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YouGov poll Timelines: Histolyrical Timeline
It was important for us to get a visual sense of the UK into our work. We ran a YouGov poll and asked, “What view helps you think?” giving different options. Most people said from the window of a moving vehicle. From this we decided to film out of the window of some of the most scenic train journeys in the UK. So we flew up to Inverness and made our way back to London via Kyle of Lochalsh, Edinburgh and the Cumbrian coast. After recording over 24 hours of train journey, we began exploring different ways that we could make the Facebook text flow over the footage we had shot.
22 August 1970 //
It was important for us to get a visual sense of the UK into our work. We ran a YouGov poll and asked, “What view helps you think?” giving different options. Most people said from the window of a moving vehicle.
From this we decided to film out of the window of some of the most scenic train journeys in the UK. So we flew up to Inverness and made our way back to London via Kyle of Lochalsh, Edinburgh and the Cumbrian coast. After recording over 24 hours of train journey, we began exploring different ways that we could make the Facebook text flow over the footage we had shot.
Mapping journeys for HistoLyrical
Train journeys by Ben Peppiatt and Stephanie Bickford-Smith
Up back forward down (perspective transform)
Trains, Facebook and freedom of thought
HistoLyrical: the making of an artwork
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News Corp. Shutters The Daily iPad App
by Peter Kafka
The Daily, News Corp.’s attempt to create a newspaper for the iPad era, is shutting down after less than two years.
The media giant, which also owns this Web site, said it will “cease standalone publication” of the app on Dec. 15.
It says that “technology and other assets from The Daily, including some staff, will be folded into” News Corp.’s New York Post tabloid. The app/newspaper has approximately 120 employees.
News Corp. made the announcement in the midst of other organizational changes in advance of the company’s upcoming breakup, which will spin off the company’s publishing assets into a new, separately traded company. Here’s Murdoch’s take on The Daily, via a press release:
From its launch, The Daily was a bold experiment in digital publishing and an amazing vehicle for innovation. Unfortunately, our experience was that we could not find a large enough audience quickly enough to convince us the business model was sustainable in the long-term. Therefore we will take the very best of what we have learned at The Daily and apply it to all our properties. Under the editorial leadership of Editor-in-Chief Col Allan and the business and digital leadership of Jesse, I know The New York Post will continue to grow and become stronger on the web, on mobile, and not least, the paper itself. I want to thank all of the journalists, digital and business professionals for the hard work they put into The Daily.
Jesse Angelo, The Daily’s editor-in-chief, will become publisher of the Post; Daily publisher Greg Clayman will get a job heading up digital at the new publishing company. Earlier this year, The Daily cut a third of its staff.
Some of News Corp.’s other key moves in the split have already been reported: Robert Thomson, for instance, the Wall Street Journal’s current managing editor, will run the new company, and Thomson’s deputy Gerard Baker will get Thomson’s old job.
The “new” publishing company, which includes Dow Jones, News Corp.’s other newspaper assets and HarperCollins publishing, will be named “News Corp.” The remaining part of the “old” News Corp. — primarily, its TV and film assets — will be renamed “Fox Group.”
Current New York Post publisher Paul Carlucci, who is also chairman of News America Marketing, will now “focus exclusively” on that job.
The Daily launched in February 2011 with a great deal of fanfare and a blessing from Apple, which worked closely with News Corp. to get the paper off the ground. But The Daily never clicked, and struggled to attract subscribers.
The app was initially hampered by technical problems, but The Daily’s key issue was a conceptual one. While the app boasted lots of digital bells and whistles, in the end it was very much a general interest newspaper that seemed to be geared toward people who didn’t really like newspapers. You can’t make that work no matter what kind of platform you use.
The real surprise would have been if News Corp. had found a way to keep The Daily around, since the tablet newspaper’s fate was essentially sealed this summer when the corporate split was announced.
The money-losing Daily has been on News Corp. COO Chase Carey’s pet peeve list for a long time, but it was also a passion project for Murdoch, whose first love was and is newspapers. And the old News Corp. structure let Murdoch subsidize passion projects with profits from his TV business.
Presumably he’ll still be able to do some experimenting at the new/old publishing company, but it will be much harder to do that stuff without TV money to prop it up.
Like moving pictures? Here’s a clip of me gassing on with All Things Digital’s excellent Lauren Goode about the Daily’s demise, via WSJ.com’s Digits show.
Return to: News Corp. Shutters The Daily iPad App
URL: http://allthingsd.com/20121203/news-corp-shutters-the-daily-ipad-app/
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« Dancers with disabilities slay in jaw-dropping video | Main | The LPGA is one of the only women's leagues to provide league-wide child care for its players »
Yogurt: A good source of vitamins, minerals…and sugar
iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- New research published in the British Medical Journal today reminds us that it might be time to scrutinize our yogurt labels more closely.
Yogurt is a good source of protein, calcium, and vitamins like B2 and B12. It also can contain live lactic-acid producing bacteria that falls under the category of “probiotic,” lauded for its potential to improve digestive and other health. But store-bought yogurt may also contain more sugar than anyone suspected.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Leeds and the University of Surrey in 2016, looked at approximately 900 individual yogurt products available in five major UK supermarkets. Each of these yogurts were then sorted into eight different categories, and compared: children’s, dairy alternatives, dessert, drinks, flavored, fruit, natural/Greek, and organic.
The nutritional content of the yogurts varied widely, but one thing was clear: most of them had lots of sugar. The authors of the study calculated the median amount of sugar per 100 grams for each category of yogurt that they studied, and compared sugar averages. Dessert yogurts had the highest amounts of sugar, 16.4 grams, which isn’t too surprising. What is surprising is that yogurts marketed as organic had the next highest median amount of sugar, 13.1 grams. And yogurts marketed toward children also had very high sugar, 10.8 grams. For context, the daily recommended sugar content per day for children ages 4 to 6 is no more than 19 grams, and many of these yogurts contributed significantly to that maximum. Overall, fewer than one in ten of all the yogurts studied -- 9 percent -- qualified as low-sugar.
Natural/Greek yogurt was the only category appreciably different than the rest, with a lower median sugar content of 5 grams, as well as a higher median protein content.
It’s important to note that food labels in the UK report nutritional contents differently than in the U.S. Every component is based on a standard 100 gram portion rather than the classic U.S. “serving size,” which is determined by individual food manufacturers. Regardless, these levels of sugar are dramatic.
This information is significant when considering that obesity, even among children, is on the rise around the world. Dr. J. Bernadette Moore, nutrition scientist and lead author of the study, said that her concerns as a parent were the initial inspiration for the research. “I did not know that the yogurt I was giving my child had [so much] added sugar in it,” Moore said in a statement to ABC News.
Other studies have pointed out a tendency for people to believe products labeled “organic” are inherently healthier, which Moore fears is playing into consumer choices about yogurt that is actually high in sugar. But she is quick to point out that yogurt is not the worst option in the grocery store: “If you are a parent and you are choosing between a Coca-Cola, a chocolate biscuit [cookie]…or a sweetened yogurt, then by all means give your child the yogurt -- you’ll get some calcium, you’ll get some protein, and you may get some probiotic.”
Still, the amount of sugar in many commercially available yogurts is less than ideal. Moore advocates for more transparent food labeling, and changes from the yogurt industry itself.
Moore thinks that if individuals know more about sugar in yogurt, they can make different decisions for themselves and their families. When introducing foods to children, why not choose natural yogurt instead? People can also make their own yogurt at home, as some cultures have been doing for centuries.
Even when opting for natural or homemade yogurts, it’s important not to load it with toppings that can sabotage efforts to decrease your sugar intake. One study showed that given the choice, people inadvertently added an average of 13.6 grams of sugar to their yogurt with things like honey and jams.
So unless it’s using artificial sweeteners, if your yogurt tastes sweet, it’s probably because there’s sugar in it.
Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at 10:27AM by Michael Dobuski Permalink
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Prof Eric Pentecost
Professor of Economics, specialisting in monetary and financial economics, with specific reference to the Euro-zone, international capital movements and exchange rate determination and policy
Christina Perry
Teaching Fellow in Law
I am the Course Convenor for Law 4005: Elements of Contract Law at Queen Mary. Previously, I was a Lecturer at The City Law School. I practiced law at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP for seven years prior to entering academic life. I have experience in significant corporate transactions, including private equity transactions, Regulation S/Rule 144A equity offerings, project financings and internal corporate investigations. I am admitted to practice in New York State as well as in England and Wales. I am the Careers Liaison Tutor and is a Legal Advice Centre Subject Advisor for Contract law. My research interests include comparative banking regulation in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.
Prof Dimitris Petmezas
Chair in Finance
Professor Dimitris Petmezas is Chair in Finance. Prior to taking up this position he was a Reader and Senior Lecturer in Finance at Surrey Business School (ex-School of Management) and also held the position of Lecturer in Finance at Durham Business School. Professor Petmezas was educated at Aristotle University (BA in Economics) and Durham University (MSc in Finance and Investment with Distinction, and PhD in Finance). He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a visiting-academic in several European Business Schools teaching in EMBA, MBA and MSc programmes. Professor Petmezas has also been invited to deliver speeches in several Universities in Europe and China. He is an independent M&A advisor and he has also worked as a stock market analyst. Professor Petmezas' main research interests lie in the area of Corporate Finance and, more specifically, in Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As). His current research focuses on the role of financial and informational intermediaries, as well as corporate governance, in M&As. Professor Petmezas' research also looks into factors that affect value creation for shareholders in M&A activity and its relation with behavioral issues such as managerial overconfidence. Additionally, he is interested in SEOs. Professor Petmezas has published extensively in top international journals including the Journal of Finance, Financial Management, and the Journal of Banking and Finance. His paper titled “When It Pays to Pay Your Investment Banker: New Evidence on the Role of Financial Advisors in M&As” was the 3rd Most-Read Article in 2012 in the Journal of Finance.His research has been featured on the programs of various US and European conferences receiving awards, such as the best paper award in International Finance at the Southwestern Finance Association (SWFA) Conference in the US in 2009, and quoted in widely read international media, such as the Financial Times and The Economist. Professor Petmezas serves as an ad-hoc referee in several academic journals and research grants' bodies and also acts as an external examiner in a number of academic institutions.
Dr Ivan Petrella
Ivan Petrella is a Lectuer in Economics and Birkbeck, University of London. His research interests are in Macroeconomics, in particular Monetary Economics, as well as Applied Econometrics and Commodity Pricing.
Dr Jan Pfister
Lecturer in Accounting
Dr Ludovic Phalippou
Ludovic Phalippou has been a Lecturer in Finance at the Said Business School of the University of Oxford since January 2011. Ludovic's research is mainly on private equity funds and has received considerable attention from the investment professional community and the academic community alike. Several major newspapers echoed his findings such as the Financial Times and The Economist. He has received several best paper awards and research grants. His research has been presented at the best academic conferences and at seminars in prestigious universities. His research has been published in top academic and practitioner journals: Journal of Finance, Review of Financial Studies, Journal of Economic Perspectives, Harvard Business Review, Review of Finance and Financial Analyst Journal. Ludovic is ranked in the top 100 worldwide by SSRN.com out of all business school researchers for the number of downloads of his articles, and has been selected in the Speaker Retainer Program of the CFA institute.
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Wood, Wire & Words: Norman Blake’s New Album Touches the Roots of American Music
14 from ’14: Defining Moments From The Year in Music
RIP Joe Cocker: Saying Goodbye With A Little Help from Our Friends
Golden Keys: Saying Goodbye to Bobby Keys, Legendary Saxman for Rolling Stones, Buddy Holly
12 Christmas Songs for Those Who Won’t Be Watching the CMA’s Christmas Special
John Lee Hooker: “Cook With The Hook” Live in 1974 DVD
Alabama Shakes – “Boys & Girls” – (ATO)
Scene Spotlight: Roots 'N Blues 'N BBQ Festival –– Columbia, Mo.
Concert Reviews — By Lindsay Eanet on September 30, 2009 8:37 pm
Being in the middle of a state in Middle America is actually a pretty ideal situation for a music lover. Being at the convergence point for artists from all over the country is quite the advantage, and a festival like Columbia, Missouri’s Roots ‘N Blues ‘N BBQ Festival proves it, combining local and national performers. This year’s ‘fest faltered a bit from the previous two years (charging for entry for the first time and a last-minute cancelation from Dan Tyminski will do that), but there were still a few high points.
Chapel Hill, N.C.’s Southern Culture on the Skids were one of the highlights of Friday evening, doling out lightning-fast rockabilly riffs piled higher than bassist Mary Huff-Miller’s hair.
The Carolina Chocolate Drops, a trio rooted in the African-American banjo and fiddle tradition of North Carolina’s Piedmont area, had people stomping and clapping to rollicking tunes like “Starry Crown” and “Cornbread and Butterbeans.” When Dom Flemons began keeping time with the jug, an air of amused nostalgia overtook the crowd, the younger members of the audience delighted with the new sounds.
Pinetop Perkins, the former pianist for Muddy Waters’s band, kept the delightfully swampy blues of the Mississippi Delta alive.
But the festival’s highest point was a super-funky band from Austin, Texas. The slick, genre-bending funk of Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, a group who previously made waves on the festival circuit with gigs at South By Southwest, Lollapalooza and other big-name ‘fests. Their set of boisterous, brassy R&B-infused funk, topped with Lewis’s smoky voice layering on as thick as BBQ sauce on a pulled-pork sandwich, gave way to an exuberant dance party in the middle of Seventh Street, where aging townies, hippies and college kids shook their groove things with mad ferocity. “Some people say we’ve got too many songs about booties,” Lewis joked. We contend there is no such thing, Joe. No such thing.
Rain marred much of Saturday afternoon, but southern Cal country gal Heather Myles shone on stage, alluring the audience with her luminous drawl. The band paid tribute to one of country’s greats, Johnny Cash.
Tags: american banjo, audience, banjo and fiddle, BBQ, blues, cornbread and butterbeans, Dan Tyminski, roots, scene, southern culture on the skids
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Home / Gadgets / Crowdfunded spacecraft LightSail 2 prepares to go sailing on sunlight
Crowdfunded spacecraft LightSail 2 prepares to go sailing on sunlight
admin June 21, 2019 Gadgets Leave a comment 37 Views
Among the many spacecraft and satellites ascending to space on Monday’s Falcon Heavy launch, the Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 may be the most interesting. If all goes well, a week from launch it will be moving through space — slowly, but surely — on nothing more than the force exerted on it by sunlight.
LightSail 2 doesn’t have solar-powered engines, or use solar energy or heat for some secondary purpose; it will literally be propelled by the physical force of photons hitting its immense shiny sail. Not solar wind, mind you — that’s a different thing altogether.
It’s an idea, explained Planetary Society CEO and acknowledged Science Guy Bill Nye said in a press call ahead of the launch, that goes back centuries.
“It really goes back to the 1600s,” he said; Kepler deduced that a force from the sun must cause comet tails and other effects, and “he speculated that brave people would one day sail the void.”
So they might, as more recent astronomers and engineers have pondered the possibility more seriously.
“I was introduced to this in the 1970s, in the disco era. I was in Carl Sagan’s astronomy class… wow, 42 years ago, and he talked about solar sailing,” Nye recalled. “I joined the Planetary Society when it was formed in 1980, and we’ve been talking about solar sails around here ever since then. It’s really a romantic notion that has tremendous practical applications; there are just a few missions that solar sails are absolutely ideal for.”
Those would primarily be long-term, medium-orbit missions where a craft needs to stay in an Earth-like orbit, but still get a little distance away from the home planet — or, in the future, long-distance missions where slow and steady acceleration from the sun or a laser would be more practical than another propulsion method.
The eagle-eyed among you may have spotted the “2” in the name of the mission. LightSail 2 is indeed the second of its type; the first launched in 2015, but was not planned to be anything more than a test deployment that would burn up after a week or so.
That mission had some hiccups, with the sail not deploying to its full extent and a computer glitch compromising communications with the craft. It was not meant to fly via solar sailing, and did not.
“We sent the CubeSat up, we checked out the radio, the communications, the overall electronics, and we deployed the sail and we got a picture of that deployed sail in space,” said COO Jennifer Vaughn. “That was purely a deployment test; no solar sailing took place.”
The spacecraft itself, minus the sail, of course.
But it paved the way for its successor, which will attempt this fantastical form of transportation. Other craft have done so, most notably JAXA’s IKAROS mission to Venus, which was quite a bit larger — though as LightSail 2’s creators pointed out, not nearly as efficient as their craft — and had a very different mission.
The brand new spacecraft, loaded into a 3U CubeSat enclosure — that’s about the size of a loaf of bread — is piggybacking on an Air Force payload going up to an altitude of about 720 kilometers. There it will detach and float freely for a week to get away from the rest of the payloads being released.
Once it’s safely on its own, it will fire out from its carrier craft and begin to unfurl the sail. From that loaf-sized package will emerge an expanse of reflective Mylar with an area of 32 square meters — about the size of a boxing ring.
Inside the spacecraft’s body is also what’s called a reaction wheel, which can be spun up or slowed down in order to impart the opposite force on the craft, causing it to change its attitude in space. By this method LightSail 2 will continually orient itself so that the photons striking it propel it in the desired direction, nudging it into the desired orbit.
1 HP (housefly power) engine
The thrust produced, the team explained, is very small — as you might expect. Photons have no mass, but they do (somehow) have momentum. Not a lot, to be sure, but it’s greater than zero, and that’s what counts.
“In terms of the amount of force that solar pressure is going to exert on us, it’s on the micronewton level,” said LightSail project manager Dave Spencer. “It’s very tiny compared to chemical propulsion, very small even compared to electric propulsion. But the key for solar sailing is that it’s always there.”
“I have many numbers that I love,” cut in Nye, and detailed one of them: “It’s nine micronewtons per square meter. So if you have 32 square meters you get about a hundred micronewtons. It doesn’t sound like much, but as Dave points out, it’s continuous. Once a rocket engine stops, when it runs out of fuel, it’s done. But a solar sail gets a continuous push day and night. Wait…” (He then argued with himself about whether it would experience night — it will, as you see in the image below.)
Bruce Betts, chief scientist for LightSail, chimed in as well, to make the numbers a bit more relatable: “The total force on the sail is approximately equal to the weight of a house fly on your hand on Earth.”
Yet if you added another fly every second for hours at a time, pretty soon you’ve got a really considerable amount of acceleration going on. This mission is meant to find out whether we can capture that force.
“We’re very excited about this launch,” said Nye, “because we’re going to get to a high enough altitude to get away from the atmosphere, far enough that we’ll really gonna be able to build orbital energy and take some, I hope, inspiring pictures.”
Second craft, same (mostly) as the last
The LightSail going up this week has some improvements over the last one, though overall it’s largely the same — and a relatively simple, inexpensive craft at that, the team noted. Crowdfunding and donations over the last decade have provided quite a bit of cash to pursue this project, but it still is only a small fraction of what NASA might have spent on a similar mission, Spencer pointed out.
“This mission is going to be much more robust than the previous LightSail 1, but as we said previously, it’s done by a small team,” he said. “We’ve had a very small budget relative to our NASA counterparts, probably 1/20th of the budget that a similar NASA mission would have. It’s a low-cost spacecraft.”
Annotated image of LightSail 2, courtesy of Planetary Society.
But the improvements are specifically meant to address the main problems encountered by LightSail 2’s predecessor.
Firstly, the computer inside has been upgraded to be more robust (though not radiation-hardened) and given the ability to sense faults and reboot if necessary — they won’t have to wait, as they did for LightSail 1, for a random cosmic ray to strike the computer and cause a “natural reboot.” (Yes, really.)
The deployment of the sail itself has also improved. The previous one only extended to about 90% of its full width and couldn’t be adjusted after the fact. Subsequently tests have been done, Betts told me, to exactly determine how many revolutions the motor must make to extend the sail to 100%. Not only that, but they have put markings on the extending booms or rods that will help double check how deployment has gone.
“We also have the capability on orbit, if it looks like it’s not fully extended, we can extend it a little bit more,” he said.
Once it’s all out there, it’s uncharted territory. No one has attempted to do this kind of mission, even IKAROS, which had a totally different flight profile. The team is hoping their sensors and software are up to the task — and it should be clear whether that’s the case within a few hours of unfurling the sail.
It’s still mainly an experiment, of course, and what the team learns from this they will put into any future LightSail mission they attempt, but also share it with the spaceflight community and others attempting to sail on sunlight.
“We all know each other and we all share information,” said Nye. “And it really is — I’ve said it as much as I can — it’s really exciting to be flying this thing at last. It’s almost 2020 and we’ve been talking about it for, well, for 40 years. It’s very, very cool.”
LightSail 2 will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy no sooner than June 24th. Keep an eye on the site for the latest news and a link to the live stream when it’s almost time for takeoff.
Previous Daily Crunch: Google’s not making any more tablets
Next Northzone’s Paul Murphy goes deep on the next era of gaming
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Ward 1 includes the communities of Portage, Trois-Ruisseaux, Petit-Cap and Shemogue which accounts for approximately 1690 people and about 26% of the total population. Mrs Josée Vautour and Mr. Omer Léger are currently the councillors of this Ward. Mr. Omer Léger had been councillor of this Ward from 2006 to 2008. Mr. Paul-Hubert Cormier was a councillor for this Ward from 2006 to 2008 and from 2008 to 2012, while Mr. James LeBlanc was a councillor of this Ward from 2008 to 2012. The Mayor, Mr. Ronnie Duguay, was a councillor of this ward from 2012 to 2016. The primary economic activities in this region include fishing, fish processing and boat construction. They also have a Golden Age Club, a beautiful antique style church, a very important commercial wharf and several merchants. Situated along side the main route to Prince Edward Island (PEI), this region also has several natural attractions such as fabulous marshes, beautiful coasts and even at times a view of PEI on the other side of the Northumberland Strait. This community has also organized a committee which lobbies to bring safer and more tolerable regulations on Route 15 which is a major NB highway.
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Mice Losing Their Allure as Experimental Subjects to Study Human Disease
Recent research has revealed that clinical trials involving the rodents do not automatically produce effective treatments for humans
On 19 November 2014 the journal Nature published the conclusions of a study carried out by the Encode international consortium, comparing the systems controlling gene activity in mice and in humans. The four articles on this topic found new similarities but also differences. However, this was only the visible tip of a massive undertaking that gave rise to a dozen publications in all, in five different journals.
Laboratory mice are much in the news, in the scientific world at least. A month earlier the journal Science explained how genetic engineering and new transplant techniques have kindled hope of understanding and treating cancer. Researchers set forth their dream of genetically modifying a mouse or implanting a human tumour in order to reproduce a patient’s condition and find the right molecules for their treatment.
However at the end of October the New England Journal of Medicine published an account of three clinical trials of prospective tuberculosis treatments that was much less flattering for the rodents. Researchers had tested three new drug regimens that had worked well for mice; on humans they proved a complete failure. “These trials cost at least $200m,” says Dr Clifton Barry. “In a way, it’s to be expected. Research is expensive. But this setback was foreseeable, like all the others we’ve seen in the past 40 years involving tuberculosis and mice. Yet no one seems particularly bothered.”
Full Article at The Guardian
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The decision, laid out in a memorandum written by the top lawyer for the Administrative Office of the Courts, effectively bars such lawyers from drafting or submitting clemency petitions. Rich Pedroncelli / AP
Rich Pedroncelli / AP
Federal defenders barred from massive clemency drive
Decision hampers Obama administration’s plan to extend clemency to thousands of low-level drug offenders
August 1, 2014 7:47PM ET
by Alia Malek @aliamalek & Evan Hill
The Obama administration’s ambitious plan to extend clemency to thousands of prisoners suffered a serious blow Thursday after the agency that oversees the federal courts said that hundreds of federal public defenders and other court-appointed attorneys were not authorized to represent inmates in the process.
The decision, laid out in a memorandum written by the top lawyer for the Administrative Office of the Courts, effectively bars such lawyers from drafting or submitting clemency petitions because the Constitution does not guarantee inmates the right to legal representation in such procedures.
In a memo circulated to federal defenders and the chief judges of all U.S. district and appellate courts on Thursday, General Counsel Robert Loesche wrote: “There is no Sixth Amendment right to counsel for purposes of seeking executive clemency and no statutory right, except in capital cases … there is no authority under the CJA [Criminal Justice Act] or other law to appoint counsel in non-capital clemency proceedings.”
Under that interpretation, federal defenders, whose salaries are paid by the government, and court-appointed private attorneys, who receive federal reimbursement when they are called in for service, could not legally be paid for representing clemency candidates.
The decision is a considerable setback for a coalition of legal and advocacy groups that has stepped in at the Justice Department’s behest to lead the clemency effort, which the department has heralded as a cornerstone of the administration’s criminal justice reform agenda.
It would sideline many lawyers who have come to know their clients’ cases intimately over years of work, requiring them to turn over the task of filing clemency petitions — which draw on a prisoner’s personal and legal history — to new attorneys.
From its inception in January, the administration’s clemency drive has relied heavily on the defense bar to carry out its vision, with the federal defenders assuming a lead role.
It was the Justice Department that brought in a hand-selected group of organizations, now known as the Clemency Project, to provide the legal expertise needed to vet the tens of thousands of federal inmates who might make for suitable clemency candidates and then to submit prepared petitions to the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney, which will ultimately decide which ones to recommend to the president.
Underlying the clemency drive is the discrepancy in sentences thousands of federal inmates are serving and those they would have faced had they been arrested and tried under today’s prosecuting and sentencing reforms. The clemency effort would address concerns of fairness by shortening those sentences as well as alleviating the budgetary strain of the large federal prison population.
Ideal candidates would be nonviolent, low-level drug offenders without significant ties to large-scale criminal organizations. They would also have had to serve at least 10 years of their prison sentences, not have a significant history of crime or violence and have demonstrated good conduct in prison.
Federal defenders likely represent a majority of such inmates, making them a critical component of the effort.
Though the Administrative Office issued its decision yesterday, the Justice Department already notified all federal inmates in May of the initiative, distributing surveys through the Bureau of Prisons that referred them to the Clemency Project should they want to apply and stating they would be provided with a pro bono attorney to prepare their petition. More than 20,000 inmates have already responded, according to the project.
Similarly, the Clemency Project has already begun recruiting and training volunteer lawyers, and the federal defenders have taken a lead role in preparing the materials and conducting trainings.
Representation of indigent defendants in federal judicial proceedings falls under the Criminal Justice Act, which provides that the public pays for the service. In his memo, Loesche wrote that the act does not extend to petitions to the president for mercy, a process that is conducted wholly within the executive branch.
The memo left some leeway for federal defenders to remain involved in the process, saying they could be detailed to the Office of the Pardon Attorney. The Justice Department would have to pay the personnel costs of the federal defenders.
The memo also said the Federal Public Defenders Organization would not be precluded “from screening its client files to identify individuals who may satisfy the criteria established under this initiative or from reviewing files to assist another attorney representing a clemency applicant” but was unequivocal that “actual representation would have to be provided by others.”
Groups that make up the Clemency Project, including the National Association of Defense Lawyers, the American Civil Liberties Union, Families Against Mandatory Minimums and the American Bar Association, say they are currently reviewing the memo.
"Public defenders have [been] and are involved in the [Justice] Department's clemency process, primarily through Clemency Project 2014 on a pro bono basis," a Justice Department spokesperson said. "We expect them to continue to have a robust role to play."
Department of Justice, Drugs, Law & Justice, Prison
Largest US sentence reduction in history approved for drug offenders
Decision by US Sentencing Commission to reduce 46,000 drug sentences comes amid a sea change in criminal justice reform
Push to cut sentences under Obama clemency drive begins
Prisons will begin notifying all 217,000 federal inmates next week of the call for clemency applications
Holder: Data-driven prison sentencing ‘unfair’ to minorities
Comments come in the wake of Attorney General Eric Holder’s clemency reforms for long-serving, nonviolent drug offenders
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Director: Jeff Reichert, Farihah Zaman
During the U.S. debate about healthcare reform, the media—reporters and news crews and filmmakers—failed to put a human face on what it means to not have access to healthcare. Remote Area Medical fills that gap—it is a film about people, not policy. Focusing on a single three-day clinic held in the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, Remote Area Medical affords us an insider’s perspective on the ebb and flow of the event—from the tense 3:30 a.m. ticket distribution that determines who gets seen to the routine check-ups that take dramatic turns for the worse, to the risky means to which some patients resort for pain relief. We meet a doctor who also drives an 18-wheeler, a denture maker who moonlights as a jeweler, and the organization’s founder, Stan Brock, who first imagined Remote Area Medical while living as a cowboy in the Amazon rainforest, hundreds of miles from the nearest doctor. But it is the extraordinary stories of the patients, desperate for medical attention, that create a lasting impression about the state of modern health care in America.
Traverse City Film Festival -Best Documentary
Hawaii Int’l Film Festival
Hell’s Half Mile Film Festival
IFFBoston – Special Jury Prize
RiverRun Int’l Film Festival – Best American Independent
Sidewalk Film Festival – Life and Liberty Award
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Giro finale
Photo ©: Bettini
First Edition Cycling News, August 10, 2008
Edited by Laura Weislo
Spain asserts its dominance in Beijing
Spain leads the charge
Photo ©: AFP
With arguably the strongest teams in the Olympic men's road race, it wasn't surprising that it was Spain and Italy vying at the line for the gold medal in Beijing. But rather than a sprint between defending champion Paolo Bettini (Italy) and pre-race favourite Alejandro Valverde (Spain), the finish came down to the somewhat unexpected duo of Samuel S�nchez and Davide Rebellin. Both are champions in their own right, and both have paid their dues working for team-mates in the past.
Yet, in hindsight the outcome of Saturday's race should not come as much of a shock to those who have followed the careers of these two riders, especially considering the profile of the final circuit which included a long, gradual climb followed by a rapid descent into an uphill sprint to the line.
S�nchez has a history of winning stages with his daredevil descending, and packs a powerful sprint which he's used to take two stage victories in last year's Vuelta a España in addition to his win in the final time trial.
Rebellin showed prowess on this type of course at Paris-Nice in March, when he clinched the overall victory from Dutchman Robert Gesink on the penultimate stage simply by out-descending him. At the end of that stage, he out-sprinted his next nearest competitor to seal the overall win.
With all eyes on Bettini and Valverde, having another teammate in the winning move may have been the only chance to assure a medal. In the end, it was S�nchez who had the most power left in his legs, and was able to jump away with enough force to give himself time to cross himself and raise his arms in disbelief ahead of Rebellin.
Coming up on
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"It's been a really good year for Spain," S�nchez said after the race. "We've won [Euro 2008] football, Nadal has won Wimbledon, Sastre won the Tour, so yes it's been a great year for Spanish sport. Spain is in a golden age for sport."
Valverde agreed that his team controlled the race. First they put Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre into the large move which went clear on the way to the circuits, and then Alberto Contador launched an attack when that group was caught. The Giro d'Italia winner was pulled into service to bring back a late break which threatened in the final 50km. But rather than the team's Grand Tour winners or Valverde going with the winning move on the final lap, it was S�nchez who marked the right riders and rode into the gold medal spot.
"The Spanish team was the strongest one and we showed it!" Valverde said proudly after the race. "Samuel S�nchez's victory is on of great satisfaction for the entire team. He was able to dominate a difficult situation at the end.
"Personally I felt good and had no problem with the hot weather," continued the Spanish champion, "but considering the fact that I was – together with Paolo Bettini – one of the biggest favourites everybody looked at us and there was little we could do. Samuel was able to take advantage of the situation and to give Spain its first medal in these Olympic games."
Rebellin, always magnanimous, was clearly disappointed but had nothing but praise for S�nchez. "It's great to be on the Olympic podium; I would have like to have won of course, and I've had a lot of second places, but this is a special second place. Samuel S�nchez was the strongest today, I think the strongest were S�nchez and Andy Schleck, when they attacked it wasn't easy to go with them."
Go to Cyclingnews' full report, results and photos of the men's Olympic Road Race.
Cooke: heading for the bullseye in Beijing
Nicole Cooke (Great Britain)
Nicole Cooke is one of cycling's outstanding talents, but a lack of victories in World Championships and Olympic Games leave a hole in the young Welshwoman's palmares, one that she is determined to fill. Cyclingnews' Ben Atkins has been following the British champion's progress on the way to this weekend's big showdown.
Nicole Cooke has had a plan this year: to win gold in the Olympic road race in Beijing. Balked at being denied the opportunity to go to Sydney in 2000 because of her then tender age of 17, she set out for Athens even more determined than usual. Fifth place from the group behind the winning move of Sara Carrigan and Judith Arndt could have been seen as a success by many, but it merely spurred Cooke on to make sure everything was right going into the race this time.
The plan for this season has been for Cooke to focus entirely on arriving in Beijing in her best possible condition, with the best team at her disposal. But what is it about the Olympic games that puts it so far above all the other races in the women's peloton? "Well, I think, probably as you saw at the Tour de l'Aude [where Cooke raced in May with her Great Britain team]," said Cooke, "even the prestigious stage races and races outside of the Olympics and the World Championships, they are prestigious and very competitive, but nothing in terms of the World's media that the Olympics gets.
"There's that," she continued, "and also the Olympics is the Olympics and I think definitely in women's cycling everyone wants to be on top form to try and win that race."
As well as getting Cooke's own form right, the second part of the plan has been to construct a Great Britain team that is powerful enough to support her; something that has been lacking in past championships. To this end, the Halfords-Bikehut team was created, incorporating much of the national federation in what British Cycling's performance director David Brailsford has referred to as a "Pro-Nat" set up. Because of its close ties to the national federation the team has been able to race under the Great Britain colours, drafting in Olympic team member Emma Pooley from the Specialized Designs for Women team to allow her and Cooke to race together.
"I think it's all about getting more experience together really," Cooke explained, "just spending time together training and racing, which we have been doing. It's not really so much them working for me, but us all working together, because as a team everyone will achieve more than if we go as individuals. I think that's really our mentality and approach. It's better to have a strong team that's united and strong tactics."
Continue to the full feature.
Fans, family upset with lack of access
Stuart O'Grady (Australia) thought the spectator-less course was bizarre.
Photo ©: Casey Gibson
The Olympic road race course, like most cycling events, was to be free access for most of the route allowing fans to catch a glimpse of their countrymen or favourites without having to purchase a ticket. Yet when cycling enthusiasts and even family members of riders tried to get into the venue, they were turned back by Chinese security.
According to ABC online, some fans, who had walked for hours in the stifling heat, took matters into their own hands and broke through security fences and shouted at the officials that they wanted to see the cycling.
The Sydney Sun-Herald reported that the wife of Australian Cadel Evans was one of those turned back by security. Chiara Passerini, Evans' Italian wife, climbed a 10-metre wall to wave the Australian flag in support of her husband. The family of Mattew Lloyd took a different route, and paid off security to get in.
"We arrived here and the policeman didn't want us to stay, he wanted us to stay behind a fence, so we jumped on the other side of the fence and climbed up on this wall," Passerini said during the race.
"The policeman didn't know what to do and he looked like he panicked almost, so we just stayed here where we are and didn't move and we're still here. It's fantastic! ... I think there's just a little bit too much control, though. It's a bit ridiculous."
The lack of spectator access is not only concern to the fans, but to the riders as well. Stuart O'Grady was disappointed when his wife travelled all the way to China only to watch on TV. The lack of cheering fans made an already difficult race harder. "It was like silent murder," he told FoxSports.
"The pain was there but there was no screaming no cheering so it was very bizarre," he said of the closing circuits. "The Tour de France is popular because it is free to the people and the people have close access. I think that probably got in the way of their ideas of controlling people here."
Officials reportedly will ask the Chinese to relax their security to allow more fans on the road side for the time trial, but fans hoping to catch Sunday's women's race may still face some of the same difficulties.
Casper named as Tour's fifth positive
Jimmy Casper (Agritubel) blamed a change in asthma meds for his positive
Photo ©: Brecht Decaluwé
Frenchman Jimmy Casper (Agritubel) was named Saturday as the rider who tested positive for glucocorticoids during the Tour de France, one of seven riders to be found with the drug in his system but the only one who did not carry a Therapeutic Use Exemption for the drug. Casper blamed an error in his paperwork for the problem, and said he did not use the drug for performance enhancement, but to treat his asthma.
Casper finished came in outside the time limit on the stage to Alpe d'Huez and did not finish the Tour.
"I am asthmatic," Casper told AFP. "I did not take it as a performance boost, but for my treatment. For the twelve years I have raced I have had a TUE for the [asthma] product Syndicort. My previous TUE, which was to expire on May 29, covered the drug. On the next, there has been another product, Becotide. This product caused the positive control.
"I do not know who has been negligent, if the error came from me or the [team] doctor," said Casper. He has asked for leniency from the French Federation (FFC) and the International Cycling Union (UCI)
A similar situation occurred last year when Rabobank's Pedro Horrillo had an incorrect TUE which resulted in a positive test after the Brabantse Pijl in April, 2007. He was later cleared of doping charges.
While Horrillo was not suspended by his team, Casper's Agritubel squad took a more conservative approach. "For the moment, we have temporarily suspended him," Agritubel manager David Fornes said to AFP. "If the Federation suspends him, we will begin a procedure for dismissal."
Evans recovered, possible for time trial
Cadel Evans may race the TT after all.
Australian Cadel Evans seems to have recovered from the minor knee injury he sustained during a post-Tour de France slip-up. The Tour runner-up slipped and fell at a party, and announced earlier this month that he would not contest the timed event on Wednesday. But a strong performance in Saturday's road race, which saw him on the brink of making the winning selection, may change his mind.
"I would say [I'm] 60-40 at this point," he told The Australian. "The body is OK. There's no knee problems - I'll have plenty of ice."
Evans was his country's sole rider for the time trial before his injury, but then the Australians were awarded a wildcard spot in the event, which it gave to three-time world champion Michael Rogers. Should Evans decide to contest Wednesday's event, he would therefore not deprive Rogers of a chance to race.
The accident Evans had following the Tour de France isn't the first time he's suffered from knee pain. He had to take a break in May to recover from tendonitis which he blamed on time spent working on his aerodynamic position for the time trial. Just as he recovered from his earlier problems, Evans seems to have rebounded from his latest setback.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported Australia's coach Shayne Bannan, as more optimistic about Evans' chances at the time trial. "We'll have a chat with Cadel tomorrow. Cadel's really pleased with the way he came through it, he felt strong, particularly in the last few laps. So it wouldn't surprise me if Cadel also is switched on for the time trial," he said.
Evans found himself in a select group of attackers coming into the final laps, but chose to sacrifice his chances for his compatriot Michael Rogers instead. Rogers took sixth.
"For Cadel to get off the bike today and think that riding the time trial is going to be a favourable option, that shows that he is pretty pleased with the way the knee felt during the day," Bannan said.
Too hot for the Germans
Stefan Schumacher (Germany) on the pre-ride
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
The heat, humidity and pollution did in the German team in Beijing, but their failure to make the podium may more likely rest on the fact that they just didn't have a good day. Fabian Wegmann was the only one of the four German starters to make it to the finish. He came in 21st.
"I am simply disappointed," said Jens Voigt, who dropped out in the next-to-last circuit after spending much of the day in the leading group. "We weren't strong enough on the climb. Of course, I would have liked to have ridden two fewer laps, but everyone had the same conditions. We shouldn't look for excuses," he told Sid.
Bert Grabsch was also in the lead group with Voigt, and dropped out when the group was caught with 100 km to go. "I didn't feel strong enough to have a say in the final outcome, and wanted to have enough strength left over for the time trial. I am satisfied with my performance," he wrote on his website, bertgrabsch.de. Despite the overwhelming heat and humidity of over 90 percent, he still enjoyed the experience, "especially riding through Beijing, where there were so many frenetic fans."
The first to leave the race was sprinter Gerald Ciolek. "I had a bad day, it felt like altitude training," the 21 year-old told the dpa.
Stefan Schumacher had been the team's hope for a medal, but he only made it for five laps. "At first I had good legs, but in the fourth lap I got a headache," he said. "It disappeared, but when it came back, it was unbearable." Looking back, he said, "The whole race was torture. The pressing heat, and then the smog. That just did me in."
"It was the expected heat battle," said Directeur Sportif Hans-Michael Holczer. "I had feared this. Schumi had problems with the heat all week." (SW)
Austrians satisfied
Christian Pfannberger (Austria) tried a solo attack
Photo ©: Rob Jones
Christian Pfannberger gave his all to get a medal Saturday, attacking out the leading group and going into the last lap with a 20 second advantage. "But the head wind was so strong, that my lead was just too small," the Austrian told laola1.at.
"My goal was a medal, he said. "That's why I set everything on one card at the end and hoped that it would work out. I can't blame myself for anything. I became Military World Champion with such an attack. I had this chance for a medal and otherwise it didn't matter if I ended up fourth or fiftieth." He came in 23d.
His Austrian team-mate, Thomas Rohregger, also was satisfied. "We didn't miss by much, even though the conditions today were extreme. ... But for a medal, everything has to go right on the day. We were only a small team, but we can leave with our heads held high."
Team manager Klaus Kabasser saw it similarly. "Peformance-wise, both were excellent. We really hope for Pfannberger's attack to work. Both riders set a high standard for the women riders." (SW)
Aerts "formidable"
The Belgian team's riders stretching their legs
Photo ©: JF Quénet
Belgian coach Carlo Bomans was pleased with his team's performance in the Olympic men's road race, even though his highest finisher was Mario Aerts. The 33-year-old was called in to replace Stijn Devolder on the team, and rode to an eighth place finish in his first Olympic Games.
"What a formidable performance from Mario Aerts! Actually I had never expected that he would do something like that here," Bomans gushed. "If you see who he had to compete against, then you can only admire him."
Looking at his other riders, Bomans told the belga news agency, "Maxime Monfort was just not good enough today, no more and no less. But he is still highly motivated for Wednesday's time trial."
"The other three have certainly done what we expected of them. Jurgen Van den Broeck and Johan Vansummeren both did what they had to do, and Christophe Brandt did well too today." Vansummeren went with a counterattack in the penultimate lap which fell victim to the relentless chase of the Spanish team, and finished 42nd. He and Aerts were the only two Belgians to complete the race. (SW)
(With additional editorial assistance from Susan Westemeyer.)
Previous News Next News
(All rights reserved/Copyright Future Publishing (Overseas) Limited 2008)
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Matthew Day Jackson
Peter Blum (Soho)
99 Wooster Street, 212-343-0441
September 16 - November 13, 2010
Reception: Thursday, September 16, 2 - 6 PM
Peter Blum is pleased to announce the exhibitions The Tomb at the Soho gallery and In Search of at the Chelsea gallery. This is Matthew Day Jackson’s second one-person show with the Peter Blum Gallery.
At the Soho gallery, Jackson will present an installation entitled The Tomb—a large-scale work derived from the Tomb of Philippe Pot. Attributed to Antoine LeMoiturier, in the collection of the Musée du Louvre in Paris, the Tomb of Philippe Pot is considered one of the masterpieces of the Burgundian style of the late 15th century. Jackson replaces the eight hooded monks who carry Pot’s effigy with astronauts that are rendered from scraps of wood and plastic. They are then compressed into a block and cut with a CNC (computer numerical control) process. The astronauts shoulder a steel and glass box that holds a skeletal structure based upon Jackson’s own body. The hands and feet are cast from either Jackson’s own extremities or handles from tools. Other elements of the skeleton incorporate biomedical prototypes, various industrial materials, and found wood. Viewed through a one-way mirror, which allows the viewer to simultaneously see one’s own reflection and the effigy’s contents, Jackson’s skeleton provides both autobiographical reference and explores the interconnectivity of disparate forms and narratives. The Tomb can also be seen as Jackson’s exploration of the “Horriful”—his belief that everything one does has the potential to evoke both beauty and horror at the same time. For Jackson, the allusion to death is not a “Memento Mori,” but a claim to “Carpe Diem.”
At the Chelsea gallery, In Search of is comprised of 5 new wall-based pieces and 2 sculptural works. At the center of the exhibition is the 30-minute video entitled In Search of, which functions as the show’s narrative thread. The video is based upon the late 1970s television series In Search of hosted by Leonard Nimoy, where each episode was devoted to investigating mysterious and paranormal phenomena. Jackson’s film, divided into three parts, examines different forms of anthropomorphism. The first part looks at how man conceives life as viewed from outer space; the second part examines the literal and metaphoric aspects of artistic journeys; and the final part investigates the rise and fall of civilizations and how the past is communicated through objects.
The themes in the film In Search of are found throughout the exhibition. The large-scale Barnstorming the Moon is based on the June 6, 1969 cover of Life magazine and connects the image of the space traveler with that of the artist, suggesting that belief enables both to move beyond their physical and mental limitations. August 6, 1945 refers to the date Hiroshima was leveled by the first atomic bomb. The allusion to Hiroshima’s destruction is juxtaposed with an aerial view of Hamburg, itself destroyed by fire bombing from Allied planes. Both Barnstorming the Moon and August 6, 1945 explore how technological developments done for the advancement of human society can easily become complicit in the hunger for conquest and power as well as the destruction of human life. In Study Collection VI, an enormous stainless steel shelf filled with objects (some of which are featured in the film In Search of), Jackson counters the assumption that events and historical narratives progress in a linear fashion by putting disparate elements on an equal footing. In Jackson’s art, history is not cosigned to the past but exists in and alongside the present.
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« Vietnam’s economy : sabotaged from within - Vietnam : Trans woman to lose official legal »
Pham Duy dies at 91 ; Vietnam's most prolific songwriter
Par Vietnam aujourd'hui le lundi 28 janvier 2013, 20:55 - News in english - Lien permanent
Known as the 'musician of 1,000 songs,' Pham Duy captured the strength of his people through years of turbulence and composed dozens of tunes after settling in California.
Pham Duy, Vietnam's most prolific songwriter, who captured the strength of his people through years of turbulence and composed dozens of tunes after settling in California, died Sunday in Ho Chi Minh City. He was 91.
His death was confirmed by his daughter Thai Hanh. He had been suffering from heart ailments after two operations, according to his family.
Known as the "musician of 1,000 songs," Pham was revered by generations of Vietnamese, who memorized his melodies and taught them to their children and grandchildren.
Talk of his legacy — from folk tunes to spiritual and peace songs — filled the cafes of Westminster's Little Saigon, the largest business and cultural district for Vietnamese Americans. On Sunday afternoon, customers at the Coffee Factory in Westminster ran to their cars, trying to catch radio news of his death.
Conversation inevitably turned to the death from cancer last month of his eldest son, singer Duy Quang, who, like his father, was popular in Vietnam and the U.S.
"Two talents fly above together," said Hai Dao of Santa Ana, chatting with friends over lunch. "It seems every song we listen to has a touch of Pham Duy in it. His musical presence is everywhere."
Pham led a musical dynasty that included his wife, diva Thai Hang, and eight children, who performed around the world as part of the band the Dreamers. Family members lived together in a compound in Midway City, just minutes from Little Saigon.
Born Pham Duy Can in Hanoi on Oct. 5, 1921, he was the son of a progressive writer who supported mass education in French-occupied Vietnam. As a young man the budding composer moved to Paris to study at the Institute of Musicology.
Returning home, he launched his career as a singer in the Duc Huy troupe before joining a musical cadre for the Viet Minh forces in their resistance against the French. He eventually headed south to Saigon and, after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, resettled in the U.S.
Pham's work was banned in postwar Vietnam, but his music continued to be performed outside his homeland by scores of entertainers. Nostalgia, a theme he repeatedly highlighted, resulted in the song "Motherland Love":
"I left home one afternoon
When a sad song echoed in the leaves
My sorrow is undimmed by the years
From exile I yearn
For the love of my land..."
Pham led a minstrel's life, traveling around the world to sing from his series of songs about the lives of refugees and political prisoners.
"He is a treasure, and I wish more people knew about him from outside our community," said Dr. BichLien Nguyen, the head of the Vietnamese American Cancer Foundation, who organized a tribute to Pham at the La Mirada Theatre in 2002. "No one can write like him. No one makes us feel the way we do when we listen to his songs."
Ysa Le, who directs the Santa Ana-based Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Assn., is another admirer. "His songs go with the history of Vietnam. It just doesn't touch on one subject like romantic love — it's about struggle and faith and country. It's very patriotic. And I'm happy to see the generation growing up here learn about his music through YouTube or watching videos" of modern stars sizzling to his older tunes.
Pham is survived by daughters Thai Hien, Thai Thao and Thai Hanh; and sons Duy Cuong, Duy Minh, Duy Hung and Duy Duc.
By Anh Do - The Los Angeles Times - January 28, 2013
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Peyton Manning opens up about arm strength post-neck surgeries
Denver Broncos, Injuries, nerves, Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning appears at Super Bowl 50 media day on Monday in San Jose, Calif. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Peyton Manning has said repeatedly over the years that he’s experienced numbness in his fingertips following four neck surgeries in 2011. The Broncos’ quarterback sees an array of specialists, as do most NFL players, to stay in game shape.
But on Monday, during the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 media night, Manning opened up about his neck surgeries how they have affected his play.
“I’ve never really given a status of an arm,” he said. “It’s not like it’s giving a status of a player, kind of a whole human body. Just the one arm, I’m not sure if I’m able to do that. My arm is what it is. I honestly think that having a little time off to heal my foot maybe helped some other parts. I think it’s something not getting hit every Sunday night, throwing 100 passes at a practice every week. So I took some time off and then I started rehabbing so I tried to use that time to help other parts of my body physically.
“My arm feels OK. My arm has not been the same since I got injured four years ago. It just simply hasn’t been. I had a strange injury. I had a neck injury that caused some nerve problems in my right arm. My high school coach used to always tell me when you’re sprinting left it’d be a lot easier if you could throw it left handed if you were amphibious and I think he meant ambidextrous. I hurt my arm and I had that nerve damage and I said, ‘if only I could throw left-handed now it would be a lot easier.’ I’ve worked hard to sort of manage with the physical limitations and have gotten to a place where I think I could be effective and that’s where it is.”
Categories: General Broncos
Peyton Manning defends Cam Newton’s touchdown celebrations
Boomer Esiason compares Peyton Manning to Bartolo Colon — in complimentary way
I’m hoping Manning is doing a misdirection, but just in case he isn’t, I’d be giving Brock and the receivers a lot of reps. They’d be foolish not to.
Comment by armoderate — February 2, 2016 @ 11:57 am
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Mark Richt on Malik Rosier’s sore shoulder, Virginia Tech, the Coastal, Miami’s OL woes
Mark Richt watches during the second half of Miami’s win over Georgia Tech on Oct. 14, 2017. (AP)
[Canes unbeaten, but drop in AP poll]
[Miami-VT: prime-time, nat’l TV]
[Randy Shannon is Florida’s interim coach]
Malik Rosier will rest his right (throwing) shoulder during Sunday’s practice, Mark Richt said.
“He did get his shoulder banged up,” Richt said of Rosier, who was injured and missed one series in Saturday’s 24-19 win at North Carolina. “It’s still sore today. He probably won’t throw today. We’ll probably get him going Tuesday.”
The ninth-ranked Hurricanes (7-0, 5-0 ACC) are off Monday and return to practice Tuesday. They host 13th-ranked Virginia Tech (7-1, 3-1) at 8 p.m. Saturday (ABC), in a game that could decide the ACC Coastal.
Though Rosier threw for a career-high 356 yards against the Tar Heels, he struggled to find a rhythm. He finished 16-of-38, with three touchdowns and one interception (and was bailed out on another near-pick, called off because of pass interference). He had faulty protection at times, but it was hardly his best game.
“He struggled a few times with making decisions in the run game and decisions in the passing game,” said Richt, who hadn’t reviewed the film with his quarterback when he spoke to reporters Sunday. “He probably had more decisions that were not as clean than he did some of the other games going into the UNC game.
“One thing about him is, he’s very aware of our offensive system and how it works and the decisions that he should make and shouldn’t make. … He’ll self-correct it when he watches the tape. He’ll see.”
More of what Richt said in his day-after teleconference Sunday evening:
* Richt said he tells his team this:
“‘One day, a Miami team will win the Coastal and represent in Charlotte. Are you the team?’ I don’t know. That’s what we’re fighting for.”
Miami can clinch the ACC Coastal if it beats Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech beats Virginia on Saturday.
“We talk about the Coastal every week,” Richt said. “That’s one of the only things you can control in college football, whether you win your division and win your league.”
What does Richt see in Virginia Tech? “They’re a great team. They’re coached extremely well. I think they’ve been underrated from the preseason. I think they are one of the better teams in America. They’re going to be a great challenge for us.”
* Richt has said several times in recent weeks that UM isn’t in a place where they can “line up and whip” teams. As long as Miami is winning, how much does Richt care how they’re playing?
“If you knew you were going to struggle every week in a lot of areas and still find a way to win every week,” he said, “it wouldn’t matter at all in the end. I think a lot of issues in these games are forgotten once you win and move on. It’s when you lose a game and those same issues pop up — and I’m talking about fans, and I’m talking about even the media at times. We as coaches, win or lose, we’re always trying to correct mistakes. … In the end, if you win, that’s the bottom line.
“Some third-down issues we’ve had, no doubt, but we also had three touchdown passes, and more than a few explosive plays. We’ve had our offense in big spurts and big chunks, rather than the type of drives that are maybe more comforting to me as a coach, our fan base, or our defense, for that matter. The bottom line is, we are making those plays, we are scoring touchdowns, we are finding a way to win. In the end, that’s what’s most important.”
* Right guard Navaughn Donaldson (sprained ankle) is “fine,” Richt said. “He played a good bit. We expected him to be fine.” As far as the offensive line as a whole, Richt sees “some great moments and some not-so-great moments,” he said. The protection on Rosier’s deep post to Jeff Thomas was “awesome,” but “we did not run block very well at all, in this last game in particular. We certainly need to get better in a hurry.”
* Richt noted surprise receiver Darrell Langham and Braxton Berrios have been bright spots. “I’m always happy when guys make a play they didn’t know they can make,” he said of Langham. Berrios has been “a major force in our offense … he’s coming through for us. Great playmaker, great punt returner.”
* Miami’s third-down issues stem from “a combination of things,” including protection, route-running, dropped balls and ball placement. “Sometimes we’ll hit a big shot,” he said, “and sometimes we haven’t made the throw or made the catch like we should.” UM dropped to 119th nationally in third-down conversions (30.68) after going 4-for-17 against UNC.
* UM didn’t score a point off four UNC turnovers last week. “We haven’t done a good enough job” in that area, Richt said.
* How does he keep UM’s energy up entering November? It’s a constant monitoring process, he said. He said he’s done walk-throughs rather than regular practices on Thursday, depending how his team feels. “Sometimes you need Thursday and Friday to get their legs fresh,” he said. “Anything you can do to keep them fresh and keep the morale up, it helps. It also helps that we’re winning.”
More Miami-UNC
[5 things we learned: UNC edition]
[Players, Richt not pleased by performance]
[Rosier has shoulder trouble]
[Berrios wanted UNC to respect the ‘U’]
[Reaction video | Game blog | Pregame]
Ex-Miami Hurricanes coach Randy Shannon is Florida Gators interim coach
Lonnie Walker shines in Miami Hurricanes' secret preseason scrimmage
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Daily Episodes
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American Dad! Season 9
American Dad! Season 9 Episode 10 Familyland
American Dad! Season 9 Episode 1 Steve & Snot's Test-Tubular AdventureAmerican Dad! Season 9 Episode 2 PoltergasmAmerican Dad! Season 9 Episode 3 Buck, WildAmerican Dad! Season 9 Episode 4 CrotchwalkersAmerican Dad! Season 9 Episode 5 Kung Pao TurkeyAmerican Dad! Season 9 Episode 6 Independent MovieAmerican Dad! Season 9 Episode 7 Faking BadAmerican Dad! Season 9 Episode 8 Minstrel KrampusAmerican Dad! Season 9 Episode 9 Vision: ImpossibleAmerican Dad! Season 9 Episode 10 FamilylandAmerican Dad! Season 9 Episode 11 Cock of the SleepwalkAmerican Dad! Season 9 Episode 12 Introducing the Naughty StewardessesAmerican Dad! Season 9 Episode 13 I Ain't No Holodeck BoyAmerican Dad! Season 9 Episode 14 Stan Goes on the PillAmerican Dad! Season 9 Episode 15 Honey, I'm HomelandAmerican Dad! Season 9 Episode 16 She Swill SurviveAmerican Dad! Season 9 Episode 17 RubberneckersAmerican Dad! Season 9 Episode 18 Permanent Record WreckerAmerican Dad! Season 9 Episode 19 News Glance with Genevieve VavanceAmerican Dad! Season 9 Episode 20 The Longest Distance Relationship
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American Dad! Season 1 23 Episodes 46984
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television. Creators and main directors, MacFarlane (creator of Family Guy) as well as two former Family Guy writers, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman aired the pilot episode in the United States on Fox on February 6, 2005, thirty minutes after the end of Super Bowl XXXIX; the regular series began May 1, 2005, after the season premiere of Family Guy. American Dad! follows the events of CIA agent Stan Smith and his family. Unlike Family Guy, American Dad! does not contain cutaway gags, but relies more on situational humor and non sequiturs.
During this season, Roger travels to the Middle East to support the troops and gets captured by an alien hunter, Stan gets a curse that makes him age backwards and reconciles with an old flame, and Hayley and Jeff adopt a possessed baby. Guest stars of the season include Cee Lo Green, Gabourey Sidibe, Kristen Schaal, Sarah Natochenny, Anjelica Huston, Scott Foley, Sharon Lawrence, Ricky Martin, and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Also, the hurricane-themed crossover episode with The Cleveland Show and Family Guy that would have aired the previous season but was postponed due to tornadoes in the South, aired October 2.
Episode plots include Roger returning to his home planet, Klaus finding his human body, Roger becoming Stan’s stepfather, Hayley getting a job as a bar singer for Roger, and a Christmas episode where a demon known as the Krampus sets out to ruin the holiday season.
American Dad! Season 10 3 Episodes 7937
American Dad! Season 10
American Dad! from Family Guy creator, Seth MacFarlane, is the animated story of Stan Smith, who works for the CIA and is constantly on the alert for terrorist activity. Stan will go to extremes to protect his beloved America from harm – as evidenced by the terror-alert color code on his fridge, and his frequent knee-jerk reaction of shooting holes in the toaster whenever the toast pops up. Production Company: 20th Century FOX.Also see Family Guy.Character Guide:Stan Smith - Stan works for the CIA, and is constantly on the look-out for terrorists. He loves his family and will do anything to protect them, and his country.
American Dad! Season 11 15 Episodes 39046
American Dad!'s 10th season (2013-14) was the show's final full season on Fox. The cable network TBS picked up the series for its 11th season as announced in July 2013. Though the first 3 episodes of the 18-episode 11th season aired on Fox on the 14th and 21st of September 2014. The following 15 episodes will air on TBS, beginning on October 20, 2014. TBS has aired reruns of American Dad! in syndication for several years and continues to. On the show's upcoming network relocation, Barker has stated, "It's going to be the same American Dad!, just in a different place." Barker departed the series over creative differences once early production for season 11 commenced in November 2013
The TV series follows the life of an upper middle class Smith family, consisting of an eccentric head of family, Stan Smith, a CIA agent and staunch patriot; his wife Francine, a typical blonde and housewife; their two children Hayley, a pacifist and sceptic and Steven, a loser and wimpy nerd, who dreams to seduce a beautiful girl. Also Smith family consists of three additional weird protagonists, namely: Jeff Fischer, Hayley’s hippie boyfriend; Klaus, a saturnine talking goldfish and Roger, the most extravagant family member, who is actually an alien, full of irony, skepticism, madcap actions and impersonations.
The random escapades of Stan Smith, an extreme right wing CIA agent dealing with family life and keeping America safe, all in the most absurd way possible.
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Bristow’s Africa Operation Began in 1960
Bristow traces its African roots to 1960 when it acquired Fison-Airwork, primarily a crop spraying company with business in Central America, England and the Sudan. Fison-Airwork was also involved in supporting some of the first oil exploration work in Nigeria on contract to the Shell D'Arcy development company. In the following years, Bristow would divest itself of the crop spraying business and expand the work with Shell in Nigeria.
The impact of the Biafran War
The Nigerian Civil War, or Biafran War, which broke out in 1967, impacted Bristow's operations in the region, as it did many other companies operating in Africa. Bristow helped evacuate workers from rigs at the start of the war, reunited them with their families, and flew them to Fernando Po, (Bioko), an island off the west coast of Africa (Bight of Biafra) and now part of Equatorial Guinea. At the time of the war, Bristow had 11 helicopters committed to oil support work based at Port Harcourt.
Despite the risks, Bristow managed to keep operating in Nigeria during the war, with a skeleton presence in Lagos and Warri. The war ended in 1970.
Energy becomes big business
Bristow was incorporated in Nigeria on December 17, 1969. In the early 1970s, Bristow had Wessexes, Whirlwind series 3s, Bell 206s and Islanders in its fleet, and its business began to rebuild as oil companies returned to the region. In the early to mid-1970s, Nigeria was Bristow's biggest profit center and grew through the decade, with contracts from Shell, Mobil, Texaco and others.
By the 1980s, Bristow phased out the Wessexes and its fleet consisted of Bell 212s, Bell 206s and Sikorsky S-76s, among others. In 1982, Bristow operated entirely from client bases.
In 1986, Bristow began training Nigerian pilots at its flying school at Redhill, a program which continues at Bristow Academy today. Bristow has trained approximately 200 Nigerian pilots since the program began. Bristow also began sponsoring students at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, (NCAT), Zaria. The company has trained approximately 210 Nigerian helicopter engineers since this program began in 1986, and continues today.
Going strong at the turn of the century
In the early 2000s, in an interview for the book by author Andrew Healey called Leading from the Front, Allan Brown, then director of Bristow's International Business Unit, described Bristow's operations as a "growth area," with a main base at Lagos International Airport, a hangar, offices and residential facilities.
The company flew two de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter turbo-prop aircraft for Shell in support of its crew changes among Lagos, Warri and Port Harcourt. Later, Bristow flew oil crews from Lagos on Dornier 328 turbo-prop aircraft, which were later replaced by three Dornier 328 jets, to Port Harcourt, Warri and Abuja, and provided crews for six Shell-owned Eurocopter EC-155s and five Bell 212s out of Eket for Mobil. Bristow also operated two Aerospatiale AS355 Twin-Squirrel helicopters for Texaco and ConocoPhillips (Canoxy) out of the Warri-Texaco base. In addition, the company operated the Mitsubishi MU-2 and Beech King Air turbo-prop aircraft for ad-hoc charter clients. Bristow was also operating in Ghana, Benin, Mauritania and Togo.
Brown recounted that Bristow replaced many of the expats with Nigerian nationals at this time, and sponsored "pilots through training in Florida, and engineers through training in Perth."
In 2002, Air Logistics acquired Pan African Airlines (Nigeria) Ltd (PAAN). The PAAN acquisition brought Bristow fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, and a major contract with Chevron.
In 2006, Bristow had 48 aircraft operating in Nigeria, including six new Bell 412s. After a tour of the Nigeria Air Force base at Port Harcourt by Bristow President and CEO, Bill Chiles, the company made a long-term commitment to invest in infrastructure at the base and focused on improving safety, profitability and business integrity in the region.
Bristow's operations continued to grow through the end of the decade. The company operated from nine bases in Nigeria, with the largest bases at Escravos, Warri, Port Harcourt and Lagos, and was the largest provider of helicopter service to the oil and gas industry in the area. The marketplace, which had historically been concentrated predominantly in the oil rich swamp and shallow water of the Niger Delta, expanded to work further offshore in support of deep water exploration. In the late 2000s, Bristow was operating Eurocopter AS332 Super Pumas under contract for Shell, Sikorsky S-76s under contract for Exxon, and in 2009, had acquired two Sikorsky S-92s for a contract with Chevron.
New Nigerian legislation creates opportunities
In 2011, the enactment of legislation in Nigeria to create more sustainable, stand-alone Nigerian companies in the nation's oil and gas industry prompted Bristow to separate its Bristow Helicopters (Nigeria) Ltd (BHNL) and PAAN operations. The company started a new Nigerian entity – BGI Aviation Technical Services (BATS) – to provide technical aviation maintenance services within Nigeria. BHNL and PAAN are the first BATS clients.
While committing to continue to apply all key Bristow Group standards and policies, including Bristow's Target Zero safety program, the new arrangement brought autonomy to BHNL's and PAAN's flight operations, with support from Bristow Group via BATS.
Present day Bristow
Bristow continues to maintain a strong business presence in Nigeria. The company deploys a combination of small, medium and large aircraft in Nigeria and operates from six bases, with the largest located in Escravos, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Warri. Bristow's client base is comprised mostly of major integrated offshore energy companies.
Bristow Helicopters (Nigeria) Limited (BHNL) is a joint venture in Nigeria in which Bristow Helicopters owns a 48 percent interest, a Nigerian company owns a 50 percent interest, and an employee trust fund owns the remaining two percent interest as of December 31, 2015. BHNL provides helicopter services to clients in Nigeria.
PAAN is a joint venture in Nigeria with local partners. PAAN provides helicopter services to clients in Nigeria.
BATS provides aviation engineering and technical services to the Nigerian aviation market. BATS headquarters is at GRA Ikeja Lagos, and a service office is located at the General Aviation Area of Murtala Muhammed Airport, including a fully-equipped heavy maintenance hangar and management offices. In Port Harcourt, the company has a full maintenance hangar in addition to its support facilities. BATS also operates from customer bases in Warri, Calabar, Eket and Escravos.
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Eastern Airways Introduces Embraer 170 Jets Dedicated to Charters
Eastern Airways recently introduced two modern Embraer 170 regional jets to its fleet that are now available for charter operations to destinations throughout the UK, Western and Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean, and as far as Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and the Canary Islands.
The new 76-seat Brazilian manufactured Embraer 170-100 LR jets have a range of more than 1,800 miles powered by two General Electric CF34-8E 5A1 jet engines with maximum speed of 553 miles per hour. The superior operating performance of the new aircraft, enhanced by their ability to accommodate steep approaches and long-range operations, make them valuable assets for the oil and gas market. These fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft feature modern, spacious cabin surroundings with comfortable leather seating.
With the addition of the Embraer 170s to its fleet, Eastern Airways now operates 33 aircraft, offering a wide variety of aircraft available for charter in the 29-76 seat market. Eastern Airways also partners with Bristow to arrange integrated aviation services for clients, providing fixed-wing with rotary-wing flight connectivity to transfer workers offshore.
Bristow acquired a 60-percent stake in Eastern Airways in 2014. The airline, which has been operating for 19 years, offers a comprehensive network of scheduled services throughout the UK and select destinations in France, in addition to private charter services. For more information about Eastern Airways, visit www.easternairways.com.
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Jamie Lynn Macchia, From Miss New York To The Campaign For #MoreThan4: A Young Woman On The Path Of Success.
by Milano52
booksunlimited
Feb 10, 2018 | 37375 views | 0 | 766 | | | permalink
Interview by Tiziano Thomas Dossena
Jamie Lynn Macchia is a 26-year-old Magna Cum Laude graduate of Wagner College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Arts Administration and Marketing. While in attendance, she was a Competitive Dance Team member, Alpha Omicron Pi sorority sister, and part of the Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society.
When she was 17 years old, Jamie Lynn began competing in the Miss America Organization to obtain scholarships for college. She is the only woman to achieve the Miss Staten Island title twice, in both 2012 & 2014, and is also the former Miss Greater NY 2013 & 2015. In 2014, Jamie Lynn was invited to represent New York in the National Sweetheart Pageant in 2014, a long-standing tradition created in 1941, which is open to runner-ups from the Miss America state pageants. Out of the 43 contestants from across the country, she was named first runner-up – the highest placement ever for New York. In June of 2015, Jamie Lynn won the prestigious title of Miss New York and went on to compete at Miss America in Atlantic City.
Jamie Lynn works with many different organizations, but after loosing her best friend, Dominic, when they were 15 to leukemia, she dedicated her volunteer efforts to her personal platform: Inspiring Action Against Pediatric Cancer. Alongside the Pediatric Cancer Foundation, Gianna Nicole’s Heart of Hope and The Truth 365, she is a force in making a change to bridge the funding gap, raise money for the necessary research and give our kids a fighting chance. She campaigns for #MoreThan4 percent, which is the only amount of federal funding for cancer research that is allocated to all childhood cancers.
Over the years, Macchia has raised over hundreds of thousands of dollars for various charitable organizations, served as co-chair of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk and created and received numerous prestigious awards for her work including: Miss America Organization Community Service Award, Miss America Organization Academic Award, Children’s Miracle Network’s “Miracle Maker”, SIEDC’s “20 Under 40” Award, Star Network’s “Stars Under 40” Award, and the Rotary Club of Verrazano’s “Women & Children’s Award.”
Jamie Lynn now works as the full-time Development Officer for Staten Island University Hospital, Northwell Health and is a consultant for Rodan Fields. In her free time, she likes to do yoga, travel, go out to eat, and spend time with friends, family, and her cats – Jynx & Meeko. Jamie Lynn loves The Wizard of Oz, is a shoe fanatic, and is an expert on all things Disney. She has always believed, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible” & looks forward to making the “impossible” a possibility. (From http://jamielynnmacchia.weebly.com)
Meeting Jamie Lynn was both an incredible honor and a pleasant surprise. Her savoir faire and radiant beauty polarized the room where she was speaking to a group of women participants of the Floral Park Lions Just 4 Women Expo. Her speech was impeccable and delivered professionally. As an observer I was shocked to find out the young lady speaking so assertively that day was only 25 years old. Since then, I learned a lot more about her and I am very proud to offer our readers the opportunity to learn more about her too. She is a delightful and altruistic girl who spend a lot of her time to help others and she might inspire others to do so. Here goes then the interview that I had today with her. (TTD)
Tiziano Dossena: You campaign to let people know about #MoreThan4. Could you tell us what this campaign is about?
Jamie Lynn Macchia: Cancer is the #1 disease killer of children and each year about 10,380 children in the United States under the age of 15 will be diagnosed. Treatments have not changed significantly in more than a decade. In fact, most medications used to fight cancer in children are designed to combat adult cancers and three out of five survivors develop side effects from receiving treatments that are too strong for their small bodies to handle. Yet, insufficient efforts are being made to help those who are fighting the hardest battle of their young lives.
I always take the opportunity to spread a message many people are shocked by: Of the already small amount of federal funding for cancer research (both adult and pediatric), only 4% is allocated for all childhood cancers combined. This is where the #MoreThan4 movement comes in: to raise awareness of the horrific statistics, and to emphasize the gross inequity of cancer research funding, the #MoreThan4 (percent) movement was born.
Our children deserve More Than 4 percent of the federal funding for cancer research. Only then will they stand a fighting chance with new treatments and a healthier future – free from side effects. “More Than 4” has become the rally cry for the pediatric cancer community and #MoreThan4 is used on social media sides to show the desperate need for more funding.
In order for effective change to occur, childhood cancer needs to become its own entity in the eyes of the government. It can no longer be lumped in with adult cancers. However, until the government increases financial support, and provides the amount necessary to find treatments and cures, it is up to us to bridge the funding gap.
Tiziano Dossena You are a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Wagner College, you were Miss New York 2015 and you are only 26 years old… So young and successful, what made you volunteer to help raise money for pediatric cancer research?
Jamie Lynn Macchia: Thank you for the compliment! My passion for my pediatric cancer work unfortunately came from a deep, personal connection. My best friend Dominic was diagnosed with leukemia when we were 10 years old. I witnessed the trials he had to endure: the side effects of medication, the struggle to find a bone marrow match, and the lack of updated and effective treatments. After a valiant battle with this disease, Dominic passed away shortly after his 15th birthday. I was heartbroken. I was frustrated. But, most of all, I was determined to inspire change through action. I am proud of what I have accomplished thus far, but there is still so much to be done.
Tiziano Dossena: You are the development officer for Staten Island University Hospital, Northwell Health. What does this position entail?
Jamie Lynn Macchia: As a Development Officer I take part in all fund raising related activities for Staten Island University Hospital. This includes event planning/assistance and securing donations with a focus on building, maintaining and enhancing donor relationships. It is wonderful for me that, after my year as Miss New York, I still have the ability to continue raising funds for a worthy institution as my full-time job.
What’s even better? Staten Island University Hospital is currently working to building a brand new Comprehensive Cancer Center, to include a Pediatric Oncology Unit! It has all come full-circle.
Tiziano Dossena: You have won many prestigious awards, including Miss America Organization Community Service Award, Miss America Organization Academic Award, Children’s Miracle Network’s “Miracle Maker”, SIEDC’s “20 under 40” Award and Star Network’s “Stars Under 40” Award. Is there one that is the most significant for you and why?
Jamie Lynn Macchia: I am honored to have received a number of awards for my charity work, academic achievements, and contributions to the community. It is difficult to pick one that is most significant to me, but I was particularly shocked to have been chosen to receive a “20 Under 40” Award from the SIEDC. This award, given to 20 people under the age of 40, recognizes rising stars in Staten Island who are making a difference in their respective fields. For me, it was humbling to have been considered ‘accomplished in my field’ for my dedication to philanthropy thru pediatric cancer at the young age of 25. It definitely puts more pressure on me to keep achieving and reaching for new heights in the future, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Tiziano Dossena: How positive was your experience, first with participating at and winning Miss New York contest and then participating at Miss America contest?
Jamie Lynn Macchia: I competed for 7 years in the Miss America Organization, holding 4 local titles (Miss Staten Island 2012 & 2014, Miss Greater NY 2013 & 2015) before I finally achieved my goal of becoming Miss New York on my last shot. I could not be more grateful to this organization for all of the experiences I have had and for the scholarship money I obtained which has allowed me to be debt-free after 4 years of college. The Miss America Organization has empowered me, given me lifelong friends, and offered me unique opportunities and experiences.
My time as Miss New York included fashion shows, school visits, galas, fundraisers, mentoring, television appearances – I experienced it all. But I have to say, of all my events, the hospital visits were some of the most memorable. Through Miss America’s partnership with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, I had this wonderful opportunity to connect my own platform – Inspiring Action Against Pediatric Cancer – with the organization I loved representing. Walking into a hospital room to visit a child and seeing their face light up because “a princess came to visit” brings a feeling that’s difficult to put into words. For one moment, they get to be a kid again, and I gave that to them. I will never forget those faces.
In total I traveled over 17,000 miles for more than 230 events, bringing attention to a multitude of causes and meeting hundreds of people from Paula Abdul to Nick Jonas. Just one of those incredible experiences was competing at Miss America, representing New York. It was surreal to be in an iconic theater (Boardwalk Hall) in Atlantic City, performing on the biggest stage of my life! I will never forget those moments because it is something I never thought I would get the chance to do. After all, you’re more likely to have a son compete in Super Bowl than a daughter compete at Miss America! How cool is that!?
Tiziano Dossena: You were a member of the competitive dance team in college. Do you still dance at that level?(talk about you being a dance instructor, if you want)
Jamie Lynn Macchia: At Wagner College I was a member of the competition dance team. In addition to dancing at both the football & basketball games, we competed in Disney World every year! It really was an incredible experience. Unfortunately, after I completed my time in the Miss America Organization I didn’t find many more opportunities to dance at that level. As a certified dance teacher, I was teaching part-time, but I took this year off to focus on other interests. I would love to return to the studio and share my love of dance with students!
Tiziano Dossena: What are your plans for your immediate future and your long range goals?
Jamie Lynn Macchia: I am so proud of the life I’ve created and where I am right now at 26 years old. In my immediate future, I hope to continue evolving in my current position at Staten Island University Hospital, assisting in the current goal to build a new Women & Newborn Center, Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Hybrid Operating Room. I’m also excited to be running my own business for the first time in my life as a Rodan Fields Consultant! Looking further into the future, I plan to continue my work with pediatric cancer advocacy and hope to become more involved with Miss New York Organization – helping other young women achieve the personal growth that I did while paying for their college educations.
Oh, and as a recently engaged woman, I’m planning a wedding for October of 2019 with my high school sweetheart. The future looks bright!
Tiziano Dossena: Congratulations on your future wedding! Any suggestions for our young readers?
Jamie Lynn Macchia: I always have two pieces of advice for young people today. First: Perseverance is key. Though it may be easy to look at another’s success and feel discouraged, you have to remember that everyone’s path in life is different. A perfect example for me was becoming Miss New York – it certainly wasn’t something that happened overnight! It would have been easy to get discouraged and give up, but when you truly have a goal, you have to go for it with everything you have. Second: Use your voice to make a difference. All too often I hear, “Well, what can I do about it?” or “I can’t change that.” But, you can! You have to the power to make a change where you see a need. Go out there and make a difference in this world because the world needs more dreamers.
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< 71st birthday Back to birthday list 73rd birthday >
Top 10 players on their 72nd birthday
Player Rating +/-
1 Najdorf, Miguel 2547 55
2 Golmayo Zupide, Celso F 2541 66
3 Smyslov, Vassily V 2534 50
4 Reshevsky, Samuel H 2526 65
5 Kholmov, Ratmir D 2509 50
6 Gligoric, Svetozar 2492 63
7 Geller, Efim P 2487 61
8 Taimanov, Mark E 2477 49
9 Bronstein, David I 2468 51
10 Szabó, László 2460 73
About these ratings
All players on their 72nd birthday
Player Rating +/- Best? 75%? Rating Date
1 Najdorf, Miguel 2547 55 22.7% #5 03/31/1982: #96
2 Golmayo Zupide, Celso F 2541 66 23.2% #6 12/31/1891: #10
3 Smyslov, Vassily V 2534 50 13.7% #6 02/28/1993: #224
4 Reshevsky, Samuel H 2526 65 15.7% #7 10/31/1983: #139
5 Kholmov, Ratmir D 2509 50 6.3% #8 04/30/1997: #350
6 Gligoric, Svetozar 2492 63 6.0% #9 01/31/1995: #388
7 Geller, Efim P 2487 61 4.8% #10 02/28/1997: #469
8 Taimanov, Mark E 2477 49 1.5% #10 01/31/1998: #482
9 Bronstein, David I 2468 51 1.3% #10 01/31/1996: #556
10 Szabó, László 2460 73 3.7% #12 02/28/1989: #408
11 Unzicker, Wolfgang 2443 55 0.6% #12 05/31/1997: #713
12 Bird, Henry E 2381 71 0.2% #16 12/31/1901: #29
13 Pachmann, Ludek 2370 60 #16 04/30/1996: #1393
14 Suetin, Alexey S 2369 57 #16 10/31/1998: #1315
15 Shamkovich, Leonid A 2369 69 0.1% #16 05/31/1995: #1288
16 Karaklajic, Nikola 2358 62 #17 01/31/1998: #1431
17 Canal, Esteban 2315 66 #19 03/31/1968: #353
18 Dueckstein, Andreas 2265 61 #21 08/02/1999: #2590
19 Bouwmeester, Henk B 2265 71 #22 09/10/2001: #2554
20 Wagman, Stuart 2232 69 #23 04/30/1991: #1910
21 Paoli, Enrico 2229 69 #24 12/31/1979: #623
22 Mortimer, James 2190 68 #26 12/31/1904: #50
23 Christoffel, Martin 2188 70 #26 08/31/1994: #3175
24 Viner, Phillip 2170 74 #27 11/08/1999: #3682
25 Beggi, Pierluigi 2165 68 #27 08/31/1998: #4375
26 Ridameya Tatche, Jose 2159 67 #27 07/02/2001: #3619
27 Vatnikov, Josif E 2139 73 #28 01/31/1995: #3776
28 Lipiniks, Leonardo 2132 75 #28 03/31/1996: #4255
29 Szirmai, Eduard 2117 68 #29 01/29/2001: #4021
30 Waller, Helmut 2043 69 #30 08/31/1998: #5056
For each player on this list, the rating they possessed on their 72nd birthday is listed. That rating was the last one calculated while they were 71 years of age, so it was their "current" rating on the day they turned 72. Players who played an insufficient number of games in recent years will not appear on the list, even though you may see them on lists for younger and/or older birthdays. Any players who had been completely inactive for three years are removed from the list.
# refers to the player's all-time rank on this list, compared to all other players when they turned 72.
Player is the full name of the player. Click on the player's name to see a career progression of their ratings.
Rating is the calculated rating for each player on their 72nd birthday.
+/- is the standard deviation of the player's rating estimate. It is based on a geometric average of the number of rated games played in past years. Players who play very frequently will have a smaller +/- value, indicating a greater confidence in the accuracy of their rating. Players whose +/- value exceeds 76 are classified as "inactive" and removed from the ranking list due to their infrequent play against rated opponents. Mathematically, a player's rating is an estimate of their exact strength on their 72nd birthday. The +/- value represents the standard deviation of that estimate; the player's true strength on their 72nd birthday should be within one standard deviation of their calculated rating approximately 68% of the time, and within two standard deviations of their calculated rating approximately 95% of the time.
Best? is the estimated likelihood that the player was stronger on their 72nd birthday than anyone else turning 72. Since ratings are known to be inaccurate, it is possible that a lower-rated player was actually much stronger than their rating would indicate, and it is also possible that other players were weaker than their ratings would indicate. This number indicates the likelihood that the player was indeed the strongest player ever among players turning 72. On a particular list, it will add up to 100% across the complete list of all players. This value is only calculated for the top 100 players on any rating list.
75%? gives a 75%-confidence world ranking for the player. Because ratings are known to be inaccurate, even if a particular player had the third-highest rating ever, among players turning 72, we cannot say with 100% certainty that they were truly one of the three strongest 72-year-old players. This number indicates the all-time rank that we are 75% sure the player is "no worse than". Thus if a player has a value of #12 in this column, we are 75% sure that the player is one of the twelve strongest players ever to turn 72. This value is only calculated for the top 100 players on any rating list.
Date is the exact date that the rating applied to. Click on that date to see the sorted list of all players' ratings on that date.
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DC Comics And Mattel Are Crossing Over ‘Injustice’ And ‘Masters Of The Universe’
April 16, 2018 Comic Book Club0
DC Entertainment and Mattel are joining forces to bring fans of the INJUSTICE Digital First comics and anyone who’s ever screamed “I Have the Power!” at the top of their lungs—an epic quest for the fate of a world in INJUSTICE VS. HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE.
This six-issue miniseries will be written by Tim Seeley, who’s no stranger to writing high-octane adventure stories at DC as the writer for DC titles such as GRAYSON, NIGHTWING and GREEN LANTERNS. Seeley teams up with fan-favorite artist Freddie E. Williams II, himself no stranger to the action and dangers of Eternia, having provided the art for 2016’s HE-MAN/THUNDERCATS miniseries. Williams’ distinctive art style has also thrilled fans on other crossovers like the smash-hit BATMAN/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES in 2015 and its follow-up sequel in 2017.
Believing He-Man and the Masters of the Universe defeated, a robotic impostor has seized control of Eternia—but not for long! After freeing his kingdom from this strongman’s rule, He-Man learns not everyone is pleased to see the pretender deposed—but Adam knows the value of freedom. When heroes from another dimension ask his aid in deposing a superhero turned dictator, he agrees. Teaming up with Batman against the Superman of the Injustice Universe, He-Man and his new allies face dangerous and familiar enemies in a battle where no world is safe!
INJUSTICE VS. HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE #1 arrives at comic book retailers and via digital download on July 18, 2018. Check out the website at www.dccomics.com or the DC YouTube channel for the latest news on this crossover blockbuster and the latest from the DC Universe.
Tagged dc comics He-Man Injustice Masters of the Universe
Image Comics Pulls Off One Last Heist With “Thief Of Thieves”
‘Krypton’: Seg Gets Saved By A Surprising Source In This “Word Of Rao” Scene
Ryan and Corey From Trooth Syrum – Live On Stage, Tonight!
May 29, 2018 May 9, 2018 Comic Book Club
Archie’s Trial Begins In The First Photos From ‘Riverdale’ Season 3
September 12, 2018 Comic Book Club
ComiXology Is Launching All-New, Original Comics With All-Star Creators
June 2, 2018 Comic Book Club
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In 2015 the Museum of Copenhagen on Vesterbrogade closed to prepare for its move to Stormgade, close to the City Hall, where it will reopen in 2017.
Until the new museum opens, it is possible to access some of its huge archive of maps and historic images on line or, and much more fun, by visiting Væggen or The Wall that is now set up on Dantes Plads - a couple of blocks south of the City Hall and opposite the Glyptotek.
Created in 2010, The Wall is 12 metres long and looks a bit like a railway wagon but smaller and without wheels. One long side hinges and lifts up and out to form a canopy to reveal four large touch screens flanked by smaller display cases.
One of those cases shows maps and background information about the current location, Dantes Plads, and the other images and artefacts that give a broad introduction to the archaeological work of the museum - primarily their field work to monitor and investigate excavations for either new buildings or the engineering work on the infrastructure of the city such as road works, drainage excavations or the extensive ongoing work on extending the metro.
But it’s the four screens that are the important part. They are interactive and the most obvious way into the material is a scroll of images of people and places that look rather like cut-out paper and cardboard theatres for children from the 19th and early 20th century and below that are date periods and key words for the history of the city. Pointing or touching the screen with a finger brings up a bright narrow spotlight and you can scroll through the images, which actually run across two adjoining screens or bring images to the front to change the selection.
Choosing an image or a date or a subject opens the equivalent of a work station with two to each screen so potentially eight across the whole wall. Suddenly you have access to a huge number of images and short captions with information and you can swipe through a sequence of images, move down to open similar subjects or link through to related topics.
Many of the photographs and maps are from the vast collection of the museum but it is also possible for citizens and visitors to upload and tag their own images or you can add comments on existing media or even record a video-blog. The aim is to bring the city alive in terms of its social history. Generally these are not stock textbook or guide book views but show how people lived and how they reacted to their city. Visitors to the wall see those links to real people in the past and can see how life then was very very different or surprisingly and disconcertingly much the same and of course contributions added by the public will over time provide a fascinating window on life and attitudes now.
Instructions and the information panels themselves can be toggled between Danish and English and The Wall is open every day between 8am and 10pm.
Væggen, the online site gives a good impression of what it is like to use the wall and from that site you can access data and upload images … not just material about life in the city right now but also old photographs of Copenhagen or of your family and their life in the city.
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A Comparison of General Convention Resolutions on the Anglican Covenant
On April 11, 2012, Mark Harris, on his blog Preludium, published a comparison of the three General Convention resolutions dealing with the Anglican Covenant that had been submitted to that time. Now there are seven resolutions, and it is time for another comparison. I hope that such an analysis will be helpful, particularly for those who will make a decision next month in Indianapolis about how The Episcopal Church will respond to the challenge of the Covenant.
General Convention resolutions are assigned to a legislative committee, which determines what legislation is sent to one of the two houses for debate. Those related to the Anglican Covenant are being handled by the Committee on World Mission. (All resolutions assigned to this committee, most of which do not involve the Anglican Covenant, can be found here.) That the committee has so many topics to consider suggests that it will have limited time to consider Anglican Covenant adoption.
When a legislative committee receives many resolutions on an important topic, it usually holds a public hearing to solicit opinions on the matter in question. It is then free to slice and dice the resolutions before it to fashion one or more resolutions to be considered by bishops and deputies. Of course, either the House of Bishops or House of Deputies can amend the proposed legislation, but the decisions of the committee have great influence.
The seven Covenant resolutions submitted for consideration so far are:
A126: “Consideration of the Anglican Covenant,” proposed by the Executive Council
A145, “Continue Dialogue in the Anglican Communion,” proposed by the Executive Council
B005, “Ongoing Commitment to The Anglican Covenant Process,” proposed by the Rt. Rev. Ian Douglas
B006, “Affirming the Anglican Covenant,” proposed by the Rt. Rev. John Bauerschmidt
D006, “Consideration of a Covenant for Communion in Mission,” proposed by Mr. Jack Tull
D007, “Response to Anglican Covenant,” proposed by the Rev. Canon Susan Russell
D008, “Affirm Anglican Communion Participation,” proposed by the Rev. Tobias Haller BSG
Resolution A126, the first resolution to be made public—see Episcopal News Service story here—seems to have had some influence on most of the subsequently submitted resolutions, and especially on Bishop Douglas’s B005, which includes some of the same language. Resolutions A126 and A145, both from the Executive Council, are identical, save for their titles and a single word substitution. I have no explanation for this.
The first Executive Council resolution was proposed before it became clear that Church of England dioceses might block adoption of the Covenant by the English church. B005 was offered after that possibility became apparent but before it was realized. (See The Living Church story here.) All the other resolutions appear to have been written after Church of England dioceses rejected the Covenant.
Six of the resolutions can be ranked from most accepting of the Covenant to least accepting:
Tobias Haller’s resolution (D008) is something of an outlier, about which I will have more to say below.
To facilitate discussing the resolutions, I have prepared a chart similar to Harris’s but differing in a number of respects. Because I had to deal with seven, not three, resolutions, displaying parallel columns within this post was not practical. Instead, I created an Excel worksheet, from which I generated the PDF version I have posted on the Web. To facilitate comparison of the provisions of the various resolutions, I assigned them to named categories (“Title,” “Participation in Communion,” “Financial Commitment,” etc.) representing rows in my chart. Finally, rather than displaying the actual resolution text, I paraphrased provisions, both for brevity and to emphasize similarities. I believe that I have represented the resolutions fairly, but I will happily entertain suggestions to improve my paraphrases.
An Overview of the Resolutions
Let me begin by summarizing the various resolutions, using the order shown above, modified slightly for purposes of clarity. I have tried not to editorialize unduly in what follows and not at all in my chart. I have not been so restrained in my closing remarks.
Chart comparing resolutions (page 1)
B006. The listed backers of this resolution are all Communion Partner Bishops. Despite the high-sounding goals of this group, I think it fair to say that its members have been a constant thorn in the side of The Episcopal Church, view the Anglican Communion as more important than The Episcopal Church, and hold a bizarre, minority view of the nature of Episcopal Church polity. Given their past behavior, including submission of a disgraceful amicus brief in the Fort Worth property litigation, the nature of B006 comes as no surprise.
B006 “affirms” the Covenant and commits to its adoption. Because its backers apparently realize that the agreement is incompatible with current church polity—see the February 15, 2011, report from the Standing Commission on Constitution and Canons—the resolution would create a special task force to work with the Standing Commission on Constitution and Canons to identify specific changes that would be required to the church’s governing documents and to prepare materials in support of those changes. The resolution requests $20,000 to support this work, with the understanding that a report would be offered to the 78th General Convention, at which formal approval of the Covenant could be effected. B006, in other words, effectively commits the church to adopting the Covenant.
B006 is notable for its repeated use of language lifted directly from the Covenant itself and for its explicit citations of Covenant paragraphs. The resolution makes it clear that Episcopal Church submission to the Covenant should be sincere and complete.
A126/A145. Executive Council proposed A126 last October—see ENS story here—basing it on the work of the task force called for in resolution D020 passed by the 2009 General Convention. A126 declares that “The Episcopal Church is unable to adopt the Anglican Covenant in its present form,” which, deliberately, is not a categorical rejection of a covenant in principle. (The Covenant, of course, makes no provision for acceptance short of unconditional adoption, the actions of certain other churches notwithstanding.) A126 commits to continued participation in the Anglican Communion and, more significantly, commits to “dialogue with the several provinces when adopting innovations that may be seen as threatening to the unity of the Communion.” One can read this as merely placating Covenant advocates or as abdicating our church’s authority. It is not clear what this might mean in practice. As noted above, A145 is virtually identical to A126.
B005. Bishop of Connecticut Ian Douglas proposed this resolution. Douglas has a long history of involvement with Episcopal Church governance and with Anglican Communion bodies. He is currently a member of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Standing Committee. He is no stranger to Anglican disputes and has shown no special interest in throwing The Episcopal Church under the bus to achieve Anglican unity. He co-chaired the special commission that considered how the 2006 General Convention should respond to the Windsor Report—the commission’s report is here, and my own response to the report is here—and he served as an expert witness supporting the church and diocese in the Virginia property litigation.
B005 largely repeats the language of resolution A126, with two exceptions. First, instead of declaring that the church is unable to adopt the Covenant as presented, B005 would, as a sign of good faith, have us declare that the General Convention “embraces the affirmations and commitments” of the Covenant, minus the controversial Section 4. Second, it would create a body to “monitor the ongoing development of The Anglican Covenant,” particularly with respect to Section 4, to consider constitutional and canonical changes required to adopt the Covenant and what they might mean to Episcopal Church identity, and to consider other matters relating to Anglican Communion unity.
B005 aims to take The Episcopal Church farther down the road to Covenant adoption than does A126/A145. Like A126/A145, however, the ultimate consequences of B005 adoption are unclear. The resolution can be seen as an effort to buy time, perhaps as the Covenant collapses under its own weight, or to advance the church toward adoption at some future time when serious opposition to the Covenant has been neutralized. In his Explanation—since the Explanation for a resolution is not technically part of the resolution itself, I have not included information from the Explanation sections in my chart—Douglas indicates that the resolution is meant to send the signal that The Episcopal Church is “still in the process of adoption,” thereby allowing its representatives to participate in the disciplinary procedures of Section 4. If we believe that the Section 4 procedures are fundamentally misguided, however, as I believe most Episcopalians do, it is not clear why we want to be complicit in carrying them out.
D007. Resolution D007 is a very slightly modified version of the model resolution proposed by the No Anglican Covenant Coalition. The proposer is the Rev. Canon Susan Russell, a Coalition member. In addition to the required two endorsers, the resolution lists 11 sponsors from various dioceses,
Not surprisingly, D007 rejects the Covenant—“decline to adopt” is the phrase used. While affirming commitment to the Anglican Communion, the resolution clearly asserts what is seen as the proper nature of that Communion. D007 also calls upon church leaders at all levels to seek opportunities to “strengthen and restore relationships” within the Communion.
D007, in its Explanation, attempts to show how we got to where we are now. Specifically, it suggests that anger of what The Episcopal Church has done over the years—ordaining women and homosexuals, consecrating partnered homosexuals, etc.—is what is really behind the Covenant. “Declining to adopt the proposed Anglican Communion Covenant,” the Explanation asserts, “not only avoids permanent, institutionalized division, it opens the way for new opportunities to build relationships across differences through bonds of affection, by participation in the common mission of the gospel, and by consultation without coercion or intimidation.”
D006. This resolution was proposed by layperson Jack Tull in the Diocese of Florida. Tull believes that we should expend no more resources on the Anglican Covenant. As do many Episcopalians, he believes that “A Covenant for Communion in Mission,” which was developed by the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Mission and Evangelism (IASCOME), makes a better Anglican covenant than the one our church is being asked to adopt. (Tull included “A Covenant for Communion in Mission” as an attachment to his resolution.)
D006, like most of the resolutions, commits to continued participation in the Anglican Communion. It also commits the church to “A Covenant for Communion in Mission.” That covenant abjures doctrinal minutiae and focuses on what one might call Christian mission, “promoting God’s presence and healing to those in our world that are broken and disenfranchised,” as B006 expresses it. As for the Covenant, B006 simply declares that the “77th General Convention declines to adopt” it. The resolution goes one step further, however, resolving that the church should expend no additional resources “on this proposed covenant.”
D006 is short on Anglican niceties (or Anglican fudge). It is straightforward, says a clear “no” to the Covenant, and slams the door on the “Windsor Process,” “Covenant reception,” or whatever games Rowan Williams wants to play in his attempt to get all his church’s children to play nice with one another. One has to admire that.
D008. Finally, there is this resolution from the Rev. Tobias Haller BSG, which seems not to be about the Covenant at all, not until one reads its Explanation, at any rate. Haller believes that, since the Covenant has no chance of being widely adopted, it is effectively dead. (I am less sanguine about the Covenant’s longevity, but I understand where he’s coming from.) He therefore wants The Episcopal Church to support something positive to bring Communion churches together.
D008 says nice thing about the Anglican Communion and the Archbishop of Canterbury, says absolutely nothing about the Anglican Covenant, and calls upon church leaders to strengthen relationships in various ways among Anglican churches. In particular, Haller singles out the Continuing Indaba and Mutual Listening project.
I don’t believe that Haller expects D008 to be adopted without a provision in some resolution being approved that actually addresses Covenant adoption. For the General Convention to simply ignore the Covenant could rightly be seen as passive-aggressive.
A Comparison of Provisions
Having done a quick vertical tour of the columns of my chart, I will now look at the rows, comparing related provisions in the resolutions.
Titles. No two resolutions have the same title. A126 and D007 carry nondescript titles simply indicating that the resolution is responding to the Communion request to act on the Covenant. It is unclear why A145 has a title different from that of A126, but “Continue Dialogue in the Anglican Communion” more properly characterizes the content of the two resolutions from the Executive Council. All the other titles do a reasonable job of suggesting what they are about (for example, B006’s “Affirming the Anglican Covenant”).
Thanks. General Convention resolutions often begin by thanking someone for something. The thanks may be sincere, but one suspects that they are about as often ironic. A126/A145 and B005 each expresses “profound gratitude to those who so faithfully worked at producing the Anglican Covenant.” I suspect there is more sincerity in the latter resolution than in A126/A145. B006 expands this same wording by characterizing the Covenant produced by its authors as expressing “mutual responsibility and interdependence in the Body of Christ,” quoting the statement from the Toronto Anglican Congress of 1963. (The original meaning of this phrase has been repeated and, I suspect, deliberately, misinterpreted. See my post “Mutual Responsibility and Interdependence.”) No one is thanked in D006; I suspect that Tull is not especially grateful. D007 offers thanks, though it isn’t clear to whom (“all who have worked to increase understanding and strengthen relationships among the churches of the Anglican Communion”). This, of course, is tasty Anglican fudge. It is doubtful that Rowan Williams is meant to be included among those being thanked in D007, whereas D008, as something of a retirement gift, praises Rowan’s “tireless efforts” on behalf of Communion unity.
Communion Membership. (Note that I am not completely confident about distinguishing this category from the next one.) B006 reaffirms “constituent membership in the Anglican Communion,” which seems innocent enough, but it goes on to cite the Preamble of the church’s constitution, echoing a distinctively conservative view of the Preamble. (See “Changes Needed in the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church.”) D007 also takes an opportunity to advance a particular understanding of the Communion, asserting that it is “properly drawn together by bonds of affection, by participation in the common mission of the gospel, and by consultation without coercion or intimidation.” The resolution is declaring the kind of Communion to which it is pledging its allegiance. D008 takes a similar approach, referring to “the fellowship of the world-wide Anglican Communion, which is rooted in our shared worship and held together by bonds of affection and our common appeal to Scripture, tradition and reason.” Perhaps an ideal resolution would incorporate ideas from all three resolutions, and particularly those of D007 and D008.
Participation in Communion. A126/A145 and B005 make virtually the same unremarkable commitment to participate in Communion councils and to continue dialogue with other churches. (Actually, the clauses of A126 and B005 are identical. A145 uses “insure” where the others use “ensure.” I don’t see any real difference here.) D006 begins with the same wording, but, whereas the other resolutions say that engagement is for “the continued integrity of the Anglican Communion,” D006 identifies the purpose as “working together for common mission to bring God’s word to all people and to help those afflicted by poverty, hunger, disease and other disasters,” arguably a higher purpose. D007, on the other hand, reaffirms commitment to the Communion, characterized as a “fellowship of autonomous national and regional churches,” again asserting a particular view of what the Anglican Communion should be. B006 likewise asserts a commitment to a particular view of the Communion, namely one in which The Episcopal Church recommits “itself to living in a Communion of Churches with autonomy and accountability (Anglican Covenant 3.1.2), by acknowledging our interdependent life (3.2) and seeking a shared mind with other Churches (3.2.4),” again relying on phrases drawn directly from the Covenant.
Other Communion Commitments. D006 declares a commitment to “A Covenant for Communion in Mission.”
Self-restraint. A126/A145, and B005, using identical language, commit the church to “dialogue with the several provinces when adopting innovations which may be seen as threatening to the unity of the Communion.” One has to ask if this isn’t giving away the store by restraining autonomy, although, technically, these resolutions do not actually require The Episcopal Church to take any advice it gets. In any case, it is not clear what this would look like in practice or how compliance with the commitment could be assured.
Action on Covenant. A126 and A145 assert that “The Episcopal Church is unable to adopt the Anglican Covenant in its present form,” thereby leaving the door open to adopting a covenant in a different form. D006, which seeks to make the Covenant forever go away, says more definitively that the General Convention “declines to adopt” the Covenant. D007 uses similar wording. It softens the blow by speaking of the church’s prayerful consideration of the Covenant, and it offers specific reasons for rejection, namely believing the “agreement to be contrary to Anglican ecclesiology and tradition and to the best interests of the Anglican Communion.” B005, to demonstrate our dedication to Communion unity, has the General Convention embracing “the affirmations and commitments” of the Covenant, minus Section 4. Of course, although almost everyone admits that Section 4 of the Covenant is its most problematic section, many dispute the glib assertion that the remainder of the Covenant is perfectly acceptable. It looks good only by virtue of Section 4’s being so abysmally bad. B006 “affirms” the Covenant and commits to its adoption “in order to live more fully into the ecclesial communion and interdependence with [which?] is foundational to the Churches of the Anglican Communion (4.1.1),” quoting the Covenant, as this resolution is wont to do.
Autonomy. B006, again using words from the Covenant, asserts that the “mutual commitment” the church takes on via B006 “does not represent submission to any external ecclesiastical jurisdiction (4.1.3) and can only be entered into according to the procedures of The Episcopal Church’s own Constitution and Canons (4.1.6; cf.4.1.4).” Of course, the Covenant’s assertion that it does not restrict provincial autonomy is intended to be reassuring, even though it is transparently false.
Other Covenant-related Action. Two resolutions, B005 and B006, call for the creation of groups that will consider the Covenent further. D006, on the other hand, declares that the church is “unwilling to continue expending funds, time and energy on this proposed covenant.” The stated justification for this position is perhaps weaker than it might be. D006 asserts that the church “is unable to reach a clear consensus” on the Covenant. I suggest that the Covenant is predominately viewed in a negative light by Episcopalians, though many have qualms about the consequences of rejecting it outright.
B006 would have the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies appoint a task force to work with the Standing Commission on Constitution and Canons to identify changes to the church’s polity needed “to make the Covenant constitutionally and canonically active and affective.” (The commission has already identified areas of concern, of course.) B006 also calls for the development of materials in support of the necessary changes.
B005 is less clear as to what the Covenant end-game looks like for The Episcopal Church. It, too, has the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies appointing a group to further consider the Covenant. In this case, a task force of Executive Council is to consult with the Standing Commission on Constitution and Canons, at least one church historian, and the church’s representatives to the Anglican Consultative Council, which, coincidentally, includes the proposer of this resolution, Ian Douglas. The tasks assigned to this group include monitoring Covenant development (whatever that means), with particular attention given to the controversial Section 4. Like B006, B005 has its appointed body considering polity changes required to support Covenant adoption. The B005 group would also look at consequences for Episcopal Church identity and “consider other such matters helpful to The Episcopal Church’s continued unity with the other churches of the Anglican Communion.
Follow-up to Other Covenant-related Action. Both B005 and B006 have their appointed bodies completing their work for the next General Convention. Whereas the task force called for in B006 reports directly to the 78th General Convention, B005 calls for the work to first be presented to the Executive Council.
Financial Commitment. Only B006 requests funds for its implementation, in this case, $20,000. D006 includes the provision that no additional funds are to be spent “on this proposed covenant.”
Other Episcopal Church Action. D007 calls on church leaders at every level “to seek opportunities to reach out to strengthen and restore relationships between this church and sister churches of the Communion.” The main provision of D008 falls under this category. It, too, calls for action by church leaders. Since its provisions are not clearly formatted, I will reproduce them here in a more digestible form. Leaders are asked (1) “to find ways to maintain and reinforce strong links across the world-wide Anglican Communion and to deepen The Episcopal Church’s involvement with the existing Communion ministries and networks (especially the Continuing Indaba and Mutual Listening Process);” (2) “to publicize and promote this work within the dioceses of the Church in order to broaden understanding of, and enthusiasm for, the Anglican Communion; and” (3) “to encourage a wider understanding of, and support for, the next meetings of the Anglican Consultative Council and Lambeth Conference.
Parting Thoughts
All of the resolutions are supportive of the Anglican Communion. B006 and D007 are notable for advancing their visions of what the Communion should be, and those visions are remarkably different from one another.
In reality, The Episcopal Church has only limited ability to determine the nature of the Communion. That our church provides such a large fraction of the funds needed to support the administrative structure of the Communion, however, does give us leverage that could be used in the future. Certainly, if our church finds itself having reduced influence in the Communion for its failure to embrace the Anglican Covenant, we must consider whether we can justify continued financial support of the Communion at the same level as in the past.
My sense of the church is that an overwhelming majority of Episcopalians want to reject the Covenant outright and never hear of it again. I think only fear prevents many from advocating that course of action—fear of losing our place at the table; fear of losing our Anglican franchise; fear of a dividing Communion; fear of criticism from those whose Anglicanism is, to us, hardly recognizable. Fear is a poor motivation for action where courage and a prophetic voice are called for.
The Anglican Communion is important for its relationships, those involving churches, dioceses, parishes, and even individuals. The so-called Instruments of Communion are proving themselves to be not instruments of unity but of disunity. Particularly in an age of easy travel and communication, the centralizing tendencies exhibited by the Anglican Communion in recent years are not advancing the gospel. Instead, they are weakening the relationships that truly matter and providing a playing field for those whose goal is the accumulation of power to execute their strategies.
In deciding on whether to adopt the Anglican Covenant or not, The Episcopal Church is pointing the way toward one or another Anglican future. Will we endorse the gospel mission of evangelism and concern for human suffering, or will we put “church” ahead of people and play the power games so characteristic of our sinful race? I cannot but think of the hymn that we, rather unfortunately, banned from our current hymnal that begins: “Once to every man and nation/Comes the moment to decide,/In the strife of truth with falsehood,/For the good or evil side.” That may seem rather melodramatic, but I do think our decision next month is an extremely important one. I fear that it may not receive the attention it deserves because we will be distracted by issues of budget and church organization.
Returning to the resolutions themselves, I personally am happy only with D006 and D007. It is hard to view D008 as a standalone statement of the church. One could imagine combining provisions of these three resolutions to create a strong view of what our church wishes to stand for and the kind of Communion that can justify our participation.
Resolution B006 is, I think, a nonstarter, though it will clearly have its supporters in Indianapolis. Its embrace of the Covenant, would, I think, cause our church to be under siege by the reactionary elements of the Communion for the foreseeable future and would, eventually, result in the demise of The Episcopal Church.
A126/A145 and B005 have the flavor of Anglican fudge and a faint odor of surrender. B005 seems to send us down a road we do not want to travel and suggests that most of the Covenant text is acceptable, which many believe it is not. A126/A145, while seeming to reject the Covenant, agree, in principle, that we have an obligation to consult with the rest of the Communion before we may do what we think good and proper for our church in this time and place. All three resolutions suggest that a modified version of the Covenant presently on offer might be acceptable to The Episcopal Church. I can only ask for how many decades we are willing to expend our energies, money, and enthusiasm on the enterprise of creating such a version.
It is my hope, then, that the Committee on World Mission will focus its attention on D006, D007, and D008. It is time for The Episcopal Church not only to act on its beliefs, but also to stop behaving as though, in our heart of hearts, we feel guilty for doing so. We should be acting boldly for Christ and not be ashamed of the gospel as we understand it.
Update, 7/5/2012. One other resolution on the Anglican Covenant has been submitted and is being considered by the Word Mission Legislative Committee. D046, from Tobias Haller and Albert Mollegen, declares Covenant adoption moot because other churches have rejected it. This resolution will not fly as it is, but the subcommittee working on resolutions may make use of it.
Update, 7/7/2012. Resolution C115 has been submitted, which simply kicks the can down the road and does nothing else. It is all of three lines.
Posted by Lionel Deimel at 2:04 PM
Tobias Stanislas Haller June 7, 2012 at 2:39 PM
Thanks for the summary and analysis. I would clarify that my position is not so much that the Covenant is dead (though I don't see TEC adopting it) but whether it lives or whether it dies, the life of teh church and communion go on, and I'm eager to affirm that reality. With that nuancee caveat I agree with your assessment here.
SUSAN RUSSELL June 7, 2012 at 6:42 PM
Really well done! Am forwarding to my deputation and beyond!
Bruce Robison June 8, 2012 at 8:28 AM
Lionel,
As you know, I'm a supporter of B-006, and I would disagree with parts anyway of your characterization of the Communion Partners. But that said, many thanks for this very helpful summary and overview. I'm especially appreciative of your presentation on Tobias Haller's proposal--and for the spirit of his comment above--as we try to sort through Communion relationships as they may evolve after July.
Again, all carefully and thoughtfully presented. Excellent work!
Jesse Zink June 8, 2012 at 1:22 PM
I'll echo the thanks of others for the labour you've devoted to these resolutions and the way they help make things a bit clearer.
I wonder how D008 would be received if at the same time Convention passes a budget that (as currently proposed) cuts funding for the Anglican Communion Office and thus funding for Continuing Indaba and the other processes mentioned in D008?
Jesse raises a good point here. I'm sorry to see the ACC financial support cut, and it does help with the Continuing Indaba coordinating that comes out of that office (but is not limited to it, as the Reference Group members come from around the globe, and their travel is covered by the ACC budget.) Much of the cost of the work of Indaba is done by the participant dioceses and province, but the coordinating aspect is still costly, and it will grow as the implementation and roll-out after the pilot phase progresses.
My hope is that if this resolution is adopted it may "tip" the ACC to realizing that we would like to direct some of our [diminished] funding towards support of the Continuing Indaba. As a proof of the pudding effective tool I think it has already shown its value.
Let me also just add that ++David Chillingworth, Primate of the Scottish Episcopal Church, who just voted not to adopt the Covenant, is the chair of the Continuing Indaba reference group, of which I am a member, and which he too holds up as an alternative to the Covenant in his speech in support of the following motion after the Covenant's defeat.
Lionel Deimel June 8, 2012 at 4:53 PM
Chillingworth’s speech to his General Synod is encouraging. We have been told repeatedly that the Covenant is the only way forward. It isn’t now, and it never was. Chillingworth challenges us all to think outside the Covenant box and to come up with better, non-punitive, models for an Anglican future.
Ian T. Douglas June 9, 2012 at 5:16 PM
Thanks, Lionel for this excellent run down of the resolutions . It is very well done. Just one point of clarification on your analysis of the "explanation" in my resolution B005. You note "that the resolution is meant to send the signal that The Episcopal Church is 'still in the process of adoption,' thereby allowing its representatives to participate in the disciplinary procedures of Section 4." I wish to keep The Episcopal Church at the table of discussion of the Anglican Covenant not "to participate in the disciplinary procedures of Section 4" but rather to continue to critique the disciplinary direction of Section 4 itself. It was The Episcopal Church's members of the Anglican Consultative Council who helped to take on Section 4 at ACC 14 in Jamaica. While in the end we did not prevail in removing Section 4, we did call it significantly into question. Saying an outright "no" to the Anglican Covenant would withdraw our voice of dissent from the discussion about "disciplinary consequences." For me, I do not want to gag The Episcopal Church's voice in these important pan-Anglican discussions. Ian
Ian,
I understand your viewpoint regarding the Covenant, and I appreciate your clarifying your thinking here. I believe, but cannot prove, that it would be more important—read influential—to encourage the abandonment of the entire Covenant project through our outright rejection than it would be to try to moderate a process that we consider fundamentally misguided.
In any case, are you standing by B005 as submitted, even in light of the rejection of the Covenant by the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church?
Here is an argument—you may want to call it a thought experiment—to consider: Suppose TEC has unambiguously rejected the Covenant and a question is raised about some action by a church that has adopted the Covenant, e.g., Mexico. If the matter is being considered by the Standing Committee, by what rule can you and the PB be excluded from the conversation? It is the Covenant that says you cannot participate, but TEC has not agreed to the Covenant and is therefore not bound by it. This is a kind of Catch-22, one of the strange consequences of the Covenant’s development having been driven by ideology, rather than logic.
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Uganda: Another Reason the Anglican Covenant Makes...
Fosdick, Again
A Comparison of General Convention Resolutions on ...
Thoughts on the Standing Committee Meeting
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How to Create a Compelling Setlist
Features, setlist, Booking Gigs & Touring
Christiana Usenza
Most musicians know that you should start off your set with a kick and end with a punch, but how you plan everything in between is what can make the difference between a good show and a great show.
Imagine your setlist is telling a story with a distinct beginning, middle and end. Then decide what story you want to tell to your audience. The specific story will (and should) vary from show to show, but it's always going to boil down to six key factors.
1. Consider your setting and audience
I know we've all heard this before in many contexts, but it pertains to music as well: first impressions count! You're going to want the first song you play to be a strong one, but keep in mind that it also might be a “tester” while the sound guy adjusts levels and the audience takes in the visuals and other aspects of the show. With that in mind, save your “real” opener for second. Grab their attention with high energy at the beginning, but save your best song for last. Leave people wanting more!
The setting of the venue will determine the mood you create. At a sit-down concert, you might want to play ballads with thoughtful lyrics and throw in the occasional upbeat song. On the other side of the spectrum, if you're playing at a bar or club where people will be talking, drinking and dancing, you'll want to keep the groove going strong for the majority of the night, and occasionally dip down with a ballad to provide space and let the set breathe.
2. Create flow to let your best songs shine
Creating good setlist flow is an art form of its own. No matter the size of your repertoire, try to optimize your flow so that the songs complement each other, allowing each to shine. If you have particular songs you want to showcase, consider which songs to place before and after.
Even if your repertoire is diverse, the set should make sense to the listener. You don’t want to bore your audience, so there needs to be a little bit of contrast between the songs. Try to break up the songs that sound similar without creating too much of a jarring sensation. Make the transitions gradual in sound and content.
Try a flow that has three peaks like a “W.” Place songs that you want to feature at the beginning, middle and end paired with other songs that complement them and provide a change in key, tempo, timbre, mood, feel and/or message. Not sure if your setlist order is working? If you have recordings of your songs, create a playlist in iTunes and listen to the transitions to help with the process.
3. Plan your transitions
How you navigate the transitions between your songs is just one more layer that can add professionalism to your performance – and it involves much more than just deciding which song comes next. Creating a good transition involves thinking about how one song can lead to the next musically. If you have two songs in the same key and tempo, you might want to create a segue where the songs bleed into each other without stopping. If the guitarist needs to tune up or band members need to switch instrumentation, that's a great opportunity to chat with the audience.
If you're not a solo act, determine ahead of time who will speak to the audience when to avoid awkwardness on stage. Plan the stories or jokes you're going to tell, especially where you know the changes will take a minute. Interacting with the audience helps them connect with you and your music. Rehearsing even seemingly small details such as these is what separates the amateurs from the pros. As counterintuitive as it may seem, spontaneity is in fact born from comfort and familiarity with your set and material.
4. Be prepared to change it up
Speaking of spontaneity, remember that things are not always going to go as planned – so be prepared, but also don't get caught off guard if you have to switch something up! Your audience is your best mood meter, so if you constantly scan the room to see how your music hits them, you'll know what you need to do to keep them engaged and happy. Make sure you have a few extra songs prepared to throw into the set to cater to the energy of the room and change things up if need be. Have an encore song ready, but don't be brokenhearted if you don't get a chance to play it. And while you're at it, always have a new song in your set every month or two (whether it's an original or a cover) to keep things interesting for yourself and your fans.
5. Prepare some covers
Writing and playing originals is the way to make a name for yourself, but if the venue allows cover songs, it's smart to put your own spin on a few popular songs that you know you can do justice. Familiarity makes people excited, so if you're new to your audience, covers can help to rope them in and open their minds to your own songs. I would recommend tossing a cover in as the first or second song, and put one towards the end once the crowd has warmed up.
6. Cater to the length of the set
Plan ahead and choose the right number of songs for the length of time you're given. Allow about five minutes per song, including the transitions. There's always a time for rockin’ out and a time for a lulling the crowd with a sweet ballad.
For a short 30-minute set, you can start strong, bring it down two-thirds of the way in and end strong. For a longer one-hour set, you may want to start strong and have two dips: upbeat, more mellow but still rockin’, back to rockin’, the most mellow, the most rockin'. If you take away just one thing from this article, remember to start strong and end strong!
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Women's Stage 3 | May 18, 2019
Stage 3 | Santa Clarita to Pasadena
Download Stage Map
Distance: 78.3 mi / 126 km
Start Time: 9:05 AM PST
Est. Finish: 12:34 PM PST
Stage 3 of the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Race empowered with SRAM is proof that there is no rest for the weary. In fact, this final stage is anything but a tranquil parade to the finish and again puts the women’s peloton on par with the men. Following an unprecedented and harrowing uphill finish to the slopes of Mt. Baldy the day before, this journey from Santa Clarita to Pasadena passes through the rugged San Gabriel Mountains before making a final descent into the City of Roses and a finish at the iconic Rose Bowl. This is the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Race empowered with SRAM’s first finish in southern California and Pasadena makes for the perfect backdrop to crown a champion. Yet with a challenging route through the mountains, this stage could shake up the standings just as it could for the men. Overall, this stage is nearly identical to the men’s route with one minor variation in the mountains. Such similarities mean that almost every vantage point is an opportunity to see both races. With a route comprised of seventy-two miles over more than eight thousand feet of climbing and one KOM before plunging down to the San Gabriel Valley, spectators are sure to witness a thriller at the finish.
Starting at Santa Clarita’s Valencia Town Center, Stage 7 begins in earnest with a gradual uphill outing through the community of Valencia before hitting more rural outskirts and coming back to the Santa Clara River. After only fifteen miles, the peloton will have already climbed 1,500 feet. Here the riverbed is dry most of the year. But as the peloton continues to climb towards the river’s headwaters at Acton, the Santa Clara’s riparian environment gets greener even though the surrounding landscape remains a tanned high desert color. As the riders persist on their twenty-seven mile ascent to the pass of Pacifico Mountain, the roars coming from the Shambala Preserve will surely compel them to new heights. Shambala is an exotic cat preserve founded by actress Tippi Hedren to give sanctuary to big cats like lions, tigers, cougars, and leopards. In total, some forty animals make the sanctuary their home and live out their lives in peace and safety. This is a special place that exists for the benefit of the animals alone, but monthly safari tours give the public a unique opportunity to personally witness the majesty of these creatures.
Continuing past Action, the peloton continues to follow the Santa Clara River through Aliso Canyon and into the heart of the San Gabriel Mountains. Another ten miles brings the race to the top of the day’s first KOM at the pass of Pacifico Mountain. This area is consistently under threat of wildfire and the surrounding landscape illustrates this reality. The 2009 Station Fire blazed this area and 250 adjoining square miles. Even the proximity of the 2016 Sand Fire has left many trails closed. Within the confines of the broader mountain chain sits the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, 541 square miles protected by President Obama in 2014. Within easy reach of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, this National Monument is unique for its amazing biodiversity, archaeological and historic sites, and of course Mount Wilson - best known for its forest of antennae and famed observatory. Unlike the men, the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Race empowered with SRAM continues on the Angeles Forest Highway to conquer two more minor, albeit critical climbs past Josephine Peak. Before long, they are rewarded with spectacular vistas over Big Tujunga Reservoir 1,000 feet below.
For the racing peloton, much of this scenery will speed by on the twenty-mile finishing descent. Despite a technical mountain drop into the Crescenta Valley and the city of La Cañada Flintridge, any breakaway will have a hard time staying away with such a long and fast circuit awaiting at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl itself is one of the world’s iconic sporting venues. Not only synonymous with the annual Rose Bowl game and home to UCLA Bruin football, the stadium has hosted Super Bowls, the World Cup, Olympics, and electrifying concerts. It carries a historic legacy that began with its construction in 1922 as the work of Master Architect Myron Hunt in a classic horseshoe shape. Over the years its initial seating capacity of 57,000 has been expanded to over 90,000, making it one of the largest stadiums in the nation. Where many champions have been crowned on its field, one more will be named in its shadow - the winner of the 2019 Amgen Tour of California Women’s Race empowered with SRAM.
Festival Hours (PST)
Festival Maps
Festival Location
Pasadena 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM* Google Map
Festival Map 1001 Rose Bowl Dr, Pasadena, CA 91103
1km to go
Miles Ridden
Rider Sign In - Santa Clarita N/A N/A 7:50 AM - 8:50 AM
Race Start - Santa Clarita 0 78.3 mi 9:05 AM
Acton - Sprint 28 mi 50.3 mi 10:23 AM - 10:30 AM
Angeles Forest Hwy Summit - QOM (C3) 39.8 mi 38.5 mi 10:51 AM - 11:02 AM
Race Finish - Pasadena 78.3 mi 0 12:34 PM Estimated*
Women's Race Recap on Youtube and Tour Tracker:
5/18/19 at 10:00PM PST*
Stream the daily stage recap each evening on Youtube and Tour Tracker
International? We’re aired in 192+ Countries
Catch the Women's Full recap on NBCSN Thursday 5/23/19 at 9:00PM - 10:30PM PST
*Times Subject to Change
Watch Live Race Coverage – no subscription or fee required
Watch on Mobile:
Start: Santa Clarita
Finish: Pasadena
Some files on this page require Adobe Reader to view, download Adobe Reader (opens new window)
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Home The Team Christabell Amoakoh
Christabell Amoakoh
Regional Executive
Regional Executive - Midlands
Christabell is the founder of The Highlife Centre Ltd operating since 2010, a forward-looking charity committed to addressing unemployment, disadvantage and inequality by developing and increasing the knowledge and skills of individuals who are at the margins of society.
The organisation is also a led partner in a new partnership CEVOH (Community Empowerment and Voice of Hope) which brings together representatives from six grassroots African organisations to find and help remove the barriers of people who are excluded and marginalised.
Christabell’s knowledge and expertise range from people development, enterprise support and community development and has supported over 600 people into starting businesses, community groups or finding employment.
Christabell is also the trustee of YMCA and has served on the board for over a year. She previously worked with organisations such as Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce as an Enterprise Coach and Business Advisor.
She is a dedicated and result driven individual with a passion to help and support disadvantaged members of the community.
Thank you Centric, landlords, and everyone who’s played a part in establishing this fantastic community resource in Brighton. You’ve made a crucial difference to the development of our charity and the health and well-being of a large number of people in need
Gary Pargeter
Project Manager Lunch Positive
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/Authors/E/ELIOT, George.
E /
eliot, george. (4)
(eliot, george.) cross, john walter. (1)
£ 19500
[Complete set of her major works in first edition.]
Edinburgh & London: 1858
First editions of George Eliot's works, including all of her novels, two collections of poetry, one volume of her posthumously collected essays, and the 3-volume biography by her husband J. W. Cross, comprising: 1. Scenes from Clerical Life, two volumes (1858), 2. Adam Bede, three volumes (1859), 3. Mill on the Floss, three... Learn More
Scenes of Clerical Life.
First edition in book form of George Eliot's first published novel, three stories that had previously been serialized in Blackwood's Magazine. The tales, centering around three provincial clergymen, focus less on theological issues than on the ethical problems faced by them in their daily lives. This theme of persons diffusing... Learn More
Romola.
First edition. Learn More
(ELIOT, George.) CROSS, John Walter.
George Eliot's Life as Related in Her Letters and Journals.
First edition of the author's biography, written by her husband, John Walter Cross, whom she married in 1880. Learn More
The Works.
Edinburgh and London: [c.1890]
The Cabinet edition. Learn More
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Showing all 8 Learning Tools for Military History + The Memory Project + Secondary – Senior + English
Indigenous Peoples and Twentieth-Century Canadian Military History
This list of resources has been compiled to further students’ knowledge of Indigenous contributions to Canadian military history. Students can read and listen to the articles and testimonies to learn more about the reasons Indigenous people joined the Canadian military, their achievements and challenges while serving, and their experiences following their service.
Teachers are encouraged to preview the testimonies before assigning them, as stories of war often include graphic content.
Host a Speaker Kit – The Memory Project
The Host a Speaker Kit is designed to help educators and students deepen their understanding of military history and develop thoughtful questions for a Memory Project speaker.
Historica Canada Teacher Community
Write your own First World War Heritage Minute
Imagine you work for Historica Canada, and you have been tasked with writing the script for one of the popular Heritage Minutes.
Throughout your research (using the Lest We Forget project as a model), you have uncovered some interesting facts about someone from your own family/community who volunteered for Canada's Expeditionary Force in the First World War. This assignment has just gotten personal.
Your task, then is to use the information you've collected from this soldier's...
Memories of War
The teacher will ask the students to research how different groups of Canadians were affected by Canada’s participation in the Second World War. Students will then create a journal that follows the life of a fictitious Canadian before, during and after the war. Although the students will be creating a piece of fiction, the journals they write must be historically accurate and make reference to historical events. The teacher will assign, or allow students to choose, their character...
George "Buzz" Beurling
This lesson is based on viewing the "Buzz" Beurling biography from The Canadians series. Discover the life of this Second World War Canadian Ace fighter pilot and the controversy surrounding his death.
The story of George "Buzz" Beurling, brings insight to several Second World War themes. In a variety of activities, students will explore Canada's participation in the war effort, life on the front, war propaganda, and adjusting to civilian life.
There has always been a...
Recruitment During the First World War
The students will be presented this assignment as one option in their First World War research project. This assignment is designed to appeal to the students in the class who are visually minded. They will research primary documents that are, for the most part, in picture form. They will use text only to reinforce the information they get from the pictures and to review material already covered. At this point, students should have a basic understanding of Canada’s role in the First...
Choosing a National First World War Monument
Which of the eight First World War battlefield memorial sites awarded to Canada would be the best location for a monument to express the national identity and role of Canada in the war?
Appreciate how the forces of nationalism have shaped and continue to shape Canada and the world.
Explore a range of expressions of nationalism.
Appreciate historical and contemporary attempts to develop a national identity.
Analyze methods used by individuals, groups and governments in Canada to...
The Great War Simulation Activity
Groups of students are faced with the difficulties of logistics through prioritizing supplies needed to sustain soldiers after a devastating raid on their trench during the Great War. Students must think critically to decide between the competing needs of their soldiers. A discussion of the realities faced by decision-makers will lead to a better understanding of the requirements of modern industrial warfare.
To familiarize students with some of the equipment and supplies needed...
Showing all 8 Learning Tools
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Surprise wins may be in store for this year’s Grammy Awards
By Andrew Bain
Arts, Arts Columns
Lupe Fiasco's song "The Show Goes On" was nominated for "Best Rap Song" at this year's Grammy Awards, which will take place in February.
Morgan Glier
Blaine Ohigashi
It’s the final stretch, ladies and gentlemen. It is in this week that our attention spans must be at their longest to enable us to study for finals. Unfortunately, it is often the case that our attention spans are at their shortest during finals week. Our Facebook newsfeeds seem inexplicably important, as does that one show we really need to catch up with on Hulu.
And with that comes my final column for the fall quarter. In my countless, pointless hours on the Internet this weekend, one website I spent a considerable amount of time on was the Grammy site, which has posted the full list of nominations for this year’s Grammy Awards.
For the most part, I think the Grammys got the nominations right, and I admire the expansive scope of the award categories themselves. And while there will be many awards that go to the most obvious choice (I think Adele and Kanye West will both go home very happy), I’m here to tell you that there are some potential surprise winners hidden in some of these categories. This column will be dedicated to a few of those.
I’m first going to turn my attention to “Song of the Year.” Radio wisdom would dictate that Mumford & Sons’ “The Cave” wins this category, and Kanye West’s “All of the Lights” off “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” would appear to be a strong contender as well. In fact, I believe that Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” will take home this honor as a result of the critical acclaim “21″ met, even though “Someone Like You” is, in my opinion, easily a better song.
Next comes the “Best New Artist” category, which has me a little bit confused, mostly because Bon Iver is not a new artist, having released “For Emma, Forever Ago” in 2008.
That being said, my money is on Bon Iver to upset country upstart The Band Perry, J. Cole and Nicki Minaj, as well as dubstep poster boy Skrillex. I believe Bon Iver’s lush arrangements and majestic sound are simply too immersive and well-constructed not to be recognized here. So, there you have it: An artist who is not new will win best new artist.
The last potential surprise I’ll look at here comes in the “Best Rap Song” category. Kanye West is once again a strong presence in this category, having been nominated both for “All of the Lights” and “Otis,” a song from his and Jay-Z’s “Watch the Throne.”
But I think a couple of tracks are poised as potential underdogs in this category. The first would be “I Need a Doctor” by Dr. Dre featuring Eminem and Skylar Grey, and the second would be “The Show Goes On” by Lupe Fiasco.
“I Need a Doctor” could win simply because of the Dr. Dre/Eminem reunion factor, and “The Show Goes On” is easily one of the catchiest songs of the year.
Considering all of that, I’m going to go out on a limb and pick “The Show Goes On” by Lupe Fiasco, who I believe is one of rap’s great underdogs. Now, this could be an overly gutsy pick, but I’m a sucker for the glory of a victorious underdog. Only time will tell, though, and I’ll be anxiously awaiting this year’s award show to find out the fate of my picks.
I’ve had a great time writing “B-sides” this quarter, and whether it’s through more of this column or through live-tweeting the Grammys in February, this won’t be the last you hear from me about all things music.
Who do you think will dominate the Grammys? Email Bain at [email protected] “B-sides” runs every Monday.
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Ethiopia accused of stalling negotiations with Egypt and Sudan over Renaissance Dam
Future of negotiations remains unclear as Ethiopia asks to postpone the tripartite meeting of 4 October
A tripartite meeting that was supposed to be held in Egypt on Sunday has been postponed upon the request of Addis Ababa in the latest setback to efforts to reach a compromise over Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam.
Egypt had invited Ethiopian and Sudanese officials, along with representatives from the consultancy firm studying the impact of the dam, to a meeting headed by the Egyptian National Committee of the Grand Ethiopian Dam (TNC).
The meeting was arranged to discuss the recent differences between the countries over the building of the Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia.
The tripartite meeting was scheduled to take place in Egypt on Sunday 4 October, a date that was confirmed during President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn during the UN General Assembly meeting.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of the General Assembly in New York last week and confirmed that negotiations over the controversial dam would continue on 4 October.
This is not the first setback since the three countries signed the declaration of principles in March, which aims to safeguard the interests of all parties involved.
In September, Egypt expressed its concern after the two foreign consultancy firms failed to deliver their reports to the tripartite committee on time.
They had also missed a deadline in August, forcing the tripartite committee to re-schedule for 5 September.
The Dutch consultancy firm, Deltares, then withdrew from the assessment of the dam in September. The firm reasoned that the conditions set by the TNC did not provide Deltares with the opportunity to carry out an independent, high quality study.
The continuous stalling by Ethiopian officials and the withdrawal of the Dutch firm has put future negotiations in jeopardy.
Ex-irrigation minister Mohamed Nasr Allam has called on the Egyptian government to appeal to the United Nations to resolve the matter due to the failure of negotiations with Ethiopia.
Egypt, with its share of 55 billion cubic meters, is currently suffering from a water deficit of 20 billion cubic meters which it compensates through water recycling, a process that is not viable in the long run.
The dam, scheduled to be completed in 2017, will be Africa's largest hydroelectric power plant with a storage capacity of 74 billion cubic meters of water.
Egypt faces another dam challenge - Al-Monitor: th...
Egypt: More setbacks for stalled Renaissance Dam p...
Ethiopia accused of stalling negotiations with Egy...
Cairo announces urgent meeting on Ethiopian dam
How to Share Water Along the Nile - The New York T...
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Backstage at New York Fashion Week
Kalani Gordon 0 Comment Art, Travel, World
It’s where all the madness and the magic happens. Take a look at all the work that goes into making a model runway ready, backstage at New York Fashion Week.
A model has make up applied backstage before showing the BCBG Max Azria collection during New York Fashion Week September 4, 2014. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)
A model takes a selfie backstage before showing the BCBG Max Azria collection during New York Fashion Week September 4, 2014.The 2014 New York Fashion Week goes from September 4-11. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)
Models have their hair done backstage before presenting the BCBG Max Azria collection during New York Fashion Week September 4, 2014.The 2014 New York Fashion Week goes from September 4-11. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)
Model cards and make-up rest on a stool backstage before the BCBG Max Azria Spring/Summer 2015 collection, during New York Fashion Week September 4, 2014 in New York. (Joshua Lott/AFP/Getty Images)
Models have their hair styled backstage before presenting creations by BCBG Max Azria Spring/Summer 2015 collection during New York Fashion Week, September 4, 2014 in New York. (Joshua Lott/AFP/Getty Images)
Models receive instructions backstage as they present creations from Alina German Spring/Summer 2015 collection during New York Fashion Week September 3, 2014 in New York. (Joshua Lott/AFP/Getty Images)
A model poses backstage at the A Detacher fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015at Pier 59 on September 5, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images)
A model prepares backstage at the Rodebjer fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 at The Bowery Hotel on September 5, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images)
General view of atmosphere backstage at the Rodebjer fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 at The Bowery Hotel on September 5, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images)
A model poses backstage at the Tess Giberson fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 at Pier 59 on September 5, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images)
A model prepares backstage before the HONOR fashion show at Art Beam on September 4, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images)
Models are seen backstage after the HONOR fashion show at Art Beam on September 4, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images)
Models prepare backstage at the Snowman fashion show during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 at Helen Mills Event Space on September 4, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images)
A model backstage at the Degen Presentation during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 at Pier 59 on September 4, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images)
Models backstage at the Jack Spade Presentation during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 at IAC Building on September 3, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images)
A model prepares backstage at the Alina German Presentation during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 at Inglot Studio on September 3, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images)
Models getting ready backstage prior to the Billy Reid Men’s Spring 2015 at The Highline Hotel on September 6, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Joe Kohen/Getty Images)
A model prepares backstage at the Porsche Design Spring/Summer 2015 show during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 at Center 548 on September 7, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Rommel Demano/Getty Images)
A model prepares backstage at the Hood By Air fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 at Spring Studios on September 7, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Monica SA model prepares backstage at the Hood By Air fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 at Spring Studios on September 7, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images) chipper/Getty Images)
Models prepare backstage at Eckhaus Latta – Presentation – MADE Fashion Week Spring 2015 at The Standard Hotel on September 7, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Backstage atmosphere at Rolando Santana Spring 2015 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 on September 7, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)
Models backstage at the Designers’ Collective fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 at Helen Mills Event Space on September 7, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images)
A model backstage at the Designers’ Collective fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 at Helen Mills Event Space on September 7, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images)
Model Hannah Caitriona getting ready backstage during Fashion Palette Australia at Pier 59 on September 7, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Joe Kohen/Getty Images)
Models getting ready backstage during Fashion Palette Australia at Pier 59 on September 7, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Joe Kohen/Getty Images)
Tommy Hilfiger, Georgia May Jagger and models pose backstage at Tommy Hilfiger Women’s fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 at Park Avenue Armory on September 8, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Tommy Hilfiger)
Models wait backstage before the Carolina Herrera Spring/Summer 2015 collection show during New York Fashion Week in the Manhattan borough of New York September 8, 2014. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters)
A model sits and waits backstage before the Carolina Herrera Spring/Summer 2015 collection show during New York Fashion Week in the Manhattan borough of New York September 8, 2014. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters)
Models talk as they wait backstage before the Carolina Herrera Spring/Summer 2015 collection show during New York Fashion Week in the Manhattan borough of New York September 8, 2014. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters)
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Song of the Week: “Funky Pants” by Oceanliners
by Douglas Cowie on 21 June 2019
This is “Funky Pants” by Oceanliners:
“Funky Pants” by Oceanliners, which I’d never heard before, crossed my path on Twitter the other day. The guitarist on this song is Jerome Smith, who also co-wrote it. Jerome Smith was the original guitarist in KC and the Sunshine Band. As ever when I hear a song with funk in the title, my mind is called back to one of my favorite essays about music ever, “I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say” by Luc Sante.
Song of the Week: “Didn’t He Ramble/Closer Walk with Thee” by Dr John
This is “Didn’t He Ramble/Closer Walk with Thee” by Dr John:
This medley shows what wonderful musical mind and heart Dr John had, and how rooted in the sounds of New Orleans that mind and that heart were.
Song of the Week: “My Queen Is Harriet Tubman” by Sons of Kemet
by Douglas Cowie on 7 June 2019
This is “My Queen Is Harriet Tubman” by Sons of Kemet:
Among the many superb things I listened to at Primavera Sound festival last weekend was Sons of Kemet. The sound of, and play between, tenor saxophone is excellent. What you’re listening to here is Sons of Kemet, but the version I saw was actually Sons of Kemet XL, with two additional drummers. The force of sound and even more importantly the complexity of rhythm made by four drummers drumming simultaneously is really something. Between that and the two wind instruments, there’s an overwhelming amount of sound to try to take in, and when you get a brief moment where they’re all playing a rest–the snatch of silence robs your breath. Thrilling.
Song of the Week: “Bad Scene, Everyone’s Fault” by Jawbreaker
This is “Bad Scene, Everyone’s Fault” by Jawbreaker:
Every year the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona, in addition to putting on Shellac on Saturday night, has a couple bands that hit a big or small heyday in the 1990s, and so I get to have a weird double-experience of seeing a band and remembering when I saw them as a teenager or whatever. I think the word for this is nostalgia. But actually, it’s not just nostalgia. Anyway, I gotta pack up for the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona. I was pleasantly surprised to find Jawbreaker on the lineup this year. I really like this song, about going to a party, in particular. It’s a moment of small genius when the guy sings, “It sounded good / I felt ashamed / I knew every drum fill,” and the music follows with that short syncopated drum fill.
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Local politics: a denial of democracy
Demonstrating their anti-democratic credentials, Green Party councillors in Brighton and Hove have set their face against holding a referendum in order to seek an increase in Council Tax over and above the two percent permitted without holding a poll.
But what is especially telling are the comments of the Green Party leader, Councillor Jason Kitcat, who called on the government to allow councils like Brighton and Hove "more freedom to raise money from taxes".
Councils actually have freedom to increase Council Tax but, before they do so above the two percent level, they are required to hold local referendums, the results of which are binding. Thus, if the people reject an increase, councils are not allowed to up their charges.
What Kitcat is doing, therefore, is not only denying his electors the chance of deciding their level of Council Tax, he is seeking power to raise taxes without having to gain the approval of his voters. This proto-dictator wants "freedom" to increase taxes but would deny voters the right to refuse increases.
Such remarks illustrate with some clarity the real nature of these people, reinforced further by Kitcat, when he says: "The referendum rule is mad. It's not really workable and would cost about £300,000 to run".
Here, you can see another tactic at work, talking up the cost of something that the council does not want to do. Yet, when trial referendums were carried out, the highest estimate was £150,000 and one council estimated that the cost could be brought down to about £70,000 if combined with normal council elections. With the development of electronic voting, costs could be brought down still further.
The relatively modest costs of true democracy compare with councils spending millions on freesheets – so-called "Town Hall Pravda". They have been spending tens of millions, out of a communication budget of £400 million a year, with one council alone spending over £5000,000 on its newspaper.
Thus, there is no expense spared when councils want to spread their own propaganda, but when genuine consultation is called for, we get a council (and a Green one at that) complaining about the cost.
This comes on the back of sustained resistance from the Local Government Association (LGA) to the very idea of Council Tax referendums. In May of this year, we saw an example of this, the disdain which local authorities show for the idea of democracy, as they sought to prevent Communities Secretary Eric Pickles tightening the "referendum lock" on council tax.
As the Local Audit and Accountability Bill enters the final reading in the House of Lords, the LGA is intensifying its resistance (paywall), urging the government to publish its estimates of the impact of new council tax referendum rules on long-term infrastructure projects, amid fears of a "significant threat" to city deals and flood defences.
This is another classic ploy – shroud-waving in the face of tighter controls over spending – but once against disguising the essential anti-democratic nature of local government.
The LGA argues that the requirement to submit increases in Council Tax (to include increases in levies and precepts) "could threaten councils' long-term financial sustainability and leave authorities unable to invest in major infrastructure schemes such as transport systems, putting jobs and investment at risk".
But a Department of Communities spokesman said: "There is no reason that the Bill will affect infrastructure projects. If local authorities want to raise Council Tax because of levying bodies then they should be prepared to argue their case to local people in a referendum".
Referring to "City deals", which are being used to fund capital schemes, the spokesman said that they, "are important in encouraging investment and improving infrastructure, but they are not vehicles for bypassing the right of local people to vote on excessive council tax increases".
The right of people to vote – where it actually means something – is, of course, the last thing these anti-democrats want. But their arrogance is the only transparent thing about them. "That democratic consent thing is unworkable. Can't have the plebs having a say on whether the council should be allowed to keep spending like Paris Hilton on a coke binge", says North Jnr.
And this is why the right to limit council taxes is a central part of The Harrogate Agenda.
In their resistance to even modest requirements for increased democracy, Councils are showing their true colours. We now have a battle on our hands. Taxes, as currently constituted, have no legitimacy and the likes of Councillor Jason Kitcat are going to have to learn that the principle of "no taxation without consent" is going to be the way of the future.
We are coming, and there is no stopping the power of an idea.
UPDATE: Predictably, this issue is getting next to no coverage from the media, as Autonomous Mind notes.
He identifies an LGA briefing note, reiterating its opposition to council tax referendums, calling the requirement, "a significant threat to both local government's financial stability and infrastructure investment". Never mind that Council Tax is a significant threat to my financial stability, and to the financial stability and wellbeing of thousands of taxpayers.
These "robber barons", as AM describes them, have not the slightest idea of what democratic accountability actually means. Their priorities are always put before our priorities – they decide how much we have to pay, and it then becomes our duty to pay these thieves, on pain of imprisonment.
COMMENT THREAD
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Home Travel & Culture Culture 5 Times Black Women Stole The 2016 Olympics
5 Times Black Women Stole The 2016 Olympics
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 09: Gabrielle Douglas of the United States poses for photographs with her gold medal after the medal ceremony for the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Team on Day 4 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Rio Olympic Arena on August 9, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
What a time to be a Black girl. Between several gold medals and a few broken world records, Black women revealed their magic as they dominated the 2016 Rio Olympics. Even though the Olympics are over, we’re still reveling in the moment. Here are five women who completely stole the show:
OLY: 2016 USOC Media Summit
Team USA Beverly Hilton/Los Angeles, CA, USA, 03/06/2016 SI-18 TK1
Credit: Simon Bruty
Simone Manuel. It’s only fitting that she tops the list. 20-year-old Manuel became the first African-American woman to win an individual event in Olympic swimming, earning herself a gold medal in the women’s 100-meter freestyle. Her second gold medal comes from a two-second win in the women’s 4×100 medley relay. It is imperative that we remember Dorothy Dandridge’s story while celebrating Simone Manuel’s victory of becoming the first Black woman to ever win an Olympic medal in swimming.
Michelle Carter. Retrieved August 21, 2016 from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/357402920410225051/
Michelle Carter. Everyone may not be a shot-put fan, but that doesn’t mean we can’t or won’t celebrate our fellow sister. Like Manuel, Carter also broke some records, as she became the first of a few things. The “Shot Diva” became the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in the event since 1960, but she is the first ever U.S. Olympics’ shot put gold medalist. An African American woman has just put the United States back on the shot put map after becoming the first woman to win gold, how can you not rejoice?
Gabby Douglas. Retrieved August 21, 2016 from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/544020829971100055/
Gabby Douglas. Years later, we’re still in complete awe of Gabby Douglas. How could we not be? Douglas first came into the spotlight as a member of the United States women’s national gymnastics team, commonly known as the Fierce Five. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she won gold medals in the individual all-around and team competitions. Four years later, now a veteran, Gabby is still taking home gold, as she won a gold medal for the women’s team all-around.
Day 7 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 12, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Retrieved August 21, 2016 from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/119978777552699071/
Almaz Ayana. She’s the only woman on the list that doesn’t represent the United States, but again, that doesn’t mean we can’t or won’t celebrate our sister. Representing Ethiopia, the track and field star came in first place for the women’s 10,000m race, earning her a gold medal. What calls for a celebration though, beyond her goal medal, is the fact that she set a new world record; crushing the previous world record by 14 seconds. Ayana has ALL of our support!
Simone Biles. Retrieved August 21, 2016 from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/189080884335245700/
Simone Biles. This superstar may be the youngest on the list, but she’s definitely the most decorated. The gymnast won gold in women’s vault, women’s team all-around, women’s floor exercise and women’s individual all-around, tying the women’s record for most gymnastics gold medals in a single Summer Games. Biles also took a home a bronze medal in women’s beam, winning five medals for her first Olympic appearance.
Written by: Aria J. Goolsby, Staff Writer, Modern Domestic
@AriaJ.G
Almaz Ayaz
Aria J. Goolsby
Arianna J. Goolsby
EGL Yandy Harris Smith
Michelle Carter
Rio Olympics
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Anyone's Daughter — Adonis
(Music Is Intelligence WMMS 025, 1979/1993, CD)
Anyone's Daughter — Anyone's Daughter
Anyone's Daughter — Piktors Verwandlungen
Anyone's Daughter — In Blau
Anyone's Daughter — Neue Sterne
Anyone's Daughter was one of a group of late 70s German symphonic bands who brought forth a highly melodic rock, colorful and saturated with emotion. Their vocal harmonies were strong, and instrumental parts, while not hard, were nonetheless powerful, where multi-layers of guitars and keys set up a moody milieu in which their melodies could flourish. Although at times they recall Eloy, a closer comparison would be to their fellow countrymen Grobschnitt. The vocal stylings may sometimes remind of the Moody Blues. In the last few months, WMMS has begun quietly reissuing their entire back catalog, with plans to do the remaining two (Live and Last Tracks) in the months to come. The first album, Adonis from '79 is perhaps the best known of the bunch, and maybe one of the strongest: the sidelong title track is a complete mindblower — split into four parts, twisting and turning through a labyrinth of changes over its 26 minutes.
Anyone's Daughter was a strong follow up, and would be the last album where the lyrics were in English. (Actually, Last Tracks has some out-takes from the Adonis period where the vocals are also in English). Piktors is primarily an instrumental album of four long suites. In Blau is the band's first 'German' album, and quite possibly the most powerful of the lot – although a bit more polished and refined: its opening track "Sonnenzeichen – Feuerzeichen" may well be one of their best tracks ever, with a powerful throbbing bass and whining guitar leads sailing all over the spectrum. With Neue Sterne, their sound became considerably more accessible, yet not to the point of compromising their sound. Still, it is probably the least impressive of the five.
For starters I'd have to recommend either Adonis or In Blau, then fill in the rest between later if you like those – and I'm certain most will.
Filed under: Reissues, Issue 1, 1993 releases, 1979 recordings, 1980 recordings, 1994 releases, 1981 recordings, 1982 recordings, 1983 recordings
Related artist(s): Anyone's Daughter
Hualun - Silver Daydream – Maybe it's actually easy to make post-rock music. After all, there seem to be bands springing up all around the world playing it. Hua Lun are part of the new generation of Chinese bands following in... (2010) » Read more
PinioL Is Ready to Sieze Your Attention
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Gabon Coup d'etat Ali Bongo Ondimba Military
Gabon government: coup d’etat over
Screen grab of military while reading their statement over Gabonese TV and radio, 7 January, 2019 Reuters
A reported coup d’etat in Gabon mounted by five military officers in the early hours of Monday morning has been thwarted, according to a government spokesman.
“The situation is under control,” said Guy-Bertrand Mapangou, government spokesman, adding that four of the officers had been arrested and a fifth had fled.
The five had taken over the state radio and television station at approximately 6:30 am, amid reports of gunfire, calling on young people from the defence and security forces to join them.
The message, read by a man who called himself Lieutenant Ondo Obiang Kelly, said that a “national restoration council” would be created to guarantee a transition to democracy for the Gabonese people.
“We cannot abandon our homeland,” said Kelly, who said he was a part of the Patriotic Youth Movement of the Gabonese Defence and Security Forces (MPJFDS).
A video of the men shows three of them wearing Republican Guard green berets, while two had assault rifles.
President Ali Bongo, 59, is recuperating in Morocco after suffering a stroke while visiting Saudi Arabia and has not been back in the country since October. He took over power after his father, Omar, who seized control in 1967.
“This morning we were woken, astonished. But I think that we are a country that is used to being political. We are not a country where the military takes charge and makes such a declaration,” Gabriel, a resident of the capital Libreville told RFI, saying there were no people nor military in the street this morning.
“I don’t think [anyone] here has ever seen this type of action in Gabon,” he said.
Everything was shut in the capital on Monday morning, according to Alain, another resident.
“We have to go to little side streets to buy water, bread, to do our shopping. Everything is closed,” he said.
Mapangou says that forces have been deployed to Libreville and will remain until order is restored.
Gabon is currently being run by the prime minister and vice president after the Constitutional Court transferred some of the president’s power in his absence.
Bongo addressed the Gabonese people in a televised message on New Year’s Eve, saying he had been through a difficult period.
The MPJFDS says it considered Bongo’s speech “shameful” and called the transfer of power “illegitimate and illegal.”
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