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Festivals Beverley Folk Festival Beverley Folk Festival 2013
Beverley Folk Festival 2013
Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd June 2013
Beverley Racecourse, Beverley, East Yorkshire, HU17 8QZ, England MAP
£104 with camping
daily capacity: 2500
last updated: Tue 21st May 2013
Located in the shadow of historic Beverley Minster, Beverley Folk Festival promises 3 nights & 2 days of breathtaking music, dance, comedy, spoken word, events & workshops for all, craft stalls, Real Ale, camping and more. The dates for the 30th Beverley Folk Festival are Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd June 2013 and will be held this year at Beverley Racecourse.
Latest additions are international best selling 'John Rebus' author, Ian Rankin reading from, and talking about, his latest novel 'Standing in Another Man's Grave'. Whilst celebrating the life of Jackie Leven in the book, Rankin will be joined at the festival by Deborah Greenwood and Michael Weston King.
They join Show of Hands, The Proclaimers, Oysterband, Gretchen Peters, Steve Forbert, Lau, Eric Brace & Peter Cooper, Blackbeard's Tea Party, Circus Envy, Farino, Edwina Hayes, CoCo and the Butterfields, Eduardo Niebla, Henry Priestman, The Young'uns, Sam Carter, The Duncan McFarlane Band, John Shuttleworth, Lucy Ward, Will Kaufman, Patrick Monahan (comedian), Whiskey Dogs, McGarry Nelson, Anna Shannon, Lucy Marshall, Phil Cockerham, Boss Caine, The Buffalo Skinners, Wendy Arrowsmith, The Heathen Kings, Circus Envy, Plumhall, The Nick Rooke Band, Ben Parcell, Miles Cain, Gerry McNeice, The Hall Brothers, Simon Snaize, Steve Kendra, Merry Hell, and more. Expect over 80 acts in total this year. For the line-up details as available please click here.
The early bird offer has ended. Weekend tickets with camping available priced at £104 for an adult weekend ticket, or £97.50 for concessions. A family ticket with camping (for 2 x Adult and 2 x Youth (Age 12-17)is priced at £305.50, or £245.50 without camping. A weekend without camping adult ticket is priced at £84 (or £77.50 for concessions). Tickets for children aged 11 and under are free.
To buy tickets, click here.
The Proclaimers (Friday) £27
Show of Hands with Miranda Sykes, Allan Yn Y Fan, & Megson (Saturday) £21
Steve Forbert, Eric Brace, & Peter Cooper (Saturday) £16
Gretchen Peters, Edwina Hayes, & Ben Glover (Sunday) £18
Oysterband, Blackbeard's Tea Party, & Henry Priestman (Sunday) £21
Weekend ticket holders are admitted to these events anyway but in additions individual tickets can be purchased to see these events, even if you wish to not attend the full festival.
For the first time, theatre will be featured as a part of the weekend, with leading British playwright John Godber, having one of his award winning plays, 'Bouncers' performed at the event on the Sunday night. Separate tickets are available priced at £12.
On Friday comedian Patrick Monahan appears, and this event is also separately ticketed priced at £12. On Saturday it's the turn of John Shuttleworth priced separately at £16, and his film '“Southern Softees”' gets two screenings priced separately at £4 for either.
Most events take place at the Racecourse, plus others at The Friary. All just a short walk to the town centre making Beverley Folk Festival a perfect place to wander and browse through the various trade, craft and music stalls, enjoy the workshops and activities for all the family and listen to the many performances at the Wold Top marquee while enjoying a pint of the specially created Festival Brew.
For the older youngsters the Area 2 Youth programme has a full weekend of concerts and workshops, organised, run and performed by the under 25's. With a broad range of styles from Contemporary song writers, Traditional singers and musicians, Bluegrass and Americana musicians, there is always something to please all tastes. Past musicians have included the winners and nominees in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, as well as members from a variety of leading young bands around the country. The youth concerts are supported by the 'Folk Rising' programme of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, in association with the Arts Council, England.
This year the festival has expanded its Craft and Music Fair with a wide range of stalls and food outlets to tempt all tastes, and the best of the regions real ale from the award winning Wold Top Brewery.
To provide easy accessibility for everyone, the festival is laying on a shuttle bus service between the racecourse and the town, where it will drop off at the popular spots hosting the regular festival sessions.
More information will be here when available.
latest on this festival
Beverley Folk Festival - CANCELLED 2018
last updated: Mon 23rd Apr 2018
The Demon Barbers XL, plus dancers, for Beverley Folk Festival 2018
last updated: Mon 12th Mar 2018
Gretchen Peters for Beverley Folk Festival 2018
last updated: Mon 5th Feb 2018
Charlie Dore, and more, for Beverley Folk Festival 2018
last updated: Fri 17th Nov 2017
Beverley Folk Festival
festival home page
last updated: Wed 4th Oct 2017
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Egypt’s Health Minister announces date for vaccination rollout as February 1
Al-Masry Al-Youm
The Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed announced Monday that the date to start the vaccination rollout against COVID-19 will be in the beginning of February.
“By the first of the upcoming month, the vaccination against the coronavirus will begin, the priority will be for medical staff and the elderly, and then the vaccine will be made available to the industrial sector in the country,” Zayed said during a virtual interview with al-Hekaya (the story) show on the MBC Masr satellite channel.
Egypt has access to multiple sources for the vaccine, she assured, with the Chinese vaccine Sinopharm already registered with the Egyptian Drug Authority.
“There are positive developments with regard to contracts, whether from AstraZeneca, Moderna or Pfizer, and the Gavi alliance will allow us to contract the companies that produce the coronavirus vaccine directly,” Zayed said.
“The shipment of the Chinese vaccine will include 500,000 doses, provided that the flow of the vaccine will start by the end of this month.” she explained.
The Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population announced 961 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, with 52 virus-related deaths and 312 recovering cases as of Monday.
Egypt has now recorded a total of 150,753 confirmed cases, 119,212 recovered cases, and 8,249 virus-related deaths.
The country has officially entered the second wave of the pandemic, after cases rose steadily throughout November and December.
Government officials continue to urge the public to adhere to precautionary measures against the virus, and the Egyptian Cabinet has called on authorities to strictly enforce the country’s mask mandate, which applies to all public transportation and indoor public spaces.
Egypt’s Assistant Minister of Health Mohammed Hassany announced on Friday that Egypt has received doses of Sinopharm and AstraZeneca, and will receive and start clinical trials of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine soon.
In a statement, Hassany said that the country has will receive more in further shipments of the Sinopharm vaccine from China.
Egypt has also signed a contract with vaccine alliance GAVI, who will supply 20 percent of Egypt’s vaccine needs with AstraZeneca.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
Tags coronavirus Egypt Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed SinoPharm vaccine
Gilead's Hep C drug Sovaldi shows promise against coronavirus
COVID-19 in Egypt: New cases below 1,000, deaths at 57 on Sunday
Mid-year vacation for pre-university education in Egypt starts Saturday
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It's already been a busy summer for the team working on the $7 million "Boosting the Lachlan Valley Economy Art Project". Redevelopment of the former Forbes Ambulance Station on the corner of Lachlan and Church streets is on track to commence mid-2021, an update from the Forbes Arts Society reveals. Sally Sutherland, Director of Source Architects, the Orange-based consultants engaged to develop the former ambulance station, said progress on the design was well underway with plans to be lodged to Forbes Shire Council for Development Application early in the new year. "The design incorporates a multifunctional room, gallery shop and a 32-seat café on the lower level with additional outdoor dining and a takeaway service," Ms Sutherland said. "The main gallery and a meeting space will be located on the upper floor." The Cultural and Arts Centre is one part of a $7 million plan, along with the redevelopment of Gum Swamp reserve and the commissioning of 20 new sculptures to extend the Sculpture Down the Lachlan public art trail. If you've been out to the sculptures along the Lachlan you'll have seen earthworks and improvements are already taking place, and a number of local businesses have already been involved. As part of the Gum Swamp redevelopment, Midpro Engineering (Forbes) fabricated the two-storey frames for the new bird hides, before sending off to Cowra's Central Plate and Gal to be galvanised. "We have almost completed all the components for the three new bird hides and are preparing to start the on-site works now that harvest has wrapped up, beginning with the footing foundations," Midpro owner Ian 'Bart' Bartholomaeus said. Installation of the new hides is anticipated to be complete by March 2020. Outback Soils (Forbes) will then carry out the remaining work on the walkways, handrails and concrete seating. Outback Soils are also working in partnership with landscape architect, Outscape (Grenfell) on the landscaping for the Sculpture Down the Lachlan extension and the Albion Park redevelopment. The custom SDL concrete blocks that feature at each site were designed and manufactured by Outback Soils owner, Tim Wood. Forbes Arts Society Chair, Dr Karen Ritchie, said engaging local suppliers and contractors, where possible, was part of the vision as they seek to diversify our economy. The 'Boosting the Lachlan Valley Economy Art Project' is funded by the NSW Government's Restart NSW program through the Regional Growth, Environment and Tourism Development Fund, the Forbes Arts Society, Forbes Shire Council, Lachlan Shire Council and Evolution Mining.
/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/7A3x4DUEBwtd2mkQgj6Htd/e69cd7e1-e20e-413f-ba3b-b19ba9da5c9b.jpg/r0_428_4032_2706_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
January 8 2021 - 9:30AM
Progress on $7 million art tourism project
The custom SDL concrete blocks that feature at each sculpture site were designed and manufactured by Outback Soils owner, Tim Wood.
It's already been a busy summer for the team working on the $7 million "Boosting the Lachlan Valley Economy Art Project".
Redevelopment of the former Forbes Ambulance Station on the corner of Lachlan and Church streets is on track to commence mid-2021, an update from the Forbes Arts Society reveals.
Sally Sutherland, Director of Source Architects, the Orange-based consultants engaged to develop the former ambulance station, said progress on the design was well underway with plans to be lodged to Forbes Shire Council for Development Application early in the new year.
"The design incorporates a multifunctional room, gallery shop and a 32-seat café on the lower level with additional outdoor dining and a takeaway service," Ms Sutherland said. "The main gallery and a meeting space will be located on the upper floor."
The Cultural and Arts Centre is one part of a $7 million plan, along with the redevelopment of Gum Swamp reserve and the commissioning of 20 new sculptures to extend the Sculpture Down the Lachlan public art trail.
If you've been out to the sculptures along the Lachlan you'll have seen earthworks and improvements are already taking place, and a number of local businesses have already been involved.
As part of the Gum Swamp redevelopment, Midpro Engineering (Forbes) fabricated the two-storey frames for the new bird hides, before sending off to Cowra's Central Plate and Gal to be galvanised.
"We have almost completed all the components for the three new bird hides and are preparing to start the on-site works now that harvest has wrapped up, beginning with the footing foundations," Midpro owner Ian 'Bart' Bartholomaeus said.
Installation of the new hides is anticipated to be complete by March 2020. Outback Soils (Forbes) will then carry out the remaining work on the walkways, handrails and concrete seating.
Outback Soils are also working in partnership with landscape architect, Outscape (Grenfell) on the landscaping for the Sculpture Down the Lachlan extension and the Albion Park redevelopment.
The custom SDL concrete blocks that feature at each site were designed and manufactured by Outback Soils owner, Tim Wood.
Forbes Arts Society Chair, Dr Karen Ritchie, said engaging local suppliers and contractors, where possible, was part of the vision as they seek to diversify our economy.
The 'Boosting the Lachlan Valley Economy Art Project' is funded by the NSW Government's Restart NSW program through the Regional Growth, Environment and Tourism Development Fund, the Forbes Arts Society, Forbes Shire Council, Lachlan Shire Council and Evolution Mining.
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Records, Reviews
Album | Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Return To Greendale
by Ian Parker • 6 November 2020 • Comments Off on Album | Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Return To Greendale
After years of delays to the Archives project, it seems lockdown has provided Young with the time to get things moving at such a pace its becoming difficult to keep up. Barely a month is going by without a release from restless 74-year-old at the moment. Less than two months after The Times EP and a few weeks before the hugely anticipated Archives Vol. 2 (not to mention the upcoming 50th anniversary reissue of After The Gold Rush), he’s once again gone back into the vault of live performances to bring us Return To Greendale. A live show from 2003 of Young performing Greendale in full with Crazy Horse – the set is accompanied by a film of the show in which the concept album was acted out on stage theatrically while the band played in front and screens showed cuts from Greendale The Movie. This is, in a pretty literal sense, rock opera.
It would be fair to say Greendale – in which Young explored his growing concerns for the environment via the means of a suite of songs set in a fictional seaside Californian town – was marmite at the time of its release. Young’s 25th studio album was toured extensively before coming out, but a lot of fans were left clamouring for the hits rather than trying to absorb a sprawling concept album. With the passage of time, the record has earned a number of reappraisals, not least as the issues it tackles grow in prominence. Greendale was an ambitious vision – it even came with a graphic novel – fully realised. On stage, Young delivers the performance with passion, backed by that trademark Crazy Horse groove – an infectious combination which sustains the set for its full 90 minutes.
Young is releasing and re-releasing music at such a rate right now that even the most committed fans might need to start being selective. Lined up against After The Gold Rush and an Archives volume focusing on arguably the most productive spell of his songwriting career, Return To Greendale might not figure at the top of too many wish lists, but this is a set that proves that – whatever his critics at time thought – Young was most definitely on to something. The message of the record is no less urgent today than it was in 2003, and it proves well worth the return trip.
Album | Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Colorado
EP | Neil Young - The Times
Album | Neil Young - Homegrown
Album | Neil Young & The Stray Gators - Tuscaloosa
Album | Neil Young - Songs For Judy
#646 Neil Young - Ohio (Live)
#623 Laura Marling - The Needle and the Damage Done
Album | Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – 1974
Record Store Day | Shopping Guide Part Two
#254 Neil Young - Old Man (Live at Massey Hall)
Tags: Neil Young Neil Young & Crazy Horse
← Album | My Darling Clementine with Steve Nieve – Country Darkness
Session | Vicky Sometani – Breeze →
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In Japan, Detroit demands broad access but targets narrow niche
By Yoko KubotaReuters
American "muscle car" enthusiast Satoshi Kimiwada says his business selling used Chevrolet Camaros, Ford Mustangs other U.S. cars in Yokohama is on the verge of extinction.
But he does not blame the "non-trade barriers" that U.S. automakers say block their access to Japan's car market, or the trade negotiators in Washington and Tokyo whose talks to resolve them have been bogged down in months of wrangling.
Instead points to the brash image of the U.S. brands he has been selling in Japan for 20 years, which clashes awkwardly with mainstream consumer tastes in the world's no.3 car market.
"People gawk at American cars when they drive by here, where green cars are the norm," said Kimiwada, 39, whose small garage is decorated with old Californian number plates and neon signs from U.S. drive-ins. "They're gaudy. The styling sticks out."
"Made in America", he says, in Japan means loud, gas-guzzlers whose big engines attract a high ownership tax rate.
Whilst complaining about currency manipulation and non-tariff measures that they say make Japan the world's most closed car market, Detroit's Big Three seem to have long settled for a narrow, shrinking niche even as European manufacturers stake out a growing presence.
With off-road Jeeps outselling mass-market Chrysler cars in Japan, U.S. makes have been stuck at a dismal 0.2 to 0.4 percent share for a decade, less than a quarter of their mid-1990s peak, when they still attempted to compete for the mass market.
German rival Volkswagen AG , by contrast, has kept a steady presence in the mass market with a share of 1.2 percent. German brands also including Mercedes-Benz , BMW and Audi hold around a 4 percent share overall.
Japan's automakers dominate their home market with more than a 90 percent share, and have also captured more than a third of the U.S. market. American car makers say the playing field is tilted against them.
On the sidelines of drawn-out negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership regional free trade agreement, U.S. and Japanese officials are discussing a number of barriers in Japan such as noise tests and rules on certifying radio frequencies.
The Big Three are arguing for a slow-paced 25-year phase-out of the 2.5 percent U.S. tariff on Japanese cars and 25 percent on trucks, with an option to re-impose them should Japan violate agreements.
NICHE WITHIN A NICHE
The Big Three insist they have not given up on Japan as they chase fast-growing markets elsewhere in Asia, but on the ground their strategies suggest they are still playing to the decades-old image of American cars.
Kimiwada's sales plummeted from 70 cars a month worth about $240,000 in the mid-1990s to just two or three today, putting the future of his business in doubt.
U.S. carmakers' Japan sales peaked around 1996, when the yen was strong and they offered more than twice as many brands as today, while operating nearly four times as many dealerships and investing in TV advertising.
Since then, Japan has entered a protracted economic slump and the Big Three were engulfed in financial crises and even bankruptcies at home.
General Motors Co , Ford Motor Co and Chrysler, all making their presence felt at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week, skipped November's biennial Tokyo Motor Show for the third time in a row.
"It was a matter of how to best allocate our marketing and advertising costs when considering that import cars are a niche segment to begin with, and even within that we are a niche player," said GM Japan Managing Director Sumito Ishii.
In the five years to July 2013, the Big Three each spent roughly a tenth to a twentieth of Volkswagen's promotional costs, according to Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association.
GM Japan, whose official dealership network dropped the Opel and several other brands in the last decade and now only sells Chevrolets and Cadillacs, sees the latter, luxury brand as its best chance to grow, said Gregg Sedewitz, GM Japan sales and marketing director.
Chrysler, which sells Jeep- and Chrysler-badged cars but no longer the Dodge, is focused on promoting the former's off-road image, said Shinji Kuroiwa, spokesman for Fiat Chrysler Japan.
The exception is Ford, which had ditched compacts and sedans in Japan in 2007 to focus on big vehicles such as the Mustang and SUVs. It retreated further in 2008, when it sold a controlling minority stake in No. 5 Japanese automaker Mazda Motor Corp <7261.T> as it rebuilt its finances.
But last year it brought back the Focus and in February it will reintroduce the compact Fiesta for the first time in seven years.
"We had to stop selling them then because of the business situation at our headquarters, but now we are able to offer very attractive cars that match Japanese customers because we have global products," said Hiroshi Kinoshita, Ford Japan's Marketing Director.
Still, only around 4,200 Fords were registered in Japan last year, less than a fifth of its peak in 1996.
That contrasts with Volkswagen, whose Golf in November became the first import to be named Japan's car of the year, beating Honda Motor Co's <7267.T> Fit subcompact and Toyota Motor Corp's <7203.T> Crown luxury sedan.
Volkswagen's total Japan sales of around 67,300 vehicles last year, while still a fraction of the 3 million it sells in China, were nearly five times the combined figure of Detroit's Big Three.
Volkswagen aims to boost Japan sales to 100,000 vehicles over five years, said Yasuo Maruta, Volkswagen Group Japan's communications director, by expanding its dealership network.
"If the non-tariff barriers are gone, that would certainly lessen the burden," said Ford's Kinoshita. "But that won't mean our cars are going to automatically take off."
(Editing by Edmund Klamann and Alex Richardson)
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Nachtigall, Grant Edward
December 24, 1939 – June 16, 2020
at the age of 80 years:
Remembering Grant
Sadly, our Dad, Grant Edward Nachtigall, left us on Tuesday, June 16, 2020. Born and raised in the town of Steep Rock, MB – he was a talented handy-man, avid outdoorsman, and hard-core hockey fan.
At the age of 17 he moved to Binscarth, MB to finish his education where he met his high school sweetheart, Dawn. Following Dad’s career with CP Rail, our family moved all over the prairies. We lived in various places along the way, but spent significant amounts of time in Moosomin, SK, Brandon, MB, Winnipeg, MB, and Calgary, AB.
Dad had a long and industrious career with CP Rail that took him from the Lakehead Division to Banff. Starting as a Signal Maintainer in Winnipeg in 1960, he held many positions that eventually lead him to the final stop in his career as Special Projects Supervisor in Calgary.
To say Dad was good with his hands would be an understatement – he was a self-taught woodworker and brilliant gardener. You name it, he could fix it. We had a saying in our family: “If Grandpa can’t fix it, nobody can.” He had an amazing work ethic and fantastic sense of humour, right to the end.
All things hockey, curling, and baseball were his greatest passions. He loved the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and the various hockey teams that his grandson Kyler played on. In his later years he enjoyed making homemade wine with his son-in-law Steve and perfected a wicked Merlot.
He loved exploring the outdoors and travelling the globe with Dawn. Together they took in all this world has to offer – taking various European river cruises and travelling from Ireland to Costa Rica.
Grant is survived by his wife of nearly 58 years, Dawn Nachtigall; his twin sister Arla, his sister Bernice, his children, Kelvin Nachtigall (Layna) and Pam Allen (Steve), his two grandchildren Emily and Kyler, and numerous other family members, friends, neighbours and admirers. He was predeceased by his brother Don.
We will miss his quiet, loving nature; his contagious giggle, and his ability to fix absolutely anything.
Handyman in Heaven
There’s a handy man in heaven now.
Who built his life on dreams.
No task, no chore, no obstacle,
He loved the challenge of extremes.
A caring, honest provider
That unselfishly gave his all,
A heart of gold and hands of love
That responded to the call.
A son, a brother, a family man,
that would help you to the end.
A reliable person of integrity
that all wanted as their friend.
There’s a handy man in heaven now
Who’s fixing heaven’s gate,
Oiling the hinges with pride and care,
So they’ll open for all who wait.
Ken and April Fleury on June 22, 2020 at 4:26 pm
Our deepest sympathies to the Nachtigall family . It was always a pleasure too see the Nachtigall clan at the rink to support Kyler when he was a Brooks Bandit . Grant and Dawn rarely missed a game Always there in support of players families and friends !
Rod and Carole Wakeford on June 22, 2020 at 9:13 pm
Our deepest sympathies Dawn to you and your family. Always enjoyed working with Grant. Still talk about our trailer park days and all the moves.
Dwight Cook on July 10, 2020 at 10:18 pm
May I offer my deepest sympathy to Grants family. I went to the old
two room Steep Rock School when Grant did . He was 4 years older than I was. On one occasion the older boys were going to beat me up
and Grant saved my life.
Although I lost touch with him and did not know his family ,I do remember Grant as a very kind person. Dwight Cook
Brent Haney on July 25, 2020 at 6:30 pm
Dear Dawn Kelly and Pam,
Our most sincere condolences to you on Grant’s passing.
Mom was one of his biggest fans, with the help that he gave her searching for our ancestors and they shared many joys and discoveries. She would have been crushed to know of his passing.
It has been many years since we have seen you, but you have been spoken of often in Mom and Dad’s house over the years, always with great fondness.
Please give our warmest regards to Arla and Bernice.
We wish you all the best,
Roy, Brent, and Kim Haney and families.
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FAME Login
FAME By Request
Gary Thor Wedow
Critical Acclaim
Conductor Gary Thor Wedow has established an enviable reputation for dramatically exciting and historically informed performances with opera companies, orchestras, festivals, and choral organizations throughout North America. Opera News has hailed him for his “hot music making” and “convincingly elegant period style.” His debut with the New York Philharmonic conducting Messiah was noted in the New York Times for ‘a fleet, lithe orchestral performance, aptly complemented by the buoyant singing of the chorus.’
Gary Wedow’s engagements in the 2020-2021 COVID-19 impacted season include Handel’s Teseo with the Juilliard School, Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance with Utah Opera, Handel’s Giulio Cesare with Carnegie Mellon University, and Handel’s Messiah with Portland Baroque Orchestra (postponed). In the summer of 2021, he will return to Des Moines Metro Opera for Rameau’s Platée.
Maestro Wedow’s engagements during the COVID-19 shortened 2019-2020 season began with returns to Opera Philadelphia for Semele (performed) and Seattle Opera for La Cenerentola (performed). He then made his house debut with Opera Omaha conducting The Abduction from the Seraglio (performed). He also returned to Utah Opera for Il barbiere di Siviglia (cancelled) and Boston Lyric Opera for Giulio Cesare (cancelled). In the summer of 2020, he joined Des Moines Metro Opera for Rameau’sPlatée (postponed).
The Maestro’s busy 2018-2019 season included a return engagement with Pittsburgh Opera for Don Pasquale, as well as La Calisto at The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and Giulio Cesare for the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, the latter for the American Handel Society’s Festival and Conference.
His 2017-2018 season was notable for debuts with the Nashville Symphony for Messiah, Lembit Beecher’s War Stories for Opera Philadelphia and L’incoronazione di Poppea starring Anthony Roth Costanzo for Cincinnati Opera. He was also in Madison for a concert appearance with Madison Opera, the Manhattan School of Music conducting La Cenerentola, Lucia di Lammermoor for The Jacobs School of Music and Die Fledermaus for Utah Opera.
Recent appearances include his debuts with San Diego Opera conducting Rossini’s La Cenerentola and Orphée for Des Moines Metro Opera, Lucia di Lammermoor for Utah Opera, The Magic Flute for Madison Opera and a special collaboration between The Juilliard School and the Westminster Choir College of Mozart’s Requiem at Alice Tully Hall. Handel’s Messiah is frequently on his schedule with return engagements at Portland Baroque, the Santa Fe Symphony and a special performance at St. Thomas Church that the New York Times called “a war horse of a different, brighter color, with mighty crescendos and exquisite pianissimos, and guilty pleasures.”
A favorite with Seattle Opera audiences, Wedow has also been a frequent guest of Florida Grand Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Arizona Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Portland Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Berkshire Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Opera Saratoga, and the Amherst Early Music Festival, among others. He was for many years associated with New York City Opera, leading the New York premiere of Telemann’s Orpheus, the groundbreaking Christopher Alden productions of Don Giovanni and Stephen Wadsworth’s Xerxes.
Choral masterpieces and symphonic repertoire have taken him to the podiums of the New York Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, The Alabama Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Berkshire Choral International in Massachusetts, New Mexico, California and in Salzburg, and Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society where he was, for many years, Associate Conductor.
Born in LaPorte, Indiana and now a resident of New York City, he has been a member of the Juilliard School faculty since 1994 where he has led performances of L’incoronazione di Poppea, La finta giardiniera, Ariodante and Don Giovanni. Of particular note was the tour of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with Juilliard 415 Historical Performance Ensemble that culminated at Alice Tully Hall ‘in a performance that caught fire and magic’ according to the New York Times. His continued championship of young musicians and singers is further exemplified by projects at The Teatro Colón, Wolf Trap Opera, the San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program and the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. A musical scholar as well as conductor, he has prepared several performing editions of baroque works in collaboration with gambist Lawrence Lipnik. Mr. Wedow studied piano with virtuoso Jorge Bolet at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University and received his Master of Music degree at the New England Conservatory.
The Coronation of Poppea – Cincinnati Opera
“[Director Zack] Winokur, conductor Gary Thor Wedow and dramaturge Cori Ellison created a concise performing edition … Wedow’s conducting was flexible, allowing the music time to expand or moving it forward with the drama.”
Joe Law, Opera News
“Under the leadership of Gary Thor Wedow, members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Early Music ensemble Catacoustic Consort provided a full, enchanting realization of Monteverdi’s music.”
Anne Arenstein, CityBeat
Die Fledermaus – Utah Opera
“Wedow led the Utah Symphony with unerring pacing and balance.”
Catherine Reese Newton, The Salt Lake Tribune
War Stories – Opera Philadelphia
…the vocal effort was heightened and well partnered by a tight ensemble of period instrumentalists under the smooth direction of Gary Thor Wedow … Maestro Wedow once again provided a luminous reading, ripe with heart and hurt.”
James Sohre, Opera Today
The music sounds remarkable in the space, and the cloister only magnifies the precise and thrilling playing of the stellar ensemble, led by Gary Thor Wedow from the harpsichord. The presentation of such an early opera is an exciting opportunity to reveal the dramatic possibilities of this canon of works.”
Erik Flaten, Schmopera
La Cenerentola – San Diego Opera
“There’s one fairy tale I’d love to experience, but alas, they rarely come true in real life. Such was the case Saturday evening when San Diego Opera opened its season with Rossini’s “La Cenerentola” (billed as “Cinderella”). Its cast was strong overall, and under Gary Thor Wedow’s baton, the orchestra cheerfully sparkled with the best performance of this score in the company’s history.”
Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune
“Guest conductor Gary Thor Wedow drew crisp, stylish support from the orchestra. The brass sections proved unusually agile in dense sections that revealed how inventive Rossini’s orchestration could be— especially since he finished the entire opera in a mere three weeks.”
Ken Herman, San Diego Story
Orphee – Des Moines Metro Opera
In the pit, Maestro Gary Thor Wedow infused the musical reading with passion and immediacy. Performances of this genre can sometimes become precious, reverential, or worse, irrelevant. But Mr. Wedow encouraged a rendition full of buoyant freshness and dramatic vitality. His instrumentalists responded with equal doses of plangency and panache.”
Le nozze di Figaro – Utah Opera
Conducting without a baton, Wedow led the Utah Symphony — fresh off its triumphant appearance in Carnegie Hall — in a magnificent performance of Mozart’s glorious score. Whether nimbly illuminating the comedic hijinks or tenderly comforting Heaston in her gorgeous performance of the aria “Dove sono,” the orchestra was always on point.”
Catherine Reese Newton, Salt Lake Tribune
Le nozze di Figaro – Seattle Opera
Another big plus came from Gary Thor Wedow’s alert, vividly shaped conducting. From the Overture he set a tone for sprightly, flexible tempi that were vividly in sync with Lang’s stage sensibility. Wedow allowed us to revel in the variety of Mozart’s score, from lightning flashes of wit to Sturm und Drang fulminations.”
Thomas May, Bachtrack
“Conductor Gary Thor Wedow, whose previous work at Seattle Opera has always been both energetic and stylish, returned to deliver a well-paced, brilliantly played show.”
Melinda Bargreen, Seattle Times
Semele – Seattle Opera
First, you start with a world-class conductor. Gary Thor Wedow, a Seattle Opera favorite, fills that bill nicely…. Against the beautiful backgrounds, and with Wedow’s impassioned and adroitly paced conducting, the principal and supporting singers had every opportunity to shine.”
Don Giovanni – Seattle Opera
Conductor Gary Thor Wedow, presiding at the fortepiano (to excellent advantage during dialogue/recitative passages), was both stylish and perfectly attuned to his singers.”
Abduction from the Seraglio – Utah Opera
Gary Thor Wedow leads the Utah Symphony in a light, crisp and nicely nuanced outing. (In a lovely gesture, Wedow had the orchestra take a bow at the end of Saturday’s performance, to hearty applause from the Capitol Theatre crowd.)”
St. Matthew’s Passion – Juiliard415
…if you wanted to cite a single major performance to illustrate (virtually throughout its considerable length) the lofty level New York early-musickers — even the students among them — can now achieve, you could hardly find a better example than the Juilliard School presentation of Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion” at Alice Tully Hall on Monday evening. Gary Thor Wedow conducted Juilliard415, the orchestra representing the school’s historical performance program. Mr. Wedow showed total command of the work and paced the performance judiciously in a performance that caught fire and magic.”
James Oestrich, New York Times
Messiah – Seattle Symphony
Messiah rings out with Gary Thor Wedow at the helm. This year’s Seattle Symphony ‘Messiah’ production is a first: a performance that has a strongly operatic underpinning, yet some of the most unified and convincing baroque-style bowing the Seattle Symphony strings have ever mustered. …an evident master of the ‘Messiah’ score, put a persuasive and powerful stamp on the Handel classic. Wedow conducted the recitatives and arias mostly from the harpsichord, where he is a master stylist in achieving just the right fluid interconnections.”
Il Viaggio a Reims – Wolf Trap Opera
The orchestra percolated steadily, conducted by conductor Gary Thor Wedow, whose abundant rhythmic snap and lyrical sensitivity put the finishing touch on an exhilarating production.”
Tim Smith, Opera News
La voix humaine / Suor Angelica – Seattle Opera
Conductor Gary Thor Wedow does a great job with the responsive orchestra, not only in the spiky, fastmoving Poulenc score but also in the lush sonorities of Puccini’s Suor Angelica.”
Gary Thor Wedow led a convincingly paced and sumptuously played account of the two composers’ widely differing scores.”
Bernard Jacobson, Seen and Heard International
“Conductor Gary Thor Wedow does a fine job of shaping the flow and keeping the expressive and tonal music from overwhelming the singer.”
Philippa Kiraly, CityArts
Messiah – New York Philharmonic
Gary Thor Wedow, making his debut with the Philharmonic on Tuesday evening at Avery Fisher Hall, brought substantial experience leading historically informed performances to this excellent “Messiah.” …. From the crisp, energetic overture, Mr. Wedow led a fleet, lithe orchestral performance, aptly complemented by the buoyant singing of the chorus.”
Vivien Schweitzer, New York Times
“…buoyant, propulsive tempos, neat contrasts and nice clangy textures with a reduced orchestra. He coaxed remarkably nimble, ultimately forceful contributions from the New York Choral Artists. He encouraged his soloists, and chorus too, to execute elaborate linear embellishments that made dramatic as well as ornamental sense. …He enforced contrapuntal discourse without distortion, and turned lavish cadenzas into climactic explorations.”
Martin Bernheimer, Financial Times
Rinaldo – Portland Baroque Orchestra
Rinaldo is a grand entertainment…First and foremost, the company has put Portland Baroque Orchestra in the pit, and under the brisk direction of Gary Thor Wedow, who has extensive experience in early opera, Handel’s music was vivid and buoyant.”
Brent Wojahn, Oregon Live
“Wedow’s leadership was impressive and intelligent throughout the evening, allowing a deliberately small-scale performance to fill a vast hall comfortably.”
F. Paul Driscoll, Opera News
Orpheus – New York City Opera
The talented Baroque specialist Gary Thor Wedow presided over a nineteen-piece orchestra that sounded both warm and crisp in the somewhat dry acoustic, and continuo players (who included Wedow on the harpsichord-like virginals) had constant contact with the stage. Wedow’s tempos and sense of style were perfect.
Judith Malafronte, Opera News
Don Giovanni – Juilliard Opera
“Gary Thor Wedow conducted the Juilliard Orchestra in a polished and vibrant reading of the score.”
“The conductor Gary Thor Wedow meets the challenge of Mozart’s jocular drama with orchestral colors that are sometimes dark, sometimes laughing, and ultimately transcendent.”
Don Giovanni – New York City Opera
Gary Thor Wedow’s conducting was superlative. Under his baton the orchestra sounded crisp and precise. I especially appreciated Maestro Wedow’s effort to show that Mozart was after all a son of his own time, and his operas were subjected to the same performance practices of the period. Thus, the conductor allowed the use of appoggiaturas and tasteful variations in the da capos of the arias.”
Brief Encounter, Ercole Farnese
The Magic Flute – Seattle Opera
Wedow’s early-music-style of conducting swept the cobwebs from the score right from the beginning of the overture. Unexpected accents and rather spare textures exposed hidden vitality and enlivened the sometimes ponderous moments that arose from too many years of German Romanticism applied by conductors of old. Brisk tempi never seemed rushed, and orchestral balances opened up the sound and never came close to swamping the singers. Especially exciting were the choral moments of the second half.”
Rod Parke, Seattle Gay News
“(Chris) Alexander sensibly left the curtain down almost throughout the overture, of which Wedow led one of the best performances I can remember.”
Return of Ulysses – Wolf Trap Opera
This was hot music-making, aided every step of the way by conductor Gary Thor Wedow, who maintained a telling pulse even as he allowed for exquisite, unhurried molding of the most lyrical passages.”
Tim Smith, Baltimore Sun
Giulio Cesare – Florida Grand Opera
The musical performance was buoyed by conductor Gary Thor Wedow. Wedow’s mastery of the score was evident everywhere; his unflappable presence was the rock on which this Cesare was built; with convincingly elegant period style playing from the Florida Grand Orchestra.”
Robert Carreras, Opera News
Basically Baroque Concert Series – Seattle Symphony
Sometimes conductors can get so wound up in the details of authentic baroque performance practice that they forget to make sure the audience is having a good time. That’s why a conductor like Gary Thor Wedow is a breath of fresh air on the Seattle Symphony’s ‘Basically Baroque’ series. Wedow certainly doesn’t neglect the baroque conventions; but he also let the spirit of the music shine through, especially in the evening’s finale, Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Suite from “Dardanus”.
Rinaldo – Berkshire Opera
The opera was delightfully played by a first-rate chamber orchestra under the direction of Gary Thor Wedow. Years in opera houses have taught him how to make this music theatrical – and how to accommodate singers while challenging them. His work was knowledgeable, vital and full of the smell of candlelight and greasepaint.”
Richard Dyer, The Boston Globe
Iphigenia in Tauris – Seattle Opera
Fortunately, this production has a charmed cast of brilliant singing actors; a beautifully sensitive orchestra under the direction of Gary Thor Wedow; and emotionally intelligent staging by Stephen Wadsworth….The tumultuous ovation that greeted the final curtain made the listeners’ thumbs-up very clear.”
“…with intelligence and passion and expansiveness, led by Gary Thor Wedow in the pit…Wedow was on such sure ground he was able to keep a foothold in the subtle shiftings of Gluck’s complex score. The orchestra possessed textural clarity, welcome impetus and a handsome sound.”
R.M. Campbell, Seattle Post Intelligencer
Giulio Cesare – Canadian Opera Company
…beguilingly moulded instrumentally by a ten-player ensemble conducted by Gary Thor Wedow.”
Urjo Kareda, The Globe and Mail
“Under Gary Thor Wedow’s expert direction…convincingly assimilated the proper style of baroque singing.”
Tamara Bernstein, National Post
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Why we're here...
"The arts are a challenging and under-appreciated field. However, I believe very deeply in the importance of creative work for individuals/communities and for social change. We need more art in the world - not merely for entertainment, but for the well-being of our communities, to reconnect to the self, and to foster a more universal and inclusive language. Being an artist is a constant risk, but one that is well worth the moments of inspiration that allow us to create, perform, share, teach and inspire."
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By FML Videos
Winter Fashion Struggles
It's called fashion, look it up.
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Never get involved
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By Chris Ratliff Jr. | 8
#7720130 - Wednesday 7 November 2018 19:19
hope you don't fall over. you'd be like that kid from Christmas story rolling around and crying cuz ya cant get up.
By Taurus_ChicKa | 36
It's the Oogie Boogie Woman!
By Charlie Given | 23
#7720305 - Thursday 8 November 2018 3:52
Finally a jacket women can wear and not whine about being cold 😂
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Schroders buys $7bn private equity firm Adveq
Acquisition is biggest foray for Schroders in private equity since spinning off SVG in 1996
Photography: Ben Philips
Mark Cobley
Thursday April 20, 2017 3:49 pm
Schroders, the UK's biggest listed fund manager, has agreed to buy a $7 billion Swiss private equity firm, Adveq, plugging a gap in its alternatives and private markets offering.
The companies announced the deal in a statement today but said financial terms for the transaction would not be disclosed. Schroders promised no change to the investment team or strategy at Adveq, which employs 110 people.
Adveq,...
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Courtesy: Bloomsbury
This book’s premise is that Donald Trump’s attempt to withdraw from various agreements, supposedly harmful to America’s interests, is an opportunity for regional players to come into their own. The author’s presentation of facts dazzles, but his recommendations are unspecific
TAGGED UNDER: Emerging nations, post-american world order, US-China
Courtesy: Penguin
Delusional Politics
BY Pranaav Gupta
The apparently disparate themes that Hardeep Singh Puri analyses in this book cohere under his overarching thesis about delusional decision-making and its unexpected consequences, be it Brexit or the rise of populist leaders. His analysis includes an examination of the democratic process, the role of the media and the elusive nature of definitions
Courtesy: Vij Books
The Legitimacy of Power: The Permanence of Five in the Security Council
Former ambassador Dilip Sinha’s book comes at a time when there is a call for greater transparency and accountability in the functioning of institutions the world over. The United Nations Security Council, a vestige of post-Second World War structures, has had no real meaningful reform. The author deals with this and other thorny questions
Courtesy: John Murray
The Human Tide: How Population Shaped the Modern World
BY E. Somanathan
Demography has an important role in economic and political history, it has an impact on political thinking and changing populations influence the balance of power between different countries. The book is especially good at British, British colonial and European demographic history, but its weakness is its Euro-centrism
Courtesy: Penguin Books Limited
Understanding P.V. Narasimha Rao
BY Meera Kumar
An earnestly, but objectively written, biography of the late prime minister gives credit where it has been denied: PVN was the principal architect of the economic reforms that put the country on a destiny-changing path of growth, while being up against a restless party, hostile Parliament, and an apathetic public.
Courtesy: Aleph Book Company
The shastri’s “Shastra”
BY Manjeet Kripalani
In the last of a trilogy of books, Shashi Tharoor's volume of 100 articles poses numerous question and critiques of the one-year old Modi government, while also offering "Shastra" on a range of topics. However, in many cases his criticism are unfair and easily applicable to the previous Congress government
Courtesy: McFarland
Book review: Latin America remixed
BY R. Viswanathan
'Latin American Unification: A History of Political and Economic Integration Efforts' is an objective and optimistic narrative by Salvador Rivera of the region’s attempts at consolidating its collective strength
TAGGED UNDER: CELAC, Free Trade of the Americas (FTAA), latin america, Mercosur
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Hype & substance in Trump’s visit
President Trump enjoyed every moment of the hype that attended his February 2020 visit to India, says Ambassador Neelam Deo, Director and Co-founder of Gateway House, in this podcast, even as the focus was on concrete outcomes, such as defence purchases and oil procurement deals. She discusses the geopolitical implications of a closer India-U.S. strategic relationship and the weaknesses of the U.S.-Taliban peace deal
TAGGED UNDER: Afghanistan, India-Afghanistan, India-U.S. relations, peace deal, President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Taliban, us-taliban deal
U.S.-Taliban deal: India in strategic role
BY Sumeer Bhasin
India should stop looking at Afghanistan through the Pakistan prism and be a major contributor in the development of peace and prosperity in the country
TAGGED UNDER: India-Afghanistan relations, India-Pakistan, Pakistan-Afghanistan, us-afghanistan deal, us-taliban deal
Courtesy: AFP Photo/AREF KARIMI
Making Afghanistan whole again: development against odds
BY Huricihan Islamoglu
The people of Afghanistan, torn by war, ethnic strife and geoeconomic contestation for their country’s rich natural resources, have paid by forsaking the assurances of daily life. But President Ashraf Ghani has shown them that normalcy can return and it is possible to hold regular elections. The author, a guest of the President and First Lady, travelled through the country in October 2018 to record her impressions of a resilient people who have reason to hope for a different future
TAGGED UNDER: Afghanista, Afghanistan, ashraf ghani, elections 2019, Presidential palace, Taliban, U.S.
2019, the year of aligning decisively
The imperative for India to move away from its non-aligned posture is now, especially if it wants to be consequential in the global reordering underway. This will play out in the contention between the U.S. on one side, and China and Russia on the other.
TAGGED UNDER: Belt and Road Initiative, CPEC, Indian foreign policy, Trade War, US sanctions on russia
Courtesy: 123RF
How ‘hawala’ impacts national security
On November 8, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced to India, the demonetisation of high-value currency notes, he specifically referred to the use of Hawala and fake Indian currency notes for terrorist financing. The hawala system to move funds globally for terrorist financing is huge, secretive, and layered—and a challenge for national security agencies.
TAGGED UNDER: black money, hawala, indian currency, national security, Terror financing
Bioregions: India’s strategic imperative
Prime Minister Modi’s term has been marked by a resolve to improve cooperation among South Asian nations. These proactive efforts can bear rich fruit if the Modi government promotes the concept of geoeconomic and geopolitical equations being seen through the lens of bioregions. There are significant precedents which the Modi government can build upon
TAGGED UNDER: Bioregions, Ecoregions, rajni bakshi, SAARC
Courtesy: CentralMaine
Afghanistan must make rights a reality
BY Ahmad Shuja
Huge threats to human rights continue in Afghanistan. President Ghani has pledged to end official tolerance for torture, and his government must also protect the freedom of the media, ensure that more women participate in peace talks, and bring transparency to negotiations with the Taliban. These correctives are overdue
TAGGED UNDER: Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani Ahmedzai, Indo-Afghanistan, Middle East, Narendra Modi, NATO, SAARC
Courtesy: South Asia Media
Coalitions of opposites
BY Karan Pradhan
Representative democracy has resulted in coalition governments, comprising parties with opposing agendas, gradually being formed across the world. The Afghan unity government and the BJP-PDP coalition in Jammu and Kashmir are two such coalitions that share numerous similarities, not least of which is the role of Pakistan.
TAGGED UNDER: Democracy
123...»Last »
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Generali Group / Media / News / Generali supports “Ambition Italy for Inclusion and Acessibility” project
Generali supports “Ambition Italy for Inclusion and Acessibility” project
Generali joined today "Ambition Italy for Inclusion and Accessibility", an ecosystem project created by Microsoft Italia and addressed to promoting Diversity values through digital technologies, so that no one is left behind. The initiative translates into a strategic alliance with companies, institutions and associations to develop together new projects to support Accessibility and Inclusion in everyday life and in the company, leveraging new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Computing.
Generali is fully committed to promoting an inclusive culture and workplace where people with impairments no longer face behavioural and environmental barriers so as to enable them to fully perform and participate in the life of the company.
For people with different abilities, innovation is not optional, but rather a fundamental requirement for being an active part in the life of the company Generali considers strategic to value diversity for better support our customers and the communities we serve. Diversity is also the basis of the innovation process and of a faster way of working.
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William Wallace Lincoln
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William Wallace Lincoln's Geni Profile
Also Known As: "Willie Lincoln"
Birthplace: Springfield, Sangamon, Illinois, United States
Death: February 20, 1862 (11)
The White House, Washington, DC, United States (typhoid)
Place of Burial:
Oak Ridge Cem, Springfield, Illinois
Son of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the USA and Mary Todd Lincoln, First Lady
Brother of Robert Todd Lincoln, U.S. Secretary of War; Edward Baker Lincoln and Thomas 'Tad' Lincoln
Historical records matching William Wallace Lincoln
William Wallace Lincoln in GenealogieOnline Family Tree Index
GenealogieOnline Family Tree Index
Dec 21 1850 - Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, United States of America
Abraham B Lincoln, Mary Ann Lincoln
Edward Baker Lincoln, Thomas Lincoln
William Wallace Lincoln in Famous People Throughout History
Third Son Of Abraham Lincoln
Dec 21 1850 - Springfield, United States
Feb 20 1862 - White House, United States
Parent(s):
Mary Todd Lincoln,Abraham Lincoln
Tad Lincoln, Edward Baker Lincoln, Robert Todd Lincoln
William Wallace Lincoln in BillionGraves
BillionGraves
Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site, Springfield, Illinois, United States
William Wallace "Willie" Lincoln in GenealogieOnline Family Tree Index
William Wallace "Willie" Lincoln
Dec 21 1850 - Springfield, Sangamon, Illinois
Feb 20 1862 - Washington, District of Columbia
William Lincoln in GenealogieOnline Family Tree Index
William Lincoln
Dec 21 1850 - Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, USA
Feb 20 1862 - Washington City, District of Columbia, District of Columbia, USA
Thomas Lincoln, Mary Ann Todd
...oln, Kyla Lincoln, William Lincoln, Edward Baker Lincoln, Son Lincoln, Samuel Lincoln, Thomas Tad Lincoln, Henry Todd, Mary Todd, Suson a...
Dec 21 1850 - Springfield, Sangamon, Illinois, USA
Feb 20 1862 - White House, Washington, D
Abraham "Abe" , 16Th President Lincoln, Mary Ann "Molly" Todd,
Mary Todd Lincoln, Edward Baker Lincoln, Thomas "Tad" Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln, Mary Ann Todd
Willie Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln, Edward Baker Lincoln, Edward Baker "Eddie" Lincoln, Thomas "Tad" Lincoln
William Wallace Lincoln in WikiTree
WikiTree
Dec 21 1850 - Springfield, Sangamon, Illinois, United States
Feb 20 1862 - White House, Duval, Florida, United States
President Abraham Lincoln, Mary Ann Lincoln
Robert Todd Lincoln, Edward Baker Lincoln, Thomas Lincoln
William Wallace Lincoln in Biographical Summaries of Notable People
Biographical Summaries of Notable People
Dec 21 1850 - Springfield
Cause of death: Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2b, Typhoid fever - Feb 20 1862 - Washington, D.C.
Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln
William Wallace Lincoln in Salem Register - Mar 3 1862
Salem Register - Mar 3 1862
Massachusetts Newspapers, 1704-1974
"..., sever- ish These Funeral of Willie Lincoln. The funeral of Master William W. Lincoln yesterday, at the White House, at two o'clock ...
Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
William Wallace Lincoln in The Boston Traveler - Feb 22 1862
The Boston Traveler - Feb 22 1862
... White bouse closed thc eyes of one of thc president's sons, Willie Lincoln, a child of cleven years, whose good fortune it has igen to l...
Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States
William Wallace Lincoln in FamilySearch Family Tree
FamilySearch Family Tree
Feb 20 1862 - Washington, District of Columbia, District of Colombia, United States
Feb 20 2012 - Crystal Lake, Illinois, United States
President Abraham Lincoln, Mary Ann Lincoln (born Todd)
Robert Todd Lincoln, Thomas Lincoln III, Edward Baker Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln, 16th President ...
Mary Todd Lincoln, First Lady
Robert Todd Lincoln, U.S. Secret...
Edward Baker Lincoln
Thomas 'Tad' Lincoln
About William Wallace Lincoln
Died of typhoid.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wallace_Lincoln
William Wallace "Willie" Lincoln (December 21, 1850 – February 20, 1862) was the third son of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln. He died at the age of 11. He was named after Mary's brother-in-law Dr. William Wallace.
Final illness and death
Willie became ill in early 1862, and his condition fluctuated from day to day. The most likely cause of the illness was "typhoid fever", contracted from drinking contaminated water. Gradually Willie weakened, and both parents spent much time at his bedside. Finally, on Thursday, February 20, 1862, at 5:00 p.m., Willie died. Abraham said, "My poor boy. He was too good for this earth. God has called him home. I know that he is much better off in heaven, but then we loved him so. It is hard, hard to have him die!" Both parents were deeply affected. Willie's younger brother, Tad, cried for nearly a month because he and Willie were very close brothers. Lincoln generated no official correspondence for four days. Mary was so distraught that Lincoln feared for her sanity. Tad was sick with the same illness at the same time, though he survived.
Willie was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown. After his father's assassination in 1865, Willie's casket was exhumed and he was moved to a temporary tomb. He was reinterred at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois, on September 19, 1871 alongside the remains of his father and his brothers, Tad and Eddie holding a blue handkerchief (Willie). Mary Todd Lincoln was later buried in the same tomb.
William Wallace Lincoln's Timeline
Birth of William Wallace Lincoln
Springfield, Sangamon, Illinois, United States
Resided on 1860
Springfield, Sangamon, Illinois
Death of William Wallace Lincoln at The White House
Burial of William Wallace Lincoln
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Head of Music
Job Title: Head of Music
Location: Kuala Lumpur
Salary: £competitive
REF: ZR_77_JOB
Contact Name: Jon Pettit
Contact Email: jon@futureactive.co.uk
A Great Opportunity Leadership Opportunity in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Awaits You
We’re seeking a dynamic Head of Music, with faculty responsibility, to start in August at this 3-18 school located on a green 20-acre site in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with excellent facilities.
You’ll be a forward thinking, tenacious teacher of Music, able to inspire your departmental colleagues and students from 11-18 alike, including the ability to teach IGCSE and A level.
The school is a truly unique campus, which consists of a Primary and Secondary School (IPC, National Curriculum for England, CIE, IGCSE and A Level) and a Malaysian Private School, (Malaysian National Curriculum).
The campus welcomes over 2000 amazing students, aged from 3 to 18 years and from 38 nationalities; with 1350 attending the international school, 600 of whom will be in the primary school.
The school creates an “Amazing Learning Experience” for their communities, working collaboratively to help children be ready for the world and the contribution they can make locally and globally. In turn, they celebrate being Asian and love the fact that they combine international thinking to create a diverse and exciting campus.
They believe that all students learn through taking risks, being resilient and showing creativity and adaptability. Their students go on to some of the top universities in the world and if they don’t choose Higher Education, they go into careers and colleges of their choice.
Kuala Lumpur is the largest city in Malaysia and combines the ultra-modern with the finest Malaysian cultural heritage. A truly vibrant and exciting place to live.
This may be the first International Vacancy you have applied for, or you may be experienced teaching abroad. Either way, we’re interested to discuss this fantastic Head of Music opportunity with you.
Let’s tell you more about what’s on offer
Generous contributions to an Employee Provident Fund (EPF)
Overseas allowance
Fee reduction for children of employees
Flight and shipping allowance at the beginning and end of the contract.
Does this sound like an opportunity for you?
If so, please get in touch TODAY or why not APPLY now
Jon Pettit
Recruitment Director
Head of History
Head of Computer Science
Head of Design and Technology
Geography Teacher (with Head of Year Opportunity)
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LOGistICAL - Sublime Logistical Strategy Puzzling
Dungeon Crawl: Stone Soup - The Soupening
Police, White Nationalists, and the Rise of Fascism
Been reading the a summary of the deal here. This is similar to the Swiss position. On very simple terms there are 23 different panels that meet annually to assess if the UK law is properly aligned to EU directives. If not the EU will retaliate and are legally covered to do so. So, the UK will now have to apply directives from a body no longer has any say in. Or is could not and face economic harm that would be legally permitted.
Makes a degree of sense from the EU perspective. With the new Swiss-EU framework still awaiting ratification by the Swiss it's probably best to put the UK in a position similar to the Swiss so neither can start to siezing on concessions.
Of course Switzerland and the UK could form team of sort so they can combine their relative economic weights to gain a better deal for their own citizens. Maybe there are other nations of similar development and economic status that they could align with to gain even greater influence not only regionally but globally..... Nah, that's crazy talk. It'd never work.
Especially since the US will need to take years to get out of the slide towards isolationism in trade...
One thing I havent found an answer to (not that I have searched either).
The deal says EU and UK cant change their laws to cause unfair competition between them.
But doesn't it go both ways. Can EU change laws to reduce CO2 emissions for example, without UK saying they are hurting UK companies?
Since the business effects of moving towards carbon neutrality are more likely to hurt (ie, cost money to) the businesses that have to reduce CO2, I am not sure how that would play out... In other words, I don't think it's an issue that applies in that particular case.
There's probably some language dealing with global warming that trumps the competition stuff.
Edit - looks like, as of August, the entire tranche of EU environmental law was expected to be adopted as "retained law", but since that makes it domestic UK law, the EU court cases that much of it depends upon would no longer apply as precedent. So lots of it could change. It does look as if the UK does not have anything like the robust environmental law enforcement institutions that are found in the EU, though.
Robear wrote:
Well, it could be; 'to sell goods in EU, companies need to have zero net carbon emission, so UK companies could no longer sell in EU, unless they also reduced their emissions'. That is a classic trade war tactic; 'you can only sell soda in our markets if the flasks/cans have this specific shape' etc.
Global warming is also just one example. Another, which afaik is specifically mentioned in the text, since EU was worried about the conservative government in UK, is labor rights. So UK agreed they wouldn't take away current labor rights apparently. But makes you wonder if EU cant improve labor right requirements either, without UK having the ability to retaliate.
Yes, but isn't there a clause that says an arbitration panel will rule on whether the rule changes are, essentially, made in good faith for a useful purpose? So that would then rule that it was an unfair trade action and allow retailiation. That principle riddles the agreement, probably for just this reason.
Yes, but isn't there a clause that says an arbitration panel will rule on whether the rule changes are, essentially, made in good faith for a useful purpose?
I dont know. I guess that is what I was asking Have only heard some headlines so far.
I've seen a *lot* mentions of arbitration panels, presumably to balance the fact that actual treaties are not in place governing most of this stuff.
Hopefully they do a good job then. While I am a fan of trade deals in general, there has been some ugly cases around the world, where smaller countries got sued to hell and back again by large companies, for trying to implement laws to reduce smoking etc. Probably not a big issue here, when it is a trade deal between a large country and a large group of countries.
Well of course it also depends on domestic politics. Luckily the UK's political situation is stable and the governing bodies all cooperate to put the voters wishes into practice with little delay...
Lol Robear.
Shadout what you are referrring to is the "level playing field" provision. Basically there will be a minimum that neither side can go below and this minimum will be agreed on an annual basis. Both sides are free to make far better regulations than the minimum but they cannot go below it and harm trade to their benefit.
And the clever students in the back will note that those are the same rules for EU directives. The UK just agreed to accepting EU directives going forward. And In the vast majority of cases Member States just copy the directive almost word for word anyway as it's been agreed at Council level by the relevant Ministers. The UK of course will now have to copy the text they are given. Or create better regulations that reduce their competitive advantage.
Johnson referred to this as the "ratchet" clause and to be very fair to him he's not wrong. It's precisely the point of this process.
Again, the UK could just decide to not do this and, well, you know the rest.
Posted: December 27, 10:54 PM
Wait... Operation Sea Lion?
Posted: December 28, 7:53 AM
So now the UK is even more subservient than it was. Now, the EU tells the UK what to do, and the UK has no pushback whatsoever. They either comply with what Brussels decides, or face economic collapse.
Great job, conservatives! That's how to freedom... put yourself in the same shackles, but remove yourself from the regulatory process so you can't object to them. You've just turned yourselves from lords into peasants.
Expect this time its about sending less ships and heavy vechicles to Britian.
Well, there are road and rail crossings now, yeah...
Shadout what you are referrring to is the "level playing field" provision.
Thanks, that is a good link.
I guess this is what I was looking for.
The rebalancing mechanism is a way for either side to change the baseline standards both sides commit to over time. If one side raises its standards and the other does not, it can impose tariffs, subject to independent assessment.
It sounds like it goes both ways. UK might have to adhere to EU directives. But EU might also have to adhere to UK laws? In theory anyway. Of course it seems way more likely that EU will be the one changing the standards in general. And as Robear said, those disputes will be handled through an arbitration panel.
No agreement on services, including finance, is wild. One of the areas where roles were reversed, with UK having a big interest in a deal, while France and Germany could look at stealing some financial companies. Seems like that might very well still happen.
Somebody walked through the channel tunnel last week apparently. You’re not supposed to be able to do that......
Kehama
I'm Allergic To People
Far, Far Away
On Twitter earlier there was a Bloomberg article being promoted by "UK Govt" talking about how Brexit is actually fantastic for the UK because they could potentially negotiate a ton of great deals and, mostly, about how they could reduce taxes, duties, and fees to grab companies from the EU. It was a very pie in the sky kind of piece.
I love how it's good because "they could negotiate great deals". Like the ones they have negotiated since 2016?
Stealthpizza
Still in the box
Some smaller stores I follow have announced they can't sell in UK in 2021 since it will cost too much to set up the tax paperwork. They are working on it but they had no timeline.
As an American this is odd to me and I feel bad for the UK members who now can't shop where they want online.
The B is for Bootylicious
That there London town
Stealthpizza wrote:
For what it is worth, this is nothing to do with Brexit. This is entirely because of a change is import tax duty the UK gov't is making in January.
I like to imagine that the first message sent across the internet in 1969 was "LOL your ping time sucks"
Kehama wrote:
The Level Playing field section of the treaty means that's exactly what they cannot do. Well, they can but face legally allowable sanctions. You're assessment doesn't even have to get idea that they could even economically battle the EU.
Again, be very careful reading anything about Europe in the US media. From my experience it's incredibly UK centric and often just parroting a political narrative of one of it's parties.
Being very fair to the UK, they have been busy organising roll over agreements. Of course you could point out that it amounts to tiny amounts apart from Japan, Norway and Switzerland and those countries are in trade deals with the EU that gives both entities oversight over any other arrangements.
Good luck to them but if they get better terms than say the EU, EU or China they would be bucking a trend going back decades if not centuries.
Yeah, that's my point, Axon. The idea was that the UK was hobbled, or held back, by intrusive regulations imposed on them by "faceless bureaucrats in Brussels". With an undertone of "the EU will never last, and anything they can do, we can do better, faster and cheaper". In that light, looking for things that have gotten *better* since 2016, I suspect there's little to see.
Next Step: Bailing Wire
Behind you.
I normally like BBC for international sources of news, but I suppose they would be slightly UK centric as well. Do you have another international news source that wouldn't have a UK bias, preferably in English?
Fear the flames...
http://steamcommunity.com/id/wizkid2005
http://www.tf2items.com/id/wizkid2005
AUs_TBirD
Way to be a jerk, jerkface!
Ansbach, Germany
It's Germany-centric, but there's Deutsche Welle in English:
https://www.dw.com/en/top-stories/s-...
Steam | Backloggery
Marchantia
What a mess this whole thing is ...
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainme...
I guess we will see a lot of articles like that during the next weeks.
ooops, wrong post
fangblackbone
PIE MASTER
Racism + narcissism is a helluva drug!
Being fangoriously devoured by a gelatinous monster.
redfang#1780
WizKid wrote:
I can give you chapter and verse but the BBC is not what it used to be. It's useful for at least some very basic information but it repeats talking points and opinions that are wrong in the pursuit being perceived as balanced. And I say this as somebody who adored the BBC for most of my life and it's devaluing is difficult to watch.
Short answer is the Financial Times and the Irish Times (which republishes FT articles as well). Long answer is it's very much on a case by case basis. The problem with a good portion of the UK media is that it will just make things up and finding the truth can be difficult due to the language barrier. It's partly why they work so well.
As AUs_TBirD points out, a good few German publications have English translations. Der Speigal is my German go to but The South German is perfectly readable with Google translate . Le Monde (and L'Equipe for my dose of the French's perspective on Rugby) doesn't have a translation but Google will do decent job here as well. At least my speaking French isn't too bad
Le Monde leans heavily to the right, though. Just sayin’.
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Allenby Defeats Scott in Playoff
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Robert Allenby birdied the second extra hole Sunday to end a four-way playoff and win the MasterCard Australian Masters for the first time.
Allenby, who has never lost a playoff in eight attempts, birdied the first extra hole along with Adam Scott after Craig Parry and Jarrod Moseley dropped out with pars in the all-Australian playoff.
Scott's tee shot on the 18th -- the second time it had been used in the playoff -- went into a fairway bunker. His 7-iron left him with a long putt for a birdie while Allenby's 9-iron approach left him with a 3-foot birdie putt.
The four golfers finished at 11-under-par 277 after 72 holes. Scott shot a final-round 8-under 64 to make the playoff with overnight leader Allenby (71), Parry (67) and Moseley (69).
Allenby, who broke a two-year winless drought, was weakened by a cold and flu during the tournament.
Robert Allenby has never lost a playoff in eight attempts. (Getty Images)
'It seems like I'm all right when it gets down to finishing things off,' Allenby said.
The victory recalled his performance two weeks when he took The Presidents Cup to extra holes by beating Davis Love III in the final match.
This was the second straight year Scott had been beaten in a playoff at the Masters. Last year he lost to Peter Lonard.
Leaderboard -- MasterCard Masters
Full Coverage -- MasterCard Masters
BY Associated Press — November 25, 2007
11/25/07 -- Australia's Aaron Baddeley outlasted Sweden's Daniel Chopra to win the Australian Masters.
11/24/07 -- Sweden's Daniel Chopra shot a 7-under 65 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead over Australians Aaron Baddeley and Kurt Barnes.
11/23/07 -- Robert Allenby bogeyed his final hole but maintained a one-stroke lead in the Australian Masters with a 4-under 68 in Friday's second round.
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News – The Televised Revolution
An artistic window on contemporary history
Art at the axis of revolution
Personal accounts of history
Monika Huber – Susanne Fischer
The year 2012 is forever associated with protest – from Occupy Wall Street protesters in America to the Arab Spring in Tunisia and Egypt, and popular unrest in the face of austerity measures in Greece and Spain. The evening news covers these events in one-and-a half minute segments, accompanied by a flood of images, making them difficult for viewers to assess.
News is a collaboration between journalist Susanne Fischer and artist Monika Huber. Fischer, a reporter stationed in Baghdad, has direct experience of revolution and brings together articles by contributors from Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and Syria. She also includes essays on freedom of the press and the role of the social media in enabling revolution. Huber draws on the Occupy Wall Street protests, the earthquake and nuclear-reactor accident in Japan and the massacre in Norway. Photographing and manipulating images from the news, she creates photo-art that casts a critical eye on the selection, presentation and perception of these images. News offers a fresh look at the news we see today.
Recommend this:
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Susanne Fischer
Essays by Susanne Fischer, Hazim al-Sharaa, Atiaf al-Wazir, Raghda al-Halawany, Maryam Hassan, Sabry Khaled, Zainab al-Khawaja, Raed Rafei, Tiare Rath, Ulrich Wilmes, Razan Zeitouneh
Text: English
160 pages, 53 colour plates
21,5 × 30 cm, hardcover
» Monika Huber
Photography | Art 20th Century | Art and Cultural History | Artist monographs | Contemporary Art
Ed. Hans-Michael Koetzle
Kennedy in Berlin
Published to mark the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s historic visit to Berlin in June 1963, Kennedy in Berlin captures the event in a series of hitherto unpublished photographs by Ulrich Mack. Technically superb, Mack’s photographs feature ...
Ulrich Mack
John F. Kennedy, Departure with the Air Force One, Berlin-Tegel, 1963
Published to mark the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s historic visit to Berlin in June 1963, Kennedy in Berlin captures the event in a series of hitherto unpublished photographs by Ulrich Mack. Technically superb, Mack’s ...
Monika Huber
Einsdreißig, 11I250, 2011
The year 2012 is forever associated with protest – from Occupy Wall Street protesters in America to the Arab Spring in Tunisia and Egypt, and popular unrest in the face of austerity measures in Greece and Spain. The evening news covers these ...
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-Opinion
Opinion / Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor Policy
The word-count limit for letters is 350, including signatures (with exceptions at the discretion of the editor).
Letters may be edited for length, style, and clarity.
Email letters to letters@harvardpress.net or send by regular mail to Editor, The Harvard Press, P.O. Box 284, Harvard, MA 01451. Deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday to be included in that Friday's edition.
Letters should include your name, address, and phone number. Phone numbers and house numbers will not be printed; they are used only for verification.
We will not print anonymous letters, form letters, blanket-mail letters, or letters that we consider libelous.
We will not print more than one letter from the same person in any given week.
Letters must be signed by individuals; we do not accept group names as signatures. Up to four people may sign a letter on behalf of a group; all must provide addresses and phone numbers.
During contests for public office, we will not publish endorsement letters the Friday before an election. Based on space availability, we may limit the number of endorsement letters in a given week, but will strive to print a balanced representation of letters received. We will not publish negative letters about any candidate.
All letters may be read online by Harvard Press subscribers who are logged-on registered users of the website.
Consider This: Why screen for COVID-19 in the schools?
This week, Harvard became one of the first public school districts in the nation to institute free, voluntary, weekly COVID-19 screening for all in-person faculty, staff, and students. While this program is freely available to everyone in those categories regardless of their financial situation, it is not without significant cost. Meanwhile, our schools have remained open since September without a single documented cluster of COVID-19 cases. Why, you might ask, should we bother screening?
Screening is the only way we can find and quarantine people without symptoms.
According to Medscape, an online resource for clinicians, people with COVID-19 can be infectious for two to three days before they show symptoms. In addition, up to 50% of children and 20% of adults infected with COVID-19 never show any symptoms at all. The CDC estimates that more than 50% of transmission comes from people who aren’t showing symptoms. We can’t find these people unless we screen for them.
The prevalence of COVID-19 in schools reflects its prevalence in the community.
According to the state’s weekly health report on COVID-19, over the course of the week ending Sept. 23, 2020, central Massachusetts saw 30 new cases per 100,000 people. During the week ending Dec. 20, that same region saw 498 new cases. Harvard’s successful autumn doesn’t guarantee a successful winter and spring.
Screening in the schools is a way to prevent the spread of disease in the whole town.
Any COVID-19 cases we are able to find and isolate are cases that can be prevented from spreading further in the community.
Screening data could help the schools maximize in-person learning.
If we are testing the majority of people in the schools each week, the administration and School Committee may be able to rethink the current broad-based policy for responding to COVID-19 cases. For example, we may be able to move to a policy under which discovery of a small cluster of cases in one grade causes only that grade and associated siblings to move to remote learning, rather than the entire school.
Screening gives peace of mind to our teachers and other school staff.
These people have been tirelessly working for our children under extraordinarily challenging conditions. They have been potentially putting themselves and their families in harm’s way four days a week for months. Providing them with periodic reassurance that they have not contracted the coronavirus—and that their students have recently tested negative—is one way we can thank them.
For more information about the COVID-Safe Schools program and to donate to the project, go to covidsafeschools.org. All donations are being collected by the Harvard Schools Trust and are tax-deductible.
Screening is not a magic bullet. A negative COVID-19 test in school on Monday doesn’t prevent exposure in school on Tuesday. That’s why all the other elements of prevention—in particular masking, distancing, ventilation, and hand hygiene—will remain critical until we’ve all been vaccinated.
Virologist Ian Mackay of the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, has created probably the best analogy: the “Swiss Cheese Respiratory Pandemic Defense.” In his model, each individual anti-COVID-19 measure is equivalent to a single slice of Swiss cheese. It has holes. But stack up those slices in a pile, and the solid areas in one slice cover the holes in another. Together, they form a solid barrier.
Screening is a critical slice of the Swiss cheese pile for our schools, and it’s been missing for far too long. Now, as COVID-19 cases are rising around us, we are thrilled and relieved that we’re finally able to put this program in motion. We are hopeful that it will help to make everyone in town safer as we face this pandemic winter together.
Liz Ruark and Toby Bazarnick are co-chairs of the COVID-Safe Schools program. Ruark is the founder of covidsafeschools.org.
COVID-Safe Schools FAQ
Will screening for COVID-19 remove the need to wear masks and social distance at school?
No. Maintaining social distancing and wearing personal protective equipment both within and outside of school are central to keeping everyone safe.
How will patient privacy be maintained?
The lab will receive no personal information at all. All samples will be labeled with a bar code. The school nurse or their designee would be the only one with access to the database linking the bar codes with specific individuals.
Will COVID-19 screening be mandatory?
No, but the vast majority of faculty, staff, and families have indicated that they will participate. According to epidemiologists, any amount of testing is hugely helpful.
How often will screening happen?
Screening will happen once a week as long as funding continues to be available.
How much will screening cost?
The cost of testing is $10.50 per person, with COVID-Safe Schools organizing the effort, and the school system paying for the tests with local grants and donations. (Most testing runs between $30 and $150 per person and requires long wait times both to be swabbed and to receive results.) The total cost for the rest of the school year will be $250 per person.
How will screening be paid for?
This program is being funded by donations from businesses, foundations, and by matching donations from individuals’ employers.
Planning Board conducts visual preference survey for senior housing 1/14/2021
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Various - Loaded 2LP
£19.13 £19.13 ( )
CATALOGUE NO. 5391071
FORMAT - 2 LP
RELEASE DATE 29th May 2020
Genres - Electronic, Rock
1. Oasis - Don't Look Back In Anger
2. Stereophonics - The Bartender And The Thief
3. The Boo Radleys - Wake Up Boo!
4. Paul Weller - The Changingman
5. Ocean Colour Scene - The Day We Caught The Train
6. Embrace - All You Good Good People
7. The Bluetones - Slight Return
1. Primal Scream - Loaded
2. The Stone Roses - Fool's Gold
3. Happy Mondays - Step On
4. Saint Etienne - Only Love Can Break Your Heart
5. Underworld - Born Slippy (Nuxx)
6. The Chemical Brothers - Hey Boy Hey Girl
7. Faithless - Insomnia
1. The Manic Street Preachers - A Design For Life
2. Pulp - Disco 2000
3. The Dandy Warhols - Bohemian Like You
4. Placebo - Nancy Boy
5. Hole - Celebrity Skin
6. Weezer - Buddy Holly
7. Sleeper - Inbetweener
8. Shed Seven - Going For Gold
1. The La's - There She Goes
2. The Cure - Friday I'm In Love
3. The Cardigans - Lovefool
4. The Wannadies - You & Me Song
5. James - Sit Down
6. Dodgy - Good Enough
7. The Lightning Seeds - Lucky You
8. Travis - Why Does It Always Rain On Me?
Exclusively on vinyl - 30 incredible tracks that defined an era of music.
In the early ’90’s Indie and Dance music came together to produce some of the most incredible & genre-challenging hits ever. Defining tracks from Primal Scream, The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and Saint Etienne are featured. Club hits became anthems for a generation with Faithless, The Chemical Brothers as well as the incredible ‘Born Slippy’ from Underworld (from the film ’Trainspotting’) are all also included.
By the mid ’90’s ‘Brit-pop’ had become a cultural movement with both the music and the fashion it inspired, its driving force were legendary artists with defining tracks on ‘Loaded’ such as Pulp, Embrace, The Bluetones, Ocean Colour Scene, Stereophonics and the most successful band of the era, Oasis, opening this collection with ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’.
Established acts released some of their most beloved tracks during this period including Paul Weller with ’The Changingman’ and Manic Street Preachers with ‘A Design For Life’, The Cure with ‘Friday I’m In Love’ and The Lightning Seeds with ‘Lucky You'.
The era also produced some amazing indie pop tunes that sound just as fresh today from The Boo Radleys, James, Dodgy, Travis, The Dandy Warhols, The Wannadies, Sleeper, The Cardigans, Shed 7, Placebo and the timeless ‘There She Goes’ by The La’s all of which are featured alongside the US Indie pop of Weezer and Hole.
Various - Ghost Phone 003 (ONE PER PERSON)
GHOST PHONE
Various - Edition 3 (1 per customer)
Various Artists - Edition 2
Various Artists - Gradients Vol. 2
BOOGIE TIMES TRIBE - Dark Stranger (reissue)
suburban base
Break - The Edge Of Time (Workforce Remix) / City Slickers (Skeptical Remix)
Various Artists - EP1
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Horses for Sale near Norwalk, CT
Eder Holguin
AQHA & APHA Registered Geldi...
Dream Horse Alert 🐴🦄🐴 (Plenty of Videos and Pictures in the comments, paper..
Fairview, New Jersey
English Show Horse
Carousel must be sold because her owner has gone away to college. Her curre..
Highland Falls, New York
Holsteiner
Friesian Gelding
Talented Young Eventing Friesian...
For more photos please visit: https://www.equine.com/horses-for-sale/horse-..
Millbrook, New York
Hanoverian Gelding
Casmir Z (Carthago Z) X Oklund
Casmir Z (Carthago Z) x Oklund International passport 1’35/1’40 metres in s..
About Norwalk,CT
Norwalk was settled in 1649, incorporated September 1651, and named after the Algonquin word noyank, meaning "point of land", or more probably from the native American name "Naramauke". The Battle of Norwalk took place during the Revolutionary War, and lead to the burning of most of the town. In 1836, the borough of Norwalk was created, covering the central area of the town. In 1853, the first ever train disaster in the United States happened over the Norwalk River. During the 19th and early 20th century, Norwalk was a major railroad stop for the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad.
Classifieds of Horses for Sale near Norwalk, CT
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2008 Recruiting Class Gives Hope
By Staff | May 20, 2008
With the inclusion of 6’9” New York native Devin Ebanks to the West Virginia University men’s basketball lineup, the whole world should be tuning in to ESPN next season to see one of the best recruiting classes in the country.
WVU should almost undoubtedly start the season in the top 25, a feat that not many of us are used to. Whether we’ll stay in the “national picture,” as coach Bob Huggins so eloquently put it in a recent press release, is another question.
That’s why I’m proud to title this new chapter in WVU basketball “A New Hope.” And I say that not because hope is necessary when having acquired an electric playmaker and scorer like Ebanks, but because it sounds uplifting and denotes change.
Gone are the days of relying on the chance factor of outside shooting and the sometimes tricky backdoor pass to excite the crowded Coliseum. Athleticism and energy will replace these staples and everyone who enters our facility will leave with tears in their eyes, as if they have witnessed a veritable Renaissance of the sport.
Kevin Jones, a 6’7” four-star prospect, joins the lineup as well, and he’s actually buddies with the famous Ebanks, which most likely played a major part in why this whole relationship started in the first place.
Unlike Ebanks, Jones lacks several flashy Youtube videos showcasing his talent, but his skill is much more subtle and giving, kind of like a Da’Sean Butler or a bigger Mike Gansey. He’ll be an indispensable team player, and he’ll stay for at least three years, or he may opt to stay for the long haul.
Darryl “Truck” Bryant shows flashes of brilliance as a 6’1’’ point guard. Also from New York (see a trend here?), Bryant has more than just a cool nickname going for him. He’s bulky for a point guard, which will give him plenty of floor time subbing for recent breakout sensation Joe Mazzulla. Just don’t expect Mazulla to get tired, seeing as the kid can run laps around most guards in the NCAA.
In the end, the anticipation is too much. This recruiting class is by far the best WVU has ever seen (besides Jerry West), and it’s only Huggins’ first true recruiting class.
With the return of John Flowers and Wellington Smith, we’ll have one of the deepest benches in the Big East. If injuries don’t plague us in the early going, there’s going to be a lot of buzz surrounding Morgantown next winter. Relax and think of the future.
Contact Patrick at pdolan@graffitiwv.com
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Sydney uni winners will mentor at 2017 Australian Universities Crops Competition
By Calendar Comp EditorSeptember 8, 2017April 6th, 2018Media Releases - September 2017
Next week, 30 Australian university agricultural science and agribusiness students will descend on Temora, New South Wales, brimming with grains knowledge and enthusiasm, and armed with clip boards, rulers and calculators for the annual Australian Universities Crops Competition (AUCC) from 12-14 September.
The event is an annual initiative of national grain farmers’ representative body, GrainGrowers, and is held at Temora Agricultural Innovation Centre (TAIC) run by FarmLink Research Ltd. It is the only such competition in the Australian grains industry.
Organiser and GrainGrowers’ CEO, Dr Michael Southan, said the competition’s aim was to expand students’ practical knowledge and experience in the Australian grains industry through completing a range of essential agronomic and assessment tasks important for their future careers.
“We have been running the competition for the past eight years and it is well supported by Australian universities with agricultural and agribusiness degrees,” said Dr Southan.
“It not only tests students on what they have learnt as part of their curricula at their universities but also puts them in the field to carry out some of the tasks their future careers in the grains industry could require them to do well.
“Finally, it gives students an important opportunity to hear from and chat to former competition participants who have gone on to careers in agriculture, and to potential employers in an informal setting about possible grains careers after university,” Dr Southan said.
The two individual winners from last year’s competition, Nellie Evans and Brett Bushell who studied at the University of Sydney, will help mentor and supervise students participating in this year’s competition.
Nellie and Brett travelled with GrainGrowers’ staff to the United States for the equivalent US universities crops competition in Kansas this year, as their prize for winning the competition.
They both agreed that participation in the AUCC last year was a highly valuable experience.
“I would encourage any university student to get involved in the competition,” said Nellie.
“Now I know I want to be out there with farmers on the ground, solving their problems and as an interface, talking to the researchers to get the research done that will help on the farm.”
“I could not recommend this competition more strongly,” said Brett.
I had no expectations coming into the competition and it ended with me travelling to the United States in what was one of the most rewarding experiences of my university tenure. This competition has massively influenced my career pursuits, helping me to resolve to work in the agronomy space, and helping me to realise what I am capable of,” he said.
Both Nellie and Brett are now pursuing careers as research agronomists.
The students competing at AUCC this year are studying at five top Australian universities offering agricultural and agribusiness degrees: University of Sydney, La Trobe University, University of Melbourne, Charles Sturt University and Curtin University.
Dr James Hunt, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Animal, Plant and Soil Sciences at La Trobe University, said that the university had been involved in the competition since it first began in 2009.
“In fact, our team won in the inaugural year!” Dr Hunt said.
“La Trobe supports the competition because it enables students interested in a career in cropping to be tested on the practical tasks they will need to perform if they want to work in the industry,” he said.
Dr Hunt said that he attended the competition with the students last year and would be there again this year. He said there was a high standard of competition and it was great to get out into the field with the students as part of their training.
Lecturer at the University of Sydney, Associate Professor, Dr Daniel Tan, said that the crops competition was an important date on the University’s calendar each year because the students learnt so much in the field during the competition and got to work with industry as well as with students from other universities.
“The University of Sydney has also been involved in the crops competition since 2009 and past competitors have gone on to amazing careers in agriculture,” he said.
The students’ tasks will be to complete nine theoretical written examinations and hands-on practical assessments covering agronomics and farm business management.
Over the three days they complete a major yield assessment for one exam and identify weeds and diseases on five separate crop types.
GrainGrowers thanks the sponsors, the Grains Research and Development Corporation, Agricultural Societies Council of NSW, Local Land Services and AusWest Seeds, and exhibitors, Landmark, Delta Ag and Elders.
Past participants of the Australian Universities Crops Competition have gone on to successful careers in Australia’s grains industry including as agribusiness professionals, researchers, farmers, farm advisors, agronomists and grain traders.
The Australian Universities Crops Competition is part of GrainGrowers’ commitment to fostering skills development and leadership capability in the grains industry.
Samantha Adams
E Samantha.adams@graingrowers.com.au
Sydney office contact:
E chris.walker@graingrowers.com.au
If you’re a grower, please sign up below and become a member.
Head Office – Sydney
Level 19, 1 Market Street
Queen Victoria Building NSW 1230
© 2021 GrainGrowers. Powered by Think BIG Creative. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy
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Azure's Ford Transit Connect Electric Wagon: First Five-Seat All-Electric Wagon In U.S.
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield November 16, 2011 Comment Now!
In a press release a few hours ahead of the start of the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, Ford and electric vehicle partner Auzure Dynamics has announced the Ford Transit Connect Electric will be joined in 2012 by an five-seat electric wagon version for the commercial market.
Aimed at businesses rather than individuals, the 2012 Ford Transit Connect Electric Wagon will add a second row of seats to increase the seating capacity to five.
Behind the rear bench seat, the Ford Transit Connect Electric Wagon will still feature more than enough room for bags, making it the ideal vehicle for campus settings like universities, military bases, airports and even short-range vehicle hire services.
The Ford Transit Connect Electric Wagon will feature the same 28 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack found in its cargo sibling, giving it an identical range of between 55 and 80 miles per charge.
While it wasn’t built specifically for the purpose, the Ford Transit Connect Electric Wagon should offer families in need of more storage space than cars like the 2012 Nissan Leaf and 2012 Chevrolet Volt can offer a way of making the switch to electric power.
With a high roof line and the ability to fold down the second row of seats for more storage, it could also offer self-employed people a car that can function both as a weekend family car and a robust, weekday workhorse.
There has been no official word on price yet, although Azure Dynamics has said the Ford Transit Connect Electric Wagon qualifies for the same Federal and state incentives as its cargo-carrying sibling.
Follow GreenCarReports on Facebook and Twitter.
2012 Electric Cars Ford News Ford Transit Connect Electric Wagon Green plug-in cars
Nissan Leaf: 2013 Nissan Leaf: Spy Shots Of New, Less-Expensive... Transit Connect: Build Your Own Ford Transit Connect Electric: Gliders... Transit Connect: Azure Dynamics Bankrupt, Built Ford Transit Connect... Ford Transit: Ford Transit van with range-extended electric... Ford Transit: Azure Dynamics Bankrupt, Built Ford Transit Connect... Ford Transit Connect: First Transit Connect EVs to go to AT&T
Plugging in Pacifica Hybrid: City drive review of its 32-mile electric range
With electric trucks and SUVs coming, is it time to reevaluate what a green car means?
Azure Dynamics Bankrupt, Built Ford Transit Connect Electric
Build Your Own Ford Transit Connect Electric: Gliders On eBay
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield - Contributing Writer
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October 8, 2020 11:00AM EDT
The Pact on Migration and Asylum
To provide a fresh start and avoid past mistakes, risky elements need to be addressed and positive aspects need to be expanded
The commitment to a more human approach to protection and the emphasis on the fact that migration is needed and positive for Europe with which the European Commission launched the Pact on Migration and Asylum is welcome. However, this rhetoric is reflected only sparsely in the related proposals. Instead of breaking with the fallacies of the EU’s previous approach and offering a fresh start, the Pact risks exacerbating the focus on externalisation, deterrence, containment and return. This initial assessment by civil society of the legislative and non-legislative proposals is guided by the following questions:
Download the statement here Download the statement here
1) Are the proposals able to guarantee in law and in practice compliance with international and EU legal standards?
2) Will they contribute to a fairer sharing of responsibility for asylum in Europe and globally?
3) Will they work in practice?
Rather than automatic sharing of responsibility, the Pact introduces a more complex Dublin system (by another name) and ‘return sponsorship’
The Pact on Migration and Asylum missed the opportunity to fundamentally reform the Dublin system and the default responsibility for assessing asylum claims remains, in practice, with the first country of arrival. In addition, a complex system in which some form of solidarity is triggered has been proposed.
There are some positive additions to the criteria used to determine which Member State is responsible for examining an asylum application. For example, an expanded definition of family to include siblings, a broad range of family members in the case of unaccompanied children and the receipt of a diploma or other qualification from a Member State. However, judging by current Member State practice, it will be a challenge to overcome the first country of entry principle as the go-to option in favour of the new priority considerations, notably family reunification.
Solidarity is required of Member States in the case of a high number of people arriving (“migratory pressure”) or disembarkations from search and rescue operations. The ensuing processes include a series of assessment and reports being drafted and pledges by individual Member States. If the aggregate response falls short, the European Commission can take corrective action. This looks less like a mechanism that supports predictable sharing of responsibility and more like the kind of negotiations among Member States with which we have all become too familiar. The complexity of what has been proposed raises doubts as to whether it is actually workable in practice.
Member States are allowed to provide “return sponsorship” instead of relocating people to their own territories, which suggests an equal focus on return to the focus on protection. Instead of supporting individual Member States managing a higher number of asylum applications, this proposal raises numerous human rights and legal concerns, especially should transfer to the so called sponsor state take place after the deadline of 8 months has passed. Who will monitor the treatment of rejected asylum-seekers when they arrive in countries whose governments do not accept relocation?
The Pact proposes expanded use of border procedures, including increased detention
Instead of recalibrating responsibility among EU Member States, the procedural reform proposals exacerbate the pressure on Member States at the EU’s external border and countries in the Western Balkans. The Commission proposes mandatory asylum and return border procedures in certain cases, including for nationals of, or stateless residents in, countries where the average EU protection rate is below 20%. It is optional when Member States are applying Safe Third Country or Safe Country of Origin concepts. However, the Commission has previously proposed that these concepts become mandatory for Member States. NGOs reiterate the concerns about the use of Safe Third Country and First Country of Asylum concepts, which were discussed extensively between 2016 and 2019. In particular, mandatory use should not be proposed again.
The proposed border procedure is predicated on two flawed assumptions - that the majority of people arriving in Europe do not have protection needs and that assessing asylum claims can be done easily and quickly. Neither are correct. A consideration of first and appeal decisions across the EU indicates that most people claiming asylum in Europe in the last three years have received a form of protection status. In addition, the Pact should not persist with the wrongheaded approach that fast asylum procedures can be achieved by reducing safeguards and introducing a system of triage. The average length of the asylum procedure in the Netherlands, often referred to as the poster child for this practice, exceeds a year and can last up to two years until a decision has been taken.
The proposal will effectively result in two standards of asylum procedures, largely determined by the country of origin of the individual concerned. This undermines the individual right to asylum and will mean that more people are subject to a second-rate procedure. Proposing that Member States should issue an asylum and return decision simultaneously without clearly specifying the requirement that important safeguards related to non-refoulement, best interests of the child and protection of family and private life are assessed, undermines international legal obligations.
The proposal also removes the automatic suspensive effect of an appeal, i.e. the right to remain pending a decision for cases decided in the border procedure.
The suggestion that people undergoing border procedures are not considered to have formally entered the territory of the Member State is misleading, contradicts recent EU jurisprudence but does not change the individual’s rights under EU and international law.
The proposal also deprives people of the possibility to access residence permits for grounds other than asylum and will likely involve detention for up to 6 months at the EU’s borders, a maximum of 12 weeks for the asylum border procedure and another 12 weeks in case of a return border procedure. In addition, the reforms remove the principle that detention should only be applied as a measure of last resort in the context of border procedures. By relying on more systematic restrictions of movement in border procedures, the proposal will restrict the individual’s access to basic services provided by actors who may not operate at the border, including for legal assistance and representation. The similarities in outcomes to the failed ‘hotspot approach’ implemented on the Greek islands are notable.
The recognition that the best interest of the child shall be a primary consideration for Member States with respect to all procedures is positive. However, the Commission lowers the protection standards for children, only exempting those who are unaccompanied or under the age of twelve from border procedures. This is in contradiction with the internationally recognised definition of children as every person until the age of eighteen, included in the Convention on the Rights of a Child, ratified by all EU Member States.
In situations of crisis, Member States are allowed to derogate from important safeguards which will subject more people to substandard asylum procedures
The concern about procedural unfairness becomes even more acute in situations where a Member State can claim that they are facing an ‘exceptional situation of mass influx’ or even the risk of such a situation.
When this occurs, the scope of the border procedure is significantly expanded and can be applied to all people arriving from countries where the average EU protection rate of the nationality concerned is below 75%. Both the asylum border procedure and the return border procedure can be extended for an additional eight weeks so five months each, prolonging the maximum amount of time spent in border detention to 10 months. In addition, Member States can suspend registration of asylum applications for four weeks and up to a maximum of three months. With no claim registered for weeks, people may be at risk of detention, refoulement and their rights to adequate reception and basic services can be severely affected.
This enables Member States to derogate from their responsibility to provide access to asylum and ensure that peoples’ asylum requests are treated efficiently and fairly, and thus increases the risk of refoulement. From the perspective of the most extreme case of Member States acting in flagrant and persistent violation of EU law obligations, this process of requesting permission from the European Commission could be considered an improvement because currently the law is ignored without consultation of and despite criticism by the European Commission. However, this cannot be the starting point to assess proposed EU legislation. The broader impact of this will be that it opens up the possibility that the vast majority of people arriving in Europe will be subject to a second-rate procedure.
Screening at the border: risks and opportunities
The Commission proposes a “pre-entry screening” process for all people who arrive at EU borders irregularly, including following disembarkation after search and rescue. The screening process includes security, health and vulnerability checks, and registration of biometric data but it also leads to decisions which relate to access to asylum including whether to apply the accelerated border procedure, relocation and return. This process can take up to 10 days, and should be carried out as close as possible to the border. Where people will be accommodated and how reception standards will be met during that time is not clear. The screening can also be applied to people inside the territory of a Member State, which could lead to an increase in discriminatory policing. Questions arise regarding access to information, the rights of people undergoing the screening, including access to a lawyer and the right to challenge the decision; the grounds for refusal of entry; and the privacy and protection of the data collected. As Member States can easily discharge their responsibilities regarding medical and vulnerability screenings, it is not clear whether related needs will be detected and acted upon.
A welcome initiative is the proposed independent monitoring of fundamental rights at the border.
To ensure that this mechanism results in accountability for rights violations at the border, including the persistent use of summary removals and push-backs across a large number of Member States, it needs to be expanded beyond the screening procedure, be independent of national authorities, and involve independent organisations such as NGOs.
The priority of return and deportation dominates the proposal
The overriding objective of the Pact is clear: an increase in the number of people who are returned or deported from Europe. The creation of the role of a Return Coordinator within the Commission and of a Frontex Deputy Executive Director on Returns without similar appointments on protection standards or relocation illustrate this point. Return is an accepted part of migration policy and support for dignified returns, with a preference for voluntary returns, access to return counselling, and reintegration support is important. However, investment in return is not the answer to the systematic non-compliance with asylum standards in EU Member States.
Nothing new on external action: unrealistic proposals which risk undermining human rights continue
The tension between the rhetorical commitment to mutually beneficial international partnerships and the insistence on migration being at the core of the EU’s relationships with third countries continues. Attempts to externalise responsibility for asylum, and to mis-use development assistance, visa schemes and other tools to pressure third countries to cooperate on migration control and readmission agreements will continue. This not only risks contradicting the EU’s own commitment to development principles, but also undermining its international standing by generating mistrust and hostility from and among third countries. Furthermore, using informal agreements and security cooperation for migration control with countries such as Libya or Turkey risks enabling human rights abuses, emboldening repressive governments and creating greater instability.
Lack of ambition on safe and regular pathways to Europe
An opportunity to signal that the EU is ready to contribute to responsibility sharing for protection on the international stage in the spirit of partnership with countries who are hosting the large majority of refugees was missed. Instead of proposing an ambitious refugee resettlement target, the European Commission has only invited Member States to do more and has converted Member State pledges for 2020 into a two-year scheme, resulting in a lost year for EU resettlement.
The recognition of the need to facilitate more labour migration across skills levels is welcome but the significance of labour migration for European economies and societies is not reflected in the related resources, proposals or actions.
Support to search and rescue and actions of solidarity need to be reinforced
The humanitarian tragedy in the Mediterranean Sea still needs to be addressed, including for example through EU-funded and run search and rescue capacity. Search and rescue and disembarkation are included in all relevant proposals, acknowledging that there is an ongoing humanitarian crisis. However, instead of addressing the behaviour and regulations of governments to obstruct sea rescues and enabling the work of human rights defenders, the European Commission suggests that safety standards on ships and communication levels with private actors need to be monitored. It also appears to require private actors to adhere not just to laws, but also policies and practices regarding “migration management” which can potentially interfere with search and rescue obligations.
While the issuance of guidance to prevent criminalisation of humanitarian action is welcome, this is limited to acts mandated by law with a specific focus on search and rescue. This risks leaving out humanitarian activities such as the provision of food, shelter or information conducted on land or carried out by organisations not mandated by law which are also subject to criminalisation and restrictions.
Promising signs for inclusion
Proposed changes that would enable refugees to gain long-term residence after three years and strengthen the right to move and work in other Member States are positive. In addition, the revision of the Action Plan on Inclusion and Integration and the establishment of an expert group to collect views of migrants to inform EU policy is welcome.
The way ahead
The presentation of the proposals is a start to what promises to be another long and conflictual period of negotiations on the EU’s asylum and migration rules. While those negotiations are ongoing, it is important to recall that there is an EU asylum framework in place and that Member States have obligations under existing international and EU law.
This requires immediate action by EU policy makers, including Member States, to:
Implement existing standards in relation to reception and asylum processes, investigate non-compliance and take necessary disciplinary measures;
Save lives at sea, ensuring search and rescue capacity, allowing timely disembarkation and swift relocation;
Continue to seek ad-hoc solidarity arrangements to alleviate pressure on Member States at the EU’s external border and support Member States to agree to relocation.
For the upcoming negotiations on the Pact, we recommend that co-legislators:
Reject the mandatory application of asylum or return border procedures: they are substandard procedures which reduce safeguards for applicants and increase detention. They will exacerbate the current lack of solidarity for asylum in Europe by placing more responsibility on Member States at the external border. Experience from the hotspots and similar initiatives shows that adding extra asylum procedures or tracks can create significant administrative burden and costs, and generate more inefficiency;
Work towards the end of migration-related detention, prohibit migration-related detention of children as per the Convention on the Rights of the Child and dedicate sufficient resources to appropriate non-custodial solutions for children and their families;
Recalibrate reform proposals to focus on maintaining and raising asylum and human rights standards in Europe, rather than return;
Work towards proposals that fundamentally reform the way in which responsibility for people seeking asylum in Europe is organised, addressing the first country of entry principle, in order to create meaningful and predictable mechanisms for solidarity;
Limit possibilities for Member States to derogate from responsibilities to register asylum applications or process asylum claims in order to avoid creating incentives for operating in crisis mode and for lowering asylum standards;
Increase the safeguards during the screening procedure to ensure information is provided; access to a lawyer is ensured; health needs and vulnerabilities are detected and swiftly acted upon; and address concerns regarding registration and sharing of biometric data;
Ensure that the monitoring mechanism for fundamental rights at borders is broad in scope to cover all fundamental rights violations at the border, truly independent from national authorities, well-resourced and that it contributes to accountability;
Resist attempts to use development assistance, trade, investment, visa schemes, security cooperation and other policies and funding to pressure third countries into cooperation on narrowly defined EU migration control objectives;
Evaluate the long-term impact of externalised migration policies on peace, rights and sustainable development and ensure that external migration policy is not contributing to human rights violations and is conflict sensitive;
Significantly expand safe and regular routes to Europe by swiftly implementing current resettlement commitments, proposing ambitious new targets and increasing opportunities for protection pathways as well as for regular migration to work and study in Europe;
Strengthen the exemptions of humanitarian action and other independent civil society activities from criminalisation and remove obstacles to civil society actors providing lifesaving and other humanitarian assistance on land and at sea;
Establish an EU-funded and run Search and Rescue Operation in the Mediterranean Sea;
Build on the promising proposals to support inclusion through access to long-term residence and related rights and by implementing the upcoming Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion at the EU, national and local level.
ActionAid Denmark
ActionAid Hellas
ActionAid International
ActionAid Italy
aditus foundation
Afghan Association in Sweden
Alianza por la Solidaridad-ActionAid Spain
ASGI
Association for Legal Intervention (Stowarzyszenie Interwencji Prawnej), Poland
AsyLex
Asylrättscentrum/ Swedish Refugee Law Center
AWO Bundesverband
Bhutan Watch
Bulgarian Helsinki Committee
Caritas Europa
Centre for Peace Studies Zagreb
COMPASS for Refugee Youth
Conselho Português para os Refugiados – CPR (Portuguese Refugee Council)
Cyprus Refugee Council
Danish Refugee Council (DRC)
Der Paritätische Gesamtverband
Deutscher Caritasverband
Diakonie Austria
Dutch Council for Refugees
ECRE
Estonian Refugee Council
Europe Must Act
European Evangelical Alliance
FARR, the Swedish Network of Refugee Support Groups
FOCSIV, Italian Federation Christian organisations international volunteering service
Forum réfugiés-COSI
Foundation Our Choice, Poland
Fundacja Polskie Forum Migracyjne/ Polish Migration Forum Foundation
Help Refugees/ Choose Love
Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights
HIAS Greece
Homo Faber Association
Hrvatski pravni centar/Croatian Law Centre
Hungarian Helsinki Committee
International Centre for Eritrean Refugees and Asylum Seekers -ICERAS
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
INTERSOS
Issues Without Borders
Italian Council for Refugees/Consiglio Italiano per i Rifugiati-onlus
JRS Europe
Legal - Informational Centre for NGOs - PIC, Slovenia
Lesvos Solidarity
Mosaico azioni per i rifugiati
Network for Children's Rights (Greece)
NOMADA Association for Multicultural Society Integration
Norwegian Organisation for Asylum Seekers (NOAS)
Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)
Pro Asyl
Quaker Council for European Affairs
Refugee Party
Refugee Rights Europe (RRE)
Refugees International
Saferworld
SB Overseas
SCI Hellas
SOS Children's Villages International
Symbiosis-School of Political Studies in Greece
The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims
The Swedish Syrian Association
United Against Inhumanity (UAI)
vzw NANSEN asbl
Europe: Refugees & Migrants’ Rights
Refugee Rights
November 23, 2020 News Release
Italy: Strengthen Immigration Law Protections
November 10, 2020 Statement
Turning Rhetoric into Reality: New Monitoring Mechanism at European Borders Should Ensure Fundamental Rights and Accountability
January 6, 2021 Report
“Like I’m Drowning”
Children and Families Sent to Harm by the US ‘Remain in Mexico’ Program
December 14, 2020 Report
“What Crime Was I Paying For?”
Abuses by South Sudan’s National Security Service
August 27, 2020 Commentary
Pompeo’s Commission on Unalienable Rights Will Endanger Everyone’s Human Rights
February 14, 2018 Q & A
Trump's 'Mexico City Policy' or 'Global Gag Rule'
January 9, 2017 Commentary
Barack Obama’s Shaky Legacy on Human Rights
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Part of HuffPost Comedy. ©2021 Verizon Media. All rights reserved.
Jon Stewart Blasts GOP Over Shutdown: When The Giants Lost, They Didn't Shut Down The NFL
By Ross Luippold
Jon Stewart opened Monday's "Daily Show" by addressing the government shutdown, and placed the blame squarely on the House Republicans for going to great lengths in their one-sided fight against the Affordable Care Act, which he mockingly called "The End of America as We Know It for Reasons No One is Able to Clearly Explain."
"You're just throwing words together," he exclaimed in response to a montage of Republicans rattling off their love of the Constitution to show their hatred of Obamacare, and then those lawmakers blasting Obama for failing to compromise. "It's a f**king law!" he said, pointing out that all three branches of government had thus far upheld the law.
He then compared the Republicans to a losing football team. "Did you see the Giants game on Sunday?" he asked. "They lost 31-7. Do you know what the Giants didn't say after that game? 'If you don't give us 25 more points by midnight on Monday, we will shut down the f**king NFL.'"
But he really drove the point home by invoking one small business owner with a message to the House Republicans about their current situation:
30 Of The Funniest Tweets About Cats And Dogs This Week (Jan. 8-15) ‘It’s Over’: Devastated QAnon Believers Grapple With President Joe Biden’s Inauguration Who Is Kamala Harris’ Stepdaughter Ella Emhoff? The Inauguration Fashion Icon Has Style Feds Arrest Proud Boy Member Joe Biggs Over Capitol Riot
John Boehner Cries
Ross Luippold
HuffPost Comedy Deputy Editor
Jon Stewart The Daily Show Comedy The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Government Shutdown
Twin Tears
Golf legend Jack Nicklaus, left, and Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) wipe away tears after listening to the remarks of Nicklaus' son Jack Nicklaus II during the elder Nicklaus' Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on March 24, 2015. Nicklaus was lauded by family, friends and politicians for his many sports achievements and his philanthropy.
Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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EU, politics and institutions
Energy, climate and resources
International economy, global governance
Italy's foreign policy
Mediterranean and Middle East
Tech-IR
Turkey, Balkans, Caucasus, Ukraine
Us and the Americas
The International Spectator
IAI in the media
Major Challenges for Global Macroeconomic Stability: The Role of the G7
27/03/2017 - 28/03/2017, Rome
The conference, organized with the support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Banca d'Italia, will discuss the role that the G7 can play, in the year of the Italian Presidency, to promote global economic governance.
Governor of the Bank of Italy keynote address (transcript)
Paper Saccomanni and Romano (IAI)
Paper Pickford and Subacchi (Chatham House)
Paper Langhammer et al. (Kiel)
Paper Knight (CIGI)
Paper Otabe (JIIA)
Paper Bergsten et al. (PIIE)
Paper Delatte and Jean (CEPII)
Proceedings (IAI Research Papers No. 25)
International political economy, global governance
G7/G20
G7Italy2017
A Coordinated Approach to Foster Sustainable Growth and Financial Stability (Publication)
The G7's Task for Restoring Growth and Stability (Publication)
Germany Prioritizes the Long-term Goal of Sustainability over the Short-term Goal of Revitalizing the World Economy (Publication)
A Proposal for G7/G20 Policy Coordination to Strengthen Global Productivity and Output Growth (Publication)
Reconfirming the Very Basis of G7 Cooperation (Publication)
The 2011 Crisis in Italy: A Story of Deep-Rooted (and Still Unresolved) Economic and Political Weaknesses
The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on US and European Commitment to the Multilateral Economic Order
The Case for Gender Balance in Arms Control, Non-proliferation and Disarmament Negotiations
A New Lifeline for the G20? The Role of African and European Actors in Enhancing Its Legitimacy and Effectiveness
Renewing Multilateralism for the 21st Century
The Think-20 (T20)
Problemi e prospettive del sistema di governance economica globale
The EU as a global actor in the UN reform process
Infrastructure investments and the role of the G20
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GEMS & ACCESSORY
jewelleryistanbul.com
Home NEWS Frederique Constant continues partnership with Gwyneth Paltrow as Global Charity Brand Ambassador
Frederique Constant continues partnership with Gwyneth Paltrow as Global Charity Brand Ambassador
Frederique Constant continues partnership with Gwyneth Paltrow as Global Charity Brand Ambassador and presents new charity advertising campaign
FREDERIQUE CONSTANT, the Swiss watch brand is delighted to announce the continuation of its partnership for its third consecutive year with Oscar® winning actress and philanthropist Gwyneth Paltrow as its Global Charity Brand Ambassador.
Since 2016, Frederique Constant has partnered with Academy Award winning actress and philanthropist, Gwyneth Paltrow, as its Global Charity Brand Ambassador. As part of the campaign, Gwyneth chose to align with charity organization, DonorsChoose.org, involved in supporting education for children, making it easy for anyone to help a classroom in need, whether it is through books, school supplies or funding field trips.
ALETTA STAS, Board Executive and Co-founder of FREDERIQUE CONSTANT said, “We are very happy to continue our collaboration with Gwyneth Paltrow as our Global Charity Ambassador.” “Giving back is just as important to Gwyneth as it is for us, and thanks to her and our brand’s engagement, we will continue to support DonorsChoose.org educational projects.”
Since 2004, Frederique Constant has donated $50 upon each watch sold from the brand’s Ladies Collections. Together with this, Frederique Constant and Gwyneth Paltrow joined together for an exclusive event to launch the brand’s Lady Horological Smartwatch. A group of young students from the DonorsChoose.org program was invited to participate in a “5000 steps Challenge” conducted by Gwyneth Paltrow alongside celebrity fitness trainer, Tracy Anderson. Frederique Constant was honored to contribute a donation of $50,000 to the DonorsChoose.org organization, specifically towards their movement and sports programs throughout public schools.
“I am very happy to continue my partnership with Frederique Constant and excited to unveil my latest Charity campaign for the brand,” said Gwyneth Paltrow “What’s great about Frederique Constant is their combination of classic style and strong values that I really agree with, but also they have a beautiful commitment to sharing their success by giving back. We are very well aligned in our passion for charity.”
To celebrate the partnership renewal, the Swiss watch Manufacturer unveils its new Charity Advertising Campaign, which will promote the Ladies collections of the brand moving forward.
The natural beauty of Gwyneth combined with the beauty of Frederique Constant’s Ladies timepieces result in a visually stunning advertising campaign. Frederique Constant wishes the new campaign great success, bringing further support to DonorsChoose.org projects.
About Gwyneth Paltrow
Oscar®-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow, whose 1998 turn in SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE garnered her Best Actress honors at the Golden Globes®, Screen Actors Guild Awards®, and Academy Awards®, is also a decorated author, singer and entrepreneur. In 2011, she won an Emmy® for Guest Actress in a Comedy series for playing substitute teacher Holly Holiday on Glee, and her song, “Coming Home,” from the soundtrack for COUNTRY STRONG, was nominated for an Oscar® (the album went gold). In addition, Paltrow has authored three New York Times Best Selling cookbooks, My Father’s Daughter (2011), It’s All Good (2013), and Its All Easy (2016)—the latter two hit #1.
In 2008, Paltrow founded goop, a lifestyle brand devoted to making every choice count, where food, shopping, and mindfulness collide: In particular, goop has gained acclaim for its focus on health, wellness, and clean eating, as well as its city guides, an insider’s perspective on the very best places to eat, shop, and stay in the world’s most compelling destinations. Goop’s recent ventures include goop Magazine in collaboration with Condé Nast, goop Lab, its first permanent store located in Los Angeles, CA and their bi-annual In goop Health summit. In addition, goop has a tightly edited digital shop, a book imprint and its own product lines, including skincare, fragrances, apparel, bath soaks, and supplements.
Goop also strives to fulfill a mission of helping women reach their full potential and gaining autonomy over their own health. After serving as goop’s Chief Creative Officer since its inception, Paltrow assumed the CEO mantle in 2016, leading the company’s primarily female team of more than 150 to exponential growth. Paltrow also helped facilitate the #metoo movement, as she has always been comfortable pushing important conversations into the mainstream.
Other notable film credits include PROOF (for which she received a Golden Globe® nomination), Wes Anderson’s THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, Anthony Mighella’s THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, David Fincher’s SEVEN, the Farrelly brothers’ SHALLOW HAL, Alfonso Cuarón’s GREAT EXPECTATIONS, Douglas McGrath’s EMMA, SLIDING DOORS and Marvel’s IRON MAN franchise.
Source; Frederique Constant
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Like a message of gratitude delivered to the ocean, Ulysse Nardin focuses its efforts on the search for recyclable materials recovered from the sea....
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Behind the scenes: Gemini Man
By Adrian Pennington2019-09-09T12:16:00+01:00
Ang Lee chose to shoot his upcoming sci-fi film Gemini Man, starring Will Smith, in HFR. Editor Tim Squyres explains how the director fell in love with higher frame rates.
Gemini Man: Ang Lee directing
On the face of it, Gemini Man appears to be a conventional genre movie, but two things set it apart. For director Ang Lee – expert at making character driven drama but with his previous attempt at comic book action, Hulk, considered an honourable failure - this represents a departure. For Hollywood’s leading blockbuster producers Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun, Con Air, Pirates of the Caribbean) and SkyDance Media (Jack Reacher, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol) and star Will Smith (I, Robot) this science fiction about an assassin confronting his own clone has too good a hook to pass up, but not so the decision to back their director in shooting the film with an extreme high frame rate.
That’s even more surprising given the box office failure of Lee’s last picture Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, which was also shot in 4K native stereoscopic 3D and at 120 frames a second.
There is something extraordinary, though, about watching a film displayed with a clarity of motion that Gemini Man cinematographer Dion Beebe ACS ASC has described as like “looking through a massive window.”
Read more: “Urgent need” for digital cinema standards
“Ang never considered shooting this film any other way. He fell in love with 3d on Life of Pi but recognised the difficulty of shooting it at 24FPS” Tim Squyres, ACE
If the story of an Iraq war homecoming proved not quite appropriate for such a device, might it be a perfect fit for a tale of an aging government assassin going up against a clone of his younger self?
“For Ang the interesting challenge was to explore the character in the story and still be respectful of satisfying the needs of a Hollywood action movie,” says editor Tim Squyres ACE, who has made The Ice Storm, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Life of Pi as part of the director’s core team.
“He never considered shooting this film any other way,” Squyres reports. “He fell in love with 3D on ‘Pi’ but also recognised the difficulty of shooting 3D at 24 frames a second. We learned we could solve those problems in shooting a higher frame rate.”
Lee’s experience making the Oscar winning Life of Pi converted him to stereoscopy as a storytelling tool, but he was dismayed that the motion blur, dim light and strobing that accompanied its theatrical projection had blighted the film’s acting performances.
“There were shots of [Suraj Sharma] bobbing up and down in a boat where his performance started to get lost in motion blur and we had to artificially sharpen his face, digitally replace his eyes,” Squyres says.
“Subsequently we shot tests of Ang’s proposed Joe Frazier – Muhammed Ali boxing movie at 24, 48, 60, 120 and at 60 it was clear that you could overcome those issues.
Squyres describes the look of HFR as “a kind of immediacy and presence that you are not used to.”
He adds: “You can see much more detail in the actor’s expressions. There are lot of things in 24 that look fine but at 60 looks like overacting. You can see much more of what the person is thinking and feeling, more nuances of their performance at 60 that you can’t see at 24.”
Acutely aware of this from Billy Lynn’s, Lee ensured he passed this point on to his actors.
“The differences are striking and do impact what you see in your normal medium close-up and close up shots,” Squyres says. “Will Smith knew this too and definitely modified his performance to the format.”
Production and dailies
The script for the film has been around for twenty years with directors like Tony Scott and actors including Sean Connery attached but, without the technology to believably put two versions of the same actor on screen, it had always been shelved.
“The idea was always to cast a leading actor who has had a strong screen presence over many decades, otherwise you could have two different actors playing the role,” Squyres explains. “The fact that they are recognisable today and from when they were younger is the point. Will Smith fits that mould perfectly.”
Squyres: Viewed and cut everything at lower data rate of HD 60 fps on a 15ft screen
The first couple of months of the shoot took place in Savannah, Georgia. The production then shot three weeks in Cartagena, the beautiful city on the north coast of Colombia before moving to Budapest for two months.
Beebe filmed with Alexa M cameras mounted on a stereo rig custom made by Stereotec in Germany. Each camera delivered 3.2K resolution which was upscaled in the final picture to 4K.
For dailies viewing, the team built a screening room with a pair of 4K Christie Mirage projectors capable of playing back each eye (for 3D) at 120. For editorial in New York Squyres viewed and cut everything at a lower data rate of HD 60 fps viewed on a 15ft screen.
“Technically the Avid can support 4K workflows but in terms of real world performance we stuck with HD,” he says.
Frame blending
The Avid also supports 60 frames per second but not 120 so the production had to halve the frame rates in order to work on the material. Instead of simply throwing away every other frame, they employed TrueMotion software made by RealD to process the frames in such a way that allowed for a smoother and less stuttering effect.
“TrueMotion uses algorithms to blend 60 frames from the 120 by taking some of the frame before and some of the frame after the one you are using,” Squyres explains. “You can tune up or down to make the appearance smoother, or sharper, because you are using more information. It was a custom setting for dailies.”
This is only possible because the film was shot using a 360-degree open shutter so there were no gaps between frames. Using the software’s synthetic shutter, different frame rate versions of the film could be output from the 120 master (with 120 being divisible by 60 and 24 the math works out).
Read more: Cinema tech: High frame rates take a bold leap forward
It also meant that they can create a master file at 60 which looks better than if they’d shot it natively at 60; or a conventional 24 frame rate version which looks better than if it were originally shot at 24.
“It’s hard to describe but typically when we think about resolution it’s as a spatial number of pixels,” Squyres says. “HFR is temporal – it is resolution in time. You can think of it like a higher sampling rate for music.
“When we made Billy Lynn’s we never thought to put it into theatres at 120. The reason we shot at 120 at all was because it would deliver a better final picture at 60.”
The filmmakers also had the option of alternating the frame rate between scenes but chose in the end to maintain a consistent 120 frame rate throughout.
“We learned in tests that if you start out looking at 24 and switch up frame rates the change takes you out of the movie. You get used to it after a few minutes but if you switch back down to 24 then it’s distracting. There are all sorts of creative reasons why you might want to do this for a particular story. Ready, Player One, for example, might work since you are moving between different worlds. But it wasn’t right for a more conventional drama like ours.”
Cloning Will Smith
In Gemini Man, the main character, Henry, confronts Junior, the younger clone. Both are played by Will Smith with Junior digitally created by VFX house Weta.
“The term ‘de-aging’ implies that Smith’s face was digitally replaced pixel by pixel in post,” Squyres explains. “That’s not what we did. Junior is a completely digital character.”
For VFX purposes there were two sets of scenes; ones with Henry and Junior together and ones just with Junior often playing against Clay Varris (Clive Owen) who is Henry’s former mentor. In the latter shots, Will Smith played Junior and in some instances he’d was costumed correctly so they only needed to replace his head not his whole body. Smith was performance captured for these scenes and the data translated into animation by Weta.
Younger clone: A “de-aged” Will Smith
In scenes in which the pair are together, Junior is played by a stand-in actor and later, on a mocap stage, the scene was replicated with Smith wearing a full body suit and a mic for his vocal performance.
“We’d record that with a dozen cameras to get the references from all angles from which I’d pick the angle that best matched the shot I was trying to work it into. For a long time our rough cut would feature shots of our stand-in actor below a picture-in-picture of Will Smith’s mocap filmed at approximately the same angle.”
3D matters
Shooting and presenting in high frame rates has the added benefit of clearing up one of Lee’s bugbears with 3D which is the murkiness of viewing through glasses.
“It’s the 3D which remains important to Ang,” his editor says. “I always cut in 3D because when you are making a 3D picture you think make different decisions than you would in 2D. Instead of imagining what the 3D would be like, I’d rather work in it from the start.”
Read more: Craft Leaders: Demetri Portelli, Stereographer
It’s in Gemini Man’s dialogue scenes rather than its action sequences where the stereo has most impact.
“We might start out a scene with the characters within the frame and then start to bring them forward ever so slowly into our space as the scene progresses. You never want to go so far as have the audience really aware of what you’re doing but it’s surprising how far you can go push it without it being a problem.”
“An audience goes to see a movie not a technology” Tim Squyres, ACE
With stereographer Demetri Portelli and Ben Gervais (3D Systems Engineer), Squyres is part of an elite team with experience of extreme high frame rate production.
“An audience goes to see a movie not a technology,” he rightly says. “It takes a few minutes for them to get used to what they are seeing… but if you have a story that pulls them in then the technology will gain a visceral hold on them.”
Wide distribution
If Sony failed to understand the technology or support Billy Lynn’s with any kind of wide HFR release, Paramount believes it may have a hit on its hands.
Gemini Man: Film poster
The film is being distributed in versions including a top-of-the-range 4K 3D 240 (120 per eye) and extreme brightness of 28 foot-lamberts per eye across up to 100 new screens in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Screens with Dolby Vision will be able to show 120 2K at 14fl brightness and the main worldwide release is likely to be at 2K 3D 60.
No other HFR studio release is currently scheduled although James Cameron is shooting the Avatar sequels for Disney in high frame rates and Ang Lee is backing an effort by China’s Cinity Film Lab to help filmmakers understand how to shoot content using the format.
The jury is out as to whether there is some intrinsic connection between our eyes and brain which makes enjoying a narrative film at 24 more natural than one at 120, or whether it’s just a question of shaking our cultural habit before we become attuned to the experience.
“It’s a classic chicken and egg situation,” says IHS Screen’s director of cinema David Hancock. “[Gemini Man] may not be the one, but someone somewhere has got to advance cinema forward otherwise nothing changes.”
Digital Intermediate
Post Production & VFX
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ICRW | PASSION. PROOF. POWER.Paula Kantor AwardVioleta Ross Quiroga wins 2017 Paula Kantor Award
Violeta Ross Quiroga wins 2017 Paula Kantor Award
U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney presented Violeta Ross Quiroga with the Paula Kantor Award in New York in September 2017
Gracia Violeta Ross Quiroga is the winner of the 2017 Paula Kantor Award. The award was created to honor Paula Kantor, a former ICRW researcher who was killed in 2015 while working in Afghanistan. Paula was a leading expert on gender issues in international development, with nearly 20 years of experience in policy and program research related to integrating gender into agriculture and rural development. Dr. Kantor’s work was largely driven by her passion to improve lives in the global south, especially those of women and girls.
Violeta shares Paula’s dedication to gender equality and to promoting women’s health and rights. She is a prolific activist who has already made numerous outstanding achievements, is a powerful advocate for ending gender-based violence and a recognized global leader in the HIV movement.
Her work was driven by her own tragedy: she is also a survivor of rape and nearly 20 years ago, she learned she was HIV positive. Violeta channeled these experiences into founding the Bolivian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS, going on to successfully lead grassroots movement calling upon the Bolivian government to grant universal access to HIV treatment.
Like Paula, Violeta has a particular dedication to turning research evidence into action that will positively influence policies and improve people’s lives. One of Violeta’s research projects in particular captivated the panels of judges that selected the 2017 award winner. Violeta conducted public health research that sought to understand the impact violence had had on the bodies and identifies of three groups of women in Bolivia: those living with HIV, female sex workers and transgender women.
Violeta’s took a participatory group approach to her research and used an innovative ‘body mapping’ technique to produce a collective analysis of the participants’ experiences. In her nomination, a colleague noted that “the women felt safe to share their experiences of violence with women whom they knew had had similar experiences. The joint analysis created a sense of solidarity and collective empowerment; the women left the meeting feeling they were not alone.”
Violeta was able to gain sensitive insights into the experience of these three groups of highly marginalized women, while simultaneously fostering empowerment and healing among them, a testament to her skill as a researcher and her commitment to supporting her community. The awards committee is sure she will continue to lead innovative research that will uncover new paths to justice.
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You Can Now Ask Amazon’s Alexa About Vehicle Recalls in Canada
by Gary Ng – Fri, August 23, 2019
Transport Canada has announced a new Alexa Skill, allowing Canadians to ask the Amazon voice assistant about vehicle recalls.
Part of a six-month pilot test, the “Vehicle Recalls Canada” will provide details about automobile recalls from Transport Canada, based on vehicle make and model information you provide.
Once you enable the “Vehicle Recalls Canada” Alexa Skill, you can use the Alexa app or any Alexa-powered speaker to find out about recalls, by saying, “Alexa, open vehicle recalls.”
“The Government of Canada is committed to improving service delivery for Canadians and providing information in new, innovative ways. Vehicle recall information is important and Canadians need to have vehicle safety defects corrected in a timely manner. The easier we make it for Canadians to obtain this information, the better. I would like to thank Amazon and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat for collaborating with Transport Canada to make this service a possibility,” said Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport.
Transport Canada says there are roughly 650 safety recalls issued by automakers annually, affecting more than 5 million vehicles. Any recalls are up to owners to bring their cars or trucks to dealers to fix any issues.
The new Alexa Skill “fulfills a Government commitment to provide digital services that are more agile, open, and user-focused,” explains the press release, which reads like an election campaign message.
Let us know if you’re going to try this Vehicle Recalls Canada Alexa Skill (your tax dollars at work, folks).
Apple Refurbished 6th-Gen iPad Models Back in Stock for $359, Save $70
Fri, August 23, 2019
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Schoolgirls "told not to wear 'revealing' clothing"
Students say that they now feel 'degraded, paranoid, violated, disgusted, and unsafe' in the school.
Girls at Presentation College, Carlow, were told they shouldn’t wear tight clothing because it was too revealing of their bodies and made their teachers “uncomfortable”.
Tue, 24 Nov, 2020 - 17:24
Elizabeth Lee and Jess Casey
Female students at a secondary school in Carlow were told not to wear tight leggings to school as it was “distracting” .
Girls from sixth year down to first-year were called out of class on Friday morning at Presentation College, Carlow, and told they shouldn’t wear tight clothing because it was too revealing of their bodies and made their teachers “uncomfortable”.
They were also told not to roll up their skirts too short or to tighten up their jumpers and sweatshirts as this was also too revealing of their body shapes.
While girls of all years were spoken to, the younger ones were “given a PG version" of the rules, while the older girls were warned against showing off their female anatomy.
The talks, delivered by each year head, left students angry and several were in tears.
Principal of Carlow school rejects claims girls were told not to wear tight clothing
Male students were not called out from class or advised against the wearing of tight clothing to school.
Students say that they now feel “degraded, paranoid, violated, disgusted, and unsafe” in the school.
One in 10 schools in prefab accommodation
An online petition against sexism in school has since attracted more than 4,500 signatures.
“We are trying to bring our children up in a way that they are not ashamed of their bodies," Sandy Haughney, whose daughter attends the school, told the Carlow Nationalist.
We are trying to teach our young men that just because she wears this doesn’t mean she wants that. This is all wrong, it was all very badly done.
“The Pres has always been strong on dress code, but this is about more than a uniform. These are girls aged 12 to 18 years old, they’re very body-conscious.
"The girls should get an apology, they should feel safe in school.”
A statement on the school's website yesterday said:
"The rules concerning the correct wearing of our school uniform have not changed since previous years, other than the introduction of a half-zip top for first year students this year.
"Students are regularly reminded of school rules and regulations at assembly.
"The school continues to look after the pastoral care needs of all students through its excellent Pastoral Care/Student Support systems in the school.
"Any queries in relation to the above from parents or students will be dealt with in the normal way through the usual school channels."
The Department of Education said it cannot comment on any individual case, and decisions on school uniform policy are a matter for the school's board of management.
"Schools should consult with parents and students in relation to this policy," a spokesman said.
"In any instance where a parent of a student has cause for complaint, matters would normally be addressed to the individual teacher or school principal as appropriate," he added.
"If matters cannot be resolved at that level then a complaint can be addressed to the school’s board of management."
This article was amended to reflect comments made by Presentation College principal Ray Murray which have been covered in a separate article.
The female students in Carlow were shamed and shackled by their burgeoning womanhood
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End game for Enda? FG motion of no confidence in Taoiseach expected within days
Vice chair of parliamentary party, Pat Deering, says writing is on the wall for Taoiseach unless he announces departure plan
Niall Moonan
Farewell...Taoiseach's days are numbered (Image: Gareth Chaney Collins)
Fine Gael TDs will move a motion of no confidence in party leader Enda Kenny within days - unless he announces a plan to step down.
The clock is now ticking for the Taoiseach as Simon Coveney and Leo Varadkar wait in the wings to succeed him.
Last night's confidence vote in the Government (which it won by 57 votes to 52) gave Mr Kenny the briefest of reprieves.
But after the Government's ham-fisted handling of the Garda whistleblower scandal, it is now clear his days are numbered.
Fine Gael's parliamentary party vice-chairman, Pat Deering, said today: "I do think it's important he makes the right decision at this stage."
Bookmakers slash odds on Fianna Fail winning the most seats in the next General Election
And he made it clear a motion of no confidence WILL be moved in days if he fails to outline when he will step down.
Enda the road? Mr Kenny at a jobs announcement on Thursday
Deputy Deering, a TD for Carlow/Kilkenny added: "That situation is not too far away.
"I do think the party needs a new focus....the team leader is very important. He has been the leader of our team for 15 years.
Time for new focus for Fine Gael, says Deputy Deering
"I just believe a new focus is required to move onto the next stage."
Pressed on RTE's Morning Ireland on who should succeed Mr Kenny, the TD said: "That's a discussion for a different day.
"We have a number of outstanding candidates more than capable of leading the party."
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Leadership Event 2020
The Ministry of Health of Malawi is committed to supporting global efforts to increase accountability and improve data quality for decision-making. A team from the health ministry participated in the Summit on Measurement and Accountability for Results in Health in June 2015. At the Summit, over 600 global health leaders, decision-makers, thought leaders and implementers from over 60 countries representing development partners, partner country governments, and civil society endorsed the Roadmap for Health Measurement and Accountability and 5-Point Call to Action.
Malawi and partners collaborated to develop the M&E framework of its second health sector strategic plan, including a compact list of national core health indicators. Malawi, when selecting indicators to be included in the M&E framework, began with an overwhelming list of 195 indicators. Supported by GIZ /EPOS Health Management, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, WHO and the Bloomberg Data for Health Initiative, the Malawi Ministry of Health and Population used the Global Reference List of 100 Core Health Indicators, developed by WHO and HDC partners, to refine the list down to 82 indicators. By engaging partners and programmes in the process, all MHDC partners agreed to adopt the indicators. This compact list will reduce the burden of data collection and improve data quality.
Key HIS/M&E documents developed by the country include:
Malawi Monitoring & Evaluation Task Force Priorities 2017-2021
Malawi National Health Information System Policy
Malawi Health Sector Strategic Plan II 2017-2022 (HSSP II)
Malawi Monitoring, Evaluation and Health Information Systems Strategy (MEHIS) 2017-2022
Malawi National Health Indicators Handbook
Develop the M&E component of the new Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP II)
Develop a Common Investment Framework
Strengthen institutional HIS/M&E capacities
Reconfigure and expand DHIS 2 functionalities
Increased accountability of the MoH and health development partners by expanding public access to health data
Activities & milestones
August 2018- Ministry of Health plans annual Malawi HDC meeting
The Ministry of Health is planning to hold the annual Malawi HDC meeting with partners the week of 5 November. Draft agenda to follow.
May 2018- Strengthening the Ministry of Health's M&E capacity
One of the key priorities of the Malawi HDC is to strengthen institutional health information system and monitoring and evaluation (HIS/M&E) capacities. Recognizing that staffing for HIS at the Ministry of Health has been inadequate, five HDC partners -- GIZ, Data 4 Health, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID and CDC -- have seconded individuals to the ministry to work on HIS. Additional capacity will be needed to support implementation of the forthcoming M&E/HIS Strategy, behind which partners have agreed to align.
November 2017- Strengthening governance and coordination of health data investments in Malawi
Partners of the Malawi Health Data Collaborative met on 28 November 2017 at the Golden Peacock Hotel in Lilongwe, Malawi. The Ministry of Health’s Central Monitoring and Evaluation Division (CMED) convened the meeting to (i) review the draft Monitoring and Evaluation/Health Information System (M&E/HIS) Strategy 2017-2022, (ii) identify areas for technical and financial support from partners, (iii) discuss and identify next steps to finalize the M&E/HIS Strategy 2017-2022 and the common investment framework; and (iv) review technical updates on M&E priorities (successes, barriers to overcome, challenges, etc.).
Seventy-nine participants attended the meeting, representing some 20 organizations including Alliance for Public Health; BMGF; CDC; Cooper/Smith; Data for Health (Bloomberg Philanthropies); DFID; GiZ; Johns Hopkins University; Luke International; Palladium; Partners in Health; Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health; PEPFAR; Population Services International; The Global Fund; Unicef; University College London; and USAID.
As a key part of the process of finalizing the M&E/HIS Strategy by March 2018, CMED and partners recognized that further support is needed to define concrete ways of strengthening governance, leadership and coordination of investments in M&E/HIS. This would include defining the full set of skills and capacities needed within CMED to take full ownership and leadership in implementing the strategy.
To address this emerging priority, the Secretary for Health will assess various options for strengthening CMED capacity to coordinate the increasing influx of funds. The mapping of partners’ M&E/HIS investments is also critical to support the management of these funds. Thus the HDC approach is providing a platform for developing country-led governance of data and of investments in data.
November 2017 - HIS/M&E investments in Malawi mapped thus far total USD23.1 million
In the weeks preceding the Malawi HDC meeting on 28 November, a preliminary mapping of HIS/M&E investments (see page 4 of the meeting summary) was conducted, with global partners providing a short summary of their investments against the nine objectives of the draft M&E/HIS Strategy. (Note that Objective 6 of the new Health Sector Strategic Plan, with the aim to “generate quality information and make it accessible to all intended users for evidence-based decision-making,” is estimated to cost approximately USD74 million for the 2017-2022 period.) This mapping will be used to help develop a common investment framework that will guide future government and partner investments by identifying gaps, reduce duplications and eventually increase efficiencies.
Below are some findings from the mapping exercise:
• 5 partners provided information on their investments (BMGF, D4H, GAVI, TGF, and WHO).
• Investments from the 5 partners total USD23.1 million through 2022, and their 82 activities were mapped against the nine objectives of the strategy and its 164 activities.
• Largest investments are in objective 5 (improve alignment of fragmented data sources around a single country-led M&E platform), objective 6 (strengthen data sources to ensure that SDG and HSSP II indicators can be measured) and objective 8 (improve availability, analysis, dissemination and use of data for decision making).
To complete the mapping by March 2018, the Ministry of Health is currently gathering additional investments of other partners as well as extracting information on HIS/M&E investments from the MoH’s resource tracking database.
October 2017- Ministry of Health Plans High-Level HDC Forum
The Ministry of Health will host a national multi-stakeholder HDC workshop, led by the Chief of Health Services, on 28 November 2017 to validate a new HIS strategy, present the finalized National Health Indicators, and seek partner support and alignment of investments behind the M&E priorities. For more details, please contact Simon Ndira (simon.ndira@giz.de).
September 2017- Ministry of Health Finalizes National Health Indicators
The list of core indicators, which are essential to the monitoring and evaluation framework of Malawi's second health sector strategic plan (HSSP II), was developed by the Central Monitoring and Evaluation Division (CMED) of the health ministry with support and collaboration from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Data for Health initiative, GIZ-funded EPOS, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and WHO.
June 2017- Ministry of Health Finalizing New HIS Strategy
The Ministry of Health’s Central M&E Division (CMED) held a retreat, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Data for Health initiative, in early June to finalize a new Health Information System (HIS) strategy, aligned with the new Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP II). A draft of the document is currently being prepared and will soon be shared with the Malawi HDC working group.
May 2017- Harmonized Data Quality Tool Improves Efficiency of Activities in Malawi
Implementation of a harmonized Data Quality Review (DQR) toolkit is improving the efficiency of partners’ activities in Malawi. The tool, developed by WHO with support from partners, aims to harmonize multiple disease- and donor-specific data quality tools and review processes. Given The Global Fund plans to implement the tool in Malawi including immunization indicators, a standalone data quality review for the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), which GAVI planned to support, is no longer needed this year. This allows GAVI to re-allocate the funds toward other activities planned for 2019.
February 2017- Draft Mapping of HIS/M&E Investments
Ministry of Health, WHO and other partners have been mapping current HIS/M&E investments in Malawi. These results will inform the common investment framework, designed to align technical and financial assistance with country-defined priorities, reduce fragmentation and duplication of efforts and lower the burden of reporting. So far, responses have been received from 16 partners. A second round of inputs will target additional global partners to complete the mapping before validation.
The Gates Foundation and the Global Fund are now working jointly to explore how the Global Fund’s catalytic funding mechanism for data systems could be tapped to support the M&E priorities. Similarly, GAVI is now developing its new Country Engagement Framework and is referring to the costed M&E priorities to explore how GAVI can back them.
MoH is preparing to hold a multi-stakeholder workshop in the second quarter to validate the mapping of investments and common investment framework.
December 2016- Health Partners Support MoH to Reconfigure DHIS2
GIZ, University of Oslo, WHO, UNICEF, and other U.S. partners have been supporting the health ministry to reconfigure DHIS2 to include both programme-specific dashboards and broader groupings such as primary healthcare indicators, universal health coverage indicators, and national core indicators. New programme-specific dashboards were tested in mid-December, moving toward the goal of making the revamped DHIS2 system accessible through an open-access data portal (Malawi Health Observatory) by mid-2017.
November 2016- MoH Holds Workshop to Finalize National Health Indicators
Malawi’s Central Monitoring and Evaluation Division (CMED) of the health ministry held a workshop November 2-3 to finalize the list of national core health indicators, with support and collaboration from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Data for Health initiative, GIZ-funded EPOS, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and WHO. The list of core indicators are essential to the monitoring and evaluation framework of Malawi's second health sector strategic plan (HSSP II), currently being developed. Through the workshop, feedback was gathered from 40 representatives from across the health ministry and partners to produce a new draft of the National Health Indicators handbook, to be finalized by year-end. Two consultants have also been updating the M&E priority actions to track health sector performance and mapping government and partners’ commitments toward the priority actions and financial gaps.
October 2016- Gates Foundation, World Bank Align Investments With Malawi’s M&E Priorities
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is making a USD10m investment over 4 years, focusing on strengthening routine information systems, improving use of data and governance in 10 districts. These areas align with M&E priorities identified by Malawi’s Ministry of Health. In addition, the foundation is now seeking co-investments to expand the project programmatically (beyond HIV) and geographically (beyond the 10 districts). Similarly, the World Bank will fund priority M&E activities that will be financed from its ongoing Nutrition and HIV Project.
October 2016- Renewed efforts to finalize the M&E pieces of the HSSP II
The Ministry of Health nears completion of its new Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP II) with a pool of consultants developing the systems components (e.g. human resources and health infrastructure). In tandem, Vital Strategies, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, GIZ, WHO and other partners are supporting finalization of the M&E framework, including the national core indicators, and the M&E priority actions to track health sector performance against the plan, including government and partners’ commitments toward the priority actions and financial gaps. These will form the basis of the investment framework, and it should be finalized in parallel to the completion of the HSSP II.
Final outputs are expected by November, 2016.
September 2016- Evaluation of GiZ Malawi Health Programme
A team of independent technical experts and development partners including BMGF visited Malawi to evaluate the Malawi German Health Programme, which comes to an end by the end of 2016 and to assess whether the objectives have been met and what results were achieved. The team reviewed reports and documents, visited district hospitals, medical colleges, and meet with government representatives and development partners including USAID, CDC, DFID, WHO and UN organisations.
The results of the evaluation, which will be available soon, will provide inputs and recommendations into the design of the next 3 year phase of the Malawi-German Health Programme which will be aligned with the national Health Sector Strategic Plan II (2016-2021) and the M&E priority actions.
June and July 2016- Costing of the M&E priority actions
In June 2016, an international consultant hired by WHO supported the costing of the M&E/HIS priority actions. This exercise fed on the efforts to cost the new HSSP; and will be the basis of the M&E common investment framework. This first attempt to cost the M&E priority actions was followed by another mission supported by UNICEF to cost specific priority actions (i.e., surveillance).
Also, in parallel CHAI is conducting a mapping of partners’ investments in the health sector, including M&E/HIS. The costing of M&E priority actions and the mapping of partners’ investments will converge in the common investment framework. MoH will continue working jointly with partners to finalize the costed M&E plan, based on an iterative process, to ensure alignment with the HSSP.
May 2016 - Progress with re-configuration of DHIS2
In May 2016, the central data repository was being migrated to the MOH server residing at Community Health Services Unit (CHSU). In performing the migration, a dedicated team of technicians have been reconfiguring the application to ensure the new instance can benefit from all features of DHIS2. The configuration process is spearheaded by CMED and the ICT Unit of MOH; however, other actors are involved in gearing the process including GIZ through EPOS, BMGF through Kunika Project, CDC through Baobab Health Trust, Health Information Systems Programme (HISP) in collaboration with Oslo University with support from Global Fund. The team has been migrating data programme by programme.
April 2016- Technical assistance provided to MoH to identify M&E priority actions and national core health indicators
MOH requested specific technical assistance to WHO to update the M&E roadmap of the M&E task-force; to identify the M&E priority actions and map the current M&E/HIS interventions of MoH and health development partners; and to initiate the discussions on the national core indicators. The technical assistance mission produced sound drafts of the M&E priority actions; and the M&E core indicators of the HSSP II. These documents will be the basis of the common investment framework. Next steps identified during the TA mission included to conduct a deeper assessment of the RHIS ; and to cost the identified priority actions.
March 2016- Assessment of barriers and opportunities for investment on a unified system for M&E
To leverage current momentum and interest at country level to strengthen the national M&E platform, Global Fund commissioned a report to assess the current gaps and barriers that impede realization of a unified platform and requested recommendations for strategic investments. The report will be a useful input to the work ongoing at CMED to develop a costed M&E plan for the next HSSP.
February 2016- Work continues to develop the new Health Sector Strategic Plan
The MoH and the HSSP II development team continued to develop the conceptual framework for the new HSSP II. Principles and pillars are drafted. Also, the Ministry of Health formally appoints members to the M&E task force, which includes members from health development partners (GiZ, CDC, USAID, PMI, CDC, WHO and UNICEF, among others).
January 2016- Situation analysis of the new Health Sector Strategic Plan finalized
One of the key priorities identified by MoH for 2016 was to develop the new Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP II), which is going to guide the implementation of helath interventions at country level; and guide the investments in health.
The MoH presented the situation analysis of the HSSP II in January 2016, and activated the working groups to finalize the plan, which will include a M&E framework.
December 2015- MoH Malawi M&E taskforce created
As follow-up of the Multi-partner mission the previous month, the MoH Malawi created the M&E task force. The general objective of the M&E Taskforce is to fully align investment, i.e. the national and development partner investments in health with a single country platform for information and accountability, by coordinating the implementation of the short- and medium term priority tasks outlined during the WHO and Partners mission to Malawi in November 2015
November 2015- Multi-partner mission to support to Malawi in strengthening the MOH M&E platform
Partners from seven agencies conducted a joint multi-partner mission to Malawi to raise the profile of post-2015 agenda, including SDGs and the global effort in strengthening country-led platforms for information and accountability; and to provide inputs to and strategic guidance for the development of the national M&E plan.
As a result of the mission, a roadmap of priority actions was drafted, to guide the next steps to strengthen the M&E platform, and to finalize the M&E framework of the upcoming HSSP II (Helath Sector Strategic Plan)
Country Documents
Malawi HDC meeting 2018 agenda (264 kB)
21/11/2018 10:16 264 kB
Malawi HDC meeting 2018 List of Participants (1.40 MB)
21/11/2018 10:15 1.40 MB
Malawi National Health Indicators Handbook (3.33 MB)
Malawi HDC CMED Presentation2 8 November 2018 (2.31 MB)
Malawi Situation Room Presentation 8 November 2018 (1.55 MB)
Malawi’s selection of health indictors: “More can actually mean less”
How Malawi approached the selection of health indicators to track performance of its health sector
© 2021 Health Data Collaborative
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← Investors want more predicable returns from hedge funds, says Citi Private Bank’s Michael Stein
Long volatility and tail risk strategies outshined their peers as equities and oil slumped in February →
SEC Awards $450,000 to Whistleblower
March 30, 2020 : Permanent Link
(HedgeCo.Net) The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced an award of $450,000 to a whistleblower whose significant information helped focus an ongoing investigation on the violations that were ultimately charged.
The whistleblower, who had compliance-related responsibilities, is eligible for an award because the whistleblower reported concerns about the relevant conduct internally within the company and then waited 120 days before reporting to the SEC. This is the SEC’s third whistleblower award to an individual who had compliance or internal audit responsibilities.
“To ensure that important information about securities laws violations is reported to the SEC when appropriate corrective action is not taken by the company, the rules permit awards to compliance professionals in certain limited circumstances,” said Jane Norberg, Chief of the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower. “Here, the whistleblower made reasonable efforts to work within the company’s compliance structure, suffered unique hardships as a result, and reported to the Commission after the requisite time period had passed, ultimately providing meaningful assistance to the Commission’s investigation and subsequent enforcement action.”
The SEC has awarded over $396 million to 77 individuals since issuing its first award in 2012. All payments are made out of an investor protection fund established by Congress that is financed entirely through monetary sanctions paid to the SEC by securities law violators. No money has been taken or withheld from harmed investors to pay whistleblower awards. Whistleblowers may be eligible for an award when they voluntarily provide the SEC with original, timely, and credible information that leads to a successful enforcement action. Whistleblower awards can range from 10 percent to 30 percent of the money collected when the monetary sanctions exceed $1 million.
As set forth in the Dodd-Frank Act, the SEC protects the confidentiality of whistleblowers and does not disclose information that could reveal a whistleblower’s identity.
This entry was posted in HedgeCo Networks Press Releases, HedgeCo News, HedgeCoVest News. Bookmark the permalink.
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You are here: Home > > > > Leicestershire and Rutland HER Result
Leicestershire and Rutland HER | |
HER Ref:
MLE14318
Allexton, Harborough, Leicestershire
SK 817 004
Monument Types
CHURCH (Early Medieval to Modern - 1101 AD to 2050 AD)
Pevsner says the church has a c.1160 north arcade, c.1180 chancel arch responds and was extended in the C14th. It has a perpendicular tower. The C16th aisles have been demolished.
Listed building description:
Church. C12-C13 and C15, much restored 1862/3, including new roof and aisles. Coursed, squared stone and rubble stone and stone dressings. Welsh slate roof with stone-coped gables. Buttresses, some with set-offs. West tower, nave, aisles, chancel, and north chancel porch. C15 tower of 2 stages, with west buttresses, west window, blocked south arch and blocked window within. South-west staircase has west loopholes and projects to south. Four 2-light bell openings, west with later transom. Battlements and small, low, recessed, leaded spirelet with weathervane. Blocked, double chamfered nave arch with door. Late Norman 2 bay north arcade, carefully rebuilt, 1862. Arches with roll and zig-zag mouldings. Round pier with capitals and responds, with lobed frieze to capitals. 2 bay south arcade, with double chamfered arches on octagonal pier. Two 2-light dormers to Cl9 roof of 2 bays, and 1/2 bay at either end. Curved braces to collars. North aisle has windows with plate tracery, one with fragments of medieval glass. Many-moulded chancel arch, also rebuilt. Chancel has two windows to north and south, both to east flat-topped. East window of 1862 with Decorated tracery. Cl9 stained glass. Gabled porch to vestry, probably of 1862, with flat-topped doorway. Window with fragments of medieval stained glass. Chancel roof similar to nave. Chancel also has small north single-light, north doorway, and south piscina. South aisle has single-light windows to west and east, and flat-topped 3-light to south. Many-moulded south doorway with a shaft either side. To either side, a medieval carved stone lion couchant on plinth. Both aisles rebuilt 1862/3 after being pulled down late C16. C15 font. Pevsner, and White's 'Leicestershire and Rutland', 1877.
In 2002 the church was added to English Heritage's Buildings at Risk Survey as Level 4 (6 being highest risk).
Project Gargoyle survey work in 2011 recorded a small 12th century carving in the chancel arch, together with two free-standing lions by the church porch (Pevsner suggests they are pre-Reformation) and a small number of label stops which may be 13th or 14th century, or may be from the 19th century restoration.
<1> Pevsner N, 1984, The Buildings of England Leicestershire and Rutland, p72 (Bibliographic reference). SLE4.
"The N arcade was reconstructed in 1862 with the old materials. It is still splendid to look at. Two bays, a strong round pier with a square abacus, capitals to the pier and responds with a kind of lobed frieze or fringe, decorated to nave and arch openings, undecorated to the aisle. Arches with a big demi-roll, a fine roll towards the nave, and copious zigzag in the soffit and on the face (different detail on each arch). Hoodmould with a raw kind of nailhead motif. All this is clearly late Norman, and not yet Transitional - say of c.1160. The chancel arch responds are a little later, with large, broad, ribbed upright leaves and chamfered abaci. That looks c.1180. The arch itself is of 1862.
"The Norman church was extended W in the C14 by one bay and a S arcade with standard details added. Insufficient land W of this new work meant that the Perpendicular tower was built within the first bay of the nave. The blocked aisle bays are visible externally. Until the C16, when the aisles were demolished, the tower was connected to them by a small arch (N) and an opening under a large lintel (S), both now blocked. W Millican rebuilt the aisles in 1862 as part of his extensive restoration. His are the two pretty wooden dormers, the fittings, and the roofs with their jagged arch-braces. - SCULPTURE. Outside the S porch two stone lions couchant on plinths, possibly associated with a former porch of 1594. - STAINED GLASS. Some C14 canopy work in the vestry. - C15 fragments in the N aisle."
<2> Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, 1870, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, Volume 2, Vol 2 (1870), p173-4, p256 (Journal). SLE4983.
<1> Bibliographic reference: Pevsner N. 1984. The Buildings of England Leicestershire and Rutland. p72.
<2> Journal: Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society. 1870. Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, Volume 2. Vol 2 (1870), p173-4, p256.
Associated Finds
None recorded
Listed Building (II*) 1061661: CHURCH OF ST. PETER
Conservation Area: Allexton
No image caption available © Leicestershire County Council
Church tower, St Peter's Church, Allexton © Leicestershire County Council
South elevation, St Peter's Church, Allexton © Leicestershire County Council
Northeast corner, St Peter's Church, Allexton © Leicestershire County Council
Niche, St Peter's Church, Allexton © Leicestershire County Council
Chancel arch, St Peter's Church, Allexton © Leicestershire County Council
Reconstructed Norman arches, St Peter's Church, Allexton © Leicestershire County Council
Label stop, St Peter's Church, Allexton © Leicestershire County Council
Stone lion, St Peter's Church, Allexton © Leicestershire County Council
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Young woman who was victim to revenge-porn attack says she no longer trusts men
Jane's ex-boyfriend continued to upload explicit footage of her to an adult site and there was nothing Gardai could do
Jane Fallon-Griffin
A young woman whose ex-boyfriend uploaded intimate footage of her to an adult site has said she can no longer “trust men at all”.
The explicit tape which was secretly recorded was on the porn site for over a year before the victim known as ‘Jane’ was alerted to it.
During that time her cruel ex had even been responding to fellow online users impersonating her in sordid messages.
Jane who still suffers from anxiety over her ordeal was only made aware of the footage after a friend came across it online.
She said her “first response was to run to the bathroom and throw up” when she saw herself on the site.
“It’s not something I would wish on my worst enemy”, she told RTE’s Today with Sean O’Rourke.
Although the site took it down when asked her former partner continued to upload new copies and there was nothing Gardai could do about it as it was not illegal.
“The only thing I could do was to go an visit him and to ask him to take it down and to delete it and to delete all record of it from his laptop”, she said.
Jane said she “didn’t even know he had a camera in the room” and said if her friend hadn’t found it it could still be online which she said was “what’s really scary” about her situation.
Silhouette of woman sitting in bed by window (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
New Labour bill could see revenge porn offenders spend six months in jail
On Wednesday Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan sought Cabinet approval for a new bill to punish those guilty of revenge porn with hefty fines and imprisonment.
Jane said that while such measures were “a step in the right direction” she would like to see perpetrators names being placed on an offenders list.
“If you get a fine that’s not going to follow you”, she said. “That’s not going to impact the perpetrator’s life going forward the way it impacts the victim’s life going forward”.
Noeline Blackwell of the Rape Crisis Centre said penalties were needed that “show how seriously that the state is taking this”.
“There also needs to be sanctions around what you can do about confiscating materials and ensuring that it doesn’t happen again”, she added.
Labour leader Brendan Howlin who drafted the original version of the bill described current legislation as “ancient”.
“People feel that they somehow can do things online that would not be acceptable in direct discourse with people”, he said.
He said that online abuse causes “real emotional harm to people” and on occasion results in suicide.
“I think there is a huge well of hurt going on online that we actually haven’t witnessed in the light of day yet”, he said.
Young woman whose ex-boyfriend uploaded revenge-porn online says she no longer trusts men
Irish woman whose schoolgirl photos were uploaded to porn site reveals 'lack of justice'
An Garda Siochana
Brendan Howlin
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Romelu Lukaku accused of taking aim at Anthony Martial following Man Utd exit
Romelu Lukaku has been critical of a number of players for celebrating France's World Cup victory last summer
Romelu Lukaku has been accused of taking aim at former Manchester United teammate Anthony Martial.
Lukaku left Old Trafford for Inter Milan this summer in a £75m deal, after two years with the club.
United have looked strong in his absence, hitting Chelsea for four before picking up a draw at Wolves on Monday night.
Martial has scored in both of those matches, striking an impressive partnership with Marcus Rashford.
Footage has emerged on social media of Lukaku seemingly taking part in a podcast, where he discusses the success of the France squad that won the 2018 World Cup.
Romelu Lukaku and Anthony Martial (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
"I was in Miami, there was some players who didn't even make the cut for the World Cup," Lukaku said.
"They were fronting with the trophy. I'm like what the f***, you didn't even play."
The clip was shared by Twitter account Touchline Fracas, who suggested Lukaku was firing shots at Martial.
Romelu Lukaku of Inter Milan (Image: Inter via Getty Images)
The United star didn't make the France squad for the tournament and is yet to make an international appearance since then.
It is unclear if Lukaku was referencing his former teammate, whose wife gave birth to their son Swan in July 2018.
Inter Milan begin their Serie A campaign against Lecce on Monday night, although it is unclear if Lukaku will be involved as he bids to shift some weight following his big-money move.
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What Mauricio Pochettino told Tottenham players about Liverpool before Ajax comeback
Spurs fought back from 3-0 down on aggregate to secure their place in the final of the Champions League
Tottenham will face Liverpool in the Champions League final after a stunning comeback against Ajax.
Spurs trailed 3-0 on aggregate in Amsterdam after early goals from Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech struck early on.
But Lucas Moura scored twice in five minutes to give Tottenham hope before the Brazilian snatched the winner in the fifth minute of added time.
Spurs' comeback came 24 hours after Liverpool fought back from 3-0 down to knock Barcelona out.
And England left-back Danny Rose admits Spurs took hope from the performance of their Premier League rivals.
Mauricio Pochettino celebrates (Image: PA)
Lucas Moura celebrates at full-time (Image: Getty Images)
"We saw Liverpool last night. It goes to show it's not over until it's over.
"We were disappointed with the first leg how we started and we started like that tonight. But after the break we came out.
"The gaffer mentioned Liverpool's display at the hotel before the match - the gaffer doesn't mind us losing but we have to lose the right way.
"We're lucky we've gone through and we look forward to the Champions League final."
Tottenham Hotspur's Moussa Sissoko and Harry Kane celebrate (Image: PA)
Christian Eriksen lauded Lucas Moura for his stunning hat-trick that sent Spurs into the final.
The Dane said: "It was a ridiculous game, we were really far down, we tried to fight back, we were just lucky, I feel sorry for Ajax.
"Lucas Moura, he’s won the game, he deserves it, rollercoaster of a season, for him to get us in the final, I hope he gets a statue in England after this.
"We are blown away, there are no real words for it."
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NTEC Receives Highest Honor for Exemplary Mining and Reclamation from US Department of Interior
September 29, 2020 [email protected]_84 Department, Exemplary, highest, Honor, interior, mining, NTEC, receives, Reclamation
NTEC chose to rework marginal, legacy reclamation sites to create a stable landscape, ultimately allowing the land to be returned better than they found it
FARMINGTON, N.M., Sept. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Today, the US Department of Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) recognized Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) for their exemplary mining and reclamation work at the Navajo Mine. OSMRE awarded NTEC the agencies highest honor for activities that went above and beyond reclamation requirements to achieve superior results.
NTEC is the steward of the nearly 33,000 acre Navajo Coal Mine on the Navajo Indian Reservation. Traditional piecemeal reclamation began at the mine in 1970. When NTEC, a Navajo-owned company, purchased the mine in 2013 they inherited failing reclamation and unstable landforms, much of which had already been relinquished from jurisdictional oversight. The company immediately saw an opportunity to go above and beyond to correct the situation and do more than required to create a stable, sustainable landscape that mimics the natural erosion and deposition process of the Southwest.
Specifically, one site had been reclaimed to the previous applicable standard and was unnaturally eroding, while another site was lacking soil to shape and fill the area. However, the existing site configuration didn’t allow equipment the access necessary to perform reclamation work. NTEC and Bisti Fuels (NTEC’s contract miner) applied a creative solution to remedy both situations and allow for a watershed reclamation method.
The limiting infrastructure included electric rail structures (necessary to move coal from the pit to the power plant) and a local access road. The Company removed electric rail overhead lines and purchased diesel locomotives, as well as relocated a portion of the road. The new road location served the dual purpose of providing locals safe passage during the weather events. The new configuration allowed NTEC to correct the erosion problems with one pit, minimize impacts to previous reclamation, and move soils for future reclamation. Combined, these extraordinary efforts allowed for a large-scale effort that mimics a natural watershed and creates a sustainable restoration landscape.
This effort and approach is above and beyond what is required. “We took a site that has already been released from jurisdiction by the agency, and put it back in, because we knew we could do it better—we wanted to leave things better than we found them,” said Clark Moseley, CEO. “Doing the right thing is one of NTEC’s core behaviors. We have an obligation to our shareholders, the Navajo People. Our reclamation efforts present an opportunity to step up, do the right thing, at the right time, and create a better landform than what is required.”
OSMRE Principal Deputy Director Lanny E. Erdos, along with NTEC and Navajo Nation leadership toured the reclamation site this morning. The tour was followed be an award ceremony. “It is with great pleasure that I am here today to present the Navajo Transitional Energy Company with the 2020 Excellence in Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Award,” said OSM Principal Deputy Director Lanny E. Erdos. “NTEC, North American Coal, and Bisti Fuels are truly deserving of this National Award. As good stewards of the land, they utilized a unique and effective geomorphic approach to reclamation which restored key waterways and returned the lands to a productive use.”
Since 1986, OSMRE has awarded the Excellence in Surface Coal Mining Reclamation to coal mining companies that achieve the most exemplary coal mine reclamation in the nation. Winners demonstrate a commitment to sound mining practices and effective reclamation plans that enhanced beneficial postmining use of the land.
About NTEC
NTEC is an autonomous single member limited liability company, organized under the laws of the Navajo Nation, that owns mines in Montana, New Mexico, and Wyoming. The mission of NTEC is to be a reliable, safe producer of coal, while diversifying the Navajo Nation’s energy resources to create economic sustainability for the Nation and the Navajo people. NTEC’s sole shareholder is the Navajo Nation.
NTEC is a recognized leader in safety and reclamation, having been awarded the Sentinels of Safety award from the National Mining Association, the Good Neighbor Award from the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement and the 2019 Excellence in Reclamation award by the New Mexico Mining Association. For more information about NTEC, visit www.navajo-tec.com.
View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ntec-receives-highest-honor-for-exemplary-mining-and-reclamation-from-us-department-of-interior-301140360.html
SOURCE Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC)
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Home / Blog / Semantics / Standards, Accessibility, and Search Engine Optimization
Standards, Accessibility, and Search Engine Optimization
Topics: Semantics.
Robert Nyman has questions he’d love to have answered about SEO. I’m not the person to answer these questions, certainly, but I can certainly provide commentary.
In particular, it’s nice to see people from the web standards community discussing search optimization. There’s no question that creating a website which applies web standards and the principles of accessibility also creates a nice landing spot for search engines. When you build accessibly, you remove barriers to access for search engines as well as users. Although accessibility and web standards are certainly not necessary for search engine success, they can be an excellent way to kickstart your campaign. New websites in particular are likely to benefit from the crawlability and easy navigation aided by conscientious construction.
Robert comments on the fact that there are a lot of shady SEO companies out there. It’s important to mention that, but also important, as he does, to acknowledge that there are large communities of enthusiastic search marketing companies who won’t use those methods. A solid search marketing company will emphasize long term results — and will therefore avoid these methods which leave your site open to future condemnation.
There are a lot of interesting questions he raises on how logical web design and implementation questions can influence search engine considerations of your site. Does hidden text which is part of a DOM (Document Object Model)-manipulable interface raise red flags? What about use of <em> to highlight an entire block of text, such as an introductory paragraph or preamble? They may be sensible decisions, but they may also raise undesirable red flags with a search robot.
My opinion is that search engines are out to find your content. If you’re providing unique, valuable content, they’ll persevere until they find and index your content. If you’re using a particular technique for a good reason, you should be OK.
Should be OK. That deserves repetition. You may NOT be OK — like I said, I’m not an authority. However, if you keep the basic premise that search engines want to find your unique information, then they’ll discard the red flags as long as they continue to find value at your site. Algorithmic decisions will always create conflicts, however. Whether the weight of your content is greater than the flags raised by your design decisions is an open question.
To generalize, if you’re making a decision on the basis of a semantic decision or to provide added functionality, you should be all right. If you’re making a decision because you’re trying to influence search engines, you should think again. A search engine should never be your sole reason for a coding decision.
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5 Comments to “Standards, Accessibility, and Search Engine Optimization”
Frank Meyer ; October 18, 2007 at 3:31 pm
I think, that only content makes a website good or bad. In your website has a good theme and much backlinks, it will be indexed from the spiders and found by users….
Joe Dolson ; March 19, 2007 at 10:08 am
Writing for search engines is a bit of a different beast — there’s a line to be walked between headlines which are interesting to people and also strong for search engines and headlines which are interesting to people but very weak for search engines. The thing to avoid is headlines which are weak for people but strong for search engines…
Your rule of thumb is pretty sound!
Mike Cherim ; March 19, 2007 at 9:59 am
I agree, to a point. I never code for search engines, but when I create headings I try to write them with indexing in mind. I love being creative with my headings, but on the web that may not produce good results so I save that for print works.
A safe rule of thumb I think: If you think you’re playing games to trick the ‘bots then you probably are and it may prove disastrous. Want good SEO? Write good content and add new content regularly. Make sure your site is accessible to the blind, choose headings/wording carefully so it is properly descriptive (which is important on the web), promote the site so it is linked to, and then rest should just fall into place. Naturally.
Joe Dolson ; March 15, 2007 at 8:24 am
I’ll have to admit that MSN would be my last choice of those three…but I’m sure it depends somewhat on what you’re searching for! You’re right that knowing exactly what could be a problem is very challenging — which is exactly why I’d recommend always having a solid justification for any action which doesn’t revolve around search engine behaviors.
Stevie D ; March 15, 2007 at 6:40 am
It’s very difficult to know exactly what search engines will downscore a website for, given that they refuse to tell us! They claim that more and more weight is given to incoming links over the page itself.
Given how fickle the search engines can be, Google and Yahoo in particular, with pages jumping up and down the rankings every day for no apparent reason, and no knowing when the next big launch that turns everything on its head will be, we have to be careful about how much time we invest in deliberate SEO techniques. As you say, the best strategy is to include relevant and unique content, and hope!
FWIW, my current search engine of choice is MSN, for consistently picking the most relevant sites.
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[ January 21, 2021 ] 5TH India – Singapore Defence Ministers’ Dialogue, 20 January 2021 PIB
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MoD | Curtain Raiser of Independence Day Celebrations – 2020 at Red Fort
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will lead the nation in celebrating the 74th Independence Day at the majestic Red Fort here tomorrow. He will unfurl the National Flag and deliver the customary Address to the Nation from the ramparts of the iconic monument.
On his arrival at 0718 Hours in front of Lahore Gate of Red Fort, Shri Narendra Modi will be received by the Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar.
The Defence Secretary will introduce the General Officer Commanding (GoC), Delhi Area, Lieutenant Gen Vijay Kumar Mishra to the Prime Minister. The GoC Delhi Area will then conduct the Prime Minister to the Saluting Base where a combined Inter-Services and Police Guards will present general salute to Shri Narendra Modi. Thereafter, the Prime Minister will inspect the Guard of Honour.
The Guard of Honour contingent for the Prime Minister will consist of one officer and 24 men each from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Delhi Police. The Guard of Honour will be positioned directly in front of the National Flag across the moat below the ramparts.
This year, Army being the coordinating Service, the Guard of Honour will be commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Gaurav S Yewalkar. Army Contingent in the Prime Minister’s Guard will be commanded by Major Palvinder Grewal, the Navy contingent by Lieutenant Commander K V R Reddy, while Squadron Leader Vikas Kumar will lead the Air Force contingent and the Delhi Police contingent by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Shri Jitender Kumar Meena.
The Second battalion of Garhwal Rifles, was raised on 01 March 1901 at Lansdowne under the able stewardship of Lieutenant Colonel JT Evatt. It is one of the finest battalions of Indian Army with a glorious and illustrious service history spanning more than a century. The battalion has won Eleven Battle Honours in World War I and World War II, which is splendid by any standards.
Post-Independence, the battalion took active participation in the 1965 War. It got the opportunity to serve in Operation Rakshak from 1994 to 1996 and between 2005 and 2007. The battalion eliminated more than 80 terrorists.
After inspecting the Guard of Honour, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will proceed to the ramparts of the Red Fort where he will be greeted by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria. The GoC Delhi area will conduct the Prime Minister to the dais on the rampart to unfurl the National Flag.
On unfurling the National Flag by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the National Guard will give ‘Rashtriya Salute’ to the National Flag. The Army Grenadiers Regimental Centre Military Band will play the National Anthem during unfurling of the National Flag and the ‘Rashritya Salute’. All Service personnel in uniform will stand & salute, the rest will be requested to stand and give respect to the National Flag. The Band will be commanded by Subedar Major Abdul Gani.
Major Shweta Pandey will assist the Prime Minister in unfurling the National Flag. The unfurling of the tri-colour will synchronise with the 21 Gun Salute fired by the valiant gunners of the elite 2233 Field Battery (Ceremonial). The ceremonial battery will be commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Jitendra Singh Mehta and the Gun Position Officer will be Naib Subedar (AIG) Anil Chand.
The National Flag Guard comprising 32 men and one officer each from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Delhi Police will present Rashtriya Salute at the time of unfurling of the National Flag by the Prime Minister. Major Surya Prakash from the Army will be in command of this Inter-Services Guard and Police Guard. The Naval Contingent for the National Flag Guard will be commanded by Lieutenant Commander Vivek Tingloo, Air Force contingent by Squadron Leader Mayank Abhishek and Delhi Police contingent by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Shri Sudhanshu Dhama.
The Army contingent for the National Flag Guard is drawn from the 5th Battalion of the First Gorkha Rifles. The elite 5th Battalion of the First Gorkha Rifles, was initially raised in January 1942 at Dharamshala and was later demobilised in December 1946. It was re-raised on 01 January 1965 at Solan (Himachal Pradesh).
The battalion proved its mettle during ‘Operation Cactus Lity’ in East Pakistan in 1971 and was awarded with three Mahavir Chakras and two Vir Chakras for that. The Battalion also had an opportunity to serve for the United Nation Mission in Sudan from 2008 to 2009. The battalion is presently performing the honourable duty of Ceremonial Army Guard to the President of India.
After unfurling the National Flag, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will address the nation. After the speech of the Prime Minister is over, the National Cadet Corps cadets will sing the National Anthem. All present will be requested to stand at their seat and join the singing of the National Anthem. Service Persons in uniform will not be required to salute at this moment.
On this festival of national fervour, 500 NCC cadets (Army, Navy and Air Force) from different schools will be taking part.
74rd Independence Day
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5TH India – Singapore Defence Ministers’ Dialogue, 20 January 2021
PIB News Update: The 5th Defence Ministers’ Dialogue (DMD) between India and Singapore was successfully held on 20 January 2021 through a video conference and continues … [ Read more ]
Sewaram Swami RAS posted as Addl Divisional Commissioner, Jaipur
Shri Sewaram Swami RAS (Rajasthan 2005) presentlyGeneral Manager, Rajasthan State Food & Civil Supplies Corporation, Jaipur, has been transferred and posted as Additional Divisional Commissioner, … [ Read more ]
NDRF celebrated its 16th Foundation Day
PIB News Update: The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) celebrated its 16th Foundation Day today. A special program was organized on this occasion in New … [ Read more ]
EPFO adds 10.11 lakh net subscribers in the November 2020 Payroll Data
PIB News Update: The provisional payroll of EPFO released today reveals that it has added around 10.11 lakh net subscribers in the month of November, … [ Read more ]
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Audit of Transocean Arctic
Transocean Arctic (Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc.) (Semisub)
We have carried out an audit of Transocean Arctic in respect of structural safety. On 4 and 5 April 2017, we carried out an audit of the Transocean Arctic mobile drilling facility in the domain of structural safety. The audit was conducted at Transocean's premises at Forus in Stavanger and addressed primarily robustness, lifecycle challenges and barriers within structures and marine systems, as well as analyses of waves on deck. The audit is founded on our main theme for 2017 – "Reversing the trend" – and in particular on the pillar of robustness. During the audit, we focused on robustness in the context of ageing mechanisms. Transocean Arctic was built in 1984 and upgraded in 2004. The facility received Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) in July 2004. No regulatory non-conformities were detected during the audit, though a handful of improvement points were identified. Transocean has been asked to report on how these improvement points will be assessed by 19 May 2017.
Source: http://www.ptil.no/audit-reports/audit-of-transocean-arctic-article12816-889.html
More News for Operator: Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc.
Statoil given consent to drill Pingvin prospect
Statoil has received consent for exploration drilling using the ‘Transocean Spitsbergen’ mobile drilling facility to drill well 7319/12-1 Pingvin in production licence 713. The well is in the Barents Sea, around 296 km from Hammerfest. Water depth at the site is approx. 422 metres. Drilling is planned to begin in August 2014, with a duration of around 28 days, depending on whether a discovery is made. In its decision to grant permission under the Pollution Act, the Norwegian Environment Agency has determined that Statoil may not drill in oil-bearing strata before 5th September 2014. This condition has been set to allow for appeals before the riskiest part of the operation gets under way.
Drilling permit for Ensis prospect granted
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for well 7125/4-3, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 7125/4-3 will be drilled from the Transocean Spitsbergen drilling facility at position 71°30'56.40" north and 25°12'56.70" east. The drilling programme for well 7125/4-3 relates to drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 393 B. Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 50 per cent. The other licensees are Petoro AS (20 per cent), Concedo ASA (20 per cent) and OMV (Norge) AS (10 per cent). The area in this licence consists of parts of block 7125/4 and 7125/5. The well will be drilled about 110 kilometres northeast of Hammerfest. Production licence 393 B was awarded on 10 September 2010 (follow up to the 19th licensing round on the Norwegian shelf). This is the first well to be drilled in the licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing drilling activities.
Statoil given go ahead to drill Isfjell prospect
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil Petroleum ASA a drilling permit for well 7220/2-1, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 7220/2-1 will be drilled from the Transocean Spitsbergen drilling facility at position 72°48'43.85" north and 20°33'26.97" east. The drilling programme for well 7220/2-1 relates to drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 714. Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 50 per cent. The other licensees are ENI Norge AS (30 per cent) and Petoro AS (20 per cent). The area in this licence consists of block 7220/2 and parts of block 7220/3. The well will be drilled about 35 kilometres north of the Johan Castberg field. Production licence 714 was awarded on 21 June 2013 (22nd licensing round on the Norwegian shelf). This is the first well to be drilled in the licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing drilling activities.
Statoil given consent to use 'Transocean Leader' to drill 25/8-18 S well
Statoil has received consent to carry out exploration drilling using the ‘Transocean Leader’ mobile drilling facility to drill well 25/8-18 S in the central North Sea. The well is located 12 km north-west of the Grane field and around 164 km from the nearest land at Utsira in Rogaland. Water depth at the site is 159 metres. Drilling is estimated to last for 33 days. ‘Transocean Leader’ is operated by Transocean. The facility was issued with an Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) by the PSA in December 2004.
Statoil given approval to drill Pingvin prospect
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for wellbore 7319/12-1, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 7319/12-1 will be drilled from the Transocean Spitsbergen drilling facility at position 73°02'34.20" north and 19°46'39.30" east. The drilling programme for well 7319/12-1 relates to drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 713. Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 40 per cent. The other licensees are RN Nordic Oil AS, North Energy ASA and Edison International Norway Branch, each with 20 per cent. The area in this licence consists of blocks 7219/ 2, 3 and 7319/11, 12. Production licence 713 was awarded on 21 June 2013 in the 22nd licensing round on the Norwegian shelf. This is the first well to be drilled in the licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities before commencing drilling activities.
FAR announces hydrocarbon presence at FAN-1 well in Senegal
FAR Ltd (FAR) has announced that Oil samples have been recovered in the FAN-1 exploration well being drilled offshore Senegal. Elevated gas and fluorescence were encountered in a shallow secondary target and the presence of oil was confirmed by an intermediate logging program. Oil samples from a thin sand were collected by an MDT wireline formation tester for further analysis. This well data confirms the existence of a working petroleum system. The FAN-1 well has reached a depth of 4402 metres where intermediate casing has now been set. The well will be deepened to planned Total Depth (“TD”) of approximately 5000 metres. Conclusive results for this well will not be available until drilling operations are completed and all of the well data is fully assessed. The Operator anticipates that drilling of the FAN-1 well will be completed during the next month after which time the rig will be moved to the SNE-1 well location, the second well of the two well program offshore Senegal. FAR Managing Director, Cath Norman said, ”The presence of oil In the secondary target is important in helping our geological understanding of the margin and is significant because it confirms the existence of a working petroleum generating system. It is very pleasing that the building blocks of a working petroleum system are present and we look forward to drilling ahead to deeper objectives in FAN-1 and completing the SNE-1 well. ”As previously announced, the drilling program has been designated as “tight” by the Operator and hence no information related to depth or formation will be provided during the drilling beyond what is required to meet ASX continuous disclosure obligations. This release in relation to the matter referred to in the Company’s trading halt announcement of 25 August 2014
Statoil receives consent to use 'Transocean Spitsbergen' drill Isfjell prospect from PSA
Statoil Petroleum AS has received consent for exploration drilling using the ‘Transocean Spitsbergen’ mobile drilling facility to drill well 7220/2-1 Isfjell in production licence 714.The well lies in the Barents Sea, around 219 km from the nearest mainland at Ingøy in Måsøy municipality, Finnmark. Water depth at the site is approx. 429 metres. Drilling is planned to begin in August 2014, with a duration of around 30 days, depending on whether a discovery is made. In its decision to grant permission under the Pollution Act, the Norwegian Environment Agency has determined that Statoil may not drill in oil-bearing strata before 18th September 2014. This condition has been set to allow for appeals before the riskiest part of the operation gets under way. ‘Transocean Spitsbergen’ is a semi-submersible drilling facility of the Aker H-6e type. It was built at the Aker Stord yard, is registered in the Bahamas and classified by DnV.
Dry Barents sea well for Statoil at Ensis prospect
Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 393 B, has completed drilling of wildcat well 7125/4-3. The well is dry. The well was drilled about four kilometres south of the 7125/4-1 oil and gas discovery and about 105 kilometres northeast of Hammerfest. The exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in Early Cretaceous reservoir rocks (intra-Knurr formation). Well 7125/4-3 encountered approx. 35-metre thick reservoir rocks with poor reservoir quality in the Knurr formation. Data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. This is the first exploration well in production licence 393 B, which was carved out from production licence 393 in 2010. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 993 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in the Hekkingen formation in the Late Jurassic. Water depth is 294 metres. The well has been permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 7125/4-3 was drilled by the Transocean Spitsbergen drilling facility, which will now drill wildcat well 7319/12-1 in production licence 713, where Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator.
'Transocean Barents' heads back to work after yard stay
The ‘Transocean Barents’ drilling rig has today left Kvaerner’s shipyard at Stord in Norway, having completed its five year classification and the planned upgrade and modification work more than one week ahead of schedule. The rig will now spend approximately one week in the Klosterfjorden for sea trials before it continues to its next assignment in the Norwegian Sea with Shell. The project has been conducted with good HSSE results. The ‘Transocean Barents’ is an Aker H-6e sixth generation dual activity dynamically-positioned semi-submersible drilling rig designed to operate in harsh environments and water depths up to 10 000 feet. The rig was one of two drilling platforms of the H6-e design delivered from Stord in 2009. The twin rigs, ‘Transocean Barents’ and ‘Transocean Spitsbergen’ have become known as state-of-the-art drilling rigs with high and stable performance.
Hurricane releases lancaster appraisal well analysis
Hurricane Energy plc (Hurricane), the UK-based oil and gas company focused on hydrocarbon resources in naturally fractured basement reservoirs, has substantially completed post-well data analysis following the successful testing of the 1km horizontal appraisal well 205/21a-6 in Q2 2014 at the Company’s Lancaster oil discovery West of Shetland. The well was optimally located to benefit from a highly connected fault/fracture network and an underlying 300m oil column (Hurricane’s - 2C estimate of field ODT). The results from third party analysis combine to demonstrate a very good quality reservoir which could deliver single well rates of 20,000 STB/d - significantly ahead of initial expectations of well productivity.
Eni announces discovery at Ochigufu-1 well in Angola
Eni has announced a new oil discovery in Block 15/06, in the Ochigufu exploration prospect, in deep water offshore Angola. Oghigufu is the 10th commercial oil discovery made in Block 15/06. The new discovery is estimated to contain 300 million barrels of oil in place. Ochigufu 1 NFW well, which has led to the discovery, will be brought into production in record time. The well is located at approximately 150 kilometers off the coast and 9.8 kilometers from the Ngoma FPSO (West Hub) and the closeness to Ngoma FPSO allows the increase of the resource base of the West Hub project, currently underway. The well was drilled by the ‘Ocean Rig Poseidon’ Drilling Unit in a water depth of 1,337 meters and reached a total depth of 4,470 meters. Ochigufu 1 NFW was directionally drilled in order to reach the targets in optimal position and proved a net oil pay of 47 meters, (34° API) contained in the Lower Miocene and Oligocene sandstones with very good petrophysical properties. The data acquired in Ochigufu 1 well indicate a production capacity equal to more than 5,000 barrels of oil per day. Claudio Descalzi, Eni’s CEO said: "This important discovery, which will be brought into production in record time, adds even more value to Block 15/06. Like the recent discoveries in Congo and Gabon, this new find exemplifies the results we can achieve by applying leading edge technologies to exploration, and substantiates the decision to refocus Eni on key oil and gas competences". Studies are underway in order to evaluate an early tie-in to the Ngoma FPSO, already in location in the West Hub and designed to handle 100,000 barrels of oil production per day. Eni is operator of the Block 15/06 with a 35% stake. The other partners of the Joint Venture committed to the block are Sonangol P&P (30% stake), SSI Fifteen Limited (25% stake), Falcon Oil Holding Angola SA (5% stake) and Statoil Angola Block 15/06 (5% stake).
Statoil completes pingvin well with gas shows
North Energy has announced that drilling is being completed at Pingvin prospect (exploration well 7319/12-1). The well has identified gas in a sandstone reservoir. Extensive data have been acquired from the well through coring, wireline logging and liquid sampling. Updated information from the well will be provided as soon as the analyses have been completed. The partners in the licence are Statoil as operator with 40 per cent, RN Nordic Oil with 20 per cent, Edison with 20 per cent and North Energy with 20 per cent.
PSA awards consent for 'Transocean Leader' to drill Krafla wells
The PSA has given Statoil Petroleum AS (Statoil) consent for exploration drilling using the ‘Transocean Leader’ mobile drilling facility in the North Sea. The consent covers the drilling of wildcat well 30/11-10 "Krafla North" and appraisal well 30/11-10 A "Krafla Main". It is planned to drill from the same surface location, with appraisal well 30/11-10 A being drilled as a sidetrack. The location is in the North Sea, 22 km from the Oseberg Sør facility and 2.2 km from the oil and gas discovery 30/11-8 S (Krafla), which was drilled in 2011. The earliest start to drilling is set at mid-October 2014. The activity is estimated to last 78 days. ‘Transocean Leader’ is a semi-submersible mobile drilling facility delivered in 1987 by Hyundai Heavy Industries of Korea. The facility is operated by Transocean and received Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) from the PSA in December 2004.
Statoil confirms gas discovery at Pingvin prospect
Statoil has together with PL713 partners made a gas discovery in the Pingvin prospect in the Barents Sea. The discovery is a play opener in a frontier unexplored area of the Barents Sea northwest of Johan Castberg. The discovery well 7319/12-1, drilled by the drilling rig ‘Transocean Spitsbergen’, proved a 15-metre gas column in the well path. Statoil estimates the volumes in Pingvin to be in the range of 30-120 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent. The discovery is currently assessed as non-commercial. “Pingvin is the first well drilled in PL713 – a large frontier area northwest of Johan Castberg awarded in the 22nd concession round. For a discovery in this area to be commercially viable it needs to be an oil accumulation of a significant size. A gas discovery does not have commercial value at present. "On the positive side, it is encouraging that the first well drilled in this unexplored area has proven hydrocarbons in sandstones. This indicates that we have both a reservoir and a working hydrocarbon system in the area, and creates a good basis for further subsurface work in the licence,” says Dan Tuppen, vice president exploration Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea. Pingvin is a good example of efficient exploration performance. “The partnership drilled Pingvin just 15 months after the acreage award. The chosen well location allowed us to clarify the hydrocarbon volume in the structure with one very efficiently executed exploration well,” says Tuppen. Exploration well 7319/12-1 is located in PL713 about 65 kilometres northwest of the Johan Castberg discovery. Statoil is operator with an interest of 40%. The partners are RN Nordic Oil AS (20%), North Energy ASA (20%) and Edison International Norway Branch (20%).
Shell set to drill new appraisal well at Ormen Lange
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted A/S Norske Shell a drilling permit for wellbore 6305/8-2, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Wellbore 6305/8-2 will be drilled from the 'Transocean Barents' drilling facility in position 63°19'42.05" north and 5°21'36.69" east. The drilling programme for wellbore 6305/8-2 relates to the drilling of an appraisal well in production licence 250. A/S Norske Shell is the operator with an ownership interest of 16 per cent. The other licensees are Petoro AS (45 per cent), Statoil Petroleum AS (23.6 per cent), Dong E&P Norge AS (9.44 per cent) and ExxonMobil Exploration & Production Norway AS (5.91 per cent). The area in this licence consists of parts of block 6305/8. The well will be drilled about 120 kilometres west of Kristiansund. Production licence 250 was awarded on 22 October 1999 (supplement to the 15th licensing round on the Norwegian shelf). This is the second well to be drilled in the licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by the authorities before the drilling activity commences.
Statoil to use 'Transocean Spitsbergen' to drill Saturn
The PSA has given Statoil Petroleum AS (Statoil) consent for exploration drilling using the ‘Transocean Spitsbergen’ mobile drilling facility in the Barents Sea. The consent applies to drilling of exploration well 7227/10-1 in production licence 230 in the Barents Sea. The well has been given the prospect name of "Saturn". Water depth at the site is around 232 metres. The location is approximately 116 kilometres from the nearest land, at Kinnarodden in Lebesby/Gamvik municipality in the county of Finnmark. The earliest start-up for drilling is the second half of October 2014. The operations are estimated to last 45 days. ‘Transocean Spitsbergen’ is a semi-submersible mobile drilling facility of the Aker H-6e type.
PSA completes audit of 'Transocean Leader'
The PSA has carried out an audit of the Transocean rig company, in respect of logistics on the ‘Transocean Leader’ drilling facility. The ‘Transocean Leader’ mobile drilling facility was issued with an Acknowledgement of Compliance (AOC) by the PSA in December 2004. As a step in the follow-up of the rig owner's compliance with regulatory requirements and the preconditions for the AOC, the PSA has conducted an audit in the logistics domain. It covers materials handling, lifting equipment and the safe use thereof. The audit was carried out between 21st and 28th August 2014, in the form of a meeting with the rig owner, Transocean Offshore Ltd NUF (Transocean), followed by verification on board ‘Transocean Leader’ while it was operating for Statoil on the Njord field.
Cairn hits oil at FAN-1 well in Senegal
Cairn together with its joint venture partners has announced that the FAN-1 exploration well, offshore Senegal, has discovered oil. The well, located in 1,427 metres (m) water depth and approximately 100 kilometres offshore in the Sangomar Deep block, has reached a Target Depth (TD) of 4,927 m and was targeting multiple stacked deepwater fans. As stated prior to the commencement of operations there are no plans for immediate well testing. Further evaluation will now be required to calibrate the well with the existing 3D seismic in order to determine future plans and optimal follow up locations to determine the extent of the discovered resource. Once operations are completed on the FAN-1 well, the rig will move to complete the second well, SNE-1 where the top hole has been drilled pending re-entry. This Shelf Edge Prospect targeting a dual objective in 1,100m water depth is in the Sangomar Deep block. The FAN-1 well was drilled using the semi-submersible drilling unit ‘Cajun Express’. It is the third well in Cairn's North West Africa programme and first in Senegal. Cairn has a 40% Working Interest (WI) in three blocks offshore Senegal (Sangomar Deep, Sangomar Offshore and Rusifique) ConocoPhillips has 35% WI, FAR Ltd 15% WI and Petrosen, the national oil company of Senegal 10% WI. The three blocks cover 7,490 km2.
Lundin spuds Storm prospect in Norway
Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum), through its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS (Lundin Norway), is pleased to announce that drilling of exploration well 33/2-1 in PL555 has commenced. The well will investigate the hydrocarbon potential of the Storm Prospect in PL555, which is located 200 km west northwest of Florø on the Norwegian west coast and approximately 65 km northwest of the Snorre Field. The main objective of well 33/2-1 is to test the reservoir properties and hydrocarbon potential of the Upper Jurassic Sandstones equivalent to the reservoir in the Magnus field on the UKCS approximately 35km to the south. Lundin Petroleum estimates the Storm prospect to have the potential to contain unrisked, gross prospective resources of 89 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe). The planned total depth of 4,500 metres below mean sea level and the well will be drilled using the semisubmersible drilling unit ‘Transocean Arctic’. Drilling is expected to take approximately 80 days.
Statoil discovers gas at Isfjell
Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 714, is currently completing the drilling of wildcat well 7220/2-1. The well was drilled about 40 kilometres northeast of the oil and gas discovery 7220/8-1 Johan Castberg in the Barents Sea, and about 260 kilometres northwest of Hammerfest. The primary exploration target for the well was to prove the presence of petroleum in Middle to Early Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Stø, Nordmela and Tubåen formations). The secondary target was to prove the presence of petroleum in Late/Middle Triassic reservoir rocks (the Snadd formation). The well encountered a gas column of about 85 meters in the Stø and Nordmela formations with a reservoir quality ranging from very good to excellent. The Snadd formation was found to have more varied reservoir properties, but is an aquifer. Preliminary estimations of the size of the discovery are between 1 and 2 billion standard cubic meters (Sm3) of recoverable gas. The well was not formation-tested, but extensive data collection and sampling have been carried out. This is the first exploration well in production licence 714. The licence was awarded in the 22nd licensing round in 2013. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 1554 meters below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Snadd formation. The water depth is 429 meters. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 7220/2-1 was drilled by the 'Transocean Spitsbergen' drilling facility, which will now proceed to drill wildcate well 7227/10-1 in production licence 230, where Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator.
Statoil strikes for the seventh time in Tanzania
Statoil and co-venturer Exxon Mobil today announced that the Giligiliani-1 exploration well has resulted in a new natural gas discovery offshore Tanzania. The discovery of an additional 1.2 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas in place in the Giligiliani-1 well brings the total of in-place volumes up to approximately 21 tcf in block 2. The Giligiliani-1 discovery is located along the western side of block 2 at a 2,500-metre water depth. The new gas discovery was made in Upper Cretaceous sandstones. “This discovery has proven the gas play extends into the western part of block 2, which opens additional prospects. Our success rate in Tanzania has been high and opening up a new area will be key to continuing our successful multi-well programme,” said Nick Maden, senior vice president for Statoil's exploration activities in the Western Hemisphere. The rig ‘Discoverer Americas’ will now drill the Kungamanga prospect located in the central part of block 2. The Giligiliani-1 discovery is the venture’s seventh discovery in block 2. It is preceded by the five high-impact gas discoveries Zafarani-1, Lavani-1, Tangawizi-1, Mronge-1 and Piri-1, and a discovery in Lavani-2. Statoil operates the licence on block 2 on behalf of Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) and has a 65% working interest. ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Tanzania Limited holds the remaining 35%. Statoil has been in Tanzania since 2007, when it was awarded the operatorship for block 2.
'Transocean Winner' to begin production drilling at Alvheim and Boyla fields
The PSA has given Det norske oljeselskap ASA (Det norske) consent to use the ‘Transocean Winner’ mobile drilling facility for production drilling at Alvheim and Bøyla in the North Sea. The background to this consent is Det norske's acquisition of Marathon Oil Norge AS (Marathon) and the company's production licence assets on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Marathon's operatorship of the Alvheim, Vilje, Volund and Bøyla fields will now be transferred to Det norske. The date of transfer of operatorship is set at 15th October 2014. The consent applies to production drilling and completion of 25/4-L-4H at the Alvheim field and 24/9-M-1 H, 24/9-M-1 AH, 24/9-M-2 H, 24/9-M-2 AH, 24/9-M-3 H and 24/9-M-3 AH at Bøyla. Marathon has previously received consent to use ‘Transocean Winner’ for drilling and completion of these wells/well bores, but a change of operator requires the new operator to apply for new consent. This is because consent is an expression of the PSA's confidence that the operating company is able to undertake operations prudently and in compliance with the regulations. The consent is based primarily on our assessment of relevant aspects of the company's management system.
Statoil given approval to drill Saturn prospect
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for well 7227/10-1, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 7227/10-1 will be drilled from the Transocean Spitsbergen drilling facility at position 72°09’ 48.72" north and 70° 14´ 18.14" east. The drilling programme for well 7227/10-1 relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 230. Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator with a 35 per cent ownership interest and the licensees are Spike Exploration Holding AS with 30 per cent, Explora Petroleum AS with 20 per cent and GDF SUEZ E&P Norge AS with 15 per cent. The production licence consists of parts of blocks 7227/8, 7227/9 and 7227/10. The licence was awarded in the Barents Sea project in 1997. Wildcat well 7227/10-1 will be the first exploration well in production licence 230. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing the drilling activity.
Statoil to permanently plug Svalin exploration well
Statoil is the operator on the Svalin field, located in block 25/11 in the central part of the North Sea. The field has been developed using standardised solutions for subsea production. The plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in November 2012, and production began back in June 2014. The Svalin field is around eight kilometres south-west of the Grane field. Water depth in the area is approximately 120 metres. The well stream from the field is processed at the Grane facility. Statoil has now received consent to use the ‘Transocean Leader’ mobile drilling facility to plug exploration well 25/11-16 permanently. The well currently has a temporary plug.
Transocean to offer shares and bonds for Caledonia Offshore
Transocean Ltd announced today that Transocean Inc. (Transocean), its wholly-owned subsidiary, intends to proceed with an unregistered offering of shares of Caledonia Offshore Drilling Company (Caledonia), a wholly owned subsidiary of Transocean, in connection with an offering being made to eligible investors in Norway and to eligible institutional investors internationally. The proposed offering of shares, which represents a minority interest in Caledonia's share capital, is intended to raise between USD125 million and USD185 million, with the net proceeds received by Transocean. Caledonia also proposes to make an unregistered offering of second lien senior secured bonds issued by Caledonia. The proposed offering of second lien senior secured bonds is intended to raise USD350 million. The net proceeds received by Caledonia, together with the proceeds expected to be received by Caledonia under a first lien bank facility, will be used to finance the acquisition by Caledonia of certain drilling rigs located in the U.K. North Sea from subsidiaries of Transocean. Transocean, or one of its affiliates, intends to purchase all of the second lien senior secured bonds issued by Caledonia in the bond offering. These offerings represent an incremental step in the execution of Transocean's asset strategy and provide the company with a flexible mechanism to maximize the value of its non-core rigs. The transactions are expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2014, subject to market and other customary conditions.
Statoil uses contract provision to lower rate for 'Transocean Spitsbergen'
Statoil has made a number of changes to its Norwegian rig portfolio in recent months and it appears that the operator has not finished yet. Having already suspended the contracts for the COSLPioneer and Scarabeo 5 units for the remainder of 2014, today Transocean announced that Statoil has exercised a provision its contract for the Transocean Spitsbergen. The unit which has been contracted by Statoil since its delivery in 2009 will operate at a reduced dayrate of around USD400k from the 10th November 2014 through to the 31st December 2014. This move is in line with the operators 2014 policy of focusing on capital discipline, with the recent high rates for rigs on the NCS being described as ‘unsustainable’ by Statoil.
Songa releases update of SPS for 'Songa Dee'
Songa Offshore AS (Songa) has released an update surrounding the scope of work for the Songa Dee’s Special Periodic Survey (SPS). The SPS has progressed according to plan, including the budget of 60 days and USD 90 million. The rig has during the yard stay achieved its certification on hull and structure by DNV, the BOP has been overhauled and lifted back on-board. The commissioning of the BOP, as well as the winch upgrades, are in its final stages. During the yard stay the Songa Dee has, however, experienced unexpected failure on one of four main engines. Critical parts for the engine are currently being prepared for re-installation. The rig is expected to leave Invergordon, Scotland, on 7 November 2014, allowing it to be back on day rate a few days later. The costs related to the engine incident will be claimed against insurance and are not expected to impact the overall yard stay costs beyond the budget.
Ocean rig awarded contract extensions for 'Ocean Rig Corcovado' and 'Ocean Rig Mykonos'
Ocean Rig UDW Inc. (”Ocean Rig”), an international contractor of offshore deepwater drilling services, today announced that it has been awarded extensions of the drilling contracts for its Ocean Rig Corcovado and Ocean Rig Mykonos drillships. The extensions were awarded by Petrobras, the Brazilian NOC and are subject to partner approvals. The term of each extension is 1,095 days, with a total combined revenue backlog of over USD1.1 billion, exluding reimbursement by Petrobras for contract related equipment upgrades. The new contracts will commence in direct continuation of the two rigs current agreements with Petrobras.
Statoil confirms discovery at Grane field
Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 169, is about to complete drilling of appraisal well 25/8-18 S. The 25/8-4 discovery was proven in 1992 by Norsk Hydro Produksjon AS. The reservoir is in the Heimdal formation from the Palaeocene Age. The discovery is located approx. eight kilometres northeast of the Grane field in the central part of the North Sea, and the size was originally estimated at about one million standard cubic metres (Sm 3) of recoverable oil. Appraisal well 25/8-18 S was drilled approx. 0.9 kilometres southeast of the 25/8-4 discovery well and about 180 kilometres west of Stavanger. The primary and secondary exploration targets for 25/8-18 S were to confirm oil volumes, the producibility properties and also to examine the discovery higher up in the structure in Palaeocene reservoir rocks (in the Heimdal formation and intra-Balder formation sandstone, respectively). 25/8-18 S encountered an approx. 25-metre oil column in the Heimdal formation with very good reservoir properties. The Heimdal formation is 55 metres thick in total. Gas was also encountered in a thin sandstone in the Balder formation. Preliminary estimates of the size of the discovery are now between 5 and 12 million Sm3 recoverable oil. The licensees will assess various development alternatives together with other discoveries in the area. Extensive data acquisition and sampling were carried out. This is the 14th exploration well drilled in production licence 169. Well 25/8-18 S was drilled to a vertical and measured depth of 1863 and 1867 metres below the sea surface, respectively, and was terminated in the Shetland Group in the Upper Cretaceous. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Water depth is 129 metres. The well was drilled by the Transocean Leader drilling facility, which will now carry out permanent plugging of a previous discovery well, 25/11-16 (Svalin), in the same production licence.
PSA approves 'Songa Trym' for plugging operations on Oseberg field
Statoil has received consent to use Songa Trym for permanent well plugging on the Oseberg field. Statoil is the operator on the Oseberg field, located in blocks 30/6 and 30/9 in the northern part of the North Sea. Well 30/6-B-51 AH is a subsea well tied to the Oseberg A facility. The well was drilled in 1996, but has not produced since 2007. There have been integrity problems in the well, and Statoil has decided to plug it permanently. The PSA has now granted Statoil consent to use the Songa Trym mobile drilling facility to plug the well. Statoil has allocated 45 days for the activity, which will start in late October. Water depth at the site is around 105 metres. Songa Trym is a semi-submersible drilling facility of the Aker H-3 type, built at Aker Verdal in 1976. Major improvements to the facility were made in 2012. Songa Trym is operated by Songa Management AS of Stavanger. The vessel is registered in the Norwegian register of shipping and classified by DVN GL. Due to its change of ownership, Songa Trym received a new Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) from the PSA in February 2013.
Chevron strikes at Guadalupe
Chevron Corporation (Chevron) today announced a new oil discovery at the Guadalupe prospect in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The Keathley Canyon Block 10 Well No. 1 encountered significant oil pay in the Lower Tertiary Wilcox Sands. The well is located approximately 180 miles off the Louisiana coast in 3,992 feet of water and was drilled to a depth of 30,173 feet. "The discovery further demonstrates Chevron's exploration capabilities," said George Kirkland, vice chairman and executive vice president, Upstream, Chevron Corporation. "Guadalupe builds on our already strong position in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico, a core focus area where we expect significant production growth over the next two years." “The Guadalupe discovery adds momentum to our growing business in North America,” said Jay Johnson, senior vice president, Upstream, Chevron Corporation. “Our deepwater exploration and appraisal program continues to unlock important resources in the Gulf of Mexico.” “Chevron subsidiaries are among the top producers and leaseholders in the Gulf of Mexico, averaging net daily production of 143,000 barrels of crude oil, 347 million cubic feet of natural gas, and 15,000 barrels of natural gas liquids during 2013,” said Jeff Shellebarger, president, Chevron North America Exploration and Production Company. “The company expects additional Gulf of Mexico production from the Tubular Bells and Jack/St. Malo projects by the end of the year.” Chevron subsidiary Chevron U.S.A., Inc. began drilling the Guadalupe well in June 2014. More tests are being conducted on the discovery well and additional appraisal wells will be needed to determine the extent of the resource.
VAALCO enters into SEP for block 5 in Angola
VAALCO Energy, Inc. (VAACLO) today announced that the Company has entered into the Subsequent Exploration Phase ("SEP") on Block 5 offshore Angola together with its working interest partner, Sonangol P&P, as provided for in the Production Sharing Agreement signed in 2006 with the Republic of Angola. The SEP extends the exploration license for an additional three year period such that the new expiry date for exploration activities is November 30, 2017. The SEP requires the Company and its partner to acquire a 3D seismic program covering six hundred square kilometers and to drill two additional exploration wells. The seismic obligation has been satisfied with a seismic program already completed covering 1,058 square kilometers over the outboard portion of the block. By entering the SEP, the Company is now required to drill a total of four exploration wells during the exploration extension period. The four well obligation includes the two well commitment under the primary exploration period that carries over to the SEP period. A ten million dollar assessment (five million dollars net to VAALCO) applies to each of the four commitment exploration wells, if any, that remain undrilled at the end of the exploration period in 2017. As previously announced, the Company has contracted for the Transocean "Celtic Sea" semi-submersible rig to drill the first exploration well, the post-salt, Kindele-1 well. The Kindele well is targeting the Mucanzo sand (Pinda group) with a planned total depth of 2,250 meters in a water depth of 101 meters. Gross unrisked recoverable resources are estimated to be between 20-49 million barrels. The rig is currently estimated to be on location in mid-December 2014. The decision to enter the SEP was made in part to remove uncertainty that the primary term of the exploration license would be extended by the Republic of Angola before the November 30, 2014 expiration date.
Cairn re-enters SNE-1 exploration well in Senegal
Cairn Energy (Cairn) has announced that the company has re-entered the SNE-1 well in Senegal using the Cajun Express semisub. The rig moved to the SNE-1 location upon completion of the FAN-1 well, with water depths around 1,100m at the well location. The two objectives in SNE-1 estimated by Cairn to have a gross mean unrisked prospective resource of 182mmbbls and 256mmbbls respectively and the well is anticipated to complete before the end of the year.
Statoil to plug Gullfaks South exploration well with Songa Dee
Statoil is the operator at Gullfaks Sør, located in block 34/10 in the northern part of the North Sea. The field has been developed using a subsea solution tied back to the Gullfaks A and C facilities. Production on the field began in October 1998. Statoil has now received consent to use the Songa Dee mobile drilling facility to plug exploration well 34/10-52 A/B permanently. The well was drilled and temporarily plugged in 2011. The operation is planned to begin in late October and is estimated to last for 16 days.
Songa completes final CAT-D rig financing
Songa Offshore SE has announced that the documentation for the previously announced USD 1.1 billion senior secured credit facility for the financing of the last two Cat D drilling rigs, Songa Encourage and Songa Enabler, has been completed and the loan agreements have been signed by all parties. The financing consists of a revolving pre-delivery financing of USD 90 million per rig and a post-delivery financing of USD 550 million per rig. The pre-delivery loan will be priced at LIBOR plus 3.00%, the post-delivery loan will be priced at LIBOR plus 2.50% and was substantially oversubscribed. The post-delivery financing has a tenor of 5 year and an approximately 11.5 year amortization profile.
Shell to use 'Transocean Barents' on Ormen Lange
Shell has received consent to use Transocean Barents to drill a production well at Ormen Lange. Ormen Lange is a gas field located in the southern part of the Norwegian Sea. Norske Shell AS (Shell) is the operator of the field, which came on stream in 2007. Water depth at Ormen Lange is between 800 and 1100 metres, and the field has been developed using subsea technology. The PSA has now granted Shell consent to use the Transocean Barents mobile drilling facility to drill production well 6305/7-D-5H. Drilling is scheduled to begin on 15 November 2014. Environmental protection factors mean that drilling in the reservoir is not permitted in winter. Drilling will therefore be suspended and not recommence until 1 March 2015 at the earliest.
Statoil to suspend 'Songa Trym' for remainder of 2014
Statoil will suspend Songa Trym contract after the current well at the Oseberg field in the North Sea. The rig is currently performing plug and abandonment activity and is ahead of planned schedule for this scope of work. From mid November 2014, the rig will go on 75% suspension rate (USD279,000 per day) expected until the end of the year 2014. Songa Offshore plan to take the opportunity of this suspension period to accelerate some specific planned maintenance work that is more cost efficiently achieved outside operations. This is the third contract suspension enacted by Statoil in 2014, following the suspension of the COSLPioneer and Scarabeo 5 contracts.
Statoil stacks a further two semisubs
Statoil has decided to suspend two new rigs due to overcapacity in the rig portfolio. Transocean Spitsbergen and Songa Trym will be suspended through 2014, a period which might be extended. The exploration programme in the Barents Sea for 2014 is nearing completion. After Transocean Spitsbergen has completed the Saturn well the rig will cut and retrieve a wellhead in the Mercury exploration well. The job is estimated to be finished in mid-November. Subsequently the rig will be suspended to the end of the year. The suspension is a result of overcapacity in Statoil’s rig portfolio, and unsuccessful attempts to mature alternative assignments for the rig. “The exploration programme has been highly efficient. Transocean Spitsbergen drilled the last seven wells 40% faster than the industrial average in the Barents Sea. This allowed two more wells than originally planned to be drilled. We are very pleased with the work performed for us by Transocean. Unfortunately we are now in a situation of overcapacity, at the same time as the industry is facing high costs and lower profitability,” says Statoil’s chief procurement officer Jon Arnt Jacobsen. Transocean Spitsbergen is planning a yard stay from 1 January 2015. The rig is under contract to Statoil to the start of 3Q 2015. Songa Trym will be suspended after the rig has completed plugging a well on the Oseberg field in the North Sea. This job is scheduled to be completed in mid-November. “Songa Trym has delivered well on efficiency and safety, and we would have liked to use the rig also for the rest of the year. We have tried to find new assignments for the rig, but our attempts to realise the identified options have not been successful. We are now together with our partners maturing identified drilling assignments for both rigs for 2015,” says Jacobsen. After the two rigs are suspended Statoil will have 15 rigs in activity on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Statoil drills dry well in Barents Sea
Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 230, has completed drilling of wildcat well 7227/10-1. The well was drilled about 30 kilometres southwest of the 7228/7-1 oil and gas discovery and about 210 kilometres northeast of Hammerfest. The primary exploration target for the well was proving petroleum in Late Triassic reservoir rocks (Snadd formation). The secondary exploration target was proving petroleum in Middle Triassic reservoir rocks (Kobbe formation), as well as investigating the presence and quality of Early to Middle Triassic source rock. The well encountered about 40-metre thick reservoir rocks in the Snadd formation and about 15-metre thick reservoir rocks in the Kobbe formation, both with poor reservoir quality. The well is dry. Data acquisition and sampling were carried out. This is the first exploration well in production licence 230, which was awarded in the Barents Sea project in 1997. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 3095 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Kobbe formation. Water depth is 232 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 7227/10-1 was drilled by the Transocean Spitsbergen drilling facility, which will now proceed to wildcat well 7324/9-1 in the Barents Sea to cut and pull the wellhead. The well is located in production licence 614, where Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator.
Cairn makes further oil discovery in Senegal
Cairn is pleased to announce a discovery of high quality oil in the second well in the Senegal exploration programme. The SNE-1 well is located in 1,100 metres (m) water depth and approximately 100 kilometres (km) offshore in the Sangomar Offshore block with a target depth of 3,000 m and targeting the Shelf Edge Prospect. Intermediate logging of the SNE-1 well has confirmed hydrocarbons in the Cretaceous clastics objective which is of similar age to oil bearing sands found approximately 24 km away in FAN-1. Cairn has a 40% Working Interest (WI) in three blocks offshore Senegal (Sangomar Deep, Sangomar Offshore and Rufisque) ConocoPhillips has 35% WI, FAR Ltd 15% WI and Petrosen, the national oil company of Senegal 10%. The three blocks cover 7,490 km2.
Songa Dee given approval to work on Gullfaks
The PSA has given Statoil Petroleum AS (Statoil) consent to use the Songa Dee mobile drilling facility for production drilling on Gullfaks satellites, well template P. The consent entails an extension of an existing consent for Songa Dee at Gullfaks issued in June 2011. Statoil has now increased the number of templates on Gullfaks satellites, and has therefore applied to the PSA for consent to use Songa Dee for production drilling of P, which is one of the new subsea templates. The earliest estimated start-up for the operation is mid-November.
Transocean Barents to pull a well on Draugen
Shell has received consent to use Transocean Barents for well plugging at Draugen. Draugen is an oil field in the Norwgeian Sea in 250 metres of water. A/S Norske Shell (Shell) is the field's operator. Production on the field began in October 1993. The field has been developed using a fixed concrete facility with an integrated deck. Reserves in the vicinity are produced by subsea wells tied back to this facility. Shell has now received consent to use the Transocean Barents mobile drilling facility to plug subsea well 6407/9-3-A-53 permanently. The work is expected to last for 71 days.
Shell completes Ormen Lange appraisal well
A/S Norske Shell, operator of the Ormen Lange field, has completed drilling of appraisal well 6305/8-2 on the Ormen Lange field. Ormen Lange was proven in 1997 and has been producing since 2007. The reservoir is in Lower Paleocene and Upper Cretaceous reservoir rocks (Våle formation’s ‘Egga reservoir unit’ and ‘Våle heterolithics’, as well as the Jorsalfare formation). The field is located at water depths of 600 to 1100 metres in the southern part of the Norwegian Sea, and about 130 kilometres northwest of Kristiansund. The well was drilled about seven kilometres south-southeast of the southernmost subsea template on the field. The objective of well 6305/8-2 was to delineate the field to the south, as it was unclear whether the area was optimally drained or not by existing production wells. The well encountered a 28-metre gas column with an underlying water zone in the ‘Egga reservoir unit’ with very good reservoir quality. Both ‘Våle heterolithics’ and the Jorsalfare formation were aquiferous with very good and ranging from poor to very good reservoir quality, respectively. The water zone is 70 metres in total. Extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. Preliminary well results do not provide a basis for changing the expected recoverable reserves from Ormen Lange. The licensees will consider further expansion of this area of the field with a tie-in to the southernmost subsea template on the field. This is the ninth exploration well drilled on the Ormen Lange field and the second appraisal well drilled in production licence 250, which was awarded in the 15th round in 1999. The appraisal well was drilled to a vertical depth of 3037.5 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Kyrre formation in Upper Cretaceous. Water depth is 615 metres. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 6305/8-2 was drilled by the Transocean Barents drilling facility, which will now proceed to the Draugen field in the Norwegian Sea to permanently plug production well 6407/9-A-53-H in production licence 093, where A/S Norske Shell is the operator.
'Transocean Arctic' set to drill Imsa prospect for Wintershall
Wintershall Norge AS (Wintershall) is the operator for production licence 589 in block 6406/2 in the Norwegian Sea. Exploration well 6406/2-8 is to be drilled in a prospect called Imsa. The site is 15 km south of the Kristin field and around 190 km NNW of Kristiansund. Water depth at the site is approx. 262 metres. Drilling is scheduled to begin at the earliest in December 2014 and estimated to last 106 days. In the event of a discovery, the activity may last a further 61 days for well testing.
CAMAC Energy hires 'Sedco Express' semisub
CAMAC Energy Inc. (CAMAC) announced today that it has signed a contract with a subsidiary of Transocean Ltd. for the provision of the semi-submersible drilling unit Sedco Express for drilling and completion activities offshore Nigeria. The contract allows for the drilling or completion of up to three wells, and CAMAC intends to use the rig to accelerate timing of the tie-in of production from the Oyo-7 and Oyo-8 development wells. With the ability to drill a third well, and an option to extend the contract, CAMAC is also considering using the rig to accelerate its 2015 exploration drilling program. The Sedco Express is an ultra-deepwater, semi-submersible drilling rig built in 2000, and is already within close proximity of the Oyo Field in OML 120. The Company’s other rig, the drillship Energy Searcher, will continue the plugging and abandonment operations on the Oyo-5 and Oyo-6 wells.
Songa Dee returns to work for Statoil
Songa Offshore AS (Songa) has announced that its ‘Songa Dee’ rig completed its SPS (Special Periodic Survey) in Invergordon, Scotland and left the yard on the 16th November 2014. Since that time the rig has finalised the repair and installation of one of its main engines and has performed incline and verification testing. The rig is currently located at the coast of Norway and it is awaiting improved weather conditions to move to the drilling location at the Gullfaks field to continue its work under the Statoil contract.
Statoil receives consent to drill Krafla prospect
Statoil has received consent to carry out exploration drilling of well 30/11-11 in the Krafla prospect. Statoil is the operator for exploration licences 272 and 035 in block 30/11 in the northern part of the North Sea. Exploration well 30/11-11 is to be drilled in a prospect called Krafla. The area is around 24 kilometres south-west of Oseberg Sør and 130 kilometres from the nearest land, at Øygarden in Hordaland county. Water depth at the site is 106 metres. The drilling work is expected to last for 67 days.
'Songa Trym' back on full rate in January 2015
Songa Offshore AS (Songa) has announced that the Songa Trym semisubmersible drilling unit which is currently on a suspended contract with Statoil, is expected to resume drilling operations on or around the 1st January 2015. Statoil suspended the unit’s contract from the 20th November at a suspension rate of USD279k per day. The suspension was extended by Statoil until the end of January, however, the operator has found work for the unit and it will now resume drilling operations earlier than previously planned.
Wintershall gets nod to drill Imsa prospect
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Wintershall Norge AS a drilling permit for wellbore 6406/2-8, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Wellbore 6406/2-8 will be drilled from the Transocean Arctic drilling facility at position 64°45`13.95" north and 6°30´9.18" east after completing the drilling of wildcat well 33/2-1 for Lundin Norway AS in production licence 555. The drilling programme for wellbore 6406/2-8 relates to drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 589. Wintershall Norge AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 40 per cent. The other licensees are RWE Dea Norge AS (30 per cent) and Repsol Exploration Norge AS (30 per cent). The area in this licence consists of parts of blocks 6406/2 and 6406/5. The well will be drilled about 20 kilometres south of the Kristin field. Production licence 589 was awarded on 4 February 2011 (APA 2010). This is the first well to be drilled in the licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing drilling activities.
Statoil makes minor discovery at Krafla North well
Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 035, is about to complete drilling of wildcat well 30/11-10. The well proved oil. The well was drilled just north of the 30/11-8 S gas/oil/condensate discovery which was made in 2011, and about 25 kilometres southwest of the Oseberg South field in the northern part of the North Sea. The objective of the well was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (Tarbert, Ness and Etive formations). Well 30/11-10 encountered an oil column of a total of 80 metres in the upper to middle Tarbert formation and 20 metres in the Etive formation, both with generally poor reservoir properties. Mobile oil was encountered in the Ness formation in good quality reservoir rocks. Preliminary calculation of the size of the discovery is between one and three million Sm3 recoverable oil equivalents. The licensees will evaluate the discovery together with the development of other discoveries in the production licence. The well was not formation tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling were carried out. This is the eighth exploration well in production licence 035. The licence was awarded in the 2nd licensing round in 1969. Well 30/11-10 was drilled to a vertical depth of 4054 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Dunlin group in the Lower Jurassic. Water depth is 105 metres. Well 30/11-10 was drilled with the Transocean Leader drilling facility, which will drill sidetrack well 30/11-10 A after completing this well.
Transocean scraps seven floating rigs
Transocean Ltd. (Transocean) is set to incur a non-cash fourth-quarter charge of USD100 - USD140 million after deciding to scrap another seven rigs due to a market slump that has hit utilisation and dayrates. The world’s largest rig manager said in its latest fleet update it would be disposing of the lower-specification deep-water and mid-water floaters Sedco 710, Sovereign Explorer, Sedco 700, Sedco 601, JW McLean, GSF Arctic 1 and Falcon 100. It brings the total tally of rigs being scrapped in 2014 to 11 after the company already decided to ditch the Sedneth 701, Sedco 703, Sedco 709 and CK Rhein Jr.
Det Norske receives consent to drill production wells on Alvheim field
Det norske oljeselskap ASA (“Det norske”) has received consent to use Transocean Winner to drill production wells on the Alvheim field.Alvheim is an oil and gas field in blocks 24/6 and 25/4 in the central part of the North Sea, west of Heimdal and close to the boundary with the UK sector. Production on the field began in 2008. Det norske is the operator of the Alvheim field, following the company's purchase of Marathon Oil Norge AS, the field's former operator. The Alvheim field has been developed using a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit and subsea wells. Oil is stored in the production facility and exported by tanker. Gas is exported through a pipeline connected to a pipeline system on the UK shelf. The PSA has given Det norske consent to use the Transocean Winner mobile drilling facility to drill two new subsea production wells on the Alvheim field. The wells are designated 24/6 K-6 and 24/6 A-5. The consent also covers workover of production well 24/6 B-2.Water depth in the area is 120-130 metres. Drilling is scheduled to start in February 2015 and the activities associated with the first well are estimated to last 139 days.
BG set to spud exploration well in Tampen area
BG Norge AS (“BG”) has received consent to drill exploration well 34/3-5. BG is the operator for production licence PL 373 in the Tampen area in the northern North Sea. The PSA has given BG consent to drill exploration well 34/3-5 in a prospect named Jordbær Sør. The well is to be drilled by the Transocean Searcher mobile drilling facility. Drilling is estimated to last for 66 days. Water depth at the site is 403 metres.
'Sedco Express' rig arrives at Oyo field in Nigeria
CAMAC Energy Inc. (“CAMAC”) announced today that the semi-submersible drilling unit, Sedco Express, has arrived to the Oyo Field located in OML 120 offshore Nigeria. CAMAC has contracted the Sedco Express to expedite the timing of production tie-in from the Oyo-7 and Oyo-8 development wells. The Sedco Express is under contract for use on up to three wells and the Company intends to use the rig to complete the Oyo-7 and Oyo-8 wells horizontally. CAMAC is also considering using the rig to drill the Company’s first Miocene-target exploration well.
Ocean Rig and Eni agree to new drillship deals
Ocean Rig UDW Inc. (“Ocean Rig”), a global provider of offshore deepwater drilling services, announced today that some of its subsidiaries have entered into an Omnibus Agreement (“Agreement”) with ENI Angola S.p.A (“ENI”) pursuant to which ENI has exercised its option to extend the contract for the drillship Ocean Rig Poseidon for a further one year until the second quarter of 2017. As part of the contract extension for the Ocean Rig Poseidon, Ocean Rig has agreed to adjust the existing dayrate of the Ocean Rig Poseidon contract in exchange for ENI agreeing to enter into two contracts (“New ENI Contracts”) for the employment of one or more of Ocean Rig’s available drillships in West Africa starting in the first quarter of 2015 for an aggregate period of approximately 8 months. As a result of this Agreement the total contract backlog of Ocean Rig has increased by approximately USD187 million. The Agreement outlined above remains subject to customary closing conditions including the approval by national authorities which we expect will be obtained before the end of the first quarter of 2015.
Statoil given go ahead to drill Knappen prospect
Statoil has received consent to carry out exploration drilling of well 16/7-11. Statoil is the operator for exploration licences PL 072 B and PL 072 D in block 16/7 in the central North Sea. Statoil has applied for consent to drill exploration well 16/7-11 in a prospect named Knappen. Drilling is scheduled to start in February 2015. In the event of a discovery, a sidetrack will also be drilled and the well will be production-tested. Water depth at the site is 80.5 metres.
Dryships Inc order two UDW drillships
DryShips Inc., (“Dryships”) today announced that it has exercised its option to acquire two advanced capability drillships for use in ultra-deep water drilling locations. The drillships, are to be constructed by Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (“SHI”) and are expected to be delivered from the shipyard in the third quarter of 2011. The expected delivered cost of the newbuild drillships is approximately USD800 million per unit. The company expects to receive shortly a firm commitment for the debt portion to finance construction and other payments. Mr. George Economou, Chairman and CEO of DryShips, commented: “I am very excited with our agreement to construct two premium, ultra deep water drillships, which is in line with our strategy of expanding our presence in the ultra-deep water drilling sector. We hope that our pending mandatory tender offer for the acquisition of Ocean Rig ASA will be approved by its shareholders in early June. The successful acquisition of Ocean Rig will give us the operating platform necessary to construct, complete and operate these two drillships to the highest standards. Going forward weplan to expand our asset portfolio with further acquisitions and explore other strategic alternatives including the possibility of spinning off this business unit to our shareholders.”
Stacking and retirement activity set to rise as oil price decline combines with oversupplied rig market
On the 15th January 2015, Transocean, Noble and Diamond Offshore all released copies of their new company fleet reports. Depressed activity within the offshore drilling space continues to force rig managers to assess their fleet capabilities in order to maintain their utilisation rates. The situation has been exacerbated by the declining oil price and as such forced managers to accelerate retirement and stacking plans, which is evident in the three reports released. Transocean, fresh from retiring 11 semisub units in December 2014 announced the retirement of the Discoverer Seven Seas drillship, whilst also indicating that the Transocean Rather semisub has now been put up for sale. Transocean also noted decreased dayrates for a number of its operational units as well as Statoil’s decision not to exercise an option to prolong the contract for the Transocean Spitsbergen which expires in July 2015. Whilst Transocean has been active in retiring a number of its older units, Noble and Diamond have both decided to cold stack units in January 2015. Noble announced the decision to stack both the Noble Paul Wolff and Noble Driller units, as Diamond chose to stack the Ocean Worker, which is currently enroute to the USA following the completion of its contract with Petrobras in Brazil. Retirement and stacking activity is expected to continue to rise throughout Q1 2015, as other rig managers also announce decisions about their older operational units
First oil from Bøyla field
Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum) is pleased to announce that first oil from the Bøyla field has been achieved. The Bøyla field commenced production on 19 January 2015. The Bøyla field, located on PL340 in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, is a subsea tie-back to the Alvheim field where Lundin Petroleum has a 15 percent non-operated interest. The Bøyla field is estimated to contain gross reserves of 23 million barrels of oil equivalents and is expected to produce at a gross peak rate of approximately 20,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) once the second production well has been completed, although the plateau rate is expected to be somewhat lower. The drilling operations on the second production well were suspended in late 2014 and the Transocean Winner semisubmersible rig will return to complete the well during the second quarter of 2015 with startup of this well expected by mid-year 2015. The production facility for the Bøyla field is the Alvheim FPSO which is owned by the Alvheim field partners. In addition to the Alvheim and Bøyla fields, the Volund and Vilje fields are also producing to the Alvheim FPSO. Ashley Heppenstall, President & CEO of Lundin Petroleum comments; “With the successful start-up of the Bøyla field on the 19th January 2015 Lundin Petroleum has now successfully brought onstream two of the four development projects which collectively are forecast to bring Lundin Petroleum’s production level to more than 75,000 boepd by the end of 2015. The two ongoing development projects, Bertam offshore Malaysia and Edvard Grieg offshore Norway, continue to progress according to plan and are scheduled to achieve first oil in the second and fourth quarters of 2015 respectively.” Lundin Norway AS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lundin Petroleum, has a 15 percent interest in PL340. Det norske oljeselskap ASA is the operator of PL340 and has a 65 percent interest and Core Energy AS has a 20 percent interest.
'Transocean Spitsbergen' to come off standby rate by spudding Snedfrid Nord prospect
Statoil has received consent to drill exploration well 6706/12-2. Statoil is the operator for production licence 218 in block 6706/12 in the Norwegian Sea. Statoil applied for consent to drill exploration well 6706/12-2 using Transocean Spitsbergen in a prospect named Snedfrid Nord. Drilling is planned to begin in February 2015, with a duration of 33 days, depending on whether a discovery is made.
Statoil discovers oil at Krafla North
Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 035, is in the process of completing the drilling of wildcat well 30/11-10 A. The 30/11-8 S discovery was proven in the summer of 2011 in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks about 25 kilometres southwest of the field facility on the Oseberg Sør field in the northern part of the North Sea. After drilling the discovery well 30/11-8 S, the operator's resource estimate was between 2 and 9 million standard cubic metres (Sm³) of recoverable oil equivalents. Appraisal well 30/11-10 A was drilled into the reservoir north of discovery well 30/11-8 S. The purpose of the well was to delineate the 30/11-8 S discovery, increase proven in place oil resources and reduce the range of uncertainty in recoverable resources in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Tarbert formation). In addition, the licensees wanted to acquire more precise information about the depth of the structure, reservoir and fluid properties, as well as verify communication over the structure. The well encountered a total oil column of about 260 metres in the Tarbert formation, divided between the upper and middle Tarbert formation with columns of 110 and 150 metres, respectively. The reservoir rocks in the upper and middle Tarbert formation consist of 30 and 55 metres of sandstone of good reservoir quality. The preliminary size of the discovery is calculated at between 8 and 13 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalents. The well was not formation-tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. The preliminary gas/oil ratio is 80-95 Sm3/Sm3. The licensees will consider developing the discovery along with other discoveries in the area. Well 30/11-10 A was drilled within production licence 035 on cost-sharing with production licence 272, which has the same licensees and ownership interests as licence 035. The well is the ninth exploration well in production licence 035, which was awarded in the 2nd licensing round in 1969. 30/11-10 A was drilled to a vertical depth of 3673 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Ness formation in the Middle Jurassic. Water depth at the site is 105 metres. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 30/11-10 A was drilled with the Transocean Leader drilling facility, which has thus completed its drilling assignments for Statoil.
'Transocean Leader' enters Westcon shipyard for SPS
Westcon Yards (“Westcon”) in Olen, Norway was notified a week ago that it had successfully won a contract to carry out the SPS for the Transocean Legend unit. The original plan was for the unit to arrive in March, however, the unit arrived early on Saturday 14th February 2015. The SPS and additional inspection work on the Transocean Leader is expected to take up to 35 days to complete. However, the rig is projected to stay in the shipyard until May 2015, when it will mobilise to the UK sector of the North Sea to begin a new contract with EnQuest.
BG comes up dry with Strawberry wells
BG Group AS, operator of production licence 373 S, is in the process of completing the drilling of wildcat wells 34/3-4 S and 34/3-4 A. The wells were drilled about 5 kilometres east of the Knarr field in the northern part of the North Sea. The purpose of wildcat well 34/3-4 S was to investigate a large channel system in reservoir rocks in the Pleistocene. The well encountered a 250-metre thick channel system, about 50 metres of which was of very good reservoir quality. Traces of gas were encountered in two thin sandstone layers. The purpose of well 34/3-4 A was to prove petroleum in lower Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Cook formation). Well 34/3-4 A encountered about 110 metres of the Cook formation, 53 metres of which was sandstone with good reservoir quality and traces of gas. Data sampling and aquisition have been carried out in both wells. Both wells are classified as dry. These are the fifth and sixth exploration wells in production licence 373 S. Wells 34/3-4 S and 34/3-4 A were drilled to measured depths of 1607 and 4535 metres, respectively, and vertical depths of 1584 and 4321 metres below the sea surface, and were terminated in the Hordaland group in the Miocene and the Amundsen formation in the Lower Jurassic. Water depth at the site is 406 metres. The wells will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Wells 34/3-4 S and 34/3-4 A were drilled by the Transocean Searcher drilling facility, which will now move on to drill wildcat well 34/3-5 S in the same production licence.
Statoil given approval to drill Snefrid Nord prospect
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for well 6706/12-2, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 6706/12-2 will be drilled from the Transocean Spitsbergen drilling facility in position 67°05’08,63” north and 06°52’00,09”east. The drilling program for well 6706/12-2 concerns the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 218. Statoil is the operator with an ownership interest of 51 per cent. The other licensees are Wintershall Norge AS (24 per cent), OMV Norge AS (15 per cent) and ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS (10 per cent). The area in this licence consists of part of block 6706/12 and part of block 6707/10. The well will be drilled about six kilometres northwest of the Aasta Hansteen field. Production licence 218 was awarded on 2 February 15 1996 (the 15th licensing round on the Norwegian shelf). This is the fifth well drilled in the licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator having secured all other permits and consents required by other authorities before the drilling starts.
Statoil given green light for 15/6-13 exploration well drilling
Statoil has received consent to carry out exploration drilling of well 15/6-13. Statoil is the operator for production licences 029B and 303 in block 15/6 in the central North Sea. Statoil is to drill well 15/6-13 Gina Krog East 3, to investigate the find's potential. Expected start-up is April 2015 with a duration of approx. 50 days, depending on whether a discovery is made.
Statoil receives consent to drill Roald Rygg
Statoil is the operator for production licence 602 in block 6706/12 in the Norwegian Sea. Statoil is to drill well 6706/12-3 Roald Rygg, to investigate the find's potential. Expected start-up is March 2015 with a duration of approx. 34 days, depending on whether a discovery is made. Transocean Spitsbergen is a semi-submersible drilling facility of the Aker H-6e type. It was built at the Aker Stord yard, is registered in the Marshall Islands and classified by DNV GL.
Worker suffers crush injuries on 'Transocean Barents'
The PSA has decided to launch an investigation into an incident on Transocean Barents on 4 March when a roughneck suffered crush injuries. The injured drill floor worker was on the monkey board, about 10-12 metres in the derrick, at the time of the accident. He has been flown to Ålesund Hospital in western Norway. Transocean Barents is located on the Ormen Lange field in the Norwegian Sea under a contract with A/S Norske Shell. Activity on the rig has now been halted. Among other objectives, the PSA investigation will seek to clarify the course of events and identify the direct and underlying causes of the incident.
'GSF Celtic Sea' spuds exploration well in Angola
VAALCO Energy, Inc. (“VAALCO”) today announced that on March 2nd, 2015, the Company spudded the post-salt Kindele-1 well, its first exploration well on Block 5 offshore Angola. As previously announced, VAALCO contracted the Transocean GSF Celtic Sea semi-submersible rig to drill the Kindele-1 well to a planned total depth of 2,250 meters in a water depth of approximately 100 meters. Steve Guidry, Chairman and CEO, commented, "We are very pleased to announce this major step forward for our operations offshore Angola. After nearly nine years of continued commitment to our Block 5 license, we are embarking on an important phase in our efforts to explore for hydrocarbons from a second West African country. We continue to believe that Block 5 is within an area with potential in both post- and pre-salt formations including the syn-rift and sag play." As previously announced in October 2014, VAALCO, together with its working interest partner, Sonangol P&P, entered into the Subsequent Exploration Phase ("SEP") on Block 5. Under the SEP, VAALCO and Sonangol P&P have committed to drill a total of four exploration wells during the exploration extension period, which expires in November 2017. The four-well obligation includes the original two-well commitment under the primary exploration period that carries over to the SEP period. The Kindele-1 well will test a fault block adjacent to the Mubafo discovery which tested oil from the Mucanzo sand section within the Pinda group formations. The Kindele-1 will be drilled to a depth of 1,800 meters to evaluate the Mucanzo sand section. The well will then be deepened to the salt to an estimated depth of 2,250 meters for geologic and geophysical correlation. The well is expected to take approximately six weeks to drill to total depth. Additionally, the Company is nearing finalization of the seismic processing in the outboard portion of Block 5. The seismic processing is being performed to image pre-salt structures as potential targets for future exploration wells on Block 5.
Statoil set to spud Roald Rygg prospect
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for well 6706/12-3, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 6706/12-3 will be drilled from the Transocean Spitsbergen drilling facility at position 67°04’5.85” north and 6°43’54.45” east after completing the drilling of wildcat well 6706/12- 2 for Statoil Petroleum AS in production licence 218. The drilling programme for well 6706/12-3 relates to drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 602. Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 30 per cent. The other licensees are Centrica Resources AS (20 per cent), Petoro AS (20 per cent), Rocksources Exploration Norway AS (10 per cent), Wintershall Norge AS (10 per cent) and Atlantic Petroleum Norge (10 per cent). The area in this licence consists of a part of block 6706/10, block 6706/11 and a part of block 6706/12. The well will be drilled about 16 kilometres west of Aasta Hansteen (the Haklang field). Production licence 602 was awarded on 13 May 2011 in the 21st licensing round on the Norwegian shelf. This was the first well to be drilled in the licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing drilling activities.
Statoil finds gas at Snefrid Nord
Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 218, is in the process of completing the drilling of wildcat well 6706/12-2. The well was drilled about six kilometres west of the Aasta Hansteen field in the northern part of the Norwegian Sea. The objective of the well was to prove petroleum in reservoir rock from the Upper Cretaceous (the Nise Formation). The well encountered a total gas column of about 105 metres and a four-metre oil column in the Nise Formation, about 75 metres of which is in sandstone of very good reservoir quality. Preliminary calculations of the size of the discovery are between five and nine billion standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable gas. The licensees will consider the discovery along with other discoveries as regards a tie-in to the Aasta Hansteen field. The well was not formation tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. This is the fifth exploration well in production licence 218. The licence was awarded on 2 February 1996 in the 15th licensing round. Appraisal well 6706/12-2 was drilled to a vertical depth of 2714 metres below sea level and was terminated in the Nise Formation in the Upper Cretaceous. Water depth at the site is 1312 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 6706/12-2 was drilled by the Transocean Spitsbergen drilling facility, which will now proceed to drill wildcat well 6706/12-3 in production licence 602 near the Aasta Hansteen field, also operated by Statoil Petroleum AS.
Transocean to scrap four more floating rigs
Transocean Ltd. (“Transocean”) has announced its intention to continue with its recent wave of rig divestments by scrapping the Deepwater Expedition, Transocean Legend, Transocean Rather, and GSF Arctic III units. The scrapping of these four floating rigs means that Transocean has in the past four months scrapped a total of 16 floating rigs, as the company looks to reposition itself amid the current downturn in the offshore drilling market. All four of the units are currently held for sale by Transocean.
Statoil set to spud well at Gina Krog East 3
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for well 15/6-13, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 15/6-13 S will be drilled from the Songa Trym drilling facility in position 58°36’55.51’’ north 01°45’40.49’’ east near the Gina Krogh field in the central North Sea. The drilling program for well 15/6-13 concerns the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 029 B. Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 50 per cent. The other licensees are Total E&P Norge AS and Det norske oljeselskap ASA with 30 and 20 per cent, respectively. The area in this licence consists of part of block 15/6. Production licence 029 B was awarded on 11 May 2001 after being partitioned off from PL 029, which was awarded in the 2nd licensing round in 1969. This is the second wildcat well to be drilled in the licence, but wildcat wells have previously been drilled within the area covered by this licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator having secured all other permits and consents required by other authorities before the drilling starts.
Statoil announces eighth discovery offshore Tanzania
Statoil today announced that the Mdalasini-1 exploration well has resulted in a new natural gas discovery offshore Tanzania. The discovery of an additional 1.0-1.8 trillion cubic feet (tcf*) of natural gas in place in the Mdalasini-1 well, brings the total of in-place volumes up to approximately 22 tcf in Block 2. The Mdalasini-1 discovery is located at a 2,296-metre water depth at the southernmost edge of the block. The new gas discovery has been made in Tertiary and Cretaceous sandstones. “The Mdalasini-1 discovery marks the completion of the first phase of an efficient and successful multi-well exploration programme offshore Tanzania,” says Nick Maden, senior vice president for Statoil's exploration activities in the Western Hemisphere. “Since the start of the programme in February 2012, we have drilled 13 wells and made eight discoveries, including Mdalasini-1. We still see prospectivity in the area, but after appraising the Tangawizi-1 high-impact discovery, which was made in March 2013, there will be a pause in the drilling to evaluate the next steps and to mature new prospects,” adds Maden. Statoil has drilled the Mdalasini-1 well with a 100% working interest. Previously Statoil and co-venturer ExxonMobil have made seven discoveries in Block 2, including the five high-impact gas discoveries Zafarani-1, Lavani-1, Tangawizi-1, Mronge-1 and Piri-1, as well as the discoveries in Lavani-2 and Gilligiliani-1. Statoil operates the licence on Block 2 on behalf of Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) and has a 65% working interest. ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Tanzania Limited holds the remaining 35%. TPDC has the right to a 10% working interest in case of a development phase. Statoil has been in Tanzania since 2007, when it was awarded the operatorship for Block 2.
VAALCO drills duster on Block 5 in Angola
VAALCO Energy, Inc. (“VAALCO”) today announced that the post-salt Kindele-1 well, its first exploration well on Block 5 offshore Angola, was drilled to a total vertical depth of approximately 1,829 meters. The objective reservoir, the Mucanzo sand formation in the Pinda Group section, was found to be water-bearing and the well is currently in the process of being plugged and abandoned. Given the results of the well, earlier plans to drill to 2,250 meters for geologic and geophysical correlation will not be undertaken. Steve Guidry, Chairman and CEO, commented, "We are disappointed with the outcome of this first well drilled offshore Angola. The well targeted a three-way fault closure where the fault appears to have not provided the required lateral seal. The Mucanzo target sands were present and of a very high quality. We did find non-commercial hydrocarbon shows higher in the Pinda Group, in the overlying Catambela formation, indicating we were in a proven hydrocarbon system. Overall, we remain optimistic about the additional prospects and leads, both pre- and post-salt, on the block." As previously announced in October 2014, VAALCO, together with its working interest partner, Sonangol P&P, entered into the Subsequent Exploration Phase ("SEP") on Block 5. Under the SEP, VAALCO and Sonangol P&P have committed to drill a total of four exploration wells during the exploration extension period, which expires in November 2017. The four-well obligation includes the original two-well commitment under the primary exploration period that carries over to the SEP period. VAALCO has recently completed the seismic processing of over 2,025 square kilometers of 3D data in the outboard portion of Block 5. The Company has already identified several new pre-salt and post-salt leads as future exploration targets to be evaluated on Block 5.
Transocean announces plan to scrap another two floaters
Transocean Ltd. (“Transocean”) has announced that it intends to scrap, in an environmentally responsible manner, the following two rigs: GSF Aleutian Key and Sedco 707. These rigs were classified as held for sale and Transocean has decided to scrap them following failed attempts to find a buyer. As a result of this decision, the company expects its first quarter 2015 results to include an estimated non-cash charge of USD90 million to USD110 million, net of taxes. Including these two rigs, Transocean has announced plans to scrap a total of 18 floaters since the end of 2014. As the company continues to evaluate the long-term competitiveness of its fleet, additional rigs may be identified as candidates for scrapping. So far in 2015,a total of 11 drilling rigs (nine semisubs and two drillships) have been retired from the operational fleet and this number is projected to grow in order to rebalance supply within the market.
Woodside hits gas at Pyxis-1
Woodside Petroleum Ltd (“Woodside”) has announced that the Pyxis-1 exploration well in production licence WA-34-L has intersected approximately 18.5 metres of net gas within the Jurassic sandstone target. The well reached a total depth of 3,347 metres. Wireline logging has confirmed the discovery through the recovery of gas samples to surface and establishment of a gas pressure gradient. Woodside Executive Vice President Global Exploration Philip Loader said: “Given its location, this successful exploration outcome offers future tie-back potential to Woodside’s existing Pluto infrastructure.” The Pyxis-1 well is located in Production Licence WA-34-L, within Western Australia’s Dampier Sub-Basin and is located approximately 15 km north of Woodside’s producing Pluto Gas Field infrastructure. The well was drilled by Transocean’s Deepwater Millennium drillship, which is contracted to Woodside until April 2016. Woodside Burrup Pty. Ltd. is the operator and 90% equity owner of WA-34-L. Kansai Electric Power Australia Pty. Ltd. and Tokyo Gas Pluto Pty. Ltd. each hold 5% equity.
Statoil makes minor gas discovery near Aasta Hansteen
Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 602, is in the process of concluding the drilling of wildcat well 6706/12-3. The well proved gas. The well was drilled about 12 kilometres west of the Aasta Hansteen field in the northern part of the Norwegian Sea. The objective of the well was to prove petroleum in Upper Cretaceous reservoir rocks, with a primary exploration target in the Nise formation and a secondary exploration target in the Kvitnos formation. The well encountered a total gas column of 38 metres in the Nise formation, of which about 30 metres in sandstone of extremely good reservoir quality. In the Kvitnos formation, the well encountered aquiferous sandstone, of which about 35 metres with good reservoir quality. Preliminary estimates of the size of the discovery are between 2-7 billion standard cubic metres (Sm³) of recoverable gas. The well was not formation-tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. The licensees will evaluate the discovery along with other discoveries, as regards a tie-in to the Aasta Hansteen field. This is the first exploration well in production licence 602, which was awarded in the 21st licensing round in 2011. Well 6706/12-3 was drilled to a vertical depth of 3296 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Kvitnos formation in the Upper Cretaceous. Water depth at the site is 1287 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 6706/12-3 was drilled by the Transocean Spitsbergen drilling facility, which will now permanently plug 34/11-2 S near the Gullfaks field in the North Sea, where Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator.
BG comes up dry in North Sea
BG Norge AS, operator of production licence 373 S, is completing drilling of exploration well 34/3-5, located approximately five km southeast of the Knarr Field in the Northern North Sea, around 120 km West of Florø. The objective of well 34/3-5 was to prove petroleum in Early Jurassic reservoir rocks (Cook Formation). Well 34/3-5 encountered a gross Cook Formation interval of approximately 82m, of which 47m were good reservoir quality with traces of residual hydrocarbons interpreted. Extensive data acquisition and sampling has been carried out. The well is classified as dry. The well was the seventh exploration and appraisal well in production licence 373 S, which was awarded in APA 2005. The well was drilled to a total vertical depth of 4,253m below the sea surface (4,275m measured depth), and terminated in the Lower Jurassic Amundsen Formation. The water depth is 403 m. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. The 34/3-5 well was drilled by the Transocean Searcher semi-submersible rig. The rig will be left in Kristiansund for approximately 2 months prior to commencing opeations in the North Sea where it will move on to drill well 2/11-11 in production license 616 where Edison Norge AS is the operator.
Wintershall makes small oil discovery in Norway
Wintershall Norge AS, operator of production licence 589, is about to complete drilling of wildcat well 6406/2-8. The well proved oil. The well was drilled about 20 kilometres south of the Kristin field in the Norwegian Sea and 190 kilometres northwest of Kristiansund. The objective of the well was to prove petroleum in Lower to Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (Båt and Fangst groups). The well encountered two oil columns over an approx. 130-metre interval in the Båt and Fangst groups in sandstone of generally poor reservoir quality. Preliminary estimation of the size of the discovery is between one and eight million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalents. The licensees will assess the discovery with regard to further follow-up. The well was not formation tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have taken place. This is the first exploration well in production licence 589, which was awarded in APA 2010. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 4655 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in red sandstone layers in the Middle to Upper Triassic (“Red beds”). Water depth is 262 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 6406/2-8 was drilled by the Transocean Arctic drilling facility, which will now drill wildcat well 35/12-5 S in production licence 378 in the North Sea, where Wintershall Norge AS is the operator.
Wintershall set to spud wildcat well in PL 378
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Wintershall Norge AS a drilling permit for well 35/12-5 S, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 35/12-5 S will be drilled from the Trancocean Arctic drilling facility at position 61°13`01.65" north and 03°49`39.29" east, after completing the drilling of wildcat well 6406/2-8 for Wintershall Norge AS in production licence 589. The drilling programme for well 35/12-5 S relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 378. Wintershall Norge AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 45 per cent. The other licensees are Capricorn Norge AS (20 per cent), Explora Petroleum AS (17.5 per cent) and Talisman Energy Norge AS (17.5 per cent). The area in this licence is composed of parts of block 35/12. The well will be drilled about 80 kilometres southwest of Florø. Production licence 378 was awarded on 6 January 2006 (APA 2005). This is the fifth well to be drilled in the licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing drilling activities.
Statoil given green light to drill Bister prospect
Statoil Petroleum AS (“Statoil”), the operator of production licence 348 in block 6407/8 in the Norwegian Sea has been given approval to drill exploration well 6407/8-7 in Norway. Exploration well 6407/8-7 is to be drilled in a prospect called Bister. The drilling site is 80 km from the nearest mainland at Mausund, north of Frøya in the county of Sør-Trøndelag. Water depth at the site is 259 metres. Drilling is scheduled to begin in May 2015 and estimated to last 29 days, depending on whether a discovery is made. Drilling is to be performed by Transocean Spitsbergen, which is a semi-submersible mobile drilling facility of the Aker H-6e type.
PSA approves 'Transocean Arctic' to drill Wintershall exploration well 35/12-5
Wintershall has received consent to drill exploration well 35/12-5 in the northern part of the North Sea. Wintershall is the operator for production licence 378 in block 35/12 in the northern North Sea. Exploration well 35/12-5 is to be drilled in a prospect called Crossbill. The drilling site is around 10 km south-east of the Skarfjell well 35/9-7 and 12 km SSW of the Gjøa platform. Water depth at the site is 353 metres. Drilling is scheduled to begin in May 2015 and estimated to last 57 days. A possible sidetrack will take a further 113 days.
PSA audits Songa Cat-D rig anchor chains
On 26th and 27th February 2015, the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (“PSA”) carried out an audit of Songa Offshore's follow-up and management of the fabrication of the anchor chains for the Cat D rigs. The objective of the audit was to verify that the fabrication of anchor chain was being managed, followed up and performed in compliance with the regulations. The result of the audit was that, no non-conformities were identified. The audit concluded that the following improvements could be made; supply follow-up, planning and documentation of inspections and recording and documentation of repair grinding. The four Cat-D rigs are currently under construction as Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering’s (“DSME”) shipyard in Okpo, South Korea.
Statoil drilling at Bister prospect approved
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for wellbore 6407/8-7, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Wellbore 6407/8-7 will be drilled from the Transocean Spitsbergen drilling facility in position 64° 23' 4.06'' north and 7° 33' 42.8'' east. The drilling programme for wellbore 6407/8-7 concerns the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 348 C. Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 35 per cent. The other licensees are GDF SUEZ E&P Norge AS (20 per cent), E.ON E&P Norway AS (17.5 per cent), Core Energy AS (17.5 per cent), Faroe Petroleum Norway AS (7.5 per cent) and VNG Norge AS (2.5 per cent). The area in this licence consists of part of block 6407/8. The well will be drilled about 4.5 kilometres north of the Hyme field and about 22 kilometres northeast of the Njord field. Production licence 348 C was awarded on 13 February 2015. This is the first well to be drilled in the licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator having secured all other permits and consents required by other authorities before the drilling starts.
PSA approves VNG exploration plan for PL 586
VNG Norge (“VNG”) has received consent to drill two exploration wells 6406/12-4 S and 6406/12-4 A in the Norwegian Sea. VNG is the operator for production licence 586 in block 6406/12 in the Norwegian Sea. The field is around 83 kilometres from the Norwegian coast at Frøya and 61.4 kilometres south-west of Draugen. Water depth at the site is 319 metres. Drilling is scheduled to begin in June 2015 and estimated to last 52 days. In the event of a discovery, the activity may last a further 84 days for well testing. Drilling is to be carried out using Transocean Arctic, a semi-submersible drilling facility owned and operated by Transocean. It was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan in 1987, and substantially upgraded in 2004. It was issued with an Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) by the PSA in July 2004.
PSA approves use of 'Transocean Barents' on Draugen Field
A/S Norske Shell (“Shell”) has received consent to use the Transocean Barents mobile drilling facility to drill a production well on the Draugen field. Draugen is an oil field in the Norwegian Sea, around 150 km north of Kristiansund. Shell is the field's operator. Production on the field began in October 1993. The field has been developed using a fixed concrete facility with an integrated deck. Deposits in the vicinity are produced by subsea wells tied back to the Draugen facility. Shell has applied for consent to drill a new production well designated 6407/9-G-5 H. Water depth at the site is 289 metres. The well will be connected to a subsea pipeline system leading to the Draugen facility. Until this system is ready, the well will be shut off and monitored. Shell has now received consent to use the Transoceoan Barents mobile drilling facility for drilling, which is scheduled to begin on 30th May 2015 and last for 45 days.
Shell given approval to plug another Draugen well
The PSA has given AS Norske Shell (“Shell”) consent to use the Transocean Barents mobile drilling facility for plugging and abandonment of production well 6407/9-A-55 on the Draugen field. This is the second well on Draugen that Shell have been given approval to plug during the week, following the PSA’s approval of the plugging of the 6407/9-G-5 H well on the 13th May.
Eni makes Libya gas discovery
Libya’s National Oil Corporation (“NOC”) today announced that operator Eni North Africa Libya (“Eni”) made an gas and condensate discovery in contract area D (NC41). Eni spudded the A1-01/01 well in January 2015 in the Sabratah Basin and is believed to have used the Transocean Amirante semisub to drill the well. The well is located approximately 140 km from the Libyan coast and 20 km North of Bouri Field, at an average water depth of about 125 m.
Exxon announces discovery in Guyana
Exxon Mobil Corporation (“Exxon”) today announced a significant oil discovery at the Liza-1 well on the Stabroek Block, located approximately 120 miles offshore Guyana. The well was drilled by ExxonMobil’s affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Ltd and encountered more than 295 feet (90 meters) of high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs. It was safely drilled to 17,825 feet (5,433 meters) in 5,719 feet (1,743 meters) of water. The Stabroek Block covers 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometers). “I am encouraged by the results of the first well on the Stabroek Block,” said Stephen M. Greenlee, president of ExxonMobil Exploration Company. “Over the coming months we will work to determine the commercial viability of the discovered resource, as well as evaluate other resource potential on the block.” The well was spud on March 5th, 2015. The well data will be analysed in the coming months to better determine the full resource potential. Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Ltd. holds 45% interest. Hess Guyana Exploration Limited holds 30% interest and CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Limited holds 25% interest.
Statoil's Bister prospect disappoints
Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 348 C, is in the process of completing the drilling of wildcat wells 6407/8-7 and 6407/8-7 A. Both wells have been drilled about four kilometres north of the Hyme field in the southern part of the Norwegian Sea and 140 kilometres north of Kristiansund. The primary exploration target in well 6407/8-7 was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Ile formation). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Tilje and Åre formations). The well encountered about 95 metres of the Ile formation, of which 70 metres were sandstone with good reservoir properties. The Tilje and Åre formations were also encountered, in thicknesses of 200 and 170 metres respectively, of which 160 and 75 metres respectively are sandstone with good reservoir quality. The well is dry. The purpose of well 6407/8-7 A was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Tilje formation) higher up in the structure. The well encountered about 110 metres of reservoir rocks in the Tilje formation, of which 80 metres were sandstone of good reservoir quality. The well also encountered 200 metres of the Åre formation, of which 95 metres were sandstone with good reservoir properties. The well is classified as dry. Data collection has been carried out in both wells. These are the first and second exploration wells in production licence 348 C. Wells 6407/8-7 and 6407/8-7 A were drilled to measured depths of 3030 and 3178 metres, respectively, and vertical depths of 3030 and 2810 metres below the sea surface. Both were terminated in the Åre formation in the Lower Jurassic. Water depth at the site is 259 metres. The wells will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. The wells were drilled by the Transocean Spitsbergen drilling facility, which will now move on to drill wildcat well 6706/11-2 in the Norwegian Sea in production licence 602, where Statoil is the operator.
Statoil lines up drilling of Gymir prospect
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for well 6706/11-2, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 6706/11-2 will be drilled from the Transocean Spitsbergen drilling facility in position 67°03’56.97”north and 06°32’57.45”east after completing the drilling of wildcat wells 6407/8-7 and 6407/8-7 A for Statoil in production licence 348 C. The drilling program for well 6706/11-2 relates to the drilling of wildcat wells in production licence 602. Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 30 per cent. The other licensees are Centrica Resources AS (20 per cent), Petoro AS (20 per cent), Rocksources Exploration Norway AS (10 per cent), Wintershall Norge AS (10 per cent) and Atlantic Petroleum Norge (10 per cent). The area in this licence consists of part of block 6706/10, block 6706/11 and part of block 6706/12. The well will be drilled about 22 kilometres west of Aasta Hansteen (the Haklang field). Production licence 602 was awarded on 13 May 2011 in the 21st licensing round on the Norwegian shelf. This is the second well to be drilled in the licence. The permit is conditional upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing the drilling activity.
PSA approves Statoil's exploration plan for well 6706/11-2
Statoil has received consent to drill exploration well 6706/11-2 in the Norwegian Sea. Statoil is the operator for production licence 602 in block 6706/11 in the Norwegian Sea. The field is located around 233 kilometres from the nearest mainland at Skomvær in the county of Nordland. Drilling is scheduled to begin in June 2015 and estimated to last 28 days, depending on whether a discovery is made. Drilling will be performed using Transocean Spitsbergen, which is a semi-submersible mobile drilling facility of the Aker H-6e type. The facility was completed in 2009 at the Aker Solutions yard in Stord; it is registered in the Marshall Islands and classified by DNV GL.
Edison set to spud new exploration well on PL 616
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has issued a drilling permit for wellbore 2/11-11 to Edison Norge AS. Wellbore 2/11-11 will be drilled from the Transocean Searcher drilling facility at position 56°12’11.75’’N and 03°23’26.53”E. The drilling program for wellbore 2/11-11 applies to drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 616. Edison Energy Norge AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 25 per cent. The licensees are Noreco Norway AS with 20%, Concedo ASA with 20%, Skagen 44 AS with 15%, North Energy ASA with 15% and Lime Petroleum Norway AS with 5%. Production licence 616 was awarded in 2012 (APA 2011). The area in this production licence is located in the southernmost part of the North Sea and consists of parts of boundary blocks 2/7, 10 and 11. The well will be drilled about 8 km south of the Valhall field. This is the first well to be drilled in the licence. The drilling permit is granted on the condition that all other permits and consents required by other authorities have been secured before the drilling activity commences.
Statoil given drilling approval from NPD
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for wells 15/6-13 A and B, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations.
Statoil given approval to drill two exploration wells in PL 029B
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for wells 15/6-13 A and B, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Wells 15/6-13 A and B will be drilled from the Songa Trym drilling facility at position 58°36’55.48” north and 01°45’40.58” east near the Gina Krog field in the central part of the North Sea. The drilling programme for well 15/6-13 A and B relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 029 B. Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 50 per cent. The other licensees are Total E&P Norge AS and Det norske oljeselskap ASA with 30 and 20 per cent each, respectively. The area in this licence consists of a part of block 15/6. Production licence 029 B was awarded on 11 May 2001 after being carved out of 029, which was awarded in the 2nd licensing round in 1969. These are the third and fourth exploration wells to be drilled in the licence, but wildcat wells have been drilled before within the area this licence covers. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing drilling activities.
Statoil makes minor gas discovery at Gymir prospect
Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 602, has concluded the drilling of wildcat well 6706/11-2. The well encountered gas. The well was drilled about 20 kilometres west of the Aasta Hansteen field in the northern part of the Norwegian Sea. The objective of the well was to prove petroleum in Upper Cretaceous reservoir rocks (the Nise formation). The well encountered a total gas column of about 70 metres in the Nise formation, of which 40 metres in sandstone with very good reservoir quality. Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery between one and three billion standard cubic metres (Sm3 ) of recoverable gas. The well was not formation-tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. The licensees will assess the discovery together with other discoveries in this production licence and the neighbouring licence (218) with regard to development and tie-in to the Aasta Hansteen field. This is the second exploration well in production licence 602. The licence was awarded in the 21st licensing round in 2011. Well 6706/11-2 was drilled to a vertical depth of 2556 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Nise formation in the Upper Cretaceous. Water depth at the site is 1272 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 6706/11-2 was drilled by the Transocean Spitsbergen drilling facility, which will now be laid up at Averøy outside Kristiansund. The rig has completed its Contract with Statoil.
VNG Norge AS set to spud another exploration well on PL586
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted VNG Norge AS a drilling permit for well 6406/12-4 S, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 6406/12-4 S will be drilled from the Transocean Arctic drilling facility in position 64°1'7.47'' north and 6°46'31.28'' east after completing wildcat well 35/12-5 in production licence 378 for Wintershall Norge AS. The drilling programme for well 6406/12-4 S relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 586. VNG Norge AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 30 per cent. The other licensees are Spike Exploration Holding AS (30 per cent), Faroe Petroleum Norge AS (25 per cent) and Rocksource Exploration Norway AS (15 per cent). The area in this licence consists of part of block 6406/11 and part of block 6406/12. The well will be drilled about 33 kilometres southwest of the Njord field. Production licence 586 was awarded on 4 February 2011 (APA 2010). This is the fourth well to be drilled in the licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator having secured all other permits and consents required by other authorities before the drilling starts.
Wintershall drills duster in Norway
Wintershall Norge AS, operator of production licence 378, is in the process of completing the drilling of wildcat well 35/12-5 S. The well was drilled about 15 km southwest of the Gjøa field in the North Sea and 80 kilometres southwest of Florø. The purpose of the well was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks from the Upper Jurassic (the Heather, Sognefjord and Fensfjord formations). Well 35/12-5 S encountered about 10 metres of sandstone in the Heather formation, 35 metres of sandstone in the Sognefjord formation and 32 metres of sandstone in the Fensfjord formation, all with good reservoir quality. It also encountered 9 metres of sandstone with poor reservoir quality in the Etive formation. The well is dry. Data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. This is the fifth exploration well in production licence 378. The licence was awarded in APA 2005. Well 35/12-5 S was drilled to a vertical depth of 3369 metres and a measured depth of 3570 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in the Oseberg formation in the Middle Jurassic. Water depth at the site is 353 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 35/12-5 S was drilled by the Transocean Arctic drilling facility, which is now scheduled to drill wildcat well 6406/12-4 S in production licence 586 in the Norwegian Sea, operated by VNG Norge AS.
Haribo prospect spudded in Norway
Noreco Norway AS (“Noreco”) has announced that the drilling of the Haribo prospect in Norwegian licence PL616 has started. Noreco holds a 20% interest in the licence. The Haribo well (2/11-11) is being drilled by the Transocean Searcher semisub. The drilling period is expected to take approximately 45 days. The Haribo prospect is located 10 km south west of the Valhall Field in the Norwegian part of the North Sea. The predicted reservoir is chalk of Upper Cretaceous age in a depth of about 2900 meter. Noreco Norway estimates the prospect to contain 69 to 192 million barrels of oil gross on licence PL616 with a 42 per cent chance of success. These volume and risk estimates are in line with what Noreco has previously communicated to the market.
Transocean scraps two more floaters and delays more newbuilds
Transocean Ltd (“Transocean”) today issued its updated fleet summary report, with the company announcing its plan to retire a further two floating rigs from its operational fleet as well as delay the delivery of two newbuild drillships. Transocean has classified both the GSF Celtic Sea and Transocean Amirante units as being held for sale, with the GSF Celtic Sea being either sold for use in a non-drilling capacity or recycled, whilst the Transocean Amirante will be recycled. Transocean has been the most active scrapper of rigs thus far in 2015 and has indicated its intent to scrap a total of 20 floaters. Meanwhile the company also announced its plan to delay the delivery of its two newbuild drillships currently under construction at the Jurong Shipyard in Singapore. Transocean has delayed the delivery of each unit by 24 months, with delivery now expected in Q2 2019 and Q1 2020. This follows Transocean’s recent trend of delaying newbuild assets, the company recently delayed delivery of its five newbuild jackup rigs.
VNG Norge AS spuds Boomerang prospect
VNG Norge has now started the operation of the first of two new explorations wells in PL586, the licence where the Pil & Bue discoveries were made in 2014. VNG Norge took over the rig Transocean Arctic late on Friday 19th June after the rig had completed the drilling operation at Crossbill prospect for the operator Wintershall. After having sailed 190 nautical miles from Crossbill in the North Sea, Transocean Arctic arrived on location in the Norwegian Sea Sunday 21st June. The rig was towed and escorted by the anchor handlers Boa Bison and Havila Mars, which together with Siem Opal, finished the anchor operations.The main well 6406/12-4 S, was spudded today Monday 22nd June at 11:45 p.m. After the main well, a sidetrack - 6406/12-4, is to be drilled. Expected duration of the drilling operation is between 85 and 135 days. The wells will be permanently plugged and abandoned before Transocean Artic is moved to a new location within the same licence for drilling a second exploration well in PL586.
Songa Offshore takes delivery of first Cat-D semisub
Songa Offshore has today taken delivery of Songa Equinox from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (“DSME”) in South Korea. The Songa Equinox will shortly depart South Korea enroute to Norway for commencement of an eight-year drilling contract with Statoil, with its first assignment on the Troll Field on the Norwegian continental shelf. The voyage to Norway will take place in a tow-assist mode and the rig will arrive with all third party equipment installed and ready for final acceptance testing. Commencement of drilling operations is expected to take place in Q4 2015. Songa Equinox is a sixth generation, high specification, harsh environment, midwater rig designed for efficient year around drilling, completion, testing and intervention operations in water depths up to 500 meters. The rig is certified DP3 and is equipped with a "state-of-the-art" drill-floor and an efficient layout with improved safety and working environment features. Songa Equinox is the first rig in a series of four Category D rigs specifically built for and contracted to Statoil.
Statoil makes minor discovery near Gina Krog
Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of the Gina Krog Unit, has completed the drilling of wildcat well 15/6-13 and appraisal wells 15/6-13 A and 15/6-13 B. The wells were drilled about 250 kilometres west of Stavanger and directly northeast of the Gina Krog field. The objective of well 15/6-13 was to prove commercial petroleum volumes in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Hugin formation), acquire sufficient data to avoid further delineation, investigate the size of the discovery, the properties and continuity of the reservoir rocks, as well as determine the petroleum properties. The objective of sidetracks 15/6-13 A and 15/6-13 B was to delineate the discovery as regards the likelihood of deeper oil and shallower gas on the structure. 15/6-13 has two separate oil columns, 13 and 3 metres of which are in sandstone with moderate to good reservoir properties in the Hugin formation and upper part of the Sleipner formation. The oil/water contact was not encountered. 15/6-13 A encountered seven and nine metres of sandstone with moderate reservoir quality in the Hugin and Sleipner formations, both aquiferous. The aquiferous sandstone in the Hugin formation is presumed to be in pressure communication with the oil zone in 15/6-13. 15/6-13 B shows an overall gas column of about 60 metres, of which 7 metres are in sandstone with moderate reservoir quality in the Hugin formation and 26 metres in sandstone with moderate reservoir properties in the Sleipner formation. The underlying sandstone in the Skagerrak formation is tight and aquiferous. For the discovery as a whole, the overall oil and gas column totals about 300 metres, 150 metres for each. Preliminary calculations of the size of the discovery are between one and two million standard cubic meters (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalents in the Hugin formation, whereas calculations of any
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IT Leadership // CIO Insights & Innovation
Brian Gillooly
Beating A Very Dead Horse
More data to support my side of the debate about the relevance of CIOs (Optimize's own research and my conversations with CIOs themselves indicates CIOs are gaining in influence and relevance, not risking losing it). This comes from a recently release study from KPMG and Harvey Nash, as quoted at PhysOrg.com...
More data to support my side of the debate about the relevance of CIOs (Optimize's own research and my conversations with CIOs themselves indicates CIOs are gaining in influence and relevance, not risking losing it). This comes from a recently release study from KPMG and Harvey Nash, as quoted at PhysOrg.com..."Eighty-five percent of CIOs said they found their jobs fulfilling, with 25 percent saying that they were 'very' fulfilled and 63 percent saying that they were 'quite' fulfilled. More than two-thirds said they were neither interested in nor applying for outside career opportunities. Just 17 percent reported that they were actively looking for new jobs.
The survey argued that one of the reasons that CIOs are generally content in their jobs is that, while 20 percent report having their budgets decreased, the vast majority - 79 percent - report budget increases.
Business and IT integration was a dominant theme of the survey, and an area where progress has been made over the last year. While in the previous year's survey, only 37 percent of respondents felt that their IT was well integrated with business, now 57 percent say the same.
Despite this 20 percent improvement, however, CIOs still feel they have a way to go before IT and business are fully integrated. Fifty-three percent ranked "alignment with business" as their top priority, compared to only 38 percent last year."
Two key points from this summary of the report (besides the further proof that CIOs aren't losing influence): Increased IT budgets (in aggregate, CIOs tell me that budgets are still flat year-over-year, so this KPMG data is encouraging news), and the satisfaction among CIOs that business and IT are becoming more integrated. That's one of the key arguments among folks who claim CIOs are losing relevance -- apparently (at least according to the aforementioned Forrester report from my previous blog posting) CEOs are dissatisfied with CIOs in part because of a lack of business and IT integration. It's my firm belief that most businesses have already aligned business and IT (although there are pockets of stragglers; my colleague Stephanie Stahl told me yesterday that at an event she moderated last week, fewer than half of the 30 or so attendees raised their hands when she asked if they felt their organizations were already aligned).
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Software // Information Management
Teradata Snubs SAS With In-Database Analytics Move
Teradata expands in-database analysis options with Revolution Analytics and Fuzzy Logix, growing rivals of SAS in advanced analytics.
5 Big Wishes For Big Data Deployments
Teradata announced Wednesday that it's forging deeper, in-database processing ties with Revolution Analytics and a new partnership with Fuzzy Logix. What's missing from the picture is SAS, Teradata's longstanding partner and co-pioneer of in-database processing techniques that have shaved hours and, in some cases, days off of advanced predictive and statistical analyses.
The highlight of Wednesday's news is the deeper partnership with Revolution whereby that vendor's library of analytics based on the open source R programming language has been adapted by Teradata to run with scalable parallel processing power within the Teradata database. Teradata and other partners have previously supported Revolution's software, but Teradata says it's the first to bring efficient, parallel processing to the vendor's High-Performance R offering.
"We used to run the software at the node level, where you were reliant on the data scientist to determine parallelism," Teradata product and services marketing manager Chris Twogood told InformationWeek in a phone interview. "Now we're driving results in parallel, whether you're doing data manipulation, descriptive statistics or predictive algorithms."
[ Want the scoop on the latest big analytics move? Read SAP Buying KXEN For Predictive Analytics. ]
The bottom line of automated, parallelized processing is faster performance and greater accuracy. Teradata isn't promising specific levels of improvement, but Twogood said Teradata has seen cases where Revolution jobs that previously took three hours took three minutes with the new approach and others where 12-hour analyses were cut down to five minutes. The approach ensures higher accuracy because analyses run against all data without relying on interim aggregations.
Deeper support for Revolution's portfolio will make a broad base of R-based algorithms available to Teradata customers. SAS, too, has made selected R-based algorithms available to run on its software, but they don't run in parallel in partner databases and the choice of R algorithms is limited.
Teradata is not backing away from or diminishing its current partnership with SAS, Twogood insisted, it's simply responding to customer demand. "Our customers are demanding R and they're demanding more parallelism," he said. Despite SAS's R offerings, he added that customers "want native R, not algorithms exposed through SAS, because they're looking for alternatives for some of their analytics."
In an unrelated interview earlier this week, SAS marketing executive Malene Haxholdt acknowledged the interest in R.
"Open-source analytics is bringing a lot of value to customers, and we are constantly adapting to that and making it easier to integrate R into the SAS world," she said. "With that said, the use of R is for fairly high-end analytics users because it typically involves coding. We're focused on making our environment for advanced analytics easier to use."
Haxholdt said SAS's next move toward easier analysis will be the release of Visual Statistics, a drag-and-drop and point-and-click-oriented option for advanced analysis work.
[ Editor's Note: SAS contacted us after this article's publication with the following comment: "This is not a snub in any way," said Scott VanValkenburgh, SAS Senior Director of Alliances. "SAS and Teradata both partner with competitors and we expect that to continue. SAS priorities include in-memory technology and Hadoop integration from an in-database perspective. We continue to focus on in-database functionality. SAS and Teradata see in-database and in-memory solutions as business critical for customers, as evidenced by Teradata's recent announcement of an appliance specific to SAS analytics. Demonstrating that our relationship is as strong as ever, the market can expect a new SAS-Teradata announcement in the next quarter." ]
Teradata's in-database partnership with SAS dates back to 2007, when the two companies partnered on a scoring accelerator. The partnership deepened in 2011 when Teradata became one of two vendors (along with EMC) to offer in-database processing for SAS High Performance Analytics software. There was no real option to extend the relationship at this time, but SAS can't be happy to see not one but two new options for Teradata customers to work more closely with competitors.
The new relationship with Fuzzy Logix will see more than 600 of that vendor's algorithms running in parallel on Teradata. Together with what's available from Revolution and Teradata's own library of 300-plus algorithms, Teredata claimed it now offers "the largest, most complete in-database analytic library" with more than 1,000 choices of algorithms.
The default choice before the in-database approach was developed was moving data sets over to dedicated analytic servers for analysis. But with ever-growing data stores, data movement gets time consuming and the dedicated servers tend to be too underpowered for efficient, high-scale data analysis.
"In-database analytics is no longer an emerging trend, but now an absolute requirement to meet the processing speed and data volume demands," said Scott Gnau, president of Teradata Labs, in a statement. "Teradata empowers its customers to push beyond the traditional limits of analytics by bringing the analytics to the data."
Teradata also announced on Wednesday the latest release of its database, Teradata 14.10. The update delivers previously promised upgrades including Intelligent Memory in-memory processing, improved access to data within Hadoop clusters and enhanced workload management capabilities.
Evolution of Ransomware Gangs
wmupchurch,
re: Teradata Snubs SAS With In-Database Analytics Move
I donGÇÖt see this announcement as negative for SAS. In fact, I see in-database technology as complementary. SAS users can simply write PROC SQL and call the
functions; just like they do for native Teradata functions. At Fuzzy Logix weGÇÖve seen SAS users get 10X to 100X improvement in processing performance. We encourage SAS users to leverage both Fuzzy Logix and SAS where appropriate. This is a path that is minimally disruptive to the thousands (millions? trillions?) of lines of SAS code already developed and lets users continue to work in their SAS environment while realizing the performance benefits of in-database analytics. An example of the performance of in-database analytics can be found in the global strategic partnership announcement located here: http://bit.ly/18e2OOv
"Snub" is my spin on the effect of Teradata's announcement. As I reported, Teradata "insisted" that it's "not backing away from or diminishing its current partnership with SAS in any way." SAS and Teradata co-innovated in-database approaches. But that was more than five years ago and business is business. Teradata needs to spread its wings. SAS has partnerships with EMC and others. Life goes on.
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Fatal Accidents & Wrongful Death
Accidentes de Peatones
Resultados de Casos
Se Ofrecen Servicios
• Serving Temecula And The San Diego Metro •
| Horrific bus crash kills 8, injures dozens
Horrific bus crash kills 8, injures dozens
On behalf of The Ellis Firm, APLC | Mar 4, 2013 | Car Accidents |
Last month a tour bus crash near Redlands, California, killed eight passengers and injured many more when the brakes apparently gave out, sending the bus hurdling down Highway 38 without any means of slowing down. The bus hit two other cars before flipping over, tossing the 38 passengers aboard the bus like rag dolls.
The bus incident is easily the most devastating car accident of the year thus far in California, and victims are outraged at the apparent negligence of the transportation company and the bus driver. The bus was carrying tourists after an excursion to Big Bear, and victims are also claiming that the charter company who set up the tour was partially responsible for dealing with a transportation company with a questionable safety record.
The company that provided the buses, Scapadas Magicas, has a record of serious safety and traffic violations, according to attorneys for the plaintiffs. A federal post-crash inspection of their other buses uncovered serious mechanical and safety violations as well, and they were immediately sequestered from further service.
It is truly unthinkable for these companies to jeopardize the safety of dozens of paying customers, as well as everyone else on the road. One unlucky driver was struck and later died after the bus slammed into his car. The culpability for these lives, as well as the countless injuries, lies entirely with the people who failed to take the proper precautions that likely would have prevented this tragedy.
Those injured in the accident may bring a civil suit for damages, including pain and suffering and medical expenses. Those who lost loved ones may bring a suit for wrongful death. No amount of money can fully compensate for a human life, but the companies responsible should be ordered to pay to the fullest extent of the law.
Source: CBS8.com, “First lawsuit filed in fatal bus crash,” Feb. 22, 2013
Is your parent the victim of abuse or neglect?
What Tactics Keep Motorcyclists Safe?
4 myths about drowsy driving
Speeding is a factor in a quarter of all fatal traffic crashes
6 symptoms not to ignore after an accident
We offer free initial consultations, so there is no risk for you to get started. Our attorneys are happy to answer your questions – call our Temecula office at 951-289-0628 or our San Diego office at 619-483-3201, or reach out online to set up an appointment.
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© 2021 The Ellis Firm, APLC. All Rights Reserved.
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Presley's Angel would love your feedback! Got a few minutes to write a review?
A Warrior's Love
Presley's Angel 14 stories
Wyatt is a warrior wolf for the Stone pack and he's well past the time when he should have met his mate. It's training season and he, along with his Alpha head out to a neighboring pack where he finds his mate. For him it doesn't matter that his mate Becky is a human, or that she has a disability, he's just excited to finally find her. Becky however is full of insecurities and her mother's loathing for Wyatt doesn't help. The feelings they have for each other though have them refusing to give up despite the odds against them and soon find love and a sense of belonging with each other.
Fantasy / Romance
Presley's Angel
Chapter 1: Meeting a werewolf family
The sun was warm on Becky Monroe’s head as she sat in her front yard. She was busy playing with her favorite doll Betty and didn’t know her mommy was there until she spoke.
“Becky dear, it’s time to go. Daddy says we need to leave now, or we won’t get to our vacation cabin before dark.”
Becky looked up then and squinted, trying to make out her mommy’s face in the glare of the sun. All she could see though was the outline of Mommy’s head where she now stood between Becky and the sun.
“Okay Mommy,” Becky said.
Then jumping up, her doll Betty held securely in her arms, she ran toward the car.
Her daddy stood there waiting, her door held open for her.
“Thank you, Daddy,” Becky said politely as she climbed inside.
“You’re welcome, Becky. Remember, a gentleman always opens the door for a lady,” Daddy told her with a wink.
Becky giggled and asked, “So when I meet MY gentleman, he will open doors for me, as you do for me and Mommy?”
“He better!” Daddy said, with a frown, strapping her into her car seat. He gave her a kiss on the cheek then as he added, “If he doesn’t treat you like a lady, then he doesn’t’ deserve you, Becky. Then I’ll have to run him off right quick like!”
Then closing her door, Daddy opened Mommy’s door and kissed her cheek before she got in. After Mommy was seated, he closed the door and walked around the car to get in his side.
“Mommy?” Becky began, “Do you think I’ll find a man who loves me as much as Daddy does you one day?”
Mommy turned slightly in her seat to give Becky a smile. She then answered, “Of course, you will Becky, and when you do, he will love you so very much because you are a very lovely girl.”
Becky smiled then as her mommy turned to face the front again. She then drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.
Becky was awakened by her mommy’s scream and the feeling of the car flipping over. Her own scream joined Mommy’s as she hung upside down for a minute. Then, the car flipped once more, bouncing as it landed once more on its tires.
The car stopped moving and Mommy stopped screaming.
“Mo-mommy?” Becky wailed. “My leg hurts Mommy and there is blood all over it! MOMMY!
Mommy didn’t answer.
Taking her eyes off her leg, Becky looked at the front seat where her mommy had been sitting. She saw her mommy flopped forward, her head laying on the dash of the car. She was worried about her mommy.
Calling out, Becky said, “Da-da-daddy? I think something is wrong with Mommy.”
Becky then turned to look at the seat where her daddy should be but didn’t see him in the car at all.
Where did Daddy go?
Becky began screaming for him, begging him to come back for her and Mommy, to not leave them here. Her screaming for her daddy only stopped when she heard a sound from next to her.
Then her door was ripped from the car.
“Daddy!” Becky cried, excitedly as she turned, only to stop as she gazed at a strange man. Swallowing hard in fear, she whispered, “You... you aren’t my daddy.”
“No, sweetheart, I’m not. I’m here to help you though if you will let me,” the man said gently as he knelt down next to the car.
Becky looked him over carefully. He was really big, a lot bigger than her daddy, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt, so she could see he had a furry chest. His hair was brown like her daddy’s, but it was his eyes that held her attention the longest. They were brown, yet they seemed to almost glow as he watched her and waited for her answer.
Somehow, looking at those eyes, Becky knew he would never hurt her, so she nodded. Then, giving a sniffle as she wiped her nose on her hand, she said, “My leg hurts badly mister. My daddy is gone, and my mommy won’t answer me.”
Now, Becky might be only eight, but she wasn’t stupid. Her mommy hadn’t moved the whole time she’d been screaming for her daddy, so she was sure Mommy was dead. Somehow though, she thought if she denied it long enough maybe it wouldn’t be true.
The man glanced at her mommy before looking back at her. He then said, “I’m so sorry sweetheart, there isn’t anything I can do for your mommy.”
“My... my daddy?” Becky whimpered out.
The man just shook his head and Becky knew her daddy was dead too. The man must have seen him if he knew this. As she began to wail in her grief, he picked her up in his arms.
“Sir, what do you want me to do?” A man softly asked from close by.
“Call the authorities about the accident since they’re human. I’ll take the girl if...” he stopped talking for a moment and pulled back. He then asked, “Sweetheart, what’s your name?”
“Becky Monroe.”
“Do you have any other family besides your parents? Aunts, uncles, or maybe grandparents? Someone who would take you in?” He asked.
Becky quickly shook her head no.
“Okay,” he murmured. He then turned back to the other man to say, “I’ll take her with me. Get any evidence of her out of the car, so no questions will be asked. I’ll take Becky to the pack doctor; her leg doesn’t look too good.”
“Yes sir,” the other man said. Then with a slight bow, he left.
The big man turned to gaze into her eyes once more as he said, “Okay sweetheart, I’m going to pick you up now. I know it will hurt, but I’ll be as gentle as I can.”
“Where are we going?” Becky asked, sniffling again.
“I’m going to take you to my doctor and he will have you fixed up in no time,” he said, giving her a smile. Then he slowly lifted her up out of the seat.
It hurt so badly to be moved that Becky started to scream. As the pain became too much, she felt darkness take her.
“I see you finally decided to join us.”
Becky turned her head toward where the voice was coming from. Opening her eyes fully, she saw the big man who had saved her.
He reached out and brushed her hair off her forehead with a smile.
“Where am I?” Becky asked in a whisper.
He handed her some water to drink as he answered, saying, “You’re at a medical facility. You have been asleep for three days with a really bad fever.”
Becky drank her water, then felt tears well up in her eyes as she remembered everything.
He sighed, looking sad as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He then picked up her hand as he began to speak again. In a whisper, he explained, “Becky, the doctor had to cut off part of your leg. It was too badly damaged to repair by the time I got you here. I’m so sorry sweetheart.”
Becky looked down at her legs, seeing how one stopped a few inches below her knee. She felt her lips began to tremble, tears overflowing her eyes and flooding her face. She then looked up at the man as she whispered, “Who will want me now? My mommy and Daddy are gone and I’m... I’m broken. Who will love me now?”
“Oh sweetheart,” the big man said as tears ran down his own cheeks. He then said, “If you will let me, I will love you as my own.”
“You will?”
“Then will you h-hold me? I’m so c-cold,” Becky told him as she began to shiver.
Standing up, he picked her up, blankets and all. He then moved to a rocking chair that was next to the bed.
Becky snuggled into his chest as he began to rock, and slowly she felt his warmth chase away the chills.
“Mister, why are you so warm? My daddy was never as warm as you are,” Becky asked him.
He stiffened, and she glanced up thinking she’d said something wrong.
“It’s because I’m different then you sweetheart,” he told her.
“Well, you see, I’m a werewolf, and because of my wolf I stay really warm.”
Becky gazed up at him in awe as she said, “You don’t look like a wolf.”
He chuckled, saying, “No. Right now, I’m a man, but I can change into a big wolf. My whole family is that way, and I live with a lot of other people who can shift into wolves also. We are called the Bannon Pack, and we have an Alpha who tells us what to do.”
“An Alpha? Is he like a boss? My daddy had a boss. Sometimes, Daddy would come home and tell Mommy about the dumb things the boss wanted him to do,” she told him.
“Uh... well... sort of I suppose.”
“Okay,” Becky told him, unconcerned about any of it. She then lay her head back down on his chest and was soon sound asleep once more.
Becky woke up again sometime later, shivering in bed once more. The big wolfman was gone, so she sat up and began looking around. That’s when she noticed a boy sitting in the rocking chair and playing with a hand-held gadget of some kind.
“Ex-excuse me,” Becky said, her teeth chattering.
The boy looked up, his eyes wide. Without a word to her, he jumped up from the chair and ran for the door. Once he had the door open, he yelled, “Mom, Mom, she’s awake!”
A lady soon came in and Becky just stared at her. She was so tiny, and blonde, and pretty!
Becky just had to ask, “Are you a fairy princess?”
The lady laughed and said, “Oh no, just a very small werewolf. My name is Julie and the wild child who just left screaming is my son Jeff. You’ve met my husband Gary already.”
Becky nodded, remembering the big wolfman as she said, “Yes ma’am, he’s very big.”
“Yes, he is,” Julie agreed. She then said, “Now let’s get you a bath and some food, shall we?”
Becky nodded.
Julie picked Becky up then and carried her to the bathroom.
Once there, Becky was scrubbed clean and dressed in a pink gown with white flowers on it.
Julie then laid Becky back on the bed and placed a tray of food in front of her. She then said, “Now eat.”
Becky did as she was told, eating until her belly was full. Once her belly was full, she became sleepy and soon fell asleep.
Becky awakened a little later being stared at. She jerked back, slightly scared.
Jeff tilted his head as he said, “I don’t bite, at least not yet.”
“What do you mean not yet?” Becky asked him, feeling a bit more scared now.
Jeff shrugged before saying, “I won’t shift into my wolf until I’m fifteen, I’m only thirteen.”
Becky nodded in understanding. She then began to shiver, so she asked, “Jeff, even though you haven’t shifted, are you warm like your daddy?”
He frowned, saying, “I suppose I am, why?”
“Because I’m cold,” Becky explained.
“What do you expect me to do about that? I don’t see any more blankets here to cover you with,” Jeff muttered as he looked around.
“Hold me please,” she begged him.
It was Jeff’s turn to stare open-mouthed at her. He then stuttered, “Oh, no, I am not snuggling with a girl!”
She poked her lip out in a pout saying, “But then I’d be warm again. Please!”
“I told Dad it was a mistake to take in a girl. I can see already you’re going to be trouble and you’re only how old?” He asked in a grumpy voice.
“Eight,” she told him through chattering teeth. “Mommy says I’m small for my age though, that’s why I’m so little.”
“Harrumph!” Jeff mumbled as he crawled up on the bed with her. He then wrapped his skinny arms around her as he mumbled, “If the guys hear about this, I will never hear the end of it!”
Becky didn’t care about any of that, all she cared about was the fact that he was slowly warming her up. So, snuggling closer she told him, “I’ve never been so co-cold before. I don’t know what is wrong with me to make me cold, but since I woke up here, I’ve been cold. Well, except for when your daddy holds me. You make me warm too, is that weird?”
“I don’t know, maybe you’re just weird,” Jeff suggested to her, but he had a smile on his face. He snickered then as he said, “I guess that means I’m gonna have a weird sister.”
“I suppose it does,” Becky agreed with a quiet giggle, snuggling closer to him.
And that’s was how Becky Monroe, the small human girl ended up handicapped and living with a werewolf family.
1. Chapter 1: Meeting a werewolf family
1 Chapter 1: Meeting a werewolf family
2 Chapter 2: Nine years later
3 Chapter 3: I am your mate
4 Chapter 4: I need information
5 Chapter 5: Jealousy strikes Wyatt
6 Chapter 6: Never come between mates
7 Chapter 7: Getting a new car
8 Chapter 8: Tales of the past
9 Chapter 9: The rest of the story
10 Chapter 10: Confused
11 Chapter 11: Something in green, please
12 Chapter 12: Cherry causes trouble
13 Chapter 13: Seeing the doctor
14 Chapter 14: The trial
15 Chapter 15: Cherry's punishment
16 Chapter 16: Recovery
17 Chapter 17: Love me
18 Chapter 18: Marking you mine
19 Chapter 19: Dinner with her parents
20 Chapter 20: Apology accepted
21 Chapter 21: It's my birthday, let's party!
22 Chapter 22: In conclusion
The Accountant by HeavenFAITH
7120caw: Omg! I can't wait to read the rest. Uhave kept me enthralled from the beginning to the end. Excellent writing skills.
Sold by Ct521
Debbie Collins Edwards: It's been a fun book
Manisha Varanasi: It is good and well described . I like the way tbe male lead treats the lady.
Need by jbouchie
Valini: Loved the tension between them, how their story played out and the overall thrill
My new Alpha by Bethany
Jeniah: Loved it! Great book
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$170m boost for R&D tax scheme
Federal Labor will offer businesses an R&D tax offset premium for collaborating with universities and science-based agencies like the CSIRO to bring new knowledge and innovations to market.
The $170 million scheme includes a re-write of the R&D Tax Incentive legislation to specifically change the object of the Act to include collaboration, and is designed to lift Australia’s business investment in R&D to 3 per cent of GDP by 2030.
“Businesses can add an additional 10 per cent to the value of their calculated R&D tax offset when they are spending with a public research institution, whether it’s a university or an organisation like the CSIRO,” shadow industry minister Kim Carr told InnovationAus.com.
Kim Carr: Offering a big premium for businesses that work with research institutions
That means for a large firm where the rate is currently at 38.5 per cent, this would lift the value of the offset to 48.5 per cent.
The collaboration premium would apply to a variety of activities in addition to cooperating with a university or the CSIRO to develop an innovative new product.
These include embedding industry researchers within a university facility, employing recent PhD graduates in their first three years of employment, hiring PhD students to do industrial research with a company.
Senator Carr said the R&D Tax Incentive would be a tool that should foster an alliance between industry and research in building industrial capabilities in Australia.
The scheme does not prescribe industry targets – picking winners – but Senator Carr told InnovationAus.com advanced manufacturing, renewables technologies – including battery tech – and the food and fibre industries would be beneficiaries.
To reach the 3 per cent BERD target, Labor wants to double the number of companies registered for the R&D Tax Incentive.
The collaboration premium would be available to large global companies, and that Labor encouraged multinational firms to conduct advanced research and development in Australia.
The collaboration premium was a recommendation of the Bill Ferris-led review of the R&D Tax Incentive three years ago which had proposed a premium offset of up to 20 per cent for companies engaged in R&D with public research agencies.
The policy aims to unlock the value of quality local research, a perennial problem for the industry portfolio over successive governments and several governments.
Australia produces 3.9 per cent of world scientific research papers – making the nation the ninth most prolific in the world – but its business-research collaboration numbers are among the worst in the developed world.
Only 2.7 per cent of SMEs and about 6 per cent of large firms have collaborated with a university or a research agency.
“We want to change the culture,” Senator Carr said. “We want for people to better understand what’s available at our universities and our science agencies, and in turn for our scientists and engineers to have a better understanding of what industry needs.”
“We are about building capability. We want to strengthen the capability of Australian industry, particularly in manufacturing and science and research to translate new knowledge into quality jobs in Australia – in Australia.
“The whole point is that this cannot be a race to the bottom, it has got to be a race to the top. We have got to focus on our innovative industries. That is how we sustain economic growth, how we sustain productivity, and how we sustain social justice,” Senator Carr said.
“This is how we secure prosperity for the country – by concentrating on our innovative capacity, particularly around our science and research,” he said.
Senator Carr also recommitted Labor to reassessing the treatment of startups under the R&D Tax Incentive, but offered no further detail on how this would be done. He said it was important that the scheme did not discriminate against the information technology innovations.
“We want to protect the integrity of the scheme, but we also need to make sure that people have not been badly treated. So we have already said we would look at the way the scheme is being administered.
“What we don’t want is to discriminate against IT or smaller firms.”
As well as reforming the R&D Tax Incentive, a Shorten Government would undertake a root and branch review of Australia’s research sector under the leadership of the former chief scientist Professor Ian Chubb.
The review would guide the government in setting priorities, including the strategy for collaboration.
Labor also plans to establish tripartite innovation councils in key industries such as food and fibre, electric vehicles, steel, and the built environment with the aim to bring industry, unions and researchers together and to develop innovation missions that stimulate business investment in R&D.
Related: Election 2019 | Kim Carr | R&D | research | science
Govt’s $50m lift for manufacturers
Digital health, the new asset class
Gig economy ‘crisis’ needs basic regulation: TWU
Federal Labor will offer businesses an R&D tax offset premium for collaborating with universities and science-based agencies like the CSIRO to bring new knowledge and innovations to market. The...
‘No confidence’: ACS leadership cops a hiding
$26m lost on biometric project
Posted on 4 December 2018 | by James Riley
Aust police use Clearview AI face biometrics
Posted on 4 March 2020 | by Jake Goldenfein
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Forum » Got a great idea for the game? Tell us here!
Got a great idea for the game? Tell us here!
Madgamer 15 years ago
if we can make an antigravs, we should make an anti gravity tank if we can make an antigravs, we should make an anti gravity tank :P :D :twisted:
"Come on, boys and girls! Step right up! We'll turn you into a balloon with our antigravity gun for a dollar!" "Come on, boys and girls! Step right up! We'll turn you into a balloon with our antigravity gun for a dollar!" :lol:
MageKing17 15 years ago
That's a really old idea. The thing is nobody's ever tried to implement it. But the idea's been around pretty much since I joined the forums. That's a really old idea. The thing is nobody's ever tried to implement it. But the idea's been around pretty much since I joined the forums.
Lochen 15 years ago
Wouldnt it be possible to have the plant give you a copy of itself, press u to eat/use; press y to plant? Then have say... r when you are near object bio-dome to make a copy for 15 energy?
Biodome:
3 growth pods
1 replicator cell?
Growth pod:
1 specimen container
1 glass marble
Just figured it might be an idea for anyone who isnt lazy like I am. Wouldnt it be possible to have the plant give you a copy of itself, press u to eat/use; press y to plant? Then have say... r when you are near object bio-dome to make a copy for 15 energy? Biodome: 3 growth pods 1 replicator cell? Growth pod: 1 specimen container 1 glass marble Just figured it might be an idea for anyone who isnt lazy like I am. :lol:
Solus Lupus 15 years ago
I have an Idea that just might to make those darn plants growable work and I am not sharing it. I will FORCE myself to work on this for the next 2-3 days then I might have it done or find it impossible. It should work. I have an Idea that just might to make those darn plants growable work and I am not sharing it. I will FORCE myself to work on this for the next 2-3 days then I might have it done or find it impossible. It should work. 8)
*shrugs* Good luck, hope you dont stop due to being lazy. I was right on the edge of having them working, got bored, and lost my stuff on it... *shrugs* Good luck, hope you dont stop due to being lazy. I was right on the edge of having them working, got bored, and lost my stuff on it...
Arcane 14 years ago
I'm going to be fussed at for being a heretic, but...
If you can plug a plant with biochemical electricity into your battery to charge it, doesn't it make sense to be able to use spare batteries (read: the ones you get from breaking repair units, find, or get from robot corpses) to charge it? I'm going to be fussed at for being a heretic, but... If you can plug a plant with biochemical electricity into your battery to charge it, doesn't it make sense to be able to use spare batteries (read: the ones you get from breaking repair units, find, or get from robot corpses) to charge it? :roll:
E_net4 14 years ago
Well, that was possible in v1.2 I think.
But then it was decided that only Androids can use the batteries. Well, that was possible in v1.2 I think. But then it was decided that only Androids can use the batteries.
Crazy 14 years ago
It could be because The battery requires both ends to be connected, but the plant lets electrity flow by simple touch. Or theport might be smaller than the battery. You could jam a soft plant in there, but not a battery.
Although one could connect copper wire to either end of the battery and jam those into the port. But alas, Notrium is a planet devoid of any copper. Or really, any other kind of item that would work for that. It could be because The battery requires both ends to be connected, but the plant lets electrity flow by simple touch. Or theport might be smaller than the battery. You could jam a soft plant in there, but not a battery. Although one could connect copper wire to either end of the battery and jam those into the port. But alas, Notrium is a planet devoid of any copper. Or really, any other kind of item that would work for that.
"Crazy" said:
It could be because The battery requires both ends to be connected, but the plant lets electrity flow by simple touch.
In effect, the other connector would be the ground in that case. [quote="Crazy"]It could be because The battery requires both ends to be connected, but the plant lets electrity flow by simple touch.[/quote] In effect, the other connector would be the ground in that case. ;)
Oh, right. To charge something, you need to ground, not create a flow. Silly me. ...what? Oh, right. To charge something, you need to ground, not create a flow. Silly me.
Zanfib 14 years ago
Anyone else find it strange that there are so many plants in the desert? Fungi, Red and Blue plants... I thought the desert would be more barren myself. Anyone else find it strange that there are so many plants in the desert? Fungi, Red and Blue plants... I thought the desert would be more barren myself.
Perhaps the plants can survive in harsh environments? Perhaps the plants can survive in harsh environments?
Quanrian 14 years ago
"E_net4" said:
But then it was decided that only Androids can use the batteries.
Correct, and this was because the Android could not use the health packs or healing plants. The Android was just too easy to play, and didn't balance out how much more powerful it was than everything else. In 1.3 that seemed to slip heavily towards the Alien. If you look at what a lot of people prefered it went from Android to Alien.
Keep in mind one of my core goals for 1.3 was making the races play different. It didn't make sense to allow them all to do everything the same if they were supposed to be unique. The fact the races were far too similar was actually a common complaint I found for 1.2.
As for plants growing in the desert. Have you ever been to a desert ? You might find to your disbelief that many plants can grow in harsh environments. It's quite plausible that common plants would evolve and grow quite hardy long before the player arrived on the planet. [quote="E_net4"]Well, that was possible in v1.2 I think. But then it was decided that only Androids can use the batteries.[/quote] Correct, and this was because the Android could not use the health packs or healing plants. The Android was just too easy to play, and didn't balance out how much more powerful it was than everything else. In 1.3 that seemed to slip heavily towards the Alien. If you look at what a lot of people prefered it went from Android to Alien. Keep in mind one of my core goals for 1.3 was making the races play different. It didn't make sense to allow them all to do everything the same if they were supposed to be unique. The fact the races were far too similar was actually a common complaint I found for 1.2. As for plants growing in the desert. Have you ever been to a desert ? You might find to your disbelief that many plants can grow in harsh environments. It's quite plausible that common plants would evolve and grow quite hardy long before the player arrived on the planet.
Chris 14 years ago
Notrium nearly lost me, because the first game ever I started as an android on easy. I played for ~5 hours, and didn't make it past the tree maps surrounding my starting point, because they were Eden, the ship graveyard and the hive.... No Force Field Generator -> no Stasis Field, no amor.
After searching a while in the forum, I discovered that the maps are randomly placed. Uhm.. Started again on medium (!), and it took me three hours to leave this planet.
Maybe it would be a good idea to place always a map with a force field generator next to the starting map on easy.. Hi everyone, Notrium nearly lost me, because the first game ever I started as an android on easy. I played for ~5 hours, and didn't make it past the tree maps surrounding my starting point, because they were Eden, the ship graveyard and the hive.... No Force Field Generator -> no Stasis Field, no amor. After searching a while in the forum, I discovered that the maps are randomly placed. Uhm.. Started again on medium (!), and it took me three hours to leave this planet. Maybe it would be a good idea to place always a map with a force field generator next to the starting map on easy..
Anarion 14 years ago
Maybe but IIRC Notruim is no longer under development. You are however welcome to attempt to make such a modification yourself. Maybe but IIRC Notruim is no longer under development. You are however welcome to attempt to make such a modification yourself.
Pete 14 years ago
Besides, I always have fun running through the Hive to get all the stuff I need. The aliens never catch me (well the desert does them). Besides, I always have fun running through the Hive to get all the stuff I need. The aliens never catch me (well the desert does them).
If there was ONE thing I would've added to the game (not to mention make it customizable through modding) would be Auto-Saving. If there was ONE thing I would've added to the game (not to mention make it customizable through modding) would be Auto-Saving.
harwe 14 years ago
oh geez... thats SOO useful!! oh geez... thats SOO useful!!
Bien45 13 years ago
choppable trees
everything is moddable puzzles like in the older versions choppable trees everything is moddable puzzles like in the older versions
D0M0 13 years ago
"Grim Reaper" said:
If there was ONE thing I would've added to the game (not to mention make it customizable through modding) would be Auto-Saving.
Singed. I hate when i play for a LONG time without saving, get a lot of items build a base and suddenly i make a mistake and die and do that over again. (notruim is SO fun that you forget about saving) [quote="Grim Reaper"]If there was ONE thing I would've added to the game (not to mention make it customizable through modding) would be Auto-Saving.[/quote] Singed. I hate when i play for a LONG time without saving, get a lot of items build a base and suddenly i make a mistake and die and do that over again. (notruim is SO fun that you forget about saving) :D
Bah, saving is for wussies. You made a mistake? Too bad, learn from it, restart.
Message brought to you by a Nethack player. Bah, saving is for wussies. You made a mistake? Too bad, learn from it, restart. Message brought to you by a Nethack player. :P
Someone could make a mod for choping trees. You know... you could find an axe and if you use the axe when you're under the tree(in shade) the tree would dissapear and you would get 5 firewood.
Just an idea. Someone could make a mod for choping trees. You know... you could find an axe and if you use the axe when you're under the tree(in shade) the tree would dissapear and you would get 5 firewood. Just an idea.
I don't think that could be done...
Or were the trees a plot_object?
If they are, the mod should be a 10-minute job. I don't think that could be done... Or were the trees a plot_object? If they are, the mod should be a 10-minute job.
I'd do it myself, but i'm no modder I'd do it myself, but i'm no modder :cry:
You can actually do that, but like Crazy said, it should be a plot_object, so it can be hit.
You can "orient" yourself on the wielding torch. It's the only way to open steel crates, same as the axe. You can actually do that, but like Crazy said, it should be a plot_object, so it can be hit. You can "orient" yourself on the wielding torch. It's the only way to open steel crates, same as the axe.
I don't mean an axe as a weapon. I mean it as a tool that can be used only when player's status is IN A SHADE (under a tree), no need for hitting. I don't mean an axe as a weapon. I mean it as a tool that can be used only when player's status is IN A SHADE (under a tree), no need for hitting.
There's not a whole lot TO being a modder. The text files are über-simple. Actually, this would be a wonderful little project with which to start learning modding, methinks.
And besides. Nobody would probably do it themselves. There's not a whole lot TO being a modder. The text files are über-simple. Actually, this would be a wonderful little project with which to start learning modding, methinks. And besides. Nobody would probably do it themselves.
And besides. Nobody would probably do it themselves.
Are you a modder? [quote="Crazy"]There's not a whole lot TO being a modder. The text files are über-simple. Actually, this would be a wonderful little project with which to start learning modding, methinks. And besides. Nobody would probably do it themselves.[/quote] Are you a modder?
Well, i've never really finished a mod, but yes, i've worked on some and i have somewhat of a grasp of the system. Well, i've never really finished a mod, but yes, i've worked on some and i have somewhat of a grasp of the system.
Well... you got me. I never modded so it's kinda hard (even with the FAQ im all confused ) Well... you got me. I never modded so it's kinda hard (even with the FAQ im all confused :? )
Well, we've never left a question in Notrium Modding unanswered. Well, we've never left a question in Notrium Modding unanswered. :P
Yes, we didnt. If you dont count that and that and that... Um... Yes, we didnt. If you dont count [i]that[/i] and [i]that[/i] and [i]that[/i]...
Redemption 13 years ago
You can "orient" yourself on the wielding torch. It's the only way to open steel crates, same as the axe.
It'd be a creature not a plot_object.
This'd be something for the modding library, it's too small for a mod. If I can find a copy of default Notrium I haven't altered I might try it. [quote="E_net4"]You can actually do that, but like Crazy said, it should be a plot_object, so it can be hit. You can "orient" yourself on the wielding torch. It's the only way to open steel crates, same as the axe.[/quote] It'd be a creature not a plot_object. This'd be something for the modding library, it's too small for a mod. If I can find a copy of default Notrium I haven't altered I might try it.
I haven't muddled too much with Notrium, but couldn't you just make a creature that looks like a tree, never moves, and when you kill it it leaves behind a tree corpse? I haven't muddled too much with Notrium, but couldn't you just make a creature that looks like a tree, never moves, and when you kill it it leaves behind a tree corpse? :D
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Aquatint-Engraving of the East Side of the Chapel of St. Paul from The History of the Abbey Church or St. Peter's Westminster: Its Antiques and Monuments
1812. A leaf from The History of the Abbey Church or St. Peter's Westminster: Its Antiques and Monuments, by Rudolph Ackermann. In 1795 Ackermann set up a lithographic press and opened a business in copper lithographs. Ackermann was a creative and efficient publisher, who brought innovative techniques to the commercial production of color plate books as well as an uncompromising attention to detail which ensured uniform high quality. Print method is Engraving-Aquatint on India paper, measuring 343 x 278 mm. or approximately 13 1/2 x 11 inches. Archivally matted. #48642. Very Good. More
Aquatint-Engraving of the South East Angle of the Cloisters from The History of the Abbey Church or St. Peter's Westminster: Its Antiques and Monuments
Framed Print of Rothesay Castle in Scotland
London: n.d. Hearne, Thomas. Print. A beautiful copy of a print titled "To the Right Honourable The Earl of Bute, this View of Rothesay Castle is inscribed by his Lordship's most obedient Servants, Thomas Hearne & William Byrne." Beneath is written "London: Published as the Act directs 15 June 1784 by W. Byrne and T. Hearne." Rothesay Castle in Western Scotland is a magnificent ruin of a castle dating from the beginning of the 13th century. It was in the keepership of the Earls and Marquesses of Bute until the 20th century when it was turned over to the state. The beautifully executed color engraving may have appeared in Antiquities of Great Britain, published in 1786. It depicts the castle surrounded by trees with a lake in the foreground. It is nicely double matted and in a gilt wood frame. The print is 16 x 18 inches in a 22 x 26 inch frame. In near fine condition. ORIGART/051613. Near Fine. More
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CONNECTICUT PERSONAL INJURY LAW FIRM, SINCE 1988 | Se Habla Español
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Connecticut man accused of DUI in fatal car accident
On behalf of Kennedy, Johnson, Schwab & Roberge, L.L.C. | Jun 13, 2013 | Car Accidents
A Connecticut man has been charged in connection with the death of a Wethersfield woman in a car accident on Monday.
According to authorities, the 46-year-old New Britain man was driving near the intersection of Folly Brook Boulevard and Jordan Lane in Wethersfield around 10:30 p.m. when he struck the woman, who was a pedestrian.
The woman was taken to an area medical center, but she died of her injuries not long after being admitted.
Authorities believe the man was intoxicated when he struck the woman, so he has been charged with DUI. Additional charges might be filed against him as soon as the Midstate Accident Reconstruction Team concludes its investigation of the incident. As of Thursday, he remained in jail in lieu of $5,000 bond.
The accident remains under investigation and police have asked for anyone with relevant information to come forward.
Drunk driving accidents such as this are tragedies that happen far too often. When someone makes the decision to drive after having had too much to drink, he or she is unduly putting the lives of other innocent people at risk.
If the family members of the deceased woman choose, they might opt to file a wrongful death suit. If such a lawsuit is successful, any settlement or award of damages could be used to defray funeral expenses or compensate the family for their loss of the woman’s income.
We understand it is difficult to address practical considerations at a sad and overwhelming time, but later on down the road, the decision to file a lawsuit could be one for which a person is very thankful.
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-> Prayers for Breaking the Power of Schizophrenia and Double-Mindedness
Prayers for Breaking the Power of Schizophrenia and Double-Mindedness
I bind and rebuke every spirit that would attempt to distort, disturb, or disintegrate the development of my personality in the name of Jesus.
I break all curses of schizophrenia and double-mindedness on my family in the name of Jesus.
I bind and rebuke the spirit of double-mindedness in the name of Jesus (James 1:8).
I bind and take authority over the strongmen of rejection and rebellion and separate them in the name of Jesus.
I bind and cast out the spirits of rejection, fear of rejection, and self-rejection in the name of Jesus.
I bind and cast out all spirits of lust, fantasy lust, harlotry, and perverseness in the name of Jesus.
I bind and cast out all spirits of insecurity and inferiority in the name of Jesus.
I bind and cast out all spirits of self-accusation and compulsive confession in the name of Jesus.
I bind and cast out all spirits of fear of judgment, self-pity, false compassion, and false responsibility in the name of Jesus.
I bind and cast out all spirits of depression, despondency, despair, discouragement, and hopelessness in the name of Jesus.
I bind and cast out all spirits of guilt, condemnation, unworthiness, and shame in the name of Jesus.
I bind and cast out all spirits of perfection, pride, vanity, ego, intolerance, frustration, and impatience in the name of Jesus.
I bind and cast out all spirits of unfairness, withdrawal, pouting, unreality, fantasy, daydreaming, and vivid imagination in the name of Jesus.
I bind and cast out all spirits of self-awareness, timidity, loneliness, and sensitivity in the name of Jesus.
I bind and cast out all spirits of talkativeness, nervousness, tension, and fear in the name of Jesus.
I bind and cast out all spirits of self-will, selfishness, and stubbornness in the name of Jesus.
I bind and cast out the spirit of accusation in the name of Jesus.
I bind and cast out all spirits of self-delusion, self deception, and self-seduction in the name of Jesus.
I bind and cast out all spirits of judgment, pride, and unteachableness in the name of Jesus.
I bind and cast out all spirits of control and possessiveness in the name of Jesus.
I bind and cast out the root of bitterness in the name of Jesus.
I bind and cast out all spirits of hatred, resentment, violence, murder, unforgiveness, anger, and retaliation in the name of Jesus.
I bind and cast out spirits of paranoia, suspicion, distrust, persecution, confrontation, and fear in the name of Jesus.
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Sign Up for the Early Edition
Impunity for U.S.-Funded Warlords in Afghanistan
The Case of Abdul Raziq
by Katherine Hawkins
The war in Afghanistan will cost the United States approximately $45 billion this year, according to Pentagon estimates. About $5 billion of that will go towards paying the budget of the Afghan security forces. A report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) last month revealed that the United States is unable or unwilling to stop funding units that engage in torture, summary execution, and other serious human rights violations, despite Congress’s efforts to restrict that aid.
A dramatic illustration of this is the case of Lt. Gen. Abdul Raziq, the chief of the Afghan National Police (ANP) in Kandahar. Raziq is a valuable enough ally for the U.S. military to be photographed with three–star U.S. generals when they come to Kandahar, and he and his forces have received millions of dollars in U.S. aid in the last decade. But there are credible allegations of his involvement in murder and torture of detainees that date back to 2006 and continue to today.
In 2017, the United Nations wrote that the worst torture in Afghanistan occurred in ANP jails in Kandahar, “where a staggering 91 percent of detainees interviewed gave credible and reliable accounts of being subjected to the most brutal forms of torture and ill-treatment.”
The United Nations Committee Against Torture took the unusual step of specifically calling for an investigation and prosecution of Raziq in its 2017 report on Afghanistan’s compliance with the Convention Against Torture.
Congress has attempted to cut off aid to units of foreign security forces when the United States has credible information of their involvement in gross violations of human rights through statutes sponsored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), which are more commonly known as the “Leahy Law.” SIGAR reported that the Pentagon used a loophole in the law to continue funding at least 12 Afghan Interior Department units despite evidence that they had violated human rights with impunity.
The details about the units and the violations they committed are blacked out of the SIGAR report, and neither SIGAR nor the Defense Department would disclose any additional information about their identity. But based on reporting from human rights groups and journalists, Afghan National Police units under Raziq’s command are among the most likely candidates.
Erica Gaston, a human rights attorney for the Global Public Policy Institute, said in an interview with the Project On Government Oversight that “the question that has come up for years was why is Raziq still not blocked” under the Leahy Law. Gaston reported in March 2017 that multiple U.S. officials had confirmed to her that Raziq had “failed Leahy vetting and the law has been enforced against him,” although the United States was continuing to fund Afghan police in Kandahar. She noted it was possible that the Defense Department had relied on a statement in Congressional appropriations for security aid to Afghanistan, which stated that the funds “shall be available to the Secretary of Defense, notwithstanding any other provision of law.” SIGAR suggested that Congress consider eliminating this exception, a step that Leahy supports and the Defense Department opposes.
Raziq, who is not yet 40 years old, was an unknown exile in Pakistan on September 11, 2001. Thanks in part to U.S. aid, he is now one of the most powerful people in southern Afghanistan. His rise poses fundamental questions about the effectiveness of both the Leahy Law and the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan.
A Massacre in Spin Boldak
One of the earliest public allegations against Raziq appears in the State Department’s annual human rights report for Afghanistan for 2006:
In March Commander Abdul Razaq of Kandahar province was removed from his post for allegedly attacking 16 rivals under the pretext that they were Taliban militants. The 16 men were Pakistani citizens who had traveled to Afghanistan for Afghan New Year celebrations. They belonged to a clan in Pakistan that Razaq blamed for the death of his brother two years earlier.
In 2011, journalist Matthieu Aikins confirmed the State Department’s reporting in far more detail. Aikins wrote in The Atlantic that on March 20, 2006, a smuggler named Shin Noorzai and 15 friends and acquaintances of his stopped at a guest house in Kabul. They intended to travel to Mazar-e Sharif to celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year. Instead, they were apparently drugged by an ally of Raziq in Kabul, bound, and driven over 300 miles to Spin Boldak, a border district where Raziq was a colonel in the border police.
Raziq and his forces placed the captives, still bound, into SUVs, drove them to a dry river gully near the border with Pakistan, and shot them at close range with automatic weapons.
Raziq told a different story to his superiors and the press, reporting that his unit had killed at least 15 Taliban fighters after a gunfight. A tip from a European Union (EU) employee stationed in Afghanistan, combined with diplomatic protests from Pakistan that innocent citizens had been killed, led the Afghan government to investigate what had happened more closely.
Aikins viewed photographs and documents from that investigation, and interviewed a number of witnesses, including one victim’s family, a member of the Afghan Criminal Investigations (CID) team that first responded to the scene, and the EU employee who had helped spark the initial investigation.
The EU employee, Michael Semple, told Aikins that the Afghan Interior Department’s final report “documented the killings in such a way that would leave no reasonable person in doubt that these were summary executions carried out by the Border Police” under Raziq’s command. But no charges were ever brought, and Raziq was soon reinstated.
By the time Aikins wrote his story in 2011, Raziq had been promoted to brigadier general and appointed chief of police for Kandahar province. (Raziq also maintained command in Spin Boldak, at his own request.) Aikins interviewed two young men who said they had recently been tortured by Raziq’s forces in Kandahar, and still had burn scars on their toes from being given electric shocks. He also spoke to two family members of two other men who were summarily executed in 2011 after being detained by Raziq’s border police in Spin Boldak. Raziq, however, categorically denied all allegations of wrongdoing, and a State Department official in Kandahar told Aikins in 2011 that “[n]o Leahy Amendment issues have come to me” regarding Raziq’s activities.
In an interview with the Project On Government Oversight, Aikins said that it was hard to know exactly why it took so long for the allegations against Raziq to raise red flags about his legal eligibility for U.S. assistance.
“The history of the Leahy Law in Afghanistan is a mix of neglect, chronic understaffing, and creative interpretation of the law,” he said. “It’s difficult to say what exactly was at work in specific cases.”
Aikins noted that, as documented by SIGAR, “the U.S. underwrites the budget for the Afghan security forces. It’s only very recently that there’s been any sort of system to track gross violations of human rights for Leahy Law purposes.”
Systematic Torture
In 2010, the Obama Administration deployed 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, bringing the total number of U.S. forces there close to 100,000. The troop surge centered on Kandahar, and the United States needed to bring its supplies through the Spin Boldak border crossing with Pakistan that Raziq controlled. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who at the time was the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, flew to meet Raziq in 2010 to implore him not to hold up vital supplies fueling the U.S. counterinsurgency efforts.
Military officers acknowledged to Members of Congress that Raziq had made millions of dollars by taking “a major cut of all trucking that passes through” the Spin Boldak border crossing. But the United States found that he was a valuable ally in clearing Taliban-held villages in Kandahar. By the fall of 2010, U.S. officers were describing him to reporters as a “Robin Hood figure” and a “folk hero,” and previous efforts to sideline or try to reform him were abandoned.
One anonymous Army officer told the Washington Post that “[i]f we didn’t have him, we’d be screwed,” and that “[a]s long as we don’t catch him moving trucks full of opium through the desert, we’ll let him slide… If his men are shaking people down on the highway, well, that’s just the way it’s done here. It’s no different from tollbooths on the highways back home.”
In October 2011, the United Nations published a report documenting widespread torture of Taliban suspects by Afghan security forces, based on interviews of over 379 detainees throughout the country. The U.S. military took the United Nations’ findings seriously: Gen. John Allen, who had become head of coalition forces in Afghanistan, suspended detainee transfers to a number of prisons where the United Nations had documented systematic torture, and began a monitoring program that attempted to ensure that captives transferred by the United States into Afghanistan’s control were not tortured.
But biennial follow-up reports by the United Nations in 2013, 2015, and 2017, based on hundreds more detainee interviews, found that Afghan security forces continued to torture prisoners, and that torture was particularly brutal and pervasive at ANP prisons in Kandahar.
The 2013 U.N. report found that all six of the Afghan police detention facilities where torture was found to be “systematic”—meaning that more than 50 percent of detainees interviewed made detailed and credible allegations of torture—were located in Kandahar. The report noted that “ANP officials in Kandahar province have increased the level of brutality and the use of torture” since Raziq’s appointment as the acting chief of police for the province in May 2011. The United Nations also said it “received credible reports of the alleged disappearance of 81 individuals who reportedly had been taken into ANP custody in Kandahar province from September 2011 to October 2012.”
The 2015 and 2017 reports made similar findings of extremely widespread torture, disappearance, and summary executions.
Human rights groups and journalists have also documented widespread torture and extrajudicial killing by Raziq’s forces. According to a 2014 report by Anand Gopal in Harper’s Magazine, over 40 unidentified bodies appeared in Kandahar province in October 2013 alone, bearing signs of torture.
Gopal wrote that “because of smashed teeth and missing noses, eyes, or heads, many could not be identified.”
An ANP commander under Raziq, Abdul Wadood Sarhadi Jajo, was alleged to be responsible for many of the killings. Gopal had a great deal of difficulty finding witnesses and victims willing to speak to him about Jajo’s crimes because of fears of retaliation, and was himself briefly detained by Jajo’s forces. He was released unharmed, but ordered to leave Kandahar the next morning and never return. Gopal said in an interview with the Project On Government Oversight that he had no doubt of Raziq’s awareness of his forces’ abuses: “Nothing happened without his knowledge.”
During the summer of 2014, according to the State Department’s human rights report for Afghanistan for that year, “Raziq told the media he had ordered his forces to execute militants on the spot, rather than take them prisoner,” though he “later retracted his comments.” In general, though, Raziq has consistently and categorically denied the allegations against him. In 2017 he said, “I strongly reject such claims and they are made to defame me. If anyone or any entity have any proof, they should present it but I am sure there is none.”
SIGAR reported that during the time period of its report, the Defense Department withheld a total of $212,120 from Afghan Ministry of the Interior forces under the Leahy law. Lt. Col. Mike Andrews, a Pentagon spokesman, stated that as of June 2017, the amount withheld had risen to $707,154. But even that higher number is, in Aikins’ words, “a drop in the ocean” when compared to the over $70 billion that the Defense Department has provided to Afghan security forces over the years.
Asked to comment on the allegations against Raziq and his status under the Leahy Law, Andrews said that while “DoD takes compliance with the Leahy Law seriously,” it does not publicly discuss allegations against Afghan security forces or their status under the law because of “the sensitive bilateral security cooperation relationships with the Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.”
Leahy has called the Defense Department’s use of the “notwithstanding” language “inexcusable,” and is seeking to change it. In an interview with NPR, he said that “the notwithstanding authority was intended to be only rarely used,” and that its overly broad use signaled to foreign security forces that “We’ve got this law. But you go ahead and do everything you want to do. You do the most outrageous thing you want to do, extrajudicial killings and everything else. And don’t worry—we’ll keep sending you U.S. taxpayers’ dollars.”
While that was likely not the signal DoD intended to send, it seems to have been the message that Raziq received. In a 2015 interview with NPR, Raziq was asked about the possibility that the United States would withhold aid due to the widespread reports that his forces had tortured, killed, and disappeared captives. He replied, “[y]ou don’t have to worry about that. They will give us…Are they going to hand over this area back to the Taliban?”
Raziq’s sense of impunity extends to the Afghan government. He asserted in a radio interview in January that “[t]his government has neither appointed me, nor it can remove me. I have been appointed based on the demands of Kandahar people and I will leave based on Kandahar residents’ demands.”
After 2001, the U.S. government determined that security needs required it to partner with warlords like Raziq, even as it acknowledged the long-term costs. But as the years pass, it becomes harder to justify disregarding the long-term effects of empowering rights abusers. Some of the troops deploying to Afghanistan this year were toddlers on September 11, 2001, and there is no end in sight. At a recent Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Afghanistan, Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), said he worried that “we may be there the rest of my life”; Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) asked whether “we [are] going to be discussing this in 250 years.”
The U.S. reliance on and assistance to foreign proxies with questionable human rights records is not limited to Afghanistan. It also includes support for the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces and Iraqi and Kurdish regional government forces in the conflict with ISIS; conducting joint raids with the United Arab Emirates and refueling Saudi jets in Yemen; and training and advising African forces to fight al Shabab, Boko Haram, and ISIS.
Figuring out how to address human rights violations by forces we assist is not simple. But it should not be postponed any longer, or avoided by using an artificially narrow definition of “assistance” or by pretending not to notice the worst abuses of our allies. One logical first step, as Dan Mahanty suggested in Just Security last June, would be to improve the U.S. government’s own capacity to document human rights abuses by the forces we assist, and to record and analyze credible reports of violations from local and international sources.
Image: U.S. Department of Defense
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Afghanistan,
Leahy Law,
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Here's the voting result on the other day : https://www.kaitoranslation.web.id/2019/10/result.html
Chapter 18 : Going Through the Dungeon
From the 6th floor on, Kobolds and Orcs started coming out.
The size of each floor was gradually increasing, so it would take a full day for ordinary people to get to the 10th floor.
However, since we had the <Auto Mapping>, we could take a straight path to the boss room on the 10th floor without any trouble.
“There’s a boss on this floor, it’s the Orc Lord.”(Kent)
“Maybe the king will come out here too.”(Leo)
“There’s not something like a streak of rare bosses, you know?”(Kent)
“My luck is high, so it’ll definitely come out.”(Leo)
“It’s possible… If so it will be fun inside there.”(Kent)
“That’s true.”(Leo)
“This time you must fight seriously until the end you know?”(Kent)
“Yes, I understand.”(Leo)
“Then, let’s go.”(Kent)
We quickly enter the boss room.
And when we got inside, it was just as I thought,
“It’s the Orc King.”(Kent)
“Just as I said.”(Leo)
“It seems so. That means you’ll have to fight rare bosses every time...”(Kent)
That’s true, it’s fine for now, but the rare bosses from the deeper floors will be hard to defeat…
But even so,
“I’m looking forward to what kind of item drops I’ll get.”(Leo)
“Don’t be careless! Enough chatting for now!”(Kent)
When jii-chan said that, I hurriedly looked at the Orc King.
『Gua~~~~~~~』
Suddenly, it was coming with a great sword in hold already.
We immediately avoided its attack.
Then, the Orc King carried out its next attack with fire magic!
Jii-chan cut it off while I dodged it by kicking the air.
Then, after that I reinforced my body with non-attribute magic and applied wind magic on Elena.
The Orc King, seeing that, aimed a slash with its great sword at me.
“I always wanted to do something really cool like attacking after riding on the sword.”(Leo)
Somehow I managed to get on the sword when the Orc King finished swinging it.
Then, running through the sword, I approached it and cut the neck of the Orc King.
Elena with wind magic added to her had an incredible sharpness and the head of the Orc King flew off easily.
“Fuuh, it seems it didn’t fire off magic before dying this time.”(Leo)
I don’t want to repeat the same mistake.
“That’s because you cut off its head.”(Kent)
“Now, I wonder what is its drop gonna be, huh?”(Leo)
While looking forward to the drop, what came out was… Meat.
“Meat, huh~ ”(Leo)
I’d rather some material for creation magic instead of meat…
“Oh, it looks delicious. We’ve got a good place, so let’s have dinner and then sleep!”(Kent)
“Are we going to sleep here?”(Leo)
“Yes, no new boss will come out until we leave the room, so you can relax.”(Kent)
“But, won’t it bother people wanting to defeat the next boss?”(Leo)
“No one will come here to defeat the boss at this hour, so it’s okay.”(Kent)
“Eh!? What time is it now?”(Leo)
“It’s around 10 PM.”(Kent)
“It’s this late already, huh.”(Leo)
“You don’t take notice of the time when you’re in the dungeon, right?”(Kent)
“Indeed. I wonder if I can make a watch too~”(Leo)
I took out a piece mithril and the Orc magic stone I got before entering the dungeon.
Then, after pouring a little magic power on the stone, I used creation magic.
Then, what was made was,
<Pocket Watch With Alarm>
A pocket watch that will tell you the exact time forever,
If you tell it the time you want to wake up, it will wake you up at that time,
It will never break.
I didn’t need a special watch, so I only intended to pour a little magic power on the stone I just got but, I somehow made it indestructible…
But aside from that, it’s just a clock with alarm, so let’s say it’s fine.
“Did you make something again?”(Kent)
“It’s a pocket watch.”(Leo)
“It’s not just a pocket watch, is it?”(Kent)
“Umm… it has an alarm as well.”(Leo)
“Is that really all?”(Kent)
[ED: I clearly imagined Leo averting his eyes here.]
“Ah, yes. I didn’t use any large magic stone, after all.”(Leo)
“I see, then let’s roast and eat the meat.”(Kent)
Then, I ate dinner and went to sleep.
Really, that Orc King’s meat was very delicious…
I want to eat it again~
<Morning of the second day>
Jii-chan said to wake up at 7, so I set up the alarm at that time. However, I was surprised to wake up with it saying ‘Please wake up~ ’.
[RAW: 起きてくださ～い]
After that, jii-chan took out some bread from his <Space Storage> for our breakfast, and then we left the boss’ room after eating it.
On the second day, we advanced up to the 20th floor.
On floors 11 to 15, what came out were a wooden monsters called Trent and some mushroom monsters called Matango.
[ED:https://godzilla.fandom.com/wiki/Matango, if you don’t know what’s a Matango.]
The Trents dropped some magic branches and the Matangos some poisonous mushrooms.
The rare boss was an Elder Trent and its drop was a branch of the holy tree.
I decided to keep it stowed for when I needed it someday.
On floors 16 to 20, what came out were Orcs and Trolls, and the boss was a Cyclops.
The Trolls dropped some skin and the Cyclops dropped a large magic stone.
Jii-chan said that magic stone drops are quite the rare drops.
The reason why today’s explanation was so short is because we moved forward pretty easily without any struggle at all.
All the monsters, including bosses, were defeated in one blow, until the end it was just cleaning work.
<Third day>
On the third day, we could only advance up to the 28th floor.
The size of the floors was gradually increasing, so we could only clear 8 floors in a day.
And the monsters that come out were…
From the 21st to the 25th floor, there were Werewolves, and the boss was a Cerberus.
They were all insta-killed as well.
Both the Werewolves and the Cerberus dropped fangs.
And from floors 26 to 28 there were Ogres.
Their drops were horns.
And that’s what became of my status at the end of the third day.
Leonce Forster Lv.38
Occupation: Creator
Physical strength: 582×10³ / 582×10³
Magic power: 570×10⁵ / 570×10⁵
Power: 314×10³×1.5 (471×10³)
Speed: 363×10³×1.5 (544.5×10³)
Luck: 1000
Attributes: None, Creation
Appraisal, Creation Magic Lv.4,
Non-attribute Magic Lv.5, Magical Operation Lv.5,
Innocence Lv.2, Swordsmanship Lv.7,
Magic Detection Lv.2
A person with memories from a different world,
I decided not to care about status anymore…
Since then, the swordsmanship skill has reached level 7, the provost advanced to lower master level, but other than that there are no changes.
By the way, we’d have to sleep outside the boss room so I asked jii-chan what to do.
“We’ll have to sleep while taking turns on keeping watch.”(Kent)
That’s what he said.
However, I didn’t want to waste any sleep, so I decided to solve the problem by making items!
The materials are a pile of Troll skins and the Cyclops magic stone.
I started to pour magic power on the large magic stone and it began to shine beautifully.
“What kind of growth did you have to be able to pour so much magic power in an instant?”(Kent)
“Wh-Who knows?”(Leo)
It’s just that my growth was a little rapid!
Then, with my remaining magic power I used creation magic on the Troll skins and the magic stone and they glowed for a longer time than usual.
And the result was,
<Comfort Tent>
It’s a tent that is inaccessible for any person or monster on visible range,
However, those who were close to it when it was raised are exempt from that restriction,
The inside is large, 5LDK with one big bath for comfort.
[ED: LDK stands for Living, Dining, Kitchen, so 5LDK basically means that aside from these three, there are also 5 bedrooms.]
When I explained the item I made to jii-chan,
“Haah? You’re saying that a small tent like this is so large inside?”(Kent)
“It looks like that. For now, let’s try going inside.”(Leo)
Saying that I entered the tent, it felt as though it was the entrance of a house.
“Looks like it’s real...”(Kent)
“Apparently, yes.”(Leo)
“F-For now, I’ll take a bath.”(Kent)
As expected, for Japanese people it’s hard not taking a bath for a few days.
Then we took a bath, ate and then slept on the floor because there were no beds.
The next day, I woke up comfortably.
Then, we immediately defeated the Black Ogre, who was the boss of the 30th floor, and proceeded to the 31st floor.
By the way, the drop of the Black Ogre was the Gold Rod (made of mithril) it was using.
Reaching the 30th floor in 4 days is a pretty quick pace, isn’t it?
Maybe we can capture it for real...
SFcipher 12 October 2019 at 07:10
Error?
“Fuuh, it seems it didn’t fire off magic before dying this time.”(Leon) -> (Leo)
you have to be able to pour so magic power -> you have to be able to pour so much magic power
KaiToranslation 12 October 2019 at 07:13
thanks for the corrections.
Seve0wns 13 October 2019 at 10:33
Thanks, although it's frustrating how I revised the text twice and still let those slip by.
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Andy “Merv” Southgate Bio
Chris Jay Bio
Debbie “Dizzy” Elliott Bio
Giordano “Gio” Girotto Bio
John “Doc” Elliott Bio
Vic “Chip” Heard Bio
Take a mix of many influences – from mainstream rock and blues to progressive anthems and jazz – put it all together, give the bag shake, and the result is KanOwurmz, a powerful rock ‘n’ blues unit.
Our repertoire includes songs by Queen, Meatloaf, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Deep Purple, ELO, Free, ZZ Top, Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, Joe Cocker, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Magnum, Steppenwolf, The Killers, Muse and Uriah Heep, to name a few. We also write our own tunes (yey!) and are currently working on our first EP, which will include six original songs…..with many more ready to record. Watch this space!
KanOwurmz are:
John “Doc” Elliott (bass guitar, guitar, funky hat, composer)
Giordano “Gio” Girotto (keyboards, weird and wonderful effects, backing vocals, arranger, composer)
Vic “Chip” Heard (percussion, flying sticks and backing vocals)
Chris Jay (lead vocals and drama)
Andy “Merv” Southgate (lead guitar, face melting, composer)
Marco Addario (sound engineer)
Debbie “Dizzy” Elliott (lyricist)
Cheryl “Shady” McBroom
Shady performed with KanOwurmz as a backing singer during the band’s first year. She still keeps in touch and remains a great friend.
Copyright kanowurmz 2018
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Falwell calls students ‘retarded’ while University tweets that he’s ‘a greedy hypocrite’
Students are paying tens of thousands of dollars to attend the evangelical Liberty University, and their president insults them.
By Alex Bollinger Thursday, September 12, 2019
Jerry Falwell Jr. posing with Donald Trump, next to a framed copy of Playboy. Photo: Twitter
Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. insulted his students behind their backs, according to emails unearthed by Reuters. And the university’s Twitter account was used to indirectly call him a “greedy hypocrite.”
Falwell has come under scrutiny this past year for his leadership of the conservative evangelical university and his financial deals with young, beautiful men. An expose published by Politico this week presented numerous accusations of sexual and fiduciary impropriety from university officials.
But until now no one has accused him of just being mean to his own students.
In a 2010 email obtained by Reuters, Falwell said a student who has not been named in the media was “emotionally imbalanced and physically retarded.”
Related: Jerry Falwell Jr was caught at a Miami nightclub & lied about it. Now the photos are coming out.
In a 2008 email, he called some students “social misfits.”
He didn’t just insult Liberty students. He called the engineering school’s former dean Ronald Sones “a bag of hot air” who “couldn’t spell the word ‘profit.'”
The campus police chief was “a half-wit and easy to manipulate” according to Falwell, and the associate athletics director was called incompetent: “Only get Kevin involved in something if you want it not to work,” Falwell wrote in an email.
Falwell, who took over the presidency of Liberty in 2007 when his father died, was also insulted by the university.
The school’s official Twitter account linked an article on Get Religion that was supposed to respond the the Politico expose… but which called Falwell a “greedy hypocrite.”
"Sorry, but Politico's long exposé on Jerry Falwell Jr. lacks adequate named sources to be taken seriously"
"I’m no Falwell fan myself…the writer relies almost entirely on anonymous sources." —@bobbyrosshttps://t.co/otfQg8SNd6
— Liberty University (@LibertyU) September 10, 2019
But the column doesn’t really respond to the expose. Instead, it notes that many of the accusations are made by unnamed sources, which readers already knew. The expose also had emails, photos, and public records that supported the sources’ accusations.
The author even acknowledges the evidence and writes (emphasis ours), “Certainly, it should be stressed, too, that Politico’s piece contains a fair amount of on-the-record material that seems to support its case that Falwell is a greedy hypocrite more in love with power and politics than a crucified savior who washed people’s feet.”
That’s hardly a stirring defense of one of America’s most prominent Christian conservative leaders.
The tweet may have been an accident or it may have been some next-level shade. Either way, even though Right Wing Watch posted about the tweet yesterday afternoon, the tweet has not been deleted.
Falwell, for his part, said that the accusations in the Politico article are from “disgruntled” former board members who want to end his presidency. As for the email evidence Politico found, he said he contacted the FBI because those emails are stolen university property.
Jerry Falwell Jr., Liberty University, Lynchburg, Politico, Virginia
Convicted murderer admits they helped create the Grindr serial killer
There’s a reason why this adorable trans-themed picture book is winning major awards
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Tough day for Audi in Marrakesh
In round three of the Formula E electric racing series in Marrakesh (Morocco), following a strong beginning, Team Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler only went home with a single point
In round three of the Formula E electric racing series in Marrakesh (Morocco), following a strong beginning, Team Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler only went home with a single point.
Daniel Abt, after a drive-through penalty and a full course yellow which came at an unfavorable time, finished the race in 10th position. Title defender Lucas di Grassi had to park his Audi e-tron FE04 in the pits after only seven laps due to a technical problem.
“This was not our day today and not the result that would have been possible,” said Team Principal Allan McNish. “We had fast cars but Lucas’ race was over far too early following a technical issue that we still need to analyze. Almost at the same time, Daniel had a collision with Alex Lynn that was a racing accident in my view. He received a drive-through nevertheless. Even after that, he was still running strong but the full course yellow cost him 35 seconds and deprived him of all chances.”
(Audi Sport media release)
Photo Copyright: Audi Communications Motorsport / Michael Kunkel
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ecologist with interests in conservation,
climate change, and community science
Libby Ellwood, PhD
Emerging frontiers in phenological research
**Originally published in EurekAlert**
As climate change looms, we urgently need to understand how ecosystems will respond. Plant phenology, or the timing of developmental events like flowering, offers a powerful lens to make sense of the changes we are likely to see. Phenology is both driven by climate and deeply impacts ecosystem functioning. The timing of trees leafing out, blooming, and fruiting are key events in ecosystems, and even small perturbations in this timing can have drastic, cascading effects across an ecosystem. A recent special issue of Applications in Plant Sciences titled "Emerging Frontiers in Phenological Research" presents several studies on the forefront of phenological research.
Traditional phenological studies involve highly trained botanists scoring plant phenological states for countless hours. A number of studies in this issue present tools for cutting down that laboriousness, allowing this research to scale up. As Dr. Elizabeth Ellwood, Research Fellow at La Brea Tar Pits and co-editor of this issue, explains, "Innovative tools presented here provide data users with improved methods for accessing, analyzing, and applying these datasets to timely research, including vegetation parameter estimates in climate models."
For example, the software package PhenoForecaster (Park et al., 2019) can predict flowering time of more than 2300 angiosperm species. "This lessens the need for years of fieldwork before analysis and enables other researchers, such as climate modelers, to readily work with phenology data," notes Dr. Ellwood. Similarly, imaging provided by PhenoCam (Richardson et al., 2019) can drastically reduce workload in phenological research by estimating phenology at the landscape scale.
Historical phenology data can provide insights into past climates that are otherwise difficult to reconstruct. As Dr. Ellwood explains, "Phenology, like weather, is quite variable, making it imperative to have long-term datasets to be able to discover patterns of change. Other data sources, for example observational records or data from satellite images, are unable to provide extensive historical information."
"The role of herbaria is foundational to historical records of plant phenology," Dr. Ellwood goes on to note. "Each herbarium specimen is unique and is direct evidence that a species existed at a certain place and time, and was collected in a certain vegetative and reproductive state. When taken together, herbarium specimens provide an unparalleled source of baseline, historical data." However, scoring phenological data from herbarium specimens is costly in terms of time and labor.
Fortunately, increasingly digitized herbaria collections (see Figure) make automated scoring practical, through the clever use of computer neural networks such as those introduced by Lorieul et al. (2019). These scores might be coarser than those created by manual scoring by trained botanists, but as Ellwood et al. (2019) show, for many applications and questions, the coarse phenological data produced by computer neural networks seem to produce only slightly weaker models than those produced with finer-scale, manually annotated data.
Similarly, as Pearson (2019) shows using simulated specimen data, finer-scale phenological data can be estimated from the kind of coarse scores produced by neural networks. "Modeling techniques, such as those employed by Pearson (2019), permitted the researcher to explore research questions through a methodology that was independent, though robust to, data on the physical specimens," explains Dr. Ellwood.
Another major obstacle to building large-scale phenological datasets is the difficulty of integrating scores from different sources. Phenology can be described in many ways, and phenological data from direct observation, landscape-scale imagery, and herbarium specimens can be difficult to aggregate and analyze due to these discrepancies. Fortunately, the Plant Phenology Ontology (PPO) provides a standardized, relational vocabulary to describe these phenological states. Brenskelle et al. (2019) updates this database to account for relationships between plants and the plant parts present in herbaria, making these data easier to integrate and paving the way for broad meta-analyses from multiple data sources.
Phenology closely tracks climate and also drives many ecological interactions, making phenological databases a crucial tool in understanding the ecology of climate change. The tools presented here offer computational approaches to allow phenology research to scale up. These big datasets are urgently needed to address the big questions of today. As Ellwood and colleagues note in this issue's introduction, "At landscape scale, even small changes in phenology can have substantial consequences."
The Applications in Plant Sciences special issue "Emerging Frontiers in Phenological Research" is available online at: https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/21680450/2019/7/3
Ellwood, E. R., K. D. Pearson, and G. Nelson. 2019. Emerging frontiers in phenological research. Applications in Plant Sciences 7(3): e1234. https://doi.org/10.1002/aps3.1234
Articles in the issue:
Andrew, C., U. Büntgen, S. Egli, B. Senn-Irlet, J.-A. Grytnes, J. Heilmann-Clausen, L. Boddy, C. Bässler, A. C. Gange, E. Heegaard, K. Høiland, P. M. Kirk, I. Krisai-Greilhüber, T. W. Kuyper, and H. Kauserud. Open-source data reveal how collections-based fungal diversity is sensitive to global change. Applications in Plant Sciences 7(3): e1227. https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aps3.1227
Brenskelle, L., B. J. Stucky, J. Deck, R. Walls, and R. P. Guralnick. 2019. Integrating herbarium specimen observations into global phenology data systems. Applications in Plant Sciences 7(3): e1231. https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aps3.1231
Daru, B. H., M. M. Kling, E. K. Meineke, and A. E. van Wyk. 2019. Temperature controls phenology in continuously flowering Protea species of subtropical Africa. Applications in Plant Sciences 7(3): e1232. https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aps3.1232
Ellwood, E. R., R. B. Primack, C. G. Willis, and J. HilleRisLambers. 2019. Phenology models using herbarium specimens are only slightly improved by using finer-scale stages of reproduction. Applications in Plant Sciences 7(3): e1225. https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aps3.1225
Lorieul, T., K. D. Pearson, E. R. Ellwood, H. Goëau, J.-F. Molino, P. W. Sweeney, J. M. Yost, J. Sachs, E. Mata-Montero, G. Nelson, P. S. Soltis, P. Bonnet, and A. Joly. 2019. Toward a large-scale and deep phenological stage annotation of herbarium specimens: Case studies from temperate, tropical, and equatorial floras. Applications in Plant Sciences 7(3): e1233. https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aps3.1233
Panchen, Z. A., J. Doubt, H. M. Kharouba, and M. O. Johnston. 2019. Patterns and biases in an Arctic herbarium specimen collection: Implications for phenological research. Applications in Plant Sciences 7(3): e1229. https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aps3.1229
Park, I., A. Jones, and S. J. Mazer. 2019. PhenoForecaster: A software package for the prediction of flowering phenology. Applications in Plant Sciences 7(3): e1230. https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aps3.1230
Pearson, K. D. 2019. A new method and insights for estimating phenological events from herbarium specimens. Applications in Plant Sciences 7(3): e1224. https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/aps3.1224
Richardson, A. D., K. Hufkens, X. Li, and T. R. Ault. 2019. Testing Hopkins' Bioclimatic Law with PhenoCam data. Applications in Plant Sciences 7(3): e1228. https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aps3.1228
Applications in Plant Sciences (APPS) is a monthly, peer-reviewed, open access journal focusing on new tools, technologies, and protocols in all areas of the plant sciences. It is published by the Botanical Society of America, a nonprofit membership society with a mission to promote botany, the field of basic science dealing with the study and inquiry into the form, function, development, diversity, reproduction, evolution, and uses of plants and their interactions within the biosphere. APPS is available as part of the Wiley Online Library.
oecologia ex machina
© 2027. All content by Libby Ellwood, unless stated otherwise.
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Find Your New Home | Take a Virtual Tour | Explore Site Plan
3400 Liberty Way, Melissa, TX 75454
Welcome to Liberty
Embrace the serenity of small-town living, not far from McKinney, downtown Dallas, other area business centers, DFW International and Love Field (regional) airports. Reconnect with the values that matter — and always have — while keeping all the conveniences of modern living, shopping, and dining close by. Welcome to Melissa, Texas. Welcome to Liberty.
a picturesque Community
Located in one of the nation’s fastest-growing and most prosperous counties, Melissa is near the dynamic communities of Frisco, McKinney, and Allen, with easy access to Central Expressway (Highway 75) and State Highway 121. Whether you’re in the mood to take in a baseball game in one of the nation’s top minor-league fields, explore the harvest’s bounty at a historic farmers market, or discover one-of-kind deals at a premium outlet mall, life in Melissa offers the perfect blend of convenience and relaxation.
Melissa is also the home of the Cardinals! This proud one-high-school town features excellent schools — including Harry McKillop Elementary, located on-site within the Liberty community. Melissa schools are just one more reason to return to a more relaxed and uncomplicated way of life. Regain your sense of belonging in an amenity-rich community that’s designed to be a place where children play and neighbors meet.
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Melissa, Texas
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3400 Liberty Way
Melissa, Texas 75454
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Arrival-The-Hits-Of-Abba
Arrival - The Hits of Abba
Mon 1 Jan 0001 - Thu 19 Sep 2019, Main Auditorium
On the 45th anniversary of their legendary Eurovision win, come and join us to celebrate the music of one of the biggest selling and most iconic bands of all time.
ARRIVAL’s multi award-winning show is returning for 2019 following sell out shows in over 20 different countries worldwide, bringing the magic of ABBA to stages across the UK.
The high-energy production features ABBA’s best loved hits including ‘Mamma Mia’, ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Super Trouper’, ‘Voulez Vous’, and of course ‘Waterloo’, plus many more!
With a winning formula of fantastic harmonies, authentic costumes and first-class vocals and musicians, ARRIVAL brings to life the extraordinary song-writing talents of Benny and Bjorn, recreating the true feel and thrill of a live ABBA show.
Share Arrival - The Hits of Abba with Friends...
Following the new national lockdown measures, this show has now been postponed to Saturday 17th July 2021. All patrons with exisiting bookings will be contacted by email in the coming days. Thank you...
Bye Bye Baby are a jaw-dropping tribute to the musical phenomenon Jersey Boys and the timeless, iconic music of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. Incredible four part harmonies, roof raising falsetto...
Sat 6 Feb
The label that brought you ELVIS PRESLEY, JERRY LEE LEWIS, JONNY CASH, CARL PERKINS and RUFUS THOMAS live on stage. Revisit the recording studio that produced That's Alright Mama, Great Balls of Fire...
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What Phil Jagielka and Marco Silva said about Lincoln City ahead of FA Cup tie
They have vowed to show the Imps plenty of respect
Mark WhileyFootball writer
Phil Jagielka (Image: Getty Images)
Everton skipper Phil Jagielka has vowed to treat Lincoln City “with all the respect they deserve” in today’s FA Cup third round tie.
With Toffees boss Marco Silva expected to make changes to his side, Jagielka could make a rare appearance in the heart of defence.
Speaking in his programme notes, the former England defender said: “Some people may suggest the competition has lost its sparkle but it hasn’t for me and the games taking place around the country this weekend is what the FA Cup is all about.
“Hopes and dreams are on the line everywhere and the fact there are only two all-Premier League ties in this year’s third round highlights what makes the Cup so special.
“Our focus is to play to the best of our ability and progress to the next stage.
Everton v Lincoln City LIVE
“Lincoln City will be coming here full of confidence, and rightly so. They are top of League Two and we remember a couple of years ago when they went all the way through the quarter-finals, beating a Premier League team, Burnley, away from home along the way.
“Make no mistake, we will be treating this game and Lincoln City with all the respect they deserve.
“They will be very well backed this afternoon by a noisy and enthusiastic following and we need to make sure we give our own fans plenty to shout about.”
Everton v Lincoln City - here's what Imps fans are hoping for
Meanwhile, speaking in his programme notes, Silva said: “They [Lincoln] are performing really well and we know from recent seasons what they are capable of in the FA Cup, so we are prepared for a real challenge in this game.
“For sure, we want to progress as far as we can in the competition. The FA Cup is an important competition for the club and for our fans.
“With our fans behind us as always, we have an opportunity to take an important step forward this afternoon.”
Everton v Lincoln City preview - possible teams, managers' views, the referee and our prediction
Lincoln City FCMature beyond his years - Morgan Rogers on developing at Manchester City and why he chose Lincoln CityThere was plenty of interest in the talented forward but the Imps soon became his preferred destination for a loan spell
Lincoln City manager's hopes for Zack Elbouzedi's Bolton loan spell
Lincoln City FCThe winger has joined the League Two Trotters on loan for the rest of the season in a bid to secure regular first-team football
Lincoln City vs Gillingham postponed due to waterlogged pitch
Lincoln City FCThe Imps are due to return to action on Saturday when they host Northampton Town
Inactive Lincoln City lose top spot as Hull City see off Accrington
Lincoln City FCThe Imps were left without a midweek game after their home clash with Gillingham was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at the LNER Stadium
'We're fine' - Lincoln City boss Michael Appleton on coming up against 'lively' Steve Evans
Lincoln City FCAppleton and and Gillingham boss were involved in a heated confrontation following the 0-0 draw between the sides last February
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All Themes Unity Spirituality Creation and Nature
All Characters Ralph Waldo Emerson The Individual
All Terms Annals Civil History Transcendentalism Transmigration
All Symbols The Gothic Cathedral
Instant downloads of all 1393 LitChart PDFs (including History).
Teachers and parents! Struggling with distance learning? Our Teacher Edition on History can help.
Creation and Nature
The Individual
Civil History
Transcendentalism
Transmigration
The Gothic Cathedral
History Summary
Emerson argues that all things—God, humanity, and nature—are inherently connected, and that history serves as a record of this divine unity. He begins the essay with the claim that a “universal mind” unites the individual with all other people and that the experiences, ideas, and feelings of one person reflect the “universal nature” of human beings. While historical texts tend to set apart certain events or figures as distinct from the rest of humanity, Emerson believes that notable differences between peoples are merely the result of external circumstances acting on the same intrinsic spark of divinity that exists in everyone.
Since this universal mind is the author of history, argues Emerson, it must also be its reader. All experiences are universal, so history is biographical for each individual. Drawing on the transcendentalist philosophy of oneness, Emerson claims that the “universal nature” of the spirit unites everyone and everything across time. All of history, therefore, happened “for us” in the present, and the individual can understand past events through the parallel events of their own life. Emerson values the spiritual intuition of human beings over objective facts (another transcendentalist principle) and believes that laws are a based upon humanity’s collective aspiration toward an “unattained but attainable self” of morality and intellectuality.
Emerson further outlines this inherent connection of all things, suggesting that the individual can see aspects of themselves in other people, artifacts, and events of the past. He argues that humanity’s everyday connection to nature is their most tangible link to the past, as a spiritual oneness with the natural world has pervaded all individuals over time. Nature repeats the same divine patterns in all living things, and human beings seek to immortalize nature’s beauty in their art and architecture. Emerson believes that art and nature unite people across time by conjuring the same images and emotional connotations for all individuals. And just as an artist must “become” their subject to effectively portray it, human beings must see the essence of themselves in history (and vice versa) to understand the past.
Emerson also addresses literature as a means of personalizing and making sense of the past. Characters are the written extensions of human beings, often serving as allegorical archetypes for universal human principles such as pain, truth, or justice. Emerson argues that the lessons of the “eternal figures” embodied in literature convey the true essence of life and should therefore be valued over detached empirical facts. By studying literature, the individual can come to realize how the universal mind has been developed and preserved throughout the ages.
Ultimately, Emerson believes that the personal development and experiences of the individual reflect the same historical patterns at different levels of resolution. A person’s private life is a single iteration of the united spirit and consciousness of all things. Emerson points out that the history of all things is synergistic, as mankind could not have achieved any of its greatest feats without his connection to the rest of the natural world. He concludes the essay with a call to action, imploring the individual read and write history from a “broader and deeper” perspective in order to contextualize their life’s meaning within the spiritual unity that links everyone and everything over time.
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Home » Boston Scientific gets in on $10m Series C round for thermal body mapper Securus Medical
Boston Scientific gets in on $10m Series C round for thermal body mapper Securus Medical
September 15, 2016 By Fink Densford
Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) joined a $10 million Series C round for Securus Medical Group, developer of a recently FDA-cleared thermal body mapping device.
Proceeds from the round are slated to be used for product development and clinical investigation of the company’s infrared thermographic system designed for intrabody thermal measurements.
The device is intended for continuous esophageal temperature monitoring, the Cleveland, Ohio-based company said.
“We are pleased to have Boston Scientific as an investor and a representative of Boston Scientific as a board member. Securus Medical Group’s expanded investor base now includes a world-class medical device company, top-tier venture capital funds, and world-renowned healthcare systems,” president & CEO Steven Girouard said in a press release.
Boston Scientific was joined by existing investors RiverVest Venture Partners, 3X5 Special Opportunity Fund and the University of Michigan MINTS program and new investor Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center.
“This financing accelerates Securus Medical Group’s technology development, and importantly it enables further validation of the company’s core technology which holds great potential to change the standard of care for esophageal temperature monitoring,” RiverVest Venture Partners veep Karen Spilizewski said in prepared remarks.
Filed Under: Imaging, Mergers & Acquisitions, Wall Street Beat Tagged With: Boston Scientific, Securus Medical Group
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Home Around the world Saudi Arabia overturns death sentence of 5 men who killed Washington Post...
Saudi Arabia overturns death sentence of 5 men who killed Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi
Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi
Saudi Arabia has overturned the death sentence of five people involved in the killing of Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, claiming the children of the late journalist had forgiven the killers.
The Saudi government instead sentenced them to between 7 and 20 years, overturning five earlier death sentences.
Khashoggi, said to be highly critical of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in columns for the Washington Post, was murdered at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
According to reports, Khashoggi had been living in exile in the United States for about a year. He then walked into his country’s consulate on October 2, 2018 for an appointment to pick up documents that would allow him to get married to his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz. But sadly, he never walked out. He was murdered.
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A team of 15 Saudi agents had flown to Turkey to meet Mr Khashoggi inside the consulate. The team included a forensic doctor, intelligence and security officers and individuals who worked for the crown prince’s office.
Turkish officials allege Mr Khashoggi was killed and then dismembered with a bone saw by the 15-man Saudi squad. His remains have not been found till now.
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The court verdicts against the killers were handed down by Riyadh Criminal Court on Monday but their names were not made public.
According to an independent UN investigator, Agnes Callamard, no senior officials nor anyone suspected of ordering the killing was found guilty.
Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, slammed Monday September 7 ruling as ‘one more act today in this parody of justice’.
READ ALSO Bride, 33, battles for her life after suffering a 'heart attack' during her wedding in Israel
‘These verdicts carry no legal or moral legitimacy,’ Callamard wrote on Twitter. ‘They came at the end of a process which was neither fair, nor just, or transparent.’
#JamalKhashoggi: 1.The Saudi Prosecutor performed one more act today in this parody of justice. But these verdicts carry no legal or moral legitimacy. They came at the end of a process which was neither fair, nor just, or transparent. https://t.co/nt4n2CqS21
— Agnes Callamard (@AgnesCallamard) September 7, 2020
In December last year, five people were sentenced to death for the killing while three others were found guilty of covering up the crime and were sentenced to a combined 24 years in prison.
Khashoggi’s sons said in May this year that they had ‘pardoned’ the killers, weeks after five men were sentenced to death for Khashoggi’s killing as Saudi Arabia said it will not allow Turkey or any other country conduct the trial and investigation of its own citizens.
READ ALSO Four people killed in riot over Facebook post
In Saudi Arabia, which follows Islamic law, forgiveness from a victim’s family can allow for a formal pardon and a stay of execution.
His son, Salah Khashoggi, tweeted: ‘In this blessed night of the blessed month (of Ramadan) we remember God’s saying: If a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah.
‘Therefore, we the sons of the Martyr Jamal Khashoggi announce that we pardon those who killed our father, seeking reward God almighty.’
The Western world condemned his killing and his fiancee had been leading an international effort to see her former lover get justice for his gruesome murder.
Saudi Arabia is heading for a record-breaking number of public executions this year
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I told you so!James Davidson
Vol. 26 No. 23 · 2 December 2004
I told you so!
James Davidson
The Road to Delphi: The Life and Afterlife of Oracles
by Michael Wood.
Chatto, 271 pp., £17.99, January 2004, 0 7011 6546 4Show More
I don’t believe in astrology, but I also know that not believing in astrology is a typically Taurean trait. When I first caught a bright young friend browsing in the astrology section of a bookshop – ‘How can you believe in that rubbish?’ – he pointed to a line in the book he was holding where it was written that a Taurean would typically say: ‘How can you believe in that rubbish?’ The reason, apparently, is that Taureans are all so practical and down to earth. In fact there is nothing more down to earth than a Taurean, because not only is the bull an ‘earth’ sign but it is also a ‘fixed’ sign, nailed to the ground. Hence people born when I was, towards the end of April or in the first weeks of May, are home-lovers, green-fingered, deeply conservative, routine-loving, inexorable, well-throated, prone to kidney disorders, peasants.
On the other hand, we are also ‘ruled’ by the planet the Greeks called ‘Aphrodite’, which means Venus is anciently ‘at home’ in that particular part of the night sky, for some reason not entirely clear to me (nor to anyone else, despite numerous plausible theories; the Moon, moreover, is ‘exalted’ in Taurus, at the second of Taurus’ 30 degrees to be precise, a dogma which is equally mysterious and apparently even more ancient). It is the fondness of the planet Venus, goddess of love, for the Taurean part of the sky which infuses us with that luxuriousness for which Taureans are so notorious: voluptuous peasants. We aren’t very cerebral, however, which is unfortunate for an academic, as some of my colleagues would probably agree. Some say we are a bit dull, lazy and predictable. But the experts insist we are just misunderstood: ‘Taurus invests energy judiciously.’
Unfortunately for a non-believer, I have been forced over the years to recognise that I do seem to others to exhibit characteristics that have long been identified as typical of Taureans, which means I have to avoid astrology nuts at parties if anyone who thinks they know me is within earshot to contradict my well-prepared denials. ‘No! He is exactly like that! He loves gardening. He loves staying at home, stroking velvet cushions with soily fingers, and eating chocolate. That’s really amazing.’
I don’t believe in astrology but I am rather fond of it. In the first place I like to be reminded that things are happening in the solar system. If Neil Spencer didn’t tell me in the Observer that Mercury is ‘retrograde’ – i.e. moving up to overtake us on the inside lane – I would have no idea that Mercury was doing anything at all in our blinded night sky, going forwards, going backwards, or indulging in figures of eight. Anything could be happening out there. The Earth could be lost in space.
Reasonable people and God-fearers have long been appalled at the resurgence of astrology in the 20th century, but their attempts to disprove it or explain its effects – ‘humans have evolved to detect patterns and ignore randomness, and so are always overimpressed by coincidence,’ ‘astrologers trick the public by producing horoscopes which might be applicable to anyone, but seem cunningly to speak to you alone’ – seem irrelevant. I don’t think esomenology (the science of what will be) is the issue, though certainly it is unwise for seers to proffer a future so specific that it is impossible to ignore its erroneousness when the real thing comes along. Rather, people just get enmeshed in astrology’s elaborate nets, the way it shades the contours of the world, its slicing up of moods, traits and time, its sublime juxtaposition of the precise-measured progress of remote heavenly objects with fuzzy feelings inside. How wonderful to have anything at all on the cards for your love life over the next few days. Was Mystic Meg referring to your ex-husband remembering your ex-anniversary on Tuesday, or did she mean that lingering look from sexy Jeff at work on Thursday? Getting into astrology is like being drawn through the door of your own private cathedral or seduced by a fugue constructed out of the letters of your name. People aren’t deceived into thinking astrology predicts the future correctly, they are simply entranced by it. They fall for it in the same way they fall for languages or football: because it’s beautiful.
I have no idea what stars were rising when Michael Wood’s The Road to Delphi: The Life and Afterlife of Oracles pushed onto the planet’s surface, but so brainy a book must have a lot of air signs in its chart. It seems at first to have been born under the sign of Aquarius: analytical, determinedly rational, truth-seeking, teasing out logical knots. But considering it manages to take in so vast a range of topics – Kafka, Wittgenstein, 9/11, Oedipus Rex, The Matrix and Macbeth, as well as Delphi, Herodotus and horoscopes – I think it is more of a Gemini: intellectually voracious, mentally dextrous, eclectic, ‘often in two minds about things’. The end leaves no room for doubt, for the book actually splits into two voices, a man’s and a young woman’s. The conversation between them finally comes to rest on the question of oracles as forums for talking about hopes and fears – not banishing them, but ‘getting along with them’. Even this is not quite a conclusion: ‘So what are we going to tell them?’ ‘We’ll think of something.’ Typical Gemini.
The Road to Delphi is a work of criticism, not cultural history. And there is very little sense of something that Cicero in De Divinatione considered the big issue: god/s. An author as self-conscious as Wood is, of course, by no means innocent of the possibility of his own oracularity qua author, which serves nicely to ironise the quantity of erudite, esoteric allusion, alternately formal and familiar, which will for many readers be the most striking characteristic of the work – ‘as Johannes Megas discovered’, ‘as Alyosha Karamazov recommends’. The aspect of oracularity Wood seems most interested in developing, however, is not obscurity so much as uncertainty, enacted, it seems, as a fudging of the distinction between fact and fiction. He does this not only by conflating fictional and historical oracles, a conflation he seems to think is crucial, but also by eschewing much of the paraphernalia of non-fiction – references, footnotes – at the same time inserting between chapters little italicised narratives, one or two pages’ worth, which look as if they are fragments of an experimental novel. After all this, it is hardly surprising to learn from the acknowledgments that he has been talking to Paul Auster, whose recent Oracle Night treats with some of the same topics. The Road to Delphi is very much Auster territory, emphasising the uncanny effects you can produce when you play Escheresque games with time and narrative, when the fuzzy prospect of an ending is placed in the middle of a text, so that narratives turn neatly, and modernistically, into tales about their own eventuality.
Readers of the LRB will not need to be told that Wood is well up to the challenge such games present, and the book is full of clevernesses and insight into all manner of masterpieces and trash: not just Shakespeare’s Macbeth but Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood, not just Sophocles’ Oedipus, but Pasolini’s and Stravinsky’s. I especially liked his discussion of the plot-corridors of The Castle, not obviously about oracles, but another of those Modernist blind-maze texts with which Wood seems to have a special affinity. What his sense of the oracular in The Castle adds to those tricksy set-ups you find in brain-fuck box-office hits such as Groundhog Day and Minority Report is power and inscrutability, or at least a powerful sense of ignorance stumbling across the surface of a great remote and unknowable thing that moves in mysterious ways, a sense of the sub-realism of a vulnerable little life lived on the edge of a vast, intricately patterned carpet whose overall design is impossible to grasp. It is that sense of littleness that astrology configures so successfully, just as Delphi with its enigmas configures obscurity, of things in the future, in the past and indeed the present.
Much scholarship on ancient oracles over the past few decades, most recently Veit Rosenberger’s Griechische Orakel: Eine Kulturgeschichte (2001), has taken a rather different tack from Wood’s, playing down narrative and esomenology so that the mirror-walled games of internal refraction never get a chance to start opening up. Instead of future-text it focuses on processes, materials and techniques, the howness rather than the whatness of oracles, how oracles work in real time.
It is a great mistake to view Delphi as a glorified crystal ball. Greek seers including those at Delphi are better taken as metaphysical portals or channels to another kind of truth or actuality of which eventuality – truth about what will happen in the future – is only one of the secret’s several varieties. Oracles reveal what is and what has been, as well as what will be, and also offer religious instruction and useful information. They are points of god-contact, sites and occasions for divining in a much broader sense. Probably the largest portion of even Delphi’s oracles were not lines of hexameter but simple positive or negative responses to a proposed course of action: ‘Go for it’; ‘Hold your horses.’ One way of looking at the more elaborate ‘predictions’ is as spectacular and palpable demonstrations of divine wisdom, of the goodness of Apollo’s good counsel, not so much of the ability of the god to see into the future, but of the god being proven right in a particularly precise, gob-smacking, counter-intuitive and incontrovertible way when the sealed envelope of the future is finally opened: I told you so!
But what is an oracle? What isn’t?
The word ‘oracle’ (Latin not Greek) is perhaps unhelpful and is not really examined by Wood with any curiosity. In fact I cannot think of a straightforward equivalent for ‘oracle’ in Greek. The Greek word normally translated as ‘seer’ is not prophetes which implies ‘spokesman’ (phesi, ‘he says’; pro-, ‘in place of’), but mantis, perhaps from a root ma-indicating ‘reveal’, and related by Greeks to mania, ‘raving’. Mantis gives us all those –mancies, those odd subdivisions in the science of knowing the unknowable: geo-, necro-, oneiro-, ornitho-, biblio-mancy, to which one might now add nancymancy or ‘gaydar’. One cannot be sure what it was about the appearance or the behaviour of a certain spooky headhunting insect that led the Greeks to call it, too, mantis; perhaps its habit of adopting a motionless position as if transfixed.
It is significant, I think, that Apollo himself, a god, could be called ‘seer’ as if it were a particular talent he had, and that unlike omniscient Allah, Yahweh or God, even Zeus can be surprised by fateful futures. Cassandra is also ‘mantis’, but Apollo’s female voices, like the Pythian priestess at Delphi, were sometimes called ‘pro-mantises’, as if to emphasise the fact that they were not seers but stand-ins for the true divine seer who stood behind them and operated them, with his hand, so to speak, up their skirts. Hence manteion, ‘seer-site’: ‘divination location’ is one of the words often translated as ‘oracle’.
Greek literature is full of tales of legendary seers which have a different tenor from that of the more famous oracle stories. Perhaps the most illustrious mythical mantis was Blackfoot (Melampous). Among other hermeneutical feats, he once discovered from the woodworm living in the beam in the roof of his prison cell that they were moments away from chewing right through. He got out with seconds to spare. This odd story is probably designed to melodramatise detection, the sharp-sensed seer, like a latterday Morelli, attributer of paintings to painters, noting the most trivial, insignificant signs from little creatures, as if the world gives away its true attributes only at the very margins of the noteworthy, depending on mere inadvertence to keep its secrets unknown. Stories about seers sometimes make it sound as if animals talk to them, but most often that is probably shorthand for an expert reading of animal placements in and movements across the ouija board of the world, just as closely watched sacrifices might be said to manifest a ‘word (logos) from Zeus’. At the most ancient oracle, the oracle of Zeus at remote Dodona in the direction of Albania, divination seems to have taken the form of structured bird-watching, involving the behaviour of doves and a sacred oak tree. This readable tree became voluble timber when a piece of wood from the oak was used in the construction of the Argo.
Note also that Blackfoot’s source of information, the woodworm, is directly implicated in the chewed-through beam. Delphi likewise is often not unimplicated in the events it clarifies. You might well consult Apollo about a plague, for instance, because Apollo was the god who brought plague in the first place.
Finally, the event Blackfoot foresees is imminent, a temporal sliver. In life, in modo operandi, divination is not about leisurely contemplation of uncertainties but about decision and decisiveness, about immediate action, the discovery of kairos, the ‘right time’, ‘opportunity’, ‘the moment of truth’. The so-called Iamid seers, who had their base at holy Olympia, were looking for this kairos when they inspected entrails on battlefields as far away as Italy: they seem to have specialised in predicting the outcomes of military engagements. They were looking for a victory window, a change in the heavenly weather, a tipping of the cosmic balance, so that when warriors went over the top, they would do so with full conviction that the gods were on their side. There was a cult of Olympic Kairos (‘Moment of Olympic Truth’) in a place near Paestum in southern Italy: the handsome young god was depicted with angelic wings for passing swiftly, holding a pair of tipping scales to indicate the moment of decision, and with a strange haircut like a hippy monk, bald at the back because it is impossible to seize the moment once the moment has passed, and long at the front to give those who saw it coming an opportunity to grab hold.
Olympia’s own oracle centred on the annually increasing mountain of mud, ash, animal parts and flies which was the great sacrificial altar of Zeus; it was this oracle which allowed Olympia to be celebrated as ‘Mistress of Truth’, as it says on the new Olympic medals. Pindar explains why Olympia is so called, ‘the place where mantic men (manties andres), taking evidence from what’s on fire, do test tangentially bright-lightning Zeus, to see if he has something to say about men and boys seeking super excellence, and from their exertions, a breather’. Here at Olympia the Iamids sometimes sacrificed dogs, closely inspecting their insides: cynomancy.
But all sacrifices were a bit oracular. A sacrifice can be seen as a kind of rendezvous between the mortal and immortal spheres, a super-sensitised occasion, full of anxiety that everything should go according to plan: that the animal didn’t do anything odd, that its innards were normal, that the sacrificer did not stumble, that the meaty smoke rose like Bisto and the animal’s tail curled up to heaven like a happy spreading grin, crackling in the flames. It was not easy to avoid divination in ancient Greece. The key point was to order significance, to prioritise times and places of greatest import and to rank interpreters and significations, so as not to be overwhelmed with divinatory data. Otherwise you might become ‘superstitious’, like a Syrian.
Having escaped from his worm-eaten cell, Melampous went on to cure the king’s impotence, ‘having learned’ from a vulture, a long-necked, hook-beaked bird, that when he was a boy the king’s father had threatened him with a gelding knife now embedded in the bark of a certain tree. Having divined a past event, and having discovered an object long ago mislaid, Blackfoot then prepared a concoction from the rust on the knife which restored the king’s fertility.
Seers don’t just discover information about events, they discover remedies and solutions. Indeed, no prophecies at all are ascribed to Branchus, the legendary founder of the great dynasty of seers at the Oracle of Didyma in the territory of Miletus on the west coast of Turkey. Instead, it is told how Branchus cured plague once by a sprinkling of water from his wand and with two lines of strange words, each line consisting of arrangements of the 24 letters of the alphabet. Perhaps to produce this bizarre text he had simply thrown an alphabet on the ground, twice. For some reason, around 500 BC the Branchid seers were kidnapped en masse by the Persians and the oracle was left in ruins. It was revived by Alexander nearly two hundred years later. Alexander also found the descendants of the Branchids in the place the Persians had put them. He slaughtered every last one of them, for treachery to the cause of the Greeks. Back home, allegedly, the people of Miletus, who still remembered some ancient, but mysterious, injury at the hands of their former prophets, cheered him on. Hence when the oracle of Didyma was revived, there were no Branchids, just a self-less woman, Delphi-style, a water-surface and a hem dipped to disturb it. With the end of paganism, a church, now a mosque, was put in the sanctuary, looking tiny beside the temple’s impractically large remains.
In this later period, shrines of Asclepius, Serapis and Amphiaraus (a legendary descendant of Blackfoot) were the source of an enormous number of prescription oracles, sent at night in dreams to those who slept in their sanctuaries. Of course Asclepius is god of health, just as Apollo is god of plague and Mercury god of communications. For an Athenian, going to Delphi to ask Apollo how to cure plague was not all that different from visiting a mafia boss to ask how to cure violent intimidation. Wood’s understanding of ‘oracles’ as essentially disinterested is an intrinsically post-pagan understanding – one definition of his ‘oracles’ might be ‘messages from gods no one believes in (any more)’.
All these elements of ancient divination are illustrated in a story about another of Blackfoot’s renowned descendants, Polyidus, a story no longer well known but which in the fifth century BC provided the plot for no fewer than three lost tragedies, one each from Aeschylus, Sophocles (The Mantises) and Euripides (Polyidus). When King Minos lost his son Glaukos, he held a competition to discover who could best describe a strange cow of many colours, white, red and black. ‘It’s like a mulberry,’ suggested Polyidus, showing a mastery of metaphor that clearly marked him out as the man to find Glaukos, which he duly did, having divined from an owl (genitive glaukos) perched on a wine-store and bothered by a bee, that the young prince had accidentally drowned in a jar of honey. By watching snakes, Polyidus goes on to divine a way to bring the boy back to life, teaches him his mantic art, and then, as he is leaving Crete, unteaches him by getting him to spit into his mouth.
The story of Polyidus underlines how close prophets are to poets, making riddles as well as unravelling them, viewing the world as metaphor-active, full of signs and rebuses, things that make words and words that make things: a mulberry of many colours > a multicoloured cow; an owl > a noun > a name > a prince. Poets, poietai, are, let us remember, ‘makers’ (poiein, ‘to make’), makers of images (‘makers manifest’ or ‘makers-up’), and the Greeks often talked of texts, even histories, not as linear narratives, ‘storytelling’, but as ‘showings’ of things to look at, as spectacles put before the reader’s eyes. When Sappho sings that some people find a muster ‘lovely to look at’, she is talking not (just) of the sight of an army or a fleet but of a kind of poetry in which images of armies and fleets are conjured up: ‘Some people love epic.’ She herself prefers to look at, i.e. to conjure up in words, an image of, say, an absent girlfriend. Hence, as Lacanians are fond of emphasising, ‘visions’ are not as different as you might think from puns and rhymes, which is how Julia Kristeva was able victoriously to divine that a patient who was preoccupied with Klaus Barbie’s television trial was in fact anxious about motherhood: tortionnaires > torso > io > naître/pas naître.
The most illustrious Greek seer in the historical period was an Olympian Iamid called Tisamenus, son of the seer Antiochus, who had gone to Delphi (Olympia’s ‘sister’ shrine) to ask the god about his childlessness. ‘You will win the five greatest contests,’ the god said. This phenomenon of gods ‘automaticking’, responding to questions apparently different from the ones that have been put to them, or even thrusting oracular portents on people who happen to be in the Oracle’s vicinity, is not uncommon, a kind of free gift, the god demonstrating his right to be capricious at this divine service-station, to exceed demand. Hence you might go to find a cure for a stammer and get an order to leave home and move to Italy. Tisamenus thought the oracle about the five contests meant he was destined to win the pentathlon, trained for it and in fact very nearly did win it, but failed at the last hurdle. Immediately, the Spartans realised that the oracle was still unfulfilled and guessed that the victories Apollo promised were victories in war, not games. They made Tisamenus a Spartan citizen, purloining for Sparta his five-fold fated good fortune.
With the seer onside Sparta began to clock up successes. First of the five was the battle of Plataea, fought against the Persians in 479 BC. The final came about twenty years later at Tanagra, a victory of Spartans over Athenians, less glorious than the all-Greek victory of Plataea, but glorified in the most astonishing fashion with a trophy affixed to the apex of the huge new temple of Zeus at Olympia itself, the closest thing to a pagan St Peter’s: a gilded Victory stood on a shield, with an inscription, since rediscovered, commemorating the battle. The Athenians must have bristled at the fact that a monument of their military humiliation was on display for eternity in just about the most conspicuous place in all Greece, but the Spartans, cunning in their modesty, might argue that it was the marvellous god-given gifts of Olympia’s own seer Tisamenus and the fulfilment of a prophecy that were being celebrated – not the military success itself, which was a mere mise en scène.
On the great triangular pediment beneath the trophy marking Tisamenus’ long-awaited fifth win, standing right over the entrance to the great temple, was a sculpture group showing the founding myth of the Olympic Games, the catastrophic end of an era, start of an era chariot race between the murderous King Oenomaus (who was to crash and die), and young Pelops, racing him for the hand of his daughter and the kingship (of the Peloponnese). Today, visitors to Olympia’s museum, where the pediment now rests at ground-level, might be forgiven for not noticing any drama. For nothing is happening; everyone just seems to be standing around, the two teams on either side of Zeus waiting for starter’s orders, an elision, like a messenger’s speech, of the horrific crash itself. But this little offstage nudging of the real subject of the pediment, the crash, this murmuring anticipation, this sense of immanence, of pre-momentousness, is typical of early classical art. It is used on the Parthenon frieze in the British Museum, for instance, where the seated gods look like an audience not watching, but getting ready to watch the event, adjusting their clothes, passing round the popcorn, chatting. On the Olympian temple, which predates the Parthenon by about twenty years, the imminent is more prominent. For on either side of the competitors, two old seers crouch in the dust; one of them presses a worried fist to his mouth, the other, looking more confident, wears a holy yarmulke, like Ganymede. It seems very likely one or both of them are Tisamenus’ mythical ancestors, perhaps even Blackfoot himself.
The seer’s famous fist-in-mouth in fact represents not psychological but metaphysical realism, a trace of the future crash in the present, a representation of the nail-biting Kairos, a radical foreshortening of time. In this way Olympia’s huge temple, with its peaceful-looking pediment and its unexpected battle trophy on top, makes a link between the foundational chariot victory of Pelops, the seer Tisamenus’ first victory against the Persians at Plataea, his fifth victory against the Athenians at Tanagra, and his victory, that never was, in the pentathlon. The trivial and the momentous, games and warring, myth and history, portent and eventuality, immediacy and due course, the past, the present and the future, the event and the knowledge of it, seeing victory and seizing victory, fuse dizzyingly in a single quiet synopsis.
This is a key point, the key to the strange logic of prophecy, for the story about the oracle unequivocally presents Tisamenus as owning the victories he is predicted to predict. Delphi promises victories to Tisamenus the seer of victories and it is only by incorporating Tisamenus that the Spartans can take his victories. He doesn’t just see a victory and announce a victory: he brings a victory, he is the source of it. Other people who spoke to Herodotus, the source for the story, were equally insistent that their Iamid battlefield seer was directly responsible for their success in battle. The seers produce victories. They have got it in them; they are victory-conductors, so to speak. Likewise, the Etruscan storm-seers do not just read lightning, keraunoskopia, they can produce it; they are lightning-conductors. And the Romans under Nero manufacture their own punning omens about his imminent demise in order to help to make it happen. Signs are not merely indicative but responsible, productive – as signs, in practical fact, always potentially are. And prophets, therefore, like Elijah or Elisha or Jeremiah are always latent wizards, ‘wise men’, magi, magicians, dangerous to be around. A ‘Fate’, a fata, is also a fey, fateful fairy who does not just record things happening but makes things happen, killing with a cut of the thread.
Oracles become quite different things when they are removed from live time, and viewed under a synoptic gaze in the dead time of history now passed, in closed narratives, done and dusted, with closing credits and ‘The End’ at the end. It is the difference between watching a race live when victory is still in the balance and watching a recording when victory is already decided, whether or not you know the result. Live oracles, constructing moments of truth, full of emergency and anxiety, with swift long-haired Kairos coming at you, have nothing to do with dead oracles, when bald Kairos has long since gone on his way, and the two types of oracle should not be confused. Neat, mirror-walled, internally refracting, plot-device oracles sealed off from the world can only be oracles of a world which no longer exists, or which never existed, quintessentially and necessarily oracles of fiction, oracles of fantasy, oracles of art, oracles of a comprehensively over and done with pagan past, ancient history, nothing to do with us any more. When the World Trade Center was attacked, people looked to the stars, to the Bible, to Daniel and to Nostradamus for signs it had been written, but no one went through the Pythia’s prophecies looking for foreshadowings in oracles from Delphi. Apollo had long since closed his account.
Consultation at Delphi was so constructed as to produce texts with an unusual freshness and pertinence, i.e. an unusual degree of presence, live real-time prophesying by appointment, which stood in stark contrast to the countless moth-eaten oracles that had slipped their moorings, if indeed they had ever had any, and floated around the Greek world hoping to snag on a crisis: a succession dispute in Sparta, a ‘plague’, or ‘starvation’ (loimos/limos) in Athens. Many of these oracles sold by ‘oracle-mongers’ were ascribed to a mysterious nympholeptic (‘nymph-possessed’) Bakis, who is less well known now than he was in the time of the Romantics. These written-down oracles produced on no particular occasion or on an occasion long since forgotten could be dusted off by demagogues whenever there was a crisis or a decision of great moment. Aristophanes has great fun in Knights satirising this political use of oracles by dodgy politicians; it seems as if demagogues kept them to hand so they could dramatically pull out a piece of paper and wave it in the audience’s face at the right time. Delphi was demonstrably and deliberately different, an oracle of formal rigour, systematic method, transparency and accountability.
The Greeks often referred to an oracle from Delphi simply with ‘the god said’, which raises the question – one that Wood carefully avoids – of the relationship between the mantises of Greek polytheism and the ‘prophets’, self-consciously and ideologically not-mantises, of its rival and ultimately successor religions, the mono-cults and mono-creeds of the ‘People of the Book’, Judaism, Islam and Christianity, oracle-fixated religions which eventually made ‘oracles’ a thing of the past. If oracles are not poems, why aren’t they Revelations? If prophets are not poets, why aren’t they oracle-mongers?
The Greeks would have had no hesitation in grouping Samuel, Muhammad, Isaiah, Moses, Jesus even, alongside Blackfoot, Polyidus, Tisamenus, Cassandra, Branchus and Bakis, although they may then have had second thoughts. Prophets sit in caves and receive messages from the god. They have dreams and visions and interpret them. They hear voices and voice them. Indeed, more recent versions of the Bible, less anxious about paganism, are quite happy to translate various Hebrew words relating to these various messages from the god as ‘oracles’, although the King James Version avoids the term, except in one or two special instances.
Prophets such as Samuel, Elijah and Elisha seem to belong to groups or schools, like the Iamids. Some seem to have lain in the dust, like the seers of the pediment at Olympia. Some, like Ezekiel, talk dirty, foul-mouthed, saying unspeakable things like the nympholeptic Socrates in the Phaedrus: ‘The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying . . . “And she lusted after their lovers there, with their cocks as big as donkeys, and their sperm as copious as that of horses.”’ Old Testament prophets shared with Polyidus a penchant for puns and rebuses, but a great deal, of course, is lost in translation. ‘And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, a basket of summer fruit. Then said the Lord unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel’ (qayits, ‘summer fruit’; qets, ‘end’). ‘The Lord said’ here seems to mean something like ‘it occurred to me,’ just as ‘Zeus rains’ meant ‘it is raining.’
The prophets of Samuel’s school seem to have raved like Cassandra, possessed by the spirit of the god, and ‘prophesying’ all at once, which seems to mean, since they are not apparently saying anything worth recording for posterity, that they started ‘speaking in tongues’ or mystically rambling, generating perhaps those ‘magic words’, the voces mysticae, the language of angels, beloved of the authors of magical papyri, of Pentecostalists, St Paul and the Corinthians. St Paul actually asked the Corinthian Christians to tone the glossolalia down a bit in case the weird phenomenon scared off potential converts stepping in off the street into a room full of gobbledygookers: ‘Will they not say that ye are mad?’ ‘If any man speak in an unknown tongue let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter (diermeneutes), let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak (laleito, ‘babble’) to himself, and to God.’ It must have been extremely liberating for a poor pagan Greek, a small-time shopkeeper or a textile worker, brought up with stories of Cassandra and the great Iamids of Olympia, and the miraculous priestess at Delphi, to find herself suddenly pro-phesying, speaking words not her own, along with almost everyone else in the room. In a Christianised synagogue or an ex-pagan house in one of the poorer parts of Corinth, that little trickle of the divine which emerged on special occasions to special people at special locations, seemed suddenly to have become a great banks-bursting flood. Prophecy was a game anyone could play.
Early Christians, including Paul, used Greek translations, the Septuagint, rather than Hebrew texts of Old Testament books. Indeed, the Greek Bible was even used in the deserts of deepest Judaea by the community at Qumran – scraps of it were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. It is this translation which is the ultimate origin of that important rift between pagan oracles and the prophecies of the prophets of the People of the Book, and we can see these semantic discriminations continuing into the new era most clearly in Acts, which often describes wizard-war scenes that could have come from The Lord of the Rings.
The authors of the Gospels and the Greek-speaking Jews who translated the books of the Old Testament try in their translations to distinguish their divinations, their seers, their oracles, at first glance so similar, from the pagan seers of the Greek dominant culture, by using a different vocabulary and carefully avoiding mantis words. In some ways the Greek Bible is more self-consciously un-Greek, its ‘Lord God’ more removed from manifestation, than the Elohim and Yahweh of the Hebrew text it was translating. Most important, the translators present their own seers as mere spokesmen, prophetai, mouthpieces of a hidden God, direct-lines, not ‘oracle-mongers’ but self-less transmitters of God’s words, eliding process, mediation and interpretation.
This insistence on directness, this elision of wizardry, this demantification of prophesying, is taken to its sublimest level in the extraordinary traditions of the Koran. According to that tradition (I am relying on Muhammad Abdel Haleem’s new Oxford translation*), Muhammad received his first messages from Allah in the Cave of Hira outside Mecca. During later transmissions witnesses described a strange humming noise and Muhammad limp and flushed and sweating. As soon as he came out of this state he would begin reciting verses of the Koran which his followers would immediately learn by heart. What is so extraordinary about the Koran is that, unlike the Bible, which is not, as often alleged, ‘God’s Word’, but which merely contains messages and quotes from God framed in narratives and biographies (‘And the Lord spake unto X saying’), Muhammad generally spoke as Allah himself in the first person, commanding himself to say things – ‘They ask you about crescent moons. Say, “They show the times appointed for people, and for the pilgrimage”’ – although there are a few exceptions, when Muhammad seems to speak, for instance, in the person of a mediating spirit, identified as the angel Gabriel.
We have to imagine Muhammad, having emerged from his state of revelation, saying, for example: ‘We established you on the earth and provided you with a means of livelihood there – small thanks you give!’ It must have been a quite amazing spectacle. Other elements in the Koran and its tradition underline this directness, this belittling of the role of the medium’s mediating self. Muhammad only started prophesying when he was about forty. He had not previously been known for prophecies or poetry (the Koran is in a kind of weakly rhythmic rhyming ‘prose’). The text was clearly not of his making: ‘We have not taught the Prophet poetry, nor could he ever have been a poet. This is a revelation.’ ‘Nor could this Koran have been devised by anyone other than God.’ Muhammad in himself is nothing special, or rather he is special, but only inasmuch as he was chosen by Allah as his transmitter. Muhammad’s ordinariness is critical. It means what he said could not have come from him.
Muhammad was not only not possessed by jinn: he wasn’t even possessed by Gabriel the mediating spirit, let alone by Allah, although he used Allah’s royal ‘we’. When he speaks as Allah he is merely repeating from memory what Gabriel had told him minutes earlier – the short delay is crucial; this is not a live transmission. One of the most striking features of the Koran is that it was already a text before it was written down, composed especially for Arabs in Arabic by Allah, who kept a copy in heaven, the ‘mother of the book’, a ‘preserved Tablet’. According to the dominant Islamic tradition, the first revelation to Muhammad began simply: ‘Read!’ It was only when Muhammad explained to Gabriel that he couldn’t read (it) that Gabriel started reading excerpts out to him, a construction that makes the Koran far more esomenological than is sometimes claimed, since, already written, it nevertheless responds to events which unfold after the first instalment. It also means that Muhammad is no more possessed than someone who recites the ipsissima verba of a book he heard on Jackanory, a self-less channel who is never less than himself, a messenger several times removed from his source, Allah’s Pro-pro-pro-phet.
Inasmuch as exchanges between men and gods are exchanges of gifts and favours, to which gods might respond positively, very positively or stingily, and later rather than sooner; inasmuch as gods cannot be bought, or booked, cult (that is, offerings of sacrifice, precious objects, services, tragedies, comedies etc, at a particular time and place) constructs gods as personalities. Indeed the expense and the nature of the gifts – unyoked animals for unmarried goddesses, for example – help to colour in those personalities, their status and importance. Big god, big sacrifice: little god, little sacrifice.
The attempt to concentrate the cult of Yahweh at the Temple in Jerusalem and of Allah at Mecca helps to ensure a single metaphysical personality, who is brimful of subjectivity and agency, i.e. of grace, gratia, charis, a single unitary cosmic economy encapsulated in a sole and central field of exchange with the divine, and one particular exchange, the gift of a life of devotion and credulity which will be returned at a time of his own choosing, indeed at the very end of time, the Big Payback Time, the Day of Judgment, the Settling of Accounts, itself to some extent originally the result of a pun, apparently, slurring ‘The Day of the Almighty’ (El Shaddai) into a ‘Day of Destruction’ (sh-dd). But just as monogamy produces adultery, so with the MonoTheoi comes pandaemonium: crowds of minor invisible ‘breaths’ (‘spirits’), also referred to as daimones (in Greek, generic godhoods, mini-gods or geniuses), angels (angeloi, ‘messengers’), genies (geniuses), jinn (‘hidden’ spirits) who might inhabit and animate living creatures, such as unclean pigs, or even inanimate but movable materials such as lamps or rings (aniconic objects) or clay – demons of possession.
These abject minor metaphysicals are necessary for monotheisms in order to account for mantic phenomena, unauthorised possession, unauthorised oracles, homosexuality (possession by the ‘demon of homosexuality’) or sometimes just scepticism. Hence ‘witchcraft’, with all its familiars, far from being a remnant of an old religion, as is sometimes alleged, is thoroughly monotheistic, as adultery is monogamistic. Deracinated daemons without places of worship are produced by the monopoly of cult by the One Gods. Dispossessed, they have no alternative but to possess. In that respect, inasmuch as her daemons are just passing through, from episode to episode and from series to series, there is nothing pagan about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In many respects it is an orthodox-ish Protestant programme.
The daemons of the monotheisms are also essentially self-less, however. They have more autonomy than mere ‘messengers’, but a marginal kind of autonomy. Above all, they have no long-term relationships, no contract, no covenant, no faith. They are metaphysical butterflies, essentially promiscuous. They are not localised receivers and bestowers of gifts with continuing personalities and some discretion, but rather slavish or whorish, amenable to bribes, able to be booked for specific tasks, obedient to the secret commands of witches, priests, Beelzeboul, Jesus the Anointed or God, rather like wayward employees of a big corporation who have momentarily forgotten who really pays their wages. It is a mistake to try to persuade them with gifts: you simply have to discover how to manipulate them, to report them to a higher authority, someone higher up the line of unitary command. They can answer back but not for long:
And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy Peace, and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.
When the demon of homosexuality is exorcised, incidentally, through the skilful nancymancy of an American ‘evangelical’ preacher or a Nigerian Anglican archbishop, it neither cries out, nor turns over a bowl of water; it comes out as vomit. Amazing.
The Greeks by contrast had countless cult-sites, countless Meccas and Jerusalems, and therefore countless different cosmic personalities, gods with a bit too much personality you sometimes feel, personalities kept under construction by cult images that represented them in various aspects, and by stories about them behaving like subjects of charis, receiving gifts, returning favours, or vengefully punishing: relationships of exchange, with each other and with mortals and their polities, which might then find their way into other exchanges further down the line, to create not just a series of discrete fairy stories but an integrated ‘mythology’. This mythology, this giant system of exchanges between personalities over time and in time, presents a quite different economy from the single integrated field of exchange of the monocults and monocreeds, with their great checkout tills waiting at the end of history.
Although for the Greeks there was no rigid class system of God, angels and devils, not all metaphysical personalities are equal. Zeus was ‘highest’. At the base of the apex there were local ‘heroes’, conceived of as once living, and having been subject to ageing at some point, but now dead (powerful ‘ghosts’ of legendary mortal men and women), similar to saints in some ways and sometimes clearly their antecedents in cult, but more than mere intercessionaries. In contrast to saints, the regular ones at any rate, these minor metaphysicals were autonomous in their fields of action, capable of mischief and bad moods, and needing regularly to be persuaded out of them. Also there were countless poorly differentiated lustful local ‘nymphs’ who might well possess a passing stranger and make him ramble or rave or prophesy, as they ambushed Socrates resting by a spring in the Phaedrus, making him move into a poetic mode, and to say rather naughty things he couldn’t, having recovered his senses, remember.
Between the highest and the lowest was a well-developed sub-pinnacle, where the Greeks placed a pantheon, a large but not immense family selected from about twenty strongly characterised powerful and reasonably autonomous panhellenic theoi. An average Athenian might have to take just a handful into consideration in the normal course of things: Pallas Athena, Dionysus, Artemis, Hermes, Aphrodite, Demeter and Daughter, Apollo, Poseidon – plus, occasionally, Hephaestus, Heracles, Hera. Although they had many cult-sites and seemed to have different personalities in different places, these different metaphysical characters were identified as one locally manifesting deity, taking on a unitary role in the panhellenic mythology of the poets, who had to shoulder much of the burden of reconciling local divergences of personality. They were all ruled by Zeus but with minds very definitely of their own, able to persuade, seduce, deceive each other and to be persuaded, seduced and deceived in turn.
Among the heavenly gods were special winged messengers, angeloi, notably Zeus’ messenger, Hermes, by any standards a god with a god’s fully realised personality, and Iris, the iridescent goddess Rainbow, much more like a slavish angel, with little of her own autonomy. Both were occasionally despatched with messages, and so, to some extent, they served the same purpose as Yahweh’s and Allah’s messengers, allowing the highest god to maintain a certain amount of dignity that might be lost if he were forever intervening in person. But the messages of Hermes and Iris are normally not for living mortals and prophets but for mortals of the distant past and especially for other metaphysicals, dotted as they were around the Greek world, a reflection therefore of a plurilocal, quintessentially polytheistic metaphysical universe, in which cosmic power is diffused.
Greek oracles are the product of a very specific kind of geopolitical organisation. Plurilocal gods reflect a world of plurilocal power: city of Athena, city of Hera, city of Artemis, of Poseidon, of Aphrodite. Small Greece was divided into numerous mostly tiny autonomous, acephalous, fiercely rivalrous polities; there were two separate states even on little Mykonos, and the island of Cefalonia found room for four. That is another reason why there is a road to Delphi, and to Dodona, and Didyma. These are distant places, outside power, though the movements of history might make them less or more marginal as time elapsed. And they were politically independent, at least until Alexander came along.
There is no long winding road, by contrast, from Solomon to Nathan the Nabi’ or Gad the Seer. Nathan the Nabi’ is on hand. Gad is Solomon’s seer. Although what can be deduced about power and religion in early first millennium Palestine is highly debatable, the Bible seems to describe a time when seers and nabi’s were court-prophets, the authority of whose discourse was directly related to the authority of the king. Other prophets, even the most anti-establishment, are preoccupied with the centres of power, very keen to get access to the throne, rivals of those seers who already have access. Jeremiah even resorts to getting his oracles written down. He does so on the orders of Yahweh, just as some years later Aelius Aristides would have his oracles commemorated on the orders of Asclepius, ‘John’ on the orders of Jesus, and Muhammad on the orders of Allah. After hearing a few pages of jeremiad, however, King Jehoiakim chops up Jeremiah’s prophetic text and throws it on the fire. Jeremiah, on God’s advice, makes another copy with extra fire and brimstone.
The Dead Sea Scrolls contain more of what God had said to Moses, or to Ezekiel, than anyone ever suspected, although now, very occasionally, if the committee agrees, these new little bits of Bible are gradually finding their way into new standard revised versions of the text. This raises a lot of questions. The Book is nothing if it is not the Edited Version. The reason these new prophecies were previously unknown is that they never made the final cut. And it is that final cut, the authoritative text, that closes down the production of ‘God says’ and imposes economy on the unstructured din of the prophets after the fact. An impossible way to operate in real time became a perfectly manageable way to operate in real time, when the era of God-speaking subjects became the era of God-spoken artefacts, when religions of revelation became religions of the revealed, when the time of running races became the time of races won. If Greek religion, like the religion of early Israel, is a religion of people who had prophets, the religions of the people of the Book are religions of people who have had prophets, but don’t have them any more. There is a great gulf between the religion of the people in the Book and the religion of the people of the Book: the people in the Book didn’t have the Book to refer to.
Islam made the transition from religion of revelation to religion having been revealed in just a few years. Unusually, the prophet and the power resided in one man. Muhammad’s own military success provided the cogency which made disputation of his sole claim to revelation moot. And then his third successor, the Caliph ‘Uthman, ordered definitive texts of the Recitation to be copied and distributed throughout the now vast conquered territory. Revelation was a thing of the past. If anyone claimed to be receiving any further revelations after Muhammad, no one was writing them down.
The New Testament seems by contrast the least convincing of all the holy books, full of anonymous pseudonymous texts by who knows who, from who knows where, written who knows when: forged Letters of Jesus’ Brothers, ‘of James’, ‘of Jude, brother of James’, ‘of Paul’ and ‘of Peter’, who seems to have found time between fishing trips on the Sea of Galilee to master the art of rhetoric in Greek, not always very cunning forgeries that fell off the ancient equivalent of the back of a lorry, apostolic relics ‘in my own hand’ (Paul’s) that could be sold for sums pagan oracle-mongers could only dream of.
With the exception of a few genuine letters of Paul, every single text in the New Testament is probably ‘pseudepigraphic’. Many of these pseudepigrapha are not merely falsely ascribed, but the result of deliberate deception. It is entirely possible that the New Testament contains works written by people who weren’t even Christians, just people with a good idea of what Christians sounded like and what Christians wanted to hear. Would a true believer really have faked a vision of Christ, as did the pseudonymous author of Revelation, or a letter of Peter or Paul?
The liberties taken with the text of the Bible are astonishing, especially when you consider the integrity of many pagan texts. The texts of Aristophanes or Sappho or even Homer seem to have been considered far more sacred by the Greeks than ‘God’s word’ was by the Judahites and Christians. The difference, of course, is that one is playful art and the other is potent prophecy, and far too important, therefore, not to be interfered with. Only despotism could confer cogency on such a dodgy-looking collection. If the first steps towards the Book were taken under the Persian colonial administration of Ezra, Nehemiah and the high priests, and then the hellenistic kings, the process was more or less completed under emperors of Rome.
There is a nice irony here, for Constantine’s critical conversion was dependent, we are told, on old-fashioned battlefield oracles not dissimilar to those in which the Iamids – who were still apparently prophesying after perhaps a thousand years or more, but would not do so for much longer – had proved so expert. First, according to a contemporary panegyric of around 310 AD, a mystic vision was granted to Constantine. The mantic god Apollo, Sun Unconquered, appeared to him with the winged goddess Victory and three crosses XXX, guaranteeing thirty years of rule. Then, much later, we hear of a slightly different image, not the three crosses of thirty, but the X of Xristianity, a rebus to end all rebuses, a final godly punchline, the ultimate visual pun. When the X was tilted slightly to become the cross of crucifixion, one of three on Golgotha, Tisamenus’ beloved butterflying Victory was transmogrified into Constantine’s Christian angel, not hovering uncertainly, but sent down from Lord God direct. In the same way the gigantic Winged Victory on the roundabout at Hyde Park Corner was reconfigured for the Edwardian period as an ‘Angel of Peace’.
The authenticity of God’s Word was now guaranteed by God’s Sword, wielded by Constantine, Theodosius and Justinian: an absolutist editorial policy, an absolutist text, dependent on an absolutist temporal power, which would ensure through force of arms, if necessary, the integrity of the authorised version. At the start of the fourth century, Eusebius was already distinguishing the ‘bastard’ and ‘impious’ writings from the ‘agreed’, and ‘widely credited’ ones, which more or less correspond to the modern New Testament, and by the end Athanasius was circulating a list of what he called for the first time ‘the kanon’, although the inclusion of Revelation was controversial right up until the tenth century AD.
We like to think of the Bible in a positive way, as a repository of what it contains, an Ark which has preserved some precious ancient texts, as a gathering, a collection: ‘what it says in the Bible’. But what it says out of the Bible is equally important, for the Bible has a shadow, a twin sister, an abject invisible anti-Bible, as much a part and parcel of what the Bible is as what the Bible actually contains. We should rather view the Book as what is left after a pastry cutter has been to work on an amorphous lump of dough, or as a scrapbook full of bits and pieces cut and pasted one on top of the other with crossings out and annotations, rewritings, additions and modifications. The apocryphal material within the Book looks less apocryphal when there is an Apocrypha outside it. Pseudepigraphic texts look less pseudepigraphic when there is a wastepaper basket in which to toss the ‘true’ pseudepigrapha. If the compilers of the Bible were undiscriminating, an iron-fisted discrimination seems nevertheless to have taken place.
Here, finally, we come to the heart of the difference between the oracles of the pagan Greeks of the classical period and the revelations of the prophets of the People of the Book. Greek seers had to operate under a very different economy of cogency. Such absolute temporal power, such imperial brute force, was simply not available to Delphi. There were no kings, no imperial commissioners, no governors, no high priests issuing their own coinage, no emperors, no sword-wielding messenger of God, no caliphs, no authorised versions, no national Holy Book – not in classical Greece. In that respect Delphi is quintessentially the product of a pluralistic, not just undespotic but anti-despotic culture, where belief is a gift offered as part of an ongoing relationship of exchange with the divine in an endless ongoing present, not a one-time and for-all-time surrender of disbelief until ‘the Present’ arrives. Delphi’s authority was only so much authority as the authority freely given to it by the numerous polities and individuals who chose to consult it, and who, by the very act of consulting it, tacitly accepted what Delphi would have to say. And that pluralism, a cosmic pluralism, a political pluralism, a geopolitical pluralism, the possibility of alternative readings and misreadings, of discretion, of exchange, of optimism and pessimism, of room for interpretation, is manifest in every word of every line of every (pagan) oracle ever uttered.
If you embark on Wood’s The Road to Delphi looking for cunning analyses of tricky plotting in mostly modern novels, plays and films you will not be disappointed, but the book claims to be something more than that: a work of Barthesian ‘ethnology’, a ‘cultural account’, ‘a form of curiosity’ ‘that is not only literary’, but which ‘embraces the diffuse particulars not so much of the world as of human behaviour’. For me, these ambitions are not realised. In short, there is a lot of ‘afterlife’ here, but not much ‘life’, and Wood never really attempts to rise above the received view of the oracle. Instead of being enlightened on the subject of the ‘cloudy space’ of oracles in culture, I found myself wondering about the construction of the playful space of art in history, and the fierce, bloody attempts to separate the ‘paranormal fluency’ of ‘prophets’ from that of poets and seers. When I say ‘history’, I mean History: politics and geopolitics, battles and dates. Without that context, Wood’s curiously limited curiosity about oracles looks like a cultured antiquarianism. Astrologers wouldn’t be surprised at that conclusion, for they note that although ‘Taurus is intrigued by and respects Gemini’s wit, mental agility and intelligence, he is sometimes annoyed with Gemini’s inability to make a commitment or to follow through on intentions.’ My review was, it seems, already written in the stars.
James Davidson is professor of ancient history at the University of Warwick. His most recent book is The Greeks and Greek Love.
At the Ashmolean: Antinouses
Himbo: Apollonios Rhodios
Like a Meteorite
More by James Davidson
Oxford, 508 pp., £14.99, May, 0 19280548 7
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Where Are the Watchmen on the Wall?
"I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace, day or night, you who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent."
Go to the House of Israel
"Moreover He said to me, 'Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.' So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll. And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.' So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness. Then He said to me: 'Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My Words to them. For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to the house of Israel, not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted. Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.'
Whether they Hear or Whether they Refuse
"Moreover He said to me: 'Son of man, receive into your heart all My Words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears. And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, 'Thus says the Lord God,' whether they hear, or whether they refuse.' Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a great thunderous voice: 'Blessed is the glory of the Lord from His place!' I also heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, and a great thunderous noise. So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me. Then I came to the captives at Tel Abib, who dwelt by the River Chebar; and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.
I Have Made You a Watchman
"Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the Word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a Word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
His Blood I Will Require at Your Hand
"'Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand.
You Will Have Delivered Your Soul
"Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.'
Let Him Hear
"Then the hand of the Lord was upon me there, and He said to me, 'Arise, go out into the plain, and there I shall talk with you.' So I arose and went out into the plain, and behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and spoke with me and said to me: 'Go, shut yourself inside your house. And you, O son of man, surely they will put ropes on you and bind you with them, so that you cannot go out among them. I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and not be one to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious house. But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God.' He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.'"
Ezekiel 3:1-27
Blow the Trumpet and Warn the People
"Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: 'When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life
The Watchman's Solemn Duty
"But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.'
Hear the Word of God
"So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a Word from My mouth and warn them for Me. When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you shall surely die!' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
Turn from Your Evil Ways
"'Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: 'Thus you say, 'If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?' Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord God, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'
Repentance Leads to Life
"Therefore you, O son of man, say to the children of your people: 'The righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live because of his righteousness in the day that he sins.'
Do Not Trust in Your Own Righteousness
"When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die.
Restitution Brings Restoration
"Again, when I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right, if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of his sins which he has committed shall be remembered against him; he has done what is lawful and right; he shall surely live
What You Sow is What You Shall Reap
"Yet the children of your people say, 'The way of the Lord is not fair.' But it is their way which is not fair! When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die because of it. But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he shall live because of it. Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not fair.' O house of Israel, I will judge every one of you according to his own ways.
Apostasy Brings Condemnation
"And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, that one who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, 'The city has been captured!' Now the hand of the Lord had been upon me the evening before the man came who had escaped. And He had opened my mouth; so when he came to me in the morning, my mouth was opened, and I was no longer mute. Then the Word of the Lord came to me, saying: 'Son of man, they who inhabit those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, 'Abraham was only one, and he inherited the land. But we are many; the land has been given to us as a possession.' Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: 'You eat meat with blood, you lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land? You rely on your sword, you commit abominations, and you defile one another's wives. Should you then possess the land?' Say thus to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: 'As I live, surely those who are in the ruins shall fall by the sword, and the one who is in the open field I will give to the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and caves shall die of the pestilence. For I will make the land most desolate, her arrogant strength shall cease, and the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that no one will pass through. Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have made the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.'
Do Not Merely be Hearers of The Word but Doers
"As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and they speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, 'Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.' So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your Words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain. Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your Words, but they do not do them. And when this comes to pass - surely it will come - then they will know that a prophet has been among them."
Guard the Gates
Nehemiah appointed "gatekeepers" to "stand guard" at the city gates, to "bar the doors" and stand in the "watch station". Nehemiah 7:1-3. "…set a watch against them day and night." Nehemiah 4:9
Guard the King
"…You shall keep the watch of the house, lest it be broken down… you shall surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes within range, let him be put to death. You are to be with the king as he goes out and as he comes in."
Lift Up Your Voices
"Your watchmen shall lift up their voices…"
Arise and Go Up
"For there shall be a day when the watchmen will cry on Mount Ephraim, 'Arise, and let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.'"
Listen to the Sound of the Trumpet
"Thus says the Lord: 'Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is and walk in it; then you will find rest, for your souls… also I set watchmen over you, saying 'listen to the sound of the trumpet!'"
Jeremiah 6:16-19
Shepherds of our Souls
"Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and now with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."
The Watchmen of Israel
The watchmen were key figures in ancient Israel. Large watchtowers were placed overlooking the fields of agriculture and men would stand watch, guarding the fields which contained the community's basic food supply. The watchmen needed to be alert to any threats, whether from animals, thieves or from fire. The watchman also had to be alert for any sign of invasion. The watchmen on the walls of a fortified town were to monitor all the approaches and at the sign of any threat would sound the warning so that the town could shut its gates and prepare to defend against any attack.
Vigilant and Alert
The vigilant watchmen would observe the daily life of the community. He could see much of the activity in the streets, and in the markets. He would know the people, their work, their habits and their lifestyles. If his tower was near the city gates, he could also observe the business of the city conducted by its officials.
The Responsibilities of a Minister of God
God uses this role of the watchman to illustrate the responsibilities of a minister to both comment on the conduct of society, and to deliver messages of warning and instruction. The Word of God declares that we who have received the Word of God must give warning to the wicked.
The Greatest Threat
The danger of God's judgement upon wickedness is a far more serious danger than that of an invading army threatening a city. One may be able to defend a city against a foreign invader. However, no one can escape the scrutiny of all all-knowing, everywhere-present, all-wise God! Nor can anyone escape judgement from an omnipresent Judge! Neither can anyone have any hope of victory in a war against Almighty God!
A Solemn and Serious Responsibility
The prophet of God had a solemn duty to deliver a most sober and serious message. Unless the citizens of Israel acknowledged their sins, turned away from them, repented and resolutely obeyed the Word of God, they would die in their sins.
Duty is Ours - The Results are in God's Hands
However, regardless of how individuals respond to the warning, if they hear the message, the prophet has fulfilled his duty and is no longer responsible. Duty is ours. The results are in God's hands. However, if the messenger failed to deliver the warning, his blood would be required at his hand.
Faithful to God's Word
The Word of God is sweet like honey. We are commanded to go to the House of Israel and to speak the Word of God to them. Even if they are hard-hearted and unresponsive, we are responsible to faithfully deliver the Word of God, the whole World of God and nothing but the Word of God. We dare not attempt to edit the Word of God.
Our Solemn Duty Before Almighty God
"I charge you, therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His Kingdom: preach the Word, be ready, in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an Evangelist, fulfil your ministry."
God spoke the Ten Commandments with His own voice. He wrote them with His own finger upon tablets of stone. Under the New Covenant, He has written them on our hearts. The Law's origin reveals its holy character.
"Therefore the Law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good."
"The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul."
The Law is the Schoolmaster that Brings us to Christ
The Ten Commandments flow directly from the eternal character of our Holy Creator and Eternal Judge. The Decalogue is the standard by which the world will be judged. The Ten Commandments provide a permanent rule of life for all people. The Law defines sin. The Law convicts of sin (Romans 7:7-11). "Sin is lawlessness," 1 John 3:4. The Law condemns transgression (Romans 4:15). The Law restrains evil (1 Timothy 1:8-11).
"Therefore the Law was our Tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by Faith."
Written on our Heart and in our Mind
"Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new Covenant with the house of Israel… I will put My Law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
Jeremiah 31:31-3
The Law of God Stands Forever
Our Lord Jesus Christ expressly affirmed the eternal validity of God's Law.
"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfil. For assuredly, I say to you, till Heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the Law until all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these Commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees, you will be no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven."
Worship God Alone
Are we and our leaders worshipping God alone?
Do we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength?
Do Not Bow Before Idols
Have we committed idolatry, giving the worship that is due to God alone to sports idols, screen idols, Hollywood idols, political idols? Have we made idols of fame, fortune, health and wealth?
Do Not Take God's Name in Vain
How can the Name that is above every name be routinely take in vain on national television and in cinemas and be regarded as entertainment?
Remember the Sabbath Day to Keep it Holy
Sir Winston Churchill declared of the Lord's Day: "Sunday is a Divine and priceless institution, the necessary pause in the national life. It is the birthright of every British subject, our responsibility, privilege and duty to hand on to posterity."
Yet the Lord's Day is desecrated every week. What God ordained as a day of rest and a day of worship has been commercialised and abused for the worship of pleasure.
Reformer John Calvin declared: "The city will be safe, if God be truly and devoutly worshipped and this is attested to by the sanctification of the Sabbath…"
"If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honourable and shall honour Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken."
Honour your Father and your Mother
Respect for our parents and elders is being undermined everywhere, by the laws, the entertainment industry and by violent crimes to the elderly.
Do Not Commit Murder
The Sixth Commandment upholds the sanctity of life. Yet there are many ways in which murder is committed. Murder can be with the hands! "there are six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him:… hands that shed innocent blood…" Proverbs 6:15-17. Life begins at conception. Abortion is murder!
Murder can also be committed with the mind. Malice is mental murder (Matthew 5:22).
"Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."
We can murder with the tongue (James 3:5-15). We can murder with the pen (2 Samuel 11:15). We violate the Sixth Commandment when we consent to the death of an innocent (Acts 22:4). We commit murder by not defending another, when it is within our power to do so.
"Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, 'Surely we did not know this', does not He who weighs the heart consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?"
Failure to execute capital punishment upon murderers is also a breach of the Sixth Commandment.
"Blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it."
Numbers 35:33.
"Whoever kills any man shall surely be put to death… whoever kills a man shall be put to death… I am the Lord your God."
The Scripture is very clear that God has instituted civil government as "an avenger to execute wrath on him who practises evil." Romans 13:4. Civil government is called to be a minister of God's justice: "To punish those who do wrong." 1 Peter 2:14. The primary duties and responsibilities of civil government are the protection of law abiding citizens and the punishment of law breaking criminals. Psalm 101 reminds us that the duty of God-honouring rulers is to destroy the wicked, to root out evil and to protect the law abiding.
In the Bible the question is asked:
"Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil."
We should also consider the most heinous, most vicious murder ever committed in history. At Calvary's Cross, mankind's sin resulted in the murder of the most innocent victim of all time: God's own Son, Jesus Christ. He willingly submitted and became a victim of this heinous violation of justice, so that we – the very people responsible for His suffering and death – might in turn find life and joy forever.
Have you repented of your complicity in the death of our Lord Jesus Christ?
Have you found life in Christ?
Are you pointing people to the Saviour each day?
Do Not Commit Adultery
What do you think of this social analysis? "Sexual anarchy is here. It has assumed extreme forms and spread throughout a large part of the population, side by side with an increase of sexual perversion; a shameless sexual promiscuity has also increased… adultery, rape, and prostitution have greatly increased. Homosexuality has entered the mores of the population and contemporary authors seem to sadistically enjoy the enumeration of a variety of sexual perversions."
When do you think that social commentary was written? Would you suppose it was written by Dr. James Dobson in a Focus on the Family bulletin? No! The writer of this particular article lived 4,500 years ago, approximately 2,500BC in ancient Egypt!
Immorality and perversion are not new. Those who assume that everything used to be more moral, and tends to get less moral with time, are ignorant of history. Sexual immorality is as old as sin. There is nothing modern about it. Those people who are promoting promiscuity, pornography and perversion as progress are lying. There is no progress in it. It is regression. It is returning to pre-Christian paganism.
Fidelity, chastity and faithfulness are the fruit of Christianity. The sexual revolution is extremely old news. True Love Waits is the real revolution and that is news!
The sexual revolution is revolting in more ways than one. It is an uprising against God Himself. The so-called new morality is neither moral, nor new. Satan is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). If we buy into his lies, we will find that they poison our minds, pollute our hearts and damn our souls. Take the lie that "this is a private matter between two consenting adults. What I do in private is nobody else's business. Nobody gets hurt."
Actually, sexual ethics are not private matters at all. Everyone ends up paying for the private affairs of others. Many people are hurt by what others do in private. Sexual immorality has brought about the births of literally millions of illegitimate children. Mothers without husbands, and children without fathers, living on welfare, cost the taxpayer many hundreds of millions of pounds every year.
Many of the children who grow up without fathers end up in inner-city gangs. A vast amount of crimes committed in this country are carried out by youngsters who do not even know who their father is. Police officers have informed me that most of the young men in gangs come from single parent and broken homes. They are just some of the products of the sexual revolution. These gang members are full of anger at parents who neglected them and abandoned them. Much of the graffiti, litter, pollution, vandalism, house breakings, muggings, violence and armed robberies are committed by products of broken homes, irresponsible parents, absentee fathers and a result of the prevalence of sexual immorality. All of us continually pay for the immoral and irresponsible decisions of others.
The testimony of history is that great civilisations rise and flourish on the basis of strict discipline, self-control and strong family units. However, when those societies turn to sexual promiscuity, then productivity wanes. Things begin to unravel and soon the society plummets to destruction.
Historians have observed that each of the 26 civilisations that we know of, from the Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Medes, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, etc. - No society survives long without strict rules, strong families, and stringent self-discipline.
Pervasive sexual immorality spells the death of any nation. No civilisation has survived the public tolerance of homosexual perversion. The great Roman and Greek civilisations collapsed when sexual morality was subverted. Homosexual perversion represented the terminal stage of the collapse of these civilisations. A visit to the archaeological excavations at Pompeii, buried under lava from the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius, also documents the prevalence of homosexual perversion in that city before it was entombed in volcanic ash.
"Who will rise up for Me against the evildoers? Who will stand for Me against the workers of iniquity?"
"Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonour their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them."
Do Not Steal
The Eighth Commandment cuts across the thieving spirit of our age. Have you ever taken something that did belong to you? Have you borrowed things that you failed to return? For months, or years? Have you used the telephone at work, for personal and private calls without permission? If so, that is theft. Usury is theft. Bribery is theft. There are many people who steal from their employers by agreeing to work for so many hours, for so much pay, but they do not work the agreed hours. They come late, they leave early and they only work when the supervisor is watching. However at the end of each month, they would be very unhappy if they received less than their agreed on salary. Is that not theft?
Laziness is a form of theft. We steal from people when we do less than what we agreed on. Government corruption, inflation, excessive taxation, defaulting on loans, failing to pay bills, cheating on tests, loafing at work, cheating on income taxes, taking sick leave when we are not sick, illegally downloading or copying software, violating copywrite, and failing to tithe to God, are all breaches of the Eighth Commandment.
"Let him who stole, steal no longer, but rather let him labour, working with his hands what is good that he may have something to give him who has need."
Forgiveness of sin is not a substitute for restitution, but rather a foundation of it. Forgiveness of sin is not the redefinition of sin. Forgiveness does not transfer property rights to the thief. Repentance from sin and restitution are inseparable. If a sin involved damage to, or theft of, the property of another, then restitution is necessary before forgiveness can be enjoyed. Grace makes true repentance possible. It does not eliminate the need for restitution.
"Fools mock at making amends for sin, but among the upright there is favour"
Many people violate the Eighth Commandment by voting for political parties that steal through excessive taxation and socialist policies. Socialism is legalised theft and institutionalised envy. Governments that increase taxes without providing equal services are stealing. Inflation steals from pensions and savings. It is a hidden tax. The Bible forbids unjust weights (unbacked currency) and measures (inflation), (Leviticus 19:35-36; Proverbs 11:1; 20:10; Amos 8:5-7; Micah 6:11-12).
Zacchaeus is an example in the Scripture of one who did restitution.
"Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor, and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore four-fold.' And Jesus said to him. 'Today Salvation has come to this house, for he also is a son of Abraham'."
"For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery…"
Do Not Bear False Witness
God is Truth. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. God's Word is Truth. "You shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free." John 8:32. Yet all of us, at one time or another, have been guilty of gossip. It is sin. Pastors are to "remind them… to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men." Titus 3:1-2
The Bible warns us of those who
"get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to."
The Law of God is clear:
"You shall not go about as a tale bearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbour. I am the Lord."
Slander can endanger people's lives.
"A man who bears false witness against his neighbour is like a club, a sword and a sharp arrow."
"Whoever spreads slander is a fool…" Proverbs 10:18.We are commanded: "Do not speak evil of one another, brethren…" James 4:11
The Puritan Prince of preachers, Charles Spurgeon warned: "Believe not half you hear; repeat not half you believe. When you hear an evil report, half it, then quarter it, and say nothing about the rest of it."
Puritan preacher, Thomas Watson, taught: "As it is a sin against the Ninth Commandment to raise a false report of another, so it is to receive a false report before you have examined it… he that raises a slander, carries the devil in his tongue; and he that receives it, carries the devil in his ear."
Watson also pointed out that a man may wrong another as much by silence, as by slander, when you know someone to be wrongly accused, yet do not speak up on his behalf.
There is so much flattery, exaggeration, misuse and twisting of Scripture, destroying reputations and spreading strife, not only in the media, but even in many congregations. "By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked." Proverbs 11:11
Do Not Covet
Covetousness is a root sin. King Saul was jealous of David's success and coveted the praise and honour which David received for his victories (1 Samuel 18:6-8). As a result, King Saul plotted to murder David.
King Ahab coveted the vineyard of Naboth, leading to his being falsely accused and unjustly executed (1 Kings 21).
In the parable of the Rich Fool, our Lord Jesus Christ warned us: "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." Luke 12:15-21
Our society has become tragically short-sighted, superficial, materialistic and covetous. God promises that He will take care of our needs, not our greeds. We should seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, not money, popularity or possessions.
"Covetousness… is idolatry" Colossians 3:5. Covetousness is idolatry and it is infectious. It diminishes people, preoccupying them with trivia. Covetousness requires enormous time and energy and it is the most self-justifying of sins. Covetousness is a highly subtle sin, anaesthetising and extinguishing the conscience, as luxuries become necessities. Therefore the Scripture warns us: "not to keep company with anyone named a brother who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater… not even to eat with such a person."
One of the first safeguards against the cancer of covetousness is to cultivate an attitude of gratitude and generosity. It is hard to be covetous when we are giving things away.
"For I have learned that in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Receive and Relay God's Redeeming Word
"…receive into your hearts all My Words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears. And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, whether they hear, or whether they refuse."
Ezekiel 3:10-1
Warn the Wicked
"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a Word from My mouth and give them warning from Me. When I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die', and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul."
Ezekiel 3:17-21
Be a Doer of the Word
"…he who looks into the perfect Law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the Word, this one will be blessed in what he does."
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ASCENSION DAY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY
DO NOT SETTLE FOR LESS THAN GOD'S VERY BEST
FOOLISH QUESTIONS
GOD IS NOT EGALITARIAN
IDOLATRY IS THE MOST CONDEMNED SIN IN THE BIBLE
JUST HOW DID WE GET INTO THIS SITUATION?
LIES WE MUST REFUSE TO ACCEPT
PRAYERFUL AND THANKFUL
SECESSIONS In The BIBLE And HISTORY
SLAVERY TODAY - SETTING The CAPTIVES FREE
THE WESTMINSTER STANDARDS
WAR AGAINST FATHERS
WHAT DANGERS SHOULD WATCHMEN BE WARNING AGAINST?
WORSHIP IN PSALMS AND HYMNS
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Two-truck accident in Virginia throws driver from vehicle
On behalf of The Law Offices of Locklin & Coleman, PLLC | Dec 26, 2013 | Commercial Vehicle Accidents
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On behalf of The Law Offices of Locklin & Coleman, PLLC | Dec 20, 2013 | Truck Accidents
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On behalf of The Law Offices of Locklin & Coleman, PLLC | Dec 13, 2013 | Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents
Most people expect that over a festive holiday weekend there are bound to be a few minor and even fatal car accidents. A large amount of drivers are on the road and some are traveling a long distance during the holiday weekend. In addition to the lengthy trips and...
Heiress gets no jail time after fatal Virginia accident
On behalf of The Law Offices of Locklin & Coleman, PLLC | Dec 6, 2013 | Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents
One of the richest women in the world will not face any jail time after police said she caused a fatal car accident in Virginia. The woman, an heiress of the Mars candy fortune, told police she fell asleep at the wheel just before the October accident, when her SUV...
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Wise construction during COVID-19: Longfellow contractor adjusts work, looks ahead
Posted Friday, October 2, 2020 4:00 am
By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
Longfellow contractor Phillip Hide can often make a bathroom or kitchen work better by reconfiguring the space. (Photo submitted)
COVID-19 has changed the remodeling business for Longfellow resident Philip Hide of Wise Design and Remodel.
These days, he’s more likely to meet with clients for their consultations over video calls rather than face-to-face.
He’s also asking himself if he really needs to check in with contractors at the site when the project starts or whether the visit can be done via video call for efficiency and to reduce personal contact. It varies, as being on site to assess job details is an important part of his job.
Hide thinks these changes will probably stay around after COVID-19. He’s glad for the them as they fit with the sustainable way he lives and works, and it is helping him reduce his carbon footprint while saving valuable time.
Dividing up jobs, spacing out workers
Following CDC guidelines, wearing masks, social distancing when possible, and good cleaning processes are just part of it of the considerations around COVID-19 for Wise Construction.
“It’s really a case-by-case basis,” said Hide. “I’ve had to navigate with customers’ needs individually. Interior remodeling is particularly difficult with people working from home more. We need to make everyone involved feel safe and still get some work done.”
He focuses on larger remodeling projects, and has found himself dividing them into stages in order to minimize the disruption to clients’ homes. When a client moves out into temporary housing or with family, they are able to do work throughout the house. But for those who are living, working and going to school in the home during the work project, they take another approach.
Dividing up the job isn’t as efficient, but it enables them to partition off the section they’re currently working on with plastic barriers, and ventilate it well with air scrubbers, in addition to opening the windows for natural ventilation where possible.
Hide works closely with clients to communicate when they need to go into other parts of the house, such as the basement to reach the electric panel or turn off the water, so that the homeowner is able to leave the house for a few hours and they can wipe off high surface areas.
For safety reasons, Hide has spread the projects out farther than before. Where a job might have taken eight weeks previously, now it takes 10. He makes sure that the plumbers aren’t in the house at the same time as the electricians, in order to minimize everyone’s exposure as much as possible.
Things are also slower when it comes to inspections and ordering. Each city in the metro has been operating differently since March, and staff have varying protocols they follow. Some materials are taking a long time to order due to manufacturing processes being slowed down.
Hide also navigates differing comfort levels with his subcontractors, and focuses on everyone operating sensibly and respectfully. He sets the safety standards as the general contractor.
Despite the inconveniences, Hide is grateful to be busy as he knows that other industries have been hit hard by the pandemic.
Phillip Hide made use of space under a stairwell by transforming it into a playhouse. (Photo submitted)
Finding creative solutions
After working in the family business in London, England for a decade, Hide started his own remodeling firm and operated that for seven years. His experience remodeling older homes and making the most of smaller spaces has given him a unique perspective on his work in Minneapolis today.
“Many of the homes we worked on in North London were built from around 1880 to 1930 and sometimes much older. There were often challenges with small spaces, old plumbing, hazardous materials and sometimes interesting structural issues to deal with. Finding effective and creative solutions was very satisfying,” he said.
Hide met his wife Juli while she was studying abroad in London and they married in 2007. They moved to South Minneapolis in 2014 to be closer to her family, and are raising their three children in Longfellow.
Environmentally-friendly decisions
Right now, he sees families carving out more privacy for an office area in basements and attics. “People want to explore having us design a space that currently isn’t being used efficiently,” said Hide.
Some clients think they need a large addition to create this space, but Hide often saves them money by figuring out how to use their existing space better and doing small additions instead when possible. Other options they do frequently is bumping out dormers.
“Many houses are badly designed. They can be laid out in a more efficient manner, particularly kitchens and bathrooms,” stated Hide.
Hide’s work earned him the 2018 and 2019 NARI Newcomer’s Award from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.
He’s certified through the EPA Lead-Safe program, and plans to spend his slower winter months evaluating other sustainable practices he can work into his business in 2021.
“Utilizing an existing space can be a environmentally friendly decision,” he pointed out. So can using materials that may be more expensive to start with but stand the test of time and can be sustainably sourced.
Wise considers factors such as whether a product is shipped from far away or whether it was quarried or made in Minnesota or the Midwest when helping clients evaluate their options.
“COVID-19 has created some environmental efficiency for us, particularly in how we travel and use technology,” said Hide. “That’s something positive we can take away from this and continue to improve on.”
Origin of Racism
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Budget Selling Tips
By residentialre Published: August 18 2000
Think those big-ticket additions to your home will bring similarly big bucks when you sell? You may want to think again. According to Emeryville, Calif.-based HomeGain.com, which matches home sellers and buyers with agents, many ...
Think those big-ticket additions to your home will bring similarly big bucks when you sell?
You may want to think again. According to Emeryville, Calif.-based HomeGain.com, which matches home sellers and buyers with agents, many would-be sellers will see little monetary reward for their home-improvement efforts.
"Forget about remodeling the kitchen or building a new deck out in the backyard just before you sell," HomeGain CEO and founder Bradley Inman said in a statement
HomeGain has issued a "Prepare to Sell" study based on its recent nationwide survey of 2,000 real estate agents. The study includes cost and expected benefit information for lower-priced improvements.
The site's newly launched Home Sale Maximizer also helps homeowners determine which of 10 upgrades will most benefit them:
1.Lightening and brightening the home at a typical cost of $86-$110. The study estimates that this increases the sale price $768-$935, with an average return of 769 percent, and is recommended by 84 percent of agents.
2. Cleaning and de-cluttering the home at a typical cost of $305-$339. It is estimated that this increases the sale price $2,093-$2,378, with an average return of 594 percent, and is recommended by 91 percent of agents.
3. Fixing the home's plumbing and electrical wiring at a typical cost of $338-$381. HomeGain estimates that this increases the sale price $922-$1,208, with an average return of 196 percent, and is recommended by 63 percent of agents.
4. Working on the home's landscape and trim at a typical cost of $432-$506. It is estimated that this increases the sale price $1,594-$1,839, with an average return of 266 percent, and is recommended by 72 percent of agents.
5. Staging the home in an appealing manner at a typical cost of $812-$1,089. Agents surveyed estimated that this increases the sale price $2,275-$2,841, with an average return of 169 percent, and is recommended by 76 percent of agents.
6. Painting interior walls at a typical cost of $1,453-$1,588. Agents estimates that this increases the sale price $2,342-$2,600, with an average return of 63 percent, and is recommended by 69 percent of agents.
7. Doing kitchen and bath upgrades at a typical cost of $1,546-$2,120. Agents estimated that this increases the sale price $3,823-$4,885, with an average return of 138 percent, and is recommended by 83 percent of agents.
8. Repair flooring at a typical cost of $1,531-$1,714. It is estimated that this increases the sale price $2,267-$2,589, with an average return of 50 percent, and is recommended by 62 percent of agents.
9. Painting exterior walls at a typical cost of $2,188-$2,381. Agents estimates that this increases the sale price $2,907-$3,233, with an average return of 34 percent, and is recommended by 57 percent of agents.
10. Replacing carpeting at a typical cost of $2,602-$2,765. Surveyed agents estimated that this increases the sale price $3,585-$3,900, with an average return of 39 percent, and is recommended by 65 percent of agents.
Nassau County Worker Serves as Marine Reservist at Biden Inauguration
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran Swears in Recruits for Corrections Academy
Suffolk County Executive Bellone Announces County to Participate in National Memorial for COVID-19 Victims
Senator Kaplan’s Small Business Eviction and Foreclosure Moratorium Passes NY State Senate
Governor Cuomo, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Announce $30.7 Million Contract Awarded to Restore, Protect Montauk Point Lighthouse
Rep. Zeldin Announces Nomination of 30 Local NY-1 U.S. Service Academy Applicants
Mid Winter Tips
BIRDSITTING TIPS
Great Healthy Dessert Tips
Back To School Tips From Cornell Cooperative Extension
Promoting Ideas for Selling a Car
Long Island School Budget Vote Recap
LongIsland.com's Annual Halloween Safety Guide - Tips & Tricks to Enjoy a Safe Holiday!
NYS "Open Budget" Transparency Website Launched
Gov.'s 2013-14 Proposed Budget Restrains Spending, Reduces Deficit Without Raising Taxes
Government Eyes Closing Plum Island in New Budget Proposal
Subject: LongIsland.com - Your Name sent you Article details of "Budget Selling Tips"
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Lopez Judo Academy
Texas State Judo Championship
Contact Sensei Lopez
llopez17@gmail.com
Louis M. Lopez
Owner/Sensei
Louis M. Lopez has 40 years of experience as a competitor, coach, referee, instructor, and tournament director. He has been involved in the Corpus Christi community as a volunteer coach and instructor. He founded the Corpus Christi YMCA
Judo Club, Friendswood Judo club, and Lopez Judo Academy, LLC. He also founded the Houston Open Judo Tournament.
Sixth Degree Black Belt in Judo, certified with the United States Judo Association.
Fourth Degree Black Belt in JuJitsu, also certified with the United States Judo Association.
USJA Certified National Judo Referee from 1995 to 2000.
USA Judo National Coach and Referee
INSTRUCTOR EXPERIENCE
2005 - 2016 President/Sensei of Lopez Judo Academy LLC.
2002 - 2004 Judo Instructor, Corpus Christi YMCA
1995 - 2002 Judo Instructor, Friendswood Judo Academy
1983 - 1995 Volunteer Judo Instructor, Corpus Christi YMCA Judo Club
SENSEI LOPEZ NATIONAL COMPETITION AWARDS
1999 - United States National Judo Championships Bronze Medallist at Spokane, Washington.
1997 - United States National Judo Championships Silver Medallist at Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
1994 - United States National Judo Championship Bronze Medallist at Irving, California.
TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR
2000 US Senior National Judo Championships Equipment Chairman in Houston, Texas (800 competitors).
1995 US Junior National Judo Championships Tournament
Co-Director in Austin, Texas (600 competitors).
Tournament Director of various local, regional, and state tournaments.
REFEREE EXPERIENCE
National Referee at Various Junior National Tournaments.
National Referee at Senior National Judo Championships in Chicago, Illinois.
Official Drug and Alcohol Test Assistant to the United Olympic Committee at Colorado Springs, Colorado for US Judo Olympic Team selection.
Master of Arts in Administration, Organizational Development from the University of the Incarnate
Alvin T. Reagan
Alvin T. Reagan studied judo and hapkido with Sensei Lee H. Park while at Southeast Missouri State University (1975-1976), and continued with Sensei Dennis Helm at Southern Illinois University (1977-1978), achieving the rank of Nikyu. In pursuing a career, he moved to areas that did not have a judo dojo nearby.
In 1997, he resumed his study with the Sensei Jack Farrell of the Stockton judo club, along with his oldest son, and, in January 2001, was awarded Shodan. While with the Stockton Judo Club, he served as assistant instructor and coach, completing a refereeing clinic (February 2001) and a D level coaching program (September 2002) offered through the Daihaegen Yudanshakai.
He was promoted to Nidan in March 2004 and promoted to Sandan by Sensei Lopez in May of 2006.
September 1975 through December 1976 –Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, Missouri - instructor Lee H. Park, godan (5th degree black belt) – rank achieved – yonkyu (green belt)
January 1977 through December 1978 – Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois – instructor Dennis Helm, yokan – rank achieved – nikyu (2nd degree brown belt)
August 1996 through December 2004 – Stockton Judo Club, Stockton, CA – head instructor Jack Ferrell, rokudan (6th degree black belt) - ranks achieved – shodan (1st degree black belt) – January 2, 2001), nidan (2nd degree black belt) – March 4, 2004
Assistant instructor for satellite Manteca Judo Club in Manteca, CA, working primarily with children ages 8 through 18.
Daiheigen Judo Yudanshakai clinics attended:
Refereeing Clinic
Nage No Kata Clinic
September 2005 through July 2009, September 2015 through present - Assistant Instructor – Lopez Judo Academy, LLC – head instructor Louis Lopez, rokudan (6th degree black belt) – ranch achieved – sandan (3rd degree black belt) – March 8, 2004
©2019 by www.lopezjudoacademy.com, 112 Tarlton Street, Corpus Christi, Texas 78415
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Mad About Rock
Music reviews, news and interviews for all things rock (including sub genres) and metal worldwide!
Upcoming Tours & Festivals!
About Me - My Musical Journey!
Latest Issue of Stencil Magazine!
Check out the latest issue of Stencil Magazine featuring my interviews with Gallows & While She Sleeps, as well as my reviews of Billy Talent, While She Sleeps and main cover band, Circa Survive! Also check out all the other great reviews, interviews and more all for free!
http://issuu.com/stencilmag/docs/issue15ofstencilmagazine
Be sure to check out the new issue which is live on 25th November!
Billy Talent Circa Survive Gallows Hell Is For Heroes Music Interview Music Magazine Music Reviews Stencil Magazine Tonight Alive While She Sleeps Yellowcard
Labels: Billy Talent Circa Survive Gallows Hell Is For Heroes Music Interview Music Magazine Music Reviews Stencil Magazine Tonight Alive While She Sleeps Yellowcard
SMALL TOWN TITANS' Viral Bluesy, Hard Rock "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch" Topping 2020 Christmas Playlists
York, PA heavy rock band Small Town Titans' incredible rendition of the classic "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch" is fast becoming a Christmas standard! Showcasing the trio's bluesy, heavy influence and front-man Phil Freeman's phenomenal range, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” went viral in a matter of days in November, 2018, leading to charting on various Billboard charts including Holiday Digital Song Sales, Rock Digital Song Sales, Emerging Artists, while reaching #5 on the Next Big Sound chart. The song also reached #2 on the iTunes Rock charts, only being surpassed by Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. So, if you're ready to throw off 2020 and get into the Christmas spirit, add this exceptional cover to your playlist! "Our cover of this classic is a gift that keeps on giving for us and we're grateful for an era where songs are easily available to be covered. It's all thanks to Ben's (guitar player) insistence on making more content and our m
Back On Earth Release NEW EP & Music Video
Back on Earth hit the scene again with melancholic yet lyrically edge cutting "Brand New Day", title track of the brand new EP, featuring Richmond based Telltale, who's had previous support from Pop Punk's Not Dead on Spotify. With "Brand New Day", Back On Earth are going to cut it straight after a few years writing music and are set to gain fans all over the world. The track, which is a follow up to "Heroes" and "Somebody Else", is set to anticipate the new EP which was released on November 20th. Check out the video below: Tracklist 1 - Brand New Day feat. Telltale 2 - Back Home 3 - Until Tonight 4 - Somebody Else 5 - Heroes 6 - Until Tonight (Acoustic) https://www.facebook.com/wearebackonearth https://wearebackonearth.com/
BAND-MAID Release Music Video For New Song "Different"
Japanese rock band BAND-MAID have just unleashed a video for their new single "Different". The song is officially released December 2nd and will be available on all the usual subscription platforms, visit here: https://maid.lnk.to/different Check out the video for "Different"below: The single is going to be the opening theme song to "Log Horizon Entaku Houkai", an anime on NHK starting January 13th 2021. "Different" will be showcased for the first time ever on 12/13 (Sun) for "BAND-MAID ONLINE OKYU-JI"! This will be the first-ever full-scale OKYU-JI show streamed entirely online. Tickets are on sale now: https://bandmaid.tokyo/contents/376042 The archival stream is back for the OKYU-JI show from July 23rd (Thu): https://bandmaid.tokyo/contents/376043 Their new album titled “Unseen World” is due for release January 20th 2021. For early-bird deals and format option visit for more details: https://bandmaid.tokyo/contents/372103 Chec
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SportWimmera League
sport, wimmera-league,
Ararat will play Horsham in next weekend’s preliminary final after defeating Horsham Saints at Dimboola on Sunday. The contest was hard fought all day, with the lead changing hands regularly throughout the match. The Saints dominated the opening phases, with Sam Clyne winning clearance after clearance to help his side forward to score the first two goals of the game. After going goalless last weekend, Rats full forward Lachie Hamilton hit the scoreboard early with a good snap to get Ararat going. The Saints were able to maintain the early ascendancy, booting three consecutive goals to end the first term 17 points ahead. Related: Giants beat Demons to book grand final spot Rats coach Shane Fisher urged his side to be smarter with the ball in the second quarter and that is exactly what they did. Early clearances helped them kick the first few goals of the second and regain the lead. Ararat dominated play until there was about seven minutes to play when the Saints were finally able to hit back. Back-to-back goals resulted in another lead change as the quarter neared an end. A shot from about 50 metres out after the half-time siren for Ararat helped them consolidate a dominant quarter to lead 47-43 at the main break. The Rats picked up where they left off at the start of the third term, booting an early goal to increase their ascendancy. The contest tightened up for much of the third quarter, with the Saints regaining the lead once more. Read more: Double delight for junior Rats Another goal to Lachie Hamilton changed the lead once more before Ryan Bates marked well in the goal square to extend the lead to 14. The Saints bagged a crucial major in the last 30 seconds of the term to give themselves a chance heading into the penultimate quarter. Ararat had much of the play in the opening stages of the fourth term, but could not convert on their inside 50 chances. Both teams had plenty of chances to take control in the final term but were unable to do so. “I thought we wasted a fair few opportunities early in the last quarter,” Shane Fisher said. “Just our execution faltered a little with some nerves and tired legs.” Jacob O’Beirne put the Saints ahead by two points in a term where goals were hard to come by, giving the Saints a huge opportunity. Ararat was able to remain calm under pressure however, with Jake Robinson slotting a set shot from 45 metres out on a tough angle with about five minutes to play to get his side across the line. The Rats finished in front 12.11 (83) to 12.4 (76). “It was just a game of momentum and they were the ones that were able to wrestle it their way when the siren went,” Saints coach Luke Fisher said. “A few little things probably didn’t go our way in the end. I am really proud of the boys and their efforts, they deserve to hold their heads high. “(Sam) Clyne’s work rate was good all day and young Angus Gove was really good too. As a young kid to take a game on like that at 17 years old is really impressive.” “We have a young group and they will only get better from here. Every bit of finals experience is good for the club going forward.” Shane Fisher said he thought Tom Mills, and the Ganley and Mendes brothers were among his sides best. Hamilton also finished with five goals. Ben Free will be in doubt for the preliminary final, taken to hospital after the game with “a fair bit of whiplash”. “We have a few guys available for selection so we are in a good spot personnel wise,” Fisher said. He said the win is a big reward for his club. “As a club we have worked fairly hard over the course of the last few years to improve our brand in the league,” he said.
/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/lachlan.williams/99989123-1d5e-4c8a-85da-ffc0a204977e.JPG/r1_0_1300_734_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
September 9 2018 - 6:00PM
Ararat holds off Horsham Saints to book spot in preliminary final | Wimmera Football League
Lachlan Williams
Pictures: Lachlan Williams
Ararat will play Horsham in next weekend’s preliminary final after defeating Horsham Saints at Dimboola on Sunday.
The contest was hard fought all day, with the lead changing hands regularly throughout the match.
The Saints dominated the opening phases, with Sam Clyne winning clearance after clearance to help his side forward to score the first two goals of the game.
After going goalless last weekend, Rats full forward Lachie Hamilton hit the scoreboard early with a good snap to get Ararat going.
The Saints were able to maintain the early ascendancy, booting three consecutive goals to end the first term 17 points ahead.
Related: Giants beat Demons to book grand final spot
Rats coach Shane Fisher urged his side to be smarter with the ball in the second quarter and that is exactly what they did.
Early clearances helped them kick the first few goals of the second and regain the lead. Ararat dominated play until there was about seven minutes to play when the Saints were finally able to hit back.
Back-to-back goals resulted in another lead change as the quarter neared an end.
A shot from about 50 metres out after the half-time siren for Ararat helped them consolidate a dominant quarter to lead 47-43 at the main break.
The Rats picked up where they left off at the start of the third term, booting an early goal to increase their ascendancy.
The contest tightened up for much of the third quarter, with the Saints regaining the lead once more.
Read more: Double delight for junior Rats
Another goal to Lachie Hamilton changed the lead once more before Ryan Bates marked well in the goal square to extend the lead to 14.
The Saints bagged a crucial major in the last 30 seconds of the term to give themselves a chance heading into the penultimate quarter.
Ararat had much of the play in the opening stages of the fourth term, but could not convert on their inside 50 chances.
Both teams had plenty of chances to take control in the final term but were unable to do so.
“I thought we wasted a fair few opportunities early in the last quarter,” Shane Fisher said.
“Just our execution faltered a little with some nerves and tired legs.”
Jacob O’Beirne put the Saints ahead by two points in a term where goals were hard to come by, giving the Saints a huge opportunity.
Ararat was able to remain calm under pressure however, with Jake Robinson slotting a set shot from 45 metres out on a tough angle with about five minutes to play to get his side across the line.
The Rats finished in front 12.11 (83) to 12.4 (76).
“It was just a game of momentum and they were the ones that were able to wrestle it their way when the siren went,” Saints coach Luke Fisher said.
“A few little things probably didn’t go our way in the end. I am really proud of the boys and their efforts, they deserve to hold their heads high.
“(Sam) Clyne’s work rate was good all day and young Angus Gove was really good too. As a young kid to take a game on like that at 17 years old is really impressive.”
“We have a young group and they will only get better from here. Every bit of finals experience is good for the club going forward.”
Shane Fisher said he thought Tom Mills, and the Ganley and Mendes brothers were among his sides best. Hamilton also finished with five goals.
Ben Free will be in doubt for the preliminary final, taken to hospital after the game with “a fair bit of whiplash”.
“We have a few guys available for selection so we are in a good spot personnel wise,” Fisher said.
He said the win is a big reward for his club.
“As a club we have worked fairly hard over the course of the last few years to improve our brand in the league,” he said.
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Definition of mother tongue
1 : one's native language
2 : a language from which another language derives
Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about mother tongue
Synonyms for mother tongue
language,
lingo,
tongue,
Examples of mother tongue in a Sentence
although the anthropologist could speak the local language fairly well, she was always glad to find someone who shared her mother tongue
Recent Examples on the Web Some Indigenous groups, especially those with larger populations, such as the Guarani Mbya, have managed to maintain their mother tongue. — Jill Langlois, National Geographic, "Losing elders to COVID-19 endangers Indigenous languages," 13 Nov. 2020 The Celts’ speech is of Indo-European origin (as are 445 of the world’s languages), but not much is known about the origins of the Iberians’ mother tongue. — National Geographic, "This 2,400-year-old statue reveals insights into ancient Spain," 24 Nov. 2020 Both Pele and Kekoa were close to their great-grandmothers—women born in the early 1900s, who spoke some Hawaiian, even though they were raised to think of their mother tongue as inferior to English. — Daniella Zalcman, Smithsonian Magazine, "The Inspiring Quest to Revive the Hawaiian Language," 17 Nov. 2020 The languages include not only German and Italian but also Ladin, the mother tongue for more than 20,000 people and said to be a mash-up of Latin and mountain Celtic. — Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, "Slowing Down in the Dolomites," 12 Nov. 2020 The term refers to people whose mother tongue is Spanish or whose roots trace to a Spanish-speaking population. — Mary Anastasia O’grady, WSJ, "Florida and the Cuban Vote," 27 Sep. 2020 On Weibo, China's version of Twitter, some ethnic Han users have spoken out in sympathy of Inner Mongolia's plight to protect its mother tongue. — Nectar Gan, CNN, "How China's new language policy sparked rare backlash in Inner Mongolia," 5 Sep. 2020 In my mother tongue, Marathi, salad is called koshimbir. — Annada D. Rathi, Washington Post, "Tadka — a spice-infused oil or ghee — can take any salad from ho-hum to flavorful," 9 Sep. 2020 Angba, the herdsman in Xilin Gol, said by the first grade, many children haven't even properly learned their mother tongue yet, and adding another language would be a big burden. — Nectar Gan, CNN, "How China's new language policy sparked rare backlash in Inner Mongolia," 5 Sep. 2020
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mother tongue.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of mother tongue
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Learn More about mother tongue
Share mother tongue
Post the Definition of mother tongue to Facebook Share the Definition of mother tongue on Twitter
Time Traveler for mother tongue
The first known use of mother tongue was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century
Dictionary Entries near mother tongue
mother-sib
Mother Superior
motherumbung
Statistics for mother tongue
“Mother tongue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mother%20tongue. Accessed 20 Jan. 2021.
More Definitions for mother tongue
English Language Learners Definition of mother tongue
: the language that a person learns to speak first
See the full definition for mother tongue in the English Language Learners Dictionary
More from Merriam-Webster on mother tongue
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for mother tongue
Comments on mother tongue
What made you want to look up mother tongue? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
spindrift pince-nez
duvet kittly-benders
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«--- Transport for London Travel Alert for your tube travel at 7:30 on 9 April
Transport for London Travel Alert for your tube travel at 7:30 on 11 April ---»
Transport for London Travel Alert for your tube travel at 7:30 on 10 April
Here are the reported incidents at 7:30 on 10 April for the Tube system:
VICTORIA LINE: The Victoria line will close from 2200 on Monday to Thursday evenings Thursday 20 November inclusive for line upgrade works. Two replacement bus services will operate.
BANK AND MONUMENT STATIONS: From Monday 31 March until summer 2009, there will be no interchange at Bank and Monument stations except between the DLR and Northern lines. This is due to major escalator replacement works. Please use alternative interchange stations. If you travel to the Bank and Monument areas you may find it easier to use nearby alternative stations such as Cannon Street, London Bridge, Mansion House and Moorgate. Local bus services 21, 43, 133 and 141 operate between London Bridge and Moorgate stations calling at Bank and Monument. PLEASE NOTE: During morning and evening peaks some Central and/or Northern line trains may not stop at Bank in order to prevent overcrowding.
BOROUGH STATION: Reduced lift service at Borough until late 2008 for lift refurbishment work. On Mondays to Fridays between 0800 and 1000 and 1700 – 1900 the station will operate as exit only with no ticket issuing facilities. Please use nearby London Bridge or Elephant & Castle stations instead. Local bus Routes 35, 40, 133 and 343 operate between all three stations and valid LU tickets will be accepted.
SHEPHERDS BUSH CENTRAL LINE STATION: Closed until mid-October for refurbishment work. A rail replacement bus service operates between Shepherds Bush Central line station, from the taxi rank outside the station, and White City station bus stop “B”. Journey times may be increased by up to 20 minutes. Oyster card pay as you go holders should use the free replacement bus service or the 148 bus to Holland Park and Notting Hill Gate. Please note that on Thursday 10 and Friday 11 April, after 2200 each night, the replacement bus between Shepherds Bush and White City will be withdrawn due to roadworks, please use the Hammersmith & City line or connecting London Buses services to/from Holland Park instead.
WOOD GREEN STATION: A reduced escalator service until 11 April.
Posted by TFL-Alerts on Thursday, 10th April, 2008 at 8:37 am
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CGM acquires Osisko Mining’s DeSantis property in Canada
27 November 2017 (Last Updated November 27th, 2017 13:15)
Canadian Gold Miner (CGM) and Transition Metals have completed the acquisition of Osisko Mining's DeSantis property, which is located in the Timmins Gold Camp in Ontario, Canada.
Canadian Gold Miner (CGM) and Transition Metals have completed the acquisition of Osisko Mining’s DeSantis property, which is located in the Timmins Gold Camp in Ontario, Canada.
The move comes after CGM and Osisko Mining signed an agreement related to the acquisition last month.
CGM has concurrently earned an option on the Catharine property, which is a large exploration land package close to near CGM’s focus area south of Kirkland Lake, Ontario.
“We view the transaction as a significant milestone that should help us attract additional investment interest and accelerate our ability to create value moving forward.”
In exchange, the company offered 2.5 million common shares.
CGM CEO Greg Collins said: “We are pleased to have Osisko’s support as a significant shareholder as we look to aggressively advance our portfolio of gold projects in Ontario.
“In addition to adding two properties with good exploration potential to our portfolio, we view the transaction as a significant milestone that should help us attract additional investment interest and accelerate our ability to create value moving forward.”
Meanwhile, Osisko has completed a $1m private placement in CGM consisting five million units.
Following the completion of the transaction, Osisko now holds around 19.9% of the issued and outstanding common shares of CGM, while Transition continues to hold a 39.9% ownership interest.
The company has also earned a first right of refusal on any additional royalties that CGM may intend to sell on the DeSantis or Cote properties in the future.
IFE Aufbereitungstechnik
Bulk Material Handling Machines for Mines
terratec geophysical services
Borehole Logging and Surface Geophysical Services for the Mining Industry
Campbell’s Camps
Sea Container Buildings for the Mining Industry
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Three, VW, Absolut: The top 10 YouTube ads in July
The most popular ads on YouTube last month included Three’s Go Binge, Ford’s new ‘Go Further’ campaign and the actor who played Hodor in Game of Thrones trying to deal with demand for KFC’s new chicken and rice lunch.
By Sarah Vizard 9 Aug 2017 1:02 pm
1. Three UK – Go Binge
Three is continuing its trend of creating weird animal hybrids, this time teaming a dolphin with a sloth to promote its new ‘Go Binge’ contract. It offers unlimited data to use four streaming services – Netflix, SoundCloud, Deezer and TVPlayer – meaning customers can stream as much content as they like without racking up huge bills.
The move, while likely to prove popular with consumers that just can’t wait to get their latest Netflix fix, has proved controversial due to concerns over net neutrality. But that hasn’t stopped people heading to YouTube to find out what “dolphasloth chill” is.
Creative agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Media agency: Mindshare
2. Absolut – Equal Love
Absolut takes on a much more serious cause – the matter of people being allowed to love who they want. The provocative film shows a range of people from different backgrounds taking part in a kissathon and reflects Absolut’s belief that people should be able to love who they choose regardless of gender, race, age or sexual preference.
The campaign launched to coincide with Pride in London and is the first from BBH since it won the account last year. Absolut has long supported equal rights and started working with the LGBTQ community back in 1989.
The video also kickstarts the brand’s new ‘Create a better tomorrow, tonight’ platform as Absolut looks to more widely promote its core beliefs.
Creative agency: BBH
Media agency: Fullsix
3. Volkswagen UK – The Golf GTE ad: The Button
Volkswagen is continuing its strategy of taking inspiration from movie genres in this ad to promote the new hybrid Golf GTE. While previous spots have nodded to alien films and mafia movies, this latest clip features a cast of villains inspired by films including Star Wars and James Bond all pressing buttons that show them using their power in evil ways – to destroy planets, set off bombs or wake up Frankenstein, for example.
The aim? To promote the fact that Volkswagen Golf GTE drivers can use their car’s power for good to combine petrol and electric engines and maximise performance.
Creative agency: Adam&Eve DDB
Media agency: PHD UK
4. YouTube Spotlight – #ProudToBe: Celebrate Brave Voices this Pride
YouTube once again makes it onto its own list, this time as part of Proud To Be, its fifth annual campaign for Pride. The film features people from the LGBTQ+ community speaking up about their right to be who they are and love who they want.
The ad is part of YouTube Creators for Change, a global initiative dedicated to amplifying the voices of role models tackling difficult social issues with their channels on the site. It includes the LGBTQ+ community, as well as those helping to combat hate speech, xenophobia and extremism.
Creative agency: We Are Social
Media agency: Essence.
5. Ford UK: All New Ford Fiesta TV Ad
Ford has overhauled its marketing strategy in the UK to focus more on Britishness and this ad is the first example of that change. Featuring a soundtrack by British rock band Primal Scream, it shows actress Keeley Hawes driving through quintessentially British landscapes such as a high street and showing how they have changed over the years. A new endline, ‘Together we go further’, also hopes to positions the car marque as a “partner in Britain’s story of success”.
The aim is to make Ford’s marketing more tailored to the British market, meaning ads will now be developed and shot in Britain and include “British sensibilities” rather than being created in Europe and simply tweaked for local markets. The shift comes after a “long review” within the UK and European teams that led Ford to conclude it needs ads that are very “British-centric” so that it can “properly” connect with UK audiences.
READ MORE: Ford shifts to local advertising as it looks to become more ‘British-centric’
“This is in no way nationalistic, it’s just that people take more from an ad if it has references that they’re used to and comfortable with,” says Richard Beard, Ford of Britain’s communications manager.
“Sometimes it’s great to have the economy of scale and launch an ad [in multiple markets], but recently there has been an understanding that we need to dial up work that really resonates with our consumers.”
Media agency: GTB
6. KFC UK and Ireland – Lunchtime is coming
Media agency: 449
7. Dogs Trust – Our new TV ad: Little Balloon Doggy
8. Compare the Market: Bag Switch- Meerkat Movies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1TiDUz35fs
9. Converse: Tyler, the Creator x Converse
10. Shell: The difference between petrol and diesel: Everyday experts
Media agency: Mediacom
News Digital Marketing Volkswagen YouTube
Do you have the Anatomy of a Leader?
Modern marketing leaders are refocusing their energy on sales and commerciality, building on their fundamental functional skills to drive tangible business success, according to Marketing Week’s major new study on the ‘Anatomy of a Leader’.
Why Morrisons is right to bring back the Safeway brand
Thomas Hobbs
Morrisons is hoping to tap into “residual fondness” as it relaunches the Safeway brand through a deal with McColl’s.
How Under Armour plans to become the world’s biggest sports brand
Having overtaken Adidas in the North American sportswear market, only Nike now stands ahead of Under Armour. And its VP of direct-to-consumer and omnichannel digital Sid Jatia is confident the brand, which now houses high-profile athletes including Andy Murray, can replicate its success this side of the Atlantic.
4 May 2016 10:00 am
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Rodriguez shows how synergy, sacrifice propel Seton Hall
Jerry Carino
@njhoopshaven
Rewind to the season's first practice. It's five-on-five in the full court. Freshman Desi Rodriguez dribbles coast to coast, weaving through defenders before throwing down a one-handed dunk.
A few possessions later, Rodriguez drains catch-and-shoot 3-pointer. Smooth as silk.
Next time down he grabs an offensive rebound and feeds a teammate for a bucket.
Wow, you think, this kid's pretty good.
Ten games into the season, everyone else is seeing it too. Seton Hall's blockbuster freshman class is headlined by blue-chippers Isaiah Whitehead and Angel Delgado, and they've played very well, but Rodriguez is providing a lift off the bench that could prove crucial against the better opponents.
The Hall visits one such foe Sunday, a critical resume-building opportunity at Georgia.
"I try to bring as much energy as I can off the bench," Rodriguez said after posting seven points, three assists and two steals in last weekend's win over Saint Peter's. "I know I could be a starter, but anything coach needs me to do, I can do. If he needs me to come off the bench and bring energy, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to get on the boards and I'm going to play good defense."
Rodriguez is important because his versatility allows him to play either wing or power forward, and he's the Pirates' only sub with any real offensive punch at either position.
Against Saint Peter's he also did things that didn't show up in the box score, tipping out rebounds to teammates and moving the ball efficiently in half-court sets.
Afterward Hall skipper Kevin Willard paid Rodriguez a high compliment in coach-speak, calling him "that junkyard dog kind of guy."
His contributions continued Thursday with eight points, five rebounds and an assist in an 89-69 road romp of South Florida. All told, the Pirates (9-1) got 46 points from their five freshmen against the hapless Bulls. They head to Georgia (5-3, ranked No. 44 by Kenpom) with some momentum in search of their first top 50 win. There won't be another chance at one before Big East play starts Dec. 31.
"We're maturing. We know we can't play the way we played in high school," said Rodriguez, who attended New York powerhouse Lincoln with Whitehead. "There's different strategy. We're learning from the upperclassmen. They're teaching us."
Rodriguez's comments shed some light on the synergy between the rookies and veterans. Such things are far from automatic, especially when a highly touted class comes in and assumes half of the rotation.
One of the lessons, handed down from guys like Brandon Mobley, Sterling Gibbs and Jaren Sina: Do whatever the team needs. That's why Rodriguez is busting his butt at the four even though he's more of a natural three.
"I'm comfortable playing any position coach wants me to play," he said. "Right now, since we're kind of small, he's got me playing the four. Whatever I've got to do for us to get a win---that's most important."
Staff writer Jerry Carino: jcarino@gannett.com
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Do Androids Dream of Electric Beats?
February 28, 2016 12:57 AM Subscribe
A sequel to Ridley Scott's 1982 classic sci-fi "Blade Runner" has finally been assigned a release date in early 2018. The movie will be directed by Denis Villeneuve (most recently, "Sicario" and "Enemy"). But - who should score the new film? FACT Magazine presents who they would want to hear soundtracking Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford’s adventures with the replicants.
Vangelis - Blade Runner Soundtrack
posted by sapagan (100 comments total) 21 users marked this as a favorite
Obviously this sequel is An atrocity and a Thing That Should Not Be.
But if you accept it as a given and pick someone to do the soundtrack which would be an equivalent to the Vangelus score? That's a tough question. I'd go for Future Sound of London for the big push synth feel and also because their work cries out to be some kind of soundtrack.
But mostly just don't make this movie.
posted by Artw at 1:03 AM on February 28, 2016 [21 favorites]
I saw only one of Denis Villeneuve's films, Prisoners. It was very solidly made, though I had issues with the script. It's a beautiful looking film (despite the extremely dark theme), but then again most of that credit goes to DP Roger Deakins, who should be the DP of everything.
posted by zardoz at 1:21 AM on February 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
Good news! Roger Deakins will also work Blade Runner 2.
posted by sapagan at 1:25 AM on February 28, 2016 [8 favorites]
I can't help seeing every reboot / late sequel as a missed opportunity to do something original instead. The amount of squandered talent involved is incredible.
posted by pipeski at 1:27 AM on February 28, 2016 [23 favorites]
Gosling was a pretty good robot in Drive and Lars and the Real Girl. He'll make a great replicant in this!
posted by a lungful of dragon at 1:31 AM on February 28, 2016 [4 favorites]
I don't feel a sequel is necessary, but it could be worse; they could've gotten J J Abrams or Michael Bay to direct. Imagine the flaming chimneys of Los Angeles with Bay at the helm, or the lens flare in a replicant's eyes in the Abrams version.
posted by dazed_one at 1:33 AM on February 28, 2016 [10 favorites]
I would love it if they used this as a jumping off point to really pay tribute to Philip K Dick's work. Just pull in all kinds of details and concepts from all of his stories. Maybe Deckard visits an autofac, or someone turns up with a can of UBIK, or the turning point for a main character involves a pink beam of light... I don't know, I mean, that just seems like a respectful way to go about it, considering they're arrogant enough to manufacture basically an original sequel to one of his stories without his input. It'd certainly be more entertaining than the bland, po-faced action movie we're probably going to get.
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 1:54 AM on February 28, 2016 [9 favorites]
Ford and Gosling's charachters should both be named Deckard and both be hunting each other down. It should never be made clear if Ford Deckard was a replicant, if Gosling Deckard's name is anything more than a co-incidence, how much time has passed to age Ford Deckard, or if the events of the first movie are remembered by either Deckard. There should be hints of sinister motivations and manipulation by hidden forces that resulted in the situation. Whichever Deckard lives should more or less be insane by the end if it. If you're going to make a new PKD movie, go for the feel of creeping paranoia and wrongness that PKD was so good at creating, and that so few of the films captured.
posted by Grimgrin at 2:00 AM on February 28, 2016 [32 favorites]
I hope they restore all the animal husbandry that was a core theme of the source material.
Oh, and Mercerism.
posted by zompist at 2:07 AM on February 28, 2016 [19 favorites]
Issues around making up a sequel aside, Villeneuve is a good choice of director. I expect he'll get the mood and look of the film right.
posted by eviemath at 2:12 AM on February 28, 2016
Geir Jenssen (Biosphere)
posted by Hairy Lobster at 2:21 AM on February 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best. Decision. Ever.
posted by zardoz at 2:32 AM on February 28, 2016
Gosling could make a great ambiguously human Blade Runner. When I first saw the news of the casting, this was literally my reaction. Considering the first news would be Harrison Ford as Deckard and Gosling on board, I'm even somewhat optimistic about it.
As for the soundtrack, my top five picks in order would be
- the Ex-Machina team, Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury.
- the Drive team, Cliff Martinez and Johnny Jewel.
- the Social Network/Girl With The Dragon Tattoo team Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
- Vangelis, because giving the Tron soundtrack to Daft Punk instead of Wendy Carlos was one of the many mistakes.
- Clint Mansell, if he's willing to put together stuff by Autechre, Monolake, Trentemoller, etc.
Also, I approve unrestricted violence against the first fucker that suggests acoustic strings or great orchestral scores. Actual mob-style violence. Hammers on fingers.
posted by lmfsilva at 2:35 AM on February 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
I am a fan of sequels even though they are inevitably awful. -Joss Whedon
posted by fairmettle at 2:46 AM on February 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
I can only imagine this working if it somehow outdoes the original in mood, pacing and characterisation - or takes the whole thing in a fresh and deep direction. Any amount of the current trends for excessive and fast-dating CGI, complex but unpaced plotting, and action set pieces, and it's dead in the water. I'm managing my expectations.
posted by iotic at 2:59 AM on February 28, 2016
(one addendum to my Drive team,Cliff Martinez and Johnny Jewel entry: IIRC Refn wanted Jewel, the studios wanted Cliff Martinez, who ended up using some of the Italians catalog, and did the score in Jewels' style, so it wasn't a "team" as much as one guy copying another in the score, but leaving the actual songs of the other guy. Which still worked)
posted by lmfsilva at 3:01 AM on February 28, 2016
Indiana Jones and the Ravages of Time. Star Wars: Grandpa Dozes Off. Pension Runner. Geriatric Witness. Air Force 98 going on 99. The Care Home Fugitive. Nursing Girl.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 3:10 AM on February 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
Four Tet and Tortoise could be interesting.
posted by old_growler at 3:11 AM on February 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
Mica Levi is too good for this nonsense, but if they ever get around to making that Ubik film...
posted by thetortoise at 3:14 AM on February 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
I like what David Grellier does under the College moniker, also as heard on the Drive soundtrack. His release Heritage is pretty close to what the idea of Blade Runner 2 feels like to me.
Also, Jon Hopkins (Open Eye Signal for example) could be interesting for a more modern, minimalistic interpretation.
posted by Satorian at 3:26 AM on February 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
No Sean Young, no sale.
posted by The Tensor at 3:49 AM on February 28, 2016 [6 favorites]
"Good news! Roger Deakins will also work Blade Runner 2."
Yeah, and for those who didn't already know, he's the Coen's DP. He's amazing.
With regard to the specific post ... holy cow, how did I not already know about Holly Herndon? I'm not sure that I think Cliff Martinez is quite right for BR2, but I love his work on The Knick.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 3:52 AM on February 28, 2016
i resent this prompt, but the goto for noodly pseudo-new age synth-wanking in the modern age is oneohtrix point never...
posted by ennui.bz at 4:07 AM on February 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
I'm a lot more interested in how Ubik and Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said (both "in development") are going. Those two are based on books by PKD. Unlike this "sequel."
posted by kozad at 4:08 AM on February 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
It's tricky; even if BR2 somehow transcends itself toward an unlikely masterpiece, as the original proved so much of a great film's success lies in its score and the two are utterly interlinked. Something remarkable was going on between Scott and Vangelis during that editing phase and I've read various accounts over the years of Scott winding up at the end of each day at the composer's studio in west London and spending hours in each other's company. In a way, I suspect the soundtrack is more 'collaborative' than we realise and I think really helped in making the score such an organic part of the film. There are various moments in Blade Runner where the 'music' fuses so wholly with the background soundscape it's hard to determine where one ends and the other begins.
To somehow recapture that would be impossible and wrong; my instinct would be to veer away from some kind of electronic pastiche and back toward the orchestral, with maybe just a nod toward its Vangelis heritage. Someone like Nico Muhly, maybe, although I felt his Kill Your Darlings score was too concessive of the mainstream. John Corigliano; I don't think he's done any film work for years, but Altered States is still for me outstanding. You need someone who can really bring something to the table, providing there's something on it worth writing about.
posted by specialbrew at 4:11 AM on February 28, 2016
they should get Peter Watts to write the script, then this could be the entire soundtrack. but i guess at that point they might as well just go ahead and make a 'blindsight' movie...
I'm reminded of the Tron sequel and the limp Daft Punk score that people all thought was so great...why? I mean—I enjoy Daft Punk just fine, and new Tron was visually beautiful, but the score was just limp nothing compared to the Carlos original.
A great film score is so rare these days.
posted by sonascope at 4:15 AM on February 28, 2016
The original is un-sequel-able. And shouldn't be sequeled. Because the original was a Sui-generis take on an almost completely different feeling/meaning source material.
Now if they decided to do Ubik as though they were doing more of "Blade Runner" then I could maybe get behind that. But as is they should maybe call the sequel,like, Deckard's last run or something else that has, in the end, nothing whatsoever to do with the source material.
I really like the movie, but I also really really liked the book, and Philip K. Dick generally and think he's never gotten the movie-I-zation his books deserve and it would be nice to see someone at least try.
posted by From Bklyn at 4:16 AM on February 28, 2016
Vangelis is incomparable. The score should be purely electronic — that much seems clear — and have a certain quality about it. So if I had to choose someone who wasn't Vangelis, it might be Solar Fields, whose music gets close to Vangelis' at times. Or someone else on the Ultimae Records label, like Aes Dana. Or it could be Jon Hopkins. Or maybe Tycho. Or Ulrich Schnauss.
But no one else, if anyone's asking me.
posted by scamper at 4:30 AM on February 28, 2016 [7 favorites]
Sigh: 158 movie sequels currently in the works
posted by Harald74 at 4:31 AM on February 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
I think a LEGO Blade Runner movie could work.
posted by SPrintF at 4:43 AM on February 28, 2016 [6 favorites]
I understand the economic reasons for sequels, and sometimes sequels are a good thing, creating a set of movies that basically stand together as a body of work, like the Aliens movies, perhaps, or the Mad Max movies. But it's still overdone and feels almost desperate a lot of the time.
My first reaction is that a new Blade Runner score should be spare and electronic, minimalist in the way that Spring Breakers was lush, which just means that this would be the expected solution and that a more surprising and effective use of music would take a different path.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:17 AM on February 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Goblin, obviously. Like Dawn of the Dead or Suspiria. You don't want the same feel as the original. It shouldn't even look like the original -- it's 2050 or something. The world should be very different by now, and probably much more dangerous and chaotic, since (a) everything was going to hell in a handbasket the last we saw, and (b) a better world wouldn't make for a real thrilling thriller.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 5:24 AM on February 28, 2016
Vangelis or go home.
posted by sutt at 5:28 AM on February 28, 2016
I wonder if Richard D. James is interested.
posted by solarion at 5:37 AM on February 28, 2016 [6 favorites]
Skipping around the (very good) soundtrack debate, didn't I read, somewhere, that Harrison Ford thought that the script was one of the best he'd ever read?
FAKE EDIT: Yeah, according to Ridley, "I sent him this [script] and he said it’s the best thing he’s ever read. It’s very relevant to what happened in the first one."
Sicario was a nicely-filmed and -acted piece of cinamatic nihilism and brutalism; never saw Prisoners, but by all accounts it was also nicely shot and unsettling. I don't know if it's possible to take that talent and turn it into something as visionary as the original Blade Runner, but maybe we can get something refreshing out of it (in the best case, I think of aForce Awakens to Star Wars sort of comparison, which may fill some with terror, I suppose)
posted by jpolchlopek at 5:46 AM on February 28, 2016
The coolest thing about Blade Runner was the wealth of side-detail. The bouquet, if you will, that gave the film it's flavor. Example: Spinners (the flying cop cars) were just part of the landscape. In the sequel, they should try for this again. Simple noir story, with lots of cool side detail and painterly eye-candy. Resist, RESIST, I say, the urge to stage a fistfight on a moving Spinner, or have the last half of the movie a Spinner chase through Los Angeles.
The best film scores seem to be the ones that stand on their own. Compare, for example, the melodic soundtrack of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, to the forgettable noise backing Star Trek: The Lens Flare. It's almost like they have some algorithm generating film scores these days.
posted by jabah at 6:08 AM on February 28, 2016 [6 favorites]
Surprised at the hate for Daft Punk' Tron soundtrack, I thought it was the only salvageable thing from that trainwreck.
posted by octothorpe at 6:18 AM on February 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
I, too, thought the Tron Legacy soundtrack was pretty damn good. But then again, I liked the movie, too.
Someone mentioned Clint Mansell upthread - I am reminded of his work on "Moon" (which was effing TERRIFIC) and think that something in the same vein would work well here.
posted by Thistledown at 6:21 AM on February 28, 2016
There are various moments in Blade Runner where the 'music' fuses so wholly with the background soundscape it's hard to determine where one ends and the other begins.
One of the things that elevates BR to my all time favourite film is the bizarre and utterly remarkable way the soundtrack and sound design work together so perfectly. Unfortunately none of the extensive behind the scenes material really goes into the sound design at all, which is a real shame since it's on a par with Star Wars and Jurassic Park for me in terms of sound design.
Something else I've always found notable is that even the characters' vocal performances seem to fit into the soundtrack a lot of the time, and a lot of the line deliveries seem strangely musical. It's very odd, and I have to wonder if that was a deliberate directing choice.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 6:27 AM on February 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
You can't really fault people for at least trying, but fair point. See also, Alan Moore
i can't wait for the direct to video Blade Runner 3.
posted by cjorgensen at 6:36 AM on February 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
The correct answer is Burial.
posted by davebush at 6:36 AM on February 28, 2016 [12 favorites]
It's pretty great. I know a lot of people use it as writing music.
posted by Artw at 6:38 AM on February 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
I don't know about Watts, they should base the script on a random Ted Chiangmai story.
posted by Artw at 6:39 AM on February 28, 2016
Blade Runner and Ghostbusters are my two favorite movies, probably, so the Universe is really testing my patience.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 6:41 AM on February 28, 2016
The actual correct answer is Skinny Puppy.
posted by Mezentian at 6:42 AM on February 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
I'm gonna looooove you more than anyone.
posted by sapagan at 6:54 AM on February 28, 2016
I wonder if Wendy Carlos would consider collaborating with one of her technological descendants
(Clint Mansell, Amon Tobin, Trent Reznor, ....)
Oh wait, that's damn near anybody and everbody.
posted by nickggully at 6:55 AM on February 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
Well, they've found a way to make me wildly enthusiastic for Ghostbusters, not really sure such a feat is possible for Bladerunner.
I think the new Blade Runner should be entirely silent, and taking place in a thread on MetaFilter, so basically just a screencast of the existential confusion and despair arising from the realization that most of us here are, in fact, artificial entities.
Are we expensive? Very.
posted by mbrock at 7:04 AM on February 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
I had read the title, and was expecting something very different.
posted by arrjay at 7:17 AM on February 28, 2016
I'm most afraid that the new movie is going to be a plot driven action movie with predictable "Save the Cat" screenwriter beats.
I'm more an more convinced that Scott is utterly blind to script quality, so to the extent that he is involved that doesn't seem unlikely.
Disney will buy this franchise and put in in their "It's a Small World " experience.
posted by effluvia at 7:40 AM on February 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Come now, "a release date in early 2018" is wrong. Surely you mean "inception date".
posted by doctornemo at 7:45 AM on February 28, 2016
Disasterpeace would be a good choice for the soundtrack. Or maybe OGRE Sound, or Makeup & Vanity Set.
Wendy Carlos fit with the first Tron movie; Daft Punk fit with the sequel, which had a different flavor. I have no complaints there. I see the sequel basically as a high-budget extended Daft Punk video anyway, though it may have been a bit less coherent than Interstella 555.
posted by Foosnark at 7:46 AM on February 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
One Second Before Awakening suggests
they used this as a jumping off point to really pay tribute to Philip K Dick's work. Just pull in all kinds of details and concepts from all of his stories
Reminds me of the odd, pretty good, and underseen Lovecraft film, The Resurrected. It starts off as Charles Dexter Ward, then races into a bunch of other HPL, like "Rats in the Walls", if memory serves.
posted by doctornemo at 7:51 AM on February 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Actual actual answer is to take random pop songs and have Andy Rehfeldt metalize them the way he did "Call Me Maybe."
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:55 AM on February 28, 2016
I have mixed feelings about this of course but the only answer for anyone with a soul is FlyLo.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:07 AM on February 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
Also it should be set in Dubai.
Get whoever selected whomever scored Mad Max: Fury Road to make the choice.
posted by Apocryphon at 8:22 AM on February 28, 2016
Oh, it will be great. A series of flashbacks reveals that Gaff revives Roy Batty on the rooftop and smuggles him out of the city to meet up with Deckard and Rachel. They learn the secret of indefinite lifespan from a mysterious junkyard guru, and the replicants now sport futuristic life-support suits bristling with tubes, etc. For years they have been living on the run as mercenary detectives, with a couple of quirky younger replicants rounding out their Ragtag Bunch of Misfits. Then one day, Ryan Gosling shows up with an offer they can't refuse . . .
El-P would be a perfect choice to produce the soundtrack.
posted by mubba at 9:10 AM on February 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
If this is half as good as Prometheus than it will have met all my expectations.
posted by AGameOfMoans at 9:15 AM on February 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
Just name the new love interest Siri.
The actual sequel is easy to imagine and could've make a good film but it was done earlier: "Love Story" a sweet story where you know the ending.
The visual dark image of a science fiction world five years after the shininess of storm troopers was a visceral shock to the head. And right now it's hard to show near future amazing science that's amazing without either too obviously violating physics or looking like something that's be in the news next week. These days flying cars signal fantasy or over the top wacky. There are no shortage of issues with potential cyborg/replicants but the environmental feel that folks are expecting near future is more like scorching dry mad max than dark wet noir.
Now a scene at a school for Pris 'bots' getting out of control could make for great shots in the trailer.
Or set it on the out planets where the clean shiny humans live like kings and a huge CGI replicant rebellion has huge amazing exploding space stations but ends with all the replicants finally dying in a huge heap of bodies. Then panning over to the one super smart replicant all twisted and gone; his eyes open and he quietly whispers with a smile: "it's darwin time humans".
posted by sammyo at 9:21 AM on February 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
maybe there wil be some swords or knives this time
posted by thelonius at 9:34 AM on February 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
A movie about Roy Batty's four years would be interesting to see.
posted by maxwelton at 9:44 AM on February 28, 2016 [4 favorites]
There should not ever be a movie of Ubik.
It's one of PKD's most visual novels. It's impossible to read without entire scenes replaying in your head later, down to pacing, staging, sets and cast. And that's why it shouldn't ever be made into a movie.
Because this is a story about how reality plays out in each our own heads. There are somewheres around thirty or three hundred million fully-realized movies of it at this point, and every single one of them is wrong to the other thirty-to-three-hundred-million-minus-one.
Just... leave it alone. Let that beautiful, imperfect gem be.
posted by ardgedee at 10:02 AM on February 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
A score by Disasterpeace or Mansell or Broadcast, over Edward James Olmos as drunk pensioner Gaff, stalked by Ron Perlman as his replicant ex-lover, watches the Deckard story play out at a distance in what amounts to two hours of the last minute of Pontypool but with slow lingering shots of painstaking miniature photography and the lurking, unfulfilled threat of action while everyone smolders and smokes cigarettes at each other under neon in the rain.
Everyone hates it for years until the weird theories about cryptic editing choices start popping up.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 10:17 AM on February 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
I love the idea of a prequel, but who takes M. Emmett Walsh's inevitable place at the end? John C. Reilly?
posted by rhizome at 12:10 PM on February 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
After this soundtrack, I'm of the opinion Clint Mansell should write every soundtrack for every movie ever.
A soundtrack so good that for several years every trailer for every Hollywood movie used it, a soundtrack so good that people that couldn't stomach the movie bought and loved the soundtrack.
posted by el io at 12:17 PM on February 28, 2016
Everything in the first movie and everything that has happened between the first and the second had been a memory implant .
My musical vote - Eluvium.
posted by hoodrich at 12:27 PM on February 28, 2016
posted by bongo_x at 12:42 PM on February 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Tim Hecker
posted by PBR at 12:43 PM on February 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
The coolest thing about Blade Runner was the wealth of side-detail. The bouquet, if you will, that gave the film it's flavor. Example: Spinners (the flying cop cars) were just part of the landscape.
It's true, but also, now that we're 30 years into the future it's interesting to see what details were wrong. I rewatched parts of BR and the original Total Recall recently, and it was striking how in both movies people talk to each other on video-phones that are fixed in place. The flying cop cars each had a videophone set in the dashboard. In Total Recall the videophones were basically land-lines, fixed in place in apartments and bars the way that payphones used to be.
It's funny what it shows about movie directors in the 80s. Flying cars? Yup. A Mars colony? You bet. Handheld phones with video? Nah man, that's crazy.
posted by A dead Quaker at 12:47 PM on February 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
Blade Runner had Syd Mead. Do we have people now that have jobs as futurists, like Syd? I don't feel like we have anyone doing that kind of forecasting of future technology or style, you know what I mean? All the forecasts in our sci fi are just bigger screens, transparent touch displays, goggles, nanobots.
Getting someone into the production phase who can create a new, futuristic world that is as alien and as plausible as the original — that's going to be the key to making this work, I think.
posted by a lungful of dragon at 12:57 PM on February 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
This is my favorite movie of all time, and I was ecstatic when the official Vangelis soundtrack was finally released, only to be appalled on first listen by the goddamn voiceovers in several cuts. So when the Gongo bootleg came out I was thrilled. Then the Esper Edition was mentioned in a MeFi comment and I was back to being ecstatic. And holy shit, I just learned from the Wiki page that there's an even more comprehensive Esper "Retirement" Edition!
What's better than "ecstatic?" 'Cause that's what I am.
Also, I became so familiar with the soundtrack over the years that when I rewatched the film a couple of years ago with my son it was like a really strong deja vu experience.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:06 PM on February 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
Hollywood screws up PKD every time. I want to see Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said or We Can Build You done right where the interpersonal part is the focus.
posted by Ironmouth at 1:38 PM on February 28, 2016
Yeah these are the right track. Burial is almost too obvious a choice (though it seems to take him a very long time to make music so maybe he should have collaborators).
posted by atoxyl at 1:49 PM on February 28, 2016
I would want them to include Vangelis in the soundtrack. Get a few people to remix them, and see what they can come up with.
Also, there was a Vangelis anniversary edition soundtrack release for Blade Runner with all sorts of music people *haven't* heard. Use some of it...!
Oh, and Gosling? That's fine... but this generation really needs its own Bogart, which is essentially the character type that Harrison Ford plays so well.
Gosling is not that person... but that anti-hero is out there, somewhere... and they should find them. Both Bogart and Ford were only lead actors well into their careers, so young fresh faces only go so far here. Think rugged gangster with a quiet inner conscience meets scruffy nerfherder, FTW.
posted by markkraft at 1:52 PM on February 28, 2016
Not an easy watch (or maybe easy to find), but Incendies is better than Villeneuve's latest three.
posted by starman at 1:53 PM on February 28, 2016
Ah, here it is... the 2 hour, 34 minute anniversary edition of the Blade Runner soundtrack, for those who haven't heard it before.
posted by markkraft at 1:58 PM on February 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
Cut! CUT!
posted by Burn_IT at 2:06 PM on February 28, 2016
I hope Ryan Gosling plays his Deckard Jr. (presumably he'll be the fancy new Blade Runner) as his character from Drive.
New-Rachael: May I ask you a personal question?
Deckard Jr.: ...
New-Rachael: Have you ever retired a human by mistake?
Deckard Jr. (imperceptibly shakes head over the span of a full minute): ...
New-Rachael: B-but in your position, that is a risk?
Deckard Jr (slowly removes toothpick): ...I Bladerun.
posted by turbid dahlia at 6:12 PM on February 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
For the soundtrack, I'd be pretty into having Kuedo on board.
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 6:26 PM on February 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
it was striking how in both movies people talk to each other on video-phones that are fixed in place.
Well, not only is it hard to predict future tech, but it’s even harder to film tech that doesn’t exist yet after you predict it. It wasn’t that hard in the 80’s to make a mock up of a video phone in your house, but doing a hand held version would have been a bit more of a chore.
posted by bongo_x at 8:05 PM on February 28, 2016
A REAL HUMAN BEING AND A REAL HERO
posted by lmfsilva at 10:56 PM on February 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
Fever Ray.
posted by speicus at 11:38 PM on February 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
I have a sinking suspicion that this film will be another attempt at pandering to the Chinese market.
Nonetheless, for the sound track I would like to hear some Korean or Taiwanese artist that is new to me.
posted by asok at 6:17 AM on February 29, 2016
Between this, Prometheus, and almost-assuredly awful Alien: Covenant, Ridley Scott seems determined to piss all over his legacy as a filmmaker. We call this "Doing a Lucas."
posted by entropicamericana at 9:35 AM on February 29, 2016
The Martian is really great though, because it had a great script. He's an amazing visual storyteller but it really all comes down to the script in front of him.
posted by Artw at 10:13 AM on February 29, 2016
You people are stoned. The soundtrack will be by Swizz Beats with a guest duet by Kelly Clarkson and Sam Smith on, "Love Theme (Deckard's Dream)".
posted by rhizome at 11:55 AM on February 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
Quite surprised at the lack of John Carpenter in the comments ... Though he's probably a little too 80s.
posted by sapagan at 10:35 PM on February 29, 2016
I thought the opening theme song was called "Ride the Unicorn".
posted by bongo_x at 10:39 PM on February 29, 2016
It is. "Deckard's Dream (Love Theme from Blade Runner 2)" [note new title] is used during the sex part.
posted by rhizome at 11:14 PM on February 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
I thought of Carpenter, but while Vangelis' work on Blade Runner kind of melts into the movie itself, Carpenter usually leads with a pulsating, tense bass/low-end line. He's an incredible composer that like his contemporaries Vangelis and Oldfield used technology to create memorable scores, but I don't think he'd be a match, assuming the director wants to follow the same style as the original film.
One name that did slip my mind was Jean-Michel Jarre. His record last year, featuring collaborations with a lot of people (including Carpenter), and there's some moments with stuff I wouldn't mind on a Blade Runner movie - I could easily see this one as a End Titles replacement.
posted by lmfsilva at 1:19 AM on March 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Vangelis' work on Blade Runner kind of melts into the movie itself
This is why I would love to see Burial give it a go, though he's never work on a movie before. The whole "Rival Dealer EP" is so immersive and "environmental" (couldn't think of a better word here, "ambient" refers to something different, to something too calm and harmonious, usually). "Come Down to Us" being a perfect example of a soundtrack without a movie.
posted by sapagan at 3:00 AM on March 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
The future better still be Japanese. It ain't cybernoir otherwise.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 3:13 AM on March 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
"The sky above the port was the color of [1980s] television, tuned to a dead [broadcast] channel."
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:34 AM on March 1, 2016
Instead of a sequel, I think they should just create a really cool set piece that would be straight out of Bladerunner, get Gosling and Ford to sit at an outside restaurant counter to eat while it's raining outside and reflecting the surrounding neon, and make a really cool animated gif out of it.
posted by SpacemanStix at 10:07 PM on March 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
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Journal of General Virology — Recommend this title to your library
Journal of General Virology - Volume 87, Issue 5, 2006
DNA viruses
Analysis of synthetic peptides from heptad-repeat domains of herpes simplex virus type 1 glycoproteins H and B
Stefania Galdiero, Mariateresa Vitiello, Marina D'Isanto, Annarita Falanga, Craig Collins, Katia Raieta, Carlo Pedone, Helena Browne and Massimiliano Galdiero
https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.81794-0
Human herpesviruses enter cells by fusion of their own membrane with a cellular membrane through the concerted action of multiple viral proteins and cellular receptors. Two conserved viral glycoproteins, gB and gH, are required for herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)-mediated membrane fusion, but little is known of how these proteins cooperate during entry. Both glycoproteins were shown to contain heptad repeat (HR) sequences predicted to form α-helical coiled coils, and the inhibitory activity against infection of four sets of synthetic peptides corresponding to HR1 and HR2 of gB and gH was tested. The interactions between these HR peptides were also investigated by circular dichroism, native polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and size exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography. gH coiled-coil peptides were more effective than gB coiled-coils peptides in inhibiting virus infectivity. The peptides did not impair fusion when added to cells immediately after infection. In contrast, inhibition of infection was observed, albeit to various extents, when peptides were added to virus before or during inoculation. The results of biophysical analyses were indicative of the existence of an interaction between HR1 and HR2 of gH and suggest that the HRs of gB and gH do not interact with each other.
Induction of cytokine expression by herpes simplex virus in human monocyte-derived macrophages and dendritic cells is dependent on virus replication and is counteracted by ICP27 targeting NF-κB and IRF-3
Jesper Melchjorsen, Jukka Sirén, Ilkka Julkunen, Søren R. Paludan and Sampsa Matikainen
Macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) play essential roles in host defence against microbial infections. In the present study, it is shown that human monocyte-derived macrophages and DCs express both type I and type III interferons (IFNs) [IFN-α, IFN-β and interleukin 28 (IL-28), IL-29, respectively], tumour necrosis factor alpha and the chemokines CCL5 and CXCL10 after herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection. The cytokine-inducing activity of HSV-1 was dependent on viability of the virus, because UV-inactivated virus did not induce a cytokine response. Pretreatment of the cells with IFN-α or IL-29 strongly enhanced the HSV-1-induced cytokine response. Both IFN-α and IL-29 decreased viral immediate-early (IE) gene infected-cell protein 27 (ICP27) transcription, suggesting that IL-29 possesses antiviral activity against HSV-1 comparable to that of IFN-α. Macrophage infection with HSV-1 lacking functional ICP27 (d27-1 virus) resulted in strongly enhanced cytokine mRNA expression and protein production. In contrast, viruses lacking functional IE genes ICP0 and ICP4 induced cytokine responses comparable to those of the wild-type viruses. The activation of transcription factors IRF-3 and NF-κB was strongly augmented when macrophages were infected with the ICP27 mutant virus. Altogether, the results demonstrate that HSV-1 both induces and inhibits the antiviral response in human cells and that the type III IFN IL-29, together with IFN-α, amplifies the antiviral response against the virus. It is further identified that viral IE-gene expression interferes with the antiviral response in human macrophages and ICP27 is identified as an important viral protein counteracting the early innate immune response.
Trypsin increases pseudorabies virus production through activation of the ERK signalling pathway
Béatrice Riteau, Christiane de Vaureix and François Lefèvre
Extracellular proteases that are expressed in primary and secondary foci of viral infection are potentially important mediators of infectious inflammatory processes. For some viruses, such as influenza virus and rotaviruses, proteases such as trypsin enhance infectivity by a direct proteolytic effect on some virion proteins. By using an in vitro model of herpesvirus infection, the possibility that proteases modulate the viral cycle through signalling delivered to the infected cell was investigated. It is reported that exposure of pseudorabies virus-infected cells to trypsin increased virus production. Moreover, this treatment induced synergistic and sustained activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 signalling pathway, which appeared to be necessary for this increased viral production. These results suggest that herpesviruses could take advantage of the inflammatory context and particularly of the presence of proteases to increase their replication. Thus, these data point to a potentially important role of extracellular proteases in herpesvirus infection.
Role of the cellular protein hDaxx in human cytomegalovirus immediate-early gene expression
Chris M. Preston and Mary Jane Nicholl
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) immediate-early (IE) transcription is stimulated by virion phosphoprotein pp71, the product of gene UL82. It has previously been shown that pp71 interacts with the cellular protein hDaxx and, in the studies presented here, the significance of this interaction was investigated for HCMV IE gene expression. In co-transfection experiments, the presence of hDaxx increased the transcriptional response of the HCMV major IE promoter (MIEP) to pp71, but it was not possible to determine whether the effect was due to an interaction between the two proteins or to stimulation of hDaxx synthesis by pp71. The use of small interfering RNA (siRNA) in long- and short-term transfection approaches reduced intracellular hDaxx levels to no more than 3 % of normal. Infection of hDaxx-depleted cells with herpes simplex virus recombinants containing the HCMV MIEP revealed significantly greater promoter activity when hDaxx levels were minimal. Similarly, reducing intracellular hDaxx amounts resulted in greater IE gene expression during infection with an HCMV mutant lacking pp71, but had no effect on IE transcription during infection with wild-type HCMV. The results suggest that hDaxx is not important as a positive-acting factor for the stimulation of HCMV IE transcription by pp71. Instead, it appears that hDaxx acts as a repressor of IE gene expression, and it is proposed here that the interaction of pp71 with hDaxx is important to relieve repression and permit efficient initiation of productive replication.
Mixed infection with multiple strains of murine cytomegalovirus occurs following simultaneous or sequential infection of immunocompetent mice
Shelley Gorman, Nicole L. Harvey, Dorian Moro, Megan L. Lloyd, Valentina Voigt, Lee M. Smith, Malcolm A. Lawson and Geoffrey R. Shellam
As with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection of humans, murine CMV (MCMV) infection is widespread in its natural host, the house mouse Mus domesticus, and may consist of mixed infection with different CMV isolates. The incidence and mechanisms by which mixed infection occurs in free-living mice are unknown. This study used two approaches to determine whether mixed infection with MCMV could be established in laboratory mice. The first utilized two naturally occurring MCMV strains, N1 and G4, into which the lacZ gene was inserted by homologous recombination. The lacZ gene was used to track recombinant and parental viruses in simultaneously coinfected mice. In the second approach, a real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay was used to detect viral immediate-early 1 (ie1) gene sequences in mice successively coinfected with G4 and then with the K181 MCMV strain. In both systems, mixed infection was detected in the salivary glands and lungs of experimentally infected mice. MCMV-specific antibody in sera and G4 IE1-specific cytotoxic lymphocyte responses in the spleens of twice-infected mice did not prevent reinfection. Finally, the prevalence of mixed infection in free-living mice trapped in four Australian locations was investigated using real-time qPCR to detect ie1 DNA sequences of N1, G4 and K181. Mixed infection with MCMVs containing the G4 and K181 ie1 sequences was detected in the salivary glands of 34·2 % of trapped mice. The observations that mixed infections are common in free-living M. domesticus and are acquired by immunocompetent mice through simultaneous or successive infections are important for vaccine development.
Epstein–Barr virus origin of lytic replication mediates association of replicating episomes with promyelocytic leukaemia protein nuclear bodies and replication compartments
Wolfgang Amon, Robert E. White and Paul J. Farrell
Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) establishes a latent persistence from which it can be reactivated to undergo lytic replication. Late lytic-cycle gene expression is linked to lytic DNA replication, as it is sensitive to the same inhibitors that block lytic replication, and it has recently been shown that the viral origin of lytic replication (ori lyt) is required in cis for late-gene expression. During the lytic cycle, the viral genome forms replication compartments, which are usually adjacent to promyelocytic leukaemia protein (PML) nuclear bodies. A tetracycline repressor DNA-binding domain–enhanced green fluorescent protein fusion was used to visualize replicating plasmids carrying a tetracycline operator sequence array. ori lyt mediated the production of plasmid replication compartments that were associated with PML nuclear bodies. Plasmids carrying ori lyt and EBV itself were visualized in the same cells and replicated in similar regions of the nucleus, further supporting the validity of the plasmids for studying late-gene regulation.
Raf/MEK/ERK signalling triggers reactivation of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus latency
Patrick W. Ford, Benjaman A. Bryan, Ossie F. Dyson, Douglas A. Weidner, Vishnu Chintalgattu and Shaw M. Akula
Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) causes Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma and multicentric Castleman's disease. KSHV infection of cells produces both latent and lytic cycles of infection. In vivo, the virus is found predominantly in the latent state. In vitro, a lytic infection can be induced in KSHV-infected cells by treating with phorbol ester (TPA). However, the exact signalling events that lead to the reactivation of KSHV lytic infection are still elusive. Here, a role is demonstrated for B-Raf/MEK/ERK signalling in TPA-induced reactivation of KSHV latent infection. Inhibiting MEK/ERK signalling by using MEK-specific inhibitors decreased expression of the TPA-induced KSHV lytic-cycle gene ORF8. Transfection of BCBL-1 cells with B-Raf small interfering RNA inhibited TPA-induced KSHV lytic infection significantly. Additionally, overexpression of MEK1 induced a lytic cycle of KSHV infection in BCBL-1 cells. The significance of these findings in understanding the biology of KSHV-associated pathogenesis is discussed.
Double-stranded RNA-binding protein E3 controls translation of viral intermediate RNA, marking an essential step in the life cycle of modified vaccinia virus Ankara
Holger Ludwig, Yasemin Suezer, Zoe Waibler, Ulrich Kalinke, Barbara S. Schnierle and Gerd Sutter
Infection of human cells with modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) activates the typical cascade-like pattern of viral early-, intermediate- and late-gene expression. In contrast, infection of human HeLa cells with MVA deleted of the E3L gene (MVA-ΔE3L) results in high-level synthesis of intermediate RNA, but lacks viral late transcription. The viral E3 protein is thought to bind double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and to act as an inhibitor of dsRNA-activated 2′-5′-oligoadenylate synthetase (2′-5′OA synthetase)/RNase L and protein kinase (PKR). Here, it is demonstrated that viral intermediate RNA can form RNase A/T1-resistant dsRNA, suggestive of activating both the 2′-5′OA synthetase/RNase L pathway and PKR in various human cell lines. Western blot analysis revealed that failure of late transcription in the absence of E3L function resulted from the deficiency to produce essential viral intermediate proteins, as demonstrated for vaccinia late transcription factor 2 (VLTF 2). Substantial host cell-specific differences were found in the level of activation of either RNase L or PKR. However, both rRNA degradation and phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor-2α (eIF2α) inhibited the synthesis of VLTF 2 in human cells. Moreover, intermediate VLTF 2 and late-protein production were restored in MVA-ΔE3L-infected mouse embryonic fibroblasts from Pkr 0/0 mice. Thus, both host-response pathways may be involved, but activity of PKR is sufficient to block the MVA molecular life cycle. These data imply that an essential function of vaccinia virus E3L is to secure translation of intermediate RNA and, thereby, expression of other viral genes.
Intradermal immune response after infection with Vaccinia virus
Nathalie Jacobs, Ron A.-J. Chen, Caroline Gubser, Pilar Najarro and Geoffrey L. Smith
Although Vaccinia virus (VACV) was used to eradicate smallpox by dermal vaccination, there is little information available about the immune response induced at the vaccination site. Previously, an intradermal murine model that mimics smallpox vaccination was established. Here, this model was used to investigate which leukocytes are recruited to the infected lesion and what are the kinetics of recruitment. Data presented show that VACV infection induced the infiltration of macrophages, followed by granulocytes and lymphocytes. Up to 4 days post-infection, the major lymphocyte population was TCRγδ T cells, but thereafter, there was a large recruitment of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Interestingly, the majority of T cells expressed the natural killer-cell marker DX5. This report is the first to characterize the local immune response sequence to VACV infection and represents a benchmark against which the responses induced by genetically modified VACVs may be compared.
Phylogenetic analysis of the precore/core gene of hepatitis B virus genotypes E and A in West Africa: new subtypes, mixed infections and recombinations
Christophe M. Olinger, Véronique Venard, Mounjohou Njayou, Akeeb O. Bola Oyefolu, Ibrahim Maïga, Alain J. Kemp, Sunday A. Omilabu, Alain le Faou and Claude P. Muller
One hundred and twenty-two new hepatitis B virus (HBV) preC/C sequences and three complete genomes from three major countries in West Africa were analysed. The majority of sequences were of genotype E and the only other genotype found was genotype A. Although for genotype E sequences, the genetic diversity of the preC/C gene was about two to three times higher than that of the preS/S gene, it was still considerably lower than that for genotype A sequences. The HBV/E preC/C gene was related most closely to subgenotype D1 and D2 sequences. Evidence of recombination was found in two strains that were of genotype A in the preS/S gene and of genotype E in the preC/C gene. The genotype A strains from Cameroon, Mali and Nigeria could be divided phylogenetically into three subtypes, A3 and two new subtypes, tentatively designated A4 and A5. Each subtype presented a genetic diversity of 2·19–3·85 % and intersubtype distances of 4·47–5·97 %. Interestingly, one sample from Nigeria showed evidence of a triple recombination of genotypes E/D and A, separated by a genotype G-specific insert of 36 bp. Of 110 patients, 19 (17·3 %) showed a coinfection of genotypes A and E, mostly in human immunodeficiency virus-positive children from Cameroon. Thus, in Cameroon, where both genotypes coexist, 37 % of all individuals tested had mixed infections. The low genetic variability in the preC/C gene of genotype E supports our previous speculation about a relatively short evolutionary history of this genotype, in contrast to the subtype-rich African genotype A strains.
Analysis of the entire nucleotide sequence of hepatitis B virus genotype B in the Philippines reveals a new subgenotype of genotype B
Futoshi Nagasaki, Hirofumi Niitsuma, Julieta G. Cervantes, Masanori Chiba, Shan Hong, Toshiaki Ojima, Yoshiyuki Ueno, Edgardo Bondoc, Koju Kobayashi, Motoyasu Ishii and Tooru Shimosegawa
The entire nucleotide sequences were determined for hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype B (HBV/B) genomes extracted from five patients in the Philippines and designated GenBank AB219426, AB219427, AB219428, AB219429 and AB219430. The serotype of the first four isolates was ayw and that of GenBank AB219430 was adw. Divergences of entire sequences were 1·0–2·0 % between the first four isolates and 3·8–4·2 % between these four and GenBank AB219430. Phylogenetic-tree analysis revealed that, worldwide, HBV/B comprises five subgenotypes: B1, B2, B3, B4 and the new Philippines group, designated B5. Divergences of the entire genome sequences between four isolates in subgenotype B5 and isolates from other countries (subgenotypes) were 4·4–4·8 % with Vietnam (B4), 2·9–3·5 % with Indonesia (B3), 4·7–5·1 % with China (B2) and 5·4–6·0 % with Japan (B1). Similarly, GenBank AB219430 showed the lowest divergences: 3·4 % with the isolate from Indonesia (B3), 5·0 % with Vietnam (B4), 5·4 % with China (B2) and 6·1 % with Japan (B1). This is the first report of entire nucleotide sequences of HBV/B from the Philippines and the results show that these sequences belong to a new subgenotype, B5. The present study identified that HBV/B isolates throughout the world are divided genetically into five subgenotypes, the relationships between geographical distances and the genetic distances of HBV/B being well-correlated.
Analysis of mutations in the E6/E7 oncogenes and L1 gene of human papillomavirus 16 cervical cancer isolates from China
Yuping Wu, Yulong Chen, Longyu Li, Guifang Yu, Ying He and Yanling Zhang
Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) has a number of intratypic variants; each has a different geographical distribution and some are associated with enhanced oncogenic potential. Cervical samples were collected from 223 cervical cancer patients and from 196 age-matched control subjects in China. DNA samples were amplified by using primers specific for the E6, E7 and partial L1 regions. Products were sequenced and analysed. It was found by using a PCR–sequence-based typing method that HPV infection rates in China were 92·8 % in cervical cancer patients and 15·8 % in healthy controls. HPV16 was detected in 70·4 % of cervical cancer patients and in 6·1 % of controls. In HPV16-positive cervical cancers, 23·6 % belonged to the prototype, 65·5 % were of the Asian variant, 5·5 % were of African type 1 and 3·6 % were European variants, whilst only one was a new variant that differed from any variant published so far. Prevalences of HPV16 E6 D25E and E113D variants were 67·3 and 9 %, respectively. In addition to D25E and E113D, the following E6 variations were found in this study: R129K, E89Q, S138C, H78Y, L83V and F69L. The results also showed that the prevalences of three hot spots of E7 nucleotide variation, N29S, S63F and a silent variation, nt T846C, were 70·2 % (33/47), 51·1 % (24/47) and 61·7 % (29/47), respectively. The following L1 variations were found in this study: S377A, K387E, E378D, K382E and T379P. It was also found that the average age of Asian variant-positive cervical cancer patients (42·98±10·43 years) was 7·56 years lower than that of prototype-positive patients (50·54±10·91). It is suggested that the high frequency of HPV16 Asian variants might contribute to the high incidence of cervical cancer in China.
Genome of a novel circovirus of starlings, amplified by multiply primed rolling-circle amplification
Reimar Johne, Daniel Fernández-de-Luco, Ursula Höfle and Hermann Müller
The genus Circovirus comprises small non-enveloped viruses with a circular single-stranded DNA genome. By using PCR with degenerate primers, a novel circovirus (starling circovirus, StCV) was detected in spleen samples of wild starlings (Sturnus vulgaris and Sturnus unicolor) found dead during an epidemic outbreak of septicaemic salmonellosis in northeastern Spain. Using a specific PCR, StCV was also detected in apparently healthy birds from the same population. The genome was amplified using multiply primed rolling-circle amplification and cloned. Open reading frames (ORFs) with similarities to the replication-associated protein and the capsid protein of circoviruses as well as an additional ORF encoding a protein of 106 aa were evident from the sequence. Phylogenetic analysis of circovirus genomes revealed the highest degree of similarity (67·1 %) between StCV and canary circovirus. A similar analysis of the evolutionarily conserved cytochrome b gene of the circovirus host species revealed a strict co-evolution of circoviruses with their hosts; however, the circoviruses showed about a threefold higher genetic divergence than their hosts.
Hypoxic-response elements in the oncolytic parvovirus Minute virus of mice do not allow for increased vector production at low oxygen concentration
Charlotte Servais, Perrine Caillet-Fauquet, Marie-Louise Draps, Thierry Velu, Yvan de Launoit and Annick Brandenburger
Vectors derived from the autonomous parvovirus Minute virus of mice, MVM(p), are promising tools for the gene therapy of cancer. The validation of their in vivo anti-tumour effect is, however, hampered by the difficulty to produce high-titre stocks. In an attempt to increase vector titres, host cells were subjected to low oxygen tension (hypoxia). It has been shown that a number of viruses are produced at higher titres under these conditions. This is the case, among others, for another member of the family Parvoviridae, the erythrovirus B19 virus. Hypoxia stabilizes a hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (HIF-1α) that interacts with a ‘hypoxia-responsive element’ (HRE), the consensus sequence of which (A/GCGTG) is present in the B19 and MVM promoters. Whilst the native P4 promoter was induced weakly in hypoxia, vector production was reduced dramatically, and adding HRE elements to the P4 promoter of the vector did not alleviate this reduction. Hypoxia has many effects on cell metabolism. Therefore, even if the P4 promoter is activated, the cellular factors that are required for the completion of the parvoviral life cycle may not be expressed.
Plant Viruses
Movement of potexviruses requires species-specific interactions among the cognate triple gene block proteins, as revealed by a trans-complementation assay based on the bamboo mosaic virus satellite RNA-mediated expression system
Ming-Kuem Lin, Chung-Chi Hu, Na-Sheng Lin, Ban-Yang Chang and Yau-Heiu Hsu
The intra- and intercellular transport of potexviruses require interactions among viral RNA, coat protein and elements of the triple gene block proteins (TGBps). In this study, the requirement of bamboo mosaic virus (BaMV) TGBps for movement functions and the compatibilities with those of two potexviruses, Potato virus X (PVX) and Foxtail mosaic virus (FoMV), were examined using a satellite RNA-mediated trans-complementation assay system. Single or multiple TGBps of BaMV, PVX and FoMV were expressed from BaMV satellite RNA (satBaMV RNA) vectors to complement the functions of green fluorescent protein-tagged, movement-defective BaMV with mutation(s) in the matching gene(s). It was found that individual BaMV TGBps expressed from the satellite vector could function normally in trans, whereas bi-gene BaMV TGBp constructs in which the expression of TGBp3 might be impaired and individual TGBp genes from PVX or FoMV could not complement the movement functions of the defective helper viruses. Furthermore, alterations of the ratio among TGBps by ectopic expression of individual components of TGBps from satBaMV RNA vectors did not affect the cell-to-cell movement capabilities of wild-type BaMV significantly. The results indicate that species-specific interactions among movement proteins are obligatory for the cell-to-cell movement of BaMV and possibly other potexviruses.
Emergence of a resistance-breaking isolate of Rice yellow mottle virus during serial inoculations is due to a single substitution in the genome-linked viral protein VPg
Eugénie Hébrard, Agnès Pinel-Galzi, Anne Bersoult, Christelle Siré and Denis Fargette
The recessive gene rymv-1, responsible for the high resistance of Oryza sativa ‘Gigante’ to Rice yellow mottle virus (genus Sobemovirus), was overcome by the variant CI4*, which emerged after serial inoculations of the non-resistance-breaking (nRB) isolate CI4. By comparison of the full-length sequences of CI4 and CI4*, a non-synonymous mutation was identified at position 1729, localized in the putative VPg domain, and an assay was developed based on this single-nucleotide polymorphism. The mutation G1729T was detected as early as the first passage in resistant plants and was found in all subsequent passages. Neither reversion nor any additional mutation was observed. The substitution G1729T, introduced by mutagenesis into the VPg of an nRB infectious clone, was sufficient to induce symptoms in uninoculated leaves of O. sativa ‘Gigante’. This is the first evidence that VPg is a virulence factor in plants with recessive resistance against viruses outside the family Potyviridae.
Acid inactivation of prions: efficient at elevated temperature or high acid concentration
Thomas R. Appel, Ralf Lucassen, Martin H. Groschup, Marion Joncic, Michael Beekes and Detlev Riesner
Scrapie prion rods isolated from hamster and non-infectious aggregates of the corresponding recombinant protein rPrP(90–231) were incubated with hydrochloric acid. The amount of PrP and of infectivity that survived incubation in HCl at varying times, acid concentrations and temperatures was quantified by Western blot densitometry and bioassays, respectively. Prion rods and rPrP aggregates showed similar HCl hydrolysis kinetics of PrP, indicating structural homology. For 1 M HCl and 25 °C, the rate of PrP hydrolysis follows first-order kinetics at 0·014 h−1; the rate of infectivity inactivation is 0·54 h−1. Hydrolysis for 1 h at 25 °C was only slightly proportional to HCl concentration up to 5 M, but complete loss of infectivity and PrP reduction to <2 % was observed at 8 M HCl. The temperature dependence of unhydrolysed PrP, as well as infectivity at 1 M HCl for 1 h, showed a slight decrease up to 45 °C, but a sigmoidal decrease by several orders of magnitude at higher temperatures. The slow hydrolysis of PrP and inactivation of infectivity by acid treatment at room temperature are attributed to solvent inaccessibility of prion rods and rPrP aggregates, respectively. The more effective hydrolysis and inactivation at temperatures above 45 °C are interpreted as thermally induced disaggregation with an activation energy of 50–60 kJ mol−1. Most importantly, infectivity was always inactivated faster or to a higher extent than PrP was hydrolysed at several incubation times, HCl concentrations and temperatures.
Identification of an allelic variant of the goat PrP gene associated with resistance to scrapie
Gabriele Vaccari, Michele A. Di Bari, Luisella Morelli, Romolo Nonno, Barbara Chiappini, Giovanni Antonucci, Stefano Marcon, Elena Esposito, Paola Fazzi, Nadia Palazzini, Pasquale Troiano, Antonio Petrella, Giovanni Di Guardo and Umberto Agrimi
The association between PrP gene variations and scrapie susceptibility was studied in a single herd of Ionica breed goats. The entire herd comprised 100 animals, 11 of which were clinically affected and showed pathological prion protein (PrPSc) deposition in both their central nervous system (CNS) and lymphoreticular system (LRS). Among asymptomatic goats, nine harboured PrPSc in both CNS and LRS, 19 showed PrPSc only at the LRS level and 61 animals had no PrPSc deposition. Genetic analysis of the PrP gene coding sequence revealed the presence of several polymorphisms, namely G37V, T110P, H143R, R154H, Q222K and P240S. Silent polymorphisms were also found at codons 42, 138, 219 and 232. The effect of PrP polymorphism on scrapie susceptibility was assessed by comparing the genotype distribution at each locus among animals with different pathogenetic and clinical disease stages. Significant differences in the distribution of genotypes were observed for codons 154 and 222, with polymorphism at codon 154 modulating susceptibility to scrapie and lysine at codon 222 being associated with scrapie resistance. The allelic variant encoding lysine at position 222 could be a valuable candidate to select in the framework of appropriate breeding programmes for scrapie resistance in goats.
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Volume 101 (2020)
content/journal/jgv
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Characteristics of a Human Cell Line Transformed by DNA from Human Adenovirus Type 5
F. L. Graham, J. Smiley, W. C. Russell and R. Nairn
Updated classification of norovirus genogroups and genotypes
Preeti Chhabra, Miranda de Graaf, Gabriel I. Parra, Martin Chi-Wai Chan, Kim Green, Vito Martella, Qiuhong Wang, Peter A. White, Kazuhiko Katayama, Harry Vennema, Marion P. G. Koopmans and Jan Vinjé
Characteristics of the Microplate Method of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for the Detection of Plant Viruses
M. F. Clark and A. N. Adams
The dynamics of humoral immune responses following SARS-CoV-2 infection and the potential for reinfection
Paul Kellam and Wendy Barclay
The Complete DNA Sequence of the Long Unique Region in the Genome of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1
D. J. McGeoch, M. A. Dalrymple, A. J. Davison, A. Dolan, M. C. Frame, D. McNab, L. J. Perry, J. E. Scott and P. Taylor
Delayed induction of proinflammatory cytokines and suppression of innate antiviral response by the novel Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus: implications for pathogenesis and treatment
Susanna K. P. Lau, Candy C. Y. Lau, Kwok-Hung Chan, Clara P. Y. Li, Honglin Chen, Dong-Yan Jin, Jasper F. W. Chan, Patrick C. Y. Woo and Kwok-Yung Yuen
Mechanisms and enzymes involved in SARS coronavirus genome expression
Volker Thiel, Konstantin A. Ivanov, Ákos Putics, Tobias Hertzig, Barbara Schelle, Sonja Bayer, Benedikt Weißbrich, Eric J. Snijder, Holger Rabenau, Hans Wilhelm Doerr, Alexander E. Gorbalenya and John Ziebuhr
Interferons and viruses: an interplay between induction, signalling, antiviral responses and virus countermeasures
Richard E. Randall and Stephen Goodbourn
The use of general primers GP5 and GP6 elongated at their 3′ ends with adjacent highly conserved sequences improves human papillomavirus detection by PCR
Ana-Maria de Roda Husman, Jan M. M. Walboomers, Adriaan J. C. van den Brule, Chris J. L. M. Meijer and Peter J. F. Snijders
ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Geminiviridae
F. Murilo Zerbini, Rob W Briddon, Ali Idris, Darren P Martin, Enrique Moriones, Jesús Navas-Castillo, Rafael Rivera-Bustamante, Philippe Roumagnac, Arvind Varsani and ICTV Report Consortium
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http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journal/jgv/87/5
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Perfect Circle shines in Kyalami 9-hour race
While international racing suffered under the raging Covid-19 pandemic, with many cancellations as a result, it was a small miracle SRO managed to keep the Kyalami 9-hours on the IGTC calendar. It was the perfect opportunity for the South African team Perfect Circle Racing to grab the opportunity to shine in an international field. Local drivers Saul Hack and André Bezuidenhout joined forces with Porsche factory driver Dylan Pereira to put their mark on the South African endurance race.
Saul, congratulations on the performance in Kyalami. Having a race of this level amidst the calamity of a global pandemic is a feat in itself. What did this race mean to you?
This race was a huge deal for me and the team. I haven’t raced internationally all year long and this was the first opportunity to take it up with an international field of competitors. When the local lockdown lifted André and I had been racing our Polo in the local cup a lot, but I hadn’t been in the 991.2 GT3 since Kyalami last year. With the Covid figures surging again in our country, even though the grid was only 12 cars, it was a miracle the race even started.
You team took the honours in Pro-Am. Talk me a little through the race weekend.
It was a great weekend, and it was great to be back. There was a true sense of elation and it was amazing to be back in the car. For André, this was his first time in the car, but he was up to pace in no time. It was great to have Dylan in the car with us. He helped us keep up the pace with the pros out there. We pretty much had a flawless race and we’re happy with where we ended up. When the radio message came through saying I was on pace with the factory Porsche, that was a great moment.
Your car was entered by the Lechner Racing team. The race must’ve been overshadowed by the passing of Walter Lechner? I take it he meant more to you that just being a team owner.
Yes, Walter was so much more to me than that. I remember running errands the week before the race and got a text informing me of his passing and I can remember being overcome with sadness. He did so much for me personally and turned Lechner into a family in which you either fitted in perfectly or you didn’t. It really was unique in motorsport. You can talk to any race driver who raced with Lechner and they all have their own “Walter story”. This entire race was definitely dedicated to him.
How has your racing season been in 2020 and given the situation are you already making plans for next season?
It’s been a rough season like with most of us. When the lockdown lifted, we continued racing in our Polo Cup car with great success. The week before the Kyalami 9-hours we had raced there in an endurance race as well, and we managed to climb our way up to third overall until mechanical woes robbed us from a podium. Our plans for next year are really hanging in the balance because of the Covid-19 situation. We’ll definitely move forward with the Polo Cup and with our mission to grow motorsports in South Africa. There’s been a lot going on behind the scenes and how this will pan out relies completely on the local and global sanitary situation.
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Oregon Approves Lamprey Creek!
Members of OGNB listening to proposal regarding naming “Lamprey Creek” in Marys River watershed.
Advocating to name unnamed Oak Creek tributary as Lamprey Creek
The proposed name “Lamprey Creek” moves on to USGS.
At its Saturday, June 27th meeting in Newport, Oregon, the Oregon Geographic Names Board unanimously approved the name “Lamprey Creek” for the unnamed Oak Creek tributary that originates in the Skyline West Neighborhood. Board members were very complimentary about the nomination packet advanced by Marys River Watershed Council and community volunteers (Dave Eckert, Jeremy Monroe, and Gabe Sheoships). The proposal now advances to the US Geological Survey for final approval.
Once the naming is finalized, we will work with City of Corvallis staff and other supporters of the creek naming to host a celebration. We will keep you posted!
Another Chapter in the Mystery of the Mill Race
Contributed by Phil Sollins and Regina Southworth
As we dig into the Corvallis Mill Race, we continue to find surprises.
We knew that some time between 1967 and 1969, the historic Mill Race was closed off beyond Crystal Lake Drive and diverted to a newly-created channel passing north across Evanite and City land. The new outlet emptied into the Marys River just upstream of the confluence with the Willamette River. The new channel was much too small to allow full drainage of South Corvallis storm water. A 20” culvert placed under the Southern Pacific Railroad spur and the existing culvert under what was then called Chapman Place toward the western end of the Evanite property were both significant bottlenecks. The geometry of the new ditch, specifically the 90 degree turn where the new channel connected to the old, also created fundamental flow issues.
Extensive review of both City and County records had failed to yield any records of local government involvement in the planning of this channel realignment. Just last week, a search of on-line City archives finally told the story.
City Council minutes for June 19, 1967, state that Evanite personnel met with the City Manager and unspecified staff members to discuss how the Mill Race could be modified to better serve as a drainage conduit for the South Corvallis area. Evanite’s interest was presumably prompted by its desire to fill in the Mill Race at its eastern end, to improve access to and around the hardboard plant. Evanite had stopped using Mill Race water by 1958.
Council minutes for October 2nd state that Mill Race modifications had been made, and included “trespass … across City lands at the mouth of the Mary’s River.” The clear implication is that this was done without City approval or even further consultation. Note also that the minutes refer to use of an existing culvert under Chapman Lane (known at the time as Crystal Lake Drive).
The minutes for October 16, 1967, refer to a Public Works Department report of October 12th that stated that the realignment was indeed done without “consultation or approval of the City of Corvallis.” We have not yet located a copy of the October 12th report. It appears that no action was ever taken by the City against Evanite, despite clear evidence that the realignment greatly impeded drainage of flood waters from South Corvallis. Corvallis finally rebuilt all the affected parts of the Mill Race, at city expense, but the last stage of the work was not completed until 1997, presumably in response to the disastrous flood of 1996.
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Surpassing Evolution: Transformative Approaches to Enhance the Efficiency of Photosynthesis
A joint Ideas Lab activity between NSF and BBSRC
Program Solicitation
NSF 10-559
Directorate for Biological Sciences
Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences
Division of Integrative Organismal Systems
Emerging Frontiers
Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (optional):
For participation in the Ideas Lab workshop to be held September 13-17, 2010 at the Asilomar Conference Center, CA. Selected participants will be notified by July 16, 2010. Required for consideration of participation in the Ideas Lab.
Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):
All full proposals, whether or not developed through the Ideas Lab, must be received by the deadline. Proposers do not need to have participated in the Ideas Lab to submit a full proposal.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND REVISION NOTES
Please be advised that the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) includes revised guidelines to implement the mentoring provisions of the America COMPETES Act (ACA) (Pub. L. No. 110-69, Aug. 9, 2007.) As specified in the ACA, each proposal that requests funding to support postdoctoral researchers must include a description of the mentoring activities that will be provided for such individuals. Proposals that do not comply with this requirement will be returned without review (see the PAPP Guide Part I: Grant Proposal Guide Chapter II for further information about the implementation of this new requirement).
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Program Title:
Synopsis of Program:
Photosynthesis is the basis of energy capture from the sun in plants and algae and has the potential to be harnessed for major increases in biomass yield - whether that is for bioenergy, production of renewable chemicals or boosting crop yields for food. Increasing the efficiency of photosynthesis is likely to provide solutions for the food, energy, and environmental challenges of the future. While numerous efforts to increase photosynthetic efficiency have been made, few gains have been realized. Nevertheless, an increasingly detailed picture of photosynthetic mechanisms has been obtained. The emergence of new integrative bioscience including areas such as functional genomics, metabolic flux analysis, and synthetic biology bring novel strategies that can position scientists to surpass those limits. This solicitation encourages proposals that have the potential to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of photosynthesis beyond current limits.
The key objective of this joint activity between the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the US and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) in the UK is to stimulate innovative and transformative research proposals for the enhancement of photosynthetic efficiency. The proposals funded through this activity will include ideas that could lead to a sea-change in our knowledge, rather than incremental advances. The proposals will be generated in an Ideas Lab by multidisciplinary teams, which in addition to scientists from a traditional biology background may include researchers with expertise in physics, engineering, mathematical modeling, computer science, chemistry or any other discipline which may help to shed light on the topic. Members of the photosynthesis research community and specialists in other areas including but not limited to bioenergetics, metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, modeling, and systems biology are strongly encouraged to participate.
The aspiration is that mixing researchers from diverse backgrounds will engender fresh thinking and approaches that can be brought to bear on the long-standing problem of increasing efficiency of photosynthesis. In addition, by bringing together the best researchers from the US and the UK, the intention is to form strong transatlantic alliances, where the resulting synergies from the expertise of each partner, allows for significant added value.
US and UK researchers can submit preliminary proposals via FastLane for participating in the Ideas Lab in which a set of multidisciplinary ideas will be developed. These will be submitted as full proposals. Alternatively, US researchers who cannot or do not desire to participate in the Ideas Lab can submit full proposals directly in response to this solicitation. Collaboration among researchers from USA and UK is strongly encouraged in the full proposals. International research collaborations between the researchers from USA and from UK are strongly encouraged in the full proposals.
Cognizant Program Officer(s):
Mark Brodl, telephone: (703) 292-7879, email: photosynthesis@nsf.gov.
Robert Burnap, telephone: (703) 292-7582, email: photosynthesis@nsf.gov.
Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):
47.074 --- Biological Sciences
Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant or Continuing Grant
Estimated Number of Awards: 5 to 10 Up to 10 awards will be made in FY2011, pending availability of funds and the type, scale, and variety of project ideas developed at the Ideas Lab or submitted directly to NSF.
Anticipated Funding Amount: $6,000,000 Up to $4,000,000 will be available for US researchers in FY2011 for successful proposals through the Ideas Lab, pending availability of funds and compelling proposals. Equivalent funds will be available from BBSRC for UK researchers. Up to $2,000,000 in additional funds will be available in FY2011 for proposals in this competition not developed through the Ideas Lab.
Organization Limit:
PI Limit:
Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:
Limit on Number of Proposals per PI: 1
The limit on number of proposals per PI applies to the preliminary proposal stage only.
Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions
A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
Letters of Intent: Not Applicable
Preliminary Proposals: Submission of Preliminary Proposals is optional. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.
Full Proposals:
Full Proposals submitted via FastLane: NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, Part I: Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) Guidelines apply. The complete text of the GPG is available electronically on the NSF website at:
https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg.
Full Proposals submitted via Grants.gov: NSF Grants.gov Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.gov Guidelines apply (Note: The NSF Grants.gov Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov website and on the NSF website at:
https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=grantsgovguide)
B. Budgetary Information
Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost Sharing is not required under this solicitation.
Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Not Applicable
Other Budgetary Limitations: Not Applicable
C. Due Dates
Proposal Review Information Criteria
Merit Review Criteria: National Science Board approved criteria. Additional merit review considerations apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.
Award Administration Information
Award Conditions: Standard NSF award conditions apply.
Reporting Requirements: Standard NSF reporting requirements apply.
Proposal Preparation Instructions
Budgetary Information
FastLane/Grants.gov Requirements
NSF Proposal Processing and Review Procedures
NSF Merit Review Criteria
Notification of the Award
Photosynthesis is the process by which solar energy is converted into useful chemical energy. In natural photosynthesis, light energy is harnessed to fix carbon in plants, algae and bacteria and oxygen is released as a byproduct. Thus, photosynthesis is responsible for the primary productivity of the biosphere and has made this planet hospitable for the heterotrophic forms of life. It is the mechanism that allows plants to grow and to produce food and chemical feedstocks that can serve as an alternative to petrochemicals. Basic research into photosynthesis has confirmed that substantial improvements are theoretically possible given the fundamental inefficiency of photosynthesis in many major crops (most cereals, legumes and vegetables) where the photosynthetic efficiency is up to 6%. The efficiency varies according to many factors, including the wavelength of the light being captured, light intensity, temperature and the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. Improving the efficiency of natural photosynthesis offers the prospect of novel technologies to enhance plant and algal yields for food production and biomass as a source of biofuels and chemicals. Besides natural photosynthesis, engineered forms of photosynthesis have been envisioned to by-pass the often-limiting natural carbon fixation reactions and to re-direct photosynthetic reductant to other products such as hydrogen or simple hydrocarbons. The current state of our knowledge leaves many questions unanswered and proposals in this activity will address these questions through novel multidisciplinary approaches. Some examples of such unanswered questions include:
How can we enhance the efficiency and sustainability of photosynthesis beyond current biological limits that are the result of Darwinian evolution?
How can we best leverage the current detailed state of photosynthetic knowledge into new systems-oriented approaches to understanding and manipulating photosynthetic processes in organisms?
What basic research areas and strategies need to be developed to harness photosynthetic organisms to meet increasing demands for food given the present demographic and climate trends?
Increasing photosynthetic efficiency will help in securing a sustainable food supply for a growing population. Current estimates indicate that food supplies need to increase by 50% before 2030 and by 100% before 2050. There is, thus, an urgent need to identify and exploit novel scientific approaches to increase the productivity of the major crops to secure sustainable global food supplies. A number of factors are leading to an increased pressure on current food production. These include: the continued growth in the world population resulting in increased demands for food (by 2050, the world population is projected to grow to over 9 billion), the increase in affluence and urbanization, the decrease in existing land productivity through the impacts of climate change, the shortage of fresh water and increased cost of fertilizers, the competition for land between agriculture and other uses, including the need for alternative sustainable fuels such as biofuels. In brief, to provide sustainable food supplies, it is necessary to produce more food from less land using fewer inputs such as water and fertilizers and, at the same time, reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Much can be done to increase crop yields by incremental improvements in agronomy and breeding, but if we are to meet the significant dual challenges of bioenergy and global food security in the years ahead, then a step-change in productivity is required. Enhancing photosynthetic efficiency offers such an approach.
II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
There are fundamental bioenergetic and metabolic limitations in increasing the efficiency of photosynthesis. This solicitation is aimed at innovative ways of answering basic questions on these limitations, as well as considering new bioengineering possibilities that may be developed for photosynthetic systems. Could new approaches be developed that potentiate increases in the efficiency and sustainability of photosynthesis beyond current limits? How well can the efficiencies be predicted or manipulated and what are the controlling variables? This solicitation is not aimed at specific applied approaches (e.g. methods for increased biomass production from a particular species) to address these critical downstream needs. Instead, it is aimed at the identification of opportunities to advance state-of-the-art of photosynthesis research in ways that provide new conceptual foundations for both achieving a step-increase in photosynthetic efficiency and subsequent application. The photosynthesis research community and specialists in other areas including, but not limited to bioenergetics, metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, modeling, and systems biology, as well as those from diverse disciplines such as physics, engineering, mathematics, and modelers inter alia are strongly encouraged to apply. Please note that this solicitation invites research proposals through two mechanisms. First, individual researchers from any discipline can submit a preliminary proposal for participation in the Ideas Lab (see below), which will include researchers from UK as well as USA. Second, an individual or a group of researchers from the US can submit a regular research proposal addressing the goals of this solicitation at the full proposal deadline; collaborations with UK scientists are encouraged in these proposals as well.
An Ideas Lab for Innovation
The goal of this BBSRC-NSF Ideas Lab is to develop new approaches to advance the goal of increasing photosynthetic yield, through approaches that leverage new and emerging research and technology. To address this goal, BBSRC and NSF will hold an interactive workshop (Ideas Lab) to be held at Asilomar Conference Center in California (USA) from 13 to 17 September 2010.
Given the current state of knowledge in this area, transformative progress demands an innovative and multidisciplinary approach. Consequently, the Ideas Lab will bring together researchers from across all disciplines to explore new and exciting avenues of research in this area and to stimulate thinking in promising new or currently under-developed areas of photosynthesis. The BBSRC and the NSF plan to allocate up to $4M each, subject to availability of funds and compelling proposals to support genuinely novel and potentially transformative research arising from the Ideas Lab.
Participants will be expected to engage constructively in dialogue with each other, the facilitators, and the Director and Mentors to develop collaborative research proposals. Collaboration will be encouraged, especially in bringing great minds together from both sides of the Atlantic to embrace this challenge.
Ideas Labs feature an intensive interactive workshop involving up to 30 participants brought together with the aim of developing new and bold approaches to address grand challenges in areas that could benefit from a new dimension in thinking. The activity is led by a group of international experts (known as Mentors). These individuals forfeit access to funds allocated to the projects that emerge from the Ideas Lab and therefore act as impartial referees in the process. One of the Mentors serves as the Director of the Ideas Lab and coordinates the discussions and decisions by the Mentors. While the Mentors focus on scientific content, Ideas Lab Facilitators are professionals who focus on the Ideas Lab process. They design sessions and activities to create conditions for the formation, refinement and advancement of innovative ideas. The Ideas Lab Participants are selected to ensure that they from a range of disciplines and backgrounds to foster multidisciplinary approaches, and have a mix of personal attributes that may increase the transformative nature of the outcomes, such as a willingness to take risks, good communication skills, and creativity.
The Ideas Lab requires participants to leave preconceptions behind. The process can be broken down into several stages:
Defining the scope of the challenges
Evolving common languages and terminologies amongst people from a diverse range of backgrounds and disciplines
Sharing understandings of the challenges, and the expertise brought by the participants to the Ideas Lab
Taking part in break-out sessions focused on the challenges, using creative thinking techniques
Capturing the outputs in the form of highly innovative research projects
Using "real-time" peer review to develop projects at the Ideas Lab
This process is iterative, with several rounds of development and refinement. Facilitators monitor the process as it unfolds, adapting schedules and activities to keep the group focused and moving forward. The Ideas Lab will be an intensive event. For the well-being of participants, the venue offers opportunities for relaxation, and the timetable will include networking and other activities as a break from the detailed technical discussions.
Outcomes of the Ideas Lab are outlines of research projects that vary in scale and scope and that complement each other in addressing the grand challenge topic of the Ideas Lab. A special feature of the Ideas Lab process is that funding is set aside at the outset (pending the availability of funds) to support some or all of the research projects that emerge from the Ideas Lab process, depending on research quality and novelty. The aim of this BBSRC-NSF Ideas Lab is to provide a meeting point for a wide range of scientists from a variety of disciplines to consider photosynthesis in its broadest sense and propose innovative, exciting, and tractable approaches for realizing increased photosynthetic yield. Anyone eligible to apply for funding from the NSF or BBSRC is eligible to submit an application to participate in the Ideas Lab.
Applications for this activity
In brief, individuals interested in participating in the Ideas Lab should respond to this solicitation by submitting applications to participate in the workshop as preliminary proposals. Submission of the preliminary proposal will be considered an indication of availability to attend and participate through the full course of the five-day residential workshop, which will be held at Asilomar on September 13-17, 2010. Participants will be selected on the basis of the interests, expertise, and other characteristics described in their submitted preliminary proposals. All participants should be willing to engage in frank disclosure and assessment of ideas in a collegial and professional fashion. The Director and Mentors will recommend a list of potential participants and NSF and BBSRC Program Staff will select the final list of participants from the submitted preliminary proposals.
Following the Ideas Lab, participants will submit full proposals to NSF and BBSRC by the November 1, 2010 deadline; these full proposals will reflect the outline developed at the workshop.
US proposers who did not participate in the Ideas Lab (whether or not a preliminary proposal was submitted) can submit full proposals to NSF by the November 1, 2010 deadline for consideration in this program. These proposers are also encouraged to collaborate with UK researchers in their projects, if appropriate for the scope of the project. Participation in the Ideas Lab is not required for submission of a proposal to this program. Further details of the proposal preparation and submission process are described in Section IV of this document.
III. AWARD INFORMATION
Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration are subject to the availability of funds.
IV. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
V. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Preliminary Proposals(optional):
Submission of Preliminary Proposals is required for participation in the Ideas Lab. Please note, the Preliminary Proposal must come from one individual and cannot include coPIs or collaborators. Participants in the Idea Lab will be selected on the basis of information submitted in the preliminary proposal. The applications are limited to two pages of "Project Description," that should be submitted as a preliminary proposal in the NSF FastLane system ONLY, not through Grants.gov. Standard NSF formatting guidelines will apply. See the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) for guidance.
The Project Description section of the preliminary proposal applications should conform to the following guidelines:
Page one:
Provide a brief summary of your professional background (no more than one half page).
What expertise do you bring that is relevant to realizing the full potential of photosynthesis? (no more than one-half page).
Page two:
Please spend some time considering your answers to the following questions. Your responses (no more than 150 words each) should demonstrate that you have suitable skills and aptitude to participate in the Ideas Lab (unrelated to your research track record).
What is your personal experience with working in teams?
How would you describe your ability to explain your research to non-experts?
The Ideas Lab environment is especially suited to individuals who are willing to step outside their particular area of interest or expertise, who are positively driven, who enjoy creative activity, who can think innovatively and who can settle in easily in the company of strangers. Please describe an experience you have had in a comparable environment.
What would you personally and professionally gain from participating in this Ideas Lab?
Applicants must include a Biographical Sketch and a Current and Pending Support document (prepared in accordance with standard NSF formatting guidelines). All other elements of a "full proposal" are waived (Project Summary, References Cited, Budget, Budget Justification, Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources).
No appendices or supplementary documents may be submitted.
Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: Proposers may opt to submit proposals in response to this Program Solicitation via Grants.gov or via the NSF FastLane system.
Full proposals submitted via FastLane: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines contained in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG). The complete text of the GPG is available electronically on the NSF website at:
https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg. Paper copies of the GPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf.gov. Proposers are reminded to identify this program solicitation number in the program solicitation block on the NSF Cover Sheet For Proposal to the National Science Foundation. Compliance with this requirement is critical to determining the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to submit this information may delay processing.
Full proposals submitted via Grants.gov: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation via Grants.gov should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.gov. The complete text of the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov website and on the NSF website at:
(https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=grantsgovguide). To obtain copies of the Application Guide and Application Forms Package, click on the Apply tab on the Grants.gov site, then click on the Apply Step 1: Download a Grant Application Package and Application Instructions link and enter the funding opportunity number, (the program solicitation number without the NSF prefix) and press the Download Package button. Paper copies of the Grants.gov Application Guide also may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf.gov.
In determining which method to utilize in the electronic preparation and submission of the proposal, please note the following:
Collaborative Proposals. All collaborative proposals submitted as separate submissions from multiple organizations must be submitted via the NSF FastLane system. Chapter II, Section D.4 of the Grant Proposal Guide provides additional information on collaborative proposals.
The full proposals should include a single copy document that contains a list of all persons with conflicts of interest with the investigators involved in the project. In case of the proposals with international collaboration, the UK collaborators should be added as senior personnel and their biographical sketches must be included. In addition, the budget of the UK component of the project requested from BBSRC should be included as a supplementary document. The budget should include funds for attendance at a PI meeting that will be held in UK in the second year of the project.
Cost Sharing: Cost sharing is not required under this solicitation.
There are two paths towards final submission of proposals to this activity - through the Ideas Lab or through direct submission of a full proposal. Applicants who do not wish to participate in the Ideas Lab should submit full proposals by the November 1 deadline. Participation in the Ideas Lab is not required to submit a full proposal.
D. FastLane/Grants.gov Requirements
For Proposals Submitted Via FastLane:
Detailed technical instructions regarding the technical aspects of preparation and submission via FastLane are available at: https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm. For FastLane user support, call the FastLane Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188 or e-mail fastlane@nsf.gov. The FastLane Help Desk answers general technical questions related to the use of the FastLane system. Specific questions related to this program solicitation should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this funding opportunity.
Submission of Electronically Signed Cover Sheets. The Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must electronically sign the proposal Cover Sheet to submit the required proposal certifications (see Chapter II, Section C of the Grant Proposal Guide for a listing of the certifications). The AOR must provide the required electronic certifications within five working days following the electronic submission of the proposal. Further instructions regarding this process are available on the FastLane Website at: https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/fastlane.jsp.
For Proposals Submitted Via Grants.gov:
Before using Grants.gov for the first time, each organization must register to create an institutional profile. Once registered, the applicant's organization can then apply for any federal grant on the Grants.gov website. The Grants.gov's Grant Community User Guide is a comprehensive reference document that provides technical information about Grants.gov. Proposers can download the User Guide as a Microsoft Word document or as a PDF document. The Grants.gov User Guide is available at: http://www.grants.gov/CustomerSupport. In addition, the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide provides additional technical guidance regarding preparation of proposals via Grants.gov. For Grants.gov user support, contact the Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 or by email: support@grants.gov. The Grants.gov Contact Center answers general technical questions related to the use of Grants.gov. Specific questions related to this program solicitation should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this solicitation.
Submitting the Proposal: Once all documents have been completed, the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must submit the application to Grants.gov and verify the desired funding opportunity and agency to which the application is submitted. The AOR must then sign and submit the application to Grants.gov. The completed application will be transferred to the NSF FastLane system for further processing.
VI. NSF PROPOSAL PROCESSING AND REVIEW PROCEDURES
Proposals received by NSF are assigned to the appropriate NSF program where they will be reviewed if they meet NSF proposal preparation requirements. All proposals are carefully reviewed by a scientist, engineer, or educator serving as an NSF Program Officer, and usually by three to ten other persons outside NSF who are experts in the particular fields represented by the proposal. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with the oversight of the review process. Proposers are invited to suggest names of persons they believe are especially well qualified to review the proposal and/or persons they would prefer not review the proposal. These suggestions may serve as one source in the reviewer selection process at the Program Officer's discretion. Submission of such names, however, is optional. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts of interest with the proposal.
A. NSF Merit Review Criteria
All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two National Science Board (NSB)-approved merit review criteria: intellectual merit and the broader impacts of the proposed effort. In some instances, however, NSF will employ additional criteria as required to highlight the specific objectives of certain programs and activities.
The two NSB-approved merit review criteria are listed below. The criteria include considerations that help define them. These considerations are suggestions and not all will apply to any given proposal. While proposers must address both merit review criteria, reviewers will be asked to address only those considerations that are relevant to the proposal being considered and for which the reviewer is qualified to make judgements.
What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?
How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields? How well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the project? (If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality of the prior work.) To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts? How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to resources?
What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning? How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)? To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships? Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding? What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society?
Examples illustrating activities likely to demonstrate broader impacts are available electronically on the NSF website at: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/gpg/broaderimpacts.pdf.
Mentoring activities provided to postdoctoral researchers supported on the project, as described in a one-page supplementary document, will be evaluated under the Broader Impacts criterion.
NSF staff also will give careful consideration to the following in making funding decisions:
Integration of Research and Education
One of the principal strategies in support of NSF's goals is to foster integration of research and education through the programs, projects, and activities it supports at academic and research institutions. These institutions provide abundant opportunities where individuals may concurrently assume responsibilities as researchers, educators, and students and where all can engage in joint efforts that infuse education with the excitement of discovery and enrich research through the diversity of learning perspectives.
Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and Activities
Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all citizens -- women and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities -- is essential to the health and vitality of science and engineering. NSF is committed to this principle of diversity and deems it central to the programs, projects, and activities it considers and supports.
Additional Review Criteria:
This activity, particularly the Ideas Lab approach, is designed to support the development and implementation of creative and innovative project ideas that have the potential to transform research paradigms and/or solve intractable problems. We anticipate that awards made through this solicitation will be high-risk/high-impact, as they represent new and unproven ideas, approaches and/or technologies. Projects that involve the application of novel, collaborative, or interdisciplinary approaches will therefore receive priority during the consideration process. In addition, if the full proposals are derived from the Ideas Lab, the full proposals will be evaluated to determine if the scientific themes/objectives in the project are congruent with the ideas presented at the Ideas Lab, and if any significant changes in project scope or resources from those presented at the Ideas Lab have been justified.
B. Review and Selection Process
Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation will be reviewed by Ad hoc Review and/or Panel Review, or Ideas Lab.
Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation will be reviewed by Ideas Lab, ad hoc and panel review according to the following process:
Stage 1: A panel consisting of the Ideas Lab Director, Mentors and an occupational psychologist will review the preliminary proposals submitted by applicants and will advise NSF on participant selection. Final selection decisions regarding participation in the Ideas Lab will be made by the BBSRC and the NSF.
Overall, the Selection Panel will seek to ensure that a balance of expertise is present at the Ideas Lab; their assessment will be based on the specific criteria outlined below:
The ability to develop new and highly original research ideas;
The potential to contribute to research between disciplines;
The ability to work in a team across academia and industry;
The ability to explain research to non-experts.
Submission of the preliminary proposal will be considered an indication of commitment to attend and participate through the full course of the five-day residential Ideas Lab September 13-17, 2010, should the proposer be invited. The decisions of the funding agencies about whom to invite will be final and binding.
Stage 2: Applicants selected by the NSF and BBSRC Program Officers will participate in the Ideas Lab workshop, building collaborations and refining ideas. It is anticipated that proposals developed through the Ideas Lab would feature the following:
Novel highly multidisciplinary research projects, clearly reflecting the distinctive opportunity for creating such projects that the Ideas Lab provides.
Clear evidence that the team has the capability to deliver its project as a high quality multidisciplinary activity.
Clear relevance to, and the potential to make a distinctive and novel contribution to, addressing the research challenge of enhancing photosynthesis.
Stage 3: Full proposals submitted directly to the program will be discussed by a panel. Proposals resulting from the Ideas Lab will be reviewed by the Mentors and funding recommendations will be made by NSF and BBSRC Program Officers. UK participants will submit proposals to BBSRC. Any collaborative project arising from the Ideas Lab and funded through this program must have a signed Collaboration Agreement between the partners that clarifies the contributions and rights of each partner before the start of any grant. The sponsors of the Program attach great importance to the dissemination of research findings and the publishing of information about the research they support in the public domain. However, all dissemination and publication must be carried out in the manner agreed in the project's Collaboration Agreement.
Stage 4: After scientific, technical and programmatic review and consideration of appropriate factors, the NSF Program Officers recommend to the cognizant Division Directors whether the proposal should be declined or recommended for award.
NSF is striving to be able to inform applicants whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months. The time interval begins on the submission deadline for the full proposal and ends when the Division Director accepts the Program Officer's recommendation.
A summary rating and accompanying narrative will be completed and submitted by each reviewer. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the reviewers, are sent to the Principal Investigator/Project Director by the Program Officer. In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of the decision to award or decline funding.
In all cases, after programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Division of Grants and Agreements for review of business, financial, and policy implications and the processing and issuance of a grant or other agreement. Proposers are cautioned that only a Grants and Agreements Officer may make commitments, obligations or awards on behalf of NSF or authorize the expenditure of funds. No commitment on the part of NSF should be inferred from technical or budgetary discussions with a NSF Program Officer. A Principal Investigator or organization that makes financial or personnel commitments in the absence of a grant or cooperative agreement signed by the NSF Grants and Agreements Officer does so at their own risk.
Reviewers will be asked to formulate a recommendation to either support or decline each proposal. The Program Officer assigned to manage the proposal's review will consider the advice of reviewers and will formulate a recommendation.
After scientific, technical and programmatic review and consideration of appropriate factors, the NSF Program Officer recommends to the cognizant Division Director whether the proposal should be declined or recommended for award. NSF is striving to be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months. The time interval begins on the deadline or target date, or receipt date, whichever is later. The interval ends when the Division Director accepts the Program Officer's recommendation.
VII. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION
A. Notification of the Award
Notification of the award is made to the submitting organization by a Grants Officer in the Division of Grants and Agreements. Organizations whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by the cognizant NSF Program administering the program. Verbatim copies of reviews, not including the identity of the reviewer, will be provided automatically to the Principal Investigator. (See Section VI.B. for additional information on the review process.)
B. Award Conditions
An NSF award consists of: (1) the award letter, which includes any special provisions applicable to the award and any numbered amendments thereto; (2) the budget, which indicates the amounts, by categories of expense, on which NSF has based its support (or otherwise communicates any specific approvals or disapprovals of proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced in the award letter; (4) the applicable award conditions, such as Grant General Conditions (GC-1); * or Research Terms and Conditions * and (5) any announcement or other NSF issuance that may be incorporated by reference in the award letter. Cooperative agreements also are administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement Financial and Administrative Terms and Conditions (CA-FATC) and the applicable Programmatic Terms and Conditions. NSF awards are electronically signed by an NSF Grants and Agreements Officer and transmitted electronically to the organization via e-mail.
*These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Website at
https://www.nsf.gov/awards/managing/award_conditions.jsp?org=NSF. Paper copies may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf.gov.
More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions and other important information on the administration of NSF awards is contained in the NSF Award & Administration Guide (AAG) Chapter II, available electronically on the NSF Website at
https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=aag.
C. Reporting Requirements
For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants), the Principal Investigator must submit an annual project report to the cognizant Program Officer at least 90 days before the end of the current budget period. (Some programs or awards require more frequent project reports). Within 90 days after expiration of a grant, the PI also is required to submit a final project report, and a project outcomes report for the general public.
Failure to provide the required annual or final project reports, or the project outcomes report will delay NSF review and processing of any future funding increments as well as any pending proposals for that PI. PIs should examine the formats of the required reports in advance to assure availability of required data.
PIs are required to use NSF's electronic project-reporting system, available through FastLane, for preparation and submission of annual and final project reports. Such reports provide information on activities and findings, project participants (individual and organizational) publications; and, other specific products and contributions. PIs will not be required to re-enter information previously provided, either with a proposal or in earlier updates using the electronic system. Submission of the report via FastLane constitutes certification by the PI that the contents of the report are accurate and complete. The project outcomes report must be prepared and submitted using Research.gov. This report serves as a brief summary, prepared specifically for the public, of the nature and outcomes of the project. This report will be posted on the NSF website exactly as it is submitted by the PI.
VIII. AGENCY CONTACTS
General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:
For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:
FastLane Help Desk, telephone: 1-800-673-6188; e-mail: fastlane@nsf.gov.
Alison Beason, telephone: (703) 292-8440, email: photosynthesis@nsf.gov.
For questions relating to Grants.gov contact:
Grants.gov Contact Center: If the Authorized Organizational Representatives (AOR) has not received a confirmation message from Grants.gov within 48 hours of submission of application, please contact via telephone: 1-800-518-4726; e-mail: support@grants.gov.
IX. OTHER INFORMATION
The NSF Website provides the most comprehensive source of information on NSF Directorates (including contact information), programs and funding opportunities. Use of this Website by potential proposers is strongly encouraged. In addition, National Science Foundation Update is a free e-mail subscription service designed to keep potential proposers and other interested parties apprised of new NSF funding opportunities and publications, important changes in proposal and award policies and procedures, and upcoming NSF Regional Grants Conferences. Subscribers are informed through e-mail when new publications are issued that match their identified interests. Users can subscribe to this service by clicking the "Get NSF Updates by Email" link on the NSF web site.
Grants.gov provides an additional electronic capability to search for Federal government-wide grant opportunities. NSF funding opportunities may be accessed via this new mechanism. Further information on Grants.gov may be obtained at http://www.grants.gov.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent Federal agency created by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended (42 USC 1861-75). The Act states the purpose of the NSF is "to promote the progress of science; [and] to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare by supporting research and education in all fields of science and engineering."
NSF funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering. It does this through grants and cooperative agreements to more than 2,000 colleges, universities, K-12 school systems, businesses, informal science organizations and other research organizations throughout the US. The Foundation accounts for about one-fourth of Federal support to academic institutions for basic research.
NSF receives approximately 40,000 proposals each year for research, education and training projects, of which approximately 11,000 are funded. In addition, the Foundation receives several thousand applications for graduate and postdoctoral fellowships. The agency operates no laboratories itself but does support National Research Centers, user facilities, certain oceanographic vessels and Antarctic research stations. The Foundation also supports cooperative research between universities and industry, US participation in international scientific and engineering efforts, and educational activities at every academic level.
Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities to work on NSF-supported projects. See Grant Proposal Guide Chapter II, Section D.2 for instructions regarding preparation of these types of proposals.
The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for the Deaf (TDD) and Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) capabilities that enable individuals with hearing impairments to communicate with the Foundation about NSF programs, employment or general information. TDD may be accessed at (703) 292-5090 and (800) 281-8749, FIRS at (800) 877-8339.
The National Science Foundation Information Center may be reached at (703) 292-5111.
The National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific progress in the United States by competitively awarding grants and cooperative agreements for research and education in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering.
To get the latest information about program deadlines, to download copies of NSF publications, and to access abstracts of awards, visit the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov
4201 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22230
For General Information
(NSF Information Center):
TDD (for the hearing-impaired):
To Order Publications or Forms:
Send an e-mail to:
nsfpubs@nsf.gov
To Locate NSF Employees:
PRIVACY ACT AND PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENTS
The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is solicited under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended. The information on proposal forms will be used in connection with the selection of qualified proposals; and project reports submitted by awardees will be used for program evaluation and reporting within the Executive Branch and to Congress. The information requested may be disclosed to qualified reviewers and staff assistants as part of the proposal review process; to proposer institutions/grantees to provide or obtain data regarding the proposal review process, award decisions, or the administration of awards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers and researchers and educators as necessary to complete assigned work; to other government agencies or other entities needing information regarding applicants or nominees as part of a joint application review process, or in order to coordinate programs or policy; and to another Federal agency, court, or party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the government is a party. Information about Principal Investigators may be added to the Reviewer file and used to select potential candidates to serve as peer reviewers or advisory committee members. See Systems of Records, NSF-50, "Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," 69 Federal Register 26410 (May 12, 2004), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated Records, " 69 Federal Register 26410 (May 12, 2004). Submission of the information is voluntary. Failure to provide full and complete information, however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an award.
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OMB control number for this collection is 3145-0058. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding the burden estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to:
Suzanne H. Plimpton
Reports Clearance Officer
Division of Administrative Services
Policies and Important Links
Privacy | FOIA | Help | Contact NSF | Contact Web Master | SiteMap
The National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22230, USA
Tel: (703) 292-5111, FIRS: (800) 877-8339 | TDD: (800) 281-8749
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My Lion King Forum
Board index ‹ The Kingdom ‹ The Lion King 2019
Because of the new director for the ... prequel? i'm going t
by Elton John » October 23rd, 2020, 12:53 pm
watch his filmography to get a taste of what he is like. Jon Favreau was more known for making blockbusters.... crowd pleaser type stuff. Barry Jenkins is a more experimental, artsy, indie director. The last time they got one of those for a Disney remake we got Petes Dragon which I feel is still the best of the Disney remakes.
I will be gradually be watching his filmography.
Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves back up again.
Till the end of the line!
Pride Points: 236
Re: Because of the new director for the ... prequel? i'm goi
by Elton John » October 26th, 2020, 6:12 pm
I did watch Moonlight.
Fascinating movie. Very subdued.... in the acting, color palette and music, though it felt like there was more to the music in the last 30 minutes and the color palette gradually got more and more colorful but in a realistic way. The characters all acted very naturally. A drama with little drama and what drama was there didn't feel overacted.
You could feel Chirons anger and frustration and sadness throughout the movie so when a pivotal scene happens after another pivotal scene it felt like..... he was definitely at a breaking point.
I am curious to see what Barry Jenkins can do with The Lion King. He is a verydifferent film maker from Jon Favreau I can tell.
by TheLionPrince » October 26th, 2020, 7:49 pm
I watched "If Beale Street Could Talk" last year, and it was one of the best films of 2019. It was romantic but a contemporary tale about young love and how the American justice system treats young black men. It had an atmosphere of despair, but it ended with a sense of optimism. That said, I have no idea what Barry Jenkins could bring to the table concerning the prequel.
TheLionPrince
Crown Prince of the Pridelands
Nickname(s): Chris, TLP
I'll need to watch that one.
Return to The Lion King 2019
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Best Your Best Chef-Self: The Complete How-To Guide Chevron Right
How To Start Your Day the Gilmore Way
The time has come to break out your comfiest sweatpants, get settled on the couch, and prepare yourself for the binge of the century. And we aren't talking about Thanksgiving. The Gilmore Girls revival is here and this recipe is a supreme ode to everything we love about our favorite mother-daughter duo. Because after all, the best things in life are covered in maple syrup and stuffed full of Pop-Tarts, right?
By Katherine Flynn and Katherine Flynn
The diet of the Gilmore Girls is revered by many. Consisting of the major food groups such as pancakes, burgers, fries, and Pop-Tarts, the diet of the Gilmores is something only "world champion eaters" can maintain according to Lorelai. However, here at the Time Inc. Food Studios, we wholeheartedly accepted the challenge when assigned to create a recipe that truly embodies the spirit of the Gilmores' relationship with food.
We debated between basically anything styled in Chinese take-out boxes, pizzas topped to the limits, homemade red vines, and even dessert sushi. Narrowing down all the food ever consumed by this mother-daughter duo over the course of seven seasons was not an easy task. But it suddenly hit us. Where do Lorelai and Rory spend the most time eating outside of their own Stars Hollow home? Luke's Diner. And what do they consume at Luke's besides gallons of coffee? Pancakes, of course. However, a simple buttermilk pancake recipe wasn't enough. With our breakfast theme in mind, we thought maybe something with doughnuts, waffles, or even bacon. But when we really dug through the archive of all Gilmore-esque food, a light bulb went on... Pop-Tarts.
The perfect union of breakfast foods: Pop-Tarts and pancakes. Like Lorelai, myself, and so many other self-declared food freaks, the task of choosing one thing on the menu is just too hard. So with the perfect pancake batter ready, crushed Pop-Tarts, and warmed maple syrup, the scene was set. We experimented with almost every flavor of Pop-Tarts until we discovered the pop of color and flavor that created the perfect stack. We even went so far to put a whole Pop-Tart down on the griddle and poured pancake batter over it, just to see what would happen. It truly was such a beautiful moment. It is not easy for a meal to be 100% Gilmore-approved, but we truly believe these pancakes would make Rory and Lorelai proud.
View Recipe: Gilmore Girls Pop-Tarts Pancakes
Credit: Daniel Agee; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen
To enjoy these Gilmore-style pancakes to the fullest while binge watching the episodes of season 8, be sure to have a massive cup of coffee at the ready and plenty of warm maple syrup to pour over every last bite.
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U.S. paychecks grow at record slow pace
Texas Attorney General releases statement on Biden's presidency
Business // National & International Business
Christopher S. Rugaber, Associated Press
July 31, 2015 Updated: July 31, 2015 7:01 p.m.
Fatima Godoy rolls out the dough as Gustavo Servellon applies the sprinkles as they make pastries in the bay window at Teds Bulletin, a Capitol Hill restaurant in Washington. The Labor Department reported that salaries and benefits for private sector workers were unchanged during the second quarter.Associated Press file photo
WASHINGTON — U.S. wages and benefits grew in the spring at the slowest pace in 33 years, stark evidence that stronger hiring isn’t lifting paychecks much for most Americans. The slowdown also likely reflects a sharp drop-off in bonus and incentive pay for some workers.
The employment cost index rose just 0.2 percent in the April-June quarter after a 0.7 increase in the first quarter, the Labor Department said Friday. The index tracks wages, salaries and benefits. Wages and salaries alone also rose 0.2 percent.
Both measures recorded the smallest quarterly gains since the second quarter of 1982.
Salaries and benefits for private sector workers were unchanged, the weakest showing since the government began tracking the data in 1980.
The disappointing figures come after the index had been pointing to a pickup in wage growth after nearly two years of steady hiring. The index rose just 2 percent in the second quarter compared with a year earlier. That is down from a 2.6 percent increase in the first quarter, which was the biggest in 6½ years.
The slowdown suggests that companies are still able to find the workers they need without boosting pay, a sign the job market is not yet back to full health. That could cause some Federal Reserve officials to push for a delay in any increase in the short-term interest rate they control.
“Despite a tighter labor market, and all of the stories about pay increases at various large firms, wage growth is not picking up meaningfully,” said Jennifer Lee, an economist at BMO Capital Markets. “This may not sit well with (Fed) policymakers.”
Employers have added nearly 3 million jobs in the past year, lowering the unemployment rate to 5.3 percent in June, down from 6.1 percent 12 months earlier. Most economists have expected those gains to force businesses to raise pay to attract and keep employees.
The Federal Reserve watches the employment cost index closely for signs that healthy hiring is pushing up wages. Strong increases could lead companies to raise prices for their goods to cover higher labor costs, boosting inflation. That would make the Fed more likely to raise the short-term interest rate it controls. Consumer prices have been tame in the past year, though in recent months they have moved higher.
In some occupations where bonuses are common, compensation fell sharply after spiking in the first quarter. Those include sales, professional services such as law and accounting, and management.
The employment cost index figures now match the sluggish pace of growth reported in the average hourly pay data that’s part of the monthly jobs report. Average hourly wages were up just 2 percent in June from a year earlier, the Labor Department said earlier this month.
Yet another measure of pay, compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, shows wages are accelerating. Hourly pay for a typical employee rose 3.2 percent in June from 12 months earlier, according to the Atlanta Fed. While that is double the annual pace of 1.6 percent in February 2010, it is still below the pre-recession levels of about 4 percent.
Christopher S. Rugaber
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Review: In Bruges
February 7, 2008 at 9:48 pm by Jan Hieggelke
by Jan Hieggelke
February 7, 2008 November 11, 2019 Filed under:
Award-winning playwright (and Oscar-winner for his short, “Six Shooter”) Martin McDonagh makes an amusing writing-directing feature début with “In Bruges,” which finds Irish hitmen Ken (Brendan Gleeson) and Ray (Colin Farrell) dispatched to historical Belgium—”Where the fook is Broozh?”—to cool their heels after a contract killing gone wrong. It’s the sort of cracked genre enterprise that’s always welcome, and with his characteristic verbal baroque, Sundance 2008’s opening-night film is stylish after a modest fashion, with attractive lighting by cinematographer Eigil Bryld (“The King,” “Wisconsin Death Trip,” “Becoming Jane”). McDonagh shines with actors, letting Gleeson and Farrell hold onto their own accents, and bringing out a sweetly damaged comic performance from Farrell, something like the hood he played in “Intermission” with just the right touch of Jerry Lewis’ inner pain. But his knack is words, dirty ones at that. He’s got a playwright’s love of the rhythmic potential of repetition and reiteration, particularly with a patois way past profane. Happening upon a film shoot, Ray exults, “They’re filming something, they’re filming midgets! My arse, let’s go, they’re filming midgets!” Later, meeting an actress from the film, Chloë (Clémence Poésy, playing girl-of-dreams as a serene tangle of genial twinkles), he’s given to gush, “I hope your midget doesn’t off himself, your dream sequence would be fucked.” (Farrell has a fine line in melting when late in the game she asks him, “Am I the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen in your stupid life?”) The film’s secret is that it’s a profane comedy about despair, which comes clear long before the third act appearing of Ralph Fiennes as their boss, playing a role like Ben Kingsley’s Don Logan in “Sexy Beast” with a pinch of Michael Caine. Oh, the look in his cold eyes when he demands across a table at an outdoor café, “You retract that about my cunt fucking kids!” Such a confabulation would have to climax in a literal side-street Boschian revel, which it does. Next time, perhaps McDonagh can toss aside the schematic screenwriting manuals and fuckin’ bloom. Carter Burwell’s emphatic score suggests certain unease about the film’s marketability. 107m. (Ray Pride)
Carter Burwell
Don Logan
Eigil Bryld
Wisconsin Death Trip
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New England Aviation History
from author and historian Jim Ignasher
Connecticut Aviation Accidents
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Quonset Point, R. I. – April 25, 1947
Quonset Point, Rhode Island – April 25, 1947
U. S. Navy Photo
On April 25, 1947, an F8F-1 Bearcat, (Bu. No. 94797), was taking off from the Quonset Point Naval Air Station. Just after becoming airborne and while still over the runway, the engine suddenly lost all power. The pilot made an emergency water landing in Narragansett Bay just off the end of the runway. The aircraft sank, but the pilot was able to escape and was rescued by a crash-rescue boat from Quonset.
The aircraft was assigned to VF-17 at Quonset Point.
Source: U. S. Navy accident report dated April 25, 1947
Filed Under: Rhode Island - Military Tagged With: F8F Bearcat Bu. No. 94797, Narragansett Bay History, Narragansett Bay Plane Crash, New England Navy History, Quonset Point History, Quonset Point NAS Accident, Quonset Point Naval Air Station Crash, Rhode Island Navy History, Rhode Island Navy Plane Crash, VF-17 History, VF-17A History
Otis Air Force Base – June 12, 1947
On June 12, 1947, an F8F-1 Bearcat, (Bu. No. 95125), left Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island bound for Otis AFB in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Upon landing at Otis, the right wing dropped and struck the runway causing the aircraft to flip onto its back and skid for approximately 500 feet before it came to rest. The aircraft was badly damaged, but the pilot was not seriously injured.
The aircraft was assigned to VF-17A at Quonset.
U. S. Navy accident report dated June 12, 1947
Filed Under: Massachusetts - Military Tagged With: F8F Bearcat Bu. No. 95125, Falmount Military Plane Crash, Falmouth Massachusetts History, Falmouth Massachusetts Plane Crash, Grumman Bearcat Crash, Otis Air Force Base Accident, Otis Air Force Base Crash, Otis Air Force Base History, VF-17A History
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Third teen charged with murder of Litchfield woman reaches plea deal
William Smith, who suggested and was 'the prime mover' in the murder, will enter a plea and be sentenced on Nov. 25, attorney Walter McKee confirmed Thursday.
Credit: Kennebec Journal/Joe Phelan
A Kennebec Country sheriff's deputy escorts William Smith, one of three teens charged in the April 2018 death of Kimberly Mironovas, out of the courtroom Wednesday at the Capital Judicial Center in Augusta during a break in a hearing to determine whether to charge Smith as an adult.
Author: Beth Brogan
AUGUSTA, Maine — The third of three teenagers charged with the April 2018 murder of 47-year-old Kimberly Mironovas in Litchfield has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors.
William Smith, now 17, will enter that plea and be sentenced Nov. 25 at the Capitol Judicial Center in Augusta, his attorney, Walter McKee, confirmed Thursday.
Smith, who prosecutors say initially suggested the three kill Kimberly Mironovas, was indicted on charges of intentional or knowing murder and criminal conspiracy to commit murder in August, after Maine District Court Judge Andrew B. Benson ruled in July that he would be tried as an adult.
In that ruling, Benson wrote that Smith was "the prime mover" in the murder plot and led the attempted cover-up.
Mironovas' son, Lukas Mironovas, now 16, also reached a plea agreement in September, according to court documents.
Lukas Mironovas waived his right to argue that he should be tried as a juvenile. Under terms of a plea agreement, Mironovas pleaded guilty on Sept. 25, 2019, to murder and conspiracy to commit murder in exchange for a sentence of 25 to 35 years, according to court documents.
The third teen, Thomas Severance of Ashton, Massachusetts, was 13 at the time of the murder. In April he pleaded guilty to one count of criminal conspiracy to commit murder and was committed to Long Creek Youth Development Center until he turns 21, according to court records.
According to a July 26, 2019, decision by Maine District Court Judge Andrew B. Benson, the morning before the April 22, 2018, murder, Kimberly Mironovas confronted the three teens about missing marijuana, and told Smith and Severance that she would not drive them back to Massachusetts.
After Lukas Mironovas complained about his mother to his friends, Smith suggested the three kill Kimberly Mironovas and take her car. Benson wrote that the teens talked about the plan for several hours and were "methodical during the planning and researched how best to accomplish their goal of killing Kim."
RELATED: Judge rules teen charged in death can be prosecuted as adult
RELATED: Teens chanted 'murder gang' while detained for killing
After dismissing several plans, they decided to strangle and then stab her, Benson wrote. Early the next morning, while Severance stayed downstairs with the family dog, Smith and Lukas Mironovas went upstairs to Kimberly Mironovas' bedroom, where Lukas Mironovas began strangling his mother before Smith joined and assisted, and then Mironovas stabbed her with a kitchen knife.
Benson said the manner of death was akin to torture, and noted Kimberly Mironovas has "apparent defensive wounds."
Smith will enter a plea and be sentenced Nov. 25 at the Capitol Judicial Center in Augusta.
Lukas Mironovas will be sentenced Dec. 19, also at the Capitol Judicial Center.
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3 Shark Attacks In Less Than 3 Hours At A Florida Beach
By Lauren Stephenson
All three people were attacked while surfing Sunday.
"You don't want it to happen but you're not going to not surf," one surfer told WFTV.
"They're definitely bad the past couple of days. I got chased by one on the inside about knee-high," another surfer told WOFL.
They're talking about shark attacks off of New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County, Florida. In a span of just over two hours Sunday, three people became the large fish's potential lunch.
SEE MORE: Woman Rides To The Hospital With A Shark Still Latched On To Her Arm
A 43-year-old man, a 36-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy were injured surfing off the beach.
The two men were taken to the hospital where one of them needed to undergo surgery. The teen was treated for a laceration at the beach.
So why so many shark attacks? There could be a few explanations.
SEE MORE: This Giant Shark Can Live For 400 Years
Local affiliates report the migration of mullet fish is drawing sharks and other predators in to feed off of them. Sharks sometimes confuse moving hands and feet for fish.
According to WOFL, all three of the shark attacks happened near the jetty — a popular fishing spot that is attractive to sharks hoping for a snack.
Attacks at this beach shouldn't be that surprising. New Smyrna Beach is apparently known as the "shark attack capital of the world." The county where the beach is located has seen the most shark attacks in the U.S. since 2000.
Luckily, all three people injured Sunday are expected to survive.
Fire, Police Department Members Investigated After Capitol Riots
David J. Phillip / AP
Judge Considers Defense Request To Delay Trial
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5 life-changing technologies for food allergies
April 17, 2019 4 minute read
Imagine if every meal you ate felt like a game of Russian roulette. If you’re one of the 20% of Australians living with a food allergy, you know this feeling all too well.
Whether you’re triggered by peanuts, egg, cow's milk, tree nuts, seafood, sesame, soy, fish, wheat or a combination of the above, life with an allergy isn’t easy. While many allergens aren’t severe and may even be outgrown over time, others can result in serious illness or even death with as little as one minute’s exposure.
The Australian Food Standards Code requires common allergens to be clearly marked on food labels, as well as signposted or shared at cafes, restaurants and fast food outlets.
Unfortunately, despite everyone’s best efforts, this can often do little to alleviate stress, given a small mistake in labelling can result in a big allergic reaction.
But all is not lost. Here are five revolutionary technologies available now, or currently in development, to help those of us living with allergies.
Credit: Kyle Jenkins
1. Allergy Amulet
Set for pre-orders in April 2019 in the US, and with plans to expand to Australia, this wearable USB-sized food reader will test for dairy and peanuts in food, with the goal to eventually be able to detect the presence of tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, eggs, soy and gluten.
The Allergy Amulet allows a user to test a sample of their food to find out if their food allergen is present. The test comes in the form of an amulet which can be carried on a keychain or worn as a necklace or bracelet.
Users will simply insert a single-use test trip into their food and then place that strip into a sheath, which will mix the food with a buffer solution. A chip will slide out from the end of the sheath, which can be inserted into the Allergy Amulet reader. The reader will then return a result alerting the user if there’s a presence of the target allergenic ingredient – all in under a minute. Phew!
The device will cost between $210 - $350AUD, with disposable test strips setting you back around $4AUD each.
2. CRISPR
CRISPR is a gene-editing technique that allows scientists to edit a plant’s genome to remove allergenic traits – most recently it hit the news as a technology capable of generating an allergy-free peanut.
While the technology is reportedly coming along rapidly, there is no clear timeline on when we might see a hypoallergenic peanut in stores. Scientists still need to determine all the allergenic traits in said nut, how any changes may affect the non-allergenic genes and what will be left of the nut in terms of protein and other nutritional value – not to mention flavour and texture. But once this science is unlocked, the sky is really the limit.
3. Ally
Another pocket-sized, portable food allergen testing device and app, Ally is a Bluetooth enabled electronic device the size of a doughnut. Users crush a small food sample and a few drops of water inside a small flexible silicone pod, then insert a test strip. By pressing the middle of the pod while the app is open on your phone, feedback on the food's allergen status appears on your screen within a minute.
Originally a university design project that has since received funding to develop commercially, Ally is tipped to become the cheapest reader on the market – current estimates put it at little more than $55AUD per unit, with each test costing the user less than 40c.
Ally successfully tests for lactose, but further tests for different allergens are still in development.
Credit: Nima Sensor
4. Nima
While only available in the US and Europe with no current plans for Australian distribution, Nima is one of the first allergen readers available on a mass scale. It does come in at the higher end of the price scale at $280AUD for a gluten starter kit, $340AUD for a peanut starter kit and test capsules clocking in at $83AUD.
Developed by MIT scientists, Nima is well regarded for its compact size and ease of use – users simply place a pea-sized sample of food into a one-time-use capsule and screw on the cap. They then insert the capsule into the hand-held device, press the power button and in less than five minutes the sensor will display a message alerting the user to any trace presence of the allergen – whether that be peanuts or gluten.
5. Project Abbie
In honour of a young girl who passed away after suffering an anaphylactic reaction to a food allergen, Project Abbie is actively working to develop a wearable, non-invasive device that can detect anaphylaxis, alarm the patient, send signals to caregivers via phone and auto-inject life-saving adrenaline in individuals who are unable to do so themselves. Multiple technology components of this project are still in development phases, and there is no estimated delivery date at this stage.
At the end of the day, none of these technologies are set to replace your EpiPen, or allergy action plans, however, they all show promise at making life with food allergies that little bit easier.
Keen to find out more about the future of healthcare and medicine? Check out our Future Happenings section where we talk AI, robots and telemedicine.
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July 6, 2020, 9 a.m.
Newsonomics: There’s no Knight in shining armor coming to rescue McClatchy
But Alden Global Capital would be happy to lend a hand. Plus: When a standstill isn’t really a standstill.
By Ken Doctor @kdoctor July 6, 2020, 9 a.m.
The bids are in, and the bankruptcy auction is now on. Who will the board of newspaper company McClatchy choose as its new owner? It faces a July 8 court-imposed deadline to pick.
All lips are sealed, publicly, but numerous sources tell me that, as of today, there are three bidders for the 30-newspaper chain.
We know two of them, and they’re familiar names to those who’ve watched the news industry’s conquest by hedge funds and private equity. And the list doesn’t include the knight-in-shining-armor many had hoped would turn McClatchy into the country’s first nonprofit newspaper chain.
As we’ve known for months, Chatham Asset Management, both McClatchy’s leading investor and leading debtholder, is among them — and still the likeliest to become the company’s new operator by the end of July.
Also bidding is the now-ubiquitous [cue horror-movie intro music] Alden Global Capital, the Randy Smith/Heath Freeman-run hedge fund that operates MNG Enterprises and is in step-by-step pursuit of Tribune Publishing.
There’s also an offer from a third financial player, but insiders report that it’s a non-starter.
While Alden’s participation here isn’t particularly unexpected, it’s significant — and may help explain the tighter hug Alden wrapped around Tribune last week.
Newsonomics: The next 48 hours could determine the fate of two of America’s largest newspaper chains
The biggest news, though, is who didn’t bid. Last week, I noted that a “leader in the field of nonprofit journalism” was considering making an offer. That leader, as many guessed in offline and online last week, was the Knight Foundation. And in the end, Knight chose to drop out of the process and not make a bid.
Miami-based Knight is the country’s leading funder of journalistic experimentation and innovation. (And its leading generator of disclosures for those who write about journalism.) But it’s in the business of grants and investments, not operating businesses. That it even considered a bid for McClatchy shows how desperate the situation is in the business of local news.
Newsonomics: Let the 2019 Consolidation Games begin! First up: Alden seeks to swallow Gannett
Led by CEO Alberto Ibargüen, Knight felt compelled to consider such a change of course by the twin forces of financialization and consolidation that have quickly consumed the country’s major newspaper chains. Since I began reporting 18 months ago on what I’ve called the Consolidation Games, financial players have come to dominate much of the daily readership across the country.
With Fortress Investment Group managing the new merged companies of Gannett and GateHouse, with Alden owning MNG Enterprises, and with the likely takeover of McClatchy by Chatham, about 40 percent of daily newspaper readership (as measured by print circulation) will have its fate in the spreadsheets of financial engineers. (And that’s before considering what will happen to Tribune, Lee, or whatever other dominos topple next.)
Knight’s month-long assessment
That’s why the Knight Foundation deeply considered a bid — before deciding that the risk it would take on was too great and that its role as an owner would be too problematic.
That Knight didn’t bid will be cheered by some in the widening local news revival community, even as they understood the foundation’s motivation. They wondered how Knight might balance its roles as a funder and as an owner. They wondered if Knight would retain current McClatchy CEO Craig Forman, which indeed was one of the possibilities discussed. They wondered why the foundation might put $300 million-plus into a still-transitioning dead-tree company, rather than investing more in digital-only enterprises. Knight could have mustered answers to all those questions and more, further fueling an existing debate among those in and around the news business.
The likelihood of hedge fund control for McClatchy struck a particular chord for the foundation. Knight is in Miami, where the McClatchy-owned Miami Herald is a key civic player. (Before becoming Knight’s CEO, Ibargüen was the Herald’s publisher.) Then there’s the Knight-Ridder legacy built into its very name. John S. and James L. Knight’s money built the foundation, and the idea of preserving that hometown paper, is a heartfelt one.
Then there’s that McClatchy–Knight Ridder link. In 2006, the smaller McClatchy bought Knight Ridder Newspapers, then the country’s second-largest chain, for $6.5 billion in cash, stock, and debt. The timing proved disastrous; 2006 was the top of the market for newspapers, and all that debt choked McClatchy financially. It staved off bankruptcy for more than a decade until finally succumbing in February. Still, though, in terms of its journalistic DNA, the new expanded McClatchy largely resembled Knight Ridder.
Knight engaged McKinsey for a month-long sprint. They talked to many in the news business about the pros and cons of buying and “transforming” McClatchy. In the end, amid both board and staff concerns, the foundation stepped away from a bid, numerous sources tell me.
The Knight Foundation declined to comment for this story.
It’s hard to overestimate the drama of Knight’s consideration, even if it stopped short. It’s another big reality check for how far American newspapering has been yanked from its civic mission roots, as well as the unorthodox lengths true believers may go to in trying to revive a vital local press.
How will the auction proceed?
With Knight out, this week’s bankruptcy drama may seem less interesting, but it’ll still go forward. (With the proviso that a bankruptcy court hearing today could delay things. Judge Michael E. Wiles will decide if and how the complaint of a “fraudulent transaction” in McClatchy’s 2018 refinancing can go forward. Based on the judge’s previous statements, observers say it’s likely that the threat of a lawsuit won’t much hold off sale decisions — but it could.)
Few know the numbers in the Alden bid, but most consider Chatham’s approximately $300 million stalking horse offer the odds-on favorite.
Could there be more surprises before July 8 — or even July 10 or so, if the judge provides a couple more days of decision-making, as he may? The McClatchy board, which makes the decision on who to recommend as the company’s buyer to the bankruptcy judge, can still receive new bids this week. Will any appear?
There remains a big question of valuation. What is McClatchy worth today — and more importantly, given the $300 million purchase price, tomorrow or in 2023? Its just-under-$100 million pre-COVID free cash flow, will be substantially reduced by the major continuing advertising crater driven by pandemic and recession.
With significantly reduced revenue — “we don’t even know what the fourth-quarter will look like, much less the next three years,” one keen financial observer says — what is this company really worth?
One answer to that question is: To whom? While Chatham maintains interests in both Canada’s major Postmedia daily chain, and in AMI’s National Enquirer, it can’t fruitfully combine McClatchy assets with either. It can’t — in the parlance of financialization and consolidation — grab the golden ring of “synergies.” Gannett CEO Mike Reed has claimed that the Gannett/GateHouse merger will produce $300 million in synergies, major cuts of what are said to be redundant and overlapping costs as the two companies — quite fitfully, say those inside the merger — become one.
How much could Alden further squeeze if it combined McClatchy’s properties with its MNG dailies and weeklies? The total could be $100 million or more. And what if Alden further crunched together Tribune’s papers, creating an Alden MNG/McClatchy/Tribune rollup? Such a company would approach the new Gannett in size and reach. Together, Gannett and Alden would control almost one-half of U.S. local daily readership.
All of that math means that McClatchy offers a different value to Alden than it does to Chatham. Alden knows its numbers; if it’s bidding, we’d expect it to be playing to win — and beat Chatham’s offer.
But Chatham — by its position as McClatchy’s largest investor and debtholder — is in a unique position, and most observers believe that, financially, its takeover makes the most sense.
As I’ve written, even if Chatham wins McClatchy, what might it do with it afterwards? In fact, Alden’s emergence as a bidder here renews speculation that Chatham may be a short-term owner. It could well move to merge with Alden’s MNG Enterprises — or the new Gannett, as I’ve suggested — sooner or later.
There’s also the glimmer of hope among civic leaders — both the mayors of Miami and Sacramento have written the bankruptcy judge, appealing for a resolution that supports community journalism — that Chatham may be willing to sell individual properties to civic leaders, backed by philanthropy.
For them, this week’s drama is only Act I.
The standstill that’s not a standstill?
While it’s not surprising, this Alden bid for McClatchy could help explain why, mysteriously to some, Alden agreed to a new “standstill” agreement with Tribune last week. Standstills are meant to offer protection against hostile takeovers by current shareholders. This one appears to be an imperfect vaccine.
Alden chairman Randy Smith joining the Tribune board got the headlines last week. Essentially: The Man With A Dozen Palm Beach Mansions Goes Public. But his presence was a bit overblown. First off, the Tribune board isn’t exactly a Trump rally, but rather a small, fairly private boardroom session.
Second, how much do we really care about why Smith, and not his sidekick-in-newspaper-cutting Heath Freeman or some other underling, took the seat? We’ll have to wait for Freeman’s tell-all, but in the meantime, the question is where this month’s events lead. The smart money still says we will likely see a more formal combination of Alden’s MNG Enterprises newspapers and Tribune’s at some point.
As well-documented in Chicago Tribune reporter Bob Channick’s story, the announced “standstill” to push off an Alden takeover rests on some pretty squishy sand. It seems to be a standstill in name only.
As Channick explained: “A filing Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission lays out a number of circumstances — from other major shareholders teaming up to someone making an offer to buy Tribune Publishing — that would terminate the agreement and allow Alden to buy more shares…In fact, Alden itself could make an offer to buy a majority stake in the company, despite the standstill agreement.”
In essence, within the SEC filings, Alden has placed itself in the driver’s seat, able to act when it wants to and fairly able to prevent others from buying Tribune. And all the while, it gets a front-row seat to examine any company financial detail it wants.
And of course it gets the lucky seventh board seat at Tribune Publishing, two months after the company dispatched its two longest-standing and journalism-supporting board members, reducing the board to six. Two of those six, appointed soon after Alden bought a third of the company in November, were hand-picked by Alden.
Add it up, and Alden keeps Tribune right where it wants it while it plays the field.
Or to put it in more graphic terms, as one top industry leader suggested Sunday: “Alden can keep one foot on Tribune’s neck while they’re seeing what plays out with McClatchy.”
Tribune can buy more time by selling more control to Alden Global Capital
In the meantime, as Joshua Benton summed up last week, Alden can continue to let other guys do the cutting, while it assesses longer-term COVID-driven business damage.
Then there’s always, simply, the money. This isn’t the easiest environment to win financing for a newspaper deal. One deeply knowledgeable financial source offers an elegantly simple surmise: “They probably can’t find a way to finance the deal, so they have to wait and see. These guys need leverage to do deals, so this is a delay and blocking tactic.”
Disclosures! The Knight Foundation is a financial supporter of the Nieman Foundation, which published Nieman Lab. It’s also given a grant to Lookout Local, Ken Doctor’s local news startup. And, as previously noted, Ken is a former Knight Ridder executive, meaning he was among those affected by McClatchy’s early 2020 cessation of “non-qualified” pension payments.
POSTED July 6, 2020, 9 a.m.
Alberto Ibarguen
Heath Freeman
Josh Benton
Knight Foundation
Knight Ridder
MNG Enterprises
Doctor, Ken. "Newsonomics: There’s no Knight in shining armor coming to rescue McClatchy." Nieman Journalism Lab. Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, 6 Jul. 2020. Web. 20 Jan. 2021.
Doctor, K. (2020, Jul. 6). Newsonomics: There’s no Knight in shining armor coming to rescue McClatchy. Nieman Journalism Lab. Retrieved January 20, 2021, from https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/07/newsonomics-theres-no-knight-in-shining-armor-coming-to-rescue-mcclatchy/
Doctor, Ken. "Newsonomics: There’s no Knight in shining armor coming to rescue McClatchy." Nieman Journalism Lab. Last modified July 6, 2020. Accessed January 20, 2021. https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/07/newsonomics-theres-no-knight-in-shining-armor-coming-to-rescue-mcclatchy/.
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Attorney general: NYPD has stopped spying on Muslims in N.J.
Updated Mar 30, 2019; Posted Sep 06, 2012
Getty ImagesNew Jersey's state attorney general assured a group of Muslim leaders Wednesday that an NYPD unit that conducted surveillance of Muslim businesses, religious leaders and student groups was no longer operating in New Jersey.
NEWARK — New Jersey's attorney general assured a group of Muslim leaders Wednesday that a New York City police unit that conducted surveillance of Muslim businesses, religious leaders and student groups was no longer operating in the Garden State.
Jeffrey Chiesa made the remarks during the first meeting of an outreach committee he formed to repair relations between law enforcement and Muslims in the wake of the revelations about the New York Police Department's surveillance tactics.
Paul Loriquet, a spokesman for the attorney general, confirmed that state Department of Homeland Security and Preparedness Director Edward Dickson said during the closed door meeting that the NYPD's Demographics Unit was no longer working in New Jersey. Loriquet added that Chiesa felt the meeting was productive and that the attorney general "wanted to make sure that all the people of New Jersey's rights are protected and respected."
Chiesa told the group Wednesday that he stood by his findings — announced in May following a three-month review — that the NYPD had not violated any New Jersey laws in conducting the surveillance.
The NYPD had operated secretly in New Jersey neighborhoods where Muslims lived and worked, spied on Muslim neighborhoods and organizations, infiltrated Muslim student groups and videotaped mosque-goers. The activities, revealed in a series by The Associated Press, angered many Muslims and New Jersey officials and resulted in a federal lawsuit against the NYPD.
NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who has vigorously defended the department's spying on Muslims as vital to the city's safety, said Wednesday that he wasn't aware of the New Jersey meeting. An NYPD spokesman, Paul Browne, said the department is "continuing and will continue to follow leads wherever they take us, including out-of-state."
Muslim leaders who attended Wednesday's meeting said it was a good first step.
"The discussion I think is laying a foundation for us to move forward, an opportunity for us to build, or rebuild, more communication, more cooperation, and hopefully improving the trust between the Muslim community and law enforcement agencies," said Imam Wahy-ud Deen Shareef of Masjid Waarith ud Deen in Irvington, who is a plaintiff in the federal suit against the NYPD.
The outreach committee included Muslim leaders from diverse backgrounds and different parts of the state and top New Jersey law enforcement officials, including the head of the state police and New Jersey's director of Homeland Security. They discussed ways to increase recruitment of Muslims by law enforcement agencies and the possibility of having Muslim leaders conduct sensitivity training for New Jersey law enforcement officials.
Chiesa told the group that relations between the NYPD and New Jersey law enforcement had improved in recent months, largely due to monthly meetings and increased transparency between the agencies.
In May, he told a group that included many of the same leaders at Wednesday's meeting that the NYPD had assured New Jersey officials that they only operated in the state while following legitimate leads.
But in a recent deposition as part of a longstanding federal civil rights case, NYPD department officials testified that in more than six years of spying on Muslim neighborhoods, eavesdropping on conversations and cataloguing mosques, the Demographics Unit had never generated a lead or triggered a terrorism investigation. NYPD Intelligence Division documents prepared in 2006 by Deputy Inspector Steve D'Ulisse detailed the role of the Demographics Unit. The documents were leaked to the AP after Browne denied the unit ever existed.
Besides the Demographics Unit, the NYPD also operated a secret safe house in New Jersey as a base of operations to spy on Muslims without telling local and federal authorities. Federal authorities raided the apartment in 2009, embarrassing the NYPD.
Follow @starledger
Related coverage:
• Newly released 911 tape shows man discovering NYPD spying operation in New Brunswick
• Editorial: NYPD Muslim probe may have been legal, but wasn't right
• NYPD admits spying on Muslims led to no terror leads
• New York Police Department spies in N.J., investigation finds
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NSW Nationals secure new Banksia for Tamworth
NSW Nationals secure new Banksia…
NSW Nationals Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson has announced a site has been selected for Tamworth’s new mental health care unit – a new ‘Banksia’.
“This is fantastic news for the future of mental health care, patients and their carers,” Mr Anderson said.
“We have been working hard on this project for some time, and today’s announcement of a new, large, modern facility provides the springboard to meet the demands of mental health care into the future.”
Mr Anderson said the new Banksia will be built next to the main hospital building, in close proximity to the emergency department, and physically connected to existing hospital services, integrating mental health with other acute services.
“The design of the unit is being determined in partnership with the community, patient’s families, carers and staff to ensure it meets the needs of people using the service,” Mr Anderson said.
“The new facility will continue to offer rehabilitation psychiatry, drug and alcohol counselling, Aboriginal mental health services and care for adolescent patients and older people. The selected site also has potential space for a courtyard and outdoor areas.”
The new Banksia Unit will be able to support approximately 30 per cent more patients each year, with additional beds for older people.
NSW Nationals Mental Health Minister Bronnie Taylor said the new Banksia unit will provide acute mental health care to patients from Tamworth and communities across the New England North West.
“The NSW Nationals in the state government are committed to supporting mental health care reform, and the new facility will provide patients with a truly therapeutic environment that supports recovery,” Mrs Taylor said.
The NSW Nationals in the state government announced in July 2020 that Tamworth Hospital would get an entirely new mental health unit, after refurbishment plans were scrapped in favour of a larger, modern, purpose-built building.
The Rotary Lodge carer accommodation units currently stand on the preferred site for the new mental health unit. The Rotary units will be removed to allow construction of the new Banksia facility to go ahead.
The Local Health District has discussed the plan in detail with Rotary representatives and has committed to building or refurbishing new, modern carer accommodation on the hospital site to replace the accommodation donated by Rotary and the wider community many years ago.
“The new Banksia is yet another example of the NSW Nationals in the state government delivering on its promises following strong representations from the community,” Mr Anderson said.
Construction timeframes will be determined as planning progresses.
The new unit is being funded as part of the NSW Nationals in the state government’s $700 million Statewide Mental Health Infrastructure Program.
Category: News 08 Dec, 2020
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Subscribe to be the first to hear about what the NSW Nationals team is up to.
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Short Straw Drawn
By David Hall
Archaeologists on a dig in East Africa have announced an unexpected discovery. The team uncovered what they had initially thought was a bit of old clay pipe. Only later, when archaeological illustrator, Alec Riley set to work documenting the find, did it emerge that he had drawn the elusive ‘Short Straw’.
The straw, which measures just 4.8cm, was found buried alongside three other straws, all measuring 7.2cm. “It’s certainly short.” said Riley, whose drawings are currently en route to the British Museum, “We are still waiting for final confirmation that it is shorter than the previous straw, but we’re delighted with the discovery.”
All being well, Riley's illustrations - and the straw - will be on public display from next week, alongside the Needle from a Haystack.
Cambridge professor, Michael Hayden had orginally laid claim to the Short Straw in July 2005, following a dig in neighbouring Kenya, but the find was dismissed by leading experts in the field.
The straw’s whereabouts were announced late last night at the dig in the fossil-rich area of Piedmont, close to where Lucy was discovered in 1974. Hayden, whose work was discredited on the basis of fudged data was heard to mutter something to the effect of this being the final straw.
Tickled by this? Try:
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Heavy Metal Marine
(VIDEO) Salla Rose rises from Oak Bay harbour
Sunk vessel removed from waters, mayor reiterates need for integrated effort to combat derelict and abandoned vessels
Christine van Reeuwyk
Feb. 11, 2017 8:00 p.m.
The Salla Rose emerged from Oak Bay waters this morning, less than a week after the 45-foot sail boat sank while moored in Oak Bay harbour.
“Our Coast Guard is removing a boat that recently went to the bottom with lots of fuel on it. It’s been boomed for quite a few days to capture the fuels on it,” said Oak Bay Mayor Nils Jensen, on the scene that morning. “Unfortunately they don’t get everything, I think they got most of it.”
The district was told 100 litres of diesel were absorbed by booms set out by Coast Guard Environmental and C-Tow Marine after the vessel sank Feb 6.
“It illustrates the danger of the abandoned and derelict boats that we have not only in this harbour but in Cadboro Bay and for that matter throughout our coastlines in the Capital Regional District. It also illustrates the need for a concerted effort,” Jensen said. “It is a danger when they go down, not only from an environmental point of view but from a navigation point of view. … This is something we have to deal with.”
The boat was one of many vessels moored adjacent to Oak Bay Marina.
“The Coast Guard did a fantastic job in recovering this vessel and while we are delighted with their quick response, it is a shame that a fuel spill is required for them to be able to respond,” said a spokesperson for the marina. “This is not the first vessel that has sank in the bay adjacent to Oak Bay Marina (over which we have no control) and this certainly highlights the jurisdictional quagmire that exists across the B.C. coast.”
In November, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $1.5 billion national Oceans Protection Plan that includes new legislation to increase liability for abandoned vessels and wrecks. Collecting and sharing information on marine tanker and vessel traffic.
Tax credit offered for volunteer searchers, firefighters
Four inducted into Oak Bay fine arts hall of fame
Victoria school district seeks input on possible closure of Craigflower Elementary
Online community consultation to be held Jan. 21
PHOTOS: Trick or treat! Halloween comes to Fernwood in January
New television series Scaredy Cats filming in Victoria
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Commercial/industrial development planned for former Galaxy Motors site
Colwood proposal goes to public hearing Jan. 25
Explore Oak Bay News
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© 2021, Oak Bay News and Black Press Group Ltd.
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By Drew Lawson
WIAA adds fourth season to modified 2020-21 schedule
COVID-19 precautions create delays
RENTON—It may sound weird to say, but “Friday Night Lights” won’t be taking place until March this year. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) announced a new, tentative schedule which includes four sports seasons for the 2020-21 season due to Corona virus restrictions.
The four seasons are classified numerically: Season 1, 2, 3 and 4. Most notably, football, volleyball and girls soccer were all moved to Season 3, which begins at the end of winter.
Schools have to reside in a county that’s in at least Phase 3 of the state’s Covid-19 re-opening plan to be able to participate in any sports and must be in Phase 4 to have any sports above the classification of low risk. Low risk fall sports are limited to cross country, golf, tennis and potentially individual girls swim/dive events.
Season 1/fall practices are set to begin Sept. 7 and run through Nov. 8. If the WIAA deems it is unsafe to have any sports in the fall, Season 1 activities will be moved to Season 3.
Season 2 starts Jan.4 and includes the traditional winter sports of basketball, bowling, boys swim and dive, gymnastics, competitive cheer and wrestling. These sports will run through March 7.
In Season 3, football pre-practices start Feb. 22, while volleyball, girls soccer, 1B/2B boys soccer and alternative girls swim and dive pre-practices start March 1. Season 3 runs through May 9 for football and May 2 for the other sports.
Season 4 starts April 26 and runs through June 27. It features traditional spring sports of tennis, fastpitch softball, track & field, baseball, golf, 1A-4A boys soccer and competitive dance/drill.
No sports in Nov.
Due to the possibility of a spike in Covid-19 cases as flu season arrives, WIAA executive director Mick Hoffman said there won’t be any sports from Nov. 9 through Jan. 3. He also noted the WIAA wanted flexibility during these months in case fall sports had to be pushed back or moved to the spring.
Coaches will have to conduct health screenings and check temperatures of students every day during sports season. If an athlete tests positive for COVID-19, they and anyone within close contact must quarantine for 14 days. Hoffman said this could “conceivably remove” teams from competition for a two-week period in order to follow guidelines from the DOH.
Davenport head football coach Justin Young said he hasn’t had the chance to reach out to inform his players of the season’s delay, but he anticipates there will be relief that the season is scheduled to happen at all, as opposed to disappointment that it won’t be available.
“I’m just happy that they’re trying to get in a season, especially for the seniors,” Young said.
Reardan head football coach Eric Nikkola said he sent a message to the team “to let them know, ‘hey, (the season) is not cancelled.’”
“The kids said, ‘we don’t care if we play three games,’” Nikkola said. “This keeps them hopefully (and) connected to the school.”
Nikkola said while he isn’t excited that football isn’t happening in the fall, he’s more hopeful that a season will occur at all. He said the WIAA “absolutely” made the right call in delaying football to early spring.
Odessa head football coach Jeff Nelson said he’s “thrilled” that there will be some sports, at least for now.
“I was really worried that sports were going to be completely cancelled,” Nelson said.
“That’s an awful way to go.”
The WIAA’s executive board will meet again July 28 to set criteria schools must meet to qualify for sports participation in 2020-21.
Drew Lawson, Reporter
Drew Lawson is a reporter and sports writer for Free Press Publishing, including the Cheney Free Press and Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
Email: Drew@cheneyfreepress.com
https://www.facebook.com/drew.lawson.7
Jimerson sworn in Monday night
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State issues fireworks rules for New Year's Eve
No COVID-19 vaccine here, yet
Snow creates chaos, then disappears
Reardan council notes...The Times
Capitol building fence...The Times
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News and EventsHome News, Politics Anambra 2017: Intersociety rebukes guber candidates, demands issue and governance based campaign
Anambra 2017: Intersociety rebukes guber candidates, demands issue and governance based campaign
Candidates in the November governorship election in Anambra State must move away from their present utterances and irrelevancies that have occupied the state’s political space and discourse; and face the electorate with issue and governance-based campaigns, the International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law (Intersociety) has said.
Through a statement issued on Wednesday in Onitsha by its Board Chair, Emeka Umeagbalasi; and Head, Democracy & Good Governance Programme, Chinwe Umeche, Esq., Intersociety said the candidates must also understand or be made to understand that Anambra gubernatorial contest is not a contest for the seat of “Executive Chairman or Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Anambra State Nig. Ltd.”; or “Anambra State Public Liability Company (PLC)”, stressing: “It is further not a seat for political charlatanism, favoritism, nepotism, violence, exclusion, segregation, dichotomy and vendetta.”
The rights group warned: “These gory attributes of the present Federal Government in Nigeria must not be allowed by all lovers and defenders of democracy and civil government to rear their ugly heads in Anambra State. Anambra State as a super state with super people in Nigeria must be made to wear such look at all times. Governance of the state must be left and entrusted in the hands of the people of nobility and aristocracy.
“The leadership of Intersociety has, therefore, keenly watched the campaign modes and slogans of the ‘first class’ Governorship candidates for the November 18th gubernatorial poll. We are disappointed, shocked and appalled by the sad development and make bold to say the campaigns are substantially, if not totally dominated by voodooist utterances and other irrelevancies that have no direct or indirect bearing on collective welfare and affairs of the people of the state.
“These we expressly find to be motivated by ‘mercantilist mindsets of some contestants’ that still see the state seat of power and its public treasury as a ‘public goat that is owned by nobody’. There are those or malevolent political actors who equally see and treat the state coffers as ‘elephant meats that never finish’. These political actors when allowed access to power; not only constitute over-bloated cabinet tailored in nepotism and favoritism, but also steadily misappropriate and misapply lean public resources; thereby starving the state’s critical sectors of direly needed development, maintenance and management funds and leave them in acute quandary.
“We therefore call on the 2017 Anambra Governorship Candidates to rewind and speak to the electorate of the state in the plain language they will and ought to understand. This is no longer time for recruitment of internet warriors to engage in fierce voodooist and calumny campaigns; or procurement of costliest pages in the newspapers and television/radio news bulletins; or running of image damaging commentaries on sponsored public and private owned radio stations.
“These hostile and malicious languages and signs are strange and grandly unacceptable to our democratic and civil governance traditions. Anambra governorship candidates must go back to the drawing board and come back with popular and traditionalised signs and languages tailored in conventional electioneering and civil government leadership quests or government of the people by the people and for the people.”
Intersociety also pointed out that the incumbent Governor who is seeking a constitutional second term must go beyond rhetoric without grounded and provable governance facts. “A saying still goes that ‘a chicken with broken leg(s) is hardly sold at homestead market’. It is time for the incumbent to move away from governance simulations to governance realities. Those who will vote in the 18th November election are not those watching television hyped news or reading sponsored newspaper pages in Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, Owerri, Aba, Enugu or Americas, Europe and Asia. The voters are here; and spread in all the 177 Communities and urban centers of the state.
“Our critical questions to the incumbent Governor, which are fundamental determinants for his reelection bid are: how much direct foreign investments have been attracted to Anambra State since first quarter of 2014? Where are they located in the state, if any? What are they producing? What is the total amount of tax from such foreign investments (if any) paid into Anambra coffers so far? How many citizens of Anambra State and their neighbors have been employed?
“The $5 million annual pumpkin leaves (Ugu) export conundrum also direly needs the following clarifications: Kenya is the world largest exporter of flowers and where they are packed waiting to be processed for export usually occupy acres of land. In the case of $5 million Ugu export: where are the locations of ‘industrial Ugu farms’ in Anambra State? Are they private or state owned or PPP (if any)? What locations in the state are these industrial Ugu being assembled for procession and export? How are they being industrially exported; by marine or aviation; and with or without relevant federal agencies involvement or supervision? Does Anambra have airport or seaport to export $5million per annum valued at $410,000 per month (N150 million)? Have the annual proceeds of the Ugu export valued at over N1.8 Billion been reflected in the state’s income budgets? These questions are also extended to other parroted farm produce said to be industrially exported by the Obiano Administration.
“Other critical questions for the incumbent/contesting Governor are: What is the state of Anambra’s foreign and local debts profile since March 2014; decreasing or increasing geometrically? Anambra had multibillion naira worth of moveable (liquid) or cash investments in several quoted companies and expatriate others; are they still intact; if yes, what are their total market values today; if no, how come and where are they? How many kilometers of roads inherited from the immediate past administration have been completed since 2014 and how many have been started and completed since 2014?
“How many kilometers of roads have specifically been awarded and completed since 2014 in strategic areas and communities in Onitsha South and North, Idemmili North and South, Ogbaru, Oyi, Nnewi North and South, Ihiala, Ekwusigo, Aguata, Anaocha, Orumba North and South, Njikoka, Dunukofia and Awka North and South? Computers and giant power generators were distributed to public and mission schools in the state before 2014; are these still intact or diverted or stolen?
“What is the state of failed portions of existing road network in those areas and LGAs above mentioned? When was the last time school and health facilities and equipments including cash, lab and library materials and resources; buses, cash and physical structures were donated or distributed to public and mission schools and hospitals in the state? How much does the incumbent Governor collect as monthly security votes and how is it spent? How much has been collected by the Governor in the past three-and-a half years or 42 months as security votes? What is the incumbent Government’s cabinet size and how much is the State’s total monthly wage bill? What does the incumbent Governor spectacularly have for the People of Anambra State warranting his second term bid?
“To other candidates in the coming election particularly those of the PDP and the APC; our critical questions are: What is the topography of Anambra State including its boundaries and square kilometer measurement? How many kilometers of Trunks A, B and C roads are in the state? Between aviation, marine and road, which one is mostly used and important to the People of Anambra State? When was the last time the existing Anambra Road network was expanded or added with virgin kilometers? How many kilometers of new roads will be asphalted and completed every year if any of them wins? What are the Candidates’ policy directions (if any) in urban planning, waste and environmental management (including reckless blockage of gutters and drainages), health, education, water, maintenance and management of existing key infrastructures such as roads, spaces, etc? How many State or public cemeteries (if any) are in Onitsha, Ogbaru, Nnewi, Ekwulobia, Ihiala, Oyi, Idemmili North, Dunukofia and Awka?
“Are the Governorship Candidates ever aware of the availability of ‘the Charter of Responsibilities for Public Office Holders’, contained in the Chapter 11 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution? Specifically, are they aware or have they read and studied Sections 13-21 of the Constitution under the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy? What do they understand by ‘security and welfare of the people’ (s.14 (2) (b)? Is their idea of security still revolve around the existing archaic and crude methods of securitisation in Anambra State partly introduced by the Peter Obi Administration (i.e. demolition of buildings belonging to suspected violent criminals even when investigation are yet to be completed or outside court order or confiscation)? Have they ever heard of UNDP’s conceptualised Human Security and its Seven Dimensions or Peopling Security?”
Culled from News Express
Anambra2017IntersocietyManifesto
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The Chadwick End heating oil club
Chadwick End is a member of the Chadwick End Heating Oil Club and includes the villages of Chadwick End and the surrounding area in West Midlands covering the post code sector(s) area of B93 0. The club is open to new members.
County: West Midlands
Postcode: B93 0
OS Grid Ref: SP206731
Local or Parish Website: http://eservices.solihull.gov.uk/mginternet/mgparishcouncildetails.aspx?id=409&ls=3
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chadwick_End
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