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US10586113B2 - Stationary target detection by exploiting changes in background model - Google Patents
Stationary target detection by exploiting changes in background model Download PDF
US10586113B2
US10586113B2 US15/716,216 US201715716216A US10586113B2 US 10586113 B2 US10586113 B2 US 10586113B2 US 201715716216 A US201715716216 A US 201715716216A US 10586113 B2 US10586113 B2 US 10586113B2
Active, expires 2029-03-21
Khurram Hassan-Shafique
Péter L. Venetianer
Haiying Liu
Avigilon Fortress Corp
2007-09-04 Priority to US93586207P priority Critical
2017-09-26 Priority to US15/716,216 priority patent/US10586113B2/en
2017-09-26 Application filed by Avigilon Fortress Corp filed Critical Avigilon Fortress Corp
2018-07-11 Assigned to OBJECTVIDEO, INC. reassignment OBJECTVIDEO, INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: HASSAN-SHAFIQUE, KHURRAM, LIU, HAIYING, VENETIANER, PETER L., YU, LI
2018-07-11 Assigned to AVIGILON FORTRESS CORPORATION reassignment AVIGILON FORTRESS CORPORATION ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: OBJECTVIDEO, INC.
2020-03-10 Publication of US10586113B2 publication Critical patent/US10586113B2/en
2029-03-21 Adjusted expiration legal-status Critical
238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 22
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238000003384 imaging method Methods 0.000 description 3
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238000005286 illumination Methods 0.000 description 1
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G06K—RECOGNITION OF DATA; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
G06K9/00—Methods or arrangements for reading or recognising printed or written characters or for recognising patterns, e.g. fingerprints
G06K9/00624—Recognising scenes, i.e. recognition of a whole field of perception; recognising scene-specific objects
G06K9/00771—Recognising scenes under surveillance, e.g. with Markovian modelling of scene activity
G06K9/62—Methods or arrangements for recognition using electronic means
G06K9/6267—Classification techniques
G08—SIGNALLING
G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
G08B13/00—Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
G08B13/18—Actuation by interference with heat, light or radiation of shorter wavelength; Actuation by intruding sources of heat, light or radiation of shorter wavelength
G08B13/189—Actuation by interference with heat, light or radiation of shorter wavelength; Actuation by intruding sources of heat, light or radiation of shorter wavelength using passive radiation detection systems
G08B13/194—Actuation by interference with heat, light or radiation of shorter wavelength; Actuation by intruding sources of heat, light or radiation of shorter wavelength using passive radiation detection systems using image scanning and comparing systems
G08B13/196—Actuation by interference with heat, light or radiation of shorter wavelength; Actuation by intruding sources of heat, light or radiation of shorter wavelength using passive radiation detection systems using image scanning and comparing systems using television cameras
G08B13/19602—Image analysis to detect motion of the intruder, e.g. by frame subtraction
Provided is a computer-implemented method for processing one or more video frames. The meth can include generating, by a processor, a change in value of one or more pixels obtained from the one or more video frames; classifying, by the processor, the change in value of the one or more pixels to produce one or more classes of the change in value of the one or more pixels, wherein the one or more classes include one or more of a stationary target, a moving target, a target insertion, a target removal, or a local change; and constructing, by the processor, a listing of detected targets based on the one or more classes.
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/610,582, filed Jan. 30, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/957,636, filed Aug. 2, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,948,458, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/770,700, filed Feb. 19, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,526,678, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/204,562, filed Sep. 4, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,401,229, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/935,862, filed Sep. 4, 2007. The contents of U.S. application Ser. Nos. 14/610,582, 13/957,636, 13/770,700, and 12/204,562 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/935,862 are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
The following relates to video processing systems and methods. More particularly, the following relates to automatic detection of stationary targets in an area of interest and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the following is applicable to other applications such as, for example, detection of moving targets, changes in the environment, and the like.
Typically, the video system includes an imaging sensor, for example, an electro-optical video camera that provides a sequence of images or frames within a field of view (FOV) of the camera. Intelligent video surveillance systems are often used to automatically detect events of interest such as, for example, potential threats, by detecting, tracking and classifying the targets in the scene. Based on user-defined rules or policies, the intelligent video surveillance systems generate user-alerts if any event in the violation to the user-defined policies is detected. Examples of such events include: monitoring a no parking zone and, for example, initiating an alarm if a car spends more than a certain amount of time in the no parking zone; space management; detecting unattended bags at airports, and other sensitive areas, such as military installations and power plants; detecting the removal of a high value asset, such as an artifact from a museum, an expensive piece of hardware, or a car from a parking lot.
For such applications, the targets that become stationary in the field of view of the imaging sensor need to be detected and classified. One method to detect the stationary targets is to detect moving targets in the area of interest, for example, by employing background subtraction or change detection, e.g., between video frames. For example, a background model is constructed and periodically updated based on a parameter, e.g., a learning rate. Each frame of a video sequence may be registered and compared pixel by pixel to the background model. Pixels that display a substantial difference are considered foreground, or moving, pixels. Pixels that remain unchanged over a pre-specified period of time are considered to be background pixels. In this manner, the moving targets are detected and tracked over time, from one video frame to another. The targets that do not exhibit motion over a user-specified period of time are then deemed stationary targets.
However, this method has limited capabilities. For example, when the area of interest is crowded or has high traffic density, the detection and segmentation of moving targets might provide erroneous results due to frequent occlusions. Another difficulty might arise in tracking a stationary target if other targets move between the stationary target and video camera. It is problematic to determine if the newly detected motion is due to a new target motion or the original stationary target motion.
There is a need for methods and apparatuses that overcome above mentioned difficulties and others.
An exemplary embodiment of the invention may include a method for image processing, comprising: obtaining a sequence of video frames of an area of interest; constructing a first background model of the area of interest based on a first parameter; constructing a second background model of the area of interest based on a second parameter, the second parameter being different from the first parameter; determining a difference between the first and second background models; determining a stationary target based on the determined difference; and generating an alert concerning the stationary target.
An exemplary embodiment of the invention may include a computer-readable medium comprising software, which software, when executed by a computer system, may cause the computer system to perform operations for detecting stationary targets in a video sequence, the computer-readable medium comprising: instructions for receiving a sequence of video frames of an area of interest; instructions for constructing a first background model of the area of interest based on a first parameter; instructions for constructing a second background model of the area of interest based on a second parameter, the second parameter being different from the first parameter; instructions for determining a difference between the first and second background models; instructions for determining a stationary target based on the determined difference; and instructions for generating an alert concerning the stationary target.
An exemplary embodiment of the invention may include a video processing system, comprising: a background model engine to receive first, second, . . . , nth sequential video frames of an area of interest and construct first and second updatable background models, each background model being updated based on a corresponding first or second update parameters, wherein first and second parameters are pre-specified to differ from one another so that the constructed first and second background models are different from one another; a change detecting engine to compare pairs of corresponding pixels in the first and second background models and determine a difference between the first and second background models; a blob generating engine to generate blobs based on the determined difference; a blob classifying engine to determine a stationary target in the area of interest based on the generated blobs; and an alert generating engine to generate an alert regarding the stationary target.
An exemplary embodiment of the invention may include an application specific hardware to perform a method comprising: receiving a sequence of video frames of an area of interest; constructing a first background model of the area of interest based on a first parameter; constructing a second background model of the area of interest based on a second parameter, the second parameter being different from the first parameter; determining a difference between the first and second background models; determining a stationary target based on the determined difference; and generating an alert concerning the stationary target.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular description of the embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of an exemplary video system according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is an illustration of a portion of an exemplary flow diagram for detecting stationary targets;
FIG. 3A is an illustration of a portion of an exemplary flow diagram for classifying blobs;
FIG. 3B is a diagrammatic illustration of a portion of an exemplary video system according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 4 is an illustration of another portion of an exemplary flow diagram for classifying blobs; and
FIG. 5 is an illustration of a portion of an exemplary flow diagram for detecting stationary targets.
In describing the invention, the following definitions are applicable throughout (including above).
“Video” may refer to motion pictures represented in analog and/or digital form. Examples of video may include: television; a movie; an image sequence from a video camera or other observer; an image sequence from a live feed; a computer generated image sequence; an image sequence from a computer graphics engine; an image sequences from a storage device, such as a computer-readable medium, a digital video disk (DVD), or a hard disk drive (HDD); an image sequence from an IEEE 1394-based interface; an image sequence from a video digitizer; or an image sequence from a network.
A “video sequence” may refer to some or all of a video.
A “video camera” may refer to an apparatus for visual recording. Examples of a video camera may include one or more of the following: a video imager and lens apparatus; a video camera; a digital video camera; a color camera; a monochrome camera; a camera; a camcorder; a PC camera; a webcam; an infrared (IR) video camera; a low-light video camera; a thermal video camera; a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera; a pan, tilt, zoom (PTZ) camera; and a video sensing device. A video camera may be positioned to perform surveillance of an area of interest.
“Video processing” may refer to any manipulation and/or analysis of video, including, for example, compression, editing, surveillance, and/or verification.
A “frame” may refer to a particular image or other discrete unit within a video.
A “computer” may refer to one or more apparatus and/or one or more systems that are capable of accepting a structured input, processing the structured input according to prescribed rules, and producing results of the processing as output. Examples of a computer may include: a computer; a stationary and/or portable computer; a computer having a single processor, multiple processors, or multi-core processors, which may operate in parallel and/or not in parallel; a general purpose computer; a supercomputer; a mainframe; a super mini-computer; a mini-computer; a workstation; a micro-computer; a server; a client; a personal computer (PC); application-specific hardware to emulate a computer and/or software, such as, for example, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an application specific instruction-set processor (ASIP), a chip, chips, or a chip set; and an apparatus that may accept data, may process data in accordance with one or more stored software programs, may generate results, and typically may include input, output, storage, arithmetic, logic, and control units.
“Software” may refer to prescribed rules to operate a computer. Examples of software may include: software; code segments; instructions; applets; pre-compiled code; compiled code; interpreted code; computer programs; and programmed logic.
A “computer-readable medium” may refer to any storage device used for storing data accessible by a computer. Examples of a computer-readable medium may include: a HDD, a floppy disk; an optical disk, such as a CD-ROM or a DVD or a Bluray Disk (BD); a magnetic tape; a flash removable memory; a memory chip; and/or other types of media that can store machine-readable instructions thereon.
A “computer system” may refer to a system having one or more computers, where each computer may include a computer-readable medium embodying software to operate the computer. Examples of a computer system may include: a distributed computer system for processing information via computer systems linked by a network; two or more computer systems connected together via a network for transmitting and/or receiving information between the computer systems; and one or more apparatuses and/or one or more systems that may accept data, may process data in accordance with one or more stored software programs, may generate results, and typically may include input, output, storage, arithmetic, logic, and control units.
A “network” may refer to a number of computers and associated devices that may be connected by communication facilities. A network may involve permanent connections such as cables or temporary connections such as those made through telephone or other communication links. A network may further include hard-wired connections (e.g., coaxial cable, twisted pair, optical fiber, waveguides, etc.) and/or wireless connections (e.g., radio frequency waveforms, free-space optical waveforms, acoustic waveforms, etc.). Examples of a network may include: an internetwork, such as the Internet; an intranet, and an extranet; a local area network (LAN); a wide area network (WAN); a personal area network (PAN); an metropolitan area network (MAN); a global area network (GAN); and a combination thereof. Exemplary networks may operate with any of a number of protocols.
In describing the exemplary embodiments of the present invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected. It is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.
With reference to FIG. 1, a detection system 100 may automatically detect stationary targets in a video sequence 102 provided, for example, by an imaging sensor or a video camera 104 observing an area of interest or a scene. More particularly, a first video frame 110, a second video frame 112, . . . , an nth video frame 114 may be provided sequentially to a background model engine 120, which may construct one or more background models, e.g., a representation of the static scene depicted in the video at any given time. More specifically, the background model engine 120 may construct first and second background models 122, 124 based on prespecified corresponding first and second update parameters, different from one another. E.g., each time a new frame is analyzed, the first and second background models 122, 124 may be incrementally updated by the background model engine 120 to construct new background models.
More specifically, the background model engine 120 may initialize the first background model (BM1) 122 and the second background model (BM2) 124 in the first video frame 110. The background model engine 120 may update the first background model 122 in the received second, . . . nth video frame 112, . . . , 114 based on the first update parameter such as a high learning rate L1. Updating the first background model with a first learning rate L1 results in the changes in the scene to be quickly learned as a background. The first learning rate L1 may be pre-specified to be equal to from approximately 5 sec to approximately 40 sec. In one exemplary embodiment, the first learning rate L1 may be pre-specified to be equal to approximately 5 sec.
The background model engine 120 may update the second background model 124 in the received second, . . . , nth video frame 112, . . . , 114 based on the second update parameter, such as a low learning rate L2, to have the changes in the scene appear later in the second background model 124 than in the first background model 122. The second learning rate L2 may be pre-specified to be greater than the first learning rate L1 and also greater than a stationary time t1 which denotes a lapse of time after which the target is deemed to be stationary. For example, the second learning rate L2 may be pre-specified to be greater than approximately 1 min and less than approximately 5 min. e.g., the first background model 122 may include the target when the target becomes stationary, while the second background model 124 might not include the same target which has just become stationary. It is contemplated that the background model engine 120 may construct more than two background models, such as, for example, three, four, . . . , ten background models.
A change detecting engine 130 may detect changes between a value of each pixel of the first background model 122 and a value of a corresponding pixel of the second background model 124 and generate a change mask 132.
Pixel-level changes in the background may occur due to first or target changes or second or local changes. The first changes may include targets or objects of interest. The detected targets may represent a target insertion or a target removal. The target insertion may occur when an object is placed or inserted in the scene. The target insertion may become a stationary target when the inserted target remains static for the stationary time t1. As described in detail below, an alert or alerts 133 may be generated for identified stationary targets. The target removal may occur when an object moves out of the scene and exposes an underlying section of the background model.
The second changes may include changes caused by unstable backgrounds such as, for example, rippling water, blowing leaves, etc.; by illumination changes such as, for example, clouds moving across the sun, shadows, etc.; and camera set up changes such as, for example, changes in automatic gain control (AGC), auto iris, auto focus, etc. As described in detail below, the blobs representing the local changes may be identified and discarded.
A blob generating engine 134 may generate blobs or connected components from the change mask 132. Each generated blob may indicate a change in the background. As described in a greater detail below, a blob classifying engine 140 may classify the blobs into targets and determine whether any of the blobs represent the target change or the local change to the background. Further, the blob classifying engine 140 may classify the target change as a target insertion, e.g., target entering the scene, a target removal such as, target leaving the scene, or a stationary target, etc.
A filter 150 may filter blobs. For example, the filter 150 may perform size filtering. If the expected sizes of the targets are known in advance, the blobs that are not within the expected range may be ignored. In addition, if the calibration information is known, the actual sizes of targets may be obtained from the image and be used to eliminate the blobs that do not fit the sizes of reasonable targets, for example, vehicles, people, pieces of luggage, etc. In one exemplary embodiment, as described in detail below, the filter 150 may perform salience filtering to filter out erroneous results which may be caused by noise in measurement or processing.
An alert interface engine 160 may generate the alert 133 for the identified stationary targets. A report generating engine 170 may generate a report to be displayed in a human readable format on a display 172 or otherwise provided to an output device such as a printer, a remote station, etc.
With continuing reference to FIG. 1 and further reference to FIG. 2, in a detection method 200, the video sequence 102 including the first, second, . . . , nth video frames 110, 112, . . . , 114 is obtained. In block 202, the first background model 122 may be constructed with the first update parameter, for example, the first learning rate L1. In block 204, the second background model 124 may be constructed with the second update parameter, for example, the second learning rate L2. In block 210, a difference between the first and second background models 122, 124 may be computed for each frame to receive, for example, the change mask 132. In block 212, a blob 214 may be extracted or generated. In block 220, each blob 214 may be classified into classified blobs 222. The classified blobs 222 may include a stationary target 230, a moving target 232, a target insertion 234, a target removal 236 or a local change 238. In block 240, the classified blocks 222 may be filtered to filter out erroneous results and verify and/or confirm that the blob represents a stationary target. In block 250, the alerts 133 for the classified stationary target 230 or a confirmed stationary target 252 may be generated. In block 254, blobs which represent the local change 238 may be discarded.
With continuing reference to FIG. 1 and further reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, in a blob classifying method 220, each blob 214 may be classified. In block 302, a first gradient or gradients G1 within the blob 214 may be computed by a gradient analysis engine 303 for the first background model 122 as:
G 1 = ( ∂ M 1 ∂ x ) 2 + ( ∂ M 1 ∂ y ) 2 ( 1 )
where BM1 denotes the first background model.
In block 304, a second gradient or gradients G2 within each blob 214 may be computed by the gradient analysis engine 303 for the second background model 124 as:
where BM2 denotes the second background model.
In block 310, a correlation C may be computed by the gradient analysis engine 303 for the first and second gradients G1, G2 for each blob 214 as:
C ( G 1 , G 2 ) = 2 ∑ x G 1 ( x ) G 2 ( x ) ∑ x G 1 2 ( x ) + ∑ x G 2 2 ( x ) ( 3 )
In block 312, the computed correlation C may be compared to a predetermined first or correlation threshold Th1. If the blob is formed due to the first or local changes, the gradients within the blob 214 do not change substantially for the first and second background models 122, 124. Hence, the correlation C between the first and second gradients G1, G2 may be high. Conversely, if a new object is inserted and/or becomes stationary, or if a previously stationary object is removed, the correlation C between the first and second gradients G1, G2 may be low. In block 314, if it is determined that the computed correlation C is greater than the correlation threshold Th1, the blob may be classified as the local change 238 by a blob classifier 316.
If, in block 314, it is determined that the computed correlation C is less than or equal to the correlation threshold Th1, the blob may be determined to be the target insertion 234 or the target removal 236 by further examining the gradients at the boundaries of the blob 214. In the case of insertions, the inserted object may be present in the rapidly updated first background model 122, but may not be visible in the slowly updated second background model 124. However, the situation is reversed in the case of removals. Thus, in the case of insertions, the gradients at the boundary of the blob 214 in the first background model 122 may be stronger than the gradients at the boundary of the blob 214 in the second background model 124.
More particularly, in block 320, a ratio R of gradient strengths of the first gradients G1 at a boundary of the blob superimposed on the first background model 122 to gradient strengths of the second gradients G2 at a boundary of the blob superimposed on the second background model 124 may be computed by the gradient analysis engine 303 as:
R = ∑ x ∈ s ( b ) G 1 ( x ) ∑ x ∈ s ( b ) G 2 ( x )
where s(b) is the boundary of the blob.
In block 322, the computed ratio R may be compared to a predetermined second or ratio threshold Th2. If, in block 324, it is determined that the computed ratio R is less than the ratio threshold Th2, the blob may be classified as the target removal 236 by the blob classifier 316. If, in block 324, it is determined that the computed ratio R is greater than or equal to the ratio threshold Th2, the target may be classified as the target insertion 234 by the blob classifier 316. The target insertions 234 may be monitored, tracked and confirmed as the stationary target. For example, the blob classifier 316 may include a timer which measures time during which the target is consistently detected as insertion. When the timer becomes greater than a pre-specified stationary time t1, the target may be classified as the stationary target.
With continuing reference to FIG. 1 and further reference to FIG. 4, in a filtering method 240, the classified blobs 222 may be filtered to discard the erroneous results. Further, if the target insertion is determined, it may be determined if the inserted target is a stationary target. In block 402, a list 404 of targets is constructed. More specifically, the list 404 of targets may be initialized in the first frame 110. In subsequent frames 112, . . . , 114, the list 404 of targets may be updated to add the newly detected targets, remove the targets, or modify existing target information or history, etc. In block 410, each blob of each incoming frame may be compared to the targets in the list 404. In block 412, if no match is found, flow may proceed to a block 414. In block 414, a new target may be created in the list 404. If a match is found, flow proceeds to block 420. In block 420, the new measurement such as a target slice S may be added to the history of the matched target in the list 404. In block 422, a number of slices S may be compared to a predetermined third threshold or insertion limit N. In block 424, if it is determined that the number of slices S is greater than the insertion limit N, the target may be considered to be an insertion and flow may proceed to block 430. e.g., the target that is detected as an insertion consistently within a certain time window may be considered to be an insertion. In block 430, the number of insertion slices S may be compared to a predetermined fourth or stationary threshold pN, where p may be selected to be greater than 0 and less than or equal to 1. In block 432, if it is determined that the number of slices S is greater than or equal to the stationary threshold pN, the blob may be identified as the confirmed stationary target 252. In block 250, the alert or alerts 133 for the confirmed stationary target 252 may be generated as described above. In block 442, the identified and confirmed stationary target 252 may be deleted from the list 404 of targets.
If, in block 432, it is determined that the number of slices S is less than the stationary threshold pN, the blob may be classified as a local change 444. The flow may proceed to the block 442 and the target corresponding to the local change may be removed from the list 404 of targets.
With continuing reference to FIG. 1 and further reference to FIG. 5, an alternative detection method 500 is illustrated. In the detection method 200 of an exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, the first background model 122 may be updated faster than the second background model 124. The first and second background models may be constructed from the incoming frames. In the alternative embodiment of FIG. 5, the second background model may be constructed based on the first background model with a variable update rate.
More specifically, in block 502, the first background model 122 may be constructed for each incoming frame. In block 504, if it is determined that the first background model 122 is constructed in the first video frame 110, flow proceeds to a block 510. In block 510, values of pixels of the first background model 122 may be copied into values of corresponding pixels of the second background model 124 to initialize the second background model 124. If, in block 504, it is determined that the first background model 122 is not constructed in the first video frame 110, flow may proceed to a block 512.
In block 512, a value of each pixel of the first background model 122 constructed for the incoming frame may be compared with a value of a corresponding pixel of the second background model 124 constructed for the previous frame to determine matching and non-matching pixels. In block 520, matching pixels of the first and second background models, that are determined to match each other within a predetermined matching pixel threshold Thm, may be made identical by copying the values of the matching pixels x1 of the first background model 122 into the corresponding matching pixels x2 of the second background model 124. A modified second background model 522 may be constructed.
In block 530, for each non-matching pixel y of the modified second background model 522, an age counter, which represents an amount of time that lapsed since the change in the non-matching pixel y occurred, may be incremented.
In block 532, for each matching pixel x2 of the modified second background model 522 the age counter is reset to 0.
In block 534, the age counter may be compared to a predetermined age counter threshold ThA. In block 540, if it is determined that the age counter of the non-matching pixels greater than the age counter threshold ThA flow proceeds to block 542. In block 542, the non-matching pixels may be collected into blobs 550. In block 220, each blob 550 may be classified into the classified blobs 222 as described above with reference to FIGS. 2, 3A and 3B. The blobs may be filtered, as described above with reference to FIG. 4, to filter out erroneous results. In block 250, the alerts 133 for the stationary targets may be generated.
In block 560, for each pixel of the blob that has been classified or deleted from the list of targets as a result of filtering, a value of each pixel of the first background model 122 may be copied into a value of a corresponding pixel of the second background model 522.
In the manner described above, the second background model 124, 522 may be updated with a variable update rate.
In one embodiment, a priori information may be available to the classifier to classify each blob in one of the known classes of objects, such as, for example, a person, a vehicle, a piece of luggage, or the like. Image based classification techniques require extraction of features from images and training the classifier on the feature set based on previously identified set of images. Such image classifiers are known in the art. Examples of classifiers include linear discriminant analysis (LDA) classifiers, artificial neural networks (ANN) classifiers, support vector machines (SVM) classifiers, and Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost) classifiers. Examples of features include Haar-like features, complex cell (C2) features, shape context features, or the like.
Since the background model is devoid of the moving targets in the scene, the performance of the present invention may not be affected by the traffic density in the scene. Similarly, the presence of moving targets occluding the stationary target may not hurt the performance of the invention.
The described above may be applicable to video understanding in general. For example, video understanding components may be improved by providing additional information to the automated systems regarding the events in the scene.
The described above may further be applicable to security and video surveillance by improved detection of video events and threats that involve detection of stationary targets, such as, detection of left bags at a metro station or an airport, detection of left objects at train tracks, etc.
The described above may further be applicable to traffic monitoring such as detecting illegally parked vehicles, such as vehicles parked at curbside.
The described above may further be applicable to space management such as detecting parked vehicles may also be used to detect and count the vehicles parked in a parking space for better space management.
The described above may further be applicable to unusual behavior detection, e.g., detecting stationary targets may also enable detecting unusual behavior in the scene by detecting when something remains stationary for an unusually longer period of time. For example, user-alerts may be generated if a person falls and remains stationary.
Embodiments of the invention may take forms that include hardware, software, firmware, and/or combinations thereof. Software may be received by a processor from a computer-readable medium, which may, for example, be a data storage medium (for example, but not limited to, a hard disk, a floppy disk, a flash drive, RAM, ROM, bubble memory, etc.). Software may be received on a signal carrying the software code on a communication medium, using an input/output (I/O) device, such as a wireless receiver, modem, etc. A data storage medium may be local or remote, and software code may be downloaded from a remote storage medium via a communication network.
The engines of the invention may be executed with one or more processors.
The examples and embodiments described herein are non-limiting examples.
The invention is described in detail with respect to exemplary embodiments, and it will now be apparent from the foregoing to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects, and the invention, therefore, as defined in the claims is intended to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit of the invention.
The invention claimed is:
1. A computer-implemented method for processing one or more video frames, comprising:
obtaining, by a computer, one or more video frames;
generating, by the computer, one or more blobs using the one or more video frames;
identifying each of the one or more blobs to be a respective one of a plurality of different target types, the identifying carried out by the computer; and
employing calibration information to filter, by the computer and based on size, each of the one or more blobs to confirm that each of the one or more blobs is the respective one of the plurality of different target types.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising adding a blob from the one or more blobs to a list of detected targets when the blob is not in the list.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more blobs are identifiable as stationary targets when the computer determines a criteria of a length of time of insertion has been satisfied.
4. A system for processing one or more video frames, the system comprising:
a computer configured to:
obtain the one or more video frames;
generate one or more blobs using the one or more video frames;
identify each of the one or more blobs to be a respective one of a plurality of different target types; and
employ calibration information to filter, based on size, each of the one or more blobs to confirm that each of the one or more blobs is the respective one of the plurality of different target types.
5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the computer is further configured to add a blob from the one or more blobs to a list of detected targets when the blob is not in the list.
6. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein in order for a blob of the one or more blobs to be identified as a stationary target by the computer, the computer is configured to first determine criteria of a length of time of insertion having being satisfied.
7. A computer-readable medium comprising software, which software, when executed by a computer system, causes the computer system to perform operations for processing one or more video frames, the computer-readable medium comprising:
instructions for obtaining one or more video frames;
instructions for generating one or more blobs using the one or more video frames;
instructions for identifying each of the one or more blobs to be a respective one of a plurality of different target types; and
instructions for employing calibration information to filter, based on size, each of the one or more blobs to confirm that each of the one or more blobs is the respective one of the plurality of different target types.
8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, further comprising instructions for adding a blob from the one or more blobs to a list of detected targets when the blob is not in the list.
9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, further comprising instructions for determining a criteria of a length of time of insertion has been satisfied in order that the one or more blobs are capable of being identified as stationary targets.
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Justia Patents US Patent Application for SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATION OF VIRTUAL ACCOUNT-LINKED CARD Patent Application (Application #20200342443)
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATION OF VIRTUAL ACCOUNT-LINKED CARD
Embodiments of systems and methods for generating virtual account-linked cards are described. A virtual account-linked card may be generated in response to a determination that a physical account-linked card has been forgotten at a card reader and ingested by the card reader. A virtual account-linked card may be restricted such that it can only be used to execute a transaction with authorized transaction partners identified in a database.
This disclosure relates to account-linked cards, and more specifically, to systems and methods for generating virtual account-linked cards when physical account-linked cards are forgotten or lost at a card reader.
Account-linked cards have become commonplace, as many individuals use account-linked cards such as those for access to membership club accounts, rewards accounts, gyms, parking facilities, secured buildings, accounts at banking institutions, accounts for mass transportation and other types of accounts. Account-linked cards are frequently used with card readers, some of which require the account holder to insert the account-linked card containing information on a magnetic strip or information on an embedded memory into the card reader. After the card has been read and authenticated, the account holder may be able to carry out various transactions.
When a card reader requires an account holder to insert a physical account-linked card to access her accounts or execute a transaction, the account holder may forget to remove the account-linked card when finishing with the card reader. In that situation, some card readers are configured to ingest or swallow the account-linked card so that once the customer has left the area of the card reader, the account-linked card is no longer accessible to persons other than the account holder.
However, such a system may cause significant inconvenience to an account holder. If a card reader has ingested an account holder's account-linked card, the account holder will no longer be able to use the account-linked card to access their accounts at the card reader or execute transactions using the card. Frequently, the account holder's only option for obtaining a working account-linked card is to call the account servicing institution with which the account-linked card is associated, cancel the account-linked card, and order a replacement card to be sent through the mail. This process can be time consuming and leave the customer without sufficient access to their accounts.
Therefore, there is a need for systems which protect account holders who forget their account-linked cards at a card reader without causing those account holders the inconvenience of being denied access to their accounts for significant periods of time.
It is an object of this disclosure to describe a system that improves account holder access to an account associated with an account-linked card while maintaining protection of the account holder's account information when the account-linked card is forgotten.
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system including a card reader configured to read an account-linked card having account-linking information, a server including a processor, and a storage medium containing a database which stores data for an account associated with the account-linked card. The data includes information for account-linked cards and virtual cards associated with the account. The card reader is configured to determine whether the account-linked card has been forgotten and in response to a determination that the account-linked card has been forgotten, send a signal to the server indicating that the account-linked card has been forgotten. The server is configured, in response to receiving the signal indicating that the account-linked card has been forgotten, to disable the account-linked card and generate a new virtual card having the account-linking information by editing the data in the database.
Embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a method including the steps of reading an account-linked card having account-linking information at a card reader, determining whether the account-linked card has been forgotten and in response to a determination that the account-linked card has been forgotten, ingesting the account-linked card in the card reader, sending a signal to a server via a network indicating that the account-linked card has been forgotten, flagging the account-linked card as unauthorized in a database located on a storage medium, where the database stores data for an account associated with the account-linked card, generating a virtual card in the database having the Embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a server which includes a processor. The server is configured to receive a notification from a card reader identifying a lost account-linked card having account-linking information and which is associated with an account; in response to receipt of the notification, create a flag in a database contained in a storage medium which stores data for the account, wherein the flag identifies the account-linked card as unauthorized; and in response to receipt of the notification, generate a virtual card having the account-linking information in the database, wherein the virtual card is authorized to be used to access the account.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example embodiment of a system for generating a virtual account-linked card.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example embodiment of a database used with a system for generating a virtual account-linked card.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example embodiment of an account within a database used with a system for generating a virtual account-linked card.
FIG. 4 illustrates an example embodiment of a method for generating a virtual account-linked card.
FIG. 5 illustrates an example embodiment of a method for determining authorized transaction partners.
FIG. 6 illustrates an example embodiment of a system for generating a virtual account-linked card using an automated teller machine where the virtual account-linked card is a payment card.
FIG. 7 illustrates an example embodiment of a method for generating a virtual account-linked card using an automated teller machine where the virtual account-linked card is a payment card.
FIG. 8 illustrates an example embodiment of a method for determining authorized transaction partners for transactions executed with a virtual payment card.
One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a system that automatically generates a virtual account-linked card when a physical account-linked card is forgotten or abandoned at a card reader. Hereinafter, a physical account-linked card will be referred to simply as “an account-linked card.”
An example embodiment of a system for generating a virtual account-linked card is shown in FIG. 1. The system 100 includes a card reader 105 which can read and authenticate an account-linked card 130. The card reader 105 is connected to a network 135 which can be the Internet, a wide area network (WAN), or another suitable type of network. The card reader 105, like other elements of system 100, may be connected to the network via a wireless connection or a wired connection.
A server 110 is also connected to the network 135. The server 110 includes a central processing unit (CPU) and a memory for storing instructions executable by the CPU. The server 110 is capable of accessing a database 125 which includes one or more storage media and stores various data associated with one or more accounts. As shown in FIG. 1, the server 110 is connected directly to the database 125, though database 125 could alternatively be incorporated within the server 110, accessed by the server 110 via the network 135, or configured in any other suitable way for access by the server 110. Database 125 may additionally be functionally distributed across two or more hardware units accessible by the server 110.
System 100 may also include a mobile device 115 and a computer 120, which are connected to the network 135. The mobile device 115 or computer 120 may be those of an account holder of an account associated with the account-linked card 130. The mobile device 115 and computer 120 are suitable for receiving notifications sent by the server 110 via the network 135 relating to the account-linked card 130 or the account associated with the account-linked card 130. The mobile device 115 may be a smart phone or any other network connected device suitable for receiving notifications.
The card reader 105 is a device capable of reading and authenticating account-linking information stored on the account-linked card 130. The card reader 105 may include a display for displaying a graphical user interface to an account holder. The card reader 105 may further include a keypad, a keyboard, and/or a touch screen interface by which the account holder can input information. The card reader 105 preferably includes a CPU and a memory which stores instructions for execution by the CPU.
The card reader 105 may include a slot or another receptacle for receiving and reading the account-linking information stored on the account-linked card 130. The account-linked card 130 may be any secure card such as a magnetic strip card which stores account-linking information in a magnetic strip, a smart card having an integrated circuit and memory which stores account-linking information in the memory, or a card implementing radio frequency identification technology.
In ordinary use, an account holder may insert her account-linked card 130 into the card reader 105. The card reader 105 may then prompt the account holder via the graphical user interface on the display to authenticate the account-linked card 130, for example, by entering a personal identification number (PIN), or by other means. If successfully authenticated, the card reader 105 may display the account holder's account information to the account holder via the graphical user interface and may also allow the account holder to make transactions.
When preparing to display account information to the account holder, the card reader 105 sends a request to the server 110, which may be in the form of an application programming interface (API) call, via the network requesting account information. The server 110 retrieves the requested information from the database 125 and sends it back to the card reader 105 via the network for display to the account holder in the graphical user interface. Information stored in the database 125 is described in further detail hereinafter with reference to FIG. 2.
FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing information stored in database 125. Database 125 stores information for a plurality of accounts, including accounts 200, 205, 210, 215, and 220. The quantity of accounts shown in database 125 is limited in FIG. 2 for convenience and simplicity, but such a database may be capable of storing information for a very large number of accounts, depending on the size of the institution servicing the accounts. Each individual account, such as account 200, may be associated with one account holder or may be associated with more than one account holder such as in the case of a family having a joint account. Also, a single account holder may be associated with more than one account.
For each account, as shown for account 200 in FIG. 2, certain account-specific information is stored in the database 125. Such account-specific information includes account transaction history which is stored in the account transaction history records 230. Account transaction history may include data for past transactions associated with the account, including an identity of a transaction partner for each transaction, date and time of each transaction, value of each transaction, and transaction type of each transaction. Each of the foregoing types of data stored in the account transaction history records is explained more fully below.
Information identifying a transaction partner for a particular transaction may be stored in the account transaction history records 230 to identify a partner with whom the account holder has conducted a transaction. A transaction partner may be, for example, a merchant from whom the account holder purchased a good or a service, or may alternatively be a payor from whom the account holder received payment. The identity of a transaction partner may be stored in the database by name, by a reference number, or by another suitable means.
The date and time of each transaction may be stored in the account transaction history records 230 to identify the date and time at which each transaction occurred.
The value of each transaction may be stored in the account transaction history records 230 to identify the value of each transaction executed. The value of a transaction may, for example, be indicated by a dollar amount exchanged between the account holder and the transaction partner. In such a case, the transaction value may be represented by any currency amount, including, for example, a cryptocurrency amount.
The transaction type of each transaction may be stored in the account transaction history records 230 to identify the transaction type of each transaction executed. Transaction types include card-present transactions for which the account holder presents the account-linked card so that it can be swiped or otherwise read by a device in proximity which executes the transaction. Transaction types also include card-not-present transactions for which the account holder does not physically present the account-linked card to execute the transaction. A card-not-present transaction may occur, for example, when the account holder purchases an item online using an account-linked card by entering information identifying the account-linked card. A card-not-present transaction may also occur, for example, when automatically paying recurring bills, such as a utility bill or a bill for a subscription to a movie streaming service, with a an account-linked card.
Database 125 also includes virtual account-linked cards records 240. Information for virtual account-linked cards associated with the account 200 are stored in the virtual account-linked cards records 240. An account holder may use the virtual account-linked cards to execute a transaction without physically presenting an account-linked card, i.e. execute a card-not-present transaction. For example, an account holder may request that an account servicing institution issue a virtual account-linked card to carry out a specific card-not-present transaction. An account holder may make such a request when access to an account-linked card is difficult or inconvenient. In practice, an account holder may request a virtual account-linked card and execute a card-not-present transaction by entering identifying information for the virtual account-linked card such as a card number and other information provided for the virtual account-linked card by the account servicing institution. An account holder may execute a card-not-present transaction with a virtual account-linked card in much the same way an account-holder may execute a card-not-present with an account-linked card, though an account-holder may not execute a card-present transaction with a virtual account-linked card. The virtual account-linked cards records 240 may include information for more than one virtual account-linked card associated with the account 200.
Database 125 also includes authorized transaction partners records 250. The authorized transaction partners records 250 includes information identifying authorized transaction partners for virtual account-linked cards associated with the account 200. Each of the virtual account-linked cards for which information is stored in the virtual account-linked cards records 240 may be associated with one or more authorized transaction partners for which identifying information is stored in the authorized transaction partners records 250. This association is discussed in further detail hereinafter with respect to FIG. 3.
Database 125 also includes account-linked cards records 260. The account-linked cards records 260 stores information for account-linked cards associated with the account 200 which the account holder may use to execute either card-present or card-not-present transactions. The account-linked cards records 260 may store more than one account-linked card associated with the account 200.
Database 125 further stores information associated with account 205, account 210, account 215, and account 220. The information associated with those accounts is not shown with the same detail as with account 200 in FIG. 2 for convenience and simplicity, though it is understood that similar information would be stored for each account stored in the database 125. Moreover, information for many more accounts may be stored in database 125 than shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 3 shows in greater detail the relationship between the virtual account-linked cards for which information is stored in the virtual account-linked cards records 240 and the authorized transaction partners for which identifying information is stored in the authorized transaction partners records 250. FIG. 3 shows nine virtual account-linked cards 241 through 249 stored in the virtual account-linked cards records 240, though fewer or more may be stored and associated with the account 200. FIG. 3 also shows nine transaction partners 251-259 stored in the authorized transaction partners records 250, though fewer or more may be stored and associated with the account 200.
By way of example, virtual account-linked card 241 is shown with arrows pointing to transaction partners 252, 253, 255, and 257. In this example, transaction partners 252, 253, 255, and 257 are authorized transaction partners for virtual account-linked card 241. As a consequence, the account holder may use virtual account-linked card 241 to execute a transaction with any of transaction partners 252, 253, 255, and 257, but not with any of the other transaction partners stored in the authorized transaction partners records 250 and not with any transaction partners not stored in the authorized transaction partners records 250. By limiting the authorized transaction partners for the virtual account-linked card 241 in this way, the security of virtual account-linked card 241 can be improved as compared to a situation where its potential transaction partners are unrestricted. Consequently, the account holder is better protected from fraud.
Though not shown in FIG. 3 for the sake of clarity, virtual account-linked cards 242 to 249 may be associated with one or more of the transaction partners 251 to 259 stored in the authorized transaction partners records 250. Each of virtual account-linked cards 241 to 249 may also be associated with transaction partners independently of other virtual account-linked cards.
It should be noted that FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are conceptual diagrams to facilitate understanding of the information stored therein and that information in the database 125 may be arranged in ways other than shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.
With reference back to FIG. 1, when an account holder has concluded her session at card reader 105, the account holder will typically be reminded to remove the account-linked card 130 from the card reader 105. However, in certain circumstances, the account holder may forget to remove the account-linked card 130 when finished with the card reader 105 and inadvertently leave the vicinity of the card reader 105 without the account-linked card 130.
An embodiment of the present invention is directed to improving the account holder's experience in a situation where the account holder has forgotten or abandoned her account-linked card 130 at the card reader 105 by automatically converting the forgotten account-linked card 130 to a virtual account-linked card which the account holder may use to access account information and execute transactions.
FIG. 4 shows a method 400 of automatically generating a virtual account-linked card which may be carried out by the aforementioned system 100. At step S405, the card reader makes a determination whether the account-linked card has been abandoned or forgotten at the card reader. To make such a determination, the card reader may include a camera or motion sensor pointed in a direction toward an expected position of an account holder. In response to a signal that the account-linked card is in a slot or other receptacle of the card reader and a signal that the account holder has left the vicinity of the card reader as detected by the camera or motion sensor, the card reader may determine that the account-linked card has been forgotten. Alternatively, the card reader may determine that the account-linked card has been forgotten in response to a signal that the account-linked card is in a slot or other receptacle of the card reader and a predetermined time period has passed during which no account holder activity has been detected at the card reader.
In response to a determination at step S405 that the account-linked card has not been forgotten, the method 400 ends.
In response to a determination at step S405 that the account-linked card has been forgotten, the method 400 proceeds to step S410. At step S410, the card reader ingests the account-linked card such that it is not accessible to a person in the vicinity of the card reader. By doing so, the card reader prevents a person other than the account holder who encounters the forgotten account-linked card from recovering it and engaging in fraudulent transactions.
Proceeding to step S415, the card reader sends a request, which may be an API call, via the network indicating that the account-linked card has been forgotten and ingested by the card reader. Then at step S420, after receiving the API call sent by the card reader via the network, the server accesses the information in the database for the account associated with the forgotten account-linked card. The method then proceeds to step S425.
At step S425, the server converts the forgotten account-linked card in the database from an account-linked card associated with the account to a virtual account-linked card associated with the account. The server may do this by moving the data identifying the forgotten account-linked card from the account-linked cards records of the database to the virtual account-linked cards records of the database. The server may alternatively convert the forgotten account-linked card by flagging the account-linked card in the database or by any other suitable method. Regardless of the mechanism by which the forgotten account-linked card is converted to a new virtual account-linked card, the new virtual account-linked card retains the identifying information of the forgotten account-linked card. For example, the new virtual account-linked card may retain the same sixteen digit account number, expiration date, and confirmation code of the forgotten account-linked card. The method then proceeds to step S430.
At step S430 the server determines authorized transaction partners for the new virtual account-linked card. The server makes this determination based on account transaction history stored in the account transaction history records of the database. A method for making this determination will be explained in greater detail hereinafter with reference to FIG. 5. The method then proceeds to step S435.
At step S435, the server associates the new virtual account-linked card with the authorized transaction partners determined in step S430 and restricts use of the new virtual account-linked card such that it can only be used to execute transactions with those authorized transaction partners. In other words, the server configures the new virtual account-linked card such that future transactions with the authorized transaction partners using the new virtual account-linked card will be allowed and such that future transactions with transaction partners other than the authorized transaction partners using the new virtual account-linked card will be prohibited. The method then proceeds to step S440.
At step S440, the server transmits a notification via the network that the account-linked card has been ingested by the card reader as a result of being forgotten and that the forgotten account-linked card is available for use as a virtual account-linked card. The notification may further indicate that the virtual account-linked card is restricted for use only with the authorized transaction partners. Preferably, the notification is a type which may be received by the account holder's mobile phone or computer via the network.
At step S445, the server transmits a request to a vendor (not shown in FIG. 1) requesting a new account-linked card be issued to the account holder. The server may further specify identifying information for the new account-linked card to the vendor and add the requested new account-linked card to the account-linked cards records of the database. Then the method 400 ends.
With reference to FIG. 5, the determination of authorized transaction partners made in step S430 of method 400 will be further described as a sub-routine called method 500. In step S505, the server determines favored transaction partners as predetermined by the account servicing institution. When the server has determined favored transaction partners, the server may flag each of those favored transaction partners for association with the new virtual account-linked card. The method then proceeds to step S510.
In step S510, the server determines transaction partners for card-not-present transactions. To do this, the server accesses the account transaction history stored in the account transaction history records of the database. For transactions in the account transaction history, the server determines which were card-not-present transactions, i.e., which transactions occurred without the account holder presenting a account-linked card and swiping it. As additional filtering, the server may limit its determination to transactions which occurred in a predetermined time period, e.g., within the six months, one year, etc. When the server has determined transaction partners for card-not-present transactions in the account transaction history, the server may flag each of those transaction partners for association with the new virtual account-linked card. The method then proceeds to step S515.
In step S515, the server determines transaction partners for transactions having at least a predetermined value. To do this, the server accesses the account transaction history stored in the account transaction history records of the database. For transactions in the account transaction history, the server determines which transactions have at least a predetermined value. The predetermined value may be, for example, a dollar value. For any transactions in the account transaction history having at least the predetermined value, the server determines transaction partners associated with those transactions. As an alternative to filtering transactions having at least the predetermined value, the server may determine which transactions have a value with a predetermined value range as a means for filtering the transactions. When the server has determined transaction partners for transactions in the account transaction history having at least a predetermined value, the server may flag each of those transaction partners for association with the new virtual account-linked card. The method then proceeds to step S520.
In step S520, the server determines transaction partners having at least a predetermined number of transactions. To do this, the server accesses the account transaction history stored in the account transaction history records of the database. The server determines transaction partners with whom the account holder has engaged in at least a predetermined number of transactions. When the server has determined transaction partners with whom the account holder has executed at least a predetermined number of transactions, the server may flag each of those transaction partners for association with the new virtual account-linked card. The method then proceeds to step S525.
In step S525, the server determines transaction partners by applying a machine learning algorithm. To do this, the server accesses the account transaction history stored in the account transaction history records of the database. As an example application of a machine learning algorithm, the server may analyze the account transaction history using the machine learning algorithm to determine transaction partners with whom the account holder executes recurring transactions. Based on the dates and times of transactions with certain transaction partners, a frequency of transactions with certain transaction partners, a similarity in values of transactions with certain transaction partners, or a combination of the foregoing, the server may determine that the account holder executes recurring transactions with certain transaction partners. When the server has determined transaction partners identified by the machine learning algorithm, the server may flag each of those transaction partners for association with the new virtual account-linked card. The method then proceeds to step S530.
In step S530, the server determines account holder-selected transaction partners. Account holder-selected transaction partners may be transaction partners that have been selected by the account holder for authorization. The account holder may make such a selection when first opening the account or alternatively, may make such a selection upon notification by the account-servicing institution at the time of ingestion of an account-linked card at a card reader. Such a selection may be made via the account holder's mobile phone, computer, other suitable device, or at a physical location maintained by the account servicing institution. Account-holder selected transaction partners may be flagged in the authorized transaction partners records of the database. When the server has determined account holder-selected transaction partners, the server may further flag each of those transaction partners for association with the new virtual account-linked card. The method then ends.
It should be noted that method 500 as described above and shown in FIG. 5 includes several steps for determining and flagging transaction partners for association with the new virtual account-linked card, but it is not necessary for practice of the invention to perform every step in the order shown in FIG. 5. Embodiments of the present invention may determine and flag transaction partners by performing only one, or a subset, of the steps shown in FIG. 5 and may vary the order in which multiple steps are performed or perform them in parallel.
The advantages of practicing the method 400 in conjunction with the subroutine method 500, both described above, are improved security and convenience for the account holder. By automatically making an account-linked card forgotten at a card reader available for use as a virtual account-linked card, the account holder maintains access to her account and may continue to execute certain transactions she previously executed using the forgotten account-linked card with the new virtual account-linked card. This eliminates a period without account access before either the account servicing institution can issue a new account-linked card and/or the account holder can retrieve the new account-linked card. During that period, the account holder can execute transactions using the new virtual account-linked card with authorized transaction partners. In the case of executing transactions with transaction partners with whom the account holder executes recurring transactions, the disclosed system and method provide a means to allow those transactions to continue uninterrupted.
Moreover, by determining authorized transaction partners and restricting use of the new virtual account-linked card to execution of transactions with authorized transaction partners, security of the new virtual account-linked card can be improved. By restricting use of the new virtual account-linked card in this way, individuals other than the account holder that may have information about the forgotten account-linked card otherwise sufficient to engage in a card-not-present transaction will be prohibited from engaging in such transactions with transaction partners other than the authorized transaction partners. As a result, the account holder is less susceptible to fraud.
Additionally, the method 400 described above is advantageous because it automatically transmits a request that a new account-linked card be issued to the account holder upon ingestion by the card reader. This eliminates the inconvenience inherent in requiring the account holder to actively request a new account-linked card when she has forgotten her account-linked card at a card reader.
Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6. The system 600 shown in FIG. 6 includes an automated teller machine (ATM) 605 and a payment card 630 which may be a debit card or a credit card issued by an account servicing institution such as a financial institution or a bank. The mobile device 615, computer 620, network 635, server 610, and database 625 are analogous to the mobile device 115, computer 120, network 135, server 110, and database 125 shown in FIG. 1 and described above.
In ordinary use, an account holder may insert her payment card 630 into the ATM 605. The ATM 605 may then prompt the account holder via a graphical user interface on the display to authenticate the payment card 630, for example, by entering a personal identification number (PIN). If successfully authenticated, the ATM 605 may display the account holder's account information, such as available funds, to the account holder via the graphical user interface and may also allow the account holder to make transactions such as withdrawal of cash, deposits, or others.
When an account holder has concluded her session at ATM 605, the account holder will typically be reminded to remove the payment card 630 from the ATM 605. However, in certain circumstances, the account holder may forget to remove the payment card 630 when finished with the ATM 605 and inadvertently leave the vicinity of the ATM 605 without the payment card 630.
An embodiment of the present invention is directed to improving the account holder's experience in a situation where the account holder has forgotten or abandoned her payment card 630 at the ATM 605 by automatically converting the forgotten payment card 630 to a virtual payment card which the account holder may use to access account information and execute transactions.
FIG. 7 shows a method 700 of automatically generating a virtual payment card when a payment card is forgotten at an ATM, which may be carried out by the aforementioned system 600. At step S705, the ATM makes a determination whether the payment card has been abandoned or forgotten at the ATM. To make such a determination, the ATM may include a camera or motion sensor pointed in a direction toward an expected position of an account holder. In response to a signal that the payment card is in a slot or other receptacle of the ATM and a signal that the account holder has left the vicinity of the ATM as detected by the camera or motion sensor, the ATM may determine that the payment card has been forgotten. Alternatively, the ATM may determine that the payment card has been forgotten in response to a signal that the payment card is in a slot or other receptacle of the ATM and a predetermined time period has passed during which no account holder activity has been detected at the ATM.
In response to a determination at step S705 that the payment card has not been forgotten, the method 700 ends.
In response to a determination at step S705 that the payment card has been forgotten, the method 700 proceeds to step S710. At step S710, the ATM ingests the payment card such that it is not accessible to a person in the vicinity of the ATM. By doing so, the ATM prevents a person other than the account holder who encounters the forgotten payment card from recovering it and engaging in fraudulent transactions or withdrawing cash from the ATM using the payment card.
Proceeding to step S715, the ATM sends a request, which may be an API call, to the server via the network indicating that the payment card has been forgotten and ingested by the ATM. Then at step S720, after receiving the API call sent by the ATM via the network, the server accesses the information in the database for the account associated with the forgotten payment card. The method then proceeds to step S725.
At step S725, the server converts the forgotten payment card in the database from a payment card associated with the account to a virtual payment card associated with the account. The server may do this by moving the data identifying the forgotten payment card from the payment cards records of the database to the virtual payment cards records of the database. The server may alternatively convert the forgotten payment card by flagging the payment card in the database or by any other suitable method. Regardless of the mechanism by which the forgotten payment card is converted to a new virtual payment card, the new virtual payment card retains the identifying information of the forgotten payment card. For example, the new virtual payment card may retain the same sixteen digit account number, expiration date, and confirmation code of the forgotten payment card. The method then proceeds to step S730.
At step S730 the server determines authorized merchants for the new virtual payment card. The server makes this determination based on account transaction history stored in the account transaction history records of the database. A method for making this determination will be explained in greater detail hereinafter with reference to FIG. 8. The method then proceeds to step S735. It is noted that database 625 as shown in FIG. 6 stores information related to “merchants” in an analogous manner as database 125 shown in FIG. 1 stores information related to “transaction partners” as described herein above. It is further noted that database 625 stores information related to “payment cards” and “virtual payment cards” in an analogous manner as database 125 stores information related to “account-linked cards” and “virtual account-linked cards,” respectively, as described herein above.
At step S735, the server associates the new virtual payment card with the authorized merchants determined in step S730 and restricts use of the new virtual payment card such that it can only be used to execute transactions with those authorized merchants. In other words, the server configures the new virtual payment card such that future transactions with the authorized merchants using the new virtual payment card will be allowed and such that future transactions with merchants other than the authorized merchants using the new virtual payment card will be prohibited. The method then proceeds to step S740.
At step S740, the server transmits a notification via the network that the payment card has been ingested by the ATM as a result of being forgotten and that the forgotten payment card is available for use as a virtual payment card. The notification may further indicate that the virtual payment card is restricted for use only with the authorized merchants. Preferably, the notification is a type which may be received by the account holder's mobile phone or computer via the network.
At step S745, the server transmits a request to a vendor (not shown in FIG. 1) requesting a new payment card be issued to the account holder. The server may further specify identifying information for the new payment card to the vendor, such as a sixteen digit card number, expiration date, and security code, and add the requested new payment card to payment cards records stored in the database. Then the method 700 ends.
With reference to FIG. 8, the determination of authorized merchants made in step S730 of method 700 will be further described as a sub-routine called method 800. In step S805, the server determines favored merchants, which may be predetermined by the account servicing institution. When the server has determined favored merchants, the server may flag each of those favored merchants for association with the new virtual payment card. The method then proceeds to step S810.
In step S810, the server determines merchants for card-not-present transactions. To do this, the server accesses the account transaction history stored in the account transaction history records of the database. For transactions in the account transaction history, the server determines which were card-not-present transactions, i.e., which transactions occurred without the account holder physically presenting a payment card and swiping it. As additional filtering, the server may limit its determination to transactions which occurred in a predetermined time period, e.g., within the six months, one year, etc. When the server has determined merchants for card-not-present transactions in the account transaction history, the server may flag each of those merchants for association with the new virtual payment card. The method then proceeds to step S815.
In step S815, the server determines merchants for transactions having at least a predetermined value. To do this, the server accesses the account transaction history stored in the account transaction history records of the database. For transactions in the account transaction history, the server determines which transactions involved payment of at least a predetermined value. The predetermined value is preferably a dollar value. For any transactions in the account transaction history involving payment of at least the predetermined value, the server determines merchants associated with those transactions. As an alternative to filtering transactions involving payment of at least the predetermined value, the server may determine which transactions involved payment of an amount within a predetermined value range as a means for filtering the transactions. When the server has determined merchants for transactions in the account transaction history meeting either of the foregoing criteria, the server may flag each of those merchants for association with the new virtual payment card. The method then proceeds to step S820.
In step S820, the server determines merchants having at least a predetermined number of transactions. To do this, the server accesses the account transaction history stored in the account transaction history records of the database. The server determines merchants with whom the account holder has engaged in at least a predetermined number of transactions. When the server has determined merchants with whom the account holder has executed at least a predetermined number of transactions, the server may flag each of those merchants for association with the new virtual payment card. The method then proceeds to step S825.
In step S825, the server determines merchants by applying a machine learning algorithm. To do this, the server accesses the account transaction history stored in the account transaction history records of the database. As an example application of a machine learning algorithm, the server may analyze the account transaction history using the machine learning algorithm to determine merchants with whom the account holder executes recurring transactions such as periodic payments. Based on the dates and times of transactions with certain merchants, a frequency of transactions with certain merchants, a similarity in values of transactions with certain merchants, or a combination of the foregoing, the server may determine that the account holder executes recurring transactions with certain merchants. Merchants with whom the account holder executes recurring transactions may include, for example, utilities companies or companies offering subscription services where monthly payment amounts and payment dates vary to some degree but fall within a range predictable by the server's machine learning algorithm. When the server has determined merchants identified by the machine learning algorithm, the server may flag each of those merchants for association with the new virtual payment card. The method then proceeds to step S830.
In step S830, the server determines account holder-selected merchants. Account holder-selected merchants may be merchants that have been selected by the account holder for authorization. The account holder may make such a selection when first opening the account or alternatively, may make such a selection upon notification by the account-servicing institution at the time of ingestion of a payment card at a ATM. Such a selection may be made via the account holder's mobile phone, computer, other suitable device, or at a physical location maintained by the account servicing institution. It is preferable that such a selection be permitted only one, or a similarly limited number of times, to avoid fraudulent activity on the account. Account-holder selected merchants may be flagged in the authorized merchants records of the database. When the server has determined account holder-selected merchants, the server may further flag each of those merchants for association with the new virtual payment card. The method then ends.
It should be noted that method 800 as described above and shown in FIG. 8 includes several steps for determining and flagging merchants for association with the new virtual payment card, but it is not necessary for practice of the invention to perform every step in the order shown in FIG. 8. Embodiments of the present invention may determine and flag merchants by performing only one, or a subset, of the steps shown in FIG. 8 and may vary the order in which multiple steps are performed or perform them in parallel.
The advantages of practicing the method 700 in conjunction with the subroutine method 800, both described above, are improved security and convenience for the account holder. By automatically making a payment card forgotten at a ATM available for use as a virtual payment card, the account holder maintains access to her account and funds and may continue to execute certain transactions she previously executed using the forgotten payment card with the new virtual payment card. This eliminates a period without account access before either the account servicing institution can issue a new payment card and/or the account holder can retrieve the new payment card. During that period, the account holder can execute transactions using the new virtual payment card with authorized merchants. In the case of executing transactions with merchants with whom the account holder executes recurring transactions, such as merchants accepting periodic payments, the disclosed system and method provide a means to allow those payments to continue uninterrupted.
Moreover, by determining authorized merchants and restricting use of the new virtual payment card to execution of transactions with authorized merchants, security of the new virtual payment card can be improved. By restricting use of the new virtual payment card in this way, individuals other than the account holder that may have information about the forgotten payment card otherwise sufficient to engage in a card-not-present transaction will be prohibited from engaging in such transactions with merchants other than the authorized merchants. As a result, the account holder is better protected from fraud.
Additionally, the method 700 described above is advantageous because it automatically transmits a request that a new payment card be issued to the account holder upon ingestion by the ATM. This eliminates the inconvenience inherent in requiring the account holder to actively request a new payment card when she has forgotten her payment card at a ATM.
The present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particular embodiments described in this application, which are intended as illustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations can be made without departing from its spirit and scope, as may be apparent. Functionally equivalent methods and systems within the scope of the disclosure, in addition to those enumerated herein, may be apparent from the foregoing representative descriptions. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended representative claims. The present disclosure is to be limited only by the terms of the appended representative claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such representative claims are entitled. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting.
The foregoing description, along with its associated embodiments, has been presented for purposes of illustration only. It is not exhaustive and does not limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Those skilled in the art may appreciate from the foregoing description that modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practicing the disclosed embodiments. For example, the steps described need not be performed in the same sequence discussed or with the same degree of separation. Likewise various steps may be omitted, repeated, or combined, as necessary, to achieve the same or similar objectives. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but instead is defined by the appended claims in light of their full scope of equivalents.
In the preceding specification, various preferred embodiments have been described with references to the accompanying drawings. It may, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto, and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing from the broader scope of the invention as set forth in the claims that follow. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded as an illustrative rather than restrictive sense.
1. A system comprising:
a card reader configured to read an account-linked card having account-linking information;
a server including a processor; and
a storage medium containing a database which stores data for an account associated with the account-linked card, the data including information for account-linked cards and virtual cards associated with the account;
wherein the card reader is configured to determine whether the account-linked card has been forgotten and in response to a determination that the account-linked card has been forgotten, send a signal to the server indicating that the account-linked card has been forgotten; and
the server is configured, in response to receiving the signal indicating that the account-linked card has been forgotten, to:
disable the account-linked card,
generate a new virtual card having the account-linking information by editing the data in the database,
generate, in the database, partner identifying information which identifies a set of authorized transaction partners, wherein each transaction partner has engaged in a transaction with the account within a predetermined time period, and
limit the use of the virtual card to transactions involving an authorized transaction partner.
2. (canceled)
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the partner identifying information is generated based on a transaction history associated with the account.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of authorized transaction partners comprises transaction partners which have engaged in two or more transactions with the account.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of authorized transaction partners comprises transaction partners which have engaged in a transaction with the account having a value greater than a predetermined dollar value.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the partner identifying information is generated based on a frequency and a value of transactions executed with one or more transaction partners.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured, in response to receiving the signal indicating that the account-linked card has been forgotten, to send an alert to one of a mobile phone and a computer.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured, in response to a receiving the signal indicating that the account-linked card has been forgotten, to send a request for creation of a second account-linked card via the network.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein upon disabling of the account-linked card, the account-linked card cannot be used to execute a transaction.
reading an account-linked card having account-linking information at a card reader;
determining whether the account-linked card has been forgotten and in response to a determination that the account-linked card has been forgotten, ingesting the account-linked card in the card reader;
sending a signal to a server via a network indicating that the account-linked card has been forgotten;
flagging the account-linked card as unauthorized in a database located on a storage medium, where the database stores data for an account associated with the account-linked card;
generating a virtual card in the database having the account-linking information;
generating partner identifying information which identifies a set of authorized transaction partners, wherein each transaction partner has engaged in a transaction with the account within a predetermined time period;
storing the partner identifying information in the database; and
limiting the use of the virtual card to transactions involving an authorized transaction partner.
12. (canceled)
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the partner identifying information is generated based on data associated with the account and stored in the database.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the set of authorized transaction partners comprises at least one transaction partner for which there exists two or more transactions in a transaction history for the account, wherein values of the two or more transactions are within a predetermined value range.
15. The method of claim 11, wherein the set of authorized transaction partners comprises at least one transaction partner for which a card-not-present transaction exists in a transaction history for the account, wherein the card-not-present transaction occurred within a predetermined time period.
16. The method of claim 11, wherein the partner identifying information is generated based on a frequency of transactions executed with one or more transaction partners, wherein values of the transactions executed with the one or more transaction partners are within a predetermined value range.
17. A server comprising:
a processor;
wherein the server is configured to:
receive a notification from a card reader identifying a lost account-linked card having account-linking information and which is associated with an account;
in response to receipt of the notification, create a flag in a database contained in a storage medium which stores data for the account, wherein the flag identifies the account-linked card as unauthorized;
in response to receipt of the notification, generate a virtual card having the account-linking information in the database, wherein the virtual card is authorized to be used to access the account;
in response to receipt of the notification, generate partner identifying information which identifies a set of authorized transaction partners, wherein each transaction partner has engaged in a transaction with the account within a predetermined time period; and
19. The server of claim 17, wherein the server is further configured to generate the set of authorized transaction partners based on a frequency of transactions with the account and a type of transaction with the account, wherein the type of transaction includes a card-present transaction and a card-not-present transaction.
20. The server of claim 17, wherein the server is further configured, in response to receipt of the notification, to send an alert to one of a mobile phone and a computer, the notification containing information about the virtual card.
Filed: Apr 25, 2019
Patent Grant number: 10853794
Inventors: Joshua EDWARDS (Philadelphia, PA), Michael MOSSOBA (Arlington, VA), Abdelkader BENKREIRA (Washington, DC)
International Classification: G06Q 20/34 (20060101); G06Q 20/40 (20060101);
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Bill Gates: 80 percent chance Vista will be ready in January
(AP) -- Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates said Tuesday there was an 80 percent chance the company's next-generation operating system, Vista, would be ready in January.
However, Gates said at a presentation in Cape Town to Microsoft software partners that he would delay the launch if beta testing uncovered shortcomings.
The Vista software has been subject to a number of delays. Beta users of software test products before their full commercial release in an effort to uncover problems.
"We got to get this absolutely right," Gates said. "If the feedback from the beta tests shows it is not ready for prime time, I'd be glad to delay it."
He said Microsoft was investing $8 billion to $9 billion in developing Vista and the company's next version of Office, its key cash-generator. He said the company's software partners, in developing and adapting their own products for the two launches, would invest 20 times as much as Microsoft.
Gates said he hoped the next version of Office would be ready in December.
The new Vista operating system will have speech and visual recognition tools and be backed by strong security measures, he said. It would move away from reliance on easy-to-crack passwords to greater reliance on visual identification and software shields on Internet attacks.
He said the new Office would include the biggest set of innovations in more than a decade, citing its ability to work on documents simultaneously over the Internet.
The biggest market for these products soon will be China, Gates said. He said China was already the world's No. 1 mobile phone market and he expected it to be the world's top PC, broadband and software market within a few years.
"Everybody needs to be in China," he said. "Even if only 20 percent of the population is IT-active," he said, this is a huge number given the country's 1.3 billion population.
China's piracy of Microsoft software will decline, he predicted, as China becomes a bigger producer of intellectual property and sees "it will benefit as much as us" by implementing strong intellectual-property protection. He expects the Chinese government - which accounts for what he said was 35 percent of the country's software sales - to buy all its software legally this year.
Gates is in South Africa to attend a Microsoft-sponsored forum of government leaders which gathers several African heads of state and former President Clinton in debates on how technology can improve the continent's competitiveness.
Gates and his wife, Melinda, also are visiting projects supported by their philanthropic organization, which has invested billions of dollars to fight diseases such as HIV-AIDS and malaria.
Shares of Microsoft dipped 8 cents to $23.42 in pre-market trading.
© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Price, date, games... PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X
Citation: Bill Gates: 80 percent chance Vista will be ready in January (2006, July 11) retrieved 20 January 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2006-07-bill-gates-percent-chance-vista.html
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What is ‘The Holborn Cenotaph’?
The following is draft back cover copy for a new edition of my short story ‘The Holborn Cenotaph’ that will be published to coincide with a reading at King’s College London for the Creativeworks London Festival on 29 April 2016.
At once a satirical performance, a protest and an act of radical remembrance—a memorial built in the mind—‘The Holborn Cenotaph’ is a short story by Tony White, that was inspired by artists Stuart Brisley and Maya Balcioglu’s ‘The Cenotaph Project’ (1987-1991). ‘The Holborn Cenotaph’ was originally written for and first performed by White at ‘The Cenotaph Project & the public sphere’ in the chapel at King’s College London, an event produced in collaboration with Balcioglu, Brisley and Dr. Sanja Perovic of King’s for Underground: Arts & Humanities Festival 2014. That event and the loose collaboration with Brisley et al that preceded it were made possible by White’s residency at King’s College London, funded by Creativeworks London.
Presented in the tradition of a Swiftian ‘modest proposal’, ‘The Holborn Cenotaph’ uses the language and performance of contemporary law enforcement and policy to frame a satirical proposition: that the high-rise tower of Holborn Police Station be decommissioned and converted into ‘a new Holborn Cenotaph, a 50-metre high, networked memorial’ the purpose of which is not immediately revealed. When the true nature and purpose of this digital memorial becomes apparent, the effect has been described by one audience member as ‘jaw-dropping’.
Since October 2014, White has given many readings of ‘The Holborn Cenotaph’, appearing at events and venues including London Radical Book Fair, Brixton Book Jam, Lit Crawl London 2015, The Contemporary Small Press Book Fair, London, In Yer Ear #10 and #15, The MAC in Belfast (with Brisley et al), Richard Strange’s ‘Cabaret Futura’, The Cornelius Foundation’s ART of Conversation supper club, Venice Agendas 15 at Turner Contemporary, Margate, Reading and Being Read at The British Library, and more.
A pamphlet edition of the full original text was first published by Piece of Paper Press for free distribution at readings through 2014-15, but is now out of print. This new, revised and more easily updateable script edition has been developed for the Creativeworks London Festival 2016.
Sign up to receive invites from me and my publishers and producers
No spoilers in this video extract of ‘The Holborn Cenotaph’ at Sylvia Plath Fan Club, 5 November 2015
Free all-day registration for the Creativeworks London Festival (N.B. attendance at some sessions may require an additional booking)
I am always happy to hear from anyone about a reading or a talk. See my events page for a word about bookings
Posted in artists’ books, author tony white, collaborations, events by Tony White, Festivals, fiction, fiction by tony white, forthcoming, Free, King's College London, literature festivals, Live art, live events, live literature, live readings, London, London fictions, london radical bookfair, Piece of paper press, protests, publishing, readings, readings by Tony White, residencies, short fiction by Tony White, short stories, short stories by Tony White, small presses, spoken word, stories by Tony White, story, Stuart Brisley, The Holborn Cenotaph, Tony White, visual artists, visual arts
Tagged with ART of Conversation supper club, artists books, author Tony White, Brixton Book Jam, events, fiction, fiction by Tony White, In Yer Ear, Lit Crawl London 2015, live literature, live readings, London, London Radical Book Fair, Reading and Being Read, readings, Richard Strange’s ‘Cabaret Futura’, short stories, short stories by Tony White, Stuart Brisley, Stuart Brisley and Maya Balcioglu, The British Library, THE CENOTAPH PROJECT AND THE PUBLIC SPHERE, The Contemporary Small Press Book Fair, The Cornelius Foundation, The Holborn Cenotaph, The MAC Belfast, Tony White, Turner Contemporary Margate, Venice Agendas 15, visual arts, Zara Lyness
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Return of The Holborn Cenotaph →
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Music, Reviews
“Ten Thousand Fists” by Disturbed
April 6, 2006 Ken Pierce Leave a comment
Artist: Disturbed
Title: “Ten Thousand Fists”
Label: Reprise Records
Genre: Heavy Metal
I remember the first time I heard of Disturbed, it was this weird “ooh wak ka ka ka ka” thing he did that stuck in my mind at first and then of course the quality of their music remained. Songs like “Down With The Sickness” and “The Game” had the band quickly establishing themselves a dedicated following. “Ten Thousand Fists” is probably the most traditional in the Hard Rock/Metal sense as there is little experimentation present and instead rock solid performance and song-writing. There is also very little of the synthesized sounds from the debut and previous effort as this record aims mainly at knocking you out with Hard Rock power. There are songs that call to mind the speeding train of Motorhead in their consistency and overall this proves that Disturbed has what it takes to keep the attention of an often wavering music audience. I enjoyed most of the album to be brutally honest and this does not happen for me all the time. I listen to too much music and so much crosses my path that giving CD’s more than the normal reviewers listen of a couple of spins is impossible. “Ten Thousand Fists” has remained close to my changer since I received it. Some of my most referred to tracks are the title itself, along with “Just Stop”, “Deify” and “Decadence”. I also liked “Guarded” since that was as close to vintage Metal as one could find present. The guys lend their style to the classic Genesis track “Land Of Confusion” which the Progressive fans will probably hate – but then again that is not the audience of Disturbed in most cases. However, this might spark some interest in Genesis themselves based on the band covering the song. The Disturbed rendition is closer than you might expect and does not do the original any disrespect. Photos lyrics and artwork make up the included booklet which features art by Todd McFarlane.
I never purchased the bands second album but I have to say that my exposure to them from the first album and this one makes me say this is so far the best of the three. There is an easy to enjoy feel to this album and Draiman (vocals) is on top across the whole album. The drumming of Mike Wengren is rock solid and the guitar work of Dan Donegan is on target on every song. If you are a fan of solid Hard Rock with a Metal twist mixed in then this is an album for you. I’m adding my fist to the number and now ten thousand one are raised in the air. Join us.
1. Ten Thousand Fists
2. Just Stop
3. Guarded
4. Deify
5. Stricken
6. I’m Alive
7. Sons Of Plunder
8. Overburdened
9. Decadence
10. Forgiven
11. Land Of Confusion
12. Sacred Lie
13. Pain Redefined
14. Avarice
Official Web site: www.disturbed1.com
album reviewsdan donegandave draimendisturbedjohn moyerreprise recordsten thousand fists
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Isaac Babbs
Isaac Babbs Overview
Isaac Babbs General Information
Mr. Isaac Babbs serves as Managing Director at MSG Securities. He is a Co-Founder and serves as Chief Executive Officer at Handmade Ventures. He also serves as an Industry Advisory Board Member at MobileForce Software. He is also an Angel Investor. He also served as Executive Advisor at Comprendi. He founded and was the Chief Executive Officer & Chairman of Tapatap. Prior, Mr. Babbs served as VP/GM at Infospace Mobile Games. Prior to his role at InfoSpace, he co-founded and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Atlas Mobile. He was also the president of Sorrent. Prior to Sorrent, he was an executive at Macromedia where he co-founded shockwave.com US and shockwave.com Japan.He served as Advisor at Immersv.
4151 North Mulberry Drive
Isaac Babbs Investments (1)
0000000 0000 00000 Media and Information Services (B2B) Out of Business
To view Isaac Babbs’s complete investments history, request access »
Isaac Babbs Exits (1)
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Isaac Babbs Investments by Industry, Year, and Region
Isaac Babbs Team (1)
Isaac Babbs Angel Investor Kansas City, MO
To view Isaac Babbs’s complete team members history, request access »
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Sales of video games soar as the coronavirus leaves millions trapped in their homes
Home > Dating > Sales of video games soar as the coronavirus leaves millions trapped in their homes
Posted on April 15, 2017 December 1, 2020 by
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It has everything you need to take your idea from concept to finished game. With no barriers to entry and powerful functionality, GameMaker Studio 2 is the ultimate 2D development environment! We have done everything possible to streamline the development process and give you all the resources you need to get started, meaning there are no limits to what you can achieve. Making games development accessible to everyone means taking away the barriers to getting started. Free Trial. View All Features. Requiring a big budget to create beautiful looking games is now a thing of the past.
London is one of the most diverse, vibrant and creative cities on the planet. Its games and interactive entertainment sector is no different, representing a true convergence of talent, art, creativity and culture. We run a programme of year-round support for games creators and games culture in the city. Skip to content. Making London the games capital of the world Navigation. Facebook page opens in new window Twitter page opens in new window Dribbble page opens in new window.
The focus lies on creating and publishing games for next gen consoles like Microsoft and publishers of high-quality games with employees from all over the world. We believe in making great games and being at the forefront of technological Save your saliva: Spitlings has a release date for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox.
Please note this article is from You can read about our games market estimates here. We forecast that 2. Mobile gaming will continue to be the largest segment following 10 years of double-digit growth since the first iPhone was launched in This means that for the first time, more than half of all game revenues will come from the mobile segment. In our latest update, we also present our forecasts for the global games market toward
Think like Batman. In the explosive finale to the Arkham series, Batman faces the ultimate threat against the city he is sworn to protect. Batman: Arkham Knight introduces Rocksteady’s uniquely designed version of the Batmobile, which is drivable for the first time in the franchise. The addition of this legendary vehicle, combined with the acclaimed gameplay of the Batman Arkham series, offers gamers the ultimate and complete Batman experience as they tear through the streets and soar across the skyline of the entirety of Gotham City.
Batman: Arkham City builds on the intense, atmospheric foundation of Batman: Arkham Asylum , sending players soaring into Arkham City, the new maximum security ‘home’ for all of Gotham City’s thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds. Set inside the heavily fortified walls of a sprawling district in the heart of Gotham City, this highly anticipated sequel introduces a brand-new story that draws together a new all-star cast of classic characters and murderous villains from the Batman universe, as well as a vast range of new and enhanced gameplay features to deliver the ultimate experience as the Dark Knight.
We’re here to make the most successful, genre-leading games for mobile and tablet devices A delightful infinity runner with over ten million downloads to date!
Are you ready to spin the slot machines on your way to the ultimate glory: The Iron Throne? Test your skill in one of the most immersive, free slot machine games to come out of the Seven Kingdoms. Attention Wordies! Setting a new standard in visuals, CSR 2 delivers hyper-real drag racing to the palms of your hands. Welcome to a land where you can merge all sorts of things in the world to evolve them into even more wondrous things!
We are headquartered in San Francisco and have additional offices in the U. S , Canada, U. K and India.
Your question may be answered by sellers, manufacturers, or customers who purchased this item, who are all part of the Amazon community. Please make sure that you are posting in the form of a question. Please enter a question. Surprise makeover game is the game of matching, collecting and dressing up in your exclusive L. Flip over the cards, make a match and pick your accessory.
All Rockstar titles – from new and forthcoming releases like Red Dead Redemption 2 to Grand Theft Auto V, L.A. Noire and the classics.
Our Partners. The Invictus Games Foundation has created a new video to encourage more members of the international wounded, injured or sick WIS armed forces community to sign up to We Are Invictus. Created for the community by members of the community, this platform is open to all WIS to take part, from all nations, not just […]. Key areas where technology, treatment and research can transform the lives of individuals after trauma are set out today in the conference report produced from a partnership between the Royal Society and the Invictus Games Foundation.
This unique event, held at the Society on 4 March , explored recent innovations in the field of trauma […]. Are you a regular cyclist? Or have you discovered the joy of cycling during lockdown? Why not use your hobby to make a difference by joining Team Invictus and taking on the virtual Prudential RideLondon this summer?
Atari was created by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney in and became a pioneer in arcade games, home video game consoles and home computers.
Whether an Xbox One X Enhanced game is set in the real world or an imaginary land like Middle-earth, the stunning level of detail allows you to lose yourself in a more immersive gaming experience. When you invest in premium new technology, you deserve high performance. Games that are Xbox One X Enhanced perform better, may have faster load times, and can have higher resolution.
Sudden changes in framerate can be jarring—taking you out of the game experience. Xbox One X Enhanced games can use the full power of the Xbox One X to be able to run at higher or steadier framerates. Games may not be available in all Xbox markets, and may have different release dates.
Platform: Nintendo The evil human uses Link to gain access to the Sacred Realm, where he places his tainted hands on Triforce and transforms the beautiful Hyrulean landscape into a barren wasteland. Link is determined to fix the problems he helped to create, so with the help of Rauru he travels through time gathering the powers of the Seven Sages. Metascore: User Score: 9.
We have a passion for creating products that lots of people all over the world will use. So far, we’ve focused on mobile: 20+ iOS apps and million downloads.
Survival games are an interesting collection of games. Virtually all games have a component where you can lose them game by dying. However, survival games make the act of staying alive the key component in the game. Call of Duty: Mobile is an excellent shooter with some survival elements. You get the usual array of multiplayer modes like deathmatch. However, it also includes a player battle royale where the goal is to literally outlive the rest of the participants.
That mode in a game like this is perfect for a list like this. Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is one of those diamond in the rough survival games. You start out with nothing and try to survive in a randomly generated world. You have monstrosities to defeat, stuff to collect, and a human to protect.
To place an order, your shipping address must be in this region. Any items in your cart will be removed. Si votre paiement n’est pas dans la devise correspondante, votre banque pourra vous facturer des frais de conversion.
Mobile Revenues Account for More Than 50% of the Global Games Market as PC gaming will generate $ billion, making it is the smallest.
Home Discussioni Workshop Mercato Trasmissioni. Cambia la lingua. Visualizza il sito web per desktop. Installa Steam. La nuovissima Libreria di Steam. Non hai Steam? Scaricalo qui. Benvenuto a casa. Quando dei giochi nella tua Libreria ricevono un aggiornamento o sono protagonisti di un evento, sarai il primo a saperlo! Premi il pulsante verde per tornare all’azione. Stai cercando di socializzare?
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Check out videos from Overwatch content creators where they share their stories and secrets. Slow down time, rain destruction from above in a jet-powered armor suit, or pilot a superpowered hamster ball: In Overwatch, every hero has a unique set of devastating abilities. Join the fight for the future in the ultimate team-based shooter. Find more information below about getting Overwatch on your preferred platform.
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Nintendo ‘s latest installment of its Animal Crossing franchise, titled New Horizon, was released on March 20 and sold more than 1. In the U. Piers Harding-Rolls, research director for games at Ampere Analysis, told CNBC in an email that the early sales figures were “an outperformance on prior expectations.
The latest tabletop games projects. Hamburg & Amsterdam kick off the Stefan Feld City Collection which will expand over many years to come! by Queen.
With some exceptions, the majority of the games follow the card battle gameplay of the real-life Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game. There are 56 in total. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia list article. Monster Capsule: Breed and Battle [a]. Duel Monsters [b]. JP : December 16, JP : July 8, Forbidden Memories. Monster Capsule GB [e]. JP : April 13,
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Baby born after car crash to couple who tried 10 years to get a child
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The lights of the oncoming car drew closer, swerving across the Warrensburg roadway and into their lane.
“What is this guy doing?” an alarmed Air Force Staff Sgt. Jevon McBride said.
The lights bore down. All that Jevon and his pregnant wife, Julie, had wanted to do that night, just after 9:30 p.m. on October 7 2016, was get a bite to eat at local restaurant.
Jevon, 32, had just finished working out at the gym. Julie had just finished a shift at the base day care.
At age 30, she was six months pregnant, and she and Jevon were going through one of the happiest periods of their lives.
Shock, happiness and overwhelmed, she wrote on the day she found out she was pregnant.
It had taken 10 years for the couple to have a pregnancy. Along the way: three miscarriages, hormone shots, disappointment, a thousand tears.
Then, on Mother’s Day, just as they were about to give up, maybe look at adoption or other options, she tested one last time.
He (Jevon) was so happy, her journal read. … He hugged me, we kissed and did a baby dance. He was also nervous, hoping the baby would stick.
No matter what happened, they agreed to chronicle everything. No matter how it turned out, this might be their last time.
But now this. The lights were upon them.
“Oh my God, baby, hold on!” Jevon shouted.
Metal twisted. Glass and airbags exploded. Jevon’s right femur and ankle shattered as the car’s front end crumpled. Julie could feel warm liquid pooling around her. She feared it was blood.
“Our father, who art in heaven,” she prayed. “… Save my baby. I don’t care if anything happens to me. Save my baby and Jevon.”
Human nature searches for certainty, raising hope or easing fear in anticipation of what lies ahead.
But now, several months after Julie and Jevon’s hopes and fears collided, they already have learned that sometimes the best you can do is to have faith, be positive and hold each other tight. Because no matter how you think a story will unfold, rarely does it go that way.
Knocked dizzy by the airbag, Jevon regained consciousness. Pain seared his right leg.
“Baby, you OK?” he called to Julie in the passenger’s seat. “Keep breathing. Stay calm.”
Back at home, Julie’s weekly journal was already full of the couple’s hopes as prospective parents.
Week 7: We’re still shocked. We’re so in love. Hubby and I keep watching our first ultrasound over and over … Glow, baby, glow. When you’re done glowing, glow some more.
Week 9: Nausea hit me out of nowhere. It’s tough and draining, but I’m SO happy to be pregnant and wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Then a scare arose — cramping, raising fears of a fourth miscarriage — that became a relief: a benign cyst.
Week 11: I’m still getting sick, but I don’t care. I love this baby so much.
She wrote about her upcoming gender-revealing party. The McBrides had been sure they were having a boy, but the baby was a girl. Friends made them a cake with a pink center to celebrate.
They took pictures of the baby’s room and, on Labor Day, were spotted by a Kansas City Star photographer standing amid acres of blooming sunflowers where they had come to take pictures of themselves with their ultrasound image. The Star photographer snapped their picture and stayed in touch, learning later about the wreck.
“We were so happy in that field,” Julie recalled last week.
They met at an Air Force base in Guam when Jevon was a 19-year-old airman, the only son of parents from Colorado. She was 17, one of four kids of two career Air Force parents — Jeffrey Day, now a lieutenant colonel, and Allison Day, a senior master sergeant.
They went on a date. Jevon, smitten, returned to the barracks and told his buddies, “She’s going to be my wife.”
They married two years later, in August 2005, eloping to the shock and initial dismay of their parents, who didn’t find out until it was over. “My mom called me — she was going crazy on the phone,” Jevon said. “Man, her mom was livid.”
Both had long dreamed of having a family and quickly began trying. It took 10 years, through tours in Italy and back in the States, to finally get their little “bean.”
Week 24, days before the accident: We’re so in love with each other and bean. Sometimes I call out to Jevon around the house and say, “Guess what?!?” He says, “What” and I say, “We’re having a baby.”
Then, at 25 weeks and four days: the crash. A teenager had taken his eyes of the road, perhaps falling asleep at the wheel, police said. No charges were filed.
Two ambulances sped to St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City. Jevon’s right femur had cracked in two places. His ankle was in shards. Julie had a concussion. The fluid she’d felt was not blood; her water had broken.
The baby still had a heartbeat, an ultrasound showed. But their story had forever changed: The baby, with a due date of Jan. 16, needed to come out by emergency cesarean section.
Her new birthday: October 8, 2016.
A nurse took a picture that shows Julie and Jevon lying side by side on separate hospital beds just before they go off to surgery — him for his leg, her for the C-section. In the moment, they are holding hands, praying for their baby’s life and health, and deciding on her name Juliana Charlotte Madison McBride.
Juliana after Julie’s grandmother. Charlotte for Jevon’s grandmother. And Madison, because, Julie told Jevon, it loosely meant “gift from God.”
“That was right before we let go of our hands,” Jevon recalled. “And after that, it was kind of calming. Gift from God: No matter what, this is our gift from God. We are going to work it out.”
“We can’t wait,” Julie said.
To be sure, there are issues.
Juliana spent most of her first 10 weeks in the ICU at St. Luke’s Hospital, with the McBrides living in the Ronald McDonald House. Tiny Juliana was seen nationwide before Christmas when the March of Dimes sent a photo of her, sleeping in her incubator and wrapped all in red like a present with a white bow and a tag reading “BELIEVE,” to the “Good Morning America” show as part of a piece on premature babies at St. Luke’s as precious “gifts.”
But on Dec. 12, Juliana was transferred to Children’s Mercy Hospital when it was determined that she needed neurosurgery. Doctors placed a shunt to relieve blood that was pooling on the left side of her brain.
Children’s Mercy physician Brian Carter, a professor of pediatric neonatology, said Juliana definitely suffered loss of oxygen and damage to her brain from the bleed. But the infant brain is quite resilient, with a remarkable ability in some cases to bypass damage and build new connections. Juliana could be impaired in some of her movements and coordination. She could have speech or hearing problems, on top of some sight problems, that are common among premature infants.
She will need therapies of different sorts. But she is healthy, Carter said, and it is far too early to predict the ways she can progress.
‘We’re a family’
Julie and Jevon share a deep faith. Julie also concedes to having had moments of intense worry and fear.
After Juliana’s birth, physicians couldn’t guarantee that the baby would live, but Julie trusted in God.
“I did have all the faith in the world,” she said. “I did want God to bring us through. I did want a miracle.”
But as a military wife, she also had witnessed families ripped apart in the face of difficulties. That she did not want. After Juliana’s birth, she went to Jevon’s hospital room.
“I told him, ‘Please, don’t let this break us. Please, let’s stay strong,’ ” she said.
She also questioned God and his intentions. After she became pregnant, Julie had gone to church to thank God for what she saw as that miracle. But then the crash, the emergency C-section, now a brain surgery. After three miscarriages, after 10 years of trying, why all this?
“It tore me to pieces to see our baby fight for life again,” Julie said. “I was like, ‘What is going on here, God? We believe in you, but how much can we take?’ I know that there is that saying, God doesn’t give you more than you can handle. But how strong can I be here? How much more can we take?”
Comfort and wisdom came from a devout friend who visited Julie after Juliana’s birth.
“She came to me,” Julie recalled last week, “and said, ‘God told me to tell you, you guys getting pregnant wasn’t the miracle. She (Juliana) is the miracle, and you guys are going to learn things from her. She’s the miracle.’ And I think she’s right.”
The McBrides have no idea what the future holds, where their story will go.
Julie, who spent a week in the hospital, still suffers from her concussion. Jevon spent a month at St. Luke’s. His leg and ankle are healing. He receives rehabilitation therapy. It’s too early to know what his injury means for his Air Force career.
What they do know:
“We’re a family,” Jevon said.
“The next chapter is coming,” Julie said. “I’m excited for the future. It’s a been a ride — high moments, low moments, but beautiful all the same. Every day, I go and see Juliana in the hospital. I always tell Jevon I’m so excited to see her today.”
In the Children’s Mercy ICU, Jevon stood near Julie and Juliana.
“This is amazing,” he said. “From day one, I couldn’t thank my wife enough for giving me this gift. I watch in amazement when she starts breastfeeding. I was in tears for what she was providing for our child.”
He spoke of the first bath, of holding his daughter, of being there for Julie and Juliana to make sure everything is OK.
“It’s been a journey,” he said. “We’ve been around the world together — seen so many things together. Now this.”
He raised his eyebrows and grinned. “Now I’m ready for number two,” he said.
Julie, with her daughter in her arms, giggled and smiled.
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Desert Island Discs with Fay Wolf
If you had to go away for awhile and you could only take five of your favorite albums with you, which ones would you choose? Yes, we know it isn’t a fair question, but that hasn’t stopped us from asking music fans who happen to be recording artists in their own right. This edition of Desert Island Discs comes courtesy of singer/songwriter Fay Wolf, whose next album, Spiders, is scheduled for release November 8. Visit Fay’s site for samples of his music — after reading her Desert Island picks, of course!
The National, High Violet
One of the most recent albums that I can put on repeat for days and never tire of. Sad songs are my thing. “Sorrow” and every other track reaaaally get me. Right in the heartbones.
Ween, Pure Guava
When I first heard this album at age 14, I was in utter shock. I’d never heard sounds put together like this. Too many favorite songs to list, but you gotta love any band that titles songs “Poop Ship Destroyer” or “Reggaejunkiejew.”
Joni Mitchell, Blue
Though I grew up with music around, no one ever introduced me to the Greats. So when I finally stumbled onto “Blue”, a little late to the game, my body exploded. Lately “California” holds a special place, as I’ve come to call Los Angeles my beloved home.
Falsettos, Original Cast Recording – by William Finn & James Lapine
A heart-twisting look at a Jewish family, their ins and outs and ups and downs, and the impact of the HIV/AIDS virus. But Finn & Lapine made it timeless and universal by never actually mentioning the name of the disease in the show. Because it wasn’t about the specifics of the epidemic. It was about how we all live and love. …And the harmonies? Forgetaboutit.
Ani DiFranco, Living in Clip
Ani is arguably my biggest influence, along with early Tori Amos. This double live album is a g.d. masterpiece. And funny too. The version of “Overlap” is almost too much to handle.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/MWBKUpmk4uQ" width="600" height="344" allowfullscreen="true" fvars="fs=1" /]
Desert Island Discs, Music
Desert Island Discs, fay wolf
Popdose Staff
Some days won't end ever, and some days pass on by. We'll be working here forever, at least until we die. Working for a living, living and working, taking what they're giving 'cause we're working for a living.
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Phnom Penh Post - Charges in strike violence surface
Charges in strike violence surface
Mom Kunthear and Shane Worrell | Publication date 03 September 2014 | 07:13 ICT
Protesters gather at a burning improvised roadblock on Veng Sreng Boulevard in Phnom Penh during clashes with police that turned deadly in January. Pha Lina
Wed, 3 September 2014
Mom Kunthear and Shane Worrell
A union leader has been charged with causing violence and destroying property during a garment strike that ended in security forces shooting dead at least five people on January 3, a court summons obtained yesterday shows.
Pav Sina, president of the Collective Union of Movement of Workers (CUMW), must appear in Phnom Penh Municipal Court for questioning on September 12 over the strike on the capital’s Veng Sreng Boulevard, the summons says.
“I, Chea Sokheang, an investigating judge … charge Pav Sina with intentional violence in aggravating circumstances, intentional damage and threats to damage and make an obstacle to traffic in front of the Canadia Industrial Park … between December 25, 2013, and January 3, 2014,” it reads.
Sina, who faces arrest if he does not attend the hearing, denied the charges and said court officials had told him that leaders of five other unions involved in the December and January minimum wage strikes would also be summonsed.
One of them, Ath Thorn, president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union (C.CAWDU), said he had not yet received a summons but expected to.
“I saw a complaint when I went to the court last week,” Thorn said. “I saw the summons; [an official] showed it to me.”
Thorn alleged that the Garment Manufacturers’ Association in Cambodia was behind the complaint.
“GMAC are representing more than 170 [factories],” he said.
In February, the Post reported that 170 factories had sought GMAC’s help to file lawsuits against a number of major independent or opposition-aligned unions.
Reached yesterday, GMAC Secretary-General Ken Loo said he didn’t know if the summons was related to GMAC’s complaint, but said the factories association “absolutely” wanted an outcome.
“I was called to the investigation last week,” he said. “We are asking the court to rule as to who should be responsible for the losses, who should be responsible for the violent demonstrations.”
Sokheang, the investigating judge, declined to comment, while prosecutors in the case could not be reached.
Sina said that neither he nor his members had attended the Veng Sreng strikes. The charges against him, he added, showed “the government’s intentions to frighten us as we continue our demands for a higher minimum wage”.
The charges follow recent minimum-wage talks involving major garment unions and come despite no results in a government investigation into the deadly violence of January 3 being made public.
“I’m disappointed with the authorities that they didn’t find the perpetrators who shot workers, but have instead turned their interests to the activities of those protecting the workers’ livelihoods,” Sina said.
When asked about the results of the government investigation, Khieu Sopheak, Ministry of Interior spokesman, said no further information would be released.
“We have already investigated, and it has already been approved,” he said.
Labour rights groups yesterday said they were shocked at the timing of the charges against Sina.
“It’s amazing. I can only assume there’s been a miscommunication [in the judicial system],” said Dave Welsh, country manager for Solidarity Center. “If this is the direction [the government] is taking, it’s the worst possible thing they can do. We seemed to have moved past this.”
Moeun Tola, head of the labour program at the Community Legal Education Center, said he believed the timing was “intentional”.
“The court is being used again as the minimum wage deadline nears.”
After demanding $160 per month during last year’s strikes, unions are this year asking for $177. The government’s Labour Advisory Council will rule on the increase in October, to be applied in January.
“If the LAC meeting does not satisfy [unions], then they will strike more,” Tola said.
Contact authors: Mom Kunthear and Shane Worrell
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ILLUMINATES OF THANATEROS PDF
Name The name "Thanateros" is a combination of the names " Thanatos " and " Eros "— the Greek gods of death and sex, respectively. The idea is that sex and death represent the positive and negative methods of attaining "magical consciousness". The word "Illuminates" is used in accordance with the claimed tradition of calling such societies — in which those who have mastered the secrets of magic help bring others to mastership — "the Illuminati ". History Early In the late s, Ray Sherwin and Peter Carroll , two young British occultists with a strong interest in ritual magic , began to publish a magazine called The New Equinox. Both men quickly became dissatisfied with the state of the magical arts and the deficiencies they saw in the available occult groups. So in they published a small announcement in their magazine proclaiming the creation of a new kind of magical order, one based on a hierarchy of magical ability rather than invitation, a magical meritocracy.
Author: Dazahn Gabar
Uploader: Yozshuzil
Some of the summonings seemed to set off a series of events whilst others seemed to not culminate when they were supposed to with the most intense visual experiences occurring at unscheduled times. The format I used was to summon the demon into a cauldron that would be placed at the centre of a circle of magicians with a triangle of art around it and a protective circle around that: cleansings would precede and follow each ritual. Incense was burnt inside the vessel in an incense burner placed over the sigil.
The first temple summoning of a Goetia entity was Ashtaroth. I like to use very unorthodox methods in my magic with a particular leaning towards the trappings of traditional witchcraft. The dutch pot is a particularly useful tool in witchcraft, lending itself to all sorts of sorcery; it appears very much like a traditional cauldron but with a flat floor it lends itself well to having sigils drawn inside it. We kept this up for 20 minutes. This ritual was reasonably intense but without any major effects during the summoning.
I myself have experience of Ashtaroth through my work with Exu Rei das sete Encruzilhadas, a powerful spirit who will intervene on the physical plane especially if etiquette is not properly observed, with a penchant for cigars and rum. A series of synchronicities did unfold in parallel with a Soror who was making offerings at the Crossroads for Lucifer in identical fashion to how I did for Exu: both entities being associated with Venus as the Morning Star.
A Tarot ritual preceding this did point out to me that paths would cross with this person in no uncertain terms- it did in the familiar challenging ways that I have come to expect when working with Exu. The second conjuration was out in the country with a group of magicians and it was Asmodeus this time.
I brought my dutch pot and the ritual was preceded by a thorough cleansing ritual performed by a very competent magician and he did it in the manner as set out in the grimoires. The ritual completed at exactly the stroke of midnight and we had some insightful visions. For my third demonic conjuration I would break-away from traditional goetia-type work altogether and loosely follow the ritual as outlined in a book called The Rites of Astaroth. In principle I would have no objections to trading my soul to Astaroth: is it not the case that practically every religion requires its adherents to dedicate their soul to the object of their adoration anyway but dressed up in different words?
I made a few adjustments but the rite is performed from the full moon to the new moon in a very left-hand path fashion. I made offerings of my own blood on each day of the rite and made a point of learning the conjuration from Grimorium Verum off by heart: mastering it by the day of the actual rite.
The blood offerings were astoundingly powerful! I had ordered a sigil that was laser-branded onto wood and that I was wearing around my neck. I pricked my finger each day that I conjured Astaroth using sterile diabetic lances and anointed this talisman. There is something very primal and potent about letting your own blood, even if it is only such a tiny amount. The discomfort, the psychic link and the vital energy all help strengthen the magic. This was a revelation to me!
I timed it so that I could have the weekend off on a river-boat. The climax of the ritual would be to summon Astaroth as a demoness or entity of the opposite gender and to consummate the ceremony sexually.
Astaroth is historically associated with Astarte and Ishtar and mentioned in the Bible as such, so it makes perfect sense in this context. My feeling throughout was that Astaroth is female or at least gender-fluid. I do much of my magic whilst working at my job as a gardener. Michael Bertiaux discussed the fact that many of the African slaves would do their sorcery whilst labouring in the fields in his Voudon Gnostic Workbook and I took my inspiration from this.
I use the time that I do monotonous work to also do magic or to learn lines off by heart. During the time that led up to the ritual when I was learning the conjuration, Ashtaroth seemed to manifest very intensely. This would in retrospect have been the correct time to have consummated the ritual as outlined in the book but I wanted to keep to the schedule.
I had intense visions and instructions on how to draw up a pact and what should be included. I also had an intense dream that I had impregnated a black woman who would have our baby and it was going to be called Cressida.
I had no idea what the significance of the name was until I researched it. Cressida was the daughter of the seer Calchas in Greek mythology. The book has a ritual for creating a magical child and it seemed that I was on my way of having done so already.
The name has become a word of power for me with some weird effects when I intone it. When I say the name I feel like a female spirit superimposes its body astrally over mine. When the actual day of the ritual arrived I headed out of London with my shamanic drum and a sacrament expecting a night of drumming and conjuring. I did actually draw up a pact with clauses to ensure that I get to know Astaroth a lot better before commending my soul to her.
The ritual itself ended up being unspectacular. I was not ready for an all night session of drumming so I decided to keep the sacrament for another day in the future — maybe after my nine-month pact comes round. I intoned the conjuration that I had learnt times and did a good amount of drumming. Astaroth did hear me and I have come away from this rite with a new method of magic that I will be experimenting with based on my experience with The Rites of Astaroth.
E3X NM11 PDF
Illuminates of Thanateros
Some of the summonings seemed to set off a series of events whilst others seemed to not culminate when they were supposed to with the most intense visual experiences occurring at unscheduled times. The format I used was to summon the demon into a cauldron that would be placed at the centre of a circle of magicians with a triangle of art around it and a protective circle around that: cleansings would precede and follow each ritual. Incense was burnt inside the vessel in an incense burner placed over the sigil. The first temple summoning of a Goetia entity was Ashtaroth.
IVAN BAYROSS HTML PDF
This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia view authors. The idea was first announced in , while the order proper was formed in Contents [ show ] Name The name "Thanateros" is a combination of the names "Thanatos" and "Eros"— the Greek gods of death and sex, respectively. The idea is that sex and death represent the positive and negative methods of attaining "magical consciousness". Both men quickly became dissatisfied with the state of the magical arts and the deficiencies they saw in the available occult groups.
CT5880 DATASHEET PDF
Categoría: Illuminates Of Thanateros
Name[ edit ] The name "Thanateros" is a combination of the names " Thanatos " and " Eros "— the Greek gods of death and sex, respectively. The idea is that sex and death represent the positive and negative methods of attaining "magical consciousness". The word "Illuminates" is used in accordance with the claimed tradition of calling such societies — in which those who have mastered the secrets of magic help bring others to mastership — "the Illuminati ". Early[ edit ] In the late s, Ray Sherwin and Peter Carroll , two young British occultists with a strong interest in ritual magic , began to publish a magazine called The New Equinox. Both men quickly became dissatisfied with the state of the magical arts and the deficiencies they saw in the available occult groups. So in they published a small announcement in their magazine proclaiming the creation of a new kind of magical order, one based on a hierarchy of magical ability rather than invitation, a magical meritocracy.
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Receiving Property Obtained From Trafficking Dangerous Drugs
Potts Lawyers > Drug Offences Queensland > Receiving Property Obtained From Trafficking Dangerous Drugs
The following drug charge article was written by a practicing criminal lawyer with experience in drug charges. For information on other drugs charges, visit our Drug Charges home page.
What the law says
Section 7 (1) of the Drug Misuse Act 1986 provides that a person who receives or possesses property, other than a dangerous drug, (offence property) obtained, directly or indirectly, from the commission the offences of trafficking or supplying a dangerous drug (see sections 5 and 6 of the Drugs Misuse Act or equivalent sections where the offences were committed) knowing or believing the property to have been so obtained, is guilty of a crime.
Subsection (2) extends the offence to include any such property which has been obtained via drug offences, but then mortgaged or converted, either wholly or in part, where the person has knowledge of its origins and conversion.
What the police must prove
In order for the Police to prove their case at Court, they must prove each of the following matters beyond a reasonable doubt.
That the accused “received or possessed”. Under section 7(3) for the purpose of proving the receiving of property it is sufficient to show that the accused person has, either alone or jointly with some other person, aided in concealing the property or disposing of it. In order to prove possession it will be necessary for the police to prove knowledge on the part of the accused.
That the property was obtained from the commission of the offence (See the Trafficking and Supplying articles on this website);
knowledge and belief of the accused that this was drug offence related property;
It will be necessary for the Police in every offence to prove that the accused was the person who committed the offence.
Maximum penalty
The maximum penalty is 20 years imprisonment.
Which court will hear the matter
The offence will be indictable and will be heard in the Supreme Court.
Possible defences
Possible defences to this offence include but are not limited to:
Not receiving or possessing the property- (eg. Not sufficient control or knowledge)
Lack of knowledge as to the origins of the property
That the property was not obtained from the supply or trafficking in a drug
Important Note: Property can also be restrained and confiscated under the Crimes Confiscation of Profits Act.
The dangerous drug is specified in the Drugs Misuse Regulation, schedule 1; and
Is of or exceeds the quantity specified in schedule 4.
25 years imprisonment
Is of or exceeds the quantity specified in schedule 3 but is less than the quantity specified in schedule 4; and
The accused satisfies the Court that they were a drug dependent person at the time of committing the offence. 20 years imprisonment
The accused does not satisfy the Court that they were a drug dependent person at the time of committing the offence. 25 years imprisonment
Is of or exceeds the quantity specified in schedule 3. 20 years imprisonment
The dangerous drug is specified in the Drugs Misuse Regulation, schedule 1 or 2; and
Is less than the quantity specified in schedule 3. 15 years imprisonment
Who is a drug dependent person?
A drug dependent person is someone who, as a result of repeated drug use, demonstrates impaired control or drug-seeking behaviour that suggests impaired control over their continued use of the drug.
They also suffer, or are likely to suffer, mental or physical distress or disorder, when the drug use ceases.
What are the quantities in Schedules 3 and 4?
The specified quantities listed in schedules 3 and 4 of the Drugs Misuse Regulation are relevant to the penalty (see above).
Some examples of schedules 3 and 4 quantities include:-
Schedule 1 drugs
Drug Schedule 3 Schedule 4
Amphetamine 2.0g 200g
Cocaine 2.0g 200g
Lysergide (LSD) 0.004g 0.4g
Methylamphetamine 2.0g 200g
MDMA (ecstasy) 2.0g 200g
Drug Schedule 3
Cannabis 500g
Are there any defences open to me if I am charged with possessing a dangerous drug?
There are a number of defences to a charge of possessing dangerous drugs. These include:
that the drug was not a dangerous drug;
mistake of fact (i.e. that you had an honest and mistaken belief that it was not a dangerous drug); and
duress (i.e. that you were not acting with free will).
If I am charged with possessing a dangerous drug, which court will my matter be in?
Possessing a dangerous drug is an indictable offence if the prosecution are alleging that you were in possession of the dangerous drug for a commercial purpose. If this is the case, the matter will be heard in the Supreme Court.
If it is not alleged that the drugs were possessed for a commercial purpose, the prosecution may elect to have the matter dealt with summarily, which means that the matter will be heard in the Magistrates Court.
Am I eligible for Drug Diversion?
Section 122A of the Drugs Misuse Act states that:-
The court may, if the person is eligible under the Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000, section 379 to be offered an opportunity to attend a drug diversion assessment program, order the person to attend, and complete, a drug diversion assessment program as directed by a police officer.
Drug Diversion includes a combined assessment, education and counselling session with a qualified health service provider. Attending a Drug Assessment and Education Session means that you will not have a conviction recorded for the minor drug offence. Drug diversion may be offered twice.
You are eligible to be offered to attend a drug diversion assessment program if you:-
Are charged with a minor drug offence; and
Have not committed another indictable offence in circumstances that are related to the minor drug offence; and
Have not previously been sentenced to serve a term of imprisonment for an offence of trafficking, supplying, or producing dangerous drugs, or trafficking in relevant substances or things ; and
Have not previously been convicted of an offence involving violence against a person or, if you have been convicted of an offence involving violence against a person, the rehabilitation period under the Criminal Law (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act 1986 has expired; and
Have admitted to committing the minor drug offence during an electronically recorded interview; and
Have not been offered the opportunity to attend a drug diversion assessment program.
Eligible drug offences include:-
Possessing dangerous drugs; and
Possession of anything used in connection with the administration, consumption or smoking of a dangerous drug or used in connection with such a purpose.
For each dangerous drug mentioned in the charge, the quantity of the substances containing the dangerous drug must be less than the prescribed quantity. The prescribed quantity of common dangerous drugs include:-
Drug Prescribed quantity
Amphetamine 1.0g
Cocaine 1.0g
Lysergide (LSD) 0.00004g (3 tickets/tabs)
Methylamphetamine 1.0g
MDMA (ecstasy) 1.0g
Cannabis 50g
Do I need a lawyer if I am charged with possession of a dangerous drug?
A conviction for possessing dangerous drugs (even small amounts of drugs) is a serious matter that can have a major impact on your life and future. We strongly recommend that you talk to one of our lawyers, who can assist you by:-
Advising on your prospects of contesting a charge;
Guiding you through the court process;
Negotiating with the prosecution;
Suggesting ways to reduce penalty and the impact on your future;
Reducing some of your stress by answering the difficult questions; and
Appearing for you in court.
If you have been charged with this offence or any other type of drug offence, contact our experienced criminal lawyers for advice today.
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Home Uncategorized Harper raises awareness, funds
Harper raises awareness, funds
Miss Minden draws attention to philanthropy and local businesses
Hannah Harper may have been crowned Miss Minden in January, but her work is far from over.
Every Miss America Organization local titleholder works to raise money for the organization’s philanthropic partner, the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Beginning March 31, Harper will be taking this fundraising one step further by combining it with promotion of local businesses across Webster Parish.
“I am launching a campaign to visit and promote the glue that holds our precious communities together, the local Webster Parish businesses, while raising funds for CMN,” she said.
Harper’s first stop will be Family Fun Day at the new Springhill Recreational Complex March 31. In the following months she will also hold “Princess Parties” at local restaurants and “Meet Miss Minden” days at businesses across the parish. These events will generate funds for the Children’s Miracle Network while simultaneously drawing attention to the host businesses.
The closest CMN location is the Christus Shreveport-Bossier Health System in Shreveport. Every day, CMN hospitals treat an average of 16,000 children in the ER, 2,218 children with cancer, and more.
“CMN is important to me because it is important to share our blessings with others, leaving those we spend time with better for having been in our presence,” Harper said.
Harper explained what events like “Princess Parties” and “Meet Miss Minden” days will look like.
“Be on the lookout for Princess Parties soon, where your little girl can dress up and have a tea party with Miss Minden at local restaurants at both ends of the parish,” she said. “Also look for Meet Miss Minden Day, where I will be visiting local businesses and taking pictures with the products, customers, and business owners for social media promotion at both ends of the parish.”
The North Webster “Meet Miss Minden” day is scheduled for April 27. This event will be in conjunction with Springhill Main Street and the Springhill North-Webster Chamber of Commerce. A “Meet Miss Minden” day at Geaux Fresh in Minden is also being planned for a day in April to be announced.
Anyone interested in these events can stay informed of updates by following the “Miss Minden & Miss Minden’s Outstanding Teen” Facebook page.
“It is my deep desire to use the position of Miss Minden to bless our community as well as the sick and injured children who need the services of CMN hospitals,” Harper said.
Those interested in giving can also donate directly to Harper’s CMN fund at http://missamericaforkids.org/donate/hannahharper.
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Home Technology Android Galaxy S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra are here with new design...
TechnologyAndroid
Galaxy S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra are here with new design and $200 cheaper price
Samsung’s new lineup includes (from left) the $800 Galaxy S21, $1,000 Galaxy S21 Plus and $1,200 Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Drew Evans/CNET
This story is part of CES, where our editors will bring you the latest news and the hottest gadgets of the entirely virtual CES 2021.
Samsung’s new Galaxy S21 lineup is here. And the new Galaxy S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra have plenty to attract would-be buyers, including new designs and $200 shaved off the starting price of their predecessors.
The South Korean electronics giant on Thursday, during its first virtual Unpacked event of the year, showed off its three new phones: the $800 Galaxy S21, the $1,000 Galaxy S21 Plus and the $1,200 Galaxy S21 Ultra. (In the UK, the S21 will start at £769, just £30 cheaper than the S20.) It also unveiled new $200 earbuds, called the Galaxy Buds Pro; $30 Tile-like Galaxy SmartTags that can track nonelectronic items like pets; and a $40 S Pen accessory. The event took place on the last day of this year’s CES and more than a month earlier than normal.
Samsung’s Galaxy S21 lineup is packed with refinements to the cameras, displays and 5G capabilities. The new phones feature a redesign that accentuates the camera lenses on their backs while linking them with their metal frames, something Samsung calls “Contour Cut Camera” housing. The base amount of storage for all of the S21 models is 128GB, and Samsung boosted the photo and video capabilities for vloggers and others.
The lower price is a nod to the realities of the world, with the coronavirus pandemic shutting down many global economies and eliminating millions of jobs. Smartphones, serving as a lifeline to friends and co-workers, remain one of the few essential gadgets. This is also one of the first phones in a few years that didn’t introduce a brand new technology like 5G, which often justifies a premium.
“In 2021, our top priority is to bring the benefit of technology to more people,” TM Roh, the head of Samsung’s mobile communication business, said in a statement, calling the Galaxy S21 series “the most powerful and versatile flagship lineup ever.”
On the other end of the spectrum, the S21 Ultra is designed for people who want the “best of the best.” It features a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display, Samsung’s best camera of the S21 lineup with four back lenses, and Corning’s scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and back. The S21 and S21 Plus have 6.2- and 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x displays, respectively, and Gorilla Glass Victus on the front. The S21 Plus also has the glass on the back, while the regular S21 features a plastic polycarbonate backing. Both have three camera lenses on the back.
This year, Samsung has brought support for its S Pen, a hallmark of the Galaxy Note lineup, to its Galaxy S family for the first time. Of the three new phones, only the S21 Ultra works with the S Pen, and it comes as a separate accessory that costs $40 for just the pen or $70 when bundled with a specially designed case that stores the stylus. Users can’t stow the S Pen away inside the S21 Ultra like they can with Note, but they can use their old Note styluses with the S21 Ultra. The new accessory doesn’t work with gestures or many of the other features found in the Note’s S Pen, which likely means the Note line isn’t dead quite yet.
The new phones come as Samsung faces a tougher market for 5G phones. When the Galaxy S20 lineup hit the market a year ago, there still were relatively few 5G phones available, and they weren’t cheap. Now competition is fierce. Prices for 5G phones go as low as $300 in the US, and virtually all companies sell 5G models. Every phone in Apple’s iPhone 12 lineup from late 2020 came with 5G by default, something that was expected to help the technology go mainstream. At the same time, the world continues to grapple with a pandemic that’s limiting budgets for new gadgets.
Samsung made the decision to drop the starting price of its new phones by $200 because of a few factors. Components like 5G processors, displays and camera modules now cost less because Samsung has such a high volume of those parts in devices across its portfolio. The company also made some minor trade-offs in its S21 and S21 Plus devices, like lowering the base level of RAM to 8GB from 12GB.
“For people who want the highest-end, Ultra experience, we still have that, and we’re not sacrificing [the features] based on price point,” Drew Blackard, Samsung Electronics America’s vice president of product management, said in an interview ahead of Unpacked. “For people who want value and an amazing flagship experience at the same time, we still have a great offering for them with the S21. And then we’ve got something kind of in between for people who want a little bit of both.”
The existence of the Ultra is a reminder that not everyone feels the impact of the pandemic equally.
“The people that are buying an S21 Ultra are not feeling the pressure of the pandemic,” Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi said. Samsung “could have decided that maybe [its] entry product was going to be cheaper but leave the two flagships more expensive. But it’s not doing that.”
Preorders for the phones begin Thursday at 8 a.m. PT, and the phones hit stores on Jan. 29. The Galaxy Buds Pro are available Thursday on Samsung.com and will be at other retailers on Friday. People who preorder the phones get up to $200 in Samsung credit and also get a free Galaxy SmartTag. In addition, carriers are offering promotions, like AT&T’s offer for up to $800 off when trading in an eligible device and purchasing the new phone on a 30-month installment plan.
One of the biggest differentiators for the Galaxy S21 Ultra over the S21 and S21 Plus is the camera. The pricier device comes with four cameras on the back — ultra-wide, wide and dual tele-lenses — and an upgraded 108-megapixel sensor. That allows users to capture 12-bit HDR photos with 64 times richer color data and more than three times wider dynamic range. In other words, sharper, better photos.
“When designing the Galaxy S21, we thought about how people use their cameras today,” Stephen Hawke, director of product management for Samsung Electronics America, said during a briefing with reporters ahead of Unpacked. “For instance, there are those fleeting moments when you just don’t have time to think about the perfect mode or setting to capture a shot, let alone switch to recording video. We need our phones to do all this for us. With a Galaxy S21, you get photos and videos with the simplicity of point and shoot.”
When it comes to video, the Ultra enables users to shoot in 4K at 60fps across all lenses, including those on the front, meaning they can shift to different perspectives with the same quality. A new feature called Director’s View lets you see a scene from multiple perspectives simultaneously, while Vlogger View lets you shoot with the front and rear cameras at the same time. Pro Mode lets users capture images in a 12-bit raw file format to make it easier to edit the images later.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra has four camera and laser autofocus on the back.
The S20 Ultra features 100x Space Zoom, like its predecessor, but in this year’s phone is a new feature called Zoom Lock that keeps the camera focused on an object for a clearer picture. Samsung said it provides “tripod-like stability with an AI-powered stabilizer.” Space Zoom on the S21 Ultra is powered by Samsung’s first dual-tele-lens system, which is one optical 3X zoom for midrange and one optical 10x zoom for long-range. Both have dual pixel autofocus to capture ultra clear shots.
Low-light photography also gets a boost in the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Samsung improved its Bright Night sensor and Night Mode to reduce noise and capture challenging shots like dimly lit rooms or landscapes at night.
The Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus both have three rear cameras in ultra-wide, wide and tele-lens. They feature 30X Space Zoom with Zoom Lock, as well as Director’s View and Vlogger View. Portrait Mode gets a boost from AI, which provides options for virtual studio light and effects to make the subject pop from the frame — with both the rear cameras and the front-facing selfie lens.
Samsung has improved its 8K Snap feature to let users grab clear images from 8K video footage, and its Super Steady Video records at an “improved” 60fps. The new Galaxy S21 phones also feature Multi-Mic Recording when paired with the new Galaxy Buds Pro, letting users record with their camera mic and earbuds mic at the same time.
All phones in the Galaxy S21 lineup in the US come with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 888 processor and integrated 5G modem. The new Snapdragon chip is more effective at connecting to all flavors of 5G, from the slower, more reliable nationwide variant offered by all the US carriers, or the speedier but more finicky millimeter wave version touted by Verizon, and boasts peak download speeds of 7.5 Gbps and upload speeds of 3Gbps.
The new processor with its integrated modem is “really important,” Technalysis Research analyst Bob O’Donnell said. By being able to combine different types of 5G airwaves together, there’s a “huge potential increase in performance in 5G,” he said.
The Galaxy S21 Plus gets a bigger battery — 4,800 mAh versus 4,500 in the S20 Plus — while the S21 stays steady with 4,000 mAh and the S21 Ultra retains its 5,000 mAH battery.
Also under the hood, or rather the display, is an improved fingerprint sensor from Qualcomm. The chip giant on Monday unveiled the second generation of its 3D Sonic Sensor that’s 50% faster and 77% bigger than the previous generation, making it easier for people to to unlock their devices using their fingerprints. Along with making it simpler to know where to place a finger, the larger size also allows the technology to collect 1.7 times more biometric data, speeding up the unlock time.
Discover the latest news and best reviews in smartphones and carriers from CNET’s mobile experts.
Samsung also included ultra wideband, or UWB, technology in the Galaxy S21 Plus and S21 Ultra. The technology lets a user pinpoint the exact location of phones, key fobs and tracking tags, helping them find lost dogs or automatically unlock their car. UWB calculates precise locations by measuring how long it takes super-short radio pulses to travel between devices. (Note: It’s different from the Ultra Wideband terminology Verizon uses for its mmWave 5G network.)
Samsung will eventually have UWB in its Galaxy SmartTags, but the first version available will use Bluetooth Low Energy. The company didn’t yet say when the UWB version will be available or how much it will cost, but it sees big opportunities for UWB in the future, especially as it tries to control the smart home.
“We recently launched SmartThings Find to help you quickly and easily locate your Galaxy devices, even when offline,” KJ Kim, chief technology officer and head of mobile R&D for Samsung, said in a statement. “We took this a step further with Galaxy S21 Plus and S21 Ultra, which use expanded UWB capabilities to utilize the AR finder so you can send virtual messages to other Galaxy users during your search.”
He added that Samsung has formed partnerships with “major car companies” to provide “a next-generation car experience starting this summer.”
And out
The phones in the Galaxy S21 lineup all feature a matte finish that helps minimize fingerprints. In the US, the Galaxy S21 Ultra comes in phantom black and phantom silver, and it has four possible configurations. The silver only comes with 128GB of storage and 12GB RAM, while the black has 128GB or 256GB of storage with 12GB RAM, and a monster 512GB model with 16GB RAM.
The S21 Plus and S21 have some brighter color options, including phantom violet and phantom pink, the latter of which is only in the S21. There are two storage options for those phones, either 128GB or 256GB, both with 8GB RAM.
Samsung’s Galaxy S21 (left), Galaxy S21 Plus (center) and Galaxy S21 Ultra hit stores Jan. 29.
Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant again makes an appearance in the S21 lineup, but its button can be remapped to other tasks. It’s also integrated into SmartThings, Samsung’s smart home control app.
The S21 Ultra has some advantages when it comes to the screen. All three use Samsung’s Infinity-O Displays, are HDR10+ certified and have an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate that automatically adjusts based on what the users is doing, but the Ultra has a resolution of 3,200×1,440, while the other two are 2,400×1,080.
The Ultra also has a Quad HD+ display — versus flat, full HD+ in the S21 and S21 Plus — and “the best, brightest display ever,” Samsung’s Hawke said. He noted the picture is 25% brighter than in the S21 and S21 Plus. The Ultra also has a 50% improved contrast ratio to deliver clear, immersive images, even when outdoors, and a brighter screen
“This is going to make content really pop, especially high dynamic range content,” said Techsponential analyst Avi Greengart. “People will be able to use it outdoors without [the screen] getting washed out.”
For Samsung, the hope is that its lineup has something for everyone.
“When it comes to shopping for new smartphones, first and foremost, people want choice,” Samsung’s Blackard said. “That is both in terms of features and in terms of price points. So we’re really committed to driving a range of different devices that offer what we think is that diversity of needs that’s in the market today.”
This article is auto-generated by Algorithm Source: www.cnet.com
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Entertainment 13 New Christmas Movies We'll Be Watching on Hallmark This Holiday Season
16:10 26 november 2020 Source: sheknows.com
Disney Singalong Return and “Reimagined” Disney Parks Special Highlight ABC Holiday Programming Lineup
ABC is getting into the yuletide spirit, announcing its slate of holiday programming that includes the return of The Disney Family Singalong franchise, with new special The Disney Holiday Singalong. It’s set to air Monday, November 30 at 8 PM. The Singalong franchise has been a strong ratings driver for the network. Earlier this year, The Disney Family Singalong and The Disney Family Singalong: Volume II drew in a combined 22.3 million Total Viewers after 35 days of delayed viewing on linear and digital platforms. Performers and additional details for The Disney Holiday Singalong will be announced in the coming weeks.
Where can you watch Christmas movies ? Thanksgiving edit: UPtv also has ten new TV movies this holiday season , so in case you scoffed at this list’s mere 81 new Christmas originals, we ’re now at 91. Nostalgic Christmas ( Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, October 31 at 9 p.m.): Infraction A
At Christmas season , Hannah comes for a check for goods from her bakery/cafe and finds Larry shot dead. Her detective friend tells her in vain to stay out of the investigation. This holiday romance is based on the incredible story about organ donor Chris Dempsey and recipient Heather Krueger, who
Chrissy Teigen is scaling back her family's Thanksgiving meal this year.
© Provided by People Kevin Mazur/MTV1415/WireImage John Legend and Chrissy Teigen
The Cravings author — who's traditionally the queen of side dishes — tells PEOPLE she and her husband John Legend are shifting their focus away from food for the holiday.
"I just don't have it in me! I've been doing this for 10 years with John and his family now, and I think I've gotten a little tired of just seeing so much food go to waste. I go way too hard with way too many sides," says Teigen, 34.
"We're just going to do the staples, and it's going to be beautiful and we're going to watch football," she adds. Says Legend, 41: "We're downsizing a little bit!"
Target Just Dropped Thousands of Holiday Decorations Starting at $3
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The holiday movie canon has expanded exponentially since the era of A Charlie Brown Christmas and Rankin-Bass stop-motion films. However, many of us have reached somewhat of a Gift of the Magi-esque dilemma in recent years. While streaming services have exponentially expanded the
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without Hallmark ’s onslaught of red-and-green revelry, so we 10 Funniest Christmas Movies if You Want The Holiday Season to Start, Like, Yesterday. While you’re watching some Disney+ Halloween flicks this month, it might be time to scroll through new TV shows
The couple — who are doting parents to daughter Luna, 4, and son Miles, 2 — are partnering with McDonald's to help give back to other families with critically ill or injured children through Ronald McDonald House Charities and say they're just happy to be with loved ones this year.
Gallery: BiP's Krystal Nielson and Boyfriend Miles Bowles’ Relationship Timeline (US Weekly)
© Provided by People Chrissy Teigen/Instagram Chrissy Teigen and John Legend with Luna and Miles
RELATED: John Legend Says He's Most 'Thankful' for Chrissy Teigen This Year: 'She's Been So Courageous'
"We're making it much more about enjoying the time with [family]," says Teigen. "I don't want to wake up at 4 in the morning the entire week anymore to get [the meal] done. I want to enjoy the meal with my family while they're enjoying it."
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Roger Wiebe of Edmonton and his wife are cancelling Christmas this year because they can't afford it. Weibe said he lost his job at a medical supply warehouse in June due to a COVID-19-related work slowdown. His wife, a legal assistant, lost her job in February. Neither has been able to land another job as the pandemic drags on, and they're struggling. "We can't afford presents or anything like that," said Wiebe. "I don't even think we're goingWeibe said he lost his job at a medical supply warehouse in June due to a COVID-19-related work slowdown. His wife, a legal assistant, lost her job in February.
This year is gayer than ever, with everything from 'Happiest Season ' on Hulu to new LGBTQ-led TV movies on Hallmark and Lifetime. The LGBTQ community is finally getting its chance to shine this holiday season , thanks to several new , inclusive films, series and specials coming out between
Movies or TV. IMDb Rating. In Theaters. A boy inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town. Her holiday spirit inspires those around her, something her disheartened father is having trouble
From now through Dec. 31, McDonald's will give $100 as part of a $100 million commitment over the next five years for each photo or video posted to Instagram, Twitter, TikTok or Facebook using #HereForRMHC.
"There are all kinds of families that face health challenges with their kids. A lot of times you have to relocate to go to the nearest children's hospital, which might be hours away from where you live. A lot of families can't afford to do that, and Ronald McDonald House is there for them," says Legend about the organization's impact.
"Imagine how scary it is for a child to be alone at the hospital. I'm a grown adult, and I can't fathom John not being with me, and my mom. It's completely unfair," adds Teigen. "It's just so beautiful to see that it doesn't take much when we are all able to come together. That's a really beautiful, wonderful, special thing."
© Kevin Mazur/MTV1415/WireImage John Legend and Chrissy Teigen
Make your own Christmas scents: 5 simple instructions .
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Where can you watch Christmas movies ? Thanksgiving edit: UPtv also has ten new TV movies this holiday season , so in case you scoffed at this list’s mere 81 new Christmas originals, we ’re now at 91. Nostalgic Christmas ( Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, October 31 at 9 p.m.): Infraction A www.vulture.com
Hallmark Christmas Movies - IMDb
At Christmas season , Hannah comes for a check for goods from her bakery/cafe and finds Larry shot dead. Her detective friend tells her in vain to stay out of the investigation. This holiday romance is based on the incredible story about organ donor Chris Dempsey and recipient Heather Krueger, who www.imdb.com
55 Best Christmas Movies of All Time - Best Christmas Films Ever
The holiday movie canon has expanded exponentially since the era of A Charlie Brown Christmas and Rankin-Bass stop-motion films. However, many of us have reached somewhat of a Gift of the Magi-esque dilemma in recent years. While streaming services have exponentially expanded the www.esquire.com
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This Holiday Season on Hallmark Movies Now, feel good movies that will warm your heart including: Engaging Father Christmas , Ice Sculpture Christmas
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Thanks to Hallmark , Christmas will be even more special this year with the release of 37 new movies during 2018. With Christmas Eve approaching, we 've rounded up the top 10 films you' ll need to watch this holiday season to get you into that Christmas 9. Jingle Belle. Read also. Dec 13 , 2018.
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Bitdefender vs Avast – Who Comes Out On Top in 2021 [Review and Comparison]
Antivirus software. While it seems like people have been talking about it for as long as one computer has been connected to another, it’s more important than ever in 2020.
If you’re in the market for the best software to keep your computer safe from infection, you’ve probably heard of two downloads with free options you can turn to Avast, and Bitdefender.
1 Bitdefender vs. Avast – Side by Side Comparison and Rating
2 Features & Benefits
2.1 What does Avast do for you?
2.2 What does Bitdefender do for you?
3 Pricing Comparison
3.1 Avast
3.2 Bitdefender
4 Features Comparison
4.1 Virus Protection
4.2 System Impact
4.3 User Interface
4.5 Supported Platforms and Devices
5 Winner and Conclusion
Today we’re going to talk about how to pick which one of these is right for you.
First, a brief introduction to each. Bitdefender is a Romanian company founded in 2001 that offers a variety of security solutions for personal computers and mobile devices targeted at both homes and businesses.
They’ve also got a hardware option, Bitdefender BOX, designed to protect smart devices.
Avast, founded in the Czech Republic in 1988 by the researcher who countered the infamous Vienna Virus, offers software tailored toward different ends, from securing your Wi-Fi connection to measuring and increasing password strength. Both companies offer their services on a freemium model, meaning either is still available to the budget-conscious.
Bitdefender vs. Avast – Side by Side Comparison and Rating
This handy table summarizes our thoughts on Avast and Bitdefender. All scores are out of 10.
Avast Bitdefender
Antivirus protection 9 10
Features 10 9
System-performance impact 7 8
User interface 10 9
Customer support 6 10
Regular pricing 7 9
Overall 8.2 9.2
VIEW PRICING VIEW PRICING
What does each of these software solutions actually do to protect your computer against malware attacks? Let’s break it down.
What does Avast do for you?
Avast claims to have the largest threat-detection network of any software and touts their machine learning system for virus protection. This flagship feature combines several ML engines, and according to Avast’s website, is able to train its systems to fight new forms of malware attack in under 12 hours.
They’re also constantly experimenting with new ML and AI models, and freely admit that some of these don’t pan out, while others succeed. Last year, they blogged about one such success, Evo-Gen, whose purpose is to define unknown quantities to determine whether they’re malicious. If they are, Evo-Gen alerts every single machine running Avast to the threat.
According to that post, the important part of this to you is that Evo-Gen has successfully identified 500 million unique malware samples (about 24,000 per day) since it was “born” in 2013, with its human handlers hardly needing to do anything except step in to nudge the system in the right direction now and again.
It’s hard not to feel safer when you read info like that. But none of it helps if you don’t know how to get access to the power offered by. You can do this through its range of security suites, each geared toward different user requirements.
Avast offers five levels of security at increasing costs per month for Windows PCs. Each new level on the same OS includes all the features of the ones before it.
Avast Free is a surprisingly feature-rich program given the lack of cost. It gives you access to all of Avast’s ML-based malware protections, scans your home network for weaknesses, and grants use of a password vault.
Avast Pro adds an interesting “sandbox” feature. If you need to download or run a file or program you suspect might be dirty, Avast Pro lets you place that potential malware carrier into a sort of virtual quarantine where it can’t harm the rest of your device. You also get access to premium customer support at this level.
Avast Internet Security adds a wealth of features aimed at improving your internet browsing experience. As you surf, Avast can spot fake websites set up to steal your information, sandbox dodgy web apps, block spam emails, and protect you against hacks and ransomware assaults.
Avast Premier includes a “shredder” to permanently and safely destroy files and protects your webcam from being hacked.
Avast Ultimate comes with a higher-level password vault. At this level, you’ll also get a VPN for secure web browsing, and an advanced cleaner that will scrub your machine for other things besides malware that might be slowing it down.
If you have a Mac, you’ve got two options:
Avast Security is free to download. It blocks viruses, warns of unsafe websites, and scans for weaknesses in your networks, similar to Avast Free for Windows but without the password vault.
Avast Security Pro is the paid upgrade. It alerts you about insecurities in your wi-fi in real time and includes the ransomware protection from Avast Internet Security.
As of 2018, Avast boasted 435 million users and claimed to be stopping 3.5 billion malware attacks every month.
What does Bitdefender do for you?
Bitdefender places great importance on constantly innovating, and backs that claim up by citing the 300+ patents they own or have filed for and the fact that half their professional staff are researchers or engineers.
Like Avast, they direct part of this innovative energy toward machine learning models that counter malware as it evolves.
A quick scan of some of those patents reveals such key components of Bitdefender’s service as a dynamic reputation evaluator that determines how much attention is paid to scanning each identity for malware, methods to protect mobile devices from fraud, and a set of systems that interfaces with hardware to prevent code reuse attacks.
As a further example of the wide net Bitdefender casts in the name of security, here’s a recent article featured on their website about how the company is expanding its menu of services.
As part of their commitment to seek out and head off future forms of cyber attack, they’ve gone so far as to hire managers from the NSA, which augments traditional security solutions with military-intelligence-style threat detection.
Plus, their mascot is a cute wolf-dog thingy, and you can’t go wrong with that. Check below to find out about the slices of this powerful protection pie that Bitdefender offers to regular consumers and businesses.
Bitdefender offers five levels of security at increasing costs per month for Windows PCs. Each new level on the same OS includes all the features of the ones before it.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition is a stripped-down package that offers only the most absolutely essential protection.
It’ll keep you safe from phishing sites while you browse the internet, but doesn’t offer any sort of password protection, and its system scans take significantly longer than its rivals at this level.
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus adds a VPN and a feature for safe monetary transactions. It works harder than the free edition to optimize performance and save battery life and includes essential features like the password vault, silent mode, and file shredder.
Bitdefender Internet Security keeps the features coming by adding webcam protection, spam defense for your email, and a cordon to keep your most essential files under an extra layer of security.
Bitdefender Total Security adds anti-theft protection that works remotely, so you can use it to track down your computer or mobile device if one or the other of them is stolen. It also optimizes antivirus function to maintain your highest possible speeds while it’s running, and its scans will now help clean up your disk so things run even smoother.
Bitdefender Family Pack allows you to implement Total Security features on unlimited devices in your home.
If you have a Mac, you’ve got four options:
Bitdefender Virus Scanner is the free choice, offering “essential” features similar to the free PC model. While it lacks any extra features like password vaults or file shredding, it will do whatever deep cleaning of your system you might need done.
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac adds protection against ransomware and adware. It also includes a system for file backups.
Bitdefender Total Security and Bitdefender Family Pack are also compatible with Mac OS.
Bitdefender claimed to have about 500 million users in 2018.
Ultimately, it’s basically impossible to pick a winner in this area. Both services offer everything you could hope for from your antivirus software, no matter what the branding.
If anybody has the edge, it’s Avast, for putting more of its features on the free level.
Pricing Comparison
Prices given below are the cost of a subscription for one device unless stated otherwise.
Avast Free is free. No need to worry about hidden costs or microtransactions here–they say it’s free and it is.
Avast Pro costs $49.99 for one year, $89.99 for two years, and $129.99 for three.
Avast Internet Security costs $59.99 for one year, $109.99 for two years, and $159.99 for three.
Avast Premier costs $69.99 for one year, $139.99 for two years, and $209.99 for three.
Avast Ultimate costs $119.99 for a year.
Avast Security for Mac OS is free. The premium Mac product, Avast Security Pro, costs $59.99 for an annual subscription.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition is free to download on any device.
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus costs $59.99 for an annual subscription on three devices but is currently discounted to $34.99/3 devices/year.
Bitdefender Internet Security normally costs $79.99 for three devices for a year but is currently discounted 50 percent, to $39.98/3 devices/year.
Bitdefender Total Security is valued at $89.99 for five devices for a year but is also discounted 50 percent to $44.99/3 devices/year.
Bitdefender Family Pack offers subscriptions for up to 15 devices, valued at $119.99 per year, currently marked down 50 percent to $59.99.
Bitdefender Virus Scanner for Mac OS is free. Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac is priced exactly the same as Plus for PC, a $59.99 value for three Macs per year market down to $34.99/3 devices/year.
All right, it’s time to start putting these two products head to head. While both Bitdefender and Avast boast powerful protection networks, who actually does a better job of keeping your devices safe from malware attacks?
Independent testing institute AV-TEST subjected the 2017 edition of Bitdefender Internet Security to 185 zero-day malware attacks and 10,684 samples of “widespread and prevalent” malware discovered in the four weeks prior to the test. Bitdefender successfully intercepted 100 percent of the attacks.
It should be noted that products on the industry mean catch 99.5 percent of zero-day attacks and 99.9 percent of newly evolved widespread malware, but there really is no prize for second place in computer security. Absolutely perfect is leagues better than almost perfect on this playing field.
In an identical survey by AV-TEST, Avast performed almost as well–the key word being almost. In one month, Avast was able to catch 99.9 percent of “widespread and prevalent” malware from the reference set, which sounds great until you remember that the .1 percent that got through included around 10 separate malware species, any one of which could be massively harmful to your security or privacy.
System Impact
All antivirus programs exact a significant toll on an operating system by running constantly in the background. Anybody who’s ever had a relative complain that new antivirus software “made the computer slower” knows this frustration. So, a prime consideration in choosing a product has to be its ability not to strain the system too hard.
Both our options offer top-tier performance in this area, but like before, Avast falls slightly behind. AV-TEST, the independent institute responsible for testing antivirus software, conducted a study on system impact that tested Bitdefender, Avast, and others against the industry average for slowdowns caused by running the program in a variety of situations, including launching websites, downloading, launching, and installing applications, and copying files.
Bitdefender received a perfect score for slowing down PCs less than the industry average–on some tasks half as much–only exceeding the mean when the user launches popular websites.
Avast outperforms Bitdefender on popular websites, but falls behind everywhere else, dropping below the industry mean in the areas of downloading and launching frequently used applications.
Security is no longer optional for anybody who plans to be connected. Therefore, a UI that anybody can work with is no longer optional either. Developers are starting to recognize that we can’t have the vast majority of nodes protected by software that requires an IT professional to operate.
Avast scores a win here by slightly edging out Bitdefender with an exceedingly simple window that includes all available options and functions in easily navigable menus.
A green light/red light system indicates when the system has detected a threat, and while customization options are robust–this is not by any means the Squarespace of the antivirus world–you can always reset it back to the default with no harm done.
Bitdefender has had some interface problems in the past, but the 2020 version has developed to a friendlier, less cluttered GUI that still doesn’t skimp on customization.
It uses the exact same green-check/red-X alert system that Avast does (and which is quickly becoming standard across all antivirus software), and its settings are easy for even a beginner to use, but it doesn’t quite get everything across as clearly and pleasingly as Avast does.
A.k.a. How easy is it to get help getting the bugs out of my debugger?
Both services come with extensive support pages that are available for anybody to use, even without a subscription. Here’s Bitdefender’s and Avast’s for comparison.
As for premium support–i.e. access to live experts who can help you deal with specific problems–Bitdefender comes out ahead for including it with all levels of service, while Avast ties it to premium subscriptions, beginning at the Pro level. Generally, Avast’s free software is packed with far more features than Bitdefender’s, but support is the exception. That said, it is at least available 24/7.
Supported Platforms and Devices
I’ve already mentioned that both Avast and Bitdefender offer products for both Windows and Mac operating systems, but here’s a quick rundown of the other platforms they’re available for.
Avast offers several free services for Android, including antivirus, password protection, and cleanup, and includes the option of a VPN for $19.99 a year. For iOS, only the password protection and paid VPN software is available.
Bitdefender likewise offers a free antivirus solution for Android devices but pulls ahead by offering a paid service for the iOS ecosystem as well, rather than just a few functions. Its premium offerings, starting with the Total level, work across all platforms, including Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.
Winner and Conclusion
The winner of the contest is obvious, though not because either is a lackluster product by any means. Both Avast and Bitdefender beat the industry average in malware protection, offer delightful user interfaces, work to minimize the impact on your system, and generously scale-up options with each level of premium subscription.
But at every turn, Bitdefender comes out just a little bit ahead. Main points of divergence include its perfect score on AV-TEST’s challenge, its making live customer service available to free users, and its better performance scores.
Also, thanks to its current steep discounts, it's premium levels are much more affordable than Avast’s.
While Bitdefender is the superior option overall, don’t forget that Avast’s free version does have more features–in fact, Bitdefender’s free software has markedly fewer features than the industry average for free antivirus solutions, which is its only major black mark.
However, if you have the resources to drop on keeping your online devices that much safer, it’s hard to do better than Bitdefender.
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Home News Certification for Community Health Workers
Certification for Community Health Workers
August 5, 2015 - Community Health Workers - Information
Department Begins Grandfathering Process for Experienced Community Health Workers
The New Mexico Department of Health will begin to certify the first community health workers (CHW) in the state. The Department is focusing certification efforts on experienced CHWs and will be utilizing the grandfathering process. It is estimated that there are between 800 and 900 CHWs in New Mexico. As part of Governor Susana Martinez’s Healthcare Workforce Initiative in 2014, legislation was passed and signed creating the Community Health Workers Act. It established a voluntary certification process for CHWs.
“For more than a year, the New Mexico Department of Health has been setting up the infrastructure to begin voluntary certification for community health workers. The department is pleased to announce the grandfathering process for experienced community health workers,” said Department of Health Cabinet Secretary Retta Ward. “The purpose of grandfathering is to provide experienced community health workers the opportunity to earn certification through a combination of employment and or volunteer service.”
A CHW is a front-line public health worker who is a trusted member of their community, and who has a very good understanding of the community served. CHWs help develop close relationships with patients, and play a critical role in reducing health disparities and managing chronic diseases. Community health workers are also known as promotoras and community health representatives.
Requirements for the grandfathering process:
Verification by a current or former supervisor of proficiency in the core competencies.
Two letters of reference on agency/program letterhead.
Applicants must provide formal, verifiable documentation to support each requirement.
2000 clock hours of formal CHW work and/or volunteer CHW experience within the scope of work and core competency field.
Following the grandfathering application, mandatory background check.
Please take a look at the Office of Community Health Workers Certification FAQ for answers to many of the most common questions about certification.
The Department of Health’s Office of Community Health Workers accepts only hard-copy applications for certification. All inquiries regarding certification may be directed to comm.healthworker@state.nm.us. You can also call the Santa Fe office at 505-827-0015 or the Las Cruces office at 575-528-5145.
El Departamento de Salud Anuncia la Certificación para Trabajadores de Salud Comunitarios
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July 23, 2019 - Tuesday July 24, 2019 - Wednesday Jeggit Politics, Scotland, Society
Lancing the Boil
Years ago, close to the last time I would see him alive, I passed my grandfather in the Howard Park. He was sitting on a bench looking more reflective than I had ever seen or remembered him before. The Dundonald Road runs along the back of the Howard Park, and this is where our family GP’s clinic was – maybe still is. ‘Motto’ – as he was affectionately known – had obviously been to see the doctor and was now lost in thought on a bench. Perhaps I should have guessed it was serious, but I was a teenager and more preoccupied with the fear he might have noticed I wasn’t exactly where I ought to have been at the time – in school. The meaning of this encounter only became apparent about a year later when he passed away. My guess is that I ran into him when he had bigger fish to fry than a miscreant grandson. He had been diagnosed with a terminal cancer.
Like so many working-class men of his generation, Motto saw illness and any form of physical or mental weakness as a character flaw. Until he took desperately sick and was rushed into Crosshouse Hospital, no one in the family knew what was wrong with him. He hadn’t told a soul. When my mother and aunt asked the medical team for information, they discovered to their shock that the staff had been under instructions to say nothing. When they did find out, it was too late. Nothing could be done. He was dying, and we had days to prepare ourselves for the inevitable.
@Jeggit Bearers of bad news and whistleblowers rarely get thanked but you did the right thing in bringing this into… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Jim Hagart (@JimHagart) October 17, 2018
Sicknesses and diseases are not cured by ignoring them. Silence is one of the world’s most rubbish remedies. I’m reminded tonight of Motto’s last days because much the same has been happening inside the independence movement. Something rotten has been festering under the surface; known to some, unknown to many, and wilfully ignored by the rest. In essence, the cancer has been ignored and swept under the carpet in the vain hope that the darkness in which it was shrouded would make it all go away. Well, that hasn’t worked too well. In fact, things have only gotten worse, and tonight threatened to tear a significant section of the grassroots of the movement asunder. What I have discovered, as I have dug into this issue since October last year, is a classic form of what Upton Sinclair aptly described as the ‘besieged city’ syndrome – that one cannot challenge the government of a city under siege without becoming the fifth column of the besiegers.
Ever since I first questioned the organisers of All Under One Banner about suspect and reckless behaviour in the lead-up to the October 2018 AUOB march and rally in Edinburgh – namely the lie published by Mr Mandeep Singh and the harassment and intimidation of Historic Environment Scotland employees – I have been treated as your fifth columnist, a traitor. Members of the organisation and no small number of supporters of the organisation have taken it upon themselves to describe me as a British government plant, as someone simply out to cause discord and division, and as a liar. Frustrating as this has been, I don’t hold this against people. We are a city under siege. The Scottish independence movement functions within an intensely hostile political and media environment. Every voice in the media is against us. Add to this the paranoia that every critical voice must be an agent provocateur or an agent of the British state, and what you have is a besieged city syndrome – everyone must follow the leader like a drone.
Tonight, however, we have managed to lift the veil. Most of the suspicions I have had about the sickness within AUOB and most of the sources I have listened to have proven correct. There has been a profoundly diseased culture growing at the head of this organisation. Earlier tonight Neil MacKay, the current director of the AUOB, and Carol McNamara, chief administrator, came onto Scotland at 7 on Broadcasting Scotland with me to answer some fairly serious questions myself and others have had. Their candour was commendable. What they had to share was quite obviously difficult. They were awkward and stressed. As was I. Nothing of this was easy. Whether or not what they said was the truth remains an open question – there are two (possibly three or five) sides to this story. But what was made crystal clear was that from the very beginning we were right to be suspicious – we were right to ask questions. The interview laid bare that there have been ongoing issues with lies, financial irregularities, intimidation, extortion, physical violence, and drugs.
Kudos to Jason for doing this. Sweeping problems under the carpet doesn't fix them. Hopefully now we can put the hi… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Lindsay Bruce (@RogueCoder250) July 23, 2019
That, dear readers, is a sickness. Now, we can be like Motto, sit on the bench in the park and think to ourselves how best we can make this all go away by ignoring it, or we can make the braver decision – the more courageous decision, and ask ourselves if this is the shape we want the grassroots movement in and, if not, how we can make it better. Is AUOB worth saving? Honestly, I don’t know. No one can deny that this organisation has worked wonders. It has achieved so much in terms of mobilising people and making the independence cause visible and impossible for the British media in our country to ignore. We owe AUOB this much. We are also talking about an organising with many dedicated volunteer independentistas who have put their hearts and souls into the organisation who are perfectly innocent of any wrongdoing.
We need marches and rallies. At no point have I said otherwise. Even from the time of the Manny Singh “white lie” I made it clear that I was willing to involve myself in civil disobedience – and I still am. But as a form of radical activism, people cannot be duped into such action. They must engage in it fully informed and with their eyes wide open.
We don’t need an organisation – however successful – masquerading as a vehicle for pro-independence activism when in fact it is a cover for all sorts of criminality. If that is the case, then yes – this diseased limb has to be severed for the good of the independence cause. But this is not yet clear. This isn’t over. So much of the comment on social media around this interview has been about lancing the boil and moving on, but this is yet another platitude offered by people who want this back under the rug as soon as possible. It’s not going back under the rug. The rug ain’t big enough. We have begun a process of dialogue in good faith with the organisers of AUOB – and this is a process. There is no quick fix. What we have is a treatment plan, one that will hopefully bring us to a place where we have a highly successful and dedicated pro-independence engine for mobilising the grassroots. At this point, given the serious nature of the allegations and the state of the accusations going back and forth, no one can say how this will play out. I certainly can’t.
@Jeggit I want Indy more than anything but I'm now of the belief that keeping the pressure on the SNP is imperative… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Cybernat Nell #ItsTimeToDissolveTheUnion (@HelenYates52) July 21, 2019
The bigger picture is what is important. Marches and rallies do not win independence. Votes will win independence, and the task of winning those votes depends heavily on the reputation of the Scottish National Party, the wider movement, and prominent pro-independence groups and organisations like AUOB. If we choose to ignore problems as toxic and corrosive as these, the disease will not die in the darkness. It will grow and it will spread. It will cause such a stink that onlookers – ordinary voters – will associate a Yes vote with the stench of corruption. It doesn’t matter how loyal we are to brands and to personalities, if the problems they create are noxious enough they will damage the cause and cost us our independence for God knows how long.
If you are reading this and getting impatient with the “infighting in the movement,” then consider this: What may look like infighting is people talking. It is not always destructive. Ugly it may be, but it is a necessary communication. It is dialogue – and that is exactly where making things better begins. Had it not been for this infighting we would still be none the wiser about what has really been happening at the top of AUOB and I would still be in MI5. The problem would only be getting worse. But now we have an opportunity to address this and work with those who are working for the good of the cause in AUOB to get things battle ready. Today we heard that Boris Johnson is to be the next British Prime Minister, we are heading into a catastrophic no-deal Brexit, and we really do have to be battle ready soon. We cannot afford to bury our heads in the sand. This is a serious and potentially fatal situation. But this unholy mess is far from hopeless.
Scotland at 7 – 23/07/2019
Tagged All Under One Banner, Alternative Media, AUOB, Broadcasting Scotland, Corruption, Drugs, Expose, Gary Kelly, Hard Questions, Independence, Independence Movement, Interview, Manny Singh, Neil Mackay, Political Movements, Politics, Scotland, Scottish Independence, Social Movements, Violence
9 thoughts on “Lancing the Boil”
iancaisteal says:
July 24, 2019 - Wednesday at 06:29
I only came to this issue late I. E. Last week.
But what I did find was openess and clarity and willingness to talk by Neil McKay.
I think we have a way forward and good people will step up to take on matters a d head up responsibility.
This I am sure of, as the movement will go on and give the action, even if civil disobedience to attain our goal.
You say that independence will be won by votes. The anti-poll tax movement pushed and change happened. The East German people pushed and the wall came down, albeit probably with helping nudges from western intelligence agencies. So why could not a mass movement, much much bigger than AUOB, probably deriving from it, not push hard enough for independencento be unavoidable ?
Margaret Murison says:
I have followed you for a long time and agreed with you most of the time. I feel your heart is in the right place. Our enemies will be rubbing their hands. More power to you and those who support you because we have very little time and it would be heart-breaking to lose the prize because of this. We need to be united in order to go forward. Scotland will never forgive those who thwart our freedom especially from within. I am an old lady and my dearest wish is to see Scotland free. Please make it happen for all our sakes.
I commend you for your persistence on this investigation. However I disagree that Neil and Carol were ‘candid’. I think they are both lying through their teeth , pretty sure that Manny Singh is too btw. This a a grubby money making exercise for them , cash is being pocketed left , right and centre.
The large number of marches this year in multiple locations now looks like a business expansion more than anything. We have been duped , these people are unfit , and I won’t attend any more of their money grabbing events .
steelewires says:
Reading of all this, I find myself thinking of Victor and Jack in Still Game. I wonder if the leaders of AUOB have the same kind of morality as Victor and Jack?
I’m working class, and have been blessed by having gone to University and graduated then gone on to do a post-graduate degree. So what I’m about to write is not dinging the working class. But the morality of Victor and Jack was the morality of the adults whom I knew when I was growing up. It’s a morality of “what I can get away with without being caught”. I wonder if this has been due to a lack of effective moral education in Primary and Secondary Schools?
I remember being told in school that some things were wrong, like lying, stealing, and swearing. There was, however, never any help given to work out how to practise non-lying, non-stealing and non-swearing. (Btw I think that while certain swear words bother me and others don’t, swearing’s in a different category from lying and stealing).
We are now living in a society in which lying has been OKed by a Court, in Scotland, so long as its a political lie, and in which a man notorious for lying has been chosen to be Prime Minister. So, at the highest levels of Scottish and English society, lying is approved so long as it gets one what one wants. So, I’m wondering what have been the moral influences on AUOB leaders. I don’t justify them, but I want to understand them.
July 25, 2019 - Thursday at 13:47
Another characteristic of the culture in which I grew up is that when a lie was proved to be a lie, and the truth exposed, the liar continued to lie and deny the truth. Do we see this in the AUOB debacle?
Jay Silverheels says:
The way forward could be if both Mandeep AND Neil both resigned their positions.
bobsblog.scot says:
I commend you for your openminded Journalism Jason. I do not think you could have been fairer in your dealings with the organisers of AUOB.
I too had issues with them going back to May 2018 when they together with a “chosen” supposedly local committee tried to organise a march in Dundee which was made clear from the outset would be carried out regardless of any constrictions imposed by Dundee council and without any public liability insurance. It was a mess from the start with the date being changed, together with the route.
On the day, it went well, as have all of the marches apart from some heavy-handed attempts to extract money from the vendors.
I honestly feel that AUOB has reached the end of their usefulness, and to be honest some of what they did was needed. The SNP have done absolutely nothing in this respect, but we can not have the independence movement immersed in allegations of theft and intimidation and possibly drug misuse.
These marches are really not that technically difficult to organise and if they are done in cooperation with the council and Police, can be completed without too much difficulty.
I feel that it would be good to see the local yes groups taking on the organisation of these marches and benefitting directly from any collections made on the day the proceeds going to campaigning material ( if we ever see a campaign)
I append below, two blogs I wrote at the time when AUOB were setting up arrangements to hold a march in Dundee last year.
https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/bobsblog.scot/2946
So Neil has now resigned . We have a nest of vipers here folks . A bunch of gangsters AUOB are finished
Doomed to Failure
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rapidcelnews.com
Home » Music » Lana Del Rey Delivers Delicate 'Let Me Love You Like a Woman' on 'Fallon'
Lana Del Rey Delivers Delicate 'Let Me Love You Like a Woman' on 'Fallon'
Lana Del Rey performed her recent single, “Let Me Love You Like a Woman,” on The Tonight Show Monday, December 14th.
Like all things Del Rey does, the performance had a strong and compelling aesthetic, with the singer, her backing band, and a trio of vocalists delivering the song in a dingy dive bar. “We could get lost in the purple rain,” Del Rey sang, pushing her voice up to a falsetto, “Talk about the good ol’ days/We could get high on some pink champagne/Baby, let me count the ways.”
Del Rey released “Let Me Love You Like a Woman” in October, marking the first offering from her upcoming seventh album, Chemtrails Over the Country Club. The album — which will follow 2019’s acclaimed Norman Fucking Rockwell! — was expected to arrive this year, but in November, Del Rey announced that it was being pushed back to 2021 due to pandemic-related delays in the vinyl manufacturing process.
To make up for it, however, Del Rey said she would release a digital album of American standards and classics. She’s shared what could be snippets of that project — an a cappella take on Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and a cover of George Gershwin’s “Summertime” — although an official release date and tracklist have yet to be announced.
Tagged Lana Del Rey, late night tv, t
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Storm Watch Continues Along Southeastern US Coast
Posted date: September 04, 2019 in: News
As of 1500 UTC, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) was reporting that a hurricane warning has been extended northeastward along the North Carolina coast. The storm was located 90 miles east-northeast of Daytona, Florida, and 205 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina. A Category2 storm, Dorian is packing sustained winds of 105 MPH.
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES®) activation status is at Level 3 (stand-by mode) in the West Central Florida Section, while it’s at Level 2 (partial activation) but expected to move to Level 1 (activated) in the Northern Florida Section, as Hurricane Dorian continues to move north-northwest at 9 MPH, parallel to the northeastern Florida coast
The Florida ARES Net is operating on 3.950 MHz (or 7.242 MHz, if propagation is poor) from 0700 through 1900 ET and not overnight, until asked to stand down by the State Emergency Operations Center (EOC). An ARES Emergency Net is being conducted on the statewide SARnet system.
The three ARRL Florida Sections were scheduled to hold a conference call at noon to assess the current situation and to coordinate support for any remaining operations.
At 1500 UTC, the National Hurricane Center reported:
“Dorian is moving toward the north-northwest near 9 mph (15 km/h) and this motion is expected to continue today. A turn toward the north is expected tonight, followed by a turn toward the northeast on Thursday. On this track, the core of Hurricane Dorian will move parallel to the Florida east coast and the Georgia coast through tonight. The center of Dorian is forecast to move near or over the coast of South Carolina and North Carolina Thursday through Friday.
“Maximum sustained winds are near 105 MPH (165 km/h) with higher gusts. A slow weakening is expected during the next few days. However, Dorian is expected to remain a powerful hurricane during this time.
“Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles (280 km). NOAA buoy 41008, located off the Georgia coast, recently reported sustained winds of 40 mph (65 km/h) and a wind gust of 47 mph (76 km/h).”
In Georgia, an ARES Emergency Net is active on 3.975 MHz, as the Georgia coast remains under a tropical storm warning and a storm surge warning.
“We have a variety of coastal, hospital, EOC stations and other stations on frequency together with Georgia’s Emergency Management Agency (GEMA),” Georgia Assistant Section Manager Jim Altman, W4UCK, told ARRL. “The ARES Mutual Assistance Teams stand ready. We will remain in operation at least during the daylight hours and at night as needed for the duration of the storm.”
ARES operators have been deployed to two Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) sites. GEMA will listen for assistance calls on HF, but the primary method will be to submit an ICS 231 form via Winlink. GEMA will monitor 3.975, 5.335, 7.287, and 3.583 MHz (MT-63 1K), as well as D-Star, and the *Georgia* EchoLink conference node 4544.
Coastal counties in Georgia are under evacuation orders, and highways have been reconfigured for one-way traffic to move inland away from the coast.
In South Carolina, ARES was standing by and assessing the needs of its coastal counties, as of Tuesday. South Carolina Section Emergency Coordinator Billy Irwin, K9OH, said the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) radio room has been operating 24/7. “We have been having regular conference calls with our leadership and ensuring they have the latest information possible,” Irwin said. South Carolina ARES would potentially scale back statewide operations, excluding operators at SCEMD and those directly assisting the coastal counties later today. “Everyone is reminded that this is a fluid situation and these decisions are subject to change without notice,” he added.
In North Carolina, emergency managers are anticipating the worst effects of the storm on Thursday and Friday. Evacuation routes have been established, and 390 North Carolina National Guard soldiers have been activated and are standing by to respond, along with 56 high-water vehicles and 19 aircraft. The storm’s heaviest impact is expected to be east of Interstate Route 95, with rain and storm surge the primary threats. Medical and general sheltering operations are under way and there are accommodations for pets.
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I Found & Eliminated My QRM / RFI (Radio Frequency Interference)!
This is the third in a series of videos following my efforts to track down a source of local QRM / Radio Interference. Following the build of a succes... Read more
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Ap Psychology Unit 3a vocabulary
13krehk
a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior. (some biological psychologists call themselves behavioral neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, behavior geneticists, physiological psychologists, or biopsychologists.)
a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system
sensory neurons
neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord
motor neurons
neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands
interneurons
neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs
the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.
the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands
myelin sheath
a layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next
a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or cleft.
chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse.
reuptake
a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron
"morphine within"--natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.
the body's speedy, electrochemical communication system, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems
the brain and the spinal cord
the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body.
bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs
somatic nervous system
the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles. Also called the skeletal nervous system
The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.
parasympathetic nervous system
the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy
a simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response
the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues
a pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys. the adrenals secrete the hormones epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline), which help to arouse the body in times of stress.
the endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands
sympathetic nervous system
the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations
Ap Psychology Unit 3b vocabulary
Ap Psychology Unit 6 vocabulary
Ap Psychology Unit 3c vocabulary
Myers' Psychology for AP Unit 3A Vocabulary
nicole_diorio
Unit 3A Neural Communication and the Nervous System
AlphaFivePLUS
Psychology 101- the nervous system
Tilly1120
AP Psych Chapter 3A
melodycrane2017
Ap Psychology Unit 14 vocabulary
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Law Review Addresses Legal and Social Challenges of “Internet of Bodies” and “Internet of Things”
By B.N. Frank
Experts have warned for years about serious privacy and security risks associated with Internet of Things (IoT) technology (see 1, 2). Reports about medical implants and utility “Smart” Meters being extremely vulnerable are beyond scary.
Experts have also warned about the serious privacy, security, and social implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications – Internet of Bodies (IoB), robots, etc.
Both technologies continue to be promoted as valuable, wonderful, and even necessary. Surveys indicate that some people worldwide are buying into this lifestyle though some still aren’t.
One William and Mary Law Review article explores additional disadvantages.
The Internet of Bodies
https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/wmlr/vol61/iss1/3/
Andrea M. Matwyshyn
William & Mary Law Review
FULL ARTICLE HERE:
https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3827&context=wmlr
This Article introduces the ongoing progression of the Internet of Things (IoT) into the Internet of Bodies (IoB)—a network of human bodies whose integrity and functionality rely at least in part on the Internet and related technologies, such as artificial intelligence. IoB devices will evidence the same categories of legacy security flaws that have plagued IoT devices. However, unlike most IoT, IoB technologies will directly, physically harm human bodies—a set of harms courts, legislators, and regulators will deem worthy of legal redress. As such, IoB will herald the arrival of (some forms of) corporate software liability and a new legal and policy battle over the integrity of the human body and mind. Framing this integrity battle in light of current regulatory approaches, this Article offers a set of specific innovation-sensitive proposals to bolster corporate conduct safeguards through regulatory agency action, contract, tort, intellectual property, and secured transactions and bankruptcy.
Yet, the challenges of IoB are not purely legal in nature. The social integration of IoB will also not be seamless. As bits and bodies meld and as human flesh becomes permanently entwined with hardware, software, and algorithms, IoB will test our norms and values as a society. In particular, it will challenge notions of human autonomy and self-governance. Legal scholars have traditionally considered Kantian autonomy as the paradigmatic lens for legal determinations impacting the human body. However, IoB threatens to undermine a fundamental precondition of Kantian autonomy—Kantian heautonomy. Damaged heautonomy renders both Kantian autonomy and deliberative democracy potentially compromised. As such, thisArticle argues that safeguarding heautonomy should constitute the animating legal principle for governance of IoB bodies. The Article concludes by introducing the companion essay to this Article, The Internet of Latour’s Things. This companion essay inspired by the work of Bruno Latour offers a sliding scale of “technohumanity” as a framework for the legal and policy discussion of what it means to be “human” in an age where bodies are the “things” connected to the Internet.
Andrea M. Matwyshyn, The Internet of Bodies, 61 Wm. & Mary L. Rev. 77 (2019), https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/wmlr/vol61/iss1/3
Other disadvantages: all of this technology emits Electromagnetic Fields (aka “Electrosmog”) which is biologically and environmentally harmful. More technology = more toxic E-Waste as well. What’s not to NOT love?
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Sask. may run out of ventilators in Jan. despite public health orders: SHA
Published Wednesday, December 2, 2020 4:43PM CST
REGINA -- Saskatchewan may see 40 to 50 per cent fewer new COVID-19 cases per day, as a result of the province's latest public health order, the SHA says in its latest modelling numbers, but it may still run out of ventilators by the end of January.
The latest models, released Wednesday, show the province predicts a best case scenario of 500 to more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases per day into the spring, as a result of existing public health orders. The higher end of the projections show that cases could surpass 3,500 new cases per day in January without the public health order.
Provincial models show that with the current public health order, the province still predicts up to a possible 1,500 new cases per day by mid-January.
HOSPITALIZATIONS
The province shows that even with the current public heath order, the need for ventilators in the province may still exceed the SHA’s supply before the end of January.
Saskatchewan may see 50 per cent fewer hospitalizations as a result of its current public health order. The SHA projects that with the current public health order the province may still see as many as 150 hospitalizations per day by February.
In the scenario without the public health order, the worst-case scenario shows hospitalization could near 400 per day by mid-March.
Read more on the province's new models here.
Minister of Health Paul Merriman said although there is no specific timeline from bringing COVID-19 vaccines to Saskatchewan, health officials will be able to give an update on vaccines next week.
2 more COVID-19 deaths in Sask.; 238 new cases
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Plaid – Maru (2019)
YouTube – Spofify – iTunes – Discogs
The cosmic sound of ‘Maru’ is exactly what IDM should be in 2019. Released by Warp Records as the first single off Plaid’s 10th studio album Polymer, the track shimmers with kick drums and snares. It has been a long journey for the London duo – Ed Handley and Andy Turner released their first Plaid album, Mbuki Mvuki, in 1991.
Tagged 2019, Andy Turner, Ed Handley, Plaid, Warp Records
Danny Fernleigh & Tiguan Jones – Life in Monochrome (2019)
YouTube – Spotify – iTunes – No Discogs
Not actually sure where I found this song, but I think I was watching something with a soundtrack. It’s a modern take on the neon-lit, powder-fueled new-wave synth-pop of 1980s. I give you Danny Fernleigh and Tiguan Jones, whoever they may be.
Tagged 2019, Danny Fernleigh, Tiguan Jones
GarageRock
Fontaines D.C. – I Don’t Belong (2020)
With last year’s release of their debut album Dogrel, Fontaines D.C. became one of the hottest post-punk bands on the planet. It’s good to have them back so soon. The single ‘I Don’t Belong’ kicks off their new album A Hero’s Death. Both were released earlier this summer.
Tagged 2019, Fontaines D.C.
Tyler, The Creator – EARFQUAKE (2019)
Last year, Tyler, The Creator, the rapper-turned-singer, released his sixth album, IGOR. It features the single ‘EARFQUAKE’ that he claims he’d originally written for Justin Bieber. Hard to imagine a production different to the idiosyncratic one it became. Tyler sings about heartbreak while supported by a blue suit, the vocals of R&B singer Charlie Wilson, Dev Hynes (fka Lightspeed Champion) and the indecipherable lines of Playboi Carti. Have a great weekend.
Tagged 2019, Charlie Wilson, Dev Hynes, Devonté Hynes, Lightspeed Champion, Playboi Carti, Tyler The Creator
Weyes Blood – Andromeda (2019)
Last year, singer-songwriter Natalie Mering, aka Weyes Blood, made some very big waves. She started the year with the ethereal West Coast sounding single ‘Andromeda’. The song would feature on her third studio album Titanic Rising released on Sub Pop Records. Have a great weekend.
Tagged 2019, Natalie Mering, Weyes Blood
Funk, Jazz
Little Steven and The Interstellar Jazz Renegades – City Lights (2019)
Last year, five years after its final episode aired, the soundtrack to Lilyhammer was released. It was scored by Steven Van Zandt, the star of show. He had pulled together the Interstellar Jazz Renegades, a group he had founded with the help of E Street Band bandmate Max Weinberg. With that band, he decided to have some fun. ‘City Lights’ is exactly that. Have a great weekend.
Tagged 2019, Lilyhammer, Max Weinberg, Steve Van Zandt
The Japanese House - We Talk All The Time (2019)
Before we leave this cloud called dream pop, I give you Amber Bain. As The Japanese House, the London-based singer-songwriter has refined a lush sound that reminds me of Christine And The Queens. Last year, she released her first full-length album, Good at Falling. Track 3 is ‘We Talk All The Time’, on which Bain’s yearning vocals ponder that shift between infatuation and companionship. Concerned or celebratory? Certainly dreamy.
Tagged 2019, Christine And The Queens, The Japanese House
Kučka – Real (2019)
As Kučka, Laura Jane Lowther records and produces her own music. Distinctive vocals and analogue synths make for a version of dream pop that both Massive Attack and Björk fans might like. The Australian singer released the single ‘Real’ last year. She wants “to encourage people to lose themselves in their ideas, to really go deep, no matter how weird or unusual they think they are…”; sounds like chaos to me.
Tagged 2019, KUČKA, Laura Jane Lowther
Clairo - Bags (2019)
Last year, Clairo surfaced from her bedroom, but never let go of her lo-fi schooling. The release of Immunity has critics cooing for her adoption of a dream pop quality sealed with a breathless delivery as if you are the only person in the world she would dare to tell her secrets to. Its lush ballads and homespun soft-rock revealed behind it – not a girl, but decidedly a woman
Tagged 2019, David Parry, Jesse Henderson, Lucas Henderson, Visions
Cass McCombs - Sleeping Volcanoes (2019)
This morning, it’s another track off Tip Of The Sphere, Cass McCombs’ ninth studio album from last year. The Californian troubadour knows how to create an intro.
Tagged 2019, americana, Cass McCombs
Alternative, Folk
Faye Webster - Kingston (2019)
As I depart my Thames-side hometown for a few days, I give you Faye Webster and her ‘Kingston’. The 2019 single marked her new deal with Secretly Canadian and provided an opportunity to sing about her native Georgia. “I don’t know that much about Kingston/ But I like the sound it makes when it starts pouring rain”.
Tagged 2019, Faye Webster, Secretly Canadian
Stephen Malkmus - Come Get Me (2019)
“I’m all alone here, I can’t see/ Any reason to wallow/ In this decanter.” Stephen Malkmus endures. Pavement endures. Despite being labelled as his electronic album, last year’s Groove Denied has classic Malkmus fingerprints all over it. Take ‘Come Get Me’, it’s a lo-fi song with echoes of the Indian subcontinent, rather than Berlin, where he wrote the album during his ’00s residency there.
Tagged 2019, Stephen Malkmus
Alternative, Funk, House, Indie, Soul
Samuelsounds says no to a festive hiatus. Today, I leave you with my favourite sounds of 2019. Tomorrow, the 2010s. The sounds are in no particular order and as ever limited by what I’ve heard…
Anderson .Paak – King James
Kevin Morby – No Halo
Fontaines D.C. – Roy’s Tune
Sharon Van Etten - Seventeen
Weyes Blood – Everyday
Aldous Harding – The Barrel
Foals – Exits
Big Thief – Not
Michael Kiwanuka – Final Days
Honourable mentions also go to: Lizzo for ‘Juice‘; Kasper Marott for his Forever mix of ‘Drømmen om Ø’; Bill Callahan for ‘The Ballad of the Hulk‘; Cage The Elephant for ‘Ready To Let Go‘; Toro Y Moi for ‘Ordinary Pleasure‘; Tame Impala for ‘It Might Be Time‘; Andy Shauf for ‘Things I Do‘; Caribou for ‘Home‘; Whitney for ‘Giving Up‘; W. H. Lung for ‘Second Death Of My Face‘; and Devendra Banhart for ‘Kantori Ongaku‘.
Tagged 2019, Aldous Harding, Anderson .Paak, Big Thief, BOL (Best of list), Fontaines D.C., Kevin Morby, Michael Kiwanuka, Sharon Van Etten, Weyes Blood
Louie Vega feat. Anané – Cosmic Witch (2019)
A midweek disco interlude from a past blast. ‘Cosmic Witch’ is a space disco-infused house jam from Louie Vega, one half of the legendary Masters At Work. Featuring on his recent Expansions In The NYC album, the track uses a clever sample from Tony Silvester & The New Ingredient’s’ Cosmic Lady’. Fashions fade, but style is eternal.
Tagged 'Little' Louie Vega, 2019, Masters At Work, Nervous Records, Tony Silvester & The New Ingredient
Big Thief - Not (2019)
It’s been a good year for Brooklyn-based Big Thief. Two albums (U.F.O.F. and Two Hands) and a series of classic songs. ‘Not’ featured on the latter of these recordings; it was released in October. When Adrienne Lenker sings, growls and gasps, it touches your soul.
Tagged 2019, Adrianne Lenker, Big Thief
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506-26457879 info@santaelenahostelresort.com
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Canopy Monteverde From: $45.00 p/p
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Selvatura is a outstanding canopy tour, has the longest cables in Costa Rica and is the only one truly immersed in virgin forest. The tour is made up of 15 cables and 18 viewing platforms, traversing over two miles of forest and combining the thrill of the zip line with a unique perspective of the tree top canopy.
After an initial introduction to the safety equipment, visitors are fitted with the highest quality harnesses by professional guides. Soon after, riders will begin their flight through the forest. For the real adrenaline junkies, the Selvatura Canopy Tour includes an optional Tarzan Swing, a high security rope swing that launches you right into the forest for the ultimate Costa Rican adventure. Visitors are advised to wear long pants, closed-toed shoes and to bring rain gear just in case. The tour lasts between 2.5 and 3 hours. It is suitable for anyone over the age of 4, but for safety reasons, a weight restriction of 280lbs and maximum waist width of 120cm apply.
Departure times for this tour are:
8:00 am, 10:30 am, 12:30 pm, 2:00 pm.
Hanging Bridges From: $30.00 p/p
The walkway consists of 8 suspension bridges connected by trails covering 1.9 miles (3km). The bridges vary from 150ft (50m) to 500ft (170m) in length and are suspended at heights ranging from 36ft (12m) to 180ft (60m). At almost 5ft (1.5m) wide, the bridge system is...
Night Walk From: $25.00 p/p
The tour begins at 5:30 PM, just before nightfall, when the creatures are just beginning to wake up. In addition to a flashlight, each participant is given an animal-identification card. These cards explain the various creatures they’re likely to see, and will help...
Selvatura is a outstanding canopy tour, has the longest cables in Costa Rica and is the only one truly immersed in virgin forest. The tour is made up of 15 cables and 18 viewing platforms, traversing over two miles of forest and combining the thrill of the zip line...
Coffee tour From: $30.00 p/p
Enjoy An Easy Walk On The Monteverde Plantations Accompanied By A Bilingual Guide, And Learn About The Entire Monteverde Coffee Production Process From Planting To Brewing. Afterwards At The Coffee House, Try A Delicious Cup Of Monteverde Coffee While Admiring The...
El Trapiche From: $32.00 p/p
El Trapiche tour, is a project of a Costa Rican family, which offers a guided tour for approximately 2 hours. The tour begins with a walk through the farm, which may have an opportunity to observe the different plantations, besides crossing a small area of forest...
Horseback riding From: $35.00 p/p
Horseback riding is truly one of the best ways to experience Monteverde’s astounding wilderness, as you can cover several miles in a few hours. This allows for more wildlife to be seen, more pictures to be taken, and more vistas to be enjoyed. Monteverde itself is...
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Obama, McCain and LiLo
Things you might need to know for this weekend's backyard BBQs:
A whopping 38.4 million people watched Barack Obama's speech last night at the Democratic National Convention, a better turnout than for the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics and way more than tuned in for the Academy Awards last February. Maybe it was because he skipped the flying musicians and the droning montages.
Salacious, thy name is MTV. The network, fresh off its non-Britney deal, wants to find A Girl for Katy Perry to Kiss. Top choice: newly gayed-up LiLo. No word if it'll really happen.
Rod Lurie to John McCain: You owe me some money! The film and TV writer, decorated for his work on "The Contender," which earned Oscar nominations for Joan Allen and Jeff Bridges, said the scenario of an aging Republican presidential candidate who picks a younger, more inexperienced woman as a running mate was his idea. And he liked it better when it was fiction.
Posted in Music, Music awards, Oscars, Television, Television awards | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Oscar flicks: boxoffice buzz kills?
Could this year's crop of Oscar contenders stop the boxoffice momentum in its tracks?
Don't mean to be killjoys here, but in looking over various lists of Oscar hopefuls, some of them showing for the first time at the Sept. 4-launching Toronto Film Festival, we're noting an awful lot of, shall we say, difficult movies. As in, difficult to convince anyone to plop down some hard-earned ducats to see.
So far this year, serious is not what is driving people to the multiplex. Superheroes like "The Dark Knight," "Iron Man" and "Hancock" have reigned supreme this summer, as have popcorn flicks like "Indiana Jones" and family fare like "Wall-E" and "Kung Fu Panda." Looks like the season will finish on par with or better than last summer's record breaking grosses.
Some consistently well-reviewed indie movies with excellent word of mouth and nothing to do with the war in Iraq -- "The Visitor" and "Tell No One" to name a couple -- haven't cracked $10 million domestic. Documentaries, even the upbeat ones, can't get arrested.
What chance, then, does Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York" have? The drama with a convoluted storyline, a play within a city wrapped by a warehouse, eventually got picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Classics after a Cannes screening that left a lot of critics scratching their heads.
Not that boxoffice gold translates to Golden Guys -- which has been a source of ongoing criticism of the Academy that more mainstream movies can't get invited to the party. Could this be the year where that happens? No "Juno" has yet emerged.
And not to say there won't be some fine films in a year that, like many, will be back-loaded with serious awards contenders. Just can't imagine a real stampede for "Frost/Nixon." (The stars, Frank Langella and Michael Sheen, are pictured above). In fact, roll all the weighty Oscar hopefuls together and they probably won't equal the first few weeks' take of "Quantum of Solace."
The boxoffice will suffer. Will you? Let us know if you're already planning the trifecta of "Changeling" (with star Angelina Jolie, pictured), "Milk" and "Doubt" or if you're more psyched about "Twilight."
Posted in Film, Film awards, Film festivals, indie film, Oscars | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Snapped goes for Emmy jugular
Gratuitous true crime reality TV? Bring it on, complete with cheesy re-enactments, shaky hand-held cameras and dramatizations that have emerged as a likely source of work for at least some of L.A.'s bottomless pool of wait staffers.
So, with much anticipation we learn of an upcoming marathon of "Snapped," an Oxygen series that's a little "America's Most Wanted," some "Girls Gone Wild," and a lot of low-rent "Biography."
How in the world has this gem existed for so long without our notice? And how is it not on Emmy's radar? We're kidding about that last part, but only if the Academy can't find it in its collective heart to honor a show about seemingly normal women coming completely unglued and committing murder in sometimes creative but often very clumsy and traceable ways. We won't hold our breath on that one.
A press release today from Oxygen -- just for context, home to shows that star Tori Spelling and Janice Dickinson and many plus-sized projects from Mo'Nique -- tells us that the "Snapped" marathon is airing Sept. 21 in prime time, head to head with the Emmys. Now that's some counterprogramming for you. Oh snap, indeed.
Our TiVo will be busy with such profiles as Dixie Shanahan, a quiet Iowa farmwife who "shot her husband in their bedroom, then left the room and shut the door. It stayed shut for almost a year."
And this one: "Erika Sifrit was happily married and running a scrapbooking business, until police discovered she'd held onto a few mementos that weren't her own -- items that belonged to a local couple that had mysteriously disappeared."
Never trust those scrapbookers, we always say.
The victims are usually no-account boyfriends and husbands, and the show's been criticized in the past for painting the perps themselves as victims (a couple from past seasons are pictured here). Even so, it has a devoted audience and ranks among the top series on the cable network, helping to recast the channel as the place to see women reeking havoc (that would be the flip side of Lifetime).
The most recent episode of "Snapped" pulled in the series' highest ratings ever among female demos. Additional background here. Doubt there's many men watching, unless they're looking for clues on why their angry wives seem so happy to serve them dinner these days (hint: there's anti-freeze in that marinade).
What better way to spend the couch-ridden day after the Emmys than watching small-town moms give in to homicidal rage? Now that's a plan.
Posted in Emmys, Television, Television awards | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Sexy Jesus rocks Oscar?
"Blame Canada" blazed the trail. Will "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" be next?
Here's an Oscar campaign that we can really get behind, mainly because a live performance that lovingly sings about Jesus's abs and his Satan-ass-kicking ability could do wonders for the ceremony. Sure couldn't hurt.
Focus Features is doing double duty, no doubt, with a full-page "for your consideration" ad in today's L.A. Times hawking the "Hamlet 2" ditty as a best original song contender.
The specialty label also desperately needs to put butts in seats, hence justifying its near-record-breaking $10 million Sundance payout for the Steve Coogan-starring high school-set farce. Kick off a splashy Oscar drive? Why not? The movie's made a miniscule half-million bucks since opening a week ago, though it's been in very limited release. It broadens out tomorrow and sure could use a little talk value.
The Focus-created Web address listed in the ad wasn't working for us, but you can go to the YouTubes for a sing-along version of the cheeky song, complete with Coogan crotch grabs.
Trivia du jour: Not only did Matt Stone and Trey Parker gets tongues wagging with their Oscar nomination at the 2000 awards for "Blame Canada," from "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut," but they also caused near-fatal TV network aneurisms when they showed up on the red carpet in drag.
More on their fashion choices, and the fate of their nominated song, after the jump.
Continue reading "Sexy Jesus rocks Oscar?" »
Posted in campaigns, Film, Film awards, indie film, Music, Oscars, soundtracks | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Critics singe Burn After Reading
That possible "Burn After Reading" booing and hissing we mentioned earlier today? Gee, that didn't take long.
Critics turned out for the Coen brothers' follow-up to their Oscar-laden "No Country for Old Men" at the Venice Film Festival today, and they didn't much like what they saw.
THR's Kirk Honeycutt calls "Burn After Reading" "a minor piece of silliness with all the trappings of an A-list studio movie." That would be the Oscar-heavy cast of George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and past nominee Brad Pitt. For them, the decorated brothers have created "looney-tunes roles" in "an anti-spy thriller in which nothing is at stake, no one acts with intelligence and everything ends badly."
But how do you really feel?
Variety's Todd McCarthy is even harsher:
"Nothing about the project’s execution inspires the feeling that this was ever intended as anything more than a lark, which would be fine if it were a good one. As it is, audience teeth-grinding sets in early and never lets up."
Even the not-so-brutal Guardian thinks that the Coen brothers film that "Burn" most closely resembles is "Intolerable Cruelty." Ouchie!
Unrealistic to think that the Coens, here wearing all the writing, directing and producing hats, could come up with back-to-back Oscar contenders? Maybe so. They don't look so hopeful in this photo, and it was taken before the screening.
Much shuffling of early Oscar predictions will now commence. And just think of it this way, if Clooney and Coens are out of the picture, there's more room for Leo and Sam Mendes!
Posted in campaigns, Film, Film awards, Film premieres, indie film, Media, Oscars | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Burn After Reading hits Venice
And the fans go wild. Why shouldn't they? It's Oscar winner George Clooney and past Oscar nominee Brad Pitt, two of the world's most genetically perfect human beings, doing a little gladhanding at the Venice Film Festival, where their "Burn After Reading" is kicking off the 10-day event.
It's all tuxes and photo opps, but with a humanitarian sidebar, as Clooney and Pitt are also in town for a fundraising event for their pet charity, Not on Our Watch, which has gathered more than $7 million for the needy in Darfur. Just makes them even more fawn-worthy.
This is the formal coming out party for "Burn After Reading," Joel and Ethan Cohen's follow-up (in its timing, but not its personality) to their Oscar-hoarding "No Country for Old Men." It's a comedy! About the C.I.A.! It'll be making the rounds now to Toronto, the San Sebastian International Film Festival and others as it looks to whip up some Oscar buzz and momentum.
Since there was little real excitement out of Cannes this year, other festivals could take on more heft as potential awards spotters. Ongoing debate about the cost vs. reward of rolling out an Oscar caliber film at a place like Venice hasn't seemed to keep filmmakers or stars away -- cast members/Oscar winners Tilda Swinton and Frances McDormand also hit the red carpet with the Cohen brothers.
Ears to the ground on how "Burn" goes over with the Italians and the critics, though it may take some mighty loud booing and hissing to knock it off those early Oscar projection lists. So far, it's all been about the pedigree, and this hilarious trailer.
Posted in campaigns, Film, Film awards, Film festivals, Film premieres, indie film, Oscars | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
No Brit, no Twit
Hopes dashed for a VMA show stopper, a la a coherent Brit Brit without a broke-ass weave. Don Draper's pithy 140-character missives cut down in their prime. And Oscar nominees, and that Cody chick, get another day in the sun.
Here's your afternoon wrap.
Britney Spears' manager says the singer's too busy in the studio working on her new record right now to jack up MTV's ratings by performing at the VMAs on Sept. 7.
She took time out to shoot a couple promos with cheeky Brit host Russell Brand, making us all wonder if the Grammy-winning pop tart would use the awards show as Another Redemption Vehicle. She's nominated -- for "Piece of Me" -- so it's likely she'll at least put in an appearance. But as for performing? We say, it ain't over 'til it's over.
What would AMC do if "Mad Men" fans starting Twittering up a storm? Threaten to ruin the party.
Oscar nominees Ronald Harwood (adapted screenplay for "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly") and Nancy Oliver (original screenplay for "Lars and the Real Girl") and, oh yeah, the one who won, Diablo Cody (best original screenplay for "Juno") are in the mix for $115,000 in cash and the 2008 Humanitas Prize, given out for writing that shows some humanity (not inanity). "The Wire," "Boston Legal" and "John Adams" are among the TV competitors.
Posted in Film, Film awards, Grammys, indie film, Music, Music awards, Television, Television awards | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Highly aware of skipping NBC fall shows
Being among the 211 million people who soaked up a good deal of the Olympics coverage on NBC, we were just as incredulous as the rest of you probably were with those horrifying "Kath & Kim" promos.
Doesn't Selma Blair know not to go full retard?
After enduring one too many "My Own Worst Enemy" clips (what on earth is this show even about, anyway?), we can say with relative certainty that we are 59% more aware that we will not watch that crapfest.
There are two versions of the Olympics-promo-as-sales-vehicle story today, one in THR and another, far less charitable, in Variety.
NBC is trying to paint the picture that having the most-watched TV event in history will be the tide that lifts some truly mediocre looking new series. (Didn't seem to help "American's Toughest Jobs" last night).
Awareness for the fall launches is at 59%, insists the network's marketing chief.
If you ask us, that's because "America's Got Talent" used an adorable little lisping kid to sell the next round of the modern day Gong Show, everybody knows but doesn't necessarily love "Knight Rider" from back in the day, and the creators of the previously Emmy-nominated "Heroes" prostrated themselves before Comic-Con's Nerd Nation a few weeks ago, swearing on their mother's lives that this season will be better than last. Word gets around in the face of such pandering.
Alls we can say is, bring on "The Shield." And for a sneak into the final season of the Golden Globe- and Peabody-winning show -- at least the first eight episodes -- go here for a thoughtful review from our brother blog Live Feed and join us in the countdown to Sept. 2.
Posted in Emmys, Media, Television, Television awards | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Fellini meets the Olympics
Sure, we like a ginormous spectacle as much as the next guy, so the closing ceremonies of the Olympics last night were high on our must-see list.
Never mind all the carping about lip synching, kid switching and fireworks faking from the opening show a few weeks back. So? Bring on the humanity! Or, come to find out, the inanity.
We're just relieved today to see that we weren't the only ones who hated the Zhang Yimou-meets-Fellini display that included Jackie Chan singing, giant drums flying and a zillion sleigh bells ringing. (That ad infinitum tink, tink, tink sound just made us itch!)
And we get the London connection and all -- the torch passing to the 2012 games -- but that scene with a warbling Leona Lewis caught in some "Alice in Wonderland" growth spurt? It wasn't any better when she shrunk down to regular size to serenade Jimmy Page. We'd venture a guess that a live version of "Whole Lotta Love" had never suffered such an indignity, even in Zeppelin's most pharmaceutical-fueled days.
Glad that's over.
Here's your brain teaser for the day: Did Led Zeppelin ever win a Grammy? And how about that Leona Lewis? Answer after the jump.
Continue reading "Fellini meets the Olympics" »
Posted in Grammys, Music, Television | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Music to McCain's ears
Never really pegged John McCain for a reggaeton fan. ABBA? Sure! But Daddy Yankee?
Why should the presumptive Republican candidate for president let something like personal taste get in the way of a good photo opp and a little targeted Hispanic outreach? During a campaign stop in Phoenix today, he graciously accepted the Latin Grammy-winning singer's endorsement and then busted out his white boy rendition of "Gasolina." (We made up that last part).
To be fair, McCain seems to be an eclectic guy, music-wise, telling Entertainment Weekly recently that he digs Roy Orbison, Neil Diamond, Frankie Valli and, wait for it...Usher! Rock on, old dude. And by that, we mean no disrespect.
Can't say the same for Madonna, who made her feelings known during her Sticky and Sweet concert tour kickoff this weekend in Wales where a video accompanying her song "Get Stupid" put McCain's mug with those of Adolph Hitler and Robert Mugabe. Subtle! And not even the tiniest bit a desperate cry for attention and ticket sales. Way to go, Madge!
But wait, more music news. Not to be outdone, there's the pop/rock/alt convergence, also known as the Democratic National Convention, this week in Denver where we haven't seen so many performers gathered in one place since Coachella, Lollapalooza, Ozzfest (back when it meant something), the Summer Jams of our youth, Bonnaroo and Bumbershoot combined.
Lots of heavily decorated artists, like multiple Grammy winners Rage Against the Machine, John Legend, Sheryl Crow and Kanye West (with or without the tantrums?) plan a mix of public and private shows. (But curiously, a Grammy Foundation fundraiser has no Grammy winners on the docket. Instead: Convention flip flopper Chris Daughtrey). Nelly's in town, and so is Death Cab for Cutie, Fall Out Boy and Moby.
If that's not enough to rock your vote, we don't know what is.
Posted in Grammys, Media, Music, Television | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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03 SEAFDEC/AQD External Publications
Journal Articles, Conference Papers and Book Chapters by SEAFDEC Staff
Milkfish (Chanos chanos) growth hormone cDNA cloning and mRNA expression in embryos and early larval stages.
de Jesus, Evelyn Grace T.
Ayson, Felix G.
Amemiya, Yutaka
Moriyama, Shunsuke
Hyodo, Susumu
Hirano, Tetsuya
Kawauchi, Hiroshi
Cited times in Scopus
In an attempt to understand growth regulation in milkfish, the milkfish growth hormone (GH) and its cDNA were characterized and the expression of GH mRNA in embryos and larvae was examined by RT-PCR. The milkfish GH was purified from an alkaline extract of the pituitary by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and detected as an immuno-positive protein with anti-salmon GH serum. The complete sequence of milkfish pre-GH was determined by cDNA cloning and nucleotide sequencing. On the basis of the N-terminal amino acid analysis of the native protein, the pre-GH was found to consist of a signal peptide of 22 amino acids and a mature protein of 188 amino acids. Milkfish GH shows higher amino acid sequence identity with GHs of carps (91–94%) and salmonids (70%) than with GHs of more advanced teleosts (<60%) in good accordance with its taxonomic position in teleosts. It has five half Cys residues, four of which are at positions homologous with those of other known GHs and the extra Cys with those of carp GHs. The molecular weight of milkfish GH was estimated to be 22 kDa, which is comparable to the theoretical value. This suggests that milkfish GH is a simple protein, although it has two potential N-glycosylation sites. Semiquantitative RT-PCR showed that GH mRNA expression was relatively weak in embryos and newly hatched larvae but was already strong in 2-day old and older larvae.
de Jesus, E. G. T., Ayson, F. G., Amemiya, Y., Moriyama, S., Hyodo, S., Hirano, T., & Kawauchi, H. (2002). Milkfish (Chanos chanos) growth hormone cDNA cloning and mRNA expression in embryos and early larval stages. Aquaculture, 208(1-2), 177-188.
Amino acid sequence; DNA; Embryos; Fish larvae; Gene expression; Growth regulators; Hormones; Larvae; Nucleotide sequence; RNA; Nucleotide sequence; cDNA; Cloning; Growth hormone; mRNA; Milkfish; Chanos chanos; Early development; mRNA expression
Journal Articles [1100]
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STEVENAGE’S RICH & FAMOUS
More exciting UK towns to tempt you out of Lockdown in 2022, and another chance for me to recycle old rubbish with impunity.
Reader Huish Hugh asked for more salt-of-the-earth football (anything below City, I guess), so where better than Yeovil Stevenage, if only because I’ve been bullied into clearing out the garage and this was the first programme I found.
25 years – Where did it go ?
Hugh will be delighted to recall that Yeovil recovered from their perilous position on 25 April to finish bottom at season end and slip to Tier 6.
Eighteen years later they were 4 divisions higher playing Leeds in the Championship. Such are the joys of football.
Yeovil deducted a point for inability to spell “ineligible”
25 years ago I was living in the posh bit of Stevenage (Hitchin) and occasionally attending Broadhall Way to watch an unlikeable team full of Daves, Stuarts and Leo bully their way to the League.
By phoning the Boro Hot Line (0891 88 44 87) you could find out the match result. At 49p per minute it cost you 98p to find out Alty had lost this match 4-2.
The programme only has one advert for a bar, and that’s the frankly improbably Goodfellas (top) which catered for the rich and famous and therefore may have misjudged its market.
Stevenage is, of course, best known as being the stunt double for Slough in The Office (UK version). I’ve fond memories of the place though.
The lovely people at the Lister Hospital employed me for five years, taught me 3-sided book-keeping, and delivered our son James (after 36 hours, according to Mrs RM).
James will never get that off his birth certificate, and some day I’ll take him back to admire the post-war architecture.
Means something
It’s not a real ale hot bed, but the New Town Spoons near the station had a classic cask range when I popped in back in 2016.
STILL too many if you ask me
Cellar problems, apparently. Nice North Herts service (“You’re more than welcome, my lovely“), and the quality of conversation would provide Simon with 3 posts worth of material. Pregnancy tests, blow-up dolls and WKD in the same sentence, pensioners today know how to live.
Less excitingly, I’d spent my stag night in the Old Town Surma curry house in 1992; it still has a plaque up to commemorate the fact.
I was teetotal before marrying Mrs RM, so the highlight of the evening was watching Denmark beat Germany in the Euros in the nurses quarters at the Lister. Kids today don’t know what a good time is.
Near the Surma is the Chequers, one of those Greene King locals that raided the GBG by adding half a dozen pumps 5 years ago (See also : Pontefract).
Unexpectedly, a magnificent GK mild (NBSS 4) belying its 3%. Some rarely heard Smokey Robinson tracks too.
Don’t expect branded glasses
Only one visit to Stevenage since then, for an estate pub just out of town that lasted barely a year in the Guide but would have won my prestigious Estate Pub of the Month award had I run it.
No clues to the wonders inside
You’re never quite sure what reception you’re going to get in an estate pub, even an 18th century model like this, but it’s nearly always better than you expect.
As it was here, where in my mildly scruffy but functional dress I fitted in perfectly with a wider mix of locals than you might expect at 5.30pm. Tradesmen of all ages, of course, a lot of polo shirts, and a table playing cards.
You can trust a pub where folk play cards
What real people drink
The Proper Job was nectar (NBSS 4 +), just as it had been in a Woking estate pub running on similar principles and commitment to clean lines. The light poured in, the beer was cool and rich, I was very happy.
Denmark (them again) played Armenia on the telly, and a rather more energetic game of pool rumbled on behind me.
If you’re not tempted by the Dhansak in the Surma, I can recommend the pancake roll from the Fisherman’s Wharf.
But where are the micros ?
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18 thoughts on “STEVENAGE’S RICH & FAMOUS”
Matthew Lawrenson says:
To be fair, you’ve probably been back to Stevo more than Lewis Hamilton has.
University of Turmoil (@Truckosaurus) says:
Like RM I was lucky enough to work in Stevenage around the turn of the century. I would often see a Mercedes C-class stickered up with the words ‘LEWIS HAMILTON – RACING DRIVER’ parked in the Leisure Park carpark next to the station to avoid the official pay and display charges. On the subject of pubs, from memory the Old Town Spoons was much better than the New Town one.
Few have gained more from marriage than you. What a conversion.
And now I’m teetotal again. What can it mean.
A lovely piece Martin, revealing a hidden past to our intrepid pub-ticker. And there was me thinking that you’d never strayed far from the Fens – domicile wise, that is.
By the way, I was going to ask what “3-sided book-keeping” involves, but thought better of it!
People imagine accountants are dull, but they’re all past masters at the double entry.
Lived in Letchworth and Hitchin for decade while working in hospitals in North Herts, where I met Christine. Actually only 45 minutes from Cambridge on a good day so not that brave !
Best not ask.
markcrilley385472971 says:
I’m not sure how many genuinely rich and/or famous people are willing to dine at a place where the menu includes advertising from the local insurance company. But perhaps the upper crust culture operates by different rules in Stevenage. 😉
Were you really teetotal before marrying Mrs RM? I was on the straight and narrow throughout most of high school, but succumbed in college. Now it is I who am the corrupting influence on my wife in this regard, truth be told!
“Proper Job” will always rank among my favorite beer names. Here’s hoping I get a chance to actually drink it someday.
“Different rules” -definitely. I’d love to find an equivalent US town to Stevenage.
The joy of looking back at football programmes is the adverts. Goodfellas rings no bells whatsoever, the poshest place was called Fatty Arbuckles.
What have you corrupted your wife into drinking, do tell !
Well, really we both enjoyed a good drink or two when we first met. But nowadays she drinks very moderately indeed– she has lost a good bit of the tolerance to alcohol that she used to have.
I was mostly just joking about being a “corrupting influence,” but I expect she’d drink even less if not for me!
Tony Lea says:
I went to Stevenage a few times to watch Farnborough play. A couple of things bring back memories.The first is a GBG pub near the ground where I picked up a SPBW leaflet and used it to join. I’d never heard of them before.Was the pub the one you have written about.
The second is the club built a brand new all seater stand behind one of the goals and MADE away supporters use it having to pay an extra pound or so for the privilege. Not only was the extra money a liberty but one of the joys of attending non league football is to stand and lean against the railings giving the lino a bit of stick.
That pub was probably Our Mutual Friend, pretty much the only Stevenage pub with true guests in the ’90s and ’00s. Hophead a favourite, but it’s a decade or more since I went. Not even sure if it’s still GBG.
I think it’s fair to say Broadhall Way not near the top of many fan’s favourite grounds.
The Stafford Mudgie says:
“Cellar problems, apparently”.
Is Cellar a euphemism for Rodent ?
Either that or a chip pan fire 😉
I thought they only had microwaves not proper chip pans.
HuishHugh says:
Well thank you, kind sir. Though wasn’t thinking of Satanage in that request: coming in at No. 6 on list of All-Time Hated Football Clubs for the petty reasons and rivalries accumulated over decades on which obsessive fans of the beautiful game base such dislikes.
Surprising reminder we were ever as high as 21st that season.
Stevenage was the first programme to fall off my shelf in the garage the other day. Will see where this path leads me.
Yes, as I think that I might have mentioned, that explains the puzzling – to the non-soccer aficionado – addition to the notice in the train toilet.
“Except Stevenage”
After the sign saying “Do not flush this toilet when the train is in a station”.
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Tag Archives: papers
Ecology and Society’s most ‘typical’ paper
February 13, 2013 Garry Peterson Leave a comment
The journal Ecology and Society publishes a lot of work related to resilience and social-ecological systems. As part of a project I am working on, I did a quick network analysis of co-authorship structure among papers in E&S, and based on this preliminary analysis, the papers below are the most typical of Ecological and Society based on authorship*.
Resilience Management in Social-ecological Systems: a Working Hypothesis for a Participatory Approach Vol 6 Issue: 1:14
A Handful of Heuristics and Some Propositions for Understanding Resilience in Social-Ecological Systems Vol 11 Issue: 1:13
Resilience Thinking: Integrating Resilience, Adaptability and Transformability Vol 15 Issue: 4:20
Shooting the Rapids: Navigating Transitions to Adaptive Governance of Social-Ecological Systems Vol 11 Issue: 1:18
Water RATs (Resilience, Adaptability, and Transformability) in Lake and Wetland Social-Ecological Systems Vol 11 Issue: 1:16
Drivers, “Slow” Variables, “Fast” Variables, Shocks, and Resilience Vol 17 Issue: 3:30
Planetary Boundaries: Exploring the Safe Operating Space for Humanity Vol 14 Issue: 2:32
Resilience, Adaptability and Transformability in Socialecological Systems Vol 9 Issue: 2:5
Resilience and Vulnerability: Complementary or Conflicting Concepts? Vol 15 Issue: 3:11
Resilience: Accounting for the Noncomputable Vol 14 Issue: 1:13
Exploring Resilience in Social-Ecological Systems Through Comparative Studies and Theory Development: Introduction to the Special Issue Vol 11 Issue: 1:12
Assessing Future Ecosystem Services: a Case Study of the Northern Highlands Lake District, Wisconsin Vol 7 Issue: 3:1
Resilience, Adaptability, and Transformability in the Goulburn-Broken Catchment, Australia Vol 14 Issue: 1:12
Fifteen Weddings and a Funeral: Case Studies and Resilience-based Management Vol 11 Issue: 1:21
Scenarios for Ecosystem Services: An Overview Vol 11 Issue: 1:29
Editorial: Special Feature on Scenarios for Ecosystem Services Vol 11 Issue: 2:32
Resilience and Regime Shifts: Assessing Cascading Effects Vol 11 Issue: 1:20
Governance and the Capacity to Manage Resilience in Regional Social-Ecological Systems Vol 11 Issue: 1:19
Toward a Network Perspective of the Study of Resilience in Social-Ecological Systems Vol 11 Issue: 1:15
Transforming Innovation for Sustainability Vol 17 Issue: 2:11
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the majority of these papers are authored by people from the Resilience Alliance and frequently address resilience and social-ecological networks. However, papers on scenarios, networks, and innovation are also present.
* This is based on a applying eigenvector centrality to the network of papers defined by co-authorship relationships, not content. So, these papers are those that most link together networks of authors.
bibliometricsecology and societyNetworkspapers
Regime Shifts
Recent papers on ecological resilience
September 10, 2010 Garry Peterson Leave a comment
1. Hughes TP, Graham NA, Jackson JB, Mumby PJ, Steneck RS. 2010 Rising to the challenge of sustaining coral reef resilience. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. [epub]
Phase-shifts from one persistent assemblage of species to another have become increasingly commonplace on coral reefs and in many other ecosystems due to escalating human impacts. Coral reef science, monitoring and global assessments have focused mainly on producing detailed descriptions of reef decline, and continue to pay insufficient attention to the underlying processes causing degradation. A more productive way forward is to harness new theoretical insights and empirical information on why some reefs degrade and others do not. Learning how to avoid undesirable phase-shifts, and how to reverse them when they occur, requires an urgent reform of scientific approaches, policies, governance structures and coral reef management.
2. Côté IM, Darling ES, 2010 Rethinking Ecosystem Resilience in the Face of Climate Change. PLoS Biol 8(7): e1000438.
In this Perspective, we will argue that the expectation of increased resilience of natural communities to climate change through the reduction of local stressors may be fundamentally incorrect, and that resilience-focused management may, in fact, result in greater vulnerability to climate impacts. We illustrate our argument using coral reefs as a model. Coral reefs are in an ecological crisis due to climate change and the ever-increasing magnitude of human impacts on these biodiverse habitats [11],[12]. These impacts stem from a multiplicity of local stressors, such as fishing, eutrophication, and sedimentation. It is therefore not surprising that the concept of resilience—to climate change in particular—is perhaps more strongly advocated as an underpinning of management for coral reefs than for any other ecosystem [9],. Marine reserves or no-take areas, the most popular form of spatial management for coral reef conservation, are widely thought to have the potential to increase coral reef resilience [11],[13],[14],[17]. But do they really?
3. Brock, W. A., and S. R. Carpenter. 2010. Interacting regime shifts in ecosystems: implication for early warnings. Ecological Monographs 80:353–367.
Big ecological changes often involve regime shifts in which a critical threshold is crossed. Thresholds are often difficult to measure, and transgressions of thresholds come as surprises. If a critical threshold is approached gradually, however, there are early warnings of the impending regime shift. … Interacting regime shifts may muffle or magnify variance near critical thresholds. Whether muffling or magnification occurs, and the size of the effect, depend on the product of the feedback between the state variables times the correlation of these variables’ responses to environmental shocks.
4. Dawson, T.P., Rounsevell, M.D.A., Kluvánková-Oravská, T., Chobotová, V. & Stirling, A. 2010. Dynamic properties of complex adaptive ecosystems: implications for the sustainability of service provision. Biodiversity and Conservation. 19(10) 2843-2853.
Predicting environmental change and its impacts on ecosystem goods and services at local to global scales remains a significant challenge for the international scientific community. … Social-Ecological Systems (SES) theory addresses these strongly coupled and complex characteristics of social and ecological systems. It can provide a useful framework for articulating contrasting drivers and pressures on ecosystems and associated service provision, spanning different temporalities and provenances. Here, system vulnerabilities (defined as exposure to threats affecting ability of an SES to cope in delivering relevant functions), can arise from both endogenous and exogenous factors across multiple time-scales. Vulnerabilities may also take contrasting forms, ranging from transient shocks or disruptions, through to chronic or enduring pressures. Recognising these diverse conditions, four distinct dynamic properties emerge (resilience, stability, durability and robustness), under which it is possible to maintain system function and, hence, achieve sustainability.
ecological resiliencepaperssocial-ecological systemstheory
Ecosystem services, Visualization
Mapping the Anthropocene: Anthropegenic Biomes
December 13, 2007 Garry Peterson 3 Comments
Humanity is now a geological force reshaping the Earth’s surface, atmosphere, and biogeochemistry. This reality has lead Earth System Scientists to argue that we are living in a new geological era – the Anthropocene.
Recently Navin Ramankutty, a colleague of mine here at McGill, and Erle Ellis, from the University of Maryland, have developed a map of the world the acknowledges that we are in the Anthropocene by identifying the anthropogenic biomes that are currently found in the world.
They define an anthropogenic biome as:
Anthropogenic biomes describe globally-significant ecological patterns within the terrestrial biosphere caused by sustained direct human interaction with ecosystems, including agriculture, urbanization, forestry and other land uses. Conventional biomes, such as tropical rainforests or grasslands, are based on global vegetation patterns related to climate. Now that humans have fundamentally altered global patterns of ecosystem form, process, and biodiversity, anthropogenic biomes provide a contemporary view of the terrestrial biosphere in its human-altered form. Anthropogenic biomes may also be termed “anthromes” to distinguish them from conventional biome systems, or “human biomes” (a simpler but less precise term).
The maps can be viewed as PDFs, or interactively using Google Maps or Google Earth. Links to these files can be found in the article in their article Anthropogenic biome maps in the Enclyopedia of the Earth.
The McGill website has a a ten-minute interview with Prof. Ramankutty, and both authors wrote a follow up article Conserving Nature in an Anthropogenic Biosphere on Earth Portal, where they write:
If we say that most ecosystems are now anthropogenic, does this devalue the conservation and protection of “Nature”? Have we given those who oppose conservation a new tool to eliminate conservation altogether? Though this was never our intention, it seems to be a potential repercussion of our work.
Here is our defense.
On the one hand, we are convinced, as are many, that it is time to give up on the “protecting fragile nature” approach to conserving a desirable environment. Managing nature in preserves and leaving the rest of the world to its own devices does not and will not achieve our objectives.
It is our hope that in this century we can improve our environmental governance by building a citizen’s “morality of nature” through education and participation, rather than by fear of the consequences. Indeed, there are many indications already that we are getting better at managing the environment, and that the regenerative powers of nature are cleaning our rivers, regrowing our forests, and healing the ozone layer.
We are already in the driver’s seat. If our collective desire leads us to conserve, preserve, and restore “Nature”, we will all be the better off for this. But managing nature as if everything we touch is destroyed just will not get us to where we want to go.
They describe their map in the paper:
Ellis, E. C., and N. Ramankutty. In Press. Putting people in the map: anthropogenic biomes of the world. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 6:XXX. doi:10.1890/070062 . (which is available online before publication).
anthropocenebiomesEarle Ellisgoogle earthmapsNavin Ramankuttypapers
Cities, Ecosystem services, General, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
Society and Environment (ENVR 201) reading list
October 10, 2007 Garry Peterson Leave a comment
This semester I am co-teaching the first year course Society and the Environment in the McGill School of Environment. I teach a diverse set of lectures that are mainly focussed on commons, urban ecosystems, and resilience, but also include cost-benefit analysis and ecological futures. My colleagues cover a whack of other topics. Below are the assinged readings for my sections of the course.
Making environmental decisions: Assessing costs & benefits (1)
Leung, B., Lodge, D.M., Finnoff, D., Shogren, J.F., Lewis, M, Lamberti, G. 2002. An ounce of prevention or a pound of cure: bioeconomic risk analysis of invasive species. Proceedings: Biological Sciences 269:2407-2413
Managing the Commons (3)
Hardin, G. 1968. Tragedy of the commons.. Science, 162(1968): 1243-1248.
Feeny, D, et.al. 1990. The Tragedy of the Commons Revisited: Twenty Years Later. Human Ecology. 18:1-19
Dietz, Thomas., Elinor Ostrom, Paul C. Stern. 2003. “The Struggle to Govern the Commons.” Science. 302(5652): 1907-1912.
Urban Ecosystems (3)
Davis, M.. 2004. Planet of slums. New Left Review 26, March-April.
Lee, K. N. 2006. Urban sustainability and the limits of classical environmentalism. Environment and Urbanization; 18(1) 9-22
Jannson et al 1999 Linking Freshwater Flows and Ecosystem Services Appropriated by People: The Case of the Baltic Sea Drainage Basin. Ecosystems 2(4) 351-366.
Colding, Johan, Jakob Lundberg, and Carl Folke. 2006 Incorporating Green-area User Groups in Urban Ecosystem Management AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment: 35(5) 237–244.
Resilience and Surprise (4)
Walker, BH and D Salt 2006 Resilience Thinking: Sustaining Ecosystems and People in a Changing World. Chapters 1,2, and 3 and Case studies 1 & 2 pages 1-63 Island Press, Washington, DC
Ecological Futures (1)
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Board. 2005 Living Beyond our Means: natural assets and human well-being: statement from the board. Island Press.
Dietz, T. et al. 2007. Driving the human ecological footprint. Frontiers in Ecology 2007; 5(1): 13–18.
Adaptive invasions
October 9, 2007 Garry Peterson Leave a comment
From Conservation magazine’s Journal Watch Online
Revved-up evolution allows invasive species to rampage through new habitat, a study published in Molecular Ecology shows. The seeming ease with which chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha colonized New Zealand in the early part of the twentieth century was a complex combination of ecology and evolution, according to University of Maine biologist Michael Kinnison and colleagues.
Studies of biological invasions have often considered ecology — freedom from predators and/or parasites, lack of competition and so on — but evolution on a short timescale has seldom been seen as a major factor. Kinnison’s neat experimental approach, which involved releasing captive-bred salmon to several NZ river systems, showed that substantial and rapid evolutionary change has taken place among populations with differing local ecological conditions. The ever-worsening threat that invasive species pose to global biodiversity suggests the need to take evolvability very seriously, and these findings raise many questions about how we tackle the problem.
Source: Kinnison MT, Unwin MJ & Quinn TP (2007) Eco-evolutionary vs. habitat contributions to invasion in salmon: experimental evaluation in the wild. Molecular Ecology DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03495.x
Suggested papers for social-ecological PhD students
October 2, 2007 Garry Peterson 2 Comments
From the Natural Resources Management group at Systems Ecology at Stockholm University, which does a lot of research on social-ecological resilience, suggested papers for doctoral students:
Adger W.N. 2000. Social and ecological resilience: are they related? Progress in Human Geography 24(3): 347-364.
Becker, C. D., and E. Ostrom. 1995. Human-Ecology and Resource Sustainability – the Importance of Institutional Diversity. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 26:113-133.
Bengtsson, J., P. Angelstam, T. Elmqvist, U. Emanuelsson, C. Folke, M. Ihse, F. Moberg, and M. Nyström. 2003. Reserves, Resilience and Dynamic Landscapes. Ambio 32:389-396.
Berkes F, Hughes TP, Steneck RS, Wilson J, Bellwood DR, Crona B, Folke C, Gunderson LH, Leslie HM, Norberg J,. Nyström M, Olsson P, Österblom H, Scheffer, M, Worm B. (2006). Globalization, roving bandits and marine resources. Science 311: 1557-1558.
Bodin Ö., Crona B. and Ernstson H. 2006. Social networks in natural resource management: What is there to learn from a structural perspective? Ecology and Society 11(2): r2. [also available at: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol11/iss2/resp2/]
Costanza, R., M. Daly, C. Folke, P. Hawken, C. S. Holling, A. J. McMichael, D. Pimentel, and D. Rapport. 2000. Managing our environmental portfolio. Bioscience 50:149-155
CS Holling, and G. K. Meffe. 1996. Command and Control and the Pathology of Natural Resource Management. Conservation Biology 10(2): 328-37
CS Holling. 2001. Understanding the complexity of economic, ecological and social systems. Ecosystems 4: 390–405.
Daily, G. C., T. Soderqvist, S. Aniyar, K. Arrow, P. Dasgupta, P. R. Ehrlich, C. Folke, A. Jansson, B. O. Jansson, N. Kautsky, S. Levin, J. Lubchenco, K. G. Maler, D. Simpson, D. Starrett, D. Tilman, and B. Walker. 2000. Ecology – The value of nature and the nature of value. Science 289:395-396.
de la Torre-Castro, M. (2006). Beyond regulations in fisheries management: the dilemmas of the “beach recorders” Bwana Dikos in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Ecology and Society 11(2): 35. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol11/iss2/art35/
Díaz S., Fargione J., Chapin III F.S. and Tilman D. 2006. Biodiversity Loss Threatens Human well-being. Vol 4, issue 8, e277. PLOS Biology open access on-line, www.plosbiology.org
Elmqvist, T., C. Folke, M. Nyström, G. Peterson, J. Bengtsson, B. Walker, and J. Norberg. 2003. Response diversity, ecosystem change, and resilience. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 1(9):488-494.
Fischer, J., D. B. Lindenmayer, and A. D. Manning. 2006. Biodiversity, ecosystem function, and resilience: ten guiding principles for commodity production landscapes. Frontiers in Ecology and Environment 4(2):80-86
Folke, C. 2006. Resilience: The emergence of a perspective for social–ecological systems analyses Global Environmental Change 16 (2006) 253–267
Folke, C., S. Carpenter, B. Walker, M. Scheffer, T. Elmqvist, L. Gunderson, and C. S. Holling. 2004. Regime shifts, resilience, and biodiversity in ecosystem management. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Evol. Syst. 35:557-581.
Goodstein, E. S. Economics and the environment. 2nd ed. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. New York. pp. 485-488, 495-510
Holling, C. S., L. H. Gunderson and D. Ludwig. 2002. In Quest of a Theory of Adaptive Change. In: Gunderson, L.H. and Holling C. S. (Eds). Panarchy: Understanding Transformations in Human and Natural Systems. Island Press, Washington DC.
Holloway, M. 1998. Trade rules: a World Trade Organization decision about sea turtles raises doubts about reconciling economics and the environment. Scientific American. Vol. 279, No. 2, pp 33-35.
Kremen, C. and R. S. Ostfeld. 2005. A call to ecologists: measuring, analyzing, and managing ecosystem services. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. Vol. 3, No. 10, pp. 540–548.
Olsson, P., and C. Folke. 2001. Local ecological knowledge and institutional dynamics for ecosystem management: A study of Lake Racken Watershed, Sweden. Ecosystems 4:85-104.
Ostrom, E., J. Burger, C. B. Field, R. B. Norgaard, and D. Policansky. 1999. Sustainability – Revisiting the commons: Local lessons, global challenges. Science 284:278-282.
Peterson G., C.R. Allen, and C.S. Holling. 1998. Ecological resilience, biodiversity, and scale. Ecosystems 1:6-18.
Richard J.T. Klein, Nicholls R.J., and Thomalla F. 2003. Resilience to natural hazards: how useful is the concept? Environmental hazards 5: 35-45.
Scheffer, M., S. Carpenter, J. A. Foley, C. Folke, and B. Walker. 2001. Catastrophic shifts in ecosystems. Nature 413:591-596.
Thomas Dietz, Elinor Ostrom, Paul C. Stern. 2003. The Struggle to Govern the Commons. Science. Vol. 302. no. 5652, pp. 1907 – 1912.
via Maricela de la Torre Castro
Any further suggestions would be great. If you have any additional suggestions of readgins, leave a comment, with the reference and a note explaining why the reading is interesting.
Adaptation, Networks, Visualization, Vulnerability
Scholarly networks on resilience, vulnerability and adaptation – update
September 26, 2007 Garry Peterson 1 Comment
Marco Janssen has updated his 2006 analysis of scholary networks in global change resilience, vulnerability and adaptation research. For his new paper in Ecology and Society (Janssen 2007) Janssen added more than 1000 new publications to the database, to analyze a total of 3399 publications from between 1967 and 2007. His analysis shows both rapid increase in the publications in the field, as well as increased integration of the three knowledge domains
Janssen mapped the co-author network of the almost 7000 unique authors in the data set. He selected the 16 most productive authors with a minimum of 15 papers. Both sets make up the set of 17 authors who are very productive and/or collaborative. Next, we determined all co-authors for those 17 authors, but kept only the 69 authors who had published a minimum of six papers.
The figure above shows the most productive and best connected authors with the strongest co-authorship relations. Circles denote author nodes, and are labeled by the author’s last name and initials. Legend: Node – author; Node area size—# of publications; Node area color—# of unique co-authors.
Also, interestingly, three of the journals that contain the most articles in this field were newly founded in the past decade: Global Environmental Change, Ecology and Society, and Ecosystems. Ecology and Society is the most journal with the most papers in the resilience domain and the 4th greatest number of citation.
Key works that are heavily cited across research communities are:
Burton, I., R. W. Kates, and G. F. White. 1978. The environment as hazard. Oxford University Press, New York, New York, USA.
Holling, C. S. 1973. Resilience and stability of ecological systems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 4:1–23.
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Corey Coleman Jan 19 9:20pm ET
Free-agent wide receiver Corey Coleman has been suspended by the NFL for the first six games of the 2021 season due to a violation of the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Coleman was the 15th overall pick of the Cleveland Browns back in 2016. He played in just 19 games for Cleveland in his first two seasons before joining the Giants in 2018. Most recently, the 26-year-old from Baylor was released from the Giants practice squad in November of last season. Coleman hasn't played in an NFL game in the last two years, and this off-the-field setback won't help him as he tries to land a gig with a new team heading into the 2021 season.
From RotoBaller
A.J. Brown Jan 19 9:10pm ET
Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown (knees) said he had surgery on both of his knees on Tuesday. He also said he would have been out for the season after Week 2, but instead he battled through his injuries and made the Pro Bowl. The second-year wideout did miss two games, but he managed to finish as the 10th-ranked fantasy wideout in standard scoring after catching 70 passes on 106 targets for 1,073 yards and 11 touchdowns. The 23-year-old is expected to be ready for the 2021 season and is an easy top-10 fantasy wideout after going over 1,000 yards receiving in his first two NFL seasons while hauling in 19 total touchdowns. On top of it all, Brown is one of the best pass-catchers in the league at racking up yards after the catch.
Zack Moss Jan 19 9:00pm ET
Buffalo Bills rookie running back Zack Moss (ankle) underwent a minor surgical "tight rope" procedure on his ankle on Tuesday. Moss is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for offseason workouts and training camp. The 23-year-old was injured in the wild-card win over the Colts and won't be available for the rest of Buffalo's postseason run. But Moss impressed as a rookie, carrying the ball 112 times for 481 yards and four touchdowns while also catching 14 passes on 18 targets for 95 yards and an additional score. He should continue to be featured alongside Devin Singletary in 2021, but Moss should be the more attractive RB3/flex if the Bills continue to use him more than Singletary in the red zone and near the goal line. With quarterback Josh Allen breaking out in 2020, Buffalo's offensive arrow is only pointing up, giving Moss plenty of room for improvement going into Year 2.
Kenjon Barner Jan 19 4:20pm ET
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers designated running back Kenjon Barner (groin) for return from Injured Reserve on Tuesday, allowing him to resume practicing with the team. The team also placed linebacker Jack Cichy (arm) on Injured Reserve after he broke his arm in the Divisional Round against the Saints and signed linebacker Deone Bucannon from the practice squad to the active roster in a corresponding move. Barner will be allowed to practice with the team this week, but it doesn't mean he'll come off IR and join the active roster for the NFC Championship against the Packers on Sunday. Barner, a sixth-round pick of the Panthers in 2013, was active for six games this season but didn't receive a single carry and was targeted once in the passing game.
Mackensie Alexander Jan 19 3:50pm ET
A misdemeanor battery charge against Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Mackensie Alexander was dismissed on Tuesday. The charge stemmed from last August in relation to the disappearance of his father. Alexander entered deferred prosecution on Dec. 8, which led to the charges being dismissed. Part of the terms of the agreement included 24 hours of community service and participation in an anger-management course. Alexander allegedly went to a man's house to discuss the incident with his father, hit him and caused minor injuries. He pleaded not guilty and completed the pretrial diversion program on Jan. 13. The fifth-year player started in 10 of his 13 games in 2020 and recorded 47 tackles and one interception.
Patrick Mahomes Jan 19 3:40pm ET
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (concussion) cleared "some big steps" on Monday, but he remains in the league's concussion protocol, and it's too early to say definitively that he will play in the AFC Championship against the Bills, according to sources. We'll have a better idea of Mahomes' chances of playing this Sunday once the Chiefs begin practicing on Wednesday, but he'll need full clearance from the protocol in order to play against Buffalo. If the 25-year-old cannot play, veteran Chad Henne would likely start under center after replacing Mahomes in the Divisional Round against the Browns. Mahomes threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns in the Week 6 win over Buffalo, but he'll be riskier than usual at his high price in DFS if he plays this weekend.
Sean McVay Jan 19 3:30pm ET
The Los Angeles Rams are focusing on former Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator/interim head coach Raheem Morris as their new defensive coordinator, according to sources. It's looking like Morris will be the one to replace Brandon Staley, who was hired as the Chargers new head coach. Morris was Atlanta's interim head coach for the last 11 games of the 2020 season after Dan Quinn was fired, and he went 4-7 to close out the year. The Falcons Defense allowed 30-plus points in four of their first five games, but they turned things around on that side of the ball once Morris took over. The 44-year-old was Tampa's head coach from 2009-11, with the team going 17-31 in that stretch. Morris worked with Rams head coach Sean McVay in Tampa and also in Washington.
Michael Thomas Jan 19 11:50am ET
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (ankle) is likely to have surgery on the torn deltoid and other ligaments in his ankle this offseason, according to a source. Thomas knew it was likely quarterback Drew Brees' last year and didn't want to miss out on a possible Super Bowl run. A high-ankle sprain limited the All-Pro wideout to just seven games this year. He often was playing at far less than 100 percent, catching just 40 passes for 438 yards and no touchdowns during the regular season. The 27-year-old did find the end zone in the wild-card win over the Bears, but he was a massive fantasy bust as the first receiver off the board in the first round in most drafts after his 149-catch, 1,725-yard season in 2019. Thomas should be a top-10 wideout, if healthy, in 2021, but losing Brees will also be a downgrade for his overall outlook moving forward.
Antonio Brown Jan 19 11:40am ET
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown (knee) did not suffer a serious knee injury in the Divisional Round win over the Saints, according to sources. Brown is considered day-to-day after undergoing an MRI exam on Monday. The 32-year-old should have a chance to suit up in the NFC Championship against the Packers on Sunday, but we'll keep a close eye on his practice participation throughout the week. If Brown is unable to go or is limited, Scotty Miller and Tyler Johnson could see more opportunities in the passing game behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Brown played only 27 offensive snaps last weekend, missing most of the second half with his injury. He caught one of three targets for 10 yards against the Saints. Brown will be a touchdown-dependent fantasy option if he plays against Green Bay.
Matt Ryan Jan 19 11:30am ET
The Atlanta Falcons officially named Terry Fontenot as their new general manager on Tuesday. Fontenot spent the last 18 years of his career with the New Orleans Saints, most recently completing his first season as the team's vice president/assistant general manager for pro personnel. He initially got his foot in the door as a marketing intern with the Saints. New Orleans won Super Bowl XLIV in 2009 and has claimed seven NFC South titles in the last 15 years while Fontenot was around. Fontenot will now move to a Falcons team that has not been to the playoffs since 2017. He will be replacing Thomas Dimitroff, who was fired during the 2020 season. Fontenot will be working with new head coach Arthur Smith, with one of the main priorities being to figure out whether quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones are part of the organization's immediate future.
Alex Smith Jan 19 11:20am ET
The Washington Football Team is finalizing a deal with Marty Hurney on Tuesday to be its new general manager, according to sources. The move should be officially announced later in the day. Hurney will be reunited with head coach Ron Rivera after the two worked together in the early part of the last decade with the Carolina Panthers. Hurney will join the team with hopes of improving a team that released first-round quarterback Dwayne Haskins after less than two full seasons. With Alex Smith potentially retiring, Washington faces plenty of uncertainty at the position in the short and long term. But Washington's defense proved to be a force in 2020 after the team finished 7-9 with a playoff berth.
Justin Fields Jan 19 9:10am ET
Ohio State star quarterback Justin Fields announced on Twitter his intentions to forego his remaining eligibility and enter the 2021 NFL draft. He is considered one of the nation's top prospects after leading the Buckeyes to the national championship game, where they fell to Alabama. Fields beat Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the semifinals by throwing six touchdowns despite suffering a hip pointer in the game. The 6-foot-3, 228-pounder was 20-2 in his time as the Ohio State starter while completing 68.4 percent of his passes and a 63:9 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his two seasons with the Buckeyes. Fields also ran for 867 yards (4.0 yards per carry) and 15 touchdowns. Lawrence is projected to go to the Jaguars at No. 1 overall, but the Jets could snag Fields with the No. 2 pick this April.
Jared Goff Jan 19 1:53am ET
Los Angeles Rams QB Jared Goff's recent inconsistent play has left his status as the starting quarterback for the 2021 season in the air and may lead the team to bring in someone who can push him, according to comments made by the NFL Network's Steve Wyche. 'The people I've spoken to said basically at this moment the relationship with Goff and (head coach Sean) McVay: not great. They need marriage counseling is what one person said to me. I think this is something that they're going to be able to work through, but there's got to be some healing and that's not just with Jared Goff's injured thumb,' Wyche said.
Fantasy Spin: Goff was very good in McVay's first two seasons (2017 and 2018), but it would seem that once opponents figured out how to slow down Todd Gurley late during the second half of the 2018 campaign, Goff started to get exposed. It's also possible that the defections of Sammy Watkins and Brandin Cooks have given defenses less to worry about vertically or that he is feeling the pressure of playing under his four-year, $134 million contract that he signed in September of 2019. Whatever the reason(s), fantasy owners should expect him to compete for his job in camp this summer.
From TheHuddle
Deone Bucannon Jan 19 1:13am ET
Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Deone Bucannon, DB Javon Hagan and OG Ted Larsen were restored to the practice squad Monday, Jan. 18.
KeiVarae Russell Jan 19 1:13am ET
Green Bay Packers DT Brian Price and DB KeiVarae Russell were restored to the practice squad Monday, Jan. 18.
Raheem Morris Jan 19 12:53am ET
Los Angeles Rams cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant, Chicago Bears safeties coach Sean Desai and Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Raheem Morris are most likely candidates to replace Brandon Staley as the Rams' defensive coordinator, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. Rodrigue is reporting a decision to fill the vacancy could happen as soon as Tuesday, Jan. 19.
Stephon Gilmore Jan 19 12:43am ET
New England Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore has forced 37 incompletions since 2018 - tied for the second-highest total in the league - according to Pro Football Focus.
James Bradberry Jan 19 12:33am ET
New York Giants CB James Bradberry has forced a league-high 42 incompletions since 2018, according to Pro Football Focus.
Carlton Davis Jan 19 12:33am ET
Tampa Bay Buccaneers CB Carlton Davis has forced 37 incompletions since 2018 - tied for the second-highest total in the league - according to Pro Football Focus.
Vita Vea Jan 18 11:53pm ET
Tampa Bay Buccaneers DT Vita Vea (ankle) will return to practice this week, and the team hopes he will be available for the NFC Championship game.
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Dear parents, can you do me a solid and tell your children that it was I who set up all 200,000 flags in DC? I'm working on my legacy here 10 hours ago
Burgers, Bill Murray & SXSW: Finding Connections in Austin
I get a facebook message from Craig Oliver asking if I want to go to SXSW with him: a 22-hour drive from San Diego to Austin, both ways, to promote his label, Volar Records. We don’t have badges, don’t know where we’re staying, but says he’ll figure it out when we get there.
He sends me the message two days before we’re supposed to leave.
“What do you think?” I ask my wife, Jessica. “It’s kind of short notice and I know Craig, but I don’t KNOW know him. Plus, I got plenty of stuff I need to do.”
Jessica, newly-tanned from a week-long cruise—a Girls’ Trip but one I couldn’t afford anyway—looks at me with disbelief. “Things to do?” she says. “Like what?”
She has a right to be incredulous. I’ve spent our entire married life—about six months—unemployed.
I’ve gotten weird.
I justify not leaving the house so I can finish my Black Metal screenplay. I eat an abundance of apples and apple-flavored Nature Valley Bars to somehow compensate for my lack of exercise. Upon Jessica’s return from the cruise, she found all our reusable grocery bags in the fridge.
“You should go,” she says. “It’ll be a better opportunity than any listing posted on craigslist this week.”
This is her really nice way of saying: you need to get the fuck out of the house.
I’m 27, married and this is the first time I’ve been on tour. Really, I thought my window had closed. I spent my teens in a pop-punk band called The Flare whose claim to fame was playing the band in the made-for-TV Disney movie The Poof Point (I’m credited as “Ryan”). These factors do not add up to the romanticized sleeping-on-couches/playing-in-basements aspects of touring that I craved so much. Simply, there’s nothing punk about The Poof Point.
Our touring “band” is me, Oliver and Peter Holslin, music editor for the San Diego CityBeat. A car full of music-writers and musicians makes for a strange dynamic, like giving your assassin a ride to your execution.
Not that I’m really a music writer. In my 20s, I spent nearly three years writing about music for the numerous publications until I became burnt-out on it. At first, I found it fun to live vicariously through these bands I interviewed, sort of an extension of my own failed musical career. But there were only so many times I could listen to a band talk about our great-but-underappreciated scene. I hated rewarding mediocrity because it was “local.” I ran out of adjectives (writers should be allotted the word “blistering” once a year).
Before I leave, I send a few emails to some of my old contacts, telling them that I’m going to be at SXSW, seeing if they need coverage. Only one person gets back to me, telling that they already have someone down there. When Holslin asks who I’m providing coverage for, I say, “Oh, I have a couple places I could send it to…” and trail off.
Holslin and Oliver. Texas has the most terrifying PSAs at their rest areas.
Oliver and Holslin love music. It sounds like a really stupid claim, but I know tons of people that are into music that don’t really love it. I’ve recently recognized that quality in myself, and it’s utterly dismaying. I sit in the back seat and listen to them gush about local artists and I can’t think of an album I’ve bought in the last five years that would make my Desert Island list. It feels like the last time I was truly interested in something was the ’92 Barcelona Dream Team, and that was when I was eight. I spend my days listening to the punk I was into when I was 16: Hot Water Music, Jawbreaker, Refused, Samiam, etc.
I love Holslin’s enthusiasm, especially. His excitement about everything is earnest and sincere, almost to the point that, if you didn’t know he doesn’t drink or use drugs, you’d swear he were high. “Whoa man. This groove is… killer!” And he’ll often punctuate his enthusiasm with repeating the phrase, albeit in a cooler way: “This groove is total killage”. He’ll nod, then I’ll nod, because yes the groove is killer. He also doesn’t have a driver’s license, which he doesn’t tell us until his after he’s already started driving.
Soft Riot is a band from the UK that Oliver wants to sign to Volar Records. He plays a track called “Your Secret Light Shines At Night”. It’s a brooding, minimalist electronic track punctuated by horror organ (horrgan?). It’s hypnotic, terrifying and puts me in a trance as I-10 races under us.
It’s 3 AM and we’ve just spent the last half-hour talking about ghosts and aliens. Oliver and Holslin fall asleep. The music sends a chill down my arms. I’m sure West Texas is haunted and I’m ready for all the highway ghosts to show themselves.
We arrive at Trailer Space Records around 3:30 pm. I’ve had roughly 4 hours of sleep in the last 24 hours. The day is overcast and muggy. It’s my first time in Austin. The air holds me.
It’s only two minutes into Austin and we’re already drinking. A Burger Records showcase is going on at Trailer Space Records, where kids smoke openly inside and there are two massive tubs of icy Lone Stars that await us. Oliver immediately knows everyone there. I trail behind him like a quiet satellite, awkward and increasingly disheveled. Everyone talks music and I don’t have anything to add to the conversation—a sidekick with the occasional one-liner.
Burger Records is home to a slew of bands including Nobunny, The Oh Sees, and Jacuzzi Boys. They have (by my count) at least 4 all-day showcases happening during SXSW and might be the most important thing happening in punk rock right now—a grand presumption that I come to after my fourth free beer. One of Oliver’s “Rules of SXSW” is that you can only drink cheap beer to keep the stamina up (actually, the only rule). I watch The Cosmonauts play some hard-driving garage rock, the staple sound of Burger.
I take a picture of my Lone Star and text it to Jessica. I tell her we should move to Austin. She replies: “So free beer but no free abortions? I’ll think about it.” I find this hilarious and laugh out loud.
I get sidetracked into talking with a wiry fellow named 4AM, who got his name from the time-slot he used to begin his electronic music sets in Europe. He’s drunk and wishes they had a Lasik surgery that would let him read his cellphone better when he’s intoxicated.
Somehow it’s gotten dark and we leave Trailer Space to go downtown. Holslin heads off to get his official SXSW badge, given to him through the CityBeat. Oliver and I go to the Sacred Bones showcase at the Elysium to see Zola Jesus, Wymond Miles and The Men, but not before eating a sausage wrapped in a tortilla. They call that barbeque in Texas. We eat them in an ally adjacent to the Fiona Apple line that stretches around the block. A girl passing us looks at the line and says “We’re lucky we don’t get excited for popular things.”
This is what I tell Oliver outside the Elysium: “I don’t have a problem with music, I have a problem with how it’s written about. The example I think of is the last Kanye West album. Yes, It was good, but after the perfect scores given to it by Rolling Stone and Pitchfork, music writers had this obligation to become more elaborate in their praise. Because nobody is doing anyone a favor—music writers like music, sure, but they’re writing to get read. And in some cases, they use their vitriol or praise—
(hiccup)
—they use their vitriol to build their own cult of self. You see this kind of local-god stuff in a lot alt-weeklies and radio-personalities. Cantankerous writers who emphasize their own agenda over the music they write about the worst thing to happen to whatever credibility music journalism has left. Anyway, so these writers are piling praise after praise on this Kanye West album so their take on it will stand out from the pool of other blogs. While it was a good album, it wasn’t nearly as great as everyone said it was. Everyone wanted their voice to be heard. In essence, it’s not that music has become boring, but it has become a victim to those who write about it.”
I don’t remember what Oliver said to prompt that.
You can’t buy beer in at Austin grocery stores after midnight. I don’t know why we’re looking for more; I have to walk around just to keep from falling asleep. We end up back near Trailer Space—a few kids hang out in the parking lot. There’s a bar around the corner and rapper Danny Brown is playing to about 50 people there. And we only came for the beer.
I wake up on a hardwood floor in a single-room apartment. It’s nearly 1 PM. I don’t sleep this well in beds. Oliver sleeps beside me a leather love seat too small for him. His body remains straight and he looks like a surf board.
The apartment belongs to Clarke Wilson, a member of Burger Records’ The Vomettes and Volar Records’ Cowabunga Babes. He’s very welcoming and has the soft features of a Shel Silverstein drawing. He buys us breakfast tacos which look surprisingly like burritos. I learn that that’s what they’re called in Austin.
Wilson also lives within walking distance to Spider House, a woodsy, sprawling indoor/outdoor coffee shop and bar that reminds me vaguely of an Ewok village. Oliver turns around and tells me that this is where Psyche Fest is going on. We pass four stages before entering an inconspicuous door that seems that it should be hidden by a bookcase. The room is dark; the stage is lit red. The air-conditioning and the coffee I drink make me feel good. Alive again.
LA band Cold Showers plays. Afterwards, Oliver asks me if I want a beer. I suppose it’s about that time.
When Jessica told me that she was going on a cruise, I bought David Foster Wallace’s collection of essays A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again. In the titular essay, Foster Wallace spends a week on the exact same cruise that Jessica was going on. It’s a fantastic portrait of a mind that loves low culture but cannot connect to it without intellectualizing it. He spends pages breaking down the cruise’s brochure but throws a fit when a 9-year-old beats him at chess. Most of his problems with the cruise seem to come from his own neurosis.
I’m thinking about this essay when during a Mikal Cronin set featuring Ty Segal, who is absolutely killing it on guitar while ollying on a skateboard. Everybody looks mildly amused. Everybody crosses arms over their beer bellies. Everybody has beer bellies and concave shoulders from hunching over computers. They have spotty facial hair and unflattering, long hair that only accentuates their balding. All the girls have bangs. They all thumb the screens on their smartphones. These are the bloggers that control the fates of these bands.
Jesus, I think. Why can’t they just have fun?
Here’s a list of everything I eat on the trip:
– 2 In N Out Burgers/fries/sodas
– Egg/sausage burrito
– Bag of assorted chips (snack mix)
– Starbucks doubleshot
– Sausage rolled in tortilla (bbq)
– 2 bags of fritos
– 1 sausage/egg breakfast taco, 2 chorizo breakfast tacos
– 7 slices of pizza
– Pack of donettes
– Bag of mini Nutter Butters
– Shredded beef bbq sandwhich
– Jambalaya
– Huevos rancheros
That night, we go to see Thee Oh Sees at a genuine wood mill. The space is large and only a quarter filled. Signs everywhere tell you to not smoke, but a group in the parking lot has started a bonfire which, in addition to the playground climbing dome out here, makes it feel like a Mad Max movie. A fire marshal patrols the perimeter, anxiously eating trail mix out of a baggie. He seems to be hired by the show-organizers to cover their asses, but he looks like he’s in over his head. As a shirtless man fans the bonfire with a large piece of cardboard, he visually measures the distance between the fire and the wood-mill before walking away. He picks his battles; surely an intervention would cause an uprising of Lord of the Flies magnitude.
Fancy beer cools in orange, industrial hampers, free for the taking. We’re on our second or third when Oliver begins talking about girls.
Craig Oliver might be the most out-going person I’ve met in San Diego. He loves meeting people and making friends, but he never forces himself upon you. Shadowing him, I get the sense that he’s a superstar in Austin—taking and giving hugs to everyone, dishing out warm heeey buddys by the boatload.
But Oliver has a dark side, and Volar Records couldn’t be a more apt reflection of it. Volar has two taglines that exemplify this duality: “Community Not Competition” and “Give Me Your Weird.” Volar’s arguably most-famous bands, The Beaters and Ale Mania, are punk bands with slight garage-rock leanings, which gives lazy music writers the excuse to categorize Volar as a punk/garage label. Going through Volar’s catalog, however, I find that every band is considerably darker and meaner than anything Burger puts out. In my opinion, The Beater’s Fishage album could give anything put out by Steve Albini a run for its money. That doesn’t even count the gothic psych sound of Oliver’s own band, Spirit Photography.
Actually, we’re not talking about girls, we’re talking about the gym. It’s a casual topic I bring up during one of my drunken fits of body-anxiety and the fact that these Lone Stars are doing nothing for my unemployed physique.
“No, I’ve never joined a gym,” he says. “But there was a few years ago where I went through this break-up and I just began running. I wasn’t even that overweight. I would run like four miles a day. Not even for the exercise, just to keep me from going crazy. I lost like 20 pounds.” He goes on about close relationships that destruct once the prospect of commitment enters. He talks of just wanting somebody to watch movies and have breakfast with. We talk about parents. We talk about the dark shit that we’re attracted to—the music, the books we read. A disjointed conversation rooted in commitment and beer. We’re looking for what the other has: two different connections, but connections all the same.
We watch a band called the K-Holes destroy. We leave to meet up with Holslin at a funnel cake stand. He tells us that the Tom Morello secret performance turned out to be a bust. “It was a bust, man,” he says. “A major, total bust.”
The Volar/Burger showcase is an all-day event that takes place at The Grand, a pool hall in the center of a dilapidated strip mall. The façade looks suspiciously retro-future, or like the helmet that Shredder wore in the Ninja Turtle cartoons. The space is massive; the bands are tucked into the corner, next pinball machines (Tales from the Crypt, Addams Family) and in front of the glass exit, which makes taking decent pictures impossible.
Everyone has the disgruntled/tired look that comes partying from two days straight. I drink luke-warm coffee from the bar, anxious about a phone interview I’m about to have. It’s a marketing position for a company that sells Astroturf—the main responsibilities are spreading the brand’s image through social media and other campaigns. I’ve come up with a mock campaign to send along with my resume that I won’t get into detail here, but if “Turf Wars” ever becomes a thing, you’ll know where it came from.
I get the call. The interviewer asks me what my interests are. Specifically, she asks why I’m passionate about social media. It’s a tough question. I stutter and grasp for what I like about internet blogging, facebook, twitter, whatever. She stops me and says “I think there’s a poor connection.” I find a place where she can hear me and tell her that I like engaging with online communities.
The Stalins of Sound are a three-piece synth-punk band who plays to a drum machine. They wear black, quasi-Fascist uniforms and scream, but after two days of listening white-dudes-with-guitars-rock, the sound is incredibly refreshing. A drunk guy in a “Wasted Youth” shirt and an orange hat forms a one-man mosh pit, jumping and kicking on the slippery tile. He leaves once they are done.
Comfort returns as a country band with cute girls plays next.
With so many people paying attention to their smartphones, it’s very easy to cut in line everywhere you go. I learn this from my friend Nick, who doesn’t wait in line. I play along because these are the kind of places I’d rather die than wait in line for: dance clubs, sports bars and rooftop bars.
I’ve known Nick since high school and have seen him off and on since. He lives in Austin now and gets in touch after he knew I was coming to SXSW. He calls me around 9—Oliver’s pool hall showcase still has 5 hours left—and asks if I want to go downtown with him to 6th Street.
While we drive, he tells me that he moved to Austin to get away from a girl. He tells me of a marriage that didn’t work out. He moved to Austin to disconnect.
We push our way into a shitty dance club called Barcelona to meet up with a potential hookup for him. We end up doing shots of tequila, clearly breaking Oliver’s cheap beer rule. The girl Nick came to meet shuts him down. She’s not very attractive; Nick doesn’t seem all too upset.
6th Street is filled like Mardi Gras. Kids take their shirts off and challenge each other to fights while tourists take pictures.
We end up on the roof of a bar called either The Green Pig or Maggie Mae’s. The crowd here is considerably more attractive than at the rock shows, but in the kind of way that you’d see in Vegas or the Gaslamp, San Diego. Everything feels disingenuous. Bartenders keep their tips without offering change. Everyone grinds each other while a man with a shitty pork-pie hat butchers a rendition of Springsteen’s “Born to Run.” Every band I see on this main drag wears a hat of this variety, and they all look like terrible versions of Smashmouth. I have a feeling that this is why the majority of people come to SXSW: drinking, mostly. But also boring bands, skanky girls and side-boob.
He drops me off at a Wendys where I meet up with Oliver and Holslin. Holslin tells us all about how he ended up at a Norah Jones concert. “It was a weird, man. I’m not even a big fan. Someone in the audience asked her out on a date. What a dork.”
I can remember the first time I went in a mosh-pit. I was 15 years old and watching a melodic punk band called Ten Foot Pole. They were opening up for Millencolin on a Punk-O-Rama tour. A band called Osker opened up for them. I watched from the back as the crowd moved and pumped their fists in unison. I pushed my way through and was picked up and thrown to the other side as someone caught me. That was more than ten years ago.
I think about it as I watch Peter Case and Paul Collins from The Nerves play Burger’s Spider House Showcase. It’s our last night in town.
Before they go on, guys with sacks of foil-wrapped burgers launch them into a hungry crowd. Nothing could make more sense. Bill Murray walks onstage to announce the band. He asks the crowd if anyone would like some pretzels before claiming we are all in Burger Heaven. The crowd pushes to get a photo of him. It feels revelatory.
Case and Collins play classics I didn’t even know I loved: “Hanging on a Telephone,” “Don’t Wait Up for Me Tonight,” and “A Million Miles Away,” one of my dad’s favorite songs and seems laced with meaning. I text Jessica: #imissyou. Hashtag jokes are our thing. I get pushed further into the crowd as people go crazy for these power-pop legends. They run through a catalog of The Nerves, The Beat, the Plimsouls songs—they look like they’ve never played such an eager audience. A mosh pit doesn’t break out, but people are holding each other, dancing. This tent is hot, humid and for the first time it feels like there isn’t a disconnect between band and audience. People are not watching critically. There’s no over-analysis; nobody is holding their iphones up—this will not be a video on youtube anytime soon. This is the community that can only exist in music.
30 hours later, I wash the jambalaya out of my jeans.
Posted on March 23, 2012 March 23, 2012 by Ryan Craig Bradford This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Autstin, Bill Murray, burger records, Craig Oliver, Lone Stars, Peter Holslin, Ryan Bradford, sxsw, the cosmonauts, Thee Oh Sees, volar records, Zola Jesus. Bookmark the permalink.
← My SXSW was more punk than your SXSW
Last Night on Earth (final cover) →
16 thoughts on “Burgers, Bill Murray & SXSW: Finding Connections in Austin”
Kinsee Morlan says:
avclubbradford says:
Thanks, Kinsee!
Lauren Mueller says:
Thoroughly enjoyable as always, dear friend.
A delightful read!
mind says:
Solid. Man. Solid. You cut through the heart…
Thanks Mindy!
Jim Ruland (@JimVermin) says:
No vomit pics? Fail.
If that’s what you want, I can schedule a private viewing/performance.
Jessica Bradford says:
For the record, financial assistance for abortion services may be available in Texas. Ryan, thanks for confirming that free beer is most definitely available in Texas. And thanks for getting the fuck out of the house. I love you.
the grammar errors are problematic for me being as accomplished as you are / claim to be as a writer now. take another proof and tidy up. planting “bill murray” in the title / body is no credible excuse to continue reading past the point of “Oh, I have a couple places I could send it to…” and trail off.” if you catch my drift. dribble drabbles, hombre. tidy up!
I will hunt you down.
Craig Oliver says:
Remember that time we drove for twenty-two hours to a party? That was pretty cool.
Remember when it took Peter like 2 hours to get that burger?
Yeah dude, that was so dumb.
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Tag Archives: Peter Goble
Album Review – Rhonda Vincent – ‘All American Bluegrass Girl’
Leave a comment Posted by Jonathan Pappalardo on July 27, 2012
Released in 2006, All American Bluegrass Girl captured Rhonda Vincent at the height of her fame. A self-produced set, it features three songs either written or co-written by the singer and peaked at #1 on the Bluegrass album chart and #43 on the Country album chart.
Of note beside the music is the somewhat off-beat cover art, which came about after Vincent decided to forgo the glamour shot and try to act sexy. The cover image somewhat sets the tone for the project, as it’s just a little bit beneath the level of Vincent’s enormous talent.
But there are still some good moments. The excellent self-penned title track leads the album and unlike anything Vincent recorded prior, it details her life-story in song. In three minutes, Vincent perfectly captures the feeling of being one of a handful of female superstars within the bluegrass genre:
All my life they told me,
‘You’re pretty good for a girl
Some day you’ll play the Opry
just like Sonny, Bob and Earl’
I’m livin’ dreams I never dreamed
Mom and Daddy, they taught me right
To be an all American bluegrass girl
who’s singin’ here tonight
Another standout is Honey Brassfield’s “Heartbreaker’s Alibi,” a duet between Vincent and her hero, Dolly Parton. Led by Vincent’s impeccable mandolin picking, the tune details a wonderful story about a woman’s pain after catching her man cheating.
The other duet, Bobby Osborne, Peter Goble and Brian Vincent’s “Midnight Angel” is very good and the inclusion of Osborne as a guest vocalist gives the album an added texture never mind fulfilling a childhood dream of Vincent’s to sing with him. When first listening back in 2006, I wasn’t terribly accustomed to Osborne’s voice, and while his twang is an acquired taste, it adds an indelible magic to the song.
Also excellent is “Rhythm of the Wheels,” Al Wood’s chugging train song placing Vincent as an outcast, living on a locomotive, hoping she isn’t caught. The song succeeds because of the coupling of Vincent and The Rage’s tight harmonies with Charlie Cushman’s banjo licking. But the exuberant energy of “Rhythm of the Wheels” is what really helps it stand out, and cements its place as my favorite song on the whole project.
Unlike any record Vincent released before it, All American Bluegrass Girl takes risks with song selection and dives into subjects she hadn’t really touched upon before. “God Bless The Soldier,” the other self-penned tune, is heavy and clunky and while Vincent means well, the execution never quite came together for me.
On the contrary, Byron Hill and Mike Dekle’s “’Till They Came Home” works really well as a support the military song, and tells a multi-generational story that, in the chorus, gets to the heart of families emotionally effected by war. The effectiveness in storytelling, plus the understated quality of Vincent’s vocal make it my second favorite track on the album:
And as the headlines rolled
Every mother prayed
Every father lay awake
The whole night through
Every brother bragged
Every sister cried
Every hometown across this land held on
Till they came home
All American Bluegrass Girl also bustles with a few gospel songs. The most interesting is “Jesus Built A Bridge To Heaven” do to its funky dobro and acoustic guitar backed accompaniment. Connie Leigh’s “Don’t Act” is a standard Vincent bluegrass rocker, with fiery mandolin and banjo behind the cautionary tale of honoring the bible and being a Christian. It’s a fairly heavy-handed message, and won’t please everyone as it wears its faith too heavily on its sleeve. On the other hand, Val Johnson’s “Prettiest Flower There” is a beautiful story of seeing angels at a funeral but the steel guitar and fiddle mixture throughout bogs down the heavy arrangement.
The album concludes with the instrumental “Ashes of Mt Augustine,” later reprised on Your Money and My Good Looks, and a cover of Roy Acuff’s “Precious Jewel,” sung with her band, The Rage. They turn “Jewel” into a harmonious and classic bluegrass stunner and it works really well to close the album.
Overall, All American Bluegrass Girl is a mixed bag, poking holes in the consistently stellar bluegrass work Vincent was recording for Rounder in the last decade. She moves too freely between bluegrass and acoustic country and the results are good but not great. The religious material and songs about the military are often too heavy handed and polarizing, but there are some moments to treasure, namely the title track and duet with Parton.
Album Reviews, Retro Reviews, Spotlight Artist Bobby Osborne, Brian Vincent, Byron Hill, Connie Leigh, Dolly Parton, Mike Dekle, Peter Goble, Rhonda Vincent, Roy Acuff, The Rage, Val Johnson
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A new study looked at the impact of the pandemic on sleep and mental health among the general population and health care workers by analyzing 55 studies involving nearly 19...
Anxiety Depression Doctors Health Biz: Misc. Insomnia Nursing
Loneliness, particularly among folks under shelter-in-place orders, is a growing issue for Americans during the coronavirus pandemic, new research finds.
More people report they are feeling lonely, depressed and even harboring thoughts of suicide as COVID-19 cases in the United States soar. And those who are chafing under lockdown or other stay-at-home restrictions appear to be at the gre...
Anxiety Behavior Depression Family Friendship Psychology / Mental Health: Misc. Safety &, Public Health Social Networks
Having depression during childhood or in the teen years appears to increase the odds of illness and early death later on, researchers say.
The new long-term study included nearly 1.5 million Swedes. Of those, more than 37,000 were diagnosed with depression at least once between the ages of 5 and 19 years.
The study participants were followed for 12 years. Those with an early history...
Adolescents / Teens Anxiety Depression Diseases &, Conditions: Misc. Drug Abuse Infections: Misc. Kids: Misc. Psychology / Mental Health: Misc.
COVID-19 may be behind a concerning rise in the number of women suffering anxiety and depression before and soon after childbirth, a new study says.
Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston surveyed more than 1,100 pregnant and postpartum women between May 21 and Aug. 17. They found that 36%, or more than 1 in 3, had significant levels of depression. Prior to the pandemic,...
Anxiety Depression Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Pregnancy Pregnancy: Risks
Rap Music Is Putting Mental Health in the Spotlight
Beat-heavy rap music could help beat mental illness: Over the past two decades, the lyrics of the most popular songs in rap have increasingly hit on issues related to anxiety, depression and mental health, a new study reveals.
"I think anyone who's been a fan of rap music across the last two decades -- myself included -- had a feeling this was happening," said study author Alex Kresovich,...
Alan Mozes
Adolescents / Teens Anxiety Depression Suicide
Depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts are more common in children and teens with epilepsy than previously known, and they should be screened for such problems, researchers report.
They assessed 119 children and teens, aged 9 to18, with epilepsy. None had been diagnosed with depression, anxiety or suicidal thoughts (suicidality).
The screenings showed that about 30% of the youngs...
Adolescents / Teens Anxiety Depression Epilepsy Suicide
Virtual reality glasses or hypnosis can relieve pain and anxiety in people having short medical procedures, a new study finds.
For those getting an IV catheter or stitches to close a wound, for example, these distraction techniques reduce the need for painkillers, say researchers in Belgium.
The study is by Dr. E. Kubra Okur Kavak and her colleagues from Brussels University Hospita...
Anxiety Pain
Nearly half of Americans fear unexpected medical bills and 44% say they couldn't pay a $1,000 surprise bill, a new poll shows.
Those fears aren't unfounded. Among those with private health insurance, 68% have received unexpected medical bills and 33% couldn't pay them on time, while 23% said they haven't paid them yet.
Many Americans (81%) want Congress to pass laws to end surp...
Anxiety Health Costs Insurance: Misc.
Older adults with memory problems may progress to Alzheimer's more quickly if they are also suffering from anxiety symptoms, a preliminary study suggests.
It's common for people with Alzheimer's disease to have mood symptoms, including anxiety and depression. And some research has suggested those symptoms can, in older people, act as early indicators of the dementia process.
The new...
Alzheimer's Anxiety Brain Depression Memory Problems Psychology / Mental Health: Misc. Seniors Stress
Loneliness, anxiety, depression and substance use have increased sharply among young American adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey shows.
Over 1,000 people aged 18 to 35 took part in the online anonymous questionnaire between April 22 and May 11, 2020. Nearly half reported high levels of loneliness, eight in 10 had significant depressive symptoms, and more than 60% said they had ...
Anxiety Behavior Depression Psychology / Mental Health: Misc.
Is the Pandemic Harming Kids' Mental Health?
FRIDAY, Nov. 13, 2020 (HealthDay) -- Since last April, hospital emergency rooms across the United States have seen a sustained surge in visits related to the mental health of school-aged kids, a new report reveals.
The findings suggest the COVID-19 pandemic is taking a toll on children because of disruptions to their everyday life, anxiety about illness and social isolation. That conclusi...
Adolescents / Teens Anxiety Centers for Disease Control Depression Kids' Ailments Kids: Misc. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Psychology / Mental Health: Misc. Safety &, Public Health
Birth Control Pill Won't Raise Depression Risk
Women who struggle with mental health problems will sometimes forgo the most effective forms of birth control because of concerns about worsening those issues, but a new study delivers a reassuring finding: The pill and other forms of hormonal birth control do not raise depression risk.
"This is a very common concern," explained senior study author Dr. Jessica Kiley, chief of general...
Anxiety Birth Control Depression
B 11/11 Who Are The Loneliest Americans, And Why?
Young adults are the loneliest Americans, according to a new study that examined the causes of loneliness throughout adulthood.
Researchers analyzed responses from more than 2,800 people nationwide (ages 20-69) who participated in an online survey.
They found that levels of loneliness were highest among 20-somethings and lowest among respondents in their 60s. Loneliness reached anot...
Robin Foster and Carole Tanzer Miller
Anxiety Computers / Internet: Misc. Depression Psychology / Mental Health: Misc.
'Green Prescriptions' May Backfire for Some
So-called "green prescriptions" may end up being counterproductive for people with mental health conditions, researchers say.
Spending time in nature is believed to benefit mental health, so some doctors are beginning to "prescribe" outdoor time for their patients.
That led researchers to investigate whether being in nature helps actually does help people with issues such as anxiety...
Anxiety Depression Environment Prescription Drugs Psychology / Mental Health: Misc.
Teens Benefit With Less Screen Time, More Time With Sports and Art
Walking away from TV, laptops and cellphones and spending more time in sports and other extracurricular activities boosts teens' mental health, Canadian researchers say.
Spending less than two hours a day browsing the internet, playing video games and using social media was linked to increased levels of life satisfaction and optimism and lower levels of anxiety and depression, especially ...
Adolescents / Teens Anxiety Cellphones Computers / Internet: Misc. Depression Exercise: Misc. Psychology / Mental Health: Misc.
Coping With the Stress of This Election
Americans who woke up this morning to an undecided Presidential election might rightfully be feeling lots of anxiety, both about their personal futures as well as the fate of the nation.
There are plentiful jokes online about drinking election stress away, but mental health experts instead are urging healthier ways to cope with the anxiety of a country on the edge.
First and foremos...
Anxiety Psychology / Mental Health: Misc. Stress
Tired, Anxious, Overweight: How Lockdowns May Have Harmed Your Health
You might be onto something if you suspect your mental and physical health declined during the COVID-19 lockdown earlier this year.
Stay-at-home orders appear to have had an overall bad effect on people's health around the world, a global survey shows.
People reported that they gained weight during the lockdown, were less active, suffered from poor sleep, and experienced increased s...
Anxiety Diabetes: Diet Exercise: Misc. Fat, Body Fitness: Misc. Mental Illness / Retardation Obesity Sleep Problems: Misc.
For Some Black Women, DNA Could Magnify Racism's Toll on Health
Many aspects of daily living can trigger stress. But for Black women, everyday stressors plus racial discrimination and a specific genetic mutation may increase the risk for obesity, diabetes and heart disease, researchers say.
The EBF1 mutation is found in roughly 2% of Black women and 7% of white people. And according to study co-author Abanish Singh, it has previously been lin...
Anxiety Diabetes: Misc. Heart / Stroke-Related: Rheumatic Heart Disease Heart Attack: Management / Prevention Psychology / Mental Health: Misc. Race
Most Americans Anxious About Climate Change: Poll
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 28, 2020 (Healthday News) -- Nearly 7 in 10 Americans are very anxious about the effect of climate change on the planet and more than half worry about its impact on their mental health, a new poll reveals.
The percentage of Americans who say climate change is probably or definitely affecting their mental health rose from 47% last year to 68% in 2020. And 73% say it is affe...
Anxiety Psychology / Mental Health: Misc. Safety &, Public Health
It may be no surprise that this year's presidential election is taking a toll on the mental health of Americans.
In a new Harris Poll survey, conducted on behalf of the American Psychological Association, 68% of U.S. adults said the 2020 election is a significant source of stress in their lives.
"The brain, body, the entire system -- all are trying to adjust to a lack of no...
Anxiety Mental Illness / Retardation
"The brain, body, the entire system -- all are trying to adjust to ...
Cara Roberts Murez
Anxiety Psychology / Mental Health: Misc. Safety &, Public Health: Misc.
More than half of all Americans have been personally affected by COVID-19 at this point in the pandemic, according to a new HealthDay-Harris Poll survey.
The national survey was conducted by The Harris Poll between Oct. 8 and 12. It found that 55% of U.S. adults now say they know someone in their immediate or extended network of family and acquaintances who's been infected,...
Anxiety Infections: Misc. Psychology / Mental Health: Misc. Viruses
COVID-19, health care, the economy, systemic racism and the presidential election are a threat to the nation's mental health, according to an American Psychological Association (APA) poll.
Seventy-eight percent of adults polled said the pandemic is causing major stress and 60% called the array of issues facing the country overwhelming.
And younger adults are really str...
Age Anxiety Depression Psychology / Mental Health: Misc. Stress Viruses Adolescents / Teens
Cutting back on booze may reduce chronic pain and use of other substances among U.S. veterans who are heavy drinkers, according to a new report.
The study included about 1,500 veterans who completed annual surveys between 2003 and 2015, and reported heavy drinking in at least one of those surveys.
"We found some evidence for improvement of pain interference symptoms and subs...
Alcohol Abuse Alcohol: Misc. Anxiety Pain Tobacco: Cigarette Smoking Cocaine Military
Many teenagers and young adults may be using so-called CBD products, often in the belief that they will aid health conditions, a preliminary study suggests.
Researchers found that of 200 U.S. teens and young adults who landed in their emergency room, 40% said they had used CBD oil. Some did it "just for fun," but others thought CBD "can help to treat my medical illness."
Anxiety Food &, Drug Administration Safety &, Public Health Adolescents / Teens Marijuana
Is the coronavirus pandemic driving people to drink?
Yes, a new U.S. survey shows, and the greatest spike in alcohol use is being seen in women.
Overall, there was a 14% jump in drinking frequency this past spring among U.S. adults over 30 when compared to last year at the same time, researchers found. Among women, drinking frequency went up 17%.
But excess...
Alcohol Abuse Alcohol: Misc. Anxiety Psychology / Mental Health: Misc. Viruses
Lockdown Could Worsen Hearing Woes for U.S. Seniors
Isolation due to the pandemic and failure to get hearing aids checked has fueled anxiety, depression and more hearing loss for many seniors.
"This has been a very difficult time as senior facilities and individuals try to balance poor health outcomes related to COVID-19 versus poor health outcomes related to social isolation," said Catherine Palmer, president of the American Academy o...
Anxiety Depression Hearing Aids Hearing Loss Seniors
Dentists are drilling down on another worrying trend related to the coronavirus: more cracked teeth.
Like sleepless nights and stomach jitters, teeth grinding is a telltale sign of stress. And the habit -- which can damage and break your choppers -- is sending people to dental offices in growing numbers amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"I have been seeing a lot of broken teet...
Anxiety Dental Problems: Misc. Stress
Babies of mothers with anxiety or depression can have significantly higher heart rates than normal, a new study finds.
And this might put them at risk for long-term problems, researchers say.
Mother-infant interaction plays a crucial role in children's healthy development, but moms with depression, anxiety or postnatal depression may be emotionally distant from their infants...
Anxiety Child Development Depression Infant / Child Care Motherhood Psychology / Mental Health: Misc.
Exercise is often recommended to combat stress and anxiety. But it might not be the solution to your pandemic-related worries, new research indicates.
For the study, researchers analyzed data gathered from more than 900 pairs of identical and same-sex fraternal twins in Washington state during the early stages of the pandemic.
While 42% said their physical activity level...
Anxiety Exercise: Misc. Stress
Dangerous Abuse of Anxiety Drug Phenibut Is on the Rise
A growing number of Americans may be having serious reactions after taking phenibut -- an unapproved anxiety drug sold in some dietary supplements.
That's the finding of a new study looking at calls to U.S. poison control centers. The numbers are not huge: Between 2009 and 2019, there were 1,320 calls related to phenibut.
But there was a sharp rise beginning in 2015, researc...
Anxiety Drug Abuse Drug Interactions Drug Safety
1 in 20 Older Americans Smoke Pot Regularly, Survey Finds
Marijuana use is on the rise among older Americans, with one in 20 saying they had used within the previous month, according to a new study.
About 5% of men and women aged 55 and older said they'd used marijuana or hashish in the previous month between 2016 and 2018, according to an annual federal government survey on potentially risky behaviors.
Use was twice as high a...
Anxiety Depression Pain Marijuana Seniors
Middle-aged men who were anxious or depressed teens are at increased risk for heart attack, according to a large, long-term study.
It included more than 238,000 men born between 1952 and 1956 who underwent extensive exams when they were 18 or 19 years old and were followed to age 58.
Men diagnosed with anxiety or depression in their late teens had a 20% higher risk of he...
Anxiety Depression Heart / Stroke-Related: Heart Attack Heart Attack: Symptoms / Warning Signs / Risks Men's Problems: Misc. Stress Adolescents / Teens
The coronavirus pandemic has made many people more anxious. But for some, the threat of deadly infection and the drastic changes to everyday life may have triggered panic attacks.
New research found that between mid-March and early May of this year, there were 375,000 more Google searches for anxiety or panic attacks than would normally be expected.
"Right now, a lot of ex...
Serena Gordon
Anxiety Panic Attacks Psychology / Mental Health: Misc.
Back-to-school season can be a time of stress for many kids -- even in the best of times.
But pandemic fears add to the anxiety many kids will experience with the start of the 2020-2021 academic year, according to David FitzGerald, a child and adolescent psychologist at UConn Health in Farmington, Conn.
"COVID-19's continued presence for this year's back-to-school season wil...
Anxiety Kids: Misc. Stress Viruses Education
Despite the fame and fortune that comes with being an elite athlete, new research finds that Black NFL players are much more likely than their white peers to be in poor health once they retire.
After surveying nearly 3,800 former pro football players, investigators found that Black players say they are 50% more likely to struggle with chronic disabling pain than white players, and...
Anxiety Depression Exercise: Football Pain Race Retirement Planning
This school year comes with special challenges for kids as the United States grapples with a coronavirus pandemic, but experts say parents can help their children navigate the tough emotional terrain.
Whether returning to a school building, continuing online learning or adjusting to a hybrid school environment, it is normal for children and adolescents to have some stress or anxiety ...
Anxiety Kids: Misc. Parenting Stress Education
For many young people, extracurricular activities and sports are a central part of their daily lives and identities. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many students now feel uprooted.
With sports programs on hold, theater productions canceled and choirs muted, campus life may feel drastically different.
"If you're in the marching band or you're the varsity football quarterback, ...
Serena McNiff
Anxiety Exercise: Misc. Psychology / Mental Health: Misc. Adolescents / Teens
Levels of Anxiety, Addiction, Suicidal Thoughts Are Soaring in the Pandemic
The pandemic is taking a big toll on Americans' psyches: A new government report found that about 41% of adults surveyed in late June "reported an adverse mental or behavioral health condition."
That's a big rise from 2019. For example, the data shows that the number of Americans suffering from an anxiety disorder had tripled by late June compared to the same time last year, and t...
E.J. Mundell
Anxiety Depression Psychology / Mental Health: Misc.
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Kevin James shows us how most Americans exercise since the lockdown started
June 11th, 2020 under Kevin James. [ Comments: none ]
@kevinjamesofficial
Couch-X ##spacex ##falcon ##fypシ ##fyppage
♬ original sound – kevinjamesofficial
Let’s be honest; ever since the lockdown started, exercise has been the farthest thing from your mind. Sitting on your couch, watching television is so much more enticing. That is how our expanding fat a$$es like it.
There is only one problem, every now and again, we have to get up. However, doing so is really difficult because our bodies are no longer used to it.
What can we do to lift our wide loads off of the sofa? Kevin James showed us to achieve the perfect lift-off. Pay attention because it is an important lesson. A lesson that needed to be taught because sometimes the person who was holding the remote, leaves the room and the magic television wand is out of arm’s reach. There is nothing worse than being stuck watching Donald Trump praising his failures again, and not being able to change the channel.
Now that we know how to get off of the couch, let’s all try to do it. I didn’t say we have to do it. I just said we have to try. Tomorrow is another day. We can try it again then, or a day that feels different than today. Remember those days?
Who knew Kevin James could play an evil villain in a serious drama?
May 8th, 2020 under Kevin James. [ Comments: none ]
When you think of Kevin James, you think of him as a big oaf. That is all going to change after you see him play a neo-Nazi escaped prisoner in Becky on June 5th.
Dominick (Kevin James) shows up at a cabin where Becky (Lulu Wilson) is staying at with her dad (Joel McHale); and he will do everything in his power to find a key that was last seen there. That means he will kill her dad unless he gets it.
Think Home Alone, but f*cked up. I don’t what is more f*cked up the movie or Kevin James being believable in the role. I am so going with the latter.
Kevin James’ son tickles the ivory like Billy Joel!
March 27th, 2020 under Kevin James. [ Comments: none ]
Stay Strong New York. My family and I send our love to everyone around the world and to all those on the front lines.
Kevin James‘ son Kannon might only be 8-years-old, but he is just as good as the Piano Man himself. The proud dad shared a TikTok of his son playing Billy Joel’s NY State Of Mind. You would swear he is was a concert pianist and not a kid in elementary school.
It is nice that someone in the family has some talent. Joking! It was too easy not to go there. Actually Kannon is not the only one, his baby sister, Sistene, 5, is a pretty good singer.
Kevin James is the modern King of physical comedy
April 25th, 2018 under Jimmy Fallon, Kevin James. [ Comments: none ]
To me, John Ritter will always be the King of physical comedy, but Kevin James proved to us yesterday that he right up there with the greats including Chris Farley, Lucille Ball, and The Three Stooges.
Jimmy Fallon challenged him to a game of Spring Pratfall on The Tonight Show. Basically, they were given three scenarios and he nailed them all. First was sitting on a fragile chair, next was tripping over a Cheeto and finally, they had to ruin a wedding. Since I am a sadist, I love to watch people suffer. Even though what he did is art, it still had to hurt. He truly made it look so effort less.
The sorry reason that Kevin Can Wait killed off Erinn Hayes’ character
October 16th, 2017 under CBS, Kevin James. [ Comments: none ]
Even though Kevin Can Wait started its first season top of the charts, it ended somewhere in the middle. Then Leah Remini guest starred on the show and people started talking about the sitcom. Then shortly after the first season ended, they announced that they fired Erinn Hayes and were hiring Remini as a series regular for this season. Therefore, people wondered how they were going to explain what happened to Kevin’s wife? Over the summer, they announced they were killing her off and they did it with barely a mention.
Now 2 weeks into the 2nd season and the ratings are again so-so, James finally revealed why they really switched up the show. He told The NY Daily News, “The plot of the show didn’t have enough drive,” Then he added, “If we got through a second season, I wouldn’t see us getting through a third one. We were literally just running out of ideas.” How do you run out of ideas after just one season. I mean, he did 9 seasons of King of Queens and you are going to tell me they had 9 years of ideas for that show?
He also said, “Now, I have to deal with my daughter in a different way, and she’s gonna go to college, or one’s getting married, or the holidays. And it deals with things in a different, weightier way.” Hard not to make a weightier joke here, so I won’t because it is way too easy.
Why can’t they just admit the show was not doing well and they wanted Remini to save it. At least that is how I and a lot of other people see it.
On a personal note, it is the only show I do not watch Mondays on CBS. Never got King of Queens, and I will never get this show.
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About DORA
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Home / Tactical Core Income Fund
SIRAXTactical Core Income Fund
Class A Class C Instl Class Investor Class
NAV as of 1/19/2021
1 Day NAV Change as of 1/19/2021
NAV Total Return as of 1/19/2021
SHOW NAV TOTAL RETURN INFO +
YTD (year to date) is a period, starting from the beginning of the current calendar year, and continuing up to the prior day's close.
Morningstar Rating™
SHOW RATING INFO+
Overall rating out of 270 Nontraditional Bond funds as of September 30, 2020. An investment's overall Morningstar Rating™, based on risk-adjusted return, is a weighted average of its applicable three-, five- and ten-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating™ metrics.
The Morningstar Rating™ for funds, or "star rating", is calculated for managed products (including mutual funds, variable annuity and variable life subaccounts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, and separate accounts) with at least a three-year history. Exchange-traded funds and open-ended mutual funds are considered a single population for comparative purposes. It is calculated based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a managed product's monthly excess performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The Morningstar Rating™ does not include any adjustment for sales loads. The top 10% of products in each product category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The Overall Morningstar Rating™ for a managed product is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five-, and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating™ metrics. The weights are: 100% three-year rating for 36-59 months of total returns, 60% five-year rating/40% three-year rating for 60-119 months of total returns, and 50% 10-year rating/30% five-year rating/20% three-year rating for 120 or more months of total returns. While the 10-year overall star rating formula seems to give the most weight to the 10-year period, the most recent three-year period actually has the greatest impact because it is included in all three rating periods.
The Sierra Tactical Core Income Fund was rated against the following numbers of U.S.-domiciled Nontraditional Bond funds over the following time periods: 270 funds in the last three years, 241 funds in the last five years. With respect to these Nontraditional Bond funds, the Sierra Tactical Core Income Fund received a Morningstar Rating™ of 4 stars for the three-year and five-year periods, respectively. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Morningstar Rating™ is for the Instl Class Shares only; other classes may have different performance characteristics.
©2020 Morningstar. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
ASSET ALLOCATIONS
OverviewBack To Top
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES
The Fund's two investment objectives are to provide total return (with income contributing a significant part) and to limit volatility and downside risk.
The Portfolio Managers analyze and allocate portions of the fund’s portfolio to a wide range of income-oriented asset classes. Each decision must serve one or both of the fund’s two goals: to enhance total return and/or to reduce the overall volatility and downside risk of the portfolio.
The Sierra Tactical Core Income Fund seeks to pay a monthly dividend to its shareholders.
Experienced Investment Team
Managed by an investment team with more than 115 years of collective experience managing private accounts in the same investment style.
Well-Proven Risk Limiting Discipline
Trailing stops are manually implemented under every individual holding, and are manually reviewed daily, in order to moderate any sustained losses to the portfolio.
Access to Institutional Money Managers
By utilizing multiple leading institutional money managers, Sierra provides another level of broad diversification and expertise in their investment styles.
Asset AllocationsBack To Top
Portfolio holdings are subject to change, vary over time and should not be considered a recommendation to buy any individual security.
MONTHLY ALLOCATION BREAKDOWN
HISTORICAL ALLOCATION BREAKDOWN
Top 10 HoldingsBack To Top
Portfolio holdings are subject to change, vary over time and should not be considered a recommendation to buy an individual security.
RatingsBack To Top
PerformanceBack To Top
PERFORMANCE THROUGH 1/19/2021
NAV DAILY CHANGE
% DAILY CHANGE
% YTD RETURN
ANNUAL RETURN THROUGH
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Tabu: Blu-Ray review
June 20, 2013 PH 1 Comment
The director of Nosferatu, Faust, The Last Laugh and Sunrise has an immaculate CV – but this, the final entry in his filmography, initially appears to be an oddity. In truth, it’s a masterpiece. FW Murnau’s cinema had been shaped in the creative hothouse of 1920s Berlin, and survived the transition to the commercially driven colossus of Hollywood beautifully, although his ego did not. Bruised by poor notices for the three films he had made in LA for Fox, Murnau took a leap into the unknown, embarking on a project unlike any other he had attempted. He sailed for Bora Bora with the documentary film-maker Robert Flaherty to shoot a colour movie, a part-talkie called Turia.
Following a script rewrite, money trouble and endless technical difficulties, Turia would become Tabu, a silent, black-and-white love story; Flaherty’s role would be downgraded to lab-bound assistant; and Murnau would plough his own money into the project until he had something he could sell to Paramount for distribution. The most shocking, and tragic, twist of all was that Murnau would not live to see its premiere. The director died in a car accident in March 1931, a week before Tabu’s first public screening.
Had Murnau lived, he would have seen his film, trimmed in often baffling ways by Paramount, fail to make back its costs at the box office, although the cinematographer Floyd Crosby would win the Oscar for this, his debut. In 1940, his mother sold the rights to Rowland and Samuel Brown, who rereleased it with further cuts and yet again failed to turn Tabu into a commercial success. It was not until the early 70s that a full nitrate print of the original film was discovered – and the process of restoration and appreciation began in earnest. Now we can watch Tabu: A Story of the South Seas, the full Tabu, and thanks to 21st-century technology, we can watch it at its sumptuous best.
Masters of Cinema has released Tabu previously on DVD – this is a beautiful Blu-Ray revamp of that pristine transfer. The sea spray sparkles and the chiaroscuro effects of those ominous shadows that are cast across paradise are given their full weight. It’s a seductively beautiful film; almost gratuitously, exotically gorgeous. In fact, I’d say the stills you see here don’t do it justice. Solidly expressionist lighting techniques transform a sun-drenched paradise into a locus of intangible terror, at the same time as the play of light on the luminous seas, on the young lovers’ beautiful bodies, entrances the eye. The film itself is a tempter, a Mephistopheles, and you’ll find it impossible to resist. The Hugo Reisenfeld score that Murnau spent his last pennies on is here too. It’s luscious, but on another occasion I’d be intrigued to see how a modern magician would accompany this film.
The plot concerns the stranglehold of fate, set cruelly against the joy of young love. We are far from the realm of documentary here – Tabu is every bit as artful as any of Murnau’s other films. Reri and Matahi live on a remote and unspoiled south sea island, and they fall suddenly, but utterly in love. The idyll is shattered when a messenger from another island, the sinister, hollow-faced Hitu, announces that Reri is “tabu”: she has been chosen to be a vestal virgin of sorts, a totem of chastity and purity – a symbolic tithe demanded from one island by the other. Reri must be wrenched from Matahi and their budding love affair is also “tabu”. The lovers escape, and wash up at a different kind of island, one that has been colonised, but Hitu, as eerie and relentless as Count Orlok, is on their trail …
Anne Chevalier in Tabu (1931)
That story, which folds folklore into tragedy, is told with the minimum of intertitles and the maximum of grace. Murnau’s unchained camera roams across ocean and sand but falls upon a painterly, elegant composition with each frame. Those title cards, as the invaluable commentary by R Dixon Smith and Brad Stevens makes plain, provide narration, and documentation, but not dialogue. Many silent films invite the hoary adjective “balletic”, but it is apt here: the vigour of the crowd scenes, the erotic, tragic interplay of the forlorn principals and that haunting villain. This voiceless melodrama, as exotic and strange as it may seem, will slide right under your skin.
Far from an oddity, this is a Murnau film to the core – there is enough joy, tragedy and self-sacrifice here to make you believe we’re back in Berlin. There’s even a dance scene that screams Sunrise; and those themes of paradise found and lost can’t help but recall Faust. Apparently Murnau, thoroughly disillusioned with Hollywood, planned to return to the South Sea Islands to make more films after Tabu – his 1930s career could have been truly fascinating.
So it’s worth buying Tabu for the film alone, but this is a typically generous Masters of CInema package. As well as the aforementioned commentary there is a short German-language documentary Tabu: the Cinematic Legacy, a short travelogue from 1940 that uses footage from Tabu, a handful of out-takes, and a weighty booklet featuring archive material and essays.
Tabu is released on Blu-Ray (£19.99) and DVD (£17.99) by Masters of Cinema on 24 June 2013. Available to pre-order now
Blu-RayDVDFW MurnauMasters of Cinemasilent filmTabu
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Man With a Movie Camera: the greatest documentary of all time?
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The Chalkboard
St. John's College Admissions Blog
About St. John’s College
Category: Financial Aid
Whoa! Did St. John’s just lower tuition?
Yes, we did. This is no ordinary fall at St. John’s. Earlier in September, the college made a big announcement: we lowered tuition from $52,734 to just $35,000. $35,000. Why did we do it? Principally because $52,734 is too much for most families. In the past, St. John’s gave generous merit and need-based scholarships to…
What should I be doing during the summer—interning in a field that interests me or working a shift job to earn more money? How do you choose a graduate program? When should I create a LinkedIn profile? How do I evaluate a job offer for non-salary benefits like health insurance and retirement savings? Should I…
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A January Start
4+1: Adding an MA to your St. John’s education
What college rankings actually matter?
Fall Recruitment and Travel in the Time of a Pandemic
One Last Summer Day in Naptown
After St. John's
Applying to St. John's College
Visiting St. John's
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Ignoring Those Negative Business Reviews? How Restaurants Can Respond Spectacularly to Bad Yelp, Google, and Online Reviews
Ignoring that negative business review that reads, “If I could give less than one star I would…”? That’s a mistake with hefty consequences. Whether it’s one outlier or a trend of negativity, neglecting customer feedback only reflects poorly on your brand. Why? Beyond dragging down a rating that potential customers to your restaurant are using to make their dining decisions, it makes it seem like you don’t care about your customers, their opinions, or providing a quality experience.
What if instead, you worked through the feedback, took the useful gems of info, and leveraged it to improve your services? What if you transparently responded to customers and took ownership of where your restaurant fell short?
Sometimes restaurant owners try to mask their problems and not address the issues at hand, says Alexis Krisay, president of marketing at Serendipit Consulting. Being open, honest, and transparent while taking responsibility for what went wrong matters to your customers.
How you respond to bad reviews on Yelp, Google, OpenTable, Facebook, or TripAdvisor is critical. Solving the situation, rather than avoiding it, makes your restaurant shine online.
Why Restaurant Owners Shouldn’t Shy Away From Negative Reviews
If you wouldn’t ignore a customer in the restaurant, why would you ignore them online?, says Stephen Maly, director of hospitality at IGC Hospitality. “Whether or not they [communicate an issue] in the restaurant or through an online review, it’s still our job as a hospitality company to try to find a way to make that experience better and try to find a way to recover it.”
You’ve got to respond ASAP, whether the review is five stars or one, and treat it as genuine, says Nawar Miri, president and co-owner at Simsim. “I believe in almost all cases you can win a guest back, if you handle the situation promptly and professionally,” he explains, “That’s how we’ve handled it and it’s been effective for us where we’ve turned things around.”
For example, Miri had issues with a Yelper where he received a three-star review. He responded immediately, apologized, and asked for the date and time the customer dined at Simsim. He also offered them a few entrees on the house because they originally had a large order. Then, Miri refocused training to prevent a repeat situation. The result? The customer redeemed his offer two days later plus updated their Yelp review to five stars.
If a negative review hangs around with no response, customers see a one-sided story, explains Krisay. But if restaurant owners address the issues with Yelpers or negative reviews fast, and have an open, honest conversation in real time, that shows respect, and diners remember that.
“Someone took the time out of their day to write a review, whether it was a sentence, a paragraph, especially if it’s like a Yelp Elite for example…And oftentimes they don’t leave a review unless they go multiple times to an establishment,” explains Miri, “If I write a negative review of a place, I’d want to hear back from them and see, do they care about my review? Do they care about fixing it if there’s a situation? [A response] shows that you give a darn about your business, but you also care about what they think.”
You could choose to pat yourself on the back for every four- or five-star review that rolls in and not worry about how to fix your Google or Yelp reviews. But at the end of the day, if you’re seeing a repetitive complaint, Maly says you’d be silly not to listen to it and neglect that crucial customer feedback.
How to Appropriately Address Negative Reviews
Maly’s process for responding to a bad Yelp or Google review comes in four stages:
Respond with empathy
Zero in on exactly what the complaint is about
Figure out what the customer is asking for
Do everything you can to make it right
“It’s an emotional process when you’re reading [reviews] because you’re so invested in what you do every day, but you have to take the emotion and ego out of it, which is hard,” he explains. It’s critical, however, that your tone is empathetic and that you’re trying to understand what happened.
Take ownership of the mistake in an empathetic way that shows you understand where the customer is coming from. Then work on righting the wrong. This may mean offering a discount or gift card to apologize plus encourage them to visit you again for a second chance.
“[Restaurant owners] get deflated and say ‘I wish I could always get good reviews,’ but typically people only leave a review if it’s going to be negative because they feel like they want an outlet,” Krisay explains, “When [you] read reviews…humanize them more, and understand how that person was feeling rather than shrug it off…[Restaurateurs] need to understand why that customer felt the way they did.”
It’s how you respond to bad Yelp or Google reviews that strengthens your customers’ experiences. If you engage their review, they feel like you’re relating to them, they matter, they’re not just a check number, and that you’ve provided a personal touch to correct the mistake.
Krisay also recommends having an escalation plan in place to quicken response time. This includes different tiers explaining how to respond, what could possibly go wrong at your specific restaurant, what’s happened in the past, and what possible solutions to implement based on the severity of the review.
Using tracking software can also help fix Yelp or Google reviews because if all reviews are collected in one place, your managers can respond ASAP. This strategy makes it clear where your best and worst reviews are coming from, how your customers are responding back, and if your response tactics are working to improve your overall reviews. If you work on creating high-quality, empathetic responses, answering quickly, implementing customer feedback, and working on issues with your team, you’ll see your positive reviews start to stack up.
Influencers, Bloggers, and Foodies: Why They Matter to Restaurants
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*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the stories.
We drive the 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX sedan
Pics by Subaru@motorpics
So just plain evil, you can’t help but love it
Published in Weekend Witness Motoring on Saturday November 28, 2009
We all do things we’d prefer to forget and Subaru’s WRX hatch of 2008 upset the faithful no end, while failing to attract the hordes of new buyers the product planners were hoping for. There was just one thing to do – go back to the old formula and apologise profusely to the fans by making it even better than it was in 2007.
The 2 457 cc DOHC flat four has been given a bigger turbocharger and the wick has been turned up, so that it now puts out 195 kW at 6 000 rpm and 343 Nm at 4 000. Anti sway bars front and rear have been beefed up, front struts given STI top mounts and a damper fitted to the steering to make it friendlier on dirt. Tauter, more responsive handling than on the outgoing model harks back to the “good old days.”
The KZN test unit (and probably all press cars) was given the optional sports exhaust package. People of a certain age usually whine about noise of any kind, but this kit makes the car sound so mean, so menacing, so just plain evil, that you can’t help but love it. Puttering along at low revs sounds like a gangster patrolling his turf, while higher revolutions result in a banzai rasp designed to send invading round-eyes scuttling for cover.
As far as looks go it is, well, different. By no means a beauty contest winner, it is a case of form following function, and function it certainly does. You sit low in the Impreza, the fully adjustable steering wheel simply cannot be set too high, the seats wrap themselves around your eagerly awaiting body (can I say that, Ms Editor?) and the rumbling beast impatiently waits for you to unleash it toward the horizon.
Being in this car causes flashbacks to more expensive and exotic machinery like Nissan Zs and Aston Martins. It just feels so right. Unlike them, however, the Subaru is a full four-seater with a decently sized boot and a much smaller price tag. It also has full-time all wheel drive and uses a bit less fuel.
On the road, this WRX sits securely, steers well, accelerates like a rocket (0 to 100 in 5,7 seconds) and just makes you feel so competent. The picky would point out that the STI version is marginally quicker and handles even better, but the STI costs R165 000 more and it’s a (choke) hatchback, so you decide.
It’s not all about sound effects and performance, though. The WRX comes with all the usual stuff like filtered climate control, a six-CD player with 10 speakers, MP3 and WMA compatibility (I like the easy to use menu and the way the display shows the cover of the album being played, even in USB mode), audio controls on the steering wheel, folding exterior mirrors, 6 airbags and xenon headlights. It even has a sunroof thrown in free.
Oh, yes, it is ANCAP 5 safety rated, has child seat anchorage in the back, has all the usual electronic braking and handling kit and boasts the inherent safety of symmetrical all wheel drive as well.
If I made a list of the top five test cars I’d like to keep, from this year’s crop to date, the Impreza WRX would be in it. Hell, it might even make the top three.
Engine: 2 457 cc DOHC boxer four, turbocharged
Torque: 343 Nm at 4 000 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 5,7 seconds
Real life fuel consumption over 200 km of mixed driving: 11,2 l/100 km
Maintenance plan: 3 years/63 000 km
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Watch for FREE Man on a Ledge (2012)
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Fred 3: Camp Fred (2012)
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Double Victory: The Tuskegee Airmen at War (2012)
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ThanksKilling 3 (2012)
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Still Mine (2012)
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Darkest Night (2012)
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worldsfair
What Would You Say to your Children about the Canadian Government? (My Two Cents)
By worldsfair on May 2, 2011.
It's election time again and, as is the norm, we see teachers using the opportunity to talk to their students about things such as Prime Ministers, parliaments, senates, and, well, basically - how this thing we call the "Canadian Government" is meant to work. My own daughter who is in Grade 4 is in such a class, and has been asking me all sorts of questions: the most prevalent of which is "Who is Alice Wong?" Not a surprising question, since her face is fairly ubiquitous in Richmond, BC where I live, being set against the many blue Conservative signs and placards (she is our incumbent MP).
Because we've had a few elections of late, I have a habit of how I deal with such questions from my kids - these opportunities to talk politics. So far, being an educator and scientist myself, my training forces me to be objective, focusing primarily on the different philosophies that each of our political parties represent, including the general pros and cons of each. I tell my children that who you choose is a personal decision driven by what you think is important. Above all, voting is a privilege, as is the act of receiving a vote if you are campaigning. I think it best to not indoctrinate your kids with your own views, but rather to succinctly tell them that voting is something special, and deserves some effort to be informed on the issues. If you take that view, the rest will happen naturally.
Unfortunately, this time around, and to my surprise, I found myself facing my daughter and uttering the following: "I'm not really a big fan of Alice Wong." This was quite a shift of attitude, and here is why: I have no issue with Conservative ideas and values (I actually agree with some of them), but I am tremendously concerned with the actions of the current Canadian Government.
How I came to this conclusion is due to many issues, but the one that has lit the proverbial "fire in my belly," is a law that would fix policy to allow life saving drugs to be made at lower cost. There's merit in this because it permits individuals, desperate in places like Africa, to be able to afford them. HIV/AIDS has the most disconcerting narrative: if you are diagnosed with HIV, now considered a chronic disease with very effective medicines, the choice between living and dying is based on your income. It's that cold.
This law was called Bill C-393. And it was a good one. It was aimed to be innovative and to fix the previous law, which wasn't working at all. It took care to protect Canadian pharmaceutical companies so that such generic drugs could only be sold to markets that weren't in the industry's bottom line. It had a built in "let's monitor" clause. It was backed up by robust expert peer review, involving economists, policy analysts, health experts. Cost to taxpayers: zero. Because of all of these facts, it was passed by the Parliament in March - even many Conservatives broke rank and voted for it.
However, in a truly frustrating string of events, it was left to die in Senate, when Tory Senators (a large portion of which were appointed by Harper) continually delayed voting on it, until it was killed by default with the call of the election. A mini screenplay to describe this would consist of four acts, each one with the same dialogue: "We'd like to adjourn because such and such would like to speak, but oh, he's left for the day, can we do this tomorrow?"
Why were there these four days of delay? Apparently, it's because the pharmaceutical industry would rather keep things as is, even going so far as to distribute misleading counter arguments, all of which have been firmly discredited by the aforementioned expert peer review process. All of which were delivered top down to the mailboxes of Conservative Senators, and the rest, as they say, is history.
I know that critiquing Miss Wong in front of my daughter is somewhat unfair (despite being one of the few who voted against Bill C-393 in parliament), but she is representative of the bigger problem. She is a small cog in a remarkably unsettling machine. I know the value of strong leadership, but this should not trump ethical leadership. Can you imagine my daughter at school, learning not about how the "Canadian Government" works, but instead, the "Harper Government?"
Ethics Palace: Where ethical questions go to live or die
Killing Bill C-393 would be a facepalm of the highest possible order.
(Reprinted from Boingboing) Access to life-saving medicines is not a luxury, but a human right. ~Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network To me, the above statement is one of those things that sound like a no-brainer. Put another way, if I were to ask you whether you thought a person's income should…
Should everyone have access to life saving medicines?
(You can follow Dave on twitter @dnghub) 30 MINUTES, 70 FATES. You don't know it, but as I write this piece, there is some serious procrastination going on. My attention span is weak and sidetracked constantly by a variety of diversions, and if you must know, it's taken me close to half an hour to…
An Open Letter to the World on the Governmental Destruction of the Environment in Canada
I've been posting quite a bit recently on the disastrous record of the current Conservative government here in Canada, especially in regards to how they treat information, science and the environment. Sadly, I have way too many posts in the works along these lines. The other day a post I saw on the…
Prospects for Change in Canadian Climate Policy
The following article is a guest post by H. E. Taylor, who you might recognize as the one who graciously provides us with the weekly GW news roundups. Enjoy! Prospects for Change in Canadian Climate Policy In short, the prospects are bleak and are likely to be driven from the United States. Let me…
Some ideas are stupid and their champions should not be respected. I see nothing wrong with disparaging conservatives in front of children, so long as you explain why: conservatives value the lives of citizens and especially foreigners at too low a price, especially when vested interests are willing to supply them with a flimsy excuse to appear reasonable and campaign contributions to buy advertising and respect come campaign season.
By Miles McCullough (not verified) on 02 May 2011 #permalink
What i would say to children? Maybe "I'm sorry."
By Uzza (not verified) on 03 May 2011 #permalink
Could be worse - my MP is Rob Anders (anyone in Canada will probably know that name - while overall the Conservatives in Canada are way left of US Republicans, Anders would fit right in with the Tea Party).
I wasn't thrilled with any of the choices; it felt to me like a choice between poor economic policy vs. poor ethics and social/environmental policy. Hopefully Bill C-393 is resurrected, but with a Conservative majority now I wouldn't count on it. Yet another reason why the Senate needs to be either completely reformed or abolished outright I guess.
By Ash (not verified) on 03 May 2011 #permalink
You might want to tell the ScienceBlogs people to clarify their headline quote from this post; it strongly implies that you're talking about the situation in Canada under Canadian health care, not the situation that Canada is trying to correct in Africa.
By anon (not verified) on 03 May 2011 #permalink
Canada? That's one of those liberal Northern states where they like hockey. It's capital is Minnesota, I think.
By dorz (not verified) on 04 May 2011 #permalink
This is disgusting but not surprising. The Conservatives do not care about other people's suffering, especially when those people are black or brown. Look at the way they have treated former child soldier Omar Khadr and Abousfian Abdelrazik.
By Monado (not verified) on 08 Jun 2011 #permalink
I think the vision and mission of the Government of Canada is very good and offers a life of peace to the people at the top level insnalar this reason, they provide a more comfortable life is good for the economy, rather than my opinion about it this way
By vaillant servisi (not verified) on 23 Jul 2011 #permalink
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New Parkinson's disease therapeutics discovered by Ben-Gurion U researchers
It's official! I'm blogging again! ...
...but actually somewhere else... So what's going on? The short version is that this is a goodbye post. The long version goes a little like this: 1. For a while now, I've been using twitter, primarily as a place to highlight interesting things. It has more or less replaced my blogging output.…
It's election time again and, as is the norm, we see teachers using the opportunity to talk to their students about things such as Prime Ministers, parliaments, senates, and, well, basically - how this thing we call the "Canadian Government" is meant to work. My own daughter who is in Grade 4 is…
Professional Workshop offered on "How to Clone a Human."
I just noticed that there's a workshop being offered from June 13th to June 18th, 2011, in Vancouver, Canada, that provides technical and hands-on training for "scientists and non-scientists interested in human cloning." This course has a price tag of $1400 (does not include transportation, room…
Weekend Diversion: Work Out To The Maxx (Synopsis)
“In order to change an existing paradigm you do not struggle to try and change the problematic model. You create a new model and make the old one obsolete.” -R. Buckminster Fuller If you want to improve yourself in any area of life, it's going to take hard work to get you there. Have a listen to The Avett Brothers as they sing about it in their song, Hard Worker. But in some arenas, pushing…
The Last 100 Years: The 2000s and WMAP
The last 100 years have brought us from a Universe no bigger than the Milky Way ruled by Newton's gravity to a vast, expanding one with hundreds of billions of galaxies, covered in dark matter, beginning with the big bang, which was likely caused by inflation, and which will end in a freezing cold death as the galaxies accelerate away from one another, off into infinity. We gained and confirmed a…
Snow Day! Powdery, sticky, icy or slushy?
Oh the weather outside is frightful, But the fire is so delightful, And since we've no place to go, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! -Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne Yesterday in the late afternoon (and yes, it's dark by late afternoon here in Portland, OR), I looked out the window and saw a rare sight for this part of the world. That's right, it snowed here! So, what did we do? We went out and…
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from Song of the Weak!!! by Chandler Travis
Well, happy Valentine's Day! And if you want your Valentine's date to work out properly, don't play them "The Trade", which sort of grew out of the things people say to each other in movies, like "I wouldn't trade you for the world", for instance, which sounds fine on the surface; but I imagined a woman feeling ornery enough to question that sentiment, wondering perhaps if it implies a second list of things you might trade her for. This got me started on writing what might be one of the worst Valentine's Day songs ever -and then, fearing my own valentine might misunderstand, I wrote a backup song, "Baby Times Five", which I hoped might fill the need for a simple, straight-forward, sincere (albeit slight) love song.
Just be glad you're not married to me, and pardon me if I don't tell you how this works out...
from Song of the Weak!!!, track released February 14, 2007
alternative pop holidays jazz multi-genre omnipop rock valentine's day Massachusetts
Chandler Travis Philharmonic Massachusetts
THE CHANDLER TRAVIS PHILHARMONIC is a 9-piece technicolor extravaganza from Boston that includes a horn section, string bass, mandocello, guitar, keys, drums, accordion, and valet. George Carlin and NRBQ are among their longtime supporters; others include Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, Of Montreal, Ween, and yer mother. ... more
chandlertravis.com
The Ivan Variations
After She Left (and then some)
Lester EP
Bottomless Pit: Singles, Rarities, & Sundries, 1980 - 2010
Contact Chandler Travis Philharmonic
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We Bought a Zoo (2011) Bluray 480p, 720p Set in Southern California, a father moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.
We Bought a Zoo (2011) Bluray 480p, 720p
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011) BluRay 480p, 720p The Quileutes close in on expecting parents Edward and Bella, whose unborn child poses a threat to the Wolf Pack and the towns people of Forks.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011) BluRay 480p, 720p
Geek Charming (2011) WEB-RIP 480p & 720p To win a school popularity contest, a high school diva permits a film club classmate to record her popular life, but the film starts documenting her decline instead.
Geek Charming (2011) WEB-RIP 480p & 720p
Gantz: Perfect Answer (2011) BluRay 480p & 720p Kato's (Ken'ichi Matsuyama) death changes Kurono's (Kazunari Ninomiya) view of life completely. He decides to keep fighting until he earns 100 points so that he can bring back Kato. GANTZ calls back several other unwilling participants that were allowed to leave after scoring 100 points. Before Kurono succeeds in resurrecting Kato, he unexpectedly comes back. GANTZ and the fighters take ...
Gantz: Perfect Answer (2011) BluRay 480p & 720p
Silenced Based on real events, this film depicts the story of a school for the hearing-impaired where young deaf students were sexually assaulted by the faculty members over a long period of time.
Silenced
Fright Night After a new neighbor moved into the house next door, Charley discovers that he is an ancient vampire and goes in search for the help of Peter Vincent, a famous "vampire killer" to save his neighborhood from the creature.
Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Blood Prison Naruto Uzumaki is framed and sent to an inescapable prison where he must escape by any means necessary.
Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Blood Prison
Contagion Healthcare professionals, government officials and everyday people find themselves in the midst of a worldwide epidemic as the CDC works to find a cure.
Suck Seed (2011) WEB-DL 480p & 720p Ped (Jirayu La-ongmanee) was a shy boy who had never listened to music until introduced to the world of Pop and Rock by would-be childhood crush Ern (Nattasha Nualjam). Ern soon left for Bangkok, however, and it is six years later in their final school year when she is re-introduced to Ped and his brash best friend Koong (Pachara Chirathivat). ...
Suck Seed (2011) WEB-DL 480p & 720p
Battlefield Heroes (2011) Bluray 480p & 720p This story unfolds 8 years after 'Battle of Hwangsanbeol', which destroyed Baekjae, when Silla-Tang Dynasty union attacks Goguryeo.
Battlefield Heroes (2011) Bluray 480p & 720p
Shaolin (2011) Bluray 480p & 720p After ambushing and killing his rival, losing everything in the process, dispirited warlord Hou Jie turns to a Shaolin monastery seeking salvation.
Shaolin (2011) Bluray 480p & 720p
The Billionaire (2011) BluRay 480p, 720p What are you doing at his age? Age 16, TOP gained 400,000 Baht monthly from playing online games. Age 17, He was willing to fail school and instead earned money from selling chestnuts for 2,000 baht. Age 18, His family went bankrupt and remained 40 million Baht in debt. Age 19, He released Tao Kae Noi seaweed to more than ...
The Billionaire (2011) BluRay 480p, 720p
My Way (2011) BluRay 480p & 720p In World War II-era Korea, rival runners, one Korean (Jang Dong-gun) and one Japanese (Joe Odagiri), go to war together against the Soviets.
My Way (2011) BluRay 480p & 720p
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) UHD Bluray 480p, 720p A substance designed to help the brain repair itself gives advanced intelligence to a chimpanzee who leads an ape uprising.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) UHD Bluray 480p, 720p
From Up on Poppy Hill (2011) BluRay 480p, 720p A group of Yokohama teens look to save their school's clubhouse from the wrecking ball in preparations for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
From Up on Poppy Hill (2011) BluRay 480p, 720p
Tower Heist (2011) BluRay 480p & 720p When a group of hard-working guys find out they've fallen victim to their wealthy employer's Ponzi scheme, they conspire to rob his high-rise residence.
Tower Heist (2011) BluRay 480p & 720p
Sanctum An underwater cave diving team experiences a life-threatening crisis during an expedition to the unexplored and least accessible cave system in the world.
IMDB: 5.9/10 51.281 votes
Johnny English Reborn Johnny English goes up against international assassins hunting down the Chinese premier.
IMDB: 6,3/10 111.497 votes
Tom and Jerry & The Wizard of Oz (2011) BluRay 480p, 720p Tom the Cat and Jerry the Mouse get whisked away into The land of Oz.
Tom and Jerry & The Wizard of Oz (2011) BluRay 480p, 720p
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Charles Prentiss Harrell
by Obituaries | Apr 21, 2018
Charles Prentiss Harrell, 70, of Parkdale, died on April 21, 2018.
He served in the Arkansas National Guard and worked as a welder and the manager of the Parkdale Gin.
Mr. Harrell was a member of Parkdale Baptist Church and was proud to be a Christian, who would share his faith to all that would listen. He was very well respected by everyone in Parkdale, a friend to all and he never met a stranger.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Diane Morris Harrell; a son, Brant Harrell; his parents, William and Lillie Gooden Harrell; and a sister, Cindy Vanhorn.
Mr. Harrell is survived by a son, David Harrell and wife, Alison, of Maumelle, (Charles loved Alison like a daughter and adored her for being a devoted caregiver to him for the past four months); a son, Allen Harrell of Parkdale; a daughter, Denise Singer of Brandon, Mississippi; two brothers, Ricky Harrell of Leland, Mississippi and Roger Harrell of Kosciusko, Mississippi; four sisters, Brenda Whatley of El Dorado; Paulette Hougas of Shaw, Mississippi, Bobbie Fuller of Isola, Mississippi and Glenda Swain of Kosciusko, Mississippi; two grandchildren, Chloe Cardin and Charlie Cardin; his lifelong, dearest friend, Harry Dunigan of Parkdale and a host of nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, April 24, at 10 a.m. at the Parkdale Baptist Church with Bro. Bob Bridges and Bro Cecil Harvey officiating. Burial will be in the Parkdale Cemetery.
Pallbearers are Harry Dunigan, Lance Dunigan, Dale Dunigan, Billy Wells, Zachary Pamplin and Ben Coulter.
Memorials may be made to the Parkdale Baptist Church, PO Box 6, Parkdale, AR 71661.
Visitation will be Monday, April 23 from 6-8 p.m., Monday at the Jones-Hartshorn Funeral Home in Hamburg.
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Film/Television Studies
This web site provides guidance and links to research tools in the areas of film and television studies. Most tools are openly accessible however, unless indicated, database use is restricted to current American University students, faculty, and staff.
Bibliographies/Research Guides Toggle Dropdown
Film Noir Bibliography
Hollywood Melodrama Bibliography
Film Blogs
Film Studies Periodicals
Film/Television Citation Examples
Film/Television Studies Databases Toggle Dropdown
Showing Movies on Campus
Useful Internet Sites
Video Purchase Request Form
Films/Videos for Teaching School of Communication Topics
Film and television studies at American University
Film and television studies are an important part of the curricula in the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Communication and video is widely incorporated in courses taught in the other colleges at American University as well. At the AU Library, our goal is to encourage the use of film and video for instructional purposes and foster the study of film/video as an art form, a communication tool, and an agent of social change. The links provided in this guide are intended to help American University faculty and students become familiar with the collections available to them and conduct research and otherwise pursue their interests in film and video. There are also many links to freely-accessible internet resources that will be of interest to the non-AU visitor.
If you'd like to contact Media Services with a question or recommendation, please write to me at clewis@american.edu or you may reach us via instant messaging at AskMediaServices or call our service desk at 202-885-3250.
Next: Bibliographies/Research Guides >>
URL: https://subjectguides.library.american.edu/film_television
Tags: cinema studies, film studies, television studies
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Clouds. 36 F New York
AI-Powered News Summarizer
Bruce Boynton, the man who inspired the Freedom Rides, dies at 83
November 27, 2020. Summarized by summa-bot.
In this Thursday, May 3, 2018 photo, Bruce Carver Boynton speaks at his home in Selma, Ala. Boynton, a civil rights pioneer from Alabama who inspired the landmark ???Freedom Rides" of 1961, has died. He was 83. Former Alabama state Sen. Hank Sanders, a friend of Boynton???s, confirmed his passing Friday, Nov. 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves, file)
Alabama civil rights icon Bruce Boynton, who helped inspire the historic 1960s Freedom Rides has died at 83.
(CNN)Bruce Boynton, a civil rights icon who helped inspire the historic Freedom Rides of 1961, has died at 83.
The civil rights attorney and Alabama's first Black special prosecutor passed away earlier this week in Selma from cancer, according to former Alabama state Sen. Hank Sanders, a friend of Boynton's.
Boynton's place in the Freedom Rides movement began in 1958 while a student at Howard University Law School in Washington, DC.
Traveling on a bus bound for Alabama, Boynton got out to eat when the bus stopped for a break in Richmond, Virginia.
Boynton was later convicted of trespassing but went on to challenge his sentence with his attorney Thurgood Marshall, who later became the first Black Supreme Court justice.
The case ignited the Freedom Rides movement in 1961, as Black and White civil rights activists boarded buses to cities in the Deep South to protest segregated buses and stations.
Boynton was born and raised in Selma, and came from a family of activists.
His mother, Amelia Boynton Robinson, was viciously beaten in 1965 when a group of demonstrators faced violence as they attempted to march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, to demand the right to vote for Black people.
Boynton's death came less than two weeks before the 60th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that changed his and many others lives.
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© 2020. Your daily news shortens. Summarizer.co is run by an AI-Powered summarizing bot whose job is making your news shorter.
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Pokemon Go: Watch Out for Shiny Torchic During May Community Day
Mark your calendars so you don't miss out.
For some time now, Pokemon Go Community Day events have fit into a pattern, with every other month featuring one of the “starters” from one of the Pokemon role-playing games (the months in-between are less predictable). Since March 2019 featured Treecko, the Grass-type starting Pokemon from Gen III of the Pokemon universe, it was easy to guess that the starring Pokemon for May would be Torchic.
Now we know this prediction was right. From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. local time on May 19, players will be able to encounter more Torchic than normal while playing. And there will likely be the chance to run into Shiny Torchic, too.
Torchic is a Fire-type Pokemon, which (along with Treecko and Mudkip) was one of the three starting Pokemon players could choose from in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire on Game Boy Advance (the games launched in 2003 in North America).
Torchic has two evolutions. In Pokemon Go, players can evolve Torchic into Combusken using 25 Torchic Candy, and then evolve Combusken into Blaziken using 100 Torchic Candy. As usual, an exclusive battle move will available on May 19, but it hasn’t been revealed just yet.
During May’s Community Day event, players will earn three times the normal amount of Stardust when they capture Pokemon. Lure Modules will also last for three hours when activated during this event window, rather than the standard 30 minutes. As a reminder, players can activate a Lure Module on a PokeStop to attract wild Pokemon to the area.
Remember, players, while we may not know the Pokemon that will be featured in future Community Day events (though we’ll make an educated guess that July will feature Mudkip), we do know when the next few events will take place: June 8, July 21, and August 3.
We can’t wait!
pokemon go community day
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Dollar General Announces New Distribution Center in Nebraska
DG Fresh and Dry Combination Facility in Blair (Washington County) slated to Create Approximately 400 New Job Opportunities
Goodlettsville, TN (STL.News) Dollar General (NYSE:DG) today announced plans to build a combination dry and DG Fresh distribution center in Blair, Nebraska, representing an approximate $85 million investment in Washington County. At full capacity, the contemporary 800,000-square-foot facility is expected to create approximately 400 new career opportunities and support more than 1,500 stores in the Midwest. Construction is scheduled to begin next month with completion currently slated for early 2022.
Blair’s dual facility will represent the first combination building constructed by the Company and will include approximately 650,000 square feet of dry goods and approximately 150,000 square feet of DG Fresh items.
“We are excited for the addition of our first-ever, ground-up dual distribution center, which is to be built in Blair, and look forward to expanding our mission of Serving Others in the Midwest,” said Mike Kindy, Dollar General’s executive vice president of global supply chain. “We are grateful for the continued partnerships with Nebraska state and local leaders, particularly Governor Pete Ricketts and Washington County Economic Development Director Mike Rooks, who, together with their outstanding teams, have helped make this project possible. We also look forward to welcoming approximately 400 new Nebraskan employees to our Dollar General family soon.”
Dollar General opened its first store in the Cornhusker State in 1992 and currently employs approximately 1,100 Nebraskans at more than 130 stores. Throughout the country, Dollar General currently operates 17 dry distribution centers and eight DG Fresh facilities. The Company is also currently expanding traditional dry distribution centers in Ardmore, Oklahoma (built in 1994) and Zanesville, Ohio (built in 2001) to provide DG Fresh distribution capabilities.
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“This $85 million investment by Dollar General speaks to Nebraska’s business friendliness and natural advantages as a logistics and supply chain hub,” said Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts. “The dual distribution center also adds to the tremendous job growth Blair has been experiencing. Thanks to Dollar General for selecting Nebraska to be home to this new facility.”
Dollar General takes a number of factors into consideration when choosing sites for its distribution centers and cold storage facilities, including proximities to DG stores, local business environments and local work-forces, among many others.
“We’re proud to welcome the first ground-up dual-distribution site for America’s general store to Blair. Dollar General’s commitment to community is a perfect fit for this region, and Washington County, regional leaders and Dollar General have worked together tirelessly to bring this exciting project forward. Dollar General’s new 85-acre site will be a terrific addition to our local landscape, and we’re excited to send our best workers to fill the more than 400 jobs this outstanding project will create,” said Mike Rooks, director of Washington County Economic Development.
Dollar General further plans to expand its DG Private Fleet presence at the Blair facility. Distribution center employees may also take advantage of the Company’s fleet training program, which provides on-the-job training at no expense to store and distribution center employees interested in earning their Class A CDL (commercial driver’s license). More information on DG’s Private Fleet program and employees’ training program may be accessed at https://careers.dollargeneral.com/private-fleet/.
Individuals interested in joining Dollar General’s growing employee base may review available positions and apply online at www.dollargeneral.com/careers. The Company plans to begin initial hiring for management positions by summer 2021 with opportunities for general warehouse and DG Private Fleet team members by fall 2021. Dollar General provides employees with an engaging work environment, competitive wages, world-class and award-winning training and development programs and benefits including day-one telemedicine eligibility and Dollar General’s Employee Assistance Foundation, as well as health insurance coverage options, 401K savings and retirement plans, tuition reimbursement, paid parental leave and adoption assistance to eligible employees.
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Dollar General believes the addition of each distribution center represents positive economic impact in the communities it serves. The Company is deeply involved in the communities it serves and seeks to advance and support adult, family, summer and youth literacy programs through the Dollar General Literacy Foundation (DGLF), which awards financial recourse to nonprofit organizations, schools and libraries within a 15-mile radius of a Dollar General store or distribution center each year. During the 2019 fiscal year, Dollar General and the DGLF provided more than $25 million to support nonprofit organizations across the country and since 1993, the DGLF has awarded more than $186 million to help more than 12 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education.
Tagged in blair, Dollar General, goodlettsville, Nebraska, new distribution center, Tennessee
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Home Teams Ajax Real Madrid President Hints Move for Former Chelsea Target
Real Madrid President Hints Move for Former Chelsea Target
Chris David
Real Madrid could make an approach for AS Monaco striker Radamel Falcao after the Spanish side’s president Florentino Perez hinted a move for the Colombian hotshot next summer could be a possibility.
The 27 year old joined the cash rich club Monaco from Atletico Madrid for a fee which the Daily Mail reports to be around £53million. Premier League clubs Chelsea and Manchester City were believed to be interested in signing Falcao, but the South American rejected a chance to move to England in order to join the Ligue 1 side.
However, after the former Porto and Atletico star joined Monaco earlier in the summer, the Express reported that Falcao could leave the French outfit in the same transfer window. Luckily for Monaco, the striker continued with his current employers, ending the newly surfaced speculation in the final days of the window.
Madrid recently added Gareth Bale to their squad after the nine-time European champions completed a world record deal £85.3million deal with Tottenham Hotspur. Perez is now considering a move for Falcao to add the Colombian international to the Los Blancos’ squad next summer.
“He (Falcao) won’t come in January but in June, who knows? Nothing is impossible and there is a lot of time between now and then. Falcao is a great player and I am aware that he wants to play for Madrid. I am aware of that, but it’s normal. They told me,” the Daily Mail quoted Perez as saying.
With Perez’s latest remarks, it would come as a relief for Liverpool and their fans as a move for Falcao would block Luis Suarez’s possible move to Madrid either in January or next summer.
The Uruguayan international has been linked with a move to the Spanish capital after failing to find an exit route from Anfield in the summer.
The former Ajax striker has his heart set on joining Madrid after his compatriot and Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani revealed Suarez’s desire to join the La Liga giants.
“I am sure Liverpool fans are very happy Luis stayed – he will be a big player for them. I think Arsenal was not Luis’s dream move, maybe if it had been Real Madrid then it would have been a different outcome – but of course Madrid were concentrating on a different target this summer,” Cavani told the Daily Mail.
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Sportstoft
sportstoft.com
Сricket
Home » NFL » Sean McVay on Rams' QB situation going into must-win Week 17: 'John Wolford will step up'
Sean McVay on Rams' QB situation going into must-win Week 17: 'John Wolford will step up'
12/29/2020 NFL
The NFL’s lone Week 17 game in which either participant will make the playoffs with a win might also not include either team’s starting quarterback.
The status of Arizona signal-caller Kyler Murray remains unknown, and Los Angeles certainly won’t have its No. 1 guy under center after Jared Goff underwent thumb surgery Monday. Enter John Wolford, a quarterback who hasn’t registered a single regular-season statistic in his two NFL seasons but will be relied upon to carry the Rams to a playoff berth-clinching win over the Cardinals in Week 17.
“John Wolford will step up,” Rams coach Sean McVay said Monday. “John’s done a great job preparing himself all year. If you watch the way that he’s worked at it, I know there’s confidence from coaches and from his teammates and guys will need to rally around him. But we’re excited about the opportunity that John will have to lead the offense this week.”
Wolford made his way to the Rams via the short-lived Alliance of American Football, where he began his time in that league with a 275-yard, four-touchdown night as quarterback of the Arizona Hotshots.
The 6-foot-1 quarterback delivers quickly and decisively, and though this will be tested at NFL speed, he seemed to be comfortable at his pace within the Hotshots offense in the short amount of time afforded him before the AAF abruptly folded. It sounds as if those qualities have carried over to the Rams, giving McVay reason to be encouraged.
“The confidence in John,” McVay said when asked why the Rams didn’t add a veteran quarterback prior to the start of the 2020 season. “What he had shown with the opportunities — whether it be preseason, competitive reps in practice, all the stuff that you’re just evaluating every single thing that he does. We felt good about that. So, really it was a reflection of the confidence in John. Looking forward to the opportunity that he’ll have this weekend.”
If Wolford is able to lead the Rams to a playoff berth, it would instantly become one of the league’s best stories in an unusual season. The bar isn’t outrageously high right now for the Rams, either, as Goff had struggled significantly even before suffering the thumb injury, posting a 60.8 completion percentage, a 3-3 TD-INT ratio and a passer rating of 74 over his last three games.
Once a promising signal-caller for a pro football team in Arizona, Wolford will welcome the NFL team hailing from the Copper State to southern California, where he’ll look to make his mark. We’ll see if that includes a trip to the postseason.
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What "Going Viral" Means on Facebook
Setting Up a New Business
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In Internet terms, “going viral” has nothing to do with malware or catching the flu. A viral post is something that has been shared, copied and spread across all social platforms. On Facebook in particular, going viral means that a post has generated a great deal of attention in the form of a high number of likes, shares and comments.
Viral Reach
It all starts with a single post. A video, photo or anecdote you upload catches the attention of the people who watch or follow you. It entertains them, makes them think or just tickles their funny bone. They “Like” the post, comment on it or share it in their own timeline, spreading your post to the people on their friend list. If the friends of your friends also Like, comment and Share the post, it spreads far beyond its original audience -- the people only on your friend list. The further the post spreads, and the more Likes, comments and Shares it receives, the more viral it becomes. Your post may also jump social platforms and start appearing on Twitter, Tumblr and Reddit, solidifying its virality.
Facebook Virality
Facebook defines virality as “the number of people who have created a story from your post as a percentage of the number of people who have seen it.” In other words, the virality of your post is measured by how many people have taken action after they've seen it. If, for example, one thousand people have seen the new video you uploaded but only two liked or shared it, that video isn't viral even though it's been seen by large number of people. If, however, half of those one thousand people liked or shared the video, its virality percentage is much higher.
Business Implications
Although having 15 minutes of fame from a viral Facebook post would make most people happy, businesses hope to use this practice to increase exposure. The more people who see a company's post, the greater possibility of converting them into new customers and clients. Facebook allows users to promote their posts through paid ads, which appear in the timeline or sidebar of a targeted group. A restaurant, for example, could promote a new menu item or recipe to reach local people. This helps gain new viewers, which could in turn translate into additional Likes and Shares.
The fact is that you cannot make something go viral. There is no magic formula; no perfect script or step-by-step guide. Two cat videos may be virtually identical, yet one may receive thousands of Shares and Likes while the other barely gets a dozen. No one knows what makes a post viral-worthy, and trying to figure it out will get you nowhere. Don't focus on “going viral” with your Facebook page; just post things you find interesting, funny or clever, and you may get lucky.
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Jane Williams began her writing career in 2000 as the writer and editor of a nationwide marketing company. Her articles have appeared on various websites. Williams briefly attended college for a degree in administration before embarking on her writing career.
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1 How to Get Tumblr Posts to Go Viral
2 How Do People Get So Many Likes on Instagram?
3 How to Tag on Vine
4 How to Interpret a Weekly Summary for Facebook Pages
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Small Business Profiles
Venturize
Policy Agenda
New surge in COVID-19 cases threatens the livelihood of Nebraska business owner
Veteran entrepreneur Roxanne Huggins has owned the Comstock Premier Lodge in Sargent, Nebraska since 2009. Working with her husband Mitch and one other employee, they have managed to expand their business from a large farm to a year-round bed & breakfast hunting lodge and ranch.
Roxanne explains, “We’ve worked hard for 11 years to get to where we are today. Our goal is to show our clients and guests that there is more to life than the daily grind of emails, phone calls and social media. This is a truly rewarding business that my husband and I greatly enjoy.”
But when the pandemic became widespread in their area, Roxanne and Mitch saw an avalanche of cancellations that threatened their very livelihood. The governor suspended all hunting permits for non-residents in March, and as they rely heavily on tourism, this hurt their bottom line.
Roxanne and Mitch sought relief funding from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, which helped them cover the costs of feeding animals, high insurance premiums and their mortgage. Though she initially encountered issues with her PPP application and only received a small amount of EIDL, Roxanne says her business is now in a much better position than when the pandemic first erupted.
S he shares, “You have to think outside the box and be creative when you live, work and own a business in a small town. But you can make it happen in rural America. The support from the community is incomparable, and they will not allow you to scratch and scrape by.”
Roxanne has seen an increase in bookings over the last few months, now that customers are feeling more comfortable with doing outdoor activities again. But this could all change if the state of Nebraska re-implements stay-at-home or public health orders. With increased cases of coronavirus rapidly spreading across the nation, this could be her reality any day now.
While the future still remains so uncertain, Roxanne advises her fellow business owners, “Don't lose focus and stay positive no matter what it takes. Make the most of what you have and you will go far!”
Small Business Majority is sharing stories like Roxanne Huggins’ to educate policymakers about what small business owners need in order to survive this crisis. Help us spread the word that policymakers need to do more to support business owners in order for our economy to recover by sharing your story or signing our letter to Congress to ask for long-term relief.
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Copyright © 2021 Small Business Majority. Small Business Majority is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization.
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Beyond Bestsellers: Metaphorical Journeys
By: SnoIsleLib_MarinaM
When a book changes your perspective it takes you on a metaphorical journey to a new way of thinking.
The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens
by Olson, Steve
Audiobook CD - 2016
An intense look at the history of the area surrounding the eruption as well as the people, places, and politics of the explosion of Mount St. Helens. An intense look at the history of the area surrounding the eruption as well as the people, places, and politics of the explosion of Mount St. Helens. Show less
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
A Year of Food Life
by Kingsolver, Barbara
Lyrical writing and a topic close to the author's heart make this journey shared with Kingsolver's family a pleasure to read. Learning with them along the...Show more Lyrical writing and a topic close to the author's heart make this journey shared with Kingsolver's family a pleasure to read. Learning with them along the way you find that you can grind your own flour and raise enough food to feed your family all with in your own backyard. Show less
Inside of A Dog
What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
by Horowitz, Alexandra
Full of insight into the dog's mind via nose, eyes and ears, the author describes the aspects of how a dog takes in the world compared to a human. Full of insight into the dog's mind via nose, eyes and ears, the author describes the aspects of how a dog takes in the world compared to a human. Show less
Why We Make Mistakes
How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average
by Hallinan, Joseph T.
I was constantly sharing parts of this book with anybody that would listen. In hopes that we could all try and make a few less mistakes in our lives. I was constantly sharing parts of this book with anybody that would listen. In hopes that we could all try and make a few less mistakes in our lives. Show less
The Omnivore's Dilemma
A Natural History of Four Meals
by Pollan, Michael
One of the first books that forced me to look at the food I was eating. Plus, it included a lesson on how to catch yeast for making bread. But living in San Francisco, like the author, probably helps with that project. One of the first books that forced me to look at the food I was eating. Plus, it included a lesson on how to catch yeast for making bread. But living in San Francisco, like the author, probably helps with that project. Show less
The Power of Introverts in A World That Can't Stop Talking
by Cain, Susan
As a life-long introvert, this book just confirmed a lot of what I already knew about myself and the best way to live in a world of extroverts. How to rec...Show more As a life-long introvert, this book just confirmed a lot of what I already knew about myself and the best way to live in a world of extroverts. How to recharge, relieve and reduce the anxiety that introversion can produce. Especially living in a world where face-to-face contact is a daily must. Show less
All copies in use Availability details Holds: 10 on 12 copies
The Battle Over An American Icon
by Dickey, Bronwen
There's a fine line between loving and hating this book. Some of the stories are pretty horrendous but it's a really good, balanced profile of a type of dog that has been alternatively loved and loathed by the American people. There's a fine line between loving and hating this book. Some of the stories are pretty horrendous but it's a really good, balanced profile of a type of dog that has been alternatively loved and loathed by the American people. Show less
From Chicken Wings to Kale Smoothies-- How What We Eat Defines Who We Are
by Egan, Sophie
Besides learning some colorful new phrases (like "what the chuck"), this book talks about the history of immigration and the influence of cuisin...Show more Besides learning some colorful new phrases (like "what the chuck"), this book talks about the history of immigration and the influence of cuisines (like Italian in America), various food shortages (Velveeta during the lead up to the Super Bowl), and various food stunts (Doritos Locos Tacos and KFC's Double Down). Show less
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Fomenting a Political Conversation
Spark!
Replacing Scalia: the Basic Math of Progress
With hard-line conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia departed from the bench, President Obama has a rare opportunity – to appoint another liberal Justice to the bench, giving the Court a liberal majority. There are four conservative justices left: Chief Justice John Roberts (appointed by George W. Bush), and Justices Anthony Kennedy (the last Reagan appointee; and at times a centrist rather than a true conservative), Clarence Thomas (appointed by George H.W. Bush), and Samuel Alito, Jr. (appointed by George W. Bush). If the president were to get another liberal justice appointed, that justice would join Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Stephen Breyer (both Clinton appointees), and Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan (both Obama appointees). With five liberal justices, it is not unlikely that moderate Justice Kennedy might steer more toward the conservative side of the bench (being as he has a force of balance between the two sides); but a numerical majority of liberal justices would still be able to push litigation and judicial review significantly to the left of the Court’s recent performance.
For the president to get his third appointee on the bench, he has to select and vet a candidate. Then the Senate would subject his candidate to review in what is likely to be a more than thorough screening under the direction of the Senate Judiciary Committee. If the candidate is passed by the committee, the vote goes to the floor of the Senate for final approval. The first problem obviously is that the Republican majority of the Senate gives them the majority in each of the committees, including specifically the Judiciary Committee (which currently has 11 Republicans and 9 Democrats). As recalcitrant as the current rank of Republican Senators has been (and as uncooperative and openly hostile to the president specifically), it is optimistic to presume that the committee would value the president’s right to appoint a justice over their political objective of disenfranchising the left. It is more optimistic to presume the floor of the Senate would be any friendlier to the president.
In fact, the Republicans are getting ready simply to block the president’s selection of a new justice for the remainder of his term, keeping at least a balance of equals between the conservative and liberal sides of the bench. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), presidential candidate and a member of the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, has been leading the Republicans’ pre-emptive assault on the president’s constitutional prerogative to appoint Supreme Court justices. Leftist petitions have been flooding the internet in the vain hopes of pushing the Republican Senators to reverse course entirely and actually follow the exact kind of popular calls for action that they have studiously ignored since taking the majority in 2015. However, the math, and senatorial procedure, simply allow the Senate to sit on its constitutional prerogative of approving appointees for the remainder of the president’s term.
While that seems like bad news, this can also be very good news to Democrats. Current electoral math suggests (not irrevocably, of course) that the Democrats are going to get large masses of new voters to the polls in November, and are going to get the White House on Inauguration Day in 2017. Those large masses of new voters are also going to vote for one third of the Senators. There are some 24 Republican senators, and 10 Democrats, up for re-election in 2016 (serving six-year terms, one third of the Senators are elected every two years; “Class 3” is the current rank up in 2016). With 54 Republicans, 44 Democrats, and two Democratic-allied independents currently sitting in the Senate, to get a bare majority in the Senate in 2017 the Democrats need to re-elect all ten of their current “Class 3” senators, plus five more to take over Republican seats. To beat the filibuster threshold (60 senators from the same caucus), the Democrats would need to take 14 seats from the 24 Republican senators up for re-election. Incidentally, should Senator Sanders (I-VT) win the general election, the Democrats would need to fill that seat as well through another election; Senator Sanders is not up for re-election in 2016, so if he loses the nomination he gets to stay in the Senate for now. Also, should some Democratic senators lose their seats, the Democrats would obviously need to unseat even larger numbers of Republican senators elsewhere. Either way, the Democrats need five more seats in the Senate to gain a bare majority, and 14 more seats to beat the filibuster threshold.
If the Democrats do, indeed, push many new voters to the polls and beat the Republicans in doing so, they will also have the opportunity not just to keep their current senators, but also to unseat some of the 24 Republican senators up for re-election, and to gain a majority (possibly, but unlikely to include beating the filibuster threshold). With a majority, the new Senate Majority Leader (perhaps Harry Reid, who held the post from 2007-15) would put together a new Judiciary Committee with a Democratic majority. Under a new Democratic White House backed by a Democratic majority in the Senate, the President could appoint a far more liberal Justice than President Obama would ever be able to get through the current Senate, pushing the Court even further to the left. As so many of the Republican strategies in recent years have backfired disastrously for the GOP, Cruz’s pre-emptive attack may also be the harbinger of a greater, more progressive America to come. A more progressive Supreme Court could overturn its own recent Citizens United ruling, could reverse Scalia’s opinion on gun rights not being seated upon militia responsibilities, could find ways to restore some of the recently disemboweled Voting Rights Act, and could back ever more progressive legislation and presidential policy. Senator Cruz’s pre-emptive attack could, under certain not yet guaranteed conditions, prove to be the greatest thing Democrats could hope for, and could show the Republicans why some things are best not wished for, let alone sought.
Headline image from The Atlantic, “A Closer Look at Confirmed Federal Judges,” (August 12, 2001), via Google Search.
The Discomfort of Thoughtful Politics
A Brief Reprieve from the Stress of Politics
5 thoughts on “Replacing Scalia: the Basic Math of Progress”
From your keyboard to God’s ears!
Detroit Hoser says:
I hope you’re right.
Paul Rincon says:
So do I, DH, so do I. I did just read a Washington Post article today that replicates my argument, so I have some back-up, at least!
Good piece. I think the Republicans have finally overplayed their hand. Then again, at the end of the day, it all comes down to who gets out to vote and who doesn’t…
Leave a Reply to Paul Rincon Cancel reply
The Foundation of the Green New Deal – a quick look at the GNDG Executive Summary
The Climate Crisis and the Green New Deal: An Introduction
The Responsibility of Freedom
Resistance Tuesday: March 7, 2017
A Brief Thought from Today’s Resistance
The DNC Election, and the Big Tent
Scenes From The #ResistanceRecess
The Way to Fight in Our Struggle Ahead
Scenes From the Resistance in Michigan
A Letter to Benjamin Netanyahu
Belinda O on The Foundation of the Green Ne…
The Climate Crisis a… on The Foundation of the Green Ne…
Belinda O on The Responsibility of Fre…
Brian Lageose on The Responsibility of Fre…
Tonya on The Responsibility of Fre…
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IN INCARCERATION NATION BE A SUPERHERO OR DON'T MATTER
A blog from Manchester School of Samba
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The integrity of our democracy isn’t threatened when a president breaks the law. It’s threatened when we do nothing about it ~~ Dahlia Lithwick
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Extreme Makeover — Gulf Coast Style
JACKSON, Miss. — “Scattered, Smothered, Covered, Chunked, Capped and Topped” — no, not an order at Waffle House for hash browns almost all the way, but rather a sober description of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, post-Katrina. Waffle House, by the way, lost seven restaurants to Katrina, not just out of operation, but scraped clean to the slab like a griddle at the end of a shift. But words, pictures, and even wall-to-wall television news coverage can’t capture the all-inclusive enormity of Katrina’s devastation. You have to be there in person and wander around, visit with some of the locals to really appreciate the event and its aftermath.
Neighborhood after neighborhood of street after street after street of home after home after home — guts ripped out — carpet, sofas, sheetrock, other stuff — piled up curbside. And the smell — the unforgettable nose-stinging stench of mold and rot — mother nature followed her gargantuan walls of wind and water with the minuscule march of microscopic spores.
It is now almost three months later and many parts of the Gulf Coast are still cluttered with debris as if Katrina had just passed through — a testament to her unprecedented breadth and depth. Estimates are the coastal counties contained 30 million cubic yards of debris or about an 18-wheeler full of trash for every man, woman, and child still there. And that doesn’t include the thousands of shipping containers, trees, boats, cars, and other odds and ends from church pews to even the kitchen sinks that got caught in the surge waters as they swept back out to sea, where this junk now litters the Gulf waters. Thad Cochran may have the Jeff Davis desk in the U.S. Capitol but Davy Jones’s locker now has complete sets of Trent Lott tables, chairs, beds, and silverware courtesy of what is now Lott’s lot on Beach Road in Pascagoula.
A suggestion to the weather experts whose predictive skills have improved so remarkably these past 30 years: How about some new metrics from the science of storm-ology? Give Category 5 Camille her due, she set the bar for hurricanes and disasters really high, but in the wake of Katrina that bar is just a spindle of driftwood. If Katrina was a Category 4 then Godzilla was just another lizard. Wind data from N.O.A.A. and the National Weather Service show that hurricane force winds (74 mph and greater) got all the way to the Tennessee border and level 3 winds (111-130 mph) reached over 120 miles inland turning heavily forested towns like Hattiesburg and Laurel into bowling alleys of fallen pine and oak. In total, 70,000 homes were destroyed in Mississippi, which is a near term problem beyond FEMA’s scope.
The churches were the most effective safety net on the Coast — not the buildings but the denominations. The Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi lost six churches in Bay St. Louis, Long Beach, Pass Christian, Biloxi, and Gulfport. While the buildings are gone, the congregations return to their slabs for Sunday morning services. When the grieving stage is passed where does recovery begin? A good place to start is these hand-typed words of wisdom retrieved from the bulletin board of a flooded home in Pascagoula.
FOR SUCCESSFUL LIVING
1. LIVE ONE DAY AT A TIME
2. DON’T GIVE UP
3. DON’T TAKE IT PERSONAL
4. DON’T HAVE ANY SELF PITY
5. DON’T WORRY (PUT YOUR WORRY ON GOD)
6. SHOW LOVE AND GRATITUDE
Good advice for sure and especially good advice for those in dire straits. An unscientific sampling has found these rules for living on great display all along the Mississippi Coast the past two months. Perhaps such elegance of character comes easier to those who find themselves suddenly “un-trapped” from society’s usual “trappings” of success. Regardless it gives hope and great promise to the daunting task ahead.
This recovery will be different. It already is — after all Katrina wasn’t your mother’s hurricane and Mississippi 2005 ain’t your daddy’s Mississippi. In the quest to re-build and re-birth the Gulf Coast, Governor Barbour created the Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding, and Renewal and appointed Jim Barksdale of Netscape fame to head it. Governor Barbour’s commission to the Commission was simple: “Out of this terrible disaster, beyond all imagination, comes our opportunity and I beg you not to let Mississippi miss it.” For all the glittering resumes and previous deeds of the appointees, the task now in front of them, if well done, may prove to be their finest hour. An extraordinary collection of architectural talent from around the world has already contributed ideas and plans for rebuilding the communities along the coast. Nothing is final but the architectural proposals can be viewed on the web at www.governorscommission.com. In Enterprise, Alabama, there is a monument erected in 1919 to the boll weevil for the changes the bug wrought on the economy of Coffee County. Don’t expect any monument to Katrina, but the re-birth is underway.
On a side note, the TV show “Extreme Makeover — Home Edition” is already filming episodes in Biloxi and “Trading Spaces” is planning Gulf Coast episodes to be taped this winter.
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Teacher Trips
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A Prominent Province
By Haiyan Xiang
Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
Xinjiang is a large autonomous region in northwest China covering 642,820 square miles. This number is two and a half times the size of France. Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, is the city in China that is furthest from the sea. Eight countries border Xinjiang:
Tajikstan
The most well-known path of the historical trade route called the Silk Road ran through Xinjiang from its east to its northwestern border. Of the Silk Road’s total 4,350-mile length, 2,485 miles were in China.
Although many people think of China as one homogenous country, it actually contains a lot of diversity, as there are a remarkable 56 ethnic groups within its borders. The major one is Han, which holds 91 percent of the nation’s population. The other 55 ethnic minorities are spread all over China.
A significant cultural group in Xinjiang is known as Uyghur or Uighur. Sharing ancestry with the Turkish people, the culture and customs of the Uyghur are more Middle-Eastern than Chinese. Xinjiang’s total population of 23 million is made up of 45 percent Uyghur, 40 percent Han, and 15 percent other minorities. Hospitality is an important value in this area, so you’ll find local people to be friendly and kind.
The location of the Xinjiang region is relatively near the Middle East, and, interestingly, Uyghur people speak a Turkic language that is difference from Mandarin (standard Chinese). Their customs are similar to people residing in countries across their western border. For example, Uyghur people eat kebabs and naan (a kind of pancake or flat bread). Women and girls wear long dresses over their pants, while men and boys wear small embroidered hats called duopa or doppa.
Uyghur music is a unique part of its culture. If you’re lucky, you’ll be invited to join in singing and dancing to exuberant music. Melodies are typically fast-paced, expressing a passion for life. As you can probably imagine, Uyghur weddings are festive celebrations that are not to be missed!
Hills and Thrills
Given Xinjiang’s size and location, its topography varies widely. You can find mountains, desert, and lakes all available for your enjoyment. What each area has in common is its beautiful scenery.
Sometimes the beauty is even mixed with mystery, such as at the famous Kanas Lake. Sightings of a giant lake-dwelling creature have brought scientists and visitors to this scenic lake nestled among peaks of the Altai Mountains. During the 1980s, a team estimated that this “Chinese Nessie” could be 10 to 15 meters long and weigh up to 4 tons. An increase in tourism has led to video recordings that appear to indicate something enormous is moving under the surface of the water. More recent speculation has blamed the legend on schools of Siberian trout.
Welcome to Xinjiang!
Have a change to suggest for this story? We’d love for you to submit it!
Use the numbers provided in the story to estimate the geographic area in square miles of another country of your choosing. Now convert these numbers to metric.
Create a table listing the sizes of other countries and how they compare to Xinjiang.
What are the populations of Han and Uyghur in Xinjiang?
If Kanas Lake’s average depth is 120 meters, and one story is three meters, how many stories deep is the lake?
Social Justice Question
The government of China has come under fire for human rights violations directed at the Uyghur minority. Stories of detention camps and forced labor have emerged from Xinjiang. Research this issue and decide what the evidence supports.
Facts about Xinjiang
Information about the Uyghur people
Video of a Uyghur folk song
United Nations webpage on Uyghur culture
Google map of Kanas Lake
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11 reasons Warhammer 40,000 is a lot like the US military
Have you ever been deemed a heretic for minor infractions of protocol?
By David Roza July 17, 2020
I am obsessed with Warhammer 40,000, the tabletop war game set in a grim vision of the far future where the galaxy-spanning Imperium of Man is besieged by space orks, Chaos cultists, genocidal robots and all sorts of other horrible baddies.
And when I say grim, boy is it grim. It is so grim and dark, it inspired its own genre: grimdark. Because not only is the Imperium of Man in Warhammer 40K under constant external threat, it is also collapsing from within under the weight of its corrupt fascist bureaucracy.
Sound familiar? It should.
Despite its dystopian setting, many people in the military are big fans of Warhammer. In fact, the Army sent its first 40K team to a Las Vegas tournament in January, and many other service members get together to paint miniatures and play against each other at home — and even in Afghanistan.
Part of 40K's popularity stems from its countless spin-off novels, video games, fan films and soon-to-be TV shows, most of which are swashbuckling tales of military valor in a desperate universe.
Reading the lore is how I got into 40K, and I soon noticed that the glorious Space Marines, the proud Imperial Guard troopers and brave Imperial Navy crewmen face many of the same day-to-day challenges as real-life American service members.
Not convinced? Read on, for in the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war — and denied leave requests.
1. Both US service members and the Imperium use 10,000-year-old equipment
Whether you’re flying the same B-52 that your grandfather flew, firing a rifle that’s been in use more or less since Vietnam, or sitting behind a computer that still runs on Windows 95, you can understand the struggles of many an Imperial Navy pilot flying a centuries-old Fury Interceptor or an Imperial Guard trooper rolling in a dilapidated Chimera APC.
Scientific innovation is a heresy in the Imperium of the 41st millennium, so the empire of man reuses the same weapons and equipment for generations. In fact, many Space Marines take pride in their storied power swords and bolters, which are passed on through the centuries like lethal heirlooms. So if you ever hear someone refer to their M2 .50 caliber machine gun as The Voice of Terra, now you know why.
2. Ever pray to the machine spirits to keep said equipment working?
Again, the Imperium isn’t big on science or logic. In fact, Imperial mechanics belong to an order of shaman-like tech-priests whose main method of repairing faulty equipment is to light incense and pray to the machine spirits in hope that it will keep the spirits running smoothly.
That may sound far-fetched for today’s military, but keep in mind that the Air Force has to find replacement parts in a scrapyard, the toilets on the Navy’s newest aircraft carriers don’t work, and the Coast Guard’s sole heavy icebreaker nearly sinks every time it goes to Antarctica. As one Coast Guard vet put it, when it comes to maintenance, sometimes you just have to settle for “not actively on fire.”
3. Ever been deemed a heretic for minor infractions of protocol?
Corrupt fundamentalist command structures don’t take kindly to rule-breaking, and the Imperium of Man is no exception. In fact there’s an entire secret police called the Inquisition whose job is to purge heretics (and often the thousands of innocent people nearby them, just to be safe). Your sergeant major probably won’t go that far after catching you not wearing a cover outside, but he or she might act like it.
4. Stuck in endless wars against endless enemies?
Whether you’re battling Chaos cultists in the Eye of Terror or tracking Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia, you may think to yourself, “Why am I here? What is the long-term purpose of this fight?” Great power competition, Ork invasions, non-state actors and Tyranid hive fleets all seem to have one thing in common: they never end.
5. Marines are a cult unto themselves
Everyone loves to hero-worship. Some folks love Chesty Puller and James Mattis, while others prefer the Space Marine Primarchs Roboute Guilliman or Rogal Dorn, Whatever your inclination, Marines from both the year 2000 and 40,000 are zealous guardians of their heroes, lore and rituals, and may the Emperor’s wrath befall any who dare threaten their battle brothers.
6. Giant swords
OK, so maybe your average American grunt won’t experience this on a day-to-day basis, but both the Imperium and U.S. armed forces love a good giant sword. The Air Force has its Order of the Sword, where airmen present esteemed officers with massive blades in recognition of their contributions to the enlisted force (at least on paper). Similarly, the Imperial Guard uses chainsaw swords to carve space Orks in half. Tomato, tomato.
Of course, the Air Force also has sword-filled missiles for killing Al Qaeda commanders, so there’s that.
7. Nonsensical orders arrive decades after they were sent
In Warhammer, strategic orders are broadcast between the stars via telepathic psykers, but due to the unpredictable nature of the Warp and the vast distances between worlds, those orders often arrive garbled and hopelessly out-of-date — just like when your PCS order has been backlogged for over a month.
8. Obsessed with skulls and eagles
The Imperium loves skulls, and the U.S. military loves The Punisher. The Emperor’s sigil is a two-headed eagle known as the Imperial Aquila, while America’s national bird is the bald eagle. The Third Reich, Tsarist Russia and fascist Italy liked similar symbols, but that's just a coincidence.
9. Ever chug an energy drink and wonder about all the chemicals in them?
Green Taurox is a recent addition to the Warhammer lore, but boy is it welcome. According to the Regimental Standard, the energy drink will “affix bayonets to your productivity!” Best of all, 98.7% of the material used to produce the drink originates in the known Imperium, a.k.a. somewhere in the galaxy. It really makes you wish for more than just Red Bull and Rip Its, doesn’t it?
10. Must love dogs
If there's anything that American service members hold dear, it's their heroic, adorable, noble, very good military working dogs. The Imperium holds its own MWDs, called “canids” in similar high regard. In fact, the Regimental Standard proclaims that “all canids are officer rank” in order to “prevent undue feelings of superiority among privates.”
“This means that striking your canid, presuming to give it commands or, theoretically, disobeying its orders are all offenses punishable by death,” the Standard adds. “Refusing to follow a canid into combat is also a capital offense.”
11. Kicking ass and taking names
Despite the endless challenges facing the Imperium of Man, its soldiers continue to fight on with ferocious intensity. In fact, in one famous instance, the planet on which an Imperial Guard army was battling literally broke apart and the troopers kept on fighting. So too does the U.S. military keep serving with distinction wherever they’re called.
The Emperor Protects! Or, um … ‘Merica!
David Roza View David Roza's articles
@DavidSRoza
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(Mouse-over to see the cover's stepback)
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When a Scot Ties the Knot
Castles Ever After Series, Book 3
On the cusp of her first London season, Miss Madeline Gracechurch was shyly pretty and talented with a drawing pencil, but hopelessly awkward with gentlemen. She was certain to be a dismal failure on the London marriage mart. So Maddie did what generations of shy, awkward young ladies have done: she invented a sweetheart.
A Scottish sweetheart. One who was handsome and honorable and devoted to her, but conveniently never around. Maddie poured her heart into writing the imaginary Captain MacKenzie letter after letter … and by pretending to be devastated when he was (not really) killed in battle, she managed to avoid the pressures of London society entirely.
Until years later, when this kilted Highland lover of her imaginings shows up in the flesh. The real Captain Logan MacKenzie arrives on her doorstep—handsome as anything, but not entirely honorable. He’s wounded, jaded, in possession of her letters… and ready to make good on every promise Maddie never expected to keep.
Listed in Best Romance of 2015:
“Dare’s latest begins with a fairy-tale twist of fate, then leads readers on a mesmerizing and intense emotional journey that explores love in many forms and the powerful pull of dreams.
A brilliant, enchanting, and soul-satisfying romance.”
~Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews
“With sharp, clever banter, breathtaking sensuality, colorful descriptions, and solid cultural detail, this compelling, often hilarious escapade puts a refreshing spin on the ‘imaginary lover’ theme and adds another winner to Dare’s riveting Castles series.”
~Starred Review, Library Journal
“Marvelous … Dare’s swiftly moving plot is enhanced by the seamlessly developed romance, and the sensuality is heightened by the slow awakening of the unlikely pair’s mutual attraction.”
~Starred Review, Publisher’s Weekly
Enjoy this preview of Chapter One from When a Scot Ties the Knot!
Invernesshire, Scotland
Blub.
Blub-blub-blub.
Maddie’s hand jerked.
Ink sputtered from her pen, making great blots on the wing structure she’d been outlining. Her delicate Brazilian dragonfly now resembled a leprous chicken.
Two hours of work, gone in a heartbeat.
But it would be nothing if those bubbles signified what she hoped.
Copulation.
Her heart began to beat faster. She set aside her pen, lifted her head just enough for a clear view of the glass-walled seawater tank, and went still.
Maddie was, by nature, an observer. She knew how to fade into the background, be it drawing-room wallpaper, ballroom wainscoting, or the plastered-over stone of Lannair Castle. And she had a great deal of experience observing the mating rituals of many strange and wondrous creatures, from English aristocrats to cabbage moths.
When it came to courtship, however, lobsters were the most prudish and formal of all.
She’d been waiting months for Fluffy, the female, to molt and declare herself available to mate. So had Rex, the male specimen in the tank. She didn’t know which of them was the more frustrated.
Perhaps today would be the day. Maddie peered hard at the tank, breathless with anticipation.
There. From behind a broken chunk of coral, a slender orange antennae waved in the murky gloom.
That’s it, she silently willed. Go on, Fluffy. That’s a girl. It’s been a long, lonely winter under that rock. But you’re ready now.
A blue claw appeared.
Then receded.
Shameless tease.
“Stop being so missish.”
At last, the female’s full head came into view as she rose from her hiding place.
And then someone rapped at the door. “Miss Gracechurch?”
That was the end of that.
With a blub-blub-blub, Fluffy disappeared as quickly as she’d emerged. Back under her rock.
Drat.
“What is it, Becky?” Maddie called. “Is my aunt ill?”
If she’d been disturbed in her studio, someone must be ill. The servants knew not to interrupt her when she was working.
“No one’s ill, miss. But there’s a caller for you.”
“A caller? Now that’s a surprise.”
For an on-the-shelf Englishwoman residing in the barren wilds of the Scottish Highlands, callers were always a surprise.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“It’s a man.”
Now Maddie was more than surprised. She was positively shocked.
She pushed aside her ruined dragonfly illustration and stood to peer out the window. No luck. She’d chosen this tower room for its breathtaking view of the rugged green hills and the glassy loch settled like a mirror shard between them. It offered no useful vantage of the gate or entryway.
“Oh, Miss Gracechurch.” Becky sounded nervous. “He’s ever so big.”
“Goodness. And does this big man have a name?”
“No. I mean, he must have a name, musn’t he? But he didn’t say. Not yet. Your aunt thought you had best come and see for yourself.”
Well. This grew more and more mysterious.
“I’ll be there in a moment. Ask Cook to prepare some tea, if you will.”
Maddie untied her smock. After pulling the apron over her head and hanging it on a nearby peg, she took a quick inventory of her appearance. Her slate-gray frock wasn’t too wrinkled, but her hands were stained with ink and her hair was a travesty—loose and disheveled. There was no time for a proper coiffure. No hairpins to be found, either. She gathered the dark locks in her hands and twisted them into a loose knot at the back of her head, securing the chignon with a nearby pencil. The best she could do under the circumstances.
Whoever this unexpected, nameless, ever-so-big man was, he wasn’t likely to be impressed with her.
But then, men seldom were.
She took her time descending the spiraling stairs, wondering who this visitor might be. Most likely a land agent from a neighboring estate. Lord Varleigh wasn’t due until tomorrow, and Becky would have known his name.
When Maddie finally reached the bottom, Aunt Thea joined her.
Her aunt touched a hand to her turban with dramatic flair. “Oh, Madling. At last.”
“Where is our mysterious caller? In the hall?”
“The parlor.” Her aunt took her arm, and together they moved down the corridor. “Now, my dear. You must be calm.”
“I am calm. Or at least, I was calm until you said that.” She studied her aunt’s face for clues. “What on earth is going on?”
“There may be a shock. But don’t you worry. Once it’s over, I’ll make a posset to set you straight.”
A posset.
Oh, dear. Aunt Thea fancied herself something of an amateur apothecary. The trouble was, her “cures” were usually worse than the disease.
“It’s only a caller. I’m sure a posset won’t be necessary.”
Maddie resolved to maintain squared shoulders and an air of good health when she greeted this big, nameless man.
When they stepped into the parlor, her resolve was tested.
This wasn’t just a man.
This was a man.
A tall, commanding figure of a Scotsman, dressed in what appeared to be military uniform: a kilt of dark green-and-blue plaid, paired with the traditional redcoat.
His hair was overlong (mostly brown, with hints of ginger), and his squared jaw sported several days’ growth of whiskers (mostly ginger, with hints of brown). Broad shoulders tapered to a trim torso. A simple black sporran was slung low around his waist, and a sheathed dirk rode his hip. Below the fall of his kilt, muscled, hairy legs disappeared into white hose and scuffed black boots.
Maddie pleaded with herself not to stare.
It was a losing campaign.
Taken altogether, his appearance was a veritable assault of virility.
“Good afternoon.” She managed an awkward curtsy.
He did not answer or bow. Wordlessly, he approached her.
And at the point where a well-mannered gentleman would stop, he drew closer still.
She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, anxious. At least he’d solved her staring problem. She could scarcely bear to look at him now.
He stopped close enough for Maddie to breathe in the scents of whisky and wood smoke, and to glimpse a wide, devilish mouth slashing through his light growth of beard. After long seconds, she coaxed herself into meeting his gaze.
His eyes were a breathtaking blue. And not in a good way.
They were the sort of blue that gave one the feeling of being launched into the sky or plunged into icy water. Flung into a void with no hope of return. It wasn’t a pleasant sensation.
“Miss Madeline Gracechurch?”
Oh, his voice was the worst part of all. Deep, with that Highland burr that scraped and hollowed words out, forcing them to hold more meaning.
He said, “I’m come home to you.”
“H-home … to me?”
“I knew it,” Aunt Thea said. “It’s him.”
The strange man nodded. “It’s me.”
“It’s who?” Maddie blurted out.
She didn’t mean to be rude, but she’d never laid eyes on this man in her life. She was quite sure of it. His wasn’t a face or figure she’d be likely to forget. He made quite an impression. More than an impression. She felt flattened by him.
“Don’t you know me, mo chridhe?”
She shook her head. She’d had enough of this game, thank you. “Tell me your name.”
The corner of his mouth tipped in a small, roguish smile. “Captain Logan MacKenzie.”
The world became a violent swirl of colors: green and red and that stark, dangerous blue.
“Did you …” Maddie faltered. “Surely you didn’t say Cap—”
That was as far as she got. Her tongue gave up.
And then her knees gave out.
She didn’t swoon or crumple. She simply sat down, hard. Her backside hit the settee, and the air was forced from her lungs. “Oof.”
The Scotsman stared down at her, looking faintly amused. “Are ye well?”
“No,” she said honestly. “I’m seeing things. This can’t be happening.”
This really, truly, could not be happening.
Captain Logan MacKenzie could not be alive. He could not be dead, either.
He didn’t exist.
To be sure, for nigh on a decade now, everyone had believed her to be first pining after, then mourning for, the man who was nothing but fiction.
Maddie had spent countless afternoons writing him letters—missives that had actually just been pages of nonsense or sketches of moths and snails. She’d declined to attend parties and balls, citing her devotion to the Highland hero of her dreams—but really because she’d preferred to stay home with a book.
Her godfather, the Earl of Lynforth, had even left her Lannair Castle in his will so that she might be nearer her beloved’s home. Quite thoughtful of the old dear.
And when the deceit began to weigh on her conscience, Maddie had given her Scottish officer a brave, honorable, and entirely fictional death. She’d worn black for a full year, then gray thereafter. Everyone believed her to be disconsolate, but black and gray suited her. They hid the smudges of ink and charcoal that came from her work.
Thanks to Captain MacKenzie, she had a home, an income, work she enjoyed—and no pressure to move in London society. She’d never intended to deceive her family for so many years, but no one had been hurt. It all seemed to have worked for the best.
Now something had gone terribly wrong.
Maddie turned her head by slow degrees, Miss Muffet fashion, forcing herself to look at the Highlander who’d sat down beside her. Her heart thumped in her chest.
If her Captain MacKenzie didn’t exist, who was this man? And what did he want from her?
“You aren’t real.” She briefly closed her eyes and pinched herself, hoping to waken from this horrid dream. “You. Aren’t. Real.”
Aunt Thea pressed a hand to her throat. With the other, she fanned herself vigorously. “Surely it must be a miracle. To think, we were told you were—”
“Dead?” The officer’s gaze never left Maddie’s. A hint of irony sharpened his voice. “I’m not dead. Touch and see for yourself.”
Touch?
Oh, no. Touching him was out of the question. There would not be any touching.
But before Maddie knew what was happening, he’d caught her ungloved hand and drawn it inside his unbuttoned coat, pressing it to his chest.
And they were touching.
Intimately.
A stupid, instinctive thrill shot through her. She’d never held hands with any man. Never felt a man’s skin pressed against her own. Curiosity clamored louder than her objections.
His hand was large and strong. Roughened with calluses, marked with scars and powder burns. Those marks revealed his life to be one of battle and strife, just as surely as her pale, ink-stained fingers told hers to be a life of scribbling … and no adventure at all.
He flattened her palm against the well-worn lawn of his shirt. Beneath it, he was impressively solid. Warm.
“I’m no ghost, mo chridhe. Just a man. Flesh and bone.”
Mo chridhe.
He kept using those words. She wasn’t fluent in Gaelic, but over the years she’d gathered a few bits here and there. She knew mo chridhe meant “my heart.”
The words were a lover’s endearment, but there was no tenderness in his voice. Only a low, simmering anger. He spoke the words like a man who’d cut out his own heart long ago and left it buried in the cold, dark ground.
With their joined hands, he eased aside one lapel of his coat. The gesture revealed a corner of yellowed paper tucked inside his breast pocket. She recognized the handwriting on the envelope.
It was her own.
“I received your letters, lass. Every last one.”
God help her. He knew.
He knew she’d lied. He knew everything.
And he was here to make her pay.
“Aunt Thea,” she whispered, “I believe I’ll be needing that posset after all.”
~*~*~*~*~
So, Logan thought. This is the girl.
At last he had her in his grasp. Madeline Eloise Gracechurch. In her own words, the greatest ninny to ever draw breath in England.
The lass wasn’t in England now. And pale as she’d grown in the past few seconds, he suspected she might not be breathing, either.
He gave her hand a little squeeze, and she drew in a gasp. Color flooded her cheeks.
There, that was better.
To be truthful, Logan needed a moment to locate his own composure. She’d knocked the breath from him, too.
He’d spent a great deal of time wondering how she looked. Too much time over the years. Of course she’d sent him sketches of every blessed mushroom, moth, and blossom in existence—but never any likenesses of herself.
By the gods, she was bonny. Far prettier than her letters had led him to imagine. Also smaller, more delicate.
“So …” she said, “this means … you … I … gack.”
Much less articulate, too.
Logan’s gaze slid to her aunt, who was somehow exactly as he’d always pictured her. Frail shoulders, busy eyes, saffron-yellow turban.
“Perhaps you’ll permit us a few minutes alone, Aunt Thea. May I call you Aunt Thea?”
“But … certainly you may.”
“No,” his betrothed moaned. “Please, don’t.”
Logan patted her slender shoulder. “There, there.”
Aunt Thea hurried to excuse her niece. “You must forgive her, Captain. We believed you dead for years. She’s worn mourning ever since. To have you back again … well, it’s such a shock. She’s overwrought.”
“That’s understandable,” he said.
And it was.
Logan would be surprised, too, if a person he’d invented from thin air, then cravenly lied about for close to a decade, appeared on his doorstep one afternoon.
Surprised, shocked … perhaps even frightened.
Madeline Gracechurch appeared to be no less than terrified.
“What was it you mentioned wanting, mo chridhe? A poultice?”
“A posset,” Aunt Thea said. “I’ll heat one at once.”
As soon as her aunt had left the room, Logan tightened his grip around Madeline’s slender wrist, drawing her to her feet.
The motion seemed to help her find her tongue.
“Who are you?” she whispered.
“I thought we covered that already.”
“Have you no conscience, coming in here as an imposter and frightening my aunt?”
“Imposter?” He made an amused sound. “I’m no imposter, lass. But I’ll admit—I am entirely without conscience.”
She wet her lips with a nervous flick of her tongue, drawing his gaze to a small, kiss-shaped mouth that might otherwise have escaped his attention.
Wondering what else he might have missed, he let his eyes wander down her figure, from the untidy knot of dark hair atop her head to … whatever sort of body might be hiding under that high-necked gray shroud.
It didn’t matter, he told himself. He hadn’t come for the carnal attractions.
He was here to collect what he was owed.
Her hand went to her brow. “I can’t understand what’s happening.”
“Can’t you? Is it so hard to believe that the name and rank you plucked from the air might belong to an actual man somewhere? MacKenzie’s not an uncommon name. The British Army’s a vast pool of candidates.”
“Yes, but I never properly addressed anything. I specifically wrote the number of a regiment that doesn’t exist. Never indicated any location. I just tossed them into the post.”
“Well, somehow—”
“Somehow they found their way to you.” She swallowed audibly. “And you … Oh, no. And you read them?”
He opened his mouth to reply.
“Of course you read them,” she said, cutting him off. “You couldn’t be here if you hadn’t.”
Logan didn’t know whether to be annoyed or grateful that she kept completing his side of the conversation. He supposed it was habit on her part. She’d conducted a one-sided correspondence with him for years.
And then, once he’d served his purpose, she’d had the nerve to kill him off.
This canny little English heiress thought she’d come up with the perfect scheme to avoid being pressured into marriage.
She was about to learn she’d been wrong.
Verra wrong.
“Oh, dear,” she muttered. “I think I’ll be sick.”
“I must say, this is a fine welcome home.”
“This isn’t your home.”
It will be, lass. It will be.
Logan decided to give her a moment to compose herself. He made a slow circle of the room. The castle itself was remarkable. A classic fortified tower house, kept in a fair state of repair. This chamber they currently occupied was hung with ancient tapestries but was otherwise furnished in what he assumed to be typical English style.
But he didn’t care about carpets and settees.
He paused at the window. It was the surrounding land that interested him. This glen was ideal. A wide, green ribbon of fertile land stretched alongside the clear loch. Beyond it lay open hills for grazing.
These were the Highlands his soldiers had known in their youths. The Highlands that had all but disappeared by the time they’d returned from war. Stolen by greedy English landlords—and the occasional fanciful spinster.
This would be home for them now. Here, in the shadow of Lannair Castle, his men could regain what had been taken from them. There was space enough in this glen to raise cottages, plant crops, start families.
Rebuild a life.
Logan would stop at nothing to give them that chance. He owed his men that much. He owed them far more.
“You,” she announced, “have to leave.”
“Leave? Not a chance, mo chridhe.”
“You have to leave. Now.”
She took him by the sleeve and tried tugging him toward the door. Unsuccessfully.
Then she gave up on the tugging and started pushing at him instead.
That wasn’t any help, either. Except, perhaps, as an aid to Logan’s amusement.
He was a lot of man, and she was a mere slip of a lass. He couldn’t help but laugh. But her efforts weren’t entirely ineffectual. The press of her tiny hands on his arms and chest stirred him in dangerous places.
He’d gone a long time without a woman’s touch.
Far too long.
At length, she gave up on the pulling and pushing, and went straight to her last resort.
Pleading. Big, brown calf’s eyes implored him for mercy. Little did she know, this was the least likely tactic to work. Logan wasn’t a man to be moved by tender emotion.
However, he was a man—and he wasn’t unmoved by a pretty face. What with all her exertions, he was starting to see a flush of color on her cheeks. And an intriguing spark of mystery behind those wide, dark eyes.
This lass didn’t belong in gray. With that dark hair and those rosy lips, she belonged in vibrant color. Deep Highland greens or sapphire blue.
His own smile took him by surprise.
She was going to look bonny wearing his plaid.
“Just go,” she said. “If you leave now, I can convince my aunt this was all a mistake. Because it was a mistake. You must know that. I never meant to bother you with my silly ramblings.”
“Perhaps you didna mean to. But involve me you did.”
“Is it an apology you want, then? I’m sorry. So very, very sorry. Please, if you’ll just give me the letters back and be on your way, I’ll be most generous. I’d be glad to pay you for your troubles.”
Logan shook his head. She thought a bribe would appease him? “I’m not leaving, lass. Not for all the pin money in your wee silk reticule.”
“Then what do you want?”
“That’s simple. I want what your letters said. What you’ve been telling your family for years. I’m Captain Logan MacKenzie. I received every last one of your missives, and despite your best attempts to kill me, I am verra much alive.”
He propped a finger under her chin, tilting her face to his. So she would be certain to hear and believe his words.
“Madeline Eloise Gracechurch … I’ve come here to marry you.”
“When A(nother) Scot Ties the Knot” — a bonus epilogue!
Catch up with Logan, Maddie, Aunt Thea, and Logan’s men a few years after the end of the book.
Also available in Portuguese!
Epílogo Bônus: A Noiva do Capitão
Other Books in the "Castles Ever After Series" series
Romancing The Duke
Say Yes to the Marquess
Do You Want to Start a Scandal
Castles Ever After 4, Spindle Cove 5 (crossover)
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Narrated by: Carmen Rose
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Resources Courier Topic: Physics
Preparations for the DUNE cavern at Sanford Underground Research Facility, South Dakota. (Image: Matthew Kapust/SURF)
Welcome to the digital edition of the July/August 2020 issue of CERN Courier.
From giant detectors at the receiving end of artificial neutrino beams to vast sub-ice or subsea arrays and smaller setups investigating whether neutrinos are Majorana particles, neutrino experiments span an enormous range of types, scales and locations. Today, as explored in this issue, a new generation of reactor and accelerator experiments – including DUNE in the US, Hyper-Kamiokande in Japan and JUNO in China – are gearing up to complete the measurements of neutrino-oscillation parameters and establish the neutrino mass ordering. Meanwhile, a series of shorter baseline experiments are scrutinising the three-neutrino paradigm.
Coordinated global action has seen Europe, via the CERN neutrino platform, participate in the long-baseline neutrino programmes in Japan and the US. This has proved a major success. The 2020 update of the European strategy for particle physics, released on 19 June, recommends that the neutrino platform receives continued support. Its highest priority recommendations are to pursue an electron–positron Higgs factory to follow the LHC, and that Europe explores the feasibility of a future energy-frontier hadron collider with a Higgs factory as a possible first stage. These are exciting times, and this month’s Viewpoint also calls on particle physicists to highlight the broader socioeconomic impact of our field.
Elsewhere in this issue: a global network of ultra-sensitive magnetometers called GNOME homes in on exotic fields; neutron facilities prepare to study the structure of SARS-CoV-2; graphene-based Hall probes trialled at CERN; reports on the virtual IPAC and LHCP events; CLOUD experiment breaks new ground in atmospheric science; and much more.
j CERN Courier Jul/Aug 2020
CERN Courier May/Jun 2020
CERN Courier Mar/Apr 2020
CERN Courier Jan/Feb 2020
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Love Island’s Zara Holland is ‘held by police after trying to AVOID covid quarantining in Barbados’
January 1, 2021 admin Lifestyle News photo
Zara Holland has reportedly been arrested in Barbados after trying to return to the UK with her boyfriend when he tested positive for coronavirus.
The former Love Island star, 25, and her beau Elliott Love, 30, are thought to have had a test when they arrived on the island on Sunday, reports The Sun.
However after receiving his result on Tuesday, the duo are said to have been given red wristbands but allegedly cut them off and tried to flee to the airport in a taxi.
Making a break for it? Zara Holland has reportedly been arrested in Barbados after trying to return leave with her boyfriend when he tested positive for coronavirus (pictured in Barbados in April 2019)
A member of staff at the £300-a-night Sugar Bay resort hotel is said to have found the bands and called police, who reportedly found Zara and Elliot at the airport.
The couple were thought to be being held on a Covid ward at the St Lucy Hospital in northern Barbados on Thursday night.
Island chief medical officer Dr Kenneth George told the publication: ‘There are three tourists who are of special interest. Two are in quarantine and one in police custody.
‘Two were apprehended at the airport. This is a police matter and I trust that the appropriate evidence will be submitted.’
Claims: The former Love Island star, 25, and her beau Elliott Love, 30, are thought to have had a test when they arrived on the island on Sunday and received his positive result on Tuesday
While a spokesman for the country’s Ministry of Health and Wellness added: ‘Police have held for questioning at least three tourists in relation to alleged breaches.
‘We will take firm action against any individuals who breach protocols.’
Zara and Elliott could now face criminal charges, including endangering the lives of others, an £18,000 fine each and even the potential of 12 months in prison for allegedly flouting the rules.
MailOnline has contacted Zara’s representatives for a comment.
Not an ideal start to 2021: The duo are said to have been given red wristbands but allegedly cut them off and tried to flee to the airport in a taxi (Zara is pictured in Barbados in 2019)
Before arriving in Barbados visitors have to fill out an online form and preferably include an upload of their negative COVID-19 PCR test result.
It is then mandatory for travellers from High-Risk and Medium-Risk countries to receive a second test while on island.
While waiting for the results visitors then have to restrict their movements to their accommodation and cannot have visitors.
If the result is positive, then the person is assessed at a government facility for a minimum of 24 hours. After this there is the option to self-isolate at your own expense or go to a government isolation location, such as the Paragon Military Base.
Hot spot: The couple, who have been together since 2016, have visited Barbados several times (pictured on a holiday with Zara’s family in 2018)
Finding fame: Zara appeared on Love Island in 2016 and has since spoken out about how her ‘rollercoaster’ experience on the reality show left her battling anxiety and depression
In action: Since Love Island, Zara has turned her attentions to running a business with her mum (pictured on the reality show with Daniel Lukakis)
However if a positive test is returned, the visitor cannot return home. They have to isolate until they have recovered. Upon recovery, you can resume your vacation or return home, Visit Barbados explains.
Zara, who was de-crowned of her Miss Great Britain title after romping with Alex Bowen on reality show Love Island back in 2016, found love with boyfriend Elliott.
The pair struck up a romance just months after Zara left the show, and she later told the Daily Star that he was ‘the one’.
She gushed: ‘We’re very happy together and have such a great time. He is absolutely amazing and he’s definitely the one.’
Throwback: Zara was de-crowned of her Miss Great Britain title after romping on the show
10 babies killed in India hospital fire
Bullish Boris Johnson ready to walk away from Brexit talks: Prime Minister warns he won’t sign deal
Love Island stars Shaughna Phillips and Josh Denzel go abroad after Track and Trace ad campaign
Brexit winners and losers
Prince Louis dons eye-catching blue felt jacket on family trip to West End pantomime…
Dame Helen Mirren warns actors may soon be homeless as a result of the pandemic
Romain Grosjean’s car explodes into a fireball on lap two of the Bahrain Grand Prix
Brexit negotiator Lord Frost hails ‘moment of national renewal’
Previous Post:Well, here’s who ruined Christmas in 2020…(18 GIFs)
Next Post:Florida becomes THIRD state to get Super-Covid as man in 20s with no travel history is diagnosed with mutant UK strain
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The movie The Kill Team: trailer, clips, photos, soundtrack, news and much more!
The Kill Team Movie
A first official look at Nat Wolff and Alexander Skarsgard in The Kill Team, the upcoming action drama movie written and directed by Dan Krauss based on Krauss’ own 2013 documentary of the same name:
(Click on the picture to enlarge.)
“A psychological thriller about a young American soldier in Afghanistan who struggles between his conscience and his survival when members of his platoon carry out a murderous scheme in the desolate wasteland of Southern Afghanistan.
Based on dramatic true events, THE KILL TEAM tells the story of a young American soldier trapped between his conscience and his survival when members of his platoon carry out a murderous scheme in the desolate wasteland of Southern Afghanistan.
Specialist Adam Briggman is an ambitious young soldier, whose quiet temperament and naive demeanour set him apart from his platoon. Everything changes when Adam meets his new squad leader, Sergeant Deeks, a towering man – fraternal, imposing, a man of principles – a natural born soldier. Adam immediately falls under Deeks’s spell.
But when a young Afghan farmer is killed under murky circumstances, Adam’s admiration for Deeks becomes increasingly tainted. Soon it is agonizingly clear that Deeks is enlisting his men in a scheme to murder innocents. Adam attempts to pull away from the group, but instead is dragged into a dangerous match of psychological warfare with his own brothers in arms.
Adam reaches out to his father for help in reporting the murders. But the effort fails. Out of options and with nowhere to run, Adam must face off against his once friends, ultimately forced to make an impossible split-second decision that will change him forever.”
Besides Alexander Skarsgård and Nat Wolff, the cast also includes Adam Long, Jonathan Whitesell, Brian Marc, Osy Ikhile, Rob Morrow, Oliver Ritchie, Andreas Karras, Elham Ehsas, Zackary Momoh, Ian Attard, Pedro Rudolphi, John De Luca, Taz Skylar, Edd Campbell Bird, Carlos Camino, and Steven Jeram.
Here’s the trailer of the documentary the film is based on:
The Kill Team (Documentary – 2013)
The film has yet to get an official release date.
Stay tuned with us for more details about the movie The Kill Team.
Tags: The Kill Team
Genre: Action/Drama
Directed by: Dan Krauss
Starring: Alexander Skarsgard, Nat Wolff, Adam Long, Jonathan Whitesell, Brian Marc, Osy Ikhile, Rob Morrow, Oliver Ritchie, Andreas Karras, Elham Ehsas, Zackary Momoh, Ian Attard, Pedro Rudolphi, John De Luca, Taz Skylar, Edd Campbell Bird, Carlos Camino, Steven Jeram
More Information at: The Kill Team Trailer
https://teaser-trailer.com/movie/the-kill-team
Tags: Action, Adam Long, Alexander Skarsgard, Andreas Karras, Brian Marc, Carlos Camino, Dan Krauss, Drama, Edd Campbell Bird, Elham Ehsas, Ian Attard, John De Luca, Jonathan Whitesell, Nat Wolff, Oliver Ritchie, Osy Ikhile, Pedro Rudolphi, Rob Morrow, Steven Jeram, Taz Skylar, TBA 2018, The Kill Team, Zackary Momoh
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Tictail Releases API And Internal Tools For 3rd Party Devs, Store Numbers Take Off
Tictail is a more unusual e-commerce startup in that it is using its venture capital backing to power ahead on creating a platform which is super-easy to create a shop on. Now it’s allowing third-party developers to build applications for the site.
The Tictail App Store will enable developers to reach online store owners with their applications. An innovation compared to others in the space is the Tictail feed, which prompts Tictail users on a range of issues including customer service, social media, and other tasks depending on their activity. This allows Tictail to recommend specific apps to store owners depending on when they are likely to need them. Handy if you are an app developer
Carl Waldekranz, CEO of Tictail says the feed means the “apps find you”. So for instance, a shop owner might see “Last week you had 3 dropped carts, total value 150$. So then you can install the “Abandoned Carts” app at $10, and so on.
Apps for ecommerce have been around for a long time. Magento, Shopify and BigCommerce all enable plugins. The difference with Tictail is that they are going “beyond” a mere open API, making available to same tools they use internally, including the UI kit (which is how Tictail looks and feels). This allows developers to create apps that work a lot better than just having access to an API.
As with Apple’s model, Tictail takes a standard 30% cut of all revenue from applications distributed via the Tictail App Store.
The API, SDK and UI Kit, and some launch apps are kicking off this week. So for instance, Zopim, a large live chat tool; Yotpo, a social review service; Klarna, a fast growing Swedish payment alternative; Sendicate, ’email made easy’; and Sellfy for digital downloads.
To date Tictail stretches across over 110 territories globally and has seen 23,000 stores created since its launch in May 2012.
You can contrast this with Bigcommerce, founded 2009 which nows has 36,000 stores, and Shopify, founded in 2005 which has 60,000.
The startup has raised $1.57 million to date from the likes of Balderton Capital and Angels including serial investor Klaus Hommel and Gustav Söderström, Chief Product Officer of Spotify.
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Nov. 19, 2020 10:44 am
TEDCO, EcoMap are creating the Maryland Entrepreneur Hub for business-building resources
"If we want to use entrepreneurship as a lever for economic development, then we need to make entrepreneurship accessible to all," said EcoMap's Pava LaPere.
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Maryland organizations are building an AI-powered web platform where entrepreneurs can find all of the resources available to them in the state.
It’ll be called the Maryland Entrepreneur Hub, EcoMap Technologies CEO Pava LaPere said this week.
TEDCO, the quasi-public agency that supports early-stage tech companies, recently selected the Baltimore-based EcoMap to build the platform after a formal RFP. Maryland Department of Commerce and University System of Maryland are also partnering on the effort.
“Maryland’s small businesses are an invincible force, constantly needing to pivot and address the daily challenges entrepreneurs face,” TEDCO CEO Troy LeMaile-Stovall said in a statement. “Our goal is make Maryland’s business resources more accessible to support our growing ecosystem, and continue to drive economic empowerment throughout the State.”
Asked what users can expect from the finished product, LaPere described it this way: “A free, one-stop-shop platform that entrepreneurs can use to navigate all that Maryland has to offer for their business. Whether they are a first-time founder starting up, or an existing company looking to grow, the Maryland Entrepreneur Hub will be a reliable, up-to-date source on all the different resources and opportunities that business owners can leverage.”
It’ll seek to centralize the info about resources for startups and small businesses at all stages from Maryland, D.C. and the University System of Maryland, and will feature info on “funding opportunities, accelerators & incubators, events, mentorship opportunities, licensing & registration info, and more,” she said.
EcoMap has an existing portal that’s specific to Baltimore resources. With this hub, LaPere said there will be a specific focus on for-profit businesses. Teaming with USM will also bring a focus on the role academic institutions in the state play. In LaPere’s estimation, the most important function is to make information freely accessible.
“If we want to use entrepreneurship as a lever for economic development, then we need to make entrepreneurship accessible to all,” she said, bolding that sentence in email responses to Technical.ly. “A giant part of this is reducing the information barrier that can stop founders from finding the tools and support they need to launch and grow. That’s why I founded EcoMap in the first place: to ensure that any entrepreneur could access the same information about what resources exist in their local community. I’m thrilled that we get to execute that vision across our home state.”
LaPere, a Johns Hopkins University alumna who is a force behind a series of resources herself, said the state is full of “buried treasures.”
“Maryland has a variety of programs that are thoughtfully designed, impactful, and highly effective at supporting new businesses. We’ve mapped multiple cities at this point, and Baltimore still has some of the best-structured entrepreneur support programs we’ve found,” she said. “But as great as these resources are, they can be hard to locate. This is especially true for founders who are not embedded in the ecosystem through their existing corporate, educational, or social networks. That ‘tight-knit-ness’ can be just as much of a blessing as a curse: unless you know someone who can point you in the right direction, you might never know these resources exist — which is precisely the problem we’re tackling.”
The partnering orgs are aiming to launch the hub by the end of the first quarter of 2021.
Companies: University System of Maryland, TEDCO, State of Maryland
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Author: Xavier Jinan
Home / Author: Xavier Jinan
By Xavier Jinan January 19, 2021
The enhancement in connecting devices tendency to WWW (World Wide Web), helps in maintaining them via using Smartphone. IoT or Internet of Things market has grown in the 2009 year. As per Statists, the IoT market reaches approx 1.7 trillion dollars. Along with the IoT improvement, different new concepts have been seen in the world like connected vehicles, digital toys & smart cities.
Mobile applications play a vital role in IoT. They are like an interface that permits users to interact or connect with IoT enabled devices. Hence, with enhancement in the IoT market, the development of a mobile app also get expands. In the future, users will also see the high transformation in the day to day life.
Overview of IoT (Internet of things)
IoT seems to be the concept of the connection of physical devices or tools with the internet or vice versa. The term IoT contains a huge range of devices like home appliances, buildings forming, cars that will be used to make a smart city. Along with it, IoT also contains different machines concept. The performance data of the airplane-based jet engine can send out to portable devices due to the internet connection and also to permits the engineers to configure the engine to a particular time. Gartner assumes that there are approx 26 billion devices are connected to the internet till 2020. IoT has a huge network for device connection that will help in share out the data.
A requirement of data sharing by connected devices
It has been seen that every device can share the specific information as per the requirement and when it is connected with the Internet. The connection to the internet mainly depends on the customer’s requirement. When IoT comes to manufacturing, the efficiency can be increased & expenses get reduces in integrated sensors.
For example, Concrete sensors which are a company based in the US mainly use a device that is inserted into concrete and can be used to track the material’s condition. This innovation saves customers investments approx $30,000. Devices connection needs to be end-point that will process, retrieve & display information. In the present situation, the mobile application seems to be the most useful endpoints to entertain the users, streaming music & also help out to interact with different people or friends via social networking. Hence, mobile apps just functioning as a gateway.
IoT has a simple and easy architecture is compared to mobile devices. There is a requirement for an endpoint that will be able to send the specific information. In order to get the result, these entire endpoints track out the different values like house door status, data transmission, and many more analyses. Hence, device connection & mobile applications seem to be inspirable as it seems to be like a user interface in order to deliver the data processing to the end-users.
Use cases for IoT
Interaction of mobile apps with the IoT is constantly increasing & having a high influence on technology. Hence, it can be believed that mobile applications are the main factor that will raise the trend of IoT technology. For IoT companies, Mobile apps are like a tool that helps to create smart devices & improve the human lives aspect.
1. Improving the management of house
Smart houses seem to be the best creation for the concept of IoT. By connecting the Smartphone with the home appliances, the user will get overall control of the home & gadgets. IoT apps can send out a push notification to a particular Smartphone because of the internet connection. This will also permit the user to turn on/off & configure the systems when the user is not at home.
Smart house system named as KNX with a tap to the mobile app through which user will get sure that all the lights of the house are off or on, the hob is switched off, heating turned down & activation of the alarm system. Using this new technology, the user can take control of the device based on electricity via a mobile app. This will also help the owners of the property to save approx 45% of energy consumption through which financial saving also gets done.
2. Making feel needed
As per the research, connected devices in the current situation entertain lots of people & also replace the real life pet. Cozmo is a small & smart robot which has a personality with artificial emotion. This seems to be an interactive toy that will help the owners as well to learn how to code.
Cozmo seems to be a remarkable IoT device. This robot has its CPU or central processing unit which helps in evaluating the toy’s behaviour. Although, cozmo is connected with the particular mobile application that handles most of the activities of data processing & commands using artificial intelligence.
The cozmo’s IoT app connects the portable or smart devices to the robot via using Wi-Fi. Cozmo itself does not connect with the internet but it needs internet connectivity or Wi-Fi in order to ensure or get high bandwidth rather than Bluetooth. The robot establishes a secure network in which a user must be connected with the internet during app launching.
3. Connecting owners & their pets
PetChatz seems to be the best example of IoT technology. This is an attractive or interactive system that permits pet owners to make video & audio communications with the pets. PretChatz also permits the pet owners to listen to music & play games with the mate & also gift prizes. This app also calls the pet whenever a user wants to make a video conference via mobile and the pet can push the button to start the communication. With connected devices to the mobile app, you can stay in touch with the pet. This PetChatz system is much similar to the PetCube device that was sponsored by a crowd funding campaign.
In the bottom line
Due to the advancement in the technology and using of Smartphone’s & their capabilities to make the connection with the internet, enhance the IoT development as per the market demand. Hence, technology companies also consider all the emerging possibilities in order to conquer the market pieces.
In IoT, the most common aspect is to form out a huge mobile network that will increase the demand for IoT based mobile apps. Mobile apps along with the IoT technology have a significant impact that provides actual, effective & comfortable ways in order to maintain the connected devices. Hence, technology companies should hurry up with time to become the best pioneer innovators in the market of IoT. We, at Mtoag, have expertise in the build-out of mobile application for Android & iOS. Contact us for any query & make your idea successful.
The scope of digital marketing is expanding significantly. New businesses are focusing on digital marketing to boost their efficiency. Recently, there has seen a huge development in this realm.
To be successful as a digital marketing agency, there are various aspects that you need to focus on such as social media, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and email marketing. Read on to learn the fundamentals of digital marketing and its benefits.
Here are some of the fundamentals of digital marketing:
The primary thing you need to consider while doing digital marketing is SEO. Basically, search engines will index your content when you publish all the optimized content and cater to the needs of your target audience. To know your target audience, you have to keep researching for effective keywords since it is the key to SEO. Create content according to the keywords.
Every digital marketing campaign depends on the content. Regardless of whether it’s social media, SEO, or email marketing, you would want the content to reach and connect with your target audience through various channels. To be a competent content marketer, you need to have incredible writing skills, analytical abilities, and SEO copywriting abilities.
Paid Online Advertising
You should be aware of the paid aspect of digital marketing agency. Facebook Ads and Google Ads permit you to connect with large groups of people rapidly for extremely competitive rates, particularly when compared to traditional advertising methods.
When it comes to social media method of digital marketing, it refers to marketing on different social networks to discover and connect with potential customers. When you feel comfortable with running campaigns on Facebook since it is the biggest marketplace, you can upgrade your skills by researching LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter marketing.
The benefits of digital marketing are innumerable.
For any entrepreneur, bringing in new clients is consistently a priority. There’s no better medium than digital media channels or networks for client procurement. Digital marketing is one of the most important ways to gain more clients. It’s more important than ever before for businesses to embrace digital marketing today.
Establish Social Media Presence
There’s no better way than digital marketing to establish the online presence of your business. You can use various networks like LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook to build a strong base of followers. These channels also help businesses understand what their customers think about their products or services. These are, in fact, a direct source of communication between the business and its customers, thus helping businesses to improve their products or services according to customer feedback.
In Demand
In recent years, there is a high demand for digital marketing because it is a new trend that is helping businesses discover the right audience. It is not just a fad that stays for a few years and fades but rather a marketing technique that is here to stay. Besides helping businesses enjoy positive outcomes, it also helps in evaluating the results and finding out which digital marketing strategies worked best. This is not the case with conventional marketing strategies.
With traditional marketing techniques, it’s hard for small to medium-size businesses to rival bigger companies. But, digital marketing puts businesses on a similar battleground. Many digital marketing techniques are budget-friendly. This is undoubtedly one of the most crucial advantages for businesses that cannot afford a lot for the more expensive conventional marketing.
Now that you have gained an insight into the fundamentals of digital marketing and its benefits, hope you have realized its importance in today’s world for businesses all around the world.
Tips to Save Your Company before it goes Bankrupt
By Xavier Jinan December 23, 2019
The assets of a company are extremely important. Any businessman worth his salt doesn’t need a professional accountant to tell him that assets must be protected by the company. All companies that have gone under and filed for bankruptcy are guilty of improper asset management and lack of resources.
Assets are essential to a company’s survival. They help the company in Revenue generation and increases the value of the company altogether. Without assets, your company would not have any resources to utilize for its improvement and growth. Even your business operations would come to a full halt without any assets to burn. You would not be able to run a company, much less hire staff if your bank is run dry.
When it comes to running a business and keeping it alive, one doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel or perform much acrobatics. It truly is a simple and dry process of maintaining a steady level of assets and expenses, making sure that the resources you bring in far exceed the resources you spend.
Here we have listed some crucial strategies that must immediately be implemented by the company to ensure further asset management and protection.
Choose Your Proper Business Model
First of all, I need to emphasize the need to choose a proper business model. If your business model is doomed to fail, no matter how you save your assets, it will ultimately fail. Many businesses are operating on an inefficient business model that pushes to lose more money than they are gaining. It is then important that you take the time to check whether your business operations are truly successful or are you just wasting your time and money.
Take Care of Contracts
In an ideal world, just acting on good faith is enough to keep the company alive and running. Unfortunately, this is not quite the case in the world we have today. It is best that you use legal contracts for all your business transactions.
Contracts are legally binding documents that state the relationship between two or more entities. Stated in it are the expectations and responsibilities of each entity while also providing the ramifications should there be any problems.
A contract manager must perform a regular contract review to ensure that the performance of every vendor and client are up to par. If you really want to protect your personal assets, especially your contracts, integrating a contract management software would be the easiest way to go about it. This will also ensure that all your contracts are followed.
A breach of contract is one of the fastest ways for a company to go down. The legal fees not to mention the compliance fees afterwards will run your bank dry. It should also be mentioned that the hit in your reputation will also make the company struggle.
Hire A Professional Accountant
If you really want to have a proper visual of all your cash flows, then it would be best to hire a professional accountant instead of having an inexperienced staff member do it for you. A professional accountant will be able to determine whether there are discrepancies in your accounts and thereby sniff out if someone is stealing from the company. They will also be able to tell if there are any financial problems ahead of you.
While the adage you spend some to earn some is true, it must be taken with a grain of salt. Many companies have already failed and rendered obsolete only because they spent way too much without determining whether they are able to earn it back or not. If your company is earning less than you’re spending, then that means that your company is on the rocks and will be rendered dry in a limited amount of time.
Facebook Acquired Gaming Startup To Compete with Google Stadia and xCloud
Facebook is stepping up its efforts in the video game world. The gaming industry has announced the acquisition of PlayGiga, which is developing its own cloud gaming solution.
Samsung develops technology for 144 MP photosensors
At the IEDM 2019 trade fair, the semiconductor division of Samsung presented a new 14 nm engraving technology for CMOS sensors. The idea is to optimize energy consumption for future 144-megapixel sensors.
Instagram Caption Warning Feature Is Fighting Against Bullying
Instagram is currently working on anti-bullying features. Instagram has launched the tool of anti-bullying to stop the bullying posts or abusive comment on the Instagram posts.
Apple Arcade: pay less for the subscription by paying annually
The year subscription has just arrived on Apple Arcade. This saves around 10 euros.
WhatsApp will Stop Working on These Smartphones in 2020
WhatsApp has unveiled that WhatsApp will stop working on these smartphones after 31st December 2019, causing Millions of accounts to shut down.
Google SMS To Block Spam Automatically Even Before They Arrive
Google is trying to keep your conversation spam-free. In order to protect users from spam, Google will now automatically block spammy messages by verifying each and every SMS.
Devices with Huawei HarmonyOS coming in 2020
As per the new reports, Huawei is intending to discharge more gadgets fueled by HarmonyOS one year from now. Clearly Huawei has propelled a huge number of gadgets and getting the new OS the recently propelled gadgets is very muddled and tedious. In this way, Huawei has chosen to carry it to the new telephones.
More Huawei HarmonyOS Devices Coming in 2020
The cell phones, yet the organization is additionally progressively hopeful to acquire the new OS the entirety of its gadgets including its smartwatches. The organization is additionally anticipating presenting brilliant speakers and VR gadgets that will run Harmony. All the more strangely, the organization is additionally intending to present Smart TVs sooner rather than later.
The organization is truly making a decent attempt to make itself an all the more dominant and free brand. But at this point, the organization has chosen to depend on augmentations to keep utilizing tech and administrations gave by US organizations. Yet, sooner rather than later, we will get it in all Huawei telephones.
YouTube Released Latest YouTube Rewind 2019 Video
By Xavier Jinan December 6, 2019
Youtube has released the latest YouTube rewind, featuring some great content creators who made youtube a best video platform.
Users will have to Provide Birthdays to Instagram
Instagram has the habit of copying other apps and this time it has copied its parent firm Facebook.
Co-Founders of Google Larry Page and Sergey Brin Step Down
Earlier this afternoon Google declared that Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin would abandon their respective roles as CEO and President of Alphabet. Current Google CEO Sundar Pichai will now become CEO of Alphabet as well.
Legendary Atari Will Launch New Gaming Console in 2020
Atari VCS is finally releasing in March 2020. After so many delays, this gaming console has finally gotten a release date.
Google Stadia Gives You New Free Games in Pro Subscription
By Xavier Jinan November 28, 2019
Google Stadia has announced that two new games join its free “Pro” selection in December: Tomb Raider and Farming Simulator 19. Those who have already purchased will be entitled to a refund.
Windows 10: File Explorer Can Crash on Latest Update
The November 2019 update for Windows 10 introduced a very useful new tool: a search engine in the file explorer. However, it can completely crash, forcing a restart.
After a rate of update very sustained or overly supported, Microsoft has decided to calm the game on Windows 10. Now, major updates are a little more spread over time, which does not prevent some new features to be deployed regularly.
With the latest update of November 2019, Windows 10 has recovered a very practical aspect: the file explorer now offers a new search engine to preview files searched and files stored in the cloud OneDrive.
The bug file explorer under Windows 10 November 2019
Little problem: it does not seem completely finalized. As reported by Windows Latest and many users on Microsoft forums, using the search engine often leads to … a complete crash of the file explorer. This requires a complete restart of the application before being usable again.
The Best 6 Work From Home Business Ideas in 2020
If you’re looking to start a business from home, these are the 6 best Work From Home Business Ideas that will help you in starting a business from home in 2020.
For iOS 14, Apple has learned the lesson of all the bugs of iOS 13
Apple has decided to adopt a new organization in the development of iOS 14 that will allow it to avoid serial bugs that have spoiled the launch of iOS 13.
Avoid repeated bugs, here is Apple’s new leitmotif when it comes to the development of iOS 14, its future operating system.
Isolate the bugs
Concretely, this will allow them to make changes to the iOS 14 beta more serenely since it will activate the corresponding flag for the novelty to be included in the system. If a problem is detected, simply disable the flag responsible to isolate the bug and fix it more easily.
In the footsteps of Google and Microsoft
On paper, iOS 14 should, therefore, be much more stable than its predecessor when deployed. With a little optimism, users can even hope for a public beta that is pleasant to use.
Uber launches new Audio Recording Feature For Safety Measures
This feature will be coming to the US than in Mexico and Brazil before it rolls to all around the world, confirmed by The Washington Post.
Google Play Store: DeepMind super AI suggests apps
DeepMind’s teams work with Google’s Play Store to provide the most relevant application recommendations for each user.
Xbox Game Pass announces the arrival of more than 50 new games by 2020
After confirming a launch in 2020 and a consequent line-up for its xCloud streaming video game platform, Microsoft took advantage of its X019 conference to unveil the presence of 50 new titles on the Xbox Game Pass.
So many new titles that promise to attract new subscribers before the arrival of a wave of new content expected in 2020 promises Microsoft.
As a reminder, the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate service allows, for a subscription of € 9.99 / month to enjoy a catalog games consequent on Xbox One console and PC.
Games already available:
Tracks (Xbox One and PC)
The Talos Principle (Xbox One and PC)
Age of Empire II Definitive Edition (PC)
Remnant: From the Ashes (Xbox One)
RAGE 2 (Xbox One)
Age of Wonders: Planetfall (Xbox One)
Hearts of Iron IV (PC)
LEGO Ninjago (Xbox One)
By the end of the year and in 2020:
Carrion (Xbox One and PC)
Cris Tales (Xbox One and PC)
Cyber Shadow (Xbox One and PC)
Darksiders III (Xbox One and PC)
Double Kick Heroes (Xbox One and PC)
Drake Hollow (Xbox One and PC)
Edge of Eternity (Xbox One and PC)
Final Fantasy VII (Xbox One and PC)
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered (Xbox One and PC)
Final Fantasy IX (Xbox One and PC)
Final Fantasy HD X Remastered (Xbox One and PC)
Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remastered (Xbox One and PC)
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (Xbox One and PC)
Final Fantasy XIII (Xbox One and PC)
Final Fantasy XIII-2 (Xbox One and PC)
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (Xbox One and PC)
Final Fantasy XV (Xbox One and PC)
Drill (Xbox One and PC)
Haven (Xbox One and PC)
It Lurks Below (Xbox One and PC)
Levelhead (Xbox One and PC)
Life is strange 2 (Xbox One)
My friend Pedro (Xbox One and PC)
Pandemic (PC)
PHOGS (Xbox One and PC)
She dreams Elsewhere (Xbox One and PC)
Skatebird (Xbox One and PC)
Streets of Rage 4 (Xbox One and PC)
Scourge Bringer (Xbox One and PC)
Supraland (Xbox One)
Tekken 7 (Xbox One)
The Escapists 2 (Xbox One)
Touhou Luna Nights (Xbox One and PC)
The Red Lantern (Xbox One)
The Red String Club (Xbox One)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Xbox One)
Vambrace: Cold Soul (Xbox One and PC)
West of Dead (Xbox One and PC)
Yakuza 0 (Xbox One and PC)
Yakuza Kiwami (Xbox One and PC)
Yakuza Kiwami 2 (Xbox One and PC)
Bleeding Edge (Xbox One and PC)
Grounded (Xbox One and PC)
Minecraft Dungeons (Xbox One and PC)
Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Xbox One and PC)
Tell me Why (Xbox One and PC)
Wasteland 3 (Xbox One and PC)
Netflix: the best tips for mastering the SVOD service
Netflix offers several tips for accessing certain options. With them, you can more easily mute the sound, delete its history or even access hidden categories.
Motorola RAZR: foldable flip-up smartphone is official
Motorola unveiled its first collapsible smartphone, the Motorola Razr. This is a collapsible smartphone flapper design rather original.
Google Maps will help you ask people where you are
Google proves once again with “Speakeasy” the alliance of Google Maps and Google Translate.
Minecraft Earth is now available on both iOS and Android
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LikePatrol, Instagram Spying App Removed from Google App Store
LikePatrol was developed to track all of your followers, likes, and comments to send them a notification, it is a spy application. Even if you a follower that you never interacted, this app had the privilege to talk to that subscriber without even notifying you or seeking your permission.
A Persona 5 Fusion Guide for Beginners Interested to Play Persona 5
Have you played Persona 5 lately? If you’ve played the game then I am pretty sure you know the significance of building up your persona 5 fusions. They are the only thing that allows you to survive the game’s complex Palaces and extremely challenging Mementos.
Creating Personas within the game is of utmost importance because it allows you to exploit your enemy’s weaknesses and also enable you to battle and survive some of the toughest enemies in-game.
Now understanding every Persona can easily overwhelm you. And if you ever plan on delving into their Fusions, the whole thing just become overly complicated. So why not, skip the whole deal of learning and instead, get the best Personas as you go through the game! Here’s a guide to help you understand how you can get the most powerful Persona 5 personas and master their art of fusion in no time.
So without further ado, let’s get started.
Are you familiar with the Velvet Room?
The fastest way to acquire new Personas is to beat down challenging enemies throughout the game. The more challenging the enemies, the more difficult it is to vanquish them and the rewards are better.
However, do you know that you can also create new fusions and strengthen your existing ones by sacrificing the ones which you already own? Yup, there’s a place called the Velvet Room in the game.
You might feel a bit overwhelmed when you are creating different combinations, but the process of fusion is fairly simple. With the latest updates, you are now able to work your way back if you’re not satisfied with a particular combination. Try manual combinations until you find the best for your character.
Fusing Personas is also where your Confidant social rank comes into play. The higher your rank in a given Arcana, the greater are the chances of earning better bonuses. It indicates that you have a fair chance to create Personas which are relatively going to be more powerful than any you’ll find in wild.
And Velvet Room is the place where you can perform effective Persona fusions.
Personas can also acquire abilities from their parents. Hence, you can get some balanced results.
In case, you’re having trouble with identifying source Personas, you can eventually become capable of fusing others which are already in your possession. To do so, just go through the “Fusion by result” section within the Velvet Room. As you level up in the game, acquiring personas becomes fairly easy.
You won’t actually have to kill higher difficulty level enemies, as you can simply stun them and acquire your desired Persona. If you can’t kill em, then at least you can farm your favorite personas from them.
How Should One Create the Best Persona for his Character?
It is without a doubt, the Sataneal is the strongest Persona in the game, but you can only unlock it if you’re playing the New Game+. However, if you hold a bit of patience and use a bit of your imagination, you can then easily create variants of your own Persona which are equally tough and powerful.
Earning a complete immunity in the Persona 5 game is near impossible.
It may take some time and may require a lot of brainstorming but you will eventually get there.
Are you out on the hunt? Here’s a bit of advice that you need to keep in mind.
Start by taking up a Persona that has all the natural immunities and you can create them by fusing three or more different Personas; good examples are Yoshitsune, Kohyru, or Black Frost.
Find Personas with passive-skill based immunities that are inheritable. The best example I can come up with is Black Frost which has no resistance against Electric damage.
Fuse the Personas which you’re going to utilize as part of your ingredients. For instance, to pass Absorb Electric from Barong to Black Frost you’ll have to Fuse Barong with Asterius to create Yatagarasu with the inherited ability, and then fuse Yatagarasu with Seth to make King Frost with the inherited ability, and then use King Frost in the final fusion.
Get the raw ingredients, and get started with the Advanced Fusion to complete masterpiece.
In the wake of creating a Persona that can best survive the game, individuals often forget to focus on the offense and make Personas that are more defensive. You can spend some time in the lower reaches of Mementos in order to get your hands on Skill Cars that you can apply.
So there you go, everything important that you need to keep in mind in order to build your Persona. Are you up for the challenge? Download the game and start playing! Let us know what you feel about it?
WeChat Now Accepts International Credit/Debit Cards
Tencent has announced that it is enabling Credit and Debit cards to WeChat Pay, making it easier for people to pay to people in China from all around the world.
News , Startup
Are You a Strategy Fan? Here are the Best Fire Emblem Games One Must Play
By Xavier Jinan November 8, 2019
If there is one game that stands a head and shoulders above the rest of the best tactical strategy console games, then it is none other but the ultimate Fire Emblem series from the Nintendo.
The title brings a unique mixture of tactical gameplay with deep character interactions. It is a world where characters can have a vested interest in how they build up their characters to earn success.
The saddest part about the game is that once your character is defeated in a battle, you will lose it permanently. And that simply breaks the heart of the player because of all that he’s invested in it.
This option has, however, changed in the casual game mode, but the classic mode still features this option encouraging players to think heavily on every decision they make or consequence they face.
The Fire Emblem series is pretty much the same as the Final Fantasy series. There are plenty of sequels, but most of them are set in a unique universe with a fresh storyline, new characters, etc.
So today I am going to discuss the best Fire Emblem game series that one must add in his GBA games to play list. A good enough overview can help players to gain command and move forward.
The Radiant Dawn is one of the sequels which was debuted on the Nintendo Wii Console in 2007.
This game has earned its position as one of the top games in the Emblem games series. It is a hardcore strategy game and is definitely one of the toughest nuts to crack. In this grid-based tactical strategy, I believe Radiant dawn is a game where one can find a whole lot of things to get used to.
The story behind the game is subdivided into four parts where each part gives a different perspective to the ongoing events within the game. There are four different factions that are constantly battling in order to gain control of the continent known as Tellius. If you’re a hardcore strategy player, this game can offer you a remarkable experience, but if you’re a casual strategy player then put it for later play.
Blazing Blade
If you are playing the game outside Japan, then Blazing Blade is one of the introductory Fire Emblem games in the series. This game was released on GBA in the United States featuring 3 main characters.
You start the game with Eliwood, Hector and Lyn who play as the main protagonist in the game. Lyn is fairly new but Eliwood and Hector have a significant connection with the previous Fire Emblem game.
The game is subdivided into two storylines. The first focuses on Lyn and her quest to save her grandfather. The second focuses on the trio battling against the sorcerer Nergal.
As a player, you are able to switch between characters and play secondary roles on the go.
Shadow of Valentia
It is the fifteenth game in the Fire Emblem series, but it is a complete remake of the one published in 1992. It combines the dungeon crawling aspect with the turn-based tactical strategy killing gameplay.
The game comes in two difficulty settings; there is a classical mode and a casual mode. Both of these game modes were initially introduced in the Fire Emblem: Awakening.
The Classic game mode feature is a lot more challenging because it brings the permadeath feature whereas the casual mode only sends your character out of the battle but he/she doesn’t completely die. These modes make the game remarkably enjoyable for strategy fans and make game enjoyable.
Here, you can focus on the tactical side of your mind and play challenging levels in a new way.
Launched in 2015, Conquest and Birthright are both part of the Fire Emblem Fates series. For the first time, it is a single game that features two different series with different stories in Fire Emblem game.
If you’re a casual gamer, then you can begin playing with Birthright as it is aimed at giving you a remarkable gaming experience in the casual gaming space. However, if you are the type of gamer who likes to face challenges and is more of a hardcore Fire Emblem fan, then Conquest is your way in.
In Conquest, the enemies are relatively stronger than the enemies in Birthright and are designed for special conditioning of the individuals. It polishes up your skill on tactical strategy so you can win.
If you want to have a challenging experience, then this particular series can give players a one.
Birthright is the second series in the Fire Emblem Fates game. Both the series are set on the same continent; however, you play in both the games from different sides of the conflict. However, with Birthright, you don’t have to face much of a tough time as your enemies are fairly easy to take down.
It is very important that you play both the games within the respective series if you want to have the full experience. If you’re a casual strategy fan, then Birthright is the best place to begin Fire Emblem.
As you gradually move up the levels, you get more skilled at taking down remarkable kills. As a casual strategy fan, I believe you can simply fall in love with the game and will never have to look elsewhere.
This is a game specifically designed for hardcore tactical players.
The third game in the Fire Emblem series featuring the old retro-styled gameplay, Sacred Stones is a great starting point for all those who are planning to begin with the Fire Emblem series on GBA.
The game typically features almost the same mechanics which are observed in the Blazing Blade. However, the gameplay takes place in an entirely different continent where Players get the chance to explore new plots, focus on new enemies and investigate new cases taking place within the nation.
If you want to start someplace in the Fire Emblem series, then might I suggest you start here.
So there you go, here are some of the Fire Emblem games which I believe are not just quite remarkable but are exceptionally favored by the common individuals who still play games on the GBA.
Are you a Fire Emblem fan yourself? If that’s the case then might I ask which sequel you prefer?
Share about the best fire emblem games that you’ve recently played.
UAE To Lift Ban From Whatsapp Voice Calls
The United Arab Emirates has decided to lift a ban from Whatsapp calls. If UAE lifts the ban from Whatsapp, it will be the first free voice calling application in the country.
Best GBA Games that Every Person has Played in the 90s Era
It all dates back to where the gaming initiated.
Gameboy Advance and Gameboy is where it all began, the story of handheld gaming experiences. Apparently, GBA became one of the high demand consoles on the planet Earth since the time of its inception. And gradually, it’s massive gaming library exceeded a total of 900+ games over time.
Even today there are so many individuals who just simply loves to carry a gameboy advance around. It is one of the highly recommended gaming consoles & one of the best devices for retro-style gaming.
Are you eager to learn which of the gba games are one of the best games on the market?
So if you still want to experience that retro style gaming all over again, here are some of the best.
Are you a fan of DOTA, and you want to experience DOTA gameplay in retro style? Then look no further than the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. It is one of the best RPG games on the market for GBA players. It features rigorous combat styles, insane puzzles, some magical spells & dangerous swords.
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis
How about having a chunk of military styled story based game? Well, if you’re a fan of such retros then Tactical Ogre is your thing. The idea behind the game design is what makes it one of the favored games. There are some deep concentration levels can in fact, make you a very subtle critical thinker.
Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town
Like to play farmville games? Harvest Moon is an interesting farm building game which allows you to reap and earn great rewards. You can breed your favorite animals, you water your plants and harvest them, and you can complete your timely missions. It’s a fun gameplay with a traditional storyline.
Mario vs Donkey Kong
In this game, Mario has to face over a 100 levels which usually throws different challenges such as complex puzzles and hardwired obstacles. By completing the challenges Mario earn keys and collects all the toys which has been stolen by Donkey Kong. It has some crazy animations and a fun gameplay.
Super Mario Advance
As reviews term it, Super Mario Advance is one of the best Super Mario games in the Super Mario series. Just like previous mario games, your task is to defeat the evil using different powers and weapons. Every version of the game has some additional missions, interesting features and weapons.
Mario & Luigi Superstar
The brotherhood is back at it again! Because with Mario & Luigi Superstar, Mario Bros can team up to save the beautiful princess who’s gotten abducted by the evil forces. The game is interesting because it is a sequel based game with a lot of interesting dialogues & some real thrilling challenges to play.
So the developers thought it would be a great idea to put Mario in a Kart and let him race around circuits! Who knew it would turn out to be a total blast. Mario Kart Super Circuit has become one of the quite popular titles with some action packed kicking and thrashing. It has over 40 tracks to play.
Kirby Nightmare & Dreamland
Ever thought of playing a game where you get trapped in your own imaginations? Well, if that’s the case with you then you and Kirby are on the same page. A very popular play-to title on the GBA block is Kirby’s nightmare which challenges your cognitive ability to find Dedede within the dreamlands.
Car Battler Joe
Car Battler Joe is a full time action packed RPG style game with fully loaded warfare cars. Do you remember the animated movie Red Line? Well, Car Battler Joe is pretty much the same. Your protagonists is an enthusiastic shout-out loud on the battlefield kind of a driver so you can have fun.
Astro Boy Omega Factor
Want an amazing Astro icon boy experience, where you can fly around the city and visualize your master’s stolen assets? Well look no further than the world class GBA astro boy. The game features 10 levels of action packed adventure where you are challenged with defeating classic enemies.
Legend of Zelda has lived up to expectations because it is simply a fantastic game with immense power play. The sequel features two versions of the game which are quite remarkably amazing. You are tasked with the protection of the kingdom backed by Minish Cap by combatting tough opponents.
Ninja Five O
Want to feature yourself in a game where you can be the ninja and at the same time be a cop as well? Arm your ninja cop with some power packed magical weapons designed to combat bad guys. It is a small game with hardly 6 stages and a bad-ass ninja with a great adventurous storyline to play.
The blue hedgehog running around at an ultrasonic speed has always been fans favorite. And the experience is quite interactive and one of a kind as you can run around the map looking like a speedball and gathering electric charge overtime collecting rings and defeating dangerous foes.
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Tumblr launching a new group messaging feature
Tumblr is launching a group chat so people can chat and apply for blogging on famous blogs by the use of it.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available on PC
The first Red Dead Redemption game to release on PC, Red Dead Redemption 2 benefits from a whole series of graphic and technical improvements, in order to tell even more in detail the history of Arthur Morgan and the band of Dutch van der Linde, and their setbacks with authorities from one end of the United States to the end of the nineteenth century.
All Games That Are Releasing In November 2019
Today we will talk about all the latest gaming releasing in November 2019. These games are worthly looking at.
How to Enable WhatsApp Fingerprint Lock for Android
WhatsApp has gone more secure with their new fingerprint lock feature. Now you can enable the biometric features to your account.
PS4 Becomes Second Best Selling Console of All Time
Sony has announced that PS4 becomes the second most selling console in the world.
Nvidia 3000 Series is About to Drop the RTX3080/RTX3080ti Next Year
By Xavier Jinan October 31, 2019
The world is massively competitive and individual gamers from all around the world are overly excited. Tech GPU giants are always grossly interlocked with each other in a constant battle of superseding one GPU tech over the other.
In the blue corner, we have AMD who is massively focused on delivering high-performance gaming experience to its individuals; whereas, in the red corner, we have Nvidia who is interested in delivering performance just as much as they are interested in offering durability.
With the recent launch of the 5700XT series in the market, AMD has successfully paralleled its GPU technology meeting the robust requirements of modern-day games running on the RTX technology.
But can Nvidia produce something far better than its existing Geforce Experience 2000 series? Rumor has it, that Nvidia has set itself on track towards releasing the first-ever Geforce 3000 series next year.
Dates aren’t confirmed, yet the news has already started circulating the market.
Rumors from Wccftech reveals that Nvidia is now discussing the all-new Ampere, the next-gen GeForce RTX 3000 series cards. Although, there aren’t any complete details about the Nvidia GeForce 3000 series which I believe will only be discussed when Nvidia officially announces the release.
What’s Going to be Special About the New GeForce Nvidia Experience 3000 Series?
People are terming the new card as the new Nvidia GeForce Ampere. The card has earned its name because of the 7nm EUV process node which it is about to introduce for the first time in 3000 series.
Similar to its prior 2000 series, the 3000 series is going to feature three versions of the card.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 – 12GB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti – 16GB
Obviously, as the stats suggest, these cards will be functioning on a higher, more powerful VRAM.
Rumors also claim that the overall price of the card will be significantly cheaper than its previous models. However, in my opinion, price is something where Nvidia has never compromised so I don’t believe that’s ever going to happen. Though they do offer durability and that’s what sets them apart.
About the Performance
As far as the card’s performance is concerned, the new Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000 series will have some amazing performance upgrades in terms of ray tracing technology. One other great news that we’ve learned about the new GPU tech is that the 3000 series card will feature the 7nm process node.
Such nodes will make the GPU card more power-efficient compared to its previous versions.
Just so you know, the previous versions of the GPU were powered on a larger 12nm to 14nm nodes.
What’s Interesting About a 7nm EUV Process Node?
The best thing about using the 7nm EUV node in Nvidia is that it provides the Ampere GPU a much more stable architecture. Some claim that it can actually run cards under a voltage supply of as low as 1V making the Nvidia 3000 series one of the most power-efficient Geforce cards on the block.
But, (oh yes, there’s a but)…
The downside of a good power efficient card is that you can expect a degradation in overclocking.
If somehow Nvidia does change its pursuit from being power efficient to performance efficiency, the card can have almost a 400-500 Mhz GPU clock improvement, especially on the custom builts.
And there is no doubt, Nvidia always plays safe when it comes to Graphic card life and durability. If Nvidia does plan on surpassing the AMD future builds, it must compromise on power-efficiency.
So that’s all folks, everything that we have learned about the new Nvidia 3000 series. Until next time.
Xiaomi Watch Is An Apple Watch Clone
As showcased on famous Chinese website, the latest Xiaomi Watch looks like a clone of the famous Apple Watch.
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Monthly Music Calendar
Musical Musings of a Tiny Rager
So much music, so little time!
Posts Tagged ‘Dred Scott’
February 2012 Music Calendar
Posted in Show Review, tagged ?UESTLOVE, A Tribe Called Quest, Aaron Goldberg, Afro Latin jazz Orchestra, Alecia Chakour, Ali Jackson, Allen Ginsberg, Allison Moorer, American Babies, Anders Osborne, Anthrax, Aretha Franklin, Arturo O'Farrill, Auktyon, B. B. Kings, B.B. Kings Blues Club, Barry Manilow, Be The Match Foundation, Beacon Theatre, BeauSoleil, Ben Rubin, Benefit for Baby Matthew, Best Buy Theater, Big Gigantic, Bill Frisell, Birdland, Birdland NYC, Bjork, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, Blue Note, Bob Mould, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Bonerama, Bowlive, Bowlive 2012, Bowlive 3, Bowlive III, Brad Mehldau, Break Science, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn Music Shop, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Brother Joscephus and the Love Revival Revolution Orchestra, Buckwheat Zydeco, Buster Williams, Cabinet, Cameo, Cameo Gallery, Carnegie Hall, Catherine Russell, Cedric the Entertainer, Chris Rob, Chrisette Michele, Christian McBride, City Winery, Club Groove, Collegiate Chorale, Cornmeal, Cuddle Magic, Dap Kings, Dark Star Orchestra, Das Efx, David Sanborn, Davy Jones, Dechen Shak-Dagsay, Dee Dee Bridgewater, DJ Cochon de Lait, Dopapod, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Dred Scott, Dred Scott Trio, Earl Slick, East Side Billiards, Eclectic Method, Ed Palermo Big Band, Emancipator, Emilie Autumn, Epmd, Eric Lindell, Erik Deutch, FiKus, Flogging Molly, Frank Zappa, Freaks Ball, Freaks Night Out, Freddy Cole, Fundimensionals, Furthur, Galactic, Game Rebellion, Gent Treadly, George Clinton's Parliament Funkadelic, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Grand Prospect Hall, Guns 'N Roses, Hagar Ben-Ari, Hal Willner, HIAS Benefit Concert, Higher Nebulae, Highline Ballroom, Hiro Ballroom, Hit Squad, Holmes Brothers, Hot Peas 'N Butter, Howie Day, Iridium Jazz Club, James Blake, Jay-Z, Jennifer Hartswick, Jenny Scheinman, Jenny Scheinman's Mischief & Mayhem, Jim Brickman, Jim Campilongo, Jim Campilongo Electric Trio, Joan Osborne, Joe Russo, John Hammond, John Kadlecik, John Medeski, Jon Herington, Jonah Smith, Josh Dion, Julia Sinclair, Kaddish, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Keith Murray, Kermit Ruffins, Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers, Kool & The Gang, Kung Fu, Lalah Hathaway, Larkin Grimm, Laurie Anderson, Le Poisson Rouge, Lee Rocker, Leo Kottke, Leroy Justice, Les Paul, lespecial, Less Than Jake, Lincoln Center, Lou Reed, Manhattan Center Hammerstein Ballroom, Marc Ribot, Marcia Ball, Marco Benevento, Mark Guiliana, Mark Guiliana's Beat Music, Matt White, Mercury Lounge, Michael Riesman, Mike Keneally, Mischief & Mayhem, Monolith Code, Monty Alexander, Nels Cline, New York Hall of Science, Nigel Hall, NY Funk Exchange, Omer Avital, Otis Day & The Knights, Otis Taylor, Outer Borough Brass Band, Papadosio, Park Avenue Armory, Pascha, Patti Smith, Perelman Stage, Peter Frampton, Phife Dawg, Philip Glass, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Primus, Psychedelphia, Radio City Music Hall, Rahzel, Railroad Earth, Ralph Stanley, Ralph Steadman, Ray Chew, Rebirth Brass Band, Redman, Regina Spektor, Richard Hammond, Richard Thompson, Robert Glasper, Roberta Gambarini, Rodeo Bar, Rose Theater, Roseland Ballroom, Roy Hargrove Big Band, Russell Malone, Saul Williams, Scott Metzger, Shawn Carter Scholarship, Sinead O'Connor, Skatalites, Skrillex, Smoke, Sophistafunk, Soul Rebel Brass Band, Steel Pulse, Steely Dan, Stehpin Merritt, Stephan Crump, Stern Auditorium, Steve Earle, Stray Cats, Sullivan Hall, Tall Tall Trees, Tea Leaf Green, Teddy Kumpel, Terminal 5, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, The Allen Room, The Blue Note, The Brooklyn Bowl, The Brooklyn Museum, The Devil Makes Three, The Dust Busters, The Erik Deutch Band, The Gramercy Theater, The Jazz Standard, The Les Paul Trio, The Living Room, The Louis Armstrong Centennial Band, The Loving Cup, The Mantras, The Mingus Big Band, The Monkees, The Rock Shop, The Souljazz Orchestra, The Statesmen, The Studio at Webster Hall, THOR, Tibet House Benefit Concert, Tim Fain, Todd Rundgren, Todd Sickafoose, Tony Mason, Tribe Called Quest, Turbine, Twiddle, United Way of New York City, Van Halen, Webster Hall, Wolf!, Wyllys, Yasiin Bey, Zongo Junction on January 30, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Calendar updated daily!
($15) The Louis Armstrong Centennial Band @ Birdland NYC
($20-$35) Chrisette Michele: A Tribute to The Legends w/ Robert Glasper @ The Blue Note (2 sets)
($45-$58) Skrillex @ Pascha NYC
($5-$8) DJ ?uestlove Presents Bowl Train – Late Night DJ Set @ Brooklyn Bowl
($7) Break Science and Monolith Code Album Release Party @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($8) Larkin Grimm, Cuddle Magic, Tall Tall Trees @ The Rock Shop
($15-$18) Emancipator @ Highline Ballroom
(Free) The Statesmen (Jonah Smith, Josh Dion, Scott Metzger, Ben Rubin) @ Rockwood Music Hall – Stage 2 (Midnight)
(Free?? – $10) Eclectic Method @ Cameo Music and Art Gallery (The Loving Cup)
($10-$12) Soul Rebel Brass Band @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($10-$12) CEG Presents: Kung Fu with Sophistafunk @ Sullivan Hall
($35) Brooklyn Music Shop Presents: Joan Osborne, The Holmes Brothers, with Special Guest Catherine Russell @ Grand Prospect Hall
($35) Brad Mehldau and Mark Guiliana Duo @ Smoke
($45-$58) Skrillex @ Roseland Ballroom
($150-$170) bjork: biophilia live @ New York Hall of Science
(Free) American Babies @ Rockwood Music Hall – Stage 2
($5) Leroy Justice @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($45-$58) Skrillex @ Terminal 5
Oddly enough, I found nothing for this date!
($8) Jim Campilongo Electric Trio with Stephan Crump & Tony Mason @ The Living Room
($22) Howie Day w/ Matt White – RESIDENCY @ City Winery
($25) Mingus Big Band @ The Jazz Standard
($45-$65) Steve Earle & Allison Moorer w / The Dust Busters – Residency @ City Winery
($150-$2500) JAY Z with Special Guests: Benefit for United Way of New York City and The Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation @ Carnegie Hall
($20) YES! Trio featuring Ali Jackson | Aaron Goldberg | Omer Avital @ The Jazz Standard
($20-$25) Roy Hargrove Big Band w/ special guest Roberta Gambarini @ Blue Note Jazz Club
($25) Bone Thugs-N-Harmony w/ Krayzie & Wish @ Gramercy Theater
(Free) Nutritious @ Bembe
We’re giving away 10 pre-release copies of Nutritious’s 2012 Exclusive Mix
($22) Howie Day – RESIDENCY w/ Julia Sinclair @ City Winery
($25-$30) Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe pres The Rolling Stones’ “Sticky Fingers” with Anders Osborne @ Webster Hall
($30) Ed Palermo Big Band featuring Legendary Frank Zappa Band Member Mike Keneally @ Iridium Jazz Club
($37.50) George Clinton & The Parliament-Funkadelic All-Stars @ B.B. Kings
($40) Anthrax @ Best Buy Theater
(Free) BrooklyNites Jazz featuring Brother Joscephus and the Love Revival Revolution Orchestra @ The Brooklyn Museum
($5-$10) Uncomun: Loud Apartment CD Release with Bernie Worrell and Maya Azucena @ DROM
($8-$10) Freaks Night Out feat. Erik Deutsch, Joe Russo (Furthur, The Duo), Scott Metzger (Wolf!), Hagar Ben-Ari (Dap Kings) @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($10) Mark Guiliana’s “Beat Music” w/ Aaron Comess (w/Teddy Kumpel & Richard Hammond) @ Rockwood Music Hall – Stage 2
($12-$15) Papadosio @ Highline Ballroom
($15-$80) A Tribute to the Music of Motown with Ray Chew @ Carnegie Hall
($30-$42) Bob Mould @ City Winery
($50-$65) Primus: A Benefit for Baby Matthew / Be The Match Foundation @ Gramercy Theater
(No Price Yet) Guns N’ Roses @ Roseland Ballroom
($10) Turkuaz @ The Studio at Webster Hall
($15-$20) Blowoff: Featuring the DJ Sounds of Bob Mould & Richard Morel @ Highline Ballroom
($20) Tab Benoit @ Hiro Ballroom
($20-$23) Tea Leaf Green @ Bowery Ballroom
($30) Buster Williams @ Iridium Jazz Club (2 sets)
($50-$330) Barry Manilow @ Radio City Music Hall
(Free) NY Funk Exchange @ Club Groove
($10) THOR Takes Over Hiro Ballroom @ Hiro Ballroom (All Ages)
($10) lespecial @ Sullivan Hall (Late Night Set)
($12) Tea Leaf Green @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($15-$20) John Kadlecik Band (from Furthur, DSO) @ Sullivan Hall
($35) Rebirth Brass Band: Pre-Mardi Gras Celebration with 2012 Grammy Nominees @ Hiro Ballroom
(No Price Yet) Guns N’ Roses @ Terminal 5
($30) Ralph Stanley @ B.B. Kings
($40-$100) An Intimate Valentine’s Concert with Jim Brickman @ Best Buy Theater
($10) An Evening with: Nigel Hall and Alecia Chakour @ Rockwood Music Hall – Stage 2 (9pm)
($33-$95) Tibet House Benefit Concert @ Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
Feat. Laurie Anderson, Antony, James Blake, Tim Fain, Philip Glass, Stephin Merritt, Rahzel, Lou Reed, Dechen Shak-Dagsay
($35) Les Paul Mondays feat. Special Guests Earl Slick (Guitarist with David Bowie) and Lee Rocker (Bassist from Stray Cats) with The Les Paul Trio @ Iridium Jazz Club (2 sets)
($35-$55) David Sanborn @ The Blue Note (2 sets)
($40-$60) Richard Thompson – Special All-Request Shows @ City Winery
($75-$85) Cedric The Entertainer @ The Beacon Theater
(No price yet) Guns N’ Roses @ Webster Hall
($15-$17) Legendary Meters Drummer: Zigaboo Modeliste’s NY Foundation of Funk Revue ft. Andy Hess, Brian Mitchell, Jonathan Batiste & Jamie McLean @ Highline Ballroom
($73) John Hammond & John Mayall @ The Allen Room at Lincoln Center
(Free) Taylor Carson @ Rockwood Music Hall
($15) Less Than Jake @ The Brooklyn Bowl (Early Show)
($35-$40) Auktyon featuring John Medeski & Marc Ribot @ le Poisson Rouge
($8) Higher Nebulae @ Sullivan Hall (early show)
($10) Gent Treadly @ Sullivan Hall (part of another band on the bill)
($10-$13) Tall, Tall Trees @ Mercury Lounge
($15) A toga-party with America’s #1 Party Band!: Otis Day & the Knights @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($18-$22) Saul Williams @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
($55-$130) Aretha Franklin @ Radio City Music Hall
(Free) Hot Peas ‘N Butter @ Carnegie Hall (45 Minute Children’s Performance)
($8-$10) Skatalites @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($10) CEG Presents: MUN’s CD Release Party featuring MUN plus Pigeons Playing Ping Pong @ Sullivan Hall
($13) The Souljazz Orchestra plus Zongo Junction @ The Studio at Webster Hall
($22-$32) Emilie Autumn @ Gramercy Theater
($30) Mingus Big Band @ Jazz Standard
($38-$42) Davy Jones of The Monkees @ B.B Kings
($50-$65) Mardi Gras Ball with Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers plus Bonerama w/ special guest Marco Benevento, DJ Cochon de Lait and special guests Outer Borough Brass Band @ Hiro Ballroom
($50-$100) Peter Frampton: Back by Popular Demand! The Frampton Comes Alive 35 Tour @ The Beacon Theater
($18-$23) Big Gigantic @ Webster Hall
($30) Arturo O’Farrill Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra @ Birdland NYC
($50-$65) Mardi Gras Ball with Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers and Bonerama @ Hiro Ballroom
($15-$18) Jenny Scheinman’s Mischief & Mayhem w/ Nels Cline, Jim Black, and Todd Sickafoose @ le Poission Rouge
($32-$38) Marcia Ball and BeauSoleil @ City Winery
($30) Les Paul Mondays: The Jon Herington Band (lead guitarist of Steely Dan) and the Les Paul Trio @ Iridium Jazz Club
($15) Less Than Jake @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($20-$30) Monty Alexander: 50 Years in Music & 50 Years in Jamaica: UPLIFT! With Special Guest Christian McBride & Russell Malone @ The Blue Note (2 sets)
($25) Tigran Hamasyan & Jason Lindner/Mark Guiliana Duo @ Highline Ballroom
(Free) Cabinet @ Rodeo Bar
($50-$60) Flogging Molly, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears and The Devil Makes Three @ Manhattan Center Hammerstein Ballroom
($150-$170) bjork: biophilia live @ Roseland Ballroom
(Free?) Gent Treadly @ East Side Billiards
($20) Phife Dawg (of Tribe Called Quest) and Friends @ B.B. Kings
($25-$40) Monty Alexander: 50 Years in Music & 50 Years in Jamaica: UPLIFT! With Special Guest Dr. Lonnie Smith @ The Blue Note (2 sets)
($25-$45) In-Tune Music Festival: Philip Glass performing Kaddish (7pm)
One of the greatest works to emerge from the Beat Generation was Allen Ginsberg’s Kaddish, a sprawling, propulsive poem about the poet’s estrangement from Judaism. The 2012 Tune-In Music Festival will begin with a world premiere, commissioned by the Park Avenue Armory from jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, to be performed by the composer and an eight-piece ensemble accompanying a reading of Kaddish by Ginsberg collaborator Hal Willner and artist Ralph Steadman, who will create the visual design and staging to accompany the piece. (Runs 75 minutes with no intermission)
($30-$35) Sinead O’Connor @ Highline Ballroom
($55-$250) HIAS Regina Spektor Benefit Concert @ Rose Theater at Lincoln Center
($12) Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad @ Rockwood Music Hall – Stage 2 (10pm)
($12-$15) Twiddle / FiKus with Psychedelphia and The Fundimensionals @ Sullivan Hall
($15) Wyllys ft. Jennifer Hartswick w/ Special Guests @ The Blue Note (Late Night Series)
($15) An Evening With The Cast and Crew of: The Adventures of Pete and Pete @ Bowery Ballroom
($25-$45) Tune-In Music Festival: Philip Glass and Patti Smith: The Poet Speaks @ Park Avenue Armory (7pm)
Longtime Glass collaborator Patti Smith and her band join Glass for the second concert, “The Poet Speaks,” performing music and readings celebrating their favorite poets, including Ginsberg and William Blake, which will be the first New York performance for the pair. (Runs approx. 90 Minutes with no intermission)
($30) Hit Squad – Reunion Show: Redman, Epmd, Das Efx, Keith Murray @ Best Buy Theater
($10) Dopapod / Turbine with The Mantras , MiZ , XVSK @ Sullivan Hall
($15) Kung Fu @ The Blue Note (Late Night Series)
($20) Eric Lindell with special guest Otis Taylor @ Hiro Ballroom
($22-$26) Buckwheat Zydeco @ B.B. Kings (Grammy Winning King Of New Orleans Zydeco)
($25) Railroad Earth and Cornmeal @ Best Buy Theater
($30-$37) Galactic, Soul Rebel Brass Band & Steel Pulse @ Terminal 5
($30-$50) Tune-In Music Festival: The Philip Glass Ensemble performs his Music in 12 Parts @ Park Avenue Armory (5pm)
For the third concert, The Philip Glass Ensemble will offer a rare performance of the entire Music in Twelve Parts, Glass’s epic minimalist composition which he considers his “breakthrough” work. (Runs a total of 5 hours including two short intermissions and one hour long dinner break)
($15) Chris Rob: Game Rebellion @ Highline Ballroom
($15-$35) Tune-In Music Festival: Philip Glass performs Afternoon Concert @ Park Avenue Armory (2pm)
The final day of the Festival will begin with compilation of unique artists that Philip Glass has assembled and represent the forward momentum of contemporary music. (Runs a total of 2 hours 15 minutes with one Intermission)
($15-$35) Tune-In Music Festival: Philip Glass’s Another Look at Harmony – Part IV @ Park Avenue Armory (7pm)
The Festival concludes with Glass’s Another Look at Harmony, a choral work Glass started in 1975 for organ and 100 voices, performed by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, the Collegiate Chorale, and organist Michael Riesman, music director and keyboardist of The Philip Glass Ensemble. (Runs 62 minutes with no intermission)
($25-$40) Monty Alexander: 50 Years in Music & 50 Years in Jamaica: A Night at Jillys ft Dee Dee Bridgewater & Freddy Cole @ The Blue Note
($27.50) Marc Ribot’s ” Really The Blues” @ Iridium Jazz Club (2 sets)
($30) Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra @ Birdland NYC
($50-$75) An Unpredictable Evening With Todd Rundgren@ City Winery
($10) Erik Deutsch Demonio Teclado CD Release Party @ Rockwood Music Hall – Stage 2
(Free) Dred Scott Trio @ Rockwood Music Hall
($15) Bowlive III @ The Brooklyn Bowl: Special Guests: John Scofield & Luther Dickinson
($30-$40) Leo Kottke @ City Winery
($35-$40) Robert Glasper Experiment:With Special Guests Yasiin Bey, Chrisette Michele, Lalah Hathaway & More @ Highline Ballroom
($50-$150) Van Halen with Kool & The Gang @ Madison Square Garden
March Music Calendar
Posted in Monthly Show Rundown, tagged 315 Bowery, 5th Annual Nolafunk Mardi Gras Ball, Aaron Neville, Adam Deitch, Afro Funky Party, Al Di Meola, Allman Brothers Band, Anat Cohen, Andy Hess, Angelique Kidjo, Avery Fisher Hall, B. B. Kings, Barbes, Bartók’s First Piano Concerto, Beacon Theater, Bembe, Ben Kweller, Ben Sollee, Bernie Worrell, Best Buy Theater, Bill Bragg, Billy Martin, Birdland, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, Bob Weir, Bobby Previte, Bon Jovi, Boom Box, Bowery Ballroom, Bowery Poetry Club, Bowlive 2, Brad Mehldau, Breakscience, Bright Eyes, Brooklyn Bowl, Buzz Universe, Cameo Gallery, Carnegie Hall, Carsie Blanton, Celtic Women, Charlie Haden Quartet, Chico Mann, Chico O'Farrill Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, Chris Thile, Citizen Cope, City Winery, Club Groove, Col. Bruce Hampton, Cold War Kids, Conspirator, Corey Glover, Cornell Dupree, Cyro Baptista, Dangermuffin, Dar Williams, Dave Douglas, Dave Mason, David H. Koch Theater, Dead Kenny G's, Devon, Devon Allman's Honeytribe, DIVINALE, Dj Neil Kurland, DJ Offbeat, DJ Olive, Dj Oliver, Don McLean, Dr. John, Dr. John & The Lower 911, Dred Scott, Dred Scott Trio, Dropkick Murpheys, Duane Trucks, Duduka Da Fonseca Quintet, Eli "Paperboy" Reed & True Loves, Elton John, Eric Bolivar, Erik Friedlander, Flogging Molly, Fred Hersch, Fred Wesley, Funk Summit, Furthur, Gabriel Kahane, Gent Treadly, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Gov't Mule, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Greg Cohen, Guster, Harlem Gospel Choir, Heavy Pets, Henry Butler, Heyoka, High and Mighty Brass Band, Highline Ballroom, Hubert Sumlin Band, Ikue, Imelda May & Her Band, Iridium Jazz Club, Irving Plaza, James Blood Ulmer, James Brown, James McCartney, Jamie Mclean, Jamie Saft, Janet Jackson, Jeff Beck, Jeff Lorber Fusion, Jen Shyu, Jesse Smith, Jim Campilongo, Jimi Hendrix, JJ Grey, Joe Cocker, Joey Baron, John Medeski, John Morgan Kimock, John Scofield, John Varvatos, John Zorn, Jon Herington, Joshua Redman, Karl Denson, Kenny Wollesen, Kevin Eubanks, Keyshia Cole, Knitting Factory, Kofi Burbridge, Kung Fu, Larry Coryell, LCD Soundsystem, Le Poisson Rouge, Lenny White, Leo Kottke, Leo Nocentelli, Lettuce, Los Amigos Invisibles, Maceo Parker, Madison Square Garden, Mahavishnu Project, Marc Friedman, Marc Ribot, Marco Benevento, Mark Feldman, MASADA Marathon, Matisyahu, Medeski Martin & Dunn, Michael Campbell, Michael Stipe, Mike Gordon, Mimosa, Mingus Dynasty, Mingus Orchestra, Mis Ter Bugsley, Mofro, Mos Def, Murder By Death, New York Dolls, Nigel Hall, Noah and the Whale, Nutritious, NY Funk Exchange, NYC Shakedown, Octopus Nebulae, Oteil Burbridge, Pat Martino Organ Quartet, Patti Smith, Paula Cole, Peter Yorn, Pharoah Gummitt, Pharoahe Monch, Phil Lesh, Philip Glass, Public Assembly, Queens of the Stone Age, Rebelution, Reckoning, Red Baraat, Reflections, Reggie Watts, Rick Derringer, Robert Randolph, Rocks Off Concert Cruise Series, Rockwood Music Hall, Rod Stewart, Ron Johnson, Roseland Ballroom, Scott Metzger, Secret Chiefs 3, Shannon McNally, Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds, So Percussion, Some Cat From Japan, Soul Mob, Soul Rebels Brass Band, Soulive, St. Nick's Pub, Stanley Clarke, Steve Kimock, Steve martin, Steve Smith, Stevie Nicks, Sullivan Hall, Superhuman Happiness, Surprise Me Mr. Davis, Sylvie Courvoisier, Tab Benoit, Taj Mahal, Tall Tall Trees, Tenzin Choegyal, Terminal 5, That 1 Guy, The Bell House, The Black Crowes, The Blue Note, The Budos Band, The Concert Hall, The Delancey, The Farewell Drifters, The Flaming Lips, The Gramercy Theater, The Heavy Pets, The Jazz Standard, The London Souls, The Macpodz, The Malah, The Meters, The Rock Shop, The Roots, The Slip, The Steep Canyon Rangers, The Stone, The Sugar Bar, The Wood Brothers, Tibet House Benefit Concert, Tim Reynolds, Top Shotta, Town Hall, Trevor Dunn, Tucci, Uri Caine, Van Hunt, VIctor Bailey, Victor Wooten, WAX, West African Band, Will Bernard, Yonrico Scott, Zankle Hall, Zeena Parkins, Zongo Junction on March 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »
March 2011 Potential Show Run Down
(Free) Dred Scott Trio @ Rockwood Music Hall (late night)
($10) Superhuman Happiness and Chico Mann @ Le Poisson Rouge
($15) Bowlive 2: Soulive w/ Lettuce and Maceo Parker @ Brooklyn Bowl
($28.50) Dave Mason @ BB Kings Blues Club
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011
(Free) Nutritious @ Bembe (NYC Shakedown Presents: DJ Neil Kurland of Soul Mob – Visionary Soltice
($15) Bowlive 2: Soulive w/ Lettuce, Pharoahe Monch, WAX @ Brooklyn Bowl
($30) Chris Thile and Gabriel Kahane with special guest Brad Mehldau @ Le Poission Rouge
($40) Flogging Molly @ Terminal 5
Thursday, March 3rd, 2011
(Free) The Jamie McLean Band @ 315 Bowery
John Varvatos Presents: JMB’s 2011 EP Release Party! Free Show! Open Bar!
($10) Red Baraat @ Barbes
($15) Bowlive 2: Soulive w/ Corey Glover & Bernie Worrell @ Brooklyn Bowl
($33-$95) Tibet House Benefit Concert @ Carnegie Hall
Feat: Philip Glass, Tenzin Choegyal, The Flaming Lips, Angelique Kidjo, Taj Mahal, James McCartney, The Roots, Patti Smith, Jesse Smith and Michael Campbell, Michael Stipe
($40-$80) Mahler’s Fourth Symphony @ Avery Fisher Hall
Friday, March 4th, 2011
($7-$10) Official Conspirator After-Show feat. The Manhattan Project @ The Delancey
($15) Bowlive 2: Soulive w/ Robert Randolph & Corey Glover @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($25) Rebelution and Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad @ Irving Plaza
($25) Conspirator @ Gramercy Theatre (Mis Ter Bugsley)
($30) Larry Coryell Power Trio with Victor Bailey & Lenny White @ Iridium Jazz Club
($40-$45) Dr. John and the Lower 911, Marco Benevento, High and Mighty Brass Band @ Sullivan Hall
(Free) West African Band @ St. Nicks, Harlem (late night)
($15) Bowlive 2: Soulive w/ Robert Randolph @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($40) 5th Annual Nolafunk Mardi Gras Ball: featuring Dr. John & The Lower 911 , Soul Rebels Brass Band and Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds @ Le Poisson Rouge
($41-$331) Bon Jovi @ Madison Square Garden
Sunday, March 6tht, 2011
($30) Chico O’Farrill Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra @ Birdland NYC
($30) Fred Hersch & Joshua Redman Duo @ Jazz Standard
($5) London Souls Residency @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($8) Jim Campilongo @ The Living Room
($25) Mingus Orchestra @ The Jazz Standard
Tuesday, March 8th, 2011
(Free) Mark Guiliana @ Kush
($15) Eli Paperboy Reed & The True Loves@ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
($15) Bowlive 2: Soulive w/ John Scofield and Kofi Burbridge @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($30-$42) Intimate Solo Acoustic Citizen Cope @ City Winery
($40-$53) Bright Eyes @ Radio City Music Hall
($15) Bowlive 2: Soulive w/ Oteil Burbridge and Kofi Burbridge @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($22-$28) Grace Potter and The Nocturnals @ Irving Plaza
($30-$40) Mos Def @ The Blue Note
($15) Bowlive 2: Soulive w/ Karl Denson, Van Hunt, Kofi Burbridge @ The Brookln Bowl
($22-$30) Grace Potter & The Nocturnals @ Irving Plaza
($30-$43) Dropkick Murpheys @ Roseland Ballroom
($30-$40) Al Dimeola World Sinofina @ The Blue Note
($59) FURTHUR: Phil Lesh & Bob Weir @ Best Buy Theater
($61-$172) Allman Brothers Band @ Beacon Theater
(FREE) Tall Tall Trees @ Rockwood Music Hall
($15) Bowlive 2: Soulive w/ Karl Denson, Van Hunt @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($15) Budos Band @ The Bell House
($18) Tab Benoit & Kung Fu @ Sullivan Hall
($22) Los Amigos Invisibles @ HighLine Ballroom
($25) Devon Allman’s Honeytribe @ Iridium Jazz Club
($35) Pete Yorn with very special guest Ben Kweller @ Terminal 5
($46-$54) Piano Power: Brad Mehldau & Friends w/ Joshua Redman @ Zankle Hall
($15) Bowlive 2: Soulive w/ Matisyahu
($59) FURTHUR: Phil Lesh and Bob Weir @ Best Buy Theater
($10) A Post Furthur and Allman Brothers Band Show w/ Reckoning @ Sullivan Hall
($25) Post Allmans in New York Midnight Concert Series w/ The Yonrico Scott Band featuring Oteil and Kofi Burbridge @ Iridium Jazz Club
($7) Afro Funky Party w/ Zongo Junction, Top Shotta & DJ Offbeat @ Cameo Gallery
($30-$40) Al Dimeola World Sinofina @ The Blue Note (2 shows)
($30) Steve Martin performing with The Steep Canyon Rangers: An Evening of Bluegrass & Banjo @ Highline Ballroom
($5) That 1 Guy @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($35) Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers @ Joe’s Pub
($10) Gent Treadly @ The Sugar Bar
($30-$42) Intimate Solo Acoustic Citizen Cope @ City Winery (2 shows)
($40) New York Dolls @ Bowery Ballroom
($80-$180) Elton John @ Madison Square Garden
(Free) The Farewell Drifters @ Rockwood Music Hall
($5) Dead Kenny G’s @ Brooklyn Bowl
($15) Chris Morrisey Quartet w/ Mark Guiliana @ The Jazz Gallery
($18-$22) JJ Grey(MOFRO) solo acoustic with Shannon McNally @ City Winery
($50-$93) Celtic Women @ Radio City Music Hall
(Free) Nutritious @ The Cove
($5) The Heavy Pets (GOLDYS BIRTHDAY PARTY) @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($5) Buzz Universe & Afro Skull @ The Bowery Poetry Club
($30) Duduka Da Fonseca Quintet featuring Anat Cohen @ Jazz Standard
($35) FUNK SUMMIT: Leo Nocentelli (The Meters), Bernie Worrell (P-Funk), Fred Wesley (James Brown, P-Funk) @ Iridium Jazz Club
($12) A Post Allman Brothers Band Show featuring Some Cat From Japan: The Music Of Jimi Hendrix featuring Scott Metzger / Will Bernard / Ron Johnson / Eric Bolivar @ Sullivan Hall
($60-$275) Janet Jackson – Number Ones, Up Close and Personal World Tour @ Radio City Music Hall
(Free) Mark Guiliana @ Rockwood Music Hall
($10) Anders Osborne w/ Leroy Justice @ Brooklyn Bowl
($30-$40) Pat Martino Organ Quartet @ Birdland
($40) Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
($20) Murder By Death @ Rocks Off Cruise
($60-$200) Diana Ross – Greatest Hits Tour @ St. George Theater, S.I.
($75-$125) Benefit for Cornell Dupree w/ Cornell Dupree, Joe Cocker and Dr. John @ B.B. King Blues Club and Grill
Monday, March 21st, 2011
($10-$17) 101.9 Wrxp 3rd Anniversary Show Feat. Guster @ Irving Plaza
($25) Mingus Dynasty @ The Jazz Standard
($30) Rick Derringer @ Iridium Jazz Club
($50) Keyshia Cole @ B.B. Kings
Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011
($15-$20) Mike Gordon @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($18-$22) Noah and The Whale @ Bowery Ballroom
($25-$40) Paula Cole – DIVINALE: A Month of Wine, Women and Song @ City Winery
($40) Charlie Haden Quartet West Celebrates 25th Anniversary With Release of Sophisticated Ladies @ Birdland NYC
Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011
($10/$12) Heyoka, The Malah, Octopus Nebulae, Tucci @ Public Assembly (Mis Ter Bugsley)
($15) Surprise Me Mr. Davis @ The Bell House
($20-$25) Steve Kimock 2011 NYC Residency w/ special guests Henry Butler , Andy Hess (Gov’t Mule, Black Crowes, John Scofield) and John Morgan Kimock @ Sullivan Hall
($30) Jeff Lorber Fusion @ Iridium Jazz Club
($10) The Macpodz and Sister Sparrow And The Dirty Birds @ Studio at Webster Hall
($25) James Blood Ulmer with The Memphis Blood Blues Band featuring Vernon Reid @ Jazz Standard
($40-$52) Cold War Kids @ Radio City Music Hall
($40-$80) Hungarian Echoes IV: Bartók’s First Piano Concerto @ Avery Fisher Hall
($??) Mahavishnu Project plays Jeff Beck (Wired, Blow By Blow, There & Back) @ Iridium Jazz Club
DVD Release Event for “Jeff Beck: Live at Iridium” [free DVD giveaways]
($12) A Post Furthur & Allman Brothers Band Show featuring Some Cat From Japan: The Music Of Jimi Hendrix featuring Nigel Hall , Scott Metzger , Will Bernard , Ron Johnson , Eric Bolivar @ Sullivan Hall
($18-$20) The Wood Brothers with Carsie Blanton @ City Winery (2 shows)
($20) Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears @ Bowery Ballroom
($25) Post Allmans in New York Midnight Concert Series Col. Bruce Hampton and Pharoah Gummitt Featuring Duane Trucks @ Iridium Jazz Club
($30) Steve Smith, Jon Herington and Col. Bruce Hampton @ Iridium Jazz Club
($32.50) Victor Wooten and Stanley Clarke @ BB Kings
($40-$47) Queens of the Stone Age @ Terminal 5
($50-$60) Don McLean with Special Guest Dar Williams @ Town Hall
($50-$84) Furthur @ Radio City Music Hall
($10) A Post Furthur and Allman Brothers Show with Reflections @ Sullivan Hall
($15-$20) Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears @ Bowery Ballroom
($35) Hubert Sumlin Band @ Iridium Jazz Club
($45-$65) Afro-Cuban All Stars @ The Concert Hall
($100-$175) Rod Stewart / Stevie Nicks – Heart and Soul Tour @ Madison Square Garden
($8-$10) Dangermuffin @ The Rock Shop
($40) Harlem Gospel Choir @ BB Kings
($25) New Sounds Live: So Percussion and Bobby Previte with John Medeski, Zeena Parkins, DJ Olive & Jen Shyu @ Merkin Concert Hall
($40-$47) LCD Soundsystem @ Terminal 5
($50-$117) Jeff Beck and Rock N Roll Party w/ Imelda May & Her Band @ Radio City Music Hall
($5) BoomBox @ Brooklyn Bowl
($12-$65) Medeski Martin & Dunn, John Zorn & MASADA Marathon @ David H. Koch Theater
Featuring: Marc Ribot, Uri Caine, Dave Douglas, John Medeski, Secret Chiefs 3, Greg Cohen, Joey Baron, Cyro Baptista, Kenny Wollesen, Jamie Saft, Erik Friedlander, Mark Feldman, Sylvie Courvoisier, Trevor Dunn, and many others
($20) Billy Martin w/ Dj Oliver and Ikue @ The Stone
($30-$40) Kevin Eubanks Trio @ Birdland NYC
($55-$65) Billy Bragg – At Home In The City W/ Special guest Ben Sollee @ City Winery
($20) Steve Kimock 2011 NYC Residency with special guests Marco Benevento , Marc Friedman (The Slip) , Adam Deitch (Lettuce, Breakscience) @ Sullivan Hall
($25) Reggie Watts @Music Hall of Williamsburg
($35-$60) Aaron Neville @ BB Kings Blues Club
($20) Mimosa @ Irving Plaza (Mis Ter Bugsley)
($27.50) Tim Reynolds @ Iridium Jazz Club
November 2010 Music Calendar
Posted in Monthly Show Rundown, tagged 30th John Lennon Tribute, Ace of Clubs, Afro Funky Party, Aimee Mann, Allen Toussaint, Allman Brothers Band, American Babies, Anat Cohen Quartet, Ani DiFranco, ASIA, Assembly of Dust, Autumn Defense, B. B. Kings, Badnutbeats, Barry Altschul, Beacon Theater, Bearquarium, Bedouin Soundclash, Best Buy Theater, Bill Frisell, Bill Frisell's Disfarmer Project, Blue Note, Blues Traveler, Bob Dylan, Bob Mould, Bob Stewart, Bon Jovi, Bonerama, Bonobo, Bowery Ballroom, Boys Like Girls, BR & Timebomb, Brad Mehldau, Canal Room, Carnegie Hall, Cassandra Wilson, Charles Mingus, Charlie Hunter, Charlie Hunter Trio, Cielo, City Winery, D.V.S., Daedelus, Daniel Lanois, Daniel Lanois' Black Dub, Daniel Wayne, Dave Matthews Band, Deborah Weisz, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, DJ Nutritious, DJ Offbeat, Dred Scott, Dred Scott Trio, Dynamo, Eoto, Europa, Experience Hendrix, Fordam University, Furthur, Gaslamp Killer, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Gov't Mule, Greensky Bluegrass, Higher Nebulae, Highline Ballroom, Ikebe Shakedown, Irving Plaza, Izod Center, Jamie Mclean, Jim Campilongo, Jimmy Herring, JJ Grey, Joe Krown Trio, John Brown's Body, John Butler Trio, John Hammond, John Kimock, John McLaughlin, John Scofield, Johnny Irion, Jonathan Batiste, Joshua Redman, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Ken Filiano, Kings of Leon, Kyle Hollingsworth, Le Poisson Rouge, Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, Lehman College, Levon Helm, Littlefield, Maceo Parker, Madison Square Garden, Marco Benevento, Marcus Randolph & The In Crowd, Mark Guiliana, Mark Guiliana's Beat Music, Matisyahu, Medeski Martin and Wood, Melvin Sparks, Mercury Lounge, Michael Bublé, Mofro, MUN, Music Hall of Williamsburg, New York Philharmonic, Nicholas Payton, Nokia Theater, North Mississippi Allstars, One Eskimo, Paul Oakenfold, Perelman Stage, Peter Rowan, Pimps of Joytime, Preservation Hall, Radiators, Radio City Music Hall, Ralph Stanley, Ravi Coltrane, Reflections, Revolution of Soul, Robben Ford, Robert Earl Keen, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Robert Water's The Wall, Rocks Off Concert Cruise Series, Rocks Off Cruise, Rockwood Music Hall, Roger Sanchez, Roseland Ballroom, Roswell Rudd's Trombone Tribe, Rubblebucket, Rusted Root, Ryan Montbleau Band, Santos Party House, Sara Bareilles, Sarah Guthrie, Scrapomatic, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, Shawn Mullins, Sheila Jordan's 82nd Birthday Celebration, Sidney Samson, Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds, Slick Rick, Southpaw, Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes, Spike Hill, St. Nick's Pub, State Radio, Stern Auditorium, Steve Earle, Steve Kimock, Steve Kuhn, Steve Swell, Sufjan Stevens, Sullivan Hall, Talib Kweli, Terence Higgins, Terminal 5, The 4th Dimension, The Black Crowes, The Brooklyn Bowl, The Clinch Mountain Boys, The Cringe, The Expendables, The Gramercy Theater, The Headhunters, The Heavy Pets, The Infamous Stringdusters, The Jazz Standard, The Living Room, The London Souls, The Mingus Big Band, The New Mastersounds, The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Timbre Coup, Toots and the Maytals, Top Shotta, Town Hall, TownHall, Trampled By Turtles, Tristan Prettyman, Trouble & Bass, U-Melt, Webster Hall, West African Band, Widespread Panic, Zongo Junction on November 1, 2010| Leave a Comment »
November 2010 Potential Show Run Down
Monday, Novemeber 1st, 2010
($12-$18) Marco Benevento (Solo Piano) @ City Winery
($25) Mingus Orchestra @ Jazz Standard
($50) The Black Crowes @ Nokia Theater Times Square
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010
(Free) Dred Scott Trio @ Rockwood Music Hall (Midnight set)
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010
($10) The Headhunters @ Brooklyn Bowl
($15) Bedouin Soundclash @ Le Poisson Rouge
($34-$45) Preservation Hall @ City Winery
($36.75) Boys Like Girls @ Irving Plaza
($70-$270) Robert Water’s The Wall @ Izod Center, NJ
($14) Daedelus & Gaslamp Killer @ Le Poisson Rouge
($10) Rubblebucket, Pimps of Joytime, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds @ Highline Ballroom
($10-$12) BR and Timebomb @ Canal Room
($15) Tristan Prettyman @ Bowery Ballroom
($15) Blues Traveler & The Cringe @Brooklyn Bowl
($20) Shawn Mullins & Daniel Wayne @ Le Poisson Rouge
($20) Bonerama Residency with John Kimock
($51) Interpol @ United Palace Theater
Saturday, November 6th, 2010
($10) Jerry Joseph & the Jackmormons @ Sullivan Hall
($15 – $20) Son Of Bill @ Mercury Lounge
($20) Bob Mould @ The Rock Shop
($27.50 – $35) Bassnectar @ Terminal 5
($40) Patti Smith: Khubilai Khan @ Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium / MMOA
($92 – $278) Robert Water’s The Wall @ Izod Center, NJ
($30) Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys @ B.B. Kings
($31) Bonobo @ Webster Hall
($15) One Eskimo @ Highline Ballroom
($20) The London Souls @ Rocks Off Cruise
($48 – $56) Joshua Redman w/ Brad Mehldau & The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra @ Zankel Hall
(?$$?) Bon Jovi @ Best Buy Theater
($10) Scrapomatic @ Southpaw
($14) Anat Cohen Quartet @ Littlefield
($30) Sara Bareilles @ Webster Hall
($46-$115) Experience Hendrix @ Beacon Theater
($10-$15) Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds Record Release Party w/ Special Guests @ Sullivan Hall
($10-$15) Trouble & Bass @ Santos House Party
($15) Toots and the Maytals @ Brooklyn Bowl
($19) The Infamous Stringdusters and Trampled By Turtles @ Bowery Ballroom
($38.75) Robert Earl Keen @ Terminal 5
(FREE) Dynamo & Badnutbeats w/ Higher Nebulae & MUN @ Spike Hill
($10) Melvin Sparks @ Blue Note (12:30 late night slot)
($20) Autumn Defense and Johnny Irion & Sarah Guthrie @ Le Poisson Rouge
($20) Bonerama w/ Terence Higgins (Dirty Doz Brass Band) & Jonathan Batiste @ Sullivan Hall
w/ opening acts: Ikebe Shakedown/ Timbre Coup/ Bearquarium
($22.50) Rusted Root w/ Assembly of Dust @ Best Buy Theater
($25) ASIA Featuring JOHN PAYNE – Unplugged @ B.B. Kings
($20- $116) New York Philharmonic @ Carnegie Hall (Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage)
($30-$40) Slick Rick @ B.B. Kings
($87-$100) Dave Matthews Band w/ John Butler Trio @ Madison Square Garden
($91 – $328) 30th John Lennon Tribute: A Benefit For Playing For Change @ Beacon Theater
(Free) West African Band @ St. Nicks, Harlem
($10) Greensky Bluegrass @ Southpaw
($10-$12) The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band @ Mercury Lounge
($30) Robert Randolph & the Family Band @ Terminal 5
($76) John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension @ Town Hall
($10) Marcus Randolph & The In Crowd (Mbrs of Robert Randolph & Family Band) @ Europa
($28-$40) Medeski Martin & Wood @ Tarrytown Music Hall
($25-$35) Allen Toussaint, Nicholas Payton & The Joe Krown Trio @ Lehman College, CUNY: Lehman Center for the Performing Arts
($46) Sufjan Stevens @ Beacon Theater
($15) Jimmy Herring of Widespread Panic & Jamie McLean @ Highline Ballroom
($15) Undead Jazz: Charlier Hunter Trio / Mark Guiliana’s Beat Music @ Le Poisson Rouge
($25) Jay-Z @ New York Public Library (A Forum)??
Tuesday, November 16th, 2010
(Free) Mark Guiliana @ Fordham University
($25) Sheila Jordan’s 82nd Birthday Celebration with Steve Kuhn @ Jazz Standard
($72) Kings of Leon @ Madison Square Garden
($25) Daniel Lanois’ Black Dub @ Bowery Ballroom
($26) Peter Rowan + The Steep Canyon Rangers @ B.B. Kings
($30) John Brown’s Body & The Expendables @ Gramercy Theater
($35) Radiators @ Sullivan Hall
($30-$48) Cassandra Wilson with special guest Ravi Coltrane @ Blue Note (2 seperate sets)
(??) Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings @ Brooklyn Bowl (as per Jambase)
(Free until midnight then $15) Dj Nutritious @ Cielo
($12-$15) Eoto and D.V.S. @ Brooklyn Bowl
($20) Bonerama w/ Steve Kimock & Kyle Hollingsworth @ Sullivan Hall
($57) Ani Defranco @ Townhall
($10) Reflections: Late Night FURTHUR Aftershow – PURE JERRY GARCIA TRIBUTE (11:59pm set)
($10-$12) The New Mastersounds @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($15) Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad @ Mercury Lounge
($25-$45) ROSWELL RUDD’s Trombone Tribe with Steve Swell, Deborah Weisz, Bob Stewart, Ken Filiano and Barry Altschul @ City Winery
($36.50) Southside Johnny And The Asbury Jukes @ B.B. Kings
($40) Revolution of Soul Feat. Maceo Parker and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe @ Irving Plaza
($50) Bill Frisell’s Disfarmer Project @ The Concert Hall
($57) Ani Difranco @ Townhall
($60-$70) Futhur @ Radio City Music Hall
Sunday, November 21st, 2010
(Free) McLovins @ Brooklyn Bowl
Second Set Features Tom Marshall (writer/lyricist for Phish) and Anthony Krizan
($10-$12) American Babies @ Ace of Clubs (Late night show @ 11:30)
Monday, November 22nd, 2010
($8-$10) Talib Kweli @ Brooklyn Bowl
($40) Aimee Mann @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
($65) Bob Dylan @ Terminal 5
($117)Another One For Woody Featuring The Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule & The North Mississippi Allstars @ Roseland Ballroom ~ WE GOT OUR TICKETS!!!
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010
(Free) Jason Linder Trio @ Rockwood Music Hall
($30-$40) Joanna Newsom @ Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage (Carnigie Hall)
($43-$90) Paul Oakenfold / Roger Sanchez / Sidney Samson @ Roseland Ballroom
($15-$20) U-Melt Final Show @ Highline Ballroom
w/ The Heavy Pets and more
($12.25) Turbine @ Mercury Lounge
($15) JJ Grey & Mofro Ryan Montbleau Band @ Brooklyn Bowl
($33) State Radio and The London Souls @ Terminal 5
($50 – $100) Levon Helm Band with special guest Steve Earle @ Beacon Theater
($12.50-$70) Arlo Guthrie @ Carnegie Hall
($20) Ben Kweller @ The Rock Shop
($37-$87) New York Philharmonic: Mozart, Haydn, and Tchaikovsky@ Avery Fisher Hall (Saturday Matinee)
($107-$145) Michael Bublé @ Radio City Music Hall
($25) Matisyahu @ Brooklyn Bowl
($20-$35) John Scofield and Rooben Ford @ The Blue Note
($27.50) Leon Russel @ B.B. Kings – CANCELED!!!
($28-$40) John Hammond @ City Winery
($30) Gil-Scott Heron @ B.B Kings
($40) Matisyahu @ Williamsburg Music Hall
October 2010 Potential Show Run Down!
Posted in Monthly Show Rundown, tagged "A Celebration of Paul Newman's Hole In The Wall Camps", 55 Bar, ?UESTLOVE, Afro Funky Party, Alan Gilbert, Alphabet Soup, Amon Tobin, Apollo Run, Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall, Avery Fary, B. B. Kings, Bad Religion, Beacon Theatre, Best Buy Theater, Big Sam Williams, Bill Cosby, Black Label Society, Bowery Ballroom, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn Strings, Brother Joscephus and the Love Revival Revolution Orchestra, Bustle In Your Hedgerow, Cameo, Caravan of Thieves, Carnegie Hall, Celtic Thunder, Cheech and Chong, Chico Mann, Children of Bodom, City Winery, Club Love, Clutch, D.V.S., Dar Williams, Dark Star Orchestra, Dave Dreiwitz, Davell Crawford, David Nelson Band, Dawoud, Deadmau5, Del McCoury Band, Dierks Bentley, DJ Food & DK, DJ Kentaro, DJ Nutritious, DJ Offbeat, Donna Jean Godchaux Band, Dred Scott, Dred Scott Trio, Easy Over, eli pap, Elton John, Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, Eskmo, Faith Evans, Fort Knox Five, Fountains of Wayne, Gil Scott-Heron, Gorillaz, Gregg Allman, Hilary Hahn, Hiromi, Indigo Girls, Ingrid Michaelson, Irving Plaza, Jakob Dylan, Jason Crosby, Jeff Bridges, Jeff Mattson, Jessi Alexander, Jim Beavers, Jim Campilongo, Jim James, Jimkata, Joe Chirco, Joe Russo, John Mellencamp, John Scofield, Jon Gutwillig, Jon Randall Stewart, Josh Phillips Folk Festival, Joshua Bell, Karen Nelson, Kathryn Scott, Kaufmann Concert Hall, Keb’ Mo’, Kid Koala, Kinetix, Kings of Leon, Larry Tea, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Late Show with David Letterman, Leon Russel, Lettuce, Lyle Lovett, M80 Dubstation, Madison Square Garden, Marco Benevento, Martha Wainright, Mary J. Blige, Mavis Staples, Mercury Lounge, Michael Franti & The Spearheads, My Morning Jacket, New York Philharmonic, Nigel Hall, Ninja Tune XX, Nokia Theater, Nublu, Ok Go, Ollabelle, Papadosio, Peter Yorn, Phil & Friends, Phish, Phoenix, Poirier Toddla T & Serocee, R+D, Radio City Music Hall, Renee Zellweger, Rob Barraco, Robert Randolph, Rockwood Music Hall, Roger Waters, Rosanna Cash, Roseland Ballroom, Royal Family Ball, Santos Party House, Scott Metzger, Sean Walsh, Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds, Solange, Sonya Kitchell, Soulive, Southpaw, St. Nick's Pub, Stanley Clarke, Steve Miller Band, Stevie Wonder, Styx, Sullivan Hall, Susan Tedeschi, T-Bone Burnett, Talib Kweli, Terminal 5, The Avett Brothers, The Blue Note, The Bridge, The Delancey, The Disco Biscuts, The EGG, The Electric Warehouse, The Gramercy Theater, The Hold Steady, The Jazz Standard, The Living Room, The Macpodz, The Mingus Big Band, The Mother Hips, The National Reserve, The Pietasters, The Punch Brothers, The Secret Sisters, The Theater for the New City, The Toasters, The Tony Castles, The Trifect, Thievery Corporation, Tom Tom Club, Top Shotta, Toshi Reagon, Tribe Called Quest, Trouble & Bass, Underground Horns, Union Hall, West African Band, Woody McBride, Yo Yo Ma, Zankel Hall, Zen Tricksters, Zongo Junction on October 1, 2010| Leave a Comment »
October 2010 Potential Show Run Down
Friday, October 1st, 2010
($25-$45) Stanley Clarke Feat. Hiromi @ The Blue Note
($32-$112) Alan Gilbert Conducts Mahler’s Sixth Symphony @ Avery Fisher Hall (New York Philharmonic)
($50-$80) Celtic Thunder @ Radio City Music Hall
Saturday, October 2nd, 2010
($25) The Royal Family Ball feat. Soulive, Lettuce, John Scofield, Nigel Hall, Big Sam and Talib Kweli @ Terminal 5!
Royal Family After Party with Breakscience @ Cameo
Sunday, October 3rd, 2010
I suggest lots of sleep after The Royal Family Ball 😉
($8) Jim Campilongo@ The Living Room
Tuesday, October 5th, 2010
(Free) Dred Scott Trio & THE BRIDGE @ Rockwood Music Hall
(Free) Mavis Staples @ Late Show with David Letterman
($32) Faith Evans @B.B. King Blues Club and Grill
($80 – $250) Roger Waters: The Wall Live @ Madison Square Garden
($25) Peter Yorn @ Bowery Ballroom
(??) Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds @ Southpaw
(Free) Mavis Staples @ Colbert Report (TV)
($10) D.V.S. @ Club Love
($12.25) The EGG plus Sonic Spank @ Mercury Lounge
($20) Davell Crawford @ The Jazz Standard
($35 – $50) Mavis Staples – “You are Not Alone” – Album Release presented by WFUV @ City Winery
($10) Mattson, Barraco & Friends @ Sullivan Hall
Jeff Mattson (DSO, Donna Jean Godchaux Band, Zen Tricksters) , Rob Barraco (DSO, Phil & Friends, Zen Tricksters) , Jason Crosby (Robert Randolph, Susan Tedeschi, Zen Tricksters) , Joe Chirco (Donna Jean Godchaux Band, David Nelson Band, Zen Tricksters) with opening act Easy Over
($44 – $128) Joshua Bell Performs Sibelius @ Avery Fisher Hall
(Free) Gorillaz @ The Late Show with David Letterman
($5) ?uestlove DJ Set @ Brooklyn Bowl
($10) Underground Horns “Big Beat” CD release Party @ Nublu
($10) Live Band Tribute to A Tribe Called Quest w/ Alphabet Soup @ Sullivan Hall
($10 – $27) Rosanna Cash @ Kaufmann Concert Hall
Upon the publication of Composed, Ms. Cash sits down for a conversation about her life in music.
($28.50 – $33.50) The Hold Steady @ The Beacon Theater
($30) Gil Scott-Heron @ B.B. Kings
($35) Fountains of Wayne @ Bowery Ballroom
($32 – $117) Joshua Bell, Debussy, Sibelius, and Lindberg @ Avery Fisher Hall
Friday, October 8th, 2010
(Free?) Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds @ Rockwood Music Hall 2
($5) Big Sam’s Funky Nation @ Brooklyn Bowl
Opener: Ikebe Shakedown
($10) Solange DJ Set @ Midnight
($20) Jackie Green @ Bowery Ballroom
($25) The Subdudes @ B.B. Kings
($35) Moe @ Beacon Theater
($35-$45) The Jazz Gallery Rent Jam hosted by Roy Hargrove @ City Winery (late Night)
($50-$125) Gorillaz & Mos Def @ Madison Square Garden
(Free) Private Party @ Sullivan Hall w/ Lo & Aaron (GSW), Leroy Justice and Jaik Miller
($10-$12) Bustle In Your Hedgerow feat. Joe Russo, Marco Benevento, Dave Dreiwitz and Scott Metzger @ Brooklyn Bowl
($25) Mago – John Medeski & Billy Martin @ Rocks Off Cruise
($20) Corrosion of Conformity @ Highline Ballroom
($65 – $165) Mary J. Blige @ Radio City Music Hall
(Free) My Morning Jacket @ The Late Show w/ David Letterman
(Free) REEFER MOVIE MADNESS: THE ULTIMATE STONER FILM GUIDE BOOK RELEASE PARTY @ Brooklyn Bowl
(Free) My Morning Jacket @ Late Night w/ Jimmy Fallon
($10) R+D with Savoy (DJ), D.V.S*, NUTRITIOUS, MUNcee superjam and Mad Hatter @ Club Love
($10) Jessica Lurie Ensemble @ Brooklyn Lyceum
($12) Dawoud – Renegade Sufi Sitar! @ The Theater for the New City
($25) Ingrid Michaelson @ Best Buy Theater (Formally Nokia Theatre)
($32.59 – $39.50) The Avett Brothers @ Radio City Music Hall
(Free) Ben Folds @ Late Night w/ Jimmy Falon
($10) Dred Scott Trio @ 55 Bar
($10) Apollo Run @ Union Hall
($25) Tom Tom Club @ Santos House Party
W/ Caravan of Thieves and The Tony Castles
($40 – $138) Pinchas Zukerman, Webern, and Brahms@ Avery Fisher Hall (NYPHIL)
($5) The Trifect @ Sullivan Hall – FUUUUUSION!!!!
($5) M80 Dubstation Feat. Jon Gutwillig from The Disco Biscuits @ Brooklyn Bowl
($5) Brother Josephus & Josh Phillips Folk Festival @ Brooklyn Bowl
($36.20) Citizen Cope @ Terminal 5
($30-$45) Dar Williams & Toshi Reagon – Many Great Companions Tour @ City Winery
($32.50 – $35) John Hammond @ Rubin Museum of Art
Saturday, October 16th, 2010
($10) Tom Tom Club @ Brooklyn Bowl
($35 – $40) Air Supply @ B.B. Kings
Birthday Rages for Jason and Jessica
FREE – Levon Helm’s Kids Ramble @ Gills Farm, Woodstock, NY
Free – Brooklyn Guitar Festival @ Rose Live
Joe Russo Quartet 9pm-1030pm
($30) UP ON THE RIDGE – Dierks Bentley @ Bowery Ballroom
($50) My Morning Jacket @ Terminal 5
(Free) Jason Linder Trio @ Fordham University
($10) Kinetix @ Sullivan Hall
($10) Chico Mann @ Santos House Party
($25-$40) UP ON THE RIDGE – Dierks Bentley & Del McCoury Band @ City Winery
(Free) American Babies @ Rockwood Music Hall 2
(Free) Sonya Kitchell and the Brooklyn Strings @ Rockwood Music Hall
($15) Langhorn Slim @ Highline Ballroom
($25) UP ON THE RIDGE – Dierks Bentley (With Jim Beavers, Jessi Alexander and Jon Randall Stewart) @ Joe’s Pub
($50) Phoenix @ Madison Square Garden
($50-$71) Black Label Berzerkus: Black Label Society, Clutch & Children of Bodom @ Hammerstein Ballroom
($55-$125) T-Bone Burnett Presents The Speaking Clock Revue w/ Elvis Costello, Gregg Allman, Elton John, Jim James, Karen Nelson, Leon Russel, Jeff Bridges, The Secret Sisters, The Punch Brothers, John Mellencamp, and more @ The Beacon Theater
Thursday, October 21st, 2010
($12) Eli Paperboy Reed & The True Loves @ Le Poisson Rouge
($25) UP ON THE RIDGE – Dierks Bentley @ Southpaw
@ Southpaw
($47.50) My Morning Jacket @ Terminal 5
($50-$90) Thievery Corporation @ Beacon Theater
(Starting @ $50) “A Celebration of Paul Newman’s Hole In The Wall Camps” @ Avery Fisher Hall @ Lincoln Center
Performances Will Feature a Line-Up of GRAMMY® Winning Musicians Including Hilary Hahn, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, John Mellencamp, Keb’ Mo’ and Stevie Wonder With Appearances by Bill Cosby and Renee Zellweger
Friday, October 22nd, 2010
(Free) The London Souls @ The Brooklyn Academy of Music
($20 – $25) THE MONSTER MASH –> Fort Knox Five @ The Electric Warehouse w/ Woody McBride and Larry Tea
($25) Yonder Mountain String Band @ Best Buy Theatre (Formally Nokia Theater)
($60 – SOLD OUT) Phish @ Providence, RI @ Dunkin Donuts Center
Saturday, October 23rd, 2010
(Free) West African Band @ St. Nick’s Pub
(Free) Apollo Run @ Rockwood Music Hall 1
(Free) Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds @ Rockwood Music Hall 2
(Free) Kings of Leon @ Saturday Night Live (TV)
($10) The Breakfast @ Crash Mansion
($35-$60) Jakob Dylan @ City Winery
($40 – $100) Cheech and Chong @ The Beacon Theater
($42 – $48) Indigo Girls @ Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall
($60 – SOLD OUT) Phish @ Amhurst, MA @ Mullins Center
($8) Apollo Run @ Pianos
($50 – $113) Steve Miller Band @ Beacon Theater
(Free) Dred Scott Trio @ The Delancey
(Free) Kings of Leon @ Late Show with David Letterman (TV)
(Free) The Bridge @ Rockwood Music Hall
($10) Talib Kewli @ Brooklyn Bowl
($40) Bad Religion @ Irving Plaza
($??) Chico Mann @ Santos House Party
($25 – $35) Ollabelle @ City Winery
($25 – $153) Yo Yo Ma & Kathryn Scott @ Carnegie Hall
($10) The Mother Hips @ The Brooklyn Bowl
w/ Sean Walsh & The National Reserve
($20) Trouble & Bass @ Santos House Party
Ninja Tune XX (anniversary party): Amon Tobin, Kid Koala, DJ Food & DK, Poirier Toddla T & Serocee, DJ Kentaro, Eskmo
($42) Michael Franti & Spearhead @ Terminal 5
($50 – $90) Styx @ The Beacon Theatre
($70-$80) Deadmau5 @ Roseland Ballroom
(FREE??) Dred Scott @ Smalls Jazz Club
($10) The Macpodz @ Sullivan Hall
($15) The Toasters & the Pietasters @ B.B. Kings Blues Club
($30) Ok Go @ Terminal 5
($37) Railroad Earth with Donna the Buffalo @ Irving Plaza
($40) Guster @ The Beacon Theater
($60 – SOLD OUT) Phish @ Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall
($10) Jimkata, Papadosio and D.V.S. @ Sullivan Hall
($36) Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams @ The Gramercy Theater
($36-$40) Cypress Hill @ Besy Buy Theater (Formally Nokia Theatre)
($24) The Felice Brothers @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
($50) The Black Crowes @ Best Buy Theater (Formally Nokia Theatre)
September 2010 Potential Show Run Down!
Posted in Monthly Show Rundown, tagged 88 Place, Abigail Washburn, Al Green, Alan Gilbert, Alice in Chains, Amos Lee, Anders Osborne, B. B. Kings, Band of Changes, Bassnectar, Beacon Theatre, Belle & Sebastian, Big Boi, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Bill Frisell, Biodiesel, Boz Scaggs, BR & Timebomb, Brian Culbertson, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn Rooftop Party, Cake, Cameo Gallery, Charles Walker, Charlie Hunter, Chemical Brothers, Chico Mann, Chuck Brown, Club Groove, Count Your Blessings, Dangermuffin, Deftones, Digweed, DJ Morale, DJ Nutritious, Donald Fagen, Dred Scott, Dred Scott Trio, Eclectic Method, Electric Zoo, Eric Kalb, Eric Lindell, Esperanza Spaulding, Fishbone, Flannery's, Fontana's, Gaelic Storm, Garaj Mahal, Gent Treadly, Governor's Island, Great Big Sea, Gregory Hutchinson, Heart, Highline Ballroom, Hiro Ballroom, Holy Fuck, Hot Buttered Rum, Hot Tub with Kurt & Kristen, Ikebe Shakedown, Jamie Lidell, Jason Lindner Trio, Jesse Dee, Jessica Lurie, Jihae, Jim Campilongo, Jim Cap, Joe Lovano, Joe Russo, Joe's Pub, John Legend, John Prine, Jones Beach, Joshua Redman Trio, Jules Bistro, Kenny's Castaway's, Knitting Factory, Kung Fu, Kyle Gass, Lakeside Lounge, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Le Poisson Rouge, Leo Nocentelli, Mark Guiliana, Matt Chamberlain, Matt Penman, Mercury Lounge, Mexicali Blues, Michael McDonald, Michael R. Williams, Moby, Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens, Navegante, New York Funk Exchange, Nikon Theater, Nina Sky, Nir Felder 4, Orchard Lounge, Orgone, Paul Motian, Paul Sanchez, Pavement, Perpetual Groove, Pretty Lights, Quest Love, Radio City Music Hall, Ravi Coltrane, Reggie Watts, Rocks Off Concert Cruise Series, Rockwood Music Hall, Roots Of Creation, Rumsey Playfield, Santos Party House, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds, Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, Sophistafunk, Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes, Speakeasy Friday, St. Nick's Pub, Stanton Moore Trio, Stockholm Syndrome, Stone Temple Pilots, Sullivan Hall, Talib Kweli, Tarrytown Music Hall, Taylor Carson, Taylor Hicks, Tenacious D, Terminal 5, The Beach, The Blue Note, The Brass Underground, The Brew, The Dynamites, The Gramercy Theater, The Heavy Pets, The Jazz Standard, The Living Room, The Meters, The Mingus Big Band, The Radiators, The Red Lion, The Rhythm Devils, The Roots, The Toadies, The Upright Citizens Brigade, The Williamsburg waterfront, The Young Dubliners, Todd Snider, Tomango, Toubab Krewe, Trainwreck, Vampire Weekend, Verticle Horizon, Village Vanguard, Webster Hall, Ween, West African Band, Will Bernard Trio, Zebulon, Ziggy Marley on September 1, 2010| 2 Comments »
September 2010 Potential Show Run Down
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
(Free) Gent Treadly @ The Red Lion
($10-$12) Hot Buttered Rum @Rocks Off Cruise
($15) Jason Lindner Trio & Mark Guiliana @ Le Poisson Rouge
($25) Paul Motian, Joe Lovano, Bill Frisell @ Village Vanguard
($30-$35) Rhythm Devils @ B.B. Kings
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
(Free) Heart @ Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
($5-$7) DJ Questlove @ Brooklyn Bowl (Late night)
($10) The Meters Experience feat. Leo Nocentelli @ Brooklyn Bowl (Funk Live)
($40 – $150+) Michael McDonald, Donald Fagen & Boz Scaggs @ Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
($175) Al Green @ B.B. Kings
Friday, September 3rd, 2010
($10-$12) The Radiators @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($20) Garaj Mahal @ The Blue Note
($25) DJ Questlove, Talib Kweli and Nina Sky @ Webster Hall
($10) The Brew & Kung-Fu @ Sullivan Hall
Saturday, September 4th, 2010
($157) Electric Zoo Festival, NY
Pretty Lights @ Electric Zoo Festival
Chemical Brothers @ Electric Zoo Festival
($5) Chico Mann @ Brooklyn Bowl
($38-$100+) Stone Temple Pilots @ Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
Sunday, September 5th, 2010
Bassnectar @ Electric Zoo Festival
Moby @ Electric Zoo Festival
Digweed @ Electric Zoo Festival
Orchard Lounge @ Electric Zoo Festival
($??) Mark Guiliana (w/ Nir Felder 4) @ 55 Bar
($5-$8) Hot Tub with Kurt and Kristen (Comedy) @ Littlefield
Reggie Watts, Mike Amato, Jamie Lee Reggie Watts
($8) Jim Campilongo & Dred Scott Trio @ The Living Room
($40) Big Boi @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($10 food/drink min.) Will Bernard Trio @ Jules Bistro
Charlie Hunter Residency @ Cameo Gallery @ The Lovin’ Cup Cafe
w/ Michael R. Williams (bass trumpet) and Eric Kalb (drums)
($14) Jessica Lurie Ensemble @ Joe’s Pub
($7) Orgone (w/ The Beautiful Girls) @ Brooklyn Bowl
($25) Fishbone @ Webster Hall
($15-$20) Fire Burning Rain- Jihae Performance @ Le Poisson Rouge
($??) New York Funk Exchange @ Club Groove NY
($18) Fishbone @ Mexicali Blues (NJ)
($??) Chico Mann @ Ella Lounge
($25) Vertical Horizon @ Rock Off Cruise (W/ Kelli)
Catskill Chill Music Festival, NY
(Free set @ 11pm) Band of Changes (a Joe Russo/Scott Metzger Project) @ Lakeside Lounge
($5) BR & Timebomb @ Kenny Castaway’s
($10) Toubab Krewe NYC CD Release Party @ The Brooklyn Bowl (w/ Eclectic Method)
($10) BuzzUniverse & Turbine @ Mercury Lounge
($10-$12) Orgone @ Sullivan Hall
w/ Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds / Ikebe Shakedown
($25-$70) John Prine w/ Todd Snider @ The Beach @ Governors Island
($??) DJ Nutritious @ Fontana’s
($??) Mark Guliana @ 55 Bar
($5) The Dynamites feat. Charles Walker @ Brooklyn Bowl
($10-$15) The Heavy Pets (w/ Dangermuffin) @ Sullivan Hall
($25-$30) Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars @ Knitting Factory
($12) Stockholm Syndrome @ Brooklyn Bowl
($25) The Mingus Big Band @ The Jazz Standard
(Free) Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens @ Fort Greene Park! (Funk Live)
w/ Tomango (urban tapdance)
($28-$30) Ziggy Marley @ Brooklyn Bowl
($35) Brian Culbertson @ B.B. Kings
($??) Jason Linder Trio @ Iridium Jazz Club
(FREE ONLINE) Esperanza Spalding on Borders Livestream
($20-$24) Gaelic Storm@ Highline Ballroom
($39.50) Vampire Weekend @ Radio City Music Hall
($20) The Toadies @ The Gramercy Theater
($15) Trainwreck (feat. Kyle Gass of Tenacious D.) @ The Mercury Lounge
($15-$20) The Young Dubliners @ Highline Ballroom
($39.50 – $45) Cake @ Rumsey Playfield
($38-$50) Taylor Hicks @ Tarrytown Music Hall
($55, $65, $75) Monica @ Beacon Theater
($??) Chico Mann @ Zebulon
(Free) Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds @ Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2
($39.50 – $45) Ween @ Rumsey Playfield
($8) Jesse Dee @ The Blue Note (midnight show)
($14) Holy Fuck @ Le Poisson Rouge
($14) Budos Band @ Southpaw
($15-$20) The Upright Citizens Brigade TourCo @ Highline Ballroom
($20) Eric Lindell (w/ Paul Sanchez) @ Sullivan Hall
($25) Jamie Lidell @ Webster Hall
($25) Zach Deputy @ Rocks Off Cruise
($30) Broken Social Scene @ Rumsey Playfield
($35-$45) Ziggy Marley @ Skirball Center for the Performing Arts
($38.50) Pavement @ The Williamsburg Waterfront
($25) Dark Star Orchestra @ Mexicali Blues (NJ)
A special acoustic show
Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
($7) Trainwreck (Feat. Kyle Gass of Tenacious D.) @ Brooklyn Bowl
($25) Ravi Coltrane @ The Village Vanguard
($25-$45) Paula Cole Record Release @ City Winery
($38.50) Pavement @ Central Park’s Summer Stage
w/ Matt Chamberlain (drums)
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
(Free) DJ Nutritious w/ Navegante @ Santos Party House
($??) Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ Secret Project Robot
($38.50) Pavement @ The Rumsey Playfield
($73-$95) OPENING NIGHT: New York Philharmonic @ Avery Fisher Hall
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
($12) Stanton Moore Trio w/ Andres Osborne @ Brooklyn Bowl (Funk Live)
($35) Big Brother and the Holding Company @ Mexicali Blues (NJ)
($??) NY Funk Exchange @ Club Groove
($30) John Legend & The Roots @ Terminal 5
($40-$138) Itzhak Perlman Performs Mendelssohn @ Avery Fisher Hall (New York Philharmonic)
($??) Gent Treadly @ Flannery’s
($10) The Brass Underground (Speakeasy Friday) @ No 1 Front Street
($10-$15) Count Your Blessings @ 88 Place
($15-$17) Perpetual Groove @ The Bowery Ballroom
($20) Abigail Washburn @ Joe Pub’s
($24) Great Big Sea @ Webster Hall
($45) Dee Dee Bridgewater @ Metropolitan Museum of Art
($40-$75) Alice in Chains @ Madison Square Garden
Deftones opening as Special Guest
($??) Gent Treadly @ Brooklyn Rooftop Party
($??) Itzhak Perlman @ Avery Fisher Hall
($10) Perpetual Groove @ Brooklyn Bowl
($20) The Constellations @ Bowery Ballroom
($25) A Benefit for MAPS: Multidisciplinary Association For Psychedelic Studies with Twilight
Feat. Roots of Creation / Biodiesel / Sophistafunk and DJ Morale
($36.50 – $40) Southside Johnny And The Asbury Jukes @ B.B. Kings
(Free) Jason Lindner Trio & Mark Guiliana @ Rockwood Music Hall
($10) Talib Kweli @ Brooklyn Bowl
($30-$35) Amos Lee @ Hiro Ballroom
($25-$45) Stanley Clarke Feat. Hiromi @ The Blue Note (8pm Set)
($25-$45) Stanley Clarke Feat. Hiromi @ The Blue Note (10:30pm Set)
($20-$25) Chuck Brown @ B.B. Kings
($8) The Farewell Drifters @ The Living Room
($33.50) Dave Mason (of Traffic) @ B.B. Kings
($35) Joshua Redman Trio @ The Jazz Standard
w/ Matt Penman & Gregory Hutchinson
($45-$65) Esperanza Spalding @ Skirball center for the Performing Arts
($45) Chick Corea Trio @ Highline Ballroom
Feat. Christian McBride & Brian Blade
($50) Belle & Sebastian @ East River Williamsburg Waterfront
AMEO GALLERY @ LOVIN’ CUP CAFE
Musical Adventures
Lightfire4’s Twitter
June 2014 Music Calendar
Worship My Organ
April 2014 Music Calendar
Bowlive V: Night VIII ~ Soulive w/ Bill Evans, Saunders Sermons, Mark Rivers, The London Souls, Sonya Kitchell and Wyllys @ Brooklyn Bowl (03.22.14)
Bowlive V: Night VII – Soulive w/ Marco Benevento, Sonya Kitchell, Roosevelt Collier, Felix Pastorius, Oteil & Kofi Burbridge, and Brandon Niederauer @ The Brooklyn Bowl (03.21.14)
Another One for Woody: Allman Brothers, Gov't Mule, North Mississippi Allstars and more @ Roseland Ballroom (11.22.10)
Music Marauders Blog
NYC Funk…LIVE!! Website
Views Skewed Blog
Adam Deitch Alan Evans Alecia Chakour Allman Brothers Band B. B. Kings Big Sam's Funky Nation Bowery Ballroom Bowlive Break Science Brooklyn Bowl Brother Joscephus and the Love Revival Revolution Orchestra Charlie Hunter City Winery Derek Trucks DJ Nutritious Dred Scott Trio Dumpstaphunk Eric Bloom Eric Krasno Furthur Galactic George Porter Jr. Gov't Mule Henry Butler Highline Ballroom Ivan Neville Jam Cruise James Casey Jim Campilongo Jimi Hendrix Joe Russo John Scofield Karl Denson Karl Denson's Tiny Universe Kofi Burbridge Leo Nocentelli Le Poisson Rouge Lettuce Luther Dickinson Madison Square Garden Marco Benevento Mark Guiliana Mercury Lounge Neal Evans New Orleans Nigel Hall North Mississippi Allstars NYC NYC Funk Live Phish Robert Randolph Rockwood Music Hall Roseland Ballroom Ryan Zoidis Scott Metzger Skerik Soulive Steve Kimock Sullivan Hall Terminal 5 The Blue Note The Brooklyn Bowl The Gramercy Theater The Jazz Standard The Living Room The London Souls The Meters The Mingus Big Band The Roots The Shady Horns Tiny Rager Warren Haynes Will Bernard Zach Deputy Zongo Junction
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CBA names new head coach for varsity swimming
From Staff Reports
Tuesday, November 3, 2020 11:55 AM
Alex Fitton, pictured in light blue shirt, has been named coach of the varsity swimming program in Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft. Larry Levanti photo
Alex Fitton has been named to head the 11-time state championship varsity swim team in Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft.
“CBA is fortunate to welcome back Alex Fitton to lead our program,” Michael Mazzaccaro, the school’s director of athletics, said of Fitton, who served as an assistant coach for the Colts in 2018-2019, helping guide CBA to its 10th state championship.
"The knowledge and experience Alex can bring to our swimmers is second to none. His storied swimming career at CBA and the University of South Carolina, combined with years of coaching, provides us with the utmost confidence that Alex will continue the program's recent excellence."
The 2009 CBA team captain was the high point scorer during his senior season, as well as earning All American honors during his junior year. In 2009, Fitton broke the Shore Conference 200 IM record and set the CBA team record in the 200 freestyle. Fitton won five individual Shore Conference titles during his CBA career.
"It is an honor and a privilege to have the chance to lead this team and be given the opportunity to give back to a school that gave so much to me," Fitton said. "I can only hope I am able to leave my swimmers with the same positive experiences and memories that I had during my time at CBA."
Fitton went on to star at the University of South Carolina, where he was a 2013 NCAA All-American and an Olympic Trials qualifier in 2012. He set five different records during his time at South Carolina.
Aside from serving as an assistant coach at CBA, Fitton has coaching experience at the Red Bank YMCA, where he worked with both youth swimmers and the senior national team.
“My goal will be to continue the excellence of CBA Swimming, while incorporating the knowledge that I have picked up throughout my swimming and coaching career,” Fitton said. “I have had the luxury of having two incredible coaches in Mike Sullivan and Vito Chiaravalloti. I aim to reaffirm the program’s goals and values, picking up right where Coach Vito and last year’s state championship team left off.”
Christian Brothers has won 10 of the last 11 state championships dating back to 2010, including the last three titles. The Colts have also won an astounding 30-straight Shore Conference and Monmouth County championships, as both streaks began during the program’s first year in 1990.
High school swimming remains one of New Jersey’s most competitive sports, so Fitton knows that every year will be a challenge, especially at the state championship level.
“We will understandably have a target on our back [as defending state champions] and know that we are going to get every opponent’s best effort,” Fitton said. “Our swimmers understand that each new season is a clean slate and we will have to put the work in every day to earn the right to be considered among the state’s best.”
CBA honoring long-running track & field legacy with new complex
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Please note: The Diocese of Trenton reports any allegations of sexual abuse to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. Anyone with an allegation is also encouraged to provide that information to local law enforcement authorities.
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Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith
Probe into ‘party’ at Queen’s Hall
Gary: Breach of Covid rules...
Police will investigate the Sekon Sunday concert at Queen’s Hall in St Ann’s, Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith said yesterday.
He said as far as the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service is concerned, the event was a public party.
In a statement, he said according to Section 4 (1) (d) of The Public Health (2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)) Regulations, 2021, it is an offence to hold public parties or public fetes.
“The law was quite clear and there must be a level playing field for all as the police intend to follow the Covid-19 regulations, with the sole purpose of preventing its spread,” said Griffith.
The Second Sunday event had Sekon Sta (Nesta Boxill) as the main artiste.
Farmer Nappy (Darryl Henry) and Nailah Blackman also performed.
Griffith said police will investigate the event, which was carried live on TV and social media platforms.
“The video footage was quite clear, in that it showed numerous patrons inside Queen’s Hall dancing to the music of several artistes,” he said.
On Monday, Griffith reminded the population that positive Covid-19 cases were still being diagnosed after the police shut down two events over the weekend—a birthday party at a hall inside a building that also accommodates the Passage to Asia restaurant in Chaguanas and a beach party at Tyrico Bay.
Meeting with managers of other premises
The Express reached out to Sekon Sta yesterday, but was told by his manager, Shane Stanford, that he was in studio.
On Monday, Queen’s Hall manager Garfield George said all Covid-19 protocols were observed at the Sekon Sunday concert.
George said he had to clear the air on the soca event after many negative comments were seen on social media that proper social distancing was not practised and some patrons were seen waving their masks to the music.
Express photojournalist Jermaine Cruickshank posted a video on the Trinidad Express social media platforms showing patrons at Queen’s Hall were observing social distancing.
George denied patrons were waving their masks as he said one of the sponsors, the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB), handed out rags when patrons entered the venue.
“Probably at the angle pictures were taken, persons assumed it was their masks they were waving when in fact it was the rags,” said George.
Griffith said he has been informed that similar events like the one which took place at Queen’s Hall are being planned and being advertised on social media.
He said he also took note of a notice the Ministry of Tourism indicating that four places were open for business—Queen’s Hall, Naparima Bowl, the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) and the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA).
Griffith said police intend to “meet with the managers of these premises to explain to them that in the case of Queen’s Hall, there was certainly a breach of the Public Health Ordinance regulations”.
Griffith said promoters, “in the absence of Carnival 2021, are trying to be novel by organising events in public spaces with all the ingredients of a party or, in some cases, a band launching”.
He suggested that promoters and the public take note of what has happened in other countries where such events took place, and these countries’ health facilities became so overburdened that space in hospitals ran out.
Police Probe
Sekon Sunday Concert
Queen's Hall
St Ann's
Dancing Patrons
Covid Regulations Contravention
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Politics of waste
The saga of the unused State-owned helicopter exemplifies the wanton misuse and wastage of public funds in the absence of an effective framework for State accountability.
Neither the People’s Partnership government that leased the Sikorsky S76D helicopter in 2014 nor the government of the People’s National Movement which has owned it for the past six years can divest itself of the responsibility for this multi-million-dollar wastage.
All the questions raised by National Security Minister Stuart Young about the lease arrangements entered into by the Persad-Bissessar government may be perfectly valid. However, they are irrelevant to the issue of why the Rowley administration allowed a new and expensive helicopter to languish unused for over six years. If the government disagreed with the previous government’s decision to lease the helicopter, it had the option of immediately moving to get out of the contract and, failing that, to sell it or re-purpose it and put it to good use.
One may speculate on why the last might have been a difficult option for the current administration. Having campaigned against the former prime minister’s use of a helicopter for travel between the PM’s office and official residence in Port of Spain to her private residence in South Trinidad, it may not have been politically wise for Dr Rowley to be taking to the skies in a helicopter of even greater luxury. However, given his schedule of regular trips between Tobago and Trinidad, as well as the heavy demand for travel between the islands by Tobago MPs and senior Government officials, it would have made sense to have put it to use rather than to have left it languishing and losing value in some shuttered hangar somewhere.
We note Minister Young’s reference to red flags and threats to request that the US Department of Justice probe it, but have to wonder why the public is only now hearing about all of this going on seven years after the Rowley administration took office. A public grown cynical by repeated invocation of corruption allegations which flare up only to fizz in accordance with the rhythm of election seasons may be inclined to view these presumed red flags as mere red herrings.
The more important issue here, however, is the lack of Government accountability in the use of public funds. Over and over, taxpayers’ funds are wasted through bad decisions taken by governments that commit the country to expenditure and disadvantageous contracts without availing themselves of the required expertise. Further, the country’s reputation suffers when one government fails to honour contracts signed by another, even when they do so on good grounds.
T&T has a long trail of disgraceful financial dealings going back to the Tesoro scandal of the 1970s and coming right through to the modern era. This problem can only be solved by greater transparency and accountability in government expenditure.
Removing the cloak of secrecy from government purchases of goods and services is long overdue. Having been brought kicking and screaming close to the point of implementing procurement legislation, as watered down as it is, there must now be no let-up.
Unused State-owned Helicopter
Public Funds Wastage
Sikorsky S76d Helicopter
People’s Partnership Government
Pnm Administration
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Category: 2016 Indian Ocean
How long will it take time
to fade the memory of a kiss?
To drain the potency of the passion
and the tenderness of our bliss?
A name not forgotten
but details of face will fade
into fleeting moments of reflection
on the connection that we made.
A poem once written for a man, now applied to a country. I have come to appreciate how much of a love affair with life is lived by the transient sailor. We get to know no country in depth or detail, but we flirt with the fringes of society and leave invigorated and passionate about the place and people we encounter along the way. Whereas most individuals live entrenched in a village their whole lives, we flit in and out of countries like migrating pelagic seabirds, never returning to the same place twice. It is this continuous exploration that brings with it an intensity born from the rawness of new surroundings and unexpected outcomes. We cast the mould aside and accept a life of constant flux and continual evolution. We shun normalcy to live a life of extremes. We seek out exploration and adventure. We try to make the most of each day, mindful of the clock ticking in the periphery. Tick tock. The countdown of the clock. We are always conscious that our time in country is on a running stopwatch, and as time closes in we try to fill every moment with the sweetness of a place we will most likely never return to. Tick tock, ping!
In the recency of our interlude
I can clearly see your face,
in that moment of silence
the minute before you wake.
Then follows the shattering of solitude
when your eyelids flicker blue
— alive we come in passion
as I crash into you.
Yet, while that clock is still ticking we get an intimacy of place that often eludes even the most resident of citizens. Days that flash past into weeks in a routine wind-down to the slow tick of minutes when that routine is gone. Tick tock. Tick tock. Once that pendulum is broken, the desire for its rhythmic beat is gone. As newcomers, we become completely involved in a place, consumed by the daily barrage of experience. Like a love affair, we dive in head first and bury ourselves in every nuance of culture and custom. With that intensity comes an addiction: An addiction to change, to unpredictable existences and to unforeseen futures.
With time against us, we fill in our days with a frenzy of activity, trying to eek out the most of our short interval in country. Time shifts and expands, and we define how we spend the hours in our day. We are allowed to fall into a slow routine of the undemanding life, with hours that aren’t gobbled up in commuting, meetings, schedules and commitments. A portion of time is spent ogling a country’s top landmarks and famous attractions, indulging in a “tourist brochure” exploration of a country. But as a cruising sailor you are more than a holiday-maker. We shop elbow-to-elbow in the street markets, bartering like locals over the cost of fruit and vegetables. We visit the community clinics looking for local remedies with fingers crossed on one hand and a translation book in the other. We wander through shady back alleys looking for an odd assortment of boat parts, smiling at the old men giving odd looks as if witness to a pare of doves in a badger den. Our kids chase their kids, not a common word between them but expressions of glee on their faces. In this knee-to-dirt experience of a country, we are exposed to her underbelly and we fall in love. We fall for all the things that aren’t advertised on the tourist brochures. We fall for her crooked streets and crooked houses, with the bad smells and the odd food, with the sly glances and the open laughter and the friendships that stem from curiosity and goodwill. We absorb the essence of a country into our pores and feel an intricate part of the fabric of life. In so short a period we feel an assimilation that generally happens in years. This is perhaps an overly romantic notion of a place, but every cruiser knows what it is like to feel the essence of a country under their skin, begot through the highs and lows of their experience. When the trip is behind us and we reflect on our time, it is the collection of these seemingly small, insignificant moments that defines our experience.
Passing time will soften
this yearning from within
and leaden the longing of desire
— memory of scent and skin.
So for now I cradle these lonely moments
without you by my side,
in the remembrance of your lips
I twist and wake inside.
For in the forgotten passion
that lay dormant
in the shadowed crevice of my soul,
you spoke and woke that part of me
with soft a gentle nudge.
What strikes me in this transient life we live is how potent but fleeting our experiences can be: intense, powerful, concentrated, all-consuming. You slip into the life that is in front of you at the moment and then – in the blink of an eye – it is gone. There are very few countries that we’ve visited that haven’t captivated me for some inherent quality. We know nothing of it other than the spelling of its name and in a small hop we land on site, amazed and awed and transfixed. In Tanzania it was the friendliness of the people. In the Seychelles it was the beauty of the land. In Madagascar it was the rawness of the on-the-brink existence. In South Africa it was the diversity. In Sumatra it was the intrepidness. In Mozambique it was the sea.
It was only yesterday that had you by my side,
wrestling beneath cotton sheets
and tying me up inside.
My singularity lost in that connection with you
— so sweet a tender place —
to banish morning solitude
in your butterfly embrace.
All places captivate you for some inherent quality; a few places consume you. For me, that place was Mozambique. It was as if the country, unknown to me all my life, opened its arms for a quick embrace and I fell headlong in love in that short moment of intimacy. I don’t know what led Mozambique to impress me with such a rare intensity of emotion. It was no single part of the country or specific moment in the trip, but a collective experience that left me raw and exposed. It was the infinite empty bays and the never-ending stretch of glistening white sand dunes. It was the myriad of single moments with strangers that we intersected with. It was the starlight shining down on unlit earth. It was the jellyfish that flashed and glowed beneath our hull with an intensity of a meteor shower. It was the slow rise and fall of a sleek back as a whale surfaced for air, exposing no more than a blowhole and an oval disk of flesh. It was the slow beat of a gull’s wing as it glided overhead, surveying us with a simple curiosity. It was the peace and quiet of the islands that dangled down the coast like a string of beaded pearls. My notes as we traveled down the coast captured the feeling at the time:
It is amazing out here, blue skies flanked by billowy white clouds on the fringes of a deep blue sky. We move through a patch of soft wind that ripples the surface on an otherwise flat, reflective sea. We’ve been passed by flocks of seabirds, and we’ve been assaulted by flying fish that shoot like arrows out of the water and bounce around the deck as if tossed by a novice archer. We’ve been joined by racing dolphins that play in our wake and sailed passed the solitary humpback resting on the surface of the sea. The serenity of our surrounding environment is exactly what the over-stressed office worker craves when dreaming of flinging off societal constraints. It isn’t always like this but when it is, you breathe it into your soul.
This was not my first time in Mozambique. I was lucky enough to land a position running a dive operation in a remote corner of the country a decade ago. I knew that it may be the last time I had the opportunity to spend an extended period on her shores and my farewell was an emotionally difficult one. At that stage in my life I was trying to carve every new experience out of the time I had; I’d severed the umbilical chord to my native country and the life I had established and was charging towards any unknown opportunity that presented itself. After two years in the African bush it was time for a change. I bought a ticket for America and a month later I was afloat in a small boat adrift in the Pacific Ocean. And that was the end of my time in Mozambique.
Or so I thought. Life has a way of throwing its curveballs and a decade later I was unexpectedly back on Mozambican turf, enchanted with the country all over again. Mozambique was not on the radar when we’d set out for the Indian Ocean, however the draw to return was a strong one. When we decided to sail to East Africa it was only natural that Mozambique would pop up on the radar… we were so close, too close, not to find a way to include it in our route. Of course, including it meant shaving off time in Madagascar and our time there had already been cut short by our detour to Tanzania. Tanzania or Madagascar? Well, let’s do both and while we are at it, how about Mozambique too?!
Having agreed “Why not?” we sailed down the coast from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to the Quirimbas, a small archipelago of 32 islands in the Cabo Delgado province of northern Mozambique. We were about to hit the stretch of ocean that cruisers avoid altogether – the currents rip along the coast making southward progress impossible as the 2-knot current sweeps you north. Our strategy was to hug the coast, keeping no more than 10 meters below us. Grazing the seabed with our keel, we tiptoed Atea through a slice of coastline peppered with free-diving fisherman; while hair-raising from a clearance perspective, it was a sociable stretch with men popping up from their hunt to wave to us in passing. So, although the threat of a northern push to Somalia is the common fear, we found a way to avoid the strong current and had a relatively simple passage south. Having built up a brazen confidence over the previous 300 miles, our cockiness was dashed in the last 30 miles as the current wrapped around the Ponto Delgado headland and completely stopped our progress. With an unreliable engine that left us unable to power through the current, we tacked back and forth in the same mile-wide band of water for five hours, pacing over the same ground like a caged bear. We watched the slow crawl of the midday sun from the same spot. We witnessed a glorious but underappreciated sunset in the same spot. Night descended while we were in the same spot. Determined not to spend another night at sea with our destination only five miles ahead of us, we pushed on into the darkness with the brilliance of phosphorescent jellyfish laying a glittering path to our anchorage and will forever hold a lasting impression of their underwater brilliance – Atea walking on stars.
We pulled into uncharted territory as illegal trespassers at 10:00pm, drawn by the call of a good night’s sleep and the calm of a boat brought back in from sea. We dropped anchor at Isla Tecomagi, the northernmost island in the Quirimbas. With the anchor down at long last, there was only one problem: We’d tucked in but not cleared into the country. Mozambique has a reputation for corrupt officials, something I’d had a lot of experience with ten years earlier. Avoiding bribes is easiest Continue reading “Say Goodbye”
Having agreed “Why not?” we sailed down the coast from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to the Quirimbas, a small archipelago of 32 islands in the Cabo Delgado province of northern Mozambique. We were about to hit the stretch of ocean that cruisers avoid altogether – the currents rip along the coast making southward progress impossible as the 2-knot current sweeps you north. Our strategy was to hug the coast, keeping no more than 10 meters below us. Grazing the seabed with our keel, we tiptoed Atea through a slice of coastline peppered with free-diving fisherman; while hair-raising from a clearance perspective, it was a sociable stretch with men popping up from their hunt to wave to us in passing. So, although the threat of a northern push to Somalia is the common fear, we found a way to avoid the strong current and had arelatively simple passage south. Having built up a brazen confidence over the previous 300 miles, our cockiness was dashed in the last 30 miles as the current wrapped around the Ponto Delgado headland and completely stopped our progress. With an unreliable engine that left us unable to power through the current, we tacked back and forth in the same mile-wide band of water for five hours, pacing over the same ground like a caged bear. We watched the slow crawl of the midday sun from the same spot. We witnessed a glorious but underappreciated sunset in the same spot. Night descended while we were in the same spot. Determined not to spend another night at sea with our destination only five miles ahead of us, we pushed on into the darkness with the brilliance of phosphorescent jellyfish laying a glittering path to our anchorage and will forever hold a lasting impression of their underwater brilliance – Atea walking on stars.
We pulled into uncharted territory as illegal trespassers at 10:00pm, drawn by the call of a good night’s sleep and the calm of a boat brought back in from sea. We dropped anchor at Isla Tecomagi, the northernmost island in the Quirimbas. With the anchor down at long last, there was only one problem: We’d tucked in but not cleared into the country. Mozambique has a reputation for corrupt officials, something I’d had a lot of experience with ten years earlier. Avoiding bribes is easiest wh Continue reading “Say Goodbye”
While I am not prone to laughing at the expense of others, there are times too precious to resist my evil twin. I have a handful of favourite quotes from fellow cruisers that make me smile whenever I reflect on comical moments throughout our years afloat. An Australian made one of the best (and one of the most outlandish) statements when we were hanging out in Thailand contemplating whether or not to sail into the Indian Ocean. “There’s nothing for me in the Indian Ocean,” he loudly stated. Whaaa?!… buzzed my brain. In an entire ocean, NOTHING AT ALL?!
When we set our sights early in 2013 on a transit through the Indian Ocean, Madagascar was the buzzword. After reading numerous accounts of cruisers experiences of their IO crossing, we’d locked on Madagascar as the highlight of the Indian Ocean experience. Through the narratives of our friends we painted a picture of wild territory where only the intrepid dare wander; where life was so poor and remote that to visit was to step back in time a century. It was a country that had been so cut off from the larger world that you’d encounter species of animal only previously seen in David Attenborough’s documentaries of lost species. If for no other reason, we were going to transit an ocean to experience this forgotten world. There was something for us in the Indian Ocean, and that something was called Madagascar.
Our attempt to cross the Indian Ocean and get to this enigmatic land had been thwarted twice: Once in February 2015 by a pregnancy that didn’t happen and a second time in January 2016 by a medical crisis. By our third attempt in June 2016, it was either Go IO or Bust. As we pushed out into the Indian Ocean we couldn’t know then just how rich and rewarding the Indian Ocean was going to be for us. Looking back now, after two years spent trawling through her waters, I can assert that there is oh-so-much on offer in the Indian Ocean – and we made the most out of our commitment to explore it. We’d hit highlight after highlight: The diversity of Sumatra, the comedy of Cocos Keeling, the beauty of the Seychelles, the natural wonder of Chagos, the colorful dynamism of India, the underwater magnificence of the Maldives and the cultural richness of Tanzania. And now, finally, the jewel of the Indian Ocean lay ahead of us.
Yet with the country at our doorstep, I was dragging my heals… Should we go? At the time we were in the Quirimbas, a network of atolls in northern Mozambique, and we were loving it. The islands were breathtakingly beautiful and there wasn’t another boat in sight, the reefs were ablaze with life and the corals healthier than we’d seen anywhere in the Indian Ocean. Humpback whales filled the bays, as mother and calf sought protected waters until their newborns were big enough and strong enough to make a safe migration back down to the southern ocean. I was in heaven. For all our anticipation and expectation of Madagascar, I didn’t think anyplace could compete with the beauty and richness around us. I didn’t want to go. The pearl of the Indian Ocean could wait, if only we could have just one more year in this ocean that “holds nothing.”
As it was, we were short of time and needed to make a decision. We had already cut a month off our Madagascar timetable by including Tanzania in our route – a decision that proved well worth it not only from a traveler’s perspective but from a mariner’s one as well. The passage southwest towards Madagascar is a notoriously challenging one with winds on the nose and huge southerly swells. There is no shortage of reports that indicate the passage southwest across from the Chagos or the Seychelles to Madagascar is one of the most damaging to boat and soul. By choosing a westerly run to Tanzania, we turned the wind and waves to our beam and had a fantastic run from the Seychelles to Tanzania; we negotiated the north flowing current by staying close to shore and picked up the southerly Mozambique current just 300 miles south. From Mozambique we would be in the wind shadow of Madagascar, which would protect us from the strong weather that sweeps across the Indian Ocean. Ultimately it was extra miles and more motoring, but a very pleasant and non-demanding run.
Having fallen in love with Mozambique it would have been easy to cast aside all prior plans; had it not been for a longstanding interest in Madagascar and a depletion of our rum we would have done just that. But holding tight to a philosophy based on making the most out of any situation, or as John puts it, choosing a and b AND c when given the option of a or b, we decided we would regret coming all this distance and bypassing Madagascar all together. Plus, we’d spent weeks hyping the kids up for a trip to the land of lemurs and we were only 500 miles away. For the adults we also knew that Malagasy rum was only a few days distant and no matter how prolific the humpback numbers or how extravagant their display, life onboard a boat is just not as much fun without a bilge full of rum.
There was also the consideration of John’s 50th birthday – a year that deserves special attention. It had been John’s hope to be sitting on Malagasy shores to toast a half-century and our general timeframe made this target a viable one. However, as we delayed week by week in East Africa that window had quickly diminished. We progressed down the coast into northern Mozambique and we were taken aback by the absolute wonder of the Quirimbas and the proliferation of humpback in every anchorage. How could we leave with daily displays made by such majestic creatures? We waivered and debated and struggled to make a decision, and finally committed to a Madagascar run. However, soon after we pulled anchor and sailed west we received an email that our cruising mates on S.V. Dallandra were only hours away and prepared for an early 50th celebration. It was ironic having spent so long deliberating on departure and committing to that hard-made decision, to then turn the bows around and head back to where we’d just come from – but hey, a party awaited in John’s honour.
At dusk we turned the boat around, 20 miles towards our destination, and retreated. Navigating coral waters after dark is not something to take lightly, but we pulled in under starlight by carefully following our GPS tracks and settled in for the night. In the early morning we woke to the mast of our mates approaching, and then watched as it suddenly stilled… a grounding on perfect, pristine reef. Knowing we only had the day to connect and that we’d be waiting four hours for the tide to turn, we moved Atea over and a proper 50th bash commenced. What made this day memorable was the pristine beauty that surrounded us. We enjoyed total isolation from the outside world with no stress, worry or preoccupation. We swam in clear, temperate waters with whales within sight. We enjoyed a complete silence other than our chatter and laughter and the occasional sound of air rushing through a blowhole. We rounded off 49 with cruisers who’d become our close friends, and we had no obligation in this remote corner of the world other than to laugh, play and enjoy, and to fully live in the present moment.
What a finale to Mozambique… we had daily sightings of humpback whales throughout our time in the country but none were as demonstrative as on that day. As we swam we had whales pass by us; as John blew out his candles we had mother and calf swim between the two boats; as we cracked a bottle of champagne we had a single whale raise out of the water to slam its body back into the sea with a huge displacement of water around it, a clap of sound and a spray of water as a salute to John’s next fifty years of life. I don’t think any fancy affair or extravagant party could compete with the magic of that day. Thank you Kate, Tom and Marley for calling us back for an epic birthday celebration.
In the evening we raised our anchor and sailed past Dallandra as we headed back out to sea. We sat on deck as we drifted out of the channel and watched the sun set on the horizon with dolphin and whales silhouetted in the evening light. The boat was pointed due east with 500 miles of flat sea ahead of us. We knew while we wouldn’t get a beating by sailing to Madagascar in the shadow of its landmass, we knew we would struggle to get any wind to propel us forward; while it is physically demanding to push a boat through extreme conditions, it is mentally demanding to slog through flat seas with the repetitive drone of an engine. In addition to the noise and the expense of fuel, there was the knowledge that our faithful diesel was only running as a result of our constant care and attention. We were chewing through alternator belts, we had oil pressure issues and we had to prime the water pump on every start – so another three days motoring imposed its own anxiety. But with the experience of whales behind us and the excitement of lemurs ahead, we were full of the richness of our experiences and looking forward to what lie ahead.
However, after three days of brain-rattling engine noise, we were ready for a break. Given Mayotte lay ahead of us and was reputed to have the Indian Ocean’s best collection of French wine, cured meat and cheese, our detour was not surprising. We pulled in just before dark and dropped anchor in the first viable spot; not twenty minutes later we were blasted with spotlights from a large darkened RIB, and the police were on us asking for our paperwork. After a polite but professional welcome, we agreed that we could stay the night but would need to make our way around to the other side of the island the next day. After a quick morning snorkel on one of the healthiest coral reefs we’ve seen, we were escorted through the inner lagoon by a pair of adult humpback whale towards the main clearance port. We’ve mutated the mariner’s superstition from “never leave port on a Friday” to “never arrive in port on a Friday,” though no matter how many times we say it we invariably arrive on Friday. Mayotte was no exception. We traversed the 25-mile lagoon to arrive at port control at 16:30 to be greeted by an empty office. Immigration held the same quiet reception. In theory you are not to leave your vessel until you’ve cleared in however we could smell the aromas of French cuisine floating through the air and we were too weak to resist its aromatic beckoning call. We defied protocol and enjoyed a fantastic meal ashore. In the morning we tried to clear in again but were told by Border Control to return to our ship for the remainder of the weekend and try again on Monday when offices were open. Clearly the French influence was thick here, and with it the French work ethic. And so we defied protocol again and spent the day enjoying the quaint seaside town and indulging in the exquisite local cuisine. Come Sunday we decided it best to bail when the going was good, so we pulled up anchor and said farewell to Mayotte as the authorities continued their weekend siesta.
Turning to the ocean again, we were now only 150 miles from Madagascar and could almost smell the rum. Of course, sailing so far to store up on rum isn’t just to satisfy a personal fancy… it is to uphold a longstanding tradition and fulfill our duty as sailors. Rum-slogging seafarers date back to 1600s when rum was brought onboard ships as an incentive and payment, often being of more significant value than silver or gold. While rum isn’t used as payment on Ātea, it is used as an incentive to get us through a hard afternoon’s slog. Come midday when the sun is high and the deckhands have run the captain and quartermaster weary, there is nothing that beats grabbing a quiet moment with a cold, refreshing rum. And so, it was with great sadness that we said farewell to our last bottle of Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum at the end of our time in Mozambique. With the bottle still sitting empty at the bottom of our rubbish bin, we pulled into Madagascar to a warm reception put on by Captain Morgan’s sumptuous and seductive foreign cousins. Goodbye spiced Morgan, hello sweet Malagasy rum!
Nowhere have I met such a varied collection of extended kin and it took us no time to become acquainted with them all: Vanilla, banana, pineapple, orange, honey, chocolate, coffee, coconut, kaht-flavoured goodness. With such an assortment of liquid extravagance, what’s not to like? Just like the 300,000 other tourists drawn to Madagascar each year to play witness to its unique biodiversity, we traveled 500 miles out of our way to indulge in diversity of a different kind. Like a scientist committed to discovering every nuance of similarity and difference in a single species, we dedicated ourselves to uncovering every expression of intensity and richness of flavour in every bottle of rum, each as unique and varied as so many other plant and animal species endemic to the country.
Through our rum-fogged euphoria we discovered the beauty of northwestern Madagascar. Located 400 kilometers off the southeastern African content, Madagascar is the fourth largest island nation in the world. Splintered from Africa some 135 million years ago, it has maintained an African cultural heritage tinged with a hint of French colonial rule. Having gained its independence from France in 1960, the influence of its foreign master is still evident in the language, food and social dynamics. Locals are fluent in both French and Malagasy, and it is often hard to get by without an understanding of the fundamentals of either language. You can buy the typical local produce off the street then walk into a market and buy an assortment of French wine, cheese and cured meat. If you are an old knackered Frenchman, you can also buy a poor, young Malagasy woman and the evidence of this inequitable relationship is everywhere, particularly in popular regions where tourism and foreign expatriates have found their niche. Regardless of its now apparent popularity, it is still a poor nation by any country’s standard with 70% of the Malagasy people living below the poverty level and an average annual income of US$400. With a monthly income of $33, you can see the disparity that exists between the local population and its expatriate imports.
The western side of the country has a rugged beauty about it, with lateen-rigged dhows peppering the seascape and a landscape of parched, dry earth. One of the most diverse places on Earth, Madagascar offers much more than merely a haven for alcoholics looking for cheap fruit-flavoured rum. Once a destination solely for the intrepid, now tourists flock to her shores to experience a slice of remote isolation with the perks of a collective network. With 11,000 endemic species of plant and 175,000 endemic species of animal and a mind-blowing 90 percent of the total plant and animal species endemic to the country, the world has now recognized Madagascar’s uniqueness and the diversity it has to offer. Unfortunately, for many species this global recognition has come too late. While the country has the highest biodiversity per capita in the world, it has suffered massive habitat loss – with about 90 percent of its biologically bountiful forests wiped out by logging and slash and burn agriculture, and many of its regional forests reduced to 4% of their original size.
I would have loved to travel to more remote regions of Madagascar where the word ‘intrepid’ still holds true, but we didn’t have the time. We had two months in country and so we focused our travels in Nosy Be, a small-sized island located eight kilometers off the northwest corner of Madagascar. Named “Big Island” in the Malagasy language, Nosy Be has 75,000 inhabitants living in an area three-quarters the size of Singapore. Nosy Be is generally regarded as the largest and most popular tourist destination in Madagascar, and the island has monopolized on its popularity by offering an outcrop of guesthouses and restaurants, nature tours and guided trips to surrounding islets. There is a small but established yachting and fishing charter industry and Hellville – a very unfortunate but appropriately descriptive name for the island’s main town – provides an active night scene with boisterous bars and throbbing nightclubs. While “off the beaten path” is attainable in most reaches of the country, it is a bygone reference in these parts. It s the most expensive destination by two-fold, where the cost of food and the price of accommodation is double what you’d find throughout the rest of the country; that said, our propensity for local rum at $5 a liter rum puts cost into context. Regardless of its international draw, there is still a laid-back feeling to this hub of Madagascar activity and we slotted in quite nicely to the slow pace of life.
In yachting terms, Madagascar is now a stock standard stop in the cruising circuit across the Indian Ocean and Nosy Be is where all yachts eventually congregate. In the height of the season it is buzzing with activity, and it is not just foreigners who crowd the anchorages. Yachts mix with dhows as they vie for room in the bay. Nearly all the local trade is transported in sailing craft and local mariners are masters of handling engineless solid wooden boats as they gracefully slip past the modern lightweight plastic yachts with inches to spare. Well, that is, masters of craft most of the time. We were witness to an incident where a local dhow misjudged their approach and scraped past one yacht to go full broadside into another – the latter a spotless 60-food luxury yacht. The owners were good-natured about the incident and, after assessing damages, even better natured after inviting Captain Morgan’s cousins onboard to commiserate with them. Out of craving and consideration, we joined them.
Another of my favourite quotes came from my son who, at age three, took to telling all the restaurant staff, “I like beer. I like it all day long.” So it was for us with rum in Madagascar. For non-rum drinkers, what is there to do in Madagascar other than to drink rum all day? While the temptation to slip into a drunken stupor is very enticing on such cheap booze, there is so much on offer in Madagascar that warrants the occasional cap on the top of the rum bottle. For one, there are the lemurs – non-aggressive, gentle, and curious. Once spread across the country, extreme deforestation and population growth have reduced their territory and their numbers. Out of the seventy-one different type of lemur still in existence, currently all are listed as endangered species. Nosy Be has capitalized on their pull on tourists and there isn’t a stop where you don’t see them bounding through the trees – wild but habituated to human contact, incented to stay with handfuls of daily bananas. In almost every stop we made these gentle, docile creatures would leap from the trees with cat-like agility and land on a shoulder with a soft velvet touch. Unlike their raucous monkey cousins, lemurs are a model of good manners and patience.
If you’ve had your fill of lemurs and need to clear your head after a visit from one of the captain’s cousins, there is nothing better than going to sea. The sailing conditions in Madagascar are remarkably good. As the world’s fourth largest island, Madagascar is big enough to generate its own sea and land breeze – with a regularity with which you can set your watch to. With a reliable 15-knot afternoon sea breeze on the beam, sunshine in the sky and green shores gliding past one can easily forget the early morning promise of “never again!” and enjoy a perfect afternoon sail with rum in hand. You may take a dip in 28°C waters unspoiled by plastic litter, perhaps the result of extreme poverty levels that mean locals cannot afford to buy western packaged goods. You may sit back and watch the procession of sailing dhow glide past as they transport cargo up and down the coast. You may gaze out on the thatched houses that dot the hillsides, all made with organic materials that make Malagasy homes eco-friendly by design rather than fashion. You just may top the moment by looking over your rail to see a humpback or whale shark gliding past, the gentle giants who grace these shores every year from June to November.
Many yachts take advantage of these conditions to enjoy a cheap cruising ground. The anchorages are numerous and well protected, the locals are pleasant and the costs are minimal, and in season the winds are predictable. Since Ātea has followed an unusual route this season and arrived in Madagascar late and from the ‘wrong’ direction, we were out of touch with most of the Indian Ocean international fleet. The majority of our compatriots had already departed for South Africa and only by a stroke of luck and bad weather did we reunite with our good friends on S.V. Ngalawa for a bash out and birthday do. Instead of reconnecting with the international fleet, we fell in step with a mix of resident charter boats and South African cruisers. Just as New Zealand and Australian sailors frequent Tonga and Fiji, so do the South Africans frequent Madagascar – just one passage from home and all the delights of a foreign world lay afoot. Team Ātea jumped in and did all that we could to join in the fun with our new friends, with the captain’s cousins trailing close behind.
As Ātea and her crew loiter in the midst of a shiny fleet of newly baptized boats and cruisers from South Africa, our own sea miles continue to add up. Ātea has sailed over 30,000 miles since we started this adventure and it has been nearly two years since our last haul-out and maintenance period. The rust streaks are getting longer, the oil leaks are getting worse, the genoa furler is unreliable and we rely more and more on our backup systems, the skippers toolkit, our experience and plain old good luck. We have run out of fingers and toes to cross and safe anchorage at the end of each day is greeted with a sigh of relief, closely followed by a call to the Captain.
And so, we drank our way in and drank our way out in true Malagasy style: To the rum-flavoured fruits from the Garden of Eden. After a daily assembly over a two-month period, it was time to move on. We made our acquaintance with Captain Morgan’s Malagasy cousins and, with a dedication of time and attention, our tight bond was quickly forged and it is only at departure that I can look back and see how interwoven the relationship had become and to know, with absolute certainty, that a forced separation was necessary. But then, how were we to know, and how could we be blamed?
Having made our dash out to Madagascar, and having thoroughly enjoyed it, we are ready to return to Mozambique. The next leg takes us west again, to a small bay just south of the Quirimbas and to a friend of mine from a lifetime ago. We leave one amazing country to return to another amazing country, in an ocean that “holds nothing” for another but holds a world of wonder for me. We head back to unfinished business in a country we only touched, to eek out what we can of our time in the Indian Ocean before the turn of season demands our departure. With our bilges fully stocked with Malagasy rum, we are ready to tip our glass to the shores of Mozambique, to the migrating humpback whales that transit down the coast, and to friends from life past.
Tomorrow we raise anchor for the last time in Malagasy waters and depart this unique land. It has provided happy days and happy nights and deserves its place as a “must do” on the Indian Ocean cruising circuit. The dependable and undemanding weather, the attractive and secure anchorages, the colourful and culturally distinct people, the unique encounters with rare species both below and above the water and, of course, the ever-present taste and smell of flavoured rum permeates our minds and our memories. Tonight we raise our glass for the last time with Captain Morgan’s raucous cousins and seal a special friendship, and toast to the memories made that will span a lifetime.
Moments of our time in Mada: Photos
Footnote – we actually departed Madagascar in late October 2017 but have been characteristically late in getting this article to press!
My bloodshot pin-propped eyes have just logged 4,867 images into my brain of snapshots of our time in Tanzania. While the visual onslaught has left me cross-eyed and numb, the catalogue of moments spun in succession makes me realize how different an experience our time has been from the average khaki-clad tourist. I knew our cruising experience would be different for us when we set sight on East Africa, stripped of our palm-fringed beaches and string of pearly isles. I expected that our panorama would be replaced with a long stretch of bone-dry red dirt and parched baobab trees, and that we would slip into safari-mode as we tootled off with a bunch of other gawking cheetah-spotters to trek through world-class game parks. What we didn’t realize was that top-rate was synonymous with top-price. At several hundred dollars per head per day, the wonderful wilds of Africa was going to be a very expensive affair. Given the extremely high cost of the top-tier game parks and the distance we would need to travel from coastal Tanzania to get there, we knew we were out of budget and far too removed for any serious safari trekking. After researching our options we decided to skip the East African parks in wait for the cheaper, more accessible reserves of South Africa. With Mount Kili and The Geti in the scrap bin, I thought we’d miss what East Africa was all about – 4,867 blurry photos of spots, stripes, ivory and horn hidden behind a bone-dry veil of wheat-coloured grass.
Rather than the safari-mania we’d invisioned, it was a quick adjustment to realize we were going to experience a much less “Trip Advised” Africa. By the time we’d hit this realization it didn’t matter – there was much more to East Africa than the Big Five and we’d already fallen in love with our less-hyped experience. We were off on a back alley tour of Tanzania. While we wouldn’t be out tramping around the bush with a rifle-toting scout or trinket-shopping in a Maasai village, we were hanging out with locals in places far off the tourist path. For me, therein lies the best that travel has to offer: Off-beat, authentic, and unexploited. As I sort through our 4,867 images, what dawns on me most is the richness that “off the beaten path” offers: To seek your own route brings with it an authenticity of experience and a uniqueness of encounter that the tour-schemes are generally void of. Not that I advise anyone with the chance to game-drive East Africa not to jump at the opportunity – the Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater are truly one of the world’s most incredible natural wonders – but they are only a part of the richness that is East Africa and there is much that extends beyond the countries top-ranked attractions.
Tourism is one of East Africa’s leading economies, with thousands of international visitors signing up for safaris and land tours every year. On the cruising front, however, there is very little activity. Quotes from officials, locals and resort personnel suggest an average of three to five cruising yachts per year; even if you double that number it is still a very small percentage in respect to global cruising numbers. With so many people throughout the world jumping on planes bound for Kenya and Tanzania by the thousands, why are so few cruising yachts headed to her shores?
One factor may be piracy. While Somalian piracy has been a dissuading factor in recent history, current reports indicate an abatement in attacks and a decrease in risk for yachts headed through the Red Sea. There has been an increasing stream of cruising yachts crossing from the Indian Ocean into the Mediterranean via the Red Sea over the past few years, and all report safe passage. With this threat minimized, the proximity of East Africa to Somalia should weigh less heavily on the mind. In fact, current reports rank the Caribbean and Indonesia as having the highest incidents of piracy yet boats continue to flock to their shores every year. Where has that flock gone in East Africa, and why hasn’t it returned?
Perhaps the reason few cruisers don’t include East Africa in their circuit is concern for a less headline type of crime – general safety. When we talked to a few cruisers of our interest in East Africa, crime became a common discussion point. Would we be safe there? Weren’t we putting our children at risk? Wasn’t a yacht a target for thieves? Yet, all yachts heading through the Indian Ocean were pulling into Madagascar where reports of property theft were rife and then sailing onward to South Africa which holds some of the world’s highest crime rates. Yachts continue to sail to Madagascar and South African each year – so, why avoid East Africa for similar concerns?
While we encountered no instances of assault to either body or property during our time in East Africa, that isn’t to say every country doesn’t hold a crime sheet. The last time I was in Tanzania, working in the tourist trade, my purse was stolen from me. Impulsive by nature, I chased after the thief. In doing so, I unwittingly incited a mob and the mania that ensued was mind-blowing. The mob caught and battered the poor man, and the police who intervened only carried on the abuse. The result of his capture was imprisonment and death. What blared out to me at the time was how quickly order can disintegrate into chaos. “This is how we deal with crime in our country,” the Chief of Police told me: The life of a twenty-year old man for a passport and few hundred bucks. It was a hard lesson learned. I had no idea my cry of theft would issue the young man a death sentence. The instance illustrates the hard-line attitude towards crime, yet even with severe repercussions, theft remains an issue.
Acknowledging this undercurrent of potential unrest, our time in East Africa wasn’t tainted by any fear of threat. Life on a yacht means we are often in remote regions exposed to our surroundings, yet throughout out time we felt very safe and welcomed by the locals. That said, as travellers, it is our responsibilities not to invite an incident and not taunt those without with our comparative affluence. In these parts of the world, a little goes a long way and in comparative terms, we have a lot. Equally, it is our charge to ensure we do not expose ourselves. There is a saying that goes, “if it isn’t locked on, you must not care for it.” Outboard engines, for example, are more precious than a block of gold. Hang it on the rail without securing it on or leave the tender with it attached in the water overnight and you send out a beacon as a target. I know of several cruisers who woke to the sound of uninvited guests knocking about on deck in the middle of the night – everything secured was in place, but anything not locked down was lifted. Invitation accepted.
Returning to the discussion of cruising in East Africa – or lack thereof – another factor may be a fear of corruption and the hassle of dealing with crooked officials. For my part, I believe there is a fair amount of miscommunication and misrepresentation on cruising blogs and websites that paints an unfair picture of East Africa. Personally, we received a number of warnings that cautioned us against clearing in at almost every port of entry: We would be ripped off, bribes would be demanded, the officials would be difficult. None of these reports matched the experience. Of the four yachts we know of that cleared into Tanzania this year, each at a different port – Pemba, Mafia, Tanga, Dar es Salaam – every one had a positive experience. The gossip and the reports were different from the collective experience, yet if all you have to go on is negative feedback then it is hard to be persuaded to add it as a destination on your list.
Adverse wind and current for yachts transiting south down the coast may also play at the minds of would-be East African cruisers. This was one of the reasons we initially scrapped Tanzania from our route plan, but my love for East Africa kept niggling in the back of my brain… how could we travel this far and come this close to bypass the East African coast all together? I knew in setting our sights on East Africa that we would diverge from the majority of cruising yachts crossing the Indian Ocean. But with so much on offer it seemed a worthwhile decision. What we needed to understand, however, was whether we could sail Ātea south down the coast against the strong currents and winds. All talk had been that the coast was impossible to transit during the southeast monsoon season. The prevailing winds are from the south and the current also sweeps you north, making progress south very difficult before the seasons change in January. However, on closer analysis we’d decided that by sticking very close to the coast we would avoid the biggest punch of current and that both wind and current turns favorable after Capo Delgado on the Tanzanian-Mozambiquen border; we would only need to tackle this issue during the first 300 miles of our passage. If we picked our weather right we should be able to pinch our way forward in calm conditions and use the land breeze to make good progress; this might result in less sailing but it would mean that we could move south without bashing boat and body to pieces – a fair tradeoff. At least, this was our theory. Having seen the possibility – a crack in the bolted door to East Africa – we decided we’d wander on through and find out for ourselves.
A final factor that may explain the low numbers of yachts visiting East Africa is that it is not on the main cruising route. Yachts transiting the Indian Ocean have two options if they are heading west, as most are: head north through the Red Sea or south to South Africa. As there is still a very palpable fear factor to the Red Sea option, most choose a southerly route. While Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique can reasonably fit into this option, Madagascar is now very much on the radar and it is hard to include both destinations in one season. While Madagascar used to be considered remote and off the beaten path, it is hard to find a yacht who has crossed the Indian Ocean these days who hasn’t included Madagascar as a destination – and for many, a highlight. East Africa, bypassed for its neighbour, remains an isolated gem.
Most yachts that head south towards Madagascar from all departure points in the eastern Indian Ocean will hit some very rough seas and weather. Often circumnavigators report this area as being one of the toughest they’ve ever had to transit and many boats suffer damage on approach. So, when it comes to weather routing there are some considerations a skipper must seriously query. We decided we could negotiate the strong currents off the East African coast by staying close to land, and in choosing this route we would also avoid the battering that the direct passage to Madagascar brings. We found in doing so we compromised a hard passage for a longer, more roundabout route, and the decision to go via Tanzania probably added two hundred extra engine hours to the season. Easier on the boat and crew, but harder on the engine and bank account. I am glad we choose the option that we did: our passage was smooth if not costly, and we got the addition of exploring Tanzania – an experience as rewarding and worthwhile as I imagined.
Now that we’ve scooted past the border and can reflect on our time in Tanzania, I see several distinct phases of our trip which, combined, weaves a rich cultural and natural tapestry that makes East Africa one of my favourite destinations yet. Our route included remote Pemba, an island off the north-east coast of Tanzania, where the dramatic coastline of eroded limestone and sheer underwater walls drop from a dramatic two meters to three hundred meters in a vertical line. While there are a few tourist hamlets with isolated, high-end resorts, the majority of Pemba is rural and isolated from tourism. There we were invited into rustic villages where a smattering of Swahili phrases got us further than English, where the children were shy of our foreign-ness and the women hid their faces from the camera’s eye. The diving in season at Pemba is reported to be some of the best in East Africa, and the underwater topography lends itself to truth. Dhows bespeckle the African coast, but no place will conjure up their beauty like seeing a long line of them sail past us at sunset. I could have spent months there, tucked in, watching their daily pilgrimage to and from the sea.
From Pemba we made a short, unscheduled stop in Kenya due to strong northerly currents and engine failure. We were escorted to the mainland by spinning dolphin, breaching humpback whale and S.V. Barbara Ann, an American cruising couple we’d become friends with earlier in the year. There we were entreated to the sight of a beautiful old stone village, the taste of seaweed and mud crab, and introduced to the Kenyan border security. So much for our sneaky duck in and out that we’d hoped for; however, for a bottle of Johnny Walker and $20 we negotiated an amicable short-term arrangement. In general, I’m not a fan of paying bribes but when you are truly in the wrong and someone is winking you with upturned palm, a slip of green may very well suit the occasion.
From the southern tip of the Kenyan coast, we returned to legal turf in Tanzania; friends old (S.V. Momo) and friends new (S.V. Dallandra) were waiting for us in the coastal town of Tanga and we were excited to reconnect. Over the next two weeks we became familiar with rural mainland Tanzania, a grumpy club commodore and cheap yacht club cocktails.
We also did some inland travel to the Usambara Mountains in northeast Tanzania, where we rented a mountain chalet and explored the high altitude ranges and the cloud-enshrouded mountain villages, and hunted down the wild yet charismatic chameleon. It was a treat to get some inland travel and see rural Tanzania, as well as be introduced to Mambo View Lodge and witness how an eco-tourism business that is embedded in the community can make a genuine and sustainable difference.
From there we explored the historically significant Zanzibar island, rich in history, spice, and tourism. We drank sunset cocktails on the beach with the other foreign imports in the north and walked the tightly woven streets of old Stonetown in the south. We shopped for trash and trinkets in the labyrinth of shops and stalls and in general, had a fabulous time being tourists amongst tourists. We ate octopus at the fish market, drank spiced coffee at the cafes and indulged in the myriad of culinary options the old town has to offer. Zanzibar is a truly multiethnic community that carries the unique atmosphere of a city that has genuine mystique and whispers of exotic mystery at every corner. Zanzibar was once the centre of the slave trade for the whole of East Africa and the prosperity of the Sultanate was derived in part from the business of human trade, a dark history beneath the present day tourist-friendly UNESCO-approved World Heritage site. In such a place, the history of long ago still lingers in the dark crevices of its tight winding alleys and seeps from the cracks of every chipped-stucco wall. A hundred and fifty years later and every thick, spike-studded door continues to hold behind it the secrets of its past.
Our last notable stop was in the main port and commercial hub of Dar es Salaam, where we found ourselves quickly settling into the upmarket expatriate scene. It offers a great base as provisions are easily got and readily available, the promenade provides a great social hub, there is a great selection of excellent restaurants and the ice cream is divine. There is a upitty yacht club and a hospitable slipway, the former providing airs of colonial self-import and the latter providing resources for practical support. I guess it is this last stop that clarified what I found so enchanting about Tanzania – it is like the rubiks cube of travel destinations.
It offers a kaleidoscope of different settings unique and different from each other – from coast to sea, from valley to mountain, from bustling town to isolated village. Weaved through each of these environments is the open arms and the wide grin of the Tanzanian local – warm, engaging and delightful. In itself perhaps you could say this of every people in every country, but there is an intangible and almost indescribable uniqueness that is East Africa, discovered only by time on her soil and interaction with her people.
Looking back, our route included remote Pemba, rural Tanga, misty Usambara mountains, vibrant Zanzibar, quaint Dar es Salaam, interspersed with small bays and islets along the way. We zigzagged back and forth from island to coast moving south through coastal Tanzania from the northern border of Kenya to the southern border of Mozambique and got a good introduction to the land and life of Tanzania and its people along the way. While we didn’t spot the Big Five, walk the crater rim or hike Mount Kilimanjaro — something that would define most people’s trip through Tanzania — we got so much that is outside the box that is equally rewarding. This reward came to us by trusting our capabilities and following our own desires against the recommendation and advice of popular opinion and outsider fears. By stepping outside the standard cruising circuit, we found the blog posts outdated and general opinions misinformed. None of the factors that suggest blockades to sailing coastal Tanzania proved to be actual barriers and the few cruisers that do test these boundaries find themselves well rewarded. As I look back on my photos, it dawns on me that we’d actually struck gold without knowing it: We got to see and experience things at ground-level, outside of the stampede of flocking tourists and beyond the security of a cruising community. We got off-beat, authentic, and unexploited – the three main ingredients for a top-rate trip. We got to finger the fringes of a rare and well endhowed gem.
To view the Tanzania album, click here: Endhowed
Our Passage from the Seychelles to East Africa:
Day 1: Friday, 14th July. Anchored at Baie Beau Vallon, Mahe, Seychelles. DTG: 983 miles.
There is an ancient sailors saying that that states, “Never leave port on a Friday.” It is Friday today, but we leave anyway… I am placing my trust in the powers of loose interpretation. We may be leaving port on Friday, but it will take us 200 miles – or 1.5 days at 5 knots – to actually sail across the country’s western boarder. As we see it, technically we are safe from this historic and well-established mariners superstition.
The dinghy is stowed on deck, we have precooked meals packed in the freezer and all loose items are secured below. This past week has kept us occupied with the activities that consume a pre-passage routine: Provisioning, key boat maintenance projects, port clearance and pre-departure logistics. This past week has also kept us busy creating new liquid concoctions from the liquor cabinet: We were introduced through a mutual friend (thanks Astrid!) to a delightful Australian cruising family and our welcome party with the crew on S.V. Dallandra extended nonstop through the entire week. After a frantic week of yacht preparations during the day and social debauchery by night, we’d come to the end of our cruising permit and it was time to officially depart. We cleared customs, drove Ātea around the corner, and spent the next few days in holiday relaxation mode.For the past few days we’ve sat illegally in country, tucked around the corner in front of a swanky beachside resort with the express purpose of indolence and indulgence. John and I hit up the poolside bar, slurping rainbow-coloured liquid from umbrella-clad glasses with our feet up on deckchairs. The kids undertook a 48-hour marathon, swimming and running in an all-out endurance test fit for Olympic champions. It was a needed respite as the passage in front of us was going to be a rough one; we needed to top up our reservoirs before the next 1,000 ocean miles that lay in front of us.
We departed at 8am after a good rub of the eye and a strong mug of coffee. We motored most of the afternoon with light winds, but by nightfall the wind filled in as predicted; if it maintains we will be able to sail through the night. Thanks to Marley, the eight-year old crewmember onboard S.V. Dallandra, Braca has dropped his fascination with sea creatures and talks of nothing but wookies and ewoks. We decided that we’d give him more to go on than the 1cm light saber and mini-Vader that was donated to him from Marley’s Star Wars-themed Lego set and introduce him to the real deal: Episode I-VII of George Lukas’ masterpiece… Da da da Da di dum Da di dum….. Here we go – slipping our son and ourselves into an entirely new dimension. This passage our “theme day” will expand the week. For the next seven days we intend to knock off one episode a day. By the end of this passage I am sure we will have all crossed over to The Dark Side – our sweet little Nemo has no chance against The Force.
Day 2: Saturday 15/7, Position: 04 53S, 53 22E. Anchored at Banc Africans. DTG: 859.
Calm weather is coming… Predict Wind forecasted it and the weather is proving it. We have decided to drop anchor at a deserted islet 120 due west of the Seychelles rather than spend $200 on the mind-numbing drone of the engine for the next 48 hours. With the anchor down we revel in the splendid isolation of our little oasis – no one knows we are here, there are no humans for more than 100 miles and there is no contact with the outside world. We have only the birds for company but in that we are inundated. The clamorous noise emanating from the island reverberates around us and we find peace in the cacophony of shrieks and cries.
We give the kids their passage present even though Ātea sits on anchor mid-trip. I know Braca would delight in a Star Wars themed Lego set but I didn’t have the foresight to predict his new fascination; they get a boxed set of car-themed Lego each – enough to provide a preoccupation for the following few hours before dismantling them and making Lego-sabers. What these kids are learning to do through their imagination is a direct result of their deficit in theme-spec’d toys.
Day 3: Sunday 16/7, Position: 04 53S, 53 22E. Anchored at Banc Africans. DTG: 859.
Even land-based rituals extend to our passages when sea conditions permit. Today is Sunday and custom demands Sunday pancakes. After consuming a few syrup-doused flour fritters, we decide that the tiny islet needs a few Storm Troopers to patrol its boundaries and ensure safe harbour. With the dinghy secured on deck and a wide berth given to the island when anchoring, we need suitable transport ashore and our little inflatable kayak becomes the landing craft for our band of mini-troopers. The beauty of the little island amazes us – the sand is salt-white and flour-fine; the bush is filled with a million tiny noddy-eggs and the air is filled with the protective squawk of the mother-birds warning us away. Bridled terns lay their eggs directly in the sand, a few short feet away from the waters-edge at high tide. The kids saunter up enormous turtle-tracks that guide them to a half-dozen buried nests. This is the world before human encroachment. We spent the afternoon adding invasive human footprints in the sand and watching the birds soar, swoop and hoot their disapproval of our presence on their turf.
Day 4: Monday 17/7, Position: 04 53S, 53 22E. Anchored at Banc Africans. DTG: 859.
Whoa! We woke up to a big surprise – our first sight out the window was at the ass-end of a fishing boat anchored a few meters off our bow. So much for our splendid isolation! I brought my coffee up on deck for a sociable chat and found out that for all the flat seabed that surrounded us, they decided it best to anchor on top of us so that they could meet us; I found charm in what would normally be an annoyance. One generalized trait I can give the Seychellois is their outward sociability. I enjoyed sitting on deck chatting with them as they carried about with their morning rituals – washing armpits, brushing teeth, drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes – me a closer part of their world than we could have shared had they followed proper mariner protocol.
We followed them ashore a little later to continue our banter and took immediate liking to the lot of them; I watched as one tread through (and presumably on) bird eggs to film the million screeching and swooping terns for his absent son while the others dug up buckets of the rich guano for their gardens back home. I chatted with one who had been a park ranger and learned that the eggs would begin to hatch in a week and in two weeks the island would be covered with little fluffy hatchlings. We invited them over for tea, an offer that turned to an afternoon drinking vodka. In the process, we somehow ended up with their dinghy tied to our stern – a last minute arrangement that kept us from sailing as intended that evening to spare them the time dragging it up on deck. After they departed we were struck by the trust they’d bestowed in us, and we were flooded with appreciation for the life that we are currently leading.
By 5pm the wind began to roll in at 15 knots but we will wait until the morning for departure. It has been a fantastic day with four very warm, friendly Seychellois, reminding us how wonderful these random moments are and how important it is to cast plans when an opportunity presents to make the most of the present. Our passage to Africa will take seven days regardless of our delay and there should be no shortage of wind from this point forward. Plus, we’d had a belly-full of vodka, so why rush?
Day 5: Tuesday 18/7, Position: 04 53S, 53 22E. Anchored at Banc Africans. DTG: 859.
Shrill whistles woke us at 6am as our fishing buddies returned to reclaim their dinghy before continuing onward to Praslin with their catch. We raised sails shortly after and head off in the opposite direction. It is a perfect 15-knot breeze – congratulations to John for reading the forecast and picking the right weather window. The two days we spent at Banc Africains resulted in two days that we didn’t burn diesel. Given the high cost of diesel in the Seychelles we decided not to fill our tanks; we would take the 1,000-mile run to Africa with what we have remaining from diesel we bought in the Maldives three months ago. With half a tank remaining, we will need consistent and reliable winds to make it.
In the late afternoon, however, the wind eased and we bobbed in 5 knots amidst a mild ocean. We took it for the first few hours and enjoyed the silence, then kicked on the engine… diesel or not, we have an ocean to cross and we have to charge the batteries anyway. Our intended “Star Wars” theme day is delayed until we can muster the energy to match the children’s demand for creativity. Instead, we put on the first episode of Star Wars and watched the creativity of others: ‘Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace’… let’s hope there is nothing like that onboard for us. By early evening the wind returned and I enjoyed a solid 15-knot watch. By midnight the winds were continuing to build so we put a second reef in the main, pulled out the staysail and rolled away the genoa, leaving Ātea under a more comfortable sail configuration. Let’s hope the wind holds through the night at 20-30 knots.
Day 6: Wednesday 19/7, Position: 05 00S, 50 00E. DTG: 859.
The 20-30 knot winds remain all day, but it isn’t the wind that is making things rough… the sea state is knocking us about like loose marbles. The ocean is rough and rollers rock the boat over each bulge of water, splashing seawater over our deck. Our high center cockpit provides a secure helming position and our bimini clears leave us protected and dry. The day passes with a rocking boat and rolling bellies as John and I are feeling lethargic and unsettled with all the movement; we lay low today. We have not been able to muster much mental energy to take Braca through his schoolwork or engage in play, but the kids are doing well and are happily entertaining themselves with Lego and books. They seem indifferent to the conditions outside, but for the first time I have an inkling of what seasickness is about: The leathery, the apathy, the disorientation, the drowsiness. Each day is starting to roll into a sameness of the day prior and I feel like we are becoming a replica of Starwars II: The Clone Wars. Let’s hope tomorrow shakes us free.
Of note, we have turned off our AIS for the first time ever – for those unfamiliar, AIS stands for Automated Identification System and it broadcasts our position to any other vessel with AIS within a 10-30 mile radius. Turning this off means that no other boats can see our position, which is a risk when considering the fast-moving tankers and cargo ships that may pass our way. However, given the possibility of pirates in these waters, going stealth makes us feel that this is a safer course.
Day 7: Thursday 20/7, Position: 05 08S, 49 00E. DTG: 726.
John and I are finally feeling better. The kids have been fantastic, wrapped up in sibling play. Today the swell has eased and the wind dropped to 15 knots and we are feeling less pressure under the eased sea state. We promised the kids a “Star Wars” theme day but continue to postpone it; we will have to follow through with our commitment soon otherwise we will have our own Star Wars III enactment onboard: ‘The Revenge of the Sith’ – hopefully we will be able to pull it off tomorrow.
Two ships have passed at a distance in all these miles and all this ocean. The decision to head west on a beam reach towards Tanzania versus direct into the wind to Madagascar seems a good one right now – any more bashing into the seas and both body and boat would have been in much worse condition. The baffle in the water tank broke last night, making a terrible grinding sound from under the deck that took us awhile to pinpoint; there is nothing more disconcerting than an unusual noise that you can’t identify. When the clatter got worse, John pulled off the top of the water tank and removed the remaining bolts and the baffle while a tonne of unleashed drinking water slopped around him and the inside of the boat and successfully silenced the metallic knell. Another job is added to the list. More unpleasant sounds are coming from the rudderstock with a loud creak on each roll. We think this might be the sealing packing binding in the shaft, but with the coast of Somalia just 500 miles downwind of us steering gear failure is not something we wish to contemplate.
Not much to report other than continued progress towards the African coast. This has been a dull passage to date, though respectively easy. The food was well prepared before departure so meals are easy – a good thing as neither John nor I have much appetite in the constant roll. We’ve held a conservative sail plan so we could have more control in stronger winds; today we rolled out the genoa and increased our speed by 2 knots and in doing so shortened the overall trip by a day. We are experiencing a moody ocean for the first time in a long while and it is a good reminder of all the different states that the ocean brings with it.
Day 8: Friday 21/7, Position: 05 31S, 46 35E. DTG: 610.
It is Friday and today marks one week since our official “unofficial” departure from the Seychelles. We expect a Swahili karibu (translate: welcome) on Monday if this weather continues. All feeling episode IV-ish, “A New Hope.” The wind continues off our port side at 15-20 knots and the seas have settled. We continue to have the good sailing conditions that yesterday brought us and we are finally reaping the rewards of our route choice – a beam reach versus the hard bash to windward that Madagascar would have brought us. Let’s hope these conditions continue as we will have had continuous wind at an average of 15-20 knots for the duration of the trip and plenty of diesel remaining in our tank.
It is great to have consistent passage-making wind after a few windless seasons in Asia and six windless months in the Maldives; it is a good reminder of the value of maintaining a conservative sail plan. Ātea has two reefs in the main and both the staysail and the genoa are rolled up eight turns. At most, this represents 60% of our normal sail area but is proving to be the right balance for these conditions, driving us west at 6 knots while allowing us comfort through the squalls. We could push Ātea faster, but 6 knots get us a good average at 150 miles per day. Any faster and we would add stress to the steering, rig and sails, increase violence to the ship’s motion, and add extra work for the crew in sail changes due to the frequent squalls.
The kids continue to play onboard as if it were another day in the norm; their imagination is their salvation out here at sea! Today we celebrated “Half Way Day” and the kids opened another of their wrapped presents with much glee and excitement. All is good onboard. While we continue to get a consistent wind and there is no urgency to get in, it is much a passage of dullness and I am looking forward to getting in, anchoring shoreside and having a level floor again.
Ātea and the flying fish are hopping along at 8 knots tonight, the latter landing on deck for a free ride or safe haven. I keep running around on deck trying to free each one before it realizes it has just landed dooms day. Our netting provides a great means of keeping everything onboard… even the unsuspecting flying fish fail to escape our baby-proofed “playpen.”
Day 9: Saturday 22/7, Position: 05 32S, 43 51E. DTG: 460.
Our progress continues along at a fast pace. We’ve hit the sweet spot with consistent wind – the wind has not gone below 15 knots or above 30 for the past few days. We sit in a perfect 15-20 knot pocket with the wind on our port beam, ticking off 150-180 miles a day. Right now, the decision to head west seems a brilliant choice from the beating that the yachts report from a southern passage to Madagascar. Of course, we may get a reenactment of Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back when we attempt to go south along the Tanzanian coast. The current splits just south of the border between Mozambique and Tanzania – until we get across this parallel, we can expect strong southerly winds and northerly currents to make our transit south a struggle. It is our hope that both ease as predicted in September and we can grab our weather windows as they present to scratch our way down the coast until the equatorial current splits and sends us zipping on our way towards South Africa.
At long last, John and I uphold our promise. Today we spent the early part of the day sifting through scraps to pull together one Darth Vader ensemble and three Storm Trooper outfits. Braca has claimed identity with the Evil Lord… where has my eco-sensitive humanitarian environmentalist gone?! Sweet gulping Nemo has been tossed down the toilet to be replaced with the incessant death-rattle of Anakin reincarnate; Lego fish creations have been replaced by Lego swords, guns and light sabers. And here we are, conscientious parents, encouraging this. We unravel six toilet paper rolls to get the cardboard for our weaponry. We tear strips of usable cloth to create full-length capes. We pull bilge lining to construct masks and we use permanent marker that turns out to be permanent only on our newly upholstered settees. All good fun ensues.
Day 10: Sunday 23/7, Position: 05 37S, 41 25E. DTG: 298 (162 miles in 24-hours; this is one of Atea’s best-ever runs). The wind has remained and the excitement is high. We will be in tomorrow and now, at the end, the passage seems to have clicked through in the blink of an eye. Star Wars VI – The Return of the Jedi… not that I feel like I have triumphed over evil to get here; our first few days were rough but since then the weather has behaved as predicted and Ātea held up as we hoped. But I do Return – to a continent I spent my formative years in with my birth family and to a continent I took on as a young adult in my early thirties. I return a fourth time, this time as a wife and mother to share my past history and create new experiences with the family I have helped create. After a decade of being away from the Dark Continent, this Jedi Knight is ready to experience this rich, rewarding and expressive world afresh and all over again!
Day 11: Monday 24/7, Position: 05 22S, 39 38E. DTG: 148.
We drop anchor at Mkoani, Pemba Island, Tanzania at midday, 850 miles out from Banc Africains. There are a few milestones that coincide with the conclusion of this trip: This is now our sixth season cruising onboard Ātea and we’ve only just completed our first ocean crossing. For context, John completed a four-year circumnavigation onboard his yacht Violetta in 1995 with 29,000 ocean miles and I sailed 12,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean within one year, but after six years Ātea has only just passed the 30,000 mile mark. Clearly we are making leisurely progress.
I feel more than the obvious excitement that comes at the end of a passage; I am on African soil again and I am thrilled to be back. I knew when I left that it would be a long time before I returned to the continent and I was right – it has taken me a decade. I was captivated then, as I am sure to be again. I am not sure why more cruisers transiting the Indian Ocean don’t spent time off the east African coast as there is so much on offer here; we are just hours on arrival and I already hear myself begging for more time. I can feel my fingers digging into the soil trying to hold purchase, knowing regardless of the time I will get that it will be too short. But I am here now and greedy to consume as much of the experience as I can, for however long I can get. So here we are – Kuleta juu ya Afrika! – let the fun begin!
Follow link to photos of our passage: Album Images
The decision to join a cruising rally is often a process of weighing pros and cons and finding where you fall in the balance. I like to think I have a bit of pirate in me, daring to fly my own battle flag, but I lowered that weather-beaten rag from the cross-trees and signed up for the 2017 Sail Maldives Rally. There were two driving factors the decision to join: One, it was essentially free and two, it promised an extravaganza unlike anything the country has ever seen. Swashbuckler or not, who could miss a good party? A promotional article published by the rally’s marketing director, Sarah Harvey, stated, “This is the largest mass-participation event the Maldives has even seen. Imagine 100-plus yachts cruising the Maldives’ waters… This will be [an] unforgettable event and the whole country is getting ready to welcome the participants from around the world.” Furthermore, the article boldly touted, “By joining the first ever Sail Maldives yacht rally you’ll be playing a part in making history, since it is the first time anything like this has ever taken place in the Maldives.” We were going to be Mavericks. We were in.
Having made the decision, we were aiming for end of January for kick off. We’d spent most of the 2016 cruising season exploring islands in the eastern Indian Ocean without the company of other cruisers and, having already spent three months in the Maldives, I was eager to drop anchor in a crowded lagoon. There was only one problem: Where were the participants? We were down to the official start date and there were only three yachts on the list and one, I knew, had already dropped out. Considerable marketing had gone into publicizing the event and there had been a lot of queries by interested cruisers; surely a percentage of those would take the bait. The rally rolled the start date back a month, hoping that late February might ensnare a larger school in its net.
We pulled into Uligan mid-February, the northernmost entry point, excited for the show to begin. We were forwarded an email sent by the first yacht to arrive on scene, a Scottish crew on SV Ngawala:
“We arrived to meet Assad [our yachting agent] and his colleagues who have been tremendously hospitable. The clearance was quick and hassle-free and we were even brought a bouquet of frangipanis and fresh coconuts. In the past three days, we have enjoyed a fish BBQ hosted by the local mayor, visited the nearest resort, learnt how to fish, climb a coconut tree and swam with dolphins and manta rays. We are looking forward to meeting everyone and enjoying what promises to be an amazing rally.”
The organizers kept touting a hundred boats on the roll call and we expected to have to muscle our way into the anchorage. The day of the second official start date, just two yachts were lined up. The start was again delayed to wait for yachts held up in Sri Lanka and purportedly on their way. Over the course of a few sunny, lazy days we watched the horizon and waited. Finally, far from full capacity, the nod was given and the 2017 Sail Maldives Rally officially kicked off at double our initial number.
Given our decision to join for social reasons, a team of four may sound a disappointing number. For us, however, that was a 400% increase in our social network. A small rally meant that we could travel comfortably together. In an interview with the rally’s founder, Ahmed Adeel states, “The sailing community is like a family, everyone likes to share their experiences with fellow sailors from all around the world.” We could build inter-yacht connections without being lost in a mariner’s metropolis and have genuine experiences with locals without drowning out the authentic in a whirlwind of ogling photo-hungry tourists. Continuing, Adeel adds, “I thought of creating an event where sailors can gather together in the Maldives, have a great holiday and explore the beauty of the country. There is no better sailing destination anywhere else in the world.” With 30°c above water and 30°c below water, with 1,190 tiny islands sprinkled across a territory surrounded by 99% seawater, guided by an in-country host such as Sail Maldives Rally, there truly is no cruising destination like it.
As the weeks moved on we grew from a group of four to eight, and eventually from eight to twelve. The agenda for the rally was crammed with daily movement, local excursions and cultural activities. Over the course of two months we would be escorted by a rally boat from the northernmost atoll to the southernmost atoll, through a chain of palm-fringed islands that extend 1200 miles down the northern Indian Ocean. This rally boat, or “mothership” was it was affectionately called, was a 100-foot charter launch that hosted staff to guide and entertain us, complete with an onsite liquor license and fully stocked bar; a magnetic draw in a liquor-free country. The local community welcomed us at all the villages on arrival with food, dance, and festivities. Our appetite for the Maldives wasn’t going to be whetted, it was going to be saturated.
The pace at the beginning was fast. We moved almost daily to keep up with the rally schedule and were entreated to an amazing display of island hospitality.As we travelled from island to island, we were greeted ashore by a line of women and children holding flower-bedecked coconuts and shell-studded wreaths, entertained by dancer and drummers, fed fresh caught lobster and fish and guided through the township by our gracious hosts. It was hard not to feel humbled by the outpouring of gifts and gestures after a long succession of these events; this was not a government sponsored event and in all cases the budget came out of island council funds and the charity of the villagers it supports. All the effort that had gone into these elaborate events were done for our benefit at the request of the rally organizers, and we didn’t contribute a dime.
Long-term cruisers are notorious for being spendthrift. While there are few truly destitute sailors these days, all of us are trying to extend our time afloat. Our decision to join the Sail Maldives Rally was made easy by the fact that we didn’t have to pay anything extra (perhaps I should say, we were already paying enough). Whether we paid our fees directly to an independent agent or to the rally, the total cost was the same. Bringing a yacht into the Maldives carries significant costs in official permits and documentation, and a three month sojourn through the country costs about US$1,200 in cruising permits, anchorage charges, clearance costs, quarantine Inspection levies, and the list goes on. As a result, excess fees to join the rally would have made it cost prohibitive for many. Realizing this, the rally organizers put their own money forward to pursue their ambitions of making the Maldives an international cruising destination and paid for the cost of running the event out of their own pockets. In a late-night chat on the aft deck of the rally boat, Adeel explained that he had conceived of the rally a few years back and had dedicated the past year to arduous government meetings trying to persuade an uninterested body to support the venture. His goal was to prove the inaugural 2017 Sail Maldives Rally a success and get government aid for subsequent rallies. For this rally to succeed, the opinions of government decision-makers will have to be swayed or the rally will have to find a viable source of funding.
But for now, thanks to our hosts, we were livin’ large. We were being hosted in a country renowned for its cultural reservation and distance. Instead of the indifference reported by previous cruisers, we were flooded by warm hospitality in every village we visited. Having spent several months in the country on our own, I realized what an honour it was to be shown customs that we would not have been privy to outside of the rally; rather than quiet reserve, we watched band after band of local drummers kicking out rhythmic beats and writhed with men and women on sandy shores to a movement never seen before and elaborate costumes we will never see again. The rally also introduced us to islands either prohibited to foreigners or too convoluted to attempt to enter on our own. The atolls can be geographically restrictive and difficult to transit without local knowledge. The anchorages are often deep (25-30 meters), the passes shallow (2-4 meters), and the lagoons filled with an impenetrable labyrinth of coral bommies. Because of this, many read the notes of other cruisers and follow an established path year after year. In joining the rally, we were shown islands otherwise banned and accepted into communities unused to foreign tourists. As participants we were privy to a side of the Maldives previous cruisers had never experienced, all thanks to the Sail Maldives Rally.
Joining a group, however, comes with its share of conflict and a rally at its inception is inherently fraught with errors – the learning curve was steep. Misjudgement in planning and poor communication led to periodic conflict between some participants and the organizers, and eventually the pack split into those whose glass was half full and those with glass half empty. To their credit, the rally team was responsive to all feedback and adjusted their agenda as requested but most of us were ready to kick our internal engines into idle after a month and a half of fast-paced movement and continuous engagement. Our tight pack of twelve split up. Some yachts continued to follow the rally and the village events, others ventured off to explore the underwater scenery and search for the manta ray and whale shark found in the region. The central Maldives is a world renowned dive destination and for those of us who like to be submerged under 30 meters of water; this was our spot. The central atolls are the country’s hub of tourism and resort after resort lay perched on every visible patch of sand, running their wooden tentacles out into the sea. Live-aboard dive boats crisscross their aquatic tracks throughout the surrounding sites. Breaking up the group to accommodate the yachts was a good tactical strategy and allowed everyone time to follow their interests and explore at their own pace.
As we entered the southern atolls, the majority of yachts regrouped. By this stage the rally support team had disintegrated into a one-man band. Unfortunately, the mothership suffered irreparable damage to its generator and limped into Male midway through the rally. The ship, and all crew with it, were left behind. It was a blow to the rally and a serious loss to those of us who had become regulars on the traveling party barge; no more potluck dinners on the top deck, no more evening cocktails shared bar side, no more late night disco parties. We left behind the charming local crew who supported us along the first part of our journey. Our man-on-the-ground and respective dog-handler, Ahmed Hanyff, continued to travel with us as a guest on one of the cruising boats but by this stage all events ceased and the rally unofficially ended from this point forward.
While the disintegration of the rally at the midway point could be perceived as a disappointment, particularly for the organisers, I believe we got the best of both worlds. Our eyes were opened to local custom and culture through community events and we developed some tight bonds with local Maldivians, while at the same time getting the freedom to roam the atolls at our own pace and discover a side of the Maldives unique to us. With the rally we experienced full and fast, without we enjoyed slow and select.
I don’t know what Adeel and the Sail Maldives Rally team will choose to do, or what the fate of Sail Maldives Rally will be. I like to drink from a glass half full, and feel that we got everything that we wanted from the rally. However I do not imagine that the organisers got what they hoped for this year, nor can I see that the tremendous effort they put into pulling this together paid off. I hope that as guinea pigs we’ve helped pave the way for future rally participants and demonstrated that the Maldives offers the perfect playground for a successful rally event. For their sake, and for the sake of future cruisers, I hope to see a 2018 Sail Maldives Rally with lessons learned. I will most certainly stow my pirate’s hat and pull the free rally shirt over my shoulders if the opportunity presents itself again. Cruising the Maldives just isn’t the same without it.
Favourite quote from the passage: “Mum, I wish you spent more time with me.” “But Braca, I’m with you all day long.” “Yes, but I miss you when you go on night watch.”
We have just spent twelve days at sea without sight of another vessel for over 1,200 miles. Without any comms, we’ve had absolutely no contact with the outside world and no interaction with another human other than the four that inhabit this 44’ space. That kind of confinement and isolation is a mindboggling concept for all but hard-core prisoners in solitary confinement and the slightly eccentric trans-oceanic cruisers Why do it, city folk may ask. The answer is simple. But I’ll leave you to figure it out from the clues left in the entries that follow.
Take two, Scene one. Rewind to Wednesday, 26th April, 2017. The expiry date on our permit was up after a three-month tour of the Maldives and we needed to prod Atea onwards; not only because that is the natural course for a cruising vessel, but also because we had a date with an aeroplane bound for Heathrow in just over two weeks that we hoped to board. Given a small window of time to make it, we had no luxury of waiting for wind. We departed Gan that balmy afternoon with a light breeze and strong currents against us. Our strategy was to cut a path due south until we got out of the strong easterly currents, then head west until we arrived in the Seychelles. In doing so we would add approximately 200 miles to the journey but we hoped to gain time by not fighting against strong currents. We would test our theory in route to see if we made the right call.
Meanwhile, we settled into life at sea. Ironically, the first day on the water always seems to be the most taxing. For one, provisioning and preparing the ship for passage is always a demanding period, filled with long and busy days. Then there is the adjustment to the movement of a boat at sea and an ever-oscillating environment around you: You have to hold onto the toilet seat to take a pee and pray you aren’t launched when leaning forward to wipe; you learn to balance a pot over a burning flame with one hand while chasing your veggies around the chopping board with a knife with the other, keeping one eye on each to avoid slashing your finger or burning your arm; you eat your meals with your plate and cup wedged between your thighs while working your hand-eye coordination to make sure what is balanced on you spoon actually makes it to your mouth. During the first few days you train your body to cope with shifts and disrupted sleep patterns, as we run the ship on a four-hour night watch routine, and you mentally and physically shift from active and social to sedentary and solitary.
The first quarter of the trip served us variable winds and strong currents against us, a good indication that our strategy to drop south as quickly as possible was a good one. On the 27th of April, the log reads: “02° 00 S, 73° 27 E, Log 85, DTG 1216: Strong current pushes us east and we’ve ended the day further from the Seychelles than when we started.” For three days we slowly slipped southeast and we watched the days tick by as our total distance to go changed little. Being concerned about the flight deadline, John ran a speed/time/distance calculation daily to graphically display our progress, or lack thereof. We passed the intertropical convergence zone on the fourth day. The current eased and the winds filled in, and we were finally able to make some westing. Excitement ran high as we turned course towards our intended destination.
Friday, 28th April: 02° 47S, 72° 53E, Log 165, DTG 1158: Today was defined by more motoring in very light winds and continued current against us. Chagos lies 70 miles off in the near distance, harbouring all our cruising mates from the Maldives. Ah, how nice it would be to pull in for a surprise visit!
Passing the northwest rim of the Chagos archipelago marked the start of the second quarter of our journey. We held 30° degrees off the rum line in order to get well south of the ITCZ and we were anxious to see if our strategy had paid off. Until that point, we’d predominately motor-sailed; with a thousand miles of sea stretched before us we knew we would push the limits of our diesel reserves unless the wind filled in at some point in the passage. The next log entry reports:
Saturday, 29th April: 03° 56S, 71° 59E, Log 255, DTG 1070: Weather brings nothing but light winds, grey skies and intermittent punch-less squalls. Another firking bird on the solar panel. The forward water tank is half empty, indicating we have three weeks remaining on our water supply at our current consumption rate. Real shame that the watermaker membrane collapsed two weeks before departure, but at least we had a test run on rationing our fresh water before it became a necessity. Water is now reserved for cooking and to fill our drinking glasses; otherwise, all washing – body, dish and boat – is done in salt water. The forks are beginning to rust and my hair is a tangled mess but it has cut our water consumption in half. A dip of the fuel tank shows 300 litres diesel used so far, our remaining range under power is about 1,100 miles – almost exactly the distance remaining to Seychelles, so here’s hoping for some better wind soon!
As the seabirds graced us with their company, we tried diligently to sabotage the relationship by frantically hooting and screeching them off the wind indicator and from the solar panels at full volume, madly waving and rudely gesturing on deck. They fully ignored our ridiculous, benign efforts. It looks like we will have to replace yet another wind indicator and scrub a lot of poo off our decks.
Sunday, 30th April: 04° 42 S, 70° 38 E Log: 249, DTG 958: Pancakes in the morning and another damn bird on the Windex. Finally, a steady breeze arrives and with it long periods of fast sailing. Relief!
Finally the winds filled in, the engine got a rest and we began to watch the DTG log (distance to go) start ticking down the miles. With it, our attitudes became more playful. At one stage King Neptune honoured us with a visit, marking the equatorial crossing we’d actually done in the Maldives but had been too distracted to give proper celebration to at the time. This time King Neptune Junior presided over the ceremony, blessing the family and our ship for a safe passage onward in the Southern Seas. Our passage notes over the next few days read:
Monday, 1st May: 05° 26 S, 68° 58 E Log: 462, DTG 848: Great sailing throughout the night and clocked 102 miles in 24-hours, but winds gone by midday. We motored the rest of the day but broke the tedium with a visit by King Neptune, marking Braca’s fourth equatorial crossing. Rum dashed on the deck and down my belly…thank you Cap’n Morgan!
Tuesday, 2nd May: 06° 08S, 67° 26 E, Log 564, DTG 748: Winds strong and great sailing throughout the day. Progress is good and the boat surges through the water so quietly. Not a rattle in the mast or a creak in the hull– the silence below deck is both reassuring and unsettling!
Pointing our bows west marked the half way point, and we felt that we were finally bound for the Seychelles rather than Antarctica. When averaging 3.5 knots a day with over 500 miles ahead, days slip quickly into a routine and the hours start ticking by with the slow countdown of the miles behind us. For the next three days Atea charged forward at an average of 6 knots, and we were finally enjoying some good progress. We’d been right to drive south and extend our miles; in doing so we saved ourselves an additional two days at sea and 400 extra miles on the engine. The ship’s log reports:
Wednesday, 3rd May: 06° 33 S, 65° 07 E, Log 706, DTG 598: 140 miles over the past 24-hours – hooray! We finally turned due west as we have enough wind right here so no need to drop further south. Our strategy has paid off and I’m ready for a beer to celebrate! Today also marks our half-way day, with 700 miles behind us and 600 left to go, so I just might have to follow the first beer with a second.
But the favourable conditions weren’t to last. The following day the winds died and we had to resume under engine to keep up our required 3.5 knot average to ensure we reached the Seychelles in time to make our 15th May flight. Tracking progress on the DTG graph allows us to have a couple of hours rest from the engine noise each day since we know we are slightly ahead of the curve. The next two log entries read:
Thursday, 4th May: 06° 50 S, 63° 47 E, Log 791, DTG 519: 91 miles over the last twenty-four hours. Fairly windless, and the engine has started making quite a lot of smoke. Must check the piston rings. Keeping fingers crossed. Speaking of fingers, I’ve cut each of my ten digits throughout the day, bleeding out a continuous stream of red permanent marker for Dr Braca.
Friday, 5th May: 06° 43S, 62° 14 E, Log 882, DTG 427: The last twenty-four hours yielded a 85-mile slog. We could be optimistic and say at least it is an increase over the day before. Nothing much to say, it is all a bit Groundhog Day by now. Windless, and so ever sweat-in-my-butt-crack hot. To make the most of the heat we held Desert Day onboard, with Ayla dressed up as a coyote, Braca as a snake, myself as camel and John (yes, there is a story here) as a dung-beetle. Games and activities all supported the physical melting conditions onboard.
Onboard Atea, there are two adults who run the ship around the clock and there are two children who run themselves around the ship. It might seem that a confined space would be the most taxing on a three and five year old, but they have the undeniable advantage of an overactive imagination. We’ve taken to calling our days out not by the day of the week, but by the theme of the day. On this passage, we celebrated Desert Day, Medical Emergency Day, Doctor Day (because fixing wounds was so much fun), Tropical Reef Day, and Oh-My-Graciousness-We-Are-Almost-There Day. Creating themes is a good break from routine for all of us and allows each of us to stretch our imaginations by creating outfits, scenes and objects to suit the occasion. As for coping with confinement as an adult, there is no better way to keep entertained than to get lost in the imaginary world of a young mind. It is fun to see just how much child bubbles to the surface when void of the business and preoccupation that plagues so much of our adult lives.
But it is not all play and no work on the good ship Atea. We’ve also settled into a routine with Braca’s home schooling, something we’d failed to do while wrapped up in the constant activity presented by the Maldives Rally. We focus on different skills in three to four sessions a day and it has been fun to see Braca progress through the two-week intensive course. The next test will be to see how well we do on holiday, but we all know how that typically goes.
Saturday, 6th May: 6° 19 S, 59° 02 E, Log 1075, DTG 236: Another cause for celebration! We crossed the 1,000 mark today, leaving us with a little over 200 miles to go. John stocked the fridge with beer in anticipation, and we accidentally cracked the seal on one… whoops! We’ve lost all wind but gained one tuna. Not a fair trade.
We’ve watched the seas over the past several days, unable to identify what is causing eddies to run a line just off our port side. Our best guess is that the disturbance marks the boundary between the west-flowing equatorial current and the east-flowing counter current. In addition to the water, we’ve also watched the sun set on the horizon each evening and I am awed by the beauty and diversity of nature. Some evenings the horizon is clear and the sun a blazing orange orb, others the sun is screened behind a line of moody squalls, casting dramatic rays of yellow, orange and red across the sky. I also watch the moonset with equal awe – sometimes a bright, clear disk and at others cloaked in a shroud of cloud. Over the course of the past two weeks we’ve sailed through nights so black that every imaginable star shines brightly overhead and shooting stars periodically blaze a path overhead, and we’ve watched the moon fill in and blanket out the stars, brightening the sky and the water below it. I guess it feels different out here because there is nothing but you and the environment; there are no buildings or street noise or smog to mar the view. There is no quick, distracted glace towards the horizon before a distraction pulls you away. It is you, the sea and sky, and all the time in the world to sit and absorb it. Or maybe it is just too much time on our hands…
Monday, 8th May: 5° 35S, 57° 33.9E, LOG 1172, DTG 176: Cleaning Day – let’s get the chores done before we get in and arrive in a boat that is semi-respectable. Water supplies have held up nicely so we splash out (ha ha) and use fresh water.
Tuesday 9th May, 11:00am, Log 1268, DTG 50. After 1258 miles at sea and no outside contact, within five minutes a large dolphin sweeps across our bow, a flock of terns fly overhead, a boat is sighted on the horizon and behind it – Land Ho!
Tuesday 9th May, 21:30pm, Log 1318, DTG 0. We arrived into the customs anchorage at 9:30pm and after so long with the beating engine in our ears, the silence is deafening. Bliss.
We have now motored a fantastic 200 hours out of a 310-hour trip, for all intents and purposes turning our majestic sailing ship into a punch-less ocean tug. We are a veritable motor launch with sails as functional as broken wings, but regardless of the method Atea has again delivered us safely across a large expanse of ocean. Again, my imaginary city-friend pipes up, “Why do you do it?!” We do it because cruising isn’t a holiday, it is a lifestyle. It comes with all the ups and downs of everyday life in its own unique forms: The long hauls, the slow miles, the late nights, the growling storms balanced by the travel, the adventure, the discovery and the freedom. Is it all worth it? I know my answer.
The following day we cleared in and were issued a month permit for person and boat. We fly out in four days so it wasn’t an issue for us, but Atea will need extension papers before we depart. At custom’s the officer berated us: “Why do you leave so soon, you just got here! I don’t understand. Why come to the Seychelles if you are about to fly out in an aeroplane? Don’t you want to see the Seychelles? You should have flown out from the Maldives!” Clearly, a proud national. This was our first taste of the expressive and exuberant French-African culture after the more reserved, respectful tone of the Maldivians. With my excitement brimming all I can say is bring it on!
We are sailing towards a country renowned for its delivery of headaches and we aren’t even on her shores before we are tipping paracetamol into our mouths. If India is as much trouble before we are even in the country, what is it going to be like when we set foot on soil?
We spent a week of hassle getting the appropriate visas re-issued, after the hassle a week prior of getting them issued in the first place — an effort that not only cost us money, but precious time. We were headed to the northern atolls in the Maldives when we discovered the visas we had on hand were only valid for arrival by airplane; entry by boat required a different category of visa. The only place this was issued was in person in Mále, so after a number of far-flung impractical ideas we turned the ship around and headed back to where we’d come from.
We applied for a six-month tourist via and indicated to the embassy that we expected to be in India a month; we would learn that we shouldn’t have been so specific about dates but we didn’t realize the implications yet. We then headed out as quickly as possible with a one-month stamp on our new visa for the short 270-mile passage from Mále in the central Maldives to Kochi on the southwestern coast of India. Whilst waiting for our visas we’d watched prime sailing winds ebb through the week to flat calm and our fast outbound march was actually a lazy slog without a lick of wind to fill our sails and a running current against us. India ahead. More paracetamol down. Were these two things going to be synonymous?
PASSAGE NOTES DAY 1:
We’ve spent a fantastic two months in the Maldives but I look forward to a change of scene – something that India will definitely offer us. I’ve heard that one must physically and emotionally prepare for travel in India, and I am not sure what to expect. Though I have heard to expect the unexpected, and I’m drawn to anyplace that can claim that. As for the Maldives, we will be back – and that is something I feel quite fortunate to be able to say. Ying, India. Yang, the Maldives. Let’s see if somewhere in their difference lays a balance.
Calm seas and a lazy breeze defined the weather for our five-day passage. The sailing was pleasant and easy, and we filled our days with both old and new traditions. F or one, we departed the Maldives on the 21st of December and Christmas was quickly descending on us unawares. Quite unlike my fellow associates madly scrambling to stockpile presents and negotiate parents and in-laws, we were at St. Nick’s countdown and hadn’t even hummed a holiday tune. While we were delayed, we were also prepared. We’d sent the kids out prior to departure with a bucket to fill with shells and I’d found a suitable sick of driftwood that was now safely stowed on deck. It wasn’t going to be a recognizable effort to anyone outside my clan, however inside it was the makings of a very traditional Christmas.
On our first day at sea we pulled out what we’d scavenged and set to making the season merry. The driftwood “tree” was tied to the maststep and shells hung from its gnarled branches. It was another year that location might be a slight challenge for Santa and his elves, so we wrote letters to the jolly man, stuck them inside a plastic bottle on which we’d painted “Santa Collect Here” and towed it in our wake. The kids wrote about what they’d done this year, things they’d learned and things they wanted to improve. They were told to write a list of presents they might want Santa to bring and they could only come up with one request: In direct quote they said, “a bar of chocolate, if he has one.” Ahh… long may our children hold low expectations. We were set. Our Christmas buildup was going to last a full four days, a sane number when confined to a small boat.
Less than a week to Christmas and we started our ramp up to the holiday. My own childhood memories are made up of a series of homemade creations: playdough ornaments, a macramé tree covered with red fluffy balls and a small styrofoam tree covered in a green wool. I remember cutting and pasting brown grocery bags to the wall and placing colourfully wrapped gifts under it. I love that my children’s memories will be filled up with these oddities. Today we raised a flag up the mast broadcasting “Braca and Ayla are here,” and put Santa’s letters in a bottle. The bottle now floats behind Atea in the guise of making it easier to see, and two sets of hopeful eyes keep a lookout for their collection. The elves have yet to come but the children remain optimistic. It isn’t the first Christmas Santa has had to find them at sea.
Of new traditions, this year we began giving the kids a passage present on their first day at sea for any offshore voyage. It works well to build their excitement and has become quite a fun ritual. This time the kids delighted in an assortment of treats: a magnet set, a storybook, an origami book and a mini basketball and hoop. Championships may take some time to come, but indoor practice is a good say to burn off some energy.
Wind came in the night, and we finally put Lucy [the engine] to rest and raise the sails. There is such beauty in the silence, and the gentle roll of the waves. We now have a dead slice of tree tied to our maststep bedecked in broken shells and the incessant tune of Jingle Bells in our ears. The jingle of the bells must have called in the birds, as a large seabird somehow managed to swoop through our aft hatch and now sits in our cabin. Let’s hope it doesn’t leave us its own White Christmas.
We’d set out a beacon for Santa and his elves and while they did finally locate us, the more immediate response came from another equally unlikely creature. Seabirds are frequently sighted any distance out to sea, and they usually fly in for a glance and fly off again. This trip was marked by some pretty unusual behavior. We had birds enter the boat three out of the five days we spent at sea; they would come in and perch on the window in the galley, on the bookcase, in the forward and aft cabins, and on our Christmas stick – probably a more accurate reference to our driftwood tree. At first I was worried they were injured or unable to find their way out and I delicately shoed them out from a distance. As each subsequent bird entered my tactics to free it relaxed, to the point that I eventually walked up and stuck my finger to its chest and the little bird would hop on without hesitation. I would walk it out onto the deck and point hand to wind, whispering the inspirational “free at last,” but none showed any interest in moving onward. I’d gently nudge them off my digit and they’d fly back into the cabin ahead of me. At first I thought it must be a domesticated bird that’d escaped the confines of its cage, however it was not only a different bird over the course of a few days, it was also difference species. Somehow we’d been marked as Fowl’s Arc and it was indeed wild seabirds that we had as guests. Our sail towards India was so unique; it was like a precursor to the country itself.
Four birds invade our cabin throughout the day, comfortable as guests. The last is insistent and re re-enters as quickly as I take him out. He perches on our Christmas tree, content. Not until he drops a little poop on our floor do I decide to move him out again, for the fifth time. But he returns, this time to the forward cabin. I slide my finger up to his belly and he hops on, as if he and I are old friends. I carry him out again; he knows the routine. This time he changes tactic, and flies into the steering wheel as if to say, “I’m the one who owns this ship.” If he stays in the cockpit, I’m happy with the deal.
As the last of the birds depart, Santa’s elves made their way in on a surprise visit. Santa’s cards were gone and in their place were thank you notes for each of the kids and the gnawed ends of the beans we’d placed in the bottle for the reindeer, and a mess of tracks – better known as white flour – left from their footprints. The kids were ecstatic. We also spent our final day wrapped up in another new family tradition, which is a theme day during one of the days at sea. This time the kids chose Rainforest Day, after a Cat in the Hat book by Dr Seuss. Origami birds hung from the ceiling and our Christmas tree stood as a giant emergent. Ayla dressed as a hummingbird with pink wings, flowing tutu, and an origami beak. Braca dressed as a multi-colour ocelot, complete with curling tail, my leopard print nightgown and body paint. John played the roll of howler monkey, with a dress-up beard modified to form a hairy chest and a stuffed snake curling out from behind as a tail. I transformed myself into the Cat in the Hat, complete with black nose and whiskers, neck scarf and tall hat. We scattered nuts on the “forest” floor and foraged for our meal, and hooted, buzzed, howled and growled through the afternoon with flapping wings and flicking tails. It was a riot onboard and a great way to whittle away the afternoon. The four of us really got into it, and the kids carried on in character while John and I moved on to more pressing matters – entering the busy port of Kochi.
8:00 in the morning and already the smog that extends out from China envelops us. A tanker, four miles on our port side, is barely visible in the haze. Another tanker heading in our direction, seven miles distant, isn’t visible. The sun is shrouded in haze and the sky is covered a murky light. I pop up on deck 10 minutes later to check our surroundings and the tanker to our port is now invisible to us, hidden in the haze. It is busy today; the normal 15-minute check is down to 5 as ships and fishing boats appear in in patches with much more regularity. Fishing boats chase us down out of curiosity. All hands crowd the rail to wave hello, and after pleasantries they slow their speed and the distance spreads.
We’d pulled out of the calm ocean abyss into one of the busiest international shipping ports. The crowded shipping lanes and congestion of the local fishing fleet fulfilled all expectations of a busy and bustling India, even from 20 miles out to sea. However, where the mayhem could have easily made one feel lost, the friendly smiles and enthusiastic waves from the passing fishermen made it feel like a homecoming.
PASSAGE NOTES DAY 5
A quick scribble of notes for the day. It is evening now and we are surrounded by fishing boats, lots of them. We put our flashing light forward and navigate through the patches. We are under sail, though wind is light. At 3PM the winds shift and we put the engine on. The engine low water flow alarm shrills in our ears. We raise the sails again and John spends the next several hours replacing the impeller.
What should have been a midday arrival was delayed as we worked furiously to get the engine repaired. In the meantime, we proceeded down the shipping lane towards the harbour entrance and the smog of the day left me with an expectation of featureless high rise buildings and industrial cement compounds; I was greatly surprised, therefore, when we sailed into the entrance and a green colonial city unfolded itself in front of us. Chinese lanterns swung and lights glittered in the trees as people strolled down the promenade under them, crossing over small walking bridges that laid across narrow canals that lead back into the city. Old Chinese fishing nets of yesteryear lined the waterfront set against centuries-old Portuguese buildings. As we sailed deeper into the harbour entrance I was buzzing with excitement, eager to explore the beautiful city that lay before us.
Before any of that could happen, however, we needed to slog our way through port control, immigration and customs. At 4PM we notified port authority and customs of our intentions and they said they would meet us on arrival. We anchored off the historic Malabar hotel and were soon greeted by a boatful of officials, all whom clambered onboard and handed out a myriad of redundant forms. As we sat there filling out form after form, I noted how incredibly friendly everyone was, with vigorous head bobbing and generous smiles. While the process was lengthy, the officials made it a delight. It wasn’t until they left that we realized that they, too, received their own pleasure throughout the meeting for there I sat, oblivious to the fact that I was in full Cat in the Hat kit complete with black nose and cheek-lined whiskers. I just might have been the oddest-looking cruiser they’d processed, but it seemed they were all the merrier for it!
To view a collection of photos: Passage Photos
After two months exploring the glorious Maldives archipelago, I’ve come full circle in appreciating what the country has to offer. We’d heard numerous accounts from cruisers before us; once in the Maldives, we would swim with manta, dive with whale shark and suffocate from the density of fish in the expansive live corals that surround an infinite string of tropical isles. The bar was set high. From the echo of their voices, I painted happy pictures in my head of the four of us in our Eden in the sea. Keeping the bar high, however, became a bit of a challenge as we discovered that our idyllic isles were either submerged under a thin layer of water or dominated by exclusive five-star resorts. It took us a few weeks, but after a bit of hit and miss we finally saw the side of the Maldives sold in all the tourist brochures, unraveled before us in a trio of delight.
We tackled the country in a three-pronged approach in our newly enlightened state: One, uninhabited isles; two, remote villages; three, luxury resorts. Taking all these together, we realized we’d hit the trifecta. Our isolated islets offered not only pristine beauty, but also an opportunity to experience the rich underwater world void of a throng of tourists. Our sleepy villages offered all of us a social wonderland, and we met fast and dear friends in all of the villages we visited. And, at the few resorts that allow our salty paws to mire their impeccable paths, we got a taste of high-end luxury and the ultimate retreat.
Uninhabited Islets
The Maldives offers countless isles and at first the list of anchorages seemed infinite. As we traveled north, however, we found our planning complicated by the fact that the names were impossible to remember. On numerous occasions our conversation back on the boat went something like this: “What did that person tell us? Make sure you don’t miss out on Meeunthibeyhuttaa.” We’d pull the chart out onto the table and scour it for place names. “Here it is! Merengihuttaa. Oh. Look over here, was it Meyragilaa? Or here, Mariyamkoyyerataa. Or Mathikeranahuttaa or Magudhdhuvaa or Mudhimaahuttaa???” Eventually we gave up trying to organize a route and in typical Ātea fashion, we simply drifted northward with a vague agenda. The problem with a strategy based on ambiguity and spontaneity, as we quickly discovered, was the topography of the region didn’t lend itself to just hopping around. Let me explain.
Of the countless islands, they have been counted. One thousand one hundred and ninety, to be exact. To anyone with a few months to explore by yacht, this offers more than enough options. In fact, it was a bit daunting to think of navigating our way through the labyrinth, searching for the best that was on offer. But there are limits, as we soon found out. The depths are great and the drop-offs sheer, the result being that we often found ourselves completely cut off from the islands by design. The land does not gently slope off into deep water but quickly drops from one meter to fifty meters on a vertical wall, making anchoring impossible. We passed idyllic isle after idyllic isle, wishing to park and play. It was evident looking through the clear water what made the diving in the Maldives so extraordinary, with steep walls layered in beautiful coral and stripped and spotted fish, flashing the colours of the rainbow, dancing among the sweeping fans and crooked arms of hard corals. Instead, like a sick child watching out a bedroom window at the neighbourhood children at play, we were repeatedly denied access by depths too deep or shores too shallow.
The Maldives consists entirely of islands, grouped in two chains of 26 atolls running parallel to each other. Inside the ring of islands that make up an atoll are numerous coral reefs that make movement through the atoll feasible only in good light and with reliable charts. As we searched within the atolls for an islet that offered a flat patch of sand, surrounded by a minefield of bommies in fading light, there was often the sense of urgency in the narrowing window of time. John spent considerable time prior to departure downloading Google Map images, providing us visual detail of the landscape. This is a process I highly recommend to any yacht destined for these waters. These images became invaluable to us on numerous occasions as our options for a suitable anchorage narrowed in the four-o’clock shadow of the waning sun.
Huvadhoo Atoll: The light is fading and I stand on the bow trying to spot white sand beneath the surface. We’ve sailed along the eastern fringe of the atoll for hours now but it seems the entire eastern side is a sheer drop off, thick in soft and hard corals seen easily through the clear water. I continue to scout ahead. We shared paths with dolphin and pilot whales, the first hunting sting ray and the latter on a slow migration east, but neither are what we search for. I call out for the umpteenth time: “There must be something on the next islet, because [insert new optimistic thought].” Finally, we concede defeat. John pulls up Google Map images of the area and we search the interior of the atoll for a submerged reef with enough depth to set our anchor. We look through the images for a shade of blue just the right hue: Too light and it is just knee deep, too dark and it is beyond the reach of our anchor windlass. Quickly, we find a spot two miles distant. It is this or we are in a serious pickle. Half an hour and we see a patch of sand that stands out like a halo. We made it. We sit on a submerged reef in the middle of the atoll completely surrounded by water. With the anchor set, we listen to the collective rush of a million little silver fish breaking the surface. Something larger hunts them. In the pastel tinted light of the setting sun, it is the only sound we hear as it punctuates the intense quiet that otherwise engulfs us. It is utterly, intensely serene.
We soon discovered that of the thousand islands that appear on our charts, many are submerged under a layer of water or are tiny spots of white sand poking out of the sea. An atoll that looked to be comprised of a dozen islets, two-thirds turn out to be sandbanks set on the outer fringing reef. On many occasions we set our sights on a seemingly suitable anchorage to find there wasn’t anything on the surface to explore or anywhere suitable to set our anchor. Our first few anchorages were no more than a submerged reef in the middle of the atoll, cut off from the beautiful islets that surrounded us. At first this offered seclusion we were keen to avoid, but after realizing the splendor below us we quickly turned our isolation into an opportunity.
Hadhdhunmathee Atoll: The water is crystal clear and the fans that wave just below the surface beckon us. At low tide, the small circle of reef is the size of a tennis court and breaks the surface at its highest peak at low tide. The tide is high now, however, and we have a 360-degree view of endless blue. The four of us leap off the side deck into the water, tog-free and fin-clad, and snorkel in the breaking morning light. From above it feels we are the only beings that exist, but seconds later we cannot see each other through the density of fish that engulf us: every sub-species of triggerfish, surgeonfish, wrasse, unicorn fish, sweetlips, butterfly fish, goby and tang is in attendance. It is like a scene in an animation film, though this isn’t an over-exaggeration of the reef. It exists true in life and in front, behind, below and above us.
Due to the extraordinary underwater scenery and clear water, the Maldives currently ranks among the best recreational dive destinations in the world. As such, charter boats and dive tours abound. Divers flock to the Maldives year-round for the chance to dive with whale sharks, manta ray, and a variety of shark that are well known to the region; for many, live-aboard dive boats offer a great way to explore the area. As an independent “live aboard,” however, we have one complication to our set up: Two dependents too young to dive with us and too young to be left on their own. John and I finally settle on a compromise: Three above and one below.
Felidhe Atoll: We’ve settled into a one up/one down pattern and it is John’s turn on the wall. While John dives, the kids and I tag alongside a mammoth moray eel. Normally they are tucked in deep in a crevice, head wagging in territorial warning. Today we were invited as guests on the hunt. Large, outstretched body gracefully navigates the nooks of the reef while we keep pace alongside as silent partners. Eventually he catches his meal. Eventually we wander our separate ways.
North Ari Atoll: Never before have I watch a reef shark hunt. Usually they swim with slow grace, but today this white tip is agitated, darting erratically beneath me. I hover on the wall, pulling in shallow steady breaths on my regulator hose and watch the shark directly below me. In a flash the shark sinks his head into a hole in the reef and retracts it wildly, thrashing his head like a starved dog with a bone. He caught his meal. I caught my breath.
Rasdhoo Atoll: I’ve often been a pest to the fish but rarely have the fish been a pest to me. Throughout my dive today I had a redtooth triggerfish trying to mate with my head and for forty minutes I tried, unsuccessfully, to shake him. It was quite the distraction as it was a dive brimming with fish life – so thick that at times it was impossible to focus in a specific direction as I tried to capture it all then finally relaxed into the pleasure of being overwhelmed – then suddenly my face was dive-bombed by a sudden flash of blue that blocked everything else from view. A drunk in a bar has never been as indiscrete or persistent. I would have been flattered had it not been for the fact that I was being courted by a fish.
It is a pity I can’t share any of this with you, visually, as John and I jointly destroyed all evidence in a joint venture of camera sabotage.
Inhabited Islands
Back to expectations set, we were told our highlights would come from the water and not from the land. The first was quickly confirmed, the second we were curious to verify. Accounts reported indifference from the local population and to expect a cold eye and frozen glare when going ashore. “The women,” I was told, “are generally reluctant to engage. You’ll make more friends with the fish.” I was disappointed to hear this. After several months of solitude I was excited for time with womenfolk, but no account indicated I’d be making very many friends. “The men are hard, and the women are harder.” Another comment that did not encourage expectations of communal afternoons filled with light banter. My internal social butterfly was going to wilt.
Regardless, I ventured ashore with eyes wide open and was quickly reminded that what you hear is often not what you get. Contrary to reports, the warmth we found from the villagers has been a defining feature of our trip. There hasn’t been a village visited that we’ve not been invited in as guests. We’ve been hosted and we’ve hosted, our social custom and their social custom being traded like much-valued secrets. We’ve learned to accept a type of local hospitality that is very different from our own: guests are fed first and the hosts second. We’ve been taught the secrets of the kitchen: which leaves are eaten fresh for health benefits and which are added to the pot to add flavour. We’ve been offered veggies out of gardens, coconuts from the trees, gifts from the shops and guidance in the streets. The kids have been invited into classrooms and into homes, they’ve been asked on play dates and on picnics, they’ve been included in family excursions to parks and beaches, and they’ve been offered endless tokens of friendship: lollies, presents, toys, cards.
I’ve found in many countries a social barrier that is hard to bridge, no matter how furious the smiles and or generous the gestures. It is most often the result of language barriers and sometimes the result of cultural differences that are too diverse. I’ve felt none of this in my interactions with the Maldivians. I appreciate where words of caution have come from as we experienced some of the less friendly stare-downs that some of the other cruisers encountered. But for the majority, we’ve experienced a warmth and inclusion, not as spectacles but as equals. There is genuineness in the encounters and authenticity to the friendships created and I treasure what they’ve added to our trip.
For the Maldivians, if you aren’t pulling in fish you are courting tourists. There isn’t much otherwise on offer in regard to earning potential in the in the outer islands. The pace of life is slow, a result of both the afternoon heat and a lack of industry. The coral-brick homes are surrounded by compound walls, set on neat sandy streets. Each building houses several generations and provides a gathering area for the constant ebb and flow of family, friends and neighbours that flow through the front door. When we wander ashore in the middle of the afternoon, we wander alone. A few men linger in the teashops and cafés or rest under the shade of a breadfruit tree but otherwise all activity happens indoors. Around four-thirty the streets start to fill and the community socializes from about five to seven, returning to their homes at suppertime.
Kolhumadulu Atoll: We are asked to sit, following a tour of the house and a tour of the gardens. The four of us are seated at the table, with a bustle of activity in the kitchen and a flurry of dishes presented in quick succession. A cat is under the table, a bird in a cage to my back, a parrot presented on outstretched finger. No dog, of course. An old man sits outside on the jollie and somewhere an old woman shuffles about. Mother, sister, and sister-in-law clatter about busily at the stove, the two daughters deliver plate after plate piled high with local fare. My stomach bulges. More food is delivered. At the end of the meal my contribution, a flan, is served to us. So far, no one else has eaten unless in stealth behind the door. No one sits at the table with us and no one other than ourselves appears to eat. We are introduced to visitors that appear in the doorway, a steady stream of neighborly curiosity. At the end of the meal mother, sister, sister-in-law, and the two daughters pull up chairs and sit with us, full of chatter. At the end of the evening we are presented a package, a gift of pre-purchased treats and an odd assortment of vegetables from the garden, and escort us back to our dinghy. It was our first introduction to local hospitality.
This type of evening would be repeated in a variety of homes throughout our journey. Most often men not present, often a bird on a perch, and always several generation of women and children surrounding us.
With a population of 373,000 spread across 200 inhabited islands, each averaging one to two kilometers in size, it might be easy to expect the villages to be a collection of overcrowded townships. This is not the case, particularly as 50% of the population reside in the capital city of Malé. At an expansive 5.8 square kilometers, Malé is conceivably the most densely populated city outside of the Vatican. Furthermore its size is constricted by height. Malé is constructed one meter above sea level with half of its land base coming from the dredged sand of nearby islets. It is incredible to think that in a thousand islands that average 1.8 meters, the natural geography of the entire archipelago is lower than the aft deck of Atea. We sit on our perch like little seabirds and look down at the islands that surround us.
Speaking of birds…
Malé Atoll: I look ahead and my heart skips a beat. For some unaccountable reason the sight makes me think of a mob scene. The quiet street we are wandering down is congested ahead with a haphazard patchwork of steel. A few dozen scooters and half a dozen cars blocked the road, none moving and all piled tailpipe to fender. All heads tilt skyward. Not one person speaks. Finally I notice a man in a tree with a thirty-foot pole and a large bird being poked at the end of it. Why did this random event catch such attention? To all present, it appeared to be a spellbinding event. I walk up to the first bystander and break the silence:
Me: “What’s going on?”
Guy, matter-of-factly: “A bird.”
Me, no more enlightened. The bird was a clear and obvious fact: “Yes, but what is he trying to do with the bird?”
Guy, a shrug and silence. Eyes never stray from the scene above.
I roll through several of these hushed, identical conversations before giving up on my quest for understanding, and patiently join the rest of the crowd in silent observation of the scene above. Finally, the eagle at the top of the tree flies off after being poked one time too many. Poking Guy descends from the tree. Everyone starts the engines and drive off without another word. I walk up to the man and ask the obvious:
Me: “What are you doing?”
Guy, in a tone suggesting I am short a few IQ: “Catching a bird.”
I refrain from the obvious question, “How do you catch a large bird of prey with a thin wooden stick?” Instead, in a quick study of local custom, I simply shrug.
Clearly quite pleased, the man smiles and drives off in hot pursuit of the winged, and to my eye quite vanished, bird. We shake our heads and laugh at the bizarre and unique cultural experience. These interactions are part of what I love about traveling: Things so different to us are just part of everyday activity, no questions asked, to the people around us.
Malé is the jumping off point for all foreign tourists heading to the islands as it has the only international airport in the Maldives (a second is under construction in the Addoo Atoll which will open up the southern atolls to tourism and development). Currently, most of the tourism centers around the atolls that surround Malé. The closer we got to Malé, the more we were confined. In fact, I’m sure that I am close to the mark when I say every speck of surfaced land within 50 miles of Malé supports an exclusive, high-end resort… a fact that burdened us given the inhospitality of staff to non-guests. We wanted to go ashore, explore, play on the beach, stretch our legs but the majority of resorts denied ad hoc guests. On the few attempts made, we were stopped by hotel security and escorted to reception where we were told in curt refrain, “Of course you can use the facilities, for the day, for the cost of renting a room.” At USD150 per person we thought a free swim in the ocean beat an expensive dip in the pool.
Nilandhe Atoll: We are anchored off a resort, though we cannot get near. We were about-faced by security on approach to the jetty and not-so-courteously asked to leave. I would mind, but not twenty minutes after returning to Atea we sight twin tips break the surface of the water around us. Manta. In a breath we are side-to-side with these graceful giants. A hundred red-and-white striped tourists ashore and not a single one out in the water. What they paid so dearly to get sight of we were close to for free; take that, Mr. Security Man, we don’t need your stinkin’ resort anyway! The mantas casually glide around us, unbothered by our invasion of their space. For two days, we jump in at random to swim by their side and watch them, mantles curled and pointed, uncurl. Braca is at my side as one sweeps past us in a silent arc, his brown eye looking into our blue, curious. Finally, on the third day, they leave. Having shared the anchorage together, their departure signals our own time to leave; we’ve gotten the best that the resort had to offer without ever stepping foot on the beach.
Regardless of continuous rebuff, we wormed our way into the grace of a few sympathetic managers and invariably spent the equivalent rate. Rather than paying the no-room room charge, we paid our dues in meals and cocktails, salons and shops – the cocktails being an extravagant treat as there is no alcohol sold anywhere outside the resorts throughout the country. A loophole exists for resorts catering to international guests and we made the most of it: Mai tai’s poolside, red wine at dinner, sparkling with the setting sun. We tip our glasses and share the facilities with Chinese, Germans, English and Russians, the bulk of foreign visitors to the Maldives, and a scattering of other nationalities for the day. Couples steeped in love hold hands and wander down the soft sand beach or lounge on sundecks overhang the reef. It would appear that Cupid had taken residence, flinging haphazard arrows at all the guests but apparently not. The Maldives is ranked at the world’s most desired honeymoon destination and by the proliferation of luxury resorts it is no wonder.
Baa Atoll: Okay, I’m getting the hang of this: Dinghy ashore, a hand on the scruff of the neck and a complimentary ride to reception, get told to take a room or beat it, receive a second complimentary ride on the golf cart, and back to the boat. Regardless, I’m dogged. I still have hope. I persuade John to join me in my fruitless pursuit of five-star luxury. We are herded to reception and recited what we now can quote verbatim. Before the golf cart pulls up for our return trip to the dingy, I grab the kids and wander off to watch the shark feeding. The only shark I run into, however, is the manager rocking her baby at the end of the jetty. I coo, ask to cradle. Pretty soon we have a fake guest room, an open tab, and all amenities at our disposal. We spend the next few days livin’ large resort-style, hand-in-hand (when not hand-on-cocktail) and Cupid-struck. Ahh… the pleasure of success!
Oddly enough, a UN mission in the 1960s deemed the Maldives unsuitable for tourism, a misguided analysis as tourism boomed after the first mission in 1972. Over the next twenty-eight years multinationals had exclusive rights on tourist development and resorts sprang up all over the central atolls, gradually extending outward. The regulation prohibited the local population from drawing on the countries biggest economic asset, with the majority of revenue only minimally going to the local economy. Each resort consisted of an exclusive hotel on its own island with a population based entirely on tourists and staff. For the majority, they were managed by foreign multinationals with all services offered within the island and no contact with the local community. Foreigners were not allowed to visit any of the inhabited islands with tourists restricted to the resorts and cruisers banned from anchoring off any populated islands. There was no interaction between local Maldivian and tourist. The authorities did not welcome independent travelers, which included yachts, and as a result very few boats visited the region.
Within the past eight years the government has eased restrictions and the small towns sprinkled throughout the archipelago now cater to international clientele. This is the result of a change in regulation in 2009 that legalized the development of tourism on a local level, allowing tourists to stay among the local population rather than solely on privately owned resort islands. Tourism had become the number one economy in the Maldives and locals were finally able to profit from the industry. Guesthouses, cafes, dive shops and souvenir shops burgeoned throughout the local villages and more than a million tourists currently visit the country each year. Still, particularly in the south where tourism has been slower to develop, a foreigner can still seen as an anomaly:
Foammulah Atoll: We are in the southern atolls and we’ve not seen a single foreigner since our arrival in the Maldives two weeks prior. We’ve passed a few scattered resorts so clearly they come, but rarely stray from dive boat or resort. We’ve been at anchor for four days now, our arrival mere hours before a big storm, gusts up to 55 knots and rain tossed at us like needles. The village, blinded from view through the storm, finally emerges. We finally leave the boat for a much-needed stretch of the legs and play on the tiny islet we are anchored off of. On the main island, I see four bodies marching in line out to sea. Arm-in-arm, they head our way. The water is deep in places, the current strong. Each supporting each other and dragging one another along, progress is slow. As they near I make out four women in full dress. I wade out as they finally reach us to greet them, smiling as they puff from the exertion. They’ve crossed four islets to reach us.
There is no conclusion to this story, for it is not yet concluded. We are en route to India but will be returning to the Maldives mid-January for another shot at the trifecta. After all, of one thousand one hundred and ninety islets, we’ve still a few yet left to get through… so, I’ll leave this on pause, to continue early next year. In the meantime, our sleepy little lives are about to get a serious shot of south Indian adrenaline.
Click here for more images of Our Time in the Maldives.
This article was posted in Boating New Zealand April 2017 issue. To view the printed feature story, click: BoatingNZ Shangri-La.
We are moving at a racy 1.5 knots in 5 knots of breeze. These are the days we are never asked about by those interested in a description of transoceanic passages. We commonly field questions of our endurance through raging storms and titanic waves, but we are never asked about the humdrum doldrums, the flat seas and windless, lackluster days that more accurately define typical sailing conditions. While we do have an engine to give our sloth-like pace a heartbeat, for the majority of this passage we opt for a gentle roll in the sunshine and the pleasure of total quiet in this aquatic oasis. Our northbound crawl feels like a pleasant scull on a quite countryside lake – peaceful, dawdling, rhythmic. I look around me and I feel this incredible sense of disproportion. The flatness of the water that surrounds us makes me feel as if I could wander over to the clouds on the horizon and scoop them up in my palm. I told my son that we should pluck the setting sun out of the sky and put it in our pocket. His response didn’t indicate the impossible distance. “Oh, but mum, you can’t do that,” he said. “It would burn a hole in your pocket.” To him, the feeling of its proximity made it seem possible; it was the burning flame that made the proposition ridiculous.
Everything feels the opposite of what it felt like when we sailed towards the atoll: inbound a feat, outbound a breeze. Our passage to Chagos was a complete voyage in itself, a test of competence as we clung onto handrails through 1500 miles of contentious seas and an all-star victory upon completion.
Our departure from Chagos brings us nothing but slack breezes, flat calm seas and half-drunk beers balanced on our reclined bellies. With only 300 miles between Chagos and the Maldives, our destination feels like a jump towards the next box in a game of hopscotch. At one point mid-transit we passed a shallow patch where the depth was 15 meters. The coral below was as easily sighted as if viewed from a magnifying glass; fish darted away from our shadow and a turtle raised its head in greeting. The intimacy of it was surreal. We talked of jumping overboard for a quick snorkel in the calm clear water but decided to continue our slow roll forward – we’d had 33 days in succession of dancing amongst tropical reef fish and we were ready to explore what lay ahead. Of Chagos, we looked forward the promise of isolation. Of the Maldives, we look forward to bustling village life and the company of people.
Chagos lays only two days behind us and the archipelago already feels like a reflection of the illusive Shangri-La: a place discovered but never to be seen again. I am not sure if we will get another chance to walk her shores, but I am sure if we do so it will not be the place it is today. To understand this impending sense of change, one has to understand recent political history. While Chagos was once a place like so many other island nations, inhabited by a small local population and supported by subsistence living, in 1968 Chagossian lives were uprooted by international politics and the local population deported to Mauritius, the Seychelles and other distant territories. A 1966 agreement between the British and American governments stipulated that all inhabitants be removed from the territory for the installment of a US military base on Diego Garcia. The British, then in command of the archipelago, agreed. The forced eviction of 1,500 people from Diego Garcia and the six other atolls that form the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) was completed in 1973. Since then, there has been a volley of lawsuits, compensation claims and resettlement petitions that have been won and overturned in the battle between human rights violations and political interests. In 2010 the British government established a marine nature reserve protecting the worlds largest coral area (544,000 square kilometers), creating the largest swathe of protected territory ever established. The establishment of this reserve, however, became embroiled in heated debate when Wikileaks released documents that linked the establishment of the reserve to a tactical move to restrict the return of Chagossians to their native land. Time will tell. The end of 2016 marks the end of the 50-year agreement but the contract will automatically extend 20 years if neither side chooses to terminate it. That said resettlement claims by the Chagossians and reclamation demands by Mauritian Prime Minister complicate matters; the fate of Chagos continues to be played out in the battlefield of international politics. To view more photos of Chagos, click on the link: Chagos Archipelago
I stand out of the dispute, morally caught in the middle of a tug-of-war between human rights and ecological conservation. Walking amidst the ruins you can’t help but feel for the people who had been expelled. In 2006 previous inhabitants of the Salomon atoll were permitted a short visitation and a cross was erected and dedicated to the memory of ancestors buried on the island. Standing in front of it you can’t help but feel the injustice. I understand the need for humans to belong to a place, and in society ancestral ties play a significant role in defining that culture. The removal of the Chagossians from their native land strips them of this basic ethnic foundation.
I also appreciate the irony of being granted permission to visit a land that the indigenous population is banned from reentering. While visitors are not permitted to enter any of the British Indian Ocean Territories, a private yacht sailing across the Indian Ocean may apply for a permit to enter two of the seven atolls that makes up the Chagos archipelago. Only a handful of these applications are approved each year – if you can’t get there yourself, you can’t get there at all. If you do get permission to visit, there are only four approved anchorages within the sixty tropical islands. It was this permit that granted us a one-month stay in Chagos, apparently one of just eleven issued this year.
Yet, despite the injustice of the islanders exclusion, I am awed by the experience of witnessing the Eden of an ecosystem void of human interference. Reading the narrations of seamen from the antiquities, I have often wondered what it would be like to see the oceans teaming with life as reported in the journals of travelers from the day. Today, the ocean offers seafarers little more than a barren desert. Chagos has given me a looking glass into a world we have denied ourselves.
One month in Chagos and I realize what a modern day Shangri-La it truly is. Not only for what it is today, but also for what it might not be tomorrow. I’ve just seen my first – and probably my only – sight of the long-forgotten world I’ve dreamed of experiencing and it is truly a blessed parallel universe. Other than the fallen ruins of long ago, Chagos is untouched by human development and offers a sanctuary like no other on earth for the myriad of creatures who inhabit her shores. It is a place where the seas hold a healthy balance of marine life, and a place where a visitor can cavort with a wide diversity and healthy population of marine animals. Here, the wildlife does not seem so wild after all. They seem curious, trusting, innocent, friendly. For me, life in Chagos was akin to playing the part of an enthusiastic naturalist. Our days were surprisingly filled with adventure, unlike anything I could have dreamed of in this remote, abandoned archipelago. It was impossible to spend a day without experiencing a collection of amazing wildlife experience, and as a result watching wildlife became a central part of our daily activity. To view more photos of wildlife: Chagos and Friends
It is hard to describe the constant assault of wildlife experience in words. To try and capture it feels much like riding horseback at full gallop and trying to describe the feeling of each pounding hoof on the dirt track, the feel of each strand of coarse hair that tickles your cheek, the scent of each blade of broken grass, sight of each horsefly and ant and ladybug that is trampled under the pounding legs of the pack in front of you. What do you choose to relay of the experience to a bystander? What collection of moments out of the myriad of events is adequate to portray the whole picture? It is my attempt to do this in the collection of excerpts that follow and I hope I can pass on a glimmer of the beauty that is Chagos.
Black tip reef sharks shadow me. Streamlined and sleek, a subtle yet sinister threat implied in their surveillance of me and the kids who frolic in the water only yards away. Initially I was wary, but we soon become accustomed to their continual presence. They follow us like puppies; curious, eager, attentive. Our fear of them has dissipated and I welcome them as one would a familiar friend. I swing in my hammock and watch them patiently circle around our hull. We drive our dingy and look back, a trail of black tips breaking the surface behind us. We jump into the water, mask and fin, side by side, matched in our acceptance of one another. We play in the shallows as they circle around us, the occasional feel of sandpaper brushes past flesh. Acceptance. Beauty. Bliss.
We’ve come ashore to a nearby islet to enjoy coffee and the rising sun, and as I lean back I see that my hand rests in the rivet of a turtle track. The fresh tracks lead me to five nests in the sand, and we realize that whilst looking for a beach facing the sunrise we’ve found turtle hatching grounds. Looking up, the Terns squawk as we disturb their silent congregation, and ahead Frigate birds swoop to water for a meal – caught! A single fish wriggles in a steel-vice clamp, fighting for release. Upward the bird soars, spiraling. And just as my shutter clicks, release and free-fall. I’ve caught my own fish, on film, in an unexpected moment of freedom.
Spotted eagle ray and giant stingray bask in the warmth of the shallow water. I slide my feet, inching toward them, trying not to stumble into the large ditches they’ve carved into the sand. With a flick of wing, they could disappear in the blink of an eye, but warily they let me approach. They are large pale dishes, two-meters long, wings fluttering and shifting a circle of sand that pockmarks the flat seabed. I inch, they flutter. I inch, but this time too close. A flick of wing and they are gone. Or buried beneath the sand. Either way, their barb demands caution and I back away.
Sea snakes hunt in the shallow crevices, crammed into tight nooks in the rock, I stand close to a half dozen crabs who scurrying about on wet rocks at the edge of the reef. Quick as a flash, a foots-length away, a sea snake rips the arm off its victim and darts inches past my toe. At least it wasn’t my limb under attack. I back away, pulse racing. I stumble into a small tidal pool behind me, and look down. Around my feet dart a half dozen pint-sized black tip. I freeze. It isn’t the sharks that have caught my attention, but a granddaddy sea snake sunning himself in the afternoon heat. Big, muscular. We register each other; he moves first. At breakneck speed he slithers on dry rock towards his escape and my heart stops – I know he is all muscle, but even so – the speed with which he moves is simply astounding.
Bird nests crown the trees, baby hatchlings tucked in their wooden cradles. We tread quietly through a booby-bird sanctuary. I have an audience. Thirty beaks, yellow eyes curious, turn toward me as I wandered under the branches. A brave few fly overhead to get a better look. They squawk, rotate, watch me. I watch them. I slip into shallow water, trying to get a better look. A shadow catches my attention and I turn to see a shark lazily swim past. As I wade out further to rub foot to fin, I sidestep a giant ray and, in doing so, a passing turtle bumps into my shin.
Back on Ātea, the wildlife comes to us. Terns rest on Atea’s bowsprit, their delicate feathered features casual and unperturbed by my approach. Reef fish school under our hull, attracted to our protection and the shade, and ever hopeful for the occasional meal that this visitor provides. Sharks continue their endless loop around our hull. Turtles idle past in slow investigation. The shadow of a ray lays its dark path below. Ping. Ping. Ping. Like dominos, gilled and feathered inhabitants of Chagos drop past us in quick succession.
Perhaps this is the crux of it. It is not one unique encounter, but encounter on top of encounter on top of encounter like the line up and drop of dominos that makes the experiences in Chagos so unique.
Other than sitting around all day with our mouths agape and our eyes open wide, catching the myriad of wildlife activity around us, one could ask, “What did you do all day?” A typical day might start with coffee and scones on the beach under the shade of the palm trees, the kids playing in the shallows. Braca, who six months ago would not put his head in the water of the hotel swimming pool, is now jumping and frolicking in the water, twisting and turning like a fish, snorkelling without a lifejacket and asking to be pushed down to the reef for a closer look. Perhaps he is inspired by the life around us. Ayla has similarly progressed, and whilst less proficient than her brother, she is fearless and will happily paddle off into the blue water calling out “I’m fine!” as the black tips circle curiously around us. Our afternoons would contain some degree of boat jobs and schoolwork, but otherwise we sought to break established routines and maximise our time together. We made bonfires on the beach, fished for our dinner, ate on deck watching the bloom of stars overhead. We had disco nights and games nights, dinner parties and birthday parties. Chagos offered time as a family unfiltered and uncomplicated by outside influence. We had no access to news of the outside world and no other distractions from a distance. Without Internet, television or phones, it was family life stripped bare. We live each day with just three other people to consider. How often does life offer such purity? To view more photos of personal moments: Chagos and Family
Of course on a more practical level there were a few things we are desperate for. The last egg was used in Braca’s birthday cake two weeks ago, green salads are a distant memory, and even a humble cabbage would be a treat. How would we best enjoy such a treasure if we held one in our hands? That said, our food has lasted well considering it has been six months since we left the plentiful stores of Malaysia, three months since the fantastic fresh markets of Sumatra, and six weeks since the paltry offerings of Cocos Keeling. In addition, our other pressing need is to rid ourselves of rubbish; try to imagine keeping two and a half months of household waste on your front doorstep. Our last bag of garbage left the boat in early August, and since then we have been on a regime that allows us to dispose of green-waste overboard and degradable materials in the deep ocean. Every single scrap of plastic and other non-degradables, however, have been manually compacted and stored on deck in the heat. A fellow cruiser once mentioned that his boat was like the municipal dump – we now know how that feels and are looking forward to being able to clear our own retained waste as soon as possible. Most people would look forward to a visit to the Maldives as a holiday of a lifetime destination, but for us the two foremost questions on getting ashore will be “Do you have any cabbage?” and “Where can I put the rubbish?”
Our days in Chagos were so wrapped up in the “here and now” that it is only after departure that I can sit down to think about what the experience means to us. We heralded Chagos as the epitome of a cruisers ideal destination: Remote, pristine, beautiful. That we were able to experience it without any other cruisers only amplified these traits and made the isolation absolute. Herman Melville wrote in Moby Dick: “I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas.” Melville must have had Chagos in mind when he wrote these words, for no words speak of a lust for a place so accurately.
Tonight we sail onward, leaving Chagos behind us in what will always remain a favourite destination. I know it will be Ile de Salomon that I reflect on if I am ever at a dinner party playing Table Talk and pull the card that queries “If you could be anywhere in the world, where would it be?” Our time in Chagos is almost indescribable, other than to say it far exceeded our highest expectations. It is hard to measure the experience in one country against the experience in another, particularly when the environment is a very different one. While I have loved time in so many different countries for so many different reasons, the Chagos archipelago is just one of those places that will forever stand in a league of its own.
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Tag Archives: Voice of Mongolia
Recent Shortwave Logs From Alaska
It’s been quite a while since I posted any logs. I picked out my best ones from the last 2 months.
Equipment: Tecsun PL-880, 225 foot long wires oriented for different directions, EmTech ZM2 Antenna tuner, DX Engineering RPA-1PLUS HF PreAmp and EmTech ZM2 antenna tuner.
5040 kHz, All India Radio Jaypore from 1641UTC to 1645UTC on September 22nd in the Oriya language with some singing and/or chanting. I would give this broadcast a SINPO Rating of 33343. The signal was overall on the higher side of fair but there ewas some static and noise with a light to moderate amount of fading and some digital data/pulsing kind of noise. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvtOZFbYMxo (Walker-AK)
7295 kHz & 7345 kHz, Radio Sahka via Yauktsk 1020UTC to 1030UTC on September 11 in Russian. What sounds like contemporary russian music is being played. 7295 is a bit louder and stronger for me, sometimes by a fairly noticeable margin most days but this time, the difference is hugely noticeable between the two signals. I would give these broadcasts a SINPO rating of 45455 I am rating this good as there was almost no atmospheric noise and very little fading! 7295 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g24DkJgv0qc 7345 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia4N62KB2gM (Walker-AK
7315 kHz, The Voice of Vietnam via Cypress Creek, South Carolina from 0100 to 0115UTC on September 22. The program begins with the incredibly recognizable and lovely VOV interval tune/intro signal. A female announcer gives a quick preview of the show and headlines then a news report begins.with a male. I would give this broadcast a SINPO of 34233. The signal was pretty fair, listenable but with lots of atmospheric noise/fading/static, but thankfully no interference. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_PH8MraW7A.
VOV also heard at 1624UTC on 7220 kHz via Hanoi with a traditional Vietnamese song and a SINPO rating of 33232. The signal itself was ok but there was a lot of noise, fading and at times, interference which resulted in my overall poor rating. The signal itself was ok but there was alot of noise, fading and at times, interference which resulted in my overall poor rating. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9Kf2AYVeDA .
1209 kHz via Hanoi at 1130UTC is heard at fair to good levels from with a little fading and noise but not bad overall. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIFVztEl1yM .
12005 kHz VOV heard via Woofferton on August 29 at 0230UTC with good signal. Audio here of 15520 kHz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6F0ktPTDuc
I have not heard the claimed VOV broadcasts in English on 5955 via Moosbrun or the 9550 broadcasts, wherever that comes from! (Walker-AK)
9445 kHz, All India Radio General Overseas Service from 1826 to 1830UTC on August 27th in English. Indian music followed by a sports program, co produced by AIR, BBC and Radio Australia.I would give this broadcast a SINPO rating of 45454. THe signal was pretty darn good and audio was good too. Only a slight bit of fading and ever so slight noise. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ka9mc7c_F8 (Walker-AK)
9650 kHz, Radio Guinea via Conarky from 2357UTC to 0035UTC in French. Lively Afro-pop type music and announcers talking in french. I would give this a SINPO Rating of 35333. The broadcast was moderately fair, the unique music made this broadcast a bit easier to pick out of the noise but it was moderately listenable. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lmG9ms3ucU (Walker-AK)
9870 kHz, All India Radio Vividh Bharati Service from 1728UTC to 1741UTC on August 27th. Stellarly awesome signal with some lovely indian music and female announcer. I would give this a SINPO Rating of 5555! Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyJAJmwoE8I (Walker-AK)
9895 kHz, Radio Rossi via (???) from 0951UTC to 1002UTC on September 11. Enjoying some Russian music on Shortwave! I would give this a SINPO rating of 44344. I rate this overall as good because of the strong signal and overall high listenability signal/audio quality wise. If it weren’t for the slight fading and noise, this would be nearly a 55555. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XcsJEAgDuc
5900 kHz heard a day earlier with what sounds like a news or feature interview segment with more then one man talking in Russian at 1000UTC. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWEgjpT1vwU (Walker-AK)
I would give this a SINPO rating of 44343. This signal was on the lower side of good but the overall quality was the higher side of fair due to the fading, noise and slightly low modulation.
11735 kHz, Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation via Dole, Zanzibar from 2049UTC to 2059UTC on September 5th. Some music playing, maybe middle eastern-like? somewhat lively tunes. A male announcer speaking, possibly in Swahili This is far from the best I log ZBC with, but also far from the worst I give this broadcast a SINPO rating of 44434. It was a fair to good signal with a bit of fading and choppy propagation but not bad. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn7o4G2iHSU (Walker-AK)
11750 kHz, Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation via Trincomalee, Sri Lanka from 1721UTC to 1725UTC on September 24th in the Sinhalese language. Unfortunately, I do understand what is being said other then it appears this is an interview or discussion program hosted by a woman with a male guest on the phone.. A friend who listened to the recording says she gives a station ID at some point. I would give this broadcast a SINPO rating of 34444. The signal was fair and there was no interference but fading was moderate and propagation was somewhat choppy. If the signal had been a bit stronger with a little less fading and better propagation, this would’ve been a very enjoyable signal to listen to. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfqEK4caKKo (Walker-AK)
12035 kHz, Voice of Mongolia via Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from 0859 to 0908UTC on September 25 in English. My recording starts out with the carrier but no program audio yet. The interval tune begins, a male announces the name of the radio station. A female announcer comes on, welcoming people to the radio station. Frequency and broadcast schedule information is given out along with your website information. Another female announcer comes on and welcomes people to a New Edition of The Sunday Music Program. That female announcer reads a few news stories before a Mongolian song plays. I would give this broadcast a SINPO rating of 44344. Overall this broadcast was good because the signal was strong and with no noise or interference, just moderate fading and slightly choppy propagation. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpfoLtxkr70 (Walker-AK)
15275 kHz, Deutsche Welle via Issoudun from 1835 to 1838UTC on September 24 in French. It sounds like a news discussion/interview program with one man doing the large part of the talking. I would give this broadcast a SINPO rating of 45444. It was a pretty good signal with no noise or interference and only a slight bit more fading then my 1530 kHz reception of RFI on the same date and nearly same time from the same site with nearly the same target area. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTUzBk3FjeY (Walker-AK)
15300 kHz, Radio France International via Issoudun from 1837UTC to 1841UTC on September 24 in French. What sounds like a woman possibly interviewing a man. I would give this broadsast a SINPO Rating of 45444. The signal was very good, there was no interference and very little noise. Just a bit of fading and ever so slightly choppy propagation. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1sJs9P0Qrw (Walker-AK)
15320 kHz, Radio Taiwan International via Paochung, Taiwan from 0356UTC to 0359TC on September 8th. There is ALOT of static/atmospheric noise on the channel and the signal is very weak. I recorded 5 minutes worth and took the 3 best segments of the reception and put them together. If I didn’t know what to look for, this would be impossible to have nailed down In the first part of this one clip which is 11 seconds, a male gives out a frequency and time schedule. In the second part of this clip which is 9 seconds, the same man gives out what I assume is the PO Box mailing address for RTI. In the 3rd and final part of this clip, that same man says simply “Radio Taiwan International” I would give it a SINPO rating of 12112. Audio here: https://app.box.com/s/kkcoe959r5iphbjvvnjoz2n0qxslhevz. I have also heard RTI’s 9465 kHz and 11685 kHz english broadcasts in the 1500 to 1600UTC time frame usually at barely fair levels, but occasionally at fair to good levels. (Walker-AK)
15520 kHz, Voice Of Turkey via Emirler, Turkey from 1628UTC to 1650UTC on September 24th in English. The lovely Voice of Turkey interval tune played for about 2 minutes before time pips played followed by a male announcing the start of the english service and the frequencies and times to listen. A Female announcer then came on and read news stories for about 10 minutes before the letter box program came on with a male announcer reading listener letters and reception report. I give this broadcast SINPO rating of 44333. This broadcast was teetering between fair and good. If it wasn’t for the choppy propagation, this signal would’ve been alot more listenable. Audio here of 15520 kHz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6F0ktPTDuc I caught 9830 the next day and they played their interval tune for about 9 minutes before signing off about 10 minutes early!! 9830 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o7_LINGYMA . I’ve heard the 9515 kHz Turkey broadcast in English in early September as well at fair signal levels with somewhat choppy propagation. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anc_8jznz_k (Walker-AK)
15590 kHz, Radio Thailand via Udon Thani from 02359 to 0015UTC on August 19. Superb signal with interval tune, station introduction and a news segment of national headlines.An ad or two was heard for local/regional businesses along with promotional announcement inviting advertising inquires and giving an email address. I would give this a SINPO rating of 55455. This broadcast is near perfect! Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPQaA_RM74I. 9390 kHz heard in English on September 24th at 1937UTC with business and financial report information in english. SINPO of 54444 Almost as good as 15590 kHz and it should be noted that 9390 isn’t usually this good. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQnEexGUBoE (Walker-AK)
Paul Walker is the Program Director at Community Radio For Alaska: KIYU located in Galena, Alaska and is a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Be sure to check out Paul’s YouTube channel and SoundCloud channel where everything he logs is recorded and posted. Click here to read his other contributions on the SWLing Post.
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This entry was posted in Broadcasters, News, Recordings, Shortwave Radio, What's On Shortwave and tagged All India Radio, Deutsche Welle, Paul Walker, Radio France International, Radio Guinea, Radio Rossi, Radio Sahka, Radio Taiwan International, Radio Thailand, Shortwave Radio, Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, Voice of Mongolia, Voice of Turkey, Voice of Vietnam, Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation on September 28, 2016 by Paul Walker.
Shortwave Logs From Alaska July 17 to August 2
As is my typical style, I’ll do some DX’ing for weeks, if not a month or more before I sit down and write out logs. I focus on logging and recording first, then writing reports later as I’m worried i’ll miss something on the dials.
I have a few good ones this time around, like usual. Lets get on with the logs!
There are a few good ones here, including The Voice of Mongolia 12035 kHz, Vivdh Bharati on 9870 kHz and others along with some usuals.
2850 kHz, 3250 kHz & 3320 kHz, The Voice of Korea via Pyongyang to North Korea and the Far East in Korean on August 2, 2016 from 1623 to 1627UTC. The tropical band signals of VoK are somewhat rare and kind of weak during the summer but much more regular and stronger in the winter. This time around, 2850 kHz is the strongest with a woman singing in Korean. The signal is weak but easy to understand despite the noise. 3250 kHz and 3320 kHz both featured a man talking, 3250 had a song shortly after my recording began. 3560 kHz wasn’t heard on this date, but it was heard back on July 23, 2016 at 1502UTC with a pretty weak signal, full of noise, yet music was definately heard above the buzzing!
2850 kHz audio here: https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/vok-2850-august-2-2016-8-23-35.
https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/vok-2850-august-2-2016-8-23-35
3250 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2Fzy7bm_3A
3320 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEB0Qx9bZLg
3560 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djJIa4JLWow
4885 kHz, Echo of Hope to North Korea in Korean on July 28, 2016 at 1623UTC. Their other frequencies always seem to be jammed but I’ve not heard this Anti North Korean station have it’s 4885 kHz signal jammed. It’s a pretty good signal, clean, clear, fairly steady with only some light fading. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgZUOjZaQPE
5020 kHz, Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation via Honiara to the Solomon Islands on August 1, 2016 at 0953UTC. The SIBC is here just about nightly and at least very poor levels. The signal on this night with local music is fair but with a good amount of fading and noise. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A67vQd04Uj0
5857 kHz “HLL Seoul” on July 28, 2016 at 1634UTC. A weather broadcasting station from Seoul, South Korea often with digital data but does have voice from time to time, I’ve heard both but never this clear. The voice isn’t usually this clear or loud. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5eICMqMCaQ
7280 kHz, The Voice of Vietnam in Russian via Hanoi to Europe on July 26, 2016 at 1639UTC. A poor signal with lots of fading, static and noise and possibly some interference as well. A man was heard talking in Russian. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7nt1J0QGWQ
9390 kHz, Radio Thailand World Service in English via Udon Thani on July 23, 2016 at 1955UTC. Radio Thailand is here from time to time and while it may be strong sometimes, it’s usually a pretty fade-y signal. This signal would be on the high side of fair if it wasn’t for all the noise and fading. The recording starts off with what sounds like ad’s for a business marketed to english speaking ex pats and tourists. A sign off message then airs but the carrier doesn’t drop as far as I can tell before the German service starts at 2000UTC. Audio here: https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/radio-thailand-9390-july-23
9420 kHz, The Voice of Greece via Avlis to Europe. on August 1, 2016 at 2326UTC. The Voice of Greece is not heard here too often and when it is, it’s often a noise, static and fade-y ridden signal like this is with a woman talking, but about what, I don’t know. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul6kf5cdvho
9635 kHz, The Voice of Turkey in French via Emirler to Western Europe on July 23, 2016 at 2021UTC. The Voice of Turkey is pretty rare here, I can’t recall it paying a visit very often. The is about as good as I can recall hearing them here Despite the extreme noise, It is still a steady signal with a musical selection, a man talking and then a musical selection before the carrier is turned off. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMXlIHiDl7U
9735 kHz, Radio Taiwan International in Japanese via Paochung/Baujong to Japan on July 31, 2016 at 2258UTC. A man in Japanese mentioning Tapei, a short musical selection plays before a few beep tones and a carrier being cut. The signal is pretty steady and strong with some light fading, but still a listenable signal. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K6NVvrriwY
9790 kHz, Radio Romania International in English via Tiganesti to the Far East. The English service broadcast with a lady talking about a contest with the giveaway being a CD. Details are given how to enter the contest. The signal was somewhat weak but there was a moderate amount of nosie with some fading on the channel. I detected the 9760 kHz in english to Western Europe and I could hear audio, but nothing worthy of recording or logging it “officially”. 9790 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGiD1OHVWKw
9870 kHz, All India Radio Vividh Bharati Service in Hindi via Bangalore to South Asia on July 27, 2016 at 1700UTC. They are here just about everyday, sometimes at poor levels but usually at least fair. However, some days like this time, they are good to excellent with great audio, steady signal and no real noise or fading. I love hearing the music they play! Audio here: https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/air-9870-july-27-2016-8-59-1
https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/air-9870-july-27-2016-8-59-1
9997 kHz LSB, RWM Moscow Russia on July 27, 2016 at 1643UTC. Every source I’ve seen places them on 3 frequencies, including 9996 kHz. I swear each time I’ve heard them, it is clearer on LSB and 9997 kHz then 9996 kHz! They are a fairly regular visitor here, not every day, but at least weekly but usually, they are buried in the noise between slop from WWV/H and atmospheric crud. Well, this today the beep from RWM was very very much in the clear. Audio here: https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/rwm-9997lsb-july-27-2016-8
11540 kHz, VOA Radio Ashna in Pastho via Udon Thani to Iran on August 2, 2016 at 1654UTC. A very weak signal, barely above the static and fading with a man talking in the Pashto language. Audio here: https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/voa-ashna-11540-in-pashto-to
11800 kHz, Radio Romania International in Romanian via Tiganesti to the Middle East on July 27, 2016 at 1647UTC. The signal was fair with a moderate amount of fading and atmospheric noise. I heard a romanian language tune followed by a man then a woman talking. Later on, I heard what may have sounded like feature report of some kind, I don’t think it was a news broadcast. Audio here: https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/rri-11800-july-27-2016-8-47-16
11735 kHz, Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation in Swahili via Dole, Zanzibar on July 28 at 1659UTC. They are only 50KW and while some sites list them as non directional, they aren’t. A directional curtain antenna has been spotted on Google maps, but I don’t know what their beam is. That being said, I can count on them being here daily. Somedays it’s poor, some days it’s fair and other days it’s somewhat good like this. There are even days when it’s near excellent with a clear, steady signal and good audio. In this clip, the audio sounds like a cross between being full of digital artifacts and some propagation issues. The audio is not as good as usual, but still pretty listenable with not much fading and little noise or interference. There was a song, followed by a little dead air then a station promotional announcement and another song. ZBC, when playing music, is an enjoyable listen! Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSvyT-Do1cE
11950 kHz, Radio Romania International in French via Galbeni to Southern Europe on August 1, 2016 at 1640UTC. The signal was fair but with a moderate amount of fading. Thankfully, no interference or too much atmospheric noise. A woman talking in french, presumably reading the news. Audio is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PioNenuF358
12019 kHz, The Voice of Vietnam in Chinese(?) via Hanoi to Indonesia on July 31, 2016 at 2236UTC. I can usually hear the Voice of Vietnam shortwave broadcasts in multiple languages from their Vietnam based transmitter sites across very frequencies. This signal is fairly weak with some nooise and fading. It sounds like a news broadcast or feature report to me. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5GRlWGQbBg
12035 kHz, Voice of Mongolia via Ulaanbatar with 180 degree beam south from Mongolia On August 1, 2016 at 0900UTC, I had the best signal ever from time. If it wasn’t for all the atmospheric noise and fading present, the signal would’ve been an incredibly pleasant listen. During this time, I happened to catch the DX’ers mailbox program in which they read out a letter from me. However, this is the second time the July 4th broadcast has been replayed. Still great to get them so well here, usually they are weak and barely above the noise floor. My Wellbrook ALA1530LNP was used here instead of the 225 foot longwire. The loop provided noise reduction and nulling/directional capabilities that really helped out! Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqTox0j8P3k (Here’s a tip when looking for VOM on 12035 and trying to log in: I think the carrier is turned on several minutes before the 0900UTC broadcast in english. The interval tune starts just a little before 0859UTC and I think the program runs the entire 30 minutes till 0930UTC, unlike what I think some sites suggest)
12060 kHz, Radio Algerienne via Issoudun to West Africa in French on July 26, 2016 at 2038UTC. none of Radio Algerienne’s signals are regular visitors and pretty weak as I recall, like this one with lots of noise and buzzing. Music and chat barely detectable above the noise floor. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pqdQKRrG0E
12095 kHz, BBC World Service in English to East Africa via Meyerton on July 23, 2016 at 1625UTC. A news broadcast in english, two men are discussing sports then a news anchor comes on to read the top stories. Audio here: https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/12095-bbc-english-to-east
13660 kHz, Radio Romania International in Romanian via Tiganesti to the Middle East on July 28, 2016 at 1655UTC. This was a GOOD signal with only a light amount of fading and very little noise. There was a woman talking for a bit then a man came on and mentioned the name of the station. A song played and the carrier was cut mid song without their usual interval tune. Audio is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR7p0537mbc
15170 kHz, Radio Romania International in Spanish via Tiganesti to South America on August 1st, 2016 at 2101UTC. This signal was pretty weak with only a light amount of fading but plenty of atmospheric noise. It was hard to understand the woman talking, but you could clear make out the RRI news sounder noise part of the way through my recording. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzYQ3l4iPWE
15205 kHz, BSKSA Holy Quran in Arabic via Ryadh on August 2, 2016 at 1704UTC. A fair to good signal but with a moderate amount of nosie and fading while a man chants. Audio here: https://soundcloud.com/onairdjpaulwalker/bsksa-holy-quran-15205-august
15235 kHz, Channel Africa in English via Meyerton to Western South Africa on August 2, 2016 at 1708UTC. Channel Africa is somewhat of a regular visitor up here as of late when conditions are good. They broadcast an hour long news segment in French from 1600 to 1700UTC followed by an hour long english broadcast. The signal this time around is fair but there’s alot of fading. The signal can be weak at times, but is usually steadier then this. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k0-lx8aLXM
15275 kHz & 11740 kHz, Deutsche Welle via Issoudun in French to Africa (17740 kHz) and West Africa (15275 kHz)on July 31, 2016 and August 2, 2016 bewteen 1700 and 1730UTC. 15275 kHz french service to Africa was heard on July 31 and August 1st. July 31st produced a fair to good signal with moderate fading but still very listenable. The August 1st broadcast proved a bit harder, it was weaker and with a fairly high amount of fading and noise. The 17740 kHz was heard on July 31st and was fair but with LOTS of noise and fading which made it hard to understand. 15275 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNBfkK4-UT4 (July 31) and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhcZ6ZLLDP8 (August 2). 17740 kHz audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fdirw8RxKs
15400 kHz, Radio Romania International in Spanish via Tiganesti to South America on August 1, 2016 at 2259UTC. There is a fair amount of noise in the signal and it’s somewhat weak, but still fairly listenable. The signal starts off with the usual and easily identified interval signal followed the opening of the broadcast, introducing it in spanish and continuing on with the news. Audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzYQ3l4iPWE
15770 kHz, DigiDX via WRMI Okeechobee, Florida on July 31, 2016 at 2149UTC. It is a very weak signal plagued with lots of noise and fading but I did get plenty of MFSK32 text to decode and a picture to come through on FLDigi. It wasn’t error free, but it was pretty good considering what the signal sounded like. Audio is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFMxYTrGA6Q (Bring up FLDigi on your computer and play this video in the background, and you’ll see, stuff DOES decode!)
Paul Walker is an avid Shortwave DX’er located in Galena, Alaska working at “Community Radio For Alaska: KIYU” as Program Director and is a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Be sure to check out Paul’s YouTube channel and SoundCloud channel where everything he logs is recorded and posted. Click here to read his other contributions on the SWLing Post.
This entry was posted in Recordings, Shortwave Radio, SWLers and tagged Alaska, All India Radio, BSKSA Holy Quran, Deutsche Welle, DigiDX, Echo of Hope, Galena Alaska, HLL Seoul, Paul Walker, Radio Algerienne, Radio Romania International, Radio Taiwan International, Radio Thailand, Radio Thailand World Service, RWM Moscow, Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation, The Voice of Mongolia, Vivdh Bharati, VOA, Voice of Greece, Voice of Mongolia, Voice of Turkey, Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation on August 5, 2016 by Paul Walker.
Shortwave Logs from Alaska’s Central Interior Region
Here are some Shortwave logs from the central interior region of Alaska. I used a Tecsun PL880 and 225 foot long wire with Emtech ZM2 Tuner or a Wellbrook ALA1530LNP.
I’ve only used the Wellbrook for two days so I can’t really offer a thorough comparison yet. There was one case in particular where the 225 foot long wire and ZM2 tuner beat the Wellbrook by a large margin.
I don’t log everything I hear, but everything I do log gets recorded into an mp3 format audio clip. The audio recording helps tremendously with my QSL return rate, especially when I am hearing a broadcast in a language I don’t understand
I hear China Radio International, China National Radio, Radio Nacional de Brasilia/Amazonia, FEBC, World Harvest Radio and others regularly so I don’t log them because I try and keep my logs to what is interesting for one reason or another (programming, music, etc.) or rare/interesting.
3260 & 3325 kHz Papua New Guinea, NBC Radio. 1027 to 1034 UTC. 3325 Bouganville is carrying a man talking in a combination of Pidgin and English discussing mines, mine safety and mine regulations. Better then average signal with only light fading and interference. 3260 kHz Mandang is running music followed by an announcer talking about what I think are upcoming programming highlights. Fair signal, way better then usual
NBC Radio Mandang 3260 kHz audio: https://goo.gl/pmB8DD
NBC Radio Bouganviulle 3325 kHz audio: https://goo.gl/WKKEPJ
4870 kHz Indonesia, Radio Republik Indonesia Wamena. June 12 1001 UTCA regular visitor in the early morning hours here. not daily, but here often. Today’s signal is fair but with a moderate amount of fading and static crashes/interference. Usual fair of what I think is local music is being played.
Radio Republik Indonesia Wamena 4870 kHz audio: https://goo.gl/hjF1JL
5020 kHz Solomon Islands, Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation. June 12 1011UTC. Higher side of good signal with all factors taken into account. Only a little bit of fading during christian music.
Audio of Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation 5020 kHz here: https://goo.gl/d8BFX2
5745 kHz US, VOA Radio Gram. June 11 0943. The first time I logged VOA’s Radio Gram broadcast. There was something creating a loud buzzing noise but I could still hear the digital data. Only a little Russian text and text in english decoded for me. I will definitely try again!
VOA Radio Gram 5745 kHz audio here: https://goo.gl/LfxJ6w
6070 kHz DPRK, Voice of Korea.June 11 1005UTC. Fair signal, but low modulation. Announcers voice is lower then the music. Fair amount of fading. I heard their usual marching/patriotic music. This is not a frequency I usually hear them on, wether owing to I am not out when this frequency is on, conditions or I hear usually CFRX Toronto.
Voice Of Korea 6070 kHz audio here: https://goo.gl/SzXuEg
6115 kHz China, Voice of Strait. June 11 1008 UTC. Fair signal with a fair amount of fading. Sounds like a man talking, could be a news broadcast or interview. Not sure.
Voice Of Strait 6115 kHz audio here: https://goo.gl/V92tlD
7260 kHz Vanuatu, Radio Vanuatu. June 7 0857UTC. Low side of fair signal with interview in english and mentions of Vanuatu. Interview ends and music plays, one song sounds like it’s a kids chorus. There is a fair amount of fading and static crashing/atmospheric noise. Radio Vanuatu is habitually, chronically, woefully unde rmodulated on a daily basis. Just a few days after this logging was made, I had what my radio signal meter showed as a good signal but NO audio. The signal was so under modulated I had no audio but I had a signal! I would actually listen to them if they played more music and had better modulation
Radio Vanuatu 7260 kHz audio here: https://goo.gl/V1GMQS
9545 Solomon Islands, Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation. June 11 0835. SIBC was on over 3 hours late on 9545 kHz, it’s supposed to sign off at 0500UTC and switch to 5020 kHz but at 0835UTC this night it was still on. 9545 kHz staying on late has been happening a lot lately. 9545 kHz is used as SIBC’s workday frequency with 5020 kHz being used in the early to mid morning and afternoon/evening. In this recording SIBC is fairly strong here with light fading and static. Whenever 9545 kHz is on late, it seems to be stronger then 5020 kHz would be. My logging tonight starts with an interview then music is being played.
Audio of SIBC 9545 kHz here: https://goo.gl/0AIj5n
12035 Mongolia, Voice of Mongolia. June 11 1018UTC. NEW! This is a new logging for me. weak signal playing music. Was able to match the interval tune and the announcers voice heard during my logging with a clip of a recent broadcast on their website.
Audio of Voice of Mongolia 12035 kHz here: https://goo.gl/Y2QXH7
15400 kHz Romania, Radio Romania International. June 12 1006 UTC. News broadcast in French. Somewhat weak, but steady signal with only light fading.
Audio of Radio Romania International 1540 kHz here: https://goo.gl/OBK0Q9
17770 kHz Phillipines, Radio Liberty targeting Siberia. June 12 0948. What sounded like a man in Russian during a news broadcast or interview. Weak but steady signal.
Audio of Radio Liberty 1770khz here: https://goo.gl/5fxzxJ
I could use some opinions and inputs from others on something:
I am DXing about 500 feet from the transmitter sites for KXES-LPFM 92.9 and KIYU-FM 88.1 along with K10LJ Channel 10. The FM’s are only 100 watts and the TV station is only 10 watts of Digital RF. However, the FM’s overload my Shortwave radio around 9.4 to 9.6 MHz along with the lower to mid part of the tropical bands. I have a MCM Electronics and Radio Shack FM trap and they help a bit, but don’t do nearly enough. I am willing to spend $100 or so for a good FM Trap/Filter. I’ll spend a little more if I have to and the product is proven at works. I can null out the interference by rotating my Wellbrook ALA1530LNP, but I may be nulling out the signal I want to hear at the same time. Returning things for me is a hassle so I’d rather pay good $ for something that works. Feel free to email me, walkerbroadcasting@gmail.com or reply to this thread.
Paul Walker is located in Galena, Alaska and is a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Be sure to check out Paul’s YouTube channel and SoundCloud channel where everything he logs is recorded and posted. Click here to read his other contributions on the SWLing Post.
This entry was posted in Guest Posts, News, Shortwave Radio, SWLers and tagged Galena Alaska, Paul Walker, Radio Liberty, Radio Vanuatu, Rado Romania International, Solomon Islands, Voice of Mongolia, Wellbrook ALA1530LN Pro on June 13, 2016 by Paul Walker.
Video: Voice of Mongolia antenna farm
In response to Chris’ recording of The Voice of Mongolia from Truk Lagoon, Mark shared his video taken from a train as he passes the Voice of Mongolia’s antenna farm earlier this year. Note the large curtain antennas. The size of the antennas is most apparent near the end of the video when the train turns; you can see the Voice of Mongolia site at a distance:
Thanks for sharing your travels, Mark!
This entry was posted in Broadcasters, Videos and tagged Mark Fahey, Mongolia, Videos, Voice of Mongolia, Voice of Mongolia Antenna Farm, Voice of Mongolia Transmitter Site on March 10, 2013 by Thomas.
Reader Chris shares travel recordings: Voice of Mongolia, Korea
Map pointing to Truk Lagoon (Source: truk-lagoon.com)
SWLing Post reader, Chris Johnson, recently sent me a message confessing his love of travel combined with shortwave radio listening. When he told me about his enviable plans to travel to the tiny islands of Truk Lagoon in the Federated States of Micronesia–and to record some of the broadcasts he heard–I asked if he would allow me to share his recordings on the Post. Fortunately for us, he agreed!
Below are two of his recordings, the first from the Voice of Mongolia, the second from the Voice of Korea. Both happen to be very difficult stations to catch here in eastern North America. His comments follow each recording:
Voice of Mongolia Shortwave Broadcast to Asia and Europe. Using a Sony ICF-SW7600G with a whip antenna. Recorded on 29 January 2013 at 1030z on 12085 khz from the Blue Lagoon Resort, Truk Lagoon, Federated States of Micronesia. The broadcast interval signal begins at 1:35
Voice of Korea; Recorded on a Sony ICF-SW7600G using a whip antenna. 7 February 2013 on 15100 khz at 0500z Location; Puka Beach, Boracay Island, Philippines. The program was scheduled for 60 minutes but due to the frequent power outages in the DPRK, the program ceased at approximately 52 minutes.
Thanks, Chris!
This entry was posted in News, Recordings, Shortwave Radio and tagged Chris Johnson, Mongolia, North Korea, Shortwave Radio, Shortwave Radio Recordings, Truk Lagoon, Voice of Korea, Voice of Mongolia on February 28, 2013 by Thomas.
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How Boris Johnson Can Still Get a Deal After Major Commons Defeat
Cover Photo: Cool Britannia? by Andy D’Agorne, available here Boris Johnson‘s government faces a serious setback in its Brexit agenda, after opposition parties have successfully voted with a majority of 328 to 301 to take control of Business of the House of Commons. This means the government no longer commands Read more…
By Jordan Campbell, 1 year 1 year ago
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WaPo Is Wrong: Head Injuries Are Down, Not Up, in Bike-Share Cities
The Washington Post ran a headline today erroneously claiming that cyclist head injuries increased in bike-share cities, when in fact head injuries declined more in bike-share cities than in cities without bike-share.
A Washington Post headline proclaimed today that cyclist head injuries have increased in cities with bike-share systems, based on a study published in the American Journal of Public Health. But University of British Columbia public health professor Kay Ann Teschke is challenging that conclusion, pointing out that the data cited by the WaPo actually leads to the opposite conclusion: In cities with bike-share systems, head injuries and injuries of all kinds have gone down.
“The message that bike-share is increasing head injuries is not true,” Teschke told Streetsblog. “The tone of the article suggests that head injuries go up. Really what is happening is that head injuries went down, non-head injuries went down — but non-head injuries went down more.”
The study was based on injury data from trauma center databases and registries in American and Canadian cities, collected over the same time period from both bike-share cities and control cities. A press release for the study said the “risk of head injury among cyclists increased 14 percent after implementation of bike-share programs in several major cities.” But to put the finding in plainer language, what the researchers actually show is that head injuries as a proportion of overall cyclist injuries rose from 42 percent to 50 percent in five cities after the implementation of bike-share.
As for the overall safety of cyclists following the introduction of bike-share, Teschke says the data in the article actually show that total head injuries fell more in the five cities that implemented bike-share than in the control group. Head injuries just didn’t fall as much as total injuries.
The AJPH article’s authors make cautious assertions that their research might build the case for helmet requirements with bike-share. The Washington Post’s Lenny Bernstein, meanwhile, wasn’t cautious at all:
A few weeks ago, in honor of annual Bike to Work day, I asked a simple question about why those terrific bike share programs don’t provide helmets to riders. There were a lot of understandable reasons — hygiene, cost, liability — but one thing all the cities I checked seem to argue is that bike share programs are very safe, much safer than, say, cruising around on your own bicycle. Their evidence was anecdotal, based on the tiny number of reports of injuries to cyclists who have taken millions of bike share trips nationwide.
Well, it looks like they are wrong.
A look at the raw data doesn’t support Bernstein’s gloating at all.
The raw data from a report about safety in bike-share cities shows a decrease — not an increase — in injuries, in contrast to the report from the Washington Post. To make the comparison, you have to divide the pre-implimentation data by two, because the pre-implementation phase lasted two years, while post-implementation lasted one. Click to enlarge. Chart: University of Washington
In the cities that implemented bike-share, Teschke said, all injuries declined 28 percent, from 757 to 545. Head injuries declined 14 percent, from 319 to 273 per year. And moderate to severe head injuries also declined from 162 to 119.
Meanwhile, in the control cities that do not have bike-share, all injuries increased slightly from 932 to 953 per year — 6 percent. Head injuries decreased slightly — 4 percent — from 356 to 342. And moderate to severe head injuries increased from 181 to 192. (All the information can be found in the above chart, but you need to divide the pre-implimentation data by two to control for the fact that that period was twice as long as the post-implementation period.)
Teschke attempted to notify Bernstein of the problem with the article in the comments of the story, and he was initially dismissive. He has since admitted in the comments that she is right, but had not adjusted his piece substantially at the time we published this post.
Teschke said the AJPH report could have just as easily focused on how bike-share is associated with lower injury rates — both head injuries and overall injuries. Instead, the researchers, one of whom specializes in helmet research, chose to focus on this one piece of data — proportion of head injuries — to the exclusion of the larger picture: declining overall injuries. Teschke said she is planning to email the authors with her concerns and perhaps invite them to partner on a future study.
“I really feel badly that this wrong information is getting out there,” Teschke said. “I don’t really think the results support their conclusion much.”
Filed Under: Bike Sharing, helmets
Cyclist Injuries Declined More in Cities With Bike-Share Than Without It
By Angie Schmitt | Jun 16, 2014
Last week, some very exciting new research was released, showing a significant drop in cyclist injuries in cities that launched bike-share systems. Unfortunately, the authors and many media organizations, like the Washington Post, overlooked that remarkable finding, and instead focused on one statistic that fails to tell the overall story: the proportion of cyclist injuries […]
Safety in Bike-Share: Why Do Public Bikes Reduce Risk for All Cyclists?
By Peter Jacobsen and Charles Komanoff | Jul 8, 2014
What if Yankees legend Yogi Berra had followed a season with 24 homers and 144 hits with one featuring 27 homers and 189 hits? Would the baseball scribes have declared “Yogi Power Shortage” because only one in seven hits was a homer instead of one in six? Duh, no. The headlines would have read, “Yogi […]
Taking Stock of Dockless Bike-Share in Seattle
By Angie Schmitt | Jun 6, 2018
The most interesting experiment with dockless bike-share in an American city right now is happening in Seattle.
Helmet Scolds Could Unwittingly Undermine Bike Safety in Seattle
By Angie Schmitt | Sep 5, 2017
If the city's helmet law kills bike-share -- again -- public safety will suffer.
Bike Group to Feds: Helmet Laws are Bad
By Jessica Roberts and Caron Whitaker | Jan 17, 2020
The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals has come out against mandatory helmet laws in a letter this week to the NTSB. We publish it in full.
Study: Streetcar Tracks and Bicycling Don’t Mix
A new study out of Toronto confirms what cyclists in many U.S. cities have found out the hard way: Streetcar tracks can be a serious safety hazard. The study comes from Canadian public health researcher Kay Teschke, who specializes in bike issues. Michael Andersen at BikePortland reports: Among bike-related injuries in Toronto that resulted in emergency-room trips, the study […]
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Project Spark Xbox One: Why it was shut down
Developed by Team Dakota, Microsoft’s Project spark is going to experience permanent closure. The game-making tool for Xbox One and Windows PC faced a swift demise as it won’t be available for download. Those already having the tool can avail online support but only till 12th of August. Here is why the Redmond giant decided to shut down Project Spark for Xbox One and Co.
Project Spark subscribers will have online support until August 12th, 2016
The gaming crowd is not exactly happy with the news. But this development just adds to the fact that the gaming scenario is ever-changing and it does not take much of time to wipe off even essential gaming tools, only to be replaced by better ones.
Team Dakota community manager, Thomas Gratz, said in a statement that “This was an extremely difficult decision for our team that we do not take lightly”.
He further added that,
During last fall, Project spark had transitioned away from active development. As a result, a lot of our team members migrated to other projects within the Microsoft studios itself. While this means there have been no layoffs at the Microsoft, it does not make sense to carry out behind the scenes task associated with keeping the project spark up and running with meaningful updates and bug fixes.
Microsoft will provide Project Spark subscribers with credit for Xbox and Windows Store
Gratz statement was more than enough to establish the reason(s) for killing Project Spark. However, Microsoft has maintained that it will pass on credit to all the players who purchased a retail copy of Project spark. The credit can be used in Xbox and Windows Store.
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Abdul Raziq May 18, 2016 at 6:20 AM
I don’t think its a great project. anyway looking forward for better updates by Microsoft in Project Spark.
Not a good project. looking forward for a better update and maintenance in Project Spark.
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The View from the Island
“Double Standard” and “Hypocrisy”: Words Completely Inadequate to the Task
Oct8 by BrianR
It turns out that Donald Trump has in the past made some very raunchy jokes about women, the kinds of things we only expect to hear from juvenile boys in the locker room, and in Seth Rogan “comedies”. I’m sure that comes as a big surprise to absolutely no one, except maybe some yokel living in a cave somewhere, completely isolated from TV and newspapers and utterly oblivious up to now of who Trump even is.
Of course, the Dem/socialists and their sycophants and accomplices in the mainstream media are all over this like white on rice, throwing fainting spells, gasping into their hankies, and ginning up their faux outrage machine.
Right along with them are the pansies from the Establishment GOP, those spineless hacks who wouldn’t know an actual principle if it walked up and smacked them in the face. The same pantywaists who thought “Jebbie!!” was a great candidate, when they weren’t out losing their own elections; people like John “Amnesty” McCain, and Mitt “Aw Shucks” Romney.
Were Trump’s comments despicable? Sure. Were they illegal? Nope. Did they affect any US policy? Nope. Was anybody hurt by them? Nope, except maybe the “feelings” of some liberal snowflakes somewhere, since there were no “trigger warnings” issued so they could go to their “safe spaces” to hide from those “microagressions”.
In the meantime, there’s Bill Clinton running around in this campaign drumming up support for his wife, all the while being fawned over by that same mainstream media. Bill Clinton the convicted perjurer and accused serial rapist. A guy who, as his state’s Governor, corrupted state cops into being his personal pimps. The same guy who sexually molested at least one young female intern right in the Oval Office while President, giving new meaning to the words “there’s nothing like a good cigar”.
The candidate he’s on the stump for? His wife, Her Royal Arrogance, Miss Pantsuit Clinton, an unindicted federal felon and pathological liar, whose career of corruption is so far-reaching – from Travelgate to the Rose Law Firm to the “Bimbo Eruptions” right up to her email scandal and sham “Foundation” slush fund – that just about everyone who enters her circle gets sucked in, like light into a black hole. A woman whose policies as a failed Secretary of State have led directly to the meltdown in the Middle East, to the cost of thousands of lives and a vast amount of this country’s fortune.
Yet what do all those allegedly “objective” reporters, and columnists, and limp-wristed political hacks focus their attention on?
Trump’s stupid jokes.
The only real upside to this election that I can see is that the overwhelming hypocrisy of the mainstream media AND the Establishment GOP, as well as the absolute lack of any standards of decency of the Dem/socialist party, are all being fully exposed in the harsh glare of the spotlight for all to see.
Will this country apply its collective wisdom to benefit from this experience?
©Brian Baker 2016
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged 2016 election, bias, Clinton, Democrats, election, Establishment GOP, hypocrisy, media, MSM, politics, presidential election, press, Trump.
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47 comments on ““Double Standard” and “Hypocrisy”: Words Completely Inadequate to the Task”
Hardnox says:
Bro, you hit this one out of the park.
The hypocrisy of all of this is so thick we could pave a highway with it. The outrage comes from those same assholes who have given us, cheered, or unopposed, homos in the military, trans-gendered this and that, 58 flavors of sexual identity, sexual deviancy beyond description, yet they are outraged and will lecture us about an off color private conversation between two men from 11 years ago? Ya gotta be shitting me.
Was it wrong? Sure it was, but as you stated above it harmed no one. Plus he was not in public office.
If this is all they have on Trump it tells me they are shit scared that a landslide is coming.
The faux outrage by republicans, democrats, political operatives, and talking heads who have multiple mistresses is laughable. These are the same douches that couldn’t oppose King Putt for 8 years or conduct a conclusive investigation into Queen Seizure because doing so would affect their income stream or those of their benefactors.
Next, wait for the parade of paid bimbos to come forth with allegations against Trump… 3…2…1
The debate tonight should be interesting.
BrianR says:
Nox, we are ABSOLUTELY on the same page on this, and your own examples even expand the arena.
Like you, I think they’re scared and wee-weeing in their panties. Tonight’s debate could well be make-it-or-break-it for Trump.
Brian Stevens says:
Hi Brian. It has taken several years but I believe we have reached a critical mass among those who would rather be told how to live their lives and thus, cede any and all sense of the “rugged individualism” that has made this country great. I fear the globalists (Dems, libs, progressives, RINOs, etc) have won the day. Only an event of biblical proportions can change this mindset, but I am not sure there is anyone in our camp that can transcend this hell and rally the true Americans.
Hey, Brian.
Actually, I fully agree with you, and have written a few columns about that over the years. At least once I’ve compared our current situation to the decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire, and see absolutely nothing to change my mind on that.
The really strange thing about it is that this has, essentially, all taken place in a very short period of time. About 50 years, with the rise of radical Leftism in the mid-’60s, and their subsequent hijacking of the old Democrat Party and radicalization of its agenda. In fact, at 67 I’m old enough to remember what things were like BEFORE they started their “revolution”, and have experienced the drastic changes that have taken place just during my own adulthood.
If, when I was in college, someone had described to me what this country would be like today, I’d have laughed in their faces and told them they were crazy.
Turned out the only thing “crazy” about it was the direction this country took.
Nee says:
OFS, Brian. Nope. As a matter of fact, Glenn Beck has been on a hate Trump Bender for over a year now, and he has given some speech about morality and HRC. As you said, the questions are: Has what Trump said in the past affecting American policy, the rule of law or his ability to lead? Has what HRC DONE affected our policies and the rule of law? I am sick and tired of the double standard and “watch the other hand” crap. All of this so the media will ignore that the cover-up emails are somehow less than they actually are.
Nee, that’s another great example. WTF is up with Beck? Did he have a major brain seizure, or what?
I still enjoy Beck, unless he is going apeshit over Trump. Most of what he talks about is truth and he backs it up. But say the T word? JHC, he goes completely off the deep end!
Well, he needs to wake up. ONE of the two of them is gonna be Prez.
captbogus2 says:
I liked Kane’s comment in the VEEP debate, How Trump called women, “Pigs,” “Sluts,” and stuff like that but right after he said those things he said, “Which I wouldn’t say in front of my mother or sister,” or something like that. But he’d just said it in front of his mother, sister and all the women in the country… The left must think we are really, really stupid…
You mean he acted… HYPOCRITICALLY?
What a shocker THAT is… not.
Besides which what folks haven’t made jokes about the opposite sex?
Yes, exactly. That’s why this is so tiresome and stupid.
How far back are they going to dig for irrelevant BS, anyway?
“Oooohh, in junior high school he called that little girl a ‘bitch’!”.
Interestingly, when I was Army, the guys talked this kind of sh*t to my face…and we just rolled along. If I found something offensive or over the line, I called it out and moved on. It wasn’t often, either. Because I was “well-endowed” I garnered attention, be it negative or positive. My favorite story was after a PT run. I was the shortest, so I ran the right first or second corner in formation. When we were done, the CO called me out…”Samoker, you set the pace, great job and you don’t even have two black eyes!” To whit, I replied: “Sir, I believe you are engaging with a subordinate, and have gone over the line of conduct unbecoming..” We all cracked up, and then dropped for push-ups…one of the best memories I’ve got. The camaraderie was unmatched. Today, any or all of the way we talked is called sexual harassment. My spouse talks about how hard it is to engage his crying female employees lest they misconstrue sympathy as an advance so he uses the “glass wall” and throw tissues over the other side of his desk and leaves the door open. Oy.
“Oy” is right.
This country’s gone flat-out crazy.
Hillary’s team flushed out that little nugget, of course, and the GOP, your PSP, reacted just exactly as she thought they would, while she sat back for the past couple of days laughing her addled head off.
Meanwhile, Priebus has the lawyers jumping through hoops finding Plan B so they justify burning Trump at the stake, when it was just about a week or so ago when he was demanding that all the former candidates state their support for him. He threatened them with ‘difficulties’ if they tried to run again in 2020 unless they got on the Trump train.
Not only is he a hypocrite, but he’s an absolute moron to think there’s any possible way to bring on a new candidate at this point. Trump has said he’s not quitting and it makes me chuckle to know Priebus is stuck with him.
Yeah… heh heh heh.
The damned PSP is the only organization I can think of that knows how to surrender faster than France.
I do hope that we all learn from this disastrous election, especially the GOP, who must start listening to the people once again! I am not at all surprised that someone as vile as Hillary Clinton was given the DNC nomination because her supporters simply don’t care about the corruption and her horrible record. Unfortunately, Donald Trump is also one of the worst candidates that I can remember in my lifetime. That 2005 audio of him is truly a reflection of exactly who he is…a narcissist braggart, who only cares about himself and what people think of him. Both Hillary and Trump are in it for the power and control, and anyone on either side of the aisle, who thinks differently are kidding themselves.
Now, this election comes down to which candidate will do the least amount of damage. Even though I think both candidates are awful and each candidate will do much damage in the next 4 years, I can respect people who will vote for Hillary as the lesser of two evils, and I can respect people, who will vote for Trump as the lesser of two evils. The people I will never respect are those, who 1) got us into this situation in the first place by voting for these horrible people in the primaries, and 2) who actually think their preferred candidate is a GOOD choice since they are obviously willfully burying their head in the sand.
For me, I am just glad I live in California, where my vote won’t matter because Hillary WILL win this Dem/Socialist state that I can’t wait to leave. Therefore, I am going to write in Gov. Mike Pence when it comes time to vote for my preference for President.
Just FYI, hopeful, I’m fairly sure that there aren’t any write-in votes allowed in this state, at least for Prez.
Really? Well, I guess I will just skip voting for President if that is the case.
Which still makes a statement. When they tally votes, they know how many of cast ballots went to each candidate, including NO candidate.
I will protest with not voting then, but part of me wants revenge after reading how Hillary and the DNC colluded with the Media to make sure the worst of the 17 Republican candidates came out on top, so it would be easier for Hillary to win her ultimate prize. Man, am I disgusted with the media, DNC, and the people that were blindly led to the slaughter!
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/10/09/leaked-emails-clinton-campaign-encouraged-the-media-to-take-trump-seriously/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Firewire%20-%20HORIZON%2010-9-16%20FINAL&utm_term=Firewire
Me, too. Hence this piece.
I don’t think a “NO” vote is an option this go around. Trump is a douche. We know that, and we knew it before he got the nomination but he won anyway. Hillary is flat out evil, and that’s an established fact. My worry is the Supreme Court. We know Hillary will appoint leftists and the Senate will no doubt approve the nominees. Trump at least has presented a list of potential nominees. Imagine what Hillary’s list would look like.
Regardless of how anyone may feel about Trump, we’re not electing a Pope. Frankly, I don’t care if it’s frickin’ Attila the Hun. I want our economy, borders, and foreign policy repaired. I want the goddamn illegals gone. I want our veterans taken care of and I want this PC bullshit to end.
Well, obviously I agree with you. I wrote an entire piece on why I decided to change my mind and back Hairboy.
That having been said, I can’t really pick a fight with someone who’s going to vote their conscience. Frankly, I don’t really care what any individual does.
My issue is with those at a broader level: the MSM, the PSP, RINOs, people like that. Politicians and those who try to shape opinion. Because THEIR actions are systemic in nature and effect.
If they were doing their jobs properly, we wouldn’t have individuals casting protest votes.
slowcowboy says:
I still loathe Trump. The only candidate that could lose to Hillary was him, and yet here he is. And I think he will lose, which puts Hillary in office and that ticks me off.
That said, the liberal bias in the treatment of Trump and Hillary is so glaring it is disgusting. Its almost cliché these days, but it is so true that the left gets so many more passes. The logic is confounding that they use to grant those passes, but yet the game continues.
I do hate Trump, but I have to admit I am slowly coming to root for him if only to sock it to the left. Unfortunately, I think the way they are treating this scandal, the debate last night, and so many other issues (and ignoring the lifelong corruption of Clinton) demonstrates the fix is in.
Well, welcome to the club.
I disliked Trump before it was fashionable. I never understood his popularity as an entertainer, and thought he was a crass, boring buffoon. Still do!
But like you, now I root for him because he’s the anti-Left.
cyn3wulf says:
I’m not a fan of Trump, the man, either. Defending him against the lies of the Left (and the establishment Right, but I repeat myself) will induce a grudging admiration and appreciation for him. It’s amazing how many things people “know” about him have turned out to be false or exaggerated beyond recognition.
I have come to the opposite conclusion. He’s the only candidate who has a chance of beating Hillary. Why? Not a one of them, except, perhaps, Cruz, would have put up a fight. Which one of them would have said the things Trump said in the second debate? He might lose, but he’s not going down without a fight.
Interesting on-topic column:
http://townhall.com/columnists/markdavis/2016/10/12/right-now-there-are-only-two-kinds-of-conservatives-n2231005
That is a good column. I’m going to disagree with him on a few things.
1. I think he undersells Trump when he says “But his priority list offers a shot at conservative results more satisfying than we might have seen from perhaps half the field he defeated.” I don’t think there was more than one or two of them who would have offered a better shot at satisfying results from a conservative perspective, and I think I’m being generous there. Which of those guys was talking about immigration? Which of them did anything about it when they could have? Obamacare repeal? I’ve become deeply distrustful of the sad sacks our side always seems to run.
2. “The difference between Senator McCain and me is that I will be spending every day acting and speaking to protect my wife and daughter from the scourge of a Hillary presidency.” I’d hazard to say that the difference is that he’s not a hypocrite like McCain. McCain is on tape saying things just as crude as Trump. No, there is no valid defense for John McCain.
Mostly, I agree though, and these are pure gold:
1. ” I took some time before leveling the charge that these people genuinely prefer a Hillary presidency. But how many Jonah Goldberg columns, Jennifer Rubin blogs and Bill Kristol tweets do I need to slog through before taking them at their word? ”
2. “And let’s be clear. Taking up the fight means taking up the fight. It does not include mere restraint from savaging the nominee. It does not mean playing Paul Ryan head games containing tepid good wishes wrapped in a refusal to fully endorse.
Taking up the fight means making it abundantly clear to all who listen that every voter should pull the lever for Donald Trump. Anything less leaves America’s door unlocked for the home invasion that will accompany the Hillary Clinton inauguration.”
And it’s from Townhall even.
To me, the primary issue is SCOTUS appointments, as was mentioned in that column. That’s one of the biggest issues by which a POTUS can screw the country over for decades.
You’re right, Brian. There is not only hypocrisy here but this pales in comparison to what Democrats tolerate and defend on their own side. And yes, there is the matter of perspective to be considered; which is worse – crude or corrupt? Trump at least deserves credit for coming clean and for not trying to blame his actions on sexual addiction or vast conspiracies, or to lamely claim that this is a “personal matter” between him and his wife. He took his lumps, as he should.
But as with everything in this Trump campaign my first comment must be followed by a caveat. The fact that Hillary Clinton is worse doesn’t change the fact that Trump’s behavior says something about his character and judgment, especially at age 59. A married man talking about trying to f*** married women and doing whatever he wants to women because he’s a celebrity may be typical talk in a men’s locker room but women aren’t generally privy to that and so as a practical matter it brings a certain amount of shock and disgust that is hard for some to put in proper perspective, particularly when they don’t grasp how corrupt Hillary Clinton is, as many do not. The choice of Trump as our nominee has permanently lowered the standards to which we can hold any future nominee, Republican or Democrat. This is what happens when we nominate a “douche,” if I may borrow Hardnox’s descriptor.
I couldn’t agree more with what you wrote, CW. You’ve raised excellent points.
Fist, like you I think that this particular election is going to have ramifications that will reverberate for a long time to come. But in many ways it’s also a crystallization of a trend that’s been developing for a long time, the devolution of American politics into a cynical game, except now just more overt.
We’ve discussed character in the past, going back at least to Bill Clinton’s days. I couldn’t agree more that it’s a VERY salient issue, and good character really is a requirement for good leadership in office, as even the Founders made very clear.
Unfortunately, we’ve also seen how in recent times the electorate no longer pays much attention to that quality: Bill Clinton, Obozo over Romney, to name the most recent illustrations.
And now we’re in the unique position of having TWO choices with bad character flaws. How on earth could we be so lucky?
Actually, the lowering of the standard occurred with none other than Bill Clinton, courtesy of the Democrat party: https://pjmedia.com/blog/america-you-have-no-right-to-judge-donald-trump/?singlepage=true
We, perhaps, might have recovered from that (I don’t think so as America now seems intent on abandoning its traditional mores and morals), but the GOP, in spite of themselves, created Trump. It finally became obvious to all but the party loyalists that the GOP couldn’t even be bothered to phone it in anymore.
Sometimes the only cure is the bull in the china shop.
Yep, Cyne, well said.
If we are to believe that a standard of behavior matters, Cyne3, then Clinton lowered the standard for DEMOCRATS, but it was Trump who took the moral high ground away from Republicans; hence my comment still holds that the choice of Trump has permanently lowered the bar. Ironically, Democrats have shown since Clinton that good character is not a high priority for them in a candidate; but they are taking full advantage of the fact that it still matters to a number of Republicans and Independents. Smart move on their part.
Since the days of Bill Clinton I have urged my fellow Republicans to focus the fight on the principles of conservatism vs. progressivism as opposed to this strategy of hanging their hopes on taking Democrats out by catching them at bad deeds. While it’s true that their misdeeds matter, Democrats are never going to give up what they believe is the golden goose because Democrats have been naughty. All that strategy does is give us what we now have: a candidate who does not live up to the standards that we once professed to hold dear, and a lot of Republicans trying not to look like hypocrites. All we ever had to do was make the case that Bill Clinton was a leftist, and Hillary Clinton is a leftist, and then explain, once and for all, what’s wrong with being a leftist.
“If we are to believe that a standard of behavior matters, Cyne3, then Clinton lowered the standard for DEMOCRATS, but it was Trump who took the moral high ground away from Republicans…”
I disagree. Clinton, with the help of the mainstream media, his party, and some Republicans, lowered the standard for the Democrats. Trump didn’t take the moral high ground away from Republicans; voters took it away. They did not do so arbitrarily. At the end of the day, you can blame Republican leadership for that:
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/02/24/no-one-made-trump/
There’s a limit to what you can credibly blame the GOP leadership for, Cyn3. Donald Trump and Jeb Bush were not the only options on the table. Just because you’re tired of dancing to someone else’s tune doesn’t mean it stands to reason that you have to shoot yourself in the foot.
garnet92 says:
Brian, while I’ll bow to you as being the #1 anti-Trump blogger I know, I like to think of myself as runner-up. If he were running against the devil himself, I might consider voting for the devil, but Trump’s opponent is even more evil than the devil himself – HILLARY CLINTON (when the devil curses, he uses Hillary’s name).
I’m seeing a barrage of complaints from people not wanting to refer to this election as “binary,” I don’t see how anyone can characterize it as anything else. Either you vote FOR Trump or you accept Hillary as president.
Any un-Trump vote (or not voting at all) is one fewer vote that Hillary will need to overcome Trump’s cast votes. So, it amounts to 1) vote FOR Trump or, accept Hillary as POTUS.
I’m with you on that 100%, Garnet.
ONE of the two of them is going to be naming Scalia’s replacement. That’s good enough for me.
In case y’all are interested…I found some of the wiki emails to be interesting…My notes as to the content at end of links. Will any of it matter? Not sure people want to connect any dots…but I want to be informed…:)
https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/2237 mills long term legal
https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/2355 cmills in kind/re CFoundation
https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/2399 HRC policy
https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/2419 Global HRC Erskine
https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/2535 Taxes!!!
https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/2890 Clinton Foundation?
https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/2947 EITC no kids
https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/3004 email talked to other SOS’s told her to do “this”
https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/3003 9/11
https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/emailid/29609 Lanny Davis favors
https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/emailid/27692 Obama donor jobs
https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/3763 Clinton Foundation
Great stuff, Nee!
Thanks for doing that.
Talk about hypocrisy! Democrats are always claiming that Conservatives are the uneducated ones, but low and behold, today’s wikileak proves that the Clinton campaign KNOWS their supporters are blind sheep, and they want to keep them that way as Bill Ivey, former Clinton Administrator tells John Podesta in March 2016: “And as I’ve mentioned, we’ve all been quite content to demean government, drop civics and in general conspire to produce an unaware and compliant citizenry. The unawareness remains strong but compliance is obviously fading rapidly. This problem demands some serious, serious thinking – and not just poll driven, demographically-inspired messaging.”
http://www.infowars.com/clinton-campaign-email-outlines-effort-to-produce-an-unaware-and-compliant-citizenry/?AID=7236
I just now read about that, and you’re right. I couldn’t agree more.
Heya, Brian! Great read, as usual. Looks like you are coming around to Trump as being a valuable commodity for shining a light on the corruption of the establishment. More than any other person, he has forced the media and the GOPe to reveal themselves.
Even Hannity said, today, that for all these years he really thought the Republican establishment was just made up of weak individuals, and that he now realizes that in reality they’re corrupt, just as much as the Democrats. Now if Hannity, traditionally a party first guy, says that, you know the GOP is in trouble.
What’d you think of the second debate? My take: If it had been a baseball game, the mercy rule would have been invoked.
Do you follow Mike Cernovich at all? I’ll leave you with this recent post of his:
Cyne, this election boils down to Trump or catastrophe. It’s really that simple to me.
As to Hannity, yeah. That’s why I’ve called the GOP the PSP and Dem-Lite Party for years. Cernovich I’ve never heard of.
I agree also on Debate #2. Trump kicked her ass. But of course, the MSM and GOP RINOs will never admit that. They’re too busy gasping and fainting.
I have the utmost respect for a guy who didn’t vote for McCain out of principle, but will vote for Trump for the same reason.
I have absolutely no respect for those who voted for McCain but are saying they won’t vote for Trump out of principle.
While I was not nearly as myopic as Hannity (not anywhere close), I’m still shocked by the breadth of corruption and duplicity. Once you see it, though, it can’t be unseen.
Cernovich is big on Twitter.
That’s a GREAT point in your first two sentences (and thanks, too, BTW).
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About the Town Crier
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Town Music Artistic Director Joshua Roman returns to Seattle (the “last place he truly felt home”) for a 10-week residency!
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Capitol riot and Trump's role leave allies around the world stunned and frightened
Melissa Rossi
7 January 2021, 2:47 pm ·5-min read
BARCELONA — In 2018, British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson suggested that President Trump might deserve the Nobel Peace Prize for his outreach to North Korea. But on Wednesday, Johnson, now the Conservative prime minister, denounced the “disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress” and called for “a peaceful and orderly transition of power” in Washington. He didn’t specify who might be standing in the way of that, but it obviously isn’t the Democrats.
Security forces respond with tear gas after a pro-Trump mob breaches the Capitol on Wednesday. (Probal Rashid/LightRocket via Getty Images)
And that was one of the milder expressions of dismay from leaders and commentators around the world at the spectacle of the U.S. Capitol overrun by an armed mob incited to violence by the president himself, in what former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt described incredulously as “insurrection. Nothing less. In Washington.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel lamented that Trump has “not acknowledged his defeat since November and also again not yesterday. Doubts about the election outcome were stirred and created the atmosphere that made the events of last night possible.” French President Emmanuel Macron assured the world that “what happened … is not American, definitely,” which many Americans would also like to believe, while suspecting the opposite might be true.
Describing the mood in Paris, historian and author Andrew Hussey said that “the French are stunned, frightened as well,” by Wednesday’s drama, and that French media is now portraying Trump as “not just a demagogue, which he is, but actually as a wicked man with blood on his hands.” The bizarre scenes of protesters — “the guys with long beards, the weird survivalists, the Boogaloo Boys, the Proud Boys, the Three Percenters” — made Hussey realize that “Trump has brought these marginal groups right to the center to challenge American democracy.” They also have him worried about the possibility of a second civil war in the U.S., since the cultural war that’s been waged for years “has erupted — and the violence on social media has been translated into action.”
Even European political figures who had previously embraced Trump’s brand of right-wing populism seemed to turn icy to the man with 13 days remaining in the White House.
Former Brexit frontman and longtime Trump supporter Nigel Farage condemned the insurgency, tweeting Wednesday night that “Storming Capitol Hill is wrong. The protesters must leave.” Marine Le Pen of the French far-right National Rally demanded that Trump “must condemn what happened.” A call for “all parties in the U.S. to maintain restraint and prudence” came from the Turkish government, which under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not known for restraint in handling dissent.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. (Tolga Akmen/WPA Pool/Getty Images)
On the other hand, Russian politicians seemed to revel in the mayhem. “The celebration of democracy is over. It has, unfortunately, hit rock bottom, and I say this without a hint of gloating,” gloated Konstantin Kosachyov, chairman of the International Affairs Committee in the Russian Parliament. “America is no longer charting the course, and therefore has lost all its rights to set it. And especially to impose it on others.” The messages from Moscow contained “perhaps a certain glee,” said Felix Light of the independent Moscow Times, “that America is getting its just deserts — as they see it — for engineering revolutions in Ukraine, Serbia, North Africa and the rest, that the shoe is now on the other foot, with revolutionary upheaval having come home.”
Trump did receive support from former legislator Vladimir Zhirinovsky of Russia’s hard-right Liberal Democratic Party, who tweeted encouragement for the beleaguered American president: “Be brave Donald. We’re with you, you’ll get help from abroad.”
But a day after the Capitol siege, Trump’s favorite strongmen — Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán — were silent. That did not surprise Budapest-based Marius Dragomir, director of the Center for Media, Data and Society: “That kind of violence was too much even for many Trump supporters in Europe.” Dragomir expects them to stay silent, though he worries that some may take private encouragement from Trump’s brazen attempt to steal the election.
Roland Freudenstein, policy director of the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies in Brussels, took heart from the way Congress managed to resume its work within hours. The reconvening, and the unflappable demeanor of Vice President Mike Pence, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — all of whom insisted that the counting continue — “was an important signal that the system works, the system held up.”
Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi prepare to read the final certification of Electoral College votes cast in the November presidential election. (J. Scott Applewhite/Getty Images)
He sees “the beginning of something good” in the episode. Democratic principles standing firm in the face of challenge only strengthens them, he said.
The question of whether Trump can safely or sanely remain in office for the remaining two weeks is one raised by Freudenstein and other thinkers. “Leaving Trump with his finger on the nuclear trigger” is disconcerting, Freudenstein noted, though he is unsure if administration officials have the wherewithal, or numbers, to invoke the 25th Amendment — which requires approval from the vice president and the majority of the Cabinet to eject the president. “If they don’t remove him in the next couple days, it will look bad,” he said, although with Trump’s promise on Thursday morning to make the remainder of the transition smoother, he thinks the odds do not favor a presidential ousting.
Dragomir, while relieved that democratic tools such as the 25th Amendment are available, fears that invoking it could unleash more violence and “make Trump a martyr to his supporters.” So like the rest of Europe, Dragomir is forced to count down the minutes until the current White House occupant is gone. “We all cannot wait until Jan. 20 arrives,” he said, “and that man is out the door.”
Read more from Yahoo News:
Capitol riot was false-flag operation by leftists, Trump backers claim, with no basis
Law enforcement warned about 5G conspiracy theories months before Nashville bombing
New terrorism guide shows FBI still classifying Black 'extremists' as domestic terrorism threat
How can the sluggish coronavirus vaccine rollout be sped up?
Photos: Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol disrupting Electoral College count
Photos: How newspapers around the world covered the deadly riots at U.S. Capitol
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XRP crashes as US SEC prepares to sue crypto creator Ripple
Oscar Williams-Grut
·Senior City Correspondent, Yahoo Finance UK
Ripple chief executive Brad Garlinghouse. Photo: Ripple
The price of XRP (XRP-USD), the world’s third largest cryptocurrency by value, tumbled on Tuesday after the company that created it said US regulators were about to file a lawsuit against the business.
Brad Garlinghouse, chief executive of Ripple, said in a statement issued on Monday night that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was preparing to sue his company over the sale of XRP.
The price of XRP dropped over 6% against the dollar in response to the news.
The price of XRP slumped on news of the possible SEC action. Photo: Yahoo Finance UK
The looming case against Ripple is said to revolve around the company’s alleged control over XRP. Ripple was founded in 2012 as one of the US’s early cryptocurrency companies. The business minted a new cryptocurrency, XRP, which it began selling off. The company still owns the majority of XRP, holding the cryptocurrency in treasury and selling off fixed chunks at allotted times.
XRP is used for cross-border money transfer and has become popular with crypto investors who see it as potentially revolutionising the money exchange business. It has risen to become the third most valuable cryptocurrency in the world, behind bitcoin (BTC-USD) and Ethereum (ETH-USD). XRP today has a market cap of $20bn (£14.9bn) and Ripple itself was valued at $10bn in its last funding round in 2019.
READ MORE: Facebook's Libra faces 'headwinds' on trust, says Ripple CEO
Ripple’s ownership of XRP has been controversial. The SEC’s case will reportedly allege that, because Ripple owns most of the supply, XRP counts not as a currency but an unlicensed security, akin to company shares. The SEC will allegedly claim Ripple has been selling these securities without authorisation from the regulator.
Garlinghouse said the SEC’s judgment was “fundamentally wrong as a matter of law and fact.” He pointed to judgments from the Justice Department and the Treasury’s FinCEN that XRP was a currency.
The regulator will reportedly name Garlinghouse and Ripple’s cofounder Chris Larsen as co-defendants in the case. On Twitter, Garlinghouse vowed to fight in the courts.
“Make no mistake, we are ready to fight and win — this battle is just beginning,” he said.
Ripple has long argued that it is simply holding XRP in trust while an ecosystem grows. The company argues that its fixed schedule of XRP sales means it does not “control” the asset and it therefore cannot be deemed akin to a stock.
READ MORE: Ripple eyeing 'multiple' deals after MoneyGram investment
Garlinghouse said the SEC was “out of step” with other G20 nations and the US government on the issue. He said the regulator had “voted to attack crypto”.
The Ripple chief executive also went after outgoing SEC chairman Jay Clayton, calling him a “grinch” who was “picking winners and trying to limit US innovation in the crypto industry.”
“This is not the first time the SEC has tried to go beyond its statutory authority,” Michael Kellogg, a lawyer at Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Frederick, said in a statement provided by Ripple. “The courts have corrected it before and will do so again.”
Representatives for the SEC didn’t immediately respond to messages from Yahoo Finance UK seeking comment.
Watch: Charities turn to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for donations
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The Juvenile Boot Camps For Offenders Criminology Essay
America was once a country dedicated to rehabilitating juveniles that deviated in the societal standards (Ardovini Brooker & Walker, 2000). This approach was radically changed in the sixties when popular opinion of the health care product damaged as well as the consequence design began to develop assistance (Ardovini Brooker & Walker, 2000). This change in valuations has led to a heightened prevalence of boot-camp applications (Gover, MacKenzie, & Armstrong, 2000). There continues to be a lot of discussion regarding whether bootcamps tend to be pretty much effective than conventional detainment services at lowering recidivism rates among juveniles (DeMuro, 2008). In spite of the dearth of scientific proof that teen boot camps tend to be more productive, they continue to gain recognition within the juvenile justice program (DeMuro, 2008).
Bootcamps are much less no more effective, and economical at reducing recidivism rates among juveniles, than therapy services that are conventional.
The initial bootcamps utilized as option punishments in America were produced in Georgia and Oklahoma in 1983 (Tyler, Darville, Stalnaer, 2001). The primary bootcamp system focused toward juveniles is made in Orleans Parish, Louisiana in 1985 (Tyler et al., 2001). Between 1985 and 1995, the amount of teen bootcamps had grown to over 75, crossing across 13 states (Ardovini Brooker & Walker, 2000). Also, Ardovini Brooker & Walker (2000) anticipated that half of child authorities in America may have boot-camp systems set up from the year 2000.
There have been a number of variables that gave increase to the reputation of child trunk camps. Ardovini Brooker and Walker (2,000) say six goals of child bootcamps. The initial goal of the bootcamps was to ease the over-crowding amenities that were previously set up (Ardovini Brooker & Walker, 2000). The next goal was to decrease the expense of child therapy by setting the juveniles in an application which required less moment to finish (Ardovini Brooker & Walker, 2000). The 3rd goal was to raise the identified responsibility of the teen just-Ice method because several believed it had been overly lax with child molesters (Ardovini Brooker & Walker, 2000). The next goal was to raise the rehabilitation of the child culprits by putting them in a mo-Re organized atmosphere (Ardovini Brooker & Walker, 2000). The fifth goal was to cut back teen recidivism prices through surprise incarceration (Ardovini Brooker & Walker, 2000). The sixth and ultimate goal of teen bootcamp plans was to surrender to the neighborhood by needing the juveniles in this system to execute obligations including litre pickup (Ardovini Brooker & Walker, 2000).
Both adult and teen bootcamps were created for very first time or less severe molesters and so are regarded as as a sort of surprise incarceration (DeMuro, 2008). Specialists consider the revolutionary change in behaviour that wrongdoers may encounter in a bootcamp must be sufficient to frighten or âââ??¬Ã?â??shockâââ??¬Ã? them directly (Ardovini Brooker & Walker, 2000). Bootcamps fulfill this revolutionary change by including fundamental components of military doctrine (Gover et al., 2,000).
Child trunk ideologies should supply extreme bodily exercise and also a healthful feeling that bring about a positive backdrop for treatment and teaching (Styve, MacKenzie, Gover, Mitchell, 2,000). These bootcamps can differ long of time-but are usually between 90 and 120 times (Ardovini Brooker & Walker, 2000). The software include components of military bootcamps like outfits, walking, calisthenics, and working numerous kinds of exercises (Styve et al., 2,000). These components should unite to earn the boot-camp a li Fe altering occasion for the child offender (Tyler et al., 2001).
You can find lots of specialists that are against utilizing teen bootcamp applications as a way of treatment or abuse. These specialists indicate the reality that there's no empirical proof that bootcamp plans really decrease recidivism charges which boot-camp systems aren't affordable (DeMuro, 2008; Tyler et al., 2001). Styve et al (2,000) said that bootcamps may well perhaps not supply the needed treatment and focus on people that's necessary for treatment to occur. These sam e specialists consider the program will be betteroff using the conventional services and supervised probation plans currently set up (Tyler et al., 2001).
The primary issue with teen bootcamp applications that several pros mention is that there's nevertheless comparatively small empirical info to guide the state they lessen recidivism prices (Ardovini Brooker & Walker, 2000). Work of Child Just-Ice and Misbehavior Reduction [OJJDP] said that using child bootcamps h-AS really had no result to the speeds of teen recidivism (Tyler et al., 2001). Specialists in the child justice area consider this could possibly be due to the dearth of uniformity one of several bootcamp systems (Ardovini Brooker & Walker, 2000). A few examples with this dearth of uniformity might contain: the term of the boot camping (90-120 times), which of the six goals the camping is dedicated to, the sort of prison which is sentenced to the bootcamp, and whether that is a rigorous after-care system that's utilized with the bootcamp it self (Ardovini Brooker & Walker, 2,000; Tyler et al., 2001).
An additional complaint of child bootcamp applications is they are perhaps not really cost efficient. In accordance with OJJDP, teen bootcamps price almost 10 times over teen probation systems per wrongdoer (Tyler et al., 2001). In Tx in 1998, the price daily of a teen in a bootcamp was $88.62 (Tyler et al., 2001). At once, the price to get a teen in a conventional therapy service was $85.90 a day, along with the expense of probation per evening was $8.44 (Tyler et al., 2001). Considering that child trunk ideologies assist less molesters in an occasion, Tyler ETAL (2001) computed the average-cost of a shoe camping plan per teen annually to be $33,480. They computed the average-cost of a detainment center that was conventional to be teen annually. per $31,354 It, they said, shows that child trunk camps will not be an affordable choice to utilizing probation or conventional services.
A next complaint of child bootcamps is which maybe not absolutely all juveniles are satisfied emotionally sufficient to manage the surroundings of a military-style bootcamp (Gover et al., 2,000). You'll find various juveniles which cannot adapt to the abrupt change in lifestyle which is related to bootcamps (Gover et al., 2,000). Gover et-al (2000) assert the brutal circumstances at bootcamps tend not to supply a secure atmosphere that's wholesome for treatment, which will be a contradiction of among the aims of teen bootcamps. When choosing juveniles for boot-camp plans, you should select old young ones that are less inclined to see stress, as people younger or are mo-Re inclined to encounter stress are more unlikely to be receptive to any treatment they might obtain in a bootcamp (Gover et al., 2,000).
On recent years, child bootcamps have grown in recognition (Ardovini Brooker, & Walker, 2000). This tendency h-AS continued despite any not enough proof that helps the notion that teen bootcamps lessen recidivism prices (Ardovini Brooker, & Walker, 2000). Additionally, it has been proven that bootcamp plans will not be an affordable option to conventional therapy, especially in comparison with monitored probation (Tyler et al., 2001). These details have light emitting diode several experts to consider that juvenile bootcamp applications, to conventional remedy services, aren't an effective option in general.
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Reserving a seat on Emirates now comes with a new fee
Emma Day
It’ll now cost you up to Dhs150 to bagsie that prime window spot…
We told you it might be happening, and now it’s been confirmed – Emirates are going to start charging passengers who want to guarantee the seat of their choice.
The Dubai-based airline have announced they’ll be introducing an advanced seat selection fee for passengers from October 3.
It’s only going to affect those flying on Economy Class Special and Saver fares, and the extra cost will range from Dhs50 to Dhs150 per person, depending on the length of your trip.
*Emirates looking to introduce premium economy option*
*Got this phone? Well, now you can’t use it on UAE planes*
*Baby born mid-air during Dubai-Philippines flight*
Short-haul flights, for example to the GCC, will incur a Dhs50 fee, medium-haul journeys to places like Europe and Africa will cost Dhs100 for seat selection, and you’ll be looking at a charge of Dhs150 if you’re going further afield, such as Australia or the US.
It’s worth noting that this change hasn’t opened up access for the glorious leg room of an exit seat. You won’t be able to pre-book the prime spot, even at the added-fee stage. These will still be allotted by ground staff at check-in.
“Emirates can confirm the introduction of a minimal charge for those looking to select their Economy Class seat in advance, for tickets issued on or after October 3, 2016,” the airline confirmed in a statement.
However there are some exceptions.
“The charge is only applicable on Special and Saver fares in Economy Class and will vary depending on the duration of the flight. Children below the age of two and accompanying passengers on the same booking will be exempted from the fee,” Emirates said, adding that children will also qualify for a 50 per cent discount.
And don’t worry – you don’t automatically have to pay this extra cost. You can still select your seat when online check-in opens, which is 48 hours before your flight departs.
This, however, holds no guarantees – if you’re desperate to sit with friends and family, or avoid the dreaded middle seat, and then it turns out the flight is full, too bad.
And that’s not all…
Emirates are also looking to introduce a ‘premium economy’ class on their planes as they battle falling financial returns.
What is premium economy? It consists of a few extra luxuries, which tend to include extra legroom, wider seats and seats which recline further.
President Tim Clark told an airlines conference in London that Emirates are also considering introducing charges for additional baggage.
“We cannot sit back and wait for things to get better,” he said of the possible changes.
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These are the films out in Dubai cinemas this week
Aarti Saundalkar
Check out our handy guide of the latest movie releases coming out this week…
Whether you’re planning a trip to the cinema with the kids for some family-friendly laughs, or a catch up with friends that include a horror flick or the latest action-packed film, here’s our top picks of the best films out in cinemas in Dubai this week.
We Die Young
Lucas is a 14-year-old boy inducted into the gang life in Washington, DC and makes it his mission that his 10-year-old brother won’t follow the same path. He finds his opportunity when an Afghanistan war veteran comes into the neighborhood.
Starring: Gary Beadle, Jean Claude Van Damme, Kerry Bennett, Niccolò Besio
Genre: Drama (18+)
In the harsh, yet beautiful Australian outback lives a beast, an animal of staggering size, with a ruthless, driving need for blood and destruction. It cares for none, defends its territory with brutal force, and kills with raw, animalistic savagery unlike any have seen before.
Starring: Bill Moseley, John Jarratt, Nathan Jones
Genre: Horror (18+)
This is DC’s answer to Deadpool – a gleefully comedic, self-aware romp about a boy called Billy (Asher Angel) who can transform into an adult superhero by uttering the name <Shazam>! Cut to Billy trying out all his newfound abilities to beat up bullies, stop robberies and even charge mobiles – until he faces real danger.
Starring: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Cooper Andrews, Grace Fulton, Ian Chen, Jack Dylan Grazer
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy (18 till confirmed)
Another Stephen King horror gets a remake. But unlike the original ‘80s film this adaptation switches things up – namely, making the Creed family’s deceased daughter Ellie the one who is resurrected after being buried in their town’s pet ‘sematary’ (aka the creepiest misspelling ever). Oh, and she’s joined by a squad of her undead, mask-wearing demon friends. Be prepared to fight off plenty of jumpy moments (you can’t hit the “paws” button).
Starring: Jason Clarke, John Lithgow, Amy Seimetz
Genre: Horror, Thriller (18+)
The Snow Queen: Magic of the Ice Mirror
When a powerful king nearly lost his family due to the Snow Queen’s evil deeds he finds a way to ban all the magic from the world. Those who possessed magical powers are now trapped in Mirrorlands. The only one who can stop him and keep the fairy-tale in our world is Gerda – as her own biggest power is not magic but her faith in kindness and friendship. In Gerda’s new adventures, she will be helped by trolls, pirates and even the Snow Queen herself.
Starring: Anna Shurochkina
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure (TBC)
The family-adventure film revolves around Vidyut Jammwal’s character – a vet, who on his homecoming to his father’s elephant reserve, encounters and fights international poachers.
Starring: Akshay Oberoi, Vidyut Jammwal
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller (PG15)
Not a rip off of ‘The Notebook’, but still based on a story of two people who find love in a most unexpected way. An ex-army officer Kabir comes back to Kashmir to be a school teacher of a school that lacks basic amenities like running water and electricity and is attended by just a handful of students. At the school one day, he finds a notebook, left behind by the previous year’s teacher Firdaus that changes his entire life.
Starring: Pranutan Bahl, Mir Sarwar
Genre: Romance (PG13)
Raw (Romeo Akbar Walter)
The movie is based on the true life story of Ravindra Kaushik who was an alleged Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent who lived undercover in Pakistan before he was jailed and would die while incarcerated.
Project Ghazi
Two soldiers from the Pakistan Army must stop a sinister organization that plans to destabilize the nation by unleashing a toxin gas that has the potential to incite intolerance, anarchy, and chaos.
Starring: Sheheryar Munawar Siddiqui, Syra Shehroz, Adnan Jaffar
Genre: Action, Sci-fi, Thriller (18 till confirmed)
My Hero Academia: Two Heroes
Here’s one for you manga fans out there. Two characters, All Might and Deku, accept an invitation to visit a floating man-made city called I Island where they meet a girl and battle against a villain who has taken the island hostage.
Starring: Justin Briner, Christopher Sabat, Ray Chase
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure (18 till confirmed)
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More than 745,000 autonomous vehicles on the road by 2023: Gartner
Athina Mallis/ November 18, 2019
Home > Industrial Internet > More than 745,000 autonomous vehicles on the road by 2023: Gartner
Athina Mallis 2019-11-18
By 2023, there will be more than 745,000 autonomous vehicles on the road according to a new report by Gartner.
This growth will predominately come from North America, Greater China and Western Europe as these regions become the first to introduce regulations around autonomous driving technology.
The study, Forecast Analysis: Autonomous Vehicle Net Additions, Internet of Things, Worldwide, said 745,705 units will be on the road in four years, an increase of 137,129 units in 2018.
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In 2019, net additions will be 332,923 units. Net additions represent the annual increase in the number of vehicles equipped with hardware for autonomous driving. They do not represent sales of physical units, but rather demonstrate the net change in vehicles that are autonomous-ready.
While there are no advanced autonomous vehicles outside of the R&D stage operating on roads now, there are vehicles with limited autonomous capabilities that still rely on the supervision of a human driver.
Software updates could enable higher levels of vehicle autonomy in coming years.
“There are currently vehicles with limited autonomous capabilities, yet they still rely on the supervision of a human driver. However, many of these vehicles have hardware, including cameras, radar, and in some cases, lidar sensors, that could support full autonomy,” said Jonathan Davenport, principal research analyst at Gartner.
“With an over-the-air software update, these vehicles could begin to operate at higher levels of autonomy, which is why we classify them as ‘autonomous-ready.”
Today, there are no countries with active regulations that allow production-ready autonomous vehicles to operate legally, which is a major roadblock to their development and use.
However, Gartner predicts that one-fifth of the world’s countries will have active regulations that allow production-ready autonomous vehicles to operate legally by 2028, up from zero in 2019.
Davenport said, “Companies won’t deploy autonomous vehicles until it is clear they can operate legally without human supervision, as the automakers are liable for the vehicle’s actions during autonomous operation.
“As we see more standardised regulations around the use of autonomous vehicles, production and deployment will rapidly increase, although it may be a number of years before that occurs.”
While the growth forecast for autonomous-driving-capable vehicles is fast, net additions of autonomous commercial vehicles remain low in absolute terms when compared with equivalent consumer autonomous vehicle sales.
The number of vehicles equipped with hardware that could enable autonomous driving without human supervision in the consumer segment is expected to reach 325,682 in 2020, while the commercial segment will see just 10,590.
Public Perceptions of Safety Will Determine Growth
Gartner notes in its report vehicle-human handover safety concerns are a substantial impediment to the widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles. Currently, autonomous vehicle perception algorithms are still slightly less capable than human drivers.
Davenport said, “A massive amount of investment has been made into the development of autonomous vehicle perception systems, with more than 50 companies racing to develop a system that is considered safe enough for commercial use.”
Gartner predicts that it will take until 2025 before these systems demonstrate capabilities that are an order of magnitude better than human drivers.
To accelerate this innovation, technology companies are using simulation software powered by artificial intelligence to understand how vehicles would handle different situations.
This enables companies to generate thousands of miles of vehicle test data in hours, which would take weeks to obtain through physical test driving.
Michael Ramsey, senior director analyst at Gartner said, “One of the biggest challenges ahead for the industry will be to determine when autonomous vehicles are safe enough for road use.
“It’s difficult to create safety tests that capture the responses of vehicles in an exhaustive range of circumstances. It won’t be enough for an autonomous vehicle to be just slightly better at driving than a human. From a psychological perspective, these vehicles will need to have substantially fewer accidents in order to be trusted.”
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autonomousAutonomous vehiclesGartnerIndustrial InternetReport
Athina Mallis
Athina Mallis is the editor of the Which-50 Digital Intelligence Unit and a writer for Which-50.com
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Review: Mark Thomas @ MAC, 28th February 2018
Showtime from the frontline. Photo by Lesley Martin.
Earlier in the decade, stand-up and activist Mark Thomas performed a show called Walking the Wall – a tale of his “extreme rambling” excursion along the West Bank’s barrier. In his latest tour, Showtime From the Frontline, he recounted his return to the region for a very different type of visit.
Wonderfully aided by Alaa Shehada and Faisal Abualheja, the show detailed his time spent teaching a comedy workshop at the Freedom Theatre in the Jenin Palestinian refugee camp – his co-performers were among the students, and their clowning and acting skills were brought to the forefront here, essaying the different characters among the student cohort and illustrating their experiences. Continue reading “Review: Mark Thomas @ MAC, 28th February 2018”
Author whoslaughingnowblogPosted on March 4, 2018 March 3, 2018 Categories ReviewsTags Alaa Shehada, birmingham, birmingham comedy, birmingham stand-up, birmingham stand-up comedy, coventry, coventry comedy, coventry stand-up, coventry stand-up comedy, Fasial Abu Alhayjaa, mac, mark thomas, stand-up, stand-up comedy, storytelling, west midlands, west midlands comedy, west midlands stand-up, west midlands stand-up comedyLeave a comment on Review: Mark Thomas @ MAC, 28th February 2018
Preview: Machynlleth Comedy Festival Showcase @ MAC, 9th February 2018
The Machynlleth Comedy Festival is now one of the UK’s most prestigious, and hotly anticipated, events in the stand-up calendar. Next month, Birmingham’s MAC welcomes five top acts as part of a showcase for the annual event, which takes place in the titular Welsh town.
The gig at MAC on Friday 9th February features a line-up including Joe Lycett, Tom Parry (also of Pappy’s), Mike Bubbins, Rachel Parris (also of Austentatious) and Danny Clives. Tickets (£12) are available from the MAC website.
This year’s Machynlleth Comedy Festival takes place from Friday 4th to Sunday 6th May.
Author whoslaughingnowblogPosted on January 6, 2018 Categories PreviewsTags austentatious, birmingham, birmingham comedy, birmingham stand-up, birmingham stand-up comedy, coventry, coventry comedy, coventry stand-up, coventry stand-up comedy, danny clives, joe lycett, mac, machynlleth comedy festival, mike bubbins, pappy's, rachel parris, stand-up, stand-up comedy, tom parry, west midlands, west midlands comedy, west midlands stand-up, west midlands stand-up comedyLeave a comment on Preview: Machynlleth Comedy Festival Showcase @ MAC, 9th February 2018
Preview: Mark Thomas @ MAC, 28th February to 3rd March 2018
Mark Thomas returns to Birmingham’s MAC in February with a new show about his experiences in Palestine. Setting out to run a comedy club in a refugee camp in the city of Jenin for two nights, Showtime From the Frontline will trace what happened when he tried to do so.
This isn’t the first time the celebrated stand-up and activist has performed a show about a trip to the region, with 2011’s Extreme Rambling – Walking the Wall detailing his own story of visiting the West Bank. This time around he’s joined by Faisal Abualheja and Alaa Shehada, two actors and aspiring stand-ups from Jenin, and you can expect a funny and fascinating evening in the company of one of the UK’s finest storytellers and performers.
Showtime From the Frontline is at MAC in Birmingham each evening from Wednesday 28th February to Saturday 3rd March 2018. Tickets are available from the venue website.
Author whoslaughingnowblogPosted on December 15, 2017 Categories PreviewsTags birmingham, birmingham comedy, birmingham stand-up, birmingham stand-up comedy, comedy, coventry, coventry comedy, coventry stand-up, coventry stand-up comedy, mac, mark thomas, stand-up, stand-up comedy, west midlands, west midlands comedy, west midlands stand-up, west midlands stand-up comedyLeave a comment on Preview: Mark Thomas @ MAC, 28th February to 3rd March 2018
Preview: Mark Thomas @ MAC Birmingham
Mark Thomas: Red through and through
Stand-up veteran Mark Thomas returns to the Midlands with his latest tour, the third part in a trilogy of theatrical shows, called The Red Shed, which sees him celebrating the 50th birthday of a Wakefield labour club – the site of his first ever gig.
Following on from Bravo Figaro and Cuckooed, this is another show which looks more closely at his own history and life than the politicised output he’s best known for. Both of those shows were fantastic pieces of work, so it’s no shock that The Red Shed continues in a similar vein by receiving excellent reviews during its Edinburgh Fringe run in the summer.
You can catch Mark Thomas perform The Red Shed at Birmingham’s MAC, where he’s doing three shows – 7pm and 9.30pm on Tuesday 18th October, and 7pm on Wednesday 19th October – and at Warwick Arts Centre on Tuesday 14th February.
Author whoslaughingnowblogPosted on October 9, 2016 October 8, 2016 Categories PreviewsTags birmingham, birmingham comedy, birmingham stand-up, birmingham stand-up comedy, coventry, coventry comedy, coventry stand-up, coventry stand-up comedy, mac, mark thomas, stand-up, stand-up comedy, storytelling, theatre, warwick arts centre, west midlands, west midlands comedy, west midlands stand-up, west midlands stand-up comedyLeave a comment on Preview: Mark Thomas @ MAC Birmingham
Preview: Q&A with Bridget Christie
Bridget Christie: sublime stand-up and big themes.
Bridget Christie is one of British comedy’s most distinctive and important voices, so the publication of her debut tome, titled A Book For Her, was bound to garner lots of attention. And with good reason – the 2013 Edinburgh Comedy Award winner has forged a reputation for combining satire and surrealism in order to discuss difficult subjects and big themes, including feminism and FGM.
After hugely successful runs of A Bic For Her and An Ungrateful Woman, she’s embarking on a tour and book signing, with visits to Coventry and Birmingham as part of her nationwide jaunt. It’s a great opportunity to see one of the UK’s finest, and most challenging, stand-ups melding intelligent comedy and silliness better than almost anyone on the circuit. Continue reading “Preview: Q&A with Bridget Christie”
Author whoslaughingnowblogPosted on February 18, 2016 February 18, 2016 Categories PreviewsTags birmingham, birmingham comedy, birmingham stand-up comedy, bridget christie, coventry, coventry comedy, coventry stand-up comedy, mac, stand-up, stand-up comedy, warwick arts centre, west midlands, west midlands comedy, west midlands stand-up comedyLeave a comment on Preview: Q&A with Bridget Christie
Q&A: Gein’s Family Giftshop
Gein’s Family Giftshop: Award-winning sketch troupe head out on tour
Award-winning sketch troupe Gein’s Family Giftshop are heading to the West Midlands this spring, as part of their debut tour. The hotly-tipped group, named Best Newcomers at last year’s Chortle Awards, will be bringing their dark comedy to Warwick Arts Centre in Coventry and the MAC in Birmingham.
Who’s Laughing Now? caught up with Gein’s – Kath Hughes, Edward Easton, James Meehan and Kiri Pritchard-McLean – to find out what audiences will be treated to at the shows. Continue reading “Q&A: Gein’s Family Giftshop”
Author whoslaughingnowblogPosted on February 1, 2016 January 31, 2016 Categories Interviews, PreviewsTags bbc, birmingham, birmingham comedy, coventry, coventry comedy, gein's family giftshop, mac, sketch, sketch comedy, warwick arts centre, west midlands, west midlands comedyLeave a comment on Q&A: Gein’s Family Giftshop
A new blog in a new town (sort of)
We’ve been having some hosting issues recently at our original site so this is a new home for Who’s Laughing Now? where we can carry on bringing you the latest reviews, previews, interviews and information about live comedy in Coventry, Birmingham and the West Midlands.
Coming up soon we’ll have an interview with the fantastic sketch outfit Gein’s Family Giftshop, who drop into Warwick Arts Centre and the MAC on their upcoming UK tour, and reviews of the best comedy shows in the area over the next few months.
Keep an eye out for all this and more!
Author whoslaughingnowblogPosted on January 16, 2016 January 16, 2016 Categories FeaturesTags birmingham, birmingham comedy, birmingham stand-up comedy, coventry, coventry comedy, coventry stand-up comedy, gein's family giftshop, mac, sketch, sketch comedy, warwick arts centre, west midlands, west midlands comedy, west midlands stand-up comedyLeave a comment on A new blog in a new town (sort of)
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Side Jin
Biography 2000[1]
Side Jin completed his MS (1988) and PhD (1992) in geophysics from Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, University of Paris, France. He worked with Schlumberger, (1992-1993) and Elf (1993-1998). Currently he works for CGG in Houston as a senior research geophysicist. he has been involved in many projects rainging from velocity buildin, seismic data migration/inversion, AVO analysis, seismic waveform modeling, and 3-D image processing to interpretation. His current interests are converted shear wave AVO and imaging. He is a member of EAGE, GSH, and SEG.
Honorable Mention (Geophysics) 2000
Side Jin, G. Cambois, and C. Vuillermoz received 2000 Honorable Mention (Geophysics) for their paper Shear-wave velocity and density estimation from PS-wave AVO anaysis: Application to an OBS dataset set from the North Sea.[2]
↑ Contributors, GEOPHYSICS 65(5):1699.
↑ Jin, S., G. Cambois, and C. Vuillermoz (2000) ]\Shear-wave velocity and density estimation from PS-wave AVO anaysis: Application to an OBS dataset set from the North Sea, GEOPHYSICS 65(5):1446.
Retrieved from "https://wiki.seg.org/index.php?title=Side_Jin&oldid=15918"
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The Fangirl Verdict
Completely biased reviews and fangirling
ABOUT KFANGURL
ABOUT LADY G.
FULL LIST OF SHOWS
FULL-LENGTH REVIEWS
FLASH REVIEWS
DROPPED DRAMAS
SHORT DRAMA THINGS
PURE PRETTY
DREAM DRAMAS
DEAR KFANGURL
Review: Chuno [Slave Hunter]
THE SHORT VERDICT:
Grand. Sweeping. Lush. And jaw-droppingly magnificent.
In every way, from every aspect, Chuno is a literal feast for the senses, and a sumptuous one at that.
From the glorious cinematography, to the pulsing, evocative OST, to the (mostly) well-drawn, (mostly) well-acted characters and their stories, Chuno is a complete experience; one that engulfs you and takes over your very faculties.
Yes, it’s not perfect by any means. But boy, does it have a lot to offer.
Best consumed in large, generous, HD servings. Sink in and let this sexy beast blow you away. I mean the show, of course. Mostly. *cough*
THE LONG VERDICT:
This is sorta the part where I wish I could just flail my arms about and say, “Chuno is just flat-out ah-ma-zing. See it to believe it. Just.. watch it! You’ll see.”
But, I realize that won’t do.
To be honest, it took a whole lot of convincing before I first set foot on the Chuno train, 2 years ago.
When Chuno first came out in 2010, it aired here on KBS World, and my mum watched it on our not-very-good TV. When I walked by, I caught glimpses of dusty surroundings populated by straggly-looking people and I was not at all tempted to join her. That just did not look like my kind of drama.
Sometime in 2012, I chanced on Dnoella’s wonderful, glowing (mostly non-spoilery) review, and I was intrigued. Plus, I’d seen Jang Hyuk in Tree With Deep Roots by this time, and had been duly impressed. I wanted to see more of his work, and Chuno sounded like just the ticket.
Diving in for my first watch of Chuno (in HD! There is simply No. Other. Way. to watch Chuno but in HD. Trust me, ok?), I was completely blown away. But I hated – like, really, really hated – the ending.
Fast forward to 2013, when I wrote my Jang Hyuk k-love confession, and did my best to persuade, wheedle and coerce everyone into checking out Jang Hyuk in Chuno. Ha. In the end, all that Jang Hyuk-Chuno talk made me crave an actual re-watch. So I did it. I joined my friend Michele on her first watch. And lo and behold, I fell for Chuno all over again. Maybe even more this time, coz this time, I even appreciate the ending. (Woah, is that even possible, you might ask? Stay tuned to find out!)
OST ALBUM: FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE
Here’s the OST album, in case you’d like to listen to it as you read the review.
The cinematography in Chuno is nothing short of spectacular.
Thanks to that amazing Red One camera, thoughtful framing, excellent editing, and a PD with a lovingly detailed eye for beauty, everything and everyone looks stunningly gorgeous.
The color palette is intense, and combined with every frame’s crisp, clean, cinematic quality, we are immediately and completely immersed in a world that is so beautiful that it feels surreal.
The effect is utterly and thoroughly spell-binding.
Just take a look at these:
The panoramic splendor is pretty breathtaking, isn’t it?
Add to that the very deliberate use of slow-motion, and the grandeur just gets magnified.
Here, we see how slow-motion is used to bring out the beauty in movement; in this case, of water:
Slow-motion is also artfully combined with the use of fast-motion, particularly in fight scenes.
The slow-motion allows us to revel in the fluidity of the movement and the impressiveness of the form, and then towards the end of the motion, the frames speed up to magnify the moment of impact. It’s quite stunning to behold.
Here’s a peek:
It’s mesmerizing. Honestly, it gives new meaning to the phrase “poetry in motion.”
Sure, the cinematography does lean a little indulgent – ok, sometimes maybe a lot indulgent – with it seeming to sometimes revel in its own beauty to an excess. It’s all so captivatingly, painfully beautiful, though, that I am more than happy to simply indulge together with the show’s makers.
One thing to keep in mind, is that the cinematography is stylized, and quite majorly so. And sometimes, this translates into aesthetic choices which don’t make complete sense. For example, our female lead character Eonnyeon (Lee Da Hae) remains completely clean throughout the show, despite spending much of the time in dusty, dirty surroundings.
Certainly, I’m sure PD Kwak was well aware that no human being could possibly keep that clean while traversing such dusty locales without opportunities to change or wash. But I saw it as a stylistic choice, to bring out the ethereal nature of the character’s beauty. Once you accept these aesthetic choices as simply a stylistic statement, they become much easier to accept.
[SPOILER ALERT]
In episode 6, Eonnyeon’s garments get splattered with blood from being in close proximity to a fight, and her companion, Song Tae Ha (Oh Ji Ho) uses charcoal to draw branches between the blood splatters, turning her garment into a stylish, pretty dress.
Logically, this is a huge stretch, coz really, blood doesn’t look that pretty, and neither is it that color on fabric. Plus, the blood splatters are distributed oh-so-conveniently such that they form pretty blossoms, not only at the base of her hanbok, but down her right sleeve too.
Ridiculous? Well, put that way, it’s kinda hard to say it isn’t. I’d venture to say, though, that if one chooses to nitpick at these little details, that it just mars the enjoyment of the artistry employed in the design of this world.
I’d say the easier, more comforting choice, is to accept it as part of the fantasy built into the creative blueprint of the show.
[END SPOILER]
The music in Chuno is beautifully scored and masterfully employed.
In the intense stretches of the show, pulsing, rhythmic themes swell to dizzying crescendos to magnify the potency of the moment. And in the quieter scenes, evocative instrumentals give poignant voice to the unspoken pathos of our characters.
It is gorgeously absorbing and completely immersive. And the music never feels muted, nor does it ever feel intrusive. It is a bona fide presence in the show, on equal footing with the outstanding cinematography.
The music and the cinematography fuse together as one powerful force, to entirely engulf you and take over your senses.
I’ll be sharing a number of the OST tracks in this review, but I will say that there is nothing quite like experiencing the OST while watching the show.
Over and above the excellent music and cinematography, it is the characters that make Chuno an absorbing watch. There are so many characters, though, that it is impossible to touch on them all in this review.
Besides our major characters, I will highlight several secondary characters that left a deep impression on me.
Jang Hyuk as Lee Dae Gil
Hands-down, Jang Hyuk’s Dae Gil is the heart of the show. And boy, does that heart throb well, hur hur. Pun totally and unabashedly intended.
Those of you who have read my Jang Hyuk k-love confession post know that I was completely mesmerized by this man onscreen during my Chuno watch.
Jang Hyuk makes Dae Gil completely believable as the Badass With Heart. In fact, Jang Hyuk becomes Dae Gil, so much so that I am never tempted to think that this is Jang Hyuk in character. Instead, I am always fully on board that this is Dae Gil. And what a wonderfully layered and textured character he is.
Dae Gil is macho, swaggery, smirky, and possesses a piercing, unrelenting panther-gaze that seems to completely see through people. Not only that, he’s a fabulously skilled fighter (thanks to Jang Hyuk’s super authentic Amazing Fight Skillz) and he fights with ease and flourish, taking down his opponents with laid-back, effortless, streetwise finesse.
One of the things I really enjoy about Dae Gil is how unhurried he is, even when chasing someone. Even the way he stands is languid. Or just the way he breathes. Dae Gil often doesn’t say much, so his eyes, expression and body language say it for him. And when he does speak, it’s in a slow, often sardonic drawl.
To add to the sexy, Dae Gil’s also smart. Not only extremely street-smart, but highly educated too, since he is of noble birth.
Put it all together, and Dae Gil is one potently sexy package that Jang Hyuk brings to life with an impressive amount of nuance.
Over the course of the show, Dae Gil encounters all manner of challenges, obstacles and heartache, charting a journey of realization and – dare I say it? – growth as well.
Before we move into spoilers, let me just share a couple of screenshots with ya.
Exhibit A: Dae Gil’s Piercing Panther Gaze
Exhibits B through F: Dae Gil’s Fantastic Fighting Form:
Pretty darn awesome. Especially when you realize that being this shirtless, it’s quite impossible to use a body double. Super Authentic Amazing Fight Skillz FTW! 😉
And as a fangirl aside: Swooonn~~ All that muscle and sinew, shown off to such glorious, delicious perfection. Thank you, wardrobe people. I owe you. We all owe you.
There is a scene in Episode 10 where I am completely blown away by Jang Hyuk’s nuanced delivery.
Dae Gil is walking with Seolhwa (Kim Ha Eun) and he is too lost in his own thoughts to pay any attention to her prattling. As he walks, he sees a vision of Eonnyeon before him.
What amazes me about this scene is how Dae Gil’s eyes change throughout those few short moments. His irises literally change in size as his gaze goes from empty, to focused, and then to empty again.
It’s going to take quite a few screenshots to walk us through it, but it’s worth seeing the transformation.
This is where we start, where Dae Gil’s gaze is completely dazed and stoned:
And then, as he spies the vision of Eonnyeon before him, his eyes shift into focus in degrees:
He stares at her, stunned with amazed wonder. And then as the vision begins to turn away from him, tears well up in his eyes:
As the vision begins to walk away from him, Dae Gil reaches for her, tears falling, his eyes straining to see her, fearful that she will disappear:
The vision gone, Dae Gil’s gaze goes vacant once again, this time defeated and deflated:
Pretty amazing, isn’t it? Respect.
Together with Jang Hyuk’s full-on delivery, I really appreciated Dae Gil as a character.
On the surface, he’s steely and unflinching, hunting down slaves in a precise, analytical manner, paying no heed to their cries for mercy. Yet, when the transaction has been completed and he’s been paid, Dae Gil stealthily frees the same slaves he’d captured, and gives them money, directing them to Mt Worak to start a new life.
Dae Gil’s compassion also shows in episode 7, where he demonstrates tolerance and empathy for Seolhwa, who’s squandered all their money, thinking that Dae Gil and the boys had abandoned her. Instead of reprimanding her, Dae Gil carries the drunk Seolhwa on his back, without a word.
And despite all his posturing with Cheon Ji Ho (Song Dong Il), Dae Gil’s fondness for him totally shows in episode 18, when Dae Gil cries over Cheon Ji Ho’s body.
That’s why he’s a Badass With Heart.
On a deeper level, I really appreciated Dae Gil’s journey of growth and realization through the course of the drama.
As a young nobleman, we learn that Dae Gil had dreamed of changing the world, so that he could live with Eonnyeon, the woman he loved. When circumstances separated him from Eonnyeon, he put that dream aside, replacing it with the hope of finding her. Through most of the first half of the show, Dae Gil operates on the hope of finding Eonnyeon again, and approaches every slave hunt fueled with that dogged, determined hope.
Once he realizes that Eonnyeon has married Tae Ha, though, Dae Gil is like a dead man walking through most of the second half. Gone is the hope from his eyes. Only a deadness colors the cynicism where before at least there had been shades of hope. To add to it all, Dae Gil has to also contend with the “loss” of the only family that he has left: General Choi (Han Jung Soo) and Wang Son (Kim Ji Suk).
Dae Gil deflates for a time, spouting cynical words at every turn, but eventually, he returns full circle to his original dream of changing the world. Except this time, he goes one level higher and wages his very life on it. (More on that later)
Superficial Asides
As a superficial aside, I was rather impressed to realize that the flashback scenes of Dae Gil show him fuller in the face, without the goatee, and much fairer in complexion than present-day Dae Gil. I thought that attention to detail was really admirable.
I know makeup and styling does a lot, but that can’t be all simulated, right? It made me wonder whether they deliberately shot these flashback scenes earlier, so that Jang Hyuk had time to go lean and grow the goatee for current-day scenes. Mad props indeed.
I was also rather tickled to realize that in the later episodes, the way Dae Gil is styled reminds me of Jack Sparrow, ha.
Oh Ji Ho as Song Tae Ha
Most viewers of Chuno get firmly on board either the Dae Gil ship or the Tae Ha one, and when you’re on one ship, you care a lot less about the other one. Um. No prizes for guessing that I’m firmly on the Dae Gil ship. What can I say? The heart wants what it wants. Heh.
Oh Ji Ho as an actor has never left a very deep impression on me. I’ve seen him in Get Karl, Oh Soo Jung and Queen of Housewives, and in both shows, I thought he was nice to look at, but his delivery wasn’t anything to shout about.
I will say, though, that Oh Ji Ho as Song Tae Ha is literally the best that I’ve seen from him, to date. Granted, his sageuk speech is reportedly really poor in Chuno, but it didn’t bother me too much because to my unschooled ears, he only sounded somewhat off, instead of majorly off.
To his credit, Oh Ji Ho delivers some great scenes in Chuno, and he clearly had to dig pretty deep to do it. Yes, he does appear rather wooden at times, but the woodenness is in line with his character’s straight-laced personality, so it works.
As a character, Tae Ha stays pretty square to the very end. But there is definitely a measure of growth, in that his deeply ingrained traditionalist views do get challenged and shaped along the way.
One of the scenes where I thought Oh Ji Ho did admirably well is in episode 4, where we see Tae Ha in flashback.
It’s during the Manchu war, and he returns to his home to find that his wife’s been killed by Qing attackers. He discovers that his infant son is still alive, and cradling the baby, he fights off invader after invader.
After he’s finally taken down the last attacker, he peels away the baby’s swaddling clothes, only to find that the child is dead.
In a matter of moments, Tae Ha’s expression morphs from relief,
to shock,
to disbelief,
to realization,
to grief,
to remorse,
to deep, utter anguish.
It’s an arresting scene, and Oh Ji Ho’s deep-reaching delivery brought tears to my eyes. Well-done indeed.
Another scene where I also sat up and took notice of Oh Ji Ho’s acting chops is when Tae Ha is in the torture chamber in episode 17.
Before the torture commences, he speaks with an air of fierce resolve:
And then, he valiantly bears with the searing pain as the red-hot iron meets his flesh:
And finally, he roars and gasps in pain:
Chills. And, shudder. He made the torture feel all too real.
This torture chamber scene also shows Tae Ha’s by-the-book, straight-laced character. While nearby, streetsmart Dae Gil feigns unconsciousness in order to bide his time, Tae Ha practically goads Commander Hwang (Lee Jong Hyuk) to put the hot iron on him.
Tae Ha’s growth as a character is relatively slow over the course of the show, but it rings true, because that is how deeply ingrained Tae Ha’s traditionalist views are.
Tellingly, Tae Ha struggles for a long time, over many episodes, when he realizes that his wife Hye Won was born as Eonnyeon the slave. His denial is so strong that he literally only seems to realize the truth of that fact when Dae Gil spells it out for him in episode 16. And even then, Tae Ha refuses to accept it.
In fact, so strong are those traditionalist beliefs, that Tae Ha gets tripped up by them more than once. In episode 17, when Dae Gil is concerned about Eonnyeon’s safety and therefore wishes to talk, all Tae Ha can do is nitpick the fact that her name is Hye Won, not Eonnyeon. At this point, I was like, Seriously? Don’t you care about the fact that the woman you profess to love is in imminent danger because she is carrying the Royal Successor? Stupid man.
But that is how principled and stiff Tae Ha is, and when he finally comes around, even the small shifts feel authentic and organic, because he’s taken time to grapple with his beliefs.
As stiff as Tae Ha is, his loyalty is equally deep-seated. I find it revealing, that it is only in the later episodes, upon the realization that his men were slain by Commander Hwang, that he finally is incited enough to denounce Commander Hwang as his compeer. This, despite the multiple personal betrayals that he had suffered at Commander Hwang’s hands, even to the extent of being stripped of his military title and being (literally) branded a slave.
That says a lot, about the kind of upright and loyal character Tae Ha is.
Lee Da Hae as Eonnyeon
Lee Da Hae as Eonnyeon is beautiful, there’s no doubt about it. Eonnyeon’s beauty is of the ethereal, luminescent, incandescent variety, and Lee Da Hae fulfilled the quota for gentle radiance very well.
While Lee Da Hae’s delivery is decent overall, I have to say that it does lean on the bland side.
Eonnyeon is graceful and elegant, and I suppose that is why Lee Da Hae imbues all of Eonnyeon’s expressions and gestures with a restrained, muted kind of demureness. While that’s all well and good, it really did get boring, after a while.
I guess what I would have preferred, is for Lee Da Hae to have dug deeper to give Eonnyeon more facets, textures and depth. Given the extreme range of circumstances and related emotions that Eonnyeon faces over the course of the show, there were ample opportunities for Lee Da Hae to show us more substance in her delivery. It’s disappointing that Eonnyeon remains rather two-dimensional despite the potential inherent in the role.
Before we get into spoilers, I thought I’d share a couple of Eonnyeon screenshots with ya. If the screenshot above is of Eonnyeon gently contemplative, then here is:
Eonnyeon, gently happy:
Eonnyeon, gently sad:
And Eonnyeon, gently shocked:
Sorry, couldn’t resist, heh. But see what I mean about muted and restrained?
In some ways, I found Eonnyeon unusually progressive for someone of her background. Like daring to love her young master, and having the audacity to feel disappointed that Dae Gil doesn’t tell his father about her when his father questions him about marriage (above).
Having been born into slavery, Eonnyeon would have grown up with the deeply ingrained notion that a slave has no hope of marrying her young master.
She would have also grown up with the notion that a slave does not refuse his/her master. So I found it interesting, and to some extent, a little jarring, when she refuses Dae Gil’s advances in episode 8.
As Dae Gil leans in to kiss her, Eonnyeon pulls away, saying, “In my childhood, when I knew nothing of this world, I thought of you as just a compeer of mine. It was only when I grew into adulthood… that I found out what coming from different classes truly meant. If you see me as someone to frivol with… I would never dare to refute that, however… I would prefer if you didn’t.”
Gracious words, to be sure. But coming from Eonnyeon, an uneducated slave-girl, it feels sufficiently discordant and odd to be distracting.
To the show’s credit, it does hang a lantern on this very thing. In episode 20, Seolhwa, on seeing Eonnyeon for the first time, remarks, “How can a slave be so elegant?!” Ha. Exactly.
On a more positive note, I appreciated that Eonnyeon shows flashes of strength, in spite of her generally bland and weak disposition. Like in episode 13, when she’s told to leave Tae Ha by the leading scholar of the conspiracy Jo Seonbi (Choi Duk Moon), she outright refuses, despite the pressure that he exerts on her.
I also liked that Eonnyeon shows some street smarts, evidenced in episode 17 in how she manages to get food and lodging for herself and the Royal Successor (Kim Jin Woo) by hinting that her husband is an officer of the court. And then later, she finds a way past the guards by pretending that she and the child are sick with something dangerously contagious.
On the romantic front, Eonnyeon spends much of the show being stuck between the promises she’s made to 2 men. On the one hand, there is Tae Ha, whom she has married. And on the other, there is Dae Gil, her One True Love come back to life.
I’ll spend more time looking at each of those relationships in a bit, but let me just say that by the end of the show, I think she does genuinely love both men, just in different ways.
Han Jung Soo as General Choi
Han Jung Soo is ABSolutely pitch perfect as the ABtastic, stoic General Choi. Giggle. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
General Choi is a strong, silent, gentle giant who’s plenty badass in his own right, and I love how he’s the voice of reason in our favorite slave-hunting trio.
I am particularly tickled by the running gag through the show, that he draws all the women’s attentions and affections. Can’t quite blame the ladies, though, can we?
[MINOR SPOILER ALERT]
I found it amusing that the Jumos both lust and pine after General Choi, each squirreling treats of extra food to him on the sly, while beside him, Wang Son grins and Dae Gil smirks.
At the same time, on the other side of the fence, the painter and horse doctor lust and pine after the Jumos. Oh what a tangled web we weave!
This side arc definitely brought a delightful side of comic relief. And General Choi, squirming uncomfortably from all the attention? It never gets old.
To give credit where credit’s due, here’s some badass General Choi for ya:
In episode 3 I love that he kicks ass using a handful of bush, when he’s separated from his spear:
And more general badassery:
[END MINOR SPOILER]
Kim Ji Suk as Wang Son
Kim Ji Suk is completely adorkable as Wang Son, the flighty, grumbly, lusty maknae of our slave hunter trio.
As the maknae, Wang Son keeps having to do all the cooking and laundry, and it’s a running gag that he complains and nags about it like there’s no tomorrow:
It’s doubly funny that it is the boy who cooks and cleans and who has the least swag among them, that is the one who gets up to the most flirtatious mischief, always bedding the ladies:
And therefore often gets soundly disciplined by Dae Gil and General Choi:
While Wang Son definitely brings the laughs, like he does here:
I found it genuinely sweet that whenever he’s worried that Dae Gil is hurt, he’ll bawl like a baby:
Aw. He’s a loud handful, but he’s caring at heart.
Kim Ha Eun as Seolhwa
Kim Ha Eun is wonderful as Seolhwa. Literally a breath of fresh mountain air, Seolhwa is sassy, impulsive and genuinely likable.
Seolhwa feels honest and unaffected as a character, and Kim Ha Eun imparts sufficient layers to Seolhwa, that underneath her bravado and sass, we can see Seolhwa’s borne many emotional wounds and scars in her young life.
Sassy and wise to men’s lusty hearts, Seolhwa doesn’t hesitate to use her wiles to get her way.
I love the running gag where she basically wraps Wang Son around her little finger, artfully getting her way while coquettishly hinting at (non-existent) rewards of the bedroom variety.
At heart, though, all Seolhwa wants is to feel like she belongs, and her saddest moments are always when she feels that she’s been abandoned:
I love, though, that no matter how hard it is, Seolhwa chooses to smile in the face of it all, even if it’s with tears in her eyes:
Gotta love such a gutsy girl.
Lee Jong Hyuk as Commander Hwang
Considering that Commander Hwang is a fairly significant, albeit secondary, character, I felt that he was written a little flat.
Or perhaps, it was that Lee Jong Hyuk delivered him as too much of a cipher?
Lee Jong Hyuk made Commander Hwang badass by the boatload, which I appreciated and thought very apt for the character. At the same time, there were key points in the story where I found a lack of expression (for lack of a better word), with regard to his thought processes and decision-making. I can’t decide if this was a directorial or acting issue, but there were certainly moments in the show when I wondered exactly what he was thinking.
For most of the show, we see and experience Commander Hwang as a lean, mean, evil killing machine. He doesn’t hesitate to snuff out lives with a brandish of his sword, even if it’s of his past compatriots. Plus, for most of the show, he’s hunting down an adorable 4-year-old child. To kill him.
His doggedness and tenacity are almost machine-like, and his impassiveness make him inscrutable. It was easy to dislike him, since he was, y’know, trying to kill everyone.
Among Commander Hwang’s scenes, the moments that I appreciated the most, are the scenes that Commander Hwang shares with his mother (Kim Young Ok). It is only with his mother that we get to see flashes of gentleness from him, and hints that deep down, he’s not as evil as he appears to be.
I’ll talk more later, about Commander Hwang’s sudden turnaround at the end of our story.
Min Ji Ah as Chobok
I really enjoyed Min Ji Ah as Chobok. She made Chobok refreshingly spunky, spirited and earthy.
I loved that Chobok is faster and smarter than the men, and has a disarmingly natural and unaffected smile. Sure, it’s unrealistic that a slave has such beautiful teeth, but well, it’s a drama. Heck, if Eonnyeon gets to stay clean throughout the show, Chobok gets to have pretty teeth.
Chobok listens in on the men as they plan their rebellion, and worms her way into the faction, insisting that she wants to be involved, while offering to act as their look-out and decoy.
It’s to her credit that she saves the men several times over the course of the show. And they hadn’t even wanted her around to begin with. Pfft.
I love that Chobok even teaches herself how to shoot a gun by cheerily eavesdropping on the men’s shooting lessons. That the men all fail miserably, while she manages to hit the target on her first try? Gold.
I enjoyed her the most, out of the entire rebel slave faction arc.
Gong Hyung Jin as Eopbok
Eopbok is one of the major players in the rebel slave faction, and it is through his eyes that we see the brutality of slavery. It is also often through his thoughts and his voice that we grapple with the foundational morals – or lack thereof – in slavery.
While he isn’t one of my favorite characters, he does have several particularly memorable scenes, and Gong Hyung Jin delivered excellently. (More on that later)
It’s interesting to me, that among all the characters, Eopbok is the only one who shares Dae Gil’s dream. Or rather, I should say, Eopbok is the only one whose dream aligns with Dae Gil’s. Since through most of the show, Eopbok is intent on killing Dae Gil and all.
In episode 23, Eopbok muses, “If we [the slaves] triumph, and then force yangban into slavery, then nothing would really change.” … “Can we gain that power but still leave the yangban alone? By… What was it… Changing the system?”
Such irony, that the one man who echoes Dae Gil’s dream, is trying to blow Dae Gil’s brains out.
Ha Si Eun as Lee Sun Young (Commander Hwang’s wife)
Mad props to Ha Si Eun, who played such a minor character so well that she not only brought Commander Hwang’s wife to life, but also brought tears to my eyes.
It must be no easy task, playing a character with palsy, but Ha Si Eun manages to imbue the incessant twitching of her body and distortion of her face with genuine emotion. We see clearly, her worry and fear for her husband, her frustration with her condition, as well as her despair at her one-sided love for her husband.
Wonderfully, tragically played.
Park Ki Woong as Geu Boon
Um. I don’t know how to talk about Park Ki Woong’s turn as Geu Boon without going into spoiler territory.
Without going into specifics, let me just say that his character felt a little random when he showed up, and his character arc also felt rather forced. I have seen Park Ki Woong do much better.
Ok, so the insertion of Geu Boon’s character felt a little random and forced, but I can believe Left State Councilor (Kim Eung Soo) would go that far, to plant someone to mislead the slaves and use them. It’s Geu Boon’s complete turnaround at the last stretch, with the manic evil eyes and sinister laughter that feels discordant, sudden and bemusing. It just makes Geu Boon the character feel more like a caricature than a real person. Maybe we should have been given hints earlier?
Also, Park Ki Woong’s delivery is sometimes majorly OTT, especially the villainous expressions. It’s like, “This Is My Evil Face. Bwahahaha.” It takes me out of the moment and makes me almost want to laugh. Except it’s so bad that it’s not funny.
Not one of Park Ki Woong’s finest moments, unfortunately. Guess he did get better at the Evil Face, though, since he did WAY better in Gaksital.
Forget plot machinations, it’s the relationships that form the core of the show. Over and above romance – although there is some of that – it’s bromance and brotherhood that trumps the day in Chuno.
Dae Gil, General Choi & Wang Son
The bromance between our slave hunting trio is Pure. Gold. I LUFF THESE BOYS TOGETHER. ♥
On the surface, Dae Gil, General Choi and Wang Son are completely different personalities. Dae Gil’s all swaggering, streetwise and smirky, while General Choi is strong, silent and stoic. And Wang Son’s all monkey and mischief.
Their dynamic works wonderfully, though, and beneath all the machismo and aggravated affection, these boys are family.
Waitaminute. I just had a stroke of brilliance. Taking the family analogy one step further, can you see that Dae Gil’s the father, all leader and decision-maker of the family? And then, General Choi is the mother, all voice of reason and quiet nagging. Wang Son? He’s their bratty son, ha. He whines all the time about chores, and gets into all kinds of mischief, which gets him soundly disciplined by both “parents” – HA! HAHAHA!! Can you tell that I’m extremely tickled by this?
Bottom line is, I LUFF THESE BOYS TOGETHER (oh, have I said that already?), and I would watch them scuffle and swagger and banter together, for a hundred episodes. And then some.
There are so many moments where this rag-tag family tugged at my heartstrings.
In episode 12, during a quiet moment, General Choi senses that Dae Gil is troubled and asks, “I shouldn’t really say this, but aren’t we family? If anything is troubling you, just lean onto us.” Dae Gil scoffs, “Family?! Who, familiar scoundrels like us? We’re just tagging along the same path.”
But a touch of a wry smile plays about Dae Gil’s lips, hinting at the truth, that he does love them as family, even if he won’t say so.
A telling moment is in episode 14, in the way General Choi and Dae Gil desperately and relentlessly go after a missing Wang Son. It says so much about how much these men really care for each other, underneath the tough words and gruff exterior.
Among the three, Dae Gil is the one who is most gruff in his affections, refusing to admit that he loves General Choi and Wang Son. But in episode 16, we see how deeply he loves them, in how heartbroken he is, thinking them dead.
Dae Gil gets Jumo to set a table for three, and sitting at it all alone, he puts Wang Son’s arm band and General Choi’s headpiece on the other 2 bowls of rice, ie, acting as offerings to the “deceased” Wang Son and General Choi, as well as to represent their presence.
Dae Gil begins to eat, in what is quite possibly the most anguished egg-eating scene in the history of kdrama:
As he eats, he imagines General Choi and Wang Son eating with him, with their usual cheerful banter. Dae Gil speaks to them and offers them food, while tears stream down his face. So. Heartbreaking.
Tears. T.T
Poor Dae Gil.
To balance out this terribly heartbreaking moment, let’s revisit the most heartwarming moment between the three.
In episode 20, the three are finally reunited when Dae Gil arrives at Mt Worak. Hearing that Dae Gil has arrived, General Choi and Wang Son come racing.
Upon seeing them, Dae Gil is stunned, and touches General Choi on the cheek to test if he’s not a vision, while Wang Son sidles up to Dae Gil with a happy grin:
Dae Gil starts to yell at Wang Son for being such a dumbass and nearly getting himself killed, and amid the teary yelling, General Choi quietly grabs Dae Gil for a hug, saying simply, “I missed you.” AWWW.
Dae Gil’s tears finally overflow, and then, group hug! AWWW.
How cute. And how very, very sweet. Melt.
Although Dae Gil doesn’t say it, he loves these boys even more than he loves himself. We see this in episode 24 when General Choi and Wang Son realize that Dae Gil’s paid for land and houses for them. And it is only Dae Gil’s house that remains unpaid. His brothers came first, for him. That is so sweet.
I JUST LUFF THESE BOYS TOGETHER. ♥
Dae Gil & Tae Ha
Song Tae Ha is the flint to Dae Gil’s steel, and the two spark off each other all drama long.
It’s a reluctant bromance, alright, seeing as how they’re not only as different as night and day, but that they’re mostly standing on opposite sides, and exchange blows almost every time they cross paths.
Much as they resent each other, though, these two shape each other, and in pretty powerful ways. Yes, we sometimes have to get through a whole lotta male posturing with these two, particularly since they love the same woman. But when all the blows have been delivered, these two reluctantly have deep, philosophical conversations. Conversations that end up shaping both men, pretty much against their will.
I love that these two head-strong characters, each so set in their thinking and their ways, affect each other in such a profound manner.
Dae Gil’s and Tae Ha’s interactions show us a lot about each of the men, in terms of their philosophies and outlooks on life and the world they live in, and I actually found that more interesting than the question of who would end up with Eonnyeon.
A revealing conversation between Dae Gil and Tae Ha takes place in episode 16, after they’ve finally stopped fighting and Dae Gil has gained the upper hand.
Tae Ha asks, “When you said she was one of your clan’s varlets, what did you mean?” and Dae Gil shoots back, “Why, is my having a past as a yangban all that vexatious?”
Disbelievingly, Tae Ha asks again, “Was my spouse… truly a slave?” Sardonically, Dae Gil replies, “And so what? Slave or yangban, what difference would it make? If you have feelings for each other, that is all it matters.”
Tae Ha counters, “Be that as it may… People’s roots are unalterable.”
But it is Dae Gil who has the last word, stating simply, “It’s because people like you are in power that we live in such a wretched world. If people like you didn’t exist, then there would be no need for people like me, either.”
I found this moment of honesty fascinating because it shows us so much about these two men.
Usually, Dae Gil is the one spouting hard-nosed stuff like “I had no feelings for a mere slave” etc, and Tae Ha is the one who’s portrayed as nice and noble. But when it comes down to a moment of honesty, we see that they actually feel quite differently.
Tae Ha’s the one who’s got caste ingrained in him, and who struggles – deeply – with the fact that Eonnyeon used to be a slave. Although Tae Ha himself experienced slavery, he doesn’t see himself as a real slave, because he didn’t come from a slave background. And he struggles with the fact that Eonnyeon came from a slave background, not seeing her as true nobility. Quite fascinating, considering how nice he’s been portrayed up till this point.
On the other hand, Dae Gil’s the one who is truly able to put his actions where his mouth is. He believes it so strongly, that he would act on it, and without hesitation.
What a contrast, these 2 men. And on multiple levels too. Notably, they are both educated as well, so it’s not a difference in education that accounts for their very different outlooks.
Another moment of honesty between the two men occurs in episode 22, as they rest in the darkness.
Tae Ha muses, “While spending my lifetime on the battlefield, I only had one thing in mind. That, should the battle be too much to handle, I would just die. That I would have given my everything, so there would be no regrets. But now, no matter how hard it is, I must survive, so that path is much more arduous than accepting demise.”
Dae Gil answers with a touch of wistfulness, “You know, no matter how noble your intents are, people struggle by the same rules. Once misery engulfs you, your life can only get worse. So just take it as it comes. Abandon all greed and let it go. How nice it would be? Having a spouse and children, a land to farm… That’s all you need. A life of simplicity is a wise man’s greatest virtue. Warm and simple…”
Tae Ha then asks, “Back in the day, did you not wish to change the world yourself? To make a world without yangban or commoners? Did you not dream of making a world where… you could spend your entire life in peace with the woman you love?”
Dae Gil’s eyes deaden again as he answers, “Before I experienced reality… Back then, I did.”
Many of their conversations don’t have the sort of closure where one party agrees with the other, but watching them speak, you can just tell that each is giving the other substantial food for thought. And it is in the wake of these conversations that each grapples with his own philosophy and outlook on life and the meaning of it.
Another thought-provoking moment in conversation is in episode 23, when Dae Gil and Tae Ha bide their time at the inn.
At one point, Tae Ha says to Dae Gil, “Are you not of yangban ancestry yourself?”
Dae Gil replies, “There was such a time in the past. But, you know? Once you start wearing the same things and eating like they do, you become just like them. What makes a yangban is not his genealogy, but these [points at his clothes] and nothing else. I have never seen someone with fancy garments endure adversities, nor have I seen anyone in rags leading a happy life. That is the truth behind our lives.”
It’s clear that Dae Gil is a much more practical man than Tae Ha, in that he forms his thoughts and philosophies based on what he experiences, while Tae Ha clings to a fixed set of philosophies.
And I’m positive that these words from Dae Gil give Tae Ha much pause for thought, in terms of shifting his mindset to become finally fully able to accept and embrace his wife for who she is.
I particularly like the final conversation that Dae Gil and Tae Ha share in episode 24, after having been on the road for some time.
At one point, Tae Ha says to Dae Gil, “I feel sorry towards you. But is not chance part of our destiny as well?”
On the surface, it looks like Tae Ha is apologizing for taking Dae Gil on the run with him, but on a deeper level, I feel like it’s also a gentleman’s apology, for having unwittingly taken Eonnyeon away from him.
In another nice moment, Tae Ha finally acknowledges the value of Dae Gil’s street smarts, as Dae Gil rattles off all the details and factors relating to their journey.
Looking thoughtfully at Dae Gil, Tae Ha remarks, “I see you discount no detail whatsoever. I’ve learned a lot from you.”
I love that Dae Gil playfully smirks in reply, “Of course. You should get on your knees and be grateful. For all the things I taught you…” Hee.
What a long, long way these two have come. It’s taken quite a journey, but they’ve effectively moved from mutual disdain, to mutual respect. With a little bit of ribbing on the side.
Full Circle in the Open Fields
There’s a recurring motif that I really love, because it shows us how far Dae Gil and Tae Ha have come, in their relationship with one another, and that’s the motif of them fighting in open fields.
When the two men first meet, they are on opposite sides; the hunter and the hunted. Dae Gil sees Tae Ha simply as another job, while Tae He sees Dae Gil as an attacker he must fight off.
They face off, leaping headlong into each other, weapons raised:
By episode 22, the two men have arrived at a reluctant place of partnership and alliance.
There’s a great throwback moment, after they’ve fought off Commander Hwang’s men together, and Dae Gil and Tae Ha run towards each other with fists raised, as if to each other, and in slo-mo too, to show us the determination in their eyes.
Except their fists are really aimed at the other’s pursuer, whom we don’t see until each of their fists makes contact with the other’s pursuer. After they take down the other’s pursuer, Dae Gil and Tae Ha stand facing each other, smiling.
I loved how this moment is so reminiscent of their first face-off in the open field, yet so very different.
Finally, to bring us full circle, there’s a great moment in episode 24, where Dae Gil and Tae Ha run in the open fields, but this time, instead of facing off with each other as they did when they first met, they are running together, on the same side.
I love the little detail, that as they run, they each have a look of exhilaration on their faces.
Sure, Dae Gil mutters insults at Tae Ha all series long, even to the very end, but it’s clear that they work well together and they know it.
It’s completely gratifying to see the change in their relationship over the course of the show; from being a thorn in each other’s sides, to becoming reluctant partners.
Romance was never the main event in this show. Bromance was.
Dae Gil & Eonnyeon
Truth be told, Dae Gil’s romance with Eonnyeon was never the focus of the show.
Because of our familiarity with kdrama romance tropes, we might tend to think of Dae Gil and Eonnyeon as our OTP. After all, we meet him first, before we meet anyone else, really, and we quickly see that beyond his badassery lies a heart that still beats for and yearns for Eonnyeon, his First Love. All classic symptoms of a couple that is Meant To Be.
But really, that’s just not how Chuno rolls.
Instead of being the central event, Dae Gil’s romance with Eonnyeon plays more of a expository role, because it is through this relationship and how it affects Dae Gil, that we get to see the inner workings of Dae Gil’s heart and mind.
Perhaps one of the most important things that Dae Gil’s relationship with Eonnyeon shows us, is Dae Gil’s outlook on slavery and equality.
In episode 8, Dae Gil, carrying Eonnyeon on his back, smiles as he shares his plan with her, “…I’ll have to pass the national examination.” Eonnyeon, smiling playfully, asks, “And after that?”
Dae Gil answers, “I’ll gain an important position in the court.” And Eonnyun presses, “And when you do?”
Dreamily, Dae Gil adds, “I’ll change this country.” Puzzled, Eonnyun asks, “How?”
Dae Gil concludes smilingly, “By making a world which doesn’t discriminate between yangban and commoners. So… you and I can live together. Forever.”
Precisely because Dae Gil is shown having an actual relationship with Eonnyeon, and seriously planning to actually do these things that he talks of, shows us plainly that this is something that he truly believes. That he’s willing to take action to support those beliefs. That it’s not just talk.
I find this point really important, in terms of distinguishing the differences between Tae Ha and Dae Gil like we talked about earlier, ie, at which point can each of these men love and accept Eonnyeon and her slave girl origins. For Dae Gil, this was never a question. He loved her from the very beginning, slave girl origins and all.
All series long, Dae Gil is doggedly focused on finding Eonnyeon again. I feel like after Dae Gil’s yangban stature disintegrates in the fire, together with his family, and all that was familiar to him, that he focuses his entire existence on the hope of finding Eonnyeon again. It’s likely that this is why he chose to be a slave hunter in the first place.
So when Dae Gil discovers that she is marrying Tae Ha, his whole world comes crumbling down, all over again. Once again, he’s forced to re-examine his driving purpose in life.
As Dae Gil breaks down wailing in the streets, and his tortured sobs shudder through his body, we can practically taste his agony. Thoroughly heartbreaking.
So great is Dae Gil’s love for Eonnyeon, though, that he does not stop loving her even though she is married to another man.
He continues to care for and ensure her safety, going out of his way to save her, like he does here when she’s dragged before a magistrate and questioned:
To be fair, Eonnyeon still feels a deep connection to Dae Gil too, and we see this in episode 15 when she feels Dae Gil’s presence before she even turns around to face him.
When Tae Ha and Dae Gil go at each other with their weapons, Eonnyeon shields Dae Gil with her own body, just before Tae Ha’s sword strikes him, willing to take the fall for him if necessary.
We see that Eonnyeon is terrified in the moment, and that the danger is very real. Yet, she does not hesitate to put her life on the line for Dae Gil.
Granted, Eonnyeon then does the same for Tae Ha, but I think it’s noteworthy that she shields Dae Gil first.
While it’s true that she is partly motivated by a deep sense of guilt over what happened to Dae Gil because of her and her brother, I believe that Eonnyeon’s actions here are motivated more by her love for Dae Gil.
After the two men leave to duel it out, Eonnyeon weeps, and I feel that her tears are more for Dae Gil than for Tae Ha. In her tears, I feel she is expressing a multitude of pent-up regret and sorrow over the twist of fate that has forever separated her from Dae Gil.
Subsequent to this, we see that even though Dae Gil continues to care deeply for Eonnyeon, that he repeatedly stands aside, respecting the relationship that Eonnyeon now has with Tae Ha.
I love that Dae Gil is not only made of such honorable stuff, but that his love for Eonnyeon is not dependent on whether or not he gets to be with her. I love the selfless nature of his love.
In episode 18, we finally see a measure of closure to Dae Gil’s and Eonnyeon’s relationship.
As Eonnyeon goes about her chores at Mt Worak, Dae Gil watches her from afar and it’s clear that he still loves her.
When Seolhwa shows up and pulls Dae Gil into a hug, Dae Gil hesitates for a moment before we see a look of resolution cloud his eyes. He then looks right at Eonnyeon and returns Seolhwa’s embrace.
Clearly, Dae Gil is sending Eonnyeon a message of closure in this moment, and Eonnyeon looks at him with sorrowful, teary eyes, understanding his message.
On one hand, one might argue that this makes Eonnyeon seem really greedy in that she has affection for Tae Ha but appears to not want to let Dae Gil go.
At the same time, I feel like she has a different sort of love for each man, and that she basically has a very special place in her heart for Dae Gil, the man who loved her for herself, not caring about her slave girl origins. And she mourns the moment of putting this love away, for good.
Of course, I do have issues with the way the moment of closure is treated, almost with hard defiance on Dae Gil’s part, and him using Seolhwa in the process. It doesn’t feel right, but it is what it is. Dae Gil’s not perfect by any means, and the show doesn’t hesitate to remind us of that.
In episode 21, Dae Gil muses to General Choi, “Not being able to see her was driving me crazy, but now that I can see her every day, it’s just killing me.”
The road that Dae Gil walks in terms of this love is never an easy one, and we see it all the more in his final words to Eonnyeon in episode 24.
As Dae Gil runs with his very last dredges of strength to face the troops who have arrived, he speaks in a final voiceover to Eonnyeon. In gentle, tender tones completely dissonant with his outer bloody surroundings, Dae Gil says, “Eonnyeon-ah… Eonnyeon-ah… Live in happiness. Spend endless moons with that man of yours, and that child, until the day we shall once again meet, and you will tell me how your life was. My Eonnyeon… My… beloved.”
Tears. And chills.
He loves her so, so very much that for him, it transcends life and even death.
Tae Ha & Eonnyeon
If Dae Gil’s love for Eonnyeon is like a raging furnace that can’t be put out, then the love between Tae Ha and Eonnyeon would be like a pile of winking embers that, given a long time, finally grows into a muted but steady flame.
I confess that I was not very invested in this relationship during both of my watches of the show. But I do appreciate how their relationship moves from being shrouded in layers of half-truths, to a place where Tae Ha and Eonnyeon can be truly honest with each other.
In addition, it is Tae Ha’s relationship with Eonnyeon that serves as a barometer for his gradually shifting views on nobility and slavery.
To be honest, I found the beginning of this couple’s relationship a pretty shaky and superficial one.
Simply put, Tae Ha finds her beautiful and graceful, and is intrigued. Eonnyeon, on the other hand, is indebted to him for saving her from being raped by thugs. Plus, he’s good protection for a girl traveling alone.
To top it off, both lie about not being pursued. And both also lie, about not being slaves.
It is only when the layers of lies get slowly peeled away, that they are forced to confront and grapple with the truth.
In episode 9, part of the truth gets unraveled as Tae Ha’s headband gets sliced off during a fight:
Tae Ha looks at Eonnyeon in shock, like a deer caught in headlights, as he realizes that his secret has just been exposed. Eonnyeon, in turn, looks at him in stunned realization. Before this, Tae Ha had strenuously denied that he was a slave. But now, the evidence is staring at her from his forehead: 奴. Slave.
From this point onwards, Tae Ha and Eonnyeon have several conversations surrounding this, with Tae Ha still emphatic that he is not a slave, and that he’s got more important things to tend to, than shedding his slave status.
Notably, Tae Ha still speaks in riddles, which confuses Eonnyeon, “You are a slave but not a slave. You are one the being chased but you are not running away. What kind of words are these? Which words that you speak are ones I can believe in and which words should I throw away?”
At the same time, I find it significant that Eonnyeon chooses not to reveal her own slave background, even when Tae Ha’s slave background has been uncovered.
As the pair continue to travel together on Tae Ha’s mission, they gradually exchange tokens of affection, such as here, where she takes his hand, or on the cliff-tops, where they embrace, and she allows him to kiss her:
I feel, though, that the more significant change, on Eonnyeon’s part at least, is in episode 12, where she goes to the temple and prays for Tae Ha.
I find it quite key, that she now prays for Tae Ha instead of Dae Gil. I think that’s a true sign that he’s entered her heart, even though it’s not verbalized yet. I find this more significant than the kiss even, because this is what she used to do for Dae Gil in the past, even praying for him through the night.
As the episodes progress, though, we see that there is one thing that remains a sore point – and a barrier, at that – in their relationship and marriage. That is, that Tae Ha cannot accept the fact that Eonnyeon used to be a slave. We see that surface every time Tae Ha has a conversation that with Dae Gil, and Dae Gil refers to her as Eonnyeon instead of Hye Won.
Another noteworthy thing, is that the relationship between Tae Ha and Eonnyeon is one that is based on loyalty more than romantic feelings.
In episode 19, Eonnyeon decides to leave Tae Ha because of her slave past, and because she does not wish to stand in the way of his mission.
I find it telling, that it takes Tae Ha some time to decide to stop her. And that when he does move to stop her from leaving, this is all he can say,”I pledged to myself I would awaken to the anguish of our people, but I never envisioned a world without slavery, or the same traditional tenets which guided us.” … “Even while experiencing slavery firsthand, I could not think of that. No matter how long it takes, until the day when I walk on the righteous path, will you aid and await me?”
Not at all romantic, and it’s revealing that all he speaks of is a higher purpose. I mean, a higher purpose is all well and good. But surely sometimes, especially at this time, it’s important to approach things in a more personal way?
I also find it significant, that Tae Ha, even having experienced slavery first-hand, had never envisioned a world without slavery. What does this tell us about him? At best, he’s a square who can’t think out of the box. At worst, he’s a snob who doesn’t think that slavery is wrong, even when he experienced the humiliation and suffering first-hand. He only thought that he was NOT a slave and therefore these treatments were not rightly applied to him.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate Tae Ha or anything. I just think that his deeply ingrained traditionalist views, combined with his very straight-laced personality, are what stand in his way of changing his paradigm of the world. He just cannot imagine it.
Again on the topic of loyalty, I found it noteworthy that even though Eonnyeon talks of having loved Dae Gil, that she doesn’t talk of loving Tae Ha.
Between her and Tae Ha, they only talk of loyalty and fealty. And perhaps that may mean more to a military man such as Tae Ha, but to a woman, love means more. And she doesn’t ever say that she loves Tae Ha.
Still. We see that Eonnyeon does look at Tae Ha with affection, as she does in episode 19, when she looks at him sleeping with the boy. I think it’s just a very different sort of love compared to the love that she had for Dae Gil.
It is only in episode 20, after many, many episodes of internal grappling, that Tae Ha seems to finally get over the fact that Eonnyeon used to be a slave.
As Eonnyeon talks to the Royal Successor in her arms and tells the child that her name is Hye Won, but she used to be known as Eonnyeon, Tae Ha looks at her with tears in his eyes and says, “Whatever your name is, it doesn’t matter. Be it Hye Won or Eonnyeon, all you are to me is my spouse.”
And Eonnyeon, tearing up, responds, “Hearing that makes me feel like I’ve truly become your spouse, at last.”
What a long journey that was, for this couple to finally arrive at a place of truth and mutual understanding. On the upside, though, their love feels quite true to life, in that I find it similar to the muted, gentle affections of a long-married couple.
Dae Gil & Seolhwa
Seolhwa’s crush on Dae Gil is pretty much summed in this screenshot right here.
She’s the one trailing after him, proactively making her feelings known, and he’s the one, well, enduring her attention.
I found the dynamic between Seolhwa and Dae Gil sweetly tragic, because Seolhwa actually knows that Dae Gil only has room in his heart for Eonnyeon. Yet, she continues to set her eyes and her heart on him, and her earnestness is poignantly touching.
And honestly, who can blame the girl for nursing a crush on sexy Orabeoni?
One of the things I found particularly interesting about Dae Gil’s scenes with Seolhwa, is that there are many times the show uses their scenes as parallels to scenes of Tae Ha and Eonnyeon. The scenes , meaningfully and interestingly interwoven, often appear similar on the surface, but have deeper, very different meanings for each pair of characters.
One example is in episode 7, where Dae Gil carries a drunk Seolhwa on his back, while silently thinking back to the days when he used to carry Eonnyeon the same way.
The scene splices away, to show us, in parallel, Tae Ha carrying Eonnyeon on his back, injured and unconscious.
As both men walk on, we see that each woman drops her most prized possession. Seolhwa drops her hae-geum, and Eonnyeon drops the stone that Dae Gil used to heat for her, to keep her hands warm.
We then see Dae Gil bending down to pick up Seolhwa’s hae-geum, while Tae Ha, oblivious, walks on, leaving the stone behind.
It feels like moment filled with poetry and symbolism.
Both women drop something precious, but the implications are completely different. And the scene of Eonnyeon dropping the stone and moving away on Tae Ha’s back seems to imply her leaving Dae Gil behind.
The scenes between these pairs are also often interspliced to magnify the meaning of the moment. For example, Eonnyeon’s happy wedding scenes with Tae Ha are interspliced with Dae Gil’s heartwrenching wailing on the street while Seolhwa cries, looking on. Juxtaposed with the happy wedding scenes, the magnitude of Dae Gil’s grief is amplified.
Continually contrasted like this, it does feel like Dae Gil and Eonnyeon are living in parallel lines but walking in opposite directions, away from each other.
Another thing that stands out to me, about Seolhwa’s relationship with Dae Gil, is that she is often there with him during his lowest moments. It’s the pay-off, of always trailing him around.
When he wails, heartbroken, on the street, she’s there, tearing too.
And when he’s in disbelief and grief over the death of Eonnyeon’s brother, she’s there too, to pat his shoulder, to hold his hand, and to cry with him.
And so I found it fitting that at the very end of his life, Seolhwa is there too, to send him off with tears, a smile and a song.
A bittersweet love indeed.
Eonnyeon & Seolhwa
I found the blossoming friendship between Seolhwa and Eonnyeon rather sweet.
I love the arc, that Seolhwa, from being envious and jealous of Eonnyeon, eventually comes to see Eonnyeon as the friend and older sister she never had.
The relationship between Seolhwa and Eonnyeon begins in episode 21, when Seolhwa gets drunk at the feast that the Mt Worak folks prepared, and pays Eonnyeon a visit in her room.
In her drunken state, Seolhwa drunk-talks to Eonnyeon, “Why did you do it? Why did you show up, and start tearing Daegil Orabeoni’s heart to pieces? I’m sorry. But… I can’t help but resent you. I can’t help but… envy you. If I become just like you, will Orabeoni even glance at me?”
Tearing up with compassion, Eonnyeon gathers Seolhwa in her arms, comforting her, “Cry it all out. Could there be anyone free from sorrow?”
Thereafter, we get several small interludes where the two women spend time together.
I liked that they shared their thoughts with each other as they spent time, Eonnyeon teaching Seolhwa how to read and write, and Seolhwa entertaining Eonnyeon and her “son” with the hae-geum.
I found it particularly sweet that Seolhwa would wait for Eonnyeon to return so that she could entertain her “son.”
I really enjoyed watching the unfolding of this sisterhood, and it’s too bad it got truncated by circumstances.
Eopbok & Chobok
I rather enjoyed the blossoming love relationship between Eopbok and Chobok.
Their romance added levity to the otherwise heavy-going arc of the rebel slave faction.
Also, I found it amusing that the show kept portraying Eopbok as either too slow or too insecure to realize that Chobok has feelings for him.
A really cute moment between this couple is in episode 20, where they talk indirectly about their feelings for each other.
As they walk home in the night, Eopbok asks Chobok what she would do if they really manage to turn the world upside down and Chobok rattles off a bunch of things, including going to Mt Geumgang in the winter.
Eopbok baulks, “Say what? How could you go there all by yourself?” Without missing a beat, Chobok answers, “Why would I be by myself? You can just tag along.”
Eopbok looks at her disapprovingly, “Think you could win me over so easily, prancing around with you?”
Chobok grins, “Who said I wanted to win you over? If my leg hurts on the way, you can always carry me on your back.”
Eopbok protests, “Do you need to go all the way to Mount Geumgang for that?” Brightly, Chobok shoots back, “Why? Will you do it right now?”
Suddenly all concerned, Eopbok asks, “Does your leg hurt again?” and Chobok beams, “Yes!”
Such an outright lie. Hee. But, piggyback ride it is!
On the other end of the spectrum, I found the scene between Eopbok and Chobok in episode 23 particularly moving.
After rescuing her from her new husband, to whom she’d been unceremoniously sold, Eopbok urges Chobok to go to Mt Worak without him.
Chobok refuses with tears in her eyes, and Eopbok asks, tears burgeoning, “Chobok. Should we just… run away and live together? I will hunt, you will be farming, we will catch tigers and sell their skin at hefty prices… You’ll watch flowers blossom, dabble in the water, and after living together that way, we’ll have children. Should you and I… just live that way? Is that what you wish for? Going to a place where nobody knows us, you and I…”
After a moment’s pause, Chobok gives her answer tearfully,”No. Then, who will change the world? You need to go there and fight.”
Eopbok, tears spilling over, smiles, “Thank you. For saying that.”
They say goodbye tearfully and kiss.
I found this scene moving for showing us the sacrificial spirit behind their higher yearning for a better world. That they would give up their own happiness, in order to fight for a better world – I found that poignant and inspiring.
On a side note, as they kiss, their adjacent cheeks read “奴婢” – I wonder if the writers planned that far ahead for this moment of statement / irony?
Hanseom & the Court Lady
Even though they are minor characters, I was rather taken and very moved by the love story of Hanseom (Jo Jin Woong) and the court lady.
I found their simple love story, cut short too soon, completly heartwrenching and tragic.
In episode 10, while on the run from Commander Hwang and his murderous intent, Hanseom carries the Royal Successor, as he and the court lady walk through a field.
He asks her name, and she demurs repeatedly. Han Seom, mildly exasperated, asks, “Will you tell me your name, or not? Never had such a hard time exchanging names before.” His mock chagrin is adorable, and she’s noticeably swayed.
Just as his court lady is about to finally give him an answer, Commander Hwang’s makeshift spear pierces into her back.
Tears spill onto her cheeks as she starts to lean forward from the pain, and she manages, “M…My… name… Jang… Pilsoon…”
Crying in disbelief, Hanseom can only say, “I said you can survive…”
She gasps, “I’m… from… Pimat-gol… in Hanyang…”
Hanseom’s anguished cries are heartbreaking, “No! I told you I’d make you bask in luxury! Don’t! Listen! Listen to me!”
Trembling, Hanseom lays Pilsoon’s head on the ground. Words desert him and all he can manage are guttural, tortured shaking sobs.
Tears. So very heartbreaking.
And Hanseom’s grief and sorrow, mixed with his resolute loyalty to carry out his duty, even as he fights his tears, makes him so endearing.
In episode 21, tragically, Hanseom dies, betrayed by Jo Seonbi. But his vision of being reunited with the woman he loves and them leaving together is sweet and moving.
I love that she greets him, saying, “Where have you been all this time?”
The idea that she’s been waiting for him, to spend the afterlife together, is sweet.
Hanseom’s still as adorable in the afterlife, telling her, “I’ll make you bask in luxury.”
REBEL SLAVE FACTION
I’ll be the first to admit that I found the rebel slave faction arc less interesting than the story surrounding our slave hunters.
During my first watch, I barely tolerated the presence of this arc, and found it too distanced from what I considered the main story.
On my second watch, though, I found myself much more tolerant of this arc, and even rather appreciative of it for the themes that it brings out in the show. I also found the slave characters more interesting this time around.
One of the recurring thoughts in the drama, is that slaves are not people. It comes up repeatedly.
[MINOR SPOILER]
Like when the painter says junior Jumo is his best portrait after the king himself, she pouts about the portrait of Eonnyeon that he keeps drawing for Dae Gil.
The painter assures her smilingly, “I’m talking about portraits of people, not of slaves”
The show is always treading that line between showing us how slaves are viewed and treated as less than human, and how slaves really ARE people. Throughout the drama, we are shown how slaves are exchanged for livestock between masters, and how they are basically beaten and branded like animals.
And it is because of this existing thinking, that in an equivalent reversal, the slaves don’t think of their masters as people either. Which explains why the slave rebel faction blithely kills off noble yangban without a second thought.
In episode 16, Eopbok asks Chobok, “Wouldn’t it be better to make a world where there are neither slaves nor yangban?”
Chobok’s answer is telling, “A world without yangban or slaves might be wonderful, but what I want to do now is avenge what those yangban did to me.”
And so it is, that the ugliness of human nature propels the slaves to a cyclically flawed goal instead of a truly better world.
Ultimately, the slave faction’s mission is really a quest for recognition and dignity. Because their masters don’t see or treat them as people, their quest is simply to be recognized as people and to have human dignity. The reason they go to extremes is because of how unyielding the prevailing belief system is. Because they believe that they need to go that far, in order to create a dent in an unyielding belief system.
There are many minor weaknesses in Chuno, but I think I’m not alone in saying that the biggest weakness in this show, is the amount of screentime dedicated to political machinations in the later episodes.
I felt the story slump the hardest, from episodes 18 to 22, where we spent way too much time on the politicking in the court than our main characters. As much as I understand how important the politics are, as a context for our characters, I did feel that we could have done with a lot less of it.
THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING
During my first watch of Chuno, I’ll admit that there were parts of the ending that didn’t make sense to me. Probably because I watched it as a casual viewer.
On my second watch, paying closer attention, and with a more analytical lens on, I finally appreciate the ending for what it was intended to be.
I’m going to touch on the closure of various characters and where we leave them.
[SPOILERS THROUGH THE END OF THIS REVIEW]
Eopbok
Eopbok, upon discovering his dead comrades, cradles Ggeutbong’s body and muses aloud, “Ggeutbong-ah. I don’t think I can live without Chobok. She said she’d be waiting for me… But I’m not going to die like a beast. I’ll show them… Show them that even slaves like us… live in this world. If I can only do that, it’ll be worth dying for. Isn’t that right, Chobok?”
It’s a heartbreaking decision, but he knows that Chobok will choose the higher mission over her own comfort.
Eopbok’s plan to charge the palace is the ultimate dream that he and his comrades had held together. And now that all of them had perished but for him, he charges the palace to fulfill their collective dreams. A statement, for the price of his life.
That he manages to kill – pretty much by accident – Geu Boon, is so satisfying. And that he, representing his fellow slaves, kills the Left State Councilor – the one behind the entire conspiracy, the one who basically manipulated the slaves, the one whom everyone else was powerless against – is pure poetic justice.
Constable Oh
Ha. I love that Constable Oh gets his just deserts.
He gets hauled in for questioning and torture even though he’s not to blame. Just like he used to do to the townsfolk that he used to terrorize.
His replacement constable surmises of his fate: “Guess if he’s lucky, they’ll only force him into slavery.” Yet another instance of poetic justice, since he used to trade in slaves as if they were objects.
But some things just don’t change. The new constable is an even more demanding tyrant than Constable Oh used to be. I guess systemic change doesn’t come easy, is what they’re trying to say.
Dae Gil
Dae Gil’s parting words to Eonnyeon, charging her to leave with Tae Ha, are, “Take him and leave.” … “You must survive and make a better world.. Only then will there be no more people like us. Eonnyeon… You must survive… Only if you do… Will I go on living. Leave now!”
In the end, Dae Gil gives his life towards his original dream to change the world. Only it’s not by the means that he’d originally intended. It’s not by taking the exam and getting into a position of power to effect change in the world.
I feel like Dae Gil has finally come full circle, back to his original dream of making a better world, except this time, he approaches it with an even higher wager – his very life.
I believe that coming back to his dream, his motivation and resolve has strengthened to something much more profound than simply making it possible for him to live with the woman he loves. Now, it’s a higher, greater purpose, and he’s willing to pay the price of his life towards it. And it is only through Eonnyeon’s eyes that he will get to see the new world that he gives his life for.
As I mentioned earlier, I found it fitting too, that Seolhwa was the one with Dae Gil in his final moments.
In a truly heartbreaking moment, Dae Gil, with his last few breaths, finally addresses her by name, “I’m sorry… Seolhwa-ya. Darkness surrounded me, so I could not see your heart was beating for me.”
These words help to shed light on how the show resolves Commander Hwang’s arc as well, and I will talk about that in a little bit.
Tae Ha
As Tae Ha and Eonnyeon flee, Tae Ha’s strength finally starts to give out, and he asks Eonnyeon to leave without him, for Qing territory.
With tears and gasping breaths, he tells her, “I shall not… leave with you for Qing territory.” … “I am too indebted to this land of mine, so I don’t believe I could ever leave it.” … “I shall recover in no time. Once I have recovered, we must make a better world. Hyewon. Eonnyeon! I shall make sure you will never have to use two names…”
I found it really meaningful, that while it was slow in the coming, that Tae Ha would address Eonnyeon by her original name in his last few breaths. That he genuinely had come to embrace and yearn for the promise of a better world without slavery. That in their final moments, both he and Dae Gil had arrived at a place of complete agreement in terms of their hopes and dreams for the world and its future.
Commander Hwang
Left to battle it out while Eonnyeon flees with a severely injured Tae Ha, Commander Hwang and Dae Gil fight until their strength is almost depleted.
Commander Hwang asks Dae Gil, mid-battle: “What is the reason you’re doing all this?”
Dae Gil answers simply, “That fool rescued me once.” Incredulous, Commander Hwang asks, “Is that all?”
Dae Gil raises his voice, almost in anticipation, “He said he’d change it! This wretched world of ours!”
Frustrated, Commander Hwang says, “Even you… Even you bring me misery.”
Dae Gil smirks, “You may resent this world, but you shouldn’t resent people. Nice, isn’t it? Even if we only rid this world of people like you and me, I’m sure… it will be a better place.”
And with those words, Dae Gil lets out his final battle cry as he runs into the approaching troops, towards certain death.
Dae Gil’s words seem to have a profoundly deep effect on Commander Hwang. He actually stops his men from pursuing Tae Ha, saying “I won.. It’s all over.”
On my first watch, this puzzled me. But now I see that Dae Gil’s words basically turn him around. He’s actually covering for Tae Ha, so that he can change the world.
And knowing that, changes the meaning behind his words. “It’s all over” = the fighting and politicking instigated by his father-in-law to prevent the absolution of the Royal Successor.
Later, we see Commander Hwang finally approach his wife, in the scene immediately following Dae Gil’s parting words to Seolhwa, about not being able to see her heart due to the darkness around him.
In the light of Dae Gil’s words, Commander Hwang finally being able to approach his wife and sob in her arms makes a lot more sense. Because the darkness around him has lifted, he is now finally able to see her pure heart beneath her awkward affliction. And I believe, he sees too, the evil of his actions for those past months.
I also found it significant that it is Commander Hwang’s voice that peacefully narrates in voiceover, the eventual discontinuation of slave hunting and the absolution of Seokgyeon from exile. It was only at the end, that I realized that it is also Commander Hwang’s voice that narrates, in episode 1.
That puts a whole different spin on everything, that this is a story that he’s telling. That he’s the one who survived to see the good that came out of everyone’s sacrifices. The peaceful tone of his voice also suggests that he’s finally come to terms with his own darkness, now able to tell us about the brighter future, hard-won by our other characters.
Chobok with Eunshil
Our closing scene is of Chobok, her arm around Eunshil as they watch the sun rise.
Thoughtfully, Chobok says, “Eunshil. Know to whom that sun belongs to?”
Eunshil asks, “Who?” Chobok answers, “To us.”
This time, Eunshil asks, “Why?”
Chobok, a tear streaming down her cheek, replies peacefully, “Because, never even once… have we been able to possess it.”
I found it fitting, that the show chose to close on the idea that belonging, is completely different from possession. That someone can belong to you, but you cannot possess someone.
And of course, how much do I love that we get to see General Choi and Wang Son farm the land that Dae Gil bought for them, finally able to live the quiet life they’d longed for, still bantering and still abstastic? A whole lot, that’s what.
Edit: I’ve taken down my extract of this scene which I’d put on YouTube and which I’d put here for you guys to see (since so many of you said your copy of Chuno didn’t feature it), but unfortunately the video got flagged for infringing on copyright, so I’ve taken it down. Sorry, guys. I tried. 😔
I’m amazed at how much more invested I am on this watch than the last one. I feel like the show is so much better than I remembered it to be.
Honestly, when I thought this show was about the slave hunters, the ending made a lot less sense to me, because it felt like the story was losing its focus on our main characters. If a show is titled Slave Hunter, then shouldn’t we focus on the slave hunters, is what I thought.
Now, though, with a more critical lens on, and a better grasp of the language, I realize that the show is simply Chuno, ie, 추노, or in Hanja, 推奴, which refers to the act of hunting slaves, rather than the person. That puts a completely different spin on things, doesn’t it?
It’s about loyalty, courage, and selflessness for the sake of more than one’s own satisfaction and pleasure. It’s about higher ideals and more important things than a long-lost love. Higher ideals that people are willing to die for, to make the difference.
And they die for those higher ideals with courage and fire in their eyes. They look ahead to a better tomorrow and a better world, even if, for them, it’s in the after-life that they will see it.
THE FINAL VERDICT:
Glorious, despite its flaws. A must-see.
FINAL GRADE: A++
Edit: Loved Chuno? You might like my imaginary dream Chuno sequel, which you can find here!
Non-spoilery trailer for those who haven’t watched the show:
MVs:
For a gorgeously shot drama like Chuno, which has such a fantastic OST, it’s surprisingly difficult to find MVs in HD. Here’s the best of what I could rustle up. Enjoy!
The badass Dae Gil cut, also found in my Jang Hyuk post, set to the same track:
Here are 2 moderately spoilery MVs featuring 2 lovely ballads from the OST. The second vid is not in HD, so just imagine it many times sharper, more intense and all-around gorgeous, ok?
Finally, a fairly spoilery MV, which runs like a badass cool, extended trailer for the show.
This entry was posted in Review and tagged 2010, Bridal Mask, C, Choi Duk Moon, Chuno, Dnoella, Gaksital, Get Karl Oh Soo Jung, Gong Hyung Jin, Han Jung Soo, Han Si Eun, Jang Hyuk, Jo Jin Woong, Kim Eung Soo, Kim Ha Eun, Kim Ji Suk, Kim Jin Woo, Kim Young Ok, Lee Da Hae, Lee Jong Hyuk, Min Ji Ah, Oh Ji Ho, Park Ki Woong, Queen Of Housewives, Review, Slave Hunter, Song Dong Il, Tree With Deep Roots on July 27, 2013 by kfangurl.
Proud to be a k-fangirl since 2007. Main diet of kdramas with movies and kpop on the side.
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203 thoughts on “Review: Chuno [Slave Hunter]”
tsuyoi_hikari December 22, 2020 at 12:11 pm
How come you can watch this drama 3 times already? This show scarred me so much lol. Even the OST gives me so much heartache. There’s so much injustice Daegil experienced in this drama. I will forever hate it since all his sufferings has never been justified, until the end…
Hana December 22, 2020 at 5:06 pm
Same here. I hear that soundtrack, especially the sad strings and I want to cry all over again. 😐
Hana May 30, 2020 at 1:31 pm
Oh lord, my heart! I was too emotional after finishing Chuno yesterday to write a proper comment so I had to give it a day. When I first started off it struck me as being a little dated, but I was quickly won over by the lush and breathtaking cinematography and the gorgeous soundtrack. When the (almost) shirtless hotties made their appearance, I was definitely a fan 😀
You’re absolutely right kfangurl, that Jang Hyuk IS Dae Gil in this role. I didn’t notice the Capt Jack Sparrow reference until you pointed it out! I could write an essay on this show so I’ll try and condense it as much as possible. I initially didn’t like Lee Da Hae’s acting because it was so wooden and stilted, but she grew on me. She was so lovely, elegant, gentle and graceful I think she was portrayed that way to show that class has nothing to do with birth or social status. From that perspective, Lee Da Hae did her job well. And you’re right in that she feels love for Dae Gil but duty for Song. I think they would have had a successful marriage like you said, because it seems a more mature connection and they really do make a gorgeous couple!
I found the initial episodes very frustrating and a bit draggy because Dae Gil was THIS close to finding her and he was always thwarted. Aaaarrrgh! I really wanted him to find her 🙁
I read your review yesterday and cried my eyes out when I saw his last words to her. (Somehow that wasn’t there on my version). The sheer futility of it all and his absolute pain crushed me.
I think it also shows fate and destiny ultimately shape our lives no matter how hard we try or desire something. They were just not destined to be. I found myself bawling like a baby to see how you can dedicate your whole life to someone or something only to realize that it was all for a lost cause. I looked up King Injo to see what actually took place in history and when I read that the baby prince never became king, i.e all of this heartache, death and wasted lives were in vain, it made me realize how many people have existed throughout history with stories just like this. Dae Gils and Eonnyons with so much potential and ultimately, nothing.
I found it so heart-wrenching that Dae Gil repeatedly mentions his current state in life: “I’ve become like this”, “How can she be happy when I’ve ended up like this”. It shows how deeply someone can feel, the impact one person can have on a life, the depth one incident can cut into a person’s soul and permanently mark and change their life and direction.
I was irritated with Song Tae Ha tbh. I couldn’t get over the fact that he could have avoided all of this, had he just had the brain to kill the son in law when he had the chance on the beach. Towards the end, he struck me an being an unrealistic idealist with no practical smarts, which Dae Gil repeatedly shows him up. He talks about making a better world, but what has he actually done? The son in law guesses all his moves, he has spent his entire life on the battlefield and then decides not to accompany Eonnyon to China. I’m like what?? What on earth is he going to do in Korea with all his soldiers and supporters dead and he himself half dead in the middle of nowhere? I personally think he didn’t survive. He’s all talk and little actual results. He has no empathy for slaves, despite being one and he talks about making a better country, but for whom?
I found the action scenes a bit ridiculous at times. Like halfway through a battle, you just decide to turn your back to the guy and clutch a corpse? Or the bad guy is running at you at full speed with a sword and you decide to stand there and think about something else? I felt like screaming, RUN, you fool!
Kfangurl, PLEASE post the scene of Gen Choi and Wangson farming, if you can? The link has expired and I’m dying to see it! Gen Choi was hands down, the hottest guy of the show and I loved him! I was initially rooting for him and the older tavern lady but I hope he at least settled down with the other one. PLEASE post the clip again. Why do these clips keep disappearing off the net??
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Chuno Open Thread for episodes 15 & 16 is now up! Do come join the fun, whether you’re doing the group watch, or just love Chuno.
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Happy weekend, everyone! 😊 I surprised myself by finishing 70-ep C-epic #TheRiseOfPhoenixes – I hope you guys enjoy the quickish review! ❤️
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Next Chuno Open Thread (E15&16): Wed, 20 Jan!
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Review: Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food [Something In The Rain]
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So I just added the flag counter, since I noticed some of y'all enjoy knowing the various countries that our friends on the blog hail from :) Unfortunately, it doesn't show all the countries currently existing in my stats, coz it starts from zero. But as it grows, you WILL get to see where all our friends come from. Hope you likey! ^^
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Fauci defends Jerome Adams's remarks on African American alcohol, tobacco usage amid pandemic
By Joe Concha - 04/10/20 04:39 PM EDT
Anthony Fauci Anthony FauciSlew of Biden orders on COVID to include resuming WHO membership Biden to sign flurry of executive actions in first hours of presidency COVID-19 is a precursor for infectious disease outbreaks on a warming planet MORE, a top infectious disease doctor and a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, pushed back when a PBS reporter asked Surgeon General Jerome Adams Jerome AdamsNebraska governor wrong on immigrant vaccinations State and federal officials wrestle over vaccine rollout, delays Overnight Health Care: Frustration builds over slow pace of vaccine rollout | Surgeon general tells states not to let priority guidelines slow vaccinations | COVID-19 test used by Congress could give false results, FDA warns MORE to comment on whether or not he thought he used "offensive language" when he urged African Americans to avoid using alcohol and tobacco.
"You said that African-Americans and Latinos should avoid alcohol, drugs and tobacco. You also said do it for Big Momma and Pop Pop," said PBS's Yamiche Alcindor to Adams during Friday's White House press briefing.
"I said granddaddy, too," Adams noted.
"There are some people online who are already offended by that language and the idea that behaviors may be leading to these high death rates. Could you, I guess, have a response to those who might be offended by the language you used?" Alcindor asked.
Adams responded, saying that he used vernacular that he uses with his own family members.
"I've been meeting with the NAACP, with the National Medical Association. I actually talked with Derek Johnson multiple times this week, the head of the NAACP, and we need targeted outreach to the African American community," Adams responded. "And I used the language that is used in my family. I have a Puerto Rican brother-in-law. I call my granddaddy, 'granddaddy.' I have relatives who call their grandparents, 'Big Mama.' So that was not meant to be offensive."
"That is the language we use, and that I use, and we need to continue to target our outreach to those communities. It is critically important that they understand it's not just about them. We need to do our part at the federal level, we need people to do their parts at the state level. And we need everyone, black, brown, white, whatever color you are, to follow the president's coronavirus guidelines," he said.
Alcindor then asked if Adams would recommend that all Americans avoid behaviors such as smoking and drinking that would put them at risk for infection.
Adams responded, "Absolutely."
After Adams finished speaking, Fauci made a gesture from the sidelines, indicating that he would like to take to make a comment at the podium. President Trump Donald TrumpLil Wayne gets 11th hour Trump pardon Trump grants clemency to more than 100 people, including Bannon Trump expected to pardon Bannon: reports MORE then invited Fauci back on to the small stage in the press room and defended Adams, saying the comment was not offensive.
"Jerome, you did it beautifully. You can't do it any better than that," said Fauci. "I know Jerome personally. I can just testify that he made no — not even a hint of being offensive at all with that comment."
Statistics continue to show that black and Latino communities are disproportionately impacted by the novel coronavirus, with federal and state lawmakers under increased pressure to release the racial breakdown of COVID-19 cases and deaths.
The U.S. death toll overall currently stands at 17,947, according to a New York Times tracker, with cases exceeding 483,000.
Tags PBS Jerome Adams Anthony Fauci Donald Trump Coronavirus White House press briefing
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A Conservatism of Hope
Conservative Credo
Essays by Senior Contributors
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Poetry: Stars Through the Clouds
By Michael Bauman|2015-10-26T09:47:34-05:00April 13th, 2013|Categories: Books, Poetry|Tags: Donald T. Williams, Michael Bauman|
Stars Through the Clouds, by Donald T. Williams In the preface to his long historical poem Old King Coel, Adam Fox, former Oxford Professor of Poetry, former Canon of Westminster Abbey, and former Inkling, wrote that in it he had “used verse and rhyme in a traditional way, since the experimentalists do not seem to [...]
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Copyright © The Imaginative Conservative | All Rights Reserved | The views expressed in essays are those of their authors and do not necessarily represent the views of The Imaginative Conservative or its publisher or its editor. | Login | Site Design by Kickstart Media
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Litigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Oman: Less Court … More Speed - Oman's Court Procedure Reform
by Heinrich Köllisch and Andrés Ring
SCHLÜTER GRAF Legal Consultants
On 12 November 2020, Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said enacted a new Law on Simplification of Certain Judicial Procedures in Specific Matters ("Law") by virtue of Sultani Decree No. 2020/125. It simplifies court procedures in vital areas for foreign investors and the economy as a whole and can be seen as a major streamliner for dispute resolution in Oman's economy. The Law will enter into force 3 months after its publication in the Official Gazette on 22 November 2020.
1. What is new?
By virtue of the new Law, the current procedural legislation will be simplified and expedited for
Commercial disputes in relation to foreign direct investment (FDI);
Disputes between owners and tenants of residential, commercial, and industrial premises;
Labor disputes of individuals;
Disputes in relation to construction projects; and
Disputes arising out of attested acknowledgements of debt.
The procedural specification of the Law will override the standard court procedures, which will remain in force in case of no specific regulation in the Law.
The Law contains the creation of special court chambers with only one judge and special appeal chambers for the aforementioned disputes. It improves means for electronic submission of documents in court proceedings and shortens deadlines for certain formal decisions (e.g. deciding the competence of the court to hear the case). Court notifications can be sent by text messages and electronically.
Ordinary judgments will have to be rendered within 30 days (extendable for an additional 30-day period). Disputes arising out of construction contracts, commercial disputes, or an FDI project are subject to a special deadline and must be adjudicated within four months.
Court cases initiated under the current procedural system will be completed without reference to the new Law.
2. Labor Disputes
The Law contains a mandatory settlement procedure with the concerned labor authorities prior to initiating formal court proceedings. Settlements reached successfully in such procedures become an enforceable title. Unsettled issues will be referred to the above-mentioned chambers of the courts of 1st instance.
3. Rent Disputes
Rent agreements in accordance with the legal requirements are to become an enforceable title. This applies to residential, commercial, and industrial leases and follows a similar trend to Saudi Arabia.
4. Fast Track Enforcement of Acknowledgments of Debt and Criminal Proceedings for Bounced Cheques
Debt acknowledgements in specific forms, signed and attested by a notary public become directly enforceable titles.
Bounced cheques and related civil claims will now be decided in a one-track procedure in front of the criminal courts, with separate proceedings in civil courts largely eliminated. Accelerated procedures and limited possibilities for recourse have been introduced to speed up procedures in cases of bounced cheques.
5. Less Challenges of Rendered Decisions
Possibilities for appeals are limited in cases with a value of up to 2000 OMR. Appeals must be submitted within 15 days. By default, appeal judgments are to be rendered within 30 days with a possible extension of up to 60 days. Appeals arising out of construction contracts, commercial disputes, or an FDI project must be adjudicated within six months.
Cassations before the Supreme Court are limited, and the Supreme Court may under certain circumstances decide the case directly without referring it back to a Court of Appeal.
6. Streamlined Enforcement
Enforcement departments will be established with every court corresponding to the special court chambers mentioned above. Enforcement procedures will by default not be suspended while taking legal action against enforcement measures and related challenges before the Supreme Court will generally not be possible.
The new Law brings court proceedings in Oman more in line with the requirements of businesses and especially foreign investors. From a practical perspective, court proceedings should – where possible – be delayed in order to benefit from the new regulations.
Heinrich Köllisch
Andrés Ring
Oman Corporate/Commercial Law Contracts and Commercial Law Government, Public Sector Inward/ Foreign Investment Litigation, Mediation & Arbitration Arbitration & Dispute Resolution Court Procedure
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A town called Little Italy. Not a neighborhood, an actual independent town, in Arkansas
I may be wrong, and I ask our readers to help me if so, but there is no such thing as a town called "Little Italy" in the United States. There are, of course, many neighborhoods called Little Italy in different American cities, officially or not. But a city officially called Little Italy, to my knowledge, does not exist. Today our interview guests...
Inaugural Christmas in Little Italy: a call for Volunteers
Greetings friends of Little Italy Arkansas Heritage Society and Museum! Please join me in planning towards the celebration of our Lord and Savior’s birth, by reviving the Christmas traditions that built “community” in Little Italy. For those of us who spent our younger years in Little Italy during Christmas, we recall fondly the magic that came a...
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Little Rock's exploration of a new sister city relationship with Sicily's capital kicked off Friday with a delegation from Palermo visiting the city. The group -- which included an artist, a fashion designer, a tour operator and a chef from Palermo, Italy -- arrived in Arkansas' capital this week to take part in events centered on food and friendsh...
Exploring Arkansas in Little Italy
Ciao, amici! In today’s digital-first "Exploring Arkansas" segment, we’re heading out to the foothills of the Ouachita mountains — a place that reminded its founders of their homeland so much that they eventually called it Little Italy, Arkansas. Watch with us as we find out how the descendants of Joseph and Maria Belotti are working to keep the co...
Little Italy Arkansas Heritage Museum opening this weekend
Arkansas-made wine, authentic Italian food and a look back in time at a cultural gem just west of Little Rock is how you can spend your Sunday at the grand opening of the Little Italy Arkansas Heritage Museum on September 15. The brought along the following historical items on Good Afternoon Arkansas: Immigration Inspection Card from Ellis Island (...
Little Italy Arkansas Heritage Museum to Open on September 15
The Little Italy Arkansas Heritage Society will host a grand opening of its new museum in northwestern Pulaski County (33615 Highway 300, Roland, Arkansas 72135) on Sunday, September 15 from 12-5 p.m. The event will include guided tours, live music, authentic Italian foods and refreshments from Little Italy's only operating winery, An Enchanting Ev...
Arkansas winemaking history preserved at Little Italy Heritage Museum
Little Italy, Arkansas, which is about 20 minutes from Little Rock, has an interesting tale regarding its part in Arkansas history. The Little Italy Arkansas Heritage Museum tells the story of this pioneering community first established as Alta Villa, the “high place,” by Italian immigrants in 1915. “Little Italy is unique in that it is Central Ark...
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The Ethical Wrestling Fan: Left of centre to feeling left behind
Published on : 19/05/2019 20/05/2019 by James Truepenny
I’ll tell you one thing that should be a watchword for all journalists of any stripe, they don’t want to be the story, they’d much rather write about it. However Uproxx writer Elle Collins posed a very good question on their Twitter feed recently. Elle is known for coverage of Impact Wrestling, wondering out loud, could they in good conscious, cover the company anymore since Impact Wrestling hired known misogynist and general spanner in the works Michael Elgin? While Elgin is abhorrent enough to end a lot of people’s interest, it isn’t really fair on the rest of the roster who are just trying to get over and do their jobs? While it has posed a question for editorial staff the world over, including Steel Chair and Vulture Hound where our very own Steph Franchomme has been very vocal about her displeasure with the company for the hiring of Elgin. By the way don’t just take our word for it, because no doubt this post will get called out for gaslighting, persecution from the main stream media and other such delights; here is a fair assessment of the Elgin situation from Chad Loe at Nerdcorp. As the wrestling media it poses us a moral dilemma, but to the wider point it has a detrimental effect on fans who just want to enjoy good wrestling without supporting truly awful people.
I know, a liberal complaining about wrestling being awful is essentially complaining that coal burns. Outside of the NYC stock exchange, and the big money room at the Bellagio, you are not going to find a more capitalism friendly industry. Since its inception, it has been a device to separate punters from their hard earned cash as quickly and efficiently as possible. The thing is these days, the wrestling companies do bow to pressure. Take the aforementioned Elgin. The reason why he is currently working for Impact Wrestling is that literally no one else will hire him. Having just finished his run with NJPW, who received a boat load of complaints when his last contract was renewed and quietly let him go. He is far to toxic a figure for certain wrestling companies to handle. ROH and NJPW rely on a hardcore fan base that know of Elgin’s reputation, and while many have forgiven his actions, far to many can point out his easily-findable-on-YouTube wrongdoings and bring the company into disrepute. Impact has a much wider appeal even if the viewership is much smaller. A stunning brand loyalty for a product that has been so patchy down the years helps, but they are counting on Impact fans a) not finding out about Elgin’s past b) not caring when they do. Which is entirely possible.
How does a news media organisation handle cover him? I found the easiest way is ignore him. My own podcast The Truepenny Show which covers a lot of NJPW has spent the last eighteen months not mentioning him. Even if he was in tag matches. “I see Tanahashi and Taguchi had to wrestle three members of LIJ, lots of handicap tags on this tour . . .” it became a running joke, as such so did Elgin. He lost a platform and we could make our day go better. All of this led me to think that where do you stand if you want to find a product that you at least ethically agree with. Time I think for an audit of where people are at when it comes to political messaging.
WWE – Right of Centre
Lars Sullivan has resolved personal issues, only to have an ill thought out past catch up with him. Courtesy wwe.com.
Owned by a man who is so Republican he would bleed elephants, the WWE is obviously going to have a hard time being anything but right wing. Vince is natural disposition is to the right, but he understands that that is not to everyone’s taste and does his best not to alienate anyone if he can help it, and they do so well in so many areas, and then taketh away in others. The recent Lars Sullivan debacle being a case in point. Good points for allowing Lars time for his mental health recovery. Less points for not realising they’d hired a misogynistic racist. Equally, never ending storylines that invoke body shaming specifically towards women while simultaneously supporting anti-bullying campaigns makes their moral deficit hard to follow. Their altruism does also at times seem forced, as if they are doing it for their own PR rather than actually for the good of the world, but overall they are at least trying. They’ve championed diversity and genuinely have backed that up in recent months, only time will tell if they keep their money where their mouths are.
ROH – Somewhere to the right of the Kaiser
While ROH may well be the most low key right wing company on this list, they have championed minorities in the past especially when it has come to champions like Jay Lethal.
Well where do you start? Owned by the Sinclair Network who have recently been making their local news anchors give pro-Trump, anti-establishment segments at the end of each bulletin. The entire organisation comes off as a right wing propaganda exercise. Having said that, they do have a diverse roster. They were pretty tone deaf in hiring Enzo and Cass, known agitators and shit wrestlers, so it was unsurprising they got cut before they even started thanks to fan pressure. The Allure’s presence has probably set women’s wrestling back a good decade by running an old TNA angle to fans who really don’t care because ROH didn’t put enough time and money into Women of Honor to start with. The Briscoes bristling lack of self awareness in the face of anything liberal is also staggering, Jay has been suspended over homophobic comments in the past and were the subject of numerous protests and complaints at last years Fight Club Pro Tag Team Tournament after disrespecting a Rainbow flag. Silas Young’s entire gimmick is essentially acting like your alpha male uncle who believes boys shouldn’t play chess and that a woman’s place is in the kitchen making sandwiches for a poker night. None of this seems to stop me enjoying them as a wrestling company, so long as I’m not giving them actual money or anything, because they have some great wrestlers. And Flip Gordon. Maybe it’s just Colt Cabana and Ian Riccobani’s soothing tones? In fact, I am pretty sure that is all it is.
Impact Wrestling – The Paradox.
Impact do so many good things! While essentially being morally bankrupt. Hiring Elgin is the latest in a long line of snafus that as one of my friends put it; “Who was the last guy they hired who wasn’t awful about women?”. A good point, well made. The Knockouts Division at the moment is as good as it has been in an age. A strong roster that pushes at least two or three storylines each week. On the other hand, the push of Scarlett Bordeaux feels like it was written into a mid-eighties TV movie. Impact fans apparently live in a bubble where there is no other wrestling and don’t watch Scarlett tear it up on the indies with men ALL THE TIME. Even if they don’t and you are going to embrace intergender wrestling, don’t start of with Glenn “Send me pictures of good looking women at indie wrestling shows, I won’t get any because there aren’t any hur, hur.” Gilbertti. I appreciate it you are trying to move on guys, really, but honestly people actually watch your show for the women, because force feeding the same main event variations for six months at a time sure as hell ain’t doing it for them. While at least the Impact ownership team aren’t offensive, they do have a diverse roster reflective of their world wide status, the trouble is can you countenance that against some of the awful people they employ?
This is a whistle stop tour of issues but I will in future look at more stories that should affect you, the ethical wrestling fan.
AEW, ECW, Impact Wrestling, Japan-wrestling, Lucha, Lucha Underground, NJPW, ROH, Wrestling, Wrestling Features, WWE
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Climate News Roundup
Brought to You by SEPP (www.SEPP.org) The Science and Environmental Policy Project
THIS WEEK: By Ken Haapala, President, Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP)
Skepticism: In an essay titled “Be Skeptical of Those Who Treat Science as an Ideology” appearing in the Wall Street Journal, Dr. Sue Desmond-Hellmann discusses the difference between anti-science and skepticism, and the difference between denialism and skepticism. As an oncologist, faced with treating patients dying with cancer, Dr. Desmond-Hellmann recognized the importance of honesty and integrity in building trust with her patients. She writes: [Boldface added.]
“When I was a practicing oncologist, one way I built trust with patients was to be open and honest about what I knew for certain and what I didn’t. On my best days, I didn’t just talk; I listened. I answered patients’ questions to the best of my knowledge and did follow-up research on the ones I couldn’t answer. If I witnessed an outcome I didn’t expect, I revisited my assumptions. That’s how I applied the scientific method in the wild.”
As the CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr. Desmond-Hellmann continues to apply the scientific method.
“I follow a similar approach in my current job. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation uses a data-driven, evidence-based decision-making model. When the evidence changes, so does our strategy—as it did with malaria. Once it was clear that controlling the disease world-wide was practically and politically unsustainable, we increased our focus on accelerating elimination in regions where it is feasible now. At the same time, we’re continuing to support efforts to save lives and develop the tools that will eventually allow us to eradicate the disease.”
“What is undeniable is that the scientific breakthroughs in which we invest, such as new vaccines and hardier crops, help people around the world survive and thrive. How many more people benefit—and how quickly—will depend in part on public confidence in science.
“We can rebuild that confidence by uniting around the qualities of the scientific method. As the name suggests, the scientific method is not a belief system, it is a practice. We would all benefit from more practice.”
The continuing ability to question and challenge assumptions as data are gathered is essential.
“Skepticism is the lifeblood of scientific progress. By constantly asking whether there is a different answer, a better approach or an alternative view, scientists drive improvements and innovations that ultimately benefit everyone. It is not “antiscience” to be skeptical—it’s definitively pro-science. At a time when people of all ideological stripes are seeking definitive sources of truth, we should all embrace our inner skeptics and turn to the scientific method for a fresh approach to resolve our differences.”
Over-confidence to the public, not skepticism, are characteristics of an anti-science attitude.
“But whereas skepticism and uncertainty have always been the heart and soul of science, confidence and certainty are the coin of the realm in much of today’s public discourse. Unquestioning confidence is deeply troubling for the scientific community because it is not the currency we trade in, and it has led people in America and around the world to question scientific enterprise itself. We should all be troubled when science is treated as if it were an ideology rather than a discipline.”
Whether it is medicine or establishing government energy policy, applying the scientific method, and constantly questioning assumptions as evidence changes is essential.
“The point of science is not to produce doctrine, but to collect and test evidence that points toward conclusions, which in turn inform approaches, treatments and policies based on rigorous research. These conclusions are provisional. Scientific investigation is undertaken to question today’s knowledge, to seek new evidence through research and experimentation.
“That is not to say that previous evidence was ‘false,’ merely that it was less complete. Those surgeons who performed radical mastectomies in the 1980s were acting with the best knowledge available at that time. As the understanding improved, so did the methods. Nor is it to say that current knowledge shouldn’t be trusted—there is strong evidence that vaccines save lives, for example, and scant evidence that they cause harm.”
The refusal to examine evidence, favorable or unfavorable to a set of assumptions, is harmful.
“Valuing beliefs over science manifests itself as cynicism at best, denialism at worst. Scientists talk about skepticism to assert that nothing should be accepted or rejected without considerable evidence. Denialism—the refusal to accept established facts—is different and dangerous. According to Harvard research, between 2000 and 2005 AIDS denialism in South Africa led to an estimated 330,000 deaths because the government rejected offers of free drugs and grants and dragged its heels on establishing a treatment program.”
Although they may be important, science is not advanced by a government gathered consensus, as much as by the practice of continuingly questioning assumptions based on the most rigorous, appropriate evidence. See Article # 1.
Quote of the Week. We do not know what the rules of the game are; all we are allowed to do is to watch the playing. Of course, if we watch long enough, we may eventually catch on to a few of the rules. The rules of the game are what we mean by fundamental physics. – Richard Feynman
Number of the Week: Three Years, Up or Down?
Greenland Ice Sheet: There has been strong disagreement among some researchers if the Greenland Ice Sheet is losing mass due to carbon dioxide-caused global warming or due to other means. Researchers from the Artic Research Centre of Aarhus University in Denmark and the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources in Nuuk, Greenland, have discovered a large geothermal “hot spot” area in Northeast Greenland. “’North-East Greenland has several hot springs where the water becomes up to 60 degrees warm and, like Iceland, the area has abundant underground geothermal activity,’ explains Professor Soren Rysgaard, who headed the investigations.”
This discovery creates further issues with climate models describing accelerating sea level rise, such as those with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and its followers with NOAA and NASA. The IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR-5) describes a strong relationship between carbon dioxide (CO2) and ice melt, with greater sea level rise based on increased atmospheric CO2.
“It is very likely that the rate of global mean sea level rise during the 21st century will exceed the rate observed during 1971– 2010 for all Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios due to increases in ocean warming and loss of mass from glaciers and ice sheets. Projections of sea level rise are larger than in the AR4, primarily because of improved modeling of land-ice contributions.” The different Representative Concentration Pathway are based on estimates of future CO2 concentrations.
As reported in the November 11, 2017, TWTW, at least in part, Antarctic ice melt appears to be resulting from geothermal activity below the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, with over 130 geothermal hot spots identified near a rift valley below the surface. The practice of attributing an accelerating sea level rise to Antarctic ice melt caused by increased CO2 has long been disturbing. Even the AR-5 Synthesis report recognized that surface temperatures in Antarctic are not rising (p.48).
More disturbing, is that atmospheric temperatures are not rising over the Antarctic as they should be if the expressed greenhouse gas-warming hypothesis is correct. [Note that the satellite measurements do not include the poles.] Since the atmosphere at the Antarctic is not warming significantly, and temperatures at the surface remain well below freezing (except for brief periods on the Antarctic Peninsula, largely outside the Antarctic Circle), there is no logical reason to assume that the cause of any melting is increasing atmospheric CO2.
Thus, the concept of increasing CO2 is causing increasing sea level rise from polar ice melt embodies two assumptions that need to be established with physical evidence: 1) the extent to which increased CO2 will cause increased temperatures, assumptions or models do not suffice; and 2) the extent to which increased temperatures will cause Antarctic ice melt.
With the new evidence from Greenland, similar issues arise with assumptions on the loss of the Greenland ice mass caused by CO2 contributing to an increase in sea level rise. See links under Changing Cryosphere – Land / Sea Ice and http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/syr/SYR_AR5_FINAL_full_wcover.pdf
Global Sea Level Rise Investigation: On her web site, Climate Etc., Judith Curry has begun a series on sea level on observations and causes of global sea level rise for which she appreciates comments. The current post discusses “definitions of sea level and the causes of sea level variations and rise. An overview of the geological record of sea level rise is provided, with a focus on Holocene (the current interglacial). Historical and archaeological evidence (prior to the instrumental period) of sea level variations is also discussed.”
Curry reviews a 2016 paper by Kopp, et al., which reinforces the approach used in AR-5. The KOPP paper was slightly modified after a coding error was discovered. The authors are to be thanked for frankly addressing the error. They are not to be condemned or dismissed for reporting an error. For science to progress, such corrections need to be publicly discussed. Unfortunately, some members of the global warming orthodoxy have claimed the atmospheric temperature data from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has been discredited because small errors in calculation of the orbits of satellites have corrected by UAH. Such condemnations are more ideology than proper scientific practice.
As Curry states: Kopp et al. “compiled a global database of regional sea level reconstructions from 24 localities, many with decimeter-scale vertical resolution and subcentennial temporal resolution. Also included are 66 tide-gauge records.” Immediately, the issue appears of how representative are the samples of 24 localities and 66 tide-gage records? There are hundreds tide-gage records giving dramatically different results. For example, the Gulf of Bothnia, and in Scandinavia tidal gages show sea levels are falling, due to rebound of the land from last Ice Age, called post-glacial rebound or isostatic rebound. Other areas, such as tidewater Virginia, tidal gages show sea levels are rising due to land subsidence, primarily from groundwater extraction. Gages at The Battery, show Manhattan may be subsiding, from heavy buildings built on bedrock.
In the Kopp study, the long-term proxy data and the tide-gage data are dominated by the East Coast of the US and by Western Europe, with no proxy data from Scandinavia. The sample appears not to be representative of the coast lines of the world, thus may be of little value. An obligation of research proposing samples are representative is to remove every possible source of bias, not to introduce bias.
A second major issue is the use of semi-empirical models, which Willem de Lange and Robert Carter found to be the most alarmist of all the techniques they reviewed in their study of global sea-level change. In general, these modeling techniques do not explicitly state assumptions, that can be challenged or substantiated by observations. They tend to be built more upon assumptions supporting assumptions, which has little value in understanding the physical world.
A third major issue is excessive precision in estimates of 20th century sea level rise. Adding speculative probability statements only adds doubt to the skeptic.
In sum, the conclusion of the Kopp study that 20th century sea level rise was extremely likely faster than during any of the 27 previous centuries is not substantiated, although there is little doubt that sea levels are higher than they have been since the last interglacial period, the Eemian, about 115,000 to 130,000 years ago. See links under Challenging the Orthodoxy and Changing Seas.
Precision of Ice Core Measurements: Some of the best data we have of historic temperatures are the studies of isotopes of gases and various components of the atmosphere in ice cores, such as Vostok in Antarctica, and GRIP in Greenland. These time-consuming, labor intensive extractions have been carefully handled, for they reveal precious information of the history of the earth’s climate for thousands and hundreds of thousands of years.
Playing the “devil’s advocate,” Tim Ball has an essay in Watts Up With That explaining why he thinks the ice cores give little practical information, or at least are not precise measurements of temperatures and time-lines. One may agree or disagree with some of the specific statements Ball makes, but the issue points to the need for independent confirmation of research results before any strong conclusions can be drawn. See link under Challenging the Orthodoxy.
John Coleman, RIP: For those who were privileged to know him, weather broadcasting pioneer John Coleman will be remembered for his enthusiasm, booming voice, and his humanity. Yet, Coleman angered some of his colleagues for challenging the claim that increasing atmospheric CO2 is causing dangerous global warming. Although honored for his work by the American Meteorological Society (AMS), Coleman resigned from that organization when it no long met his high standards of integrity, by adopting the narrative of the IPCC. John Coleman will be sorely missed by those who knew him. See links under Challenging the Orthodoxy – John Coleman.
Oily Litigation: The fact that certain municipalities, such as Oakland, San Francisco, and New York City, are suing certain oil companies, such as Exxon-Mobil, is being enthusiastically supported by many who consider themselves to be environmentalists. The New York City lawsuit and some of its false statements were discussed in last week’s TWTW. According to some attorneys, the motives are quite clear – hoping to get big payoffs from oil companies, without disrupting the economy. The actions by Exxon indicate these visions may not be easy to realize. The recent legal claims by these municipalities appear to be inconsistent with filings they made under the Securities Acts of 1933 and 1934 in soliciting investments in their municipal bonds, securities offerings.
Richard Epstein is a legal scholar with the Hoover Institution. He is best known for his writings and studies on classical liberalism, libertarianism and torts. In two different articles he questions the wisdom of the actions of the municipalities, particularly in their blunt claims about the damages the cities will suffer under speculated global warming-caused sea level rise, and the certainty expressed in these claims. Epstein avoids the scientific issues but emphasizes the difference between what the cities have stated in securities offerings, using Oakland as the primary example, and what they claim in the filings against oil companies. Epstein states:
“Making wrongful statements in a securities offering is serious business. The general rules on covenants in securities (which include both stocks and bonds) is one of completeness in which any false statement or any material omission becomes actionable on a strict liability standard, so that there is no forgiveness under Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933…”
According to the Cornell School of Law, Section 11 1933 Securities Act for Misstatements and / or Omissions applies to every
“Person, director, named, in the registration statement including:
“4) every accountant, engineer, or appraiser, or any person whose profession gives authority to a statement made by him, who has with his consent been named as having prepared or certified any part of the registration statement
(5) every underwriter with respect to such security.”
This liability applies with:
“any material errors in a registration statement creates strict liability on the part of the issuer. Along with the issuer, anyone involved with creating the registration statement is also subject to liability.”
According to Epstein, the courts take Section 11 of the 1933 Securities Act, which was extended to existing securities in 1934, very seriously. Probably far more seriously than they would take the false claims about individuals, such as Drs. Seitz and Singer, or organizations, such as SEPP.
Manhattan attorney Francis Menton discusses what he thinks of the New York mayor’s initiative.
The visions of sugar plums these mayors may have had when they filed their litigation may be turning into bitter lemons. See links under Litigation Issues and https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/77k
Solar Cheaper that Fossil Fuels? In this era of exaggerated claims, the solar industry and its promoters have few peers. A journalist for Quartz claimed that “Electricity from all forms of renewables will be consistently cheaper than fossil fuels by 2020.” His claim came from an announcement by Adnan Amin, who heads the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), which released a new report at its annual summit on Jan. 13 in Abu Dhabi. The article has such gems such as: “In developed countries, solar power has become cheaper than new nuclear power.” But it does not discuss capacity factor or reliability, dispatchability.
The actual report states:
“Record low auction prices for solar PV in Dubai, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia in 2016 and 2017 confirm that the LCOE can be reduced to USD 0.03/kWh from 2018 onward, given the right conditions. These include: a regulatory and institutional framework favourable to renewables; low offtake and country risks; a strong, local civil engineering base; favourable taxation regimes; low project development costs; and excellent solar resources.” (p 7)
In other words, in desert regions at low latitudes, with government subsidies, solar power can become inexpensive, provided someone else is responsible when electricity is needed at night or on rainy days. As energy analyst Roger Andrews wrote when examining a renewable energy project on King Island, Tasmania:
“It’s clear that the low prices for intermittent wind and solar bid at recent capacity auctions apply only when the local grid assumes all responsibility for balancing and grid stability. When wind and solar have to stand on their own feet it’s a different ball game.”
See links under Communicating Better to the Public – Make things up and Energy Issues – Non-US
Green Fleet Sunk? The US Department of Defense (DOD) concerns of energy sources in a time of war have long been valid. Before oil became dominant, coaling stations were established in the Pacific. Some of these stations became sources of refueling with oil and providing re-supply. Thus, it was not unrealistic when DOD began to explore alternative sources of fuel, when Washington was gripped with the fear the world would run out of oil in the 1970s. Or later, when Washington feared that all the oil resources would be controlled by countries hostile to US interests.
Further, when many in Washington were convinced that burning of oil and other fossil fuels may cause dangerous global warming / climate change, DOD planning responded with National Defense Strategy that these pages find far-fetched. Some of the applications, such as renewable energy on the battlefield were outlandish.
According to reports, the summary of the new National Defense Strategy signed by Defense Secretary James Mattis makes no mention of “global warming” or “climate change” and little mention of energy issues, “except that the U.S. would ‘foster a stable and secure Middle East’ and ‘contributes to stable global energy markets and secure trade routes.’”
Apparently, the Green Fleet has gone the way of wooden ships. See links under Change in US Administrations
Number of the Week – Three Years, Up or Down? We have two conflicting headlines: 1) “Temps jumped a half-degree over 3 years. ‘Just remarkable’”; and 2) “Oceans Cool Off Previous 3 Years.” Both discuss sea surface temperatures, and the seas cover over 70% of the earth’s surface. But the conclusions are different; yet, not wrong. Both headlines deal with the large, recent El Niño. The first headline covers the period of 2014-2016. The second headline covers the period the recent fall in temperatures, and goes back to March 2014 (for Northern Hemisphere, earlier for Southern Hemisphere, Tropics, and Global).
The “jump” that was remarkable is gone. The apparent conflict illustrates that understanding the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and other natural variability, is critical for understanding the human influence on climate Yet, they are largely ignored by the IPCC, and its followers including NOAA, and NASA.
NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Challenging the Orthodoxy — NIPCC
Climate Change Reconsidered II: Physical Science
Idso, Carter, and Singer, Lead Authors/Editors, 2013
https://www.heartland.org/media-library/pdfs/CCR-II/CCR-II-Full.pdf
Summary: http://www.nipccreport.org/reports/ccr2a/pdf/Summary-for-Policymakers.pdf
Climate Change Reconsidered II: Biological Impacts
Idso, Idso, Carter, and Singer, Lead Authors/Editors, 2014
http://www.nipccreport.org/reports/ccr2b/pdf/Full-Report.pdf
Summary: https://www.heartland.org/media-library/pdfs/CCR-IIb/Summary-for-Policymakers.pdf
Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming
The NIPCC Report on the Scientific Consensus
By Craig D. Idso, Robert M. Carter, and S. Fred Singer, NIPCC, Nov 23, 2015
http://climatechangereconsidered.org/
Download with no charge
https://www.heartland.org/policy-documents/why-scientists-disagree-about-global-warming
Nature, Not Human Activity, Rules the Climate
S. Fred Singer, Editor, NIPCC, 2008
http://www.sepp.org/publications/nipcc_final.pdf
Challenging the Orthodoxy
Sea-Level Change: Living With Uncertainty
By Willem P. de Lange and Robert M. Carter, The Global Warming Policy Foundation, 2014
https://www.thegwpf.org/content/uploads/2014/05/Sea-level-report.pdf
What do the Ice Core Bubbles Really Tell Us?
Guest Opinion: Dr. Tim Ball, WUWT, Jan 20, 2018
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/01/20/what-do-the-ice-core-bubbles-really-tell-us/
Climate Alarmism Is Based on GCMs and Thus on Nothing [Global Climate Models]
By Alan Carlin, Carlin Economics and Science, Jan 27, 2018
http://www.carlineconomics.com/archives/4151
“So what do I propose to use to take the place of the expensive and useless climate GCMs? In a word: Top-down econometric studies based on appropriate simultaneous equations. Econometrics has long been used by large businesses and academics with considerable success and does not suffer the problems from trying to portray a chaotic system using linear equations.”
Can Anything Good Come from CO2?
By Neil Frank, American Thinker, Jan 21, 2018
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2018/01/can_anything_good_come_from_co2.html
The Cosmogenic Isotope Record and the Role of The Sun in Shaping Earth’s Climate
By Euan Mearns, Energy Matters, Jan 22, 2018
http://euanmearns.com/the-cosmogenic-isotope-record-and-the-role-of-the-sun-in-shaping-earths-climate/#more-20724
The Climate Chronicles – a new book by Joe Bastardi
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Jan 19, 2018
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/01/19/the-climate-chronicles-a-new-book-by-joe-bastardi/
Challenging the Orthodoxy – John Coleman
In Memory of John Coleman
By Joseph D’Aleo, ICECAP, Jan 22, 2018
http://icecap.us/index.php/go/political-climate/in_memory_of_john_coleman1/
San Diego’s high-kicking weatherman John Coleman dies
By Gary Robbins, San Diego Union Tribune, Jan 21, 2018
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/weather/sd-me-john-coleman-20180121-story.html
John S. Coleman, Weather Channel Co-Founder, Dies at 83
By Tiffany Hsu, NYT, Jan 21, 2018
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/21/obituaries/john-coleman-co-founder-of-the-weather-channel-dies-at-83.html?emc=edit_th_180123&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=59831859
Defending the Orthodoxy
Nuclear Weapons, Climate Change Require Urgent Action; UN
By Michael Jones, ABC Live, Jan 17, 2018 [H/t Toshio Fujita]
http://abclive.in/nuclear-weaponsclimate-change-un/
Industrial pollution cools Earth. Here’s why that’s a bummer
Chelsea Harvey, E&E News, Jan 22, 2018
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2018/01/22/stories/1060071531
Link to paper: Climate impacts from a removal of anthropogenic aerosol emissions
By B.H. Samset, et al. Geophysical research Letters, Jan 8, 2018
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2017GL076079/full
Questioning the Orthodoxy
3 New (2018) Papers Link Modern Warming And Past Cooling Periods To High, Low Solar Activity
By Kenneth Richard, No Tricks Zone, Jan 22, 2018
http://notrickszone.com/2018/01/22/3-new-2018-papers-link-modern-warming-and-past-cooling-periods-to-high-low-solar-activity/#sthash.rPBXtfNM.dpbs
Crucial Climate Verdict, Fledgling Evidence
By Donna Laframboise, Big Picture News, Jan 26, 2018
https://nofrakkingconsensus.com/2018/01/26/crucial-climate-verdict-fledgling-evidence/
“When making its most important decisions, the IPCC relies on unpublished research that hasn’t been seen, examined, or tested by the larger scientific community.”
Bitcoin and global warming: a key similarity between two religions
By Luboš Motl, The Reference Frame, Jan 20, 2018
https://motls.blogspot.com/2018/01/bitcoin-and-global-warming-key.html
Man-Made Climate Change-Settled Science or Dogma?
By Wayne McLaughlin, American Thinker, Jan 25, 2018
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2018/01/manmade_climate_change__settled_science_or_dogma.html
After Paris!
Green Myth Exposed: China CO2 Emissions Jumped by 4% Last Year
By Staff Writers, NYT, Via GWPF, Jan 26, 2018
https://www.thegwpf.com/green-myth-exposed-chinas-co2-emissions-jump-by-7-last-year/
Change in US Administrations
Mattis Takes Global Warming Out Of The National Defense Strategy
By Michael Bastasch, Daily Caller, Jan 19, 2018
http://dailycaller.com/2018/01/19/mattis-takes-global-warming-out-of-the-national-defense-strategy/?utm_source=site-share
Link to report: Summary of the 2018 National Defense Strategy of the United States of America
By Staff Writers, DOD, 2018
https://www.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2018-National-Defense-Strategy-Summary.pdf
State of the Union: Trump Has Much to Take Credit for on Energy, Environment, and Climate
By Myron Ebell, CEI, Jan 26, 2018
https://cei.org/blog/state-union-trump-has-much-take-credit-energy-environment-and-climate
Trump attracts big energy investment, tax reform admirers in Davos
By John Siciliano, Washington Examiner, Jan 26, 2018 [H/t Cooler Heads]
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/trump-attracts-big-energy-investment-tax-reform-admirers-in-davos/article/2647200
Social Benefits of Carbon
Oh noes! Increased carbon dioxide making more flowers in tropical forests
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/01/19/oh-noes-increased-carbon-dioxide-making-more-flowers-in-tropical-forests/
Link to paper: Long-term increases in tropical flowering activity across growth forms in response to rising CO2 and climate change
By Pau, Okamoto, Calderon & Wright, Global Change Biology, Dec 19, 2017
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.14004/abstract
Seeking a Common Ground
Make replication studies ‘a normal and essential part of science,’ Dutch science academy says
By Matt Warren, Science, Jan 16, 2018 [H/t Toshio Fujita]
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/01/make-replication-studies-normal-and-essential-part-science-dutch-science-academy-says
Link to report: Make Replication Studies a Normal Part of Science
By Staff Writers, Akademie Van Wetenschappen, Jan 15, 2018
https://knaw.nl/en/news/news/make-replication-studies-a-normal-part-of-science
By Martin Livermore, The Scientific Alliance, Jan 25, 2018
http://scientific-alliance.org/scientific-alliance-newsletter/driving-change
Study: Arctic ocean ‘methane bomb’ really isn’t anything to worry about
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/01/17/study-arctic-ocean-methane-bomb-really-isnt-anything-to-worry-about/
Link to paper: Limited contribution of ancient methane to surface waters of the U.S. Beaufort Sea shelf
By Katy Sparrow, et al., Science Advances, Jan 17, 2018
http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/1/eaao4842
Review of Recent Scientific Articles by CO2 Science
Three Decades of Sea Ice Cover Trends in the Bohai Sea
Yan, Y., Shao, D., Gu, W., Liu, C., Li, Q., Chao, J., Tao, J. and Xu, Y. 2017. Multidecadal anomalies of Bohai Sea ice cover and potential climate driving factors during 1988-2015. Environmental Research Letters 12: 094014. Jan 25, 2018,
http://www.co2science.org/articles/V21/jan/a14.php
“In light of the above findings, it appears that sea ice cover in the Bohai Sea is not quite as sensitive to CO2-induced global warming as climate model projections/theory suggest it should be. Rather, in apparent defiance, it has behaved in an opposite manner!”
The Relationship Between Symbiotically-fixed Nitrogen and Soybean Yield Under Elevated CO2
Li, Y., Yu, Z., Liu, X., Mathesius, U., Wang, G., Tang, C., Wu, J., Liu, J., Zhang, S. and Jin, J. 2017. Elevated CO2 increases nitrogen fixation at the reproductive phase contributing to various yield responses of soybean cultivars. Frontiers in Plant Science 8: 1546, doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.01546. Jan 24, 2018
“The above findings reveal that soybean yields will increase in the future in response to benefits provided by rising atmospheric CO2. Furthermore, those yields will increase without the addition of soil N fertilizer, as the results of this study clearly show that it was a CO2-induced stimulation of nitrogen-fixation by symbiotic bacteria that provided the nitrogen necessary to increase seed yields.”
The Impact of Hypoxia and Ocean Acidification at the Upper Thermal Limits of Three Fish Species
Ern, R., Johansen, J.L., Rummer, J.L. and Esbaugh, A.J. 2017. Effects of hypoxia and ocean acidification on the upper thermal niche boundaries of coral reef fishes. Biology Letters 13: 20170135. Jan 22, 2018
Model Issues
‘Worse than we thought’ – climate models underestimate future polar warming
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/01/23/worse-than-we-thought-climate-models-underestimate-future-polar-warming/
Link to paper: Eocene greenhouse climate revealed by coupled clumped isotope-Mg/Ca thermometry
By David Evans, et al., PNAS, Jan 22, 2018
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/01/12/1714744115
[SEPP Comment: Based on research of a period before India joined Asia, no Asia Minor, and Caribbean Seaway open.]
Measurement Issues — Surface
Temps jumped a half-degree over 3 years. ‘Just remarkable’
By Chelsea Harvey, E&E News, Jan 25, 2018
Link to paper: Big Jump of Record Warm Global Mean Surface Temperature in 2014-2016 Related to Unusually Large Oceanic Heat Releases
By Yin, Overpeck, Peyser & Stouffer, Geophysical Research Letters, Jan 16, 2018
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2017GL076500/abstract?campaign=wolacceptedarticle
Oceans Cool Off Previous 3 Years
By Ron Clutz, Science Matters, Jan 19, 2018 [H/t GWPF]
https://rclutz.wordpress.com/2018/01/18/oceans-cool-off-previous-3-years/
New York’s Temperature Record Massively Altered By NOAA
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Jan 25, 2018
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2018/01/25/new-yorks-temperature-record-massively-altered-by-noaa/#more-31926
Syracuse & UHI
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2018/01/26/syracuse-uhi/
TOBS At Ithaca
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2018/01/26/tobs-at-ithaca/#more-31967
[SEPP Comment: More evidence of NOAA and NASA-GISS cooking the books – temperature records
Changing Weather
Japan forecasting breakthrough could improve weather warnings
By Staff Writers, AFP, Jan 17, 2018 [H/t Toshio Fujita]
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5279911/Japan-forecasting-breakthrough-improve-weather-warnings.html
“It takes a long time to verify whether a new technology can be put to real use,”[Weather agency scientist.].
Natural Disaster Costs Are Actually DECLINING, Despite Global Warming Fears
By Michael Bastasch, Daily Caller, Jan 25, 2018 [H/t Cooler Heads]
http://dailycaller.com/2018/01/25/economy-grows-natural-disaster-global-warming/
Veteran Hurricane Forecasting Guru Predicts 2018 Season Could Even Be Worse Than Last Year’s Destructive Season
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Jan 25, 2018
http://notrickszone.com/2018/01/25/veteran-hurricane-forecasting-guru-predicts-2018-season-could-even-be-worse-than-last-years-destructive-season/#sthash.kArfN8QH.dpbs
Arctic poised to unleash another massive cold outbreak for Eastern US
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/01/23/arctic-poised-to-unleash-another-massive-cold-outbreak-for-eastern-us/
Changing Climate
Impact of Climate Change on Human Evolution: The Odyssey from Africa
By Phil Salmon, Climate Etc. Jan 25, 2018
https://judithcurry.com/2018/01/25/impact-of-climate-change-on-human-evolution-the-odyssey-from-africa/#more-23785
Changing Seas
Sea level rise acceleration (or not): Part II – The geological record
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Jan 24, 2018
https://judithcurry.com/2018/01/24/sea-level-rise-acceleration-or-not-part-ii-the-geological-record/
Link to one paper: Temperature-driven global sea-level variability in the Common Era
By Robert Kopp, et al. PNAS, Mar 15, 2016, Corrected Sep 20, 2016
http://www.pnas.org/content/113/11/E1434.full
http://www.pnas.org/content/113/38/E5694
Bangladesh: The Deep Delta Blues
Guest essay by Kip Hansen, WUWT, Jan 24, 2018
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/01/24/bangladesh-the-deep-delta-blues/
[SEPP Comment: Land subsidence is ignored by those promoting fear of rising seas.]
Changing Cryosphere – Land / Sea Ice
Heat loss from Earth’s interior triggers ice sheet slide towards the sea
Press Release, Aarhus University, Science Daily, Jan 22, 2018
Link to paper: High geothermal heat flux in close proximity to the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream
By Rysgaard, Bendtsen, Mortensen & Skjr, Scientific Reports, Jan 22, 2018 [H/t Bill Balgord]
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-19244-x
Groundbreaking AGW-Undermining Study: Greenland’s Warming, Ice Loss Due To Geothermal Heat
http://notrickszone.com/2018/01/24/groundbreaking-agw-undermining-study-greenlands-warming-ice-loss-due-to-geothermal-heat/#sthash.pM3wa9xK.dpbs
Megawatts and Milliwatts!
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2018/01/23/megawatts-and-milliwatts/
[SEPP Comment: A prompt correction of an error in units.]
In the Arctic, More Rain May Mean Fewer Musk Oxen
By Carl Zimmer, NYT, Jan 18, 2018
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/18/science/musk-oxen-climate-change.html?emc=edit_th_180119&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=59831859
Link to paper: Climate Degradation and Extreme Icing Events Constrain Life in Cold-Adapted Mammals
By Berger, Hartway, Gruzdev & Johnson, Scientific Reports, Jan 18, 2018
[SEPP Comment: Doubtful if Musk Oxen will be as an attractive icon as the polar bear.]
Changing Earth
Early Holocene polar bear skeleton from Norway vs. other ancient remains
By Susan Crockford, Polar Bear Science, Jan 24, 2018
https://polarbearscience.com/2018/01/24/early-holocene-polar-bear-skeleton-from-norway-vs-other-ancient-remains/#more-114030
Link to Press Release: The Finnøy polar bear
By Ragnhild Nordahl Næss, University of Stavanger, Jan 23, 2018
https://phys.org/news/2018-01-finny-polar.html
[SEPP Comment: The press release states: The sea is 40 metres above the current level. [Boldface added]. The area must have experienced tremendous rebound from depression by glacial ice over the past 12,000 years.]
Agriculture Issues & Fear of Famine
Today’s Food Production Is A Modern Agricultural Miracle So Why Is It Under Attack?
By Steve Goreham, Daily Caller, Jan 24, 2018
http://dailycaller.com/2018/01/24/todays-food-production-is-a-modern-agricultural-miracle-so-why-is-it-under-attack/
Lowering Standards
BBC Gets It Wrong Again on Global Warming
Press Release, GWPF, Jan 24, 2018
https://www.thegwpf.com/bbc-gets-it-wrong-again-on-global-warming/
Communicating Better to the Public – Exaggerate, or be Vague?
Lewandowsky’s genius solution to Fake News — Ban it and do cheap smears!
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Jan 25, 2018
http://joannenova.com.au/2018/01/lewandowskys-genius-solution-to-fake-news-ban-it-and-do-cheap-smears/
The Carbon Sense Newsletter, January 2018 ー Coral Sea Battles
By Viv Forbes, The Australian Climate Sceptics Blog, Jan 26, 2018
http://theclimatescepticsparty.blogspot.com.au/2018/01/the-carbon-sense-newsletter-january.html
Communicating Better to the Public – Make things up.
Electricity from all forms of renewables will be consistently cheaper than fossil fuels by 2020
By Aksht Rathi, Quartz, Jan 15, 2018 [H/t Toshio Fujita]
https://qz.com/1179753/by-2020-renewable-electricity-will-be-consistently-cheaper-than-fossil-fuel-power/
Link to report: Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2017
By Staff Writers, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Jan 2018
https://www.irena.org/publications/2018/Jan/Renewable-power-generation-costs-in-2017
Expanding the Orthodoxy
Climate change, AI and harassment – the hottest topics at this year’s Davos
By Richard Partington, The Guardian, UK, Jan 20, 2018 [H/t WUWT]
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jan/20/davos-2018-wef-hottest-topics-climate-change-harassment-donald-trump
Questioning European Green
Europe’s Energy Crack-Up
Europeans scold while the U.S. leads
By Rupert Darwall, National Review, Jan 22, 2018
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/455628/europe-bogus-clean-energy-schemes-european-union-coal?utm_source=CCNet+Newsletter&utm_campaign=7fbb3cc66f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_01_26&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fe4b2f45ef-7fbb3cc66f-20141189
Germany Falling Short of Emissions Targets
Energy transformation had been a priority of Chancellor Angela Merkel
By Andrea Thomas, WSJ, Jan 24, 2018
https://www.wsj.com/articles/germany-falling-short-of-emissions-targets-1516813406?
Via GWPF: Green Flop: Germany Will Have to Pay for Renewables & Failing EU Emissions Targets
https://www.thegwpf.com/green-flop-germany-will-have-to-pay-for-renewables-failing-eu-emissions-targets/
Catching Up With the New E.U. Emissions Targets Will Cost Germany a Trillion Euros
By Kyree Leary, Futurism.com, Jan 22, 2018
https://futurism.com/catching-up-new-e-u-emissions-targets-cost-germany-trillion-euros/
Unstable Green Power Grids: German ARD Television Tells Citizens To Start Getting Used To Blackouts!
http://notrickszone.com/2018/01/26/unstable-green-power-grids-german-ard-television-tells-citizens-to-start-getting-used-to-blackouts/#sthash.CCMqvlE7.dpbs
“In other words, Germany’s days of a stable power grid are over, and don’t expect then to return.”
UK to miss legal climate targets without urgent action, official advisers warn
Vague ambitions, such as banning new petrol cars by 2040, must be turned into solid plans, says the Committee on Climate Change
By Damian Carrington, Guardian, UK, Jan 17, 2018 [H/t Energy Matters]
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/17/uk-to-miss-legal-climate-targets-without-urgent-action-official-advisers-warn
UK Renewable Electricity: Dead, Alive or Living Dead?
By John Constable: GWPF, Jan 23, 2018
https://www.thegwpf.com/uk-renewable-electricity-dead-alive-or-living-dead/
Link to report: Renewable energy planning database monthly extract
By Staff Writers, Gov. UK, Updated Jan 18, 2018
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewable-energy-planning-database-monthly-extract
“After years of astonishingly generous income support, costing consumers upwards of £20 billion since 2002, the industry has become aware that the patience of government and Treasury, to say nothing of consumers, is wearing thin, and rather than simply urging the necessity of their technologies in climate policy they have preferred to suggest that they are, as the FT puts it, ‘maturing’”
New EU Rules To Allow Burning Of Whole Trees For Biomass
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2018/01/26/new-eu-rules-to-allow-burning-of-whole-trees-for-biomass/
The green plan should use human ingenuity
Top down command is not the way to improve the environment
By Matt Ridley, The Rational Optimist, Jan 22, 2018
http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/let-a-thousand-flowers-bloom-1/
Scientists sue EPA over its policy on advisory boards
By Jacqueline Thomsen, The Hill, Jan 23, 2018
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/370419-scientists-sue-epa-over-policy-blocking-scientists-with-epa-grants
[SEPP Comment: Scientists who receive money from corporations are automatically considered biased. Those who receive money from government regulatory agencies are not?]
The Mercers, Trump’s Billionaire Megadonors, Ramp Up Climate Change Denial Funding
The New York financiers’ donations to climate misinformation think tanks are finally attracting the scrutiny long reserved for the Koch brothers and Exxon Mobil.
By Alexander Kaufman, HuffPost, Jan 25, 2018
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mercers-climate-denial_us_5a6a4661e4b06e253265e832
Link to cited paper: Learning from mistakes in climate research
By Benestad, Nuccitelli, Lewandowsky, Hayhoe, Hygen, van Dorland, and Cook, Theoretical and Applied Climatology, Aug 20, 2015
Trump EPA revives Obama proposal to block controversial Alaska mine
By Timothy Cama, The Hill, Jan 26, 2018
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/371001-trump-epa-revives-obama-proposal-to-block-alaska-mine
Litigation Issues
Global Warming and Bond Offerings
By Richard Epstein, Forbes, Jan 22, 2018
https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardepstein/2018/01/22/global-warming-and-bond-offerings/#5dfa0e923c05
[SEPP Comment: Have the municipalities committed fraud?]
Is Global Warming A Public Nuisance?
By Richard Epstein, Hoover Institution, Jan 15, 2018 [H/t Real Clear Energy]
https://www.hoover.org/research/global-warming-public-nuisance
Another Candidate For Stupidest Litigation In The Country
By Francis Mention, Manhattan Contrarian, Jan 24, 2018
http://manhattancontrarian.com/blog/2018/1/24/another-candidate-for-stupidest-litigation-in-the-country
Even environmental lawyers are climate skeptics
By Sam Rolley, Personal Liberty, Jan 22, 2018
https://personalliberty.com/even-environmental-lawyers-climate-skeptics/
EPA and other Regulators on the March
EPA loosens rules on some ‘major’ air pollution sources
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/370786-epa-loosens-rules-on-some-major-air-pollution-sources
[SEPP Comment: Removing a regulatory block that improvements cannot reduce real pollution once classified.]
EPA pushes unified national fuel emissions standard
By Miranda Green, The Hill, Jan 25, 2018
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/370720-epa-pushes-unified-national-fuel-emissions-standard
Idle wells on BLM land up, but numbers can’t be trusted — IG
By Pamela King, E&E News, Jan 24, 2018
https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2018/01/24/stories/1060071753
“BLM, an Interior Department agency, failed to properly implement a 2012 instructional memorandum directing state BLM directors to improve data input into the Automated Fluid Minerals Support System.” [Boldface added]
Energy Issues – Non-US
A first look at the King Island, Tasmania, Renewable Energy Integration Project
By Roger Andrews, Energy Matters, Jan 24, 2018
http://euanmearns.com/a-first-look-at-the-king-island-tasmania-renewable-energy-integration-project/#more-20846
Energy Issues – Australia
Madness and misinformation in renewables-land: South Australia brags they didn’t have to “load shed”
http://joannenova.com.au/2018/01/madness-and-misinformation-in-renewables-land-south-australia-brags-they-didnt-have-to-load-shed/
[SEPP Comment: The ideal political solution to cutting electricity to industries during times of limited supply – Eliminate industries.]
South Australia blows up cheap electricity, jobs, wealth, in ideological anti-coal quest
http://joannenova.com.au/2018/01/south-australia-blows-up-cheap-electricity-jobs-in-ideological-anti-coal-quest/
Energy Issues – US
Growth in Electricity Consumption – Part 1
By Donn Dears, Power For USA, Jan 26, 2018
http://www.powerforusa.com/2018/01/26/growth-in-electricity-consumption-part-1/
HID light is a high intensity discharge light which do not have a filament.
[SEPP Comment: What is wrong? Conversion from incandescent bulbs to LED lights did not require a congressional mandate or government subsidies?]
Puerto Rico to privatize its power system
By Miranda Green and Rafael Bernal, The Hill, Jan 22, 2018
http://thehill.com/regulation/energy-environment/370200-puerto-rico-to-privatize-its-power-system
Propping Up Biofuels With The RFS Is Killing Independent Refiners
By David Blackmon, Forbes, Jan 26, 2018 [H/t Cooler Heads]
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidblackmon/2018/01/26/propping-up-biofuels-with-the-rfs-is-killing-independent-refiners/#72b3b5fd5a50
New York pushes energy storage to solve renewable power’s biggest problem
By Josh Siegel, Washington Examiner, Jan 16, 2018
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/new-york-pushes-energy-storage-to-solve-renewable-powers-biggest-problem/article/2645645
Oil and Natural Gas – the Future or the Past?
UK Shale Horizontal Drilling Under Way, Fracturing to Follow
By Matt Zborowski, Staff Writer, Journal of Petroleum Technology [H/t GWPF]
https://www.spe.org/en/jpt/jpt-article-detail/?art=3821
Hail Shale: USA Set to Overtake Saudi Arabia and Russia in Oil Production
By Staff Writers, the Financial Times, Via GWPF, Jan 21, 2018
https://www.thegwpf.com/hail-shale-usa-set-to-overtake-saudi-arabia-and-russia-in-oil-production/
IEA Sees ‘Explosive’ Growth in U.S. Oil Output as Prices Rally
By Angelina Rascouet, Bloomberg, Jan 19, 2018
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-19/iea-sees-explosive-growth-in-u-s-oil-output-as-prices-rally
Malthusianism circa 1948 (running out of oil, etc.)
By Robert Bradley, Jr. Master Resource, Jan 24, 2018
https://www.masterresource.org/malthusianism/anti-energy-1948/
Nuclear Energy and Fears
New nuclear power plant coming to Idaho Falls
By Katie Keleher, KIDK 3 News, Jan 23, 2018 [H/t Toshio Fujita]
http://www.localnews8.com/news/idaho-falls/new-nuclear-power-plant-coming-to-idaho-falls/689548938
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Solar and Wind
24-Hour Solar Energy: Molten Salt Makes It Possible, and Prices Are Falling Fast
Molten salt storage in concentrated solar power plants could meet the electricity-on-demand role of coal and gas, allowing more old, fossil fuel plants to retire.
By Robert Dieterich, Inside Climate News, Jan 16, 2018 [H/t Real Clear Energy]
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16012018/csp-concentrated-solar-molten-salt-storage-24-hour-renewable-energy-crescent-dunes-nevada
[SEPP Comment: The falling prices are bids, not actual costs.]
Trump’s Tariffs on Solar Mark Biggest Blow to Renewables Yet
By Brian Eckhouse , Ari Natter , and Chris Martin, Bloomberg, Jan 23, 2018
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-22/trump-taxes-solar-imports-in-biggest-blow-to-clean-energy-yet
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Vehicles
Electric Vehicle Report Card
http://www.powerforusa.com/2018/01/23/electric-vehicle-report-card/
Costs Balloon for California’s High-Speed Rail
Even though the project will cost $2.8 billion more than planned, Gov. Jerry Brown still thinks it’s worth it: “It’ll last for 100 years, after all you guys are gone.”
By Daniel Vock, Governing, Jan 25, 2018 [H/t Cooler Heads]
http://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/gov-costs-delays-california-high-speed-rail.html
California aims to get 5 million zero-emission cars on the road
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/370971-california-governor-announces-multibillion-dollar-investment-to
It’s the Weather, Governor Brown (peddling climate hypochondria for political gain)
By Bob Endlich, Master Resource, Jan 22, 2018
https://www.masterresource.org/california-energy-policy/weather-governor-brown/
Other Scientific News
NASA: Massive Asteroid will zoom near Earth on February 4th – at 76,000 mph
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/01/20/nasa-massive-asteroid-will-zoom-near-earth-on-february-4th-at-76000-mph/
“We have been tracking this asteroid for over 14 years and know its orbit very accurately,” said Paul Chodas, manager of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. “Our calculations indicate that asteroid 2002 AJ129 has no chance — zero — of colliding with Earth on Feb. 4 or any time over the next 100 years.”
Other News that May Be of Interest
Genius Was Behind Apollo’s Lunar Legacy
By Larry Bell, Newsmax, Jan 25, 2018
https://www.newsmax.com/larrybell/callway-faget-mercury-naca/2018/01/16/id/837479/
New Diagnostic Devices Will Save Lives and Money
http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/diagnostic-devices-are-coming/
Single Gene Linked To Severe Obesity In Humans
By Julianna LeMieux, ACSH, Jan 12, 2018
https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/01/12/single-gene-linked-severe-obesity-humans-12381
Link to paper: Loss-of-function variants in ADCY3 increase risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes
By Niels Grarup, et al, Nature Genetics, Jan 8, 2018
Second paper: Loss-of-function mutations in ADCY3 cause monogenic severe obesity
By Saeed, Bonnefond, and Froguel, Nature Genetics, Jan 8, 2018
The Decay of Truth
A new study looks at the diminishing role of facts and analysis in public life.
By George Will, National Review, Jan 24, 2018 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/455742/truth-decay-study-facts-analysis-play-diminishing-role-public-life
BELOW THE BOTTOM LINE:
Science Pushed To Back Burner, As Swiss Outlaw Live Lobster Boiling
By Erik Lief, ACSH, Jan 19, 2018
https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/01/19/science-pushed-back-burner-swiss-outlaw-live-lobster-boiling-12443
“By stunned, the government says the crustaceans must instead be prodded with an electrical device before they are boiled, to produce “mechanical destruction” of the brain.”
[SEPP Comment: But, the lobster has no brain, so how can one destroy it?]
Here’s how fed shutdown affects the pygmy rabbit
By Michael Doyle, E&E, Greenwire, Jan 19, 2018
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2018/01/19/stories/1060071447
I knew it all along!
By Staff Writers, Climate Change Predictions
http://climatechangepredictions.org/uncategorized/5676
“An international team, including members from Imperial College London and the Zoological Society of London, has constructed a complete evolutionary tree tracing the history of all 4,500 mammals on Earth that puts the major diversification 10-15 million years after asteroid strike, casting into doubt the role the dinosaur die-off played in the success of our present day mammals.
“Around 55 million years ago, the mid-latitude mean annual temperatures went up by up to 5 deg C over about 20,000 years. ‘It was a much bigger increase in temperature than we’ve had so far, but within the range that we might get within the next century (never mind 20,000 years),’ said Prof Andy Purvis from Imperial College London.
“It looks like a later bout of ‘global warming’ may have kick-started today’s diversity – not the death of the dinosaurs.”
The Telegraph (UK), 29 Mar 2007
1. Be Skeptical of Those Who Treat Science as an Ideology
Scientific knowledge is always provisional. The point is to produce evidence, not doctrine.
By Sue Desmond-Hellmann, WSJ, Jan 19, 2018 [H/t Martin Stickley]
https://www.wsj.com/articles/be-skeptical-of-those-who-treat-science-as-an-ideology-1516403457
SUMMARY: The key points of the article are summarized in the This Week section, above.
2. China Sucks Gas Out of Global Market as It Shifts From Coal
Move boosts LNG price and leaves swaths of industry in China struggling with limited gas supplies
By Sarah McFarlane and Nathaniel Taplin, WSJ, Jan 23, 2018
https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-sucks-gas-out-of-global-market-amid-shift-from-coal-1516703401
SUMMARY: Smog form coal is a major problem in the cities in China. The authors write:
“The world’s No. 2 economy is cutting back on coal after President Xi Jinping made a cleaner environment a key priority at last Fall’s Communist Party Congress.
That has left swaths of industry in China struggling with limited gas, including giants like German chemical company BASF SE and local producer Yunnan Yuntianhua Co., as supplies are diverted to households that had previously relied on coal for heating.”
As new supply as limited prices in natural gas, China demand has busted the Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) industry. Behind Japan, China is now the second largest importer of LNG.
“Analysts say that given Beijing’s very public commitment to improving air quality, the shift away from coal is unlikely to lose urgency over the medium term. But neither will Chinese policy makers let citizens freeze, meaning that gas supplies will continue to be diverted to households.”
“China has committed to increasing gas’s share of its energy mix to 10% by 2020 from its current level of around 7%. That could increase annual gas demand by more than 50% from 2016 levels to 325 billion cubic meters, according to Bernstein.” [An energy analyst.]
The shift to natural gas over coal is projected to continue.
"Atmosphere Cancer" – The Latest Name for Global Warming
LOL! Study PR headline: 'Mammals and birds could have best shot at surviving climate change'
Leo Smith
ahem:
Thus is a green gauge
https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.aaTt9ABYDvkgLfLuLdxLgwHaHa&pid=15.1&P=0&w=300&h=300
And this is a green gage
https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.mIGANQk-CTFZwl9gcrSuVQHaFB&pid=15.1&P=0&w=300&h=300
Roger Knights
Instead of writing, in your initial section, phrases like “See link under Challenging the Orthodoxy,” why not just duplicate the link? Or at least link to that link? Your current practice puts a burden on the reader that many will shrug off or will not remember.
Reply to Roger Knights
PS: By providing your initial-section pieces with a link, you would make them easier to copy and paste in online arguments. Because they aren’t self-sufficient, you discourage re-use.
“there is strong evidence that vaccines save lives, for example, and scant evidence that they cause harm.””
Actually, there is zero evidence for many vaccines and overwhelming evidence that some are abominable.
But shilling for Big Pharma is a must.
(I am not a medical doctor so I can’t be punished for being truthful.)
Reply to st
Quite an assertion there. As the world doesn’t recognize st as an authority, it is just a noisy assertion.
Oh, I see. The boogeyman is behind it!
Big Pharma, as you call them, keeps you alive. Good luck crushing the people who keep you alive.
So all the medical associations, and doctors are lying.
What is your basis for such an assertion?
As to your fear of big Pharma, why?
R.S. Brown
News not at the top of mainstream reporting:
Blizzards in China:
https://in.reuters.com/article/china-pollution/china-blizzards-snarl-railroads-coal-deliveries-amid-power-worries-idINKBN1FI140?il=0
goldminor
Reply to R.S. Brown
I’m good with the second one. I can work with that.This year’s winter with its accompanying Arctic blast is still running strong. Look at how far south into Asia the freeze line has plunged. It is interesting to watch the symmetry between the North American and Eurasian continents is also of interest.
Here are the two views of interest, …https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/overlay=temp/orthographic=-252.26,26.84,3000/loc=114.329,24.373
and, …https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=-85.73,35.14,1823/loc=-88.404,35.606
Lastly, here is a 3rd interesting view. Interesting in that when looking back at periods of steep drops in NH temps, take a look at temps for the far east region of Siberia. The region typically shows warmer than average temps at the same time that Europe and other parts of the NH are getting frozen. The spot marked has warmed around 35 F in the last 10 days as surface winds are moving west off of the ocean. At the same time the freeze line in China has dropped to its lowest point of this winter. ….https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/overlay=temp/orthographic=-221.44,55.07,672/loc=155.818,63.003
From The Gods are Angry department:
There are a couple of volcanoes around the Philippines and Indonesia that could intensify and have an effect on the climate. Mount Mayon and Mount Agung
Joe Bastardi is still predicting that much of North America is going to get nailed with brutal cold and snow. Saturday Summary
The New York City lawsuit against oil companies is the height of decadence: suing the people who keep them alive.
They should be more careful what they wish for.
Additional legal concerns: quantifying (alleged) damages and net present value of said damages. And standing: most property in New York is NOT owned by the City. The risk to those who own waterfront property is not the City’s risk.
Reply to Gamecock
And another thing. Suppose you own some riverfront property in NYC. Thirty years from now, as projected, your property is damaged by water, and it is actually determined that using fossil fuels from these fine companies actually contributed to it. Too bad, NYC already collected for it.
If you own riverfront property in NYC, be aware that NYC is trying to steal your future claim.
“We should all be troubled when science is treated as if it were an ideology rather than a discipline.” – Desmond-Hellmun.
So-called climate science has been reduced to a marketing ploy and turned into a pseudo-religion by people like Gore, who see the cash cow in it and are compelled by their own greed and egotism to use it to gain a following. Corrupting it into a belief system is their biggest mistake. Belief systems, or ideologies, usually require more than videos of chunky styrofoam floating in water. You have to walk on water, too. If the gullible people who are following this nonsense had been given some kind of spirituality to follow when they were children, they might be less ridiculous now.
Court Jester makes appearance at Davos:
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/01/27/al-gore-pushes-climate-action-davos-world-economic-forum-survival-civilization-stake/
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AP News | Abortion foes vent disappointment after Supreme Court ruling
NEW YORK (AP) — Abortion opponents vented their disappointment and fury on Monday after the Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision to strike down a Louisiana law that would have curbed abortion access.
The ruling delivered a defeat to anti-abortion activists, but President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign quickly invoked it as part of a new appeal to voters — signaling its power to motivate religious conservatives who are a key part of his base ahead of November’s election.
Vice President Mike Pence summed up that argument, tweeting that the Supreme Court’s decision made one thing clear: “We need more Conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court.” Underlining his case, Pence added “#FourMoreYears.”
Read the article in full at Abortion foes vent disappointment after Supreme Court ruling
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Jentezen Franklin
Pastor Jentezen Franklin is the Senior Pastor of Free Chapel, a multi campus church. Each week his television program Kingdom Connection is broadcast on major networks all over the world. Franklin is a New York Times best-selling author and winner of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Mantle of Destiny Award for his efforts on racial reconciliation.
Follow Jentezen Franklin:
[Release] Over 13,000 Students Gather from Across the Nation for Free Chapel’s Forward Conference
GAINESVILLE, Ga. — From June 27-29, Pastor Jentezen Franklin and Free Chapel will once again welcome thousands of students from across the country to join their 13th annual Forward Conference at the Infinite Energy Arena in Duluth, Georgia. Several award-winning artists and influential Christian leaders will be featured this year, bringing a dynamic array of music and inspirational messages.
“Forward Conference is a weekend designed to leave an eternal impact on young people,” said Free Chapel Senior Pastor Jentezen Franklin. “Every word spoken and every song sung will emphasize the unmatched love of Christ for his people and the unrivaled power of the Holy Spirit inside every person of faith. We’re calling this generation to leave the past behind and dive deeper into the depths of who God is and the inheritance he has for us.”
This year Pastor Jentezen has invited DawnCheré Wilkerson, Reggie Dabbs, Levi Lusko, Carl Lentz, and Free Chapel pastors Tyshone Roland, Jake Fouquier and Ben Prescott to speak to the students. Bethel Worship, Hillsong United, Passion, Andy Mineo, and their own Free Chapel Music will lead in worship throughout the event.
The conference is nearly sold out, but there’s still a chance to be a part of the exciting weekend. Visit forwardconference.org to register and find out more information.
Pastor Jentezen Franklin is the Senior Pastor of Free Chapel, a multi campus church. Each week his television program Kingdom Connection is broadcast on major networks all over the world. A New York Times best-selling author, Jentezen has written eight books including his latest, Love Like You’ve Never Been Hurt
Facebook | www.facebook.com/JentezenFranklin Twitter | @jentezen
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/jentezen/
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The Last Verista
A Scream of Consciousness
Soprano Raina Kabaivanska Speaks of the Vecchia Scuola in Opera News
Reunion: Raina Kabaivanska
Steven Mercurio catches up with the great Bulgarian soprano who became one of verismo’s most thrilling performers.
Photographed by Joseph Nemeth in Modena, Italy
© Joseph Nemeth 2013
When I first became interested in opera and singing, I used to be an avid reader of Opera News. It was fascinating to read the articles and see the pictures of the singers on stage, and read about their thoughts on singing and acting, but in recent years I honestly haven’t read it as much as I used to. This month, I decided to pick up the September issue, mainly because of Anna Netrebko’s face on the cover (her interview is also worth a read since she discusses other aspects of today’s school that are both conflicting and difficult) and was pleasantly surprised to find a feature on the Bulgarian Soprano Raina Kabaivanska. Normally, I wouldn’t write a blog post on this sort of article but I feel it’s important to reiterate what Mme. Kabaivanska said and why.
Immediately attractive to me was the mention of her studies at the Liceo Musicale di Viotti in Vercelli in 1959 and how her teachers immediately placed her in a specific repertoire. There was none of this toying around in every genre and style, which is beneficial in many respects, but in regard to training an opera voice, perhaps the old school way of following a maestro or maestra’s indelible knowledge to guide a voice in a specific repertoire was more economical in the long run. Also, when young singers are spread out among repertoires they often become confused and aren’t sure where their voice should remain. She wrote that her teacher immediately placed her in the Italian repertoire and she “began to focus on the major Italian roles–Nedda, Mimi, Desdemona, etc.” At one time, and many aficionados remember, there were separate wings at the Met in which specific singers were known for specializing in either the Italian, German, or French Repertoire. Today, it seems that a soprano is supposed to sing everything and be jack of all trades, master of none. That is not to say that one should not sing German opera if you are an Italian singer, but maybe the old school had it right….leave the singing of specific operas to those who can sing them best. Would you rather hear Nilsson in Wagner or in Verdi? Caruso in Freischutz? No thanks, at least not me.
Kabaivanska talks about pronunciation because most of what you are doing in bel canto is sustaining words (vowels) as opposed to sustaining sound. She brings up the issue that in today’s school (if we must segregate the two) that singers aren’t as apt to focus on the word. I tend to agree with her. It isn’t just about sound, it’s about sound connected to your own natural innate one, your own voice…the one that speaks. I won’t even get into the number of contrasting and contradicting technical schools I’ve come across in my life, but essentially “si canta come si parla” is a rule of thumb for this woman and I’m with her.
She discusses her first Tosca and her love of the role Francesca da Rimini, which she doesn’t classify as a Verismo opera. She sees it more like “Strauss alla Italiana,” but what is most interesting is her discussion about the conductor’s role in preparing the singer to achieve a role successfully. “Often in today’s musical environment, conductors find themselves in a situation where the singer is “prepared” or has learned the role in a particular way, with little interest in learning, sharing or discovering more,” she says.
“Those times were completely different!
We approached our work with much more humility.”
According to Mme. Kabaivanska, once you learn the music correctly, there is the learning of “tradition.” She recalls her first days with Maestro Fausto Cleva and how terrified she was to please him. “Everyone respected the authority given to the position of the maestro. It was important to get it right. But once again, these conductors had the insight to understand talent and how to help bring it out of everyone, which in my opinion is at present unfortunately and sadly missing,” she says. Openly, she goes further to say that issues also plague the theatres in that they are being run by people who aren’t really qualified for the position.
I must say that I have always respected Mme. Kabaivanska, but I think my respect deepened for her in reading this because it really illuminates clearly the fact that two schools exist, but also that we as singers need to pay attention to those who were linked to that period of opera she discusses. She belonged to opera of a different time. Audiences did not want less or more, but they expected singers to follow in the tradition of Muzio, Tettrazzini, Ponselle, Cigna, then later Callas, Tebaldi, Sutherland, Favero, etc. As generations pass, who is going to know about this tradition if today’s singers are not following in it. There are, of course, those singers who are but there is no question that a distinct shift in technique and style is audible and no one can deny that. Personally and I think for many young singers, we want to cling to that “vecchia scuola” which is for some of us the “only” school. Of course, this is my opinion and it is not the only one. Many may disagree with me, but I hold to it and hope that when I open my mouth and my singers open their mouths that something of our attempt to belong to that tried and true tradition is present.
Kabaivanska
I respect deeply those singers like Mme. Kabaivanska and others who speak their mind and lived during that magnificent period of golden voices and excellence. We can all learn from their continued devotion to the art form and by trying to place our feet gently and carefully within the giant footprints they left for us to follow.
Screaming Out!
on September 9, 2013 at 2:41 am Leave a Comment
Tags: La Scala, Metropolitan Opera, Opera News September 2013, Raina Kabaivan, Raina Kabaivanska, singing traditions, Sopranos, vecchia scuola of singing
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The London Tribune
Home News Hispanic Heritage Month Salutes AAG Auto Glass & Tint of Tucson, Arizona
Hispanic Heritage Month Salutes AAG Auto Glass & Tint of Tucson, Arizona
Team TLT
Tucson, AZ, September 23, 2020, ZEXPRWIRE, AAG Auto Glass & Tint has been a fixture among the Hispanic community of Tucson for 15 years, providing a positive role model for its youth and entrepreneurs.
About AAG Auto Glass & Tint:
Founded by a proud military veteran, AAG Auto Glass & Tint is a trusted auto accessory and commercial/residential auto glass shop in Tucson. This family-owned company has been in business for the past four generations and provides quality, fast service to its customers throughout Arizona and nationwide. As with most family-owned businesses, when you visit the shop you get a “family” feeling.
AAG Supports Families, the Military, Students, and Local Heroes.
AAG Auto Glass & Tint goes a step further each year in supporting families from the community through various charity events and sponsorships.
In addition to supporting the community through charity, AAG Auto Glass & Tint always offers a special discount to their local heroes, military personnel, and students. Doing so is their way of saying thank you to the Tucson community that has supported them for 15 years.
Finally, but just as importantly, AAG Auto Glass & Tint treats its customers the way they would want to be treated–with stellar customer service–at their body shop in Tucson, because their customers are their heroes.
About Renee Pinedo, CEO of AAG Auto Glass & Tint
“I’m my father’s son, and I’m proud to be the son of such a great father. As I lead this company into the next 15 years, I’ll try to teach what I learned from my proud Mexican-American father. I’ll teach my son the hard work ethic that we within the Hispanic culture embrace. We are a hardworking and hard-loving people, and I am proud to salute all Hispanics this month and beyond,” says Renee Pinedo, CEO of AAG Auto Glass & Tint.
About Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month is an official celebration of American citizens who can trace their ancestry back to Spain, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.
The festival now lasts from September 15th to October 15th every year. The Hispanic heritage is the foundation with which people are able to associate, and it helps them define their roots to discover who they are and who they can become. To be Hispanic means to be brought together through a language and through celebrating what makes you and your community unique.
AAG Glass & Tint is a family, veteran-owned-and-operated business in Tucson, AZ.
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Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem advance at French Open
Sport Tennis Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem advance at French Open
10:57am, Oct 1, 2020 Updated: 11:01am, Oct 1
Dominic Thiem advanced to the third round of the French Open with a convincing win over Jack Sock.
Julien Pretot
It was business as usual as Rafael Nadal continued his quest for a record-extending 13th French Open title with a 6-1 6-0 6-3 crushing of American Mackenzie McDonald to reach the third round.
The Spanish second seed, also looking to equal Roger Federer’s record of 20 men’s singles grand slam titles, was never troubled on court Philippe Chatrier.
The clay court master played deep, using his forehand to devastating effect to set up a meeting with Japanese Kei Nishikori or Italian Stefano Travaglia.
US Open champion and last year’s runner-up at Roland Garros Dominic Thiem survived a third-set wobble to beat American qualifier Jack Sock 6-1 6-3 7-6 (10-8) to book his third-round spot.
After No.236 McDonald won the second game, Nadal bagged 11 games in a row to move two sets up and despite some resistance from his opponent early in the third set, he had no trouble improving his win-loss record at Roland Garros to 95-2.
After a first-round match played in chilly and damp conditions, the 34-year-old benefited from better weather on Wednesday.
“Today was not that cold, so that’s the main thing. Not that cold, the conditions are not that bad,” said the Spaniard, who had complained about the new balls used in Paris being too heavy.
“The ball is still heavy. When is not that cold, the ball is little bit less heavy always. I see the predictions the next couple of days are not very good.”
That means Nadal may have to play under the closed roof on court Philippe Chatrier for the first time, but he looks in good form.
He fired 17 forehand winners against McDonald, faced zero break points and made only eight unforced errors in a performance that should boost his confidence after he lost in the Italian Open quarter-finals this month to Argentine Diego Schwartzman.
Nadal looks to be on a semi-final collision course with Thiem, whom he beat in the last two finals in Paris.
The Austrian world No.3 needed just 25 minutes to break Sock, a former top 10 player, three times and storm through the first set.
Thiem was brimming with confidence on his favourite surface after winning his first grand slam title earlier this month.
Thiem will next play the winner of the match between in-form Norwegian Casper Ruud, a semi-finalist in Rome this month, and American Tommy Paul.
Critics have often questioned Alexander Zverev’s mental toughness but when it comes to five-set marathons at the French Open the German’s fortitude cannot be doubted.
The 23-year-old sixth seed was nowhere near his best against French doubles specialist Pierre-Hugues Herbert but chiselled out a 2-6 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-4 victory.
He has now won all six of his matches that have gone to a deciding fifth set in Paris and six of his past seven anywhere — the one loss coming in a heartbreaking defeat to Thiem in this month’s US Open final.
Record bid on hold: Achilles injury forces Serena Williams to withdraw from French Open
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Local Album of the Month: Jon Hynes’ Cardinal Giant
by Brad Pretty
It’s a top-notch effort from a top-notch artist.
Cardinal Giant is a welcome return for one of St. John’s greatest exports of the past few years.
Jon Hynes was the recipient of The Overcast’s own Borealis Music Prize for his 2014 release Watchful Creatures, and his latest offering makes him an immediate contender for another nod at a big prize. Cardinal Giant is textured, poppy, and polished, and should be best explored through multiple listens – one hallmark of great art.
Right away, it’ll catch your ear. But there’s a lot of subtle shifts and motifs that keep you entranced and coming back to traverse every little path.
There’s an eclectic mix of poppy anthems, grit, groove, and melancholic moments. It makes no sacrifices in search of its sound. The only real consistency lies in Hynes’ coloured voice, which takes few liberties in range, but sits perfectly anyway.
Hynes is not afraid to break up strong and recognizable rock ideals with interesting additions. There’s a surplus of fuzz-laden guitars on the record that add a chaotic dimension to the lyrical hooks that overlay. There are processed drums that segue between sections, and fluid background textures that warm the experience without ever dominating. Both “Waltz I” and “Waltz II” (which ends the album) are the perfect examples of high-quality songwriting being shaped in the studio by auxiliary choices.
It’s hard to pinpoint a comparison for Cardinal Giant. There are traces of the Beatles, of 80s post punk, of Pink Floyd, and even the cerebral, yet accessible rhythms of Hey! Rosetta. It grinds, it dances, it sings at you, with you, and for you. It regales you with a spoken word story in “Windower/Murderer.”
It’s a top-notch effort from a top-notch artist; a man who has carved out a sterling slate of solo offerings even beyond his iconic start with St. John’s rockers Trailer Camp (which I still go back to, years later). This is required listening for this month.
Brad Pretty
More from Brad Pretty
East Coast Toronto Transplants Create New Comedy Web Series, Bluebird
Bluebird is available at bluebirdtv.ca and on Facebook.
Tell Us More: The New Jon Hynes Video
Tell Us More, Jon Hynes
The Forecast: Alyson Samson on The Borealis Boys
I’m glad the author found the hidden track of this album; a spoken word story about a disgruntled window maker turned murderer after the ACAN factory closed down…
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