglican) in Plano, TX-- one of the largest Anglican churches in the United States. In addition to these duties, he performs approximately 20 concerts annually under the exclusive artistic management of Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, Hartford, CT.
His premier recording is the first solo organ recording of the Cliburn Organ at Broadway Baptist Church, and his recording on the magnificent Fisk organ at the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas is currently in production. Bradley is married to Kara Kirkendoll Welch, a flutist in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Adjunct Professor of Flute at Southern Methodist University. They have a son--Ethan Hunter Welch--and a newborn daughter--Avery Kristine Welch.
© 2016 Piano Wellness LLC
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Kindness Behind the Shield: Shelly Castaneda
by: Tabatha Mills
Posted: Apr 10, 2019 / 06:24 AM PDT / Updated: May 20, 2019 / 11:57 AM PDT
What does it mean to serve the public?
If you look up the phrase public servant you probably won’t find what you’re looking for, but if you look at the career of retired Chief Deputy Shelly Castaneda you just might.
“I’ve always tried to do the best job that I can for the citizens of Kern County and for the employees in the department that I’ve worked with through the years. I’ve always tried to conduct myself with integrity, compassion, honesty,” said Shelly Castaneda, retired Chief Deputy, Kern County Sheriff’s Office.
She is driven by a willingness to help, to make a positive impact on others and her desire to serve God.
“My faith is a very important part of my life and I come to work every day and try to be positive and try to be the hands and feet of Christ. Hopefully I’ve done him justice and showed his love in the work place,” Castaneda said.
Castaneda spent nearly three decades with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.
Each and every day she made our community a safer and better place.
One of her proudest accomplishments, her efforts to establish a crisis intervention training course
“Mental illness, as you know, is a really big problem in our community and I grew up seeing my grandmother deal with severe depression and mental illness her entire life so there’s always been a special place in my heart for that cause,” Castaneda said.
She’s a roll model and mentor for all who worked along side of her.
“You have to have the will and want to do and work in that position. I can tell you she’s amazing. She’s courageous and bold. She’s a very inspiration person and she’s a strong woman of faith,” said Helen Rosario Rivera, Senior Support Specialist, Kern County Sheriff’s Office.
She lives her life to serve, serving the Lord and serving our community.
“To know that I’ve had maybe just a small impact in a small manner, that is just the greatest blessing and really makes my career much more sweet, ” Castaneda said.
“I know this is just one of the seasons of her life and she’s going to go on and do many more things and God is going to use her so much in everything that she does,” Rivera said.
Castaneda is certainly remarkbale, she is also a two time breast cancer survivor and an award winning body builder.
Happy retirement Shelly Castaneda. Thank you for your ‘Kindness Behind the Shield.’
If you know of someone in law enforcement, a firefighter, paramedic, or dispatcher who deserves to be honored, nominate them here.
More Kindness Behind The Shield Stories
Kindness Behind the Shield: Charmaine Gonzales
by TabathaMills@KGET.com / Jun 20, 2019
We're teaming up with Dignity Health Mercy & Memorial Hospitals to honor first responders who go beyond the call of duty.
It's part of our "Kindness Behind the Shield" campaign.
Kindness Behind the Shield: Kern County Firefighter Tony Garcia
by Tabatha Mills / May 21, 2019
For 30 years he's lead the Kern County Fire Department Explorers Program, mentoring young people in our community and preparing them to serve our community.
You hear it all the time - kids today are different.
Kindness Behind the Shield: Captain David Gerstung
For the past 10 years, Captain Gerstung has helped grant wishes of seriously ill children in our community, providing smiles and much needed joy.
"I was raised that when you see a problem you try to fix the problem, so I try to engage myself. When I see something I try to make it better. I want to be able to do that," said Captain David Gerstung, Kern County Fire Department.
Kindness BTS form
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2020 Democrats paint contrast with Trump on immigration
by: ELANA SCHOR and IVAN MORENO, Associated Press
Posted: Jul 11, 2019 / 09:13 AM PDT / Updated: Jul 12, 2019 / 05:56 AM PDT
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks during a campaign stop at town hall in Peterborough, N.H., Monday, July 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Democratic presidential candidates promised major changes to U.S. immigration law, contrasting their ideas to the hardline policies of President Donald Trump during a forum with Latino political activists in Milwaukee.
The White House hopefuls gathered Thursday as Trump’s detention policies have sparked fierce Democratic pushback and intense public debate. They uniformly panned Trump’s approach to immigration on a day when the president abandoned his contentious effort to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren drew one of the biggest audience reactions of the night when asked about the issue.
“Wow, he’s going to follow the law?” Warren said to laughter and applause. “This is not about trying to find real information about citizenship and noncitizenship in America. This is just about trying to stir up some more hate.”
The other candidates at the forum hosted by the League of United Latin American Citizens included former Housing Secretary Julián Castro, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Castro promised his administration would not put families in detention centers for crossing the U.S. border illegally.
“I will not stand by it. I’m not going to do it,” he said. He said children who are being crowded in pens, away from their parents “are going to be traumatized for the rest of their lives.”
Castro said his immigration plan would also address veterans who have been deported after serving in the military.
“One of the things I call for is to immediately ensure that veterans who have been deported can come back to the United States and pursue citizenship in the United States because they served our country honorably,” he said. “They did their duty for our country. We owe them a debt of gratitude and the last thing we should do is see them deported away from their families.”
Sanders sounded a rare personal note during his remarks by recalling that his father, Eli, was an immigrant who came to the United States from Poland as a 17-year-old “without a nickel in his pocket and could not speak one word of English.” His father, Sanders added, is “the kind of person” Trump is seeking to prevent from emigrating today.
On immigration, Sanders offered a sweeping vision.
“We will end the hatred, we will the end the xenophobia that currently exists in this country,” he said. “We will provide immediate legal status to the 1.8 million young people eligible for the DACA program.” That program — Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — protects about 700,000 people, known as dreamers, who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children or came with families that overstayed visas.
Sanders continued: “We will move to comprehensive immigration reform and a path for citizenship for all 11 million undocumented. And we will develop a humane policy at the border, not one that criminalizes desperate people for having traveled a thousand miles.”
The day began with Warren releasing a far-reaching immigration agenda that includes the remodeling of immigration enforcement agencies “from top to bottom” and new limits on the detention of migrants who enter the country.
Warren’s plan would not go so far as to “abolish” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a progressive effort last year that failed to reach critical mass even with Democratic voters and drew harsh criticism from Trump and the GOP. But she called for a wholesale reorientation at both ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, which enforces immigration laws at the border.
Schor reported from Washington.
More Politics Stories
Stevens’ body to lie in repose at Supreme Court on Monday
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says the body of former Justice John Paul Stevens will lie in repose at the court on Monday.
Stevens died on Tuesday at age 99. He served nearly 35 years as a justice before retiring in 2010.
by ERIC TUCKER, Associated Press / Jul 18, 2019
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration said Thursday that it has brought home for prosecution a U.S. national suspected of fighting alongside the Islamic State group in Syria.
The Pentagon said the individual had previously been held by Syrian Democratic Forces as a suspected member of IS. Tens of thousands of foreign fighters from across the world had traveled to Syria to join IS after it declared a global caliphate there in 2014. As militants in the last five years have lost the territory they once controlled, a couple thousand remain detained.
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Halloween Means Treats for Investors
The 19 Best Stocks to Buy for the Rest of 2019
50 Great Places for Early Retirement in the U.S.
12 Must-Have Items for Your Home Emergency Kit
Kiplinger Joins the Dennis Publishing Family!
Historically, the stock market delivers stellar returns from November through April.
By Steven Goldberg, Contributing Columnist
Forget Washington’s paralysis. Stop worrying that the market is “too high.” Put aside concerns that third-quarter earnings are tepid. Instead, brighten up: Halloween is here, and that means Wall Street, if history is any guide, is about to stage a six-month-long party.
See Also: The 7 Deadly Sins of Investing
The “Halloween Indicator” is one of the few stock market patterns with a substantial body of research behind it. The most comprehensive study, published last year, found that stocks worldwide rose 6.9%, on average, from November through April, and only 2.4% from May through October. Authored by Ben Jacobsen, a finance professor at Massey University in New Zealand, and graduate student Cherry Zhang, “The Halloween Indicator: Everywhere and All the Time” examined price changes in 108 countries stretching back as far as 319 years. (The researchers used price-only returns rather than total returns because it was impossible to obtain old dividend data in some markets.)
The Halloween Indicator is the flip side of “sell in May and go away” -- a Wall Street saw that in effect suggests staying out of the stock market from start of May through the end of October. But although the New Zealand study finds that markets aren’t as strong in the May-October period as they are in the November-April period, stocks in many countries still show gains, on average, from May through October.
Selling in May didn’t prove to be a fruitful strategy this year. From May 1 through October 21, Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index returned 11.4%. That was a little less than the market’s 13.2% return from November 2012 through last April, but that’s cold comfort to those who headed for the sidelines last spring.
Jacobsen says he has no idea why the sell-in-May strategy failed this year. “I wish I knew why the strategy works in some years and doesn’t in others,” he said in an e-mail. The same, of course, holds for the Halloween Indicator. It may not work every year, but the strategy, Jacobsen says, is “as good as it gets.”
In the U.S., Jacobsen and Zhang found, the November-April period beat the May-October period by 5.7 percentage points, on average, from 2001 through 2011. From 1991 through 2000, November-April outperformed the other half of the year by 4.2 points, on average. In the 1980s, it was ahead by 6.6 points; in the 1970s, by 6.7 points; in the 1960s, by 5.5 points; and in the 1950s, by 5.0 points.
Overall, the authors found, the strategy worked in 81 of the 108 countries they tracked. It worked best in Western Europe, but the pattern was strong in the U.S., too.
What’s more, in the United Kingdom, which the authors studied most closely, the strategy worked better the more years you employed it. Compared with buying and holding, selling in May and buying back November 1 worked only 63% of the time over one year. But over five years, it worked 82% of the time, and over ten years, it worked 92% of the time.
No one knows why the strategy has worked. The authors call it a “puzzling anomaly.”
Jacobsen says he has been employing the strategy with his own money “for over 20 years with a lot of success.” He holds cash from May through October.
I worry about any market-timing strategy, particularly one that has no clear rationale for why it works. But the amount of data on this anomaly is too massive to ignore. My biggest problem with it is that the market tends to rise from May through October, too, so why sell?
If I were going to employ the strategy, I’d do so only in a tax-deferred account -- and I’d use it only to raise and lower my stock allocation by, say, five to ten percentage points. If you do it with a bigger part of your portfolio, I think you’re setting yourself up for failure because you’re likely to give it up after a bad stretch or two.
Finally, the stock market has already enjoyed a terrific year (year to date through October 21, the S&P 500 has returned 24.4%), and a pullback is inevitable at some point. But we don’t know when the retreat will occur, or how deep it will be.
However, there are reasons to be bullish -- aside from Halloween. The economy is growing, albeit at a slow pace. The Federal Reserve may taper its bond buying, but it’s committed to keeping short-term interest rates near zero until the economy strengthens. Most Republicans sound unwilling to go through another Perils of Pauline experience anytime soon, so we may avoid debt and budget crises early next year. Finally, although the market isn’t cheap, I don’t think it’s overpriced, either.
Steven T. Goldberg is an investment adviser in the Washington, D.C. area.
Kiplinger's Latest Online Broker Rankings
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IN MEMORY: KALMAN ARON (1924-2018)
Kalman Aron with his self-portrait at exhibit opening, Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, September 2015
[ THE LOS ANGELES MUSEUM OF THE HOLOCAUST ] : We report with sadness that artist and Holocaust survivor Kalman Aron passed away on February 24, 2018, at the age of 93. A gifted and accomplished artist whose work was exhibited at Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust in 2015, Kalman continued to paint daily until shortly before his death.
Kalman Aron’s Mother and Child, which hangs at Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
Born in Riga, Latvia in 1924, Kalman Aron began drawing as a young child and had his first gallery show at age seven. By age 13, Kalman was commissioned to paint the official portrait of the Latvian president and began attending Riga’s Academy of Fine Arts.
Kalman’s life was turned upside down in 1941, when the Germans invaded Latvia, killing his parents. He was moved to the Riga ghetto and later imprisoned in seven different labor and concentration camps, including Buchenwald and Theresienstadt. Kalman was able to get extra scraps of food in exchange for drawing portraits of concentration camp guards.
After the war, Kalman drew portraits in a displaced persons camp, earning a full scholarship to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna where he received his Masters in Fine Arts. He immigrated to America, settling in Los Angeles in 1949. Kalman began his career in Los Angeles painting pastels of children, and later became known for his portraits, vibrant landscapes and intriguing studies of people in his unique style, “psychological realism.”
Throughout his long career, Kalman was commissioned to paint hundreds of portraits, including Ronald Reagan, Henry Miller and Andre Previn, and his art has been widely exhibited, including at Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Kalman’s art was on temporary exhibit at Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust in 2015. His iconic Mother and Child is part of our permanent collection and hangs in the atrium of the Museum.
His memoir, Into the Light: The Healing Art of Kalman Aron by Susan Beilby Magee, is available for purchase at the Museum book store.
Kalman is survived by his wife, Miriam, and his son, David. May his memory be for a blessing.
Kalman Aron’s work on exhibit at Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust September 2015
Originally printed in the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust newsletter.
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Knife crime not mentioned in Lancashire community safety plan
Knife crime in Lancashire increased by a third between 2014 and 2018
Paul Faulkner
Knife crime does not feature in a new document laying out the most significant threats to community safety in Lancashire.
Councillors from across the political divide condemned the omission and insisted that the problem be included.
READ MORE >>> Terrifying video of moment knife-wielding gang arrived in Leyland
While violence against the person is listed as one of the main threat facing residents, there is no specific mention of knife crime - in spite of statistics which emerged last month showing that it had increased by a third in the county since 2013.
READ MORE >>> Everything we know so far about Lancashire college knife attack
Just twenty-four hours after a knife fight at Runshaw College in Leyland, in which a 17-year-old boy was stabbed, members of Lancashire County Council’s external scrutiny committee said that the “disease” of knife crime had to be tackled.
“Once people [see others] carrying knives, they start carrying knives as well - and that increases the potential of there being an attack,” Conservative committee member David Foxcroft said.
“We must include a commitment to not allowing the epidemic of knife crime seen in other parts of the country to come and take root in Lancashire. We must make a statement - and this is the perfect document to say what we intend to do”.
Labour opposition leader, Azhar Ali, said he did not believe that there was a single secondary school in East Lancashire where a drug culture had not taken hold.
“There is a link between knife crime and drugs,” he said.
“There is a gang culture which has developed in our neighbourhoods, particularly within schools - what are we going to do about it?”
Officers from Lancashire County Council’s public health department said they understood the strength of feeling amongst committee members.
“This is a high level document - the detail about what we would do about any particular community safety issue would have to be worked through with partners at a local level,” said Debbie Thompson, a public health specialist at the authority.
Meanwhile, the director of the office of the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner added that knife violence is not a uniform problem across the UK.
“Knife crime is not the same in London as it in Lancashire - we’ve got a very different profile and we need to reassure the residents [of that],” Angela Harrison said.
“Lancashire Constabulary, along with its partners, works on intelligence around the clock, in order to deal with issues around prevention.”
Office for National Statistics data shows that there were 58 incidents of knife crime per 100,000 people in Lancashire in 2017/18, lower than the national figure of 69.
Cabinet member for community, Peter Buckley, moved a recommendation that knife crime be added to the list of specific priorities listed in the Community Safety Strategy for Lancashire, which will come into force next month and run until 2022.
The meeting also heard that the document could be regularly refreshed during that period to reflect any emerging crime issues.
“DISCONNECT” OVER KNIFE CRIME
Councillors were told that they may be picking up grassroots information which is not always fed back to the police.
Robert Rushton, partnerships officer from the office of the PCC, said the gap between perception and reality needed to be bridged. He described his experience at a youth forum in Blackpool which he attended, along with a local police sergeant.
“As far as the officer was concerned, in the period [under discussion], there had been two or three incidences of knife crime involving people under the age of 18,” Mr. Rushton explained.
“When we asked the young people what their experience was of the proportion of young people who carried knives, 50 percent knew people who did. For the officer sat next to me, that was quite different to the information he had.”
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Legacy of brave Overton schoolboy Reece Holt will continue, mum vows
Reece Holt with his mum Rachel, taken on Thursday January 17, the day before he passed away.
Gayle Rouncivell
Published: 09:57 Updated: 10:37 Tuesday 22 January 2019
The night sky has been tinged with gold this week to mark the passing of “brave warrior” Reece Holt.
Thirteen-year-old Reece died in hospital on Friday morning, January 18, with his family gathered around him.
The Ashton Memorial lit up in gold for #teamreece. Photo by Ian Greene.
He had been battling Anaplastic Astrocytoma, a rare malignant brain tumour affecting just 10 children a year, since May 2016.
The teenager’s mum Rachel O’Neil said she now wants to continue her son’s legacy by carrying on the charity work he started when he set up his own charity, Team Reece, to help other children with cancer.
“I don’t want any other mother to have to lie with their child in their arms and watch them take their last breath,” she said.
Lancaster Royal Grammar School pupil Reece announced his brain cancer was terminal on his charity’s Facebook page in February last year.
Reece Holt with his dad Chris.
Since then his family had been working to find ways to control his seizures, which had been occurring almost daily.
After enjoying a family Christmas, however, Reece’s health took a sudden downward turn last week, and he was being cared for in the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.
A message posted on Facebook on Friday said: “Our bravest warrior Reece left us at 11.30am this morning while being cuddled by mum and surrounded by his family.
“He fought valiantly to the last!
Reece Holt on Beyond Radio in Lancaster. Photo by Mike Jackson.
“He’s with his grandad now and the world will be a slightly duller place without his beautiful smile.
“Reece is also able to donate his beautiful blue eyes to help another and we will continue to fight on to ensure other children get a chance to grow up.”
The Ashton Memorial has been lit up in gold since Saturday evening in Reece’s memory, and his family – including Rachel, Reece’s dad Chris, step-dad Lewis and brother Callum, who will be 12 next week – all visited the park to see the spectacle.
Rachel said: “I was in tears but they weren’t sad tears, I was just so moved. It was really lovely and I am a very proud mum.
Reece Holt
“Reece was really humble, he never did anything for the attention, he just loved doing it. That’s why he spent so much time doing events for Team Reece rather than going off to places for himself.
“He loved doing all the events and would get so excited by them.”
Reece set up Team Reece in a bid to help other children with cancer and their families, as well as helping to provide funding for vital research for brain cancer in children.
He went on to raise more than £100,000 – and Rachel said the charity will continue in his memory.
“We have just taken over our new office on White Cross and it will be my drive now to continue with that,” she said.
“I don’t want any other mother to have to lie with their child in their arms and watch them take their last breath.
Reece Holt, from Overton, pictured in his Lancaster Royal Grammar School uniform.
“That will be my vow – to make a difference.
“Instead of allowing my grief to swallow me, it will drive me forward.
“Reece won’t get to see the office up and running, but he will be there with us.
“We have got a lot of events we want to launch this year which we hope everyone will support, because without that support we don’t get off the starting block.
“It doesn’t have to be financial, but to just share awareness would be great.”
Reece grew up in Overton and went to Overton St Helen’s Primary School, where he was a 10-year-old in Year 5 when he was first diagnosed.
Head Joanne Easthope said: “We are just devastated by the news. Reece was such a wonderful young person, he was an ideal pupil - he was very polite, well-mannered and intelligent, just a beautiful child from start to finish.
“It was remarkable how he shared his whole journey with us. He became poorly in Year 5 and was brave enough not to let it beat him.
“He taught the children about what had happened to him, he was never afraid of it and didn’t let anything faze him, and because of that everyone loved him for it.
“Reece was very much a part of our school family and the world is a sadder place now for not having him in it.”
Reece passed his 11+ to take up a place at Lancaster Royal Grammar School.
The school will be having a book of memories for pupils and staff, and support is available for pupils where needed.
A spokesman said: “It is with much sorrow that we are marking the death of our pupil Reece Holt at the age of 13.
“Reece had a big impact on Lancaster Royal Grammar School. He was the most positive of pupils, and the bravest. Reece loved coming to school, and his classmates were delighted to spend time with him in lessons.
“It was a major highlight that Reece was able to take part in the Pooley Bridge outdoor residential in glorious weather last summer.
“Most recently, it was lovely to see him take part in the carol service at Lancaster Priory and attend the school’s end of term pantomimes.
“Reece already knew that he had a serious brain tumour when he started at LRGS in September 2017, and his time here was punctuated by illness and hospital visits.
“He inspired the school to make Team Reece a focus for our charity fundraising, and we will continue to honour his memory.
“It was a delight to have Reece with us. As we mark his death, we will also celebrate his bright young life.”
Mrs Hodkinson, Reece’s Year 7 form tutor, said: “Reece was a valued and popular member of 7S. His enthusiasm to learn, even when he felt unwell, was an inspiration to his class mates and will be remembered fondly by his teachers.
“At the Pooley Bridge residential he showed such determination to enjoy the activities, reaching the top of the wall in climbing, jumping from the top of the cliff while coasteering and helping to plan a race winning raft on Ullswater.
“His time at LRGS was punctuated with illness, but when he came into school he always wanted to join in and take whatever he could from lessons, and he particularly enjoyed technology. He made some strong friendships, and will be greatly missed by all.”
Reece was crowned Young Achiever at the Visitor Sunshine Awards in 2017 as an acknowledgement of all the work he had done for charity.
Former Visitor reporter Gemma Sherlock met Reece several times during her time at the newspaper.
She said: “From the moment I met Reece he stole my heart. The brave, courageous and determined young boy was shy at first but after many interviews following his battle with cancer he opened up, his dedication to help others and not worry about himself was to be admired.
“The work he did setting up his own charity was mind blowing but not only that, his smile, his beautiful smile in the face of the unknown and terrifying journey ahead was completely and wholeheartedly inspirational.
“I will forever remember giving Reece a hug when he won one of our newspaper awards, shedding a tear to see his hard work and brave fight be recognised.
“I will remember the relationship I built with Reece, his family and his strong mum, Rachel.
“But most importantly I will remember Reece’s legacy, Team Reece, which will continue to help children in their fight against cancer.”
Reece’s funeral service is to be held at Lancaster & Morecambe Crematorium at 2.30pm on Friday February 1.
Anyone who wishes to attend is welcome to do so, and people are asked to respect the small venue and ensure family and close friends are seated first. If necessary, a screen will be erected outside.
Those attending are asked to wear something gold – if only a ribbon – to signify childhood cancer, or if they prefer not to wear black, they can wear something in the green and purple colours of Team Reece.
A crowdfunding page set up by family friend Rachel Holme to help towards funeral costs had raised more than £11,500 as the Visitor went to press.
Rachel said: “I don’t need to spell out how awful it is to have to watch your child die and for Rachel, Chris and his whole family to then have the pressure of looking around at what you can sell to pay for his funeral costs.
“Therefore with Rachel’s permission this is to give our hero the send off he deserves and any funds leftover will go towards taking Callum on a holiday and much needed reflection and recoup time before Rachel will be pushing forward all Reece’s ideas for his children’s cancer charity so that hopefully one day we can stop other parents experiencing this pain.”
Reece’s mum Rachel said: “I never expected such an outpouring of love and support to help send our boy off; I’m completely moved by the amount donated so far and from the very bottom of my broken heart you are in my humble opinion the most amazing community ever and I’m so proud to be a part of it.
“The last thing in the world anyone wants to do, even when you know it’s coming, is saving up for your kid’s funeral; you just can’t do it.
“I said I would sell my Golf as a back-up to pay for the funeral. I have always been a bit hesitant to fundraise for our own costs because I am a bit proud, and I just wanted to fundraise for others.
“I just can’t believe how much has been raised. I am very moved by our community. Everyone has come together and that’s something else really.
“I had a chat with Callum about the money and he said that Reece never got his wish to go to NASA, and suggested that we go and take his ashes so he is with us on his wish trip. I thought that was a lovely idea.
“Reece never really knew how many people he had touched as he was so very humble in his pursuits; he did it to help others and was never bothered about recognition, he just loved the events and seeing the smiles on children’s faces.
“Reece was always smiling; he absolutely loved doing his events – he was just one kid who liked helping others.”
As well as the local community, Rachel also expressed her gratitude to the staff at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.
“The hospital was absolutely outstanding,” she said. “The staff there are not in it for a career, it’s a vocation and that makes a difference.
“They were like an extended family and they will forever hold a special place in my heart.”
Reece Holt.
Rachel O'Neil and son Reece Holt.
Reece with Morecambe FC manager Jim Bentley at the Visitor Sunshine Awards in 2017.
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News / October 8, 2015
New exhibit: California in Song
We are pleased to announce that our latest exhibit, California in Song, has just been installed in the exhibit cases outside of Special Collections. This exhibit, created by Music Librarian Michael Colby, draws on the sheet music collections in Special Collections.
As long as there has been a California, and even before it became known by that name, it has inspired song. Through songs about the Golden State, we hear about its history—from the Gold Rush to the San Francisco earthquake, its places—from the St. Francis hotel to the city of Sacramento, and the dreams it has inspired of a better life in a wondrous place at the edge of the continent.
The first music in what is now known as the state of California was made by its first inhabitants, the Native Americans. Following its discovery by Europeans, the discovery of gold in the hills precipitated a massive influx of fortune seekers. Even the 1906 San Francisco earthquake inspired song.
The natural beauty of California inspired song, but so did many of its man-made creations, even the St. Francis Hotel! While the city of San Francisco inspired many a song, even Sacramento got a song, written by Eden Ahbez, who adopted a “hippie” lifestyle years before San Francisco celebrated the Summer of Love in 1967. Ahbez is best known for composing the Nat King Cole hit, “Nature Boy.”
California has inspired many dreams in its history, from the get-rich-quick dreams of the Gold Rush, dreams of escape from the Depression dust bowl, to dreams of Hollywood glamour, and the Aquarian Age dreams of Haight Ashbury in the 1960s.
California continues to inspire songwriters, beyond the examples given here. While the Beach Boys extolled the charms of “California Girls” of 1965, in 2005 Gretchen Wilson asked “ain’t you glad we ain’t all California girls?” Katy Perry’s 2010 “California Gurls” returned to the more common theme in keeping with the California dream.
The exhibit will run through Winter Quarter 2016 and can be viewed anytime that Shields Library is open.
Christopher A. Reynolds Collection Of Women Song
Sheet Music Collection
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Land Policy and Taxation in Transition
Joan Youngman
The shift to a multi-racial government in South Africa is as pronounced and dramatic a transition as that of the new independent states of Central and Eastern Europe. In the past five years, South...
Property Tax Policies in Transitional Economies
Ann LeRoyer and Jane Malme
In the context of entirely new fiscal policies and new approaches to property rights in central and eastern Europe over the past decade, taxes on land and buildings have taken on significant new...
Land Lines, July 1997
Edited by Ann LeRoyer
This issue looks at the urban renewal and participatory planning efforts simultaneously taking place in Havana, Cuba; land reform and taxation programs in Estonia following its independence in 1991;...
Land Use and Taxation
Applying the Insights of Henry George
Edited by H. James Brown
Can today’s policy makers and researchers effectively draw on the ideas of 19th-century philosopher Henry George to help solve 21st-century problems? This compendium presents eight essays by...
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Deutsch ContactJobs
Leibniz Association>About us>Good scientific practice
Good scientific practice in the Leibniz Association
At the annual meeting of the General Assembly on 29 November 2018, the institutions of the Leibniz Association approved a revised version of the Guidelines for Good Scientific Practice that had been adopted three years earlier. The binding guidelines set standards of good scientific practice for the institutions, define misconduct and describe the role and authority of the association’s central ombudsperson. They also include a code of practice and the sanctions available within the central investigation process. The Leibniz institutions manage their procedures in accordance with the guidelines. Leibniz Headquarters supports and promotes inter-institutional networking activities on this topic.
Decentralised ombudspersons of the member institutions
The scientists of each member institution hold a secret ballot to elect an ombudsperson as a point of contact for discrepancies, suspicions and matters of dispute, to investigate accusations of scientific misconduct based on the institution’s internal guidelines. If a decentralised ombudsperson decides that the accusations require further investigation, the case is passed to the central ombudsperson.
List of the decentralised ombudspersons (PDF, in German only)
Central ombudspersons of the Leibniz Association
The central ombudsperson investigates accusations of scientific misconduct levelled against current and former employees of member institutions and, where necessary, sets up a committee of enquiry in accordance with the relevant guidelines. The central ombudsperson also advises the member institutions and their ombudspersons on all issues to safeguard scientific integrity.
The central ombudspersons of the Leibniz Association are proposed by the Executive Board and elected by the Senate for a term of three years. In July 2016, the Senate of the Leibniz Association approved the appointment of Prof. Dr. Dr. Hans-Georg Joost, the former Director of the German Institute of Human Nutrition, for a second term until April 2020. His deputy, as of April 2017, is Prof. Dr. Dorothea Wagner of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
Prof. Dr. Dr. Hans-Georg Joost
German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), Potsdam-Rehbrücke
joost(at)dife.de
Prof. Dr. Dorothea Wagner (Deputy)
dorothea.wagner(at)kit.edu
Dr Johannes Bronisch
Head of Division
Chausseestraße 111
bronisch@leibniz-gemeinschaft.de
Isabel Regehr
regehr@leibniz-gemeinschaft.de
Guidelines on Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice (PDF)
Privacy StatementLegal noticeRSS
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California calling Mountmellick in quest for history
Letters from two Californian residents requesting information on relatives in the Mountmellick area have been received by the town clerk, Miss M. Williams.
“The only people who could give assistance in this regard is the press,” said Mr B. White when the letters were read at Thursday’s meeting of the Town Commission.
Mr O.J. Flanagan suggested they ask people with any of the necessary information to communicate with Miss Williams.
Mr Robert E. Reed, 928 Melville Road, Garberville, California, was checking on his family genealogy and would appreciate any assistance. He said before July 1837, his great great grandparents George Langford and Jane (Dickenson) Langford left Mountmellick with two small daughters, Ann Jane and Elizabeth, to come to America.
Mr Reed would be interested in receiving certified copies of the marriage certificate of George and Jane Langford (around 1830 - 31), and the birth certificate of Jane Dickinson (July 12, 1810).
The second was from Mrs Morton J. Lyster, 99 S. Raymond St, Pasadena, California. She inquired if there were residents in the area by the name of Lyster or Lister. She had records of her husband’s great-grandfather who was born in Clonaslee in 1872 and married Mary Sixsmith, also a native of Clonaslee, in 1918. They emigrated to Durham, Canada, in 1831. He was a chandler by trade. She also asked for information about the Carter family who also emigrated to Canada.
Her husband’s father, William Hamilton Lyster, married Cynthia Carthy, who was born in St Armand, Canada. With her daughter, Mrs Lyster contemplates a trip to Ireland in May.
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Hundreds Turn Out In Kennebunk As School Board Takes Steps To Address Racism Allegations
By Robbie Feinberg • Feb 26, 2019
School board members in Kennebunk meet Monday to address racist incidents in the district that have recently come to light.
Robbie Feinberg / Maine Public
School board members at RSU 21 in Kennebunk agreed Monday night to take steps towards launching an independent investigation into the district’s response to racist incidents at its schools in recent years.
Hundreds of community members came out to the school board meeting, which was scheduled after a recent Portland Press Herald article detailed a Maine Human Rights Commission complaint by a former Kennebunk High School teacher.
In the complaint, Rosa Slack describes racist behavior by students directed at her, including some involving a Confederate flag, and says she faced retaliation because of her opposition to the district’s response.
Dozens of students, teachers and community members spoke at Monday night’s meeting. Many said that the board needed to take immediate action to address the problems within the schools.
Middle school teacher Rachel McGlashan told the board that the incidents described in the complaint are only one part of the problem, and said the district needs to listen to students.
"That it’s not just students walking through the door with a Confederate flag on their shoulders," McGlashan said. "That it’s small comments in the hallway. There’s a lot going on in cafeterias, in the bus. I think it’s time to find out what’s happening and what kids are saying."
Lawyers and RSU 21 officials described their own version of events, with district administrators saying they followed protocols. However, many community and school board members asked the district to take action to address underlying issues.
Member Matthew Fadiman apologized to the community and called for district-wide anti-bias training. "I didn’t ask the tough questions or seek the tough answers," Fadiman said. "I simply relied on what I was told, which means I didn’t do my job. And that ends now."
The board ultimately voted to form a sub-committee, which will begin determining the scope of an independent investigation into the issue before a school board meeting next Monday. District administrators were also asked to get more information on an “equity audit” to examine disparities across the district.
Maine Public
Kennebunk High School
Rosa Slack
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Pregnant? Depressed? You're Not Alone
Ashamed, confused, and afraid to take meds, thousands of mothers-to-be struggle silently with depression. But avoiding treatment could be the worst choice for mom and baby.
By Liz Welch
Richard Pierce
Suzanne, 29, was 33 weeks pregnant with her second child when she finally confided to her husband the dark thoughts she'd been having. "I hated being pregnant," Suzanne said. "So much so that I wanted to remove my stomach." Her husband blamed her hormones, but Suzanne knew it was something else. "I did not feel this way with my first pregnancy at all, so I figured I was upset because a close family friend had recently died," she said. "I kept waiting for those dark feelings to pass—but instead, they intensified." She went from being sad about the death to feeling like she wasn't connecting with her baby. When she began to feel anger toward her unborn child, she panicked. "The baby would kick at night, and I'd get mad," she says. At the time, she kept her feelings a secret, as she was too ashamed to admit them to anyone. "I had nothing to be sad about! I have a great husband, a great life," she says. "If I told people I could not get out of bed in the morning, they'd say, 'Why? What's the problem?'"
Depression was the problem. When Suzanne was finally diagnosed, a month after she gave birth to her child, the illness had become full-blown. "I knew about postpartum depression," Suzanne says, "but I'd never heard of depression during pregnancy." It's counterintuitive: Pregnancy is supposed to be the happiest time of a woman's life! But that expectation, combined with Suzanne's symptoms—fatigue, dark thoughts, inexplicable crying jags, a sense of hopelessness—left her guilty, confused, and, as it turned out, very sick. "The general feeling is, if you're not ecstatically happy about being pregnant, then you're obviously a terrible person who doesn't want your baby," says Dr. Gail Robinson, a professor of psychiatry who runs the Women's Mental Health Clinic at the University of Toronto. "As a result, women keep their depression a secret." And get progressively sicker.
Women are twice as likely to be affected by depression as men, and yet this illness, which will strike one out of five women in her lifetime, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, is hard to diagnose in the average woman, pregnant or not. That has much to do with depression's tricky symptoms: feelings of worthlessness, irritability, lethargy, as well as bouts of insomnia and sobbing spells. Everyone has a few bad days, but if these symptoms persist for a two-week period, chances are it's more than just feeling blue; it's a diagnosable illness.
And according to a slew of recent studies, depression occurs during pregnancy at an alarming rate. "Pregnancy used to be thought of as a honeymoon period from mood disorders—that the joy of having a baby plus the estrogen protected you," explains Dr. Sheila Marcus, codirector of the Women's Mental Health Program at the University of Michigan. "We now know that's not the case." In September 2009, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) copublished a study with the American Psychiatric Association (APA) that found up to 23 percent of women experience depressive symptoms while pregnant. The same study found that 13 percent of women took an antidepressant at some point during their pregnancy, a number that has doubled since 1999.
If not treated—with psychosocial therapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, or, in more severe cases, with medication—those symptoms will likely intensify after delivery. "For some women, postpartum depression is an extension of depression that started during pregnancy," Robinson says. That's what happened to Suzanne. Two months after her baby was born, she had a breakdown. "I burst into tears and kept telling my husband, 'I can't do this,'" Suzanne recalls. "I felt empty, and that made me feel horrendously guilty because I had this beautiful baby." That afternoon, Suzanne was diagnosed with postpartum depression and put on Wellbutrin.
Considering only one out of five women will seek treatment for her mood disorder while pregnant, Suzanne is representative of a large number of women who suffer their depression unknowingly and silently during pregnancy. Stigma is the biggest culprit. "You feel so ashamed," admits Suzanne. "You want to think that your mommy instinct will win out—and when it doesn't, you feel even worse."
The cruel symptoms of depression also make seeking help difficult. But several recent studies prove that staying depressed during pregnancy is actually dangerous for both the mother and her unborn child. "Women often think they're doing the best thing for their child by not getting treatment," says Dr. Healy Smith, a Manhattan-based reproductive psychiatrist. "It's tragic—if mom is sick, then the baby is impacted, too." That's because staying depressed or anxious while pregnant can actually harm the fetus. "Women run the risk of inadequate weight gain, which has been associated with low infant birth weight, and of missing prenatal appointments," Marcus says. "There's also the possibility of substance abuse, as untreated women are more likely to use alcohol during pregnancy." Other risks include the physiological effects of the illness: "When you're stressed, your body shifts into fight-or-flight mode and moves blood away from your placenta and toward your limbs and brain," Marcus says. "That's good if you need to run from a tiger; it's bad if you're growing a baby."
Thankfully, there are treatments that work. ACOG and the APA recommend non-pharmacological treatments, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and talk therapy, as the first line of action for mild to moderate depression. That, in addition to stress management, sleep hygiene, and a supportive social network, can be effective. But for women who are severely depressed or anxious, these nonmedical approaches are often not enough. While studies up through 2005 found no rise in congenital malformations among women who took antidepressants while pregnant, a few studies since then have made links between antidepressants and heart defects, pulmonary hypertension, and low birth weights in newborns, all of which are being vigorously researched and debated in the scientific community. "The bottom line is that no decision is completely risk-free—whether you suffer the symptoms or take medication," says Dr. Vivien Burt, the director of the Women's Life Center at Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA. "You have to talk with your doctor about what's right for you."
One thing is certain: Women who have depression in their family or have already been diagnosed with a mood disorder are at greatest risk for experiencing the illness during pregnancy. For these women, Burt recommends teaming up with their OB/GYN and a specialist to plan the safest pregnancy treatment before getting pregnant. That's exactly what Eliza, 33, did. She started taking Lexapro for severe anxiety in her mid-20s, but went off the pills when she and her husband decided to get pregnant. "I wanted to do everything I could to make this baby as healthy as possible," Eliza explains. "In my mind, that meant not taking a prescription." Though she carefully weaned herself off the prescription under the care of a reproductive psychiatrist, her anxiety re-emerged stronger than ever: "I felt totally overwhelmed, like I couldn't handle my job or my relationship, let alone my looming pregnancy." Her doctor suggested Celexa, as it had significantly more safety data with pregnant women than Lexapro, and Eliza agreed to go on the lowest dosage possible.
The irony is that many women decide to go off their medication before or during pregnancy in order to protect their child. "I'd been on antidepressants for anxiety prior to the pregnancy but worried about their effects on my unborn child," 33-year-old Kristy explains. "So I just stopped taking them." Already the mother of two, she didn't know then that abrupt discontinuation could result in a severe relapse: "In one study, 70 percent of women who went off their antidepressants while pregnant relapsed," Burt says. The swift and severe effects of Kristy's illness took her by surprise. "I went from being an on-top-of-everything working mom to someone who couldn't get out of bed," she says. She was so stunned by her feelings that she felt compelled to keep them a secret: "I called in sick to work, and then would force myself out of bed before my husband came home so he wouldn't know I'd been home all day," she says. "It got so bad, I didn't take my 2-year-old daughter to day care one morning because I was scared to be home alone. For the first time ever, I considered taking my own life and was actually afraid I'd act upon those thoughts." That's when Kristy told her husband everything. The following day, she saw a psychologist and a psychiatrist, then was put on Zoloft. "I decided in the end that the benefits outweighed the risks," she explains. "I couldn't imagine things getting worse. I wanted to salvage things before postpartum depression—or psychosis—set in."
Kristy's decision to return to medication while pregnant was due, in part, to the odds that her depression would spiral after her delivery. Sticking with her treatment, she gave birth to Lilah, a healthy girl, in mid-January. Meanwhile, Suzanne fully emerged from her postpartum depression when her daughter was 9 months old. And Eliza gave birth to a healthy girl almost a year ago; she stayed on a subclinical dose of antianxiety medication throughout her pregnancy under the supervision of her reproductive psychiatrist. "The question should never be, 'Should I take medication or not while I'm pregnant,'" says Robinson, "but rather, 'Should I be sick or should I be well?'"
Liz Welch is an ASME-award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Life, Parade, and Inc. Her memoir, The Kids Are All Right (Harmony), is due out in paperback in September 2010.
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Xavier, Kansas State renew a rivalry in West Regional
EDDIE PELLS
SALT LAKE CITY - Time is supposed to ease the pain of past embarrassments.
The way Kansas State guard Jacob Pullen sees it, though, there are some things you simply can't forget.
Locked in Pullen's memory is the way he felt on New Year's Eve 2007 - the night his team got blown out by Xavier, the same team the second-seeded Wildcats face tonight in the West Regional semifinals.
"They laughed on the court, played around," Pullen said. "You don't forget things like that. So when you get the opportunity to play against a team like that, you always remember that, no matter if it's one person from that team or 10 people from that same team."
K-State got payback for the 26-point loss - the worst of coach Frank Martin's short career - with a physical, grinding 15-point win this season in Manhattan.
Now, one of America's hidden little rivalries resumes, this time with the stakes ratcheted up a few notches. Kansas State (28-7) is two wins from its first Final Four since 1964. Xavier (26-8) has never been.
"It rings a bell because they're Xavier," Martin said. "I know their program, firsthand. I understand the winning culture they have, the expectations they have. Then, we've played them. We got absolutely annihilated by them on national TV on Dec. 31."
Martin's familiarity with sixth-seeded Xavier comes thanks to his history as an assistant for Bob Huggins - first at Xavier's crosstown rival, Cincinnati, then at Kansas State. When Huggins left for West Virginia, Martin took over Huggins' program, along with his schedule.
It included two more in a three-game series against Xavier, and after the first of those - the Dec. 31, 2007, matchup - Martin might have been wondering what he got himself into.
His prized recruit and star player, Michael Beasley, forgot his shoes and didn't make a basket until the final minute.
"Bill (Walker) lost his phone, I think. Clent (Stewart) didn't have his shoes, either," Pullen remembered. "It wasn't the greatest trip we had made all season. But we still went out there and played. And we got beat."
The Musketeers let them know about it, dissing the Wildcats by cracking jokes at the free throw line to turn a bad loss into something even worse.
Which might explain why this season's game, still on some players' minds nearly two years after the previous meeting, was such a physical affair. There were 57 fouls and 73 free throws, lots of hard screens and rough play in the post. K-State fans braved a heavy snowstorm to attend the game, and when the Wildcats finished up the 71-56 victory, they snaked behind the media table to celebrate with the students - the kind of celebration normally saved for March, not December.
Xavier forward Jamel McLean doesn't think anyone should get this confused with Carolina-Duke. But he has a memory, too.
"I don't think it's a real rivalry," he said. "I mean, we played the past couple years. It's a team we have a series with. We've got them, they got us. We're about to go out there again and rally up and knock each other's heads off."
Kansas State will be playing 22 years to the date of its last trip to the regionals, back when Lon Kruger and Mitch Richmond led the Wildcats on a run that ended one loss short of the Final Four. K-State was beaten by Danny Manning and Kansas that year in the regional final, a story line that's been oft-repeated over the years - certainly too often in the minds of those in the Little Apple.
But for as long as they last in this tournament, the Wildcats won't have to be the "other" team from Kansas. The Jayhawks lost last weekend, removing from the tournament a team responsible for three of Kansas State's seven losses this year.
"To compare us to Kansas, we're going to have to start beating them first," Martin said. "If we're not beating them, we're not getting too much done."
Xavier, meanwhile, joins Michigan State as one of the only two programs to make the second weekend of the NCAA tournament three years in a row.
But, in a theme that has been echoed often this week, calling the Musketeers a plucky mid-major isn't really appropriate anymore.
The Jesuit school, with undergraduate enrollment of 4,200, recruits big-name players (See, Jordan Crawford - yes, the one who dunked on LeBron), plays in a big-time arena (capacity 10,250) and schedules big-time opponents (Duke, Florida, Butler - another "mid-major," which plays Syracuse in the other West Regional semifinal).
"The double-edged sword is that you've got to be good at it," athletic director Mike Bobinski said earlier this week. "If you are going to put that out front, it behooves you to be successful more often than not."
Xavier was successful twice against Kansas State - a 10-point home win in 2006-07 when Huggins was still there, followed by the 26-point blowout the next season.
Then, the 15-point K-State win. But that was back in December.
The teams are familiar with each other, and know exactly what they're getting into.
"When you reach this point in the season, you're not going to play a pushover," Xavier coach Chris Mack said. "You're going to play a team that's earned it. We have a healthy respect for those guys."
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Big Lottery to transform mental health services in Luton
People with mental health needs in Luton are set to have their say in how mental health services are designed and delivered, thanks to a new Big Lottery funded programme called ‘Living Well UK’.
A partnership of Luton organisations successfully bid to be part of the three year programme, to develop innovative ways to help people achieve good mental health in the community.
Dr Anthea Robinson, local GP and LCCG’s Clinical lead for Mental Health, said: “We will be working collaboratively with other like-minded organisations such as Luton Council, MIND BLMK, Total Wellbeing Luton and the East London foundation Trust (ELFT). More importantly, we will involve local people and organisations to co-produce a transformation of mental health in Luton.”
Social enterprise, the Innovation Unit, is leading the Living Well programme, funded by Big Lottery. The Living Well UK’s programme was inspired by an approach originally developed in Lambeth, South London. Luton is one of four locations that were successful in their bid to be part of the Living Well UK programme. The other locations are Edinburgh, Salford, and Tameside & Glossop. Luton will receive up to £100,000 a year for three years to support the programme locally.
Nicky Poulain, Accountable Officer for NHS Luton CCG, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to transform mental health in Luton. The approach developed in Lambeth shows that, by working collaboratively, we can achieve much better outcomes for people with mental health needs. The Living Well model places people with personal experience of mental ill health at the heart of its work and, by designing and delivering together, we will have a shared ownership and responsibility for those outcomes. We are looking forward to working with people and organisations across Luton to develop our own personalised, innovative approach to support local needs.”
Motorcyclist airlifted to hospital after collision in Caddington
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Five of the best things to do in and around Luton and Dunstable in the next month
Enjoy The Greatest Showman in the open air
Peter Ormerod
From outdoor cinema to a much-loved musical, there's much to enjoy...
Annie, Luton Library Theatre, August 10 and 11
The Phoenix Players present the much-loved musical in Luton this week. The show is full of family fun and features songs such as Hard Knock Life, The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow and Easy Street. One of the stars of the show is Sydney, who plays the role of Annie’s faithful pet Sandy. Di Newman from the Phoenix Players said: “This will be Sydney’s first and last starring role for us as at the end of this month he is relocating to the real New York City along with his family. He is very excited and who knows, he may find other stage work there. We will all miss Sydney and wish him bon voyage.”
Details: www.trybooking.co.uk/2871
Luton Music Expo, until September 1
Luton promises to become a town of music over the summer with the launch of the first Luton Music Expo. There will be free have-a-go music workshops and instrumental music sessions taking place that aim to celebrate the diverse culture of Luton’s community. The workshops and music sessions are aimed at families on a budget looking to keep the children entertained throughout August. Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in learning the drums or steel pans. There is also a chance to play reggae music as well as learning various music production skills. People of all ages are invited to simply watch or take part in as many as workshops or sessions as they like. Organiser Dionne Wilks said: “The Luton Music Expo will celebrate the super-diversity of our city through music – like a cultural exchange. And, because music is a universal language that everyone understands, it has the ability to unite us. This expo is not only a great opportunity for people to learn a new instrument but also to learn a little bit more about our neighbours and community.” The Luton Music Expo will conclude with an Open Music Exhibition in the town centre.
Details: lutonmusicexpo.com
3 OPEN-AIR CINEMA
Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa, August 24 to September 2
It’s a chance to watch some of your favourite films in a setting like no other. Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa’s open air cinema is set in the surrounds of the South Lake on its 1,065-acre estate. Four Weddings and a Funeral, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Dirty Dancing, Grease, The Greatest Showman and Top Gun are all being screened.
Details: sundowncinema.co.uk
Summer Sundays, Wardown House, Museum and Gallery,
until September 2
Enjoy an array of entertainment and fun, including a traditional Punch and Judy show, the chance to have a quick caricature drawn of you and the opportunity relax to the sounds of tunes played by the Big Shambles Band.
Details: lutonculture.com
Little Stock, Stockwood Discovery Centre, London Road, Luton, until August 19
Little Stock is a new immersive experience of exploration for parents and children aged three to eight years.
There’s a chance to join the circus and get up close and personal with creepy crawlies. Join Professor Strange for his unique magic show, make juggling balls and then use them in a jam-packed circus skills workshop from Thursday, August 9 to Sunday, August 12. In the last week of the action-packed series of events, visitors can join a bug-tastic adventure to learn all about insects and how important they are to our planet, including a bug-safari, crafty beaded bugs workshop and creature close-ups with wildlife presenter Nick Wadham from Thursday, August 16, to Sunday, August 19.
“Little Stock will bring the most wondrous, fun-filled programme of events to Stockwood Discovery Centre this summer,” said Fahim Qureshi, head of arts and cultural programmes at Luton Culture.
“Designed specifically for young families to enjoy together, parents and children alike will be taken on fantastic journeys of discovery, learning through captivating performances and hands-on experiences about puppetry, the circus and nature, all in the wonderful surroundings of the Discovery Centre. We cannot wait to welcome both regular and new visitors to the centre.”
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Women Share Their Military Stories on Veterans Day
Leesa Bainbridge | Published on 11/11/2016
Four women who served our country in Iraq, Korea, Turkey and beyond shared their stories on Veterans Day at the monthly Hot Topics luncheon of the League of Women Voters of Orange County.
Former U.S Rep. Patricia Schroeder, the first woman to serve on the House Armed Services Committee, led the discussion and shared her own stories of fighting for active military and veterans’ rights during her years in Congress.
Common themes of how their service changed them, challenged them and ultimately strengthened them ran through each veteran’s story, as did the difficulty of readjusting to life at home.
Army Specialist Elizabeth Jackson talked in part about the challenge of walking the line between “acting too girly and acting too manly” while serving as a truck driver in Iraq, something she said was necessary to be accepted and to succeed. Once home, she worked hard to learn how to be herself again and reconnect. Jackson, who served from 2001-2005, now works as an outreach specialist for the Veterans Administration.
Writing the book Moving Past Broken: Memoirs of a Wounded Warrior has helped Air Force Sgt. Lorraina Nyanza begin to recover from the physical and emotional abuse she described while serving in the military and the frustrations of trying to get help. Nyanza, who served as a Ground Radio Operator from 1982-1990, completing tours in Turkey, England, Spain and Texas, shared those difficult memories during the discussion.
Air Force Technical Sgt. Antonette Reeves joined the service at age 17 and was serving at Landstuhl Air Base in Germany on Sept. 11, 2001. After that fateful day, her job as a passport agent became much more rigorous as security tightened, and she spent 17-hour days processing men and women going home. “I saw them coming through injured, with missing limbs,” she said, which spurred her to ultimately get her master’s degree when she returned home so she could help others. She now does social work for the Veterans Administration.
Army Major Vanessa Rivera-Vazquez spent 22 years in the military, serving in Iraq and Korea. She was part of a 10-person team embedded with Iraqis as part of a military transition program. Vanessa recalled the difficulty of telling her children goodbye before her deployment and the terrifying things she experienced while in Iraq. She said she learned to become detached, to turn off her emotions. “That’s what war does to a human being, even a mother.” She also shared her road to recovery once back with her family.
The audience was riveted by each story and gave the women a standing ovation. The League appreciates their service and their willingness to shed light on their experiences.
— Nov. 11, 2015
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Lehigh Valley Top Workplaces 2019: Winners, awards ceremony pics and more
Severe weather alert in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Delaware, Chester, Bucks, Northampton, Monroe, Lehigh, Carbon and Berks counties.
Sports Eagles
Leadership void has Eagles searching for answers
Nick Fierro
PHILADELPHIA — Nnamdi Asomugha walks off the practice field, makes sure to stay out of the Eagles' NovaCare Complex locker room until well after reporters have been evacuated and dresses in silence each day. All the better to avoid the inevitable discussion of his stunning mediocrity.
Jason Babin concocts a wild, fictional tale about some motivational speaker defensive line coach Jim Washburn brought in to speak to his troops before the Eagles broke their four-game losing streak at Washington on Oct. 16, then spins it as if it's fact in a transparent (but fortunately unsuccessful) effort to make a fool of those covering the team.
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who's already developed a reputation for taking some plays off, comes up with a particularly lame-brain explanation after their latest loss, saying he quit on one play because "I tapped the ball, and when I tapped it I felt the ball hit my hands so I thought I knocked it down, but evidently I tapped it into [the receiver's] hands and I didn't realize it until he was tackled."
Jason Avant says he doesn't want fans jumping back on the bandwagon after the Eagles won two in a row to revive the preseason optimism around the team, says he won't apologize, wants to create an us-versus-them mentality for his teammates.
In the meantime, teammates who might be inclined to think that kind of behavior is not conducive to building a championship team — players such as Jamar Chaney, Cullen Jenkins, Mike Patterson, Jason Kelce, Jamaal Jackson, Todd Herremans and Danny Watkins, just to name a few — either haven't been with the team long enough for their opinions to carry enough weight or don't fully understand the leadership vacuum this team has had since Brian Dawkins, Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas departed after the 2008 season.
Not coincidentally, that was the last time the Eagles won a playoff game, and that dynamic will remain in effect until next season at the earliest.
Until some of the too-young personalities are allowed to emerge as alpha males on a team that rarely plays together anymore, the Eagles will continue to be what they've been through the first half of the season: a maddening collection of exquisitely talented athletes with no clue of how to make their gifts work for them in a league that eats their kind up and spits them out every week.
Leadership at the field level counts for a lot. It can't even be quantified. And it's the biggest intangible this team is missing.
Probably the only one.
Fact is, a breakdown of the Eagles' first-half performance suggests they're much, much worse than their 3-5 record indicates, not better, as they and most of their fan base foolishly still believe to be the case in the wake of Monday night's hideous 30-24 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Their three wins have come against St. Louis, Washington and Dallas, who have a combined record of 8-16. None are better than .500.
Their five losses have come against Atlanta, New York Giants, San Francisco, Buffalo and Chicago, who have a combined record of 28-12. Every one of those teams has a winning record.
On top of that, four of their five losses have come after they had built fourth-quarter leads. Their other, a 31-24 travesty at Buffalo on Oct. 9, was highlighted by veteran defensive end Juqua Parker, the oldest, longest-tenured and most experienced player on their roster, going brain-dead and jumping offside on a fourth-down play in which the Bills had no intention of snapping the ball late in the fourth quarter. Had the Eagles forced a punt there, well ... you all know the rest by now.
They disappear in the fourth quarter consistently and can't even figure out why, when it's a simple lack of discipline, concentration and, yes, sometimes coaching.
"Honesty, I don't know," wide receiver DeSean Jackson said, speaking more or less for the whole team. "I think in our powers and in our mind, we want to go out there and succeed and do everything the correct way, but at the end of the day it's human nature. Sometimes things don't always go the way we plan or the way we practice."
Human nature.
Human nature?
This Dream Team of a squad ran like a pack of spooked wildebeests from the label backup quarterback Vince Young innocently hung on them in the early stages of training camp. Now we know why.
Tuesday, Andy Reid, the guy who tried to win Monday night's game by having a doe-eyed rookie punter heave a pass to a safety who's a special-teams ace exclusively, promised to "get this thing right."
Hey, after 13 seasons on the job, at least he's had a lot of practice.
Reid actually has a chance to make good on that promise, but only after some firm leadership emerges at the field level.
As far as that goes, the prospects are encouraging with guys like Chaney, Kelce and Kurt Coleman.
Until then, though, the Eagles will continue to be nothing more than a bully squad that preys on the weak and can't stand up to any legitimate team that stands up to them and punches them in the face.
nick.fierro@mcall.com
Eagles draft target: WR Kelvin Harmon of N.C. State
Eagles draft target: DT/DE Christian Wilkins of Clemson
Eagles draft target: OL Cody Ford of Oklahoma
Copyright © 2019, The Morning Call
Andy Reid
Jason Kelce
Kurt Coleman
Mike Patterson
Todd Herremans
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Boosting self-repair may preserve brain in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's
Published Monday 23 June 2014 Published Mon 23 Jun 2014
By Catharine Paddock PhD
In Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob and other brain-wasting prion diseases, cells in the brain gradually deteriorate, begin to function abnormally, and die. However, some parts of the brain have the capacity to self-repair and make new brain cells. A new study suggests there could be a way to harness this and perhaps preserve brain function in neurodegenerative diseases.
Writing in the journal Brain, study leader Dr. Diego Gomez-Nicola and colleagues from the Centre for Biological Sciences at the University of Southampton in the UK describe how previous studies have already revealed that even in neurodegenerative diseases there is evidence that the brain carries on attempting to repair itself.
One area of the brain that shows evidence of self-repair or neurogenesis is the dentate gyrus, which forms part of the hippocampus, which controls learning and memory.
Studying the brains of mice with a prion disease, the team found evidence of increased self-repair in the dentate gyrus that partially compensated for the loss of brain cells caused by the disease.
Their detailed investigation helped them identify how the new brain cell populations were generated over time, and how they integrated with existing brain circuits.
They found that as long as the self-repair occurred in the early or middle stages of the brain-wasting disease, new brain cells integrated into existing circuits in a way that preserved some brain function - but this failed when the disease was advanced.
Postmortem samples also suggest evidence of self-repair in diseased human brain
The team says they also found evidence to suggest increased self-repair in postmortem brain samples of patients who had variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Alzheimer's disease when they died.
The authors conclude that the brain has some ability to orchestrate self-repair and suggest there is a time-limited window of opportunity for potential treatments to boost this mechanism and preserve brain function in patients with neurodegenerative diseases.
Some parts of the brain have the capacity to self-repair and make new brain cells.
Dr. Gomez-Nicola says the study opens new avenues "to identify what specific signals are used to promote this increased neurogenic response, with views focused in targeting neurogenesis as a therapeutic approach to promote the regeneration of lost neurons."
As they strike primarily in mid- to late-life, neurodegenerative diseases become increasingly more common in aging populations. For instance, in the US, where estimates suggest by 2030 around 20% of the population will be over the age of 65, some 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease and another 1 million have Parkinson's. Finding treatments and cures for neurodegenerative diseases has never been more urgent.
Funds from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme and the Medical Research Council helped finance the study.
In October 2013, Medical News Today learned how researchers found a new target for drugs against brain cell death. Writing in Science Translational Medicine, they report how they blocked a major pathway leading to brain cell death in mice using an orally administered drug-like compound.
Vitamin D offers no protection against Alzheimer's Systematic review of clinical studies finds no robust evidence that vitamin D protects the brain against diseases such as Alzheimer's, MS, and Parkinson's. Read now
Two existing drugs halt neurodegeneration in mice Researchers reveal how an antidepressant and an experimental cancer drug stopped brain cell death in mouse models of dementia and prion disease. Read now
Alzheimer's: Protecting 'powerhouse' of cells may fuel new treatment A new study provides further evidence that exposure to a highly toxic form of amyloid beta injures mitochondria and triggers early events in Alzheimer's. Read now
Brain enzyme could prevent Alzheimer's, neurodegenerative disease A brain enzyme that protects against oxidative stress may also protect against protein clump formation - a key player in neurodegenerative disease. Read now
Common genetic variant may age the brain Variants of the gene TMEM106B may age the brain and raise the risk of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, a new study finds. Read now
Alzheimer's / Dementia
Parkinson's Disease Neurology / Neuroscience CJD / vCJD / Mad Cow Disease
Temporal dynamics of hippocampal neurogenesis in chronic neurodegeneration, Diego Gomez-Nicola, et al, Brain, DOI: 10.1093/brain/awu155, published online 18 June 2013, Abstract.
University of Southampton news release, accessed 22 June 2014.
The challenge of neurodegenerative diseases, Harvard Neurodiscovery Center , accessed 22 June 2014.
Visit our Alzheimer's / Dementia category page for the latest news on this subject, or sign up to our newsletter to receive the latest updates on Alzheimer's / Dementia.
Paddock, Catharine. "Boosting self-repair may preserve brain in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 23 Jun. 2014. Web.
Paddock, C. (2014, June 23). "Boosting self-repair may preserve brain in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's." Medical News Today. Retrieved from
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How SSR Mining embraces technology and growth through operational excellence
No Thanks, take me to Web Version
Do you want to read this in our Digital Brochure?
By Dale Benton . Feb 15, 2019, 8:47AM
SSR Mining embarks on a new digital future and operational excellence proves key
After more than 70 successful years of operation, exploration and development, SSR Mining (formerly Silver Standard Resources) embarked on a journey to become an intermediate precious metals producer and one of the world’s leading premier mining companies. The company currently has three mining operations, including the Marigold mine in Nevada, US, the Seabee Gold Operation in Saskatchewan, Canada and the 75% owned and operated Puna Operations joint venture in Jujuy Province, Argentina. SSR defines its existing and future success on strong exploration growth opportunities and operational excellence. It is the focus on operational excellence that will prove key, as SSR Mining’s existing and future success can be pinned on one crucial component – the development of its people.
“The mining industry today needs to be more focused on continuous improvement and the best way to move forward is not necessarily through more capital, but better collaboration and more results with people,” explains Kevin O’Kane, Chief Operating Officer. “Personally, this is where I get excited. I look at how an organisation can become more effective. One of the challenges and opportunities in SSR, a company that’s been in operation for over 70 years and made up of different cultures and experiences, is how can we create collaboration and consistency in an effective way.”
O’Kane was appointed COO in early 2018 and brought with him over 30 years of industry experience across Chile and Canada, having worked with BHP for most of his career. He has worked at all levels of operations, project development, business development as well as health and safety. During his career, he gained a keen understanding on how to get people to where they need to go through collaboration and the standardisation of best practices. “I can see where the different operations are at different points, or people within the operations have different levels of understanding, and I've had the opportunity to see how that connects together.” he says.
“The mining industry today needs to be more focused on continuous improvement and the best way to move forward is not necessarily through more capital, but better collaboration and more results with people” - Kevin O’Kane, Chief Operating Officer
As SSR continues its growth journey, O’ Kane believes it must do so with the aim of maintaining the agility of a smaller company and the key for it to achieve this is through collaboration, leadership and indeed, standardisation. This is where Operational Excellence comes to the fore and SSR established the role of Director of Operational Excellence to drive this focus. But what is a Director of Operational Excellence? “It’s a position based on asking questions. Where can we expand and add value, build on the ideas our people already have, shine the light on solutions, create an environment where we can challenge the ways of thinking and due diligence” says Liezl van Wyk, Director Operational Excellence with SSR. “It’s about creating different angles on problem solving and bringing in a new wave of discussion. It is about our commitment to Safety, it is about leveraging and empowering our workforce.”
Van Wyk is no stranger to Operational Excellence, having spent the best part of her career looking at mining operations and creating ways in which businesses can enhance strategy and transform operating models through people, change management and technology to unlock greater value. Technology, as it is in most modern industries, continues to be one of the biggest drivers of change and SSR is no different. Van Wyk is a firm believer of using data and the accessibility of that data to quantify Operational Excellence. “One of the very first projects that I oversaw was centred around becoming more disciplined on data and starting to increase the connectivity of our existing systems more,” she says. “Across the industry, businesses are becoming cloud based because it’s a very centralised platform in which you can access information from anywhere and make data available to whoever needs to consume it.”
“We're an asset-centric business, so all our decisions need to be around maximizing, optimizing and independently coordinating the flow of assets and how it hands over from one to the next.”
To this end, SSR built the necessary internal infrastructure that would allow the business to shift to this cloud-based platform where it makes sense. As a small, mid-tier company, SSR couldn’t outsource this implementation to consultants or technology vendors and so this required a lean, targeted, fit-for-purpose problem-solving approach from Van Wyk and her team. Technology is all well and good but it is the people, and their capabilities, that ultimately turn potential into opportunity and value.
O’Kane seconds this approach and speaks of how the company overcame this challenge through leadership and competency development programmes for all levels of operation. “Quite often, we focus on where we think the gaps are, and what we really need to do is look at the whole value chain, understand where our primary and secondary bottlenecks are, what the gaps are, against what good looks like, and focus on those gaps,” he says. “It's obvious, but it's not always easy, because when you're somewhat of a personnel-driven organisation, you focus on areas that the senior people think are important, and that's not necessarily always where the focus needs to be.
“I'm trying to focus on those so that when we sit down with the management teams in each of the sites, we're talking about where we're going, and what the barriers are to us moving forward, to be more effective. It's an opportunity to have interesting discussions about how you can determine where, in the value chain, you need to focus management attention, so you produce safer and more productive results.”
The challenge then becomes one of implementing change, especially in a company that has successfully operated for more than 70 years. Van Wyk points to the one word that’s on everybody’s lips in any organisation is capital and the allocation of that capital. Talk of change is all well and good but eventually it’s going to come down to cost, timing and priority and how much is going to be needed to invest in this change. Van Wyk acknowledges this and again the key is around people. The importance of educating company leaders in the value of what Operational Excellence together with new technologies can bring is fundamental. She points to a process of small-scale proof of concepts (POCs) as being key to this conversation as it enables a willingness to experiment and change the way of thinking. “If you’re going to spend money on drilling 100 exploration holes versus spending money on some kind of tech savvy data platform and tablet-based computing, you are more likely to spend funds or invest capital on 100 exploration drilling holes if that's always been the mindset of the company,” she says.
“I usually ask: Is it a tool or is it a toy?” And to move the sentiment, this is not a toy, it's actually becoming a tool, so that those biases of where we are going to spend money are where we know we will get value. One way to mitigate that challenge or that risk is quick, small POCs, and showing where the risk sits and the willingness then to take it on or not.”
These POCs prove fundamental in not only highlighting where Van Wyk and her teams are making progress and driving change, but also in unlocking future growth. O’Kane points to the company’s Marigold project as a shining example of this. He notes that historically, SSR had focused solely on improving productivity at the mine; but by making great improvements in truck productivity and Operational Excellence it has allowed the company to look at the next bottleneck. Through the centralised system at Marigold, operators now have access to real-time analysis on site performance which allows them to take immediate action and move forward faster than ever before. SSR is also completing its first multiple drills automation project to significantly improve both drilling and blasting, but O’Kane is keen to stress it goes beyond simple productivity benefits.
“That project is really about us learning how to do the automation journey, so we'll be able to then take what we've learned about how the organization adjusted to automating equipment, to apply it to other equipment and this benefits safety,” he says.
“It has been accepted very well by the workforce, and the drillers, who you would think, if their equipment is being automated, would be quite resistant to it, but they've been a great help. I think that's a testimony to the management team there, in how they've implemented it.”
This is echoed by Van Wyk, as she feels that value is and will always be quantified at the business level by shareholder returns and employee engagement. “So, it’s the right answers at the right cost point and doing it very safely,” she says. “It’s not just a singular problem you’re solving and in using Operational Excellence tools and a value-based approach to show the value, you can achieve many goals across all levels of the organization.”
“Our best ideas have come from all levels of the organization. We are proud of our employees. They are the ones whom have taken onboard the OE approaches as part of their day to day considerations. They have brought forward the safety improvement ideas, the cost savings initiatives, the production improvements, the different angles on old problems. And we assisted with the tools, the frameworks and the enablers. One needs trust, strong relationships, and great leadership to bring this all together.”
Operational Excellence has become embedded into the company’s very DNA but as Van Wyk highlights, Operational Excellence is all about continuous improvement. “I look in terms of opportunities that are out there, and things do change quite a lot, but the foundational aspects don't and these are what we build on,” she says. “It’s a combination of building on the foundational pieces as well as a culture of creativity and willingness to try something. Learn fast, fail fast, make corrections, improve and bring back an improved product. We are finding better ways to operate every day”
“That's the world of Operational Excellence. The job's never done.”
As SSR continues its journey into a new future of operating, Operational Excellence will continue to define and redefine the way in which the company achieves success. The very definition of success for SSR is fluid, it could be additional assets to its existing portfolio or it could be increased capital, but as Van Wyk notes, the future will be one of unlocking the value that Operational Excellence can bring.
“This is happening through our workforce’s understanding and contributions together with management’s proactive challenging and support. We are on a journey to create value and enhance safety. As we grow from three operations, the impact and reward of the journey actually increases,” she says.
“But Operational Excellence is not just projects. It is a combination of transactional projects, but also capability development, change management, foundational rollout, training, relationships and challenge. That's why Operational Excellence is such a rewarding discipline to be in, because you have that whole spectrum to operate within.”
Transwest Air
MexicoAutomationDrone Technology
Goldcorp’s Peñasquito mine: a shining example of digital innovation in the mining industry
Laura Mullan .
“Historically, mining remains one of the last industries to be disrupted by technology,” observes Tim Kahl, General Manager of Operations at Goldcorp. “It’s ironic, because mining provides the raw materials for modern economies to work, but we’ve been slow to apply some of the technologies we’ve had a hand in creating.
“Historically, mining remains one of the last industries to be Read more.
AutomationAfricaAusdrill
African Underground Mining Services: The underground mining partner of choice
Dale Benton .
Feb 23, 2018, 7:14AM
Since 2007, there has been a leader in providing mechanised underground mining services in Africa – African Mining Underground Services (AUMS). The company prides itself on its ability to outperform the owner-operator underground mining operations tonne for tonne, all the while improving the overall profitability of mining projects, with the first priority on the well-being of its personnel.
Since 2007, there has been a leader in providing mechanised Read more.
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Apple puts onus of FDA clearance on iPhone developers
By Brian Dolan
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has indicated in the past that under certain circumstances the iPhone may be considered a medical device and therefore regulated as one, however, as of February the FDA still hadn't figured out exactly which circumstances those might be.
Turns out Apple isn't waiting around for the FDA. iPhone application developer and GraniteKey COO Mike Ahmadi wrote in to point out that Apple's iPhone developer agreement includes a special section that puts the regulatory onus, in particular the duty of ensuring FDA compliance, on the developers themselves.
Obviously this section of the agreement has become increasingly important since Apple began promoting connected peripheral devices and medical apps like LifeScan's glucometer and AirStrip's cardiac monitoring application at the company's iPhone 3.0 and World Wide Developer Conference events.
Under the developer agreement section labeled "Regulatory Compliance for Health, Medical and Related Apps," Apple writes: "You agree that You will not seek any regulatory marketing permissions or make any determinations that may result in any Apple products being deemed regulated or that may impose any obligations or limitations on Apple. By submitting Your Application to Apple for selection for distribution via the App Store, You represent and warrant that You are in full compliance with any applicable laws, regulations, and policies, including but not limited to all FDA laws, regulations and policies...."
Read on for the entire section related to regulatory compliance for health and medical apps.
Regulatory Compliance for Health, Medical and Related Apps:
3.3.19 You will fulfill any applicable regulatory requirements, including full compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and policies related to the manufacturing, marketing, sale and distribution of Your Application in the United States, and in particular the requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA"), and the laws, regulations and policies of any other applicable regulatory bodies in any countries or territories where You use or make Your Application available. However, You agree that You will not seek any regulatory marketing permissions or make any determinations that may result in any Apple products being deemed regulated or that may impose any obligations or limitations on Apple. By submitting Your Application to Apple for selection for distribution via the App Store, You represent and warrant that You are in full compliance with any applicable laws, regulations, and policies, including but not limited to all FDA laws, regulations and policies, related to the manufacturing, marketing, sale and distribution of Your Application in the United States, as well as in other countries or territories where You plan to make Your Application available via the App Store. You also represent and warrant that You will market Your Application only for its cleared or approved intended use/indication for use, and only in strict compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. You agree to promptly notify Apple in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 15.6 of any complaints or threats of complaints regarding Your Application in relation to any such regulatory requirements, in which case Apple may remove Your Application from the App Store.
AirStrip, Apple, AppStore, FDA, GraniteKey, iPhone, LifeScan, medical applications, regulatory
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Livongo, Launchpad Digital Health, and more digital health hires
By Laura Lovett
Mountain View, California-based Livongo Health, a chronic health management company, recently announced that Arnnon Geshuri will be joining the team as chief people officer. Previously Geshuri was the vice president of human resources at Tesla. Earlier in his career, Arnnon was the director of staffing operations for Google.
"Arnnon has worked with some of the most innovative consumer companies leveraging the power of technology,” Glen Tullman, Livongo’s chief executive officer, said in a statement. "His experience scaling a digital consumer health company where people are our most important asset, and knowledge in the form of helping people stay healthy is our product, will be a valuable addition to an already exceptionally strong management team.”
Bill Gurley will be joining board of care coordination platform Stitch Health. Gurley is a general partner at venture capital firm Benchmark, which recently acted as the lead investor in Stitch Health’s Series A funding round. He also sits on the board of GrubHub, OpenTable, and Uber, according to Crunchbase.
Mark J. Morgan will be joining the advisory board at San Francisco-Based Launchpad Digital Health, a US seed investor. Morgan was previously the president of Anthem Blue Cross - California. He has over 20 years of experience working as a healthcare executive.
"Mark brings a level of sophistication with healthcare payers and providers that is unique and very difficult to find,” Fred Toney, CEO of Launchpad, said in a statement. “His extensive experience has been impactful for Limelight Health, and I expect that same level of impact on other companies in the near future. We are delighted he is more deeply involved here now.”
Leaf Healthcare, maker of a wearable patient monitoring system, has announced that it is establishing a clinical advisory board, the first members of which are Tracey Yep and Susan Kennerly.
Yep is currently an associate professor at Duke University School of Nursing and a senior fellow in the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development.
Kennerly is a professor in the Department of Nursing Science at East Carolina University College of Nursing, and a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
"As we expand the Leaf Patient Mobility Monitoring System's capabilities, Tracey and Susan will provide valuable guidance to help us develop technology that provides the most benefit for patients and their providers," Barrett Larson, Leaf CEO and coufounder, said in a statement. "The Clinical Advisory Board reaffirms our commitment to developing technology that allows clinicians to deliver more efficient and effective care to their patients.”
Dr. Karen DeSalvo, a physician who has done extensive work in health information technology, will be joining the faculty of Dell Medical School at The University of Texas in Austin. Previously, she served as the national coordinator for Health Information Technology, under President Barack Obama. She is now serving as assistant secretary for health in the US Department of Health and Human Services. Nike Zoom Flight Bonafide
Livongo, Stitch Health, Launchpad Digital Health, Leaf health, Benchmark
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Column: ‘What Happened’ in 2016? Hillary Clinton still doesn’t know
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks in Baltimore on June 5.
(Patrick Semansky / Associated Press)
By Doyle McManus
Was this book necessary? Hillary Clinton’s anguished, angry memoir of her presidential campaign, “What Happened,” will be unveiled this week, complete with television appearances and a 15-city lecture tour.
Other Democrats have been dreading this moment for months.
“I love Hillary,” Al Franken, the senator from Minnesota, said a few weeks ago. “I think she has a right to analyze what happened. But we do have to move on.”
A backward-looking slog through the disappointments of last year’s campaign is not what most Democratic politicians want to dominate the news this fall.
Most losing presidential candidates don’t write books about the experience. And the ones who do normally wait a decade or so.
And that, judging from the many excerpts that have leaked, is exactly what Clinton’s book is: a long and dutiful post-mortem on how she lost to an unqualified blowhard who was even less popular than she was.
Clinton doesn’t spare herself from blame. She admits mistakes large and small. “It’s fair to say that I didn’t realize how quickly the ground was shifting under our feet,” she writes. She acknowledges that she never came up with a theme as compelling as Trump’s “Make America Great Again.”
But she doesn’t spare anyone else from blame, either. Her list of the guilty begins with James Comey, Julian Assange and Vladimir Putin, all justifiably. Less justifiably, she also blames Bernie Sanders, and even — in smaller ways — Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Her decision to relitigate her bitter primary battles with Sanders has especially distressed other Democrats because it rolls a grenade into their not-yet-successful efforts to reunify the party.
The independent senator’s attacks on her big-dollar fundraising made it easier for Trump to paint her as “Crooked Hillary,” Clinton complains. “I don’t know if that bothered Bernie or not.”
Sanders — who, as luck would have it, is on a book tour of his own — fired back. “Secretary Clinton ran against the most unpopular candidate in the history of this country and she lost, and she was upset about it and I understand that,” he said last week. “But our job is not to go backward. … I think it’s a little bit silly to keep talking about 2016.”
This, of course, is a gift to Trump and his conservative allies. They’d like nothing better than to make Clinton the public face of the Democratic Party again — especially since her approval rating in the polls, at 30%, is even lower than the president’s. Fox News Channel is giving the book launch lavish coverage, including segments reexamining the controversy over her emails.
Clinton’s excuse: “I had to get this off my chest!” she writes at one point, an explanation that pretty much covers all 512 pages.
But most losing presidential candidates don’t write books about the experience. And the ones who do normally wait a decade or so before ripping the bandages off their wounds.
Mitt Romney didn’t do it after 2012. John McCain didn’t do it after 2008. (As he noted last week. “You’ve got to move on.”) To find a loser who did memorialize his defeat, you have to go back to Richard M. Nixon in 1960 — not a model you might have expected Clinton to emulate. There’s a reason for that. Airing grievances, even when they’re justified, rarely shows anyone’s most appealing side. For losing candidates, even in arguably stolen elections, the tradition has been stoic silence.
It would be one thing if Clinton’s book delivered new insights about what went wrong. But it doesn’t. Every one of her explanations has been hashed out already.
Here’s the pity: She could have written a different book — a book that briskly summarized the lessons of her loss and suggested a path forward for the causes she loves. It wouldn’t have been a bestseller, but it might have been more useful. Needless to say, the relatively brief, forward-looking part of Clinton’s message has been swamped in media coverage by all the juicy score-settling.
Clinton appears to intend her book to be a vehicle for her reemergence onto the public stage. “There were plenty of people hoping that I, too, would just disappear,” she writes. “But here I am.”
She has set up a new fundraising organization to support progressive causes and serve as her platform. (It’s called “Onward Together,” a name even less inspiring than her campaign slogan, “Stronger Together.”)
But after all her reflection, she still hasn’t quite figured out what went wrong.
“What makes me such a lightning rod for fury?” she writes. “I’m really asking. I’m at a loss.”
With that question unanswered, she might have been better off stowing “What Happened” in a desk drawer. The lesson she’s learning is a harsh one: After a disastrous election, even the supporters of a defeated candidate may not be eager to have her around.
doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com
Twitter: @DoyleMcManus
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
Nature isn’t on a rampage. That would be us.
Janet Napolitano: Why I’m suing the Trump administration over DACA
A DACA student speaks: ‘I feel like I have to go back into hiding’
OpinionOp-Ed
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Trump’s “go back to where you came” tweets were wrong, but focusing on racism only emboldens the president.
Opinion: Democrats would be crazy to kill the filibuster
Top Senate Democrats signal a willingness to end all filibusters if they reclaim the majority. It doesn’t take a psychic to see why they’d regret that decision.
Column: The Democrats’ ‘squad,’ infighting and extremism may save the nation
Donald Trump can’t take being called out, but Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nancy Pelosi can.
Letters to the Editor: It shouldn’t take the FBI to get rid of sheriff’s department gangs
A former LAPD deputy chief says the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department is no place for tattooed cliques of brutish deputies.
Letters to the Editor: How to atone for detonating nuclear bombs on the Marshall Islands
The U.S. plans to spend more than $1 trillion on its nuclear arsenal. That money could be put to better use.
Op-Ed: Sex trafficking defendants have a new face — white, wealthy and well-connected
Broader sex trafficking laws are being used against people like Jeffrey Epstein, but their elasticity may also pose problems.
Op-Ed: Get children out of cages at the border and into school
Education cultivates resiliency in migrant kids. Its lack in detention centers is one more way Trump is ignoring the law.
Editorial: It’s long past time to raise the national minimum wage
The national minimum wage is way too low, but don’t overlook the trade-offs of raising it.
Op-Ed: Why don’t Republicans talk about the federal debt anymore?
Reining in federal spending is no longer on the table now that there’s a Republican in the White House.
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TOPN › W › Welfare Reform Extension Act, Part VIII
TOPN: Welfare Reform Extension Act, Part VIII
0-9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
What's in a popular name?
Laws acquire popular names as they make their way through Congress. Sometimes these names say something about the substance of the law (as with the '2002 Winter Olympic Commemorative Coin Act'). Sometimes they are a way of recognizing or honoring the sponsor or creator of a particular law (as with the 'Taft-Hartley Act'). And sometimes they are meant to garner political support for a law by giving it a catchy name (as with the 'USA Patriot Act' or the 'Take Pride in America Act') or by invoking public outrage or sympathy (as with any number of laws named for victims of crimes). History books, newspapers, and other sources use the popular name to refer to these laws. Why can't these popular names easily be found in the US Code?
How the US Code is built.
The United States Code is meant to be an organized, logical compilation of the laws passed by Congress. At its top level, it divides the world of legislation into fifty topically-organized Titles, and each Title is further subdivided into any number of logical subtopics. In theory, any law -- or individual provisions within any law -- passed by Congress should be classifiable into one or more slots in the framework of the Code. On the other hand, legislation often contains bundles of topically unrelated provisions that collectively respond to a particular public need or problem. A farm bill, for instance, might contain provisions that affect the tax status of farmers, their management of land or treatment of the environment, a system of price limits or supports, and so on. Each of these individual provisions would, logically, belong in a different place in the Code. (Of course, this isn't always the case; some legislation deals with a fairly narrow range of related concerns.)
The process of incorporating a newly-passed piece of legislation into the Code is known as "classification" -- essentially a process of deciding where in the logical organization of the Code the various parts of the particular law belong. Sometimes classification is easy; the law could be written with the Code in mind, and might specifically amend, extend, or repeal particular chunks of the existing Code, making it no great challenge to figure out how to classify its various parts. And as we said before, a particular law might be narrow in focus, making it both simple and sensible to move it wholesale into a particular slot in the Code. But this is not normally the case, and often different provisions of the law will logically belong in different, scattered locations in the Code. As a result, often the law will not be found in one place neatly identified by its popular name. Nor will a full-text search of the Code necessarily reveal where all the pieces have been scattered. Instead, those who classify laws into the Code typically leave a note explaining how a particular law has been classified into the Code. It is usually found in the Note section attached to a relevant section of the Code, usually under a paragraph identified as the "Short Title".
How the LII Table of Popular Names works.
Our Table of Popular Names is organized alphabetically by popular name. You'll find three types of link associated with each popular name (though each law may not have all three types). One, a reference to a Public Law number, is a link to the bill as it was originally passed by Congress, and will take you to the LRC THOMAS legislative system, or GPO FDSYS site. So-called "Short Title" links, and links to particular sections of the Code, will lead you to a textual roadmap (the section notes) describing how the particular law was incorporated into the Code. Finally, acts may be referred to by a different name, or may have been renamed, the links will take you to the appropriate listing in the table.
Welfare Reform Extension Act, Part VIII
Pub. L. 108-308, Sept. 30, 2004, 118 Stat. 1135
Short title, see 42 U.S.C. 1305 note
Pub. L. 108-308
Pub. L. Section
Authorizes
1 42 1305 nt
2(b)(1), (2) 42 603
2(b)(3) 42 609
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Title 16. CONSERVATION
Chapter 30. WILD HORSES AND BURROS: PROTECTION, MANAGEMENT, AND CONTROL
Section 1338. Criminal provisions
16 U.S. Code § 1338. Criminal provisions
(a) Violations; penalties; trialAny person who—
willfully removes or attempts to remove a wild free-roaming horse or burro from the public lands, without authority from the Secretary, or
converts a wild free-roaming horse or burro to private use, without authority from the Secretary, or
maliciously causes the death or harassment of any wild free-roaming horse or burro, or
except as provided in section 1333(e) of this title, processes or permits to be processed into commercial products the remains of a wild free-roaming horse or burro, or
sells, directly or indirectly, a wild free-roaming horse or burro maintained on private or leased land pursuant to section 1334 of this title, or the remains thereof, or
willfully violates a regulation issued pursuant to this chapter,
shall be subject to a fine of not more than $2,000, or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both. Any person so charged with such violation by the Secretary may be tried and sentenced by any United States commissioner or magistrate judge designated for that purpose by the court by which he was appointed, in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as provided for in section 3401 of title 18.
(b) Arrest; appearance for examination or trial; warrants: issuance and execution
Any employee designated by the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture shall have power, without warrant, to arrest any person committing in the presence of such employee a violation of this chapter or any regulation made pursuant thereto, and to take such person immediately for examination or trial before an officer or court of competent jurisdiction, and shall have power to execute any warrant or other process issued by an officer or court of competent jurisdiction to enforce the provisions of this chapter or regulations made pursuant thereto. Any judge of a court established under the laws of the United States, or any United States magistrate judge may, within his respective jurisdiction, upon proper oath or affirmation showing probable cause, issue warrants, in all such cases.
(Pub. L. 92–195, § 8, Dec. 15, 1971, 85 Stat. 650; Pub. L. 101–650, title III, § 321, Dec. 1, 1990, 104 Stat. 5117; Pub. L. 108–447, div. E, title I, § 142(b), Dec. 8, 2004, 118 Stat. 3071.)
2004—Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 108–447 inserted “except as provided in section 1333(e) of this title,” before “processes or permits”.
“United States magistrate judge” and “magistrate judge” substituted for “United States magistrate” and “magistrate”, respectively, in text pursuant to section 321 of Pub. L. 101–650, set out as a note under section 631 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.
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The U.S. Names the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a Terrorist Organization and Sanctions the International Criminal Court
By Elena Chachko
Wednesday, April 10, 2019, 4:05 PM
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, President Trump and John Bolton during the NATO Foreign Ministerial in Brussels, Belgium, July 2018. (Source: State Department)
On April 8, the Trump administration designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. A few days earlier, the administration had made good on its threat to impose sanctions on officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC) involved in the examination of U.S. actions in Afghanistan and Israeli actions in other contexts. As part of this effort, it revoked the U.S. visa of Fatou Bensouda, the ICC’s chief prosecutor.
Both measures are unprecedented. This is the first time the U.S. has designated an entire component of a foreign government as an FTO. To the best of my knowledge, this is also the first time the U.S. has imposed individual sanctions on a senior international civil servant for acting in her capacity as an organ of an international institution. These measures reflect broader trends of growing U.S. reliance on targeted sanctions—including going after named individuals—as means for addressing broader foreign and security challenges. In other words, they embody an expanding U.S. practice that cuts across policy areas and, indeed, administrations: throwing sanctions at the problem.
The IRGC Designation
The United States designated the IRGC as an FTO under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended (codified in 8 U.S.C. § 1189). President Trump announced the designation, stating that it aims to combat the IRGC’s terrorist activities and support for terrorism around the globe. He asserted that “[t]he designation underscores that the Iranian regime’s use of terrorism makes it fundamentally different from any other government,” seemingly attempting to justify the unprecedented designation of a part of a foreign government. Trump also framed the measure as part of the administration’s “maximum pressure” policy with respect to Iran. A similar statement came from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, suggesting that the main purpose of the designation is to chill foreign financial institutions and companies from transacting with the IRGC or any related entities. The timing of the announcement was reportedly designed to give a final boost to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the Israeli elections on April 9.
A State Department fact sheet indicates that the IRGC designation will come into force on April 15. The release notes, among other details about the IRGC’s activity, that “[t]he Iranian regime is responsible for the deaths of at least 603 American service members in Iraq since 2003” and outlines other instances of IRGC involvement in attacks on U.S. targets. It pledges to “continue to increase financial pressure and raise the costs on the Iranian regime for its support of terrorist activities until Tehran abandons this unacceptable behavior.” A few days earlier, the State Department posted a summary titled “Maximum Pressure Results,” which provides numbers on the scope of the U.S. sanctions campaign against Iran.
Reports indicate that the move faced opposition from top Pentagon and CIA officials, who argued that it might trigger IRGC retaliation against U.S. personnel, but those objections were overruled by Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton. Wendy Sherman, the former undersecretary of state for political affairs and the chief negotiator of the Iran nuclear deal under President Obama, expressed similar concerns, noting that “[o]ne might even suggest, since it’s hard to see why this is in our interest, if the president isn’t looking for a basis for a conflict …. The IRGC is already fully sanctioned and this escalation absolutely endangers our troops in the region.
The Basis for the Designation and Its Legal Implications
Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act was introduced by the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA). Under the AEDPA, the secretary of state may designate a group as an FTO if it is foreign and engages in terrorist activity that threatens the national security of the U.S. or the security of its nationals. The AEDPA outlines the designation procedure, which includes notification to Congress, and its implications. It provides for judicial review of FTO designations before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit based on a standard similar to the arbitrary and capricious standard under the Administrative Procedure Act.
After a group is designated as an FTO, the Treasury Department may block its assets; its alien members may be denied admission to the U.S. or, in some cases, be deported; those providing material support to the FTO may face criminal sanctions under 18 U.S.C. § 2339B, of the U.S. Code (the material support statute); and financial institutions must report assets in their possession in which the FTO has an interest to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. The FTO list contains roughly 70 organizations, including the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, al-Shabaab, Hamas and Hezbollah.
The immediate practical implications of the IRGC FTO designation are not entirely clear, nor is it clear what the designation adds to existing U.S. sanctions on the IRGC. As I elaborated in a previous Lawfare post, the IRGC has long been designated by the U.S. under different authorities. The Treasury Department designated the IRGC in 2007 pursuant to Executive Order 13382 for supporting Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs; in 2011 pursuant to Executive Order 13553 for its role in human rights violations; in 2012 pursuant to Executive Order 13606 for similar reasons; and in 2017 under Executive Order 13224 on international terrorism. Therefore, any IRGC assets in U.S. jurisdiction would already be blocked under those measures regardless of the FTO designation.
Furthermore, as Scott Anderson observed, Section 1705 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), Executive Order 13224 and the other authorities under which the IRGC is currently designated already provide for civil and criminal penalties for those who violate or conspire to violate measures imposed under their authority. However, unlike the FTO material support regime, these penalties technically apply only to U.S. persons or those within U.S. territory, although foreigners interacting with designated entities risk being designated themselves. In other words, existing sanctions already serve as a powerful deterrent for persons and entities considering doing business with the IRGC—but their effect is primarily on people or entities connected to the U.S.
Consequently, the potentially significant “added value” of the FTO designation is likely the material support element. According to Pompeo’s remarks and reporting by the Wall Street Journal and New York Times on the administration’s internal deliberations, the administration intends to use the material support statute to crack down on foreign companies and individuals that have ties to the IRGC and related entities. Whether the administration would follow through on this threat and increase prosecutions against foreign entities remains to be seen. Such prosecutions will also have to overcome substantial practical obstacles in getting the foreign defendants before a U.S. court.
Potential Legal Challenges
As of April 8, the New York Times suggested that an administration “interagency lawyers group” has concluded that the IRGC’s designation as an FTO is “too broad.” I have yet to see additional information about their objections. In principle, the IRGC has a statutory right to seek judicial review of its designation before the D.C. Circuit—and while it is rather difficult to imagine the IRGC as a plaintiff, there is a chance that the legality of the designation could be assessed in federal court. The internal objections from the administration’s own lawyers could prove significant if this scenario materializes.
What could be the arguments underlying this internal legal opposition? At first blush, it appears that the IRGC meets the AEDPA designation criteria. It is a foreign entity; the record shows that it has been involved in numerous terrorist activities; and as the statements from Trump and the State Department emphasized, its actions have harmed or endangered the U.S. and its nationals. However, one could ask whether the IRGC, which is a state military organization, qualifies as a “foreign organization” for AEDPA purposes. Since all existing designated FTOs are nonstate actors, there is no precedent for this in previous U.S. FTO designation practice or case law. Therefore, this is an open question.
As the administration’s lawyers have reportedly concluded, another potential challenge to the designation is that the IRGC designation is overbroad. One argument for this position might be that the prohibition on material support for the IRGC—a vast organization deeply integrated in Iran’s political system and economy and controlling other entities—also potentially captures extensive economic and political activities that are not directly related to the IRGC’s support for terrorism.
The Supreme Court’s decision in Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project provides some guidance on this question. The plaintiffs in that case sought to support the nonviolent activities of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (better known as the PKK) and the Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers. They challenged the material support statute’s prohibition on the provision of several types of support to an FTO on Fifth and First Amendment grounds. The Supreme Court held that the material support statute was constitutional as applied to the specific forms of support that the plaintiffs sought to provide the FTOs, and rejected the claim that the statute’s terms were too vague. Moreover, the court found that the statute, as applied, did not violate the First Amendment right to free speech. The court made clear, however, that political advocacy carried out independently from the FTO is not covered by the material support statute.
Perhaps most importantly for the IRGC case, the Supreme Court rejected the plaintiff’s argument that it was possible to segregate the nonviolent activities of an FTO from its violent activities, finding that support for nonviolent components can be diverted to violent components of the FTO. It gave deference to the position of Congress and the executive that all contributions to FTOs further their terrorist activities.
Given the IRGC’s sheer size and extensive economic and political ties, its FTO designation captures significantly more political and economic activity compared to the designations of the PKK or the Tamil Tigers. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court’s logic in Holder, which rejects the idea that terrorist and nonterrorist activities of an FTO can be segregated for material support statute purposes, could equally apply to the IRGC. In any event, it will be interesting to learn more about the reasons for the legal objections within the administration.
The Bensouda Visa Revocation
In another first, on April 4, both the Office of the ICC Prosecutor and the State Department confirmed that the United States has revoked the prosecutor’s U.S. visa. According to the reports, the prosecutor would still be able to travel to the United Nations headquarters in New York to perform related duties. The move followed Pompeo’s threat in mid-March to impose visa restrictions and potentially economic sanctions on ICC personnel involved in efforts to launch an investigation of U.S. actions in Afghanistan. He also suggested that the U.S. would impose sanctions on ICC officials involved in investigations of U.S. allies, citing Israel in particular. This statement is a component of a months-long campaign against the ICC spearheaded by Bolton, which has drawn the ire of many states, including U.S. allies.
In his March statement, Pompeo said that the administration was acting pursuant to “existing legal authority to post visa restrictions on any alien, quote, ‘whose entry or proposed activities in the United States would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.’” Pompeo was likely referring to Section 212 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, codified in 8 U.S.C. § 1182, of the U.S. Code, which governs inadmissible aliens. Among other provisions, § 1182(a)(3)(C), which addresses inadmissibility on foreign policy grounds, provides that “[a]n alien whose entry or proposed activities in the United States the Secretary of State has reasonable ground to believe would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States is inadmissible.”
It would be difficult to challenge the secretary of state’s authority to revoke or deny the U.S. visas of ICC personnel in light of the broad language of § 1182, as well as the Supreme Court’s generous interpretation of the executive’s authority to restrict the entry of aliens on national security grounds in Trump v. Hawaii (in the context of § 1182(f) on suspension of entry by the president). The wrinkle in this analysis, as Dapo Akande and Marty Lederman have observed, is the U.S. obligation to allow access to the U.N. headquarters in New York under the 1947 U.N.-U.S. Headquarters Agreement. But the reports suggest that Bensouda and other ICC officials whose visas had been or will be revoked would still be able to travel to the U.N. despite the U.S. travel ban.
Pompeo also threatened that the next step would be economic sanctions—that is, the freezing of the assets of ICC officials within U.S. jurisdiction. Such a move would probably rely on the president’s authority under the IEEPA to block the assets of individuals to address national security threats with a significant foreign element. It would require the president to declare a national emergency with respect to the ICC under the National Emergencies Act, followed by an executive order that would create an ICC designation program similar to other sanctions programs currently administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control at the Treasury Department.
It is worth underscoring just how extraordinary such a move would be: The United States would be declaring an emergency with respect to the actions of an international institution and imposing severe economic restrictions on its officials. Still, IEEPA delegates broad sanctions powers to the president, which presidents have applied to address situations that do not constitute emergencies in the traditional sense of the term—most recently and controversially, President Trump’s declaration of emergency along the U.S.-Mexico border. While these powers have thus far been applied to terrorists, proliferators, narcotics traffickers, and the likes of Syria, Iran and North Korea, there is no limiting principle under the law as it currently stands that would prevent the president from extending IEEPA individual sanctions to ICC officials it claims pose a national security threat to the United States. The argument seems to be that the ICC is a national security threat to the extent that it exposes U.S. personnel to politically motivated prosecution by what the administration sees as an unaccountable tribunal.
The visa revocations are likely premised on the assumption that intimidating and taxing individual ICC officials will deter them from pursuing investigations of the United States and Israel. But it is not clear whether this move will achieve more than sending the rest of the world the message that officials of international institutions are fair game. Other states might conclude that they are entitled to go after individual officials if they don’t like what an international institution is doing. It is one thing to disengage from the ICC, trumpet its flaws and accountability gaps, and even obstruct its investigations. It is a completely different thing to essentially blackmail individual officials of the court in their personal capacity.
The U.S.’s bull-in-a-china-shop approach to the ICC may well backfire. For the time being, the prosecutor’s office has expressed her intention to stay the course. Bensouda will continue traveling to the U.N. to carry out her responsibilities. The aggressive U.S. approach might heighten existing international antagonism toward the U.S., galvanize international support for the ICC, embolden those investigated or tried by the ICC, and even encourage the prosecutor to double down on her efforts on the Afghanistan and Palestine fronts (as John Bellinger previously predicted).
Both the IRGC designation and the ICC individual sanctions are instances of the heavy U.S. reliance on targeted sanctions as a foreign and security policy tool. The IRGC is already designated under different authorities, and it is not clear at this point what the new FTO designation would add to the existing effort to combat IRGC terrorism. This move, coupled with the Iran sanctions summary released a few days previously, suggests that the administration is applying yet more sanctions for their own sake, while setting ill-defined and generalized policy aims such as ending Tehran’s “unacceptable behavior.”
International Criminal Court (ICC),
International Governance,
Iran,
Elena Chachko is an SJD candidate at Harvard Law School, an International Security Program Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center, and a graduate student associate at the Harvard Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. She is also a researcher at the Amnon Lipkin-Shahak National Security and Democracy program at the Israel Democracy Institute. Elena previously clerked for Chief Justice Asher Grunis on the Supreme Court of Israel, and worked at the Israeli Foreign Ministry as well as the United Nations Office of Counterterrorism. She earned an LL.B in Law and International Relations from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and completed the LLM program at Harvard Law School as a Fulbright scholar.
Documents: ICC Judgment in Al-Bashir Appeal
Quinta Jurecic Mon, May 6, 2019, 6:27 PM
U.S. Imposes Visa Ban on International Criminal Court Prosecutor
Paras Shah Sat, Apr 13, 2019, 8:54 AM
Document: ICC Denies Request for Afghanistan Investigation
Lev Sugarman Fri, Apr 12, 2019, 11:07 AM
Sovereignty on Steroids: International Institutions and the Trump Administration’s “Ideology of Patriotism”
Chimène Keitner Fri, Sep 28, 2018, 2:42 PM
Four States That Have Stayed Quiet Over Bolton’s ICC Speech
David Bosco Wed, Sep 12, 2018, 1:22 PM
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06.06.2006 International
Millions Scramble For World Cup Tickets
By n/a
In spite of the high demand for tickets for Germany 2006 World Cup, organisers found it expedient to put out only a total of three million tickets, a little over the amount put on sale during the last two tournaments in Korea-Japan and France.
By January this year, 60 per cent of the tickets had been sold out and speculations were rife at the time that all the tickets were going to be exhausted in the weeks that followed.
Most of the tickets were those that had been distributed via public sales which included tickets allocated to national associations, together with packages available to those in the hospitality programme.
About 300,000 tickets which were demanded by an overwhelming 667,900 applicants who had requested 6 million tickets were subjected to lottery for lucky fans.
The rest have been sold to customers around the world through the official website, www.FIFAworld cup.com.
By February 15 this year, the lucky winners had been informed. Those who placed orders through the Internet but failed to secure tickets were also notified by e-mail.
According to Mr Franz Beckenbauer, President of the Germany 2006 Organising Committee, the number of tickets available may not match the high demand and enthusiam generally generated by the event.
Locally, 72 per cent of the German population,or every four Germans, regard the upcoming event with huge enthusiasm and an increasing sense of anticipation, giving an indication that the 64 matches will witness breathtaking crowds.
Given that the German Football Association (DFB)boasts of a membership of some 6.3 million, it is safe to conclude that only few Germans will have the chance of relishing the games at the various stadia being organised by their own association.
But the organisers say they have developed what they have described as an easy to follow, fair and open ticket distributing system which was unveiled in January last year in anticipation that a ticket demand stampede would be averted.
The second sales period of tickets began in the first week of May this year with tickets allocated on 'the first -come' 'first- served basis, i.e applications were processed in the order in which they were received.
This second period is exclusively Team Specific Tickets,( TST) or tickets for the matches of some specific teams in the tournament.
These tickets like those sold in the earlier sales periods were made available on the official website, www.fifa worldcup.com.
The first batch of the TST was sold out before the end of March last year. And these were for teams like Germany, Argentina, Brazil, England, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the USA.
The organisers anticipate these tickets would be sold by the end of November this year.
According to the Organisers, tickets in this category which have been confirmed become binding after the team in question successfully qualifies for the tournament while the reservations for teams which failed to qualify have effectively been cancelled and in this case those applicants would be reimbursed with an amount which will be less a processing fee.
The rules of the competition enjoin that team ticket holders can follow their favourite team for a specified number of matches, dependent on the results in the tournament.
TST have been divided into five categories, TST3, TST4, TST5, TST6 and TST7, with the latter representing the best case covering every game including the final.
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The student activity center at Dodge City Community College. (Dodge City Community College)
College upgrades gymnasium to Monolithic Dome
Stewart Ulrich • Published February 3, 2017 3:30pm • News
A Monolithic Dome was the perfect fit for one community college in Kansas.
Dodge City Community College in Dodge City, Kansas needed a new activity center. Their previous gymnasium had several deficiencies and needed to be upgraded. There was no seating in that building, among other problems.
A Monolithic Dome became a reality after learning FEMA would help with funding. Officials took a visit to Fowler, Kansas where a dome is used as a gymnasium. The Dodge City Community College Foundation took the initiative for the center and financing was secured through the city.
The new center is a step up for the college and serves as the campus wellness center. Amenities include basketball and volleyball courts, jogging track, locker rooms, classrooms, practice courts, ticket office, and concession stand. Best of all, bleachers in the gym provide seating for up to 1,500 spectators.
Construction started in 2014 and was completed in September 2016, making it a 16 month project. The dome has a diameter of 170 feet, giving the structure 39,220 square feet of usable space. The total cost of the project was $7.6 million. South Industries built built the Monolithic Dome. Building Solutions L.L.C. served as the general contractor and completed the rest of the structure.
Not only serving as the activity center, it also doubles as a FEMA-approved community shelter in the event of a storm. Recently the center was able to live up to its use as a community storm shelter. During the ice storm that affected the central United States in January 2017, many residents were without power for several days. The Red Cross, Salvation Army, and the National Guard came to the center and set up operations.
Brian Marshall, CEO of Building Solutions, stated that these organizations “set up and used it as a shelter. People without electricity were allowed to come in, take a shower, and have a place.” This is the first opportunity for the center to be used as a community storm shelter since it was built.
To help others looking to build a similar building and for public curiosity, Dodge City officials have tentatively scheduled an open house for June. “We’ve had quite a bit of interest here,” Marshall said. “So hopefully more like this will be built.”
Founded in 1935, Dodge City Community College (often referred to as DC3) currently has 2,100 students enrolled. Those students are served with approximately 32 academic programs and 17 athletic programs.
Enjoy the video below from Building Solutions, which shows the process of construction.
Dodge City Community College website
DC3 Dome website
Dome opening news article
Fowler gymnasium
Dodge City Community College plans multipurpose Monolithic Dome
Construction on the outer wall of the building. (Building Solutions LLC)
The interior of the dome during construction. (Building Solutions LLC)
The interior of the dome during the airform inflation (Building Solutions LLC)
A Monolithic Dome Home with Brick Walls!
At one time, Joel Emerson, a professional, creative brick mason, jokingly told Debbie, his wife, that someday he would build her a brick igloo. In the years that followed, Joel learned about Monolithic Domes, and in 2003 he attended a Monolithic Workshop. So what started as a casual joke became a serious project – with a little modification: Joel’s original brick igloo became a Monolithic Dome enhanced with brick.
Why a Monolithic Dome Fertilizer Blend Plant?
What’s a fertilizer blend plant’s number-one enemy? Moisture! If water gets into or condensation forms inside a storage unit, it quite quickly begins degrading the fertilizer and forming rust. But Monolithic uses a technology that keeps that troublesome process to a minimum.
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About Adam Gubman and Alex Cox
Moonwalk Audio has a team of composers, sound designers and integrators that have created world class music, sound design, and voice over for hundreds of games, apps, trailers, and TV. We're creative and passionate about audio, creating the highest quality of production. Let us take your project to the next level!
The Owners
ADAM GUBMAN
SENIOR COMPOSER/AUDIO DIRECTOR
Full Credit List
After Gubman’s first game in 2006 (Pirates of the Burning Sea), he went on to score over 600 video games helping to establish the sound of many iconic downloadable, mobile, and casual titles while maintaining a solid career composing for various media projects. Gubman’s work can be heard in projects for notable clients like Disney, Zynga, Storm8, Sony, PlayFirst, GSN, GameHouse, NBC Today, and Warner-Chappell. He is known for his speed, creativity, and memorable melodic voice that brings unique branding to the projects he works on - he is passionate about all the projects that he touches, and delivers AAA quality no matter the project scope.
As an arranger and orchestrator, Adam has worked on additional music and orchestration for various TV and Film projects, including Sausage Party, Galavant, Ride Along 2, Smurfs: Lost Village, and the upcoming Baywatch. Recently, a song he orchestrated for Hugh Jackman from the upcoming film Greatest Showman (by Pasek and Paul) saw a debut and tour through Jackman’s Australian tour ‘OZ’. In 2014, he provided orchestration for EDM superstar BT’s album ‘Electronic Opus’. His work with YouTube artists Taylor Davis, Traci Hines, and others (co-writing and production) has yielded over 80 million views and growing. Gubman is also known for re-branding the NBC Today Show theme with Warner-Chappell Music Group, and has done numerous licensing and custom audio packages for TV News programs all over the world. Orchestration clients include Alan Menken, Chris Lennertz, Austin Wintory, Tom Salta, Pasek and Paul, BT, Warner-Chappell, Disney, and many more.
An avid songwriter, Adam is a composer for Disney Parks, and writes, arranges, orchestrates, and produces music for parades and entertainment. He will be opening his tenth show this Summer, at Tokyo Disneyland. He has seven original songs in the upcoming Baywatch, and has a personal mission to get one original song in every story drive game he writes for. Q2 2017 will see 10 original song releases within three new story-driven titles.
Adam’s musical ideology can be wrapped up in the slogan “Imagine the Sound of Your World”. His passion is finding the music culture in the games he works on, and he strives to give every project it’s own identity and musical thumbprint that includes source and songs.
AUDIO DIRECTOR/SOUND DESIGNER
Alex got started with audio early on, playing guitar and drums in in tons of music projects. Their passion for audio lead to a degree in Sound Arts at Ex'spression College. They spent a lot of time in recording studios but their favorite classes were sound design and game audio. One of Alex's first games was Zynga's Roller Coaster Kingdom in 2009. Since then Alex has been Senior Sound Designer on over 600 games for many of the top industry developers, like Storm 8, Disney, EA, Gree, Big Fish, Blue Tea, GSN, Zynga, Playstudios... Alex co-founded Moonwalk Audio in 2014 and has become a lead audio producer as well as cutting edge sound designer. Alex's sounds have been heard by millions of people
JORIS HOOGSTEDER
JUNIOR COMPOSER/PRODUCER
Joris writes music and likes to make new friends all over the world. He has composed music for videogames, films, commercials, musical theatre and frequently produces pop songs. Being born and raised in a small town in The Netherlands, Joris started out writing musicals for a theatre school, a passion that would develop into a musical career of composing music. After completing his bachelor's degree in MediaMusic, Joris decided to take a big step and move from the Netherlands to Orange County, California, to be involved in even more exciting projects. Joris' duties at Moonwalk are various, including co-writing, additional music, songwriting, production, and score prep
Additional Team
GAAYATRI KAUNDINYA
CONTRIBUTING COMPOSER
Professionally trained in Eastern and Western musical styles, her unique journey has carved out a new space within Hollywood, Bollywood, and the international entertainment industry. G is the voice behind the scores from hit Hollywood films such as Disney's Million Dollar Arm, Dreamworks' Hundred Foot Journey, and Imagine Entertainment's Pelé: Birth of a Legend. Her musical career has taken her to collaborate with notable artists such as Justin Timberlake, Carlos Santana, Angeliqué Kidjo, Jared Leto (30 Seconds To Mars), Chris Blue, Brooke Simpson, and Matt McAndrew. ---
GHIYA RUSHIDAT
Composer Ghiya Rushidat was born in Saudi Arabia, and raised in Jordan. As one of the few female composers of Arab heritage, Ghiya takes pride in shattering stereotypes about women in film music, and about Middle Eastern women in general. Despite a physical attack after a concert in Jordan, this resilient artist continues to share her voice and her emotive and provocative scores with American audiences. She is especially interested in scoring films not traditionally offered to women, such as big action films. In 2014, Ghiya moved to Las Angeles. Upon her arrival, she composed her first Hollywood film, Pen of Mirrors (starring Eric Roberts). Her melodic, dissonant, and layered score quickly gained wide critical acclaim, and has lead to steady work in Hollywood, on films, television, and video games. ---
KEELEY BUMFORD
CONTRIBUTING ARTIST
Keeley Bumford is a singer, songwriter and producer based in Los Angeles, CA. You can hear her artist projects via Dresage (Named one of Grimy Goods' 15 artists to watch in 2019) & More Giraffes, a playful forward thinking pop duo on All Points Records. Her voice, songs and productions have been featured in TV, films and advertisements such as Disney, Windex, UNIQLO, Coca Cola, Apple, Riverdale on The CW, Station 19 on ABC and most recently covering "Sweet Dreams" in the trailer for Disney's "A Wrinkle in Time."
HOLLY MEAD
Holly Mead began playing piano and composing her own songs at the age of seven and never stopped. She holds a BA in jazz studies and has toured internationally, both as a solo artist and with her ensemble. Currently, she composes music for film and games and maintains a teaching studio in the Bay Area. Her compositions have been featured at the San Francisco International Film Festival, the Morris Graves Museum of Art, and as part of Nick Offerman's fundraising campaign for Would Works. She recently published a musical adventure book for beginning pianists called "Rhapsody's Tale".
NIKHIL KOPARKAR
Nikhil Koparkar is a composer, performing artist and multi-instrumentalist who creates compelling scores, songs and sound design for Film, Video Games, TV & VR. His music can be found in feature-films, web-series, games and TV underscore for Discovery Channel/TLC Network. He is the lead composer/arranger for NATURE OF ALL THINGS, an orchestral album featuring folk instruments of India and the Far East. In 2018, he was nominated for a Hollywood Music In Media Award in the “World Music” category for his work on the album. He is currently the sound designer on the highly anticipated sequel to the game, “Clicker Heroes”, which ranks on Steam as one of their top 10 most played games. In 2014, he was the composer for the popular YouTube web-series, “Brownies” which garnered millions of views over it’s three season run. Through both his composition work and his albums, he has been featured in The Huffington Post, Music Connection and AXS.com
GEORGE SANGER
CONTRIBUTING SONGWRITER
Of all the things he’s done professionally, George Alistair Sanger loves songwriting—especially with the Moonwalk team—for being among the most effective and powerful assets he can bring to the game audio table.
Sanger’s hits include such sound-barrier-breaking greats as Loom, Wing Commander I and II, The 7th Guest I and II, NASCAR Racing, Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo, and ATF. He was recording orchestral instruments for games as early as 1992, pressing to raise the quality of the gaming experience by using live instruments, lyrics, music videos, and digital recordings in games when they had not been used before. He was Audio Director and first audio hire of the AR pioneers at Magic Leap, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Game Audio Network Guild (GANG) in 2015. Sanger currently leads audio for Soulstorm, the long-anticipated epic follow-up to the beloved series of Oddworld games.
BEV AND CLIFF NELSON
Bev and Cliff Nelson are not only songwriting partners, but also married. The pair has been Coordinators of the Los Angeles N.S.A.I. (Nashville Songwriters Association International), Orange County N.S.A.I., the OC9 Music Group, and currently are part of a new team of successful and award winning songwriters at The Song Benefactory. Cliff and Bev have had publishing deals both in Los Angeles and Nashville. The team has had radio airplay on major country stations, and on Sirius/XM radio. They have had their music played by ESPN for Major League Baseball, College Football, and the National Hockey League. They have written songs for a television commercial, podcasts, video games, a Disney pilot, independent films, and numerous independent cuts. They have had their songs featured in numerous theater productions in Los Angeles and surrounding area. They wrote a musical in which all of the music was co-written by them. They completed a song for the United Way charity that was featured at their anniversary celebration. Cliff has had the opportunity to be a sound engineer for Motown legends The Four Tops at a charity event , and was also offered a contract, along with his band, to be on the television show Nashville Star. Cliff and Bev have worked on various musical projects, for many years, with Kraft-Engel Music Producer, Adam Gubman.
Home | Portfolio | About | Services | Contact
info@moonwalkaudio.com
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Benjamin Folke Thomas – Acoustic Classics Live
July 13, 2017 Samuel Marshall 2017, Album, Benjamin Folke Thomas, Review
Just a few months after the release of his critically acclaimed third studio album, Copenhagen. Benjamin Folke Thomas releases the “live” album, Acoustic Classics. A collection of tracks incorporating all three studio albums, as well as live favourites, which reflects Thomas’ solo live shows.
The album was recorded in Thomas’ living room, with Ben taking the roles of singer, guitarist and audience! It’s a worthwhile exercise, especially if, like me, you’ve been unable to catch any of live performances, solely due to him not having ventured far enough north. As an overall album, Acoustic Classics works well as it showcases some Thomas’ best songs in the light that I would expect they had been originally conceived. Each of the three studio LPs are represented and the live track ‘Sex Addict’ is a welcome new number, to me at least.
There is a concept to the album which sees Thomas’ adopting the persona of a classic country crooner, exemplified by the album artwork and well, shall we say enhanced by the singer’s jokes between songs. I suppose this concept could be described as unnecessary but it adds to the feel of the songs, the schmaltziness is disarming, especially given some of these songs focus on love, loss, heartbreak and despair, definitely a throwback to country classics.
You could argue as to whether such an album, while representative of live performances, actually adds anything worthwhile to a collection. Where Acoustic Classics avoids that particular pitfall is in the working of the actual tracks. For example ‘Finn’, the outstanding single from Copenhagen is also the standout track here. It is however a different beast in this setting. Thomas’ finger pick guitar and baritone vocal manage to make an already emotional song become all the more morose. It’s a strong case of less is more and really highlights how effective one man and a guitar can be.
For me, Acoustic Classics is probably best described as a gateway to Benjamin Folke Thomas. With the three studio LPs covered there is more than enough to tempt any new listeners into exploring the back catalogue, or to catch a live show. For those who are already familiar with the artist, you will have here an endearing and lasting view of a very gifted performer.
Acoustic Classics was released on July 10th
and can be purchased here
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How old is Elizabeth Gillies?
Elizabeth Gillies was born on 26 July 1993.
Elizabeth Gillies is 25 years old.
How old is Elizabeth Gillies in days now?
Elizabeth Gillies is 25 years 11 months 22 days old.
When is the next birthday of Elizabeth Gillies?
Elizabeth Gillies's next birthday is in 8 days.
What is the zodiac sign of Elizabeth Gillies?
Zodiac sign of Elizabeth Gillies is Leo.
Elizabeth Gillies is an American musician and actress. She was born in 1993 in New Jersey and her grandparents were of Irish and Italian origins. In the mid-2000s she was discovered by TV commercial scouts and began appearing in advertisements including the ones of cell phone operators. In 2007 Liz appeared in a few episodes of "The Black Donnellys", and the next year she had successful TV film debut as an actress, in the films "Harold" and "The Clique". Gillies started appearing on Broadway in the musical "13". In 2010 she managed to obtain the main role in TV series "Victorious", which she combined with working as a part of "Winx Club" animated series. In 2015-2016 Liz became popular with the main role in "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" TV series. Currently, she is involved in "Dynasty" as one of the main characters, Fallon Carrington. Among her notable cinema roles, the ones in "Animal" and "Vacation" (with Christina Applegate and Chris Hemsworth) can be mentioned. As a musician, Elizabeth Gillies recorded a dozen songs and videos, which include her collaboration with Ariana Grande.
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How old is Robert Downey Jr.?
Robert Downey Jr. was born on 4 April 1965.
Robert Downey Jr. is 54 years old.
How old is Robert Downey Jr. in days now?
Robert Downey Jr. is 54 years 3 months 14 days old.
When is the next birthday of Robert Downey Jr.?
Robert Downey Jr.'s next birthday is in 8 months 17 days.
What is the zodiac sign of Robert Downey Jr.?
Zodiac sign of Robert Downey Jr. is Aries.
Robert Downey Jr. is a famous American actor and musician, born in 1965 in New York, in a family of independent film director Robert Downey Sr. He received his first cinema role at the age of 5 when he joined his father's movie cast and played a role of a puppy. In the late 1980s, his first serious cinema performances were in sci-fi movies like "Less Than Zero" or "Weird Science". He took part in a TV project, Saturday Night Live, but did not actually like working for the TV and decided to focus on cinema roles. In 1992, he played the main role of Chaplin movie, which brought the young actor an Academy Award Nomination and the national recognition. This was followed by his brilliant performance in "Natural Born Killers" and "Richard III". During the late 1990s Downey's career was in decline, but closer to the early 2000s he started receiving invitations to various serious cinema projects like "Gothika", "A Scanner Darkly", "Zodiac", etc. Starting from 2008, Downey started being involved in all the cinema movies related to "Iron Man", one of the most popular Marvel Comics characters, including the movies like "Avengers", "Spiderman", "Captain America", and others. Many of Downey fans also appreciate his work in the movie "Sherlock Holmes" directed by Guy Ritchie, where he portrayed the famous character in an amazingly characteristic manner. Downey is a Buddhist and a great fan of astrology. He is very much interested in music and in 2004 he recorded the album, Futurist. He is a political and social activist. Downey was married twice and has 3 children.
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Tony Juniper and Natural England
‘We have the power’
BY KATIE - MYGREENPOD, 05 May '19
New Unearthed series reveals why the destruction of nature is ‘as important as climate change’
‘The loss of biodiversity and the degradation of nature is equally important as human-induced climate change’. That’s what Sir Bob Watson, formerly head of the UN climate body the IPCC who now heads up its sister organisation the Intergovernmental Panel for Biodiversity and Ecosystem services (IPBES), told Unearthed in a new interview.
He made the comments as part of a new series by Greenpeace’s digital journalism project. The series – Life Support – comes ahead of what Watson has called ‘the most comprehensive assessment on the state of nature and humanity’s place in it’ – and the first to involve governments from around the world who are gathering in Paris this week to discuss it.
It will investigate key risks from an ecological collapse including the impact on food production, protection from natural disasters and further fuelling climate change.
The series includes extracts from interviews with leading scientists and commentators including:
IPBES chair Sir Bob Watson: ‘Since the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, we’ve largely wasted 25 years arguing with these subjects rather than dealing with them. And each of the issues – loss of biodiversity, climate change and others like land degradation – have all got worse in those 25 years.’
Environmental journalist George Monbiot argues the media have ignored the collapse of nature: ‘What I perceive in public opinion is a great appetite to discover what’s happening to the only planet which supports life, and what’s happening to our life support systems on this planet. What I perceive within the media is a great appetite not to know anything about it.’
The lead author of the most up-to-date assessment about the dependency of global food production on insect and animal pollination, Dr Alexandra-Maria Klein from the University of Freiburg. Asked what insects declines could mean for the future of the human species, she told Unearthed: ‘It’s hard to say because I don’t know what’s happening in the future and how much genome editing we have or how much other solutions we have, but at the moment I would say without insects we will not survive for a very long time… But don’t think about pollinators, think about soils organisms and all these functions that are in the soil. When we don’t have the insects or the organisms there, then the soils are not functioning any more. And then we have a really intensive agricultural landscape, without any organisms in the soil, any organisms above soil. It will not function at one point, and then it is not possible to produce any crops.’
Dr Anna Belcher from the British Antarctic Survey, who highlights the need to protect ocean ecosystems which play a role in carbon sequestration: ‘It’s one big system. We’ve got to consider it from the surface to the seabed so any pressures that we mentioned like fishing and mining we have to understand – so before we go and tamper with these systems we need to understand how sustainable they are in terms of the numbers and the biodiversity but also in terms of how much carbon they might take up.’
Dr Lynn Dicks, a leading sustainable agriculture ecologist at the University of East Anglia. Referring to a German study published in October 2017, she warns that: ‘If you have a 75% decline over that period of time, that rate of decline cannot go on. If that is really happening everywhere and is not an anomaly of that particular place, then we really are facing a crisis, and we need to do something about that which is extremely urgent.’
Prof Daniel Pauly, one of the world’s most cited fisheries scientists, warned that the development of a deep sea mining industry ‘cannot be sustainable because they [the nodules at the bottom of the ocean] take millions of years to grow.’ He told Unearthed: There is going to be a triangle of mud raining down – if there is no current – on organisms that do not have the mechanisms to free themselves… These organisms at the bottom of the deep ocean cannot handle having a rain of mud on them. So they will desertify an entire landscape. Coral reefs for example cannot handle mud falling on them. They can handle some impurities but they cannot handle a rain of mud.’
Other scientists included in the series include:
Prof Sebsebe Demissew, professor of plant systematics and biodiversity at Addis Ababa University, the first African foreign member of the Royal Society and a member of IPBES’ management committee for the latest assessment.
Dr Harindra Joseph Fernando, an engineer who specialises in the movement of water at the University of Notre Dame who did groundbreaking work on the protective role of coral reefs in the 2004 tsunami.
Prof Garry Peterson, head of sustainability science at the Stockholm Resilience Centre.
Dr Carly Vynne Baker, strategic partner at Resolve and co-author on the Global Deal for Nature study.
As scientists gathered in Paris, four videos were released last week on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday – with a long-read feature on Monday to coincide with the release of the IBES report.
Click here to find out more about the value of nature.
Climate change Armageddon?
Bison: the official US icon
Positive investment
NOW Exhibition
An ecological emergency
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We have wondered this about warts, colds and crabgrass and now each time a hurricane enters the Gulf of Mexico we ask the same about the storms, “why can’t they make them go away?” In fact, “they” have tried.…
Maria vs. The Boys
This being the week of the Major League All-Star game brings to mind one of those moments when baseball worked its magic. It happened during a Zephyrs’ game (back when the team was still called by that name) several…
England Swings: Bonding For Britain
In this the week of our nation’s annual celebration of independence from England I am feeling sorry for the mother country. England’s historic greatness cannot be denied but the country is now at war with itself over the Brexit…
Goodbye Newhouses; And Now The Change
If you’re nostalgic about these kinds of things keep your editions of The Times-Picayune this week, or at least save next Sunday’s copy because that will be the last edition of the newspaper printed in the Newhouse era. Beginning…
Parade Unrest: Making Moves in Jefferson Parish
There were two revealing news stories about Carnival coming out of Jefferson Parish last week. One came from a report in The Times-Picayune based on a public records request. The report gave results of the Mike Yenni administration’s review…
Parading In The Summer: What We Learned From The Nyx Plan
Seldom has a non-event provided so many examples of what not to do. There were plenty reasons for the Krewe of Nyx’s proposal to stage a summer parade in July to be dismissed. LaToya Cantrell did the right thing…
Nyx On Parade
Last week, the Krewe of Nyx announced that it would break Carnival tradition by staging a summer version of its parade to be held in July in addition to its regular Carnival season march. This was supposed to be…
The Advocate Buys The Picayune
On a weekday afternoon in June 2012 Allen Toussaint drove his vintage Cadillac into the parking lot at Rock and Bowl on South Carrollton Avenue where anxious fans escorted him to a keyboard placed on a makeshift stage. Toussaint…
Top 5 Live Music Peeves
In this the year’s biggest month of music here’s my list of "Five Top Live Music Peeves." Just to be dramatic, they're listed in ascending order from five to number one. 5. Performers who introduce one of their standards by…
A Quirky But Holy Good Friday Stop
I once had a conversation with Tom Benson about the neighborhood where he grew up. His parish church was Our Lady Star of the Sea located on St. Roch Street, not far from St. Claude Avenue, in Bywater. Benson…
Zephyr Stories
Last week the team formerly known as the New Orleans Zephyrs but now called the Baby Cakes opened what will likely be its final season here. The franchise, so it has been announced, will be moving to Wichita, Kansas where…
Tennessee's Brother
Legends of Dakin Williams
The Season of Fire and Water
Random Thoughts About Carnival 2019
How New Orleans Saved The Altars
From the first St. Joseph’s Day altar I ever attended, as a kid, I recall an elderly Sicilian lady who explained why she built an altar. One night, she said, she saw a small apparition of Saint Joseph who…
How Irish Coffee Created A Stir
The Plane Truth
I once worked in an office where on the day after Mardi Gras I noticed the two girls at the front desk each had ashen crosses on their forehead. At first I thought it was touching that they had gone…
Zulu's Greatest Moments
Tough Stands On Public Issues
Moon Pies Over New Orleans
Moon Pies were not invented in New Orleans, but they should have been. The confection has a New Orleans quality to it – decadent and excessive. Because they are factory wrapped in cellophane the marshmallow sandwiches are legal to toss from carnival…
The Wild West At The Time Of Rex
Feb. 13, 1872 – New Orleans For George Armstrong Custer the occasion of the first Rex parade on Feb. 13, 1872 was one of the few marches in his life in which he was a spectator and not a…
When Rex Met Aida
There are more connections then you might think
The Truth About Carnival's Colors
Everything else you've heard is wrong
Saints Robbed By Refs: We Need Inspiration From Tom Benson
Try not to think about it too much. What happened to the Saints was unfair. There are some people in this world who are occasionally blind to pass interference. But if we must think back about the game we…
Quintessential Carnival
I once had a conversation with a man who was an official of the Knights of Hermes. He was effusive about the group’s upcoming parade. “It will be the most beautiful ever,” he exclaimed. He also mentioned the parade’s…
3 Years When Mardi Gras Helped Save the City
This year marks the 40th anniversary of a season in which Carnival helped save the city from outside forces and general greed. What happened that year, 1979, was way beyond street level frivolity but a gritty example of civic…
Weekly Commentary with New Orleans Magazine’s Errol Laborde
Errol Laborde holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of New Orleans and is the editor-in-chief of Renaissance Publishing. In that capacity he serves as editor/associate publisher of New Orleans Magazineand editor/publisher ofLouisiana Life magazine.
Errol is also a producer and a regular panelist on Informed Sources, a weekly news discussion program broadcast on public television station WYES-TV, Channel 12. Errol is a three-time winner of the Alex Waller Award, the highest award given in print journalism by the Press Club of New Orleans. He also received the National and City Regional Magazine Association Award for Best Column for his New Orleans Magazine column, beating out 76 city magazines across the country. In 2013, Errol received the award for the "Best News Affiliated Blog," awarded by the Press Club of New Orleans.
Errol’s most recent books are Krewe: The Early Carnival from Comus to Zulu and Marched the Day God: A History of the Rex Organization. In his free time he enjoys playing tennis and traveling with his wife, Peggy, to anywhere they can get away to, but some of his favorite spots are the Caribbean and historic locations around Louisiana. You can reach Errol at (504) 830-7235 or errol@myneworleans.com.
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Throneberry Law Group Home
Contact Throneberry Law Group
YOUR PEACE OF MIND
We Provide Aggressive Representation and Compassionate Support for Mesothelioma and Asbestos Cancer Victims
Asbestos Exposure by State
Hawaii Mesothelioma
Hawaii Asbestos Attorney
At The Throneberry Law Group, we are committed to providing tireless legal representation to people who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma. Unlike many other law firms, we have a personal connection to mesothelioma. Our principal attorney lost his father-in-law to the terrible disease, so we approach each case with an understanding of just how difficult losing a loved one to mesothelioma can be.
We have helped numerous people throughout Hawaii obtain the compensation that they deserve from the parties that exposed them to asbestos. Some of the clients that we have helped have lived in Hilo, Honolulu, Kailua, Kahului, Kaneohe, Pearl City, and Waipahu.
Unfortunately, many people who live in Hawaii are exposed to asbestos on a daily basis. While some people are exposed to asbestos in their homes, others are exposed to asbestos while on the job. Workers involved in shipping, agriculture, the military, and power plants are at significant risk of being harmed by asbestos. Even officer workers and school teachers are at risk of being diagnosed with mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure.
Exposure to Asbestos at Power Plants in Hawaii
Due to its fire and heat resistant properties, many power plants used asbestos prior to the discovery that the substance caused several deadly types of cancer. As a result, asbestos can still be found in various pieces of heavy machinery including boilers, tanks, and turbines.
Oil Refineries in Hawaii and the Risk of Asbestos
Much like power plants, oil refineries in Hawaii also utilized asbestos due to its heat-resistant properties. Today, oil refinery workers are still at risk of being diagnosed with mesothelioma. One of the locations in Hawaii where workers must be careful about exposure to asbestos is the Chevron facility located at Barber’s point.
Shipyards in Hawaii and Asbestos Exposure
Many workers in Hawaii’s maritime industry have been exposed to asbestos over the years because the material was once used as insulation in ships as well as in numerous pieces of machinery including boilers, gaskets, and bumps. One location in Hawaii where workers are known to have been exposed to asbestos is the Pearl Harbor Shipyard on the island of Oahu.
The Risk of Exposure to Asbestos for Hawaii Residents
Asbestos-containing materials are encountered by many people on the islands of Hawaii on a daily basis. This is because asbestos was once used in many types of construction materials including insulation and floor tiles. It is important to understand, however, that asbestos is not dangerous unless it is disrupted. If asbestos is moved, however, there is a risk that fibers from the substance can end up in the lining of a person’s abdomen or lungs.
Speak With a Mesothelioma Lawyer Today
No matter where you are located in Hawaii, if you are unable to travel, our legal counsel will come to you. During your free initial consultation we will discuss your various options to pursue compensation from the parties responsible for your cancer diagnosis. We collect no fee unless we obtain compensation for you, which means you have nothing to lose from filing a lawsuit against the parties that harmed you.
From start to finish, we will remain committed to obtaining the compensation that you deserve. Contact our law office today by either calling (888) 506-1131 or reaching out to us online to schedule a free consultation.
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Occupations and Asbestos
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You are the reason my mother was able to cope with losing a loved one. You and your staff are always helpful and go above and beyond to help. You have been great to my family and especially my mother. My mother would always come out of your office with a peace of mind. R.S.
We are so appreciative of the results Michael Throneberry got for us! Michael Throneberry and the attorneys we worked with were focused on our peace of mind and seemed to care for my family and me as if we were family. They truly get it. We were thrilled with the result and would recommend this firm to anyone. M.S.
During one of my family's darkest and trying times, Michael Throneberry was there to provide help. His personal experience with mesothelioma made certain that he advised us like family. Thank you, you are wonderful. Do yourself a favor and let him help you during this trying time. He is a true 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. T.S.
Michael Throneberry gave me a whole new outlook on attorneys'! A very caring person who was more concerned with my health than a case. Truly unexpected! He explained possible conditions in english and even found the right doctors in my area. Prepared me for the right questions to ask the doctors so that I can understand my illness better. A great person and a great human being! Thank you. Greg
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Air Force Seeks $100 Million for Rocket Rivalry
FARNBOROUGH, England -- The U.S. Air Force’s top civilian said she wants $100 million in funding this year to hold a rocket launch competition earlier than planned.
The move may benefit start-up rocket-maker Space Exploration Technologies Corp., known as SpaceX and headed by billionaire Elon Musk, which recently sued the service in an attempt to break into a military market dominated by a Lockheed Martin Corp.-Boeing Co. joint venture.
The venture, known as the United Launch Alliance LLC, is the government’s sole provider of medium- and heavy-lift launches of military and spy satellites under a program called the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle. The Air Force funding transfer is part of a larger request the Pentagon submitted this week to Congress for permission to shift $4.3 billion in the fiscal 2014 defense budget.
“It is meant to be the resources that, if it's approved, would allow us to do a competitive launch earlier on,” Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said during a briefing with reporters at the Farnborough International Air Show outside London.
The money would add to the launch manifest another mission, the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program-20, raising the number of liftoffs to six, according to a copy of the budget reprogramming request. The service began the competition on Wednesday with a request for proposals from interested companies, according to a separate release, and plans to award a contract during the next fiscal year.
“This request provides an additional opportunity for EELV new entrants to compete for an EELV mission in FY 2015,” the reprogramming document states.
SpaceX is expected to receive formal certification from the Air Force to launch national-security payloads by the end of the year or early next year, James said at the show. The company last week announced that the service had qualified the third and final Falcon 9 launch necessary for certification.
“They reached an important milestone in the process for certification, but it’s not certification,” she said.
The additional program funding wouldn’t impact the Air Force’s existing contract with the United Launch Alliance to supply through 2017 at least 36 booster cores – the main component of a rocket including the engine, according to the document.
While the Pentagon praised the so-called block buy for helping to lock in prices and curb rising launch costs, SpaceX criticized the agreement, saying it blocked the company from competing for missions to launch GPS satellites and other medium-size spacecraft.
The Hawthorne, California-based firm in April sued the Air Force in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C., to challenge the contract. The government earlier this month filed a motion to dismiss the complaint.
“This exclusive deal unnecessarily costs U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars and defers meaningful free competition for years to come,” Musk said in a statement at the time. “We are simply asking that SpaceX and any other qualified domestic launch providers be allowed to compete in the EELV program for any and all missions that they could launch.”
Some lawmakers concerned over the EELV’s estimated price tag of $70 billion through 2030 made similar arguments. Sen. John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, went so far as to describe the multi-year order as “cronyism.”
“This smacks of the cronyism that we saw in the first tanker contract that ended up in a major scandal,” he said during a congressional hearing in April.
McCain was referring to the Air Force’s initial deal with Chicago-based Boeing for a fleet of new refueling aircraft. The agreement was canceled in 2004 amid a scandal involving Boeing’s chief financial officer, Michael Sears, who offered a job to the Air Force’s top procurement official, Darleen Druyun, during negotiations. Both were sentenced to serve jail time.
Frank Kendall, the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer, has defended block buy and described it as the result of “very successful” negotiations with the contractor.
“That contract is at a much better price than we had anticipated in our previous budgeting,” he said during the same hearing. “We saved on the order of $3 billion.”
At a time of rising tensions between the U.S. and Russia over the latter’s invasion and subsequent annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region, SpaceX’s lawsuit drew attention to the fact that the U.S. military launch program uses the Russian-made RD-180 engine on the Atlas V rocket.
At one point, the judge in the case issued an injunction preventing the government from buying the first-stage engine made by Moscow-based NPO Energomash. The order was lifted after federal agencies certified the payments didn’t violate sanctions against Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia’s space sector who was among the Russian officials sanctioned by the White House.
In response, Rogozin threatened to stop supplying the U.S. with the RD-180 engine, though Pentagon and company officials said orders were still being filled.
United Launch Alliance blamed SpaceX for having “created unnecessary distractions, threatened U.S. military satellite operations, and undermined our future relationship with the International Space Station.”
The Pentagon’s reprogramming request would also shift $27 million to develop an American-made alternative to the RD-180 engine. “These efforts will be used to advance cost-effective options with industry to eliminate reliance on foreign manufactured engine,” the document states.
Air Force Topics DoDBuzz DoDBuzz
Air Force: Rescue Team Helps Injured Mexican Fishermen
The U.S. Air Force says airmen from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base parachuted into the Pacific Ocean on July 10.
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USCGC Eagle (WIX-327)
Three-Masted Sail Training Barque
SHIPS-IN-CLASS
The USCGC Eagle training ship was originally commissioned by Nazi Germany in 1936 and taken as a war prize by the Americans in 1946.
ORIGIN: United States
SHIP CLASS: Eagle
SHIPS-IN-CLASS (1): USCGC Eagle (WIX-327)
OPERATORS: United States
Unless otherwise noted the presented statistics below pertain to the base USCGC Eagle (WIX-327) design. Common measurements, and their respective conversions, are shown when possible.
CREW / COMPLEMENT: 250
PROPULSION: (1936): 1 x Burmeister and Wain (Elmer) diesel engine (1946): 1 x MAN diesel auxiliary motor developing 550 horsepower and driving 1 x shaft; (1965): 1 x Maschinenfabrik-Augsburg-Nurnberg diesel direct reversible engine with reduction gear developing 750 horsepower; (1980): 1 x Caterpillar D399 diesel engine developing 1,200 horsepower to 1 x shaft; 3 x Masts for 23 x Sails of 22,300sq ft area.
miles-per-hour
(Essentially)
As Built:
8 x 20mm Anti-Aircraft (AA) Guns
After 1946:
No Armament Fitted.
Detailing the development and operational history of the USCGC Eagle (WIX-327) Three-Masted Sail Training Barque. Entry last updated on 7/19/2017. Authored by JR Potts, AUS 173d AB. Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com.
German leader Adolf Hitler was pressing the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) to increase the number of naval officers for his impending war plans so an additional tall ship was needed to support the Barque Segelschulschiff Gorch Foch used in training naval cadets. The shipbuilder chosen was Blohm und Voss and the vessel was formally commissioned at the Hamburg dock on September 17th, 1936 as the "Horst Wessel". The Horst Wessel was named after a Nazi party member and SA Storm Trooper that killed in a street brawl with Communists in 1930. Hitler, and a number of his personal bodyguards with staff, were aboard for the commissioning ceremony.
The Horst Wessel served as flagship of the Kriegsmarine sail training fleet home-porting out of Bluecher Piers Kiel, Germany. The fleet consisted of Gorch Fock, Albert Leo Schlageter and Horst Wessel. The Horst Wessel combined a traditional three-masted barque with a modern steel hull rather than wood. The Foremast was 147.3 feet (44.9 meters) high with square sails, the Mainmast at 147.3 feet (44.9 meters) high (also square sails) and the Mizzenmast measuring 132 feet (40.2 meters) high, though with gaff rigging. She carried twenty-two total sails across her three masts as well as sails on her bowsprite, this with a total sail area of 2,070 meters squared (22,300 feet squared). Under sail, the Horst Wessel managed 17 knots (31 km/h) and about 7.5 knots when using her diesel engine. She featured a running length of 295 feet (89 meters) with a width of 40 feet (12 meters) and a draught of 17 feet (5.2 meters). All told, she displaced at 1,750 tons under full load as built.
USCGC Eagle (WIX-327) (Cont'd)
For defense the vessel fielded 8 x 20mm anti-aircraft (AA) guns, two on the bridge wings, two on the foredeck and two quad mounts on the waist deck - the upper deck amidships. The ship's hull was constructed of steel four-tenths of an inch thick while having a raised forecastle and quarterdeck. The weather decks were three-inch-thick teak over steel decks. The entire ship has two full length steel decks with a platform deck below. Crew quarters were below for 300 as well as adequate machine spaces for the auxiliary diesel engine, fresh water supplies and fuel stores. A complete kitchen, dishwashing station, shower and waste facilities were state of the art for 1936.
After her commissioning in 1936, the Horst Wessel was assigned as a training ship for the German naval under-officers in basic seamanship. The training of the cadets sailed Horst Wessel on a number of foreign voyages, visiting Edinburgh, England and Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. Braving the North Sea, she also docked at the Norwegian port of Kristiansand and the crew looked forward to the cool breezes and warm nights at the port of Havana, Cuba. At the outbreak of war in September of 1939, the Horst Wessel was assigned to the marine training officer candidate's station in Stralsund, Germany for 1940. In 1941, she was a stationary training ship placed in reserve alongside a tender ship. However, by mid-May 1941, Horst Wessel again was assigned to training cadets for sea duty. Some reports indicate that during training cruises, after war had been declared, her crew shot down three Soviet aircraft. Also a German aircraft was shot down in error due to the German pilot having used incorrect radio codes indicating it was not a Luftwaffe aircraft. The pilot was rescued by the crew of the windjammer.
Late in the war, she was put in reserve at Kiel. A small crew and Kapitanleutnant Berthold Schnibbe was assigned to remain onboard and, in late 1945, British Allied forces entered Kiel and took position of Horst Wessel and her sister ship, Albert Leo Schlageter, that had been damaged by the allies. The German crew was interned and a drawing was held with the United States ending up with the Horst Wessel as a war prize. In January of 1946, the US Coast Guard sent a small crew with Commander Gordon P. McGowan from the United States to Bremerhaven, Germany to take charge of one of the German tall ships. Commander McGowan was to choose one of the ships being held by the British, who had no use for them, and informed the American Navy two tall ships were available. The Coast Guard charged Captain McGowan to choose the best ship available and find local resources to overhaul her and acquire needed stores to outfit her for the return trip to the United States.
Upon arrival in Bremerhaven, Captain McGowan contacted the British and made his way to their sector assigned by Allied Command. Two chief petty officers accompanied McGowan to inspect the two ships docked at Bluecher Piers. The decision McGowan had to make, with the advice from the chiefs, was between the Horst Wessel and the Albert Leo Schlageter. The Albert Leo Schlageter was less seaworthy of the two ships. Her lower decks had water damage due to the ship being hit by a mine. McGowen chose the Horst Wessel because, overall, she seemed to need less work to make her seaworthy. The British had the German ship's crew in a POW camp and offered McGowen the men to help in making the crossing to the United States. Captain McGowen took charge of the ship and commissioned her into the United States Coast Guard as the "Cutter Eagle" on May 15th, 1946.
The decision on what to name the newest Coast Guard Cutter reverted back to the earliest days after the American Revolution. The War Department, in 1790, by the order of George Washington, created a new service to combat an ongoing threat called the Revenue Marine. Smugglers were costing the United States much-needed tax dollars for goods entering the rivers and ports on the east coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. The new service needed ships and the USRC Eagle was one of the first 10 cutters built in the United States. The Revenue Marine would become the Revenue Cutter Service that developed into United States Coast Guard, becoming the oldest American maritime service. The Coast Guard chose to honor the three-masted barque war prize with a truly American name, the USCGC Eagle, IMO number: 6109973.
The figurehead on the Horst Wessel was the German Eagle with wings open with its talons holding a circular disk embossed with the Hakenkreuz, or Swastika. The figurehead was replaced and, today, remains a gold Eagle in flight, having five levels of feathers under the open wing with an open beak holding a circular disk in its talons displaying the Coast Guard Seal. The differences between the two eagles lay in the German version appearing to stand with its wings open showing four levels of feathers under the wing and it also featured a closed beak.
The Coast Guard crew spent a lot of time cleaning the engine room. Also the name tags indicating the engine room functions were in German and no one on the American crew could read them. The work was slow and, while working on the engine, they found the block was cracked. McGowen called around and found engine parts in Hamburg and sent a crewman to pick up the spare parts. A major problem that slowed the work was there were no manuals on board for the ships functions. However, with time, the engine was repaired with some help translating the German on the pipes and dials by local German citizens.
By the time Captain McGowen felt the ship was ready for sea the Eagle had settled in the mud so it was necessary for the tides to refloat her. To maneuver by diesel out of the mine-laden Bremerhaven harbor, the British provided a minesweeper escort. Once she had cleared the harbor, her first stop was England. McGowen was in no hurry to make port - his German and American crew needed some time to get accustomed to the ship and each other. Arriving at the port of Falmouth, England, the German crew was kept aboard under guard while she took on stores, fresh water and topped off the fuel tank. After 48 hours in England, Eagle weighed anchor and sailed for the port of Funichal, Portugal. From this port, Captain McGowen had decided to follow the course used by Christopher Columbus on his voyage to the new world. McGowen could not pay his crew for two months due to a lack of funds available from the Coast Guard. The American crew sold some excess clothing to the locals in Funichal for shore leave money.
During the Atlantic crossing, the Eagle ran into a hurricane that lasted for about 24 hours. The Eagle was underway by diesel power with the royal set sails unfurled on all three masts. The rigging was in a poor state as the wind and heavy seas increased. The concern was turning the ship from a following sea into the wind to ride the storm out. Waves were breaking over the decks in two feet swells. Safety lines were tied the length of the ship to keep men from being washed overboard. The need was to furl sails from fouled rigging so when the ship made her turn the vessel would not heal over and swamp. One of the German POW crew members understood the danger and volunteered to go aloft and unfoul the rigging. This brave act allowed McGowen to turn Eagle into the sea which righted the ship.
The rest of the voyage was without major incident and Eagle sailed into New York harbor to Orangeburg, New York. Orangeburg was the home to Camp Shanks, the largest Army camp on the East coast used to embark American soldiers to England. Ships on the return trip brought POW's back to the states for internment at Camp Shanks. After the German crew disembarked the Eagle, the German crew were turned over to the MPs at the camp. Eagle then proceeded to her new home at New London, Connecticut, home of the Coast Guard Academy.
The Coast Guard Academy was founded in 1876 with a starting class of nine cadets using the Revenue Cutter Dobbin as a training ship - housing and classrooms all in one. The Dobbin was a sister ship to the namesake cutter Eagle. Since 1946 to today, the Eagle is the only active commissioned sailing vessel in the US maritime services. The Eagle continues to serve as a seagoing classroom for the cadets of the US Coast Guard Academy. The Freshman year has seven weeks before class room instruction begins called "Swab Summer". The last week is scheduled for seamanship when 175 cadets and upper classmen instructors board the tall ship Eagle. The young men and women cadets get their first example of life at sea. The week is tough, hard work learning in the use and purpose of 20,000 square feet of sail and 5 miles of rigging. They steer the vessel with sexton and with the wood wheel helm and learn the decks and rigging to furl and unfurl the sails. The cadets must learn the names of the more than 200 rope lines needed to maneuver the ship.
Eagle has participated in OpSail events over the decades like the World's fair in 1964, the US Bicentennial in 1976 plus the centennial celebration for the Statue of liberty in 1986. Her latest voyage was to New York City in June 2012 for the Bicentennial of the War of 1812. She also visits ports all over the world showing the flag and her sharp lines of times past.
All photography courtesy of JR Potts, AUS 173d AB.
Credit: Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
Modern Navies
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Mark’s No Fly Zone Facebook Contest 2 X head to toe No Fly Zone outfits and 1 X $100 Mark’s gift card to giveaway Official Rules and Regulations
The “Mark’s No Fly Zone Facebook Contest” contest (the "Contest") is intended to be conducted in Canada (excluding the province of Quebec) and shall be construed and evaluated according to applicable Canadian law. Participants must be 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. Void in whole or part where prohibited by law. Entry in this Contest constitutes acceptance of these Contest rules (the "Contest Rules").
1. The Contest sponsor is Mark's Work Wearhouse Ltd. ("Mark's" or the "Sponsor") with its head office located at Unit #110 – 205 Quarry Park Blvd. SE, Calgary, AB T2C 3E7. This Contest is also administered by the Sponsor. Any questions, comments or complaints must be directed to the Sponsor.
2. To be eligible for this Contest, an individual must: (a) be a legal resident of Canada (excluding Quebec); (b) 18 years of age or older in their province or territory of residence at the time of entry; and (c) have an active Facebook account.
3. Employees of the Sponsor, its affiliates, subsidiaries, related companies, advertising and promotional agencies, and the immediate family members and household members of any of the above, are not eligible to participate in the Contest.
4. The Sponsor shall have the right at any time to require proof of identity and/or eligibility to participate in the Contest. Failure to provide such proof may result in disqualification. All personal and other information requested by and supplied to the Sponsor for the purpose of the Contest must be truthful, complete, accurate and in no way misleading. The Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion; to disqualify any entrant should such an entrant at any stage supply untruthful, incomplete, inaccurate or misleading personal details and/or information.
CONTEST PERIOD
1. The Contest begins on July 2, 2019 at 9:00 AM Mountain Standard Time ("MST") and ends on July 4, 2019 at 11:59 PM MST (the "Contest Period") after which time the Contest will be closed and no further entries shall be accepted.
5. There is no purchase necessary to enter the Contest. Enter using the method of entry outlined below. No entries will be accepted by any other means.
6. During the Contest Period: (a) like the Contest Facebook post; and (b) follow @MarksClothing on Facebook for your chance to win. Once you have successfully completed the foregoing steps, you will receive one (1) entry into the Contest (an "Entry").
7. Limit of one (1) entry per person per Entry Period during the Contest Period.
8. To participate in the Contest, you must be a registered member of Facebook. If you do not have an account, visit www.facebook.com and create an account in accordance with the instructions.
9. If it is discovered by the Sponsor (using any evidence or other information made available to or otherwise discovered by the Sponsor) that any person has attempted to: use multiple names, identities, email addresses and/or any automated, macro, script, robotic or other system(s) or program(s) to enter or otherwise participate in or disrupt this Contest; then he/she may be disqualified from the Contest in the sole and absolute discretion of the Sponsor.
10. In the event of a dispute, online entries will be deemed to have been submitted by the authorized account holder of the email address submitted at the time of entry. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the person who is assigned an email address by an internet provider, online service provider, or other organization (e.g. business, educational institute etc.) that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address. If the identity of an online entrant is disputed, the authorized account holder associated with the email account at the time of entry will be deemed to be the entrant. An entrant may be required to provide the Sponsor with proof that she or he is the authorized account holder of the email address associated with the winning entry.
11. By participating in this Contest, entrant acknowledges, represents and warrants that: (a) the Entry does not contain any material that is libelous, defamatory, profane or obscene and does not violate any laws relating to hate speech or otherwise; (b) the Entry is an original Entry, solely created by the entrant, and that no third party participated as an author, co-author, photographer or otherwise in the creation of the Entry or any part thereof and that all right, title, and interest (including copyright) therein and thereto and is owned and/or controlled by the entrant to the full extent necessary to enable the Sponsor to use the Entry as contemplated by these Contest Rules; (c) the Entry does not infringe upon the intellectual property or other statutory or common law rights of any third party; and (d) if applicable, any minor shown in the Entry and the submission of the Entry is made with the consent of a parent and/or legal guardian of such minor.
12. You agree that the Sponsor may, at any time, edit, modify or remove the Entry, in whole or in part, and may disqualify an entrant from the Contest if the Sponsor believes, in its sole discretion, that the entrant has breached any of the representations and warranties made above including, without limitation, on the basis of concerns relating to the rights of third parties, including but not limited to privacy, copyright, defamation, rights of personality, obscenity or hate speech.
13. All Entries become the sole property of the Sponsor and none will be returned for any reason. By submitting the Entry, the entrant assigns to the Sponsor all of entrant’s right, title and interest, including copyright, in and to the Entry, throughout the world in perpetuity. For greater certainty, the entrant acknowledges that, as a result of this assignment, the Sponsor will have the exclusive and perpetual right to exploit the Entry in any media now known or later developed in whatever ways the Sponsor may determine in its sole discretion and to authorize others to do so. This includes, but is not limited to, the right to reproduce, distribute, publish, exploit, display, communicate to the public by telecommunication, transmit, broadcast and otherwise use and exploit the Entry, in whole or in part and to edit, add to, or modify the Entry in any way, all without further obligation or compensation of any kind to the entrant. By submitting the Entry, the entrant waives all of its socalled "moral rights" that it may enjoy in any territory throughout the world in relation to the Entry. Upon request by the Sponsor, the entrant agrees that it shall sign (or cause to be signed) all further documents or do (or cause to be done) all further acts and provide all reasonable assurances as many reasonably be necessary or desirable to give effect to the assignment of the entrant’s rights in the Entry.
14. Entries must be received no later than the end of the Contest Period. Entries will be declared invalid if they are late, illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, mutilated, forged, garbled or mechanically or electronically reproduced.
15. The prize is hereafter referred to as the "Prize". The Prize winner is hereafter referred to as a "Winner.”
16. There is a total of one (1) Prize available to be won consisting of (2) two head-to-toe No Fly Zone outfits (winner’s choice) and a $100 Mark’s gift card (the "Prize"). The colour, size and style of the WindRiver No Fly
Zone outfit shall be chosen by the Winner based on a selection provided by Mark's. The Approximate Retail Value of the Prize is CAD$336.95.
17. The Winner is not entitled to monetary difference between actual Prize value and stated approximate retail value of the Prize, if any.
18. Each entrant is only eligible to win one (1) Prize regardless of entry. The Winner is responsible for all taxes and fees associated with Prize receipt and/or use. The Prize will be distributed after the Winner has been successfully contacted, notified of his/her Prize and fulfilled the requirements set out herein.
19. The Prize must be accepted as awarded and cannot be transferred, assigned, substituted or redeemed for cash, except at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. Any unused portion of a Prize will be forfeited and have no cash value. The Sponsor reserves the right, in its and its sole discretion, to substitute a prize of equal or greater value if a Prize (or any portion thereof) cannot be awarded for any reason, including by awarding a gift card in lieu of the Prize.
20. The Sponsor shall not assume any liability for lost, damaged or misdirected Prizes.
21. The Prize is subject to additional terms and conditions which can be found on the back of the gift card.
WINNER SELECTION
22. On July 5, 2019 after the end of the Contest Period, the Winner will be selected by a random draw from all eligible Entries received during the Contest Period. The Winner will be notified via Facebook private message.
23. The odds of being selected as a potential Winner are dependent upon the number of eligible entries received by the Sponsor during the Contest Period. Before being declared a Winner, each selected entrant shall be required to: (a) correctly answer, without assistance of any kind, whether mechanical or otherwise, a timelimited mathematical skill-testing question; (b) comply with the Contest Rules, and (c) sign and return the Confirmation and Release (described below).
24. The selected entrant will be notified by Facebook direct message immediately following the draw and must respond within two (2) hours of notification. Upon notification, the selected entrant must respond with the executed Confirmation and Release, by email provided in the notification, and the selected entrant’s response must be received by the Sponsor within two (2) hours of such notification. If the selected entrant does not respond in accordance with the Contest Rules, he/she will be disqualified and will not receive the Prize and another entrant may be selected in the Sponsor’s sole discretion until such time as an entrant satisfies the terms set out herein. The Sponsor is not responsible for the failure for any reason whatsoever of a selected entrant to receive notification or for the Sponsor to receive a selected entrant’s response.
25. If, as a result of an error relating to the entry process, drawing or any other aspect of the Contest, there are more selected entrants than contemplated in these Contest Rules, there will be a random draw amongst all eligible Prize claimants after the Contest’s closing date to award the correct number of Prizes.
26. The Winner will be required to execute a release and waiver ("Confirmation and Release") that confirms Winner’s: (a) eligibility for the Contest and compliance with these Contest Rules; (b) acceptance of the Prize as offered; (c) release of the Sponsor, its subsidiaries, affiliates and/or related companies and each of its employees, directors, officers, suppliers, agents, sponsors, administrators, licensees, representatives, advertising, media buying and promotional agencies (collectively, the "Releasees") from any and all liability for any loss, harm, damages, cost or expense arising out of participation in the Contest, participation in any Contest-related activity or the acceptance, use, or misuse of any Prize, including but not limited to costs, injuries, losses related to personal injuries, death, damage to, loss or destruction of property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation, or portrayal in a false light, or from any and all claims of third parties arising therefrom; (d) grant to the Sponsor the unrestricted right, in the Sponsor’s individual discretion, to produce,
reproduce, publish, broadcast, communicate by telecommunication, exhibit, distribute, adapt and otherwise use or re-use the Winner’s name, photograph, the Entry, likeness, voice and biography, in any and all media now known or hereafter devised, in connection with the Contest and the promotion and exploitation thereof; (e) assignment to the Sponsor all of Winner’s right, title and interest, including copyright in and to the Entry, throughout the world in perpetuity and acknowledgment that, as a result of this assignment, the Sponsor will have the exclusive and perpetual right to exploit the Entry in any media now known or later developed in whatever ways the Sponsor may determine in its sole discretion and to authorize others to do so, including without limitation, the right to reproduce, distribute, publish, exploit, display, communicate to the public by telecommunication, transmit, broadcast and otherwise use and exploit the Entry, in whole or in part and to edit, add to, or modify the Entry in any way, all without further obligation or compensation of any kind to the Winner; (f) waiver of all of Winner’s so-called "moral rights" that it may enjoy in any territory throughout the world in relation to the Entry; and (g) acknowledgement that, upon request by the Sponsor, Winner shall sign (or cause to be signed) all further documents or do (or cause to be done) all further acts and provide all reasonable assurances as many reasonably be necessary or desirable to give effect to the assignment of Winner’s rights in the Entry.
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Jennifer Hudson to Launch Clothing Line
The Oscar winner launches her line in September on QVC
Cindy Barrymore
Jennifer Hudson is launching a new clothing line to be sold on QVC.
Jennifer Hudson is launching a clothing line.
The Oscar winner plans to debut her collection, to be sold on QVC, Sept. 6 during Fashion's Night Out, one of the kick-off events for New York Fashion Week.
Hudson will join Nicole Richie and Isaac Mizrahi on the cable home-shopping network from 9 p.m. to midnight ET to debut the line.
Her collection includes printed dresses, flowing skirts, leggings and a hoodie dress. Hudson has told multiple publications her line aims to represent women of all sizes.
Remembering Whitney Houston
"I’ve been on both sides of the fence," Hudson told Women's Wear Daily. "I’ve been a big girl and now whatever this is, the average size, whatever you want to call it. But I wanted the clothes to be where any girl could wear it — no matter what size you are — and you could feel comfortable in it.”
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Oscars Regular Billy Crystal “Itchy” To Host Again
Published Aug 16, 2011 at 6:53 AM | Updated at 9:07 AM EDT on Aug 16, 2011
WireImage
As Sally once said to Harry: “The first date back is always the toughest.”
But to a longtime Oscars veteran like Billy Crystal, hosting the Academy Awards might be more like riding a bike.
The comedian and actor said he was “itchy” to host again, after his cameo on this February’s awards ceremony after a fan asked him about the Academy Awards at a 20th anniversary screening of “City Slickers” in Santa Monica.
Crystal, who hosted the show eight times between 1990 and 2004, said that the “sameness” got to be “too much,” The Los Angeles Times reported. “That’s why I pulled back. And when I thought I might want to do it again, they were on to other people.”
Oscar Fashion Faux Pas of the Past
But he said one ore two more times could be fun. “I don’t know,” the 63-year-old actor said, “They know where I am.”
Last year’s Oscars were hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway—some of the youngest hosts in the academy’s history—but the broadcast failed to bring in the young, hip crowd they had hoped, or the ratings they craved.
Brett Ratner ("X-Men," "Rush Hour") will co-produce the Academy Awards next year, but a host has yet to be selected.
Best Oscar Moments Ever
“We’ll see what happens,” Crystal told fans. “I can’t promise anything.”
Whether Crystal hosts or not, the 84th Academy Awards will air live on Feb. 26, 2012.
Selected Reading: LA Times, EW, THR
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U.S. tech on guard against China as scrutiny increases on security, human rights
Experts say that the cooling trade tensions with China mask a deeper change in how tech companies now approach doing business with companies like Huawei.
Experts told NBC News that cooling trade tensions with China belie a permanent change in how U.S. tech companies have to do business with China.Alicia Tatone for NBC News / Getty Images
July 12, 2019, 9:00 AM UTC / Updated July 12, 2019, 12:38 PM UTC
By Richard Engel and Kennett Werner
KUNSHAN, China — It looked like the U.S. tech industry had been given a reprieve in late June when President Donald Trump reversed course on a decision to effectively bar companies from doing business with Chinese telecom giant Huawei.
But experts say that the cooling trade tensions with China mask a deeper change in how tech companies that once counted on China as an important partner and prospective market opportunity now approach doing business with companies like Huawei.
“The trade fight over tech isn’t going to stop,” said James Lewis, senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.
“There’s been a sea change in political and corporate attitudes toward China. All the things that China does — its corporate espionage campaigns, its serious human rights violations — make companies a little nervous. They still want to do business with China, but they’re a lot more cautious.”
What China's tech progress means for the US
Concern about how U.S. tech firms, unwittingly or not, may enable Chinese military capabilities or domestic surveillance is now top of mind in Washington. Scrutiny of U.S. tech companies and their customers, partnerships and personnel may well intensify, with the Huawei case being only one example.
“For tech companies, the operating environment is now highly politicized,” said Adam Segal, chair of emerging technologies and national security at the Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank. “They have to be a lot more sensitive to the potential uses there are in China and the types of technologies they’re involved in.”
In such an interconnected industry — where expertise, ideas and parts routinely travel between the United States and China — pitfalls abound.
Google’s work on artificial intelligence in China has drawn criticism from the Pentagon. Likewise, lawmakers responded angrily to reports that Microsoft had collaborated with a Chinese university run by that country's military.
A partnership between Advanced Micro Devices, a California-based chipmaker, and a Chinese military contractor to build chips for supercomputers has drawn scrutiny, too. Last month the Commerce Department issued new export restrictions that will effectively unwind the tie-up.
China using artificial intelligence to build economy, monitor population
“It is deeply disturbing that American companies are choosing to do business with the Chinese government as it continues to expand its mass surveillance and targeting of its own people,” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., an outspoken China hawk, told NBC News.
“American companies should rethink their role in aiding China’s human rights abuses and efforts to supplant America’s global leadership,” he said.
Part of the difficulty faced by U.S. firms — even those that comply fully with export controls — is that many of the technologies in question are “dual use,” with military and civilian applications.
Export controls are "based on the assumption of good faith compliance both by the exporter and by the recipient,” said Kenneth Nunnenkamp, a partner specializing in trade and national security at Morgan Lewis, a law firm.
American companies exporting dual-use technologies must verify that they will not be used for nefarious purposes and obtain assurances from the recipients to that end, which can be hard to confirm.
Even for firms that abide by export control rules, reputational risk accompanies entry into China’s domestic surveillance market.
“There’s a sort of reckoning going on right now internally within companies about what’s required legally, and even if it’s not required legally, what are the ethical considerations,” said Samm Sacks, a fellow specializing in China and technology at New America, a think tank.
More on MSNBC’s 'On Assignment with Richard Engel' Made in China Sunday at 10 p.m. ET
Growing government oversight has not stopped all companies and entrepreneurs from doing business in China, even for some technologies that are seen as important to the country’s high-tech surveillance systems.
David Brady, a professor at Duke University’s satellite campus near Shanghai, developed a gigapixel camera that he sells to police departments across China for surveillance purposes. The camera, which he calls the Mantis, goes for $20,000.
“I personally don’t think it’s my position to tell China in what ways it can use or not use cameras,” Brady said. “It’s a society that can take care of its own regulations and laws.”
Another dilemma facing U.S. policymakers is that even if they enact tighter export restrictions, China may find suppliers elsewhere.
Establishing industrywide principles about responsible use might offer clarity to U.S. tech firms about what level of cooperation with China is acceptable, experts say.
“If we’re not clear on what constitutes misuse, how can we attempt to stop it?” said Lindsay Gorman, a fellow studying emerging technologies at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, a national security advocacy group.
“Having some principles on what level of involvement is okay would be essential to ensuring that our technologies don’t end up in the hands of people who are undermining human rights.”
Richard Engel reported from Kunshan, and Kennett Werner from London.
Richard Engel has been NBC News' chief foreign correspondent since 2008.
Kennett Werner
Kennett Werner is a reporter for NBC News.
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New Law Will Affect the Way Californians Buy Ammunition
By Artie Ojeda
Published Jun 13, 2019 at 6:18 PM | Updated at 12:14 PM PDT on Jun 14, 2019
Gun Ammunition Sales Increase
//www.nbcsandiego.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Gun-Ammunition-Sales_San-Diego-511274402.html
Gun Ammunition sales are increasing in San Diego. That’s because starting on July 1st a new law will make it harder to buy bullets. NBC 7's Artie Ojeda has more. (Published Thursday, June 13, 2019)
Gun Ammunition sales are increasing in San Diego. That’s because starting July 1 a new law will make it harder to buy bullets.
LAX Ammunition, in Kearny Mesa is considered one of the largest ammo sales stores in San Diego and the owner tells NBC 7 ammunition sales average about $300,000 a month, and in recent weeks those sales have gone up significantly.
“Ammunition sales have gone up, it’s been extremely busy, a lot of large transactions, people are anticipating not being able to buy ammo in California anymore,” said co-owner of LAX Ammunition.
This is due to Prop 63, a new law that will require customers who purchase bullets to show a photo ID and pay for an instant background check. The law also requires people in California to buy ammo face-to-face from a licensed dealer versus ordering online. The law was approved three years ago to allow the Department of Justice to set new guidelines.
J. Daniel Jones from Glocksore said many people are still confused about the rules.
“You have to apply to be able to buy ammo, they have to run a background check, it costs you $19, and it could take 5 to 10 days for them to get back,” said Jones. “They haven't fully defined the law yet, all they know is that on July 1st that buying ammo is going to be different.”
The co-owner of LAX Ammunition told NBC 7 that he expects to lose business after the law goes into effect on July 1st.
“People go to Arizona to buy ammo, its a two-and-a-half-hour driving distance for us. I think we'll just lose a lot of clientele in California and the ammunition business will slow down a lot,” said co-owner of LAX Ammunition.
NBC 7 also spoke with the anti-gun group, Never Again California. They praised the new law and said restrictions on ammunition reduce the risk of mass shootings.
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Helen Mirren: From Nanny to Cultural Landmark
By Scott Huver
Published Apr 5, 2011 at 1:12 PM | Updated at 2:45 PM EDT on May 30, 2012
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 31: Actress Helen Mirren, recipient of the Career Achievement Award, arrives at the CinemaCon awards ceremony at the Pure Nightclub at Caesars Palace during CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, March 31, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren walking out of the local liquor store clutching a fistful of quick-picks? It happens.
Mirren – who co-stars in the remake of “Arthur" alongside Russell Brand, playing the role of faithful but caustic servant Hobson originated by Sir John Gielgud in the original (the remake makes Hobson a nanny to the spoiled rich manchild rather than a butler) – says that despite her own respectable financial profile, she, too, dreams of cashing in big with a winning lottery ticket and living life in the Trump Lane.
“It’s a fantasy that we all have: What would we do if we had a billion dollars,” the Oscar-winner tells PopcornBiz. “That’s why when the lottery gets really big, when it’s up to $40-$50 million, I go out and buy a ticket, because maybe I’ll win! You don’t buy the ticket…You fantasize about what it would be like to have millions and millions and millions of dollars. I think we all do that and here we are – we can see what happens when you have millions and millions and millions of dollars. So I think it’s a fantasy that we all carry within us, anyone who’s ever bought a lottery ticket. We’re all dreamers.”
That’s not to say that Mirren hasn’t found her own Arthur-esque indulgences after a few major paydays. “My husband and I bought a castle in Puglia,” she confesses. “It’s like turning on one’s taps full and money just pours out into the desert until it’s gone. Puglia is in the heel, the bottom of the heel of the boot of Italy. It will be beautiful, but it’s not finished. It’s not really a castle. It’s actually a farmhouse, but it is different: It’s got a little bit where you can pour boiling oil out of it. Puglia was being invaded all the time. They had endless invasions, so even the farmhouses are fortified. It’s a fortified farmhouse!”
Casting Call: Jason Statham as a Killer Thief, Elizabeth Banks for "Hunger Games"
But with a castle to call home, an Oscar on her mantle and a British title preceding her name, Mirren’s feet remain on the ground – and literally in the ground, having just been cemented into Hollywood history at the famed Grauman’s Chinese Theater.
“I feel really, really honored,” she says, recalling her first visit to Hollywood. “It’s the first place you want to go to because Los Angeles is Hollywood and Hollywood is Hollywood Blvd. and Grauman’s Chinese is Hollywood Blvd. So that’s the place you go to as a tourist. It’s the first thing you want to see. It’s the only thing really that you know about as far as Los Angeles is concerned. And so you go and you look at Joan Crawford’s hands and feet and the whole history of American filmmaking is encapsulated in that one little area on that one street.”
“That street, to me, has always been the street of dreams,” she continues. “Personally, I’m thrilled that the Oscars are back on Hollywood Blvd. I think that’s where they should be. There’s just the whole history of filmmaking and seeing all those incredible stars. To find myself now, so many years later, that my hands and feet are going to be there, I’m absolutely blown away by it. Becoming a Dame: you know, fantastic. Winning an Oscar: amazing. Hands and feet: incredible!”
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Information Professional, Library Futures, Marketing, The Echo Chamber
For the last time, Google is not our competition in libraries...
There's a very famous Neil Gaiman quote among librarians and lovers of libraries: "Google will bring you back, you know, a hundred thousand answers. A librarian will bring you back the right one."
I found this on Jennie Stolz's Pinterest page. Click the pic to go to there.
You see it on social media. You hear it used as a soothing balm at library conferences. More than one library has it printed on their floors.
There are various different versions of the quote - often people will attribute Gaiman with having said a million answers from Google, and pretty much no one puts in the 'you know'. In order that I, a librarian, could use the RIGHT quote for this article I...
Well, I Googled it. Obvs.
Because how else would I find it? I don't want to put us as libraries and librarians in competition with Google for loads of reasons, but we still do it a lot. I contributed to a SWOT analysis on libraries in LibFocus and someone put the Gaiman quote in there too:
An excerpt from a crowd-sourced LibFocus article - click the image to read the full thing
The thing is, most people aren't seeking 'right answers' on Google. They just want basic or general info. Here's what SiegeMedia discovered were the top 15 searches on Google in 2015 in the US, if you exclude brands and porn (the top 5 if you don't exclude them is Gmail, Craiglists, Amazon, Yahoo [why?!] and porn).
Click the pic to read the full article on SeigeMedia
How many of those have a right answer a librarian could bring back? The weather, obviously - but you'd find that out by Googling it. Perhaps a librarian could find you a more reliable dictionary, that could be a 'right' answer. What's on at the Movies, cheap flights - again we'd at least go online and search, if not specifically Google.
In the UK in 2015 according to Google itself, the top 5 searches were 1) Cilla Black, 2) Lady Colin Campbell, 3) Rugby World Cup, 4) Jeremy Clarkson and 5) Paris. Is there a right answer to 'Cilla Black'? Right answers are not what Google is for. More broadly, people aren't searching Google for things they used to come and find at libraries.
The reason the Gaiman quote includes a 'you know' is this wasn't some grand written statement, it was part of an answer to an interview question he was asked upon becoming honorary chair of National Libaries Week in 2010. The full answer, with the Google part right at the end, can be seen in this video:
What a great quote that whole thing is! Fantastic. He GETS it. This isn't some well-meaning but misguided celeb talking about how much they loved the smell of books as a child in their local library. This is someone who understands how libraries are about social inclusion. I love the full answer. I think Gaiman is brilliant. I just wish we, as a library community, hadn't quite latched onto the Google part of it so much, as the dichotomy isn't helpful.
Also, I don't personally think I can find the 'right' answer in most of the situations I find myself in, even as an academic librarian helping people are who ARE actually after very specific information. Our role is more about helping people find answers for themselves - not in all cases and branches of the profession, but in most - as a couple of people pointed out on Twitter:
@ned_potter Neither would I ever claim to be offering a 'right' one.
— Clare McCluskey Dean (@claremcdean) November 3, 2016
@ned_potter @libfocus wow! no pressure on librarians so. I thought we were empowering people to find answers for themselves.
— Lorna Dodd (@LornaDodd) November 3, 2016
Of course this dichotomy isn't somehow Gaiman's fault or exclusive to him, you see it everywhere among librarians. This tweet from Internet Librarian International encapsulates a sentence you hear a lot about libraries and competition:
Our competition are your googles, apples, amazons who are doing a great (better?) job of what we in libraries do #ili2016 #challenge
— Martin O'Connor (@martinoconnor3) October 19, 2016
(It was reflecting something the speaker had said rather than Martin's own opinion.) I find this rhetoric troubling for lots of reasons, many of which I've spoken about before but the idea of Google as competitor just won't go away...
Here are my issues with it:
As discussed above, people don't now use Google for things they previously used libraries for
Google doesn't do what we do. It precisely the human element of libraries that will ensure they endure
If Google IS our competitor then we will lose every battle, forever
Ultimately, to pit libraries against Google is to reduce libraries to their most basic function (provider of information) and indeed the one which IS most easily replaced...
... and then try and convince people not to replace us with Google by telling them Google is not any good, when in fact - for all the troubling things about Google, and there are many - it IS pretty good at bringing back info of sufficient quality that most people who are non-specialists find it to be excellent for their needs
Related: no one ever won any friends by slagging off something useful (that they themselves use every day)
The fact that Google and the internet more widely has made it so easy for people to access information without needing to physically visit a library is a GOOD thing. So I'd like us all agree to stop trying to make it into us versus them, and focus more on the things we can do to cater for the needs of our users and potential users. They don't need us to find them info on Cilla Black but they DO need us for plenty else.
Google could find 100,000 things for libraries to do next, but only our communities can find us the right one...
Tagged: Neil Gaiman, advocacy, google, threats to libraries, marketing, competition
Information Professional, Professional Development, Conferences & Events, Library Futures
Learning from the Orteig Prize - the sky is the limit for libraries!
It was from this Freakonomics Radio podcast, which I've refered to on this blog before and which provoked a huge number of comments, that I learned about the Orteig Prize. It's a really fascinating story, it inspired the LISNPN competition mentioned in part one of this post, and who knows what else we can learn from it - so bear with me while I go through the events of the early 1920s.
In 1919, a New York hotelier called Raymond Orteig put up a prize of $25,000 (equivalent to over $300,000 today in pure inflation terms, but actually a lot more in terms of what that money could buy) for the first aviator to fly non-stop from New York to Paris, or the other way around. For the first five years, no one could claim his prize as the technology wasn't advanced enough. But in those five years people worked enormously hard, because that was an enormous amount of money.
Eventually, in 1927, Charles Lindbergh makes the flight successfully, and wins the prize. It took 33.5 hours in a single-engine plane (the Spirit of St Louis) and was a minor miracle of good fortune allied with supreme skill, but he made it safely to France. Lindbergh was only 25 years old at the time, and he used the massive fame he now enjoyed to promote commercial aviation. He was obviously one of those polymathic people who just operate on a higher plain (no pun intended) than the rest of us - he later became a prize-winning author, an environmentalist (can't of been too many of them at that time), an international explorer and an inventor!
This was of course a fantastic achievement, but the existence of the competition catalysed massive progress in the aviation industry by loads of people, not just Lindbergh himself. In fact, $400,000 worth (in old money) of innovation happened from the combined entries to the competition - and Orteig only had to pay out once! The results of this expenditure were immediately quantifiable - the year before Lindbergh's flight, just 6,000 people travelled by air as passengers; 18 months afterwards there was 180,000 commercial passengers. Even in the months remaining in 1927, the year of his flight, applications for pilot's licences tripled and the number of registered aircraft quadrupled.
(Another ramification of the competition was, as you might expect with experimental air travel, a huge loss of human life. Many pilots died failing to win the prize. Hopefully a library equivalent won't place its entrants in such jeopardy...)
Apart from the 30-fold increase in commercial air-travel, which effectively gave birth the multi-billion dollar industry we know today, the prize had another legacy. Inspired by Orteig's competition, Peter Diamandis set up the X Prize Foundation. This offers a more modern prize of $10,000,000 to achieve huge goals such as commercial flight into space - again, far more than $10,000,000 is invested, in total, by all the entrants combined, so the field moves on apace. Not only that, but the Foundation themselves don't put up the prizes! They are funded by organisations and philanthropists, eager to making progress happen.
The LISNPN competition
As I'm sure you've realised, the LISNPN competition is a very (VERY) small-scale attempt to do something similar. We're offering prizes we think people will really value, and will be willing to work hard and innovate in order to have a shot at winning. Although entrants will retain full copyright of their ideas, LISNPN will be able to show-case ALL of them, and hopefully ALL of them should reach a new audience not normally involved with libraries at all. We're only giving out two prizes (again, put up by generous people who want to encourage the enterprise, rather than paid for from the - non-existent - LISNPN coffers) but hopefully the profession will benefit from lots and lots of advocacy efforts.
Are there other things we can do with competitons and libraires?
So is there scope for more library innovation on a much grander scale, adopting the Orteig prize principles? I think there must be. Other bodies must be able to run other competitions, the entries for which could be public-facing and progressive. I'd love to see one around technology in libraries.
And this links to another thing I've often thought, which is that libraries (certainly in the UK) don't appear to be as good at attracting philanthropy as other comparable areas. We need to be something that rich people and foundations think of when they're wondering where to put their money in a charitable way. Perhaps an innovation inspiring competition is a way to achieve this? What do you think?
In the meantime, good luck with the competition if you're entering.
Tagged: competition, enterprise, innovation, libraries, LISNPN, Orteig, The New Professionals Network
Information Professional, Professional Development, Library Futures
A competition to benefit everyone in libraries, not just the winners
LISNPN, the New Professionals Network, has just announced it's first ever competition and I am really excited about it.
You can read all about it on the network itself, but the short version is this: we want people who have entered the profession in the last decade or so to create a piece of library advocacy. It could be an article, a video, a slide-deck, an essay, a piece of art, a project, a campaign - literally anything that doesn't pre-date the competition. The only criteria is that it gets some pro-library ideas to people who wouldn't normally engage with libraries at all. The idea is to indulge in a bit of stealth advocising - to package up some library advocacy in something so intrinsically awesome that it reaches new audiences. Doesn't even have to be particularly stealthy - just reach new people.
The first prize is a full pass to Umbrella, CILIP's biennial conference which takes place in July this year. We're working with CILIP on this competition so thank you very much to CEO Annie Mauger for agreeing to be part of this - the prize is worth up to £500 (based on what the pass would cost to buy; it'd be slightly cheaper if you are a CILIP member already) and includes refreshments, social activities and the Gala Dinner. Attendance at such a conference is usually out of the reach of New Professionals due to the cost, so we're really hoping the competition sparks loads of interest and is entered by people who would love to attend but couldn't normally. Not only that but there is a second prize of attendance at the New Professionals Conference this year! This has kindly been donated by the Career Development Group. Full details of this year's NPC are still to be decided, but it'll take place in June, somewhere other than London. You can read about last year's conference here to get an idea of what it's all about.
We'd really encourage as many people as possible to enter, whether it will be your first attempts at library advocacy, or if you're a veteran. You can read the full Terms and Conditions on LISNPN. (And thank you muchly to the LISNPN admin team for spending ages with me working those out!)
Apart from the great prize, and it being another step forward for the network, there's another reason I'm thrilled about this. Every single entry should benefit the library community, whether it wins or not. Many competition entries are inward-facing rather than out-ward facing - an essay about why you want to win, only ever seen by the judges, for example. That's fine, but this is different. Because every single entry to this competition will be a little piece of library advocacy, a small effort to raise awareness about the profession and the industry. The beauty of a competition format like this is that one prize inspires multiple efforts - to actually commission 10 or 20 or 50 people to create advocacy would cost a fortune, whereas here we only 'pay out' once, or rather twice as we have a second prize. So lots of innovation is (hopefully) catalysed. When this happened in the air-travel industry, with the Orteig prize in 1927, it moved things on by years in a single leap! Not saying that will happen here, but I'm still excited at the prospects of what we can do.
You can read more about the Orteig Prize and how we can use the method to advance the library profession, in the unofficial part 2 of this blog post, here. It's a really interesting story!
Tagged: competition, LISNPN, New Professionals Conference, New Professionals Network, Umbrella
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Fallon student awarded Navy ROTC scholarship
Lahontan Valley | January 6, 2015
Christine Kuklica
ckuklica@lahontanvalleynews.com
A Churchill County High School Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps senior recently received a scholarship to Stanford University for $180,000.
Jonathan Grimes, who was born in Fallon, said he was excited to learn that he received the scholarship from the Navy ROTC but said the hard part wasn’t over.
“I want to make a clarification,” Grimes said. “Even though I received the scholarship to Stanford, it doesn’t mean I was accepted to the school yet … that is still unknown.”
Grimes referred to the NROTC website that explains the scholarship process.
According to the website, the process for the scholarship is as follows: Applicants are asked to pick five colleges or universities on their scholarship application. Each school must be for a different NROTC unit and one must be a state school, not necessarily in the candidate’s home state. Each applicant must also select an academic program in which he/she wishes to major.
“All academic programs fall into three tiers relative to the Navy’s technical needs. Scholarships will be awarded to an NROTC unit in conjunction with the academic major and tier the applicant specified on his/her application” the website stated. “If offered the scholarship, the student will be expected to attend the school at which their scholarship is placed. In order to change this placement, the student must submit in writing to the NROTC Placement Office a request to change their placement.”
Grimes said five schools he selected on the application included Stanford, University of Washington, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Cornell University in no particular preference. On his wait list are the United States Naval Academy and Carnegie Mellon University.
Depending on where Grimes attends college, he plans to study engineering, either civil or nuclear.
“I have always loved building with Lego toys and math and physics,” Grimes said. “My dad was talking to me one day about careers and suggested I’d be good in engineering since that kind of stuff interest me. After thinking about it, I realized he was right and it just seemed like the right fit.”
Grimes said making sure he goes to a good school is a step in the right direction for his future and being able to do something good with his life.
Being a part of the JROTC program has led Grimes to his passion for the Navy. Grimes is the cadet operations officer and has focused on military training and academics and will finish as one of the top students academically at CCHS.
“My dad and granddad both went to the University of California, Berkeley,” Grimes said. “When I use the scholarship provided by the NROTC, I will owe some years to the Navy once I graduate, and I’m fine with that … I want to make a career out of the Navy. I know it’s what I’m meant to do. I think one of the reasons I feel so strongly about having a Navy career is because of my family members who were in the military and served.”
Grimes also participated in the Science Quiz Bowl for three years and is a National Honor Society member.
Grimes father, Richard, hails from the Bay Area and his mother, Carol, comes from the Philippines. He has one sister, Jessica, who is two years older and attends the University of Washington.
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Ancient cliff art tells of life and death in Canyon de Chelly
On May 17, 2019 by Judy Nichols With 0 Comments - Blog, Our wanderings
Chinle, the town at the mouth of the canyon, is named for a mispronunciation of a Navajo word meaning “where the water comes out.”
Open-air, six-wheel-drive vehicles grind and slide through the water, mud and quicksand in the canyon.
Our guide and driver, Daniel, grew up in the canyon and has been giving tours there for more than 28 years.
Junction Ruins near where the south and north forks of the canyon divide.
Minerals from cascading water create patina on the canyon walls. Chipping it off creates petroglyphs.
One pictograph shows two men on horseback running down a deer.
Pictographs on the canyon wall show handprints, stick figures and Kokopelli lying on his back playing his flute.
White House ruins are named for the white plaster or paint on the back walls.
At Antelope House, bounding antelopes grace the walls, painted by Navajo artist Dibe Yazhi, or Little Lamb, in the 1830s.
Standing cow ruins are named for another painting by Little Lamb.
Additional ruins at the White House site.
The shadow of a raven flying near the canyon wall.
A pictograph of Spanish conquistadors, note the red cape and cross, memorialize their massacre of 115 Navajos.
By Judy Nichols
The day we entered Canyon de Chelly, in mid-May, water, lots of it, was flowing through the canyon.
“Usually, by mid-April, the water has dried up,” our guide, Daniel, told us. “This year, we had more than 15 inches of snow. Last year, we had none. I can’t get my tractor in to plant the corn on my mother’s land. My cousin’s bringing his tractor in today. Maybe tomorrow I’ll take the day off to try.”
Both sides of Daniel’s family have lived in the canyon for three generations, growing corn and tending orchards of apple, peach, pear and plum. His mother has two, 5-acre fields and about four acres of orchards. The land, about an hour-and-a-quarter drive into the canyon, has passed from Daniel’s great-grandmother, to his grandmother, to his mother, always to the oldest female in the family.
As a child, Daniel would climb sandstone cliffs, which rise up to 1,000 feet and hold treasures of Anasazi ruins, petroglyphs, pictographs, ladders used to escape marauding U.S. Cavalry, and caves that still bear chips from the bullets of Spanish conquistadors who killed 115 defenseless Navajos.
“For me, it was a 131-square-mile playground,” Daniel said. “My grandparents told me not to climb, but that just made me want to do it more. Now, I tell my kids to go do it, and they say, ‘You’re crazy.’ You know, reverse psychology.”
The Canyon, now a National Monument, is run jointly by the Navajo Nation and the National Park Service. According to the National Park Service website, it preserves evidence of people living here for more than 5,000 years, starting in campsites, then pit houses. From c. 750 to 1300, the Anasazi, or “ancient ones,” started building multi-storied villages with rectangular stone houses up in the cliffs. They, and those who came after, decorated the cliff walls with paintings and petroglyphs.
To drive or ride horseback through the canyon, you must hire a Navajo guide. Daniel took 10 of us on an open-air, six-wheel-drive vehicle that would splash, grind and slide its way through the flowing water, mud and quicksand of the canyon floor.
We left from the town of Chinle, which is a mispronunciation of a Navajo word that means “where the water comes out,” the mouth of the canyon. Canyon de Chelly, is another mispronunciation of a word that means canyon of rock. The canyon is part of the Navajo Nation in the Four Corners area, and is one of the longest continually inhabited landscapes in North America.
Most of the 40 Navajo families with land in the canyon, live and farm there only in the summer.
“Winter is too cold,” Daniel explains. “There is no water, no electricity. If you have a lot of money, you can buy solar for power. But I like to keep it simple, cook over the fire, keep it pitch black, no lights.”
For Daniel, life in the canyon is a respite from the modern world.
“When I have a lot in my head, a lot of bills to pay, I come and just work,” he said. “I come out of the canyon refreshed. It’s like therapy.”
He said people often come to the canyon to meditate.
“They say the canyon has a lot of energy.”
Daniel began giving tours when he was 15, and has been doing it for more than 28 years, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.
He tells how the Anasazi came here and began growing “the three sisters,” corn, squash and beans. They left more than 750 ruins, pictographs and petroglyphs. Eventually, they disappeared, some believe because of prolonged drought and persistent enemies. Four tribes can trace their history to the Anasazi: the Hopi, Pueblo, Acoma, and Zuni.
The Navajo, who are not related, are Athabascan, migrating from Asia across the Bering Strait and settling in the canyon about 1500 or 1600.
Daniel shows us petroglyphs (images made by chipping away the desert varnish caused by minerals on the canyon walls) and pictographs (images painted on the rock).
There is Kokopelli, the priest or god of fertility, lying on his back, playing his flute. There are circles, the Anasazi representation of the life cycle and yellow dancers. Zig zags, which means water, or echoes in the canyon, short or long.
Daniel whoops to show us how his voice echoes back and forth, back and forth, back and forth against the canyon walls.
There are hand prints, positive, where a hand is dipped in paint and pressed onto the rock, and negative, where the hand is placed on the rock, and the paint blown around it.
The pictographs are white, yellow and red.
According to a book on the canyon by Scott Thybony, the dyes are made with ground minerals, mixed with binders of animal fat or vegetable oils and painted on using brushes made from yucca fibers or animal fur. Daniel said they also used pine pitch. There are images that represent the clans now present in the Hopi tribe: a bear paw, snake, coyote, and snake dancers. There are dogs and turkeys, which the Anasazi domesticated.
One image shows hunters on horseback chasing down a deer, which they would run through the trees until the deer tired and they could catch it.
The canyon is filled with juniper, pinon pine, oak, box elder and coyote willow. Navajos gather pinon nuts, and use the wood for cooking and making cradleboards.
The tribe and National Park Service are working together to remove Russian olive and tamerisk, which were introduced by Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s to stop erosion, but have taken over, killing out native plants.
The canyon holds mountain lion, black bear, mule deer and elk.
The ruins left by the Anazazi were built high off the ground, often a 60-to-70-foot climb, higher now because the canyon bottom is much lower. Up on the cliff face, they were protected from predators and enemies. The sites were also chosen to protect from rain, wind and snow, and to take advantage of sun in the winter and shade in the summer. Some of the dwellings are three stories high, and all were built with rocks hauled from the canyon floor in baskets carried on their backs.
About 13 to 16 Anasazi lived at Junction Ruins, a dwelling at the junction of the north and south branches of the canyon, Daniel said. They were between 4 and 5 feet tall and lived 30 to 35 years. The doors at Junction Ruins have a sill about three feet off ground, possibly to keep out predators and enemies and to keep kids from falling off the cliff.
At this junction, Canyon de Chelly becomes the south fork. The north fork is called Canyon del Muerto, or Canyon of Death.
We stop at the White House, “the good one” Daniel says, which was built and lived in from 1060 A.D. to 1275 A.D. It is named for the white plaster that coated the long back wall.
Farther up the canyon, we come to Antelope House, named for the beautiful bounding antelopes along its walls. These were painted by Navajo artist Dibe Yazhi, or Little Lamb, in the 1830s. Antelope House was a ground-floor trading place, and archeologists found items from Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon and Mexico, including feathers from peacocks and parrots.
Deeper in the canyon, we reach Fortress Rock, which holds great significance for the Navajo people, Daniel explained.
When Col. Kit Carson was sent by the U.S. Army to round up Navajos in January of 1864, thousands of them retreated to the top of this rock, which is 800 feet high and 1,000 feet wide. The soldiers came through the canyon, destroying dwellings, burning crops, chopping down thousands of fruit trees and killing livestock.
When they got to Fortress Rock, they camped at its base until the Navajos were starved out, then took them to Fort Canby. They were force-marched in groups of 200 through snow and freezing temperatures to the Bosque Redondo Reservation at Fort Sumner in New Mexico, more than 300 miles away, in what Navajos call The Long Walk. About 200 Navajos died of starvation and exposure along the way.
Four years later, the Navajo signed a treaty and were allowed to return to Canyon de Chelly. They began the long walk home on June 18, 1868.
“They started over from scratch,” Daniel said.
We head back to the junction and up Canyon del Muerto, named for a massacre by Spanish conquistadors. In January 1805, the Spanish soldiers came into the canyon in response to Navajo raids. Women and children hid in a cave, high up the canyon wall, but the Spanish discovered them. They fired from the ground, the bullets ricocheting of the cave ceiling like pinballs until 115 were dead.
Today the spot is known as Massacre Cave.
At Standing Cow Ruin, named for another Little Lamb painting of a cow, you can see pictographs of the Spanish soldiers, one wearing a red cape with a cross, and two white circles, which Daniel says tells the story that it took two days to kill the 115 people.
Daniel voice quiets as he relates this story of death, and he tells us how he has taught his children the Navajo ways, using cedar and corn pollen in blessings.
Each morning, they greet the sun as it rises in the East.
“My 15-year-old daughter sings in the morning about walking in Beauty Way, asking the blessing of the sun,” he said. “She gives thanks to the sun, asking it, ‘Protect me, the things above me, below me, behind me, ahead of me. Help me keep going all day.”
And he sings, his voice drifting up through the sun-speckled canyon.
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The flexible future of green energy
The UK's transition from fossil-fuel guzzler to renewable energy pioneer is being driven by flexible technology and clever investment, says Matt Setchell of Octopus Group
Technology 18 April 2018
ADVERTISING FEATURE
THE huge power station at Drax, North Yorkshire, is the UK’s largest: a forbidding concrete structure with 12 enormous cooling towers. It sits inside a 1000-hectare site and produces 4 gigawatts of electricity – almost enough to power London. Conceived in the 1960s as a coal-burning power station, Drax has been forced to adapt or die.
The UK government has committed to phasing out coal-burning stations by 2025, and so Drax’s operators are refitting this behemoth, which has been in operation since 1973. It has begun to burn wood pellets as well as coal. But there are more radical moves being considered, like the plan to build a giant set of batteries that will store electricity for use at times when supplies across the grid are low. Such ideas are testament to the fact that the UK’s 21st-century energy grid will be entirely different to the one that received Drax’s first output 45 years ago.
This change is happening because the day of the dinosaurs is over. Small, agile generators are suddenly seizing control, according to Matt Setchell who leads the energy investments arm of Octopus Group. “10 years ago, most of the energy generated in the UK came from around 50 large power plants,” Setchell says. “We now have a million generating assets of different sizes, distributed around the grid.”
One example is the Octopus-owned Fraisthorpe wind farm 80 kilometres north-east of Drax. It generates 30 megawatts of electricity – not much by itself, but powerful as a part of the growing network of green energy suppliers.
Consumers have been the driving force behind this transition towards green energy. For the first time, top-down provision is making way for bottom-up demand: people-power is shaping the electricity market. Concerns over climate change have encouraged governments and consumers to demand that electricity is decarbonised – which means no more burning of coal and gas wherever possible. Businesses have had no choice but to respond. “They need access to green power, and this need will drive the increasing roll-out of renewables,” Setchell says. Hence Octopus has invested in distributed renewable technology, such as solar and wind farms.
The tide is certainly turning. In 2017, renewable generation in the UK was three times higher than the output of coal power stations. But the transition from firm, controllable power – the sort that comes from coal or gas plants – to green technologies is not without its wrinkles. After all, wind and solar energy, the backbone of this revolution, can’t produce power 24/7. But Setchell isn’t too concerned. “There are lots of ways we can solve the problems associated with intermittent renewables,” Setchell says.
One is installing batteries, as Drax’s operators have noted. In the case of renewables, these store energy created when conditions are sunny or windy, and pump it into the grid when there is demand for it. Another, arguably more fundamental, solution is to use available power wisely, channelling it to exactly where it is needed, when it is needed – and making sure it isn’t sent where it isn’t needed.
“Consumers are the driving force behind the transition towards green energy”
When Drax was built, this simply wasn’t possible. But the technologies of the 21st century have changed that. Take, for example, Reactive Technologies, a UK-based company with a smart solution for controlling electricity supply.
Reactive’s technology recasts the energy supply problem as a communication issue. It looks at where and when electricity will be generated by wind, solar and other plants, and at the demand from large users such as supermarkets. It can then bridge the gap by turning the supermarkets’ freezers up or down, as well as charging or unloading battery banks.
Octopus was so impressed by the possibilities that it made significant investments in Reactive Technologies in 2016. Reactive now partners with a number of companies, including the French hypermarket chain Carrefour, to balance supply and demand across national electricity grids.
“This access to flexibility is what we think is going to solve the intermittency problem,” Setchell says.
“We’re building a green infrastructure for our children and grandchildren”
Matt Setchell, Octopus Group
Progress has been so strong in this area that renewable energy is making financial sense even without government assistance. Solar power initially became viable in the UK because it was heavily subsidised. This has allowed companies to scale up their technology, which in turn brought costs down. The UK government has played this game well, Setchell says, slowly and carefully cutting subsidies as the market began to stand on its own two feet. The same happened with onshore wind and other renewables are likely to follow a similar pattern.
However, it is unlikely that we will entirely ditch fossil fuels any time soon. Until we have enough carbon-free flexibility and storage capacity on the system, there will always be a place for ultra-reliable, on-demand “baseload” power, even if it does create greenhouse gases.
But that doesn’t have to come from a Drax-like behemoth. One alternative is to use small, efficient gas-burning plants such as reciprocating gas engines. These are like super-sized car engines that take just a few minutes to switch on, compared with conventional power stations, which take much longer. The engines can run for several hours at a time, responding quickly to surges in demand then shutting back down, minimising their emissions and the resulting impact on the environment.
“Octopus Energy has already been named 2018 uSwitch energy supplier of the year”
Although Octopus sees the devices as a necessary part of the infrastructure, and has invested in the technology, the company is content to consider it a short-term solution. “We hope these things aren’t going to be needed in future,” Setchell says. “Once we’ve got all the things that we’re talking about in place, we’re going to have a lot of carbon-free flexibility.”
Octopus has placed itself firmly within the energy market now, operating as a virtual integrated utility – an energy supplier that can pull together the elements to supply green electricity and gas, all controlled by smart digital technology. The supply business, Octopus Energy, has already been named 2018’s uSwitch energy supplier of the year and is winning other accolades, such as the coveted “Recommended Provider” status from Which?.
Setchell is pleased at the part Octopus is playing in this revolution. “We’re building a green energy infrastructure that is going to create a positive legacy for our children and grandchildren,” he says. “It sounds sentimental, maybe, but it is also a hard-nosed investment decision. It actually works for everyone.”
Find out more at: www.octopusgroup.com
This article appeared in print under the headline “The flexible future of green energy”
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Full Worm Moon March 2019: Last Supermoon of the Year to Coincide With Spring Equinox
By Aristos Georgiou On 3/12/19 at 11:28 AM EDT
Tech & Science Supermoon Earth Sun Moon
Stargazers are in for a treat later this month. On March 20, a supermoon will grace the skies above Earth on the same day that the spring equinox falls.
Supermoon is used to describe a moon that is full and at its closest point to Earth. At these times, it appears slightly brighter and larger than an average full moon, although the size difference is difficult to detect with the untrained eye.
The phenomenon is a result of the fact that the moon's orbit around the Earth is not perfectly circular but elliptical. This means that it may be closer or farther away from our planet depending on where it is in its orbit. A supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with a point in the year when our natural satellite reaches its perigee, or closest point to the Earth, according to National Geographic.
Astronomers expect that the moon will appear about 14 percent brighter than normal. If that's not enough of a reason to try to catch a glimpse of it, the event will be the third and last supermoon of 2019, with the next one not set to occur until 2020.
The best time to view the phenomenon will be around 9:43 p.m. EST on March 20, when the moon reaches its fullest phase, although it will actually reach its true perigee the day before at 3:47 p.m. EST, when it will be 223,306 miles from Earth.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the full moon in March is traditionally referred to as the "worm moon"—a possible reference to the fact that this time of year is usually accompanied by warmer temperatures, which often herald the appearance of earthworms.
The moon is considered "full" when it is positioned in exact opposition to the sun, or 180 degrees away, with Earth aligned directly between the two bodies.
This alignment technically occurs at only one precise moment every lunar month—the period in which the moon completes a full phase. The term, however, is usually used to refer to the night on the date in which the full moon occurs. In full moon situations, the entire face is illuminated by sunlight, making it appear particularly bright.
The March 20 supermoon this year is extra special because it also coincides with the March equinox, which marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of fall in the Southern Hemisphere.
Astronomically speaking, an equinox—of which there are two every year—is when the sun passes directly over the equator. This means that both hemispheres are equally exposed to its light (roughly), and thus the days and nights are about equal in length at northern and southern latitudes.
For the rest of the year, each hemisphere is pointed either toward or away from the sun due to the fact that the Earth's axis is tilted in relation its plane of orbit around the star. This situation gives rise to the summer and winter seasons, respectively.
This year, the moon will be at its fullest just four hours after the arrival of the March equinox, which is set to take place at 5:58 p.m. EST on the 20th. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the last time a full moon and spring equinox coincided this closely in time was in 2000. But you have to go back to March 20, 1981, to find the last time that the two events occurred on the same date.
A supermoon rises over Asuncion, Paraguay, on February 19. NORBERTO DUARTE/AFP/Getty Images
Full Worm Moon March 2019: Last Supermoon of the Year to Coincide With Spring Equinox | Tech & Science
Photos Show The Super Snow Moon From Across the Globe
What's Perigee and How Does It Cause a Supermoon?
Meaning of the Super Full Snow Moon of February
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Super Bowl 2018 Ratings: How Many People Will Watch the New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles?
By Tim Marcin On 2/3/18 at 3:00 PM EST
A detailed view of the entrance to US Bank Stadium on January 31, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Rob Carr/Getty Images
Culture 2018 Philadelphia
Sometimes it feels like everyone in the United States watches the Super Bowl. And, honestly, it's not that far off.
The big game, which airs Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET, will feature the dynastic New England Patriots taking on the underdog Philadelphia Eagles. Writing for Forbes on Tuesday, media consultant Brad Adgate predicted TV ratings for the game wouldn't break any records. But he did predict more than 100 million people would tune in.
Things have generally been down this year for America's most popular sports league. Regular season ratings for the NFL declined by nearly 10 percent compared with the prior year. If that viewership decline bleeds into the Super Bowl, that would be a major cause for concern for the NFL—advertisers shell out serious bucks to get small amounts of air-time during the broadcast.
"This is a critical test for the NFL," Northwestern University marketing professor Derek Rucker told CBS on Friday. "If they show a slip in ratings, the consequences will be massive. That price tag—$5 million for 30 seconds—is contingent on how many people are watching."
Last year's Super Bowl attracted some 111.3 million viewers, an ever-so-slight decline from 111.9 million the year before. The 2015 edition of the big game, featuring the Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, drew the largest TV audience ever at 114.4 million viewers.
Trump hates NBC so much he's passing up the huge ratings of a Super Bowl interview https://t.co/LhaXBF20VK pic.twitter.com/4k1Uq2FQSt
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) February 2, 2018
The NFL is not alone in seeing a decline in TV viewership. Audiences are more fragmented than ever, and so more content is being created across traditional platforms (like network and cable) and streaming services than any person could ever have time to watch. Still, the NFL remains an absolute ratings juggernaut. The NFL accounted for 37 of the 50 most-watched broadcasts in 2017, as well as all of the top three.
President Donald Trump's first Congressional address (No. 4), the Oscars (No. 8) and Trump's inauguration (No. 9) were the only non-NFL broadcasts to crack the top 10. And the Super Bowl more than doubled the viewership of any other broadcast.
So even if no records are broken Sunday, it's nearly certain that Super Bowl LII will still be most-watched television event of 2018.
Super Bowl 2018 Ratings: How Many People Will Watch the New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles? | Culture
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“Peter Pan Live!” and a Night of Protests
Taylor Louderman as Wendy Darling and Allison Williams as Peter Pan.
PHOTOGRAPH BY VIRGINIA SHERWOOD/NBC VIA GETTY
In a week when flying off to Neverland held some appeal but lovely thoughts were hard to come by, NBC, at long last, aired “Peter Pan Live!,” a three-hour performance, months in the hyping, that combined the brilliance of the 1954 musical with the spectacle of Allison Williams and Christopher Walken in Pan and Hook drag, experimenting with British accents, swordfighting, and fairy dust. In New York City and across the country, thousands of protestors filled city streets in the wake of the Ferguson and Staten Island grand-jury decisions; in living rooms, millions of televisions tuned in to the goings on at Grumman Studios, in Bethpage, Long Island, and a night of family-friendly Walmart commercials. Just as, last week, you could watch the broadcast of the Thanksgiving Day parade unaware of the protests a few feet away, you could watch “Peter Pan Live!” unaware that a near-revolution was taking place. Twitter became a weird congeries of protest updates and jokes about Smee.
J. M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan”—a grand dream of childhood, escape, flying, adventure, exoticism, and the comforts of good parenting—was a play first, in 1904, and then a book, and then a 1954 Jerome Robbins musical, which combined some of the greatest talents of midcentury theatre. The terrific songs, by Moose Charlap and Carolyn Leigh, and by Jule Styne with Betty Comden and Adolph Green, are melodically and lyrically sophisticated, a kind of Cole Porter for children. The show, long-running onstage and on TV broadcasts, led by the dynamo Mary Martin as Peter and the brilliant Cyril Ritchard as Captain Hook, respected children enough to indulge their fantasies—flying, freedom, independence—and to mightily goof around. It was pure fun, with a gorgeous, clever score. Hook was a menace, but a silly one, coming up with evil schemes to the beat of a tango or a tarantella, and making wistful remarks like “Fame, thou glittering bauble!” Whatever J. M. Barrie was up to (best not to dwell on it), the musical is largely about the fantasy of adventure within the assurance of safety. “Tender Shepherd,” the comforting lullaby whose gentle canon singing suggests the stability of days turning into nights and family members being nearby every morning, and “Neverland,” about a mystery realm “where dreams are born and time is never planned,” are equally beautiful.
For NBC, “Peter Pan Live!” itself offered the promise of adventure within safety. (As Mr. Darling, played by Christian Borle, said to his children, “When you live in a world of financial pressures, you can’t live in a world of make-believe.”) Last year, NBC broadcast of “The Sound of Music Live!,” entering a climate of a viewership primed by “American Idol,” “Glee,” and so on, had more than twenty million viewers. “Peter Pan” held a similar appeal, and without swastikas. Months ago, NBC announced the casting of Allison Williams, of HBO’s “Girls” (and the daughter of the network’s nightly-news anchor, Brian Williams) as Peter Pan and of Christopher Walken as Captain Hook, and ever since we’ve been haunted by the image, seemingly everywhere, of a short-haired Williams, in a green vest and a mesh T-shirt, staring earnestly into a candy-colored beyond while perched on the rigging of a pirate ship. Its promotion all over NBC, on “The Tonight Show” and elsewhere, made “Peter Pan Live!” seem like all-in-the-NBC-family fun, but what Williams brought to it wasn’t fun in the traditional sense of the word. Where Mary Martin had the pixieish quality of a young mom or teacher cheerfully engaging in playtime—her Peter embodied a kid’s attitude (“I don’t wanna wear a tie!”), wielded a strange authority ("Lovelier thoughts, Michael!"), and was the ultimate bad influence—Williams had the grave air of a woman who would boldly wear a somewhat mannish haircut to achieve a childhood dream. She seemed to be daring you to watch her perform. There was nothing playful about it. She had taken over that pirate ship, and now it was hers.
On the broadcast, Williams had a similar quality. When she first flew into the Darling children’s bedroom window, after we’d experienced the charms of the opening music and “Tender Shepherd,” an element of anxiety flew in as well, and not just because of the tedious business about Tinkerbell and the shadow. When Williams looked out the Darlings’ bay window, trying to talk in a British accent, she wasn’t so much an excited little kid as a professional under a zillion-dollar spotlight. When she sang “I Gotta Crow,” she chopped the air with determination on the line “If I’m pleased with myself I have every good reason to be!” When she sang “I’m Flying,” she smiled with real warmth at the boys who she taught to fly, but you were so conscious of her pride in hitting all the right notes, swooping through the air, that the only real levity came from the melody itself and from the sight of the younger Darling boy, Michael (John Allyn), kicking his tiny legs with wild glee, or perhaps panic, as he flew through the air. Then they all flew out the window, off to Neverland. Phew.
Until last night, we’d mostly heard Williams sing on “Girls” and, before that, in her YouTube video “Mad Men Theme Song … with a Twist,” in which she sings “Nature Boy,” the Nat King Cole single, over a jazz orchestra playing the “Mad Men” theme, while wearing a gown and elbow-length gloves. She has a fine voice, and confidence that can either charm or exhaust you: she makes little gestures with her hands, she looks challengingly at the camera, she smiles proudly. She feels a bit like that friend or relative who always wants to sing, and you’re always a little worried about it—not because of the voice but because of the intensity. This quality of Williams’s has been used to damn Marnie, on “Girls,” not once but over and over. Marnie sings when she shouldn’t: at parties, to an ex in front of his co-workers, in a cringe-inducing video cover of “What I Am,” which her friends watch and ridicule behind her back, à la David Brent and “If You Don’t Know Me by Now.” On “Girls,” Williams is in on the joke, but her real singing, while less threatening, lacks lightness. So does her acting. When she said to the Lost Boys, “Boys, Wendy is used to a home that is very orderly, neat, and tidy,” you felt her sap rise—this, she cared about. When Tiger Lily exclaimed, “Peter Pan is the sun and the moon and the stars!” Peter said, “Yes, I know,” with an almost annoyed nod of her head, like, Why are you wasting my time?
Enter Christopher Walken. Captain Hook, historically, is a florid schemer who talks like Oscar Wilde and combines the Machiavellian glee of Snidely Whiplash with the outfit of Captain Morgan. Walken, all steely-eyed mock-seriousness, with a slightly drugged-out air of unpredictability, had presence but lacked Cyril Ritchard’s gusto. It was less believable that Walken’s Hook would come up with a plan, to a tango rhythm, to cook a cake, quite large, and fill each layer in between with icing mixed with poison. Ritchard’s Hook was a sort of scheming duke, proud of his villainy (“Who’s the swiniest swine in the world?” he sings happily, during his theme song) and he played Mr. Darling as well, which made all of male British authority seem a bit suspect. Walken played only Hook, and was his usual deadpan, way-out self. “Who is Bluebeard?” he asks his pirates, putting the emphasis on “beard.” “Nobody!” they say. Right—nobody says Blue_beard_. Where Ritchard’s gloating was deliciously proud, Walken seemed to be singing about an evil friend he used to know. In a making-of clip posted online, Walken said, “Hook doesn’t have to be a real guy. He can be an actor. I hope Hook is just like me.” He was him, all right.
Over all, “Peter Pan Live!” was exactly what you’d expect: big names, big budget, big sets colored like a Pixar movie, “Ugg-a-Wugg” successfully rejiggered with the help of a Native American consultant, Americans unable to pretend to be British, brilliant songs a bit lost in the dampness of a three-hour production and swooping camerawork and a hangar of elaborate sets. In some ways the show was predictable, and in some ways it was as disorienting as the contemporary world itself. Rather than watching actors fly from a fixed point, we seemed to be everywhere at once, as if chasing them or hopping around. The accents were ever-changing. You weren’t sure what gender, age, or nationality Peter Pan was supposed to be, or what, exactly, he was up to. The Lost Boys, who refused to grow up, had grown up—the median age looked to be about eighteen—and dressed like members of a prep-school rugby team. Meanwhile, there was no escaping to a fantasy land; reality was more compelling. At a climactic moment on the pirate ship, reports on Twitter showed that protestors had shut down everything from Grand Central to a highway in Dallas. Onscreen, Walken, as Captain Hook, joylessly threw Michael Darling’s Teddy bear into the ocean.
J. M. Barrie’s Lost Boys
By Jon Michaud
“The Sound of Music” and the Anticipation Trap
By Katia Bachko
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Canada adds right-wing extremist groups to terrorist list for first time
Blood & Honour, Combat 18 join list with al-Qaida, Boko Haram and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Jun. 26, 2019 11:40 a.m.
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale speaks at news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 16, 2019. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang)
For the first time, Canada has placed right-wing extremist groups on the national list of terrorist organizations.
Public Safety Canada says Blood & Honour, an international neo-Nazi network, and its armed branch, Combat 18, have been added to the roster, opening the door to stiff criminal sanctions.
They join more than 50 other organizations on the list including al-Qaida, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Boko Haram and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
A group on Canada’s terrorist list may have their assets seized, and there are criminal penalties for helping listed organizations carry out extremist activities.
Blood & Honour, founded in Britain in 1987, has established branches throughout Europe, executing violent attacks there and in North America.
In its listing notice, Public Safety says members of Blood & Honour and Combat 18 firebombed a building occupied mostly by Romani families, including children, in the Czech Republic in 2012.
READ MORE: Facebook auto-generates videos celebrating extremist images
In addition, four Blood & Honour members in Tampa, Fla., were convicted in 2012 of the 1998 murder of two homeless men who were killed because the group considered them “inferior,” the department says.
The new listings came as Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale announced up to $1 million in federal funding to create a digital repository meant to help smaller online companies prevent dissemination of violent extremist content.
Canada will also support a youth summit on countering violent online activity.
“This event will bring young people together to learn about violent extremism and terrorism online, and develop effective tools to push back against this content and discourage its sharing,” Public Safety said Wednesday.
Representatives from technology companies, including Twitter, Facebook, Microsoft and Google, will help shape the event and work directly with young people to develop ideas.
Child killed after being hit in driveway on Vancouver Island
Missing women’s inquiry leaders reconcile Canada Day with ‘genocide’ finding
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Microbial Threats to Health: Emergence, Detection, and Response (2003)
Chapter: 3. Factors of Emergence
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Suggested Citation:"3. Factors of Emergence." Institute of Medicine. 2003. Microbial Threats to Health: Emergence, Detection, and Response. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10636.
Factors in Emergence
Six factors in the emergence of infectious diseases were elucidated in a 1992 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, Emerging Infections: Microbial Threats to Health in the United States. A decade later, our understanding of the factors in emergence has been substantially influenced by a broader acceptance of the global nature of microbial threats. As a result, this report expands the original list, identifying thirteen factors in emergence (see Box 3-1). These thirteen factors are reviewed in turn in this chapter. The chapter ends with a case example—influenza—illustrating the interaction among the factors in the emergence of an infectious disease.
Future scientific discoveries and an increased understanding of the complexity of the emergence of infectious diseases will no doubt add to the list of factors identified in this report. In this light, the committee developed a model for conceptualizing how the factors in emergence converge to impact on the human–microbe interaction and result in infectious disease (see Figure 3-1). This model organizes the various factors into four broad domains: (1) genetic and biological factors; (2) physical environmental factors; (3) ecological factors; and (4) social, political, and economic factors. As we examine the individual factors, envisioning each as belonging to one or more of these four domains may simplify the understanding of the complex dynamics of emergence.
MICROBIAL ADAPTATION AND CHANGE
Microbes live on us and within us and inhabit virtually every available ecological niche of the external environment, and they will expand into new
BOX 3-1 Factors in Emergence
Economic development and land use
Human demographics and behavior
International travel and commerce
Technology and industry
Breakdown of public health measures
Human susceptibility to infection
Changing ecosystems
Poverty and social inequality
War and famine
Lack of political will
Intent to harm
niches that occur as we continue to alter the environment and extend our contact with the microbial world. Most of the microbes that live on or inside humans or exist in the environment do not cause disease in humans (see Box 3-2). These microbes may appear to be unimportant. However, they are often crucial to the human ecosystem. Moreover, microbes that have heretofore not affected humans directly may still represent a potent threat. Microbes that are pathogenic to the animals and plants on which we depend for survival, for example, are an indirect threat to human health. Other microbes live in apparent harmony with animals but can be pathogenic for humans, as evidenced by the number of emerging zoonotic diseases that are transmitted to humans from animals. Microbes are also adept at adaptation and change under selective pressures for survival and replication, including the use of antimicrobials by humans. Microbial adaptation and change continually challenge our responses to disease control and prevention. For example, the influenza virus is renowned for its ability to continually evolve so that new strains emerge each year, giving rise to
FIGURE 3-1 The Convergence Model. At the center of the model is a box representing the convergence of factors leading to the emergence of an infectious disease. The interior of the box is a gradient flowing from white to black; the white outer edges represent what is known about the factors in emergence, and the black center represents the unknown (similar to the theoretical construct of the “black box” with its unknown constituents and means of operation). Interlocking with the center box are the two focal players in a microbial threat to health—the human and the microbe. The microbe–host interaction is influenced by the interlocking domains of the determinants of the emergence of infection: genetic and biological factors; physical environmental factors; ecological factors; and social, political, and economic factors.
annual epidemics and necessitating the ongoing development of new influenza vaccine strains.
When the “germ theory” of disease was born in the late nineteenth century, Robert Koch and his contemporaries were convinced that diseases were caused by invariant, monomorphic microbial species. Early microbiologists dismissed the variants seen in petri dishes as mere contaminants— foreign entities that had floated into the culture medium from the atmosphere. Now, of course, the inherently variable nature of these early microbial species is well known. Microbes have enormous evolutionary potential and are continually undergoing genetic changes that allow them to bypass the human immune system, infect human cells, and spread disease. They may also traverse an alternative pathway that is a symbiotic accommodation to their hosts (see Box 3-2).
Numerous microbes have developed mechanisms to exchange or incorporate new genetic material into their genomes; even unrelated species can exchange virtually any stretch of DNA or RNA. Genomic sequencing of pathogens made possible by technological advances shows that horizontal movement, or lateral transfer, of DNA is common and may be responsible for the emergence of many new microbial species. Lateral transfer can involve the exchange of virulence genes (genes that confer pathogenicity) and/or other genes required for adapting to a particular host or environment. Indeed, the exchange of virulence genes is so pervasive among bacterial pathogens that species-specific chromosome regions containing virulence genes have inspired their own name—“pathogenicity islands” (Ochman and Moran, 2001; Groisman and Ochman, 1996; Hacker et al., 1997; Hacker and Kaper, 2000). Some pathogenicity islands encompass very large genetic regions, as many as 100 kilobases long. The transfer of just a single pathogenicity island in E. coli is sufficient to convert a benign strain into a pathogenic one (McDaniel and Kaper, 1997).
Pathogens have devised other means of adapting rapidly to new circumstances in their environment. RNA viruses, and retroviruses in particular, can mutate at very high rates, allowing them to adapt rapidly to changes in their external environment, including the presence of therapeutic drugs. Because microbes reproduce so quickly—as often as every 10 minutes— even very rare mutations build up rapidly in viral and bacterial populations. Many pathogenic bacteria have short runs of identical bases (“repeats”) in their DNA; very minor changes in these repeats occur commonly and result in changes in gene expression. Moreover, many bacteria and viruses can sense changes in the external environment, and depending on what they sense, their genes can enable virtually instant changes in the regulation of certain sets of other genes, thus allowing the microbe to adapt to the new environment.
The more we learn about microbial genetics, structure, and function, the more we marvel at the sophistication of the survival strategies of microbes. Their mechanisms of survival are many and varied, and specific pathogens are generally tailored to flourish in particular niches. Many viruses and bacteria use our own cellular receptors to attach to and enter human cells; others utilize various human proteins for their own essential needs. Microbes use several means to defend themselves from being disabled or destroyed by the human immune system, including the rapid evolution of new antigenic variants, the masking of crucial surface antigens, inhibition of the immune system, and escape from the immune system by “hiding” inside human cells. Some microbes coat their surfaces with mimics of human tissue to prevent recognition by their human host as “nonself.” As a result, the human immune response is not activated, and the microbe is ignored and left to survive and reproduce at will. Some microbes have evolved mechanisms to downregulate the human innate immune system, which would otherwise serve as the human body’s first line of defense. Others stimulate an immune response that is injurious to the human host; for example, a sustained anti-self response may be triggered by viral or bacterial antigens that are molecular mimics of human antigens leading to chronic inflammation. Other strategies for survival include the ability to cause latent infections that can reactivate years later at a time when the host’s immune responses are blunted. Clearly, pathogens are extraordinarily adept (and successful) in carrying out their game of survival of the fittest.
The development of preventive vaccines and antimicrobial therapies is among the greatest achievements of modern medicine. Unfortunately, the tremendous evolutionary potential of microbes empowers them with adeptness at developing resistance to even the most potent therapies and complicating attempts to create effective vaccines. In some cases, the antimicrobial drug target on the microbe mutates in such a way that binding of the antiviral or antibiotic no longer inhibits the virus or bacteria. For example, one of the major obstacles to the development of an effective vaccine against HIV is the very rapid antigenic change that the viral surface proteins undergo regularly. In fact, their mutation rate is so high that almost every retroviral particle is genetically different from every other particle by at least one nucleotide substitution. In other cases, bacteria have evolved enzymes that modify or destroy the antibiotic before it can reach its target inside the bacterium, or they “pump it back out” before it can do any damage to the microbe. Many genes for resistance can be transferred readily among different bacterial species; resistance can easily spread through multiple populations of species that occupy the same host environment.
Acquisition of genes for resistance is advantageous for the microbe only when it is under attack by therapeutics. The adapted microbe may be slightly less fit in the absence of antimicrobial therapy, and thus the organ-
BOX 3-2 The Microbiome
Medical science is imbued with the Manichaean view of the microbe–human host relationship: “we good; they evil.” Indeed, the ascription of microbes to pathology has pervaded the teaching of biomedical science for over a century and consequently has left us with certain blind spots in our biological perspective of the pathogen–human host relationship. Obviously, microbes do have a knack for making us ill, killing us, and even recycling our remains to the geosphere. Nevertheless, in the long run, microbes have a shared interest in our survival. After all, if a pathogen does too much damage to its host, it will kill off not only the host but itself as well. “Domesticating” the host is a much better long-term strategy, and thus natural selection tends to favor less virulent pathogens that do not cause quite so much harm. Most successful parasites likely travel a middle path with regards to the amount of damage they do to their host; they need to be aggressive enough to enter the body surfaces and toxic enough to counter their host’s defenses, but once established they also do themselves (and their hosts) well by moderating their virulence.
A better understanding of the host–pathogen relationship might be achieved by thinking of the host as a superorganism—or “microbiome”—with the host’s genome and those of all of the host’s indigenous microbes yoked into a chimera of sorts (Lederberg, 2000; Hooper and Gordon, 2001). The microbiome refers to the small biotic community that defines each of us as individuals, as well as the collective set of genomes that inhabit our skin, gut lumen, mucosal surfaces, and other body spaces. For the most part, the microbiome is a poorly catalogued ensemble, of which the majority of entries have yet to be cultivated and characterized, let alone understood with regard to their pathogenicity. Indeed, from a microbiome perspective, the mitochondria—which provide the oxidative metabolism machinery for every eukaryotic cell, from yeast to protozoa to multicellular organisms—can be regarded as the most successful of all human microbes. Mitochondria derive from an ancient lineage within the proteobacteria (Gray et al., 1999) and illustrate just how far the genomic collaboration between a host and a member of its indigenous microbial community can evolve.
Until recently, infectious disease research has given sparse attention to how microbes have evolved adaptations for sustaining themselves as chronic inhabitants or “domesticators” of their human hosts. The evolutionary rate of large, complex multicellulars such as ourselves is, for the most part, simply too slow to evolve their own resistance and keep pace with the rapid evolution of microbes. A year in microbial history matches all of primate, perhaps mammalian, evolution. Not only do microbes evolve much more quickly than humans, but their enormous evolutionary potential is further enhanced by their sheer numbers as well as their many ingenious mechanisms of gene exchange (e.g., conjugation and plasmid interchange).
Microbes can go beyond inhabiting our body space to completely set up genetic shop. Retroviruses, for example, are unable to replicate until they have become integrated into the host DNA; thereafter, their replication involves simply the fairly standard transcription of host chromosomal DNA into RNA copies. Indeed, it appears that some of the so-called HERVs (human endogenous retroviruses), with which the human genome is so heavily populated, have evolved so far as to participate in the physiology of our placenta and in our gustatory behavior. We have no idea what pathways HERVs have used to reach their target, nor can we predict the long-term consequences of their further evolution. But experience has shown we have every reason to expect that our
most notorious retrovirus, HIV, will find a way to lodge itself in the germ line as well. The human genome encodes some 223 proteins with significant homology to bacterial proteins, suggesting that they were acquired from bacterial sources via horizontal transfer (Lander et al., 2001). These apparent insertions from microbial sources serve as further evidence of a historic host–microbe collaboration among the various components of the microbiome.
Our focus on “conquering” infectious disease may deflect from more ambitious, yet perhaps more pragmatic, aims; little consideration has been given to the notion that perhaps we could learn to live with a pathogen instead of being so insistent on getting rid of it. Natural history abounds with infections that have, over the course of evolutionary history, achieved a mutually tolerable state of equilibrium with their host. Genetic variation of the influenza A virus, for example, has remained stable in its wild aquatic bird reservoir, and infected avians often show no sign of disease. Although the recognition of AIDS in 1981 has inspired the most intense biomedical research program in history, the incidence of disease is only increasing. Would this trend reverse if, instead of focusing exclusively on ways to conquer HIV, we were to give equal weight to developing therapeutic measures that nurtured the immune system that HIV erodes?
Indeed, consider that many of the microbes that reside in our gut—such as Lactobacillus spp.—actually serve a protective, not a pathogenic, role. In fact, their protective advantage is currently being exploited in so-called “probiotic” therapy—the administration of live, benign microbes that benefit the host and aid in the treatment of disease (Hooper and Gordon, 2001; IOM, 2002b). Although scientists have known about the health benefits of lactic acid bacteria in particular for more than a century, the broader concept of probiotic therapy is a recent one (IOM, 2002b; Fuller, 1989). In addition to Lactobacillum, other probiotic preparations have contained Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus spp., and E. coli. Thus far, probiotic therapy has proven most beneficial in treating active ulcerative colitis, as well as complications following surgical intervention for that condition (Gionchetti et al., 2000; Rembacken et al., 1999). Probiotic lactobacillus may even prove useful in strengthening immune responses in persons infected with HIV. Normal bacterial flora are altered in HIV infection, as evidenced by the frequency of bacteremia associated with altered gastrointestinal function, diarrhea, and malabsorption; and failure-to-thrive, which is linked to altered gastrointestinal function, is relatively common in congenital HIV infection. Recent studies have shown that the effect of L. plantarum 299v, a specially developed probiotic lactobacillus, has a generally beneficial effect on the immune response in HIV-infected children (Cunningham-Rundles and Nesin, 2000).
The concept of probiotic therapeutics extends even beyond simply introducing a living microbe. Recent studies have demonstrated that genetically engineered gut commensal bacteria can be used as drug delivery platforms to treat infectious disease (Steidler et al., 2000; Beninati et al., 2000; Shaw et al., 2000). Other possible uses of probiotic therapy include using microbial products that target specific disease processes, such as weakened epithelial barriers or reduced activity of the mucosal immune system (Hooper and Gordon, 2001); using microbes that bear relevant cross-reacting epitopes instead of vaccines; and using them as optional food additives (Lederberg, 2000).
The rewards of a microbiomal perspective on infectious disease could be great. Not only would we achieve new insights with regard to how we and the microbes around and within us adapt to each other, and thus how pathogens emerge, but we would likely develop new approaches to preventing and treating infectious diseases.
ism may slowly revert to a sensitive state when therapy is withdrawn. Thus, the frequency of antimicrobial use is key; less use results in less resistance, while more use leads to more resistance. Unfortunately, antibiotics are frequently used when they are not truly needed (see the discussion of inappropriate use of antimicrobials in Chapter 4).
Many properties of the human body—from its genetic makeup to its innate biological defenses—affect whether a microbe will cause disease. The body has evolved an abundance of physical, cellular, and molecular barriers that protect it from microbial infection, beginning with the skin. Even minor breaks in the skin increase susceptibility to infection. The normal bacterial flora of the gut and inner mucosal surfaces serve a protective role; not only do they occupy receptors to which pathogenic bacteria would otherwise attach themselves, but they produce antimicrobial substances that inhibit the growth of their pathogenic competitors. When these normal bacterial flora are reduced, as happens when a broad-spectrum antibiotic is used to treat an infection or when acidity in the stomach is reduced through various medications, the body is more susceptible to pathogens. Another protective defense mechanism is seen with the enzyme lactoferrin, which is plentiful in breast milk and on mucosal surfaces. Lactoferrin serves a protective role by sequestering iron, thereby making the mineral unavailable to invading pathogens that need it to reproduce. Susceptibility to infection can result when these normal defense mechanisms are altered or when host immunity is otherwise compromised as a result of impaired immune function; genetic polymorphisms; and other factors, such as aging and poor nutrition.
Impaired Host Immunity
The innate or nonspecific immune response is the body’s initial inflammatory reaction to any kind of injury or microbial invasion. Innate immune defenses are believed to have first evolved in insects and other lower organisms that lack the ability to produce antibodies and thus depend entirely on this primitive but effective system for their protection against infection. In humans, more than a dozen different so-called TLRs (TOLL-like receptors)1 have been found on cells that make up the mucosa and skin (including macrophages and dendritic cells), which is where pathogens first encounter their human host. When foreign molecules, such as bacterial DNA
TOLL is a gene first discovered in Drosophila.
or flagella, bind to TLRs, they trigger a complex set of responses that leads to the production of inflammatory cytokines and local antimicrobial peptides. When the inflammation is inadequate to deal with an injury or microbial invader, the so-called adaptive or acquired specific immune response kicks in. This mechanism encompasses both cell-mediated and humoral responses. The former involves the production of antigen-specific T cells, which, depending on their surface protein makeup, serve a variety of functions, such as influencing the activities of other immune cells; the latter involves the production of antigen-specific B cells, which produce humoral antibodies.
New knowledge about the innate and specific immune responses is being used to develop potential therapies for infectious disease control. For example, the key to a good innate immune system defense is a balanced, regulated production of inflammatory cytokines. Otherwise, microbial infection can provoke such a massive release of inflammatory cytokines as to seriously damage and even kill their host. Researchers are exploring ways to interrupt the TLR pathways in order to either downregulate overly active inflammatory responses or upregulate weak responses. These could be useful strategies in the treatment of infectious diseases for which no otherwise effective specific therapies exist.
Genetic Polymorphisms
J.B.S. Haldane (1949) was among the first to suggest that pathogens serve as potent natural selective forces that have helped shape the evolution of human defenses against infection (Hill, 1998; Weatherall, 1996a; Lederberg, 1999). In particular, Haldane predicted that people who live in historically malaria-laden areas may have evolved genetic polymorphisms—in particular, heterozygous hemoglobinopathies—that increase their ability to survive infection with malaria.
Hemoglobinopathies are a group of diseases caused by or associated with the presence of abnormal hemoglobin in the blood; they are one of the most common single-gene disorders in humans. The hemoglobin gene has several allelic variants, including hemoglobin S, which, if homozygous, causes sickle cell disease. Hemoglobin S heterozygotes have the sickle cell trait and are virtually asymptomatic; however, they exhibit 80 to 95 percent protection against P. falciparum infection (Weatherall, 1996b). Hemoglobin S homozygosity exacts a cost in adverse health effects (as many persons of African descent have sickle cell disease), but clearly the protective power of this particular allelic variant is still under major selective pressure. Indeed, in areas free of malaria, sickle cell trait and sickle cell disease are very rare, or generally found only in lineages who have migrated from malaria-laden areas. Another structural hemoglobin variant, hemo-
globin E, occurs at high frequencies throughout the Indian subcontinent, Burma, and Southeast Asia; in some areas, carriers make up as much as 50 percent of the population. Like hemoglobin S, hemoglobin E protects against P. falciparum (Flint et al., 1993; Weatherall, 1996b). More common than the structural variants hemoglobin S and E are a group of anemias known as thalassemias, which result from a defective production rate of either the alpha or the beta chain of the hemoglobin polypeptide. Again, heterozygotes are usually asymptomatic, and protection against malaria appears to have been the major selective force responsible for the more than 120 different beta thalassemia mutations, as well as the many different alpha thalassemia mutations (Weatherall, 1996b). The biological mechanism underlying the protective power of the heterozygous hemoglobinopathies is still unclear.
The presence of malaria in a population does more than modify hemoglobin. Several other malaria-related balanced polymorphisms, many of which involve the red blood cell structure and metabolism, have likewise evolved in response to the tremendous selective force exerted by the disease. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (an X-linked chromosomal disorder), for example, serves a protective role in heterozygous female carriers and hemizygous males (Ruwende et al., 1995). Heterozygous carriers of a mutation in band 3 of the red blood cell membrane, which in its homozygous state causes the potentially lethal melanesian ovalocytosis, may also have a protective advantage. Finally, different blood group antigens may have evolved in response to past exposure to malaria (Miller, 1994). Racial differences in the distribution of certain red blood cell receptors for malaria parasites have been observed, possibly as a result of evolutionary genetic selection (IOM, 1991; Barragan et al., 2000; Hamblin et al., 2002). The Duffy antigen (a name taken from the hemophilia patient in whom it was first identified) is a parasite receptor on red blood cells that is recognized by certain forms of malaria, including P. vivax and P. knowlesi. Many persons of African descent lack the Duffy gene and therefore cannot be infected by either of these malaria parasites.
Other balanced polymorphisms have apparently evolved in response to malaria. For example, the tumor necrosis factor alpha gene and the HLA-DR class II genes both have polymorphic systems that have been linked to malaria (Hill et al., 1991). The remarkable human genetic diversity that has evolved in response to malaria, and that scientists have only just begun to uncover, suggests that other less common or less studied infections have probably generated extraordinary diversity as well. Fortunately, knowledge gleaned from the human genome project and its technological offshoots is leading to a dramatic explosion in new understandings of polymorphisms in a variety of genes that alter the response to infection. One of the most recently reported links between infection and natural selection is a deletion
in the host-cell chemokine receptor CCR5, which reduces the risk of acquiring HIV infection after exposure (Sullivan et al., 2001). As another example, certain major histocompatibility complex class I molecules have been shown to reduce the risk of dying from HIV infection (Kaslow et al., 1996; Gao et al., 2001). Likewise, several different mutations or polymorphic systems influence the susceptibility to or likelihood of death from meningococcal infection (Read et al., 2000; Nadel et al., 1996; Westendorp et al., 1997). Numerous other examples exist of genetic associations with diseases, including cancers and chronic diseases, and the list is growing rapidly (Hill, 2001; Topcu et al., 2002; Chen et al., 2002a; Calhoun et al., 2002; Helminen et al., 2001; Pain et al., 2001).
Host susceptibility to infection is aggravated by malnutrition. A strong and consistent relationship has been found between childhood malnutrition and increased risk of death from diarrhea, acute respiratory infection, and possibly malaria (Rice et al., 2000). Conversely, infectious processes, especially those associated with diarrhea, drive malnutrition in young children (Mata, 1992; Mata et al., 1977), so that diarrheal illness is both a cause and an effect of malnutrition (Guerrant et al., 1992; Wierzba et al., 2001; Lima et al., 1992). Clinically, malnutrition is characterized by inadequate intake of protein, energy, and micronutrients and by frequent infections or disease (WHO, 2002d). Malnutrition has been associated with 50 percent of all deaths among children worldwide (Rice et al., 2000). In 2000, an estimated 150 million of the world’s children under age 5 were malnourished on the basis of low weight for age (WHO, 2002d). More than two-thirds (70 percent) of these children were in Asia, especially southern Asia. The number of malnourished children living in Africa—26 percent of the world’s malnourished children—has risen as a result of population growth in the region, as well as natural disasters, wars, civil disturbances, and population displacement (WHO, 2000b).
Malnutrition diminishes host resistance to infection through a number of mechanisms. Virtually all bodily processes and physical barriers that keep infectious agents from invading the host are affected. These include the skin, mucous membranes, gastric acidity, absorptive capacity, intestinal flora, cell-mediated immunity, phagocyte function, and cytokine production (Chandra, 1997; Levander, 1997). Although multiple-nutrient deficiencies are much more common than single-nutrient deficiencies, lack of even one vitamin or mineral (e.g., zinc; selenium; iron; copper; vitamins A, C, E, B-6, and folic acid) can impair the immune response. For example, vitamin A deficiency significantly increases the risk of severe illness and death from common childhood infections, such as diarrheal disease and
measles, by diminishing the host’s resistance to infection. For children deficient in vitamin A, the periodic supplying of high-dose vitamin A has reduced mortality by 23 percent overall and by up to 50 percent for those who suffer from acute measles (WHO, 2002d). The relative risk of measles mortality in children younger than 2 years of age has been shown to be significantly reduced when the children’s diets are supplemented with vitamin A for only 2 days (Barclay et al., 1987; West, 2000). Consequently, WHO recommends treating children who have measles, prolonged diarrhea, wasting malnutrition, or other acute infections with vitamin A (IOM, 2002c; WHO, 1997). Furthermore, studies have suggested an association between maternal vitamin A deficiency and an increased risk of vertical HIV transmission from mother to child (Semba et al., 1994; Greenberg et al., 1997). It is not yet clear, however, what role vitamin A supplementation has in the management of HIV infection.
Many elements of the physical environment influence the host directly; determine the survival of agents that exist outside the host; and mediate the transmission of agents between hosts, including the movement from animal to human hosts. Viewed in this light, the physical environment takes on considerable importance in determining the epidemiology of infectious diseases (Wilson, 2001). The interactions among vectors, animal reservoirs, microbes, and humans present many opportunities for changes in the physical environment to influence transmission dynamics. Many of the factors that affect the abundance, survival, activity, or feeding behavior of vectors also impact on the reproduction, survival, and abundance of animal reservoirs. For example, elevated rainfall often creates new breeding habitats for mosquitoes, leading to an increase in mosquito population density. Increased levels of precipitation can also lead to decreased marsh salinity, which in turn may increase the survival rates of certain toxic aquatic bacteria. Likewise, these same factors can affect human behavior or exposure to infection by impacting outdoor activities, housing, the quality and quantity of food, and agricultural or other uses of the environment.
Among the numerous elements of the physical environment that influence the emergence of infectious diseases, climate and weather2 have received a great deal of attention in recent years. Many infectious diseases either are strongly influenced by short-term weather conditions or display a seasonality suggesting that they are influenced by longer-term climatic
Weather refers to short-term fluctuations in the atmosphere, such as changes in cloudiness or temperature, whereas climate usually refers to average weather over a period of time.
changes (Patz et al., 2000). Climate can directly impact disease transmission through its effects on the replication and movement (and perhaps evolution) of disease microbes and vectors; climate can also operate indirectly through its impacts on ecology or human behavior (NRC, 2001). To be transported over relatively large distances from one host to another, many microbes must be borne passively through moving air or water. Some pathogenic microbes, such as those causing coccidiomycosis (see Box 3-3), are picked up from the soil and carried by dry, dusty winds (Schneider et al., 1997); some opportunistic human pathogens can apparently survive transoceanic transport in dust clouds (Griffin et al., 2001); and others, such as cryptosporidiosis, may be washed by heavy rains into reservoirs of drinking water (Alterholt et al., 1998) (see Box 3-4). The 1993 hantavirus outbreak in the southwestern United States, due to an El Nino event, is an example of how climatic factors have contributed to the emergence of infectious disease (see the later discussion of hantavirus). Likewise, higher water temperatures in the Pacific Northwest resulting from a 1997 El Nino event provided unusual conditions favorable to the growth of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which led to a shellfish-associated outbreak of disease (CDC, 1998a).
The fact that local and regional climatic factors clearly influence disease emergence has led scientists to suggest that projected global climate changes will have an impact on infectious disease emergence. Climatologists project upward trends in global temperatures and estimate that by 2100, temperatures will have increased by 1.4–5.8°C (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2001a). Climate change has already been detected, and impacts from such change are sure to follow. Arthropod-borne diseases, such as malaria, yellow fever, and dengue, are expected to be affected more readily than other types of diseases by climate change since arthropod transmission patterns are highly sensitive to changes in ambient temperature. Waterborne diseases, such as cryptosporidiosis, may also be affected (Patz et al., 2001). However, to fully assess the effects of climate change, both confounding factors (e.g., drug resistance, crop yields, population migration) and the adaptive capacity of a population must be considered. Many argue that at present, other factors—including human population density and the capacity of the public health system to prevent and control infectious disease outbreaks—affect disease risk more than does global climatic change. Indirectly, if global climatic change were to result in reduced food availability, thereby producing undernourished human populations more vulnerable to disease, its impact on infectious disease could be dramatic (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2001b). Likewise, if social disruption, economic decline, and displaced populations were to emerge as a result of reduced food availability due to global climate change,
BOX 3-3 Fungal Threats
In 1994, a major earthquake shook Ventura County, California, generating massive landslides in the Santa Susana Mountains just north of Simi Valley. These landslides resulted in the formation of large dust clouds that were dispersed into nearby valleys by northeast winds. Within the dust clouds were tiny arthrospores of the fungus Coccidioides immitis. As the dust clouds settled over Ventura County, residents of the area inhaled the contaminated air; the result was 203 cases of coccidioidomycosis (also known as Valley fever and San Joaquin Valley fever), including three fatalities associated with this event (Schneider et al., 1997).
The dimorphic fungus Coccidioides immitis that causes coccidioidomycosis, grows in topsoil layers in the southwestern United States, Mexico, and parts of Central and South America. It is transmitted through the air following the disturbance of contaminated soil, as in the case of dust storms, earthquakes, and excavations. It is not transmitted from person to person. Although 60 percent of infected individuals are asymptomatic, the remainder can develop a range of infirmities, from influenza-like illness, to pneumonia, to severe pulmonary and extrapulmonary disease in immunocompromised individuals (CDC, 1994a). Simple environmental measures, such as planting grass and paving roads, can lower the risk of airborne dispersion of C. immitis. As of 2002, however, no practical method for eliminating the organism had been developed. National surveillance for coccidioidomycosis began through the National Electronic Telecommunications System for Surveillance (NETSS) in 1995; the disease is reportable in California, New Mexico, and Arizona.
In addition to dissemination by dust clouds, fungal infections can be a health threat for travelers to regions of the world where these infections are endemic (Panackal, 2002). Travelers have developed fungal infections as a result of a wide range of recreational and work activities. For example, an outbreak of coccidioidomycosis occurred in a church group from Washington State upon returning from Tecate, Mexico, where these members of the congregation had assisted with construction projects at an orphanage. Following the outbreak, Coccidioides immitis-was isolated from soil samples taken from Tecate (Cairns et al., 2000). College students visiting Acapulco, Mexico, were diagnosed with histoplasmosis, an infection caused by the soil-inhabiting fungus Histoplasma capsulatum, after staying at a beach resort hotel (CDC, 2001d). Similarly, Italian spelunkers returning from Mato Grosso, Peru, displayed signs and symptoms consistent with histoplasmosis (Nasta et al., 1997). Other potential mycotic disease threats include blastomycosis, which is endemic to parts of the south-central, southeastern, and midwestern United States, as well as Central and South America and parts of Africa; cryptococcosis, the fungal agent of which has been isolated from soil worldwide, usually in association with bird droppings; aspergillosis; candidiasis; and sporotrichosis (CDC, 2001e).
BOX 3-4 An Outbreak of Cryptosporidiosis
Cryptosporidiosis, a waterborne intestinal infection caused by Cryptosporidium spp., produces potentially life-threatening disease in those who are immunocompromised and mild to chronic diarrhea in others (Fayer and Ungar, 1986). In 1993, an estimated 403,000 crytposporidiosis infections occurred among residents of and visitors to Milwaukee, Wisconsin (MacKenzie et al., 1994). Cryptospordium oocysts in untreated water from Lake Michigan had apparently been inadequately removed by the coagulation and filtration process in a portion of the Milwaukee water treatment plant. The source of the oocysts leading to the outbreak remains speculative. Possible sources include cattle along two rivers that flow into the Milwaukee harbor, slaughterhouses, and human sewage. Various vertebrates (e.g., cows and wild deer) are naturally infected by Cryptosporidium spp. (Navin and Juranek, 1984; Simpson, 1992; Tzipori et al., 1981). Perhaps considerable rainfall, combined with a high concentration of animal runoff near the municipal water supply, triggered this transmission event. Genotypic and experimental infection data may suggest a human rather than bovine source (Peng et al., 1997). In the 2 years following this contamination of the water supply, it was estimated that 54 deaths (85 percent among people with AIDS) may have resulted from the 1993 outbreak (Hoxie et al., 1997). In addition to contaminated drinking water, outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis in the United States and abroad have been linked to chlorinated and unchlorinated recreational water facilites, such as public swimming pools, water parks, lakes, and rivers (Carpenter et al., 1999).
the emergence and spread of infectious disease would likely be substantially impacted. A recent National Research Council (NRC) report, Under The Weather: Climate, Ecosystems, and Infectious Disease, addresses the impact of climate and weather change in further detail (NRC, 2001).
The abundance and distribution of plants and animals can, conversely, impact on components of the physical environment. Forest growth, for example, usually reduces evapotranspiration; cropping often increases local relative humidity; and the development of large urban areas generally leads to an accumulation of atmospheric particulates and warmer air temperatures. Even very minor ecological changes, such as implementing a new farming technique, can confront pathogens with new environments and significantly alter the transmission patterns of infectious diseases. Of course, the pathogens must have sufficient genetic variation to adapt to such ecological changes and new environments. But most pathogenic evolutionary changes that result in a potentially new disease still require an ecological
cofactor for the disease to actually take root (Stephens et al., 1998). In other words, regardless of its genetic prowess, the pathogen still must be able to reach its animal (or human) host or vector.
Given today’s rapid pace of economic development and enormous scale of ecological changes, understanding how environmental factors are impacting on the emergence of infectious diseases has assumed an added urgency. To the pressing issues of environmental conservation, natural resource utilization, population growth, and economic development can be added the need to understand the interplay of these processes with the emergence of infectious diseases. Such environmental and ecological factors are playing an increasingly important role in disease emergence. In general, changes in the environment tend to have the greatest influence on the transmission of microbial agents that are waterborne, airborne, foodborne, or vector-borne, or that have an animal reservoir.
Pathogens transmitted by mosquitoes and their arthropod allies sicken millions of people each year, cause inestimable morbidity in humans and animals around the globe, and remain major barriers to social and economic development in much of the tropical world. Of the ten diseases targeted by WHO for special control programs, seven have arthropod vectors (WHO 2003a). Many of these diseases—for example, dengue, yellow fever, and malaria—which were controlled to a substantial degree, are now resurgent in many formerly endemic areas. Malaria continues to afflict much of the tropical world and causes an estimated 1.5 million to 2 million deaths per year. More than 2.5 billion people are at risk for dengue virus infection; 100 million cases of dengue are estimated to occur annually, and the incidence of dengue hemorrhagic fever is increasing rapidly throughout the tropics. Yellow fever virus has recently caused major epidemics in Africa and South America (Gubler, 2001; Monath, 2001), and sylvatic reservoirs in these areas provide an ongoing threat for its reintroduction into Aedes aegypti–infested metropolitan areas throughout the world. Ae. aegypti is also the principal vector of the dengue viruses. Vector-borne diseases continue to emerge in new areas and/or to resurge throughout the world, even in areas where they were previously controlled. Many newly emerged pathogens and diseases, including Sin Nombre and Andes viruses (and a plethora of other newly discovered hantaviruses), Guanarito, Lyme disease, and ehrlichiosis all have rodent hosts and/or arthropod vectors (Mills et al., 1999; Gubler, 1998; Gratz, 1999). Others, such as the Seoul, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, West Nile, and Rift Valley fever (RVF) viruses (see Box 3-5), have demonstrated their ability to emerge in new or
BOX 3-5 Rift Valley Fever
Rift Valley fever (RVF) provides an excellent example of how ecological conditions determine pathogen transmission. In Saudi Arabia, 453 individuals with suspected hemorrhagic fever required hospitalization from August to October 2000 (WHO, 2000c). The case-fatality rate was 19 percent, with a median age of 47 years and an age range of 1 to 95 years. In Yemen, 1,087 similarly suspected case-patients were identified from August to November 2000; 121 of them died (CDC, 2000c). The mean age of suspected cases was 32.2 years, with an age range of 1 month to 95 years. Symptoms included low-grade fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and jaundice with liver and kidney dysfunction, often progressing to death. Three out of 4 case-patients reported being exposed to sick animals, handling an abortus, or slaughtering animals in the week before the onset of illness. Using diagnostics, including antigen and antibody detection, polymerase chain reaction, virus isolation, and immunohistochemistry, the CDC confirmed the diagnosis of RVF. Satellite images and aerial surveys revealed numerous areas throughout the coastal plain and adjacent mountains that would be conducive to transmission of the RVF virus. Entomologic studies revealed large numbers of two species of mosquitoes—Culex tritaeniorrhynchus and Aedes caspius—in the flood irrigation farming areas where most of the human cases were reported. The mechanism of virus trafficking is not clear; however, it is thought that animal relocation from Africa may have resulted in introduction of the virus into Saudi Arabia. It is now believed that the RVF virus may be able to establish itself almost anywhere in the world, given the availability of potential permissive vectors and animal reservoirs.
RVF virus was first recognized and isolated as the agent of a zoonotic disease in Kenya in 1930. The disease is now widespread throughout much of the African continent. RVF virus is transmitted mainly by floodwater Aedes spp., which feed primarily on animals. Mosquitoes may be infected transovarially, but domestic ungulates (cattle, sheep, goats, etc.) amplify transmission and become sufficiently viremic to infect other “bridge” mosquitoes (e.g., Culex spp.), which can then infect humans (Wilson, 1994). Virus transmission is linked to periodic heavy rainfalls that fill shallow depressions called dambos, where mosquitoes, such as Ae. macintoshi, lay their eggs. This vector has been associated with vertical transmission of the virus to progeny, thereby providing a mechanism for the virus to survive adverse climatic conditions. When the dambos are flooded, infected mosquitoes can emerge to initiate the transmission cycle. The local abundance of ungulates, their movement while searching for forage, and their proximity to humans are important in the epidemiology of the disease. Thus, complex ecological factors impact on where, when, and with what intensity RVF emerges (Linthicum et al., 1999). Outbreaks outside of sub-Saharan Africa occurred in Egypt in 1977–1978 and again in 1993; the identification of RVF in Saudi Arabia and Yemen in 2000 (Ahmad, 2000) was the first confirmation of its occurrence beyond the African continent.
previously endemic regions, thereby causing significant morbidity and mortality.
Arthropod-borne parasitic diseases, such as malaria, filariasis, onchocerciasis, trypanosomiasis, and leishmaniasis, remain major human threats. An estimated 120 million people suffer from lymphatic filariasis, and approximately 18 million people are afflicted with onchocerciasis, of whom about 340,000 are blind and an equal number visually impaired. More than 10 million people are afflicted with leishmaniasis, and 50,000 to 100,000 individuals die of visceral leishmaniasis each year in India alone. In Latin America, an estimated 20 million people have Chagas disease. In Africa, approximately 45 million people are at risk for African trypanosomiasis, which has virtually precluded domestic livestock production in a geographic region of Africa larger than the United States and now is tragically resurgent in humans in areas in East Africa.
Ecological and environmental conditions are key determinants of the transmission and persistence of vector-borne pathogens. Ecological conditions can increase the risk of infection by altering human exposure to vectors or changing their distribution, abundance, longevity, activity, and habitat associations, and thereby increasing or decreasing the overall potential for the vector population to transmit the pathogen to humans. Mosquito abundance and transmission of pathogens are typically associated with rainy seasons, since juvenile mosquitoes develop in aquatic habitats. Dengue transmission, for example, typically occurs during the rainy season, although the prior month’s temperature has been shown to affect transmission during the rainy season (Focks et al., 1995). Populations of floodwater- and container-breeding mosquitoes (e.g., Ae. aegypti) are dramatically affected by environmental conditions; their abundance is directly linked to rainfall (or snowmelt for temperate-zone mosquitoes), which induces the eggs to hatch. In contrast, transmission of Saint Louis encephalitis virus may be greatest in relatively dry periods after the rainy season (Shaman et al., 2002). The preferred breeding site of the principal vector, Culex quinquefasciatus, is stagnating pools of water with concentrated nutrient materials, and thus mosquito abundance increases during drier conditions, which favor the formation of such breeding sites. The emergence and reemergence of vector-borne pathogens are linked to changes in temperature (which determines how long it takes the parasite to develop), wind speed, and relative humidity (all of which affect vector feeding frequency); the amount and diversity of vegetation; and the presence of alternative hosts (which can alter the rate of blood feeding on humans). In particular, as previously discussed, global warming could theoretically result in dramatic alterations in the incidence and distribution of vector-borne diseases.
The movement of goods and people can also support the movement of vectors, allowing them to become established in new areas (see the later
discussion of international travel and commerce). This is certainly not a recent development. Probably the most notable public health example of such events is the dissemination of Ae. aegypti throughout the world (Tabachnick et al., 1985). After domestication and adaptation to humans and human environments, Ae. aegypti apparently spread to coastal areas of Africa, and was then transported throughout the world in sailing ships. Presumably Ae. aegypti, as well as yellow fever virus, was introduced into the New World on slave ships. Ae. albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, likely entered the United States via shipping (Moore, 1999). Aedes spp. eggs can easily be transported in such objects as waterlogged tires to new areas and hatch upon exposure to water. The large shipping containers used to transport so many products provide excellent environments for the transport of mosquito eggs. This presumably occurred recently as well with Ae. japonicus (Fonseca et al., 2001). Adult mosquitoes can be spread much more quickly throughout the world in the cabins or other areas of airplanes (Lounibus, 2002). Traveling mosquitoes can also rapidly introduce new genes, leading to the emergence of epidemiologically important vector phenotypes in new areas. Jet transport has been postulated as a mechanism for the rapid dissemination of an esterase mutation conferring pesticide resistance to organophosphates on Culex pipiens populations throughout the world (Raymond et al., 1998).
Traveling viremic humans can easily disseminate dengue virus to new areas via jet travel, and with the establishment of the mosquito Ae. aegypti in tropical and subtropical areas, can readily introduce new and perhaps virulent virus genotypes into susceptible populations. These same areas are also at risk for introduction of yellow fever virus, which is likewise transmitted by Ae. aegypti. Between 1970 and 2000, seven cases of yellow fever in unvaccinated travelers from the United States and Europe were reported (Monath and Cetron, 2002). It would appear to be inevitable for yellow fever to be introduced into new areas, such as Asia, with potentially catastrophic results.
Reservoir Abundance and Distribution
It has been estimated that 75 percent of all emerging infections are zoonotic, i.e., they can be transmitted from animals to humans (Taylor et al., 2001a). In some cases, the mechanisms of transmission of a pathogen from animals to humans has been identified, but the transmission of the same pathogen between various animal reservoirs remains a mystery (see Box 3-6). Pathogens transmitted to humans directly from rodents (e.g., rodent-borne viral diseases) or maintained in nature by rodents and transmitted to humans by arthropods (e.g., Lyme disease, erhlichiosis, plague)
Box 3-6 Nipah Virus
Between September 1998 and June 1999, an outbreak of a Japanese encephalitis-like illness occurred among people from several pig-farming villages in Malaysia; 265 cases of febrile encephalitis were reported to the Malaysian Ministry of Health, including over 100 deaths (Chua et al., 2000; Goh et al., 2000; WHO, 2001e). The majority of illnesses were characterized by 3–14 days of fever and headache, followed by drowsiness and disorientation that progressed to coma within 24–48 hours. In other cases, however, the infection was mild or inapparent. Most of the affected individuals were adult men who had histories of close contact with swine. During March of the same year, nine similar cases of encephalitis and two cases of respiratory illness that resembled some of what had been seen in the Malaysia outbreak were reported in Singapore; all eleven had handled swine imported from Malaysia. Concurrent with the human cases, many pigs in the regions were also becoming ill and dying.
Tissue culture isolation from human and swine central nervous system specimens resulted in the identification of a previously unknown infectious agent, later named Nipah virus after the village of Sungei Nipah where it is believed the outbreak originated through infected bats that frequent the fruit trees near the pig farms. These fruit bats are distributed across northern, eastern, and southeastern areas of Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and some of the Pacific Islands. Infected bats appear to be asymptomatic reservoirs; it is unknown how the virus is transmitted from the bats to pigs. More than 900,000 pigs were culled in response to the outbreak (Uppal, 2000).
Transmission of the Nipah virus to humans is primarily through direct contact with infected pigs or contaminated swine tissue; no evidence has been found for any person-to-person transmission. Although pigs are the only source of human infection identified thus far, they may not be the only one. For example, dogs infected with the Nipah virus have also shown a distemper-like illness, although no epidemiological link has been found between their infection and human disease; likewise, horses have shown serological evidence of infection, which again does not appear to be linked to human disease. The apparent ability of Nipah virus to infect a wide range of hosts and the fact that it causes a fatal and untreatable disease in humans have made this emerging infection an important public health concern.
make up a significant proportion of emerging and resurging diseases (Mills and Childs, 1998). Epidemics of plague, tularemia, relapsing fever, and typhus have all occurred in recent years. Exacerbating the situation is the potential for many of these agents to be weaponized and used intentionally for harm. Rodent-borne viral diseases have been unusually refractory to control or eradication programs and continue to emerge as significant pathogens of human and animal populations. Many newly emerged viruses (e.g., Sin Nombre virus and other hantaviruses, and Guanarito and other arenaviruses) have rodents as primary hosts. The high mortality rates asso-
ciated with these rodent-borne hemorrhagic fevers and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome generate great concern in the medical, scientific, and public health communities—and among the general public. Rodent-borne diseases will undoubtedly continue to emerge and increase in medical significance in many areas of the world.
Ecological and environmental conditions determine the epidemic potential of pathogens transmitted by animal reservoirs. Transmisson of arena-viruses—such as Junin virus (found in the corn mouse, Calomys musculinus) in Argentina, Machupo virus (in Calomys calosus) in Bolivia, and Lassa virus (from multimammate rats [Mastomys spp.]) in Africa—has strong environmental determinants. Transmission of each of these pathogens occurs via contact with rodent urine, feces, or tissues; the stability of the pathogens is influenced by humidity and sunlight. A strong link exists between the density of rodent reservoirs and arenaviral diseases in humans. For example, a longitudinal study of C. musculinus populations in an area in which Argentine hemorrhagic fever was endemic demonstrated a dramatic increase in the density of rodents immediately preceding an outbreak of human disease (Mills et al., 1992). During an outbreak of Bolivian hemorrhagic fever in San Joaquin, nearly 3,000 rodents (C. callosus) (about 10 per household) were removed during a 3-week period, apparently contributing to the rapid decline in new cases (Mercado, 1975). Changes in resources and predators that affect the abundance of rodents, combined with patterns of agricultural production and land use, appear to be the major determinants of risk for many arenaviral diseases.
The emergence of Sin Nombre virus and other hantaviral agents provides a textbook example of the effect of ecological forces on rodent distribution and abundance (Nichol et al., 1993). In 1993, an outbreak of acute respiratory distress disease occurred in the southwestern United States, with the initial cases occurring predominantly among Native Americans. The case fatality rate was approximately 60 percent, causing widespread anxiety and enormous media interest in this newly emerged disease. Sin Nombre virus (genus Hantavirus, family Bunyaviridae) was identified as the etiologic agent of this disease, designated hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (Nichol et al., 1993; Elliott et al., 1994). This finding was unexpected; the only other hantaviruses known in the United States at that time were Prospect Hill virus, which was not known to cause human illness, and Seoul virus, which had been associated with mild renal illnesses in humans in the eastern portion of the country (Glass et al., 1994). Thus, no a priori reason existed to associate the acute respiratory disease outbreak in 1993 with hantavirus infection.
Hantaviruses are found worldwide and are major causes of morbidity and mortality in Asia and Europe (Schmaljohn and Hjelle, 1997). In Eurasia, Hantaan virus infections have been associated with illnesses causing signifi-
cant mortality following acute, systemic disorders characterized by fever, hemorrhagic manifestations, and renal failure. These illnesses have usually been clinically diagnosed as hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) or Korean hemorrhagic fever. Several other viruses, including Dobrava-Belgrade virus, Puumala virus, and Seoul virus, cause similar diseases. Renal involvement, rather than respiratory symptoms, is the hallmark of these diseases.
Hantaviruses are transmitted directly between rodents and to humans via excreta (dried saliva, urine, feces). Human-to-human transmission of Sin Nombre virus has not been reported, although there is evidence from Argentina for direct human-to-human transmission of Andes virus, which is very closely related to Sin Nombre virus (Padula et al., 1998). The rodent reservoir of Sin Nombre virus has been identified as the deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus, one of the most commonly occurring and widely distributed mammals in North America (Childs et al., 1994). Hence, Sin Nombre virus shares a similar widespread distribution, but prevalence rates of the virus in this rodent reservoir can differ temporally and spatially (Mills et al., 1999).
Identification of a hantavirus as the etiologic agent of the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome epidemic prompted increased surveillance for these agents in the Western Hemisphere that has revealed an array of heretofore unrecognized hantaviruses. Cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome have now been documented in 31 states, Canada, and Central and South America, and serologic evidence has demonstrated the presence of hantaviral infections in Mexican rodents. More cases of the syndrome are now recognized to occur in South than in North America (Calisher et al., 2002). Of the 39 hantaviruses now recognized (CDC, 2002v), 25 have been identified since 1994, 11 occur exclusively in the United States, and many new ones have been identified in Central and South America (see Figure 3-2). Each hantavirus is associated with a primary rodent reservoir host, suggesting that more hantaviruses will be discovered as new rodent hosts are assayed for these pathogens (Monroe et al., 1999).
Data from the National Science Foundation’s Long-Term Ecological Research Site at Sevilleta in Central New Mexico reveal that P. maniculatus densities increased dramatically beginning in the early 1990s and were highest in 1993 (Yates et al., 2002a). These conditions may have resulted from an El Nino Southern Oscillation event in previous years, which had caused ample rainfall, warm winters, dramatically increased plant productivity, and abundant forage for P. maniculatus. In an area of southwestern Colorado near hantavirus pulmonary syndrome cases, P. maniculatus abundance was estimated to be as high as 50 per hectare, and Sin Nombre virus antibody prevalence rates exceeded 50 percent (Childs et al., 1994). These areas have subsequently been monitored continuously in long-term longitu-
FIGURE 3-2 New world hantaviruses (bold) and their rodent reservoirs (italics).
SOURCE: CDC, 2002x.
dinal studies of hantaviruses in rodent reservoirs in the southwestern United States as part of a landmark effort by the CDC to understand the environmental and epidemiologic determinants of hantavirus emergence and to develop predictive models for risk assessment (Boone et al., 1998; Glass et al., 2000; Hjelle and Glass, 2000). Rodent population densities and seroprevalence rates have not been as high in Sin Nombre virus–endemic areas since the 1993 outbreak. However, an additional El Nino Southern Oscillation event in 1997 resulted in an increased number of human hantavirus pulmonary syndrome cases and a growth in rodent populations; a more refined model for Sin Nombre virus emergence was subsequently developed (Yates et al., 2002a).
The physical environment is constantly being modified by human activities. Most economic development activities, including the consumption of natural resources, deforestation, and dam building, have some intended or unintended impact on the environment, or both. In the present context, it is important to note that a growing number of emerging infectious diseases arise from increased human contact with animal reservoirs as a result
of changing land use patterns. A recent example of this phenomenon is Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever, a new disease that was identified in 1989 and emerged following the transformation of forest to agricultural land, which provided a highly favorable environment for the probable reservoir host, the cane mouse Zygodontomys brevicauda (IOM, 2002d). Other examples include increases in malaria following the clearing of land for rubber plantations in Malaysia; increases in schistosomiasis, malaria, and other infectious diseases following the Volta River project in Africa; increases in vector-borne diseases after the construction of new transportation routes in Brazil; and the emergence of Lyme disease in the United States after the reforestation of abandoned farmlands in the northeast (Mayer, 2000). Even the emergence of HIV is believed to have been due to increased contact with nonhuman primates infected with the related simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs); exposure to infected blood during the hunting and field dressing of animals and the preparation of primate meat for consumption may have led to human infection. Indeed, compelling evidence indicates that SIV counterparts of HIV, specifically SIVcpz from chimpanzees and SIVsm from sooty mangabeys, have been introduced into the human population on multiple occasions, generating HIV types 1 and 2 (HIV-1 and HIV-2), respectively (IOM, 2002b).
Reforestation and Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is a classic example of a microbial threat influenced by multiple environmental determinants. The principal vector in North America is the deer tick, Ixodes scapularis, which must take blood meals as larva, nymph, and adult to survive and reproduce. Wild rodents, especially Peromyscus spp. in the northeastern and midwestern United States and Neotina spp. in the western United States, serve as reservoirs for the bacterial agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, but white-tailed deer are the definitive hosts for the adult ticks. The emergence of the disease has been linked in part to the reforestation of former farm land, which led to a dramatic increase in the distribution and abundance of white-tail deer populations (Barbour and Fish, 1993). People become infected when they encounter the tick vector, usually during outdoor recreation or near residences in wooded areas. Prior to the reforestation of land formerly cleared for farming, Lyme disease was unrecognized. Lyme disease has increased in incidence and geographic distribution in the past 10 years in the continental United States, and as people continue to build homes and expand their neighborhoods even farther into reforested areas, the number of cases continues to rise. The preservation of vertebrate biodiversity and community composition may help reduce the incidence of Lyme disease (LoGiudice et al., 2003).
Dam Building and Schistosomiasis
Environmental changes resulting in the creation of standing water, such as dam building or the diversion of water by canalization and irrigation, have been implicated in the reemergence of infectious diseases transmitted by mosquitoes and other arthropod vectors. For example, the incidence of Japanese encephalitis, which accounts for approximately 7,000 deaths annually in Asia, is closely associated with the increase in mosquitoes that reproduce as a consequence of flooding fields for rice growing (Morse, 1995). Outbreaks of RVF in some parts of Africa have been associated with increased mosquito density as a result of dam building, as well as periods of heavy rainfall (Monath, 1993).
Environmental changes involving dam-building and irrigation projects appear to be allowing the spread of schistosomiasis to new areas. More than 200 million people worldwide are infected by and up to three times as many are at risk of this parasitic worm disease which causes chronic urinary tract disease and often results in cirrhosis of the liver and bladder cancer (WHO, 1999a). The development of dams in the Senegal River basin, for example, is among the major factors leading to a significantly increased prevalence of schistosomiasis over a period of only 3 years (Gryseels, 1994). Similarly, the Aswan High Dam has been implicated in increased rates of schistosomiasis in Egypt (El Alamy and Cline, 1977; Abdel-Wahab, 1982). The potential for the Three Gorges Project in China to create conditions conducive to schistosomiasis transmission concerns many scientists.
Schistosomiasis is caused by trematode worms or blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma. Transmission is primarily in tropical or subtropical regions and involves certain snail species, primarily of the genera Biomphalaria, Bulinus, and Onchomelonia, that serve as a host for the development of one stage of the parasite’s life cycle. Humans become infected as they work or bathe in water infested with Schistosoma larvae released by snails. These larvae penetrate the skin and travel to internal organs, where they mature to adult worms that mate and reproduce. Human disease is a consequence of reaction to the eggs deposited in tissues by adult worms that live for years inside chronically infected people. The eggs are released when people urinate or defecate, and if they do so into snail-infested waters, more snails become infected, hence perpetuating the cycle. Thus, both people and snails are important to Schistosoma biology, and environmental changes that affect either can increase the risk of infection. The rise in water levels and change in flow rates that result from dam building may increase the contact between snails and parasites, as well as create fertile soil and sand beds that propagate the development of snails.
The opportunity for transfer of a microbe from one human to another has grown with the explosion of the world’s population. People are also rapidly moving to urban settings by choice or circumstance, leading to close contacts conducive to the spread of infection. Increases in life expectancy have also increased the proportion of elderly among the population, who are at greater risk of infection by virtue of the natural decrease in immune function with age. At the opposite end of the age spectrum, the epidemiology of childhood infections has been altered by the numbers of children in day care centers, often the result of maternal employment (see Box 3-7). Yet another factor in the spread of infection is the growing number of immunocompromised individuals due to the use of steroids and other immunosuppressives, cancer chemotherapy, and HIV infection. Finally, these groups, and potentially all humans, place themselves and others at risk of infection through various behaviors.
The explosive growth of the world’s population is illustrated in Figure 3-3. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the world’s population was approximately 1.5 billion. By 1960 it had doubled, and by late 1999 it had quadrupled to 6 billion (United Nations Population Fund, 1999). The world population is growing at an annual rate of 1.2 percent, or 77 million people, per year (United Nations Population Division, 2001); six countries (India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Indonesia) account for half of this annual growth. International migration is projected to remain high during the twenty-first century. The more developed regions are expected to continue being net receivers of international migrants, with an average gain of about 2 million persons per year over the next 50 years (United Nations Population Division, 2001).
Like the rest of the world, the United States has seen a steady increase in its population; by 2000, the U.S. population had reached 281,421,906 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2002a). During the 1990s, every state gained in population for the first time in the twentieth century (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). It is estimated that 852,000 more people came into the United States than left between July 1998 and July 1999. The nation’s foreign-born population grew from 10 million in 1970, to 14 million in 1980, and 20 million in 1990. By March 2000, the estimated foreign-born population in the United States was 28 million. The largest-growing share of foreign-born U.S. residents between 1970 and 2000 came from Latin America.
BOX 3-7 The Changing Demographics of Child Care in the United States
Although child day care establishments have existed in the United States since the first known facility opened in Boston in 1828, changes in maternal employment during the past three decades have dramatically increased the percentage of children enrolled in out-of-home child care. This increase has in turn significantly altered the epidemiology of childhood infectious diseases. Among women with children under age 5, the proportion working outside the home increased from 30 percent in 1970 to 75 percent in 2000. Estimates of the number of children attending out-of-home day care in the United States range from more than 5.3 million (Osterholm et al., 1992) to more than 11 million (Klein, 1986). About 65 percent of 4-year-old children attended organized day care or nursery schools in 1995 (Ball et al., 2002).
Several studies conducted during the last 15 years have shown that exposure to other children through nonparental child care arrangements increases the likelihood of contracting an infectious disease, including respiratory illness, ear infection, diarrhea, and skin disease. Of particular interest are epidemics of diarrhea in day care centers, caused by organisms believed to be rare 20 years ago, including the intestinal parasites Cryptosporidium (CDC, 1984) and Giardia lamblia (Sealy and Schuman, 1983).
The risk of infection does not end with the child. Day care providers, family members, and even the community at large are all potentially at risk for infectious diseases that occur in day care centers. In one study, for example, the rates of gastrointestinal infection brought into the home by a child in day care were 26 percent for Shigella infection, 15 percent for rotavirus infection, and 17 percent for G. lamblia infection (Pickering et al., 1981). More recently, 34 percent of reported cases of a 1997 community-wide hepatitis A epidemic were associated with contact with child care centers; people who had direct contact with child care were 6 times more likely to become infected than people who did not have such contact (Venczel et al., 2001).
Many more studies are needed to better evaluate which particular infectious diseases pose an increased risk among children who attend child care centers and how these risks can be decreased. Compulsory hand washing after handling infants, blowing noses, changing diapers, or using toilet facilities is believed to be one of the most important preventive measures (Klein, 1986). Other measures include ensuring that facilities have adequate light and ventilation, space for play and rest, and an appropriate number of toilet and wash areas; that toilet facilities are separated from areas where foods are prepared and eaten; that sinks, soap dispensers, and paper towels are plentiful and appropriately placed; that surfaces, toys, and materials are regularly cleaned; and that staff members are well trained with regard to hygiene. Indeed, it has been recommended that national regulations and standards be developed and enforced to ensure infection control in out-of-home child care centers and homes.
FIGURE 3-3 The human population explosion. The growth of the human population since 1000 is called the population explosion.
SOURCE: United Nations Population Division, 1999.
The global population is aging at an unprecedented rate (see Figure 3-4). Lower fertility rates, reduced death rates, and improved health have led to growing proportions of elderly people worldwide. As previously noted, aging increases susceptibility to infection even in the absence of other underlying health conditions. This is likely due to a number of factors, including senescence of gut-associated lymphoid tissue (Morris and Potter, 1997), a reduction in gastric acid secretion (low stomach pH serves as protection from enteric pathogens) (Feldman et al., 1996; Haruma et al., 2000), and diminished cell-mediated immunity and impaired host defenses (Strausbaugh, 2001). The efficacy of immunizations also decreases with advancing age (Bernstein et al., 1999). Some elderly are more vulnerable to infectious disease because of a breakdown in host defenses due to chronic disease, use of medications, and malnutrition.
Virtually all nations are experiencing growth in their elderly populations in absolute numbers (Kinsella and Velkoff, 2001). Developing countries have seen the most rapid increase, accounting for 77 percent of the
world’s net gain of elderly individuals from July 1999 to July 2000 (615,000 people monthly). Despite this increase, Europe remains the region with the highest proportion of population aged 65 and over (15.5 percent in 2000), while sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest proportion (2.9 percent).
Life expectancy has increased enormously in the United States since the beginning of the twentieth century (see Figure 3-5). In developed countries, the average national gain in life expectancy at birth was 66 percent for males and 71 percent for females between 1900 and 1990 (Kinsella and Velkoff, 2001). Increases were more rapid in the first half than in the second half of the century because of the expansion of public health services and infectious disease control programs that greatly reduced death rates, particularly among infants and children in developed countries. Estimates of life expectancy in developing countries in the early part of the 1900s are generally unreliable. Since World War II, changes in life expectancy in developing regions have been fairly uniform. Some exceptions include Latin America and, more recently, Africa as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In 2000, life expectancy in developing countries ranged from 38 to 80 years, as compared with 66 to 81 years in developed nations.
The mass relocation of rural populations to urban areas is one of the defining demographic trends of the latter half of the twentieth century. The world’s cities are currently growing at four times the rate of their rural counterparts, and at least 40 percent of their expansion is the result of migration rather than natural increase. Each day about 160,000 people move from the countryside to metropolitan areas, and almost 50 percent of the world’s population lives “in town” for significant periods (United Nations Population Fund, 2001; United Nations Population Division, 2002). The movement of people to cities has accelerated in the past 50 years (see Figure 3-6). The world’s urban population was 2.9 billion in 2000 and is expected to climb to 5 billion by 2030. Urbanization is greater in the more developed regions of the world, where 75 percent of the population lived in urban settings in 2000. Although the percentage of urban dwellers in less-developed regions had increased to 40 percent in 2000 from 18 percent in 1950, the level and pace of urbanization differed markedly among the major constituent areas. Latin America and the Caribbean as a whole became highly urbanized, with 75 percent of their populations living in urban settlements in 2000. Conversely, only 37 percent of the populations of Africa and Asia lived in urban areas in 2000; however, this number is expected to increase more than 50 percent for both continents by 2030. With 26.5 million inhabitants, Tokyo was the most populated urban agglomeration in the world in 2001 (see Table 3-1).
FIGURE 3-4 The world’s population by age and sex: 1950, 1990, and projections for the year 2030.
Reprinted with permission, from Kinsella and Velkoff, 2001.
FIGURE 3-5 Estimated life expectancy at birth in years: 1900–2000, United States. Death-registration states, 1900–1928 and United States, 1929–2000.
SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, 2002.
Rural-to-urban migration in cities without adequate infrastructure has serious health consequences, not the least of which is the spread of infectious diseases. Many recent arrivals live in dire circumstances and suffer serious environmental health problems due to inadequate infrastructure and poor access to health services (WHO, 2001c). Impoverished rural migrants typically live in unusually crowded living conditions as a result of housing costs and relatively large family sizes, which further contribute to the spread of communicable diseases (United Nations Population Fund, 2001). Infants in poorer and more crowded portions of cities are at least four times more likely than infants in more affluent neighborhoods to die from diseases such as tuberculosis and typhoid. Moreover, many young women who migrate to cities in search of economic opportunity are able to gain economic security only through the commercial sex trade (Asthana and Oostvogels, 1996), and men often travel far from home to seek work in cities, where their reliance on the commercial sex trade increases the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Migrants who contract HIV in urban areas generally return to their villages to be cared for by their families, often perpetuating transmission (Adeyi et al., 2001). Other health concerns associated with increased urbanization include lack of access to clean water and sanitation, absence of adequate shelter (e.g., screens on
FIGURE 3-6 World Urbanization Trends, 1950–2030.
Reprinted with Permission, from UNFPA (1999), Copyright 1999.
windows), and health hazards posed by open sewers and people living in close association with animals.
Urbanization is closely tied to other demographic trends as well. Links among megacities,3 smaller urban areas, and the surrounding rural hinterland are accelerating with the integration of all segments of society into the global economy. This increasing social, economic, and physical mobility has serious epidemiologic consequences. In recent decades, the incidence of several vector-borne diseases has increased dramatically, partly as a result of changing patterns of settlement (Gratz, 1999). Increased transport to centralized markets has helped spread emerging infections between rural and urban areas; an example is the movement of leishmaniasis to urban
In the 1970s, the United Nations coined the term “megacities” to describe cities with 10 million or more residents.
TABLE 3-1 World Megacities, 1975, 2000, and (Projected) 2015: Population in Millions
Tokyo (19.8)
New York (15.9)
Shanghai (11.4)
Mexico City (11.2)
Sao Paolo (10)
Mumbai (18.1)
Sao Paolo (17.8)
Lagos (13.4)
Los Angeles (13.1)
Kolkata (12.9)
Buenos Aires (12.6)
Dhaka (12.3)
Karachi (11.8)
Delhi (11.7)
Metro Manila (10.9)
Beijing (10.8)
Rio de Janeiro (10.6)
Cairo (10.6)
Jakarta (17.3)
Istanbul (12.5)
Osaka (11.0)
Tianjin (10.7)
Hyderabad (10.5)
Bangkok (10.1)
SOURCE: United Nations Population Fund, 2001.
areas in South America (Jeronimo et al., 1994). Ease of transport also allows pathogens and microbial genetic material to travel between regions or continents within human hosts, vectors, animals, sources of food (plants), or cargo (Wilson, 1995).
Immunocompromised Populations
Advances in medicine, science, and technology have led to an increase in the number of people who are immunocompromised. The number of cancer patients has grown steadily during the past two decades, and cancer patients are surviving longer than ever before. The highly infectious disease-susceptible population of transplant patients has also been increasing. Likewise, the widespread use of potent antiretroviral combination therapy has led to a growing population of people living with HIV, who retain a potentially lifelong risk of spreading this infection to others.
The emergence of fungi, such as Aspergillus spp., and other opportunistic agents that were previously uncommon or unrecognized as human pathogens is related primarily to an increase in infection-susceptible populations, such as those having undergone cancer chemotherapy, organ and tissue transplantation, or having become infected with HIV (Dixon et al., 1996). In some oncology and transplant hospital units more than 10 percent of patients are colonized or infected with vancomycin-resistant enterococci (Morris and Potter, 1997). Moreover, under such conditions of poor host immunity, latent infections that have been lying dormant for decades, such as tuberculosis, leishmaniasis, and histoplasmosis, can be reactivated.
High-Risk Behaviors
Human behavior, both individual and collective, plays a critical role in disease emergence. Behavioral interventions to stop the spread of disease have a long history in public health. For example, a century before the rat-flea vector of bubonic plague was discovered, European travelers were advised not to wear the fur robes often bestowed upon guests of the Ottoman sultan in Istanbul (De Tott, 1973) because this action was known to cause illness. Even after the availability of effective antibiotics, behavior modification continued to be considered an invaluable strategy in the prevention of infectious disease; for some diseases, it is the only option.
The prevention of new cases of HIV is dependent on human behavior strategies; with respect to HIV, of course, such strategies must exist in a sociopolitical climate often characterized by a taboo on discussion of risky behaviors, including use of illicit drugs and unprotected sex (Coughlan et al., 2001; Holtgrave and Pinkerton, 2000; Hearst et al., 1995). The behaviors that put individuals at greater risk of contracting infection, however, do not exist in a vacuum. A network of actors encompassing conjugal, family, neighborhood, national, and regional relationships defines the economic, social, and political influences on the choices of individuals. Although changes in human behavior are difficult to achieve and maintain, in the case of HIV, such changes are the only effective prevention strategy to date.
Illicit Drug Use
Infectious diseases have a long history of being associated with illicit drug use. In the 1920s, drug users were often infected with malaria and syphilis as a result of sharing unsterilized syringes while injecting heroin or opium. When dealers started diluting heroin with quinine in the 1930s, the problem of malaria among drug users virtually disappeared as a result of
the antimalarial properties of quinine (Frank, 2000). Illicit drug use also increases the risk for infection with hepatitis A, B, and C, as well as Staphylococcus aureus (Lange, 1989; Kapadia et al., 2002; Chambers, 2001; Ribera, 1998; Tuazon and Sheagren, 1974). The introduction of crack cocaine into New York City in 1985 and the increasing intravenous use of heroin played important roles in the emergence of a variety of infectious diseases, notably tuberculosis and HIV (Garrrett, 1998).
HIV has arguably had the greatest impact on awareness of the dangers of illicit drug use with regard to infectious diseases. People who share drug injection equipment, those who have unprotected sex with injection drug users, and children born to mothers who contracted HIV by sharing needles or having unprotected sex with an illicit drug user are at increased risk for HIV infection. In the United States, injection drug use has been responsible directly or indirectly for more than one-third of all AIDS cases since the epidemic began (CDC, 2002f). More than half of all AIDS cases among women in the United States have been associated with illicit drug use, compared with one-third of cases among men.
Noninjection drug use contributes indirectly to increased transmission of STDs, including HIV, when users trade sex for drugs or money. In addition, crack cocaine use and heroin sniffing have been associated with high-risk sexual behaviors among both men and women (Campsmith et al., 2000; Sanchez et al., 2002). Gay and bisexual men engage in riskier sexual behavior after taking popular club drugs such as methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Ecstasy), ketamine (Special K), and volatile nitrates (poppers) (Mattison et al., 2001; Mansergh et al., 2001). The resulting high-risk sexual behaviors have accounted for the greater prevalence of HIV infection among crack smokers and gay men (Edlin et al., 1994; Schwarcz et al., 2002).
The association between illicit drug use and HIV/AIDS is a worldwide problem. In 1992, only 52 countries reported HIV infection associated with illicit drug use. By the end of 1999, that number had jumped to 114. The most affected regions are Southern and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, North America, East Asia, and Latin America. Up to 90 percent of the registered HIV infections in the Russian Federation have been attributed officially to injection drug use (UNAIDS and WHO, 2002). Even Africa, where injection drug use was once believed not to be a problem, is showing an increased incidence of HIV infection associated with illicit drug use. In a 2000 study of drug injection in Lagos, Nigeria, that was presented at the XIIIth International AIDS Conference, 20 percent of 400 interviewed drug users reported having injected either heroin (63 percent) or cocaine (19 percent); 35 percent of the illicit drug users had initiated at least one person into drug injecting within the past 6 months. Among the illicit drug users, 9 percent were HIV-positive, compared with a national average of 5.4 percent. Fur-
thermore, most of the female illicit drug users were commercial sex workers, suggesting an overlap between HIV epidemics among sex workers and illicit drug users. HIV infection associated with illicit drug use has been reported in other areas of sub-Saharan Africa as well, including Mauritius, Kenya, and South Africa.
Unprotected Sex
Unprotected sex is a key factor in the persistence of sexually transmitted diseases as a major public health problem worldwide (see Box 3-8). Today, more than 25 STDs are recognized (McIlhaney, 2000). According to recent reports, 12 to 15 million Americans, including 3 million teenagers, are infected with STDs every year (American Social Health Association, 1998; IOM, 1997).
STDs are a major problem among adolescents. Several national surveys have indicated that sexual activity among American teenagers has not changed dramatically over the past decade; nearly half of all high school students have engaged in sexual intercourse by the time they graduate (CDC, 2002g). While condom use among teenagers increased significantly in the 1990s, about 40 percent still report no condom use during last sexual intercourse. Moreover, teenagers tend to have serial monogamous sexual relationships that are short-lived, thereby increasing their exposure to multiple partners and their risk of contracting STDs (Overby and Kegeles, 1994).
Teenagers are not alone in their attitudes about risky sexual behaviors, however (see Box 3-9). More than 50 percent of men who have sex with men (both HIV-positive and HIV-negative) who reported having anal sex also reported having unprotected anal sex (Ostrow et al., 2002), a trend that appears to have been increasing since 1994 (Chen et al., 2002b; Katz et al., 2002). In another study, nearly one-third of HIV-infected men who were interviewed reported having unprotected vaginal or anal sex within the past year (Simon et al., 1999).
A wealth of technological advances occurring over the past century— from modern antibiotics to organ transplants to pasteurization of food products—have greatly improved health and well-being, added years to life expectancy, and eliminated many diseases that were prevalent in the nineteenth century, including typhoid, scarlet fever, and brucellosis. However, technological and industrial advances often come at a price. New infectious diseases have emerged as a direct result of changes in technology and industry; these include Legionnaires’ disease (air-conditioning cooling towers),
BOX 3-8 Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) remain a major public health problem in both industrialized and developing nations. If left untreated, these infections can lead to acute illness, infertility, long-term disability, and death, and nearly all STDs increase the likelihood of HIV transmission (Fleming and Wasserheit, 1999). The exact magnitude of the global STD burden is unknown (WHO, 2001d). This is due in part to poor data collection, a large number of infections that are asymptomatic, and only a portion of the symptomatic population seeking medical care are subsequently reported. The World Health Organization estimates that 340 million new cases of STDs—syphilis (12 million), chlamydia (92 million), gonorrhea (62 million), and trichomoniasis (174 million)—occurred worldwide in 1999. The largest number of new infections was seen in South and Southeast Asia, followed by sub-Saharan Africa, then Latin America and the Caribbean. Sub-Saharan Africa experienced the greatest incidence on a per thousand population basis (WHO, 2001d).
Chlamydia. South and Southeast Asia have the most new cases of infection with Chlamydia trachomatis (43 million) followed by sub-Saharan Africa (16 million) and Latin America and the Caribbean (9.5 million) (WHO, 2001d). Studies among pregnant women in India have shown a prevalence rate of 17 to 21 percent (Paul et al., 1999; Rastogi et al., 1999). Reported rates of chlamydia infection have increased steadily in the United States since 1984; in 2001, 278.3 cases per 100,000 people were reported. Increased reports of chlamydia infection during the 1990s reflect the expansion of chlamydia screening activities, use of increasingly sensitive diagnostic tests, increased emphasis on case reporting from providers and laboratories, and improvements in the information systems for reporting. Higher rates in the southern region of the United States likely reflect both an expansion of screening activities in the South and the high burden of disease in this region (CDC, 2002h; IOM, 1997).
Gonorrhea. The estimated number of new cases of infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae among adults worldwide in 1999 was 62 million. South and Southeast Asia have the most cases (27 million) followed by sub-Saharan Africa (17 million) and Latin America and the Caribbean (7.5 million) (WHO, 2001d). A notable increase in gonorrhea rates has been seen in Eastern Europe, with the highest rates occurring in Estonia, Russia, and Belarus (111, 139, and 125 per 100,000 people, respectively). In the United States, gonorrhea rates peaked in 1975 (467.7 cases per 100,000) and declined following implementation of the national gonorrhea control program in the mid-1970s (CDC, 2001f). The 2001 rate of gonorrhea, 128.5 cases per 100,000 persons, far exceeds the Healthy People 2010 objective of 19 cases per 100,000 persons. Despite a decrease among African Americans, rates in this population remained extremely high (782.3 in 2001); rates were highest for African Americans aged 15 to 24 years (CDC, 2002h); African American women aged 15– 19 years had a gonorrhea rate of 3,495.2 cases per 100,000, 18 times higher than the rate among non-Hispanic white females of similar age.
Syphilis. The estimated global burden of new cases of infection with Treponema pallidum among adults in 1999 was 12 million (WHO, 2001d). As with other STDs, the greatest number of cases occurs in South and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa (4 million each), followed by Latin America and the Caribbean (3 million). The newly independent states of the former Soviet Union have recently seen a dramatic rise in syphilis rates, from 5–15 per 100,000 people in 1990 to 120–170 per 100,000 of population in 1996 (WHO, 2001d). Although the primary and secondary syphilis rates in the United States declined by 90 percent from 1990 to 2000, the disease remains an important problem in the South and among certain subgroups. In 2001, the rate of primary and secondary syphilis reported among African Americans (11.0 cases per 100,000 people) was nearly 16 times greater than the rate reported among non-Hispanic whites (0.7 cases per 100,000 people) (CDC, 2002h). Recent outbreaks of syphilis among men who have sex with men may indicate an increase in high-risk sexual behavior that places them at risk for all STDs (Wolitski et al., 2001; CDC, 1999a,b; Aral, 1999). Expanding partner notification to include more high-risk populations through social networks and increasing screening among high-risk populations may improve control of inner-city syphilis epidemics (Gunn et al., 1995).
BOX 3-9 A Behavior Paradox
Antiretroviral therapy is a principal factor in prolonging the life of AIDS patients in the United States and in delaying the progression of AIDS in HIV-infected individuals receiving this multidrug regimen. Ironically, however, the role played by antiretroviral therapy in decreasing the death rate from AIDS may now be a factor in the increasing rate of unsafe sexual behaviors—potentially increasing the rate of new HIV infections. For example, men who have sex with men and believe that antiretroviral therapy decreases HIV transmission are more likely to engage in unprotected anal sex (Huebner and Gerend, 2001; Ostrow et al., 2002). Risky sexual behavior has also been associated with the belief that antiretroviral therapy improves health in HIV-positive men (Ostrow et al., 2002). Other studies have revealed that similar attitudes about antiretroviral therapy have led to increased sexual risk taking among both HIV-negative and HIV-positive illicit drug users. The increased rates of unprotected sex that have been associated with the availability of antiretroviral therapy reflect an ongoing trend (Chen et al., 2002b)
BOX 3-10 E. Coli O157:H7
Escherichia coli O157:H7 rapidly emerged within a cattle reservoir to become a public health problem associated with the large-scale production and distribution of ground beef and its role in the occurrence of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a life-threatening complication that occurs primarily among young children and the elderly (Bender et al., 1997, Elder et al., 2000). E. coli O157:H7 has a global distribution among cattle and a genomic diversification that suggests the pandemic spread of several clones over time, although the mechanisms by which it spread are unknown (Kim et al., 2001). Contact with cattle and environmental exposure to agricultural runoff likely contributes to the increased incidence of E. coli O157:H7 infection in the northern-tier states that have substantial dairy industries. Secondary environmental contamination from manure runoff has resulted in outbreaks associated with produce items including apple cider, lettuce, and sprouts. Outbreaks have also been associated with swimming in a crowded lake, and drinking contaminated unchlorinated municipal water (Chin, 2000).
toxic shock syndrome (super-absorbent tampons), and E. coli O157:H7 infection (mass production of ground meat) (Cohen, 2000) (see Box 3-10). Even the manner in which animals are raised before entering the meat processing industry, such as the use of antimicrobials for growth production, can impact on microbial threats to health.
Animal Husbandry Practices
Animal feeding operations (AFOs) are agricultural enterprises in which animals are kept and raised in confined situations (USDA and EPA, 1999). Approximately 450,000 AFOs exist in the United States. A relatively small number of these are concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). These facilities either have more than 1,000 animal units, have 301 to 1,000 animal units and discharge wastes through human-made conveyances or directly into U.S. waters, or have been designated as CAFOs because of their significant pollution of U.S. waters (USDA and EPA, 1999). The total number of animal units in the United States increased by roughly 4.5 million (approximately 3 percent) between 1987 and 1992. During this same period, however, the number of AFOs decreased, indicating a consolidation within the industry overall and greater production from fewer, larger AFOs (GAO, 1995). In 1992, roughly 6,600 agricultural operations nationwide had more than 1,000 animal units (USDA and EPA, 1999).
Poultry and beef cattle feedlot sizes (animals per feedlot) have increased dramatically. Between 1960 and 1994, chicken production had to meet the
demands of a tripling of chicken consumption from 24 pounds per capita to 72 pounds (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 1999a). The number of farms selling broilers to meet this demand, however, dramatically decreased. Therefore, the consolidation of farms led to greater numbers of chickens per feedlot. By 2000, almost 36 percent of cattle were being fed on farms of 32,000 head or more (USDA, 2000a). Similar trends have been reported in the swine industry, where in 1995 approximately 60 percent of pigs were raised on farms of more than 1,000 head (USDA, 1997).
Serious concerns surround AFOs and CAFOs. The manure and wastewater produced in these facilities have the potential to overwhelm a watershed’s ability to assimilate the nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) contained in the waste. Excess nutrients in water can result in or contribute to low levels of dissolved oxygen (anoxia), eutrophication, and toxic algal blooms. These conditions may be harmful to human health and, in combination with other circumstances, have been associated with outbreaks of microbes such as Pfiesteria piscicida (USDA and EPA, 1999; Grattan et al., 1998). Moreover, decomposing organic matter (animal waste) can reduce oxygen levels and cause fish kills. Pathogens in manure can also represent a food safety concern, especially when used as fertilizer or spread on pasturelands. Cryptosporidium, Coccidioides, Giardia, E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Listeria have all been linked to human disease from fecal contamination of food and water, some of which has involved antimicrobial-resistant strains.
Antimicrobials are used in food animals for the treatment and prevention of infections, as well as for growth promotion and enhanced feed efficiency (Gorbach, 2001; McEwen and Fedorka-Cray, 2002). Use of antimicrobials in both swine and beef cattle at relatively low concentrations for growth promotion or disease prophylaxis appears to be a fairly common practice in the United States (USDA, 2001, 2000b; Wegener et al., 1999). Use of antibiotics in these animals has led to antimicrobial resistance (Fey et al., 2000; Aarestrup et al., 2001; Usera et al., 2002; White et al., 2001). Poultry growers, for example, use fluoroquinolone drugs for the treatment of Escherichia coli. When a veterinarian diagnoses E. coli in one bird, farmers treat the whole flock by adding the drug to drinking water (FDA, 2001). This usually kills E. coli in the chickens, but may cause drug resistance among other bacteria in the process. Campylobacter—a bacterium commonly found in poultry—does not cause illness in chickens, but can cause severe illness in humans who come into contact with it through undercooked or contaminated meat. The usual therapy for treating human camplyobacter infection—fluoroquinolones—will likely prove ineffective against a drug-resistant campylobacter strain. Even as the FDA deliberates banning the use of fluoroquinolones in poultry, some major fast food com-
panies have announced they will no longer purchase poultry from suppliers who use the drug (Humane Society of the United States, 2002).
Many antibiotics used in animal agriculture are poorly absorbed in the animal gut and have been detected in groundwater near hog waste lagoons along with antibiotic-resistant bacteria (CDC, 1998b; Chee-Sanford et al., 2001). It is estimated that 25 to 75 percent of the antibiotics administered to feedlot animals may be excreted unaltered in feces. Given that the annual production of livestock and poultry waste in the United States is nearly 180 million tons, this waste is a potentially large source of antibiotics released into the environment. Lagoons and pit systems are typically used for waste disposal in animal agriculture. Seepage, runoff due to flooding, and fertilizing with liquid manure can expose fields and waterways to antibiotics, as well as antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Not surprisingly, antibiotics and drug-resistant bacteria have been detected in soil and groundwater in areas with fecal contamination (Hamscher et al., 2002; Esiobu et al., 2002; French et al., 1987; Kelch and Lee, 1978). Since the availability of monitoring data and other information about the fate and toxicity of antibiotics in aquatic areas and soil is limited, it is difficult to determine conclusively the risk posed to humans by antibiotics in the environment (Kummerer, 2000; Jones et al., 2001; Hamscher et al., 2002).
Aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing food production sectors in the world (WHO, 1999c). Fish and shellfish processing increased threefold from 7 million tons in 1984 to 23 million tons in 1996 worldwide. The vast majority of global aquaculture production is in Asia, with developing countries accounting for roughly 87 percent of total production. In the United States, aquacultured species contribute up to 15 percent of the seafood supply (Garrett et al., 1997).
Various antimicrobials are licensed for use in fish and shrimp production worldwide. They are usually administered in feed, having been either added in during manufacture or surface-coated onto the feed pellets. Unfortunately, little information is available on the types and amounts of antimicrobials used in aquaculture, making assessment of associated public health risks more difficult (WHO, 2002e). Plasmid-mediated resistance to antimicrobials has, however, been identified in a number of bacterial fish pathogens (Aoki, 1988; Chandrasekaran and Lalithakumari, 1998; De Grandis and Stevenson, 1985). Because of lessons learned from antimicrobial use in species living on land, some countries have been exploring non-antimicrobial alternatives for some time. Norway, for instance, has been able to diminish antimicrobial use in aquaculture by more than 90 percent in a very
short period of time by changing certain production practices and increasing the use of vaccines (WHO, 2002e).
Advances in Health Care
Advances in health care technology have led to improved survival of vulnerable populations, increased the numbers of invasive procedures performed, and prolonged the use of indwelling catheters and feeding tubes. Such advances have created new vehicles for the transfer of infections. The use of plastic catheters, artificial heart valves, and prosthetic joints carries the risk of organisms adhering to the surfaces of the synthetic materials; such infections are difficult to eradicate. Hepatitis C transmission has been well described in dialysis wards as a result of leakage or backflow of dialy-sate into machines used by multiple patients (Almroth et al., 2002), and the percentage of reported vancomycin-resistant enterococcus in U.S. dialysis centers increased from 12 percent in 1995 to 33 percent in 2000 (Tokars et al., 2002). Because hospitals are typical locations for vulnerable populations to seek medical care, they are perfect breeding grounds for transferring infections among patients (often through health care providers and other staff), and into long-term care facilities and even the community at large upon transfer or discharge (see the later discussions of nosocomial infections).
Blood Product Safety
Each year in the United States, approximately 23 million units of blood components are transfused into patients who have lost blood as a result of burns, injuries, or surgical procedures, as well as patients with sickle cell disease and various other disorders. The number of people who are willing to donate blood is increasing; in 2001, nearly 7.5 million potential donors participated in Red Cross blood drives across the nation, a 6.1 percent increase over the previous year. During the past decade, however, numerous infectious agents worldwide have been identified as potential threats to the blood supply (Chamberland et al., 2001). Of particular concern are the novel hepatitis agents (TT virus [TTV] and SEN virus [SEN-V]) and transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease [CJD] and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease [vCJD]). TTV was first detected in 1997 in sera from three Japanese patients suffering from post-transfusion hepatitis unrelated to hepatitis viruses A to G (Nishizawa et al., 1997). It is now known that TTV may be associated with post-transfusion hepatitis in patients from several parts of the world (Bez et al., 2000; Niel et al., 1999; Poovorawan et al., 1998). SEN-V has also been implicated as a possible cause of transfusion-associated non–A to E hepatitis (Umemura et al., 2001).
In preliminary, limited studies, approximately 2 percent of current and pre-1990 blood donors have tested positive for SEN-V (Chamberland et al., 2001). Testing of serum samples archived at the National Institutes of Health revealed the proportion of cardiac surgery patients with evidence of new infection with SEN-V to be 10 times higher among those who had received blood transfusions (30 percent) than among those who had not (3 percent), and a SEN-V-positive donor could be identified for roughly 70 percent of SEN-V-positive recipients (Chamberland et al., 2001).
Despite screening of all blood products for hepatitis B and hepatitis C, on rare occasions screening tests do not detect infected blood donors, and hence infections have been passed to transfusion recipients. A small number of cases of other diseases, such as malaria, American trypanosomiasis, babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and West Nile encephalitis, have been reported to be due to transfusions believed to have come from donors who have lived in or traveled to disease-endemic areas (Chamberland et al., 1998; CDC, 2002i). Recent concern has focused on the real or potential transmission through blood transfusions of such diseases as Lyme disease and variant Cruetzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD). Although no confirmed cases of CJD or vCJD have occurred through blood transfusion, health officials are concerned about the risk because of the high degree of uncertainty associated with these agents. For this reason, restrictions on who can donate blood based on potential contact with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) have been implemented. For example, among the many FDA guidelines based on this criterion, people who spent 3 months or more cumulatively in the United Kingdom between 1980 and 1996 should not donate blood; neither should people who have received a blood transfusion in the United Kingdom between 1980 and the present.
Organ and Tissue Transplantation
In the United States, more than 23,000 human-to-human organ transplantations were performed in 2001 (see Table 3-2). The total number of single- and multi-organ transplants increased by 45 percent between 1991 and 2000. The immunosuppressive drugs used to prevent rejection of the transplanted organs weaken the body’s immune system and leave the host susceptible to infectious diseases. Opportunistic infections, such as those also seen in patients with AIDS, and nosocomial infections are of serious concern in this population. Bacterial infections remain the most frequently diagnosed infections in transplant recipients, and a striking rise in antimicrobial resistance has occurred among these pathogens (Singh, 2000).
More common than organ transplantation is the use of human donor tissues. Each year between 600,000 and 800,000 allograft implantation procedures are performed in the United States (McCarthy, 2002). FDA has
TABLE 3-2 Organ Transplants Performed and Patients Awaiting Transplants in 2001
Type of Transplant
Transplants (Number)
Wait-Listed (Number)
Kidney (5,969 living donors)
Pancreas alone
Pancreas after kidney
Kidney–pancreas
Heart–lung
SOURCE: University Renal Research and Education Association, United Network for Organ Sharing, 2003.
specific regulations for the proper handling and processing of these tissues. Nonetheless, in November 2001 a 23-year-old man from Minnesota died after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery involving a bone–cartilage allograft (CDC, 2001l, 2002j). The blood cultures obtained premortem grew Clostridium sordellii, a potentially fatal anaerobic spore and toxin-forming organism. A few days later, an Illinois man who had received donor tissue from the same cadaver also became critically ill following reconstructive knee surgery. The CDC investigators obtained 19 other unused tissues taken from that same donor. As of March 2002, federal officials had uncovered 26 cases of bacterial infection in otherwise healthy patients who had received musculoskeletal tissue allograft implants (not all from this same processor).
Xenotransplantation
The need for donated human organs and tissues far exceeds the present supply. As of July 5, 2002, more than 80,000 persons living in the United States were awaiting organs for transplantation. The shortage of human donors has been increasing annually since the 1980s (Kemp, 1996) and has sparked a renewed interest in transplantation of organs and tissues across the species barrier (Candinas and Adams, 2000).
Xenotransplantation involves the transplantation of cells, tissues, and whole organs from one species to another. While xenotransplantation offers potential benefit for both individual recipients and society, it also represents a public health concern. Such procedures have the potential to
result in human recipients being infected with microbial agents that are not endemic in human populations, thereby potentially introducing new (xenogeneic) infections into the human community. This potential risk is presently unquantifiable (IOM, 2002d). Scientists and policy makers in the field must therefore deal with the challenge of weighing the uncertain collective risk of xenotransplantation against the potential benefit to both individuals and society (Chapman and Bloom, 2001). In 1999, European countries concluded that the scientific base was inadequate to permit proceeding to clinical trials, a decision that halted xeontransplantation studies there. The United States, however, decided that the only way to advance the scientific base was to proceed with caution to clinical trials (Daar, 1999; IOM, 1996).
In the United States, regulation of xenotransplantation procedures is within the purview of FDA, which has ruled that nonhuman primates should not be used as source animals for transplants until scientists have sufficient information to address the associated infectious disease risks (DHHS, 2000a). Significant concerns still remain about the possible transmission of infectious agents from nonprimates. For example, pigs harbor retroviruses that until recently have been considered a negligible risk for human disease (Blusch et al., 2002). Several reports on the infection of human cells in vitro and on the spread of porcine endogenous retroviruses from transplanted porcine islets in murine models may suggest a potential risk for xenogeneic infection. Such studies have reawakened concern regarding what clinicians and scientists do not know about interspecies transmission of retroviruses.
The potential for the rapid dissemination of pathogens, and their vectors and animal reservoirs, throughout the world is increasing greatly as the world continues to experience expanding global trade markets and increasing international travel. Infections that are carried by humans and transmitted from person to person—including influenza, measles, rubella, HIV, tuberculosis, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis—are especially amenable to being carried from one geographic area to another. Microbes that can colonize without causing symptoms (e.g., Neisseria meningitidis) or can infect and be transmissible at a time when infection is asymptomatic (e.g., HIV, hepatitis B and C) can spread easily in the absence of recognized infection in traveling or migrant hosts (see Box 3-11).
Airport and railroad malaria illustrate the continual movement of pathogens into new areas. Migrating humans have played a large role in the epidemiology of malaria worldwide, including the spread of drug-resistant malaria (Martens and Hall, 2000). Chloroquine-resistant falciparum ma-
BOX 3-11 Neisseria meningitidis: A Sacred Peril
Approximately 2 million people from about 140 countries, including about 15,000 from the United States, congregate in Saudi Arabia during the annual Hajj. In 1987, a Hajj-related outbreak of serogroup A Neisseria meningitidis, which then spread to other countries, led to the establishment of a requirement that all arriving pilgrims receive the meningococcal vaccine. In spring 2000, however, a similar outbreak of serogroup W135 N. meningitidis occurred among those who made the pilgrimage and subsequently spread to family members and other contacts who had not traveled to Saudi Arabia (CDC, 2000d, 2001g, 2001h). Serotyping, multilocus sequence typing, multilocus DNA fingerprints, and other techniques were used to identify W135 isolates in many other countries (Taha et al., 2000; Popovic et al., 2000). Many of the pilgrims in 2000 had not been vaccinated against the W135 serogroup, since the quadrivalent vaccine (A, C, Y, W-135) is available in only a few countries (including the United States); thus many pilgrims were able to receive only bivalent (A and C) vaccine.
Although the quadrivalent vaccine appeared to prevent disease in most people who had received it, they could still become carriers of W135 N. meningitidis and thus could still serve as sources of infection upon their return. Humans are the only important host for N. meningitidis, and many carry the organism in the oropharynx in the absence of symptoms. In a 2000 study, oropharyngeal cultures were obtained from 451 pilgrims departing from JFK Airport on direct flights to Saudi Arabia, and repeat cultures were taken from 727 returning pilgrims. None of the pilgrims carried W135 at the time of departure, but six of the returning pilgrims were infected (CDC, 2001h). A similar study done in Singapore showed that nearly 17 percent of 171 pilgrims carried N. meningitidis upon their return from the Hajj, 80 percent of which was serotype W135. (Gewolb, 2001).
laria, for example, emerged in two widely separated locations—in Columbia and at the Cambodia–Thailand border—and has subsequently spread from both of these locations to other areas (Wellems and Plowe, 2001). Occasional instances of local malaria transmission have occurred even in the United States, where during the past 10 years, approximately 1,000 cases of imported malaria have been reported to CDC annually; the imported cases are mainly in travelers, military personnel, and immigrants returning to or coming from malaria-endemic areas (Olliaro et al., 1996; CDC, 2002l). Fortunately, in most cases the factors necessary to establish a transmission cycle are not present, and few human cases typically occur subsequent to introduction. On the other hand, all of the necessary ingredients for the establishment of West Nile virus were present in New York City in 1999, and the virus is now established across the United States (see Box 3-12) (Petersen and Roehrig, 2001).
The spatial mobility of the average human has increased more than 1,000-fold since 1800 (Gruebler and Nakicenovic, 1991). As the number of global travelers increases, so does the threat of the spread of infectious diseases. According to the World Tourism Organization (see Figure 3-7), world tourism grew by an estimated 7.4 percent in 2000, and the total number of international arrivals reached nearly 700 million; the latter figure is expected to reach the 1 billion mark by 2010 (Handszuh, 2001). Every region in the world is experiencing this increase. More than 5,000 airports worldwide have regularly scheduled international flights, allowing for quick links to urban centers across the globe. In 2000, more than 18 million commercial airline flights took off from airports around the world, carrying 1.1 billion passengers (Boeing, 2002). In 1999, 725,000 aircraft, 200,000 ships, 463,000 buses, 39,000 trains, and 125 million personally owned automobiles crossed U.S. borders, and in 2000, an estimated 400 million international travelers entered the United States by either land, ship, or air.
Not only are more people traveling, but travel is also faster and more socially widespread, and penetrates into areas of the world not readily accessible in the past. In the nineteenth century, it could take a year to circumnavigate the globe by ship. Today a person can go around the world in less than 36 hours. Roads, bridges, canals, and transport vehicles allow humans to rapidly bypass physical and other barriers that would have stopped or slowed movement in the past. Modern technologies have expanded the range of easily accessible destinations, and allow travelers to enter and survive more extreme environments and encounter more isolated human populations. Not only can infected travelers introduce new microbes into new environments, both while traveling and after having returned home, but, as adventure travelers intrude on new environments and have contact with exotic wildlife, the chance that they will come into contact with microbes that have never before been recognized as human pathogens is real. They may then bring these exotic infectious agents back home with them, where, under appropriate circumstances, an introduced pathogen may persist and spread.
The interactions that occur during travel are another important component of the travel process, with implications for the emergence and spread of infectious disease. In particular, many documented transmission incidents or outbreaks of both airborne and foodborne infections—including influenza, smallpox, tuberculosis, measles, cholera, shigellosis, salmonello-
BOX 3-12 West Nile Virus
On August 23, 1999, an infectious disease physician notified the New York City Department of Health and reported two patients with encephalitis in a hospital in northern Queens. An investigation of nearby hospitals quickly uncovered six additional persons with symptoms suggestive of encephalitis. Initial blood and cerebrospinal fluid tests indicated that the cause was viral. All eight patients were previously healthy persons between the ages of 58 and 87; they all lived within a 16-square-mile area in northern Queens; and none of them had recently traveled. The only exposure that all eight patients shared was that they had all engaged in outdoor activities around their homes in the evening (Nash et al., 2001). Environmental sampling revealed the presence of Culex mosquito breeding sites and larvae in many of the patients’ yards and neighborhoods. Around the same time, local health officials observed an increase in dead birds, especially crows, in New York City. Officials at the Bronx Zoo noted that three captive-bred birds had apparently died from meningo-encephalitis. Eventually, testing of the initial human cases and the dead birds indicated that their illnesses were due to West Nile virus, which had previously never been isolated in the Western Hemisphere (Fine and Layton, 2001) By the end of 1999, 62 cases of severe disease, including 7 deaths, had occurred in the New York area. In 2000, 21 cases, including 2 deaths, were reported in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. By 2002, nearly 4,000 cases of West Nile encephalitis had been reported in 39 states and the District of Columbia of which 254 had died from this disease (CDC, 2003c).
West Nile virus belongs to a group of viruses that cause febrile illness usually lasting a week or less. Initial symptoms include fever, headache, malaise, arthralgia or myalgia,
sis, and staphylococcal food poisoning—have occurred inside airplanes, (Ritzinger, 1965; CDC, 1983; Kenyon et al., 1996). Influenza outbreaks have been known to affect more than 70 percent of the passengers on a single aircraft (Moser et al., 1979).
First, getting to the airport often involves using mass transportation (e.g., train or bus) and thus having contact with numerous people from many different areas in a small, enclosed space. At the airport, passengers are exposed to even more people in an often crowded terminal full of people from all over the world (or, in smaller airports, the region). The air inside the bus or airline terminal may have a higher level of microbial contamination than that inside the aircraft itself (Wick and Irvine, 1995). Once on the plane, passengers breathe recirculated, filtered,4 low-humidity (10–20 percent) air. Particular aircraft vary, but generally the recirculated air is mixed with fresh air about 20 times an hour during flight, and less frequently during takeoff and landing. Transoceanic travel often involves
High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters are used on most aircraft to capture particles larger than 0.3 microns.
rash, and occasionally nausea and vomiting. Only a small percentage of cases develop encephalitis. West Nile virus has caused disease outbreaks in Egypt, Israel, France, Romania, and the Czech Republic, and is widespread in parts of Africa, the northern Mediterranean area, and western Asia. Birds are the primary reservoir of infection that is spread to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. The occurrence of West Nile virus in New York illustrates how easily pathogens can extend their geographic range. But how the virus was introduced into New York, how long it has been in the United States, how far its geographic range extends, and what its long-term impact will be on human and animal health are still unanswered questions. West Nile virus could have been introduced through travel by infected humans, importation of illegal birds or other domestic pets, avian flyways, or unintentional introduction of virus-infected ticks or mosquitoes. Other recent outbreaks of West Nile encephalitis have occurred in regions of the world where the disease was previously not found or only rarely found. In 1999, more than 480 suspected cases, including 40 fatalities, of West Nile virus were reported in the Volgograd Region, Russia (Platonov et al., 2001). The Volgograd outbreak, as well as an earlier 1996 Romania outbreak, were both caused by viral strains that were genetically similar to the one that caused the New York outbreak, suggesting that the outbreaks were caused by close relatives and illustrating the ease with which pathogens can circumnavigate the globe and occupy new territories (Platonov et al., 2001; Platonov, 2001).
Public education is the key component to preventing West Nile virus infection. However, even after the highly publicized New York mosquito-borne outbreak, only 9 percent of those surveyed within the outbreak epicenter reported consistent use of personal prevention such as mosquito repellent; 70 percent reported never using mosquito repellent (Mostashari et al., 2001).
larger airplanes, whose passengers are exposed to even more people while in flight. When they exit the plane, travelers typically mingle with arriving passengers from multiple origins in the terminal, frequently spending minutes to hours standing in line, retrieving luggage, arranging transport from the airport, or moving on to another flight.
Cruise ship travel has increased dramatically. Nearly 7 million people took North American cruise vacations in 2001. Cruise ships bring together large numbers of both passengers and crew from diverse geographic origins, including countries with immunization requirements that often differ from those of the United States. Although a cruise may bring to mind days spent lounging on a sunny deck, many of the activities on cruise ships take place in closed spaces (e.g., dining rooms, movie theaters, lecture halls). The ships often stop at multiple ports, where passengers and crew may disembark and interact with people in the local environment before reboarding.
FIGURE 3-7 International tourist arrivals, 1950-2020.
SOURCE: Adapted from World Tourism Organization, 2002.
The ships may also pick up and drop off passengers along the way, thus further expanding the opportunities for mixing with microbes from other populations.
Cruise ships have a history riddled with infectious disease outbreaks, often related to contaminated food or inadequately treated water from international ports. Numerous recent reports include gastroenteritis caused by a variety of pathogens, ranging from Staphyloccocus aureus to Shigella spp. to SRSV (small, round-structured virus, formerly known as the Norwalk virus, now referred to as the norovirus). Several recent outbreaks of gastroenteritis associated with norovirus occurred on consecutive cruises on the same ship and on different ships within the same company, suggesting that environmental contamination and infected crew members can serve as reservoirs of infection for passengers (CDC, 2002m). Cruise ships also have a history of infectious respiratory illnesses, including both influenza A and B (CDC, 2001i; Miller et al., 2000), Legionnaires’ disease (CDC, 1994b, 1994c), and tuberculosis (Penman et al., 1997). In 1997, rubella outbreaks occurred among crew members of two different commercial cruise lines (CDC, 1998d).
The features of cruise ships, especially ones that offer special services, such as renal dialysis or medical care, have made them highly attractive vacation options for more infection-susceptible populations. For example, on a cruise ship that experienced an outbreak of influenza while cruising from Montreal to New York in 1997, 77 percent of 1,284 surveyed passen-
gers were aged 65 and older, and 26 percent had risk factors other than age that placed them at risk for complications of influenza. Indeed 17 percent of the passengers and 19 percent of the crew members reported experiencing an acute respiratory illness during the cruise. The etiological agent was identified as influenza A/Sydney/5/97 (CDC, 1997c).
International trade in food and animal agriculture has increased markedly as an important aspect of globalization (see Figure 3-8). The United States and other countries now enjoy more goods from more countries than ever before. It is now possible to buy fresh produce at any time of the year, as well as a whole host of previously unattainable foods from areas around the world. Unfortunately, this wider array of product options brings with it the risk of cross-border transmission of infectious agents. Many species enter the United States each year as contaminants of commodities. Up to 70 percent of selected fruits and vegetables consumed in the United States come from developing countries during certain seasons (Osterholm, 1997). Agricultural produce, nursery stock, cut flowers, and timber can harbor insects, plant pathogens, slugs, and snails. Fish and shrimp pathogens and parasites have been introduced into the country through infected stock for
FIGURE 3-8 International agriculture trade, 1961–2000.
Reprinted with permission from Kimball, in Davis and Kimball, 2001.
aquaculture. Crates and containers are potential carriers for snails, slugs, mollusks, beetles, and microorganisms. Military cargo transport can likewise bring harmful species into new settings. Ballast water that is released from ships as cargo is loaded or unloaded has been known to carry several destructive aquatic species (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 1999b). Pathogens in meat and poultry, such as the agents of BSE and foot and mouth disease, can also be delivered unintentionally across borders. This is true as well for diseases not known to affect human health directly but capable of impacting on agriculture and animal health.
Moving live animals across borders can also bring regional diseases to new areas. For this reason, pet dogs and cats are subject to inspection at ports of entry for evidence of infectious diseases that can be transmitted to humans (CDC, 2001j). Reptiles are also popular pet imports; in 1997, more than 1.7 million reptiles were imported into the United States (Humane Society of the United States, 2001). The demand for rare and exotic reptiles constitutes a significant portion of a $3 billion annual illegal trade in plants and animals in the United States. Monkeys and other nonhuman primates may not be imported as pets; however, each year approximately 9,000 primates are imported for scientific and exhibition use.
The manufacture and distribution of goods within the United States has also undergone a transformation. It is now possible to ship products from coast to coast in less than 12 hours. In addition, companies are more centralized in their production, processing, and distribution of goods. This is most evident in the food industry, with consumers now being able to enjoy fresher goods on their grocery shelves at reduced cost. Unfortunately, this rapid system of production and transport also creates a faster, more efficient delivery system for foodborne outbreaks that are more difficult to detect. In the past, such outbreaks occurred locally and could be readily identified by epidemiologic surveillance methods. A foodborne outbreak in this era of globalization is more complicated and may involve multiple states with varying times of illness onset, thus making it more difficult to trace the illness back to its origin.
Food Imports
The United States remains a consumer-driven society, with food choices motivated by competing concerns over cost, safety, nutritional value, and convenience. For example, health concerns associated with a diet rich in animal fats have changed the diet of many Americans. From 1990 to 1999, per capita consumption of whole milk decreased 67 percent and that of red meat 11 percent. In contrast, consumption of fresh fruit increased 30 percent, that of fresh vegetables increased 63 percent, and that of poultry doubled.
BOX 3-13 Shigella sonnei: A Garnish of Parsley?
The impact of imported produce on the occurrence of foodborne disease was demonstrated in an outbreak of multidrug-resistant Shigella sonnei infection among patrons of two different restaurants in Minnesota in 1998 (CDC, 1999c). Isolates were resistant to ampicillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, sulfasoxazole, and streptomycin. The isolates also had the same pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern, which was distinct from that of the endemic S. sonnei strains circulating in Minnesota at the time. Epidemiological investigation implicated chopped parsley as the vehicle. Six other outbreaks linked by PFGE and parsley-use characteristics were identified in California, Massachusetts, Florida, and Canada. Trace-back of implicated parsley identified a single farm in Mexico as the likely source. Water used in cooling fresh-picked parsley had not been adequately treated and was susceptible to contamination. Two outbreaks of enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) infection in Minnesota were also linked to parsley that may have originated at the same farm in Mexico.
Although imported parsley was the original source of contamination, handling of the produce at the restaurants contributed to the outbreaks. Each of the implicated restaurants chopped parsley, pooled it in containers, and sprinkled it over various foods and dishes as a topping or garnish. This holding of pooled, chopped parsley increased the available inoculum, making it a more efficient infective dose. In several restaurants, food workers became infected and worked while ill, providing a second amplifying mechanism. Restaurants also served to amplify source contamination through cross-contamination of ready-to-eat foods.
Just to meet today’s year-round demand for fresh produce, the volume of produce imported from developing countries has increased dramatically. For example, 95 percent of green onions sold in the United States during 2000 were imported from Mexico. Green onions are susceptible to contamination by soil, water, or handling, and are typically served fresh as a garnish on salads or cooked foods. During the winter months, 25 percent of cantaloupe and 50 percent of tomatoes consumed in the United States are imported from Mexico. These examples of imported produce, as well as others, have been implicated as vehicles in foodborne outbreaks (see Box 3-13). In 1995, 1996, 1997, and 2000, outbreaks of cyclosporiasis were associated with consumption of raspberries from Guatemala. The outbreaks in 1995 were identified retrospectively, after the widespread outbreaks in 1996 had been linked to Guatemalan raspberries (Herwaldt and Beach, 1999; Herwaldt and Ackers, 1997; Koumans et al., 1998). In spite of detailed investigations, the sources of the contamination have never been identified.
Overall, changes in several factors at the national level have contributed to the changing epidemiology of foodborne diseases in the United States. These include changes in diet, new methods of food production, new infectious agents, new vehicles for previously recognized pathogens, and the increasing prevalence of persons who are immunocompromised (Hedberg et al., 1994). The spectrum of illnesses caused by the consumption of contaminated foods ranges from self-limiting mild gastroenteritis to life-threatening neurologic, hepatic, and renal syndromes. Data collected by FoodNet, the active surveillance network for foodborne disease in the United States, allow comprehensive estimates of disease burden since 1996. Data from this and other surveillance systems are also being used to evaluate the public health impact of changes in food safety policies, particularly in the regulation of the meat and poultry processing industries (CDC, 2002n; Liang et al., 2001). Data from these surveillance systems indicate that contaminated foods cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths each year in the United States (Mead et al., 1999) at an estimated annual cost of $7–35 billion (Economic Research Service, 2001; Buzby and Roberts, 1997). More than 200 food-transmitted diseases are known (Bryan, 1982); in 82 percent of foodborne illnesss, however, the identity of the pathogen is unknown (IOM, 2002a). Of 1,500 deaths each year due to known pathogens, 75 percent are caused by Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, or Toxoplasma spp.
Expansion of the international trade in foodstuffs over the last two decades has made it difficult to screen comprehensively for the presence of dangerous microorganisms and has increased the scope and range of food-borne diseases. Theoretical concerns about the transmission of BSE prions from cattle to humans were tragically confirmed by the outbreak of vCJD in the United Kingdom (see Box 3-14). Fortunately, modern technology has made it possible to track foodborne pathogens across geographic expanses. For example, PulseNet, the molecular subtyping network for foodborne diseases, established standard protocols for pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and enabled public health laboratories to compare molecular patterns of microbes electronically (Swaminathan et al., 2001). These methods have been instrumental in a number of investigations of multistate outbreaks of foodborne illness.
Antibiotic resistance is a serious problem among foodborne pathogens. Over the past decade, the worldwide occurrence of resistance among Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., and toxigenic-producing Escherichia coli O157 has dramatically increased (Threlfall et al., 2000). It has been estimated that 1.4 million cases of illness from Salmonella and 2.4 million cases of illness from Campylobacter infection occur in the United States
every year (Mead et al., 1999); 26 percent of the Salmonella isolates and 54 percent of the Campylobacter isolates have been found to be resistant to at least one antimicrobial to which previous susceptibility was known. Although antibiotics are not always essential for salmonellosis treatment, they can be lifesaving in certain situations. Most severe Salmonella cases occur in children and the elderly and can be fatal. The global dissemination of the multidrug-resistant Salmonella typhimurium DT104 is of particular concern because of the severity of the illness it causes. Multidrug-resistant S. typhimurium DT104 has been associated with hospitalization rates twice those for other Salmonella infections, and its case-fatality rate is 10 times higher. S. typhimurium DT104 initially emerged in cattle in the late 1980s and can now be found in a variety of foods, including poultry, unpasteurized milk, meat, and meat products.
A breakdown or lack of public health measures, such as adequate sanitation, immunizations, and tuberculosis control, has had a dramatic effect on the emergence and persistence of infectious diseases throughout the world. For example, infectious diseases have resurged in the former Soviet Union over the past decade because of the country’s enormous socio-economic upheavals and the fracturing of its health services that has resulted from poor funding for treatment, vaccine prophylaxis, and health education (Netesov and Conrad, 2001; Coker, 2001). Even the United States has had difficulties maintaining adequate supplies of vaccines in recent years, and immunization rates for adults are still far below national targets. Furthermore, some public health measures, such as public health laws, need to be updated to ensure legal authority for epidemic disease control in the current political climate.
Inadequate Sanitation and Hygiene
Poor sanitary conditions and a lack of proper hygiene contribute to the transmission of many infectious diseases. To date, one of the most significant shortages worldwide is that of potable water. This shortage has implications for the transmission of numerous infectious diseases, such as cholera. Squalid living conditions with overcrowding and the presence of vermin also contribute to the spread of infections, such as plague. Even in the United States, poor infection control practices in hospitals have resulted in high rates of nosocomial infection.
BOX 3-14 Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies: From Herd to Mortality
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are a family of diseases of humans and animals that are uniformly fatal, causing irreversible cumulative brain damage. In humans, the most common TSE is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), which was first identified in 1921; others include Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome, kuru, fatal familial insomnia, and now, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). Animal TSEs include bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), scrapie, transmissible mink encephalopathy, and chronic wasting disease of American mule deer, white-tail deer, and elk.
BSE, popularly known as “mad cow disease,” wreaked havoc on the livestock industry in the United Kingdom when a 1986 epidemic led to the death of nearly 200,000 cattle. The outbreak is believed to have originated from an endemic spongiform encephalopathy of sheep (i.e., scrapie) that entered the cattle food chain via nutritional supplements manufactured from infected sheep carcasses. Nearly 4.5 million asymptomatic cattle were slaughtered, substantially impacting numerous industries that manufacture bovine-derived products. But perhaps most alarming, BSE has recently been associated with vCJD, a rare and fatal human neurodegenerative condition that was first described in March 1996 and linked to beef products contaminated with central nervous system tissues from BSE-infected cattle.
By 1996, 10 cases of vCJD were reported (Will et al., 1996). Early symptoms included a form of depression or a schizophrenia-like psychosis; half of the case patients experienced unusual sensory symptoms, such as “stickiness” of the skin. As the illness progressed, cases suffered various neurological problems, such as unsteadiness, difficulty walking, and involuntary movements. By the time of death, case patients were completely immobile and mute. The most notable clinical differences between the more common CJD and vCJD are that the latter affects predominantly younger people (mean age of death is 29 versus 65 with CJD) and lasts longer (median of 14 months versus
Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, which is spread through contaminated food and water. The infection often results in mild symptoms but can sometimes cause severe, life-threatening diarrhea. The bacterium survives and multiplies outside the human body; it can then spread rapidly in human populations where living conditions are crowded and unprotected water sources are in close proximity to fecal repositories. These conditions are not uncommon in poor countries and in many refugee camps. One refugee camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo experienced a major cholera epidemic in 1994, in which an estimated 58,000–80,000 cases and 23,800 deaths occurred within a month as a result of the consumption of untreated lake water; crowding; poor personal hygiene; and inadequate sanitation, due in part to the rocky
4.5 months for CJD). As of April 2002, 117 cases of vCJD had been reported in the United Kingdom, 6 in France, and 1 each in the Republic of Ireland and Italy (CDC, 2002w).
The nature of the causal agent for vCJD, and TSEs in general, is still a matter of debate. According to a leading theory, the disease agent is composed largely, if not entirely, of a self-replicating protein known as a prion, so that the TSEs are now sometimes referred to as prion diseases. Prions are transmissible protein particles that are devoid of nucleic acid and consist only of modified protein. According to the prion theory, the brain and other organs of mammals (at least those examined thus far) contain a normal version (PrPC) of the pathological protein form (PrPsc) that makes up a prion. When an animal or human becomes infected with PrP, the invading protein somehow converts normal protein molecules into toxic ones by causing the proteins to change shape. Despite strong evidence in support of the prion theory (Prusiner, 1995), a few scientists still believe that the ability of the TSE agent to form multiple strains is better explained by a DNA-containing, virus-like agent. To date, no such agent has been found.
Many scientists are keeping a watchful eye on chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal neurological illness of farmed and wild deer and elk (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 2002). It was first identified in 1967, although researchers did not determine it to be a TSE until 1978. The first case was diagnosed in Colorado in 1981. By 2001, CWD had been detected in deer and elk in Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, Canada, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Montana, Kansas, and Illinois (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 2002). Although the most obvious and consistent clinical sign of CWD is weight loss over time, many infected animals also show behavioral changes, including decreased interaction with other animals, listlessness, lowering of the head, blank facial expression, and repetitive walking in set patterns. No evidence linking CWD to any disease in humans or domestic animals had been detected as of 2002, although studies seeking such evidence have been limited.
volcanic nature of the soil in the area which made digging latrines almost impossible (GOMA Epidemiology Group, 1995). Bathing in the river, long distances to a water source, and consumption of dried fish were significantly associated with the risk of cholera during the 1997 epidemic in southern Tanzania (Acosta et al., 2001).
Cases of cholera are rare in industrialized nations, where modern sewage and water treatment systems exist. In the United States, cholera was prevalent in the 1800s but has now been virtually eliminated. Between 1965 and 1991, just 136 cases were reported to CDC. From 1992 through 1994, the number jumped to 160; half of these were among airline passengers traveling from Latin America (75) and cruise ship passengers from Southeast Asia (5) (Mahon et al., 1996). Although all regions of the world reported a reduction in the total number of cholera cases between 1999 and 2000, in 2000 WHO received reports of 137,071 cases from 56 countries,
which resulted in 4,908 deaths (WHO, 2001f). Africa accounted for 87 percent of the global total. Asia, with a three-fold decrease, still reported 11,246 cases. Central and South America reported 3,101 cases and 40 deaths, these despite reportedly large decreases in Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. The actual number of cholera cases is believed to be higher in all countries because of alleged underreporting and other surveillance system limitations.
The sixth and most recent global cholera pandemic began in 1961 in Celebes, Indonesia, caused by V. cholera O1, biotype El Tor. It spread rapidly to surrounding countries of eastern Asia and reached Bangladesh in 1963; India in 1964; and the Soviet Union, Iran, and Iraq in 1965–1966 (WHO, 2000d). In 1970, cholera was found in West Africa, where it eventually proliferated and became endemic throughout most of the continent. It then spread to Latin America in 1991, and within the year had reached 11 countries in this region. By the 1990s, cholera had become endemic to Latin America, Africa, and Asia, where periodic countrywide epidemics continued into the twenty-first century.
In 1992, large outbreaks of cholera began in India and Bangledesh that were caused by a previously unrecognized serogroup of Vibrio cholerae, designated O139, synonym Bengal. The epidemic was widespread in the Asiatic continent, with imported cases reported from developed countries. Some regarded this as the eighth cholera pandemic, although the epidemic remained confined to Bangladesh and India. After 1992, V. cholerae O1 was again epidemic in that region (Seas and Gotuzzo, 2000).
Thanks to modern sanitation and the availability of antibiotics and pesticides, another occurrence of the Black Death5 due to plague appears unlikely. However, isolated cases of plague are still reported in various parts of the world, including the United States, and plague outbreaks are still possible where wild rodent populations are persistently infected with the plague bacillus. Such regions include the western United States and parts of South America, Africa, and Asia. The last great plague epidemic occurred in the early twentieth century in India and resulted in more than 10 million deaths.
Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which is transmitted to humans by fleas whose primary hosts are rodents; rats, ground squirrels,
Black Death, a devastating pandemic that swept through much of Asia and Europe during the Middle Ages, killed some 20 million people, representing 20 to 25 percent of Western Europe’s total populace.
and rabbits, as well as the occasional house cat, can also harbor infected fleas. Bubonic plague, the most common form of the disease, is acquired directly from the bite of an infected flea. Bubonic plague derives its name from characteristic swollen lymph nodes (called “buboes”) in the groin, axilla, and neck areas. Pneumonic plague, which is less common, can develop from the bubonic form and is spread directly from person to person by the respiratory route. Untreated bubonic plague is fatal in half of all cases; untreated pneumonic plague is invariably fatal.
Crowding and poor sanitation in or near areas where rodent plague is endemic are ideal conditions for the emergence of this devastating bacterial illness. Squalid conditions were a major factor in emergence during a 1994 outbreak of plague in India (Ramalingaswami, 1996). From August to October of that year, India reported to WHO a total of 693 suspected cases of bubonic or pneumonic plague with positive test results for antibodies to Yersinia pestis. Nationwide, 56 of the reported plague cases were fatal (CDC, 1994d). Most of the cases were from the area of Surat, a city of 2.2 million people who generate close to 1,250 metric tons of garbage daily, 20 percent of which is left uncollected and has led to a dramatic growth in the city’s rat population.
Exacerbating this problem in sanitation were two natural disasters. First, floodwaters inundated the low-lying slum areas near the river during a 1994 monsoon. Surat residents complained that nothing was done to remove the great piles of rubbish that remained after the floodwaters receded, providing an ideal habitat for rats. A year before the plague incident, an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale had hit the adjacent state of Maharashtra, killing at least 10,000 people and causing extensive damage. Researchers believe that the disturbances and resettlement associated with the earthquake helped drive the wild rodent population inhabiting the forested area near Surat into contact with the domestic rat population, thus introducing the disease into the latter rat population (World Resources Institute, 1996). In financial terms, the plague’s toll cost the Indian economy in excess of $600 million. More than 45,000 people canceled travel plans to India, and the country’s hotel occupancy rate dipped by half. Many countries stopped air and ship traffic to India altogether. In total, exports from the country suffered a $420 million loss.
Nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections are a serious problem worldwide. According to WHO, at any given time more than 1.4 million people worldwide suffer from infectious complications acquired in hospitals (WHO, 2002f). Nosocomial bloodstream infections are a leading cause of
death in the United States (Edmond et al., 1999; Wenzel and Edmond, 2001). CDC estimates that each year nearly 2 million patients in the United States acquire infections in hospitals, and about 90,000 of these patients die as a result (CDC, 2002o).
A number of factors drive the development of nosocomial infections. Foremost in the developed world is advances in health care technology (discussed earlier), for several reasons. The first is improved survival of vulnerable populations, such as the elderly; infants of very low birth weight; and cancer, AIDS, and transplant patients. These individuals are susceptible to germs that would not be harmful to healthy people. Second, greater numbers of invasive procedures—such as placement of indwelling catheters, feeding tubes, ventilators, transplantations, and prosthetic devices— are being performed, allowing microorganisms more direct access to patients’ bloodstreams. Finally, widespread use of antimicrobial drugs in hospitals is resulting in more drug-resistant organisms that are increasingly difficult to treat.
In addition, overcrowded conditions within hospitals and a lack of proper sanitation and hygiene contribute greatly to the transfer of microbes. Studies have shown that potentially pathogenic organisms can be passed on to patients from unclean stethoscopes (Marinella et al., 1997), lab coats (Wong et al., 1991), environmental surfaces, and latex gloves (Ray et al., 2002). However, cross-transmission of microorganisms by the hands of health care workers is considered the main route for the spread of pathogens in hospitals (Pittet et al., 1999). Thus, simple handwashing practices remain the most important preventive measure. Unfortunately, many hospitals are unable to maintain an adequate level of handwashing among health care workers (Vicca, 1999; Saade et al., 2001; Doebbeling et al., 1992; Jarvis, 1994).
Nosocomial outbreaks of Lassa fever and Ebola viral hemorrhagic fever in Africa illustrate the additional complexities of preventing hospital-acquired infections in developing countries. Lassa fever spread in Nigeria in 1989 because scant resources led to needle sharing and reuse of disposable equipment. Overuse of parenteral treatments, inadequate surgical facilities, and poorly trained personnel also fueled the spread of the virus among patients and health care providers (Fisher-Hoch et al., 1995). Similarly, in the absence of appropriate precautions to prevent exposure to blood and other body fluids, hospital outbreaks of Ebola viral hemorrhagic fever in Zaire in 1995 passed from patients to health care workers and to family members who provided nursing care (CDC, 1995b) (see Box 3-15).
Hospitals are perfect breeding grounds for transferring infections among patients, health care providers, and the community. Patients in intensive-care units (ICUs) are at particularly high risk for nosocomial infections as a result of their underlying illness, the multiple invasive proce-
BOX 3-15 Ebola Virus
The 1995 Ebola virus outbreak in Zaire is an example of the biocomplexity of the emergence of a microbial threat to health. Even though the animal reservoir for the Ebola virus has yet to be discovered, the nosocomial spread of the virus from human to human has had deadly consequences. The outbreak began on April 4, 1995, when a hospital laboratory technician in Kikwit, Zaire, experienced the onset of fever and bloody diarrhea. One week later, he underwent surgery for a suspected perforated bowel. A few days later, medical personnel employed in the hospital to which he had been admitted in Kikwit developed similar symptoms. One of the ill was transferred to a hospital in Mosango (75 miles west of Kikwit); there, several days later, personnel who had provided care for this patient began experiencing similar symptoms as well (CDC, 1995a).
On May 9, 1995, blood samples from 14 of the acutely ill persons in Zaire arrived at CDC in Atlanta and were processed in the biosafety 4 laboratory. Every sample tested positive for the Ebola virus. After sequencing the virus glycoprotein gene, CDC determined that the newly emerged virus was closely related to the Ebola virus that had been isolated during an outbreak of viral hemorrhagic fever in northern Zaire and southern Sudan in 1976 (the first time the Ebola virus had ever been isolated in humans). In 1967, an outbreak of the closely related Marburg virus had occurred in Marburg, Germany, where laboratory workers were exposed to infected tissue from monkeys imported from Uganda. Ebola and Marburg are the only two known members of the filovirus family. Other reports of filovirus infections or outbreaks have been a single case of infection from a newly described Ebola virus in Cote D’Ivoire in 1994, and a 1989 outbreak of yet another Ebola virus (not associated with human disease) in imported monkeys that had been brought into the United States from the Philippines. Among all reported human outbreaks, 50 to 90 percent of cases have been fatal.
By June 1995, public health authorities had identified 296 persons with viral hemorrhagic fever attributable to Ebola virus infection in Zaire; the case-fatality rate was 79 percent (CDC, 1995b). The median age of infected persons was 37 years, with a range from 1 month to 71 years. Transmission of the virus from person-to-person occurs through close contact with infectious blood or other body fluids or tissues; secondary cases have occurred among persons providing medical care for patients and among patients exposed to reused needles. Although aerosol spread of the virus has not been documented among humans, it has been demonstrated among nonhuman primates (Peters et al., 1991; Jaax et al., 1995).
dures performed on them, and their typically older ages. According to the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System, from 1997 to 1999, urinary catheter–associated urinary tract infection (UTI) rates were highest in medical (nonsurgical) ICUs (6.5 UTIs per 1,000 days a catheter was used); central line–associated bloodstream infection (BSI) rates were highest in pediatric ICUs (7.7 BSIs per 1,000 days a central line was used); and ventilator-associated pneumonia rates were highest in surgical ICUs
(13.0 cases of pneumonia per 1,000 days a ventilator was used) (CDC, 2000e).
The nosocomial transfer of antimicrobial-resistant organisms to patients remains a significant concern. Looking specifically at ICU patients with nosocomial infections in 2000, NNIS found that more than 55 percent of Staphylococcus aureus isolates were resistant to methicillin, oxacillin, or nafcillin. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus increased 29 percent in 2000 as compared with the mean of the previous 5 years (1995–1999). Resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to quinolones increased 53 percent during the same period in the same population; vancomycin-resistant enterococci increased 31 percent (National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System, 2001).
Vaccine-preventable diseases still cause millions of deaths each year, mainly in developing countries. Indeed, nearly 3 million people worldwide die annually from major vaccine-preventable diseases.
Childhood immunizations have contributed to a significant reduction in vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis, and other potentially devastating illnesses. Yet there remains a sizable segment of the population, both in the United States and internationally, that does not receive childhood vaccinations. Several reasons may account for low vaccine rates, including misperceptions about the actual risk for a given disease, concerns about the safety of vaccines due to widely publicized but unsubstantiated claims of adverse effects, and the absence of a health infrastructure for vaccine purchase and delivery. In Africa, for example, only 55 percent of the population in the region had vaccination coverage for polio and measles in 2000 (WHO, 2001g). That same year, the Americas vaccinated 90 percent of the population against both diseases.
Even in the United States, vaccine-preventable diseases cause staggering numbers of deaths and illnesses. For example, pneumonia and influenza deaths together constitute the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Influenza causes an average of 110,000 hospitalizations and 20,000 deaths annually; pneumococcal disease causes 10,000 to 14,000 deaths annually (DHHS, 2000b). The annual estimate of influenza vaccination for adults aged 65 and older (those at increased risk for severe disease or death from influenza) is roughly 65 percent. Moreover, the percentage of older adults reported as ever having received a pneumococcal vaccination is even lower. The Healthy People 2010 target is to increase to 90 percent the proportion of noninstitutionalized adults aged 65 and older who are vaccinated annually against influenza and who have ever been vaccinated against pneumococcal disease (DHHS, 2000b).
Reported annual measles cases worldwide declined by almost 40 percent between 1990 and 1999. Nonetheless, an estimated 30 million to 40 million cases occurred in 2000, resulting in approximately 777,000 deaths (WHO and UNICEF, 2001). Measles accounts for nearly half of the 1.7 million annual deaths due to childhood vaccine-preventable diseases. In 1999, the African continent accounted for 58 percent of all estimated measles cases in the world, 87 percent of which were located in the west and central regions (WHO, 2000g). In southern Africa, the number of reported measles cases decreased from over 50,000 annually to 100 in 1999 because of intensive vaccination campaigns (WHO, 2002k). In the Americas, countries that have adequately implemented the strategies recommended by the Pan American Health Organization/WHO have successfully inhibited measles transmission.
The number of reported cases in the United States plummeted from approximately 500,000 before vaccine introduction in 1963 to fewer than 1,500 in 1983 (Bellini and Rota, 1998). Despite these measures, however, a resurgence of measles occurred in the United States between 1989 and 1991, causing more than 55,000 cases and approximately 120 measles-associated deaths. Most of the cases occurred in children under 5 years of age. Of those who lost their lives during this epidemic, 90 percent had not been vaccinated (CDC, 2001k). As a result of successful vaccination efforts, the number of reported measles cases dropped to less than 100 in 2000 (CDC, 2002p). Although it was announced in 2000 that measles was no longer endemic in the United States (CDC, 2002q), a continued risk remains for internationally imported measles cases that could result in indigenous transmission.
Diphtheria had been well controlled in Russia for two decades following the initiation of a universal childhood immunization program in the late 1950s. In the 1970s, however, the number of cases began to rise (see Figure 3-9). The epidemic of diphtheria in the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union in the early 1990s marked the first large-scale diphtheria epidemic in industrialized countries in three decades (Vitek and Wharton, 1998). In 1993, the number of reported diphtheria cases surged to nearly 20,000, occurring primarily throughout urban Russia, the Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltics. By 1994, the number of reported diphtheria cases had surged to 50,412 in the Newly Independent States, with Russia accounting for 83 percent of the cases. In 1994, epidemic diphtheria was reported for
FIGURE 3-9 Reported diphtheria cases in the Soviet Union and the Newly Independent States, 1965–1996.
SOURCE: Vitek and Wharton, 1998.
all states except Estonia, where most of the adult population had been vaccinated in 1985–1987 (Vitek and Wharton, 1998).
The large increase in diphtheria cases was due mainly to low vaccination coverage for large segments of the population, which resulted from changes in vaccination policy to fewer doses of vaccine with lower antigenic content. In addition, public support for vaccination programs fell as the level of disease diminished, and a vocal anti-immunization movement received favorable press coverage in an atmosphere of increased distrust of the government. Resurgence was also associated with a change in the predominant circulating biotype of the diphtheria-causing organism, a decline in the standard of living resulting from the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and a high level of population movement. Starting in 1993, a wide-scale vaccination campaign was implemented, so that by 1999, diphtheria rates had returned to the levels recorded in the early 1990s (Netesov and Conrad, 2001).
Tuberculosis Control
The worldwide persistence of tuberculosis (TB) has been due chiefly to the neglect of its control by governments, poorly managed TB control programs, poverty, population growth and migration, and a significant
increase in TB cases in HIV-endemic areas (WHO, 2002g). Lack of diagnosis of cases, together with poor adherence to antituberculosis medications among those who are diagnosed, are major barriers to eradicating tuberculosis. Insufficient treatment can lead to prolonged infection and communicability, drug resistance, and relapse of the disease, all of which pose serious health threats to those infected and their communities (Volmink and Garner, 2001).
Directly observed therapy (DOT) was introduced 40 years ago as a means of ensuring that patients with tuberculosis would complete their treatment regimens. The approach involves simply the supervised swallowing of medications. However, many DOT programs have become much more comprehensive in an effort to improve therapeutic adherence. In the United States, these programs include such services as assistance with housing, food subsidies, transportation, and social support (Volmink et al., 2000). Because programs differ with regard to the services provided and the enthusiasm of their employees, it is difficult to discern which factors account for the success of a DOT program.
WHO promotes another version of DOT called Directly Observed Therapy, Short Course (DOTS) that focuses on tropical and low-income countries. DOTS involves five elements: (1) government commitment to sustained TB control activities; (2) improved laboratory detection; (3) a standardized short course of treatment with direct observation for at least the initial two months; (4) a free, uninterrupted drug supply; and (5) a reporting system that documents patient progress and allows assessment of the program (WHO, 1999d). The number of countries using DOTS expanded from 10 in 1990 to 148 in 2000 (WHO, 2002h); however, only 27 percent of the estimated total cases of TB worldwide were treated under DOTS in 2000 (WHO, 2002i). While DOTS includes a number of useful components, the available evidence does not provide strong support for the routine adoption of this program in favor of self-administration of treatment (Volmink and Garner, 2001).
Targets for global TB control were ratified by the World Health Assembly. They include (1) successfully treating 85 percent of smear-positive TB cases and (2) detecting 70 percent of all such cases (WHO, 2002h, 2000e). These goals had not been attained by the end of 2000, so the target year was reset to 2005.
Control of Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases
One major factor in the resurgence of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases is the decreased support for and deterioration of public health infrastructure. Continued surveillance and control programs for these diseases are expensive. When budget shortfalls occur, these programs are especially
vulnerable to funding reductions or elimination, especially when the diseases are perceived to be controlled. This is as true in the United States as it is in developing countries. The sporadic and epidemic nature of many vector-borne diseases has resulted in the closure of many state programs and laboratories. A number of states affected by West Nile virus previously had robust arbovirus programs, excellent laboratory facilities, and concomitant vector biology expertise, all of which had been dismantled. With the emergence of West Nile virus, CDC’s Division of Vector-borne Infectious Diseases had to institute capacity-building programs for the states and emergency training programs in arbovirus surveillance and medical entomology (CDC, 2001m). A similar training program had to be instituted for mammalogists and field biologists following the emergence of Sin Nombre virus in the American Southwest.
Societal perceptions have also complicated the control of vector-borne diseases, especially the use of pesticides for vector control. The emergence of West Nile virus in New York resulted in a recommendation to spray pesticides to control adult mosquitoes in the face of the impending epidemic. This action was resisted by many people in the New York City area because of the perceived dangers of pesticide exposure. Public perceptions about pesticide usage may still persist from the negative consequences associated with the historical usage of DDT to control vectors. Despite this major achievement in public health to control malaria in highly endemic areas, recognition that indiscriminate DDT usage led to accumulation of the pesticide in nature and to detrimental effects on nontarget organisms resulted in a total ban on its use in many countries. Yet these environmental problems stemmed from agricultural uses of DDT, not from public health usage to treat walls in homes for vector control. New, more expensive, less stable, and less effective pesticides have replaced DDT for vector control in many countries. Unfortunately, the widespread halt in DDT usage has coincided with a resurgence of malaria in the Americas and elsewhere (Roberts et al., 1997; Attaran et al., 2000), as well as with increases in other diseases, such as leishmaniasis and dengue (see Box 3-16) (Gratz, 1999). These problems and the development of resistance to alternative pesticides in targeted vector populations have renewed the use of DDT for domicile treatment to control malaria in several countries (see the discussion of vector-borne and zoonotic disease control in Chapter 4).
Antiquated Public Health Laws
Public health laws enacted for the control of infectious diseases are rooted in colonial history. Early state and local governments recognized their responsibility to safeguard the public’s health from infectious diseases (e.g., smallpox, cholera, plague) by promulgating sanitary regulations, or-
dering the abatement of public health nuisances (e.g., infested premises), and enforcing disease control measures (e.g., isolation, quarantine, vaccination). Shifting priorities as new diseases emerged help explain why infectious disease laws developed in piecemeal fashion. Over time, some public health laws were updated or modified as medical knowledge (e.g., testing, screening, treatment) and epidemiology advanced. Many public health laws, however, have not been regularly reviewed or revised since the middle of the twentieth century (Gostin et al., 1999).
State laws regarding infectious diseases are often fragmented and inconsistent (embodying differing approaches among the states) and inadequate (failing to provide the powers that are needed) (Gostin, 2001a). Outdated state laws do not support, and may even thwart, effective public health surveillance and interventions. Consequently, the DHHS (2000b) and the IOM (1988) have recommended reforming laws to ensure appropriate legal preparedness for naturally occurring infectious diseases and the intentional use of a biological agent. A corpus of strong public health laws is critically important to ensure such preparedness. Such laws afford public health officials essential powers, such as screening, reporting, vaccination, treatment (including DOT), and isolation or quarantine. These and other powers are constitutionally acceptable when necessary to protect the public’s health if performed with procedural guarantees (Gostin, 2001b, 2002a).
Modern public health laws also enable authorities to prevent disease transmission by ensuring healthy conditions. Inspections of private premises, nuisance abatements, and business regulations can help avert and control epidemics. Legal responses to the recent emergence of West Nile virus are illustrative. Many public health authorities asked property owners to eliminate standing bodies of water that, as discussed previously, encourage the breeding of mosquitoes that transmit the virus. Inspections of public and private premises were performed. If private property owners failed to eliminate sources of standing water, authorities entered their property to abate the public health nuisance. Likewise, recognizing that stockpiles of discarded tires provide optimal conditions for breeding mosquitoes, the New York state legislature drafted regulations to require tire retailers to practice safe disposal and recycling (Hodge, 2002).
Public health laws also authorize the collection and analysis of public health information through surveillance and epidemiologic investigations. States have enacted reporting requirements for specified infectious diseases, often pursuant to guidance from CDC (see the discussion in Chapter 4). The collection and use of identifiable health data for public health purposes raise individual privacy concerns. Courts generally allow the collection of such data provided that adequate safeguards are in place. New federal privacy regulations pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Ac-
BOX 3-16 The Breakdown of Vector Control
The emergence of epidemic dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever and shock syndrome (DHF-SS) in the Americas illustrates the dire consequences of the demise of public health control capacity and expertise in vector-borne diseases. More than 2.5 billion people are at risk for dengue virus infection; 50 million cases are estimated to occur annually; and the incidence of DHF-SS continues to increase throughout the world (Gubler, 2002). The major urban vector of dengue viruses is the mosquito Aedes aegypti, whose anthropophilic and endophilic behavior makes it an unparalleled vector. The abundance and distribution of Ae. aegypti are directly linked to the presence of breeding sites (e.g., water storage vessels, discarded cans, tires, or containers that hold water long enough for the vectors to hatch, develop, and emerge). This in turn greatly complicates control efforts, especially source reduction control programs designed to eliminate larval breeding sites. Increased population growth and urbanization, much of it unplanned, has contributed greatly to the dramatic increase in Ae. aegypti abundance (Gubler, 2002; Gratz, 1999).
The dramatic change in the epidemiology of dengue and DHF-SS in the Americas has been the subject of much speculation. Prior to the 1980s, only one or two of the serotypes of dengue circulated in the Americas, and DHF-SS was nonexistent. This was in sharp contrast to Southeast Asia, where all four dengue serotypes cocirculated, and DHF-SS was (and remains) a major public health problem. Many factors condition the differing epidemiology of dengue in the two parts of the world, including the virulence of the viruses (Gubler, 2002). However, there is no doubt that one of the major factors contributing to the emergence of DHF-SS in the Americas was the resurgence of Ae. aegypti in tropical and subtropical cities, concomitant with rampant and unplanned urbanization (see the accompanying figure).
In the 1950s and 1960s, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and participating Western Hemisphere countries established a remarkably effective program to eradicate Ae. aegypti (Gubler, 2002; Gratz, 1999). The major impetus for this effort was the desire to preclude the emergence of sylvatic yellow fever into urban populations,
countability Act explicitly permit public health data collection if consistent with state law.
New and emerging infectious disease threats, especially the threat of bioterrorism, have led federal, state, and local governments to reexamine public health laws addressing infectious disease control. Antiquated laws are increasingly being reviewed and updated to eliminate inconsistencies and reflect current medical knowledge and legal and ethical norms. By 2002, thirty-six states had introduced bills and twenty states had enacted legislation based on the Model State Emergency Powers Act, which consolidates public health powers to enable authorities to respond effectively to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies (Gostin et al., 2002).
which remains a major concern today. Many countries (the United States being one notable exception) were remarkably successful in this regard. Ironically, the success of the programs led to their demise, and the resources and infrastructure needed to support these efforts were soon shifted to other priorities. Now Ae. aegypti is essentially hyperabundant throughout the Americas, and concomitantly all four dengue virus serotypes (including the virulent Asian genotypes which are associated with DHF-SS) are co-circulating in the region (Beaty, 2000).
Distribution of Aedes aegypti (shaded areas) in the Americas in the 1930s, before the mosquito eradication program; in 1970, at the end of the mosquito eradication program; and in 2003 in the absence of effective mosquito control.
SOURCE: CDC.
Another project to develop a comprehensive model state public health act is currently under way, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Turning Point initiative. These and other legal tools may lead to significant improvements in the reformation of public health laws.
As we enter the twenty-first century, mortality from infectious diseases is correlated more closely than ever before with transnational inequalities in income (Houweling et al., 2001). Countries throughout the developing world and the former communist bloc have been embracing the market-based policies advocated by Europe and North America. The result has
been extensive privatization of state-owned banks and companies, creation of new stock and bond markets, and exposure of economies to foreign investment and capital. These global economic trends affect not only the personal circumstances of those at risk for infection, but also the structure and availability of public health institutions. The structure of health care delivery, in turn, profoundly affects the ability of high-risk populations to pursue health care. For example, the transmission of illnesses such as TB, which nearly disappeared in affluent countries after the introduction of effective antimicrobial therapy in the 1950s, has continued to rise in poor countries. It is not coincidental that many of the latter countries have been hardest hit by microbial threats to health such as HIV, dengue, drug-resistant TB, and malaria (Murray and Lopez, 1997).
The relationship between infectious diseases and economic development has been of increasing interest to scholars and practitioners in a variety of fields (Sen, 1999; Gwatkin et al., 1999; Whitehead Institute, 2002). Studies within the fields of social epidemiology and medical anthropology have illustrated the relationships between large-scale social patterns, such as poverty (see Box 3-17), and clinical, epidemiological, and even biological phenomena (Farmer, 1996; Berkman and Kawachi, 2000; Schoepf, 2001). Public health economists have also identified trends correlating health with resource distribution (Gwatkin, 2000; Gwatkin et al., 1999; Castro-Leal et al., 2000). It is important to note that the arrow points in both directions: not only do infectious diseases have significant and far-reaching economic implications, but poverty and social inequality in and of themselves are major factors in disease emergence (Bloom and Sachs, 1998; Eandi and Zara, 1998; Bhargava et al., 2001; WHO, 2002j; Dixon et al., 2002).
Socioeconomic status is often implicated in public health trends that might appear at first glance to be unrelated. For example, chronic infection with hepatitis B virus has been associated with low educational attainment, lower social stratum, and crowded urban residence. Meanwhile, hepatitis B virus has been implicated as a major etiological agent of liver cancer, suggesting that even the latter condition may have an economic determinant (Stuver et al., 1997). Socioeconomic status has been identified as a factor contributing to the escalating problem of worldwide antimicrobial resistance (Okeke et al., 1999). In 1990, developing countries spent $41 per person on health, compared with $1,500 per person in industrialized countries. This underfunding creates a chronically inadequate or erratic supply of drugs, which, combined with several other factors, such as transportation costs and the high costs of medical treatment and drugs, leads to poor patient compliance. Poor compliance, in turn, leads to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, as has been learned all too well from the emergence of multidrug-resistant TB. Even where excellent country-level TB control programs are in place, treatment efficacy in poor communities can
BOX 3-17 World Poverty Statistics
Although extreme poverty declined worldwide in the 1990s from 28 percent in 1987 to 23 percent in 1998 (World Bank Group, 2002), 2.8 billion people are still living on less than US$2 a day and 1.2 billion are living on less than US$1 a day (see the figure below). The average income in the richest 20 countries is 37 times the average in the poorest 20, a gap that had doubled over the past 40 years (World Bank, 2001).
Within and among regions, income disparities became more pronounced during the 1990s. Countries in transition to a market economy also saw a sharp increase in inflation and poverty. Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe, experienced a dramatic worsening of poverty; the percentage of people living below the national poverty line increased from 35 percent in May 1997 to 46 percent in the fourth quarter of 1998. The Russian Federation similarly experienced a jump in poverty from an estimated 12 percent during the Soviet period to 43 percent by 1996. In the Kyrgyz Republic, poverty was fundamentally a rural phenomenon, whereas in Bulgaria and Hungary in 1997, the Roma population comprised a disproportionately large percentage of the poor (World Bank Group, 2002). In the United States almost 33 million people were living below the poverty level in 2001 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2002b).
Distribution of the population (1.2 billion) living on less than $1 per day, 1998.
NOTE: The $1 a day is in 1993 purchasing power parity terms.
SOURCE: World Bank Group, 2002.
be undermined by inappropriate cost recovery policies and the remoteness of secondary or tertiary care facilities, potentially leading to the emergence or spread of drug resistance through inadequate therapy (Kim et al., 1999). The susceptibility of poor populations to disease is governed by a number of identifiable conditions, including malnutrition, lack of access to clean water and sanitation (as discussed earlier), housing conditions of poor quality, ignorance of preventive measures, absence of social agencies to teach the avoidance of risky behaviors, lack of adequate transportation to and from health care facilities, and limited funds for out-of-pocket expenditures (WHO, 2002j).
Health is closely correlated with economic productivity; indeed, recent studies indicate that disease burden and demography may be more closely correlated with macroeconomic performance than with other commonly used indicators, such as fiscal policy and political governance (Bloom and Sachs, 1998). As measured by trade and foreign direct investment, one might expect that the poorest countries would be among the world’s least integrated into the global economy. However, this is not uniformly the case. While cross-border trade accounted for nearly one-fifth of the United States’ and one-third of Mexico’s gross domestic product in 1999, in Botswana, to take one extreme case, that figure was 44 percent (World Bank, 2002). Moreover, because of their lower overall volume and diversification of production, poor countries tend to be more sensitive to fluctuations in international commerce; shocks to commodity prices and terms of trade can drastically affect government revenues, the availability of foreign currency reserves, and economic activity in general (Diaz-Bonilla et al., 2001). Finally, the level of indebtedness in poor countries is often so high as to necessitate close coordination with outside agencies in setting fiscal policy.
The influence of the global economy is not limited to general economic function, but impacts directly on the health sector. In several relatively affluent countries with high disease burdens, increases in earnings for upper-income percentiles are leading to the formation or expansion of markets for private health services (Sbarbaro, 2000), a trend that has at times been actively promoted by development agencies (Stocker et al., 1999). Without proper planning, health-sector privatization can interfere directly with government efforts to combat emerging infectious diseases (Kim et al., 1999). Meanwhile, high levels of indebtedness in many countries with high disease prevalence can divert desperately needed funds from the health sector (Piot and Coll Seck, 2001)
Participation in the globalization process, in the worst case, can potentially further widen international health disparities, leaving the poor even more vulnerable to diseases (Diaz-Bonilla et al., 2001). Then, too, spillovers occur in the opposite direction: financial crises, environmental deteriora-
tion, and the epidemic spread of emerging infections can impact with great force far beyond their nominal zones of incidence. As a matter of both enlightened self-interest and, perhaps, a newly transnational ethical sensibility, it is essential that the United States and other developed countries incorporate in their response to emerging infectious diseases close attention to public health in the developing world.
War and famine are closely linked. Not only do they both lead to severe disruptions in food distribution and consumption, but in fact a frequent causal relationship exists between the two. As of April 2001, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was tracking 16 countries with “food emergencies” (i.e., catastrophic declines in crop production) in sub-Saharan Africa; 9 of these emergencies were directly related to civil strife (FAO, 2001). So-called “complex humanitarian emergencies” provoked by the combined conditions of famine and war contribute directly to the spread of infectious diseases and have fairly consistent sequelae, including malnutrition, measles, diarrheal diseases, respiratory tract infections, and malaria (Toole and Waldman, 1990).
Between 1990 and 1998, 108 wars worldwide claimed 5.5 million lives (Wallensteen and Sollenberg, 1999). Conditions of armed conflict generally result in a breakdown of domestic stability, loss of food security, and destruction of the medical infrastructure. While acquiring reliable data in war-torn regions is difficult, millions of people are thought to die each year not from direct acts of violence, but from inadequate health services (Roberts, 2001; Toole et al., 1993; Toole and Waldman, 1990). According to one recent study, for example, patients with tuberculosis whose chemotherapy was disrupted because of war were three times more likely to die than those who were fully treated during peacetime (Gustafson et al., 2001). As noted, such disruption in treatment not only affects an individual’s risk of death, but also increases the risk of the emergence of drug-resistant strains (Khan and Laaser, 2002; Federation of American Scientists, 2002).
The direct human cost of battle pales in comparison with the human cost of its aftermath. Of the countries in which humanitarian emergencies were designated by the National Intelligence Council in 1999, well over half were the sites of high-intensity conflict (Wallensteen and Sollenberg, 2001). These upheavals had consequences far beyond their nominal zones of incidence. A recent estimate put the number of war refugees worldwide at a full 1 percent of the global population (Summerfield, 1997). In the
present context, displacement due to war can contribute significantly to the emergence and spread of infectious diseases (Kalipeni and Oppong, 1998; Murray et al., 2002). In most of these emergencies, three out of four deaths are attributable to communicable diseases. Refugee camps are usually crowded and dirty, with little or no access to medical care or protection from vectors, and full of people from many different geographic areas (and thus probably carrying a broad range of infectious agents). For example, in 1994 more than a million Rwandan refugees were sheltered in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly known as Zaire, when cholera and dysentery swept through the camps, killing 12,000 people in just 3 weeks. In the post-conflict phase, malaria accounted for over one-third of the total mortality among displaced populations in Central Africa in the aftermath of the Great Lakes crisis of 1994, and TB was estimated to have caused one-fourth of all deaths among refugees in Somalia in the 1990s (Connolly, 2002).
While related in some instances to large-scale environmental patterns, famine is highly correlated with factors other than the weather. Rather, it is highly correlated with social, economic, and political forces, including land tenure, deforestation, and rapid demographic change. According to one theory, a root cause of famine is ultimately a deficiency in food “entitlement,” owing to political disenfranchisement (Sen, 1981); an exclusive focus on issues of food production that ignores this root condition is deeply counterproductive (Sen, 1999). During the Rwandan genocide, to take one extreme example, famine conditions in the vicinity of the refugee camps were thought to have been greatly exacerbated by the toll on household industry exacted by the shigellosis epidemic (Paquet and van Soest, 1994).
As with war, the causal chain between famine and disease is bidirectional (Topouzis and Hemrich, 2000). Emerging epidemics can severely disrupt food production, especially through high mortality and morbidity among workers in agricultural areas and the depletion of family savings to care for those stricken. The social epidemiology of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa testifies to this bidirectional phenomenon; countries that are more dependent on agriculture are affected more by HIV/AIDS (Topouzis and du Guerny, 1999). Clearly, HIV is a recipe for a catastrophic decline in food supplies; preliminary data suggest that such a decline has in fact taken place. In Zimbabwe, according to a recent report cited by FAO, communal agricultural output has declined by half over the past 5 years, almost entirely as a result of HIV/AIDS.
The need for political will to fight microbial threats is still invoked frequently, more in the breach than in the observance. A global political commitment, like peace or universal love, is described in rather vague terms—an impossible goal whose absence is nonetheless to be lamented. Above all else, the notion is presented in the context of an effort to get others involved, parties whose intercession would presumably be decisive in a way that ours would not. Unfortunately, many possible opportunities have been lost as a result of this lack of political will and a general complacency toward infectious diseases reminiscent of the end of the twentieth century (see Box 3-18).
Vague allusions to political will have embraced, perhaps unwittingly, a rather profound concept. Such references may be traced, arguably, to Rousseau’s idea of the volonté générale. “The problem,” he wrote in 1776, “is to find a form of association which will defend and protect . . . the person and goods of each associate, and in which each, while uniting himself with all, may still obey himself alone, and remain as free as before.” And the solution? “Each of us puts his person and all his power in common under the supreme direction of the general will, and, in our corporate capacity, we receive each member as an indivisible part of the whole. At once, in place of the individual personality of each contracting party, this act of association creates a moral and collective body, composed of as many members as the assembly contains votes, and receiving from this act its unity, its common identity, its life and its will” (Rousseau, 1993).
The conception of the social contract was of course a powerful one for Thomas Jefferson and other theorists of the American Revolution. In an age of rapidly increasing global integration, it takes on new resonance—and new complexity. Who would be the parties to a global social contract, and how is their will to be determined? How can the liberties of individual countries and their citizens be balanced against their collective responsibility? Is there any collective responsibility at all? Little consensus exists on these questions among the international community. What is certain, however, is that through microbial threats such as HIV, TB, and malaria, the association of human individuals is being enforced, sometimes in the most brutal possible of ways. If only in this small domain, then, it is essential that we expand our conception of political will to encompass not only governments in the regions of highest prevalence, but also corporations, officials, health professionals, and citizens of more fortunate regions that, willingly or not, share with their governments a common microbial landscape.
To proceed with any hope of success in the struggle against emerging infectious diseases, our model of political will must commit four key groups of stakeholders—donors, health professionals, country authorities, and pa-
BOX 3-18 Lost Windows of Opportunity
Emerging infectious diseases are closing, or have the potential to close, windows of opportunity for infectious disease eradication or elimination. The eradication of smallpox stands as one of the outstanding achievements in the history of public health. Eradication was achieved because of a worldwide effort that was supported by the necessary political will and human and technical resources. The world was able to take advantage of the window of opportunity for smallpox eradication because a safe vaccine was available.
In the year that smallpox was declared eradicated (1980), HIV appeared and rapidly colonized Africa and the world. Today the prevalence of HIV is greater than 25 percent in some adult populations, such as that of the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire). In the United States, a military recruit who was immunized against smallpox developed generalized vaccinia because he was HIV-seropositive and died (Redfield et al., 1987). That tragic event highlights the fact that if the global smallpox eradication campaign had been postponed, the world would not have been able to eradicate smallpox as easily as was the case before 1980.
Many windows of opportunity have been lost. In the 1950s and 1960s, gonorrhea was highly prevalent throughout African countries. Governments did not attempt to change people’s behavior to prevent its transmission. Treatment was offered either infrequently or not at all. When available, treatment for sexually transmitted diseases was many times more expensive than treatment for other diseases, especially in the private mission hospitals throughout Africa. Therefore, gonorrhea went largely untreated, and its prevalence increased to a less manageable level. Today, gonorrhea is present throughout Africa, where it causes infertility in women and is one of the major driving forces in the HIV epidemic, facilitating the transmission of the virus. Had effective public health education been in place in the 1960s to help change sexual behavior and had antibiotic treatment been used effectively, there would not be such a great problem with gonorrhea today. In this case, a window of opportunity to control one disease and reduce the rate of transmission and impact of a far more serious disease has been lost.
The prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) and multidrug-resistant TB is increasing globally. The emergence of HIV facilitated the resurgence of TB, another example of a case in which a window of opportunity has been lost. Global surveys show that there is a 1 percent prevalence of resistance to at least one TB drug. Multidrug treatment for TB costs between US$20 and US$30 for a complete cure, but treatment costs are approximately US$3,000 for multidrug-resistant TB. In many places, a window of opportunity to achieve a manageable level of TB by the proper use of drugs has been lost.
The global effort in the 1960s and 1970s to eradicate malaria succeeded in eradicating malariologists, but not the disease. Today, the malaria parasite is resistant to the
tients and civil society—to the necessity of collective action. These groups are quite interdependent in their commitments. To secure the participation of patients and community members (for example, in undergoing testing for TB or HIV), it is often necessary to convince them that treatment will be available, and then to structure their active participation through grassroots-
drugs of choice—chloroquine or pyrimethamine–sulfadoxine (fansidar), or both—because of improper treatment. Drug-resistant malaria takes longer to respond to treatment. In addition, the mosquito species that transmit the parasite are resistant to the insecticides that previously controlled them because of the improper use of the insecticides and a breakdown of public health infrastructure to monitor their appropriate use. A window of opportunity to eliminate malaria and mitigate its impact has been lost, and as a result, increasing numbers of adults are losing work and more children are dying because of the resurgence of malaria.
The spread of other infectious diseases has resulted from lost public health opportunities to prevent their spread. Poor public health practices by local hospital workers in Kikwit, Zaire, drove the 1995 Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreak. A cycle of transmission among the patient care staff spread the virus to their families and additional patients. The international community learned of the outbreak in May 1995, nearly 20 weeks after the first case had been reported. Poor communication, poor infection control practices, and poor preventive public health measures reflect the weak public health care systems and infectious disease surveillance capacity in most of Africa. With the end of the Cold War, the end of the colonial era, and the decline of Western interest in tropical diseases, the public health infrastructure in many African countries has deteriorated. Infectious disease surveillance is nearly nonexistent, and emerging infections frequently go unrecognized and unreported.
Immunization, the vanguard of public health practice, is losing ground in both developing and developed countries. For example, the rate of immunization against yellow fever is declining in most countries of the world, particularly those in which the yellow fever virus is endemic. It is very difficult to get an African government to commit to programs of vaccination against yellow fever as part of routine immunization efforts, even though the vaccine is safe and inexpensive and confers long-lasting immunity. In addition, tourists are becoming increasingly less rigorous in obtaining vaccinations. An international alert recently occurred when a photographer returned to Germany with an unknown disease. At first it was thought to be Ebola hemorrhagic fever, but yellow fever was confirmed as the diagnosis.
The bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) outbreak in cows in the United Kingdom, with the subsequent resulting outbreak among humans of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), is an example of ignorance in animal food-handling practices and public health measures. In the late 1970s, the procedures for rendering bonemeal and other products from animal carcasses changed. The resultant food products were used in animal feed. However, infectious agents were transmitted through the animal feed from infected carcasses back into ruminants, resulting in the BSE epidemic and the transmission of the BSE agent to humans, and ultimately in vCJD.
SOURCE: Institute of Medicine (2001b).
oriented program activity. To achieve high-level cooperation in establishing those programs, it is necessary to convince country authorities that adequate and consistent funding will be available. And to secure that funding from private and public donors alike, it is necessary to convince them that interventions are reasonable in scope and have been designed appropriately
and with sufficient attention to scientific and clinical safeguards; that effective public health agencies are in place to implement these programs; and, above all, that the programs will ultimately redound to the benefit of the global community as a whole.
Fortunately, much progress has been made in the last few years toward satisfying these reasonable provisions. The Global Plan to Stop TB and the WHO-led Commission on Macroeconomics and Health have each made significant strides, establishing precise estimates of resource needs for specific global interventions. The inauguration of the United Nations Global Fund provides a focal point for program activity around HIV, TB, and malaria. This useful institution has the capacity not only to direct necessary program inputs efficiently, but also to ensure that they are used in a manner consistent with best scientific practices. Structures such as the Global Fund and the MDR-TB Green Light Committee already are serving as a nexus of project activity. Given sufficient attention and resources, they have the capacity not only to turn the tide against these emerging infectious diseases, but also to build infrastructure—and perhaps more important, global consensus—sufficient to combat infections that have not yet emerged.
The threat of intentional attacks using biological agents on the United States and other countries has never been as serious as it is today. Even before the events in late 2001, when our nation experienced a lethal bioterrorism attack, there was reason for grave concern. Modern history confirms that biological weapons were explored by many nations, although most programs were officially terminated with the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) treaty, developed in 1972 and now ratified by more than 140 nations. That treaty prohibited the possession, stockpiling, or use of biological weapons, although it contained no provisions for monitoring, inspection, and enforcement (Kadlec et al., 1999).
The United States abandoned its program for offensive biological warfare in 1969, but had been successful in weaponizing infectious organisms and toxins. The revelation in the mid-1990s that the Soviet state had secretly developed a similar but more extensive enterprise (Alibek, 1999) after signing on to the BWC treaty, increased alarm regarding this potential threat. Concern heightened with the disclosure of an ambitious biological weapons program mounted by Iraq (Davis, 1999; Ekeus, 1999), as well as findings that Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese group that released nerve gas in the Tokyo subway system, had also experimented with botulin and anthrax and sent teams to Zaire in an effort to obtain Ebola for use as a weapon (Olson, 1999). Episodes in the Unites States involving extremist groups or individuals that had obtained dangerous pathogens, such as plague bacillus,
for dubious purposes added to the growing perception of risk (Henderson, 1999).
Today, no one should doubt the likelihood that the development of weapons of mass destruction lies within the reach of others. Some have taken comfort in the fact that the extensive programs of the United States and the former Soviet Union are believed to have been beyond the capacity of other nations. However, we must recognize that these programs manufactured multiple agents without the benefit of today’s advances in science and technology, which have significantly broadened the field of potentially capable state and nonstate actors.
Numerous commissions have reviewed the threat of bioterrorism in recent years (United States Commission on National Security/21st Century, 2001; National Commission on Terrorism, 2000; Gilmore Commission, 2000). They have uniformly concluded that the United States is vulnerable to a bioterrorist attack and that the likelihood of such an event is high. Nations suspected of having offensive biological warfare programs have been named by the Office of Technology Assessment (U.S. Congress, 1993a), and these same states are often also identified as terrorist sponsors. In light of these agreed-upon threats, why has there been so little concern about this possibility in many quarters, and why has so much surprise been expressed over the outcome of a handful of letters containing anthrax spores dispatched through the mail? One important factor is a lack of familiarity among civilian scientists with the concepts that were the pillar of the old U.S. biowarfare program as well as the Soviet program, particularly in regard to the danger of aerosols. Another reason may be the unexpected use of an envelope as the delivery mechanism for such a deadly manufactured powder as that used in the anthrax letters of 2001, instead of a more stealthy and lethal dissemination system.
Nature of the Threat
When one considers the ways in which the intentional use of a biological agent might be carried out, the first rule should be that we do not know who the possible terrorist will be, his or her motivation, or the wherewithal that may be available for the attack. Thus, attacks intended to incapacitate selected persons and thereby gain attention or to cause serious illness for revenge might employ a very different approach than attacks designed to cause mass casualties. An effort by a disgruntled clinical laboratory worker might have a very different scope from one by a well-funded nonstate organization or a state-sponsored group. Parenthetically, the failure of the Japanese Aum Shinrikyo cult to succeed with biological terrorism should not provide much comfort concerning the need for state sponsorship, given the manifest ineptitude of the perpetrators (Smithson, 2000).
A second issue is the dissemination of factual information concerning the real dangers of such an attack. Some (including members of this committee) would argue that the less is said, the better. However, American society does not respond without facts and public opinion programs. This means the actual dangers must be explained to the public and responsible political leaders without inflammatory rhetoric or disclosure of detailed methods for the assaults. In reaching a balance, we take some chance that plain speaking could motivate some to undertake the very actions we are trying to prevent. However candid discussion of the facts may help the public, the media, and health authorities respond in a calmer and more rational fashion than was observed with the aerosol anthrax attacks of 2001. The reality of those attacks is far more provocative than any abstract discussion (see Box 3-19).
Microbes could be delivered to a target population by multiple routes. Directly inoculating victims, infecting natural vectors or reservoirs and loosing them on the target population, or infecting a few people and counting on their spreading the infection even further are some possibilities. If we focus on terrorist strategies that can inflict mass casualties, however, none of these mechanisms is highly feasible today with the exception of smallpox, a virus that is well known to spread from human to human after a long and successful career in that evolutionary niche. If we conclude that other organisms must be delivered directly to the target host, we should also consider water, food, and aerosols as potential vehicles of infection. Contaminated water from wells and storage containers has been associated with outbreaks of disease, but the use of this approach for causing mass casualties is limited because of the dilution factor, chlorination, and the usual treatment of water before consumption in this country. Foodborne pathogens have caused many outbreaks in the United States and are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Food items, however, are usually not consumed synchronously except at special events; although the extensive network of global commerce can assist in distributing an initial source over wide geographic areas. Improved surveillance of foodborne diseases and newer methods of molecular typing of offending organisms should provide a countermeasure to the possible wide dissemination of contaminated food. If a few cases are recognized and traced to a food source, warnings and recalls may serve to protect others from catastrophic harm.
The overall societal impact of any one of these dissemination methods could be considerable, regardless of the actual health damage. Case studies already exist, including nonlethal Salmonella infection of several hundred citizens (Torok et al., 1997); Sarin gas attacks with 12 deaths (Smithson, 2000); food tampering; and, most recently, anthrax delivered by letter and even anthrax hoaxes. Perhaps the most important route of attack, however, is aerosolization because of its ability to cause such large numbers of casu-
BOX 3-19 Anthrax: Postmarked for Terror
From October 4 through November, 2001, CDC, state and local public health authorities, and local health care providers identified a total of 22 cases of anthrax, including 11 confirmed cases of inhalational anthrax and 7 confirmed and 4 suspected cases of cutaneous anthrax (Jernigan et al., 2002). Five of the inhalational anthrax cases resulted in death. Most of the infected individuals were postal workers at facilities in New Jersey and the District of Columbia, where letters contaminated with anthrax were handled or processed using high-speed sorting machines. Approximately 300 postal and other facilities were tested for B. anthracis spores, and some 32,000 persons were administered antimicrobial prophylaxis following potential exposure at workplaces. About 5,000 persons were advised to complete a 60-day course of antibiotics. Additionally, CDC confirmed three isolates of B. anthracis, indistinguishable from the U.S. isolates, which had been recovered from the outer surface of letters or packages sent in U.S. State Department pouches to the United States Embassy in Peru (2) and Austria (1) (Polyak et al., 2002).
Historically, human anthrax in its various forms (i.e., inhalational, cutaneous, and gastrointestinal) has been most common in people who have regular, close contact with animals or animal products contaminated with Bacillus anthracis spores. Both livestock and wild herbivores are reservoirs of anthrax, which can be spread to humans during slaughtering or, less often, by human ingestion of contaminated meat. Upon exposure to air, B. anthracis transforms from a vegetative state to a highly resistant spore that can remain viable for years; dried or otherwise processed skins and hides of infected animals may harbor the spores and are the primary mechanisms by which the disease spreads worldwide.
Anthrax was known as “woolsorters’” disease in the 1800s, when textile workers became ill from exposure to spore-contaminated animal fibers. Although improved industrial hygiene and restrictions on imported animal products have dramatically reduced the number of cases of human anthrax in the United States in the last part of the twentieth century, epidemics occasionally occur in this country among employees who work with animal products, especially goat hair. Cutaneous and gastrointestinal outbreaks related to handling and consuming infected cattle meat occur much more regularly in other parts of the world. The estimated number of human cases of anthrax worldwide is 20,000 to 100,000 per year as a result of agricultural or industrial exposure (Braunwald et al., 2001). The largest outbreak of inhalational anthrax occurred in Sverdlovsk, Russia, in 1979, after an accidental aerosol release from a military facility; at least 66 people were documented to have died as a result (Meselson et al., 1994).
alties. The deficiencies of aerosols, such as dependence on meteorological conditions, the unsuitability of most organisms for airborne spread, and the technical demands involved, may be counterbalanced in the hands of skillful perpetrators by the advantages of standoff attack, the silent spread of incapacitating or lethal disease, and wide-area coverage.
Aerosol Dissemination
Aerosols and droplets have long been recognized as routes of microbial transmission. Measles, influenza, smallpox, and tuberculosis are all known to be transmissible between patients by droplets; measles can also be spread by aerosol. In the laboratory, aerosol promulgation of tularemia, rickettsiae, viral hemorrhagic fevers, and many other agents is a threat to the microbiologist (DHHS, 1999). Artificially generated aerosols of anthrax and other agents are high on the list of terrorist attack options. Decreases in human tuberculosis and virtual elimination of diseases such as measles and smallpox from common medical experience, as well as the development of enhanced methods for protecting laboratory workers (ironically using technology developed during the U.S. biowarfare program), have resulted in a loss of appreciation for this route of infection. Yet the U.S. and Soviet biological weapons programs were based largely on the properties of selected agents for causing large-scale infection of human populations under the proper meteorological conditions and with carefully developed methods of aerosol dissemination. Moreover, the terrorist could attack enclosed environments, such as stadiums or large buildings, to negate the meteorological factors that degrade a small-particle aerosol.
Biological agents have not seen widespread use in warfare, so it is not surprising that there is skepticism as to their efficacy. It is generally not appreciated that the U.S. program in offensive biological warfare (terminated in November 1969) rigorously tested each step in the link between a microorganism selected by several criteria and the delivery of a credible biological attack (U.S. Congress, 1993a, 1993b; Rosebury, 1947; Hersh, 1968; McDermott, 1987; Cole, 1997; Sidell et al., 1997; IOM, 2001c). Tularemia is an excellent example because extensive information on this agent is available in the published literature, records of congressional hearings, and the popular press. From its initial isolation (Francis, 1921) this organism was notorious for causing infections in the laboratory, a frequent hallmark of aerosol infectivity. The agent’s aerosol properties were studied intensively, and methods were found to enhance its stability in storage and in aerosols. Animals and later humans were challenged with graded doses of the bacterium delivered in different particle sizes to establish the quantitative properties of these aerosols. Open-air dissemination was mimicked using a surrogate organism, Serratia marcescens, and this effort confirmed that an organism with the aerosol stability and infectivity of Francisella tularensis could cause mass casualties over large geographic areas, provided attention was given to meteorological conditions. The areas affected could reach thousands of square kilometers. The resulting environmental retransmission from the large numbers of different nonhuman mammalian and arthropod species that would be infected in a tularemia attack cannot be
evaluated. Thus, little doubt exists that numerous human casualties could be caused by efficiently weaponized organisms readily available in nature.
A relatively small number of agents are suitable for causing thousands or hundreds of thousands of casualties, and this fact may provide a basis for prioritizing medical and other measures to deny the intent of terrorists. It is impossible to focus on every possible agent, and discussions persist among experts as to whether some should be added to or omitted from the list of those to be addressed. However, general agreement has been reached that those pathogens cited in Box 2-2 in Chapter 2 are the most deadly and the most likely to seriously destabilize government functioning and civil society. They grow to excellent titer for more efficient manufacture, and they are highly stable and infectious in aerosols when properly prepared. Toxins are inherently less efficient because they cannot match the killing or incapacitating power of these highly infectious organisms; the toxins must produce their effects as delivered, but the infectious agents grow and produce toxins or other effects in the recipient’s body.
According to a WHO scenario, several infectious agents could be expected to produce 35,000 to more than 100,000 casualties if 50 kg were delivered in a line source and carried downwind over a populated area. In the case of some of the more stable agents, downwind reach would exceed 20 km. The Office of Technology Assessment (U.S. Congress, 1993b) has published similar figures. It must be borne in mind that the U.S. and Soviet programs prepared metric tons, not kilograms, of agent, and that appropriate devices for delivering line sources or multiple overlapping point sources were available (Alibek and Handelman, 2000; Meselson et al., 1994; Sidell et al., 1997). The impact on infected members of the population would depend on the agent used and the nature of the response (for example, the alacrity with which initial patients were recognized, public health and medical infrastructure, vaccine and antibiotic stockpiles).
The additional impact that might be possible by modifying naturally occurring organisms using methods well within the reach of simple biotechnology, including induction of antimicrobial resistance, enhancement of virulence by the addition of toxin genes, or selection of more stable or virulent organisms, is formidable. Issues surrounding the more extensive engineering of threat agents are beyond the scope of this discussion. It is important to note, however, that the potential exists.
A CASE IN POINT: INFLUENZA—WE ARE UNPREPARED
The factors that underlie the emergence of all infectious diseases are expanding in magnitude and converging at an ever more rapid pace, thus increasing individual and societal vulnerability to infection. Not only do individual factors lead to the emergence of infectious diseases, but the convergence of factors in time and space can lead to effects greater than the summing of individual factors might predict. Recognition of a convergence of factors can provide warning of an impending microbial threat, and an impetus to act now rather than simply react after an infection has become rooted in society. A better understanding of how the factors involved in emergence can converge to change vulnerability to infectious diseases would allow better preparedness for the prevention and control of microbial threats to health.
Humanity’s struggle with influenza is illustrative of such a convergence of factors, which has resulted in maintaining the presence of this virus and periodically led to epidemics of the disease. Social, political, and economic factors interact with ecological factors to drive influenza viruses to respond through biological and genetic factors, thus circumventing human defense mechanisms and, in today’s increasingly global society, exerting effects on economic, social, and political life worldwide (see Figure 3-1 for a visual model of this convergence of factors). The challenges to the prevention and control of influenza as a natural threat illuminate the ultimate challenge of addressing the convergence of factors that led to its emergence in the first place. Indeed, influenza is the paradigm of a microbial threat to health in which continual evolution of the virus is the main mechanism underlying epidemic and pandemic human disease. The gene pool of influenza A viruses in wild aquatic birds provides all the genetic diversity required for the emergence of new strains of pandemic influenza in humans, lower animals, and birds. A new influenza pandemic in humans is inevitable, and despite the development of pandemic plans in several countries, including the United States, we remain poorly prepared.
Epidemics and Pandemics
The highly variable nature of influenza virus permits the microbe to escape immune responses generated by previous infections and to cause annual epidemics and occasional pandemics of disease in humans (Wright and Webster, 2001). The severity of the epidemics ranges from mild to severe; on average, in nonpandemic years influenza causes 20,000 deaths in the United States. At irregular intervals—three to four times per century— human pandemics of influenza arise. The most devastating of these in recent history, the “Spanish flu” of 1918 (see Box 3-20), caused more than
BOX 3-20 The 1918 Influenza Pandemic
The 1918 influenza A pandemic claimed more than 20 million lives worldwide in less than a year and ranks among the worst disasters in human history. In the United States alone, it is estimated that 1 in 4 people became ill during the pandemic and that 675,000 people died.
Doubt remains as to whether the 1918 influenza pandemic originated in the United States, China, or France. There is agreement that a mild wave occurred simultaneously in the United States, Europe, and Asia in March–April 1918. It is postulated that genetic changes in that virus resulted in high pathogenicity in the second wave. The second wave occurred in September–November 1918 and affected one-quarter of the world’s population; 500 million people were clinically affected during the pandemic.
The name Spanish flu came not from major outbreaks in Spain, but from high mortality among troops in France that for intelligence reasons were attributed to Spanish origins. The highest mortality from the disease occurred after the arrival of American troops in France. Indeed, General Erich Ludendorff, the Imperial German Army Chief of Staff, concluded that it was the virus, not the fresh troops, that ended the World War. A remarkable feature of the 1918 pandemic was that deaths were highest among young adults in the 20–40 year age range.
Molecular analysis of the hemagglutinin (HA), neuraminidase (NA), and nonstructural genes from formalin-treated lung samples in paraffin blocks from soldiers that died in the second wave and from lung tissue from an Inuit woman buried in the permafrost in Alaska has provided information on the probable origin of the virus (Taubenberger et al., 2001). Phylogenetic analysis of the complete HA and NA sequences supports the hypothesis that the 1918 virus was derived from avian influenza precursors and was most closely related to classical swine influenza virus. To date, however, this analysis provides no insight into the enormous pathogenicity of the virus.
The return of military personnel throughout the world coincided with the peak of the second wave. In many cities, the disease was so severe that coffins were stacked in the streets, and the impact was so profound that it depressed the average life expectancy in the United States by more than 10 years. In spring 1919, a nasty but less lethal third wave occurred, and substantial mortality also recurred in 1920 (Kilbourne et al., 1987).
The complete sequence of the 1918 virus will be resolved in the near future, and reverse genetics technology is in place to remake this virus. If we wish to understand the molecular basis of high pathogenicity, remaking the virus may be the only option. If this is done, great care must be exercised to use the highest level of biosecurity. The available sequence information on the HA would permit us to make vaccines, and the sequence of the NA indicates sensitivity to the neuraminidase inhibitors. The precursor virus(es) of the 1918 virus still exist in nature and there is nothing to prevent it or a virus of similar virulence from reemerging (Taubenberger et al., 2001).
20 million deaths worldwide and affected more than 200 million people. In only a few months, it killed more people than had been killed in battle during the 4 years of World War I (1914 to 1918). Viruses descended from the pandemic strain continued to cause annual epidemics from 1920 to 1956. The “Asian flu” pandemic (caused by an H2N2 virus) killed approximately 70,000 persons in the United States. The most recent pandemic, the 1968 “Hong Kong flu,” killed approximately 34,000 persons in the United States. Thus, a pattern is evident: each pandemic is followed by relatively mild yearly epidemics caused by related viruses for which the populace enjoys widespread immunity. After a time, however, the evolving influenza virus gene pool inevitably produces a strain to which humans have no immunity. If we are unlucky, it is a highly transmissible and lethal strain.
Disturbingly, in 1977 an H1N1 virus similar in all respects to a virus from 1957 reappeared in humans in Northern China. This virus was not highly lethal—in fact, it caused only moderate respiratory illness in persons under 20 years of age. The cause of great concern was the possibility that this virus could have come from a frozen source, released accidentally from a laboratory. This event raises the specter of the reappearance of H2N2 influenza viruses that have been stored since the pandemic of 1957. No one born after 1957 has high-level immunity to these viruses, and the biosecurity of such agents is a matter of increasing concern. It has now been more than 30 years since a new pandemic influenza virus has emerged. The world’s influenza advisory groups have warned that a new pandemic is not only inevitable, but overdue.
Impact of Influenza on Society and the Economy
The social and economic impacts of influenza are most apparent during a pandemic. During the lethal wave of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic (October–November 1918), cities throughout the world were unable to bury their dead; in undeveloped areas, entire villages perished. The social and economic burden of influenza during interpandemic periods is less well studied, especially in tropical areas where malaria and diarrheal diseases remain major problems. However, studies in Canada, the United States, and Holland have shown that annual epidemics of influenza have a major impact on hospital costs among children and the elderly and reduce productivity. Indeed, after evaluating the economic impact of interpandemic influenza, several countries have recommended the annual use of influenza vaccine. In the United States, this recommendation has been extended to all persons aged 50 years or older and those at high risk because of underlying diseases or immunosuppression. The province of Ontario, Canada, has made the most progress in this respect; in 2002, vaccination was offered free of charge to everyone over 6 months of age. In other provinces of
Canada, vaccination is still recommended for those aged 65 and older and for all high-risk groups. Broader vaccination has not been pressed in the United States, purportedly because of limited supplies of vaccine. The result is a vicious cycle, however, as manufacturers will not produce quantities in excess of the certain demand.
Genetic and Biological Factors
Influenza virus is ideally designed for continuous evolution. Its highly variable antigenic domains, which are situated at the outer end of the spike glycoproteins, permit maximal variability without compromising the function or assembly of the virion (see Figure 3-10) (Lamb and Krug, 2001). The virus’s genome comprises eight RNA segments that can be shuffled or reassorted in cells that are coinfected with multiple viruses. Because of the lack of proofreading mechanisms, influenza virus undergoes an extremely high rate of mutation as it replicates (approximately 1.5 × 10–5 mutations per nucleotide per replication cycle). To cope with the continual genetic variation of human influenza viruses, WHO has established a worldwide network of more than 100 laboratories that isolate viruses for antigenic and molecular analysis (Cox and Subbarao, 2000). These analyses form the basis of WHO’s annual recommendations for influenza vaccines for the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Unlike influenza viruses in humans, influenza viruses in their natural aquatic bird reservoirs appear to be in evolutionary stasis (Webster et al., 1992). Some avian influenza viruses have shown no changes in their surface glycoproteins for more than 50 years. The RNA continues to undergo mutation, but the mutations provide no selective advantage; these influenza viruses have become perfectly adapted to their natural hosts over the course of time. After transfer to a new host, however, the viruses evolve rapidly, undergoing a high rate of nonsynonymous mutation that alters their amino acid structure.
The existence of five host-specific lineages of influenza (in humans, horses, pigs, domestic poultry, and sea mammals) indicates that aquatic avian influenza viruses have adapted to these species, overcoming differences between avian and mammalian hosts in body temperature, cell surface receptors, and mode of transmission (see Figure 3-11). In aquatic birds, influenza virus is an enteric parasite that is transmitted by ingestion of fecally contaminated water. In humans, the virus replicates in the respiratory tract and is transmitted via aerosol. The available evidence suggests that the avian–human transition is accomplished via infection of pigs. Pigs possess receptors for both avian (α 2–3 terminal sialic acid) and human
FIGURE 3-10 Diagram of influenza virus. The surface of the influenza virus particle is comprised of three kinds of spike glycoproteins—the hemagglutinin (HA) that attaches the viruses to sialic acid residue on the respiratory tract; neuraminidase (NA), an enzyme that releases the influenza virus from infected cells and is the target of the anti-neuraminidase drugs; and matrix (M2) protein, which is an ion channel and is the target for the antiviral agents amandatine and rimantadine. The spike glycoproteins are embedded in a lipid bilayer obtained from the host cell. The inside of the lipid bilayer is lined by the matrix protein (M1). A core of the virus contains eight single-stranded RNA segments of negative sense that permits genetic mixing (reassortment) when two different viruses infect a single cell. The polymerase complex (PB2, PB1, PA, NP) is involved in viral replication. The two smallest segments (M and NS) each encode two proteins in different reading frames. The NS gene is important in regulating the host cell response to influenza virus infection.
FIGURE 3-11 The reservoir of influenza A viruses. The working hypothesis is that wild aquatic birds are the primordial reservoir of all influenza viruses for avian and mammalian species. Transmission of influenza has been demonstrated between pigs and humans and between chickens and humans but not between wild birds and humans (dotted lines). There is extensive evidence for transmission of influenza viruses between wild ducks and other species (solid lines). The five different host groups are based on phylogenetic analysis of the nucleoprotein genes of a large number of different influenza viruses.
(α 2–6 terminal sialic acid) influenza viruses and thus can act as intermediate hosts. In this respect, it is noteworthy that both the 1918 Spanish and the 1968 Hong Kong pandemic viruses were isolated from pigs and from humans at approximately the same time. The interspecies transmission of influenza usually results only in transitory, localized disease that may be mild to severe. The H5N1 “bird flu” incident in Hong Kong in 1997 was such an incident. Six of eighteen infected persons died, but a stable lineage was not established (see Figure 3-12). The possibility that the virus might
FIGURE 3-12 Direct transmission of avian influenza viruses to humans. In 1997, avian influenza viruses transmitted directly to humans in Hong Kong killed 6 of 18 persons(Left). In 1999, a quail influenza virus transmitted to humans in Hong Kong and caused mild respiratory infection in two children (Right). Five additional cases of H9N2 influenza have been reported from humans in Mainland China. It is noteworthy that the two influenza viruses from avian species that infected humans contain identical internal genes (PB2, PB1, PA, NP, M, NS—black gene segments) suggesting that these gene segments contain unique regions that facilitated transmission to humans.
adapt to humans, however, was sufficiently disquieting to prompt the wholesale slaughter of poultry in Hong Kong on two occasions.
During and after adaptation of influenza viruses to a new host, a continuing battle for supremacy occurs between microbe and host. The innate and adaptive human immune responses battle to clear the virus, while the virus evolves strategies to circumvent the immune responses. The virus stays a few steps ahead of natural or vaccine-induced human immunity by means of antigenic drift, or the accumulation of amino acid substitutions in the antigenic epitopes on the spike glycoproteins (hemagglutinin [HA] and neuraminidase [NA]) to which neutralizing antibodies bind. Genetic shift, or the acquisition of new gene segments from the aquatic bird reservoir, can completely change the epitopes that evoke humoral and cell-mediated immunity. This phenomenon may explain in part the devastation wreaked by
the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. The microbe has also developed ways to downregulate the innate immune response. One of the nonstructural proteins of influenza A viruses (NS1) is an interferon agonist that downregulates interferon—a natural inhibitor of influenza viruses (Garcia-Sastre, 2002). The yearly epidemics of influenza attest to the ongoing battle between host and virus. Human interventions—vaccines and antivirals—are efficacious on an individual basis, but have had little effect on the global spread of the disease.
Two classes of antivirals are used against influenza viruses: the adamantines, which block the ion channel formed by the influenza matrix (M2) protein, and the neuraminidase inhibitors, which prevent virus release by blocking NA enzyme activity (Hayden, 2001). The virus is able to circumvent these antivirals through the natural selection of resistant mutants. Resistance to the adamantines emerged in the first patients who were treated. However, the microbe has had less success in developing resistance to the NA inhibitors. Resistance to these agents requires mutations in both HA and NA, and the NA mutation compromises transmission of the virus. Thus, resistance can be achieved only at a price to the virus.
In summary, the challenges presented by influenza virus reflect its ability to alter itself with remarkable rapidity. This characteristic allows it to survive, to adapt to new hosts, and to evade control strategies.
The most severe influenza virus infection experienced by most humans is the first infection acquired after the decline of maternal antibodies; the outcome depends on the competency of the individual’s immune function and on the pathogenic potential of the specific variant of influenza virus. Patients who are immunosuppressed because of disease or therapy may shed influenza virus for long periods, and a greater likelihood exists in these individuals that the virus will acquire resistance to natural immune mechanisms and to antiviral therapy. The pathogenicity of influenza virus strains may also differ among host groups. Young adults were most susceptible in the 1918 pandemic, despite peak immune competence at that age. The future may reveal that the virus was able to downregulate the host immune response through as-yet unrecognized mechanisms.
Pacific Island communities also appeared to differ in their susceptibility to the 1918 Spanish flu. The death rate among the Maori population in New Zealand was 43.3 per 1,000 people—almost six times the death rate among New Zealanders of European extraction. Socioeconomic factors account for some but not all of this difference. Other possible factors include the absence of previous exposure of the Maori population to any influenza virus.
The main preventive human defense mechanism against influenza virus infection is humoral immunity (i.e., antibodies) to the highly variable HA and NA spike glycoproteins of the virus. To recover from influenza infection and remove infected cells, on the other hand, the body depends on cell-mediated immunity. Thymus-derived lymphocytes (T cells) recognize specific antigenic epitopes on the viral nucleoprotein and polymerase proteins, and they cross-react with these epitopes on other influenza virus strains. Both types of specific immune response require prior exposure to the virus. Therefore, an immune-naïve child, who has developed neither humoral nor cell-mediated immunity to the virus, may have a severe respiratory infection. On exposure to a second influenza virus that is antigenically similar to the first but has undergone antigenic drift, the child will be infected but will recover more rapidly because of the cross-reactive cell-mediated immune response. However, there is a conundrum associated with the immune response to highly variable microbes. The child’s second exposure to influenza virus will induce a response directed mainly against the first influenza virus encountered. In this phenomenon, known as original antigenic sin, the immune system retains a lifelong memory of the first virus exposure in childhood. Thus, the antibody response is misdirected, and the efficacy of humoral immunity is reduced. This mechanism affects immunity to all infectious agents that undergo antigenic drift, including HIV.
Ecological Factors
Fifteen HA and nine NA subtypes of influenza A viruses circulate in the aquatic birds of the world. The viruses cause no apparent disease in these natural hosts, with which they appear to be in near-perfect equilibrium (Webster et al., 1992). Phylogenetically, these viruses can be divided into two clades, one in the Americas and the other in Eurasia. To date, only three of the fifteen HA subtypes have established lineages in humans. It is possible that only those subtypes have the capacity to infect humans. However, the direct transmission of avian H5N1 and H9N2 influenza viruses to humans in Hong Kong in 1997 and 1999 suggests the possibility that all subtypes can infect humans. The adaptation of influenza viruses to wild aquatic birds that migrate over vast distances (e.g., from southern South America to the North Slopes of Alaska) is an evolutionary strategy that allows the widespread fecal dissemination of the viruses at no apparent cost to the host. It is only after transmission and adaptation to mammals or domestic poultry that the virus evolves into a disease-causing microbe.
Social, Political, and Economic Factors
Animal Husbandry, Human Behavior, and Travel
The human population of the world continues to increase, as does the number of animals required to feed it. China has seen the most dramatic rise in the number of animals over the past decade. The demand for meat protein has increased strikingly as the result of socioeconomic progress, and populations of pigs and chickens have grown exponentially. Zoonotic disease potential inevitably increases in proportion to the animal population. Poultry, pigs, and people are the known hosts of influenza viruses, and most of the influenza pandemics of the twentieth century have originated in China. Substantial influenza activity has been noted in Hong Kong, which is hypothesized to be a documentable epicenter for the emergence of influenza pandemics. In 1997, avian H5N1 influenza virus was transmitted directly from poultry to humans, killing six of eighteen infected persons. In 1999, avian H9N2 influenza viruses were transmitted to two children and caused mild respiratory disease (see Figure 3-12). In 2001 and 2002, H5N1 viruses that are highly pathogenic to poultry and to mammals (as shown by testing in mice) reappeared in Hong Kong. To prevent spread to humans of the 2001/H5N1 viruses, all of the poultry in Hong Kong was killed and buried. Since 2001, all poultry markets in Hong Kong have been emptied on the same day each month to reduce the buildup of virus. Despite these precautions, however, all of the elements are in place to generate a new pandemic: vast numbers of the primary and secondary susceptible hosts on the mainland and in Hong Kong, and a constantly evolving pathogen. It is inevitable that an influenza pandemic strain will emerge from this mix.
However, the purchase of live poultry is a long-standing tradition, and thousands of people are employed in that industry. A change to the Western-style sale of chilled or frozen slaughtered poultry will meet with resistance until health authorities and the public recognize the ultimate cost of a new pandemic in Asia. Technical and political factors are also at work. The wide availability of refrigeration has now rendered the live poultry markets obsolete, but cultural preferences remain a strong political impediment to regulatory change. As a long-term solution, live poultry markets should be closed not only in Asia, but also in New York City. The markets in New York City are a factor in the emergence of the H7N2 influenza viruses that are causing great losses in the poultry industry in the northeastern United States. More than 4 million birds have had to be slaughtered, and the disease outbreak has prompted a ban on U.S. poultry in Japan. Besides the live markets, close monitoring of other crowded flocks of poultry will be needed.
Modern air travel (discussed earlier) will inevitably hasten the spread of a new pandemic of influenza. Once the virus appears in a major urban area, modern travel will allow its global distribution within a matter of days. The economic impact of an outbreak of highly pathogenic influenza was clearly seen in Hong Kong in 1997. The tourist and poultry industries collapsed because of the H5N1 “bird flu” incident, and Hong Kong suffered a severe economic downturn.
Recent advances in reverse genetics of influenza viruses now make it possible to generate influenza viruses to order (Neumann and Kawaoka, 2001). This new technology can reduce the time needed for vaccine preparation by 1 to 2 months if all other necessary resources are available. Perhaps more important, it will allow us to discover the molecular basis of the lethality of some viruses, such as the 1918 Spanish flu pathogen, and identify new targets for intervention in both the microbe and the host. Unfortunately, this new knowledge will also make it possible to generate extremely deadly agents—to recreate the 1918 Spanish flu virus, for example, or to add the H5N1 bird flu genes to a human influenza strain. Although influenza is not high on the list of bioterrorism agents, it has the potential to wreak widespread havoc on human life or to devastate important agricultural resources. Influenza is an exemplar of nature’s natural biowarfare; it now has the added potential to be used by humans for intentional harm.
Pandemic Preparedness
Influenza is not an eradicable disease. It has now been more than 34 years since the Hong Kong/68 (H3N2) pandemic, and, as noted, all influenza virologists agree that a new pandemic is imminent. All of the developed countries of the world and WHO have created influenza pandemic plans to deal with such an event, and WHO is in the process of developing a Global Agenda for Influenza. Key issues in the global agenda are improvement of global surveillance, assessment of the global burden of influenza, and acceleration of vaccine development and usage.
The disturbing reality is that despite the certainty of a pandemic, even the developed countries of the world are quite unprepared for such an event. The public health infrastructure is inadequate. Hospitals lack the capacity to accommodate a surge of patients. Vaccine manufacturers had severe problems in meeting the demand in 2001 and 2002, the mildest influenza years in two decades, and the repertoire of antiviral drugs is completely inadequate. And increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics
raises questions about our ability to deal effectively with secondary pneumonia, a common cause of influenza deaths.
If a country cannot cope with interpandemic influenza, it is likely that the pandemic, when it does occur, will cause massive societal disruption. Such disruption cannot be prevented, but it can be lessened if we take action now. A minimum of 6 months is needed to prepare a new influenza vaccine. Only 11 companies worldwide manufacture influenza vaccine, and all of these companies together could not prepare a sufficient quantity even for national, let alone global needs. Therefore, the only immediately available strategy in the face of an influenza pandemic is the use of antivirals. Supplies of these agents are currently tailored to meet very low demand, and it takes an estimated 18 months to manufacture significant quantities of the drugs from the starting materials. Therefore, anti-influenza drugs will be available only if they are stockpiled in advance of a pandemic. Modeling studies are needed to plan the most effective use of such a stockpile of drugs.
The steps needed to deal effectively with interpandemic influenza can also help in preparing for an influenza pandemic. The new initiative promoting universal influenza vaccination in Ontario, Canada, can serve as a model for the world. If demonstrated to be effective, it should be expanded to other areas. Unless vaccine usage is substantially increased during interpandemic years, vaccine manufacturing capacity will be inadequate to meet the demand generated by a pandemic.
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Microbial Threats to Health: Emergence, Detection, and Response Get This Book
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Infectious diseases are a global hazard that puts every nation and every person at risk. The recent SARS outbreak is a prime example. Knowing neither geographic nor political borders, often arriving silently and lethally, microbial pathogens constitute a grave threat to the health of humans. Indeed, a majority of countries recently identified the spread of infectious disease as the greatest global problem they confront. Throughout history, humans have struggled to control both the causes and consequences of infectious diseases and we will continue to do so into the foreseeable future.
Following up on a high-profile 1992 report from the Institute of Medicine, Microbial Threats to Health examines the current state of knowledge and policy pertaining to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases from around the globe. It examines the spectrum of microbial threats, factors in disease emergence, and the ultimate capacity of the United States to meet the challenges posed by microbial threats to human health. From the impact of war or technology on disease emergence to the development of enhanced disease surveillance and vaccine strategies, Microbial Threats to Health contains valuable information for researchers, students, health care providers, policymakers, public health officials. and the interested public.
Front Matter i–xxx
1. Introduction 19–22
2. Spectrum of Microbial Threats 23–52
3. Factors of Emergence 53–148
4. Addressing the Threats: Conclusions and Recommendations 149–226
Epilogue 227–230
Appendix A: Microbial Threats to Health Public Committee Meeting Agendas 277–280
Appendix B: Syndromic Surveillance 281–312
Appendix C: Pathogen Discovery, Detection, and Diagnostics 313–330
Appendix D: Forum on Emerging Infections Membership and Publications, Board on Global Health 331–334
Appendix E: Computational Modeling and Simulation of Epidemic Infectious Diseases 335–342
Appendix F: Committee and Staff Biographies 343–352
Index 353–367
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Marvin Camras
National Medal of Technology and Innovation
For the development and commercialization of magnetic recording resulting in the creation of a new industry with over 125 licenses producing products such as audio and video cassettes, broadcast sound video, tapes and discs for computer memories, and magnetic sound for motion pictures.
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Age Awarded
Key Contributions
Discs For Memory Storage
Audio/Video Casettes
Tape Recording
Areas of Impact
Other Prizes
Marvin Camras’s family knew he would become an inventor. After all, his family was already calling him that as a boy growing up in Chicago.
Camras, an electrical engineer, pioneered the magnetic tape technology that became the basis for most electronic and digital media. So groundbreaking was his career that became widely referred to as “the father of magnetic tape recording.’’
Camras, who as a child once built a telephone so that he could talk with a cousin, was studying at the Armour Institute of Technology in the late 1930s and wanted to record the voice of another cousin, who was opera singer. The cousin eventually gave up opera, but the device Camras developed to make the recordings helped him land a teaching and research position at Armour, which later became the Illinois Institute of Technology.
It also won him a patent, one of more than 500 patents he received during 50 years at the Institute, where his inventions became the standard for recording devices ranging from audio and video cassettes to magnetic strips on credit cards.
Camras was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and in 1990 received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. The Illinois Institute of Technology honored him by creating the Camras Scholars Program to attract engineering students after his death in 1995. A public school in Chicago for children in pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade bears his name.
"Marvin Camras is a legend, and we are all grateful for what he did," Ray Dolby, famous for his noise reduction inventions, told The New York Times.
By Robert Warren
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An Evening With Shirley Ann Jackson at MIT
Join us on September 26th for a conversation with Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson about her trailblazing life and career!
Science Fiction in the Making: An Evening With Vint Cerf
Vint Cerf discussed creating an interplanetary internet, the need for better security protocols, the drawbacks of blockchain, bit rot, and much more at Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies on April 5.
Discovering the Untapped Potential of the Internet
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Copyright © National Science & Technology Medal Foundation, all rights reserved. The National Science & Technology Medals Foundation is a District of Columbia non-profit corporation and is not affiliated with the United States Government.
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Kyle C. Worrell
Employer Could Not Establish Sufficient Evidence to Prove Employee Signed an Arbitration Agreement through an Electronic Signature
A new case from the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division Two, Ruiz v. Moss Bros. Auto Group, Inc., was certified for publication on December 23, 2014, and addresses an area of interest for many employers – electronic signatures on arbitration agreements. Employers must build safeguards into such systems to be able to prove the employee electronically signed the document. To view the Court’s opinion,click here.
In the Ruiz case, an employer filed a petition to compel arbitration of the employment-related claims. The trial court denied the petition on the ground that the employer failed to meet its burden of proving the parties had an agreement to arbitrate the controversy. The employer could not establish to the court’s satisfaction that the employee signed the agreement. (Code Civ. Proc., § 1281.2.) The Court of Appeal affirmed the lower court’s ruling, on the basis that the employer “did not present sufficient evidence to support a finding that Ruiz electronically signed the 2011 agreement.”
As technology continues to advance, and as employers continue to move towards paperless systems, it will be important for employers to understand the issues which may arise from these changes. Being able to understand (and explain) how the technology works is as important as understanding how to use it.
Chancery Court Finds That Allegations Related To Post-Separation Use Of Confidential Information Learned Pre-Separation Warrant Advancement
Kyle C. Worrell is an Associate in the Orange County, California, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Mr. Worrell’s practice focuses on defending and advising public and private employers in all aspects of state and federal employment law.
Mr. Worrell has litigated class action, representative action, multi-party, and single plaintiff cases involving wage and hour issues, PAGA claims, and allegations of discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, and harassment. He also provides advice and counsel to employers on a wide variety of sensitive employment law...
Kyle.Worrell@JacksonLewis.com
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Middle East|Turmoil Over Contentious Video Spreads
https://nyti.ms/QHGofO
Turmoil Over Contentious Video Spreads
By NASSER ARRABYEE, ALAN COWELL and RICK GLADSTONE SEPT. 13, 2012
Protesters sought to storm the United States embassy during a protest against an anti-Islamic film in Sana on Thursday. Credit Yahya Arhab/European Pressphoto Agency
SANA, Yemen — Deadly outrage in the Arab world over an American-made video insulting Islam’s founder spread to at least half a dozen places across the Middle East on Thursday and threatened to draw in Afghanistan, two days after assailants in Libya killed four American diplomatic personnel, including the ambassador, and caused a foreign policy political clash in the United States.
The worst of the violence was in Yemen, where at least five Yemenis were killed as hundreds of protesters stormed the American Embassy and were repulsed by Yemeni security forces. The embassy’s entire staff, sensitive to impending danger, had been safely evacuated hours beforehand, and Yemeni leaders apologized to President Obama for the mayhem.
But some assailants were able to burn cars, plunder office equipment including computers, burn an American flag and hoist their own proclaiming fealty to Islam. Witnesses and Yemeni officials said at least 10 American Embassy vehicles had been damaged or destroyed by fire.
By nightfall, witnesses said, smoke was still rising from the embassy compound in the eastern part of the capital, Sana, as protesters still raged from a perimeter 400 yards away.
In Egypt, where the anti-American anger began on Tuesday over the previously obscure video, protesters scuffled with police officers firing tear gas, and news agencies reported that dozens of people were hurt. Demonstrations were also reported outside United States diplomatic facilities in Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia — where the police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds — and an anti-American protest was held in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
In Iran, where nearly all large protests must get government approval, witnesses and news reports said 500 Iranians screaming “Death to America!” converged outside the Swiss Embassy, which handles American diplomatic interests, and were restrained by hundreds of police officers.
The authorities in Afghanistan, where deadly violence has chronically flared over perceived insults to Islam, scrambled to minimize the possibility that the offending video, which portrays the Prophet Muhammad as a perverted buffoon, could be viewed on the Internet and provoke new protests. Afghanistan officials said they had pressed for an indefinite suspension of access to YouTube, where the video, promoted by a shadowy mélange of right-wing Christians in the United States, had received more than 1.6 million hits by Thursday afternoon.
In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered a strongly worded denunciation of the video in what her spokeswoman later said was an effort to quash the mistaken belief in some parts of the Arab world that the United States government somehow had sponsored or condoned it. “To us, to me personally, this video is disgusting and reprehensible,” Mrs. Clinton said at a briefing with Morocco’s foreign minister at the State Department. “It appears to have a deeply cynical purpose: to denigrate a great religion and to provoke rage.”
She went on to say that the Constitution did not allow the United States to “prevent these kinds of reprehensible videos from ever seeing the light of day,” and could not if it tried, given modern technology.
“There are, of course, different views around the world about the outer limits of free speech and free expression, but there should be no debate about the simple proposition that violence in response to speech is not acceptable,” she said. “We all — whether we are leaders in government, leaders in civil society or religious leaders — must draw the line at violence. And any responsible leader should be standing up now and drawing that line.”
Protesters set fires at the compound. Credit Yahya Arhab/European Pressphoto Agency
The new violence came as news reports from Libya said the authorities there had made at least four arrests in connection with the killings of the four Americans in the mayhem that engulfed the American Consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi on Tuesday night. F.B.I. agents were also investigating the killings, a law enforcement official in Washington said.
In addition, the third of those four victims was positively identified by his family as Glen Doherty, 42, of Winchester, Mass., a former Navy SEAL working as a security officer. Mr. Doherty died along with the American ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, and another diplomat, Sean Smith. The fourth American has not yet been publicly identified.
The killings in Libya in particular led to a major political flare-up in the United States on Wednesday, when President Obama’s Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, issued a harsh critique of Mr. Obama’s handling of the anti-American protests and accused him of apologizing for the United States. The administration rejected the accusation and even some Republicans distanced themselves from Mr. Romney’s criticism as inappropriate under the circumstances.
The Yemen protests came hours after a Muslim cleric, Abdul Majid al- Zindani, urged followers to emulate the protests in Libya and Egypt, Sana residents said. Mr. Zindani, a onetime mentor to Osama bin Laden, was named a “specially designated global terrorist” by the United States Treasury Department in 2004.
The crowd gathered a day after the embassy warned Americans in a posting on its Web site, “In the wake of recent events in Libya and Egypt, there is the possibility of protests in Yemen, and specifically in the vicinity of the U.S. Embassy, in the coming days.”
“The U.S. Embassy continues to recommend that U.S. citizens avoid large gatherings. Even demonstrations or events intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence. U.S. citizens in Yemen are urged to monitor local news reports and to plan their activities accordingly,” the Web posting said.
President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi of Yemen said in a statement that he extended his “sincere apologies to President Obama and to the people of the United States of America” for the attack. Mr. Hadi took office in February after his strongman predecessor, Ali Abdullah Saleh, stepped down in November after months of violent protests.
With American Marines and naval vessels heading for Libya, the ferment in Yemen and elsewhere added to the already volatile mix of passions that have commingled with the initial exuberance of the so-called Arab Spring.
In an apparent effort to defuse the tension in Egypt, President Mohamed Morsi said Thursday that the attacks on American personnel were unacceptable. Speaking in a television address while visiting Brussels, Mr. Morsi said he supported peaceful demonstrations but rejected attacks on personnel and diplomatic missions.
“The Prophet Muhammad taught us to respect human life,” Mr. Morsi said. But he also warned against maligning Islam’s founding prophet. “The Prophet Muhammad and Islamic sanctities are red lines for all of us.”
Little is known about the origin of the video that provoked the protests, which is called “Innocence of Muslims.” It was made in obscurity somewhere in Southern California and promoted by a network of right-wing Christians with a history of animosity toward Muslims. When a 14-minute trailer of it was posted on YouTube in June, it was barely noticed.
Nasser Arrabyee reported from Sana, Yemen; Alan Cowell from London; and Rick Gladstone from New York. Reporting was contributed by Ramtin Rastin from Tehran; David D. Kirkpatrick from Cairo; Kareem Fahim from Beirut, Lebanon; Steven Lee Myers and Michael S. Schmidt from Washington; and Jess Bidgood from Boston.
Turmoil at U.S. Posts Abroad SEPT. 13, 2012
Egypt, Not Libya, May Be Bigger Challenge for White House SEPT. 13, 2012
Libya Mission Attack Kills U.S. Ambassador SEPT. 12, 2012
Film That Stoked Mideast Violence Has Murky Parentage SEPT. 12, 2012
For Veteran Envoy Stevens, Return to Libya Was Full of Hope SEPT. 12, 2012
Ideological Struggle Seen in Middle East Attacks SEPT. 12, 2012
TIMES TOPIC
Opinion Op-Ed Contributor
In Libya and Elsewhere, Our Diplomats Deserve Better SEPT. 13, 2012
What Libya Lost When Ambassador Stevens Died SEPT. 13, 2012
Opinion Taking Note
Legitimate Criticism SEPT. 13, 2012
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Americas|Pall Hangs Over Brazil’s Presidential Palace as Dilma Rousseff Prepares for Trial
Pall Hangs Over Brazil’s Presidential Palace as Dilma Rousseff Prepares for Trial
Dilma Rousseff, Brazil’s first female president, is allowed to stay at the Palácio da Alvorada, the cavernous residence of the country’s leader, while the fight to oust her once and for all grinds on in the Senate.CreditCreditTomas Munita for The New York Times
By Simon Romero
BRASÍLIA — The first time the lights went out in her presidential palace, Dilma Rousseff grimaced. The next time, she rolled her eyes. The third time, she jumped out of her chair, demanding that someone find out what was going on.
“This was my area,” she fumed during an interview, pointing out that she had made Brazil’s electricity grid a top priority before she was suspended last month as president. “I don’t know why this is happening.”
With Ms. Rousseff stripped of her authority, a sense of powerlessness and indignation pervades the Palácio da Alvorada, the cavernous residence where she is allowed to stay while the fight to oust her once and for all grinds on in the Senate.
It was not supposed to be like this. Brazil was hoping to celebrate its triumphs in the run-up to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, not play host to a jaw-dropping spectacle of political dysfunction.
Ms. Rousseff, Brazil’s first female president, was supposed to be preparing to greet world leaders, not enduring the humiliation of an impeachment battle that has her hanging by a thread.
Visitors last week outside the Palácio da Alvorada.CreditTomas Munita for The New York Times
“These parasites,” is what she called her rivals trying to impeach her, many of whom are facing their own scandals.
For now, she is still surrounded by the trappings of luxury in the palace designed by Oscar Niemeyer: the battalion of servants serving tiny cups of coffee, the heated pool in a well-manicured garden, the modernist masterpieces by Emiliano Di Cavalcanti and Alfredo Volpi hanging on the walls.
But the futuristic palace feels less like a lavish manor these days than a bunker. Stewing as she tries to make sense of her predicament and prepares for her impeachment trial, Ms. Rousseff compared her rivals to the strangler figs that envelop trees in the jungle, slowly choking them to death.
And yet, she has relished a few unexpected glimmers of hope.
Ever since legislators suspended her, the interim government led by Michel Temer, the vice president who took over the nation last month after breaking with Ms. Rousseff, has suffered a series of embarrassing blunders.
First, one of Mr. Temer’s top allies stepped down as planning minister after a secret recording emerged late last month. On it, an aide laid out how their party — the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, or P.M.D.B. — had pursued Ms. Rousseff’s ouster in order to thwart the investigation into the colossal graft scheme surrounding Brazil’s national oil company, Petrobras.
Then, the new transparency minister — essentially Mr. Temer’s anticorruption czar — resigned after another recording seemed to show that he had also tried to stymie the Petrobras inquiry.
Ms. Rousseff’s bicycles at Palácio da Alvorada. She said that she hewed to routines each day, riding in the morning and reading at night.CreditTomas Munita for The New York Times
On Monday, Brazilian news organizations reported that the country’s chief prosecutor was seeking to arrest several leading figures in Mr. Temer’s party — including the head of the Senate, a former president and the former speaker of the lower house — after recordings suggested that they had sought to interfere with the Petrobras investigation.
“I am perplexed, indignant and revolted,” the former president, José Sarney, said in a statement.
Beyond that, Mr. Temer, 75, a lawyer who speaks an archaic Portuguese that flummoxes his countrymen, decided not to name any women or Afro-Brazilians to his cabinet. His choices opened him to withering criticism in a country where more than half of the people define themselves as black or mixed race, and where women feature prominently in the halls of Congress, the Supreme Court and the executive suites of large corporations.
“It’s a provisional government of rich white men,” Ms. Rousseff, a self-described leftist who was an operative in an urban guerrilla group in her youth, said about the administration of her adversary. “I never thought that I would see in Brazil a government as conservative as this one.”
Ms. Rousseff and her allies hope that the recent blows to Mr. Temer’s legitimacy can tilt the impeachment vote in her favor. She pointed out that all she needs is a handful of senators to change their votes for her to be reinstated as president.
Still, for every misstep by her adversaries, Ms. Rousseff and her own top confidants have also found themselves caught off-guard by new revelations in federal graft inquiries, reflecting the challenges that her Workers’ Party faces in its ambition to win her impeachment trial and return her to the presidency.
Ms. Rousseff remains rare among major political figures in that she has not been accused of stealing for personal gain. Instead, she faces charges of manipulating the budget in order to hide the depths of Brazil’s economic woes.
Ms. Rousseff is still surrounded by the trappings of luxury in the presidential palace, designed by Oscar Niemeyer. But it feels less like a lavish manor these days than a bunker.CreditTomas Munita for The New York Times
But a former Petrobras executive has also testified that Ms. Rousseff lied about her knowledge of a bribery-fueled refinery deal when she was the chairwoman of the company’s board. She denies the claim.
Potentially even more damaging, the Brazilian magazine Isto É reported in recent days that a construction magnate testified that Ms. Rousseff negotiated an illegal $3.5 million donation for her 2014 re-election campaign.
Ms. Rousseff rejected the account, calling it a “slanderous” part of a news media campaign attacking her “personal honor.” But together with other developments — her campaign strategist and the former treasurer of the Workers’ Party are among Ms. Rousseff’s allies already in jail on graft charges — the reports have further eroded her credibility.
Josias de Souza, a prominent political columnist, described the latest revelations tarnishing the camps of both Ms. Rousseff and Mr. Temer as “a classic power struggle between criminal factions” taking place before a recession-weary society.
Despite such grim assessments, Ms. Rousseff is avidly preparing her defense. She consults with aides, bounces strategies off lawyers. Sometimes, her legal team convenes in the quiet chapel on the grounds of the palace.
“They’ve always wanted me to resign, but I won’t,” she said, arguing that her rivals were carrying out a coup, albeit one with the Supreme Court’s stamp of approval. “I really disturb the parasites, and I’ll keep on disturbing them.”
Brazil Impeachment: The Process for Removing the President
Dilma Rousseff, Brazil’s president, is facing removal from office. Here is a step-by-step explanation of the proceedings.
Senate leaders said on Monday that the impeachment trial was expected to conclude sometime in early August, potentially producing embarrassing street protests as the Olympic Games get underway, regardless of how the Senate rules.
In the meantime, Ms. Rousseff expresses irritability, if not resignation, over the toll that the political upheaval has had on the young democracy established in 1985 in Brazil after a long military dictatorship.
“This is a turning point,” she said about the rupture producing Mr. Temer’s ascension. “A pact that existed has broken.”
Glossing over criticism that her policies laid the groundwork for Brazil’s economic crisis, she argued that the economy would already be on the mend if congressional leaders had not thwarted measures aimed at restoring confidence.
Otherwise, Ms. Rousseff said that she hewed to routines each day, riding her bicycle in the morning and reading at night, devouring each digital edition of The New York Review of Books. Lately, she has been reading “SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome,” by the English classical scholar Mary Beard.
Ms. Rousseff said that she found some amusement in investigators comparing Eduardo Cunha, who led the impeachment campaign as the speaker of the lower house before he was suspended to face corruption charges, to Catiline, the senator who conspired to overthrow the Roman Republic in the first century B.C.
Cicero, the orator and constitutionalist, denounced Catiline in a series of speeches before the Senate, and Ms. Rousseff, smiling as she recalled her schoolgirl Latin, said: “Quam diu etiam furor iste tuus eludet?”
The sentence was from one of the speeches, which questioned how much longer Catiline would continue abusing the republic’s patience. In the question repeated by Ms. Rousseff, Cicero asked, “How long is that madness of yours still to mock us?”
Correction: June 7, 2016
Because of an editing error, an earlier version of a picture caption with this article misspelled the surname of Brazil’s president. She is Dilma Rousseff, not Rouseff.
Follow Simon Romero on Twitter @viaSimonRomero.
A version of this article appears in print on , Section A, Page 6 of the New York edition with the headline: Pall Hangs Over the Presidential Palace in Brazil. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
OpinionThe Editorial Board
Brazil’s Gold Medal for Corruption
Dilma Rousseff, Facing Impeachment in Brazil, Has Alienated Many Allies
Facing Impeachment, Dilma Rousseff Fights for Political Survival
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Politics|Young Blacks Voice Skepticism on Hillary Clinton, Worrying Democrats
Young Blacks Voice Skepticism on Hillary Clinton, Worrying Democrats
Brittany Packnett, 31, a St. Louis-based activist, said young black voters wanted more than “a candidate who is better than the alternative.”CreditCreditWhitney Curtis for The New York Times
By Jonathan Martin
WASHINGTON — When a handful of liberal advocacy organizations convened a series of focus groups with young black voters last month, the assessments of Donald J. Trump were predictably unsparing.
But when the participants were asked about Hillary Clinton, their appraisals were just as blunt and nearly as biting.
“What am I supposed to do if I don’t like him and I don’t trust her?” a millennial black woman in Ohio asked. “Choose between being stabbed and being shot? No way!”
“She was part of the whole problem that started sending blacks to jail,” a young black man, also from Ohio, observed about Mrs. Clinton.
“He’s a racist, and she is a liar, so really what’s the difference in choosing both or choosing neither?” another young black woman from Ohio said.
Young African-Americans, like all voters their age, are typically far harder to drive to the polls than middle-aged and older Americans. Yet with just over two months until Election Day, many Democrats are expressing alarm at the lack of enthusiasm, and in some cases outright resistance, some black millennials feel toward Mrs. Clinton.
Results of Obama Voter Focus Groups on Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton’s difficulties with young African-Americans were laid bare in four damning focus groups conducted for a handful of progressive organizations. The results were outlined in a presentation by a Democratic pollster, and shared with The Times by another party strategist who wanted to draw attention to Mrs. Clinton’s difficulties in hopes that the campaign would move more aggressively to address the matter.
Their skepticism is rooted in a deep discomfort with the political establishment that they believe the 68-year-old former first lady and secretary of state represents. They share a lingering mistrust of Mrs. Clinton and her husband over criminal justice issues. They are demanding more from politicians as part of a new, confrontational wave of black activism that has arisen in response to police killings of unarmed African-Americans.
“We’re in the midst of a movement with a real sense of urgency,” explained Brittany Packnett, 31, a St. Louis-based leader in the push for police accountability. Mrs. Clinton is not yet connecting, she said, “because the conversation that younger black voters are having is no longer one about settling on a candidate who is better than the alternative.”
The question of just how many young African-Americans will show up to vote carries profound implications for this election. Mrs. Clinton is sure to dominate Mr. Trump among black voters, but her overwhelming margin could ultimately matter less than the total number of blacks who show up to vote.
To replicate President Obama’s success in crucial states such as Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, she cannot afford to let the percentage of the electorate that is black slip far below what it was in 2012. And while a modest drop-off of black votes may not imperil Mrs. Clinton’s prospects, given Mr. Trump’s unpopularity among upscale white voters, it could undermine Democrats’ effort to capture control of the Senate and win other down-ballot elections.
Mrs. Clinton’s difficulties with young African-Americans were laid bare in four focus groups conducted in Cleveland and Jacksonville, Fla., for a handful of progressive organizations spending millions on the election: the service employees union, a joint “super PAC” between organized labor and the billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, and a progressive group called Project New America. The results were outlined in a 25-page presentation by Cornell Belcher, a Democratic pollster, and shared with The New York Times by another party strategist who wanted to draw attention to Mrs. Clinton’s difficulties in hopes that the campaign would move more aggressively to address the matter.
Word of the report has spread in the constellation of liberal operatives and advocacy groups in recent weeks, concerning officials who saw diminished black turnout hurt Democratic candidates in the last two midterm elections.
Chris Prudhome, the president of Vote America Now, a non-partisan group working to register millennial and minority voters, in Washington on Friday.CreditJustin T. Gellerson for The New York Times
Adding to the worries is a separate poll of African-Americans that Mr. Belcher conducted earlier in the summer indicating that Mrs. Clinton is lagging well behind Mr. Obama’s performance among young blacks in a handful of crucial states.
In Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, 70 percent of African-Americans under 35 said they were backing Mrs. Clinton, 8 percent indicated support for Mr. Trump and 18 percent said they were backing another candidate or did not know whom they would support. In 2012, Mr. Obama won 92 percent of black voters under 45 nationally, according to exit polling.
Over 25 percent of African-Americans are between 18 and 34, and 44 percent are older than 35, according to 2013 census data.
“There is no Democratic majority without these voters,” Mr. Belcher said. “The danger is that if you don’t get these voters out, you’ve got the 2004 John Kerry electorate again.”
In Ohio, for example, blacks were 10 percent of the electorate in the 2004 presidential race. But when Mr. Obama ran for re-election in 2012, that number jumped to 15 percent.
What frustrates many blacks under 40 is Mrs. Clinton’s overriding focus on Mr. Trump.
“We already know what the deal is with Trump,” said Nathan Baskerville, a 35-year-old North Carolina state representative. “Tell us what your plan is to make our life better.”
2016 Election Forecast: Who Will Be President?
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Such talk can be frustrating to Mrs. Clinton’s aides, who point out that her first speech of the campaign was on criminal justice and that she has laid out a series of proposals on the topic.
“It is on us to make sure that that’s known,” said Addisu Demissie, Mrs. Clinton’s voter outreach and mobilization director, adding of young black activists, “We share their goals, we share their values and we want to make sure that’s reflected through our campaign.”
The focus groups and interviews with young black activists suggest many of them are not aware of Mrs. Clinton’s plans regarding police conduct, mass incarceration and structural racism broadly.
Christopher Prudhome, 31, recounted a recurring conversation he has with other African-Americans as he travels around the country as the head of a nonpartisan group dedicated to registering young voters: They do not like either candidate.
“Young people feel discouraged and apprehensive about the political process as is, and then they look at the two options in front of us,” said Mr. Prudhome, adding of Mrs. Clinton: “Nobody has seen an agenda for African-American millennials. I don’t think they believe she cares about them.”
Part of Mrs. Clinton’s problem, said Symone Sanders, a former top aide to Senator Bernie Sanders’s campaign, is that the candidate is overly cautious and is conducting an outdated style of black outreach.
Ms. Sanders has begun taking matters into her own hands. She said she was working with other young activists to recruit black celebrities for a millennial mobilization tour through Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.
“Black churches and an H.B.C.U. tour is just not going to cut it in 2016,” said Ms. Sanders, referring to historically black colleges and universities. “The Clinton campaign has to be willing to get out of what’s comfortable and get on the streets.”
Mr. Demissie said the Clinton campaign’s efforts were more expansive, pointing to voter registration efforts already underway in barbershops and salons as well as sneaker and video game stores.
Mrs. Clinton has met with mothers of those who lost children at the hands of the police and has used the signature refrain that “black lives matter” in public remarks. But she and her husband also come from an earlier political tradition rooted in the Deep South, where black voters are primarily reached through the church and the threat of white conservative backlash is never far from mind.
Today’s young African-American voters are less likely to be found in black churches and more likely to be found in schools, loosely organized activist groups and online, said Ms. Packnett, the St. Louis activist.
And the leaders are more diverse. “It’s not just heterosexual men,” she noted.
Not only are younger black activists reached in different ways, they also have far higher expectations on leaders, dismissing boilerplate pleas for racial equality and justice as insufficient.
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Ruth Fremson/The New York Times
“Gone is the day of patience,” said Tony J. Payton Jr., 35, a former Pennsylvania state representative. “No longer should we accept systemic racism.”
Doubts about how aggressively Mrs. Clinton will move to combat racism are at the heart of black suspicion toward her. Some African-Americans said her 1996 reference to some young criminals as “super-predators,” and the legislation that President Bill Clinton signed imposing stiff sentences on nonviolent offenders, have made today’s activists skeptical about her true intentions.
“That stuff comes up unprompted,” Mr. Belcher said.
Mr. Trump has turned to remarkably blunt language about blacks in recent weeks — portraying their communities as dystopian hellscapes and asking them, in courting their support, “What do you have to lose?” Some African-American allies of Mrs. Clinton believe he is serving as her most effective get-out-the-vote lever.
“He is literally saying something every day that is disrespectful to the black community,” said Michael Blake, a New York State assemblyman from the Bronx who worked on Mr. Obama’s campaigns and is close to many Clinton aides.
Yet when African-American voters in the focus groups were shown campaign fliers and asked to rate them, there was no mistaking what was most effective.
A pamphlet with a picture of Mr. Trump that read, “We have to beat the racists,” fell flat with young black audiences.
Scoring much higher were a stark black and white handout showing the names of those killed at the hands of the police and another with images of mothers of the victims that said, “Their Children Can’t Vote, Will You?”
Find out what you need to know about the 2016 presidential race today, and get politics news updates via Facebook, Twitter and the First Draft newsletter.
A version of this article appears in print on , Section A, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Young Blacks Voice Doubts About Clinton. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
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Oakdale Teacher Named Poet Laureate
Gillian Wegener, an English teacher at Oakdale Junior High School, was recently named as the City of Modestos Poet Laureate. - photo by Dawn M. Henley/The Leader
Dawn M. Henley
Updated: Aug. 28, 2012, 10 p.m.
Poetry is a passion for Gillian Wegener; she said it is a big part of who she is.
Because of her commitment to the art, the Oakdale Junior High School teacher was recently named Poet Laureate in Modesto. Wegener has taught English for 22 years at OJHS, where she began her teaching career.
Wegener applied for the Poet Laureate position in February and was recommended for appointment by Modesto’s Culture Commission Committee in early April. Her appointment was approved by the Modesto City Council in June. The Culture Commission is made up of visual artists, poets, and people who are interested in the arts in the area.
“The main purpose of a poet laureate is to write poems for official occasions,” Wegener explained. “I’m really honored to be able to serve my community this way. I really want to be an advocate for the literary arts for our entire county.”
She said that her main job as poet laureate will be when the city needs a poem written for a certain occasion, they’ll ask her. She hasn’t had an official assignment yet but she expects one soon, which will include writing a poem for the re-opening of the McHenry mansion, and possibly one for the downtown Modesto arch dedication.
At OJHS, Wegener has coordinated and edited the school’s poetry anthology for 15 years. In her English classes, she reported that she reads and discusses a couple of poems per week. She uses the discussion to illustrate a poetic point or a poetic device the students need to understand.
She noted that her objective is not to have her students love poetry, although that is a bonus, but to have them feel comfortable with it and not be intimidated by it. Wegener said that in junior high, many students write poetry, often secretly. She wants to encourage them to develop and continue writing it because it’s a good way for them to express themselves. She shared that she began writing poetry herself in junior high.
Wegener’s poems have been widely published. Her most recent book of poetry was published in 2008 by Sixteen Rivers Press called “The Opposite of Clairvoyance.” The 96-page volume contains about 45 of Wegener’s works. She’s also regularly published in journals and literary reviews.
“I pretty much always have poems out for submission, so I just wait to see what happens,” she said.
Most of her poems are free verse, they don’t rhyme or follow a specific format, Wegener stated. She added that she only writes formal poetry on occasion. She writes about what catches her attention – anything from conversations to observations.
Wegener is very involved with poetry in Stanislaus County and helped edit an anthology of Modesto area poetry last year.
“I’ve been part of local poetry groups for a while… Probably about 15 years,” she said.
Additionally, Wegener organizes and hosts a monthly poetry reading series at the Barkin’ Dog Grill in downtown Modesto where she brings in poets from the Bay Area, Sacramento, and northern California. She also participates herself as an “open mic” reader at the events.
She added that she would like to improve the area’s reputation and bring attention to the wider Central California community, so that people will begin to see that there is a lot going on in the area and that there is culture.
Wegener’s poetry reading events at the Barkin’ Dog Grill are free and are held the second Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m.
COUGAR KUDOS
OHS Awards Money’s to Class of 2019
2019 Hope Award Recipients
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After her husband’s sudden death, Elizabeth Alexander writes their love story
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/elizabeth-alexander-remembers-husband-new-memoir
GWEN IFILL:
Now: A poet finds the words to tell her own story of grief.
Jeffrey Brown has our conversation, fresh off the NewsHour Bookshelf.
"The story seems to begin with catastrophe, but, in fact, began earlier, and is not a tragedy, but rather a love story."
Those are first lines of a new memoir by poet Elizabeth Alexander titled "The Light of the World."
The catastrophe occurred in 2012, the sudden death of her husband, Ficre Ghebreyesus, of a heart attack just days after his 50th surprise birthday party.
ELIZABETH ALEXANDER, Author, "The Light of the World": There's just a strangeness of absence.
It's just so unnatural that he's not coming to dinner.
ELIZABETH ALEXANDER:
Unnatural, and also someone's things are around, someone's smell is around, someone's garden is coming up that he planted, finding a book and seeing the page marked where he was reading, all of that trace is — was what I found. You know, it takes a while, even though, of course, you know, sadly, you know that they're not coming back.
The love story is the one they shared for 16 years, raising two young boys, Solomon and Simon, now 17 and 15.
A happy marriage is hard-won. So we worked to make our marriage and our family. But did I feel awash with fortune even as we struggled through the struggles of the day? Absolutely.
"Praise Song for the Day."
Elizabeth Alexander came into the national spotlight in 2009, when she read her poem "Praise Song for the Day" at Barack Obama's first inauguration.
All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din.
She's the author of six books of poetry, one of them, "American Sublime," a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and she's a professor of African-American studies at Yale University.
It was in New Haven that she met Ficre, an immigrant from Eritrea who had fled war.
One of the things that gives the story such resonance is such an American story, right, a black woman coming, a descendant from slave families, immigrant man, right, escaping war, starting his life anew.
Well, I'm so happy that you see it that way, because I wasn't aware of it in the writing, but it is absolutely true, the Americanness of it, the Americanness of, you know, immigrants at what stage in the American story.
And also many American marriages are mixed in some way that you wouldn't expect, you know, not just straightforward religious mixing or a black person and a white person coming together, but mixing cultures with some kind of baseline of understanding that draws you to the person who is your partner.
In addition to his family, Ficre had two great passions. There was cooking. He was a chef and had a restaurant in New Haven.
This is an early watercolor.
And then there was his painting.
And then this painting, which I love, which I see every day when I open my eyes, is called "Visitation." And it is an allegory of our first meeting in Ficre's studio in New Haven.
The walls of Alexander's apartment — she moved into Manhattan last year — are filled with his work.
I was very surprised that I started writing almost immediately after Ficre died. I didn't think it was anything that was going to become a poem or become a memoir. I just knew that I was keeping track of things in some kind of way, not even looking at what I did, not even thinking much about it, but just doing it.
Keeping track of what, your feelings?
I wouldn't even call them feelings. I would call them perceptions and living and surviving. Writing was actually my feet on the earth. It felt like that was how I knew that I was anchored to something and that I needed to track what I was moving through, even though I wouldn't say it was cathartic or it helped me move through my grief.
It wasn't like that. It was actually, now that I look back on it, more profoundly about processing the world through art and writing.
There's a line where you say, how much space for remembering is there in a day?
That struck me because much of the book is sort of remembering little things.
Even a recipe of his.
I feel that it's a book of praise that's a poet's prose, because it came from…
A poet's prose?
A poet's prose, in that I felt that it came from the same visceral place that poetry comes from. It came word first and word by word and always with attention to music.
The chapters are — they not prose poems, but they're short, they're condensed. They have the economy of poetry, because that's kind of how I'm wired. I knew I could not undo what had happened. I knew I couldn't really fix anything in time, but I think that in writing we do try to fix moments so that somehow they're captured, and that's — I just wanted to be very careful. I wanted to be precise and precisely ask myself what I saw and felt and knew and remembered.
You must have now become part of a conversation of grief in a sense. Do you tell people that you learned, or is this an offering of learning?
Grief is so singular, even as it is our universal.
We have all been through it, or we will all come to it. That is the truth. So I wouldn't presume to say I did it this way, so you should do it this way or anything like that. Every family, every person, we all know our griefs and our challenges. They just come at different times in different ways. So he and I had each known them in different ways at different points.
His loss was the biggest one, the most consequential one, but, in that, honestly, was the blessing of having known him. No one is guaranteed love. No one is guaranteed children. No one is guaranteed the synchronicity that we had. So I was very aware always that that was something that was indelible.
The book is the "Light of the World."
Elizabeth Alexander, thank you so much.
Thank you very much for the conversation.
Elizabeth Alexander shared two of her late husband's favorite dishes with us, spicy red lentil tomato curry, and spaghetti with a hundred onions. Find those recipes on our home page, PBS.org/NewsHour.
PBS NewsHour from May 05, 2015
Fiery eruptions on Earth and in space caught on camera
Visit CANVAS, PBS NewsHour's art hub.
Visit Now →
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Microsoft's LinkedIn deal clears the EU, will close in the coming days
Despite competitors' protests, Microsoft's $26 billion acquisition will go through
By Blair Hanley Frank
Microsoft's mammoth acquisition of LinkedIn has just cleared the last hurdle in front of it, paving the way for the tech titan to buy the professional social network for $26.2 billion.
European Union regulators have approved the acquisition, joining agencies in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, and South Africa. The deal is expected to close "in the coming days," Brad Smith, Microsoft's president and chief legal officer, said in a blog post Tuesday.
The news comes roughly six months after Microsoft announced the deal. Microsoft at the time said it expected the acquisition to close by the end of 2016, and it seems poised to hit that mark.
It's good news for Microsoft, considering that the company’s competitors filed complaints with European regulatory authorities to block the deal. Chief among them was Salesforce, which argued that Microsoft would be able to hoard LinkedIn's data to enhance its CRM products and other software while barring competitors from accessing it.
Microsoft did make several commitments to European regulators related to its treatment of LinkedIn, Smith said. The company committed to making its Office Add-In program available to third-party social networks so that LinkedIn competitors will be able to integrate their services into Microsoft's productivity apps.
The company also committed to allowing IT administrators the ability to hide the LinkedIn user interface from users if they choose to. Should Microsoft develop a LinkedIn application or tile for Windows, PC manufacturers will be able to opt-out of pre-installing it on devices sold in the European Economic Area.
Users will also be able to uninstall a LinkedIn application should it come pre-installed, and Microsoft also said that it wouldn't use Windows to prompt users to install that app. The hypothetical app could remain available for sale in the Windows Store, however, and Microsoft could choose to promote it in other ways.
Some of these restrictions feel reminiscent of the EU-Microsoft antitrust judgment from the early 2000s. But all in all, they don’t add up to much of a negative consequence for Microsoft. The company will need to provide an open platform for competing social networks to access Windows and Office, but won’t be required to hand over LinkedIn's data.
Blair Hanley Frank is primarily focused on the public cloud, productivity and operating systems businesses for the IDG News Service.
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When to Say No to Your Doctor
This past January when I was discussing various topics with my doctor, instead of asking again if I would agree to a Colonoscopy she said to the note taking nurse/assistant working the computer, "You see she's interested in alternative treatments, bio-identical hormones. We've asked several years in a row for the Colonoscopy, she is most likely not going to get one." The doctor turned to me with eye to eye contact and said "Are you?" I said, "No."
Then she provided an explanation for the repetitive badgering about Colonoscopies that their medical practice receives extra money if a certain threshold quota of patients receiving Colonoscopies is reached.
OK well, some say it's preventative medicine. Some say the best way to retain health is to eat right, exercise, manage stress and stay out of the doctor's office.
Either way HERE is a great article "When to Say No to Your Doctor" to file away for the next time you are asked by your doctor to take a drug or get surgery etc to take this into account.
One excerpt:
"The United States spends roughly twice as much per capita as most of the nations of Western Europe, whose citizens on average outlive us by a couple of years. Our own national Institute of Medicine says we waste $210 billion annually on treatments of no or marginal benefit. In a study last year, researchers from the Mayo Clinic went through 10 years of the New England Journal of Medicine, from 2001 through 2010. Of the established tests and procedures reevaluated in studies in the journal, 40 percent were found to be worthless."
"In the U.S., we don't stress preventing disease," Brawley says. "We stress finding disease early and treating it, which is a shame."
Make no mistake: A good doctor is, or should be, your most trusted resource if you're sick. If you're not sick and he wants to treat you anyway, that doesn't necessarily make him a bad doctor. But it does make him a player in a system that operates according to the unspoken and often unexamined assumption that more treatment is better for the patient. It's unquestionably better for the financial health of the stakeholders in the system: the doctors, the pharmaceutical industry, the health-insurance companies, and the hospitals. If you don't know how the game is played, the odds go up that you'll wind up the loser."
This article may be of interest to you as well:
Surgeries You May Be Better Without click HERE
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Hi, My Name Is Rain. What’s Yours?
May 01, 2012 / By PromoKitchen Contributing Editor
Steve Woodburn, MAS, is an account manager for Staples Promotional Products. Reach him at stephen.woodburn@staplespromoproducts.com. I’ve always been fascinated with brands, their products and the names chosen for those products. Some become iconic and last for centuries while others struggle to survive even a few years. DuPont, Colgate and Citibank have been operating for 200+ years while scores of others including Eastern Airlines, Linens ’N Things, Circuit City and Pontiac couldn’t make it. Video tapes, records, cassettes, film for cameras, dial-up internet, typewriters, answering machines and public phone booths were all once huge businesses and now are ancient relics on the trash heap of “old” technology.
So what makes a brand iconic? Why do some make it and others don’t? Here are a few of the reasons I believe brands stand the test of time:
Begun in 1976 as Apple Computer, Apple dropped the word computer from the name in 2007 for obvious reasons. Apple is an icon among icons and has morphed and grown by creating not only new products, but completely new technologies. Consistency is a key to brand longevity, and Apple has shown its products to be consistent in quality, cutting edge technology and, as a result, consumer loyalty. While this iconic company will never best Microsoft or IBM in size or revenue, the niche this brand has created will continue to grow as long as the company continues to innovate. The combination of marketing, innovation and visionary leadership makes Apple what it is today.
2. Vision
Visionary leaders such as Apple’s Steve Jobs are rare, and I would contend he was the Thomas Edison of our generation. After being ousted from Apple in 1985, he went on to form Pixar, creating a new world of movies starting with Toy Story. Returning to Apple in 1996, his leadership led to iMacs, iPods that created a new way to listen to and purchase music with iPods through iTunes, iPhones that transformed the world of cell phones and, most recently, with iPads that reinvented how computing is done. He didn’t invent these products and technologies in a vacuum, but his visionary leadership, salesmanship, charisma and philanthropy made him one of the most revered men in business.
Chewing gum, a rather innocuous product developed commercially in 1848, has taken on new life through creative branding. In 2007, the Wrigley Company debuted “5,” a brand that incorporated unique new packaging and very un-gum-like names such as Cobalt, Flair, Rain, Solstice and Vortex. With by far the largest share of the chewing gum market, Wrigley continues being an early adopter by optimizing its website for smart phones and being very active on Twitter and Facebook. Being a relatively inexpensive purchase, gum has continued to gain sales even during these challenging times, and indications suggest these trends will continue. Are there more creative products out there? Sure, but few have taken creativity and innovative packaging to such heights.
4. Family Values
Little did Walt Disney know that his creation, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, would lead to a multi-billion dollar enterprise that would span the globe. His visionary leadership was built upon creating entertainment that could be enjoyed by the entire family, and it wasn’t until the 1970s that a Disney film had anything but a G rating. Likewise, his theme parks are venues where families go to spend time together and share in the magic that he helped create. While the company has changed throughout the years, those family values he stood for are still apparent in all of the businesses touched by the Disney name.
5. Consistency
As the worlds most well-know brand, Coca-Cola exemplifies all the qualities above, which places it on a pedestal in the world of brands. From basically a recipe for delicious tasting sugar water, the company has built a brand that is as diverse as the world is wide. One visit to the World of Coca-Cola exhibit in Downtown Atlanta will give you a glimpse into how they‘ve managed to capture the spirit of the nation (and then the world) through the advertising campaigns and premiums in the more than 125 years the popular beverage has been around. From visionary leadership to consistency to vending machine technology, Coke is the company to study when you want to understand how a brand stays relevant and profitable throughout many decades and generations.
A brand can have all of the qualities above and still fail—especially if the product or service it supports can’t find a place in the consumer’s heart and wallet. Some brands, however, are able to transcend the everyday and come to represent more than their product or service; they become a part of our culture.
So what brands do you connect with and why? What draws you to one brand over another, and would you pay more for that brand? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Oh, and if anyone introduces themselves as Rain, chances are they’re chewing too much gum!
May 01, 2012 / PromoKitchen Contributing Editor/ Comment
Featured, Sales & Marketing
PromoKitchen Contributing Editor
PK #15 - Tech Meets Promo: Dale ...
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Join Playboy.TV or Sign In
Hiromi Oshima Playmate
East meets West with Hiromi Oshima, our Miss June 2004. She's a rare beauty, all natural, with sleek black hair and brown eyes, and has the distinction of being our first-ever Japanese Playmate. Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Hiromi was on vacation in Florida when she was spotted by a Playboy photographer. "I could never have been a model in Japan," she says. "I would be considered too busty." Not too busty for America, and certainly not for Playboy - she finished her degree in communications, moved to Miami Beach, and we flew her out for the 50th Anniversary Playmate Search. After a few issues of Special Editions - including the cover of Exotic Beauties - she was named Miss June 2004. "I was thrilled," she says, "but my parents had been strict, and I had never posed nude before!" These days, Hiromi is living in Los Angeles, and she's just as comfortable in front of the camera as she is behind it - she's one of our most popular Playmates, and not only does she continue to pose for us, but she became a photo production coordinator for Special Editions.
View all of Hiromi Oshima's shows on Playboy.tv
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Counter Strike: Global Offensive Launches Aug 21 for Just $15 - The UpStream
Counter Strike: Global Offensive Launches Aug 21 for Just $15
posted Tuesday Jun 5, 2012 by Nicholas DiMeo
Not to be outdone by Microsoft, Valve decided to announce something right in the middle of the Xbox press briefing. The long-awaited rehash of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive finally now has a release date! On August 21st, CS:GO will launch on the PS3, Xbox 360 and Steam for only $15.
For details and the video, check after the break.
There's no better way to explain what this game is than to show you the video. However, if you don't know what the game is all about, then I am concerned of where you've been the past twelve years. For the uninformed, here's Steam's description of what Counter Strike is.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) will expand upon the team-based action gameplay that it pioneered when it was launched 12 years ago.
CS: GO features new maps, characters, and weapons and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust, etc.). In addition, CS: GO will introduce new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leader boards, and more.
"Counter-Strike took the gaming industry by surprise when the unlikely MOD became the most played online PC action game in the world almost immediately after its release in August 1999," said Doug Lombardi at Valve. "For the past 12 years, it has continued to be one of the most-played games in the world, headline competitive gaming tournaments and selling over 25 million units worldwide across the franchise. CS: GO promises to expand on CS' award-winning gameplay and deliver it to gamers on the PC as well as the next gen consoles and the Mac."
CS: GO is being developed by Valve in cooperation with Seattle-based Hidden Path Entertainment. The title is targeted for release in early 2012 and will be playable at this year's PAX Prime and Eurogamer Expo.
Now, the video. Enjoy! I'll be on the game the minute it's available for my console!
Steam:CS:GO
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KY Judge Rules Death Penalty Protocol Unconstitutional
Arlington County Aims to Launch Mental Health Court
Hunger Report: Demand Outstripping Supplies at Food Banks
PHOTO: A new report finds that one in seven Kentuckians relied on a food bank in the past year to help them put food in their pantry. Photo by Greg Stotelmyer.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - How hungry is Kentucky? A new report from Feeding America finds that more than 3.5 million food distributions were made this year to more than 209,000 Kentucky households. That's one in every seven Kentuckians turning to a food bank for help.
"We keep hearing that the Great Recession is over, but it's clear that the recovery has not reached hundreds of thousands of homes in Kentucky yet," said Tamara Sandberg, executive director of the Kentucky Association of Food Banks. "Food banks alone cannot solve the problem of hunger in Kentucky."
Kentucky's network of seven regional food banks and more than 800 charities, including food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters, distributed the equivalent of 50 million meals this year. Still, Sandberg said, the study found that the supply did not meet the demand at two out of every five food banks, or 39 percent.
Sandberg said that has a huge health impact because, according to the study, 91 percent of households purchased inexpensive, unhealthy food, 58 percent ate food past the expiration date and 37 percent watered down their food to make it stretch farther.
"They know it's unhealthy, they don't necessarily want to eat the unhealthy food," she said, "But, if you are faced with the choice of 'I can buy a 20-pack of ramen noodles for the same cost as two apples, I'm going to buy the ramen noodles to feed my family.' "
Mary Ellen Edison said the monthly food distribution she receives from United Ministries in northern Kentucky has saved her life.
"I'm better off all the way around," she said. "They're a God's blessing to me."
Edison said she receives a healthy balance of food, including fruits and vegetables.
Still, Sandberg said, the study shows how far the state has to go. Of the households that turned to food banks, 65 percent have at least one member with high blood pressure and 41 percent with diabetes.
"This is going to impact everybody in Kentucky long-term," she said, "if we continue to allow a significant population like this to experience these chronic illnesses because of the poor food choices they're being forced to make based on their economic circumstances."
The state did put $1.2 million in the current budget for the Farms to Food Banks Program, which provided more than 3 million pounds of Kentucky-grown produce to food banks this summer.
The study is online at kafb.org/hunger.
Greg Stotelmyer , Public News Service - KY
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Academics » School of Liberal Arts and Sciences » School of Film and Media Studies » New Media » Faculty
Hakan Topal
Assistant Professor of New Media and Art+Design
Hakan Topal (born in Turkey) is an artist living and working in Brooklyn, New York. He was the co-founder of international art collective, xurban_collective (2000-12) and exhibited his collective and individual art works and research projects extensively in institutions such as the 8th and 9th Istanbul Biennials; Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary (TBA21), Vienna; Kunst-Werke, Berlin; ZKM Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe; MoMA PS1; Platform, Istanbul; the 9th Gwangju Biennial and ICP Museum, New York. Topal represented Turkey in various international exhibitions including the Turkish Pavilion at 49th Venice Biennial. His texts and projects have been featured in various international journals, books, and catalogs.Trained as a civil engineer, he continued his studies in Gender and Women’s Studies and Sociology. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology from the New School for Social Research with a concentration in urban sociology and sociology of arts. He is currently an Assistant Professor of New Media and Art + Design at Purchase College, State University New York.
For more information: http://hakantopal.info
In Situ: Art, Politics and Other Things in Life—A Blog by Hakan Topal
Sociology of Art and Design, Urban Sociology, Commons and Social Engagement, Community Arts, Contemporary Art Biennials and Museums, Art and Technology, New Media, Social Design, Social Justice, Aesthetic Justice, New Institutions, Political Activism and Art
Representative Courses
Art & Technology (New Media)
Junior Seminar for New Media
Social Design (Design & New Media)
Design Principles (New Media)
Shock & Awe (MFA)
purchase.academia.edu/HakanTopal
Presentations / Conferences
Art in revolution - The challenges of art in situations of political repression. Kunsthal Extra City – Antwerp, Belgium.
Exhibitions / Performances
Recently on view:
Dark Ocean, Law Warschaw Gallery, St. Paul, MN
hakan.topal {at} purchase.edu
Natural Sciences Building
Room #1003
hakantopal.info
Th:12-2PM, or by Appointment
BS, MS, Middle East Technical University (Turkey)
MA, PhD, New School for Social Research
Thursday Office Hours
12-2PM, or by Appointment
Natural Sciences, Purchase College
Resources and Opportunities
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home > worldwide public holidays > news and updates > georgia > this page
Georgian Public Holiday Moved To October 27
Source: The Administration of the President of Georgia (Tbilisi)
Posted on Thursday, July 4, 2013
Andro Barnovi, the chief administrator for Georgian President, Mikheil Saakashvili, has announced that the date of Georgia's upcoming presidential election, and thus non-working public holiday in Georgia, had been changed to Sunday, October 27, 2013.
Earlier this week (2013-07-01), Andro Barnovi, the chief administrator for Georgian President, Mikheil Saakashvili, had announced that Georgia will hold its upcoming presidential election on Thursday, October 31st, 2013, meaning that Thursday, October 31st, 2013, will be another non-working electoral public holiday in Georgia.
Last year (2012-08-01), the date of the parliamentary elections of Monday, October 1, 2012, was also declared a non-working public holiday in Georgia, since as per Article 6 of the revised Georgian Constitution, "The date of the elections shall be declared as a holiday".
Georgia public holidays news and updates
Worldwide public holidays news updates (July 2013)
Georgia public holidays for 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
2018-11-15: Georgian Public Holiday November 28
2013-07-01: Georgian Electoral Public Holiday October 31st
2012-08-01: Georgian Electoral Public Holiday October 1st
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Making things better – finalists announced for Britain's top engineering award
Four top engineering teams have been selected as the finalists for Britain’s biggest engineering prize – the Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award. Contenders for the £50,000 prize for 2010 are:
- the world’s first self-aligning ankle-foot prosthesis, helping amputees walk more naturally;
- a pioneering new way to detect landmines that minimises false alarms;
- the global mobile satellite communication system used by all major broadcasters.
- a new, greener chemical production process for methyl methacrylate, the key ingredient in acrylic plastics;
Now the judging panel must compare these widely differing technologies and agree on a winner. They will look for a combination of innovation, proven commercial success and benefit to society. HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Senior Fellow of the Academy, will present the £50,000 prize and the MacRobert award gold medal to the winner at the Academy Awards Dinner in London on Monday 7 June.
Dr Geoff Robinson, Chairman of the judging panel, says: "Yet again, the panel were impressed by the world-beating quality of UK engineering innovation. Far from being laid low by recent difficulties in the financial sector, UK engineering companies have demonstrated their ability to develop innovative engineering with tremendous humanitarian, environmentaland social benefits – and to do so profitably."
Shortlisted for this year’s award are:
Chas A Blatchford and Sons Ltd for the Echelon hydraulic ankle-foot for amputees
Echelon is the world’s first self-aligning ankle-foot prosthesis, using hydraulics to enable amputees to walk far more easily. The new foot adjusts smoothly to inclines and the hydraulics distribute the load in a similar way to natural muscles. Patients say they no longer have to think consciously about walking, where as a conventional ankle-foot prosthesis requires constant awareness and postural adjustments as it cannot flex in a natural way, particularly when walking up or down a slope. Thanks to Echelon, activities such as cycling, dancing, hill-walking and even paragliding have become far more accessible and comfortable for patients. Some injured Forces personnel have been able to return to combat using the new prosthetic foot.
Blatchford’s engineers use gait analysis of the whole leg-ankle-foot system to study the way Nature solves the problem of foot flexion. They combine sophisticated hydraulic dampers with carbon fibre springs to mimic natural muscle control. The whole body benefits as it does not have to compensate so much for an unnatural gait, helping to minimise strain on the back. Echelon draws on the ability of the nervous system to sense body position in space – an attribute called proprioception – which is key to the design of successful prostheses.
In the 18 months since it was launched, over 1,300 Echelon feet have been fitted, generating a turnover of over £2.5 million for Blatchford, which is one of the world’s largest prosthetics manufacturers, celebrating its 120th anniversary this year.
Team members: Technical Director Prof Saeed Zahedi OBE, Principal Mechanical Design Engineer Graham Harris, Senior Hydraulic Design Engineer Fadi Abimosleh, Senior Mechatronic Design Engineer Dr David Moser and Principal Research Prosthetist Joe McCarthy, all based at Blatchford in Basingstoke
Media contact: Ben Blease, Marketing Manager, tel 01256 316609
www.blatchford.co.uk
Cobham Technical Services for the Minehound dual sensor landmine detector
Minehound combines ground-penetrating radar with a high-performance metal detector to increase greatly the efficiency of clearing a minefield, particularly where minimum metal mines are involved. The metal detector remains the standard device used throughout the world in mine clearance – but in many situations there may be 150 false alarms for each real mine found, and every false alarm must be painstakingly investigated. Minehound’s dual detection system dramatically reduces the number of false alarms, typically to around 20 for each real mine found.
The International Committee of the Red Cross estimates that 60-100 million mines are in place in 62 countries, causing 800 deaths each month. Detecting and removing these deadly items averages £1 million per square kilometre owing to the high number of false alarms from metal detectors. Dual sensor technology will enable nearly 33 per cent more land to be cleared within existing budgets and puts better tools into the hands of mine clearance personnel.
Ground-penetrating radar is well known but Cobham has succeeded in making it affordable, portable and capable of being used by someone with little training and no technical background. Minehound integrates all the radar functionality needed into a single printed circuit board. The strongest radar reflection occurs from the interface between air and soil, which tends to swamp the signal from buried objects and innovations in both hardware and signal processing software were required to compensate for this. Conventional radar system displays require considerable skill to interpret so Minehound uses a novel audio output to provide the operator with information about the target. The low power consumption (2.3 W) of the complete radar enables Minehound to operate for 8 to 10 hours without recharging.
Team members: Chief Consultant David Daniels, Project Manager Blair Graham, Principal Engineer Dr Jon Dittmer, Lead Consultant Nigel Hunt and Consultant Engineer Paul Curtis, all based at Cobham Technical Services in Leatherhead.
Media contact: Philip Smart, Brand and Media Manager, Cobham plc, Tel: 01202 857529
Inmarsat plc for providing global 3G broadband coverage via satellite
Bringing TV reports into our homes from even the most remote parts of the world, Inmarsat’s Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) service provides internet data connectivity anywhere on earth and is widely used for remote connectivity for business, government, broadcasters, aid and relief agencies, and emergency services.
On 20 January 2010, a total of 472 individual user terminals accessed the BGAN spot beam over Haiti. At one moment, 137 terminals (supporting many more individual users) were sending and receiving data whilst at the same time 35 telephone conversations were underway. During the course of the day, the beam was used for a total 36,054 minutes of communication, with gigabytes of information transferred.
This instant response was made possible by the BGAN 3G communication service, which was launched with the first Inmarsat-4 satellite in 2005, and scaled up to a fully global service with the deployment of the third Inmarsat-4 satellite and a repositioning of the satellite fleet in February 2009. At 6 metric tonnes, Inmarsat-4 F1 was at its launch the largest telecommunications satellite ever built. It also carries an innovative unfurling antenna and has a plasma propulsion system. In total, around £1.5 billion has been invested in BGAN. The result is the only simultaneous voice and 0.5Mbps data service available anywhere on the planet, at reasonable cost, using satellite terminals the size of laptops.
Satellite communication services have to be planned over a decade ahead of launch, and the satellites are designed to have a life in orbit of some 15 years, during which time they cannot be maintained, repaired or physically modified. Each Inmarsat-4 satellite has 193 focussed beams (which provide the cells), plus 19 regional, and one global beams for detection and switching. This means that compared to a typical traditional ground-based 3G cell of 4km, a BGAN cell needs to be around 800km. The 3G standard, developed for ground-based telephony, had to be significantly adapted for delivery from satellites at 35,600km from the earth, and Inmarsat took a calculated risk in committing to 3G a year before it was formally approved.
Team members: Vice President Advanced Programmes and Chief Technology Officer Eugene Jilg, Chief Scientist Marcus Vilaca, Director Space Segment Engineering Franco Carnevale and Director System Network Engineering Alan Howell, based at Inmarsat in London
Media contact: John Warehand, tel 020 7728 1579
www.inmarsat.com
Lucite International UK Ltd for the Alpha process for methyl methacrylate
The Alpha process is a cheaper, greener way of making methyl methacrylate (MMA), the key ingredient in acrylic plastics. Starting from the simple, widely available chemicals ethylene, methanol and carbon monoxide, Alpha uses highly efficient catalysed reactions with virtually no waste. The process plant is 30 per cent cheaper to build and run than conventional systems and the feedstocks can even be made from biomass.
The main conventional process, ACH, uses highly toxic chemicals and intermediates, and produces significant volumes of waste acid that have to be recovered in an energy intensive sulphuric acid recovery plant.
Methyl methacrylate is an increasingly important chemical, with global demand driven by rising living standards and new applications. The polymer PMMA, well known in solid sheet form as Perspex®, Plexiglas® etc, is widely used in low-energy LCD televisions and the scratch-resistant screens of phones and other hand-held devices. PMMA’s unique optical, colour, weather-resistance and recycling properties make it ideal for many applications including paints and coatings, signage, medical resins and adhesives, electronic displays and solar power generation.
Singapore’s Jurong Island was selected as the location for the first 120ktpa Alpha plant, which was commissioned in 2008. After qualification of the MMA product with all customers and against the most demanding applications, the plant has been sold-out during 2009. The plant performance and reliability have exceeded design expectations and the operating costs are as planned. Planning for Alpha 2 is now well underway: at 250ktpa it will have twice the capacity of Alpha 1 and will be the world’s biggest single-stream MMA plant. Future planned sites include locations within the Middle East, South East Asia and China.
Team members: Programme Manager Dr Ben Harris, Lead Process Technologist Roy Goulder, Research Associate Dr David Johnson, Lead Senior Process Engineer Neil Turner and Process Engineer Dr Darren Gobby, based at Lucite International in Wilton, Co Durham
Media contact: George Farquhar, FD, Tel: 020 7269 7213
BBC Online: Prosthetic vies for high-tech award
First presented in 1969, the MacRobert Award honours the winning company with a gold medal and up to five team members with a tax-free prize of £50,000 between them. HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Senior Fellow of the Academy, takes a close interest in the MacRobert Award and has presented it almost every year since it was created.
Founded by the MacRobert Trusts, the Award is now presented by the Academy after a prize fund was established with donations from the MacRobert Trusts, the Academy and British industry.
The judging panel for the MacRobert Award 2010 is as follows:
Dr Geoffrey Robinson CBE FREng (Chair)
Formerly Vice President of Networking Software, IBM Corporation
Keith Davis (Trustee, The MacRobert Trust)
Director, Strategy and Planning, The Royal Academy of Engineering
Professor Nicholas Cumpsty FREng
Emeritus Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London
Professor Richard Darton FREng
Head, Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford
Professor Ian Liddell CBE FREng
Partner, Buro Happold Consulting Engineers
Professor Adrian Long OBE FREng
Formerly Professor of Civil Engineering at Queen's University Belfast
Professor Richard Parry-Jones CBE FREng
Formerly Vice President of World-Wide R&D for the Ford Motor Group
Ian Ritchie CBE FREng FRSE
Chairman: Interactive University, Sonaptic Ltd, F7 Technology
John Robinson FREng
Chairman, Bespak Plc
Professor Peter Selway FREng
Formerly Director of Operations for Nortel, Research Fellow, Imperial College London
Philip Greenish CBE
Chief Executive, The Royal Academy of Engineering
Founded in 1976, The Royal Academy of Engineering promotes the engineering and technological welfare of the country. Our fellowship – comprising the UK’s most eminent engineers – provides the leadership and expertise for our activities, which focus on the relationships between engineering, technology, and the quality of life. As a national academy, we provide independent and impartial advice to Government; work to secure the next generation of engineers; and provide a voice for Britain’s engineering community
Jane Sutton at The Royal Academy of Engineering
Tel. +44 (0)20 7766 0636; email: Jane Sutton
The MacRobert Award
Video of the 2010 MacRobert Award finalists
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April 26, 2018 12:00PM ET
Janelle Monáe Frees Herself
She rose to fame as an endlessly inventive pop android. Now, she’s finally revealing the real person inside
Brittany Spanos
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Janelle Monáe is crying in her spacesuit. It’s early April in Atlanta, and she’s in one of the basement studios of her Wondaland Records headquarters, surrounded by computer monitors and TV screens, one of them running a screensaver that displays images of her heroes: Prince, Martin Luther King Jr., Pam Grier, Tina Turner, Lupita Nyong’o, David Bowie. She’s about to reveal, for the first time, something the world has long guessed, something her closest friends and family already know, something she’s long been loath to say in public. As she sings on a song from her new album, Dirty Computer, “Let the rumors be true.” Janelle Monáe is not, she finally admits, the immaculate android, the “alien from outer space/The cybergirl without a face” she’s claimed to be over a decade’s worth of albums, videos, concerts and even interviews – she is, instead, a flawed, messy, flesh-and-blood 32-year-old human being.
Janelle Monae Talks Enlisting Brian Wilson for 'Dirty Computer' Album
Why Janelle Monae's 'Dirty Computer' Film Is a Timely New Sci-Fi Masterpiece
And she has another rumor to confirm. “Being a queer black woman in America,” she says, taking a breath as she comes out, “someone who has been in relationships with both men and women – I consider myself to be a free-ass motherfucker.” She initially identified as bisexual, she clarifies, “but then later I read about pansexuality and was like, ‘Oh, these are things that I identify with too.’ I’m open to learning more about who I am.”
It’s a lovely spacesuit she’s wearing, a form-fitting white NASA artifact complete with a “commander” patch on one arm and an American flag on the other. She’s put it on for no reason at all – there are no cameras in sight – as she lounges around Wondaland. The outfit is a remnant, perhaps, of the android persona, known as Cindi Mayweather, that she fed us all these years: a messianic, revolutionary robot who fell in love with a human and vowed to free the rest of the androids.
Early in her career, Monáe was insecure about living up to impossible showbiz ideals; the persona, the androgynous outfits, the inflexible commitment to the storyline both on- and offstage, served in part as protective armor. “It had to do with the fear of being judged,” she says. “All I saw was that I was supposed to look a certain way coming into this industry, and I felt like I [didn’t] look like a stereotypical black female artist.”
She is also a perfectionist, a tendency that’s helped her career and hindered her emotional life; portraying a flawless automaton was also a bit of wish fulfillment. It’s one of the many reasons she thought she had a “computer virus” that needed cleaning, which led her to years of therapy, starting before the 2010 release of her debut, The ArchAndroid. “I felt misunderstood,” she says. “I was like, ‘Before I self-destruct, before I become a confused person in front of the world, let me seek some help.’ I was afraid for anybody to see me not at the top of my game. That obsession was too much for me.”
So she overcompensated, as she puts it, leaving fans to puzzle over the sight and sound of a dark-skinned, androgynously dressed black woman creating Afro-futuristic fantasias as trippy as the Parliament-Funkadelic soundscapes she grew up hearing. She became a pop anomaly, a sometimes incongruous interloper in the universes of her earliest supporters, Big Boi and Puff Daddy, the latter having signed her to a partnership with Bad Boy Records in 2008. The ArchAndroid was a buzzy introduction, and 2013’s Electric Lady – certainly the first progged-out concept album in the history of Bad Boy – established her as one of the 21st century’s most inventive voices. Years before Frank Ocean, Solange, Beyoncé and SZA pushed arty, alternative R&B to the mainstream, Monáe was already there, bridging the gap between neo-soul and all that was to come, unafraid to fuse rock, funk, hip-hop (when she feels like it, as on her recent single “Django Jane,” she’s a top-flight rapper), R&B, electronica and campy, drama-kid theatricality.
She always ducked questions about her sexuality (“I only date androids” was a stock response) but embedded the real answers in her music. “If you listen to my albums, it’s there,” she says. She cites “Mushrooms & Roses” and “Q.U.E.E.N.,” two songs that reference a character named Mary as an object of affection. In the 45-minute film accompanying Dirty Computer, “Mary Apple” is the name given to female “dirty computers” taken captive and stripped of their real names, one of whom is played by Tessa Thompson. (The actress has been rumored to be Monáe’s girlfriend, though Monáe won’t discuss her dating life.) The original title of “Q.U.E.E.N.,” she notes, was “Q.U.E.E.R.,” and you can still hear the word on the track’s background harmonies.
Monáe is the CEO of her own label, a CoverGirl model and a movie star, appearing in the Oscar-winning Moonlight and the Oscar-nominated Hidden Figures, two hits led by black casts. In both films, she tackles black American stories that don’t typically get the big-screen treatment. “Our stories are being erased, basically,” she says of her attachment to those scripts, which made her “want to tell my story.”
Monáe does worry that the human behind her masks may not be enough. She has asked aloud, including in therapy, “What if people don’t think I’m as interesting as Cindi Mayweather?” She’ll miss the freedom of being the android. “I created her, so I got to make her be whatever I wanted her to be. I didn’t have to talk about the Janelle Monáe who was in therapy. It’s Cindi Mayweather. She is who I aspire to be.”
On Dirty Computer, the only hints of sci-fi are in the title and the storyline of the accompanying film. The lyrics are flesh-and-blood confessions of both physical and emotional insecurity, punctuated with sexual liberation. They’re the unfiltered desires of an overthinker letting herself speak without pause, for once. And she wants to help listeners gain the courage to be dirty computers too. “I want young girls, young boys, nonbinary, gay, straight, queer people who are having a hard time dealing with their sexuality, dealing with feeling ostracized or bullied for just being their unique selves, to know that I see you,” she says in a tone befitting the “commander” patch on her arm. “This album is for you. Be proud.”
Monáe grew up in a massive, devoutly Baptist family in Kansas City, Kansas, or as she likes to put it, “I got 50 first cousins!” Not all of them know details of her romantic life, but they have almost certainly seen her wear sheer pants and share a lollipop with Thompson in the “Make Me Feel” video. “I literally do not have time,” she says, laughing, “to hold a town-hall meeting with my big-ass family and be like, ‘Hey, news flash!’ ” She worries that when we visit Kansas City tomorrow, they’ll bring it up: “There are people in my life that love me and they have questions, and I guess when I get there, I’ll have to answer those questions.”
Over the years, she’s heard some members of her family, mostly distant ones, say certain upsetting things. “A lot of this album,” she says, “is a reaction to the sting of what it means to hear people in my family say, ‘All gay people are going to hell.’ ”
She began questioning the Bible and her family’s Baptist faith early on. Now, she says, “I serve the God of love” – love, she’s determined, is the common factor among all religions, an idea Stevie Wonder expanded on in a Dirty Computer interlude.
When we arrive in the flat, industrial Kansas side of Kansas City, her family doesn’t actually have any questions – or anything unkind to say, for that matter. There’s just a whole lot of love for their homegrown superstar.
Janelle Monáe Robinson was born here on December 1st, 1985, to a mom who worked as a janitor and a dad who was in the middle of a 21-year battle with crack addiction. Her parents separated when Monáe was less than a year old, and her mother later married the father of Janelle’s younger sister, Kimmy.
Monáe’s loving warnings about the sheer size of her family ring true as soon as we step into her old neighborhood. On one street, her maternal grandmother owned several homes in a row that housed cousins, aunts, uncles and Monáe herself. A few minutes away is her paternal great-grandmother’s pastel-coated house. Monáe spent a significant portion of her time there – it was her main connection to her dad and his family as he went in and out of prison; their relationship was rocky until he got sober 13 years ago. Another short car ride away is her maternal Aunt Glo’s home, where we meet her mom. “She’s my favorite slice of pie,” her Auntie Fats says, referring to Monáe’s familial nickname of “pun’kin.”
Monáe was raised in a working-class community called Quindaro. It started as a settlement established by Native Americans and abolitionists just prior to the Civil War, and became a refuge for black Americans escaping slavery via the Underground Railroad. A few weeks before our visit, vandals painted swastikas and “Hail Satan” on a statue of abolitionist John Brown in the neighborhood. It’s since been repainted. “I know nobody in this neighborhood did that,” her great-grandmother says, shaking her head. “Outsiders.”
On the Missouri side of the bridge, Kansas City is predominately white, but Monáe’s community is overwhelmingly black. “I would read about where I was from,” she says, “and understand who’s really disadvantaged coming from these environments. It sucks. It’s like that for brown folks.”
It’s hard to miss her family’s religiosity – they hardly get a sentence out without a mention of God’s blessings. At 91, Monáe’s great-grandma still monitors the halls at the local vacation Bible school with a switch in hand. During our visit, she sits behind a piano to lead a gospel singalong. Monáe, beside an aunt and a cousin, joins in, belting “Call Him Up and Tell Him What You Want” and “Savior, Do Not Pass Me By.”
Monáe is never more relaxed during our time together than when she’s in Kansas City. Her Midwestern drawl comes back as she screams and sings while running into the arms of her cousins, aunts and uncles, many of whom she gets to see only during the holidays or tour stops nearby. At one point, she curls up into her mom’s lap while they look at a homemade poster full of sepia-toned childhood pics. “She was a delightful baby,” Auntie Fats recalls.
Monáe’s family members all share different versions of the same story: She was born to be a star, and she made that clear as soon as she gained motor skills. There was that time she got escorted out of church for insisting on singing Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” in the middle of the service. There were the talent shows for Juneteenth where she covered “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” three years in a row and won each time. She was the star of the school musicals, except for The Wiz her senior year, when she lost the role of Dorothy because she had to leave the audition early to pick up her mom at work. She’s still a bit miffed about not getting that part.
Monáe soon passed a bigger audition, for the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, and headed to New York. She studied musical theater and shared a small apartment with a cousin where she didn’t even have a bed to herself. When she wasn’t in class, she was working.
Meanwhile, an old friend was having the college experience Monáe desired, in Atlanta, so she relocated. The rest is well-trod history in the myth-building of Monáe: She was an Afro’d neo-soul singer strumming her guitar on college quads and working at Office Depot. She was fired from that job for using one of the company’s computers to respond to a fan’s e-mail, an incident that inspired the song “Lettin’ Go.”
That song caught the attention of Big Boi, who put her on Outkast’s Idlewild and helped connect her with Sean Combs. “I’m-a be honest with you,” her dad says, recalling an invite to one of Monáe’s shows in Atlanta, where Combs was supposed to be in the house. “I was like, ‘Yeah, right.’ I didn’t think Puff Daddy was coming.”
Skepticism aside, Michael Robinson was proud of the invite. He’d recently gotten sober, and the two were repairing their relationship. He spent much of Janelle’s childhood hearing about her immense talents from the more-present members of their family. He was honored that they had come far enough for Monáe to want him to be there for such an important concert. But he still didn’t believe Puffy would be there.
“I go down there with my two cousins, and she says, ‘Dad, everyone’s gonna know you’re not from here. Your jeans are creased.’ ” Fashion faux pas aside – he insists he hasn’t creased his jeans since – Robinson was in for a pleasant surprise when one of his cousins spotted Combs and Big Boi in the back. It was the beginning of his daughter’s new life, and he was just in time to be along for the journey. “I remember thinking, ‘This is what the big time is like,’ ” he muses. “They had all the cameras, all the lights. It was all about Janelle.”
Wondaland Arts Society’s headquarters feels like a utopian synthesis of Monáe’s past lives in Kansas City and Manhattan. It sits inconspicuously in the midst of suburban Atlanta and looks like every other neighborhood home, with its two floors and brick exterior. Inside is much more ostentatious, with vintage clocks wallpapering the foyer, pristine white couches in the communal living spaces, and books and records everywhere.
It mimics the close-knit, constant accessibility of her childhood in Kansas City, with all its artists popping in and out of the space throughout each day to record new music, rehearse for shows and present the final product to the rest of the collective. At one point, the singer-rapper Jidenna shows up, having recently returned from a trip to Africa – everyone immediately starts teasing him about his newly buff physique.
Simultaneously, Chuck Lightning, seemingly the more extroverted half of two-man funk act Deep Cotton, who make their own music as well as work with Monáe, grabs a bowl of quinoa from the kitchen as Monáe doles out decisions on which version of the “Pynk” video will be released (they settle on the one without the spoken-word love poem that appears within the song in the film).
Monáe recorded most of Dirty Computer here, in a small studio with Havana-inspired decor. Guests and collaborators ranged from Grimes to Brian Wilson, who added harmonies to the title track. The album’s liner notes cite Bible verses and a recent Quincy Jones interview alongside Monica Sjöö’s The Great Cosmic Mother and Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther.
But she was particularly close to one inspiration. Monáe was good friends with Prince, who personally blessed the album’s glossy camp tone and synthed-out hooks. “When Prince heard this particular direction, he was like, ‘That’s what y’all need to be doing,’ ” Lightning says. “He picked out that sound as what was resonating with him.” Prince gave highly specific music and equipment recommendations from the era they were drawing on, including Gary Numan, whom he loved. “The most powerful thing he could do was give us the brushes to paint with,” Lightning says.
Rumors spread that Prince co-wrote the single “Make Me Feel,” which features a “Kiss”-like guitar riff. “Prince did not write that song,” says Monáe, who sorely missed his advice during the production process. “It was very difficult writing this album without him.” Prince was the first person to get a physical copy of The ArchAndroid – she presented the CD to him with a flower and the titles written out by hand. “As we were writing songs, I was like, ‘What would Prince think?’ And I could not call him. It’s a difficult thing to lose your mentor in the middle of a journey they had been a part of.”
Stevie Wonder was another early fan of Monáe, and a conversation between them – Wonder insisted she record it – appears as an interlude on Dirty Computer. At one point, years ago, her budding friendships with both legends collided: She had to choose between playing with Prince at Madison Square Garden or with Wonder in Los Angeles. Prince encouraged her to pick Stevie.
On election night in 2016, Monáe found herself experiencing an unfamiliar emotion. “For the first time,” she says, “I felt scared.” Overnight, she went from living in a country whose president loved her music and had her perform on the White House lawn to one where it felt like her right to exist was threatened. “I felt like if I wake up tomorrow,” she says, “are people going to feel they have the right to just, like, kill me now?”
Monáe had already been a committed activist. In 2015, with members of Wondaland, she created “Hell You Talmbout,” which demands we say the names of black Americans who have been victims of racial violence and police brutality. Before #MeToo and Time’s Up, Monáe created an organization, Fem the Future, which stemmed from her frustrations about opportunities for women in the music industry. She was called on to perform at the 2017 Women’s March and to speak about Time’s Up while introducing Kesha at the Grammys. “We come in peace, but we mean business,” she told the cheering crowd.
That sums up Monáe’s mindset in the Trump era. She hopes not to destroy the oppressors but to change their minds. “The conversations might not happen with people in the position of power,” she says, “but they can happen through a movie, they can happen through a song, they can happen through an album, they can happen through a speech on TV. Most of them will probably turn off their TVs, but . . .”
She’s in a New York hotel now, two weeks before the album’s release. “There’s some anxiety there, but I feel brave,” she says, teetering between her typical sternness and a bit of vulnerable shakiness. No tears will be shed today. “My musical heroes did not make the sacrifices they did for me to live in fear.” Her activism isn’t the focus of Dirty Computer, but it’s there, hovering above every note. She ended band rehearsal in Atlanta by asking the musicians to reflect on how American this album is. Monáe’s America is the one on the fringes; it accepts the outsiders and the computers with viruses, like the ones she thought she had.
She understands the significance of now making her personal life a bigger, louder part of her art. She cites the conversation around one of her films as an example of how she might use her own story to engage with more-conservative listeners. “When I did Hidden Figures, there were some Republican white men tweeting about it and how they just felt bad. You could feel through their tweets that they were just like, ‘These black women did help us get to space. How could we treat them like that?’ ”
Meanwhile, she’s again anticipating questions from her family back in Kansas. She seems more worried about them than what anyone else has to say. Still, Dirty Computer is meant to be a celebration, and if she loses a few people along the way, Monáe seems OK with that risk.
“Through my experiences, I hope people are seen and heard,” she says, sitting at a hotel-room desk, dressed up from a day of promo in a puffy black-and-red jacket, matching red pants and terry-cloth hotel slippers. “I may make some mistakes. I may have to learn on the go, but I’m open to this journey.” She sighs, voice confident and stare unfaltering. “I need to go through this. We need to go through this. Together. I’m going to make you empathize with dirty computers all around the world.”
In This Article: Janelle Monae, LGBT
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An Open Ear for Young People
Online Platform for Suicide Prevention
The Deutschlandstipendium scholarship program supports students who show special social commitment. One example is Marcel, who has been working for almost two years on a suicide prevention project. The online platform [U25] provides desperate young people with free, anonymous advice by e-mail. Further, [U25] was in the final selection of the Aspirin Sozialpreis 2015 of the Bayer Cares Foundation.
It's very much a taboo subject. “Suicide among young people and children is a major problem that receives far too little attention,” says Marcel. The 21-year-old is a third-year medical student in Berlin and would like to become a trauma surgeon. Some 600 young people a year take their own lives in Germany alone. “Suicide is seen as an act of weakness and lack of self-worth. This social attitude needs to change and I’m convinced that open and frank discussions can achieve a great deal,” he says.
Social commitment – Marcel advises suicidal young people by e-mail via the German online platform [U25].
The [U25] project offers help to young people in distress. They can use the online platform to discuss their fears and problems with others in their age group via e-mail, covering issues ranging from school and parents to suicidal thoughts. “The concept really appealed to me. And when a new center was opened in Berlin in 2013, I applied to become an e-mail adviser, also known as a peer,” explains Marcel. In a six-month training course, he learned how best to handle young people’s questions. The peers meet regularly during the training and continue to do so afterwards so as to collectively examine and evaluate particularly tricky messages.
young people a year take their own lives in Germany
Marcel works online to deal with questions and issues raised by children and young people who contact [U25]. They create a user account on the online system. To do this, they only specify a nickname and password – they do not need to reveal personal data such as their real name. Contact is anonymous. “Firstly, this gives callers security. If I try to arrange a personal meeting at an advice center near the client, they often refuse,” says Marcel.
Initially, the caller is assigned a peer in his age group. One principle is that e-mails should be answered within seven days. “We peers take this promise very seriously, as it also provides people in a desperate situation with support if they can expect a reply within a particular time frame.” Marcel has organized Sunday as a working day so as to reconcile his commitment with his studies. “I answer all of my [U25] emails on that day. This takes between one and four hours,” he says.
I [...] want to stay as long as possible to help young people take control of their lives again.
Marcel, E-mail adviser at the online platform [U25]
He stays in very close contact with some e-mail correspondents, while others contact him at monthly intervals. “You need to have stamina. Supervising a client can be personally very draining,” explains Marcel. He finds it particularly distressing that young people who have their whole lives ahead of them suddenly want to throw it all away. “But you also have to learn to distance yourself emotionally, as harsh as that sounds. This is equally important for my later career as a surgeon,” he says. If he notices that someone is at extreme risk of suicide, he passes the case on to the management at the center, where peers can always get advice in case of problems.
[U25] now has offices in five German cities – but this isn’t enough to handle the demand. In 2012 – ten years after the first center was founded in Freiburg – there were 1,900 initial inquiries from young people. Local peers couldn’t meet the enormous demand, and the other advice centers are also struggling with the large number of inquiries. “The waiting lists are full although more peers are being trained all the time,” says Marcel. “I hope many more advisers will follow – and I myself want to stay as long as possible to help young people take control of their lives again.”
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November 4, 2009 / 7:11 PM / 10 years ago
A third of Americans die in hospitals, study finds
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nearly a third of Americans who die are in the hospital at the time and their last treatments cost the U.S. economy $20 billion, according to a report released on Wednesday.
A patient waits in the hallway for a room to open up in the emergency room at Ben Taub General Hospital in Houston, Texas, July 27, 2009. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi
The single biggest cause of hospital death was septicemia, an overwhelming infection of the blood, which killed 15 percent of patients, the team at the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found.
Eight percent died of respiratory failure, 6 percent died of stroke and 5 percent had fatal heart attacks in the hospital, according to the report, available here
“In 2007, it is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control that 2,423,995 people died in the United States. Of these, we estimate that 765,651 died in the hospital,” the agency’s Yafu Zhao and William Encinosa wrote.
“That is, 32 percent of all deaths in the U.S. in 2007 occurred in the hospital.”
Their analysis, using federal survey data, found that the average cost of a hospital stay that ended with the patient’s death was $26,035, compared to $9,447 for patients discharged alive.
Patients covered by Medicare, the federal health insurance plan for the elderly and disabled, accounted for 67 percent of in-hospital deaths and $12 billion in hospital costs.
Private insurance covered 20 percent of patients who died at a cost of $4 billion. Medicaid patients made up 2 percent and uninsured patients accounted for 3 percent and $630 million in costs.
“Overall, the costs of hospitalizations ending in death were $20 billion, which accounted for 5.2 percent of total in-patient hospital costs in the U.S. in 2007,” they wrote.
Zhao and Encinosa used their survey data, which covered 90 percent of U.S. hospitals, along with CDC data to calculate that 74 percent of infants who die are being treated in the hospital at the time.
“Among the elderly, 31 percent of deaths occurred in the hospital, while 34 percent of nonelderly deaths took place in the hospital,” they said.
Editing by Bill Trott
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Germany delays contract with MBDA for missile defense: sources
Sabine Siebold
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany’s defense ministry on Tuesday told lawmakers it would not complete a contract with European weapons maker MBDA for a multi-billion euro missile defense system during the current legislative period as planned, ministry sources said.
European Defense Group MBDA's company logo is pictured in Schrobenhausen near Ingolstadt, Germany, June 25, 2015. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle
Ministry officials remain committed to concluding a contract with MBDA for the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) to replace the Patriot air and missile defense system but said there was still work to do on the MBDA proposal, as well as on how the overall project would be managed, the sources said.
Regardless of the MEADS outcome, the ministry plans to spend several hundred million euros to modernize the software and hardware of the German military’s existing Patriot system, which was built by Raytheon Co (RTN.N), the sources said.
Coming at a time when NATO is beefing up its presence in eastern Europe due to fears of about a greater military threat from Russia, MEADS extends the coverage of protection and offers enhanced air and missile defense from a range of threats.
The delay in the MEADS project marks another setback for Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen, who has sought to reform Germany’s troubled weapons procurement process since taking office in late 2013. A second multi-billion euro program to build a new multi-role ship has also been delayed.
Germany selected MEADS in 2015 to replace its Patriot system but it has taken far longer than expected to move forward.
Von der Leyen told Reuters in September she hoped to submit a MEADS contract to parliament for approval in the spring, which already marked a delay from the previous expectation for a contract by the end of 2016.
Then in October, sources said the proposal had come in billions of euros higher than the previous estimate of 4 billion euros ($4.2 billion) and lacked some critical details.
Ministry sources said, however, that they still expected the MEADS system to be ready for use by 2025, as planned.
“We don’t want to buy a pig in a poke,” one of the sources said. “We want to be sure that we have a strong general contractor on the other side that can manage the projects in the long run and achieve the goal.”
MEADS was developed by MBDA, which is owned by Airbus Group (AIR.PA), Britain’s BAE Systems Plc (BAES.L) and Italy’s Leonardo Finmeccanica SpA (LDOF.MI), in a joint venture with U.S. arms maker Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT.N).
Work on the missile defense program was initially funded by Germany, Italy and the United States but Washington dropped out of the program several years ago.
The sources said working with MBDA had been disappointing so far, raising questions about the missile maker’s ability to manage such a large project on its own and suggesting that it would be asked to give Lockheed a larger role - and more responsibility - to lower the project’s risk.
Experts say the project could slip into spring 2018 given it is unlikely a contract will be approved before parliament’s summer recess and it will then probably take months before a new government is constituted after federal elections on Sept. 24.
The delay also means the ministry must reprogram 100 million euros in funding already in the 2017 budget.
Writing by Andrea Shalal; editing by Madeline Chambers and David Clarke
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BILLY NAME, THE PHOTOGRAPHER RESPONSIBLE FOR SILVERIZING ANDY WARHOL'S INFAMOUS STUDIO, IS SHOWCASING NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN IMAGES AT MILK STUDIOS' MILK GALLERY AND IN THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE MONOGRAPH OF THE FACTORY TO DATE
Born William Linich in Poughkeepsie, New York, Billy Name conquered the cultural epicentre of the world first in theatrical lighting design before meeting Andy Warhol in the late 1950s. Soon after, Warhol gave Name a Pentax Honeywell 35mm camera. This would go on to document life at The Factory from 1964 until 1970. Name was the unofficial archivist of the space for nearly a decade, literally living in a closet throughout.
Capturing the constantly frenzied coterie of artists and it-people, Name excelled in candidly photographing subjects in their natural habitat. With an entourage of painfully skilled and beautiful personalities in the likes of Viva, Susan Bottomly and The Velvet Underground, Name was on a quest to immortalize the new era of interdisciplined arts and its instigators.
In a new exhibition titled “Billy Name: The Silver Age,” opening at Milk Studios tomorrow, a selection of photographic prints will show a side of the Factory even the most investigative of Warhol fans have never seen. The curators of the exhibition and the book’s authors, Dagon James and Anastasia Rygle made sure to manifest the broad range of Name's artistry: "We both agree that it is the unique combination of Billy's particular approach towards photography in terms of lighting and composition with his insider status, and therefore privileged position from which to photograph, that sets his photographs apart from others taken at the time. He managed to capture in his photographs the essence of what the Silver Factory felt like: the nuances, the mundane moments, the film shoots, friends lounging on the couch, actors and artists goofing around."
The comprehensive exhibit also includes borrowed films from the Andy Warhol Museum in which Billy appears: Haircut #1 and two Screen Tests and archival material such as vintage monographs and original silver gelatin “Factory Fotos.” Song Chong, director of Milk Gallery, who was approached about a year ago by publisher Tony Nourmand to set up an exhibit, attests that Name was an artist ahead of his time: "Billy didn't have an agenda when making these photographs, and I think that is actually what is fantastic about the work. In many ways, black and white photography is the epistemology of documentary photography and Billy excelled in that domain." James and Rygle added that, "as his photographic style developed during the 1960s, we recognize that his pronounced preference for informal portraiture, coupled with extreme lighting producing overexposed images both echoed and provided reciprocal influence on the artwork and music being produced at the time. Since he was a permanent fixture in the space, seeing as how he was living there, no one took notice of him when he clicked the shutter, no one posed or attempted to present themselves as anything other than what they were."
Warhol himself declared in the 1980 memoir Popism: The Warhol Sixties, "the only things that ever came close to conveying the look and feel of The Factory then, aside from the movies we shot here, were the still photographs Billy took." In an exclusive interview for VMagazine.com, Billy Name tells us why his good friend Andy and their pop posse will always remain an endless source of influence.
What brought you to New York City?
BILLY NAME: It was the lure of freedom. That's what brought anyone there, because there were no real rules. In New York, you can just be who you are and the city will embrace you.
What was your first encounter with Andy Warhol like?
BN: It was very dry. I was working as a waiter at Serendipity 3 in the late 1950s when I first arrived in New York. Andy would come in some days late in the afternoon and one of the owners, Steven Bruce, explained to me who he was and introduced us. At first, Andy seemed like a regular guy but he turned out to be very irregular.
What was your role at the factory? What was your relationship with Warhol like? Did he ask you advice for certain things?
BN: My role was Factory foreman. Andy and I had a special relationship. My lunar sign is in Leo and his sun sign was Leo so we related that way. That's how silver came about with me: the silver is the moon's quality, which was my main influence at the time. My relationship with Andy was quick but we were both intuitive with each other and didn't spend a lot time explaining things when we spoke. Andy never asked me for advice. He was always very clear with his intentions and knew what he wanted to do. He asked me to do to his space like what I had done to my apartment, where I had made everything silver. I had painted the walls, the bathtub, the refrigerator, everything, silver. Andy really liked that and the Factory was an extension of that idea.
How long have you thought about publishing these snapshots from the Factory era, and why now?
BN: I started working on this book with Lid magazine publisher Dagon James about five years ago, and it's out for the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Silver Factory.
Do you have any particular favorite subjects?
BN: Edie Sedgwick. She was so beautiful, animated and photogenic. She was also a good friend and comfortable with me taking photos of her. The Factory was an arena for people to come and perform their art. This is why Andy was so into making films of everyone who was around. They were brilliant, natural performers in their everyday lives.
What do you think it is about Warhol and the Factory that still fascinates to this day?
BN: It's because the scene was so free. It wasn't imposing. There weren't devices you had to adhere to. There were no preconceptions. You could be free in your output and there was no pretending or trying to be anything. The people you see in the photos really were authentic, just the way you would see them.
Is there anyone who you think is revolutionizing art the way Warhol did?
BN: I don't think so. Andy's influence was so powerful the way he made art can't be replicated.
Do you think the portrayals of Warhol in fictional media are true to form?
BN: To a degree, I think that his portrayal is less accurate in books than in films. In films, people are trying to show his idiosyncrasies and capture his essence. Every actor that's played Andy brings some part of who he was to life. In books, it seems that writers are trying to explain him and how he was, rather than really capture who he was.
To see full article with images, click here.
Tania Farouki
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Jane Pak
Community and Nonprofit Leader, Development and Strategy
Regional Representative (Northern California), Human Rights Educators USA
Doctoral Student, International & Multicultural Education, University of San Francisco
Jane comes to human rights education through both her lived experiences as well as approximately 17 years working on education-related matters in nonprofit, government, and business contexts. As a daughter of parents who both fled a country when they were young, human rights and education have been driving forces throughout Jane’s life and career.
AuthorAndrew Bogrand
CategoriesActive Board Members
Amy Argenal
Director of Service Learning, The Urban School of San Francisco
Adjunct Faculty, University of San Francisco
Amy Argenal completed her doctorate in International and Multicultural Education at the University of San Francisco, where she also received her Masters in the same area of study. She received her second Masters in Human Rights from Mahidol University in Thailand. Her doctorate research focuses on human rights activism in Myanmar. Amy is the Director of Service Learning at an independent high school in San Francisco and through her work in that capacity has published on critical service learning and presented at various conferences on teaching race, power, and privilege.
Michael Evans
Newport Board Group
Michael Evans is the Managing Director for the Newport Board Group; a national Board and CEO Advisory firm. Prior to Newport Board Group, Michael L. Evans had been with Ernst & Young. During his many years with the firm, he served as a tax, audit, and consulting services partner. Prior to Ernst & Young, Michael was with Interregional Financial Group and a law firm engaged in corporate law.
Jane Evans-Ryan
Strategic & Leadership Communications Executive
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Galorah Keshavarz
GK Law Firm
Galorah Keshavarz is a licensed CA attorney who has focused her career on serving disenfranchised communities. From civil rights litigation to immigration law, she has worked with CA prisoners, refugees, asylees, unaccompanied minors, inner city youth, victims of crimes, and Dreamers. In 2014, she visited a refugee camp in Jordan, which inspired her to dedicate her life to helping refugees.
Ko Ko Lay
National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB)
Ko Ko Lay is a Burmese activist who continually struggles for peace, social justice and freedom in Burma. While living on the Thai-Burma border, he served as Secretary of Information for the Central Executive Committee of the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF). After moving to the United States, he received an A.S. degree in Photography; B.A. degrees in Industrial Design and Global Peace; and an M.A.I.A degree in Social Change Design and Conflict Resolution with an emphasis in International Conflicts. He is a founder of the Open Students Network for Burma at San Francisco State University (SFSU).
Jillian Spindle
Mission Economic Development Agency
Jillian Spindle is the Chief Operating Officer, previously Director of Development at the Mission Economic Development Agency, a San Francisco nonprofit agency that works to achieve social and economic justice for the Latino immigrant community. In her time at MEDA she has helped grow the organization’s programs and services, and launch the Mission Promise Neighborhood, which is building a cradle-to-career continuum of services in SF’s Mission District.
Eran Tagor
Eran Tagor is a partner with the Newport Board Group, a national Board and CEO Advisory firm. Prior to Newport Board Group, Eran was the Chairman of the Board and CEO of PowerSines Ltd., an international energy efficiency company. Previously, Eran worked with Goldin Associates, one of the top U.S. turnaround and restructuring firms, involved in the restructuring related to some of the U.S. largest bankruptcies, including Enron Corp. and MCI/WorldCom, and served as an expert witness in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Jenni Yoshida
Mother, HR Professional, Volunteer
Jenni had built her career in Human Resources focused in the high tech industry, holding positions at Charles Schwab, Apple, and Facebook. These positions spanned program management, diversity, training and development, and human resources business partner roles. People succeeding has always been at the center of her focus and what she was most passionate about. After 17 years in high tech, Jenni decided to refocus her time on her family and giving back to the community. She has two children in elementary school.
Charles R. Conradi
Vice President - Tax and Treasurer
Chip Conradi joined The Clorox Company in 2000 as Vice President – Tax, and was appointed Treasurer in 2004. In this role, he is responsible for global tax, treasury and credit activities for the Company and its affiliates. His duties include, among other things, advising the Company’s fiduciary committee on investments in the Company’s benefit plans.
Categoriesadvisory council
Yuliya A. Oryol
Nossaman LLP
Yuliya A. Oryol is Co-Chair of the Public Pensions and Investments Practice Group at Nossaman LLP and serves on the Firm’s Executive Committee. Ms. Oryol represents public pension plans and other institutional investors, government agencies, multi-national corporations and privately held companies in a broad range of investment, corporate and real estate matters. Ms. Oryol appears before boards of directors to present on issues related to investments and works with investment officers and in-house counsel on investment related matters. She also regularly speaks to industry and professional organizations on alternative investments and other investment related matters and also publishes on this subject.
Clemantine Wamariya
Human Rights Advocate & Storyteller
Author, The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After
clemantine.org • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Medium
Clemantine Wamariya is an internationally renowned speaker, a NYTimes bestselling author, and an accomplished human rights advocate. Her memoir The Girl Who Smiled Beads debuted with Crown Press in April 2018 and is published in 5 languages and dozens of countries. In “vivid prose,” the book describes Clemantine’s journey from her idyllic childhood in Kigali, Rwanda up until 1994 to seeking refuge in eight different countries throughout Africa, to finally receiving a refugee status in the USA in 2000.
Yaacov Silberman
Rimon, P.C.
Yaacov is the Chief Operating Officer and a Managing Partner of Rimon, P.C., a law firm based in San Francisco. Rimon is a California Benefit Corporation and a certified B Corporation, in recognition of its civic and environmental stewardship. As part of that commitment, Yaacov often acts as pro bono counsel to clients of Legal Services for Entrepreneurs, a division of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights.
Categoriesemeriti
Nabeel Ahmed
Vocera Communications
Nabeel is a finance executive and currently the Vice President, Finance at Vocera Communications, a company that provides integrated, intelligent communication to instantly connect people in mobile, mission-critical environments. Formerly, he was the Chief Financial Officer of Wanderful Media, a mobile advertising solution for retailers, and Chief Financial Officer of MarketTools, a provider of software and services for online market research.
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