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Bellona.org > Latest News > Nuclear issues > Accidents and incidents > Reactor vessel cracks revealed in Belgium earlier this month spark international inspections
Accidents and incidents, Nuclear issues
Reactor vessel cracks revealed in Belgium earlier this month spark international inspections
As inspectors investigate possible manufacturing shortcomings in the reactor pressure vessel of the No 3 reactor at the Doel Nuclear Power Plant in Belgium – which earlier this month was discovered to have cracks – nuclear safety authorities in other countries are conduction their own test to root out similar flaws.
Published on August 30, 2012 by Charles Digges
Photo: Wikipedia commons
The reactor vessel at the Doel No 3 plant was manufactured by the now-bankrupt Dutch firm Rotterdam Drydock Company, which sold a number of such vessels to a variety of international customers. The discovery of the cracks at Doel’s Unit 3 by the use of a new ultrasound measuring technique, sent a nervous ripple through the international nuclear industry.
Rotterdam Drydock Company had sold 21 reactor vessels to nuclear power plants in the US, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Sweden and the UK, according to the Associated Press, though that information was not released until later in the month.
Flaw rates on INES
The flaws revealed at Doel 3 have provisionally been rated as Level 1 out of seven levels on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) – constituting it as an “anomaly.” FANC may change that rating depending on what further inspections reveal.
Some 9 million people live within a 75 kilometer radius of the plant.
The ultrasound technique that discovered the cracks at Doel’s Unit 3 scanned the whole surface of the reactor rather than just around the weld zones. The initial tests were conducted in June.
They showed indications that “could be assimilated to potential cracks,” according to World Nuclear News. Additional tests confirmed the presence of these flaws, which are believed to be manufacturing defects in the steel vessel.
The reactor was shut down for further inspections to determine whether the reactor vessel could be salvaged.
Belgium’s Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC) said in a statement that: “Numerous flaw indications in the basic steel material of the reactor vessel were detected in late June, in particular in the bottom-most ring,” adding that, “these are ‘laminar’ flaws parallel with the surface of the walls and, as such, theoretically not dangerous, as they are normally not subject to stress.”
Is it really a manufacturing flaw?
Nils Bøhmer, Bellona’s general director and nuclear physicist, was not as quick as the FANC to blame manufacturing defects in the reactor vessel, and predicted that similar problems will begin to appear worldwide due to ageing nuclear reactors, whose average lifespan is about 30 years.
The wear and tear observed in Belgium, said Bøhmer, “is something that comes of neutron radiation from power generation” within the reactor core that is housed by the vessel.
“This will, as reactors get older, cause cracks,” in reactor vessels said Bøhmer.
Another Belgian reactor, Tihange 2 – whose vessel was also produced by Rotterdam Drydock – was stopped on August for a maintenance outage and will undergo the same examinations as Doel Unit 3.
The FANC on August 16 called a meeting of nuclear safety authorities of the countries that had purchased reactor vessels from Rotterdam Drydock.
FANC director general Willy De Roovere said the purpose of the meeting was “to give information on the situation at Doel 3 and not to make a decision about its future,” WNN quoted him as saying. “Furthermore, this international contact made it possible to share expertise on reactor vessel integrity and inspections.”
A second meeting of the nuclear safety authorities is planned for October.
International inspections of the Dutch reactor vessels
The meeting has spurred a series of international inspections.
The Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) is analyzing the documentation and the fabrication process of reactor pressure vessels of the Cofrentes and Garoña plants, which were both manufactured by Rotterdam Drydiock.
CSN said that preliminary investigations show that the vessel of the Cofrentes plant is not affected by the same defects found in Belgium as a different manufacturing process was used. Cofrentes’ vessel was reported to show none of the same defects as the Belgian reactor which CSN attributes to a different welding procedure used on that Vessel.
Garoña’s vessel was constructed using the same process as that for Doel 3, but CSN has not reported defects similar to those discovered at Doel 3.
The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM) has asked that a host of planned inspections of the vessel at the No 2 reactor at its Ringhals plant be increased to monitor for similar manufacturing defects. Sweden purchased that reactor vessel from Rotterdam Drydock in the1970s, WNN said.
Ringhals 2 will commence its annual refueling and maintenance outage on September 15, said SSM in a release. Plant owner Ringhals AB is to present an action plan to SSM by 1 June 2013 should the same defects be discovered.
The French nuclear safety authority, the Autorité De Sûreté Nucléaire (ASN), said that checks carried out in France showed that no French vessel presents defects corresponding to those found at Doel 3. Swiss nuclear authorities made a similar announcement, but added they will carry out additional ultrasound tests, said WNN.
Are the Rotterdam Drydocks vessels safe for operation?
The 1,006 MW Doel No 3 reactor, operated by GDF Suez unit Electrabel, is scheduled to close in 10 years according to the nuclear exit plan the Belgian government adopted in July. A pressurized water reactor, it went into service in 1982.
The suspected fractures at the reactor, 25 kilometers north of Antwerp near the Dutch border, which provides a sixth of Belgium’s nuclear-generated power, do not pose any health and safety threat, said FANC.
GDF Suez unit Electrabel has pushed for putting Doel 3 back online once the issue of the cracks is addressed. This begs the question of whether continues operation of cracked reactor vessels, which may be discovered in the course of the international inspections, is safe.
Bellona’s Bøhmer said that would be ill-advised without a full rehabilitation of the vessels in question.
“Any cracks in a reactor vessel must be taken seriously and lead to a proper rehabilitation of the vessel before the reactor is put back online,” he said.
Rehabilitation would mean, said Bøhmer, repairing the vessels cracks if possible. Another possible route of restoring power generation, he said, would be to place restrictions on how much energy the affected reactors are allowed to generate, thus reducing the possibility of further cracking.
Charles Digges
Belgium shuts down nuclear reactor over suspected vessel cracking
EU officially released bleak report on its nuclear power plants, and hints at requiring nuclear liability insurance
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Bellona.org > Latest News > Nuclear issues > Radwaste storage at nuclear fuel cycle plants in Russia > TVEL in deal with US’s General Electric and Europe on nuke fuel production deal
Radwaste storage at nuclear fuel cycle plants in Russia
TVEL in deal with US’s General Electric and Europe on nuke fuel production deal
NEW YORK – Russian nuclear fuel monopoly TVEL plans to sign a deal with US company General Electric and an unspecified European firm at the start of 2008 to promote a new nuclear fuel assembly on non-Russia markets, TVEL said in a statement, Russian newswire RIA Novosti reported.
Published on December 19, 2007 by Bellona
The state-run corporation has developed a new type of fuel assembly- the TVS Kvadrat – for use with reactors typically used in the West. The contracts are slated to be signed in early 2008.
TVEL, which accounts for 17 percent of the global nuclear fuel market, intends to almost double its share by 2030.
The company – which will soon become part of the Russian nuclear behemoth state corporation Atomenergoprom, which will oversee every aspect of the Russian nuclear fuel cycle, including oversight – has developed a new type of fuel assembly, the TVS-Kvadrat, for use in Western-type nuclear reactors.
"We plan to sign an agreement with General Electric to promote our fuel on the U.S. nuclear power plant market," TVEL President Yury Olenin said in a statement.
"We believe the situation is ripe for a major breakthrough on the U.S. market."
General Electric would license the Russian nuclear fuel in exchange for receiving TVEL’s technology, he said
Olenin was also upbeat about prospects for European markets, saying TVEL had received technical documents for fuel licensing from a European company, but did not specify the company’s name.
Olenin expressed optimism about TVEL’s prospects in European markets, saying the company TVEL received technical documents for fuel licensing from a European company, but declined to name the company, RIA Novosti said.
TVEL’s TVS-Kvadrat will undergo pre-reactor testing for three years, which will be followed by another three years of operation tests in a European reactor, which Olenin said had already been selected. The agreement with the European company could be signed in February 2008, Olenin said.
"We plan to attain a 30 percent share of global nuclear supplies, which in effect means leadership," he said.
Olenin said the company was seeking to bring in an additional 5.3 billion roubles ($215 million) with world market innovations and by opening new markets.
TVEL-produced fuel currently runs 73 commercial and 30 research reactors in 13 countries worldwide.
info@bellona.no
Bush and Russia wish to join forces in making nuclear fuel
Resurrection of ‘atoms for peace’ for the creation of an international uranium bank
Russian Nuclear Fuel Cycle Unveiled in Detail
Russian nuclear industry to go private
US OKs some uranium imports from Russia – but figures set to jump within decade
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BestvSeries
Jeremy Renner Wraps Filming on Avengers 4
adming January 3, 2018 Views 187
Jeremy Renner is done filming Hawkeye’s part in Avengers 4. Marvel Studios embarked on their biggest production ever at the beginning of last year. The Russo Brothers kicked off 2017 by filming the next two Avengers movies. Originally set to be Infinity War Part 1 and Part 2, the movies have since been separated a bit. Marvel changed the shooting schedule to film them back-to-back instead of concurrently, which allowed for Avengers: Infinity War to wrap in the summer.
The Russos and their cast and crew did not stop however, as production started almost immediately on Untitled Avengers. The followup has been shrouded in mystery throughout its filming period and for good reason. Audiences still have to wait till May to see how Avengers 3 plays out, and the first Infinity War trailer generated plenty of interest. That should carry over for the sequel, which is winding down production. We can now add Renner to the growing list of actors to wrap on the fourth Avengers.
Related: Jeremy Renner Shares New Avengers 4 Photo
Renner confirmed today on Instagram that he is done filming Avengers 4. This marks the end of nearly a year long shoot for Renner and many of his fellow stars, although his role has been especially top secret. He does note that he’ll be back – for what we assume are reshoots on Infinity War – and referenced the two films as Infinity Wars.
Hawkeye has yet to be shown in the marketing for Infinity War after being left out of the trailer. There’s no word on what his role in Infinity War will be even though he is confirmed to be in it. Part of that may be to protect that movie, but also Avengers 4. Rumors continue to swirl that Renner’s Clint Barton could take on a new superhero persona in the next Avengers movie. If that is the case – and we have our theories on why it will happen – it may prove to be a wise decision to not reveal what Hawkeye is up to.
As for him calling the movies Infinity Wars, that should just go to show how secretive the fourth Avengers movie is. It is possible Renner and other cast members know what the new title is going to be, but Marvel may also be keeping that a secret from them too. By doing so, they can preserve the title and not have to worry about it accidentally leaking.
Renner joins his fellow co-stars Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen, and Paul Bettany as cast members who have wrapped already. There are surely other smaller roles who have finished too, but these are the ones who have confirmed it. With production possibly ending in the coming days, the entire movie may wrap soon. Once that happens, it won’t be long before reshoots on Infinity War begin as Marvel Studios looks to perfect the blockbuster before its May release. After that, it may not be until the Avengers 4 reshoots that Renner and others suit up again – and possibly for the last time.
MORE: Avengers: Infinity War Does ‘Wonderous’ Things With Hawkeye
Source: Jeremy Renner
Key Release Dates
Black Panther release date: Feb 16, 2018
Avengers: Infinity War / The Avengers 3 release date: May 4, 2018
Ant-Man & The Wasp release date: Jul 6, 2018
Captain Marvel release date: Mar 8, 2019
The Avengers 4 / Untitled Avengers Movie release date: May 3, 2019
Untitled Spider-Man: Homecoming Sequel release date: Jul 5, 2019
BestvSeries © 2019
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Hepatitis ACauses
Hepatitis A is caused by the hepatitis A virus, which is spread in the poo of someone with the infection.
Open all pages about Hepatitis A
Most infections occur in parts of the world where sanitation and food hygiene standards are poor, although there's a small risk of becoming infected in the UK.
How hepatitis A is spread
You can get hepatitis A from:
eating food prepared by someone with the infection who has not washed their hands properly, or who's washed them in water contaminated with sewage
drinking contaminated water, including ice cubes
eating raw or undercooked shellfish from contaminated water
close contact with someone who has hepatitis A
having sex with someone who has the infection, particularly if you touch their anus with your fingers, mouth or tongue
injecting drugs using equipment contaminated with the hepatitis A virus
Someone with hepatitis A is most infectious from around 2 weeks before they start to develop symptoms until about a week afterwards.
At-risk destinations
Hepatitis A is found worldwide, but areas where it's most widespread include:
sub-Saharan and northern Africa
the Indian subcontinent (particularly India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal)
some parts of the Far East (excluding Japan)
To find out about the potential health risks in a specific country, see country information on the Travel Health Pro website.
People at risk of hepatitis A in the UK
Although the chances of getting hepatitis A in the UK are much smaller than in other parts of the world, certain groups have an increased risk.
close contacts of someone with hepatitis A
people who inject illegal drugs
people who may be exposed to hepatitis A through their job – this includes sewage workers, people who work for organisations where levels of personal hygiene may be poor, such as a homeless shelter, and people working with monkeys, apes and gorillas (these animals may be infected with hepatitis A)
People in these groups are usually advised to have the hepatitis A vaccine to minimise their risk of infection.
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Sonnet crams Thunderbolt 3 eGPU into original Mac mini-sized enclosure with eGFX Breakaway Puck
Wednesday, November 08, 2017, 06:27 am PT (09:27 am ET)
Mac upgrade company Sonnet has released the eGFX Breakaway Puck, enabling multi-display capabilities in a portable enclosure for Thunderbolt 3 computers.
The eGFX Breakaway Puck comes in two models, one with a Radeon RX 560 similar to that in the high-end 15-inch 2017 MacBook Pro, and a second with the Radeon RX 570 as found in the high-end 20.5-inch 2017 4K iMac and one model of the 5K iMac. The enclosure provides three DisplayPort 1.4 ports, and one HDMI 2.0b port, all capable of 4K resolution at 60Hz.
The unit provides 45W of charging power to connected laptops through the Thunderbolt 3 port. While not sufficient to maintain full charge when a computer is under heavy load, the unit provides sufficient power to significantly reduce battery drain —and will charge a connected computer fully given time when not in use.
The unit measures 6 inches wide, 5.12 inches long, and 2 inches tall. It weighs 3.2 pounds with the RX 560, and 4.3 pounds with the RX 570. A 0.5 meter Thunderbolt 3 cable is included in the package.
The Radeon Pro 560 has a peak performance of up to 1.9 teraflops, and has 16 compute units, and a memory bandwidth of 81 Gigabytes per second. The Radeon Pro 570 is faster at 3.6 teraflops, with 29 compute units, and 218 GB/S memory bandwidth. At present, it is not clear how much the Thunderbolt 3 interface will constrain performance versus a "native" chip, if noticeable at all.
A VESA mounting bracket is available, which secures the Puck to the back of a monitor or multiple display stand. A short DisplayPort cable is included with the VESA kit to assist with cable management.
Apple's compatibility with external GPUs is limited until the spring. The RX 570 works out of the box, with no software installation required, but the RX 560 requires a relatively simple hack to use —for now.
AppleInsider will be examining the new eGPU offering in the weeks to come.
The eGFX Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 560 has a retail price of $449. The higher-end eGFX Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 570 retails for $599. The optional PuckCuff VESA Mounting Bracket Kit sells for $59. All models are immediately available.
Mac OS X,
Thunderbolt 3,
eGPU,
Apple AR headset codenamed 'T288' said to run new 'rOS' operating system, launch as soon as 2020
Facebook's attempted 'revenge porn' solution: Trust us with your nude pics
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By Invitation Only
Signed edition of By Invitation Only by Geneva Lee
In a world with too much money and not enough rules, anything goes. Welcome to Belle Mère, the most exclusive zip code outside the Las Vegas Strip. It's every sinner's fantasy and every good parent's worst nightmare.
Emma Southerly doesn't belong at Belle Mère Prep despite her new stepfather's money. Not after she shunned her invite to the popular table, and especially not after what happened last summer. So when her best friend begs her to crash an invite-only, end of the year party, she should say no with a capitol H-E-L-L.
It's just a party. What could go wrong?
Getting kicked out to start. Running into the man who destroyed your family.
Until she meets Jamie, who's also hiding from the in-crowd. After spending the night with the cute stranger, Emma barely makes it home before news hits Belle Mère's brunch tables. A body's been found on the West estate, and Jamie is the number one suspect. But he couldn't have done it…right?
Emma isn't sure she can trust him or the rest of Belle Mère. After all, no one is safe when everyone is a liar.
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← Can anime surpass its source material? Part One: manga-based series
Weekly Round-Up: December 22nd
Star Ocean has taken over my life; it seeps into all the cracks and leaves me with no time to do anything else. Nonetheless, I shall get on top of this addiction, even if it means playing all three games (four if you count Blue Sphere) to death. In the meantime, Bakumatsu 7-8 will be covered next week since my birthday cut into regular anime viewing time.
Reviewed this week: Asatte no Houkou 9, Code Geass 10, La Corda d’Oro 5, Death Note 11, Kanon 11, Keroro 70-73, Red Garden 10, ROTK 33-5
…and in manga: Bokurano 33-7, Chevalier 1, Chokotto Sister 37-8, MariMite 21, Pani Poni 1-7
Asatte no Houkou 9: Whilst Karada makes her way to the coast and gets a job at a small inn (anime destiny came through after all), Tetsu is finally pushed into going to look for her, with Kotomi just happening by in order to give her a hand. Although there were some excellent moments in this episode such as a confrontation between Shouko and Hiro in the café, it just felt a little lacking when compared to the overall standard of the series- certain events felt a little too contrived, and I found myself distracted by the ugliness of Tetsu’s costume. When will anime characters realise that the Heero Yui look is out of date?
*DROPPED* Code Geass 10: There comes a point in many series where you wonder what compelled you to start watching them in the first place, and Geass has finally reached that point. This episode sees Lelouch provoke a pointless fight just to increase his Ego Counter, all the while hoping to snag some Pizza Hut along the way- since I can no longer force myself to pay attention to what passes for a plot in this series, I feel no inclination to wade through any more episodes.
La Corda d’Oro 5: Corda’s plot is hardly what you’d call complex and unfathomable, but this must surely rank as one of the most predictable episodes ever to grace our screens. As the first round of the concours begins, Kaho’s accompanist seems strangely absent- could this possibly mean she is as evil as she looked in the closing shot of episode 3? Will our heroine finish in last place and have to struggle her way to the top in later rounds? Will secret piano genius Tsuchiura step up and do something unexpected like playing the piano? Far be it for me to give anything away, but if you can’t work out the answers to these, then you probably aren’t that interested in televised media anyway.
Death Note 11: After waving to some passing treacle, Death Note continues on its way, which finally sees events begin to move with the introduction of a second Kira. I keep saying that from hereon, things will get interesting, so I realise that now is the time to tone down my optimism- events may improve, but they may equally continue to plod along at the current pace.
Kanon 11: With Makoto’s story over, this week sees a shift towards Mai’s arc, whilst making sure to check up on all the other girls along the way. After such a heavy focus on Makoto, it is refreshing to see some of the more neglected characters return, but unfortunately that also means that Yuuichi is slipping back into his sarcastic and abusive mode. Overall, though, it’s a fairly average and inoffensive episode, although if not for the parodies I probably wouldn’t still be watching.
Keroro Gunso 70-73: A quadruple bill of Keroro was never going to show the series in the most flattering light, and unfortunately, it has forced me to make the oft-delayed decision of placing Keroro in the red (it was previously on ‘orange’). Admittedly, episode 73 was an entertaining trip to the past that prevented me from dropping the series entirely, but the preceding trio of episodes were all tired rehashes of overused ideas that could barely hold my attention. Perhaps this is simply the curse of episodic comedy- since the story and setting are bound to always return to the status quo, there reaches a point where you simply can’t do anything more with the format.
Red Garden 10: Angst phase two continues in this episode, as the girls train for future random encounters (Claire swings a baseball bat, Rachel orders an abs training machine, Kate fails to do one press-up and Rose, er, cooks meat). By this point, most of my hopes for the plot have been dashed by the fact that it makes little sense and seems unnecessarily convoluted; nonetheless, for now, it just manages to stay above the drop zone somehow.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 33-5: The punishment for over a fortnight without ROTK was inevitably going to be a triple bill of episodes, but for once, I was able to get through them all with little fuss. At long last, the time for Liu Bei to meet Zhuge Liang and begin the destined HARD GAY that will found the Shu kingdom. In case you hadn’t already guessed, I’ve given up even trying to review this series seriously- you either watch it because it is unintentionally hilarious, or you don’t watch it at all.
Ironically, episode 36 was released just after I wrote this- here’s to another HARD GAY review next week.
Bokurano 33-7: I hadn’t realised that Kirie’s story actually ended with chapter 32, meaning that this sequence of five chapters is entirely devoted to the next pilot, Takami Komoda. The daughter of a military man, Komo must find the strength to step up to the plate and control Zearth, but events take an unexpected turn when the enemy pilot runs away- if he isn’t located within 48 hours, both sides lose. Bokurano is always excellent and these chapters are no exception; as always, however, I am eager for more.
*NEW* Chevalier 1: It would be no understatement to say that the Chevalier manga was not at all what I was expecting. A far cry from the animated version, the manga may share the same characters and basic ideas, but the execution is very different. The series revolves around D’Eon du Beaumont, a laid back bishie guard who pulls double time not only as an agent for the king, but as a cross-dressing vessel for his sister’s spirit in order to fight Poets of evil. Compared to the anime, this is more of a Chevalier-lite Otome/magical girl version, but I will continue to read out of curiosity.
Chokotto Sister 37-8: The fanservice may be in abeyance here, but Chokotto Sister still has a way of giving you a few pages that impress you with how good the series can be, only to drop back down to the level of a child’s reading book straight afterwards. This pair of chapters concludes the ‘Choko and the panther’ arc, but mars its surprisingly tragic ending with a trite reversion to ‘brother makes it all well again’. Perhaps I shouldn’t complain; the whole ‘Choko keeping a panther’ premise was a little bizarre, after all.
Gunslinger Girl 18-19: I never thought this day would come, but at long last, I have been able to start the fourth volume of Gunslinger Girl (damn you, ADV!). Chapter 18 covers a day in the life of Claes as she goes about her normal routine whilst showing hints of remembering the time she spent with her handler. 19, meanwhile, starts a new story in which Triela and Hilshier must act as bodyguards for the daughter of the mafia defector they protected in a previous chapter. Although 19 is the better of the two stories, both chapters are a very much welcome continuation of Gunslinger Girl’s trademark excellence. Apparently two new cyborgs will be introduced later on, so the need for more chapters is great.
Maria-sama ga Miteru 21: Sei’s past story and volume three conclude in this chapter, which sees the tragic separation of Sei and the girl she loved. I can’t say it was a particular tearjerker, but it was still a well executed ending to one of the series’ best arcs.
*CATCH-UP/DROPPED* Pani Poni 1-7: If Pani Poni has anything to tell us, it’s that oddball comedy series really need the vibrancy and motion of the animated medium in order to shine. Unfortunately, on paper, the series is little more than a poor man’s version of Azumanga- there are a couple of worthy jokes, but most of the content seems like random ramblings grouped together into mercifully short chapters. Even if you’re a fan of the anime, there’s not much to see here.
This entry was posted in Weekly Round-Up and tagged Asatte no Houkou, Bokurano, Chevalier, Chokotto Sister, Code Geass, Corda d'Oro, Death Note, Kanon, Keroro Gunso, MariMite, Red Garden, ROTK. Bookmark the permalink.
3 Responses to Weekly Round-Up: December 22nd
I love the predictability of la corda d’oro, great to know i’ll watch it and feel happy without expending too much brain power ^_^ ooooo Chevalier manga!! Awesome, hadn’t spotted that must take a peek.
Skh says:
Gunslinger Girl is indeed an excellent manga. And volume 7 is going to be released on January in France. Yeah !
Had a look at the chevalier manga, really prefer the artwork to the anime, and also has the blood/gore/violence i was hoping for in the anime. I preferred the male character to female transformation too, so I’m happy ^_^
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Thursday, Sep 30 2004
Minority Advocates Criticize HMOs for Declining To Provide Data on Services to Non-English Speaking Members to State Agency
Advocates for minority groups are criticizing some California HMOs for declining to submit information about services provided to non-English speaking patients to the Office of the Patient Advocate for the agency's annual report card on HMO quality of care, the Los Angeles Times reports. Blue Shield of California, Cigna Healthcare of California, Aetna and Western Health Advantage declined to file data on foreign language services because they questioned the survey's methodology, according to the Times . Twenty-four other HMOs submitted information for the survey.
Eight organizations that represent minority groups -- including the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, the Western Center for Law and Poverty and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum -- criticized the HMOs.
Leanne Gassaway, vice president of the California Association of Health Plans, said that HMOs had requested that OPA use the same methodology it had used in last year's report, which listed services available from each HMO.
However, OPA this year compiled the information in a "simple chart, featuring upward- and downward-pointing arrows that indicate whether a plan's cultural-linguistic services are average, above average or below average," the Times reports.
Ed Mendoza, acting director of OPA, defended the survey's methodology. "We acknowledge it's not perfect, and we're continuing to refine it, but I think it's a reasonable first step," he said.
Patricia Diaz of LCHC said the HMOs were sending "the wrong message to the non-English speaking community," which she said includes one-third of all California residents and half of Los Angeles County residents.
Blue Shield spokesperson Patrice Smith said the HMO regretted withholding the information and would provide it next year (Lifsher, Los Angeles Times , 9/30).
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Health & Wellbeing /
Nursing /
Cancer Nursing /
Before I Say Goodbye
How to make Gospel Music work for you: A guide for Gospel Music Makers and Marketers
Francis, Roy N
Decolonizing Dialectics
Ciccariello-Maher, George
Applying Indigenous Research Methods: Storying with Peoples and Communities
Windchief, Sweeney
Author: PICARDIE, RUTH
Publisher: PENGUIN BOOKS LTD
Quick overview Ruth Picardie died from complications following the misdiagnosis of breast cancer in September 1997. Her column in "The Observer" recorded the progress of her illness and her feelings about living with terminal cancer. This work brings together these pieces, Ruth's e-mail correspondence with friends, and selected letters from readers.
When Ruth Picardie died from complications following the misdiagnosis of breast cancer in September 1997, leaving a young husband and two-year-old twins, thousands mourned who'd never met her. Ruth's column in "The Observer" recorded with scalding honesty the progress of her illness and her feelings about living with terminal cancer. "Before I Say Goodbye" brings together these pieces, Ruth's e-mail correspondence with friends, selected letters from readers, and accounts of Ruth's last days by her sister, Justine, and husband Matt.
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Material lists
Home Solutions for healthcare establishment 076622
Add to your materials list
Access control unit for escape prevention system. Control device for the detection of the signal from the aerial (0766 21), and from an opening contact associated with the door being monitored. The control unit must be connected to a dedicated room terminal (CMTE1100), and can warn monitoring personnel by a notification sent through the hospital call system. It is equipped with a numeric keypad for the disabling of the door control function. White colour
Protection index
H=80 x L= 155 x P=30 mm
N° of modules
Installazione a parete
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Records Show Former FBI Chief of Staff Sent White House National Security Council Documents to Personal E-mail Account
More from this topicMarch 7, 2019Media, Blog
Former FBI Chief of Staff James Rybicki forwarded a White House-originated e-mail with a draft speech for then-President Obama to a personal e-mail account in December of 2015. The FBI withheld in full the content of the draft speech after consulting with the White House National Security Council about its release. The e-mail was part of the last production of FBI documents in Cause of Action Institute’s FOIA litigation against the FBI regarding the work-related use of personal e-mail accounts by former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI Chief of Staff James Rybicki.
The final FBI production also includes e-mails from former Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Administrator and FBI Chief of Staff Chuck Rosenberg, who repeatedly used a private e-mail account for official business in conversations with former FBI Director James Comey.
It’s concerning to see high ranking officials violating government policies – setting a poor example to those they’re responsible for supervising and undermining the public trust that all public business can be properly archived and disclosed. When public officials conceal their work – the economic and individual rights of taxpayers is at risk, which is why Cause of Action remains vigilant and committed to holding all government officials accountable.
You can view and download the documents from this production here:
FBI Cover Letter
The first document production can be viewed here, the second here, and the third here.
Kevin Schmidt is Director of Investigations for Cause of Action Institute. You can follow him on Twitter @KevinSchmidt8
Final Release Fourth Production 2 28 2019 (PDF)
Final Release Fourth Production 2 28 2019 (Text)
Tags: Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, federal records act, James Comey, Kevin Schmidt
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Posts about facebook
One identity or more?
March 8, 2011 by Jeff Jarvis
anonymity, facebook, identity, publicness, publicparts, reputation
Given the discussion about Facebook enabling other sites to use its comment infrastructure — and what that means for identity and anonymity in discussion — I thought I’d share some of what I’m saying about the question of multiple identities in my book, .
One tactic to cope with the fear of exposure and overexposure is anonymity. Anonymity has its place. It protects the speech of Chinese dissidents, Iranian protestors, and corporate whistleblowers. It allows Wikileaks to expose secrets. It helps people share, for example, medical data and benefit others without having to reveal themselves. It lets people play with new identities. When the game company Blizzard Entertainment tried to bring real identity into the forums around its massive, multi-player games, including World of WarCraft, players revolted, and no wonder: Who wants everyone to know that in your other life, you see yourself as a level 80 back-stabbing night elf rogue who ganks lowbies at the Crossroads? Taking on identities—pseudonymity—is the fun of it.
But anonymity is often the cloak of cowards. Anonymous trolls—of the human race, not the WarCraft type—attack people online, lobbing snark at Julia Allison, spreading rumors and lies about public figures, sabotaging a politician’s Wikipedia page, or saying stupid stuff in the comments on my blog. I tell commenters there that I will respect what they have to say more if they have the guts to stand behind their own words with their own names, as I do.
Real identity has improved the tone and tenor of interaction online. That was Facebook’s key insight. Twitter’s, too. Tweeters want credit for their cleverness; they are rewarded with followers and retweets, their nanoseconds of microfame. Facebook is built on real relationships with real people in real life. “The whole thing was based on this foundation of reality,” Mark Zuckerberg says in an interview. “That doesn’t mean that every single thing is true. But on balance, I think it’s a lot more real than other things on the internet. In that way, I think, yes, it does create authenticity.”
Zuckerberg believes we have one authentic identity and says it is becoming “less and less true” that people will maintain separate identities. Emily Gould, admitted oversharer, agrees. Julia Allison, on the other hand, sides with those who say we should maintain many identities—one for work, another for school, another for home, another for friends. Those folks say we get in trouble online when these identities mix and blur, when our boss sees our picture from the college beer party (as if bosses never had beer). In a New York Times Magazine piece arguing that “the internet records everything and forgets nothing,” Jeffrey Rosen tells the story of a 25-year-old student-teacher who was deprived of her diploma after posting a MySpace photo of herself drinking over the caption, “Drunken Pirate.” On his blog, Scott Rosenberg counters that “the photo is harmless; the trouble lies with the people who have turned it into a problem.”
What needs to change is not so much our behavior, our rules, or our technology but, again, our norms: how we operate as a society and interact with each other. When presented with someone’s public face, which may differ from our own, is our response to disapprove, condemn, ridicule, and snipe, or is it to try to understand differences, offer empathy, overlook foolishness, offer freedom, and share in kind? When we do the former—and we all have—we are guilty of intolerance, sometimes bigotry. When we do the latter we become open-minded. I suggested in my last book that because we are all more public, we will soon operate under the doctrine of mutually assured humiliation: I’ll spare you making fun of your embarrassing pictures if you’ll do the same for me. “An age of transparency,” says author David Weinberger, “must be an age of forgiveness.”
There are two forces at work here: identity and reputation. Our identities are the first-person expressions of ourselves. Our reputations are others’ third-person views of us. Thanks to our increasing publicness, the two are coming closer and sometimes into conflict. As I was discussing these topics on my blog, Weinberger left a sage comment wondering about what he called the private-public axis:
Marilyn Monroe was a public figure but most of us are private citizens. That used to be pretty easy to compute and, because of the nature of the broadcast medium, it used to tend toward one extreme or another: He’s Chevy Chase and you’re not. But there’s another private-public axis: who we really are and how we look to others. We have tended to believe, at least in the West, that our true self is the inner self. The outer, public self may or may not reflect our inner, private self, and we have an entire moral/normative vocabulary to talk about the relation of the two: sincerity, authenticity, integrity, honesty….
Those are the two identities we are trying to manage—not our work selves and our home selves, not our party selves and our serious selves, but our inner, real selves and our outer, show selves. When our inner and outer selves get into conflict and confusion, we look inauthentic and hypocritical. In all our spoken fears about privacy and publicness, I think this is the great unspoken fear: that we’re not who people think we are, and we’ll be found out.
These are new skills for everyone, celebrity and commoner alike. Marilyn Monroe never had to deal with blogs and Twitter, let alone 24-hour TV news. She had press agents to create and manage her identity and big, frightening security people to keep the scary strangers away. Today, stars and pols have to deal with being constantly exposed. When they are caught in a contradiction of words or deeds—not exactly a challenge—they suffer the gotcha. Then again, stars like Ashton Kutcher, Lady Gaga, and Howard Stern are grabbing the opportunity on Twitter to interact directly with their publics without scripts or PR people in-between. Reputation.com, which makes a business out of helping people whose online reputation is being harmed by others, suggests that the solution is not to hide but to publish more about yourself so that will rise in Google’s search about you. The way to improve your reputation is to share more of your identity.
The best solution is to be yourself. If that makes you uneasy, talk with your shrink. Better yet, blog about it.
Public Parts: atomize & reform
#jan25, curmudgeons, egypt, excerpt, facebook, publicness, publicparts, twitter
I’ve been rewriting the introduction to Public Parts — both because it needs it and because of events in Egypt and elsewhere. This segment, from the end of the introduction, is related to the post below. I thought I’d share it with you as it adds some more thinking on the same topics:
Technology is forcing us to question centuries-old assumptions about the roles of the individual and society: our rights, privileges, powers, responsibilities, concerns, and prospects. That describes nothing so much as the process of modernization. In ancient times, Richard Sennett says in The Fall of Public Man, “public experience was connected to the formation of social order”—that is, the end of anarchy. In recent centuries, being public “came to be connected with the formation of personality”—that is, with our individuality and freedom. Ancient and authoritarian regimes told people what they must think and do; modern societies enable and ennoble citizens to do what they want to do, alone and together. Publicness is a progression to greater freedom but that freedom is often used to collect into new societies.
Society splinters and splits and then reshapes in new forms. Think of us as atoms in molecules. Centuries ago, our molecules were villages and tribes; location defined us and often religion guided us. In Europe, Gutenberg empowered Luther to smash society apart into atoms again, until those elements reformed into new societies, defined by new religions and now nations. Come the industrial revolution—for which Gutenberg himself was the first faint but volatile spark—the atoms flew to bits again and reformed once more, now as cities, trades, and economies. We atomize. We reform into new molecules. We don’t evolve so much as we blow up in wrenching bursts of violence, breaking strong, old bonds and forcing us to feel disconnected until we can connect again. This is not a debate about whether we are meant to be alone or together, whether our natural state is independent or social, private or public. We are meant to be both; we just change the formula, given chance and necessity. We like to think that we finally find the right balance and discover our natural state. And then technologies come along and ruin our dear, old assumptions and order. That is what is happening today.
The net is everyone’s printing press. I don’t mean it’s a medium; I just said it’s not. I mean it’s our tool of disruption, the catalyst that breaks old bonds once again and sets us loose to explore our natures anew. This transformation takes trivial form: we no longer all watch the same, shared news with the same, one-size-fits-all viewpoint. R.I.P. Uncle Walter. Clearly, this transformation also takes earth-shattering form: revolutions, dead industries, economic upheaval. We atomize. We reform. We want to be apart—too far apart, some fear. See the book Bowling Alone, in which Robert Putnam worries that we are becoming disconnected from family, friends, neighbors, and society. But then we want to be together. That book inspired entrepreneur Scott Heiferman to found Meetup.com, a platform that lets groups organize meetings in person around whatever interests they have, from dogs to dance, sci-fi to society. Atomize. Reform. We can now find the publics we wish to join based not on the gross labels, generalizations, and borders drawn about us by others—red v. blue, black v. white, nation v. nation—but instead on our ideas, interests, and needs: cancer survivors, libertarians, Deadheads, vegetarians, single moms, geeks, hunters, birders, even privacy advocates.
Publicness is an emblem of epochal change. It is profoundly disruptive. Publicness threatens institutions whose power was invested in the control of information and audiences. That’s why we hear the incumbents protest this change and warn of its dangers. Publicness is a sign of our empowerment at their expense. Dictators and politicians, media moguls and marketers try to tell us what to think and say. But now, in a truly public society, they must listen to what we say. So if they are to survive and prosper, companies, governments, and institutions must learn to deal with us at eye-level, with respect for us as individuals and respect for the power we can now wield as groups—as publics. Many will not survive and will be replaced by entrepreneurs and insurgents, both good and bad.
The progression toward a more public society is apparent and inevitable; resistance is futile. But the form our new society will take is by no means predestined. We are at a critical moment with many choices. We who hold the tools of publicness hold keys to the future. We must decide how to use them. Rather than baying at the moon and cursing the tide, we would be wise to find opportunity and advantage, to decide the kind of future we want to build. . . . Now is the moment and we are the people to give shape to our next society. In each of our roles as individuals, parents, employees, employers, citizens, officials, and neighbors, each of us is deciding how private to be (safe, protective, closed, sometimes solitary, often anonymous) and how public (open, collaborative, collective, and vulnerable).
I remember watching the drama of Egypt’s revolution play out on Twitter. Silly little Twitter. It was supposed to be made for nothing more than sharing the narcissistic trivia of our lives as we each answered the simple question: What are you doing now? As if the world should care, right? During the Egyptian revolt, I tweeted how jarring the contrast could be between the very everyday updates of people I knew—meals, dates, travels, shows, complaints, cats—flowing next to the messages of courage, fear, exhilaration, and determination I saw from the brave people of Cairo’s Tahrir Square, strangers I was coming to know and respect by the minute.
@ghonim—Google executive Wael Ghonim, who was credited with helping spark this revolution using a Facebook page—had been held prisoner by Hosni Mubarak’s police; his followers and fans would believe he was free only when they saw him say so in a tweet. He used the tool to deliver news, inspiration, and support: “Pray for #Egypt. Very worried as it seems that government is planning a war crime tomorrow against people. We are all ready to die.” On the night 17 days into the 18-day revolution when the people of the square believed the dictator Mubarak would leave—but he did not—@ghonim had tweeted, “Heading to Tahrir” and “Revolution 2.0: Mission Accomplished.” The next morning, Mubarak was not gone. The work of the revolution not yet over, Ghonim told his followers and the media that he would not be speaking through the press but through his Facebook page, his tool of publicness. And then Mubarak did leave. “Welcome back, Egypt,” he tweeted. “They lied at us. Told us Egypt died 30 years ago, but millions of Egyptians decided to search and they found their country in 18 days.”
At every minute in this momentous story, it was evident how precarious the next minute would be, the one after that only more so. Mubarak might or might not leave sooner or later. The army could shift this way or that. Thugs with rocks could return to the square. Authorities could use the internet themselves to spread misinformation and find and arrest the protestors. Out of habit, I watched the news progress on TV, but most of the time, even Al Jazeera English had only a telephoto shot of the square from a safe distance with commentary that could do little more than repeat itself. TV could hear few voices from the square.
On Twitter, a virtuoso of the form, @acarvin—National Public Radio social-media strategist Andy Carvin—spent hours and days constantly curating the best he could find from the people who were on the ground. He passed on news and debunked rumors and asked the people who were there what was really happening. He quoted—retweeted, that is—people like @sandmonkey, a brave blogger who six years before began to use these tools to share his ideas and experiences in Egypt with the world. Early in my blogging days, I had learned much from him. After the protestors’ victory he blogged, “Tonight will be the first night where I go to bed and don’t have to worry about state security hunting me down, or about government goons sent to kidnap me; or about government sponsored hackers attacking my website. Tonight, for the first time ever, I feel free … and it is awesome!” Sandmonkey replaced his cartoon avatar on Twitter with a picture of the real him and published his name, Mahmoud Salem.
Even as you read this [the book is coming out in the fall of 2011], months after the revolution began, it is, of course, far too soon to know how this story will turn out. There is no script and not even a dramatis personae of leading actors. @ghonim, who brought many people to Facebook, Twitter, and the square, demurred as a leader, vowing on Twitter that he would return to his normal life at Google when this work was done. What kind of society Egypt can build and maintain post-Mubarak teeters on so many risks, needs, and warring interests, but also on so many new opportunities. Just as Egypt’s society of the future could go many ways, so could ours and other societies yet to emerge.
The new age has its doubters. Young curmudgeon Malcolm Gladwell says, “surely the least interesting fact about them is that some of the protestors may (or may not) have at one point or another employed some of the tools of the new media to communicate with one another. Please. People protested and brought down governments before Facebook was invented.” Well, I have no doubt that the tools of publicness played a role in helping a true Egypt of the people rise from silence to be heard at last. These tools enabled them to share their information, their frustration, and their dreams. That is why Mubarak shut down the internet and mobile phones completely, because they were a threat—and the fact that any one man could do that must worry us all. But even Mubarak had to turn it back on, because the internet is that vital to life now. Yet in the end, Gladwell is at least right about this: the tools are only tools. The revolution is the people’s. As a blogger reminded us on Al Jazeera English, Twitter did not fight Mubarak’s police. Egyptians did. Facebook will not create the new society. But here’s where Gladwell’s wrong: This new society used Facebook to help shape itself.
“What kind of world would make the values of both publicness and privacy equally accessible to all?” asks Michael Warner. That is our challenge: to find a new balance between us as free individuals and as members of a public who freely join together to build better, more open, more generous, and more accountable companies, markets, communities, governments, schools, relationships, and lives. There is a need for privacy, its cautions, and its advocates, to be sure. But publicness also needs its advocate. That is this book.
November 13, 2010 by Jeff Jarvis
danahboyd, facebook, privacy, publicness, teens
Yesterday, I held a session on privacy and publicness as part of a news literacy event held at Baruch’s journalism school, intending to exploit these young people by interviewing them — rather than lecturing them — for my book on publicness and privacy. I came away greatly heartened about the wisdom and savvy of the NYC teens I heard from there.
I started the day, though, depressed as GMA weekend anchor Ron Claiborne delivered a propagandistic defense of all things professional, closed, and corporate in journalism and an attack on this internet thing. “When was the last time you saw a correction on a blog?” he demanded. I muttered, “fuck me,” and then had to remind myself of the company I was in. So I muttered on Twitter that I’ve seen countless corrections on blogs since I last saw one on network news. Claiborne was telling the internet to get off these kids’ lawns. I got grumpy. My mood didn’t improve when nobody showed up for my first of two sessions. “Well,” I joked with fellow faculty, “they say kids today don’t care about privacy today. I guess this is the proof.”
But in my second session, the room filled with three or four dozen young people (and a few teachers) and I began interviewing them. Boy, was I impressed. Random notes….
No one in the room uses MySpace. They scrunch their collective noses at the name. Not so very long ago, MySpace was said to be the service for young people, particularly urban young people. Well, no more. Rupert’s Folly has fallen off a cliff. It’s clear this is why he’s giving it two quarters to climb back up or he’s setting it adrift.
Almost none of them uses Twitter. They say it lacks context; it is too fast and fleeting; and they don’t care about much of what they read there (which makes sense when your friends aren’t there). When I tweeted that, the NYTimes’ @zimbalist asked why. I think it’s because they’re not publishers (yet). They’re connecting. Whether this is a matter of the the age or their age, I have no way to know; we’ll have to wait to see the impact on Twitter when they grow older.
But I’ve seen this elsewhere. This summer, as my son and I drove up to Facebook’s headquarters to interview Mark Zuckerberg for the book, Jake said he thought Facebook had invented something entirely new in the Wall. Its inventor disagreed; Mark said people always have, in his word, signalled. But I side with Jake. On his Wall (when I’m permitted in) I see him and his friends holding conversations there, in the open, as if in the hall at school. They use the Wall as a place to communicate. I see the Wall — as I think others my age do — as a place to publish or broadcast; we instinctively see it as media. So Twitter fits our reflex; Facebook theirs. But I think the young people are making use of the internet that is truer to its nature: It is not a medium but is a connector.
All the students post photos to Facebook; many post videos there; a few had posted videos to YouTube — interesting that so few do, because some of them come from a school for the performing arts. One young woman says she was going to take down her account because her videos are dumb and pointless, in her view: just her talking. One young man had just put up some impressions and he enjoys the idea of having a public there. Will we see more of that; is it their ambition to make media and audiences? Again, time will tell. I’ll bet we will as they find their public voices.
Every student in the room uses Facebook. They confess to being on it for hours at a time — three or more a day. My son’s was in the first class able to use Facebook in high school four-plus years ago. I thought it might seep down to middle school. So far, not so much. These students say they started using it in high school. I’ll confess relief. I found it fascinating that a few of the students with younger siblings were quite protective of them and did not approve of a 9-year-old using Twitter.
To a young man and woman, the people in this room confirm what I’ve learned from danah boyd: that young people do care about their privacy; that they do protect it; but also that they have to learn this. As danah says — countering Murdoch, btw — young people are not “digital natives” who are born with TOS in their DNA.
These students are very aware that what they tell a few friends on Facebook could end up anywhere, seen also by people they do not know. They post with that fully in mind. Backing up what danah says, many of them seemed to have been burned once and taught the lesson. The biggest challenge to privacy, then, is not so much Facebook or the internet but blabby, gossipy friends. Ever thus.
They are also aware that their parents and other adults are watching. Even if your parents aren’t your “friends” someone else’s may see what you write on their Wall. So they’re careful. Nonetheless they decry classmates doing stupid things (though they also know that folks often exaggerate on Facebook). Like what? Like showing themselves drinking. What could come of this? They could get caught.
Or there’s the college admissions problem. For these kids — bright, active, and mostly college-bound — that’s an issue. I ask whether they think that college admissions officers — and later, employers — should not be allowed to look at their Facebook presences. Surprisingly, none of them seem to object as a matter of principle and right. To them, it seems to make sense to check someone out online.
Almost all these students have changed their privacy settings, restricting their Walls, photos, birthdays, or contact information — even though, again, they know that anything could be repeated. They seem very much in control and like that control. They have other means of control as well: I ask whether they speak in code that they understand and parents don’t; they all laughed and nodded.
Is there, as media would lead us to believe, a sudden explosion of bullying? No, they tell me, there’ve always been bullies; it’s probably just easier to see them now. A teacher complained that fights get bigger crowds because students tweet the location and a mob gathers. “It doesn’t go down like that,” one of her students tells her. “There’s no texting.” Crowds gather the way they always have.
These students are not slavish fans of Facebook. One student argues that Facebook dilutes friendship; he says he doesn’t use it to communicate with his close (real) friends. Another says she unfriends people with some regularity because in reality friendships do change. A few others say they did discover new friends through Facebook. They all expect to use Facebook to stay in touch after they graduate. The point, says one: “Different people have different reasons to be on Facebook.” Some use it to connect with others; some use it just for fun. Which are you? I ask him. A bit of both, he says.
At the end, I ask what I’d missed and one student wants to be sure that I knew about the benefits of using Facebook and the publicness it brings. Oh, yes, I do, I assure her.
The antisocial movie
facebook, publicness, zuckerberg
There’s no “why” there. That’s the problem with The Social Network. It neither explains nor even ascribes motives to Mark Zuckerberg—no vision, no strategy, no goals.
The movie quickly admits that money doesn’t matter to Zuckerberg. So why did he build Facebook? The Social Network offers no answer, except perhaps that an outsider wanted in, but that doesn’t begin to explain what he has accomplished and why; that’s nothing but simplistic prime-time plotting. The script says nothing about him wanting to connect the world or bring communities elegant organization. It doesn’t care. For this is a movie about tactics, not strategy, about people doing hard things to each other. Elsewhere, that’s just called business.
The movie violates privacy, smears reputations, makes shit up—just what the internet is accused of doing, right? Oh, it’s entertaining, in a dark way, as much as watching the pillorying of witches used to be, I suppose. For The Social Network, geeks and entrepreneurs are as mysterious and frightening as witches. Its writer, Aaron Sorkin, admits as much in New York Magazine. “He says unapologetically that he knows almost nothing about the 2010 iteration of Facebook, adding that his interest in computer-aided communication goes only as far as emailing his friends.” Sorkin himself says, “I don’t want my fidelity to be to the truth; I want it to be to storytelling.” Making shit up.
New York’s Mark Harris knows, in an aside at least, what this movie is really about. “The Social Network can be seen as a well-aimed spitball thrown at new media by old media.” Except it’s not really old media that’s spitting but neonew media. Sorkin is a member of the Young Curmudgeons’ Guild, joining Gladwell, Carr, Anderson, Rowan, Morozov, and Lanier. Old media resists change. These guys want to deny the internet credit for it.
The Social Network understands obnoxious old-money (the cartoon-colored, Zuckerberg-suing Winklevoss twins), obnoxious new-money (Sean Parker, though David Kirkpatrick says in Vanity Fair that he is “both more complex and more interesting”), and the pretentious intellectual (a fantasy of Harvard’s then-President, Larry Summers). And it thinks it understands victims (Facebook cofounder and former Zuckerberg friend Eduardo Saverin). I met Saverin once, in a panel put on by an ad network, which Saverin patronized on Facebook’s behalf and which served just the kinds of tacky ads Zuckerberg didn’t want for his company because he knew the value of cool and he had a much bigger vision than Saverin had. That’s likely why Saverin had to go; whether The Social Network knows it or not, it makes that clear. It’s just business. And as for the Winklevii, they didn’t invent crap. Ideas, especially obvious ones, are worthless; every entrepreneur and geek knows that execution is everything. Zuckerberg’s fellow Harvard drop-out Bill Gates didn’t invent crap, either, but he did execute. That’s business.
The Social Network doesn’t understand entrepreneurs and geeks, or at least not the one here. So it turns him into an other. It makes him weird. It portrays Zuckerberg as—let’s be blunt—Aspergery: blinkless, humorless, heartless, incapable of being *cough* social or of having *cough* friends. I’ve met Zuckerberg four or five times, most lately interviewing him for Public Parts. I don’t know him. Maybe nobody does. But I can testify at least that he has charm. He does smile. He tells jokes. And he has a vision.
Zuckerberg understands the structure and motives of friendship even though The Social Network calls him friendless. In a flash during the deposition scenes that make up its narrative spine (perhaps because only lawyering could make coding look exciting), the movie gives us an anecdote—based on a true story, as it turns out—about the Harvard art class Zuckerberg didn’t attend in his sophomore year as he was inventing Facebook. Here is Zuckerberg telling the story in 2007: He posted to a web page the images of the art he should have studied, sent an email to his classmates offering a “study guide,” and watched as they distilled the essence of each piece. The punchline: Not only did Zuckerberg ace the final but the prof said the class as a whole did better than usual. I saw that as a perfect tale of social collaboration, a lesson in wikithink. The Social Network called it cheating. And right there lies the movie’s disconnect—not between Zuckerberg and friendship but between the movie and the new world it can’t comprehend but pretends to portray.
The Social Network is the anti-social movie. It distrusts and makes no effort to understand the phenomenon right in front of its nose. It disapproves—as media people, old and neonew, do—of rabblerous (or drunk or drugged-up or oversexed) masses doing what they do. Ah, but its fans will say, it’s really just a drama about a man. But that’s where it fails most. It can’t begin to explain this man because it doesn’t grok what he made—what he’s still making (“We don’t even know what it is yet,” Zuckerberg says in the movie, “It’s never finished”).
The Social Network is the anti-geek movie. It is the story that those who resist the change society is undergoing want to see. It says the internet is not a revolution but only the creation of a few odd, machine-men, the boys we didn’t like in college. The Social Network is the revenge on the revenge of the nerds.
I know my risk here. I’m putting myself again in the position of defending the internet, just as David Kirkpatrick is making himself Facebook’s apologist. Maybe we’re both hypnotized by the Zuckerberg charisma Sorkin cannot see. Maybe we’ve been hanging out with business people so long we cannot see the Greek tragedy in it. Maybe. Though if all you want is a tale of hard-nosed business leading to human drama among geeks, you could film the story of Gates, Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, or—coming soon to a theater near you—Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
In Zuckerberg and Facebook—and the internet—I see a far bigger and better story than the one Sorkin delivers. As research for Public Parts, I happen to be reading the wonderful book, The Gutenberg Revolution, by John Man, which digs through scant records to try to understand what drove the man who used technology to disrupt an old world and enable people to create a new one. Gutenberg was a technologist, secretive and controlling. He was a businessman (one of the early capitalists who created one of the early industries, really). He drove tough bargains. He was competitive. He was accused by the Dutch of stealing someone else‘s idea. Oh, and he apparently broke up badly with at least one woman, Man says. In the hand of a Sorkin scribe of the day, I imagine Gutenberg would only be a weirdo: We don’t trust what he’s doing to our world, we don’t understand it, so we don’t like him.
You’re going to see The Social Network. You should. It’s well-crafted. But as you watch, I urge you to look at what it says not just about Mark Zuckerberg but about us, us geeks. I look forward to the discussion.
: LATER: Aaron Sorkin’s worldview, 2007: “Everybody’s voice oughtn’t be equal.”
: AND: I’m amazed by the meme I see in comments here but especially in those at HuffingtonPost: It’s not a documentary, so it’s ok to make shit up. An odd defense. Sorkin et al don’t put a caveat up at the start of the film. They make a movie about a man named Mark Zuckerberg starting a service called Facebook. They didn’t film it at Schmarvard. I don’t buy that.
The real Facebook burglaries story
facebook, google, privacy, publicness
I did a little reporting to get the real story behind the reports of a Facebook burglary spree that supposedly used the service — right after its launch of Places — to find victims who were away on vacation. I emailed Nashua, NH detective Dan Archambault, who told me that only two of the cases involved Facebook and in each case, “one or two of the suspects were Facebook friends with the respective homeowners. They basically had access to the walls and could read that the families were away on vacation. The information was only available to friends and the Facebook Places feature was NOT a part of this. And finally my advice to Facebook users is carefully pick your friends and watch what you post.”
And my advice is don’t believe everything you read. So this was not a case of a criminal using Facebook to find any old random victim. The implication of the coverage is that we were all — all 500 million of us — at risk for being so foolish to make ourselves public on Facebook and make ourselves vulnerable to every criminal out there. No, it’s foolish to make the wrong friends. Always has been. Still is.
I also contacted Facebook, and a PR person there sent back suggestions for how to wisely use the service: “I would recommend creating friend lists to separate people you really trust from others. Then, use the publisher privacy control to
send status updates to appropriate groups (and only them). I actually think it may make sense to tell people you really trust that you are gone through Facebook just as you would in person. Then, they can watch your place for you, feed your cat, etc… As for everyone else, if you wouldn’t tell them in person you were leaving town, you probably shouldn’t use Facebook to tell them. As always, we also recommend people only accept friend requests from others they actually know.”
All sensible.
If only things were so simple for Google, where, according to Gawker, an engineer used his high-level access to the company’s data bases to stalk teenagers. Google fired him. But the damage is done. We spoke about the case on today’s This Week in Google and as Leo Laporte and Gina Trapani said, to keep systems running, someone will always have access to data. Of course, that someone should be trusted. But as this case reveals, you never know whom to trust. So the company must come up with systems to assure trust. Should there be teams that must operate together in failsafe mode to get access to data? You tell me what would work.
The bottom line for both companies is that trust is essential and cases such as these can ruin trust and eventually ruin companies if we cannot depend on them. In the first case, media blew up a story for effect. In the second case, a dangerous vulnerability is revealed.
: AND: Being a journalism professor, I suppose I should point out the journalistic lesson here about reporting.
When this story first came out, it was marked by sloppy reporting that was only repeated and diluted. I read a number of the reports and backed up the line to the Nashua paper trying to find answers to basic questions. Nothing.
For anyone who knows the slightest thing about Facebook — that is, any reporter who uses it — the reporting raised obvious questions. So I contacted Facebook, who gave me the email of the detective, and I asked him: How did the accused use Facebook? In how many cases? Were they friends — that is, connected on Facebook — with any of the victims? Facebook tells me that its Places feature was not involved; true? Finally, what advice do you have for people using Facebook? Plus a few, more-detailed questions about the specifics of how these victims used Facebook.
The detective said this is an ongoing investigation, so he was limited in what he could tell me. But, as you can see, he answered the essential and obvious questions reporters and editors should have asked before. And if they didn’t have answers, they should have said so. I say lately that the key skill of journalists is going to be less saying what we know than saying what we don’t know. That is the essential skill in process journalism.
But all along the chain, nobody wanted to ruin a good story: USE FACEBOOK AND YOU’LL BE ROBBED! Much more fun, isn’t it? Reporting takes all the fun out of it.
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Seattle PI Sports Blog
Kerney’s back, reinforcements in sight for Seahawks
By Greg Johns on October 16, 2009 at 6:25 PM
Though the Seattle Seahawks have five players listed as out for Sunday’s game against Arizona compared to one for the Cardinals, coach Jim Mora is finally feeling like things are looking up in the injury department for his club.
Offensive tackles Walter Jones and Sean Locklear, linebacker Leroy Hill, guard Rob Sims and special teams standout C.J. Wallace were officially listed as out on Friday’s injury report to the league.
Patrick Kerney
But defensive end Patrick Kerney is back to full health after missing two weeks with a strained groin and Sims, Hill and Trufant were all doing work on the side either during or after Friday’s practice at the team’s Renton facility and no players are listed as doubtful or questionable for Sunday’s 1:05 p.m. contest.
“We feel pretty good about things,” said Mora. “There’s a little light at the end of the tunnel. We’re certainly still banged up at left tackle, but we’ll manage that,” Mora said. “When we get some guys back, it will really help us.”
Kyle Williams will start at left tackle Sunday, the fourth man to fill that position since the start of training camp. Veteran Damion McIntosh, claimed off the waiver wire Monday, will be active as the team’s seventh lineman, though he’s only begun learning the playbook.
Mora said backup center Steve Vallos continues to work at left guard along with Mansfield Wrotto and indicated both could play Sunday.
“We’re always trying to figure out the best matchups. We just feel the way we’ve got it set up right now gives us the best chance to go out and compete and have success,” he said. “It’ll either be Manny or Vallos. And they could split time.”
Vallos replaced Wrotto for the entire second half of last week’s victory over Jacksonville.
“Having a center background makes him an excellent communicator,” Mora said. “With Kyle being new at left tackle, that helps him a little bit. They’re really good friends, so they talk a lot anyway. Then with Steve’s expertise in terms of calling protections and things he learned from being a center, that’s an added bonus for that position at left guard.”
Other news from Friday’s practice:
Mora indicated Kerney remains the starter at left defensive end, though that could depend on what package the Seahawks and Cardinals open the game with.
With Kerney out, Darryl Tapp and Lawrence Jackson both played well in his absence.
Game balls for last week’s victory over Jacksonville were awarded after Friday’s practice to Tapp on defense, Matt Hasselbeck on offense and Ben Obomanu on special teams.
The team also gave a special game ball to cornerback Ken Lucas in the locker room immediately after Sunday’s win as he played the entire game just two days after learning his father had died unexpectedly in Mississippi.
Lucas missed this entire week of practice and attended his father’s funeral Friday. He’ll fly back to Seattle on Saturday morning and will play Sunday, though Mora said a decision hasn’t been made on whether he’ll start or not.
“We have to make a good decision there,” Mora said. “Our corners have had a good week of practice and he’s missed some time. He’s had the film, he’s got the game plan and has been working out. But we have to decide and we haven’t done that.”
If Lucas doesn’t start, Kelly Jennings presumably would take his place.
Running back Edgerrin James needs 18 yards to move into 10th on the NFL’s all-time rushing list and Mora recognizes the significance of such a feat in the modern era of football.
“It’s rare. It’s a testament to his durability through his career and coming back off a knee injury like he did,” Mora said. “Sooner or later he’s going to get that and hopefully it’s sooner rather than later.
“We’d like to see him push up into the top 10 as we go through this season. But I think it’s just an incredible milestone. This guy is going to be one of the top 10 backs in the history of the NFL in terms of yards gained. That’s pretty amazing, it really is.”
The only Arizona player ruled out for Sunday is tight end Stephan Spach (ankle). Five Cardinals are questionable (meaning a 50-50 chance of playing): WR Steve Breaston (knee), CB Bryant McFadden (ankle), DE Kenny Iwebema (ankle), RB Jason Wright (back) and LB Ali Highsmith (thigh).
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Culture and citizenship
Economics of Brexit
European politics and institutions
Exit negotiations
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#LSEThinks
About the LSE’s Brexit blog
Labour’s path to victory is through Leave-voting Conservative marginals
Labour must maintain a broad electoral coalition if it wishes to form a government. Its path to Downing Street goes through the Leave-voting Conservative marginals, writes Richard Johnson (Lancaster University). Winning the Conservative-held constituencies in England and Wales that voted for Brexit is a sine qua non for the formation of a Labour government, he argues.
Based on the results of the 2017 general election, the Labour Party is 64 seats short of an overall majority in Parliament. To win power, it will need roughly to double the number of net gains it made in the last general election (30). A majority of these gains will need to be in Leave-voting seats. Using Chris Hanretty’s excellent estimates of constituency-level voting in the 2016 referendum, I analyse key marginal constituencies to demonstrate the dominance of Leave-voting seats in a winning electoral strategy for Labour.
There are two important stipulations to this analysis. Of Labour’s 64 targets, 45 are seats in Leave-voting England and Wales, while 18 target seats are in Remain-voting Scotland. Due to the divergent nature of electoral politics in these two parts of Britain, they will be analysed distinctly. Secondly, we cannot say that the proportion of people who voted Leave in a constituency is reflected in the proportion of people who voted Labour in a constituency (ecological fallacy). Nonetheless, it is still important to understand the context of the electorates which Labour needs to gain.
Labour’s targets
Let us first look at Labour’s 45 target seats in England and Wales, all held by the Conservatives. Based on the Hanretty constituency estimates, I calculated that 78% of these constituencies voted Leave. While there are a handful of Remain-voting Tory seats which Labour must win, they are vastly outnumbered by Leave-voting constituencies (see Figure 1).
Among these seats, the intensity of Leave support also tends to be stronger in these seats than Remain support. There are 13 Tory-held Labour targets with Leave votes of more than 60% (Walsall North, Stoke South, Mansfield, Thurrock, Blackpool North, Telford, Middlesbrough South, Pendle, North East Derbyshire, Carlisle, Southampton Itchen, Northampton North, Corby). In contrast, there are there are only 3 Tory seats in which fewer than 40% of voters backed Leave which are plausible Labour targets (Finchley, Westminster, Putney). They are all in London.
Figure 1. Conservative-held seats targeted by Labour, sorted by 2016 referendum vote
In Scotland, Labour needs to gain 18 seats from the SNP. While some of these Scottish seats are very strongly Remain, others had a stronger Leave result than is generally understood. In Glasgow East, for example, with an SNP majority over Labour of only 75, 44% of voters are estimated to have voted Leave. Other target SNP seats for Labour recorded surprisingly strong Leave results, such as Na h-Eileanan an Iar (44% Leave), Glenthroes (48% Leave), and Linlithgow (42% Leave).
In some constituencies, Labour came unexpectedly close in the last general election, and a dedicated effort to win those seats is underway. For example, Labour was only a combined 135 votes short of gaining two more seats in Glasgow. Motherwell, Inverclyde, and Airdrie all have SNP majorities of under 500. It is worth noting that Labour gained all of its Scottish constituencies on a pro-Leave manifesto in 2017. More is going on in the Scottish case, with fatigue with SNP devolved rule and the independence question as additional factors.
While Labour should seek to win as many SNP seats as possible, I would argue that the Conservative-held constituencies in England and Wales are more important for the Labour Party. Winning these seats is a sine qua non for the formation of a Labour government. Labour might plausibly still form a government if it falls short of its target in Scotland, as the SNP are unlikely to give confidence to or form a coalition with the Conservatives. But, if Labour cannot gain Conservative seats in England and Wales, then it cannot govern, even as a minority.
Labour’s Defences
The 64-seat hurdle, of course, assumes that Labour will not lose any constituencies which it currently holds. At the last election, in spite of gains elsewhere, Labour lost six constituencies to the Conservatives (Copeland, North East Derbyshire, Mansfield, Middlesbrough South, Stoke-on-Trent South, and Walsall North). All of these seats voted to leave the European Union. Labour was expected to lose many more constituencies which fit a similar profile, but it is plausible that the party’s manifesto commitment to Brexit stymied an even greater scale of losses in Leave constituencies.
Analysing Labour’s twenty-five most marginal constituencies (majorities under 2,000), there is a clear dominance of Leave-voting seats (Figure 2). Indeed, 72% of Labour’s most marginal constituencies voted Leave. In Scotland, Labour faces competition from the SNP in five Remain-voting seats, but in England and Wales, 80% of its vulnerable seats are in Leave-voting constituencies with the Conservatives in second place.
Outside of Scotland, hardly any of Labour’s MPs are vulnerable in Remain-voting constituencies. There is only one Labour-held seat vulnerable to the Tories which voted more than 60% Remain (Kensington), while there are seven Labour-held constituencies which voted more than 60% Leave which are vulnerable to the Conservatives (Dudley North, Ashfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Peterborough, Bishop Auckland, Penistone, and Crewe).
Figure 2. Most Vulnerable Labour-Held Constituencies, Ordered by Estimated Leave Vote
It might be thought that Labour can ‘afford’ to lose its Leave-voting seats by making up the difference elsewhere. But, seeking to win Remain-voting, Liberal Democratic seats does not offer Labour a path forward. There were twelve seats won by the Liberal Democrats in the last general election, but in none of them are Labour in second place. In every English Lib Dem constituency, the Conservatives are in second place; in every Scottish Lib Dem constituency, the SNP are in second place. There are no Welsh Lib Dem constituencies. Likewise, in none of Labour’s most marginal constituencies are the Lib Dems a second-place contender, meaning they pose little threat to incumbent Labour MPs.
Has there been a shift to Remain?
Some might object to this analysis on the presumption that there has been a dramatic shift to Remain since the 2016 election. There is, however, little empirical evidence of mass ‘Bregret’. Indeed, one of the most striking facts about British politics since the referendum is the reasonably consistent support for Leave and Remain.
While Remain has budged up slightly in the polls, the swing is relatively trivial and pales in comparison to other dramatic polling surges and falls we’ve seen in public opinion polling over the same period, including support for the political parties and party leadership, which have proven to be much more volatile. EU referendum vote choice stands out for its stability.
In December 2018, Benjamin Lauderdale conducted public opinion research for YouGov on Brexit opinions in each British constituency. While the headline result focused on support or opposition for Theresa May’s deal, what I found most interesting from this research was data on the proportion of Remain support in each constituency. In spite of 2.5 years of major changes in British politics, the constituency-level Remain results from the December 2018 poll were remarkably similar to the estimates of the June 2016 referendum.
To provide an illustration, I have compared the 2016 referendum vote to the reported Remain support in the December 2018 YouGov research in the ten most competitive seats between Labour and the Conservatives (Figure 3). I found that on average in these Conservative-held seats targeted by Labour, there has been a 2 percentage point swing to Leave, while in the five Labour-held seats, there has been on average no change at all. Expectations that Leavers’ regret will sweep Labour into power are poorly founded.
Figure 3. Change in support for Remain in marginal Labour/Conservative marginals
Labour’s path to victory
Labour must maintain a broad electoral coalition if it wishes to form a government, something which Jeremy Corbyn began to do in 2017. On a pro-Leave manifesto, Corbyn increased Labour’s share of the national vote by 10 percentage points, the highest increase in the popular vote for Labour in a general election since 1945. In that election, a majority of the gains Labour made off the Conservatives were in Leave-voting constituencies. Overall, 61% of the constituencies Labour won in 2017 are estimated to have voted Leave.
There is no getting around the fact that Labour’s path to forming a government is necessarily through a large number of Conservative, Leave-voting constituencies.
This article gives the views of the author, and not the position of LSE Brexit, nor of the London School of Economics.
Dr Richard Johnson is a Lecturer in Politics at Lancaster University.
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February 4th, 2019|Featured, UK and European law, UK politics|5 Comments
Nanno Mulder February 4, 2019 at 7:38 pm - Reply
By the time of election,Brexit is a fact ,it will no longer be leading voters.As both parties supported Brexit, its outcome will not help Labour significantly.
What price a People’s Vote? | Chartist March 27, 2019 at 11:41 am - Reply
[…] to add to its present total another 64 seats. According to Richard Johnson’s Lancaster University analysis, in the 20 Labour-held marginals most vulnerable to the Tories, 16 constituencies voted for Leave. […]
Michael Parker April 5, 2019 at 1:54 pm - Reply
The majority of Labour Members and Voters are for Remain and are likely to punish Labour for being complicit is a Tory Brexit.
Compare left leaning punishment of Labour over the Iraq War despite the decision being backed by the Tories.
Major news story: It's Sir John v Boris in the Tory Brexit war | Maketinews July 11, 2019 at 8:03 am - Reply
[…] going ‘Remain,’ might attract Tory votes in the Commons for a vote of no confidence, but their pathway to election success lies with taking largely pro-Leave, Tory-held swing seats in the Midlands and […]
Is Project Corbyn in Peril? July 11, 2019 at 8:25 pm - Reply
[…] in Parliament voted Leave, while 107 of 150 of Labour’s most marginal seats also voted Leave. In highly contested seats that Labour would need to win to from government, a vast majority of them …. An about face on Brexit would make winning those seats much more difficult. But most importantly, […]
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BMC Emergency Medicine
Preparedness of emergency departments in northwest England for managing chemical incidents: a structured interview survey
Jane Williams1,
Darren Walter1 and
Kirsty Challen1Email author
BMC Emergency Medicine20077:20
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-227X-7-20
© Williams et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2007
Received: 14 February 2007
A number of significant chemical incidents occur in the UK each year and may require Emergency Departments (EDs) to receive and manage contaminated casualties. Previously UK EDs have been found to be under-prepared for this, but since October 2005 acute hospital Trusts have had a statutory responsibility to maintain decontamination capacity. We aimed to evaluate the level of preparedness of Emergency Departments in North West England for managing chemical incidents.
A face-to-face semi-structured interview was carried out with the Nurse Manager or a nominated deputy in all 18 Emergency Departments in the Region.
16/18 departments had a written chemical incident plan but only 7 had the plan available at interview. All had a designated decontamination area but only 11 felt that they were adequately equipped. 12/18 had a current training programme for chemical incident management and 3 had no staff trained in decontamination. 13/18 could contain contaminated water from casualty decontamination and 6 could provide shelter for casualties before decontamination.
We have identified major inconsistencies in the preparedness of North West Emergency Departments for managing chemical incidents. Nationally recognized standards on incident planning, facilities, equipment and procedures need to be agreed and implemented with adequate resources. Issues of environmental safety and patient dignity and comfort should also be addressed.
Mass Casualty Incident
Exposure to hazardous chemicals can occur as a result of a wide range of events including through accidental release, industrial accident and by act of terrorism. Around 1300 chemical incidents occur in the UK each year, most involving fewer than 10 casualties [1]. Most published UK guidance on the management of major chemical incidents assumes or dictates that casualties will be decontaminated at the scene of the incident [2] and then transported to hospital. This pattern of patient behaviour was not substantiated by experience in Japan, where 85% of patients following the Tokyo subway sarin attacks in March 1995 self-transported to hospital [3], or in the United States, where between 1995 and 2001 15 Emergency Department (ED) personnel were injured as a result of contaminated casualties in 6 different incidents with agents including hydrofluoric acid, acetone, hydrochloric acid and chlorine [4]. There are also case reports where contamination of an ED by a patient has resulted in the department having to be closed for a period [5].
Serious inadequacies have been highlighted in the preparedness of UK Emergency Departments for the management of chemical incidents. In 2000, 76% of EDs did not have satisfactory premises for decontamination and 66% lacked protective equipment for staff [6], whilst 23% of those departments with 20,000 or more new attendances per year had no capacity to decontaminate patients or staff [7]. It might have been hoped that the events of September 11th 2001 and the subsequent raising of awareness of chemical threats might have improved the situation. This has not however been substantiated by the National Audit Office [8] or a more recent study which found that only 82% of UK EDs had trained staff in the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The same study identified a number of problems with the PPE currently in use, notably leaks around the foot area and problems with sizing [9].
With the implementation of the Civil Contingencies Act in October 2005, NHS Acute Trust Chief Executives acquired statutory responsibility for the adequacy of their facility's plans for dealing with major incidents, including the management of chemically contaminated casualties. The Department of Health guidance "Beyond a Major Incident" states:
"It is likely that the current equipment, preparations and general capability for decontamination of small numbers of casualties at most hospitals would be put under severe strain by the scale and circumstances of mass casualty incidents with contamination. The hospital must address this by developing a mass casualty plan, in close collaboration with police and fire services for control of the site, mass decontamination and to deal with self referrals. The special arrangements necessary will include crowd management and a triage/assessment facility as an adjunct to the A&E Department to avoid cross contamination [10]."
We therefore aimed to assess the preparedness of hospitals in our region for the management of a chemical incident.
A 34-item questionnaire was constructed by one of the authors (JW) to address decontamination incident planning, staff training, estate facilities, equipment, protocols, water supply for patient decontamination and issues of dignity, privacy and comfort (see Additional file 1). Each of the 18 EDs in the North West England region was contacted and the questionnaire was administered in person by JW at interviews with either the nurse manager or another member of staff with expertise in decontamination, nominated by the nurse manager. The interviewee was pre-informed of the topics to be covered in the interview by fax. Any questions which could not be answered by the interviewee were addressed by a telephone call to the Estates Department of the hospital in question. Anonymised data was entered into SPSS 10.1.4 (SPSS inc®) for analysis.
All 18 Emergency Departments in the region participated. In 6 the nurse manager was interviewed personally, whilst, in the remaining 12, another person was nominated (10 other senior nurses, 1 consultant, 1 emergency planner).
Planning and training
16 of the 18 departments had a formal written incident plan for the management of chemical incidents, but only 7 of these had it easily accessible at the time of interview. 12 respondents were confident in their ability to wash down a patient, but only 5 were sure of the time required for decontamination. 16 interviewees felt they knew which agencies to contact in the event of a chemical incident, of which 9 had the appropriate telephone numbers immediately to hand. Agencies which would be contacted were:
Emergency services (fire, police, ambulance): 18
Environment Agency: 17
Health Protection Agency (Chemical Hazards & Poisons): 17
Local authority: 14
Water company: 14
Training relating to response to a chemical incident was ongoing in 12 departments. Of the remaining 6, 3 could not quantify the training levels of current staff, 2 relied on managers and senior doctors being trained and 1 had "some" senior staff trained. Of the 12 departments with ongoing training, this was mixed theory and practice in 11 and practice assembly of the decontamination unit in 1. Sessions were repeated more than twice a year in 3 departments, between once and twice a year in 3, less than once a year in 2, and were considered to be a one-off in 4.
All departments had a designated decontamination area. In 17 this was outside and of these 16 used PLYSU® units and 1 an Airshelta® unit. It was unknown in the department with an indoor decontamination facility whether its ventilation could be separated from that of the rest of the hospital. 11 interviewees felt that their departments had adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for staff involved in decontamination.
Water supply and disposal
All departments were using water from the hospital mains, 17 directly to supply the showerhead and 1 to fill buckets. All 17 using a showerhead confirmed that it had no ability to reach contaminated water. 8 departments had a double check valve fitted to the water supply to ensure no backflow into the hospital mains was possible, 1 department knew that there was no safety valve and 9 were unsure of safety precautions. The water supply for decontamination was run weekly in 5 departments, never in 2 and at unknown intervals in the remaining 11.
7 departments used standard mains cold water for decontamination, 5 because work to heat the water had yet to be carried out and 2 for unknown reasons. 11 departments used a hot/cold water mix of above 38°C, all for reasons of patient comfort. Water temperature was thermostatically controllable in only 3 of the 17 departments using showers.
In 11 departments, contaminated water could only be contained up to 500 litres (under 1 hours' worth of decontamination). 4 departments could contain up to 1000 litres (between 1 and 2 hours' worth) of effluent and 3 could contain more. Once containment capacity had been exceeded, 4 departments would allow overflow into drains, 3 could bypass to further storage tanks, 7 would stop decontaminating and 4 were unclear of their further actions. 2 departments had formal contracts with private waste disposal companies for the disposal of contaminated water, 11 were relying on the fire service and 5 planned to seek advice from the Health Protection Agency or Environment Agency. In the event of disposal into the drain, 2 departments could easily differentiate between surface and foul water drains, 1 had a combined drain system, 1 only drained to an underground tank (from an indoor decontamination facility) and the remaining 14 could not identify surface and foul water disposal facilities but felt that the hospital Estates Department would be able to do so. When discharging into mains drainage, 5 departments planned to add fluorescein dye to the contaminated water to aid identification at downstream sewage processing facilities.
Patient privacy, dignity and comfort
6 departments provided a sheltered area for patients to remove contaminated clothing before decontamination; this was the ambulance bay canopy in 3, in a specific separate unit in 1 and in the decontamination unit itself in 2. Temporary clothing consisted of Rotecno® purpose-bought clothing in 2 departments, paper clothes in 9, hospital gowns and blankets in 4, hospital gowns only in 2 and hospital blankets only in 1.
9 departments felt they could adequately maintain patient dignity during decontamination, 7 using hospital screens, 1 a specific unit and 1 the decontamination unit itself. 1 department planned to separate men and women using hospital screens.
It is alarming that 2 departments lacked a written plan for chemical incidents and a further 9 could not access theirs at the time of interview. This suggests that the majority of departments would not have a plan available in the event of an incident, which is likely to result in delays or even failures in contacting appropriate personnel from within and outside the hospital and in substandard handling of patients, possibly with unnecessary risks to staff. A recent Delphi study into chemical incident management suggested training to a national standard for all ED medical and nursing staff [11]. It is apparent that this is not the current standard, with two-fifths of departments having no current training programme and one-fifth being unable to identify trained staff in the department.
Chemical incidents require the use of specialist and complex equipment (both PPE and decontamination tents) and, given our findings, it is unlikely that these could be efficiently used. It is of equal concern that only half of departments had telephone contact numbers for the other agencies likely to be involved in a chemical incident response immediately to hand. Although this might not immediately compromise patient care, delay in contacting agencies such as the Health Protection Agency or the Environment Agency could impact adversely and unnecessarily on the safety of the local area and the environment in general.
Although it is reassuring to find that all departments surveyed have a designated area for decontamination, several interviewees expressed concerns over the speed with which external shelters could be erected; it is recommended that units should be erected and ready for use within 15 minutes [11]. Several departments expected it to take around 45 minutes to have a functioning unit.
Although all decontamination units had a 'dirty' entrance and 'clean' exit demarcated, one third of the departments had yet to consider how to prevent casualties cross-contaminating themselves and each other. It is particularly worrying that one-fifth of departments felt they lacked the equipment necessary for safe decontamination and a further fifth had not examined the equipment closely enough to identify missing or problematic equipment.
It is encouraging that 17 of 18 departments are using a shower facility to decontaminate rather than the bucket system which compromises the ability of staff to rinse off contaminant and detergent and which provides less dilution of the contaminant. The use of mains cold water in two-fifths of departments, however, compromises patient compliance and comfort and increases the risk of hypothermia, especially in vulnerable groups such as the elderly and young children. Although there is little published evidence on the optimal water temperature for decontamination (to balance increased efficiency of cleaning against peripheral vasodilation and increased transcutaneous absorption of contaminant at higher temperatures), most experts contacted in the course of this survey suggested a temperature midway between cold and body temperature. No department surveyed was currently using this, and only 3 had thermostatically controlled showers which would make it possible.
Over half of the departments surveyed could not confirm the presence of any backflow protection on their water source from the hospital mains, risking leak of any contaminants into the main hospital supply (and in contravention of the Water Fittings Regulations 2000 – personal communication, Water Regulations Advisory Scheme). It is also apparent that patients and staff may be put at risk from Legionella during decontamination; three-quarters of departments were unable to confirm the regular running of decontamination water points [12].
The appropriate management of contaminated effluent water is still under debate and it is still argued in some quarters that dilution of contaminant with large quantities of water renders it acceptable for discharge into sewerage systems [6]. Specific protocols for the management of contaminated water at hospital sites are not available, but Water UK (representing the utility companies) states as a general principle that "contaminants and contaminated materials should be contained either at the scene or in a holding tank until they have been properly identified". Their protocol for medium scale to mass decontamination in essence comprises a hierarchy of containment (with the expectation that the Fire Service will have 1 hour's containment capacity), discharge to foul sewer and finally discharge to surface water drains [13]. Although three-quarters of departments would attempt to contain contaminated water, three-fifths had capacity of less than one hour. Were this to be exceeded and contaminated water directed into the sewerage system, 14 departments could not independently identify foul and surface water drains, and only one-quarter would add fluorescein dye to the effluent to facilitate its identification in the water system for downstream handling. We would advocate increased contact between hospital emergency planners and utility providers to mitigate this.
Our findings suggest that little consideration has been given to issues of patient compliance, dignity, comfort and even safety. Two thirds of departments surveyed could provide no shelter for patients disrobing before decontamination, even though the process of decontaminating each patient may take up to 10 minutes and casualties would be expected to remain outside the Emergency Department until their turn. Even after decontamination, two-fifths of departments relied on hospital gowns to clothe their patients, thereby failing to offer full body protection and compromising modesty. Anecdotal reports made during this survey suggest that some patients may refuse treatment rather than compromise their modesty; "one man left the scene because he refused to take his clothes off outside...a crowd was forming around the barriers...".
It is clear that a training gap exists in the management of contaminated casualties in our region. We suggest that this reflects a lack of training capacity both in terms of time and finance, given the multiple constraints affecting most Emergency Departments (notably the 4-hour target, and other mandatory training to fulfill Health and Safety requirements). Questions of who and how many to train, and to what level, remain unclear, and it has been our experience that decontamination management is often sacrificed to competing, more immediately-measurable priorities.
We have identified major inconsistencies in preparedness for chemical incidents amongst Emergency Departments in North West England, with deficiencies in planning, facilities, equipment and training. Clear national guidelines are still required to address these problems and until standards are set and enforced it is likely that these inconsistencies will remain.
Thanks go to all the ED staff who gave their time to complete the interviews. The project was funded by the University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust but the authors had full autonomy in study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; and in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
12873_2007_51_MOESM1_ESM.doc Additional file 1: Questionnaire (DOC 60 KB)
The author(s) declare that they have no competing interests.
DW conceived the study. DW and JW constructed the questionnaire and JW carried out interviews. All authors contributed to analysis and drafting of the paper and read and approved the final manuscript.
Emergency Department, University Hospital of South Manchester, Manchester, UK
The National Focus for Chemical Incidents: Surveillance report (final quarter 2000 and first quarter 2001). [http://www.uwic.ac.uk/natfocus/]
Home Office: The decontamination of people exposed to chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) substances or material: Strategic national guidance. [http://www.ukresilience.info]
Okumura T, Suzuki K, Fukuda A, Kohama A, Takasu N, Ishimatsu S, Hinohara S: The Tokyo subway sarin attack: disaster management, Part 1: Community emergency response. Acad Emerg Med. 1998, 5 (6): 613-617.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
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Burgess J: Hospital evacuations due to hazardous materials incidents. American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 1999, 17: 50-52. 10.1016/S0735-6757(99)90016-5.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
George G, Ramsay K, Rochester M, Seah R, Spencer H, Vijayasankar D, Vasicuro L: Facilities for chemical decontamination in accident and emergency departments in the United Kingdom. Emergency Medicine Journal. 2002, 19: 453-457. 10.1136/emj.19.5.453.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Horby P, Murray V, Cummins A, Mackway-Jones K, Euripidou R: The capability of accident and emergency departments to safely decontaminate victims of chemical incidents. J Accid Emerg Med. 2000, 17 (5): 344-347.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Mayor S: National Audit Office report shows gaps in emergency planning. BMJ. 2002, 325: 1193-10.1136/bmj.325.7374.1193/c.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Al-Damouk M, Bleetman A: Impact of the Department of Health initiative to equip and train acute trusts to manage chemically contaminated casualties. Emergency Medicine Journal. 2005, 22: 347-350. 10.1136/emj.2004.018580.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Emergency Preparedness Divison: Beyond a Major Incident. 2004, London, Department of HealthGoogle Scholar
Crawford I, Mackway-Jones K, Russell D, Carley S: Delphi based consensus study into planning for chemical incidents. Emergency Medicine Journal. 2004, 21: 24-28. 10.1136/emj.2003.003087.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Shelton B, Kerbel W, Witherall L, Millar J: Review of Legionnaire's disease. American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal. 2000, 61: 738-742. 10.1080/15298660008984585.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Parker M, Dennis J, Gray J, Mathias D: Protocol for the disposal of contaminated water. 2003, London, Water UKGoogle Scholar
The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-227X/7/20/prepub
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No major association between TGFBR1*6A and prostate cancer
Virginia Kaklamani1,
Lisa Baddi1,
Diana Rosman1,
Junjian Liu1,
Nathan Ellis2,
Carole Oddoux3,
Harry Ostrer3,
Yu Chen4,
Habibul Ahsan4,
Kenneth Offit2 and
Boris Pasche1Email author
© Kaklamani et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2004
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and one of the leading causes of cancer deaths. There is strong genetic evidence indicating that a large proportion of prostate cancers are caused by heritable factors but the search for prostate cancer susceptibility genes has thus far remained elusive. TGFBR1*6A, a common hypomorphic variant of the type I Transforming Growth Factor Beta receptor, is emerging as a tumor susceptibility allele that predisposes to the development of breast, colon and ovarian cancer. The association with prostate cancer has not yet been explored. A total of 907 cases and controls from New York City were genotyped to test the hypothesis that TGFBR1*6A may contribute to the development of prostate cancer. TGFBR1*6A allelic frequency among cases (0.086) was slightly higher than among controls (0.080) but the differences in TGFBR1*6A genotype distribution between cases and controls did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.67). Our data suggest that TGFBR1*6A does not contribute to the development of prostate cancer.
Prostate Cancer Case
Transform Growth Factor Beta Receptor
Polymerase Chain Reaction Cycling Condition
Increase Prostate Cancer Risk
Transforming Growth Factor Beta (TGF-ß) is one of the most potent inhibitor of cell growth [1]. Almost all cancer cells loose the ability to be growth inhibited by TGF-ß, which makes loss of TGF-ß growth inhibition a hallmark of cancer development [2]. TGFBR1*6A is a common variant of the type I TGF-ß receptor, TGFBR1 [3]. TGFBR1*6A (*6A) has a deletion of three GCG triplets coding for alanine within a nine alanine (9A) repeat sequence of TGFBR1 (*9A) exon 1, resulting in a six alanine (6A) repeat sequence. The 9-bp deletion that differentiates *6A from *9A is located within the predicted signal sequence cleavage region. In vitro studies have demonstrated that TGFBR1*6A responds less effectively than TGFBR1 to TGF-ß growth inhibitory signals [4, 5]. The additional findings of an overrepresentation of TGFBR1*6A heterozygotes and homozygotes among patients with a diagnosis of cancer as compared with the general population led us to postulate that TGFBR1*6A might act as a tumor susceptibility allele [5]. Two recent meta-analyses show that TGFBR1*6A carriers may have an increased risk of breast, colon and ovarian cancer [6, 7]. To test the hypothesis that TGFBR1*6A may contribute to the development of prostate cancer, we conducted a case control study of patients with biopsy verified prostate cancer cases and geographically and ethnic-status matched controls.
A total of 907 cases and controls were genotyped for TGFBR1*6A. The mean age of cases was significantly higher than controls (p < 0.01) but there were no differences in ethnic status between the two groups. There were 59 TGFBR1*6A heterozygotes and three TGFBR1*6A homozygotes among cases, 62 TGFBR1*6A heterozygotes and 1 TGFBR1*6A homozygote among controls. TGFBR1*6A allelic frequency among cases (0.086) was slightly higher than among controls (0.080) but the differences in TGFBR1*6A genotype distribution between cases and controls did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.67) (Table 1). Effect estimates from conditional logistic regression were similar (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.29–3.52) to those from unconditional logistic regression (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.56–1.64). Analyses restricted to subjects aged 40 years and above controlling age on a continuous scale produced essentially the same effect estimates (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.56–1.60). To examine the possibility that TGFBR1*6A is associated with early onset prostate cancer, we determined the prostate cancer risk for individuals above and below the age of 55. Among younger patients with prostate cancer we found that 13 of 59 were TGFBR1*6A carriers yielding an allelic frequency of 0.119, one of the highest TGFBR1*6A allelic frequency ever reported. Only 45 of 367 controls in the same age range were TGFBR1*6A carriers yielding an allelic frequency of 0.063, which is similar to the TGFBR1*6A allelic frequency found among 3,451 healthy controls from Europe and the U.S. [7]. The association between carrier status of TGFBR1*6A and prostate cancer in younger age group was significant after adjustment for race (OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.06–4.27) but was not significant after adjustment for race and age strata within groups (OR 2.11, 95% CI 0.98–4.57) (Table 2). While in the older age group we did not observe a significant association either (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.30–1.10), the test for multiplicative interaction between age and carrier status of TGFBR1*6A was significant (p = 0.01).
Distribution of Age, Ethnicity, and TGFBR1 Genotypes and Adjusted Odds Ratios of Prostate Cancer by TGFBR1 Genotype Status
Cases (N = 442)
Controls (N = 465)
P-value 1
Adjusted OR (95% CI)2
TGFBR1 genotype
9A/9A
1.00 (ref)
1p-value for Chi-Square or Fisher's Exact Test (comparing proportions)
2 OR was adjusted for age strata and race, based on dominant model.
Adjusted Odds Ratios of prostate cancer by age groups (> 55, <= 55 years old)
Age group/ Genotypes
Cases N (% within age strata)
Controls N (% within age strata)
OR (95% CI)1
P for testing multiplicative interaction
Age = 55
9A/6A or 6A/6A
Age > 55
1 OR was adjusted for race.
2 OR was adjusted for race and age strata within age groups
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer and the second most common cause of cancer death among U.S. men [8]. A similar pattern is observed throughout the western world. There is strong epidemiologic evidence indicating that a large proportion of prostate cancers are caused by heritable factors. The most convincing data is a study of 44,788 Scandinavian twins showing that 42% of prostate cancer cancers may be caused by shared genes [9]. Despite intense efforts led by several research teams, the search for prostate cancer susceptibility genes has thus far remained elusive. Recent studies suggest that carriers of deleterious mutations of the BRCA2 gene have an increased prostate cancer risk [10]. However, given the low prevalence of deleterious BRCA2 mutations in the general population, it is unlikely to account for a significant proportion of prostate cancer cases. Approximately 14% of the general population carries at least one copy of TGFBR1*6A, which makes it the most common candidate tumor susceptibility allele reported to date. While there is growing evidence that TGFBR1*6A predisposes to the development of breast, colon and ovarian cancer, our data do not suggest that it predisposes to the development of prostate cancer. We have previously shown that TGFBR1*6A homozygotes have an O.R of 2.69 and 2.02 for ovarian and colon cancer, respectively. The present study has the power to detect an O.R. for prostate cancer of 1.70 or higher and therefore rules out a major association between TGFBR1*6A and prostate cancer. However, it does not exclude a smaller O.R., which might have clinical relevance given the high TGFBR1*6A allelic frequency in the general population. It is possible that age differences in cases and controls affected the allele frequencies observed. If the TGFBR1*6A allele predisposes to a lethal malignancy such as prostate cancer, however, its frequency could be higher, not lower, in a younger cohort. Thus, the younger mean age of controls could result in a bias toward the null hypothesis, resulting in a stronger association than that observed. The intriguing findings of a high TGFBR1*6A allelic frequency among prostate cancer cases diagnosed before the age of 55 have to be cautiously interpreted given the fact that this group only included 46 patients. We have previously shown that TGFBR1*6A is not associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer [6]. Our results suggest that the association between TGFBR1*6A and prostate cancer is at best very weak but further studies are needed to formally exclude an association with early onset prostate cancer.
DNA was extracted from lymphocytes of blood specimens from 465 consecutive individuals diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the prostate who received care at the outpatient urology clinic at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center from April 2000 to September 2002. The blood samples were collected following completion of diagnostic studies. They were unselected for age or family history. Clinical and pathological records were reviewed to confirm the diagnosis of prostate cancer in all subjects. Once pathological diagnosis of prostate cancer was confirmed, the age of diagnosis was recorded, and all other identifying links were destroyed. The study design and anonymization method were approved by the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Institutional Review Board.
A population of 465 healthy male controls aged 20 to 87 years with well-defined ethnic background who had donated blood for various reasons (predominantly pre-natal screening for non-cancer disease) constituted the control group. Controls were matched to the cases on ethnicity and were from the same geographic locations as the prostate cancer cases. None of the controls had any personal history of cancer at the time of blood donation. This was ascertained by a questionnaire completed by each control. Exact age information was not available for 205 controls since it was not collected prospectively but the age range (20 to 40) was known. All personal identifiers were permanently removed from both cases and controls.
DNA was extracted by standard technique using the Qiagen DNA extraction kit. The PCR primers used were 5'-CCA CAG GCG GTG GCG GCG CGA TG-3' in the forward direction and 5'-CGT CGC CCC CGG GAF CAG CGC CGC-3' in the reverse direction. A standard solution was prepared using the Clontech Advantage® GC rich kit (BD-Biosciences Clontech, Palo Alto, CA). The PCR reaction mixture included 20 ng of genomic DNA in a 10-µL reaction volume and the following concentration of other reagents: primers (0.25 µM each), 1X GC genomic PCR reaction buffer, 1.625 mM Mg2+, 0.2 mM dNTPs and 0.16 µL of Advantage-GC genomic polymerase mix. Polymerase chain reaction cycling conditions consisted of an initial denaturation period of 3 minutes at 94°C, then 35 cycles of denaturation for 30 seconds at 94°C and annealing/extension for 2 minutes at 72°C, followed by a final extension step of 5 minutes at 72°C. Quality controls were run on a 2% agarose gel. The ABI Prism 310 Genetic Analyzer (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) was used for data acquisition. A peak at 115 base pairs corresponded to TGFBR1 allele, whereas a peak at 107 base pairs corresponded to the TGFBR1*6A variant. The rare equivocal results were confirmed by cloning of the PCR product followed by automated sequencing. Samples were read by two independent investigators unaware of the case /control status. Ten percent of samples were randomly selected and run for quality assurance. Concordance rate was 100%.
Distributions of TGFBR1 genotypes, age, and ethnicity were compared between cases and controls using Fisher's exact tests. To test the hypothesis that the hypomorphic TGFBR1*6A gene is related to an increased prostate cancer risk, adjusted odds ratios of prostate cancer were estimated using both conditional and unconditional logistic regression models. Both models were run since the matched controls of cases with missing genotypes had to be excluded in the conditional models but could be included in the unconditional models. Adjusted odds ratios of prostate cancer were estimated comparing carriers of TGFBR1*6A versus non-carriers under dominant models. Potential confounders such as age (in four strata) and ethnicity were controlled in the analysis. Whether the effects of TGFBR1*6A on prostate cancer differ by age was evaluated by stratified analysis and tests for multiplicative interaction. A small p value indicates that interaction of age and gene is statistically significant on the multiplicative level. For the unconditional models, sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the impact of the fact that the exact age of some controls with age 20–40 years is unknown (N = 126). With 442 cases and 465 controls, the power to detect an OR of 1.7 and 2 in the present study was 0.86 and 0.98, respectively, based on a two-tailed test at the 0.05 significance level.
This work was supported in part by grants CA89018 and CA90386 (B.P.) from the National Cancer Institute (Bethesda, MD) and a gift from the Mander Foundation (Chicago, IL). Dr Pasche is the recipient of a Career Development Award from the Avon Foundation, New York, NY.
All authors made substantial contributions to this paper, including conceiving of the ideas, discussion and writing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Cancer Genetics Program, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine and Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Clinical Genetics Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA
Human Genetics Program, Department of Pediatrics, New York University Medical Center, New York, N.Y., 10016, USA
Department of Epidemiology of Mailman School of Public Health and Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
Siegel PM, Massague J: Cytostatic and apoptotic actions of TGF-beta in homeostasis and cancer. Nat Rev Cancer. 2003, 3: 807-820. 10.1038/nrc1208.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Bian Y, Kaklamani V, Reich J, Pasche B: TGF-beta signaling alterations in cancer. Cancer Treat Res. 2003, 115: 73-94.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Pasche B, Luo Y, Rao PH, Nimer SD, Dmitrovsky E, Caron P, Luzzatto L, Offit K, Cordon-Cardo C, Renault B, Satagopan JM, Murty VV, Massague J: Type I transforming growth factor beta receptor maps to 9q22 and exhibits a polymorphism and a rare variant within a polyalanine tract. Cancer Res. 1998, 58: 2727-2732.PubMedGoogle Scholar
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Pasche B, Kolachana P, Nafa K, Satagopan J, Chen YG, Lo RS, Brener D, Yang D, Kirstein L, Oddoux C, Ostrer H, Vineis P, Varesco L, Jhanwar S, Luzzatto L, Massague J, Offit K: T beta R-I(6A) is a candidate tumor susceptibility allele. Cancer Res. 1999, 59: 5678-5682.PubMedGoogle Scholar
Kaklamani Virginia G., Hou Nanjiang, Bian Yiansong, Reich Jennifer, Offit Kenneth, Michel Loren S., Rubinstein WS, Rademaker Alfred, Pasche Boris: TGFBR1*6A and Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis of Seven Case-Control Studies. J Clin Oncol. 2003, 21: 3236-3243. 10.1200/JCO.2003.11.524.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Pasche Boris, Kaklamani Virginia G., Hou Nanjiang, Young Taya, Rademaker Alfred, Peterlongo Paolo, Ellis Nathan, Offit Kenneth, Caldes Trinidad, Reiss Michael, Zheng Tongzhang: TGFBR1*6A and Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of 12 Case-Control Studies. J Clin Oncol. 2004, 22: 756-758. 10.1200/JCO.2004.99.271.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Jemal Ahmedin, Tiwari Ram C., Murray Taylor, Ghafoor Asma, Samuels Alicia, Ward Elizabeth, Feuer Eric J., Thun Michael J.: Cancer Statistics, 2004. Ca: a Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2004, 54: 8-29.Google Scholar
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Edwards SM, Kote-Jarai Z, Meitz J, Hamoudi R, Hope Q, Osin P, Jackson R, Southgate C, Singh R, Falconer A, Dearnaley DP, Ardern-Jones A, Murkin A, Dowe A, Kelly J, Williams S, Oram R, Stevens M, Teare DM, Ponder BA, Gayther SA, Easton DF, Eeles RA: Two Percent of Men with Early-Onset Prostate Cancer Harbor Germline Mutations in the BRCA2 Gene. Am J Hum Genet. 2003, 72: 1-12. 10.1086/345310.PubMed CentralView ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
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Shawn Ryun
DISCLAIMER NOTICE: ALL ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT...
Shawn L Ryun
Jail Location
27745 W 159 St., New Century, KS 66031
Information Control
Date of birth: Dec 3, 1965
Jail name: Johnson County Jail
Location: 27745 W 159 St., New Century, KS 66031
Arrest facts in New Century, KS
Aamodt, Carol
Abadir, Samir
Abad, Eric
Abad, Kristine
Abad, R
Abad, Reynaldo
Abad, Ricardo
Abad, Allan
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Abai, Leah
Abai, Lydya
Abai, Shewit
ACTIVELY MONITORING...
Vasquez, Henry - AL
Kroft, Ericka - IN
5′ 8″ (1.73m)
Terzieff, Yordon - FL
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The Worst Disney Sidekicks of All Time
Josh Spiegel
This month marks the arrival of the second of three remakes of Disney animated films in 2019. The live-action remake of Aladdin features Will Smith as the Genie, and a whole cast of new actors bringing the story of the street rat/diamond in the rough to life. The animated film from 1992 is chock full of something Disney animation is known for: memorable sidekicks. Disney animation has a few unquestioned hallmarks: Memorable songs, vibrant animation, terrifying villains, and sidekicks full of personality to complement slightly blander heroes and heroines. But who are the worst sidekicks in the Disney feature-animation canon? Leave aside the best of the best — let’s look at the absolute pits in this ranked list of 15 sidekicks, about which we’re sure no one will disagree, because that’s how the Internet works.
The Worst Disney Songs Ever
Source: The Worst Disney Sidekicks of All Time
Filed Under: Aladdin, Disney
Categories: Lists, Movies
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Decentralized censorship-resistant video will transform our society.
Isaac Traynis December 12, 2018
Path A: The Centralized Future
The year is 2022 and the progressive state of New York finally elects its very first female governor to office—almost an entire century after Nellie Ross’ swearing-in as Wyoming’s first female governor. Either way, almost everyone outside of Upstate New York is ecstatic. Celebrations are breaking out across Manhattan as various political organizations push their cadre out into the streets and in front of the cameras.
Time to celebrate!
Meanwhile, the newly elected governor paces restlessly outside the makeshift “war room” in her twenty-grand-a-night Tata Presidential Suite at the Pierre on the Upper East Side. The reason for her pensiveness is not due to some anxiety regarding a planned acceptance speech but rather the growing concern that she’s about to receive some very bad news.
The door swings open. A dapper man — her campaign manager — scrambles across the wooden floor with an uneasy look.
“We’re still working on the problem.”
On face value, the problem seems mundane. Apparently one of the staffers was involved in a heated exchange with the treasurer over compensation. However, rather than agree to some amenable resolution, this staffer has threatened to release an incriminating video of the governor.
“How in the hell did this staffer get a hold of this video?” she shouts at him.
The campaign manager looks even more agitated. He knows that if this video leaks out then this gubernatorial run is over. His career in politics is over.
He has good reason to foresee such a scenario. The video purportedly shows the governor agreeing to take $5 million in illegal campaign contributions from a man with ties to the Chinese government.
“We know the video was made with some new version of Instagram. This means it’s on one of facebook’s servers” he says almost with a sigh of relief.
Instagram. Your media belongs to Facebook.
Meanwhile, back in the war room, the team is in full damage-control mode. One staffer there just happens to be “connected.” His father-in-law is one of facebook’s board of directors.
After a few calls, the video is tracked-down and quietly removed from all servers.
For a while there’s uneasiness among the staff. What if the video resurfaces? What if witnesses come forward?
Some rumors do, in fact, circulate. A few tabloids run the rumor as a story but it soon dies out. Luckily, for the governor, most of the media is sympathetic to her cause and rather not rock the boat.
After a year, the incident is completely forgotten. The State of New York has made history again — the first to elect a governor beholden to Chinese interests.
“I ❤ centralization”
Path B: The Decentralized Future
Everything in this scenario plays out as in the first except for one exception. The video, captured by the staffer, is now routed though a completely different version of Instagram.
You see, in this alternate future many of the platforms with video provisioning services have incorporated several new decentralized protocols into their technology stack. Large companies, like Facebook, Amazon, and Google, have done this not out of newfound love for decentralization or because of some principled belief in freedom of information but out of practical business sense.
Sources of Revenue in 2017
These companies have done the math. Whereas centralized video solutions provide some advantages — vertical integration across the technology stack and strong barriers to entry for competitors—the decentralized version is a much more scalable, cheaper, alternative.
“So why not run a test of this decentralized protocol by integrating it into parts of our existing infrastructure?” some of the managers suggest. And this is, in fact, exactly what facebook does with its Instagram product.
As a result, the staffer’s incrementing video footage is routed through Livepeer’s network. Specifically, the video is chopped into single-second segments and then whisked through a series of nodes for fast transcoding, video authentication, and finally into peer-to-peer (P2P) storage.
Since many of these encoded videos are hosted by independent nodes that operate alongside P2P Content Delivery Networks (CDN), interference with delivery becomes much more complicated…
Basic illustration of how a decentralized live-streaming layer would work
Some of these nodes — that now store this video — are not only scattered across the planet but are beyond the reaches of facebook. There is a node in a Mumbai dorm room, owned by Aarav, who is studying engineering. And there’s another node that belongs to a mining pool run by a company out of Denver, Colorado. The list of owners is endless…
The “well-connected” staffer, whose father-in-law sits on facebook’s board, calls in for help. After an hour of waiting, a voice comes through on the other line with some bad news:
“The video went through some sort of decentralized network called Livepeer. There’s nothing we can do.”
“I am everywhere”
elects
Future The
Isaac Traynis
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FootballCoin Announces the Soft Launch of Its Cryptocurrency Powered Game Platform
Apr 01, 2017 at 09:54 // PR
The cryptocurrency fueled FootballCoin fantasy sports game enters public beta, allowing gamers to take part in the new gaming revolution.
March 31, 2017, British Virgin Islands – FootballCoin, a cryptocurrency fueled football fantasy sports game has announced the soft launch of its platform. The soft launch will make the exciting platform available to the public in its beta form, marking the completion of its closed beta.
The blockchain-based Football Manager game allows players to create their own football team, manage the player roster and participate in competitions. The use of Bitcoin blockchain and Counterparty platform, with its own FootballCoin cryptocurrency (XFCCOIN), creates a perfect in-game economy with plenty of transparency. It also allows users (managers) to purchase and own collectible player cards and stadium cards. These cards offer a lot of benefits to the managers, and it also doubles as digital assets that can be stored and traded with others.
FootballCoin is the first blockchain-based football fantasy game. An initiative of Crowngem Limited, the FootballCoin project is entirely funded by the company and its representatives. The project has partnered with Sportradar, Perform Group and other leading sports and football statistics providers to keep the game as realistic as possible, which in turn makes the whole gameplay even more fascinating. The actual player and game statistics, supported leagues, and ownership of game assets make managing a virtual fantasy team on FootballCoin as challenging and exciting as a real team. At soft launch, the game covers the English, Spanish and Italian main leagues, which will be further extended in August following the start of new football season and the project’s global launch. New additions to the list of supported leagues will include major leagues of France, Germany and UEFA Champions League. The platform will also include more options based on the interests and requests received from the growing community.
The company is on a mission to connect the growing fantasy sports industry to the cryptocurrency ecosystem, offering the benefits of Bitcoin and blockchain technology to the masses. With its initiative, FootballCoin will drive cryptocurrency adoption among thousands of players. In order to ensure profitability for all participants, the platform has issued a limited supply of 1 billion XFCCOIN tokens on Counterparty platform. The finite number of tokens will drive the value of FootballCoin’s in-game cards and currency with growing participation. The use of XFCCOIN is not just confined to the game, and it can also be transferred, exchanged and traded for fiat, Bitcoin, and other altcoins. The President of FootballCoin, Octavian Batca said,
“The originality of the FootballCoin project lies in the fact that we took elements from popular games like Daily Fantasy Sports, Football Manager, and collectible card games to combine them with a new unique concept and a new platform to show the world the huge potential of the Bitcoin blockchain and crypto-technologies.”
The XFCCOIN dependent in-game economy, allows users to pay for entering the contests and purchasing blockchain-based football Player cards and Stadium cards with the cryptocurrency. Soon, cryptocurrency investors, players and fantasy e-sports enthusiasts can buy XFCCOIN with BTC at a discounted price during the pre-sale. The platform will also make the crypto-tokens available on some of the leading cryptocurrency exchanges and official game stores. The prizes, bonuses and bounty programs on FootballCoin will also provide an additional option to gain XFCCOIN tokens.
The FootballCoin platform has lots of new features and services in store for the cryptocurrency community. The platform, soon after the crowdsale, plans to launch its own FootballCoin debit card to enable the use of cryptocurrency as a store of value and an instrument of payment. The FootballCoin debit cards will be supported by payment services accepting Visa and MasterCard debit and credit cards.
Gaming enthusiasts, cryptocurrency community members, and individuals can now become part of the gaming revolution by taking part in the FootballCoin public beta and XFCCOIN crowdsale.
About FootballCoin
FootballCoin is a blockchain fueled fantasy football e-sport platform created by Crowngem Limited, a British Virgin Islands-based company. The privately funded platform blends cryptocurrency technology with traditional fantasy sports to create a universal gaming solution for users across the world.
Learn more about FootballCoin at – https://www.footballcoin.io
Check out FootballCoin rules at – https://www.footballcoin.io/game-rules/
Know more about the FootballCoin scoring system – https://www.footballcoin.io/scoring-system/
Contact Name: Octavian Batca
Contact Email: octa@footballcoin.io
Location: Tortola, British Virgin Islands
FootballCoin is the source of this content. This press release is for informational purposes only and should not be viewed as an endorsement by CoinIdol. We take no responsibility and give no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy. Readers should do their own research before investing funds in any company.
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New Blog Post - READ IT HERE NOW
BLACK PROJECT
BLACK PROJECT 1: MECHANISM OF CHANGE
A meteorite rockets through the atmosphere and lands on a secluded highway, landing near a truck en route. As a mysterious retrieval crew arrive to obtain the object and ‘clean up’ what’s left behind, an object starts to move and suddenly attacks the crew killing them all!. Our story picks up 15 years later, and we find JACK, a normal boy who’s pretty much a nobody, but after a shocking incident at school, Jack unknowingly triggers off a genetic alarm alerting The Nexus, who sends one of their inhuman Agents to retrieve him. Now, Jack is a ticking time bomb on the run, hiding from Nexus, and dangerously unable to control his newfound abilities. The Nexus, with unlimited resources, are not too far behind. Their leader being the key to controlling Jack’s abilities, and are more than determined to reclaim their lost ‘black project’.
BUY NOW ON AMAZON
BLACK PROJECT 2: NATURAL SELECTION
After Jack’s power is ‘activated’, beating the ‘man in black’ and destroying his home in the process, he wakes up days later with his father at some random diner. Dad takes the time to confess, and finally opens up on their history, who is after them, and why. But his confessional is interrupted with more Agents of Nexus arriving to take back their missing black project, Jack! Now, surrounded by the enemy, Jack’s father fights to the finish to project his only child from the clutches of the Nexus at all costs!
Chapter 2 picks up from where chapter 1 left off, diving into the myth and history that is UFO’s, conspiracy theories, mythical Men In Black, secret government experiments, all while leaving more questions unanswered, and more to be revealed.
BLACK PROJECT 3: GENETIC DRIFT
Alone, hungry, cold, and tired of running, Jack is now on the run from the Nexus, it seems that there isn’t anywhere that he could go without being found. After hiding at a Highway Rest Stop, a large triangle craft emerges, Jack tries to fight off the swarm of Agents that appear, and with the fear and anger building up inside, he unleashes a new explosive ability! After blacking out, he wakes up to find himself in a mysterious facility, surrounded by Agents, and their leader, AMON, a short, very old, arrogant genius who created the Agents. Jack finds himself in the lion’s den, with no way out.
This chapter dives even more into the myth and history that is UFO’s, conspiracy theories, mythical Men In Black, secret government experiments, all while Jack discovers more about himself and the mysterious object that calls to him…
Copyright © 2018 CRAZY PENCIL COMICS - All Rights Reserved.
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Aug. 14: Starlite Drive-In Theatre, Grand Bend ON
Photo from the Starlite Drive-In Facebook page
It’s Day 226 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It was time for me to begin a few weeks’ journey through the many drive-ins of eastern Canada. Starting from Dearborn MI, I drove up to Port Huron, crossed the Blue Water Bridge, then continued on to the Starlite Drive-In Theatre, a few miles east of Grand Bend ON. It took only about two hours, not counting the time at the border.
For the story of the Starlite, I turn in large part to the Virtual Museum of Canada. It says that Emerson Desjardine built the Starlite in 1955 after seeing several drive-ins in Florida during winter break. He chose the settlement of Shipka because it was partway between Grand Bend (5.5 miles) and Exeter (13 miles).
That original screen, 40×60 feet, was built of plaster. Desjardine told the local newspaper that this prevented the cracks that can become visible on wooden screens.
Those classic in-car speakers were a continuing problem. “Desjardine said that about three dozen of his speakers were stolen or broken each summer.” That problem was solved when the sound system switched to radio broadcast.
“One feature of the Starlite was the windshield washer. Desjardine said that young local boys were on hand to wash car windows. If his window boy took a night off, people would ask for him.”
Desjardine sold the Starlite to Allan Barnes around 1998, and Barnes added a second, smaller screen in 2007. The Sarnia Observer interviewed Barnes in 2013 about his plans to install digital projection for the 2014 season. He said he waited as long as possible so he’d get the latest technology, and I suspect the projector price went down too. “I’m pretty much the last hold out on film, which probably annoyed the customers a couple of nights ago when the film broke,” he said.
It was a jarring difference after the huge urban multiplex drive-in the night before, but the Starlite is a different kind of drive-in heaven. In the middle of nowhere (sorry Shipka), there’s not a lot of light pollution. Refills on soft drinks and popcorn are just a quarter, and they show their own cartoons before the movies. (I always thought that’s a good idea to keep folks entertained while twilight slips to full darkness so they don’t miss an early movie plot point.) They even have free wifi!
I had no idea that I would be faced so often with the choice between Dunkirk and The Nut Job 2. At some point, the prospect of seeing Dunkirk for the Nth time should send me over to the animated sequel, but not yet. This was only my fourth viewing so far.
Miles Today / Total: 117 / 27241 (rounded to the nearest mile)
Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Dunkirk / 140
Nearby Restaurant: It was close to my motel (see below), but Aunt Gussie’s might be my favorite in town no matter where it was. For dinner, I ate a huge Hugger Cran salad with feta cheese, apples, and pecans. Then for breakfast I tried the gingerbread pancakes, with real Canadian maple syrup, of course.
Where I Virtually Stayed: Back to the kind of mom and pop motels that you find in small-town tourist destinations. The Blue Water Motel is a particularly nice example. My humble room wasn’t huge, but it had the full set of modern amenities including solid wifi. And it’s next door to one of the best restaurants in town for breakfast and dinner.
Only in Grand Bend: Grand Bend might be best known for the Grand Bend Beach, a vacation destination on Lake Huron. For more than a hundred years, the main beach has offered beach fans of all ages clean water, amenities, accessibility, water sports, and safe swimming with lifeguards on duty throughout the summer months.
Next stop: The Boonies Drive In Theatre, Tilbury ON.
2017 Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey Canada Comments are closed mrdrivein
← Aug. 13: Ford Drive In Theatre, Dearborn MI Aug. 15: The Boonies Drive In Theatre, Tilbury ON →
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Star Wars: Edge of the Empire RPG
Official answer from Sam on how minions work with blasts
By Darth Pseudonym, April 18, 2014 in Star Wars: Edge of the Empire RPG
Darth Pseudonym 25
Hey, I got official answers hot off the email inbox!
First: Should a group of minions be treated as a group of individuals who happen to share one wound pool, or as a single entity?
That is to say, if a blast goes off in the middle of a group of minions
-- should each minion, individually, take the blast damage, soak it, and apply the remainder to their shared pool, or
-- does the group as a whole get hit by the blast, take the damage, soak it once, and then apply the remainder (and if so, then does the group being the primary target exclude the group from being affected by the blast)?
Or is there some other methodology?
The first option would be more thematically appropriate. That being said, if the minions were particularly spread out (if you had a group of four with two each behind two separate barricades, for example), I'd rule that some of the minions couldn't be hit by the blast damage. It does make grenades quite effective against minion groups; but that's sort of the idea in any case.
A twofer answer! Not only a clarification that minions in a group are treated as individual targets, but also that a minion group is not at all required to stay huddled together.
And second: Does the blast of a weapon benefit from that weapon's pierce or breach rating? If they do, it seems to make missile tubes amazingly dangerous, as even their blast effect on a miss would deal 10 damage with breach 1 (which makes the damage virtually unsoakable).
Yes, blast damage benefits from pierce or breach. Yeah, missile tubes are pretty scary with that, and that is probably warranted!
So that clears up a lesser-asked quandry, but (none the less) a useful answer.
Senior RPG Producer
eeeee. FFG is so awesome.
StriderZessei, Niklarus, RedfordBlade and 8 others reacted to this
Ghostofman 8,013
Nice, that resolves that in a pretty clear way.
Gotta love FFGs willingness to get back to us on things like this.
cvtheoman and kaosoe reacted to this
2P51 32,213
The breach info is good. I never played minion groups as having to be engaged with one another as soldiers particularly try not to bunch up for that very reason.
Yeah, the main thrust of the question was to confirm that minions (assuming they are engaged together) take multiple damage from blasts.
CharismaticMechanic 4
Doesn't that contradict the FAQ/errata document?
Q. Presuming a minion group of 3 stormtroopers,
with a wound threshold of 5 each and a soak of 5,
what happens when the group is hit for 10 damage?
11 damage? 15 damage? Is soak applied by each individual
member of the group? Is a member of the
group defeated for each 5 wounds suffered?
A. Soak is applied only once, and then the remaining
damage applied to the group’s wound threshold.
In this example, the group hit for 10 damage suffers
5 wounds. No members of the group are defeated, as
the total wounds suffered has not yet exceeded an individual
trooper’s wound threshold. If the same group
were instead struck for 11 damage, the group would
suffer 6 wounds and 1 trooper would be defeated.
If the same group were instead struck for 15 damage,
the group would suffer 10 wounds and 1 trooper
would be defeated. When a trooper is defeated, the
total wound threshold and wounds suffered by the
minion group does not change, but the group loses
the benefits of that additional minion on skill checks.
OggDude 3,488
I believe the question you quoted from the FAQ is for individual hits. This refers to blast effects.
kaosoe, McHydesinyourpants and Sturn reacted to this
player266669 272
I feel like this muddies the waters a bit in terms of what a minion group actually is and how it works, but I'm grateful for an answer nonetheless.
ccarlson101 291
So a frag grenade goes off amid a group of 5 otherwise healthy STs (WT of 25).
Lets say it deals 10 primary damage to one of them as part of the successful attack roll. The attacker then spends 2 Advantage to trigger the Blast quality for 8 more as well. Now what?
Thematically, as Sam suggests, one takes the 10, the others 8, and each would soak it individually. Then apply the total to their WT pool. Since they have a Soak of 5, that's 5+3+3+3+3 damage, for a total of 18 damage.
Normally, if they were individuals, they'd all still be standing since they have a 5 WT. But as a group, they sustained 18 out of 25. So only 2 of them actually remain standing.
If the attacker was able to generate enough leftover Advantage to also crit, that would add another 5 points to the total. Then only a single ST would survive (and wounded, at that).
I think I can accept this as a viable option and incorporate it easily enough into our games.
Niklarus and Ryoden reacted to this
I would think the group as a whole takes the initial damage, with the individual minions (other than the target) taking the blast damage.
It's not quite as strict as Hordes in Deathwatch, imo, since minion groups can be spread out a good bit better than a Horde and still maintain the notion of operational (IC) and physical (OOC) cohesiveness.
Ogg,
Is that not the same thing?
Edited April 18, 2014 by ccarlson101
One takes the 10 primary damage...but since each minion in the group has 5 wounds, 2 of them drop before the Blast triggers (whether from direct injury or some other reason like freaking out that they got fragged). I think.
EDIT: forgot about soak. But that one that took 8 would drop at 5, spillover a further 3 to another, who would take 6 and drop at 5, spillover 1 to another. That one would take 4, and the other 2 would take 3.
Also, 5+3+3+3+3=17, not 18.
Edited April 18, 2014 by Kshatriya
Oh darn. A typo. Cast me out. (Oh, but the results don't change, so nevermind...).
Also, minion groups don't take damage like that at all.
So this is wrong? Or maybe it's a little too concrete, looking at discrete wounds rather than the total of 17.
Ahrimon 1,093
I see it this way. The group takes 10-5(soak)=5. There's still 5 up since the threshold hasn't been exceeded. Then blast is triggered and the group takes 8-5(soak)=3 more. The wound threshold has now been exceeded and one trooper goes down with 3 wounds left on the group.
Minions go down easy enough, there's no reason to make them easier. Now if they were in a group and the gm decided to apply the blast to the four as individuals rather than the minion group I wouldn't argue against it. If you did apply blast to the four remaining minions I would expect them to all get soak as well. So that would be 12 damage from the blast. That's 17 total and you are down to 2 minions.
After re-reading the first post, yeah, I think you're right. There's no mechanical difference.
ccarlson101 reacted to this
Yepesnopes 580
Blast benefits from Breach...sweet!
The key is just to think of a minion group as ... not a group at all. Stop thinking of them like a "horde" or "mob" or whatever other collective noun other systems use. A minion group is not a single entity. A minion group is a group of individuals who cooperate (in a way specified by the special minion rules) when they attack, and share a common wound pool (also in a way specified by the rules). Other than those two specific things, the group is simply a several guys standing around.
If you hit one guy for damage (be it a blaster bolt, an axe swing, or the primary damage from a grenade), he takes the full normal damage and soaks it, and applies the damage to the group wound pool. And that's it. From a mechanical point of view, one guy was hit for damage, and applied that damage to his wounds.
Then, optionally, you trigger the blast. There's three guys in the blast radius other than the main target. It doesn't matter that they're minions, or that they are (or are not) in the same group as the main guy. Three guys got hit for damage, each one takes the blast damage, soaks it, and applies it to their wounds. We still don't care whether they're minions, rivals, or whatever, or how their grouping breaks down. Just hitting guys for damage.
Finally, after all that, we can look at the minion group's wounds and determine how many of them (if any) died in that attack. Narrate as needed. This is really the only time in the process that it matters that they're minions in a group.
Edited April 19, 2014 by Darth Pseudonym
kinnison 846
Best way is minions stack thier skills, but i simplifies the combat in that each dies in turn and becomes as a group less, unless something like an area affect weapon takes place
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Home Sport North East Premier League Preview
North East Premier League Preview
By Chris Brown -
So this weekend marks the start of the 2012 Barclays Premier League with all of the top flight teams from around the country getting back into the action. With the spectacular end to the last season still fresh in the minds of Manchester United fans after Sergio Aguero’s last minute winner what is to happen to the two North East teams?Sunderland is set to play Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in London on the opening day of the season and will be looking to take advantage of the recent loss of star man and captain Robin Van Persie.
Sunderland has been making progress in the transfer market bringing in Carlos Cuellar from Aston Villa on a free transfer. The experienced Spanish centre back will be looking to help tighten up the Sunderland defence and could make a big impact to the teams attack on the Premier League. There are rumours floating around that Sunderland have been looking at grabbing free agent Louis Saha. The ex Man U player may be getting on a bit but still has the ability to change things on the pitch.
Sunderland’s star man for the season has to be Stephane Sessegnon. The 28 year old forward gave Sunderland fans something to smile about last season with a number of great performances and some stunning goals and assists. Let’s hope he has another great season as Sunderland mount their charge on the top half of the table.
Here’s some of Sunderland’s highlights from the 2011-2012 season.
Heading over to Tyneside, Newcastle United are starting the season with a home tie against Andre Villas-Boas’ Tottenham Hotspur with a 5:30pm kick off. The new Tottenham manager has made a few changes to the Spurs line up adding Icelandic wonder kid Gylfi Sigurdsson into the mix. On loan at Swansea last season, Sigurdsson has impressed many in the Premier League with his overall work ethic and his long range shooting skills.
Newcastle have been busy in the transfer window signing a trio of young players with a view of strengthening the team over the future but have been lacking any stand out signings to strengthen the first team; until today that is. The Magpies have made a swoop for Ajax midfielder Vurnon Anita earlier in the month and the transfer went through this morning. The Dutch defensive midfielder has just signed a 5 year contract and at only 23 he has many more years of football to come.
Newcastle’s star man this season has to be Papiss Cisse. The Senegal sensation netted a record 13 goals in 14 league games after arriving in January from SC Freiburg. After scoring a sensational, indescribable goal against Chelsea, he has proven to be truly worthy of the number 9 shirt.
Here’s a video of all of the record breaking goals from the new number 9.
After a summer of European Championships and Olympic Football, it’s great to be getting back to the uncertainty and drama of the Premier League.
UPDATE – The rumour surrounding the transfer of Louis Saha to Sunderland has now been confirmed by various news sources. Let’s hope Louis gets a great reception at the Stadium of Light on his first home game.
Carlos Cuellar
Stephane Sessegnon
Vurnon Anita
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Christopher Brown is Consett Magazine's lead journalist. Chris enjoys meeting with a whole host of different people to report on what's happening in Consett, Co.Durham.
Local Lad Wins Sailing Award
First Annual Consett Cycling Festival A Huge Success
North East Premier League Preview August 16, 2012 at 7:11 pm
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Chris, your right about the excitement surrounding the premier league uncertainty but I think we all know SAFC is going to take home the trophy with saha blasting them in this season.
SAFC 4 LIFE
MrGuitarMan August 17, 2012 at 9:40 am
Wow, and I thought us Newcastle United fans have certain delusions of grandeur. Just wait until Derby day.
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Home Culture Oxford, the cabaret of plants- and us
Oxford, the cabaret of plants- and us
Ben Ray
Richard Mabey is one of Britain’s leading writers on the natural world and our place in it, as well as a veteran broadcaster with more awards and experience to his name than I can list here. So it was mildly surreal to find myself chatting with him about the time he stole a rare rose from Merton College garden to give to his then girlfriend for her exams.
Richard’s new book, ‘The Cabaret of Plants’, a fantastic book exploring the wonders of the botanical world: “I wouldn’t call it ‘magical’”, Mabey says, “but modern botanical science is revealing the vegetal to be a universe matching the wildest dreams of fantasists.” As the conversation continues I get the strange ense of entering a deep wood, or one of the countless, wild heaths that Mabey explores in his books on the natural world: from discussion about his new work we are soon talking about our relation on the world around us, and about the history of ‘nature writing’ itself. As well as the style of nature writing that attracts the media by meditation on the self through the world around us, Mabey explains, there are many other nuances that can be seen throughout history: “the idea that this is something new or sparked off by a peculiarly modern environmental angst doesn’t bear historical analysis.” From postwar urban disillusionment in the 20s and 30s to fictionalized exploration in Forster and Woolf, right back to the 16th century via Thoreau and Emerson in America – it seems Mabey’s writings are just the fringes of a forest which is riddled with pathways and tracks, stretching back through time.
But even if the path of nature writing has been trodden before, Mabey’s writing always seems new, original and absorbing, with a voice of urgency that demands our ears. “I believe the current fad for regarding nature as a kind of complementary medicine , a green Prozac, is rife with problems”, he argues, “not least the over -simplification of a parallel world that is as full of pain, loss, and hidden transactions as it is of beauty.” The view that nature is there for our benefit, he tells me, has to stop. “I don’t believe the natural world “answers” people’s problems at all – an intense attention and respect for it can heighten our understanding of the experience and terms of living on the Earth.” These messages are important for all of us: when Mabey speaks, we really should listen.
But as well as his strong messages about the world around us, Mabey writes with a poetry, a lyricism, that entices you onwards. When I mention his literary focus on certain areas such as the Norfolk Broads, Mabey explains how, despite his strong love for these regions, he is ‘habitat-promiscuous’: ‘I’m apt to develop crushes wherever I go.” You don’t need to go to the Cairngorms for wilderness, Oxford students will be pleased to know – the marvels of plant life can be experienced in a square inch of vegetation. “I once watched a tuft of lichen for an hour under a microscope, and found a dynamic miniature forest, with the lichen having its own fungal flora and minute insect herbivores grazing among the stalks.” This wonder and joy that oozes from his writing is infectious – as Mabey explains, the overriding incentive is to successfully enthuse himself. “If you can pull this off, and convey it, there is a chance it may be contagious.” It is certainly catching.
And Richard Mabey doesn’t just talk about new approaches to nature: as well as presenting numerous essays on the radio he sat on the Nature Conservancy Council in the 1980s. And it his actions seem to be working – Mabey talks hopefully of a sea-change in our attitudes to the world around us. “Because of the astonishing recent discoveries about plant senses, communication and intelligence, which are reviving their status as active beings, subjects in their own life stories.” We are connected with nature whether we like it or not – by evolution, kinship, ecological co-dependency, and “the simple fact that we breathe in what the plant world breathes out.” Reaching a greater acknowledgement and understanding of this is the challenge.
And what of the much-repeated news that certain ‘nature’ words taken out of the Oxford Junior Dictionary? “My own experience over many years suggests that young people reach this by immersion in the feral, more than being taught to tell a burnet moth from a cinnabar. Since our distinctive identity as a species in the biosphere is as language and symbol users, this can come about as much through literature and art as through ‘real’ experience.” There is as much wilderness in the Bodleian as in the unexplored lands beyond Jericho: we just need to open our books and find it.
When I mention his time studying at St. Catz, Richard Mabey tells me how, “unfashionably, I had a great time in Oxford.” Although nature took a back seat for a while as he got involved in radical politics, Mabey now loves exploring the green, hidden corners of (as he called it in an essay) ‘the city of greening spires’. Magdalen’s meadows and watery walks, the Botanical gardens (“and the heartening way the archway entrance just misses lining up with Magdalen Tower as the architect intended – the wild card wins again!”), the extraordinary flora of the old wall north of Christchurch Meadow, and Corpus’ garden’s eccentric medieval mix of flowers and veg. Not to mention a bit of eco-slumming the lanes and canals round Jericho. It seems the wild is here, in Oxford- we just need to go out and find it.
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Captain executed in Rio highlights risks faced by off duty police.
A broken mirror reflects a masked soldier from Rio's Military police during an operation in Morro da Babilônia, a favela located next to Copacabana beach. Many police choose to work masked to minimize the threat of being recognized when off duty. (Photo C.H. Gardiner)
The two armed men entered the barbershop well Anderson Azevedo Galvao was in the middle of a haircut. According to witnesses, one of the criminals recognized Galvao as a member of Rio’s Military Police. Galvao asked them to stay calm. They shot him five times.
Galvao died before reaching Barra’s Lorenco Jorge hospital.
The risk of being recognized off duty is something that has long been ingrained into the behavior of Rio’s cops. Many military police soldiers will cover their faces during operations to mask their identities, and most police choose to stay armed when off-duty to have the means to defend themselves should they be recognized.
"I always carry my gun with me or have it in reach. My kid has learned not to mess with it. But it’s become normal for him to see me always armed,” says a Sergeant in the 18º police battalion, who – due to regulations – asked not to have his name revealed.
The vast majority of police killed in Rio are off duty according to an investigation conducted last year by Brazilian news site Extra. In 2018, of 92 military police killed, 68 were off-duty, of those, 28 were killed after being recognized as police.
However, the practice of criminals killing off-duty cops has resulted in many member's of Rio's security forces to take a morbidly proactive approach when apprehending lawbreakers. “Many PM’s [military police] won’t want to take the traffickers in. The risk is too high that they will come back for you. The courts let them go so quickly some police think it’s better just to end it there,” said the sergeant.
Rio’s governor Wilson Witzel said at Galvao’s funeral that the state has already discovered the identities of his killers and promised that they would be brought to justice. “Once again the state of Rio says goodbye to one of its heroes. Officer Galvao lost his life defending us all,” Witzel told press at the interment.
Human right's defenders warn that often in the search for the killers police can become overly aggressive.
A helicopter from the Civil Police drops flowers on the funeral of Delegado Fabio Monteiro, a police officer executed by criminals. Residents of Jacarezinho say that police used the helicopter to shoot indiscriminately into the community as retaliation. (Photo C.H. Gardiner)
Early last year community residents of Jacarezinho said that a helicopter shot indiscriminately into the community during the search for the killers of Civil Police Delegado Fabio Monteiro. The residents said that the operations were a form of collective retaliation after police found the Delegado's body in the community.
During an operation in Cidade de Deus related to the hunt for Galvao's killers, a man was shot by military police in the back. Family member's of the man told the Rio Times that the police rushed him to the hospital after ascertaining he was not a criminal. Another man, who police say was involved in drug trafficking, was shot and killed during the same operation.
In an Instagram post made shortly before his death, Galvao wrote about the dangers faced during his work commanding the UPP in Lins. He stated he was most proud of the fact that despite many violent confrontations, no police officer was injured in the two years which he commanded the unit.
Galvao served 13 years in Rio's Military Police and is survived by his young son.
Soldier's from a special operations police unit, the Choque, leave Cidade de Deus following an operation related to the search for the killers of Military Police Captain Anderson Azevedo Galvao. (Photo C.H. Gardiner)
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Cabaret MUST SEE REVIEWS
Second City e.t.c.’s 40th Revue – A Red Line Runs Through It
Written and Performed by Lisa Beasley, Aasia LaShay Bullock,
Peter Kim, Katie Klein, Julie Marchiano, Scott Morehead
Directed by Matt Hovde
Musical Direction/Original Music/Sound Design by Jesse Case
At The Second City e.t.c., Chicago
Running Express to Entertain
If you’re looking for an entertaining show where you can eat, drink, and laugh all at the same time, then Second City e.t.c.’s 40th Revue A Red Line Runs Through It is where you should be tonight. Written and performed by some of Second City’s best, this nearly two-hour show gambols pell-mell through skits, songs, and dances that never failed to amuse with their at-times outrageous and absurd but always skillfully diverse display of comedy.
A Red Line Runs Through It features a lot of lighting and music that, far from merely complementing the skits and atmosphere, are integral to the show as a whole. For instance, the show opens with the cast riding an El-train, bored and impatient at a delay; then, inexplicably, the emergency lights go out and a black light comes on to reveal the entire cast wearing Guy Fawkes’ masks (also inexplicably) and eerily dancing. Absurd? Yes. Amusing? Inexplicably so. Some of the best skits also involve singing, such as a political rap battle, an ironic love song to Rahm Emmanuel, and an improvised song based upon an audience call-out (in this case, crazy drivers), among several others.
Besides this noteworthy inclusion of music (compliments to Jesse Case), the show features some strong collaborative moments among the cast as well as some in which individual members are allowed to shine. We see Peter Kim coach his very white friend Scott Morehead on the how-to of drag; Lisa Beasley and Aasia Lashay Bullock blithely perform some everyday “black-girl magic”; Julie Marchiano plays a humorless fitness/life guru whose existential exercises lead Beasley to commit murder; Katie Klein exposes the seedy past of the Frank Lloyd Wright Estate amidst the mundane backdrop of an architectural tour; and, at one point, the whole cast delivers different iterations of the opening segment to the 11 p.m. news, varying their approaches depending on the city.
August Lysy
Austin.Lysy@gmail.com
Reviewed on 29 April 2016.
Playing at The Second City e.t.c. Theatre, 230 W North Ave., 2nd Floor, Chicago. Tickets start at $23. For tickets and information, call the Second City at 312-664-4032, or visit www.SecondCity.com. Performances are Thursdays at 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and118 p.m., and Sundays at 7 p.m. Running time is 100 minutes with one intermission.
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Neighborhood bar serving upscale pub food & drinks with a beer garden & sidewalk seating.
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Long-running hangout for Iowa State & Second City fans, serving pub food & drinks in a cozy setting.
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1616 N. Wells St ,Chicago, IL 60614
⇦ 3 Sisters
Feral ⇨
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Home AP News AP Business Lobby crush: Online shopping leads to mountains of boxes
Lobby crush: Online shopping leads to mountains of boxes
This photo provided by Luxer One shows a woman removing a package from one of Luxer's access lockers in San Francisco, Calif. Luxer One provides secure lockers in buildings in the United States and Canada that can be accessed by both delivery companies and residents. (Luxer One via AP)
As online shopping becomes ubiquitous, so do the boxes delivered to homes across the country.
For apartment dwellers — and the managers of the buildings they live in — it’s tough to manage the boxes that pile up, sometimes clogging precious space for days. (If not watched, packages also can be stolen or left out in the rain.)
The problem’s only getting worse, says Rick Haughey, vice president of the non-profit National Multifamily Housing Council, which represents many owners, developers and managers of apartment housing. People are ordering more heavy, oversize and perishable items than ever before, he notes, and building managers are “tasked with finding new and creative ways to meet the demand for package storage, sorting and security.”
The problem is especially acute around the holidays, but continues all year.
“Now, you’ve got a lot of perishables coming in. And things like tires can be ordered online at discount prices. That means four tires are sitting in the leasing office, along with items like flat-pack furniture and even bed mattresses,” Haughey says. “They might be there for days or potentially weeks if you’re away on vacation. There doesn’t seem to be perfect solution, but locker systems and delivery hubs come close.”
There are a growing number of technologies and services aimed at alleviating the delivery problem in apartment foyers.
UPS, FedEx and Amazon all have begun offering services to help manage the flow of delivery boxes. The Amazon Hub program, for example, includes Amazon Locker, based at third-party locations like Whole Foods; Locker+, with staffed locations for pickups and dropoffs; and Apartment Locker, which accepts Amazon and non-Amazon packages in apartment buildings, among other services.
Luxer One, a company based in Sacramento, California, provides secure lockers in buildings in the United States and Canada that can be accessed by both delivery companies and residents — including compartments for very large boxes and refrigerated lockers for perishables. The lockers can be placed inside or outside apartment buildings, and are accessible using codes.
“It’s a huge issue for a lot of apartment buildings. There’s a security factor, but also a convenience factor. Building management offices aren’t open as late as some residents need them to be in order to retrieve packages, and in some cases, just accepting a building’s packages can easily become a full-time job,” says Melody Akhtari, spokeswoman for Luxer One, which started out in 2005 with lockers in apartment buildings for dry cleaning.
“A couple years in, a few buildings asked us if we could do something to help with all the boxes that were being delivered. In 2013, we launched across the United States and Canada, and our lockers are now in over 3,500 locations,” she says.
Along with smart lockers, there are services that arrange deliveries for a specific time when residents know they’ll be home; or let recipients have packages delivered to secure hubs or other locations that are conveniently located and open late.
“The challenge is that in an apartment building with, say, 400 units, you have FedEx, UPS and USPS all stopping by at multiple times of the day to make deliveries. And these are not just small standard packages. One person might be receiving a Casper mattress and another might be receiving a box of flowers that needs refrigeration,” says Akhtari.
But such locker systems can be pricey, and in buildings without them, residents can use services offered either by the shipper or by some retailers. Jet.com, for example, which is owned by Walmart, has installed lockers in hundreds of New York apartment buildings.
There’s also a service called Fetch (www.fetchpackage.com), which collects packages, stores them offsite and delivers them when the recipient is home, taking the burden off building managers.
In some cases, buildings have converted space into package storage rooms and hired additional staff to deal with deliveries. In other cases, they have decided not to accept packages at all, so residents must rely on one of the outside services.
“Managing deliveries can be especially challenging in high package volume markets like New York, Washington, D.C., and Chicago,” says John Falco, principal at Kingsley Associates which, with the National Multifamily Housing Council, published a report on the issue. “In higher-density, urban areas, space is often at a premium, so package storage solutions are important.”
And the challenge doesn’t end at delivery and storage. Once the boxes are opened, some are shipped back as returns, while others create a trash or recycling headache. According to the report, issued in November 2018, over 40 percent of respondents said the large volumes of cardboard and packaging materials being disposed of have created a waste management challenge.
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Chinese SenseNets Data Leak Exposes Millions Of Individual Records
JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images
February 19, 2019 4:46 PM ET
Information from Chinese surveillance and technology firm SenseNets leaked Tuesday, making arranged and compiled personal information on 2.6 million people in Xinjiang, China, publicly accessible, according to AFP.
Sharing the leak on Twitter, Victor Gevers, a security researcher for the Dutch non-profit GDI.foundation, found that the company tech company stored ID numbers, birthdays, addresses, ethnicities and employers of individuals in a database that was “fully accessible to anyone.”
There is this company in China named SenseNets. They make artificial intelligence-based security software systems for face recognition, crowd analysis, and personal verification. And their business IP and millions of records of people tracking data is fully accessible to anyone. pic.twitter.com/Zaf6w5502i
— Victor Gevers (@0xDUDE) February 13, 2019
In addition, Gevers also discovered that the exposed data contains about 6.7 million data points linked people with “tags” such as “mosque,” “hotel,” “internet cafe” and more. These tags were gathered within 24 hours and are most likely places were surveillance cameras are present. (RELATED: China Still Arresting Canadians For Their Standing With The US)
“Who in their right mind runs a database which is completely open and gives any visitors full administrative rights so then those database records can be manipulated by anyone with an internet connection?” Gevers asked. “It simply does not compute.”
The leak comes in a time where high-tech surveillance has been demanded in the Xinjiang region. One of the more heavily surveillanced groups in the area is the Uighur Muslims and other Turkic minorities, who number close to 12 million in the region.
Police inspect the exterior of an immigration detention centre, from where 20 ethnic Uighurs escaped on Monday morning, in Sadao district in the southern Thai province of Songkhla on November 21, 2017. (TUWAEDANIYA MERINGING/AFP/Getty Images)
China legalized re-education camps for Uighur Muslims to provide “vocational training” for the minority group in October. However, these camps are starting to be discovered as detention camps, that force nearly 1 million Muslims into conversion and labor, and have faced criticism from the United Nations. (RELATED Uighur Muslim Woman Recalls Torture In Chinese Government Internment Camp: ‘I Though I’d Rather Die’)
Coinciding with these recent developments, the leaked information has been deemed by Gevers as a “Muslim tracker” as the Uighur population counts for 28.3 percent of the information recorded.
So this insecure face recognition/personal verification solution is built and operated for only one goal. It’s a “Muslim tracker” funded by Chinese authorities in the province of Xinjiang to keep track of Uyghur Muslims. ???? https://t.co/CG0RCZbphP
This is small overview of the nationalities in that database.
And this is the data to make of the graph: https://t.co/4xH9Hqgxtm pic.twitter.com/prN2tIkTYk
“It looked like that because most of the coordinates were pinpointing to a known region where these people are living in camps,” said Gevers.
SenseNets has taken action to secure and close the database since Gevers found the information last week.
Tags : china data leak muslim xinjiang
CNN Personality Says Melania Trump, Ted Cruz Should Go Back To Their Own Countries
These Are The Cities And States Helping Women Obtain Abortions
United States Senators Want To Know Why WNBA Players Aren't Paid The Same As NBA Stars. Has The World Lost Its Mind?
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Home Security Baga fishermen jubilate over army’s liberation of town
Baga fishermen jubilate over army’s liberation of town
Fishermen in Borno, whose means of livelihood were disrupted by insurgents, have hailed the military over the victory against Boko Haram insurgents,
They are also full of praises for the gallant soldiers for reclaiming Baga and other communities in northern Borno from Boko Haram fighters.
The Nigerian Army had on Thursday announced the defeat of the fighters and recapture of Baga and other communities in the ongoing clearance operation against the jihadists .
Malam Muhammad Labbo, the Vice Chairman of the Lake Chad Basin Fishermen Association of Nigeria, made the commendation in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Maiduguri.
Labbo, who was among thousands of persons displaced by the recent conflict, said that the military under the Operation LAFIYA DOLE, demonstrated valour and professionalism to defeat the insurgents, leading to the liberation of communities in northern Borno and Lake Chad region.
He described the defat as “commendable’’, adding that it indicated the Nigerian Armed Forces’ commitment to defend the nation’s territorial integrity as well as protection of lives and property.
“Some of our people who were still in Baga told us how the military defeated the Boko Haram insurgents after a fierce battle on Wednesday.
“Boko Haram insurgents fled, leaving behind their ammunition and scattered toward the axis of the Lake Chad and border with Niger Republic.
“Frightened by the superior might of the military, the insurgents fled in other communities without any resistance. It is a great victory by our gallant military.”
Labbo urged the military to take the fight to various Islands in the Lake Chad, noting that the call was imperative to clear remnants of the criminals hibernating in the area and end insurgency.
He disclosed that there were several high density Islands in the Lake Chad, where the insurgents hide to commit atrocities against the citizens.
Labbo listed the Islands to include Madari; Mari, Kaukiri, Duguri, Shuwaram, Kirta-Wulgo, Kwallaram and Dabar Masara.
The fisherman stressed the need for practical operations to rout out the insurgents’ hide outs in the Island, to end insurgency and ensure lasting peace in the war-torn region.
“The insurgents fled into the Lake Chad Islands, the military should continue its pursuit to eliminate them and make it safe.
“It is also good to utilize the Air Task Force component due to the grass that outgrown and blocked the river and made movement difficult for the troops.
“The insurgents could be better be defeated from the air, as they were taking advantage of the terrain to escape onslaught by the ground troops,” he added.
According to him, over 10, 000; registered fishermen were displaced due to the resurgence of Boko Haram attacks in Baga and adjourning communities.
Labbo further expressed the hope that the war would soon end to enable them to return home and resume their normal fishing activities.
He also prayed for the repose of the souls of the departed heroes and wished the wounded soldiers quick recovery.
Statistics by the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) showed that about 30,000 persons were displaced in northern Bono and Lake Chad region due to resurgence of Boko Haram insurgency in the past few weeks.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had distributed food and non food items to over 20,000 displaced by the conflict at the Teachers Village and Gubio Internally Persons (IDPs) camps in Maiduguri.
baga fishermen celebrate army's liberation
baga reclaimed by nigerian army
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Press Photos /
BharatBenz expands product portfolio with launch of all-new 16-tonne intercity coach
April 2017 Chennai
Crafted for comfortable, safe inter-city travel.
Operators to benefit from low total-cost-of-ownership, reliable performance, proven BS-IV technology.
Mr. Markus Villinger, Managing Director Daimler Buses India: “We designed the all-new BharatBenz intercity coach to take inter-city travel to the next level: a safer and more comfortable experience for passengers and drivers, and more value for operators at the same time. Building on our acceptance in the market and this strong product with proven BS-IV technology, we are very confident to capture opportunities in this growing segment.”
Chennai - Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), the wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler AG, continues its product offensive to further expand the product portfolio of its BharatBenz brand. As per plan and as announced in 2015 with the start of the company’s bus business, the all-new BharatBenz intercity coach completes the brand’s bus line-up. Targeted at the growing segment of inter-city travel, the 16-tonne, 238 hp (175 kW) front-engine coach complements BharatBenz’ successful portfolio of school, staff and tourist buses in the 9-tonne category, which have been available since the end of 2015.
Speaking at the launch event, Mr. Markus Villinger, Managing Director Daimler Buses India said: “We designed the all-new BharatBenz intercity coach to take inter-city travel to the next level: a safer and more comfortable experience for passengers and drivers, and more value for operators at the same time. Building on our acceptance in the market and this strong product with proven BS-IV technology, we are very confident to capture opportunities in this growing segment.”
Crafted for passenger comfort
With its optimized wheelbase, the 12-meter BharatBenz intercity coach ensures best-in-class cabin space distribution for easy seating, offering 790 mm of legroom for passengers. Refined interiors and wider windows provide for a relaxed journey with panoramic views. The front and rear air suspensions are calibrated with chassis performance to minimize impacts of road undulations. Overall, the vehicle also offers low levels of noise, vibration and harshness thanks to its unique open saloon design which enhances acoustic insulation despite a front mounted engine. A powerful air conditioner with engine driven compressor assures not only a pleasant cabin environment for passengers but also a less fatiguing workplace for drivers, helping them to stay alert.
Built for safer travel
The BharatBenz intercity coach adopts a holistic approach towards safety and is fitted with a comprehensive range of seamlessly integrated active and passive safety features. The robust aluminique body meets the stringent safety standards for roll over as per the AIS-031 CMUR Bus Body Code. Fabricated without any welded parts, the lightweight structure not only gives extra strength to the vehicle but also lowers its centre of gravity. This provides extra stability to the vehicle and drastically reduces chances of toppling. The wider brake lining (410 x 220 for all four tyres) guarantees effective braking leading to a better braking distance. With regard to interiors, the vinyl flooring comes with an anti-skid top layer and fire retardant materials which are carefully designed to ensure a safe walkway for passengers in case of emergency situations.
Designed to meet operators’ requirements
With a focus on higher profitability for bus operators, the BharatBenz intercity coach is designed for lower cost of ownership. The vehicle body’s unique aluminique structure considerably lowers its gross vehicle weight, while the aerodynamic body design and tubeless tyres reduce drag and rolling resistance, altogether improving fuel efficiency. The coach also offers unmatched oil change and gearbox oil change intervals of 100,000 km. The extended warranty that BharatBenz offers for all its vehicles nationwide is also available. As a unique BharatBenz feature, annual maintenance packages are offered that cover both the body and chassis, ensuring optimum maintenance.
Proven BS-IV technology with SCR
BharatBenz BS-IV vehicles meet the upgraded norms using a system based on SCR technology proven in hundreds of thousands of Daimler commercial vehicles in many markets for over a decade. Besides the further improved fuel economy and lower maintenance costs, SCR technology allows BharatBenz BS-IV vehicles to operate unhampered with BS-III fuel, if required. The SCR technology uses an aqueous urea-based fluid called AdBlue, which is sprayed into the exhaust stream to break down dangerous nitrogen oxides emissions into harmless nitrogen and water. AdBlue consumption is only a fraction of fuel consumption, so refill intervals are fewer. AdBlue is available nationwide at all BharatBenz dealerships and other outlets.
About Daimler Buses India
Responsible for DICV’s bus business, Daimler Buses India is catering to the domestic market with a twofold strategy: BharatBenz front-engine buses and coaches meet the needs of the volume segment, while the premium segment is addressed with Mercedes-Benz rear-engine coaches. All vehicles are produced at DICV’s state-of-the-art plant in Oragadam near Chennai. Customer services for both brands are provided through the pan-Indian BharatBenz dealer network, offering tailor-made service packages, 24x7 after-sales support, and advanced interactive vehicle diagnosis. Custom-tailored financing solutions are provided by Daimler Financial Services India and through DICV’s partnership with over 25 banks and NBFC (Non-banking Financing Companies).
All-new 16-tonne intercity coach PDF (1MB)
Shina Satyapal,
Ritu Bagri, MSL Group,
ritu.bagri@mslgroup.com
All-new 16-tonne intercity coach
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What did you think of the dominant role of faith, and of the Congregational Church in particular, in the novel, and how that influence changed over the decades? What was your opinion of Joshua Stow’s attacks on organized religion?
What was your reaction to the status of women in Connecticut society in the novel?
Did you think Hope Lyman made the right decision in not remarrying until her children were all adults?
Compare the political stand and actions of Loyalist Timothy Hierlihy with that of Continental soldier Elihu Lyman. Did each man have justification for his position? With whom would you have sided?
Who was your favorite character in the novel? Which character did you like the least? Why?
How do you think parents coped with the death of so many children?
Leaving home for a new life on a distant frontier is a recurring theme throughout the novel. Would you have joined the emigration from Connecticut at any point? What issues would you have considered in making your decision?
Would you have supported the temperance movement?
Would you have spoken out against slavery in the decades preceding the Civil War?
Would you have participated in the Underground Railroad?
What in this novel surprised you about American history?
What aspects of Connecticut history has this novel made you want to know more about?
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Gender Sports Posted on June 28, 2017 July 2, 2017
Kunatla Ghosh Dastidar: Former Captain and an Inspiration of Indian Women-Football
Author Aparajita Dutta 0 337
Kuntala Ghosh Dastidar captained the Indian women’s team in Women’s World Cup. Aparajita profiles the former coach of Mohun Bagan, in the weekly column, exclusively in Different Truths.
The verdant arcade of Calcutta Referee Club welcomed me with the vivacity of the person I love dearly. The birthday girl was in her usual jersey and shorts, looking so beautiful that I couldn’t take my eyes off her. That’s the spell she has cast on me years back when I had met her for the first time, to take her interview for my research paper. 1962-born Kuntala Ghosh Dastidar, a pioneer and an inspiration of Indian women-football. She turned 55, on the 23rd of June, this year. She had broug
ht life to the green tent smelling of old pots and kettles, the tent which has been the home to her and her players since ages.
Sitting on the chair with her leg crossed (I just couldn’t stop admiring her figure!), Kuntala took me to the South Kolkata of the 60s and 70s, a place, which has been my home too.
“Football never came to me,” she narrated, “it existed in my life. I used to stay near Vivekananda Park. The moment I would open my eyes, I would see the field. I started playing football with boys from the beginning of my life. Gender was never a factor.”
Munching on the hot and crispy samosa, I listened to the story of her life.
“Kaka (paternal uncle) and Kakima (aunt) gave me tremendous support,” she recounts. ‘My Kaka, Sujit Ghosh Dastidar was my guide. He would take me to the field. There was no provision for women’s football then.”
Those vibrant eyes and that smile filled with warmth have been welcoming hundreds of people since 1960s. Abashed, she confessed how the maestro, Satyajit Ray had wanted her to play the role of Durga in his famous trilogy of Apur Shanshar and how her Kaka had refused, determined not to get her detached from the world of football.
It was only in 1975 when Ara
ti Banerjee, wife of P.K. Banerjee, organised the first women’s football game on 5thof June at the field of Kalighat, Kolkata. A founder and secretary of the committee that organised this, she ignited the flame of women’s football in Kolkata. Among 150 girls who came for selection, 16 were selected from West Bengal, who went to play for the national team. Sushil Bhattacharya was their coach. This also marked the journey of Kuntala, as a professional football player.
“At that time,” she beams with pride, “maximum of 9-10 girls of the Indian team were from Bengal.”
Kuntala grew up watching the games of East Bengal and Mohun Bagan was inspired by Gautam Sarkar, who later on became her coach in the national team. An ardent lover of songs, you can easily get to hear some of her classic collections if you drop by her tent for a morning breakfast with her. She is known as ‘Godfather’ and ‘Buro’ (old man) by her peers.
“We are like a family,” Itikona Mondal – who had played alongside Kuntala Ghosh Dastidar in the national team – chipped in. “We have been together since 1975. It’s 2017 and we are still going strong.”
Things have changed. Situations have changed. India has lost her golden age when Kuntala Ghosh Dastidar captained the Indian women’s team in Women’s World Cup. She coached 2000-02 and the senior state team in 1994-95 and 1998-99.
India has had its share of glory in the international arena. Twice, in 1979 and 1983, they were runner-up in the Asian Championship. In between, in 1981, the team bagged the third position. They also participated in the World Cup in 1982. Kuntala smiles recounting the past glory, adding, “In the recent FIFA ranking, we have gone down to 60th position. This is a disaster.”
“We have been serving since 1975,” Kuntala blurted out her agony. “Unfortunately there’s none in the board with practical experience. Baichung is there. We should be there too. We should represent ourselves. Then only we can formulate proper ways to improve ourselves.”
Her smile brings hope among the players, among the football lovers like us. The sun rays sparkled on the trees affirming her struggle. She hugged me as I left. We promised to meet again. We promised to talk about football, about the development of women’s football in India. She trusts my words, she has faith in my pen. Let’s start the dialogues.
©Aparajita Dutta
Photos sourced by the author.
#SportsAndFeminism #Football #MohunBagan #EastBengal #FIFA #WomensWorldCup #KuntalaGhoshDastidar #DifferentTruths
Tags: Actor,Agony,Aparajita,Breakfast,Calcutta Referee Club,Champion,Committee,Development,different truth,Different Truths,Durga,East Bengal,FIFA Women’s World Cup,Gautam Sarkar,Indian,Indian Women,Interview,Kuntala,Kuntala Ghosh Dastidar,Maximum,Mohun Bagan,Morning,mother,position,Professional,promised,research,Samosa,Smiles,South Kolkata,Strong,Sujit Ghosh Dastidar,Talk,Tea,Trilogy,Vibrant,Warmth,Welcome,West Bengal,women’s football
Scientific Revolutions: How Genes Respond to Changes in Earth, Moon, and Mars – III
Petrichor Dreams
Aparajita Dutta
Aparajita Dutta is a writer, poet, social activist and a research scholar. She has completed her M.Phil in Comparative Literature from Jadavpur University in 2015. She has been the contributing author of Tell Me a Story, published by Penguin India. Aparajita has written for other books, magazines, and websites as well. Her interests are football, gender rights, disability, and translation.
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Canadian Securities Regulators Include DLT in 2019–2020 Business Plan
Bitcoin Regulation, Blockchain, Canada, Crypto News, Cryptocurrencies, Security
The Canadian Securities Administrators included strategies for DLT and blockchain-based securities regulations in their Business Plan 2019–2022.
The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) are focusing on understanding and regulating distributed ledger technology (DLT) and its related components. The Canadian securities regulatory agency included a section on DLT and crypto assets in its Business Plan 2019–2022 that was published on July 13.
The CSA’s business plan for 2018–2022 was approved on May 28, and represents a collaborative effort by the CSA to define its priorities over the next several years.
Among a range of priorities such as fair and efficient markets, regulatory advancement and reduction of risks, the CSA also pointed out the need to consider the implications of DLT, including blockchain technology.
The CSA reasoned its interest in DLT with its purported potential to transform the landscape of the financial industry. The CSA thus will explore possible changes to adapt the existing regulatory framework to address the challenges that could arise with regard to crypto assets. The document further specifies:
“This strategic goal consists of (i) identifying the emerging regulatory issues related to technology that require regulatory action or clarity, and (ii) developing a tailored and effective regulatory response for significant issues identified.”
Apart from that, the CSA is going to consider custodial requirements in relation to crypto assets, as well as capital raising issues that may be unique to blockchain-based securities.
As recently reported, cryptocurrency exchanges in Canada will be legally required to register with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada as of June 1, 2020. This requirement will come into effect along with other amendments to Canada’s new Anti-Money Laundering laws next year.
Canada’s Crypto Exchanges Must Now Register as MSBs, Report Transactions Over $10K
Canada, Crypto News, Exchanges, News, Regulation, US & Canada
Canada has updated its anti-money laundering rules, classing crypto exchanges as MSBs and mandating financial compliance and reporting.
Canada: Crypto Exchanges Must Register With Financial Watchdog Next June
AML, Banks, Blockchain, Canada, Crypto News, Cryptocurrencies, Cryptocurrency Exchange, Government, law, Money Laundering
New AML laws will require Canadian crypto exchanges to register with the country’s financial watchdog FinTRAC next June.
Cryptocurrency exchanges in Canada will be legally required to register with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FinTRAC) as of June 1, 2020, according to a notice published on July 10.
This requirement will come into effect along with other amendments to Canada’s new anti-money-laundering (AML) laws next year.
Crypto exchanges will also reportedly be required to observe Know Your Customer policies and report any suspicious transactions to the Canadian watchdog; this also includes keeping records of their clients and hiring a compliance officer for their platform.
A report by The Globe and Mail notes that up until now, compliance with these policies has been voluntary, but some exchanges have chosen to do so anyway.
The motivation for implementing the new policies is reportedly to get Canadian banks onboard and in cooperation with cryptocurrency exchanges.
According to Lori Stein, a partner at business law firm Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt, Canadian financial institutions have historically been concerned about the risk of money laundering and terrorist financing via crypto exchanges. Stein said:
“The hope is that now that there is going to be a requirement to register and comply, and oversight by FinTRAC, that banks and other financial entities are going to be more open to providing services to and dealing with virtual-currency businesses.”
However, Stein points out that some international exchanges may not be willing to comply with the new Canadian rules. Some other experts reportedly agree, saying that having mandatory regulation requirements could result in cryptocurrency exchanges opting to exit from the Canadian marketplace.
The CEO of blockchain startup Bitaccess, Moe Adham, told The Globe and Mail, “I expect to see a number of firms relocate outside of Canada, as well as international firms limiting access to Canadians.”
The new regulatory policies may also drive crypto exchange customers away, some say. “This has the potential to drive cryptocurrency underground again,” said Canadian crypto exchange Coinsquare’s AML officer, Charlene Cieslik. Cieslik said that customers who do not want to reveal their information to exchanges, would likely just transact with each other directly.
As previously reported by Cointelegraph, a bill was signed in 2014 that required some foreign entities to register with FinTRAC for Bitcoin (BTC) payments.
Bitcoin Blinkers, Deluge Of Fake Canadian Notes Force Tim Horton to Reject $100 Bills
Canada, Crypto News, News, Tim Horton
Canadians love their Tim Horton’s coffees in winter and Jolly
Rancher slushies in hot sticky summers. Unfortunately, they can no longer fork
their $100 bills for these treats. Canada’s largest quick service restaurant
chain has recently announced,
“because of all the counterfeit in the area, we will no longer accept $100
bills.”
The notification, however, is not really that much of a surprise.
Most businesses in North America will not accept payments in bills larger than
$20 notes. Paper money has become so difficult to cash, that shoppers have
acquired the habit of breaking larger bills in banks before going to shop.
Bitcoin (BTC) Is Anti-Counterfeit
Crypto enthusiasts wish that more business would accept more Bitcoin payments instead. Bitcoin cannot be counterfeited or duplicated. No one can forge a token and fraudulently insert it into the system. The network will automatically reject such a scheme as it will prevent double spend of the tokens as well. For every BTC than exists, there is a list of transactions to back it.
The chronological order of origin is bound in blockchain, and this record is public. The BTC blockchain network forms its check and balances system. It is this self-regulatory character of Bitcoin that makes it fully decentralized. It is also the reason why the digital currency cannot be controlled by a single entity. The blockchain backbone is the reason why Tim Horton’s would not suffer losses from counterfeit notes if they mass applied Bitcoin payments in their chain.
Just like most other nations on earth, the Liberal government of
Canada has had a long fight with counterfeit bills. The Bank of Canada has in
2000, halted the printing of the $1,000 bill. The larger currency notes have
been a favorite of criminals. They have been used by money laundering rings,
for tax evasion schemes, and as counterfeits. The bank has also introduced new
bank notes with enhanced security features to cut down on forgeries.
Fake Canadian Dollars A Prevalent Problem
This move, however, has not slowed the counterfeit rings down. There have been various calls made to Canadians to watch out for fake $100 polymer bills. The note launched in 2011 as part of the Bank of Canada‘s upgraded bank bills has improved security elements. At the onset, the new notes did help curb the counterfeit notes rates, but it has not taken long for criminals to catch up.
However, most users just do not carry around $100 bills anymore. They visit either the ATM or bank for smaller $20, $10 or $5 bills. According to Prof. Werner Antweiler, Ph.D. of the University of British Columbia looking at “the Bank of Canada’s banknotes statistics, we see a significant increase in the use of $100 banknotes. The $100 banknote is the instrument of choice of the illicit economy because it is easy to carry and hide. High-denomination banknotes facilitate tax evasion, money laundering, and other types of criminal activity. Still, the Bank of Canada reported in 2017 that 51 percent of all sales in Canada are still using cash“.
The future, nonetheless, is cashless. Canadians will either need their high-interest charge credit cards or mobile crypto payments to pay for their favorite goodies if they do not have fiat in smaller bills.
The post Bitcoin Blinkers, Deluge Of Fake Canadian Notes Force Tim Horton to Reject $100 Bills appeared first on Ethereum World News.
Canadian Startup Wants to Upgrade Millions of ATMs to Sell Bitcoin
adoption, ATM, Bitcoin, Canada, Crypto News, Cryptocurrencies, FinTech, Investments, Software
Canadian crypto exchange Coinsquare announced an initiative to turn “millions” of ATMs to bitcoin teller machines.
Canadian exchange Coinsquare has acquired software allowing traditional ATMs to sell cryptocurrency such as bitcoin (BTC), according to a press release on July 3.
Coinsquare announced a controlling investment in Just Cash, a United States-based fintech startup that has developed a software that allows users to purchase crypto directly through traditional ATM machines without the need of additional hardware or mobile application.
Following the investment of undisclosed amount, the Just Cash team will join Coinsquare in and operate under Coinsquare brand.
Coinsquare CEO Cole Diamond says that the new initiative reflects the company’s mission of bringing mainstream adoption to the crypto industry. According to Diamond, enabling crypto purchases through ATMs will make cryptocurrency “finally reach the masses.”
Though the press release does not specify how many ATMs Coinsquare is targeting for the upgrade, the startup nevertheless can now offer crypto capabilities for millions of existing ATMs around the world.
Diamond notes:
“By using the millions of existing ATMs around the world, we can now bridge the gap and give new users the easiest and most familiar experience to purchase cryptocurrency. Bitcoin is new and unfamiliar to many, but ATMs are not.”
The news comes amid a recent report on Canada’s city of Vancouver considering a ban of specialized bitcoin ATMs (BTMs) due to money laundering concerns.
Earlier this year, Coinsquare announced the launch of its own stablecoin backed by the Canadian dollar (CAD). In late 2018, the company expanded its business to 25 countries in Europe, prior to reports that Coinsquare laid off around 30% of its employees in January 2019.
In late June, Cointelegraph reported that the total number of BTMs reached 5,000 in about 90 countries.
Canadian Blockchain Company Signs Contract with Seoul Ministry of Transportation
Blockchain, Canada, Charity, Crypto News, Cryptocurrencies, Hyperledger, South Korea, Voting
The Canadian firm Graph Blockchain Inc has partnered with Seoul’s transportation ministry.
Canadian tech firm Graph Blockchain Inc. has partnered with the Ministry of Transportation in Seoul, South Korea, to run a pilot program for blockchain-based traffic data storage, according to a news release on June 24.
Graph Blockchain reportedly signed a contract for around $55,000 CAD, or approximately $41,695 at press time, to run this pilot program as part of the “Smart City initiative.”
According to the CEO of Graph Blockchain, Jeff Stevens, the company intends to use its blockchain solution to “streamline and protect” traffic data. Graph Blockchain purportedly uses the open source Hyperledger Fabric framework to develop its blockchain solutions.
Near the end of 2018, Seoul’s mayor, Park Won-soon, announced the “Blockchain City of Seoul”: a five-year plan to grow the blockchain industry in South Korea’s capital. Park also remarked that blockchain solutions would be integrated into Seoul’s administration systems, including a voting system, charity management, and vehicle history reports. In May, Park further announced integration of blockchain tech into its citizen ID cards.
As previously reported by Cointelegraph, South Korean banks are also developing blockchain-based solutions, but are not supporting the use of cryptocurrency. Korean crypto influencer Hyun-sik ‘Soso’ Choi commented, saying:
“Korean banks are jumping into the blockchain field. While this proves there is huge interest in the technology from traditional finance, all the attempts are on the tech side. They are ignoring the cryptocurrency part.”
Soso cites governmental support for blockchain innovations, but not cryptocurrencies, as one of the main reasons for the banks’ current approach.
South Korea currently has a ban on initial coin offerings (ICOs), as does China. Japan, however, remains as one of the East Asian countries currently attempting to regulate ICOs, keeping coin offerings and crypto exchanges legal.
QuadrigaCX Co-Founder Used User Deposits for His Own Trading, Created Fake Accounts
Bitcoin Scams, Canada, Crypto News, Cryptocurrency Exchange, QuadrigaCX
The exchange’s deceased owner was transferring user funds off the exchange and using them in his own margin trading on other platforms.
The deceased owner of the now-defunct Canadian crypto exchange QuadrigaCX was allegedly transferring user funds off the exchange and using them as a security for his own margin trading on other platforms.
The news was revealed in the fifth report from court monitor Ernst & Young (EY), filed on June 19 with the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia.
EY has outlined its principal concerns in relation to the exchange, noting that its operations were “significantly flawed from a financial reporting and operational control perspective.”
In addition to most of the activities being directed by a single individual — the now-deceased co-founder Gerald Cotton — EY notes that there was neither segregation between duties and basic internal controls, nor any segregation of assets between Quadriga’s and user funds.
In this context, EY adds, Quadriga did not have any visibility into its profitability. Users’ crypto, the report states, was not exclusively maintained in the exchange’s wallets. Moreover:
“Significant volumes of Cryptocurrency were transferred off Platform outside Quadriga to competitor exchanges into personal accounts controlled by Mr. Cotten. It appears that User Cryptocurrency was traded on these exchanges and in some circumstances used as security for a margin trading account established by Mr. Cotten.”
In addition, Cotten reportedly created fake “identified” accounts on Quadriga under multiple aliases “into which unsupported Deposits were deposited and used to trade within the platform.” This, EY, states, resulted in “inflated revenue figures, artificial trades with Users and ultimately the withdrawal of Cryptocurrency deposited by Users.”
In his trading on competitor exchanges, EY notes that Cotten incurred trading losses and incremental fees that subsequently adversely affected Quadriga’s cryptocurrency reserves.
Notably, EY says it has been unable to confirm the identity of wallet holders to which substantial sums of crypto were transferred. As of the filing date, a reported 76,000 users are owed a combination of fiat and crypto by Quadriga, at an aggregate value of CD$214.6 million ($162.2 million).
Competitor exchanges reportedly received multiple forms of crypto from Quadriga wallets from 2016-19 including 9,450 bitcoin (BTC), 387,738 ether (ETH) and 239,020 litecoin (LTC).
The report outlines in detail the crypto transfers and liquidations that EY identified from Quadriga to date, with varying success — among which CD$80 million ($60.5 million) in BTC remains unaccounted for, having been sold via an unnamed third-party exchange.
As previously reported, Quadriga had initially filed for creditor protection when — following the death of its co-founder Gerald Cotten — the exchange ostensibly lost access to its cold wallets and corresponding keys that allegedly held the assets owed to its clients.
Accenture to Sign Blockchain ID Deal With Canada, Netherlands and Aviation Players
Accenture, Blockchain, Canada, Crypto News, Netherlands
A senior executive at the firm revealed a deal was weeks away from becoming official after over a year of preliminary work.
Global accounting giant Accenture will sign a formal deal with Canada, the Netherlands and other parties to use blockchain in identifying travelers. The company’s managing director of capital markets, David Treat, confirmed the move at the Synchronize Europe conference in London on June 18, attended by a Cointelegraph correspondent.
Part of its expanding activities in the blockchain sector, Accenture will team up with the Canadian and Dutch governments, as well as Air France-KLM, Air Canada and several airports under a new agreement.
Treat will personally ratify the deal, called “Known Traveller Digital Identity,” which aims to tailor travellers’ experiences using biometric data, in around two weeks’ time.
“If I’m able to take my user-controlled identity, decide that I actually want to share, so that I can get hyper-personalized service. I want to share aspects of my preferences, my identity with those players […] in my journey, can I get a better service?” he explained during a presentation.
The rollout of blockchain-based ID will effectively allow travellers to inform customs and border control of their biometrics, along an itinerary of their movements, in advance.
The scheme originally surfaced in early 2018 around the World Economic Forum, with officials highlighting the need to coordinate traveller data.
“Innovation is key to enhancing global competitiveness, mobility and productivity,” Canada’s Minister of Transport, Marc Garneau, commented at the time. He added:
“Leveraging new technological advancements can support risk-based approaches to public safety and security, making air travel more efficient while improving the travel experience.”
Blockchain has already found other inroads into aviation in particular, with both Air France-KLM and Accenture itself highlighting its potential.
Canadian Pharmacy to Track Cannabis via Blockchain in New Pilot Program
Blockchain, Canada, Colorado, Crypto News, Supply Chain
Blockchain technology is now being used in a pilot program for tracking cannabis supply chains.
Canadian pharmacy chain Shoppers Drug Mart has partnered with blockchain company TruTrace Technologies Inc. to launch a pilot program for cannabis supply chain tracking via blockchain, according to a report by Bloomberg on June 17.
According to the report, this blockchain tracking system will be used to identify and track medical cannabis, with data included such as the strain’s source and genetics. This data will purportedly allow doctors to issue more effective prescriptions, as well as provide robust information for medical marijuana clinical trials.
Shoppers Drug Mart executive Ken Weisbrod commented on how this new level of specificity can help, saying:
“They can say, ‘This particular product, strain, cultivar has this chemistry component and my patient is consistently on this drug and he’s gotten great outcomes […] Then we can start triangulating that data. This is a huge leap for the industry.”
The motivation behind the tracking system is to assuage the concerns of patients and doctors alike, by “mak[ing] it more like traditional medicine,” says Weisbrod.
Commenting on TruTrace’s motivations, the firm’s CEO Robert Galarza said that he hoped the company’s recent partnership with Shoppers Drug Mart can be parlayed into similar arrangements with American pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens, which already sell cannabis-based products.
As previously reported by Cointelegraph, Colorado-based Internet of Things car security firm CyberCar partnered with cannabis supply chain software company Webjoint in 2017 to use a blockchain-based car tracking system for cannabis deliveries.
According to the report, the blockchain system would track drivers and vehicles automatically. Webjoint CEO Chris Dell’Olio commented on how CyberCar’s driver tracking would help its business, saying:
“Compliance reporting has always been the largest hurdle for the cannabis industry. With CyberCar embedded in our solution, we are able to totally automate all municipal and state reporting requirements.”
Canadian University to Issue Blockchain-Based Diplomas to Class of 2019
Blockchain, Canada, Crypto News, Education, Malta
The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology has partnered with blockchain marketplace ODEM to issue blockchain copies of diplomas for 4,800 students.
A Canadian tech institute will issue blockchain-based diplomas to its next graduating class, according to an official press release on June 13.
The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) has partnered with blockchain marketplace ODEM (On-Demand Education Marketplace) to provide blockchain-based copies of student diplomas for SAIT’s graduating class of 2019.
SAIT’s class of 2019, which is made up of over 4,800 students, will reportedly be able to use blockchain technology to share their official diplomas as needed, circumventing the need for alumni to request official documents from SAIT to send to recruiters and employers.
The students will receive the digital version of their certifications in tandem with a traditional paper copy.
ODEM CEO Richard Maaghul commented on how this gives students ownership of their diplomas, saying:
“We believe that students should have control over their own records, and blockchain technology makes that possible.”
The blockchain records will purportedly make the hiring process easier for employers, too, since they can easily verify the credentials of SAIT alumni as genuine.
ODEM and SAIT’s reportedly ran a pilot project in December, in which they used the Ethereum blockchain to test the process of issuing blockchain-based diplomas. 25 participants were drawn from the Pre-Employment Automotive Service Technician program.
Universities in other countries, such as Bahrain and Malta, have also begun to issue and store diplomas on blockchains. The University of Bahrain in particular announced that it was partnering with the startup Learning Machine to provide its blockchain diplomas.
Meanwhile in Malta, the entire country is set to store all educational certificates on a blockchain. The Maltese government partnered with Learning Machine as well, running a two year pilot program to keep certification records from all Maltese schools on a blockchain; this included certificates issued by churches, independent schools, and secondary schools in the country.
As recently reported by Cointelegraph, another university in Canada, the University of British Columbia, has begun a blockchain training program for its graduate- and PhD-level students. The program aims to train 139 students, over a six year period, to understand blockchain solutions for the following areas: health and wellness, clean energy, regulatory technology and Indigenous issues.
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L’adresse de notre site Web est : https://cuisine-cosmopolite.com.
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News & Interview
Lee Si Young and Choi Si Won Love Line to Start
Drama Haven Editorial
Poseidon [포세이돈]
In the sixth episode of Poseidon aired on October 4th 2011, the relationship between Soo-yoon (Lee Si-young) and Seon-woo (Choi Si-won) is getting closer because of boxing training, as Si Young no longer able to control her emotions and hold back her tears during the boxing match.
After knowing that his father actually went missing during the smuggling to China after receiving a large amount of money from black society, Si Young is furious and resentful on the wrongful act of his father who was the leader of the Coast Guard. At this time, Kim Seon-woo requested a boxing match with Soo-yoon.
Kim Sun Woo said provocatively, “are you afraid?” Soo-yoon said, “I’m not in the mood to box. You could die if you box with me right now”. In the end, both of them stand in the ring and have a fierce battle. In the end, Soo-yoon who usually exercises when she is downbeat just put herself into the arm of Sun Woo and started to cry.
Sun Woo consoled her and Si Young’s spirit became better. Si Young also noticed an unreal text message and missed call alert, knowing that he is caring about her, and is moved. Later they went to a BBQ restaurant, and started to talk friendlily, and relationship is getting closer. When Si Young heard Sun Woo wanted to order more wine, she said, “When I drank I will go to sleep in penthouse, can you afford it?”
Viewers commented that, “I can’t wait for their romance,” “She’s like the boxing champion that deals with her relationships as roughly as she boxes,” “Very curious how Sun Woo going to make her loves him,” and more.
via Nate
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Archive for Virginia Leith
Wagner’s Wrong Cycle
Posted in FILM, literature, MUSIC with tags A Kiss Before Dying, George MacReady, Gerd Oswald, Ira Levin, Jeffrey Hunter, Joanne Woodward, Mary Astor, Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner, Rosemary's Baby, The Brain that Wouldn't Die, The True Story of Jesse James, Virginia Leith, With a Song in my Heart on April 12, 2019 by dcairns
“Stand there, Bob. No, elbow up a bit. Turn your head a fraction…”
Hollywood started going weirdly wrong in the fifties, I think. Competing with TV, which in those days had really great scripts and acting but looked essentially like Mr. Magoo’s Dream of Hell, Hollywood countered with some terrible scripts and elevated a lot of attractive non-actors to leading roles.
A KISS BEFORE DYING isn’t an appalling piece of writing, but the need to render the central literary trick of Ira Levin’s source novel in cinematic terms robs it of most of its bite, and the dentition is further eroded by the casting of bores and incompetents in the leads, with one more skilled player so miscast her abilities wrench the whole thing in the wrong direction. True, the casting of Robert Wagner as a killer of women is… suggestive. Titillating, even, in a deeply wrong way. And it’s true that Wagner’s blandness shows some sign of becoming a positive dramatic force — he IS the banality of evil — in this unfamiliar context. Mark Cousins recently introduced me to RW’s early appearance in WITH A SONG IN MY HEART, where he plays a traumatised veteran, and the contrast of his catalogue model beauty with the “troubled” label is as close to “electrifying” as one could ever speak of in relation to this player, who always seems smothered in insulation.
And that’s still the case in AKBD. If one reads about the life and death of Natalie Wood, RW emerges as someone with a definite dark side, even if you don’t think he’s guilty of or hiding anything beyond rowing with his wife and being a bit inept at calling in an emergency (I would say he might well be guilty of more than that, though the term “person of interest” never sat more uncomfortably on the shoulders of a movie star). But as the would-be serial unmarried young Bluebeard here, Wagner invests no malevolence, no cunning, no manipulation in the role, he just doubles down on his native blandness. (One exception: the character’s nastiness to his dear mother, played by a rare Technicolor Mary Astor, makes you want to stab him.) Uh-oh.
OK, so that could actually work, even if it’s a side-effect of somebody’s casting error rather than an inspired choice (and you just can’t tell with Wagner) but who do we have as the good guys? Uh oh.
Jeffrey Hunter is the studious young man who tries to thwart Wagner’s proto-uxoricide (is there a word for killing your betrothed? Anyone writing about this story needs such a word). Hunter, unlike Wagner, is a man who shows clear signs of wanting to act, so he dons glasses and clenches a pipe between his pearly whites I refer to his teeth, not his butt cheeks, as you might suppose)… and that’s it for performance. Can you wonder that, despite yielding to no man in my admiration for Nick Ray, I have never made it through THE TRUE STORY OF JESSE JAMES, or if I have, I can’t remember it? What stops me making another attempt on that Everest of tedium is that I might be wasting my time, having already accomplished the feat only to have it slip from my memory like an unusually dull bar of soap. That one also has both Wagner and Hunter as leads — the Dream Team! In that you actually fall asleep watching them. Then we have Virginia Leith, evidently also being groomed for stardom — thrust upon the blameless public. She’s really, um, “good” in THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE, in that she invests lines like “No, my deformed friend, like all quantities, horror has it’s ultimate, and I am that,” with exactly what they seem to demand, whatever that is. Here, she’s lost, just uninterestingly terrible, and the script loses focus whenever she’s around, since it wants us to be on her side as she investigates her sister’s death, and still on her side when she refuses, against all reason, to believe in Wager’s guilt. Very hard for an actor to put over, and completely impossible for poor Virginia, who is very attractive I must say.
Joanna Woodward is the miscast one, the only lead who can act: she’s studied her part and deduced that the character written as a doting nitwit must be played as such, an unavoidable conclusion for a method actor but the wrong choice for this hokum. (Look at Mia Farrow’s far more sympathetic, less distanced performance in ROSEMARY’S BABY, from another Levin book about a deceived and betrayed woman.) If they’d only swapped Leith and Woodward around, I think you’d have something: Leith’s lack of experience/skill would allow her to play dim naturally, without knowing she was doing it, and maintain our sympathy without trying, and Woodward could invest her shrewdness in playing the wilful, sharp (some of the time) and passionate heroine.
Astor is good but there isn’t enough of her. Dear old George Macready is acting for five, and it’s not like I don’t appreciate the effort but maybe not now, George?
Gerd Oswald directs, his camera leering-looming-lurching in for dramatic close-ups, unsubtle but certainly appropriate, and the whole production gleams dumbly. I love Technicolor, part 2.
There is a love song, “A Kiss Before Dying,” playing on every juke box in this movie, and nobody says “What a weird idea for a song!”
Oh, and the credits have kissy lipsticks all over them, which is particularly curious with Wagner and Hunter being top-billed.
A KISS BEFORE DYING stars Prince Valiant; Jan in the Pan; Teenage Jesus; Clara Varner; Miss Wonderly; Count Yorga, vampire; and General Mireau.
Posted in FILM with tags Jon Jost, Macauley Culkin, Ruth Roman, Virginia Leith, Whit Bissell on December 19, 2015 by dcairns
Because, rather absurdly, I am in preproduction at Christmastime, which is like a great big Christmas parcel for me (albeit one wrapped in stress and decorated in exhaustion), I am rather behind on my Christmas shopping, having bought essentially nothing. However, dear Shadowplayers, I have not forgotten YOU. Here are our annual Shadowplay Christmas cards for you to cut out and keep.
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Home Reviews Review: ‘L’amico Fritz’ at Baltimore Concert Opera
Review: ‘L’amico Fritz’ at Baltimore Concert Opera
Darby DeJarnette
The Baltimore Concert Opera has every reason to be proud as it moves into its 10th season of operations. From the concert hall at the Engineers Club, the company provides a unique experience for local opera fans. L’amico Fritz, a lesser known opera by Cavalleria Rusticana Composer Pietro Mascagni with Librettist Nicola Dispuro, emerged as a surprisingly enjoyable addition to their current season.
Many Baltimore Concert Opera productions feature a pre-performance lecture. Conductor Giovanni Reggioli took the reins to talk about why this production is so rare outside of Italy. In his opinion, the weaker story line is really what makes L’amico Fritz so challenging. This opera is very much an adherent to the verismo tradition, which is associated with post-Romantic Italian composers whose main aim was to portray more realism. While Mascagni was believed to be Mussolini’s favorite composer, the opera faced criticism for its prominent portrayal of a rabbi and a Romani person (a character colloquially, but contentiously in the modern sense, referred to as a “gypsy”). It is reasonable that Mussolini may have had this complaint. While the Italian fascists were much less public in their anti-Semitism—in fact, Mussolini’s longtime mistress Margherita Sarfatti was a Jewish art critic—it became increasingly important for governments to fall in lock-step with Hitler’s designs for Europe. I am sure Mussolini would have chalked it up to the fault being in our stars and not in ourselves, a common excuse du jour in fascist circles.
This was the environment in which L’amico Fritz thrived. As for the plot, I agree with Conductor Reggioli. It was a fine bit of fluff centering around a rabbi who makes a deal with a local bachelor that he can find him a wife, which results in predictable hijinks and an even more predictable ending. However, the music is just gorgeous—shockingly so—and that is where Baltimore Concert Opera elevates this obscure piece to new heights.
Tenor William Davenport takes on the title role of Fritz Kobus. His voice inhabits the role of the wealthy bachelor with ease. His tenor is a perfect foil to soprano Victoria Cannizzo, who takes on the role of Suzel—a somewhat naive daughter of one of Fritz’s tenants. The “Cherry Duet” in the second act showcased their impressive vocal stamina: Davenport is secure in his voice, while Cannizzo complements this with a vocal quality that is simultaneously willowy but clear. Personally, I think a song about picking cherries is a hard sell, but these two were up to the challenge.
Lets talk about David, the local rabbi, who is sung by baritone Eric McKeever. McKeever is just magnificent in this role, adapting himself to the comedic challenges while bursting with the energy of a man with a plan. His is a stand-out performance among performers who are all top-notch. His rich baritone doesn’t have that sort of sharp quality you sometimes find in the lower registers. McKeever has a skill at manipulating timbre in a way that isn’t off-putting.
Violinist Sarah Hedlund provides a stand-in for the haunting violin solo by Fritz’s friend Beppe (the aforementioned “gypsy”) which appears in the first act. The inclusion of this musical deviation is a unique decision for such a safe opera. Hedlund’s skill made it a very enjoyable deviation indeed. The vocal part of Beppe is tackled by Kate Jackman, a mezzo-soprano who executes this gender-swapped role admirably.
Frederico (Wesley Morgan) and Hanezò (Cody Müller) provide comic relief as Fritz’s skeptical friends, while Kylena Parks rounds out the cast as the servant Caterina. Baltimore Concert Opera has a genius for finding talent which shines even in these “bit” parts. This is probably why it isn’t uncommon to hear of people in the audience who have driven for hours to attend these productions.
Of course, as a concert opera, staging is sparse and it is mostly up to the imagination. Pianist Justina Lee and Chorus Master James Harp lend their critical talents to creating the atmosphere. This is a benefit that allows each of the artists to show off their talent without distraction.
L’amico Fritz is an enjoyable foray outside of the realm of popular opera. Baltimore Concert Opera, again, brings top-notch talent to the production. Mascagni’s lovely composition allows each singer to showcase their strengths while giving the audience a chance to let go of any expectations of complexity—to sit back and enjoy the music for what it is is just what we need sometimes. Even if producing lesser known works is a risk, I have no doubt that the Baltimore Concert Opera will continue to provide the kind of experiences that broaden our appreciation of opera and vocal performance for many years to come.
L’amico Fritz played November 9 through 11, 2018, at the Engineers Club—11 W Mt Vernon Place, in Baltimore, MD. Tickets to upcoming productions can be purchased online.
Previous articleReview: ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ at The Hippodrome Theatre
Next articleTrying to Fall Out of Love in a Laundromat: Playwright Bob Bartlett on ‘The Accident Bear’
Darby DeJarnette is a part-time writer, full-time marketing and PR junkie, and forever theatre connoisseur. In a past life, she crewed many productions at community and regional theatres. She has not worked on Broadway, but has often stood adjacent to many of its illustrious venues eating questionable street food- which should count for something. When she is not engaged in becoming the Most Prolific Coffee Drinker in the Known Universe, she can be found haunting (very much like a ghost) many museums and other sites of artistic and historical interest in the Mid Atlantic.
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White Paper - HDS+CSC UCP for VMware Success at US Bank_020615
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Cloud Computing for Academic Environment
Hitachi and CSC Speed Deployment of NextGeneration IT Infrastructure for Leading U.S.
CSC Agility Platform running on Hitachi Unified Compute Platform
sets bank on path to growth while ensuring compliance
By Hitachi Data Systems
Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... 2
Challenge ....................................................................................................................... 3
Solution .......................................................................................................................... 4
Benefits .......................................................................................................................... 5
Learn More ..................................................................................................................... 5
Sales Insight ................................................................................................................... 6
Hitachi Data Systems is partnering with CSC, a global leader in next-generation information technology services and
solutions, on the deployment of a next-generation information technology (IT) infrastructure at a leading U.S. financial
services banking institution. The partners delivered phase one of the solutionCSC Agility Platform running on Hitachi
Unified Compute Platform for VMwarein 2014 and is now focused on other areas. The successful deployment set the
bank on a path to growth by offering enterprise scale, security and agility. The combined Hitachi/CSC offering also
supports the corporations enforcement of strong policy controls, IT infrastructure transformation and its seamless move to
the cloud.
With other financial services institutions in the U.S. and worldwide facing similar business pressures, Hitachi and CSC are
striving to replicate their success at other banks. The purpose of this internal case study is to share the challenges that
the profiled U.S. bank faced, the solution that the partners delivered and the benefits that the bank has realized to date.
This case study also includes helpful insight and lessons that the partners learned throughout the customer lifecycle.
Hitachi sales teams will learn the optimal banks to target with a similar solution along with the top 10 differentiators that
the combined Hitachi/CSC offering delivers to help them better compete on the next banking opportunity.
Highlights of Hitachi-CSC Success at U.S. Bank
Customer: U.S. financial services corporation listed among countrys top 10 banks in terms of total assets
Solutions: CSC Agility Platform operating on Hitachi Unified Compute Platform for VMware vSphere
Differentiator: Industrys first hybrid, single SKU banking appliance to successfully position bank for growth,
compliance and market competitiveness
Deal Size: $15 million in revenue to Hitachi in first six months
GSI Partner: CSC
Transform under-funded, aging IT infrastructure hindering growth, compliance
This U.S. financial services corporation had a significant market presence that included branches in multiple states
offering retail and business banking along with a thriving online and mobile business. With a new management team at
the helm in 2013, the corporations Board of Directors approved a multi-billion, multi-year strategic plan to support its goal
of becoming one of the largest banks in the country. Behind the scenes, however, the corporation faced a number of
complex challenges. Several years of underinvestment in IT left the bank with an outdated IT infrastructure and severely
aging applications. In addition to hampering its business performance and agility, the companys inadequate IT operations
was attracting scrutiny from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)
Recognizing the dire need to overhaul its IT infrastructure, the bank established a major 12-month initiative, as part of its
overall strategic growth plan. The program entailed leapfrogging outdated processes and platforms in favor of moving to a
turnkey, single platform solution that enabled the bank to enforce strong internal policy controls and ensure compliance
with OCC laws and regulations. Revamping everything from facilities to IT Service Management (ITSM) processes, the
corporation was also striving to ensure its transformed environment would enable its management to aggressively
advance its strategic growth initiatives, quickly respond to market opportunities and lower both capital and operational
The corporation built a new data center and invested in a best-in-class solution that addressed their immediate need to
update hundreds of applications. The financial services institution needed to ensure that their management tools could
provide them with on-demand, self-service access to applications and application platforms while meeting enterprise
governance, compliance and security requirements. With their plans for rapid growth, they also required an infrastructure
with the scalability, reliability and flexibility to quickly create repeatable, new business-facing applications along with worldclass data protection, retention and recovery capabilities.
CSC Agility Platform Leveraging the Power of Hitachi Unified Compute Platform
To lead its transformation the financial services corporation turned to two proven leaders: CSC, a global leader in nextgeneration information technology services and solutions, and Hitachi Data Systems, which offers the most advanced
converged solution for IT and cloud infrastructures. By combining CSCs industry knowledge and expertise in
implementing large projects along with the powerful Hitachi virtualized enterprise storage technologies, the long-time
partners worked together to help the bank achieve their aggressive timeline with a solution that enhanced business agility
and operational efficiency while delivering an unbeatable price-to-performance ratio.
The heart of the U.S. banks solution is CSC Agility Platform, an enterprise cloud management solution that runs on the
Hitachi Unified Compute Platform for VMware vSphere, with its unique Hitachi Unified Compute Platform Director. The
combined offering enables transformative Everything-as-a-Service IT delivery models in a rapid, flexible and scalable
fashion by governing, orchestrating and delivering Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and
Storage as a Service (SaaS) portfolios across hybrid cloud environments.
With the U.S. banks pressing requirements for enterprise governance, compliance, security and end user needs, CSC
Agility Platform serves as the ideal solution. Considered to be the only enterprise grade policy engine in the industry to
support cloud management governance, CSC Agility Platform offers flexible policy creation and enforcement without
relying on manual workflow approvals or actions. The solution delivers both application- and infrastructure-level policy
control throughout the full application lifecyclefrom initial development through production deployment and beyond.
Since the U.S. bank operates in such a highly regulated industry, the company benefited from CSC Agility Platform
enabling the rapid development and implementation of completely custom policies to address their evolving governance
and security requirements while protecting sensitive data.
A valuable outcome from an infrastructure perspective is the fact that the CSC Agility Platform and Hitachi solutions
ended the banks struggle with mounting complications and rising costs of managing dated, disparate technology
resources. By leapfrogging to a next generation, converged infrastructure solution that leverages Hitachi best-in-class
hardware and software technology, the bank was able to securely deploy applications. Since the implementation team
worked diligently to create a single SKU, appliance model with all components from Hitachi, CSC, VMware and other
vendors pre-staged and pre-built, the bank required minimal customization. This end-to-end appliance resulted in a
significantly faster implementation of multiple phases in different locations than any competing vendors would have been
able to deliver. It also established an underlying infrastructure that could scale to quickly meet the banks needs whenever
and wherever its business demands change.
Another critical component of the banks solution was Hitachi UCP Director, which won the bank over with its innovation
and quality. This software integrates deeply into VMware vCenter and VMware vCenter Operations Manager to centralize
and automate management of the banks server, storage and networking components. With this software delivering
visibility and management capabilities, the company is able to align IT with business processes using familiar tools. UCP
Director monitors, provisions and protects all the elements of UCP for VMware vSphere using a single view. It provides an
overall health status of solution elements, enables provisioning of hosts, storage and networking resources to address
fluctuating demands, and securely protects the converged system. This innovative approach further reduces the
complexity and maintenance challenges associated with disjointed and inefficient management of underlying
infrastructures, which enables the bank to save time and money.
Banking on Positive Outcomes and Measurable Results
Since successfully completing phase one of the end-to-end Hitachi /CSC solution implementation, the financial services
corporation is realizing several positive outcomes. Most important is the fact that as the bank acquires or merges with
other banks to realize its growth goals, the corporation has in place a next-generation IT infrastructure with the scalability,
performance and agility required for them to be highly responsive to changing business and customer demands.
Other key benefits that the bank is realizing with the combined CSC and Hitachi UCP for VMware solution include:
Single Platform: Establishes a single platform for current and future applications with the automation needed
to create repeatable, efficient and quick updates. The combined CSC, Hitachi and VMware solution provides
a solid foundation for its shift to the cloud, seamless integration and reduced risks.
Strong Policy Control: Responds to pressure from OCC regulators with a solution that enforces strong
policy control with its comprehensive governance tool that is more customizable and configurable than
competitors. The CSC/ Hitachi offering enables the bank to stay within all necessary regulatory requirements
and avoid fines for non-compliance. In fact, the bank passed its disaster recovery tests, a critical
accomplishment achieved following its accelerated implementation.
Reduced Costs: Reduces IT administration costs and capital expenses. The bank is no longer paying
enormous amounts of money to software suppliers to sort out upgrades and replacements. And, with a single
source platform, the bank benefits from one contract and one contact for support.
Frees up IT resources: Provides one-step provisioning and deployment with Hitachi UCP Director. Having a
one stop shop improves security, speed and accuracy. By streamlining procurement and the time required
to create new environments, the corporation will eventually be able to offer self-service for provisioning new
virtual machines in a matter of minutes a vast improvement on a process that currently takes 55 days.
Increases business agility: By providing on-demand self-service for provisioning virtual machines, the bank
gains greater business agility and the ability to reduce time-to-market for many of its offerings.
Open Source Ready: Positions the bank to benefit from the open source community since CSC and Hitachi
use proven, cloud-ready platforms as part of OpenStack clouds. Whatever the banks future choice for cloud
approaches and delivery models, the partners can meet its needs with best-in-industry cloud solutions that
are flexible, efficient and proven trustworthy.
Uncovers Opportunities: Creates a ripple effect by uncovering improvement and transformation
opportunities across the bank so it can achieve that next level of operational performance and growth. Areas
include network design; virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), demand management, application discovery,
capacity planning, release management and more.
Learn more about Hitachi Unified Compute Platform for VMware vSphere and Unified Compute Platform Director. Read
the solution profile and Unified Compute Platform Director datasheet.
Sales Insight
Targeting the Next Financial Services Deal
Hitachi and CSC can now replicate the success achieved at this leading U.S. financial services corporation with CSC
Agility Platform on Hitachi UCP for VMware at other banks. For best results sales should target banks that are
experiencing the following business pains and opportunities:
Change in leadership with a new C-level executive wanting to spearhead initiatives that improve the banks
competitive position and growth potential
Need for business transformation and overhaul of IT infrastructure
IT fielding too many complaints about the usability of its environment and the amount of time required to set up
Dev/Ops
Need to respond to pressures related to compliance or regulatory requirements
Top 10 Differentiators to Help Win Your Next Banking Opportunity
1. Growth: Create growth opportunities with a highly scalable, secure infrastructure ready for whatever the future
might bring from acquisitions to utilizing big data and embracing digital channels for expanded banking and
financial service for consumers.
2. Compliance: Enable a very strong policy and compliance capability that meets the stringent requirements of
federal industry regulators.
3. Security: Effectively manage sensitive records, securely and intelligently provide cloud services and costefficiently archive and manage the flood of unstructured data from disparate sources.
4. Single SKU Appliance: Benefit from a single-source acquisition; pre-certified, pre-integrated and pre-built so
customer doesnt have to buy from several different vendors and maintain a range of contracts.*
5. Repeatable: Drive automation of complex tasks to help ensure rapid response; predictable, repeatable and
reliable results along with high resource utilization for enhanced value.
6. Best-in-Class: Stay in step or ahead of competition by investing in the latest, next-generation technologies and
best of class capabilities to drive world-class results.
7. Speed/Price/Performance: Speed time to value with a proven approach to meeting aggressive implementation
milestones, improving integration, and delivering best price-to-performance ratio for supporting mission-critical
applications and SLAs.
8. Cloud: Move to the cloud with a private or hybrid approach that securely and efficiently supports all service level
and content mobility requirements while allowing banks to leverage the flexibility and cost benefits of public clouds
as appropriate.
9. Unburden IT: Keep up with massive data growth, increasing IT complexity and stricter data availability service
level requirements.
10. Reliability: Reduce risks and disruption to the business by counting on the #1-rated storage and server
technologies, with legendary Hitachi quality and warranty of technology.
*Note: While the solution was positioned to the banking client as an appliance to help promote the benefits of a
prepackaged solution, it is actually a very complicated environment that required significant effort from a highly talented
For more information: Contact Dave Sheperd: Dave.sheperd@hds.com, Catherine Mann: Catherine.mann@hds.com, or
Michael Walker: Michael.walker@hds.com
The white paper document ID#, author, and
publication month/year will be added during the
marcom review.
The social icons are hyperlinked to our corporate
social media sites.
Hitachi Data Systems Corporation 2015. All rights reserved. HITACHI is a trademark or registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd. Innovate With Information is a trademark or registered
trademark of Hitachi Data Systems Corporation. All other trademarks, service marks, and company names are properties of their respective owners.
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Permissive Sequencing and ISA 84
The Stony Brook Press - Volume 3, Issue 10
The Stony Brook Press
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Quentin Tarantino & Sony TV Team On Film Series To Air Ahead Of ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ Release
YouTubers’ ‘Camp Takota’ Setting Up At Mip-TV With GRB Entertainment
Nancy Tartaglione
International Editor
@DeadlineNancy
More Stories By Nancy
‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ Lassos $847M Global & Tops Franchise Offshore With $573M; ‘Lion King’ Reigns In China – International Box Office
Luc Besson’s EuropaCorp Confirms Discussions With Vine Alternative Investments – Update
‘The Lion King’ Rises To $35M In China Through Saturday
GRB Entertainment is bringing Camp Takota to Mip-TV, where it will be available to international buyers for the first time outside digital transactional. YouTube personalities Grace Helbig,
Hannah Hart and Mamrie Hart star in the comedy, which Netflix picked up in November. It centers on a woman whose life is in shambles and ends up taking a job as a counselor at her old summer camp. There, she reunites with two estranged friends who never left. When the camp is put in jeopardy, they band together to save it. Michael Goldfine is producer. Chris and Nick Riedell directed.
GRB President and CEO Gary R. Benz says the company has been planning its move into the digital-influencer film world for some time. GRB recently produced Bad Night, also directed by the Riedells and starring Lauren Luthringshausen, Jenn McAllister, June Diane Raphael, Casey Wilson, Julianna Guill and Adam Pally.
Camp Takota had a strong run with digital subscribers. Helbig, author of Grace’s Guide, host of E’s The Grace Helbig Show and creator of Streamy Award-winning web series DailyGrace, has more than 2.1M YouTube subscribers. Hart is best known for her long-running My Drunk Kitchen, part of her MyHarto YouTube channel that has 1.8M subscribers. Hart has nearly 1M YouTube subs on her channel, You Deserve A Drink, and recently hosted travel show HeyUSA with Helbig for Conde Nast Entertainment’s The Scene.
GRB Entertainment
Mip-TV
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Judd Apatow Urges Fox Showrunners & Talent To Speak Out Over Fox News’ Child Detention Coverage
By Denise Petski, Lisa de Moraes
Judd Apatow is urging Fox showrunners and talent to call out Fox News Channel’s coverage of the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance immigration policy to separate families from their children at the southern U.S. border.
“I haven’t worked with Fox since 2002, wrote Apatow in one of a series of tweets. “That family promotes evil ideas and greed and corruption.. We all choose who to work with. I understand why that is easier for some than others but many powerful people are powerful enough to speak up to their bosses at a moment like this.” Apatow was referring to Rupert Murdoch, executive chairman of Fox News parent 21st Century Fox and CEO of Fox News Channel, and the Murdoch family.
Apatow lashed out at Attorney General Jeff Sessions after seeing footage of him speaking at the National Sheriffs’ Association, where he used the bible to justify the policy, calling him “a f**king kidnapper.”
Stephen Colbert Back From Break Tanned, Rested & Ready To Call Out "Racist" Donald Trump
“[AG Sessions] is a fucking kidnapper!, Apatow continued. “The Murdoch’s support these policies! Where are the Fox stars and executives speaking up?! Imagine if it was your kids. Who has a movie, TV show, sporting event, news show at Fox? How can you remain silent when they promote these policies?”
“If EVERY Fox star and show runner said this policy was evil and protested to the Murdoch family it would make a huge difference in this national debate,” Apatow insisted, though some might disagree given that the Murdochs are entertaining two offers, from Comcast and Disney, to take Fox broadcast network off their hands, among other properties.
Apatow’s tweets follow Seth MacFarlane’s lead on this one. The creator of The Orville and Family Guy over the weekend tweeted he’s “embarrassed to work for this company” after seeing Fox News Channel primetime star Tucker Carlson’s “fringe shit,” telling viewers not to believe anything they heard on rival news networks and assume the opposite to be true.
“In other words, don’t think critically, don’t consult multiple news sources and, in general, don’t use your brain,” MacFarlane blasted.
Apatow’s tweets, followed by MacFarlane’s:
I haven’t worked with Fox since 2002. That family promotes evil ideas and greed and corruption. We all choose who to work with. I understand why that is easier for some than others but many powerful people are powerful enough to speak up to their bosses at a moment like this. https://t.co/8NtsqsR8Xj
— Judd Apatow (@JuddApatow) June 18, 2018
He is a fucking kidnapper! The Murdoch’s support these policies ! Where are the Fox stars and executives speaking up?! Imagine if it was your kids. Who has a movie, TV show, sporting event, news show at Fox? How can you remain silent when they promote these policies? https://t.co/jrPVKrxK6n
If EVERY Fox Star and show runner said this policy was evil and protested to the Murdoch family it would make a huge difference in this national debate. https://t.co/9Jo0ktbFPT
Apatow’s tweets follow Seth MacFarlane’s lead. The creator of The Orville and Family Guy over the weekend tweeted he’s “embarrassed to work for this company” after seeing Fox News Channel primetime star Tucker Carlson’s “fringe shit,” telling viewers not to believe anything they heard on rival news networks and assume the opposite to be true.
“In other words, don’t think critically, don’t consult multiple news sources and, in general, don’t use your brain,” MacFarlane blasted:
In other words, don’t think critically, don’t consult multiple news sources, and in general, don’t use your brain. Just blindly obey Fox News. This is fringe shit, and it’s business like this that makes me embarrassed to work for this company. https://t.co/kC7MPYxdgZ
— Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) June 16, 2018
How To Watch The 2019 Primetime Emmy Nominations Online
Netflix Edits '13 Reasons Why' Suicide Scene Following Complaints
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SXSW 2017: Caroline Dhavernas’ Easy Living Character Was “Meant For The Circus”
“I just entered this little store on the lower east side and they all had local…
SXSW 2017: ‘Mayhem’ Director Joe Lynch Wants You To Quit Your Job
Filmmaker Joe Lynch (Everly, Wrong Turn 2, Knights of Badassdom) has promoted transparency in his…
From Vine to SXSW Film: A Gorilla Star Captures What Loneliness Looks Like in ‘Sylvio’
A Vine Gorilla star becomes the focus of a film meditating on Loneliness
10 Must-Sees at SXSW 2017
Todrick Hall in his visual album ‘Straight Outta Oz’ The South by Southwest Film…
SXSW Reveals 2017 Film Lineup
SXSW (South By Southwest) has officially released their lineup for 2017. In a span of 9 days, over…
SXSW Director of Film Janet Pierson on the Unique DNA of SXSW + How to Get There
Film festivals are a dime a dozen. From Sundance and Slamdance in Utah, to Cannes in France,…
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Extracting randomness from samplable distributions
by Luca Trevisan, Salil Vadhaný - In Proceedings of the 41st Annual IEEE Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science , 2000
"... The standard notion of a randomness extractor is a procedure which converts any weak source of randomness into an almost uniform distribution. The conversion necessarily uses a small amount of pure randomness, which can be eliminated by complete enumeration in some, but not all, applications. Here, ..."
, we consider the problem of deterministically converting a weak source of randomness into an almost uniform distribution. Previously, deterministic extraction procedures were known only for sources satisfying strong independence requirements. In this paper, we look at sources which are samplable, i
Pseudo-Random Generation from One-Way Functions
by Johan Håstad, Russell Impagliazzo, Leonid A. Levin, Michael Luby - PROC. 20TH STOC , 1988
"... Pseudorandom generators are fundamental to many theoretical and applied aspects of computing. We show howto construct a pseudorandom generator from any oneway function. Since it is easy to construct a one-way function from a pseudorandom generator, this result shows that there is a pseudorandom gene ..."
Pseudorandom generators are fundamental to many theoretical and applied aspects of computing. We show howto construct a pseudorandom generator from any oneway function. Since it is easy to construct a one-way function from a pseudorandom generator, this result shows that there is a pseudorandom
Wrapper Induction for Information Extraction
by Nicholas Kushmerick , 1997
"... The Internet presents numerous sources of useful information---telephone directories, product catalogs, stock quotes, weather forecasts, etc. Recently, many systems have been built that automatically gather and manipulate such information on a user's behalf. However, these resources are usually ..."
are usually formatted for use by people (e.g., the relevant content is embedded in HTML pages), so extracting their content is difficult. Wrappers are often used for this purpose. A wrapper is a procedure for extracting a particular resource's content. Unfortunately, hand-coding wrappers is tedious. We
by LEONARD KLEINROCK , 1985
"... Growth of distributed systems has attained unstoppable momentum. If we better understood how to think about, analyze, and design distributed systems, we could direct their implementation with more confidence. ..."
Growth of distributed systems has attained unstoppable momentum. If we better understood how to think about, analyze, and design distributed systems, we could direct their implementation with more confidence.
by Rajeev Motwani , 1995
"... Randomized algorithms, once viewed as a tool in computational number theory, have by now found widespread application. Growth has been fueled by the two major benefits of randomization: simplicity and speed. For many applications a randomized algorithm is the fastest algorithm available, or the simp ..."
, or the simplest, or both. A randomized algorithm is an algorithm that uses random numbers to influence the choices it makes in the course of its computation. Thus its behavior (typically quantified as running time or quality of output) varies from
DART: Directed automated random testing
by Patrice Godefroid, Nils Klarlund, Koushik Sen - In Programming Language Design and Implementation (PLDI , 2005
"... We present a new tool, named DART, for automatically testing software that combines three main techniques: (1) automated extraction of the interface of a program with its external environment using static source-code parsing; (2) automatic generation of a test driver for this interface that performs ..."
We present a new tool, named DART, for automatically testing software that combines three main techniques: (1) automated extraction of the interface of a program with its external environment using static source-code parsing; (2) automatic generation of a test driver for this interface
Random Graphs
by Svante Janson
Shallow Parsing with Conditional Random Fields
by Fei Sha, Fernando Pereira , 2003
"... Conditional random fields for sequence labeling offer advantages over both generative models like HMMs and classifiers applied at each sequence position. Among sequence labeling tasks in language processing, shallow parsing has received much attention, with the development of standard evaluati ..."
Conditional random fields for sequence labeling offer advantages over both generative models like HMMs and classifiers applied at each sequence position. Among sequence labeling tasks in language processing, shallow parsing has received much attention, with the development of standard
Near Optimal Signal Recovery From Random Projections: Universal Encoding Strategies?
by Emmanuel J. Candès , Terence Tao , 2004
"... Suppose we are given a vector f in RN. How many linear measurements do we need to make about f to be able to recover f to within precision ɛ in the Euclidean (ℓ2) metric? Or more exactly, suppose we are interested in a class F of such objects— discrete digital signals, images, etc; how many linear m ..."
-law), then it is possible to reconstruct f to within very high accuracy from a small number of random measurements. typical result is as follows: we rearrange the entries of f (or its coefficients in a fixed basis) in decreasing order of magnitude |f | (1) ≥ |f | (2) ≥... ≥ |f | (N), and define the weak-ℓp ball
Inducing Features of Random Fields
by Stephen Della Pietra, Vincent Della Pietra, John Lafferty - IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PATTERN ANALYSIS AND MACHINE INTELLIGENCE , 1997
"... We present a technique for constructing random fields from a set of training samples. The learning paradigm builds increasingly complex fields by allowing potential functions, or features, that are supported by increasingly large subgraphs. Each feature has a weight that is trained by minimizing the ..."
We present a technique for constructing random fields from a set of training samples. The learning paradigm builds increasingly complex fields by allowing potential functions, or features, that are supported by increasingly large subgraphs. Each feature has a weight that is trained by minimizing
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Power-law distributions in empirical data
by Aaron Clauset, Cosma Rohilla Shalizi, M. E. J. Newman - ISSN 00361445. doi: 10.1137/ 070710111. URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1137/070710111 , 2009
"... Power-law distributions occur in many situations of scientific interest and have significant consequences for our understanding of natural and man-made phenomena. Unfortunately, the empirical detection and characterization of power laws is made difficult by the large fluctuations that occur in the t ..."
estimates for power-law data, based on maximum likelihood methods and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic. We also show how to tell whether the data follow a power-law distribution at all, defining quantitative measures that indicate when the power law is a reasonable fit to the data and when it is not. We
Concurrent Constraint Programming
by Vijay A. Saraswat, Martin Rinard , 1993
"... This paper presents a new and very rich class of (con-current) programming languages, based on the notion of comput.ing with parhal information, and the con-commitant notions of consistency and entailment. ’ In this framework, computation emerges from the inter-action of concurrently executing agent ..."
-text of concurrency because of the use of constraints for communication and control, and in the context of AI because of the availability of simple yet powerful mechanisms for controlling inference, and the promise that very rich representational/programming languages, sharing the same set of abstract properties, may
Low-Power CMOS Digital Design
by Anantha P. Chandrakasan, Samuel Sheng, Robert W. Brodersen - JOURNAL OF SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS. VOL 27, NO 4. APRIL 1992 413 , 1992
"... Motivated by emerging battery-operated applications that demand intensive computation in portable environments, techniques are investigated which reduce power consumption in CMOS digital circuits while maintaining computational throughput. Techniques for low-power operation are shown which use the ..."
Motivated by emerging battery-operated applications that demand intensive computation in portable environments, techniques are investigated which reduce power consumption in CMOS digital circuits while maintaining computational throughput. Techniques for low-power operation are shown which use
Constraint Logic Programming: A Survey
by Joxan Jaffar, Michael J. Maher
"... Constraint Logic Programming (CLP) is a merger of two declarative paradigms: constraint solving and logic programming. Although a relatively new field, CLP has progressed in several quite different directions. In particular, the early fundamental concepts have been adapted to better serve in differe ..."
Constraint Logic Programming (CLP) is a merger of two declarative paradigms: constraint solving and logic programming. Although a relatively new field, CLP has progressed in several quite different directions. In particular, the early fundamental concepts have been adapted to better serve
Power-Aware Routing in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks
by Mike Woo, Suresh Singh, C. S. Raghavendra , 1998
"... In this paper we present a case for using new power-aware metrics for determining routes in wireless ad hoc networks. We present five different metrics based on battery power consumption at nodes. We show that using these metrics in a shortest-cost routing algorithm reduces the cost/packet of rout ..."
In this paper we present a case for using new power-aware metrics for determining routes in wireless ad hoc networks. We present five different metrics based on battery power consumption at nodes. We show that using these metrics in a shortest-cost routing algorithm reduces the cost
by Dorothy E. Denning, Peter J. Denning , 1979
"... The rising abuse of computers and increasing threat to personal privacy through data banks have stimulated much interest m the techmcal safeguards for data. There are four kinds of safeguards, each related to but distract from the others. Access controls regulate which users may enter the system and ..."
The rising abuse of computers and increasing threat to personal privacy through data banks have stimulated much interest m the techmcal safeguards for data. There are four kinds of safeguards, each related to but distract from the others. Access controls regulate which users may enter the system
House Prices, Borrowing Constraints, and Monetary Policy in the Business Cycle
by Matteo Iacoviello , 2002
"... I develop a general equilibrium model with sticky prices, credit constraints, nominal loans and asset prices. Changes in asset prices modify agents ’ borrowing capacity through collateral value; changes in nominal prices affect real repayments through debt deflation. Monetary policy shocks move asse ..."
I develop a general equilibrium model with sticky prices, credit constraints, nominal loans and asset prices. Changes in asset prices modify agents ’ borrowing capacity through collateral value; changes in nominal prices affect real repayments through debt deflation. Monetary policy shocks move
An iterative thresholding algorithm for linear inverse problems with a sparsity constraint
by Ingrid Daubechies, Michel Defrise, Christine De Mol , 2008
Telos: enabling ultra-low power wireless research
by Joseph Polastre, Robert Szewczyk, David Culler - In IPSN , 2005
"... Abstract — We present Telos, an ultra low power wireless sensor module (“mote”) for research and experimentation. Telos is the latest in a line of motes developed by UC Berkeley to enable wireless sensor network (WSN) research. It is a new mote design built from scratch based on expe-riences with pr ..."
Instruments MSP430 microcontroller, Chipcon IEEE 802.15.4-compliant radio, and USB, Telos ’ power profile is almost one-tenth the consumption of previous mote platforms while providing greater performance and throughput. It eliminates programming and support boards, while enabling experimentation with WSNs
Do investment-cash flow sensitivities provide useful measures of financing constraints?
by Steven N. Kaplan, Luigi Zingales - QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS , 1997
"... No. This paper investigates the relationship between financing constraints and investment-cash flow sensitivities by analyzing the firms identified by Fazzari, Hubbard, and Petersen as having unusually high investment-cash flow sensitivities. We Quarterlynd that firms that appear less Quarterlynanci ..."
No. This paper investigates the relationship between financing constraints and investment-cash flow sensitivities by analyzing the firms identified by Fazzari, Hubbard, and Petersen as having unusually high investment-cash flow sensitivities. We Quarterlynd that firms that appear less
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Home News Extra training for P-Platers
Extra training for P-Platers
SHANE Rattenbury says the ACT’s young motorists will soon undergo new training, assessment and enhanced testing of road rules, focusing on how to drive safely around pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
“The new driver competency will require learner drivers applying for provisional licences to undertake additional training and assessment on how to drive safely around vulnerable road users,” Shane said.
“I’m proud to say that the ACT is leading the way in this space.
“The change means that learner drivers will be required to demonstrate good observation skills, risk recognition and management, and display appropriate and calm decision making to mitigate and avoid risk and harm to any vulnerable road users.
“It’s really exciting that more and more Canberrans are choosing to walk and cycle around Canberra. However, it’s important that we ensure that our road rules can accommodate all road users safely, and that all road users are aware of these rules.
“The learner will be required to perform tasks throughout an entire assessment unaided by the licence examiner, recognising the potential harm they could cause to pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists.
“Training and assessment of the competency will be undertaken using a wide variety of different road and traffic conditions where vulnerable road users may be encountered. This includes roads with green bicycle lanes and marked bicycle lanes, driving through slow moving and stationary traffic where motorcyclists may be lane filtering. It will also focus on areas with high numbers of cyclists and pedestrians, such as shared zones, town centres, group centres, aged care facilities, and school zones.
“The road rules test, which must be passed to gain a learner licence, will also be enhanced to make sure learner drivers understand the road rules that protect vulnerable road users.
“We’ve added over 20 new questions relating to vulnerable road users, which will be incorporated in the road rules knowledge test. This section of the test will require 100% correct answers in order to pass,” Mr Rattenbury said.
Dr Marilyn Johnson from the Monash University Institute of Transport Studies and the Amy Gillett Foundation supported the changes, saying they provide an evidence-based approach to driver training and assessment in a modern road transport environment.
“In Australia we’ve done a great job of improving safety when we’re inside our cars. But we haven’t done such a good job when it comes to training new drivers about the potential to cause harm to other people they share the road with, particularly cyclists and pedestrians,” Marilyn said.
“With this new vulnerable road user competency, the ACT Government is taking the lead nationally to make sure new drivers develop skills in scanning, checking and interacting with pedestrians and cyclists including safe passing distances.
“Importantly, this new competency is evidence based, informed by findings from a study I recently completed with Dr Jennifer Bonham from the University of Adelaide, funded by the NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust.
“Whenever we drive, we have the potential to harm other people. Training drivers from the start to consider the safety of others will help to build a driving culture of shared safety on our roads,” Dr Johnson said.
The new driver competency will apply to people who attain an ACT learner driver licence on or after 29 August 2016. For other drivers who are required to pass a practical driving assessment (for example, some overseas drivers), the new competency will apply to those who book their assessment on or after 29 August 2016.
L-plates
p-plates
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Next articleTiger add Melbourne-Canberra flights
Alex August 24, 2016 at 12:19 am
While I do think that further training is a great idea, and believe that current drivers should undergo testing when they renew their licences (because we all know how terrible Canberra drivers can be) I also believe that the simplest solution to avoiding harm to ‘vulnerable road users’ such as cyclists and pedestrians is to simply not have them on roads. Properly designed walkways and dedicated off-road cycle lanes are a much safer and smarter solution.
Reviewer CLINTON WHITE see a strong future for a singer who was performing a swansong in Canberra.
Dickson’s supermarket chaos ends and starts again
Man beats, threatens and deserts Canberra victim
Faulty winter products pose ‘serious’ risks
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Home Arts & Entertainment Review / A ‘memorable’ evening of dance
Review / A ‘memorable’ evening of dance
“10 Point”. Photo by Lorna Sim.
IF there were no other reason to attend “On Course 2018” then the final thrilling work, “10 Point”, choreographed by New Zealand-born Samoan, Xavier Breed, alone would have made for a memorable evening of dance.
Breed is one of 10 young choreographers from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, the Victorian College of the Arts, the New Zealand School of Dance and the University of Auckland currently in Canberra to create and perform the ten works which made up this year’s “On Course” program.
Now in its twelfth year, “On Course”, the brainchild of QL2’s artistic director, Ruth Osborne, is an initiative which grew out of QL2’s “Hot to Trot” program as a way of bringing home QL2 Alumni during their full-time study to reconnect with local audiences and provide those audiences with the opportunity to see where those young dance artists are heading.
Over the years the project has expanded and now welcomes students from across Australia and New Zealand.
Choreographers are provided with access to dancers and studio space for six three-hour sessions, over two weeks, in which they will create an original eight-minute work. Audiences are invited to participate in forums immediately after the performances to comment on and discuss the works, so that the choreographers get immediate feed-back on their works.
Xavier Breed, currently in the final months of a Masters of Dance Studies at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, thrilled the audience with a stunning work incorporating an imaginative fusion of traditional Samoan and contemporary dance styles. Working to a driving soundtrack, Breed’s choreography included body slapping sounds, grunts, carefully detailed hand and arm movements and an exuberant movement repertoire, which his seven dancers attacked with obvious relish and attention to detail to achieve a highly polished and exciting result.
“Crystalline Echoes” by Ryan Stone. Photo by Lorna Sim.
Exciting as it was, “10 Point” was not the only high point. Ryan Stone, currently in his final year at WAAPA, contributed an intensely personal and stunningly executed solo entitled “Crystalline Echoes” which he performed in the light of a single naked light bulb, manipulated to create shadows and patterns on his bare torso.
Alexandra Dobson from VCA worked with six white costumed dancers to create a mesmerising work entitled “Recurrence”. It commenced with the dancers in a tight circle performing intricate hand movements, which expanded into partnered sections as the circle grew larger. Mia Tuco, who is undertaking the acting course at VCA, dressed her five dancers in bright dressing gowns for the first part of her imaginative and romantic “Informal – Get Down”.
Caspar Lischner, a former QL2 dancer currently studying at the New Zealand School of Dance in Wellington contributed a short film, “Storge Shoes”, likening comfortable shoes to best friends. He also collaborated, via Skype, with Amelia Vanzwel from VCA, on a delightfully quirky duet, entitled “The International Animal Language”.
Gabriel Sinclair created “Under New Management”, a clever introspective work in which his three dancers mirror-imaged each other to Sinclair’s own original composition featuring a single persistent piano note. Self-examination was also the theme of Alison Tong’s light-hearted creation, “U R Being Controlled” in which three dancers in multi-coloured tunics depicted reactions to advertisements and spin to the music of Phillip Glass. Both Sinclair and Tong are studying at VCA.
Marcel Cole, a Canberra-raised classical ballet dancer now studying at the New Zealand School of Dance, contributed a light-hearted work for four dancers exploring notions of connection and inclusiveness. Similar ideas were also explored by Otto Kosok, who’s also studying at the New Zealand School of dance, in his arresting work for six dancers entitled, “Strange Tall Creatures”.
Even though each work was supported by excellent lighting and audio visual design and efficient stage management, the responsibility for achieving the end result rested with the choreographers and their dancers, making the polished works even more impressive, especially since most of the choreographers chose to add to their experience by appearing in each other’s works alongside senior Quantum Leap ensemble members, several of whom are heading off to universities around Australia next year.
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New officer helps support mental health in workplaces
A DEDICATED psychological health officer has been appointed within WorkSafe ACT to help workplaces support the social and emotional wellbeing of workers in Canberra.
’Kinky Boots’ delivers the goods
‘One punch’ offender gets away with it
The baton man takes a final bow, for now
Have you seen Shane?
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Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services Corporation
http://www.nanlegal.on.ca
Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services Corporation (NALSC) delivers and coordinates a range of legal services to members of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN). NALSC is owned by the First Nations of Nishnawbe Aski Nation. The mandate of the Corporation includes legal, paralegal, public legal education and law-reform services.
Note: You must be a member from a First Nation in the legal services’ territory in order to access their legal services.
Current legal services include:
Legal aid applications;
Summary advice and short legal services;
Quasi-paralegal services;
Victim Witness liaison services;
Law reform;
Public legal education;
Alternative justice processes under criminal and family matters (Talking Together and Restorative Justice);
Administrative assistance;
Video jail applications.
Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services Corporation is mainly funded through Legal Aid Ontario (LAO). Legal Aid certificates are issued under LAO to anyone across the NAN territory who is eligible and requires a lawyer.
Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services Corporation accepts collect calls.
Resources produced by Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services Corporation
Legal Aid Ontario: What is it and How can it help you?
In Tribunals, Courts and the Legal system
Information for an Accused Conducting a Self-Represented Trial
Estate of a Deceased Indian
In Wills and Estates
What is a Gladue Court?
In Criminal Law, and Tribunals, Courts and the Legal system
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Duke Dissertations
Novel Algorithms for Automated NMR Assignment and Protein Structure Determination
Zeng, Jianyang
Donald, Bruce Randall
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High-throughput structure determination based on solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy plays an important role in structural genomics. Unfortunately, current NMR structure determination is still limited by the lengthy time required to process and analyze the experimental data. A major bottleneck in protein structure determination via NMR is the interpretation of NMR data, including the assignment of chemical shifts and nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) restraints from NMR spectra. The development of automated and efficient procedures for analyzing NMR data and assigning experimental restraints will thereby enable high-throughput protein structure determination and advance structural proteomics research. In this dissertation, we present the following novel algorithms for automating NMR assignment and protein structure determination. First, we develop a novel high-resolution structure determination algorithm that starts with a global fold calculated from the exact and analytic solutions to the residual dipolar coupling (RDC) equations. Our high-resolution structure determination protocol has been applied to solve the NMR structures of the FF Domain 2 of human transcription elongation factor CA150 (RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain interacting protein), which have been deposited into the Protein Data Bank. Second, we propose an automated side-chain resonance and NOE assignment algorithm that does not require any explicit through-bond experiment to facilitate side-chain resonance assignment, such as HCCH-TOCSY. Third, we present a Bayesian approach to determine protein side-chain rotamer conformations by integrating the likelihood function derived from unassigned NOE data, with prior information (i.e., empirical molecular mechanics energies) about the protein structures. Fourth, we develop a loop backbone structure determination algorithm that exploits the global orientational restraints from sparse RDCs and computes an ensemble of loop conformations that not only close the gap between two end residues but also satisfy the NMR data restraints. Finally, to facilitate NMR structure determination for large proteins, we develop a novel algorithm for predicting the Ha chemical shifts by exploiting the dependencies between chemical shifts of different backbone atoms and integrating the attainable structural information. All the algorithms developed in this dissertation have been tested on experimental NMR data with collaborators in Dr. Pei Zhou's and our labs. The promising results demonstrate that our algorithms can be successfully applied to high-quality protein structure determination. Since our algorithms reduce the time required in NMR assignment, it can accelerate the protein structure determination process.
Zeng, Jianyang (2011). Novel Algorithms for Automated NMR Assignment and Protein Structure Determination. Dissertation, Duke University. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10161/4962.
Rights for Collection: Duke Dissertations
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Moett
Oxford, NC Female
Birthday: September 30
http://Iammoett.com
I am a young aspiring model that loves trying new things and meeting new people. I am also a full time student getting a degree in media communication and I look forward to working with and learning more from any and everybody that I meet.
http://twitter.com/IamMoett
http://facebook.com/IamMoett
@IamMoett
http://youtube.com/IamMonaye
ModelMayhem
http://modelmayhem.com/babye09
What Best Fits You?
Promoter, Manager, Entrepreneur, Model, Graphic Designer, Actor/Actress
How Did You Hear About The Dusk Spot?
If You Answer Was Friend Who Was It?
Ceddy J
Moett posted a video
Go Hard for You
So what if nobody else is in your corner or has your back.... go hard for yourself n the things you love.
Be honest with yourself and those around you and don't be afraid to walk away if it is not serving or growing you etc. Want me to speak on something specific...
Don't worry about those that leave or you have to walk away from because they will ne back.
Can't Share With Everyone
Be careful who you share your progression with, not everyone wants to see you win.
Earned points: 182
Content Award
Nikkii Fox
Greg "G MONEY" Hall
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Charmon-Michelle
King Braswell
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CLR Photo
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Dimples Photography
Sydney Cavalli
Williamston, NC
KC theStylist
NikkiDope
Diamond Raye
Paris Taylor
Black_TinkerBell
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/ Security Zone
The Latest Data Breach Is in Sweden
Recently, we witnessed one of the worst government cybersecurity snafus in history. Read on to see what can be learned from this incident.
Anna Morris
Aug. 29, 17 · Security Zone ·
We've seen some pretty incredible data breaches in the past couple years, but the latest data breach in Sweden actually jeopardized the vast majority of its citizens. A country-wide data security breach online is new. Up to this point, we'd only seen data breaches for specific political parties or the data of individual politicians. Sweden managed to reveal state secrets, hidden police forces, sensitive military information, and private citizens' faces, addresses, and vehicle registration all at the same time. It's impressive in the worst way possible. To make matters worse, poor handling has made the situation even harder to contain.
Data Breach Scandal
The Swedish Transportation Agency compromised information about every single vehicle in Sweden during a poorly-handled data transfer with IBM. Incredibly sensitive information about not only citizens, but also police and military vehicles went public. This incident may be the worst government security breach online in history.
Not only did this latest data breach compromise national security, but information about individuals in witness protection came to light as well. Even police suspects were revealed. The leak even featured the weight limits for every bridge and road in the country. The civilian damage alone was bad enough. License information, complete with photos and addresses, went public. Data breaches and identity theft go hand in hand, and these kinds of details make the process even easier.
The breach was bad enough without the scandal that followed. Rather than tracking down the emails containing the breached data and demanding cooperation from the marketers who received the data in error, officials sent out an email asking them to simply delete the previous email. There was no follow-up or oversight. Further investigation revealed that IBM employees without proper clearance and background checks had enjoyed access to the data essentially the entire time it was in IBM's possession.
Repercussions
Two cabinet members have left their positions over this latest data breach scandal. Opposing parties joined forces to oust those responsible for not only the breach, but the poor handling that exacerbated the problem. Due to the mishandled situation, authorities believe it will take months to recover and secure the most damaging data exposed in the incident. Until then, Sweden remains at risk. Some of the information, such as the weight limits for roads and bridges, could leave Sweden vulnerable to attacks in the future. Military personnel, include SEAL team leaders, must go home to their families knowing that their photos and addresses were made public. The country is in political turmoil over this scandal, and the consequences could jeopardize national security.
This latest data breach in Sweden was one of the worst government data breaches to happen because of an oversight and poor handling after the fact. The rest of the world can learn a lot from this scandal and take steps to prevent it from happening again. Although this is the latest security breach scandal, it won't be the last one. Those handling or storing sensitive data don't just need to pay attention to preventative measures. This incident demonstrates the importance of a disaster recovery plan painfully well.
The Firewall of the Future Is Identity
How Companies Successfully Avoid Breaches
Can You Patch Faster Than a Hacker Can Attack You?
Variant Analysis
breach ,security ,cybersecurity ,data security
Published at DZone with permission of Anna Morris , DZone MVB. See the original article here.
Security Partner Resources
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Tag: Leena Kela
Pori Art Museum has published a report on the Creative Commons and Art seminar which I participated in with Kimmo and Kalle Kuisma. My talk is recapped on pages 10-12 and I’m very pleased with my contribution. I claimed that “Artists do not contribute to the commons – They claim phenomenons from the commons” (artists taint phenomena and mark it as their own). I also claim that skills are production tool (for artists) and shed light on the ideological origins of Ore.e Refineries (and the COOL 1.0 license).
Working on our Ihme-days presentation with Heini and Leena, packing stuff in preparation of my New York visit, preparing next weeks Horse & Performance course with Pietari and writing a lecture/presentation for expo2001∞ (organised by Daniel Kupferberg) events at Kunstraum Argh15 (I’ll give “An Introduction to Horselogical thinking” over skype or wire). Aaand.. Learning how to make cheesecake.
Flashed Face Distortion Effect is interesting. Wonder if could be reversed: Images of faces would be distorted so that the faces that flash would appear normal.
Performed with the Neighborizome group at the Koneen säätiö Lauttasaari mansion renovation topping out party last Thursday. We prepared a timecapsule/ritual kit for the future and buried into the yard. Builders and guests could vote on its content. Builders voted on an Anonymous Mask and a Koskenkorva vodka flask (Fitting symbols for their struggle). They threw coins into the kit for good luck.
Learning Ableton Live in preparation of a gig at the Viestejä Vuosaaresta (KOM-theater / Helsinki Model) event. The gig is on 2.11 and I’m scared. Vili will recite a marine weather report using his flamenco/gypsy-style singing skills. The tone of the singing is similar to an Adhan. Lauri Wuolio is also performing at the event.
Preparing a teaching gig for Janakkala (for kids, 12-18 years) next weekend. There will be 21 students. I’ll be teaching them how to “walk”.
Preparing a 1,5h lecture next Friday on my artistic practice (in the framework of posthumanism/ecology) for dance and pedagogy students of Uniarts Helsinki and Aalto Uni. I’ll start of by explaining that my mother was a Marxist, recap how my shared interests with the Helsinki communist youth association evolved into (very) slim involvement with anti-globalization and anti-war movements and how celebration over the 9/11 (2001) attacks resulted into a restlessness which lead me into crafts (In short before 9/11 dirty clothes were cool – Post 9/11 dirty clothes were scary).
Wax-treated my jeans coat. 1 part boiled linseed oil, 1 part beeswax mixture. It will take 6 months for the linseed oil to dry.
Nude Photo (1987) Derrick May
Model 500 – Night Drive (1985) Juan Atkins
Crack Down (1990) Carl Craig
The Final Frontier (1991) Underground Resistance
Alleys Of Your Mind (1981) Cybotron (Juan Atkins & Richard Davis)
Wavelings was recorded at Wäinö Aaltosen museum as a part of the New Performance Turku festival 2017. The band consisted of 18 artists who were taught to use synthesisers during a two hour workshop. Members were divided into two group and trained to recognise the sounds different synths produce. Songs Hear – Redo, Ou-Ou, How can you eat juice? (my personal favorite) were recorded during these small group sessions. Songs Mister Noa Moa, Play echo and One for the parents were recorded during a 30min gig were all of the musicians played together for the first time. The audience consisted of art lovers and the parents of the band members. Special thanks to Ida Martikainen, Leena Kela & Christopher Hewitt, Anni Välimäki (NPTurku) and Susanna Hujala (WAM).
Co-hosted a talk-shop at the Lauttasaari library on Thursday with Leena Kela and Heini Aho (Neighborizome crew). The event investigated the processes of “Forgetting & Decaying” in relation to an upcoming public artwork “The Garden of Decay”(?) by Maria Teeri and Janne Nabb. The piece will installed at the Lauttasaari Mansion which Kone foundation will launch as a residency/office/community/art space (Expected to open summer 2018).
Neurologist and emeritus professor of geriatrics Raimo Sulkava saved the event by giving a relaxed and easygoing description on how memories are formed (through repetition). We discussed bronze statues in our cities as cultural memories, which Sulkava replied to by presenting “The Garden of Decay” as a positive response: The shape of the artwork is constantly changing and it’s rotting away but it can still be considered valuable and artistic – Such as we should approach the elderly.
Visited HAM yesterday for the Eero Nelimarkka exhibition opening. The house was full of people! There were some distant relatives present too but I felt too lazy to introduce myself. The exhibition was boring and the catalogue texts celebrated Nelimarkka as a genius. Some statements were fatally incorrect: “Nelimarkka was a chauvinist, which was normal in his time”. He was definitely a chauvinist but there has never been anything “normal” about it. The text was written by Riitta Nelimarkka.
Two critiques on the exhibition Helsingin Sanomat and Yle – Kulttuuri.
Forget Wall Street – Silicon Valley is the new political power in Washington by Olivia Solon & Sabrina Siddiqui (for The Guardian)
“Their theory is that democracy is an impedance to capitalism so they need as little regulation as possible”
During the 1990s, In the early days of the dotcom era, internet companies flourished in Silicon Valley by skirting the law, moving fast and breaking things. Such techno-libertarianism was founded on the belief that borderless cyberspace was separate from the physical realm and therefore not subject to the same rules.
[…] Silicon Valley’s tech leaders have a short memory: their companies were built on a foundation of government intervention and public monies.
Born Sexy Yesterday by Pop Culture Detective (Jonathan McIntosh) investigates naive-but-sexy female characters portrayed sci-fi movies and identifies them as fantasies for the colonial gaze. These characters are build on an older, racist narratives about indigenous women and white men. The interpretation feels legit.. In Finland similar characters have been written to illustrate the relationships between urban and rural communities. A male graduate from the city arrives to the countryside and meets with a farmworker girl. The graduate fights of her brutish suitors (often alcoholics) and marries the girl. These stories are not sci-fi movies but they are rooted on modernistic fantasies.
Performed at the Lauttasaari street-party over the weekend. Got on stage after a show by the Moomin characters! Our part in the event was a part of the Neighborizome project we are working on with Leena Kela and Heini Aho (recently announced on the Koneensäätiö website). We were introduced on stage by Anna Talasniemi. Some evidence on the event on Instagram. We found five potential condominium-collaborators to work with.
My Dude mixer arrived to day. I’m very happy with the quality of the sound. It amplifies mic level signals neatly and delivers a balanced stereo mix (almost makes a sm58 mic audible with out a preamp). The over-amplification/saturation sound mixing feature works with rhythmic material, it seems to follow beats (haven’t tested the feedback yet). I guess I’ll make a tutorial on how it works with different audio sources for Pietari. The only disappointment is that it doesn’t have a separate light to indicate when the device is on (Open lines are indicated with leds). There is a serious issue with channels 4&5 and I’m in contact with Bastl to have the unit replaced/fixed.
Here is a video showing issues with mics and here is a video showing issues with synths (ts & trs connectors). Leoš from Bastl-Help guided me to reheat the contacts in an effort to fix the problem. Unfortunately I couldn’t get it to work. As I was poking inside the mixer I noticed a lot of fast and dirty soldering work – Which was disappointing. Some connections didn’t seem to have any solder in them! I’m now waiting for news on how long it will take to be replaced (the delivery of this unit took two weeks). I need to have the mixer repaired and delivered by 15.9.
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Photocopy of painting from Marine Corps Art Collection
In this contemporary painting by Marine combat artist
Maj Albert M. "Mike" Leahy, the artist depicts a Marine Douglas A-4E
Skyhawk in a close air support mission during Operation Maui Peak about
to bomb and rocket enemy positions on a ridgeline near LZ Sparrow. Thuong
Duc can be seen in the background.
Battalion, 5th Marines stepped off in the attack westward along Route
4 toward the Special Forces camp. This was to be a feint to distract
the enemy from the landing of the helicopter-home elements. Soon after
crossing die line of departure, however, the Marines became decisively
engaged with the NVA 1st Battalion, 141st Regiment, and Colonel
Beckington canceled the plan tor a feinc and ordered the 2d Battalion
to clear the enemy from the battlefield.20
While the 2d Battalion, 5th Marines mounted the hills overlooking
Route 4 and came to grips with the enemy, other units joined the operation.
At 1030, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing helicopters, carrying the 3d Battalion,
5th Marines, swooped down inro LZ Sparrow, four kilometers south of
Thuong Duc. The preparation fires had ended at 0730, after severely
pounding the LZ and surrounding area. If the fires had hurt the North
Vietnamese units in the vicinity, the enemy commander apparently made
good use of the three-hour break between the end of the preparation
and the landing of the helicopters. As the first wave of aircraft touched
down in the landing zone, a hail of heavy machine gun fire filled the
air. Unable to complete the mission against such stiff resistance, the
helicopters turned away, carrying the 3d Battalion back to An Hoa.21
At 1100, BLT 2/7 and two ARVN battalions landed unopposed in LZ Vulture and LZ Hawk, seven kilometers northwest of Thuong Duc. While the rest of the battalion remained at the LZ with Battery W, 3d Battalion, 11th Marines, Companies E and G, 7th Marines struck out for the high ground overlooking Thuong Duc from the north. The terrain was extremely chal-
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New Orleans Bookstores Challenge Louisiana Age Verification Law
Julia Johanne Tolo
Two New Orleans bookstores, Octavia Books and Garden District Books, are challenging a new law passed in Louisiana this summer which requires websites distributing material deemed inappropriate for minors to verify the age of their users. Any website failing to confirm that the reader of their “inappropriate content” is 18 years or older will be risking a fine of up to $10,000.
Given the unfortunate American pastime of artistic censorship and book-banning, readers, booksellers, teachers, librarians, and writers a like know that “inappropriate content” is in the eye of the beholder and can range from hard-core pornography, to a Mary Gaitskill novel, to His Dark Materials, depending on who you ask. The bill describes inappropriate content as “depiction, display, description, exhibition, or representation” of sexual acts or organs, human or animal, and states that the content must be flagged when “the material taken as a whole lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.”
In addition to logistic concerns about how to verify readers’ ages on their website for specific titles, booksellers are concerned about how the language of the law may be interpreted to pertain to titles that they believe do not contain any inappropriate content.
Tom Lowenburg, co-owner of Octavia Books explains: “The law is a serious threat to the First Amendment rights of booksellers and our customers. Our job is to get customers the books they want, but this law makes it impossible by forcing us to block access to 16- and 17-year-olds who want to browse Young Adult novels and other works that may be inappropriate for younger minors.”
Media Coalition and the American Civil Liberties Union are filing the lawsuit on behalf of Garden District Book Shop and Octavia Books, Future Crawfish Paper LLC, publisher of Anti-Gravity magazine, American Booksellers Association and Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
Timothy Burns, who drafted the bill, claims the bookstores have no reason to worry about this law affecting their image or business, saying the law was “aimed at pornographic content, not a romance novel.” He goes on to say that as long as the bookstores aren’t distributing pornography on their websites, they have nothing to worry about.
Media Coalition’s press release, featuring more quotes from the owners of Octavia Books and Garden District Book Shop can be read here.
Morning, 1908
by Claire-Louise Bennett, recommended by The Stinging Fly
Nov 11 - Claire-Louise Bennett Read
Czech Dissident Writers Can Teach Us How to Protect Language from Lies
When people in power want to control thought by controlling words, literature can become a weapon
Mar 11 - Erica Eisen
Corporate Censorship Is a Serious, and Mostly Invisible, Threat to Publishing
When states suppress ideas, we condemn it. What should we do when companies do the same?
Jan 17 - Gabriel M Schivone
Who Will Feel Secure Because of Your Insecurity?
An excerpt from Revolution Sunday by Wendy Guerra about a writer living under surveillance in Havana
Nov 28 - Wendy Guerra
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Home ELT Catalog Professional Development Oxford Handbooks for Language Teachers How Languages are Learned e-book
How Languages are Learned e-book
This prize-winning, readable introduction to research in language acquisition is recommended reading for second language teachers worldwide
Patsy Lightbown & Nina Spada
Electronic book text
Experienced authors, experts in their field, keep you up to date with current thinking, share ideas you can use immediately in class, and help you reflect on different approaches to teaching.
Now in its 4th edition, How Languages are Learned is highly valued for the way it relates language acquisition theory to classroom teaching and learning and draws practical implications from the research for the language classroom.
How Languages are Learned is widely used as a reference book on teacher training courses, and for new and experienced practising teachers.
The e-book is available for iPad and tablets for Android via the Oxford Learner's Bookshelf app and on a computer at www.oxfordlearnersbookshelf.com. Study offline or online, from a tablet or computer and your notes, web links and annotations sync between devices.
Key features Read more... Reviews Licence Terms
Relates theories of first and second language acquisition to what actually goes on in the classroom.
Uses activities throughout to explore the practical implications of the ideas presented.
NEW Updated content gives teachers information about recent research on L2 learning.
NEW Activities and Questions for Reflection personalise content and support critical thinking.
NEW Extra Activities, Study Questions, and videos available online at www.oup.com/elt/teacher/hlal.
Unlike many introductions to the field of language acquisition research, How Languages are Learned does not assume that you are already familiar with research methods or theories. Its clear, readable style and absence of unnecessary technical jargon has helped to make it a standard text for trainee teachers throughout the world.
There are evaluations and case studies throughout the book so that you can see a practical context for the research ideas you are reading about. Many of these examples are taken directly from real first and second language classrooms. The new Activities feature provides opportunities for you to think through the research being discussed. Each chapter ends with Questions for Reflection which draw on your experiences of language learning and teaching and your critical thinking skills to revise the chapter content.
Reference to language acquisition research has been updated throughout the chapters and suggestions for further reading.
Extra resources, including Supplementary Activities, Discussion Questions, Chapter Summaries, and video interviews with the authors are available online at www.oup.com/elt/teacher/hlal.
The book is organized into seven chapters:
Chapter 1: 'Language learning in early childhood' (Includes first language acquisition data, explanations of first language acquisition from different perspectives, and updates to research on childhood bilingualism)
Chapter 2: 'Second language learning' (Topics covered include: learner characteristics, learner conditions, the language of second language learners, vocabulary, pragmatics, phonology, and sampling learners' language)
Chapter 3: 'Individual differences in second language learning' (Factors discussed include intelligence, aptitude, learning styles, personality, motivation and attitudes, identity and ethic group affiliation, and learner beliefs. Includes new research on age and second language instruction)
Chapter 4: 'Explaining second language learning' (Examines second language learning research from behaviourist, innatist, cognitive, and sociocultural perspectives.)
Chapter 5: 'Observing learning and teaching in the second language classroom' (Looks at different learning environments and discusses ways of observing and reporting on them.)
Chapter 6: 'Second language learning in the classroom' (Contains six practical proposals for classroom teaching based on research findings and insights.)
Chapter 7: 'Popular ideas about language learning revisited' (The authors list and give their personal perspective on some commonly held beliefs about language learning.)
There is a glossary to explain new and technical terms used in the book, and a full bibliography at the end of the book.
This edition of the standard introductory work on this subject is over 20 pp. longer than the 3rd edition. A strong feature of this admirable book is its concise, clear summaries of important research findings.
- The Teacher Trainer Journal, Vol 29/3
The licence period for this product is perpetual.
The use of this product is subject to the Oxford Learners Bookshelf terms and conditions
Part of... Oxford Handbooks for Language Teachers
Part of... Into the Classroom
Practical guides to understanding and implementing new developments in teaching
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Homes & Tech Transport
Enjoying The Winter Sails: 3 Eco Yachts for 2017
By Jody McCutcheon
The push by eco-tourism toward cleaner, greener travel has not only improved the numbers of eco-luxury hotels around the globe, but high-end, emission-free watercraft have proliferated, too. After all, is there a more luxurious means of travel than by yacht? Recently, Eluxe has featured several plush water homes and a few eco yachts, including the Bolla and Seatachi. We continue that trend in this piece, highlighting three new watercraft that promote sustainable luxury travel without sacrificing comfort.
Greenline Hybrid Yachts
In the short time they’ve been on the market, Greenline hybrid yachts have made quite a name for themselves, as the electric-diesel hybrid watercraft have won more than twenty awards since 2009. Offering a choice between ten-, eleven-, twelve- and fifteen-meter models, each with four different modes of operation, Greenline yachts cost less to run and require fewer fuelling stops while greatly reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The ten-meter model was the world’s first production hybrid and solar-powered boat.
A protected hybrid propulsion system allows for diesel or electric power, with the electric mode propelled by lithium batteries. The 12kWh battery system can be charged by plug-in (while docked) or by the rooftop photovoltaic array. The batteries provide a 230 (120) V AC power supply on which the yacht’s various appliances (fridge, oven, television, etc) run.
To alternate between diesel and electric mode, simply flip a switch. Electric mode allows for cruising speeds of six knots with a range of twenty nautical miles, not to mention noise- and emission-free sailing. And running costs of electric boating are one-tenth those of diesel power. One Greenline owner has said, perhaps not jokingly, that he’ll spend more on beer and ice than on fuel. The yacht’s price tag, however, ain’t cheap. The fifteen-meter model sleeps six and accommodates more on day trips, and retails at over a million dollars.
The yacht’s bodywork offers added benefits. What’s called a protected Superdisplacement low-drag hull design–modeled after a sailboat hull–creates less resistance and easier handling, benefitting the environment through lower fuel consumption and less wake. It’s also half as light as traditional yachts, with a stronger body constructed from recycled materials.
SoelCat 12 Yacht
Netherland-based company Soel produces a watercraft that is similar in many ways to Greenline’s yacht. Both offer sailors a yachting experience free of noise, emissions and fuel costs. Both boast solar array sunroofs that feed lithium batteries and an electric propulsion system. Both provide on-shore power-charging options. And both are built from lightweight, durable materials that reduce energy needs.
Yes, Soel offers fuel independence and a chance to hear the ocean without the irritating drone of an engine. Yet Soel isn’t quite a yacht. The SoelCat 12 is a twelve-metre electric catamaran that holds up to 24 people and runs at six knots on solar power. For night or low-sunlight travel, the 120kWh lithium battery system kicks in, allowing a speed of eight knots for six hours, or a “break-even point” speed of 6.5 knots for twenty-four hours.
Soel’s body consists of two slender hulls that allow it to navigate the shallow waters of lagoons and reefs. And the customizable, large deck area meets a variety of needs. From simple bench setup to fully equipped bar and matching lounge furniture, your layout depends on whether you want luxury and comfort or basic and practical.
Soel also gives back. While docked, the SoelCat 12’s solar array lowers your electricity bill and feeds excess power back into the grid. What’s more, using the watercraft in a commercial capacity saves up to 142 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, compared to a conventionally propelled vessel with a 200-litre-per-day fuel “habit.”
Coboat
Let’s veer a bit off-course here. To be sure, like the SoelCat 12, Coboat is a large, sustainably powered catamaran. At 25 metres in length, Coboat holds up to twenty people. But these people aren’t on vacation, per se. They are on a workation.
Started in 2015, Coboat is a large, co-working space for digital nomads, creatives and techies who want to plug in and work while sailing around the world. With wi-fi enabled by satellite on water and 3G or 4G network near land, Coboat is the ideal location-independent work-place. Imagine answering emails, scheduling Skype conference calls and remotely managing your online business while gazing at a point where sea touches sky, or listening to waves lapping against the hull. And when you’re not working, Coboat offers various activities, including yoga, scuba diving classes and water sports. There are even professional development workshops and skill sessions you can take to improve your skill set.
The ultimate goal behind Coboat is zero carbon emissions and no carbon footprint, via a solar and wind-powered catamaran. But until their “state-of-the-art electric propulsion system” is finished, the catamaran will rely on wind power as much as possible and the diesel engine as little as possible. While at sea, desalinated drinking water is provided through renewable energy sources. Coboat also supports the development of programs that help clean up the planet’s oceans. The idea is to bring people together to brainstorm ideas to clean up ocean plastic, as well as educate people on changing their behaviour.
Such a great opportunity doesn’t come cheap, though. Ticket prices exceed US$1,300 – this includes three meals a day, non-alcoholic drinks, internet and port fees. But the cost is well worth it. Whether tending to your own business or collaborating with fellow sailors, Coboat offers a private, distraction-free and highly inspirational (co)working environment, as well as an indelible life experience.
How To Create An Indoor Living Wall: 6 Steps
The Latest Sustainable Design Trend: Get Some Lagom For Your Home
5 Simple Interior Design Tips To Change Your Space
Green Architecture: Sydney Vertical Gardens
What’s Old Is New Again! How To Paint Old Furniture In 7 Steps
Air Freshener Dangers: A Breath of Death Air?
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South Park/Season 19
season of television series
Seasons: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22| Main
South Park (1997-) is an adult animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Distributed by and airing on Comedy Central, it follows the surreal adventures of four young boys who live in the small town of South Park, Colorado.
Stunning and Brave [19.01]Edit
PC Principal: All right, listen up. My name is PC Principal. I don't know about you, but frankly I'm sick and tired of how minority groups are marginalized in today's society. I'm here because this place is lost in a time warp! Students who still use the word "retarded"! A teacher who said women without wombs should get an AIDS test!
Mr. Garrison: Oh, I was a lesbian then.
PC Principal: A chef "person of color" who the children had sing soul songs and who the children drove to kill himself!
Butters: No, he got brainwashed by a cult.
PC Principal: And that's two days' detention for you, young man, we'll see you at 4.
Butters: What?!
PC Principal: Let me ask you this. We're in Colorado, right?! Where are the Hispanic kids? Huh?! Where are the ethnic and racial minorities?!
Mr. Mackey: Well, we got Token. He's black.
PC Principal: And that's two days' detention for you, Mackey, congratulations.
Mr. Mackey: Wha— I got detention?!
PC Principal: I Googled South Park before I came here, and I cannot believe the shit you're getting away with! People claiming to be advocates of transgender rights, but really just wanting to use the women's bathroom! A white man who thinks he's Chinese and built a wall to keep out Mongolians!
Tuong Lu Kim: Ohhhh, I hate-a Mongorians!
PC Principal: What the fuck is this?! Are you fucking kidding me?! I'm telling you all, this is done! Like it or not, PC is back, and it's bigger than ever! Woowoowoo! You hear that?! That's the sound of 2015 pulling you over, people! Suck it!
Gerald: Uhm, hi, I'm Gerald, Kyle Broflovski's father?
PC Principal: Have a seat. I've been talking with your child, and we're gonna be giving him two weeks' detention.
Gerald: Wh-what's this about, Kyle?
PC Principal: Your son said some things to a fourth-grade girl that frankly make me wanna puke. Now that I'm principal, I'm not gonna allow [pounds desk] anyone at this school to be made feel unsafe and harassed!
Gerald: Wh-wh-what did he say?
PC Principal: You'll have to excuse my language. [picks up a report and clears his throat] "I don't think Caitlyn Jenner is a hero."
[no reaction from Gerald or Kyle. PC Principal starts erupting in repressed rage]
PC Principal: This kind of trans-phobic and bigoted hate speech isn't going to fly here, bro! Well, I thought we were all on board that Caitlyn Jenner is an amazing, [quickly stands up] beautiful woman who had the exquisite bravery of a butterfly flying against the wind, AND THEN THIS SHOOT COMES OUT OF PEOPLE'S MOUTHS!!
Gerald: [beat] PC Principal, I-I'm sure Kyle was just referring to Bruce Jenner as a person, a-and not trying to say anything against—
PC Principal: You got a fucking problem, bro?!
Gerald: ..No...
PC Principal: 'Cause it's not Bruce fucking Jenner!! IT'S CAITLYN!! AND SHE'S A FUCKING STUNNING WOMAN!! Or maybe you're the one teaching him to demean women in the first place! HUH?! What's up?! What's fucking up, bro?!
Gerald: Look, maybe we can all just ta—
PC Principal: [flips his desk] GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE, DUDE!!!
Cartman: [meets PC Principal] Oh, PC Principal. How are you today?
PC Principal: What are you doing in the faculty bathroom?
Cartman: You know, I think you and I got off on the wrong foot the other day. By all means, please, keep your dick out. You see, I'm not going to accept four days of detention, and... you're going to apologize publicly for being so strict to me and my friends at school.
PC Principal: What the hell are you talking about?
Cartman: It's just a request, that's all. See you around. Oh, you seem to have dropped something, PC Principal. [picks up a pair of underwear] What's this? Why, this is a little boy's underwear. [sniffs it] Why, this is Butters's underwear.
PC Principal: What?
Cartman: PC Principal, you have Butters's underwear? And now— [sloshes underwear on the urinal] Oh, my gosh, it's got you DNA all over it. This certainly doesn't look good for you. I don't need to tell anyone about this. No, I think we have an understanding. Capiche?
PC Principal: [pause] What did you just say?
Cartman: You mean about keeping your dick out?
PC Principal: "Capiche"?! You're associating Italian-Americans to intimidation tactics?! You better watch your nonaggression, bro!
Cartman: O-Kay. Look, you don't want to end up like the spokesman for Subway, do you?
PC Principal: Did you just use a term that excludes women from an occupation?! [grabs Cartman up]
Cartman: Okay, let's back up. [gets slammed against the stall] Ah!! [PC Principal slams him several times into the wall next to the mirror]
PC Principal: Did you just say "spokesman" instead of "spokesperson" when women are just as capable of selling sandwiches as anyone!?! [slams Cartman into the mirror] Are you purposely trying to use words that assert your male privilege!?! [slams Cartman into a sink]
Cartman: No, I'm sorry! I was just trying to frame you for raping Butters!
PC Principal: Do you think Italian-Americans and women are less important!?! [pins Cartman down on the floor]
Cartman: Oh, God!
PC Principal: [punches Cartman to a bloody pulp] You dare to use words that alienate two communities of people who have to deal with verbal biases like yours on a daily basis!?!
Where My Country Gone? [19.02]Edit
Mr. Garrison: Where has my country gone?
Where has my country gone?
It was a land of opportunity that we held dear
But now all these other assholes are coming here.
And where's my country gone?
It was just here like, two seconds ago
'Cause when they said that this was the land of the free
I'm pretty sure that they were referring to me.
And my country's gone!
It got upset and now it's wandered away
It took forty-three Presidents to make us stand tall
And just one black guy to unravel it all.
Country gone!
Please tell it that we need her back home
There's a great big hole in the liberty bucket
'Cause someone forgot to tell the foreigners to suck it
And now they're all hanging out on my lawn...
[three Canadians play "Feels So Good" with their flugelhorns]
And now they're ruining my song
Making it sound like Chuck Mangione
Where's my country gone?
PC Principal: All right, everyone, listen up. In order for better understanding, we've asked students of Canadian origin to introduce you to their culture and—HEY, LESLIE!! SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!! ..To introduce you to their culture and customs. So let's give them our undivided attention as they take us on a whirlwind journey through their diverse history. [hands microphone to Canadian kids]
Canadian Kids 1: We are the Hopewell and Abenaki, first settlers of Canadian soil, guy. [hands mic over to second group]
Canadian Kids 2: We are French and British explorers, seeking furs and goods. [Mr. Garrison walks up and takes the mic]
Mr. Garrison: Yeah, and I'm Dan Rather, and I got news for you! Nobody wants you here! [long beat] Sorry not sorry! It's time for someone to say it like it is, and make our country great again!
PC Principal: Garrison, what do you think you're—?!
Mr. Garrison: And I'm also not afraid to stand up to PC Principal! You, sir, have a pizza face and you suck your mom's dick!
PC Principal: [beat] That's it, Garrison! You are fired from South Park Elementary!
Mr. Garrison: Oh, see? And now I'm fired! That's the cold, hard truth of immigration! Well, there's only one immigration policy that I believe in, and that's buckskin them all to death!! [all students gasp] I'm just saying what everyone's thinking here, kids! Sorry not sorry!
The City Part of Town [19.03]Edit
Mayor McDaniels: I've called you all here because South Park has an image problem. Thanks to Mr. Garrison, we are now being referred to as the "shitheads of America". One of our more politically sensitive citizens has proposed an idea for this crisis and I'd like you to hear him out. [Randy takes the dais]
Randy: Hello everyone, I'm Randy Marsh, and I've been PC for almost two weeks now. You know, we've all been making changes to be more socially conscious, but have we really done enough? The truth is, there's something we're lacking as a community, and it's time we all faced it. What this town needs... is a Whole Foods.
[everyone immediately starts chattering in awe and uncertainty]
Randy: It would instantly validate us as a town that cares about stuff.
Stephen: We couldn't get a Whole Foods to open here!
Randy: And why not?! Huh?! We all just don't believe we can get a Whole Foods! Because we don't believe in ourselves!
Father Maxi: Where could it even go?!
Randy: Mayor?
Mayor McDaniels: I'm announcing a plan for Sodomy—a new urban development that will turn the most rundown and dilapidated part of our town into a quaint center of artisan shops and cafés.
Randy: Lots of cities are dong this. The area south of downtown South Park has always been the ugly eyesore of this town. But now, SoDoSoPa... is going to bring in the fresh new vibrancy that Whole Foods can't ignore!
Randy: Okay, hold on, everyone listen up! We understand that not everyone is for the town spending money on the Sodomy project. We want everyone to be able to voice their concerns. [the McCormicks pause; Stuart stands]
Stuart: Yeah, I got concerns! I don't want you touching my darn house!!
Johnson: We realize that when a rejuvenation like this takes place, the lower-income residents fear they'll be priced out of the area.
Stuart: What lower-income residents?! Me?! I work hard and provide for my family just fine!
Randy: Stuart, come on. Your house sucks.
Stuart: Buck you! If you people want to turn something into a vibrant arts district, then do it to Randy's house!
Randy: My house is nice.
You're Not Yelping [19.04]Edit
Kyle We all loved Whistlin' Willy's.
Cartman: It didn't do well with Yelpers.
Token: You assholes destroyed the best place in town because they wouldn't kiss your asses!
Safe Space [19.05]Edit
Tweek x Craig [19.06]Edit
PC Principal: Alright, guys, I know there have been a lot of rumors flying around. Just wanted to check in, see if you have any questions for me.
Craig: Why are the Asian girls drawing pictures of us being gay?!
PC Principal: What's wrong with being gay? Nothing is wrong with that.
Craig: But we aren't! I'm not!
Tweek: I'm not either!
PC Principal: That is completely irrelevant, okay? What matters, and the reason I brought you in here, is that you understand affirmative consent.
Tweek: What's that?
PC Principal: If there is a romantic relationship here, you have to make sure your partner is comfortable with any sexual exploration.
Tweek: Agh!
PC Principal: Now, in a gay relationship it gets a little trickier, but you still have to follow some guidelines, alright?
Craig: But I'm not gay!!
PC Principal: I don't care about that, bro! Tweek, if—and I'm only saying if—at some point you wanted to touch Craig's penis, you just can't go grabbing for it. Alright? You need to say something like, "Craig, is it alright with you if I touch your penis?" Okay? Let's try it out.
Tweek: No!
PC Principal: You want two weeks' detention instead?! This is important!
Tweek: [beat] ..Craig, can I touch your penis?
PC Principal: Okay, good. Now Craig, you might say, "You may touch my penis. I'm comfortable with that." [Craig stays still for a long beat] Or, of course, you could say, "No, you may not touch my penis at this time."
Craig: No, you may not!
PC Principal: Okay, now we're getting somewhere. Now Craig, what would you say if you wanted to take a gander at Tweek's asshole?
Naughty Ninjas [19.07]Edit
Mayor McDaniels: This town is outraged, Officer Barbrady. People are tired of the police not being held accountable for their actions.
Barbrady: Mayor, I didn't know if there was a gunman or a bomb—
Johnson: You shot an unarmed six-year-old Latino child!
Barbrady: ..I'm sorry!
Mayor McDaniels: You are fired.
Barbrady: [beat] No, Mayor, please! This is all I know! I used to be the only policeman in this town, remember? Bob, I-I used to chase away the sixth graders for you!
Mayor McDaniels: You're from another time, Barbrady, and the last thing that needs to go. Your gun and your badge.
[Barbrady slowly takes his gun and badge and lays them on the table]
Mayor McDaniels: And your sunglasses.
Barbrady: No, please, not my sunglasses!
Johnson: You're done, Barbrady! The town doesn't want you here.
[Brabrady then takes off his sunglasses, opens his eyes after he puts them down]
Barbrady: Where should I go?
Johnson: You should have thought of that before you shot a Mexican.
Mayor McDaniels: Latino-American.
Johnson: Latino-American. Shoot! [Mayor McDaniels stands up]
Mayor McDaniels: You should go away. You don't belong anywhere in a town as progressive as this one.
Randy: Mayor, I didn't bust my ass to gentrify this part of town to have it overrun with homeless people!
Mayor McDaniels: Why are they all suddenly coming here? [Gerald and Sheila arrive]
Gerald: Mayor, what are you going to do about this?! My wife and I can barely eat or shop!
Mayor McDaniels: When a town like ours has a homeless problem, it must look at the root of what's causing it.
Stephen: [arrives with Linda] It's ISIS!
Randy: What?!
Stephen: There's these troubled kids who've turned their backs on America! They've taken over Sodomy, forced all the homeless out!
Gerald: Why would kids in our town wanna be a part of that?!
Stephen: They're just bad kids! Rotten on the inside! Probably with shitty parents!
Sponsored Content [19.08]Edit
Stephen: [reads school paper in bed] Wow. Wow, this is so great. Have you ever read the elementary school newspaper, Linda? There's no ads, no sponsored content, no links to click on. Just news stories about what's happening. Did you know that the police in ShiTpaTown beat up homeless to clear them out? Do you know long it's been since I was able to just sit back and read the news? I got so used to getting news off the Internet. But I feel like I'm always trying to chase the news somehow. [sets paper down] It's like... I'm in a black void, trying to reach the news story. [sees himself running in a void of content] But then the next thing I know I'm reading an ad for Geico. So I click out of that and try to read the news story but it's not a news story, it's a slideshow! And I'm looking at the "Worst Celebrity Plastic Surgery Jobs Ever". So of course I want to see the next line of plastic surgery gone wrong, so I hit the arrow, but then the arrow wasn't the arrow for the next slide, it was to take me to an ad for face cream. Haugh! I wanted to get a news story, but I'm reading about face cream and I try to click out of it, but the ad is following me, it's-it's following me all over the screen!! Nooo! So I click on the close button, but it wasn't a close button, it was another slideshow, and I just want to know what's happening in the Middle East, but instead, I'm looking at the "Top 10 Scariest Movies of All Time", and that's not the arrow for the next slide, it's another ad! Aaagh!! [comes back to reality] But this... this is just news. And I don't get lost in all the bull shoot. [sees Linda focusing on her smartphone] Linda? LINDA!!
Representative: Hello. You're the boy responsible for the South Park Super School News?
Jimmy: That's right.
Representative: We would like to give you $26 million. Contracts, and the first check. We'd love to be in business with you.
Jimmy: What is this for?
Representative: I represent an organization called Geico. It's an insurance company. We think Super School News would be a great way for us to reach new customers.
Jimmy: Sorry Charlie, but I don't allow ads in my newspaper.
Representative: We've heard all about that, so we thought you could just do some ...news stories about car insurance. Just state the facts, because the trurh is, everyone can save by switching to Geico.
Jimmy: That's called "sponsored content." I know the difference between the news and ads. Do you think I'm stupid?
Representative: Everyone's doing it, Jim. You're sort of the last holdout. $26 million just to write some news stories that get people thinking about their insurance coverage?
Jimmy: Us us us, stick it up your ass!
Representative: Hm. Well, they said you'd be tough. Do you really think you can stop ads?
Jimmy: Yes.
Representative: You can try to block ads, but they get smarter. The more we ty to shut them out, the more clever they get. There's a war coming, kid, and I'm gonna make sure I'm on the right side of it.
Jimmy: Officer Barbrady?
Officer Barbrady: Come with me if you want to live! Come on! Come with me if you want to live! I'm serious!
Sharon: Do you want to explain to me what "pussy crushing" is?
Randy: What?
Sharon: Your little meetings you go to at night to discuss social justice?! It's just a way to pick up on young women?!
Randy: Sh-Sharon, most of the guys in my PC club are right out of college, alright? You know how college kids are.
Sharon: I don't want you going over there anymore!
Randy: I don't cheat on you, Sharon! I'm happy. Look at what's happened to our town. We have ShiTpaTown, boutique restaurants and artisan shops. We have a fucking Whole Foods, and that was all me! Diverse people are moving here, and everyone is being aware of how they talk. This is paradise, Sharon!
PC Principal: McKinsey, you got consent forms?
McKinsey: Oh, yeah! Right here, bro! [hands consent forms to him]
PC Principal: Rise and shine, guys! If you scored last night, I'll need your consent forms! [the bros hand over their forms] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you—whoa! Barker, did you perform cunnilingus? There's a different release form, bro.
Barker: Yeah, uh, s-sorry, it's right here.
PC Principal: Nice.
PC Bro: [runs to PC Principal] Bro!! Aw, dude, bro!!
PC Principal: What, bro?
PC Bro: Dude, I scored with this female and after consenting to putting her mouth on my penis, she wanted me to walk her home.
PC Principal: Yeah?
PC Bro: And when I got to her house she had me meet her father who is Filipino, so I asked him if he could tell me about their cultural and social dynamic to being a Filipino-American.
PC Principal: Naturally.
PC Bro: So he said some stuff, and then the newspaper landed on his doorstep, 'cause I guess her dad subscribes to the school newspaper, and he picked it up and I saw the headline said this! [he shows the paper to PC Principal which headline reads "'PC' STANDS FOR PUSSY CRUSHING"; he grabs paper]
PC Principal: What the heck is this, bro!?!
PC Bro: Bro, that little kid wrote that our tolerant views and fight for social justice is just a way for us to crush puss!
PC Principal: THAT'S NOT TRUE!!
PC Bro: I KNOW, BRO!!! WE'RE BEING TOTALLY VICTIMIZED!!!
PC Principal: THAT LITTLE SUCKER, DUDE!!!
Truth and Advertising [19.09]Edit
Randy: Hey, fuck you.
Mr. Garrison: Wake up, dickhead.
Randy: Garrison? What the hell is wrong with you?
Mr Garrison: I'll tell you what's wrong with me. There's enemies to humanity out there wantin' to put an end to all of us, and there's assholes like you helpin' them out!
Randy: I don't know what you're talking about.
Principal Victoria: Whose idea was it to revitalize the shitty part of town into an arts and foods 77district called ShiTpaTown?
Mr. Garrison: Son of a bitch.
Randy: What? To take one area of town that was crappy and gentrify it for the local people to enjoy? I thought we could keep it contained!
Principal Victoria: It doesn't contain. What's happened to South Park is happening everywhere. Thirty miles south of here in the town of Fairplay, they've changed the area north of Downtown into NoDoFoPa. A rundown area south of the capital in Cheyenne, Wyoming, is now historic SoCaCheyWo. Channel Street in mid-Chicago is being revitalized into Chimichanga.
Randy: Oh my God.
Principal Victoria: LoDo, SoBro, RivMo, all happening at the same time. And it isn't just in the U.S. In Cairo, the area northwest of the third pyramid is NoWe3Pi. Three miles north of Auschwitz is NoMoAuchie. It goes on and on!
Randy: What does it mean?
Mr. Garrison: In our town it all started when PC Principal arrived. He's part of a mjuch larger conspiracy, and you're his lackey.
PC Principal Final Justice [19.10]Edit
Randy: I'm warning you. You're on the wrong side of this. We're just trying to get answers.
Sharon: You pulled a gun on our son, Randy!
Randy: He pulled one on me, Sharon!
Stan: Because you wouldn't talk to me, Dad!
Randy: Stanley, let your mother and I deal with this!
Sharon: I told you to leave him alone!
Shelley: God, I hate this family!! [pulls a gun at Sharon] Why are you always taking Stan's side?!
Randy: Whoa! Whoa, Shelley! Put down the gun, Shelley!
Shelley: You're always acting like Stan doesn't do anything wrong!
Stan: She doesn't always take my side!
Shelley: You shut up or I'll swear to God I'll use this!
Randy: Shelley, put it down, now.
Shelley: You don't even try to know me, Dad!!
Randy: I want to, Shelley!! I just sometimes like you hate me!!
Sharon: I feel like you hate me, Randy!
Randy: I don't hate you, I love you!! I need to be a better husband, a better father!
Stan: We all need to be better to each other!
Shelley: Okay, maybe I need to stop being so angry!!
Randy: ..I love you guys.
Stan: We love you too, Dad. We just wanna know what's going on with you.
Randy: All right. I'll tell you everything. [holds his gun] Wow, these things are amazing.
Wikipedia has an article about:
Retrieved from "https://en.wikiquote.org/w/index.php?title=South_Park/Season_19&oldid=2630855"
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← HLJ getting VF-1A Angelbirds and VF-X in May
Tenjin Hidetaka Art Works of Macross: Valkyries Second Sortie →
Macross Flashback 2012 is a 30-minute video which includes 7 minutes of new footage that describes the events after DYRL ends. The new footage is also consistent with the ending to the TV series. Essentially, Misa and Hikaru embark on a mission to colonize space, and they bring Minmay along, too, because Minmay wants to go.
Flashback 2012 starts with a blank screen, and we hear Minmay counting "1, 2, 3...", just like we did at the end of DYRL. We then see the same concert that appeared when the DYRL credits rolled.
Like Misa said at the end of the final TV episode, Minmay is a bigger star than ever. She has fancier clothes, a bigger audience, and she's performing at a huge concert hall.
Behind the concert hall is the Macross
The Macross is in the same state as it was at the end of DYRL...
... with its main gun stubs. Here's where DYRL ended.
We now see some music videos: Sunset Beach, 0-G Love, Shao Pai Long, Silver Moon/Red Moon, Love Passes Away, Cinderella, and Do You Remember Love? (the movie final battle song). The videos have footage from both the TV series and DYRL.
Hikaru and Minmay in a VF-1D in DYRL
We also see some artwork, like this sketch of Minmay.
Minmay in DYRL when she was trapped in the Macross with Hikaru
Scene from the TV series where Roy saves Minmay's life.
I like this close-up of a playful Minmay in concert.
Close-up of Misa when she was with Hikaru on the old Protoculture city. This close-up totally reminds me of Kira from the movie, "The Dark Crystal", especially since Misa has big ears, just like Kira's.
I'm so glad Yamato made their Macross display stands by using the design of the DYRL valkyrie launch arms!
The music videos sometimes show footage from real wars in the background.
And here's a close-up of the needle of a vinyl record player! Kids these days have never seen one of these!
Another record player needle, a really old one.
After 23 minutes of music videos, we finally get to see the new footage. Here's the concert hall, empty, only with Minmay there.
Minmay is wearing a fancy outfit that makes her look quite mature
Minmay fiddles with the keyboard
Minmay imagines Hikaru giving her a microphone
Minmay also imagines seeing Misa, too
We see Minmay dressed casually and she packs her belongings into a big bag
Minmay slams her hand on the table. This scene is just like the one in the TV series where she argues with her parents. But we never saw her parents on the Macross in DYRL. Are these people her parents?
Ah, now there's a beauty! The VF-4 Lightning III, the successor to the VF-1 valkyrie, which we saw Hikaru playing with in Episode 36.
I wish Yamato would make a toy of it!
Minmay in her make-up room.
Minmay stands next to a big poster of the SDF-1 Macross. See the line at the bottom? "A long time ago ... in a galaxy far, far away..." Hey wait a minute! That's Star Wars!
We learn that Misa's new ship is called the Megaroad-01.
Great scene with Misa wearing a captain's uniform.
Minmay aboard the Megaroad-01.
I was confused by the Megaroad take-off. That's Minmay in the lower-left-hand corner, but she's aboard the ship, right?
Great depiction of Minmay looking up at the stars.
The Megaroad-01 is HUGE compared with the Macross, unless in this shot, the Megaroad is in the foreground and the Macross is in the background.
This shot tells us that Minmay is definitely aboard the Megaroad.
Hikaru's VF-4 alongside the Megaroad's multi-level bridge, which looks similar to the Macross' bridge.
Misa and Hikaru, this time from Misa's viewpoint.
Hikaru gives a thumbs-up to Misa, then turns to look straight ahead.
We see Zentradi cruisers in the background
Minmay bows
Credits roll, and we get a nice closing shot.
Some other info on Flashback 2012:
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Super_Dimension_Fortress_Macross:_Flash_Back_2012
Anime Classic Reviews.com: http://www.animeclassicreviews.com/2007/07/macross-flashback-2012.html
This entry was posted in macross, robotech and tagged 2012, flashback, flashback 2012, macross. Bookmark the permalink.
8 responses to “Macross Flashback 2012”
Mike D | May 1, 2011 at 8:50 am | Reply
Those are some really great screen caps. The animation looks very detailed, much fuller than in the series. I guess for this and DYRL the producers really went all out. Great post.
Toni | June 4, 2011 at 9:39 am | Reply
First of all, I would like to thank you for making this site. It is even better than the official Macross website. Especially the still shot of Hikaru in Flashback….I have always been a little in love with him but seeing him this close has gotten me stirred up again. I even use it as my screensaver and for my mobile!! A thousand thank you is not even enough for all the hard work you put in to this….The only disappointment I truly have about the original cast of Macross is that they disappeared in to the center of the universe. I so love Minmay. Anyhow, thank you again for bring my childhood back to life!!
p.s. if you can make the still of Hikaru totally full screen without top and bottom borders in black would be absolutely perfect…..infact all of it would be stupendous!!
eyeforthings | June 4, 2011 at 10:44 pm | Reply
You’re welcome! I’m glad to share my enjoyment of Macross/Robotech with my blog readers! About Minmay, did you know that Mari Iijima, Minmay’s voice actress, still makes appearances, especially in the U.S., since she lives in Los Angeles? Check out http://www.laweekly.com/2011-05-19/la-life/mari-iijima-anime-idol/
Oh! I didn’t know that. But I did see a fan made VDO where she attended an convention and sang live Ai Oboeteimaska……It was dreadful!! Totally……So I would prefer to see her in animation and listen to the OST. BTW….just found Macross: Complete OST (3 CDs) and will soon order it….Maybe next month as this month I have already blown of almost USD$300 😦 trying to relive my childhood once again………Ugh!! Anyway….thank you very much for the pic you send me…..can I ask 1 more favor??? The one where Hikaru is in the aircraft after the thumbs up to Misa? Can you get rid of the borders on that one too? Sorry for asking so much.
Anyway….Thank you for creating this site. You da best!!!
pinoy78 | January 3, 2012 at 12:35 am | Reply
Yamato announced they WILL be making a 1/60th scale perfect transformation toy of the VF-4 Lighting-III. It should be out in late 2012 to coincide with the 30th anniversary (as well as FB 2012).
eyeforthings | January 3, 2012 at 6:59 pm | Reply
Excellent, thanks for this info!
Iason916 | April 25, 2012 at 5:38 pm | Reply
I think the reason for the two Minmei is a symbolic gesture of her leaving behind her memories.
LeDudeModele | August 27, 2012 at 11:27 am | Reply
The original DYRL ending did NOT come with the concert scene. Back in the Summer of 1984, when Macross DYRL was released in theatres in Japan, the production company did not have time to finish the movie with the concert scene, as director Shoji Kawamori originally intended. Therefore, at the end of the movie, the screen turned dark, and the sound of Minmay’s final concert (“Angel’s Paint”) can be heard as the movie credit rolls. In 1987, “Macross Flash Back 2012” was release as a 30-minute “OVA” (original video animation, in other words, direct-to-video.) In this production, Minmay’s costumes, the concert hall, even the storyboard were newly created instead of using the original designs from the movie. After the release of “Flash Back 2012”, new version of the DYRL movie that included the concert scene in the credit roll was released as “Macross Do You Remember Love the Complete Version” (超時空要塞マクロス 愛・おぼえていますか 完全版) in VHS, Laser Disc and DVD. In 2007, when the HD remastered memorial DVD box of DYRL was released, both original and complete versions were included. In July 2012, a newer HD remastered release on Blu-ray Disc “Macross Do You Remember Love Hybrid Pack” (超時空要塞マクロス～愛・おぼえていますか～Hybrid Pack) also include both versions.
So, the last 7 minutes of “Flash Back 2012” technically cannot be considered “new footage”. Don’t worry, you are not alone. Singer/voice actor Megumi Nakajima (Ranka Lee of Macross Frontier) was also shocked when she was told that the original version of DYRL did not come with the concert scene. Happy 30th Annivesary, Macross!
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Tag Archives: Ben Savage
Disney Channel casting new exciting sequel series ‘Girl Meets World’
Danielle Fishel reprises her role as Topanga Matthews in “Girl Meets World”
It’s a Laugh Productions has begun casting female teen series regulars for the new multi-camera Disney Channel series sequel “Girl Meets World”. The show will continue where the ABC television sitcom “Boy Meets World” left off back in 2000, however the story jumps ahead to the present. That series ran successfully for seven years beginning in 1993. Auditions are taking place in Los Angeles and will continue through February, 2013 when shooting begins. The extras and stand-ins will be cast closer to the start of shooting in late January/February.
Disney Casting “Girl Meets World” Series Regulars
Standard | Posted in Acting Career, Auditions, Austin, Background Actor Casting, Casting Calls, Child Acting, Child Casting Call, Disney Auditions, Disney Casting, Disney Channel Auditions, Disney Talent Search, Entertainment, Kids Open Casting Call, Los Angeles Auditions, Movie and TV Extras, Teen Actors, Television Shows | Tagged ABC television, Actors Resource Guide eBooks, Alan Baltes, Austin & Ally, Ben Savage, Boy Meets World, Brett Greenstein, casting calls, Central Casting, Charles in Charge, Collin Daniel, Danielle Fishel, Dinosaurs, disney auditions, disney casting, Dog with a Blog, Girl Meets World, Hannah Montana, It's a Laugh Productions, Jessie, Jonas, Michael Jacobs, My Two Dads, Shake It Up!, talent search, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody | 5 Comments
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Gerrard will not be heading to Spain’s capital
By Ross Mackiewicz on July 14, 2010
By Ross Mackiewicz.
Steven Gerrard will not be heading to the Spanish capital according to Real Madrid’s transfer consultant Ernesto Bronzetti.
Bronzetti explained that Gerrard’s age and valuation has sincerely deterred Florentino Perez’s interest and will no longer pursue for his services. The Anfield skipper’s future has come into serious doubt following his clubs failure to quality for the Champions League as well as their failure to bridge the gap on the Premier League summit.
Jose Mourinho is now at the forefront of a new dynasty at Real after leaving his post at Internazionale where he steered them to European success, ironically at the Santiago Bernabeu in May. The ‘Special One’ tried to lure Gerrard to Stamford Bridge in the spring of 2005 after he handed in a transfer request, only to reverse his decision soon after.
Now it seems that the 30 year old will not be linking up with the Portuguese tactician any time soon as Bronzetti confirmed that the hierarchy of the Spanish giants are no longer interested, primarily due to the hefty price tag hovering over the midfielder’s head.
“The president does not agree with Gerrard because he is 30 and Perez doesn’t want to know.” Bronzetti told GR Parlamento.
“Plus, Liverpool asked for €70m.”
Mourinho is eager to add a player in the mould of Gerrard to his collection of superstars after the club completed the signing of Benfica’s Angel di Maria.
Pingback: Tweets that mention Gerrard will not be heading to Spain’s capital | Football Talk -- Topsy.com
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Duke4.net Forums: Blood corner - Duke4.net Forums
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Blood corner "For Blood 1 & 2 related talk."
MrFlibble
#451 Posted 15 March 2018 - 03:35 AM
I'm going to go a little bit off-topic here, but how does generally a source code release come about? I have read that it's John Carmack's personal philosophy to share the code, which has turned out to be indeed a very wise and successful strategy as proven by Doom, Quake and other id Software's titles.
However I have absolutely no idea of who, how and when decided to release the source of Duke3D, Rise of the Triad or Shadow Warrior for example. I suppose that there must be some kind of motivation for the owner to do so. Perhaps the current Blood IP owners think that since the game is playable in DOSBox there is no need for a source port? (More likely, no one in charge cares at all, but that's another story.)
I guess that from the community standpoint, it probably doesn't matter who owns the IP as long as the source code is made available. Perhaps it could work to approach someone in WB who could possibly care and attempt to negotiate a source code release, as opposed to buying out the IP itself?
Retro gaming websites | List of free open source games | List of free closed source games
Micky C
Honored Donor
I wasn’t around at the time so can’t really say, but I’d guess that it’s a combination of good will to the fans, and having the life of the game be extended due to fans working to make the games run on modern operating systems.
These days though, those reasons are less of a priority for companies. Games will run on future operating systems for quite a while, and companies would rather you forget old games and buy new games instead.
In Blood’s case, it may be that they don’t want to go through the effort of drawing up a licence? It’s not a lot of effort I imagine, but considering they’ll get very little if anything out of it, the effort becomes significant.
Polymer wishlist: Global illumination, SSAO, Bloom, reflective surfaces, adjustable specular (wetness), volumetric lighting.
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This post has been edited by Micky C: 15 March 2018 - 03:58 AM
cybdmn
A proper licence is not such a big deal. They could take the gpl or something like that. A bigger task would be checking and cleaning up the code. Removing potential third party code which is not the property of WB.
I guess they simply does not see any advantage for themself in releasing the code.
I was under the impression that over the last 10+ years various attempts where made getting the source released. So i would think this wouldn‘t change at next try.
This post has been edited by cybdmn: 15 March 2018 - 04:50 AM
Sanek
I'll probably be a minority here, but I wouldn't mind if a new game based on Blood IP will be a mix of various genres.
How about a rogue-like RPG in either first- or third-person set in Blood's universe. Just imagine a game like Strife but with enemies from Blood.
SilverballZ
4BLOX (Unique Puzzle Game)
Mr. Tibbs
#455 Posted 02 April 2018 - 07:37 PM
Commando Nukem posted a video review for SiN from a guy named Civvie 11, which was pretty enjoyable. His three-part Blood 2 review, however, is fantastic. He really deep dives into the game's quirks, and does a great a job explaining why the game was such an unfortunate follow-up to Monolith's hall of fame debut.
Part 2 & Part 3.
NightFright
The Truth is in here
#456 Posted 03 April 2018 - 04:31 AM
Good lord, Blood 2. I remember playing the sh*t out of this back in the days. I cannot exactly tell you why I played it so much, but I guess the music and general atmosphere of the game caught me, in spite of the tons of bugs it had. Actually I got so annoyed by some of them that I sent a fax with 3 pages to Monolith in the US (from Germany) with things that pissed me off. Amazingly, almost all my complaints got addressed in v2.0. Unfortunately, even that didn't turn it into a bearable experience. Before watching this video, I didn't remember the level recycling so much, but looking back at it now, it shows how cheaply this game was designed and stretched. It's all true what he is saying in the video, the freaking bullet-sponge enemies and weapons without any real punch turned gunfights into a pain in the a**. Too bad that's actually the core of FPS gameplay, so if you screw that, there's no way you can succeed in any possible way. In total, the whole game just felt completely pointless and almost ruined the legacy of Blood. Gratefully, the first game received a lot of love by fans even ages later by creating new levels and campaigns for it, long after Blood 2 was rightfully forgotten.
Blood 2 belongs into the poison cabinet of game development and should only brought to daylight to demonstrate how you should NOT make a computer game.
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This post has been edited by NightFright: 03 April 2018 - 04:37 AM
Zaxx
NightFright, on 03 April 2018 - 04:31 AM, said:
Exactly. I'm a die hard Blood fan but I could never get myself to finish Blood 2 because the game is so bad that I always lose interest after a few hours. I can handle frustrating games (and oh boy is Blood 2 a frustrating mess) but not the massive boredom that comes from the fact that no element of the game is even remotely enjoyable. It's just jarring that shooting cultists to pieces with dual machine guns can be so boring.
This post has been edited by Zaxx: 03 April 2018 - 08:00 AM
You neiled it pretty well down. At least the add on is better.
Commando Nukem
Judge Mental
Blood 2's biggest problem is that it's obviously not a finished product.
Now, I know everyone wants a Blood remake or a reboot, but honestly i'd love to see someone do a remake of Blood 2 and do it the way fans were asking for it to be done.
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I remember seeing screenshots of Blood 2 in a gaming magazine in 1998. I loved Blood 1 and the screenshots of Blood 2 just looked so amazing and promising.... Needless to say, I was seriously disappointed.
If you just compare the train levels in both games, you cannot help but think how amazing this level is in Blood 1 (phantom express) and how linear and completely bland the level design is in Blood 2.
This post has been edited by axl: 03 April 2018 - 11:24 AM
These three vids were funny and interesting, though. I wasn't aware of the Cabalco Death-Ray and that you could only find it once in the entire game. Luckily, it doesn't matter I never found it, considering that even with that, killing the annoying enemies wouldn't get any easier. How frustrating must that have been for anyone who managed to obtain it back then? This game was just constantly showing you the finger at any possible opportunity.
I have just recently played the first Blood with the help of BloodGDX again after many years. What an awesome experience it was/is, especially compared to the successor.
Commando Nukem, on 03 April 2018 - 09:47 AM, said:
I dunno, I don't think we need another FPS with a sci-fi setting.
Zaxx, on 03 April 2018 - 11:39 AM, said:
Blood 2 doesn't really have a sci-fi setting... Not beyond the broad definition of "sci-fi" It's definitely got it's foot in the action-horror camp with a near-apocalyptic urban brawl for most of it's run.
Indeed. Maybe Monolith put too much focus on Shogo which was released around the same time ? Shogo was definitely the better game.
Yeah, it's this futuristic horror schlock really, the Dracula 2000 of video games. The thing is that futuristic is enough for me as a downer because most classic FPS franchises have either a futuristic / sci-fi setting:
- Duke Nukem: futuristic / sci-fi
- Wolfenstein: sci-fi with robot nazis because the occult is not cool anymore for some weird reason.
- Doom: sci-fi
- Shadow Warrior: not purely sci-fi but still lots of sci-fi stuff, one of SW2's settings is basically cyberpunk
- Serious Sam: sci-fi
- Quake: guess id thought the medieval / Lovecraftian setting was too unique so it's all sci-fi shit for Quake 2 and Quake 4!
- Ion Maiden: sci-fi / cyberpunk
All of these games have their on flavors of course but still, it's always some kind of sci-fi stuff while Blood was very distinct with its 1928 setting and its classic horror vibe. Blood has a bit of sci-fi but it's this Jules Verne stuff with its Tesla gun and machinery that reminded you of the classic Universal Frankenstein movies. I love that stuff so that's what I'd like to see in a potential sequel... and really whipping out two tommy guns will always have more style than some futuristic SMGs.
If Blood wants more sci-fi I think a steampunk vibe would be more ideal with some Lovecraftian horror. More Clive Barker's Undying and BioShock, less Doom and Quake.
Khallos
The trailer for Blood 1 ended with an advertisement for Blood 2. A move so bizarre that I would just love to hear what the thought process at Monolith must of been like.
HulkNukem
Khallos, on 03 April 2018 - 02:11 PM, said:
Really? Which trailer was this?
HulkNukem, on 03 April 2018 - 02:18 PM, said:
Horrible quality I know, but its at around 0:47
That is hilarious and really weird.
Based on the old development updates from the old website, Monolith was moving into new offices, finishing off Blood and the shareware, working on Shogo, and now apparently starting preliminary work on Blood 2.
That's a lot of work for a brand new company.
This post has been edited by HulkNukem: 03 April 2018 - 03:28 PM
Looks like they bit off more than they could chew. And eventually they choked on it.
I'll just leave this here:
Man, I love this song and I'm one of the few people who know it only because of Blood (never even heard of the band before the game which is weird since as I've read up on them they were quite big back in the day).
Dzierzan
Heh, when making trailer for my mod for Blood, I used Blood's trailer as a reference.
http://www.moddb.com...pons-mod/videos
I meant to mark you up.
I always thought if someone did a Blood movie, and they made the dark, twisted love between Ophelia and Caleb a central part of the story, that song would be great for the ending credits.
Haha, no biggie.
Anyway yep, it would be great as a title song for a movie like that. Some people say that it didn't fit the game though because Ophelia and Caleb's love for her weren't huge parts of the game's storyline and while I think they are right in that the song is still dark and gothic enough that its atmosphere fits nicely.
I discovered Type O Negative from their instrumental rendition of Haunted on the Descent II redbook soundtrack. Later found the 10-minute original and was blown away. Never got into the band other than that though.
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This post has been edited by MusicallyInspired: 04 April 2018 - 05:08 AM
Malgon
Mr. Tibbs, on 02 April 2018 - 07:37 PM, said:
Almost finished watching part 2 and this has been very amusing and also quite interesting to see how under-cooked the whole thing really is, even though I'd always heard that it was like that. I've had the game for ages and have been meaning to play through it at some point and check it out for myself, but after seeing how bastard hard and unfair it is on the normal difficulty, on top of the state it is in, I'm not sure I really want to. Now to watch part 3 and see how much worse it can get!
P.s. After hearing more of Ishmael's voice, I thought to myself 'hey, that sounds like the G Man', and it turns out that it is the same guy!
Most anticipated games: Ion Maiden, Cyberpunk 2077, Doom Eternal, Beyond Good and Evil 2
Yeah, it's Barney/G-Man. Also voice-acted the male civilians in Blood 2.
Player Lin
If not a reboot/remake of Blood 2, at least a port that make I can properly playing it with my usual playstyle (normal WASD or default arrow key style) because of that stupid Blood2.exe CTD bullshit, I just can't get used to play it without CTRL, SHIFT, ALT, ... keys etc.
Screw the guy who made the input part of Blood 2 engine(or other ones), and broken that in DBCS version of Windows after patches.
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This post has been edited by Player Lin: 04 April 2018 - 08:37 AM
daMann
Hello so on Blood 2 or blood remakes...
After Bloodlines reboot is done, I'd like to do a 1.5 Blood, that basically brings some of the Blood 2 setting to Blood, some graphics, some new enemy graphics... Like a modern cultist vibe (and maybe dehacked style editing to change behaviors of some monsters?) But really angle it towards a modern Gothic... a broken, depressed world, like the one described in the aborted Phantasm Ravager script, the plague zone stuff...
Ok basically just make my dream Phantasm vs Caleb game ... Wouldn't be too complicated... Crumbling sky scrapers and buildings, impossibly tall Gothic churches, Masoleums, modern hospitals, etc. Streets filled with debris, cars lining streets...
Either Eduke or Blood... One would be easier than other
So one idea for a map would be a Willy Wonka factory just fritzed out, broken down, maybe horrors are using it to produce something sinister..
This post has been edited by daMann: 27 April 2018 - 10:02 AM
I have always wanted to do an "urban decay" type city map. To do it right IMO you have to load it up with a ton of props for atmosphere. Also, its difficult to make a convincing broken down look with sectors. You'll have too many flat surfaces with squared corners and generic looking holes in the wall or blasted walls. It can be done with a boatload of custom assets but I'm not sure of the quality you can achieve without them.
On the other hand, some very enjoyable moody maps have been made with only original game assets. Not fancy enough for me because I love lots of details ( eye candy ) in a map but I recognize they can still be enjoyable to play.
This post has been edited by Mark.: 27 April 2018 - 10:58 AM
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Game Reviews / Reviews
The Fool Of A Tearful Fart: Shadow Warrior 2 Review
By Gyaandalf on October 25, 2016 No Comments / 2743 views
Shadow Warrior 2 is what drew everyone to the old FPS classics – fast, action based gameplay filled with witty yet somewhat juvenile and cheesy retorts. For instance, soon into the first mission in the game, you encounter an old Asian man (well, it’s an Asian setting but bear with me) enforcing the sensei stereotype who says to you, “Intimidation is the tool of the fearful heart.” To that, you say, “Hey, better than being the fool of the tearful fart.” Catch my drift?
It’s hilarious, and goes to show Lo Wang’s gimmick as the 1990’s wannabe badass. He is a walking stereotype and somewhat of a joke in himself. Getting away with phrases like “don’t mess with the Wang”, our katana wielding protagonist sure has a way with words. All in all, it’s very entertaining.
Despite all the penis jokes, the penis shaped swords, more penis jokes and penis constellations in the sky, Wang was still a likable character, especially in the Shadow Warrior 2013 reboot. He was a fighter with almost supernatural abilities who sliced up demons and blew up monster heads. And he liked stupid jokes, like a 5 year old, but he was a lot of fun.
Shadow Warrior 2, instead of building up upon what Shadow Warrior already had, tries to replicate the same things, and hence doesn’t feel like much of a new game. It doesn’t exactly improve upon the mechanics or the combat in the first game. Hence, it’s hard to see it as a progression, and for the same reasons, it loses part of its charm, coming out as repetitive. Don’t get me wrong, the game starts out with a blast – you’re left stranded with nothing but a sword after some monsters wreck your car, slicing through a horde of enemies to find your way through. Chopping up the poor mofos is extremely satisfying as you see chunks of body parts fly around, spattering blood and bile all over. The body count is enormous.
The first few minutes of monster slashing fun are lost as you progress through the game. The design and feel of the game still feels strongly close to the past, like it didn’t get updated. The people look a little lifeless and funnily enough, all the women seem to be fond of skintight outfits. You enemies also include a category of sex machines called D.O.L.L.S, that moan when you try to chop them up.
Instead of a linear progression, Shadow Warrior 2 has a quest system with the home village as the central point where you can get new missions and restock on your supplies. It has an upgrade system in which you can unlock new skills and get access to bigger, badder weapons. The enemies however, are more or less similar, with occasional difference in size and crowd. Slaying enemies can also drop upgrades which you can use for weapons. The main strategy around which the game revolves is point and shoot, apart from a few boss battles where you need to try a different approach.
The story and characters aren’t very impressive either. In the first game, there seemed to be a balance between Wang’s moments as an adolescent-dong-joke-loving kid and a mature protagonist, but in this game he seems to have lost the mature bit. The jokes seem to get worse as you progress, mainly because Wang can’t go 10 seconds without being a wisecrack. He’s like a dumbed down version of DeadPool. Frankly, it’s annoying.
In terms of aesthetics, though, the game seems to have some beautiful surroundings. Shadow Warrior 2 seems to be well optimized for NVIDIA GPUs. On the GTX 1070, the game can be played on the highest settings which can take some of the pain away. The game can be easily run on the GTX 970 as well, but why not take it a notch higher? Colours are more vibrant and you can clearly see the level of detailing. The field of view and motion blur also add some aspect or realism. The visual effects are great and it’s fun to see you enemies melt as you slice them in half. But apart from the that, the game doesn’t have much to offer.
Shadow Warrior 2 takes up everything that was great about the first game and makes it a little less fun. Instead of an upgrade, it feels like a cheap imitation. But if you can stand “Wang” jokes and want some mindless killing with blood all around, this might just be the game for you.
For more news and reviews, keep checking back at Gaming Central.
gaming news gaming news India pc Review shadow warrior 2
Gyaandalf
Wibbly Wobbly, Timey Wimey.....stuff
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Board index ‹ General Narnia Discussion Forums ‹ Reading Group: The Silver Chair
10 – Travels Without the Sun
Moderator: Pattertwigs Pal
by Pattertwigs Pal » Jun 19, 2017 3:08 am
1. Do you think the Queen sent the Earthmen specifically to fetch the children and Puddleglum or was it a general order to bring anyone who fell down to her?
2. Lewis describes the gnomes as being very different. Do you think this variety will be seen in the movie? Which gnome would you most like to see?
3. Jill and Eustace both are forced to face their fears. Jill has to crawl through the small tunnel and Eustace must stand on the edge of a cliff and fall off. Which experience is worse and why?
4. “That is old Father Time, who was once a King in Overland.” Could Father Time be the giant memorialized in the “under me” inscription?
5. Discuss how this chapter should be adapted. (ex. what do you most want to see, what problems do you see, etc.)
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Re: 10 – Travels Without the Sun
by waggawerewolf27 » Jun 21, 2017 4:43 pm
Oh yes, it was specifically directed at the children! I'm not saying there wasn't a general order to bring anyone who fell down to her at each available entry to her world. That does explain how so many previous champions had vanished over the years. Whoever survived crossing the terrain and adverse weather, and then escaped the giants, whether at Ettinsmoor or further on at Harfang, would fall victim to her and few would return as the watchword goes.
However, LOTGK, herself, had also met the children near the Giant's bridge, when she directed them to Harfang. In the intervening time between the children's meeting her, and their arrival at Harfang, she had ample opportunity to return to her palace with the Black knight and issue new orders to the gnomes, to ensure that there were enough at that outlet to meet two children and a Marshwiggle. So I've no doubt such guards were reinforced in case the children did manage to escape Harfang. Or even if they didn't take the bait of hot baths, nice meals and comfortable beds.
I don't see how even computer generation is going to manage the sort of variety and individuality that is implied in the book, to be able to be replicated in the movie. I think the directors will concentrate on the leading earthmen, such as the Warden and Mullugutherum, the ones with speaking parts. It is not how individual gnomes look that bothers me, but how they will sound. The difference between the FOTF audio and the BBC audio drama gnomes is that the FOTF gnomes sound so much more gravelly and darker, and I want that sort of thing for the movie.
I'm inclined to think that Eustace's experience at the edge of the cliff was worse because the spectacle of instant death is what makes that experience so fearsome, and what makes Eustace's fears reasonable and normal. Crawling through the small tunnel in almost complete darkness is not as bad, despite its oppressiveness, because there is always the reassurance of hearing, touching and feeling one's way around, and there is no fear of falling. Besides, however afraid Jill was, at least she wasn't forced to face her fears alone.
No, not necessarily. Old Father Time is a giantish personification of a concept, very like Mother Nature, herself. Besides, he lays sleeping.
SHOW SPOILER 1.Last Battle
He will wake up at the end of Narnia.
Unless one wants to argue that the present SC Giantish population are a deterioration from an earlier time.
SHOW SPOILER 2.Magician's Nephew
Aslan called the giants, like dwarfs and much else into being at the beginning of Narnia
However, it was only a generation or so previously that in Narnia, itself, we had the Giant Wimbleweather at the second battle of Beruna, centuries after Giant Rumblebuffin helped reinforcements come to the rescue against the White Witch at the first battle of Beruna.
There is one aspect of the chapter that I see as really important for the film. Jill has to face her own fears of dark, confined spaces, in this chapter, when crawling through narrow tunnels between those caves. Eustace tells her to think how he felt when falling over the cliff, but he does propose a solution to help her. He and Puddleglum will put her in the middle of the little group where she can feel a little safer by their presence. This is where Eustace is starting to think of the group as a whole.
The main problem I see, is how to do an underground journey in sometimes pitch black, or in rather dim light. I do want to see the caverns of the reptile-like creatures and that of Father Time and do think these two caverns, and maybe one or two others, would leaven a very dark and visually uninteresting journey from the Ruined City to the underground beach, otherwise.
There is also the lengthy voyage and how to depict it and portray the passage of time without taking up too much of the film's time. Fortunately in the book the children mostly slept, seated either side of Puddleglum. I could imagine that maybe, during that journey, more than the one ship mentioned in the book might pass their vessel, maybe one drawing alongside to share orders or news to the earthmen on board, and that during those stoppages food might be passed around which would allow for more interaction between the occupants of the boat. Or would the filmmakers just leave the children to sleep, with Puddleglum to argue with the crew?
by Anhun » Jul 12, 2017 6:26 pm
3. I think it is very important that the experience of Eustace as a person who is afraid of heights, and the experience of Jill as claustrophobic, are equally bad. That creates a full circle effect.
5. I would like the glowing Underland forest to have an interesting visual effect. This would break the potential monotony of a journey through the dark.
Anhun
Location: P3R-233
by Ryadian » Jul 14, 2017 12:04 pm
1. Do you think the Queen sent the Earthmen specifically to fetch the children and Puddleglum or was it a general order to bring anyone who fell down to her?That's an excellent question. I'm inclined towards the latter, however, since I suspect the Queen likely was not aware that the travelers had left Harfang. Even the knight has not denied that the Queen likely knew exactly what was going to happen to them in Harfang, so I suspect she probably thought her troubles with them were over. Even if she had a contingency plan, I don't know how she could have known about their escape and sent guards to collect them in the time she had, unless the giants have some means of contacting her even when she's underground (since they clearly can't use the same passage down that the travelers did). I also suspect that, if she'd known the travelers had come and had ordered them brought to her, she would've been there to intercept them, instead of off attending to other business.
2. Lewis describes the gnomes as being very different. Do you think this variety will be seen in the movie?
I really hope so. I don't want a generic army of minions - variety gives us individuals, which I think will make them seem more real. Also, given that we find out that they are, in fact, their own people enslaved by the witch, I think establishing the gnomes as their own entity will be vital to buying their rescue at the end. I also firmly believe that they need to make it clear that the gnomes are sad, and I'd like it to be clear that they're also spellbound.
Jill's, I think. Eustace was caught almost immediately by Aslan's breath and blown to Narnia, and even though he got no explanation, I would imagine he would've felt the difference when he was being blown as opposed to falling. Jill does not have Aslan to help her through it this time and it's for a much longer period of time, while she's a captive of an unknown force. She has Puddleglum and Eustace to keep her company at least, but I still think hers is worse.
That's a really fascinating idea. It could just as easily refer to a king like the knight describes, though the idea that there's more to the story that he doesn't know - or care to know - is certainly plausible. I also find it rather likely that, given how much else the LotGK lies to Rilian, it's possible that she made up the verse entirely to throw the children off, though I prefer Puddleglum's explanation that the writing was originally written as a boast, but Aslan allowed for the necessary writing to remain for the children.
waggawerewolf27 wrote: No, not necessarily. Old Father Time is a giantish personification of a concept, very like Mother Nature, herself.
In the past, I've kind of assumed that he became Father Time at some point, rather than having been born as the personification of time. I hadn't thought about it this way before.
While the gnome army certainly comes off as intimidating, as I mentioned before, I don't want them to be an army of Stormtroopers. I really hope the movie maintains the sense that the book does, that it's not clear if the gnomes are evil or just defending their lands or... what. I prefer melancholy and a touch of suspense.
Anhun, I really like the picture you included! It also makes sense, given that the book describes the foliage as glowing slightly, and it could be really cool if the movie makers run with that.
by shastastwin » Jul 18, 2017 8:46 am
Twig's wrote: 4. “That is old Father Time, who was once a King in Overland.” Could Father Time be the giant memorialized in the “under me” inscription?
I was actually going to suggest this. It was something that occurred to me while listening through the audio book recently. It seemed very appropriate that they should have a ruined city and an ancient inscription to some long-forgotten giant king and then discover that giant king sleeping in the heart of the earth.
"All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies. And when they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you..."
Inexhaustible Inspiration
shastastwin
Saint Schwinn
Location: Watership Down
by Hwinning » Jul 27, 2017 7:37 am
I don't agree with Ryadian in that
the gnomes should be obviously spellbound
but I do believe that they should be sad. I think Jill, Eustace, and Puddleglum were surprised to find out
they were under the Lady's spell
While both are scary, Eustace's fear is much worse because he is forced to face it against his will and he does so alone. Jill knowingly went into the tunnel and she was with two others.
The glowing forest idea intrigues me!
Hwinning
Hwinning wrote: 2. Lewis describes the gnomes as being very different. Do you think this variety will be seen in the movie? Which gnome would you most like to see?
I should clarify that I meant from an audience's perspective, it should be clear that something is off, along the lines of subtle details that you can't put your finger on. Otherwise, I feel like the revelation that they were spellbound later comes off a little bit like a Deus ex Machina. But you're right, it should definitely be a surprise for the characters, "obviously" was the wrong word to use here. Then again, perhaps just making them sad and pitiable will be enough..
Sorry, I'm often writing these posts during breaks at work and I don't go back and edit like I should.
by Meltintalle » Dec 23, 2017 5:38 pm
1. Do you think the Queen sent the Earthmen specifically to fetch the children and Puddleglum or was it a general order to bring anyone who fell down to her? I've always assumed it was a general order, otherwise she would not have been away from the palace.
2. Lewis describes the gnomes as being very different. Do you think this variety will be seen in the movie? Which gnome would you most like to see? One can hope! I think I'd be partial to the ones with the unicorn horn.
3. Jill and Eustace both are forced to face their fears. Jill has to crawl through the small tunnel and Eustace must stand on the edge of a cliff and fall off. Which experience is worse and why? We hear a lot more about Jill's. It's possible, too, that despite the fact that Eustace's worst fear comes true he can see fairly quickly that it's not going to end the way he feared--splat at the bottom. Whereas for Jill the darkness just goes on and on.
What I found interesting this time around was the sense that being captured by the Earth Men was a far more dire situation than the giants intending to eat the travelers at the Autumn Feast--and that's counting Puddleglum's reassurance that they're finally following the signs. Is it just the fact that they are in literal darkness and nothing seems quite as bad when the sun is shining?
by narnia fan 7 » Mar 15, 2018 8:11 am
Do you think the Queen sent the Earthmen specifically to fetch the children and Puddleglum or was it a general order to bring anyone who fell down to her?
I think it was just stranded procedure. The Queen send them to Harfang to be lunch, so I doubt she was expecting them to escape.
Jill and Eustace both are forced to face their fears. Jill has to crawl through the small tunnel and Eustace must stand on the edge of a cliff and fall off. Which experience is worse and why?
As someone who is both scared of heights and a little claustrophobic it's hard to say, but I think Jill probably had it worse. Although the falling off a cliff must of been terrifying it happened so fast no one had time to think and Eustace was almost immediately saved by Aslan. Jill had to suffer more I think.
Discuss how this chapter should be adapted. (ex. what do you most want to see, what problems do you see, etc.)
I want the film to make the Gnomes as off putting in the film as they are in the book. Both in their varied appearance and their depressed attitude.
narnia fan 7
by Valiant_Nymph » May 08, 2018 1:16 pm
I assumed it was a general order.
Hmm, they might keep them similar for budgetary reasons. But it would be cool to get some diversity!
I'm not afraid of heights, while I really don't like small spaces. Still, I think falling off a cliff might be more scary.
I always thought that was the case!
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Valiant_Nymph
by Movie Aristotle » May 20, 2019 8:02 pm
I think it was a general order. Many sink down, and few return to the sunlit lands.
Um... well, I guess I'd say falling off a cliff, because there is a real danger there, whereas Jill's fears aren't as well founded. I mean, I suppose the cave could collapse on her while she's crawling through, but I doubt it.
You know, I sometimes wonder that. Father Time is underground. I think I remember reading that there is a connection between Saturn and Father Time, and I think in mythology Saturn was the supreme ruler for a while. -All earth would have been under him.
Movie Aristotle
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Aboriginal English in Canada
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Indigenous English, also known as First Nations English, refers to varieties of English used by the Indigenous peoples of Canada. They are outwardly similar to standard Canadian English from the perspective of a non-Canadian. However, they differ enough from mainstream Canadian speech that Indigenous peoples (the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) are often identifiable by their speech to non-Indigenous people. This is primarily the result of the influence of non-English accents derived from Indigenous languages combined with a history of geographical and social isolation, since many Aboriginal people live (or formerly lived) in remote communities, in the North, or on Indian reserves.
Some analyses have concluded that contemporary Indigenous Canadian English may represent the late stages of a decreolization process, among peoples who historically spoke more creolized or pidginized forms of English.[1] Since the 1990s, Indigenous Englishes have also adopted many features of African American Vernacular English under the influence of hip-hop music which is very popular with urban Indigenous youth.
The use of these "non-standard" dialects is not well perceived by the non-Aboriginal majority, evidenced by mockery and discrimination.[1] Some features of the dialects, for example, may have led aboriginal children to be wrongly diagnosed as having a speech impairment or a learning disability.[1] Academics have begun to recommend that Canadian schools accept Indigenous varieties of English as valid English, and as a part of Indigenous culture.[2][3]
Few written works appear in Indigenous English dialects; an exception is Maria Campbell's Stories of the Road Allowance People, a collection of Métis folktales. An example from that work illustrates the type of speech used by Elders in rural Métis communities during her research (thought some stories were collected in Cree or other languages, and translated into dialectical English by Campbell):
Dere wasen very much he can steal from dah table anyways
'cept da knives and forks.
An Margareet he knowed he wouldn dare take dem
cause dat woman you know
hees gots a hell of a repetation for being a hardheaded woman
when he gets mad.
Dat man he have to be a damn fool to steal from hees table. - Dah Teef[4]
^ a b c Jessica Ball and B. May Bernhardt, "First Nations English dialects in Canada: Implications for speech-language pathology". Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, August 2008; 22(8): 570–588
^ http://www.ecdip.org/dialects/
^ http://aerc.usask.ca/downloads/Fadden&LaFranceDRAFTpaper.pdf[permanent dead link]
^ Maria Campbell, Stories of the Road Allowance People, Theytus Books (1995), p. 4
Dialects and accents of Canadian English
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipediam.org/w/index.php?title=Aboriginal_English_in_Canada&oldid=814583280"
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Home > ARTSSCI > Biology > Biology Faculty > 238
Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications
A Family of DNA Sequences is Reproducibly Rearranged in the Somatic Nucleus of Tetrahymena
Bernice A. Allitto, Brandeis University
Kathleen M. Karrer, Marquette UniversityFollow
doi: 10.1093/nar/14.20.8007
A small family of DNA sequences Is rearranged during the development of the somatic nucleus in Tetrahymena. The family is defined by 266 bp of highly conserved sequence which restriction mapping, hybridization and sequence analysis have shown is shared by a cloned micronuclear fragment and three sequences which constitute the macronuclear family. Genomic Southern hybridization experiments indicate there are five members of the family in micronuclear DNA. All of the family members are present in whole genome homozygotes and are therefore nonallellic. The three macronuclear sequences are all present in clonal cell lines and are reproducibly generated in every developing macronucleus. The rearrangement event begins 14 hours after conjugation is initiated and is nearly completed by 16 hours.
Published version. Nucleic Acids Research, Vol. 14, No. 20 (October 1986): 8007-8025. DOI. © 1986 Oxford University Press. Used with permission.
Kathleen Karrer was affiliated with Brandeis University at the time of publication.
Allitto, Bernice A. and Karrer, Kathleen M., "A Family of DNA Sequences is Reproducibly Rearranged in the Somatic Nucleus of Tetrahymena" (1986). Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications. 238.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/bio_fac/238
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Project acronym 100 Archaic Genomes
Project Genome sequences from extinct hominins
Researcher (PI) Svante PÄÄBO
Host Institution (HI) MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), LS2, ERC-2015-AdG
Summary Neandertals and Denisovans, an Asian group distantly related to Neandertals, are the closest evolutionary relatives of present-day humans. They are thus of direct relevance for understanding the origin of modern humans and how modern humans differ from their closest relatives. We will generate genome-wide data from a large number of Neandertal and Denisovan individuals from across their geographical and temporal range as well as from other extinct hominin groups which we may discover. This will be possible by automating highly sensitive approaches to ancient DNA extraction and DNA libraries construction that we have developed so that they can be applied to many specimens from many sites in order to identify those that contain retrievable DNA. Whenever possible we will sequence whole genomes and in other cases use DNA capture methods to generate high-quality data from representative parts of the genome. This will allow us to study the population history of Neandertals and Denisovans, elucidate how many times and where these extinct hominins contributed genes to present-day people, and the extent to which modern humans and archaic groups contributed genetically to Neandertals and Denisovans. By retrieving DNA from specimens that go back to the Middle Pleistocene we will furthermore shed light on the early history and origins of Neandertals and Denisovans.
Neandertals and Denisovans, an Asian group distantly related to Neandertals, are the closest evolutionary relatives of present-day humans. They are thus of direct relevance for understanding the origin of modern humans and how modern humans differ from their closest relatives. We will generate genome-wide data from a large number of Neandertal and Denisovan individuals from across their geographical and temporal range as well as from other extinct hominin groups which we may discover. This will be possible by automating highly sensitive approaches to ancient DNA extraction and DNA libraries construction that we have developed so that they can be applied to many specimens from many sites in order to identify those that contain retrievable DNA. Whenever possible we will sequence whole genomes and in other cases use DNA capture methods to generate high-quality data from representative parts of the genome. This will allow us to study the population history of Neandertals and Denisovans, elucidate how many times and where these extinct hominins contributed genes to present-day people, and the extent to which modern humans and archaic groups contributed genetically to Neandertals and Denisovans. By retrieving DNA from specimens that go back to the Middle Pleistocene we will furthermore shed light on the early history and origins of Neandertals and Denisovans.
Project acronym 2-HIT
Project Genetic interaction networks: From C. elegans to human disease
Researcher (PI) Ben Lehner
Host Institution (HI) FUNDACIO CENTRE DE REGULACIO GENOMICA
Summary Most hereditary diseases in humans are genetically complex, resulting from combinations of mutations in multiple genes. However synthetic interactions between genes are very difficult to identify in population studies because of a lack of statistical power and we fundamentally do not understand how mutations interact to produce phenotypes. C. elegans is a unique animal in which genetic interactions can be rapidly identified in vivo using RNA interference, and we recently used this system to construct the first genetic interaction network for any animal, focused on signal transduction genes. The first objective of this proposal is to extend this work and map a comprehensive genetic interaction network for this model metazoan. This project will provide the first insights into the global properties of animal genetic interaction networks, and a comprehensive view of the functional relationships between genes in an animal. The second objective of the proposal is to use C. elegans to develop and validate experimentally integrated gene networks that connect genes to phenotypes and predict genetic interactions on a genome-wide scale. The methods that we develop and validate in C. elegans will then be applied to predict phenotypes and interactions for human genes. The final objective is to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying genetic interactions, and to understand how these interactions evolve. The combined aim of these three objectives is to generate a framework for understanding and predicting how mutations interact to produce phenotypes, including in human disease.
Most hereditary diseases in humans are genetically complex, resulting from combinations of mutations in multiple genes. However synthetic interactions between genes are very difficult to identify in population studies because of a lack of statistical power and we fundamentally do not understand how mutations interact to produce phenotypes. C. elegans is a unique animal in which genetic interactions can be rapidly identified in vivo using RNA interference, and we recently used this system to construct the first genetic interaction network for any animal, focused on signal transduction genes. The first objective of this proposal is to extend this work and map a comprehensive genetic interaction network for this model metazoan. This project will provide the first insights into the global properties of animal genetic interaction networks, and a comprehensive view of the functional relationships between genes in an animal. The second objective of the proposal is to use C. elegans to develop and validate experimentally integrated gene networks that connect genes to phenotypes and predict genetic interactions on a genome-wide scale. The methods that we develop and validate in C. elegans will then be applied to predict phenotypes and interactions for human genes. The final objective is to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying genetic interactions, and to understand how these interactions evolve. The combined aim of these three objectives is to generate a framework for understanding and predicting how mutations interact to produce phenotypes, including in human disease.
Project acronym 2STEPPARKIN
Project A novel two-step model for neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease
Researcher (PI) Emi Nagoshi
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITE DE GENEVE
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2012-StG_20111109
Summary Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder primarily caused by the progressive loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Despite the advances in gene discovery associated with PD, the knowledge of the PD pathogenesis is largely limited to the involvement of these genes in the generic cell death pathways, and why degeneration is specific to DA neurons and why the degeneration is progressive remain enigmatic. Broad goal of our work is therefore to elucidate the mechanisms underlying specific and progressive DA neuron degeneration in PD. Our new Drosophila model of PD ⎯Fer2 gene loss-of-function mutation⎯ is unusually well suited to address these questions. Fer2 mutants exhibit specific and progressive death of brain DA neurons as well as severe locomotor defects and short life span. Strikingly, the death of DA neuron is initiated in a small cluster of Fer2-expressing DA neurons and subsequently propagates to Fer2-negative DA neurons. We therefore propose a novel two-step model of the neurodegeneration in PD: primary cell death occurs in a specific subset of dopamindegic neurons that are genetically defined, and subsequently the failure of the neuronal connectivity triggers and propagates secondary cell death to remaining DA neurons. In this research, we will test this hypothesis and investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms. This will be the first study to examine circuit-dependency in DA neuron degeneration. Our approach will use a combination of non-biased genomic techniques and candidate-based screening, in addition to the powerful Drosophila genetic toolbox. Furthermore, to test this hypothesis beyond the Drosophila model, we will establish new mouse models of PD that exhibit progressive DA neuron degeneration. Outcome of this research will likely revolutionize the understanding of PD pathogenesis and open an avenue toward the discovery of effective therapy strategies against PD.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder primarily caused by the progressive loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Despite the advances in gene discovery associated with PD, the knowledge of the PD pathogenesis is largely limited to the involvement of these genes in the generic cell death pathways, and why degeneration is specific to DA neurons and why the degeneration is progressive remain enigmatic. Broad goal of our work is therefore to elucidate the mechanisms underlying specific and progressive DA neuron degeneration in PD. Our new Drosophila model of PD ⎯Fer2 gene loss-of-function mutation⎯ is unusually well suited to address these questions. Fer2 mutants exhibit specific and progressive death of brain DA neurons as well as severe locomotor defects and short life span. Strikingly, the death of DA neuron is initiated in a small cluster of Fer2-expressing DA neurons and subsequently propagates to Fer2-negative DA neurons. We therefore propose a novel two-step model of the neurodegeneration in PD: primary cell death occurs in a specific subset of dopamindegic neurons that are genetically defined, and subsequently the failure of the neuronal connectivity triggers and propagates secondary cell death to remaining DA neurons. In this research, we will test this hypothesis and investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms. This will be the first study to examine circuit-dependency in DA neuron degeneration. Our approach will use a combination of non-biased genomic techniques and candidate-based screening, in addition to the powerful Drosophila genetic toolbox. Furthermore, to test this hypothesis beyond the Drosophila model, we will establish new mouse models of PD that exhibit progressive DA neuron degeneration. Outcome of this research will likely revolutionize the understanding of PD pathogenesis and open an avenue toward the discovery of effective therapy strategies against PD.
Project acronym 3D-REPAIR
Project Spatial organization of DNA repair within the nucleus
Researcher (PI) Evanthia Soutoglou
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE EUROPEEN DE RECHERCHE EN BIOLOGIE ET MEDECINE
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), LS2, ERC-2015-CoG
Summary Faithful repair of double stranded DNA breaks (DSBs) is essential, as they are at the origin of genome instability, chromosomal translocations and cancer. Cells repair DSBs through different pathways, which can be faithful or mutagenic, and the balance between them at a given locus must be tightly regulated to preserve genome integrity. Although, much is known about DSB repair factors, how the choice between pathways is controlled within the nuclear environment is not understood. We have shown that nuclear architecture and non-random genome organization determine the frequency of chromosomal translocations and that pathway choice is dictated by the spatial organization of DNA in the nucleus. Nevertheless, what determines which pathway is activated in response to DSBs at specific genomic locations is not understood. Furthermore, the impact of 3D-genome folding on the kinetics and efficiency of DSB repair is completely unknown. Here we aim to understand how nuclear compartmentalization, chromatin structure and genome organization impact on the efficiency of detection, signaling and repair of DSBs. We will unravel what determines the DNA repair specificity within distinct nuclear compartments using protein tethering, promiscuous biotinylation and quantitative proteomics. We will determine how DNA repair is orchestrated at different heterochromatin structures using a CRISPR/Cas9-based system that allows, for the first time robust induction of DSBs at specific heterochromatin compartments. Finally, we will investigate the role of 3D-genome folding in the kinetics of DNA repair and pathway choice using single nucleotide resolution DSB-mapping coupled to 3D-topological maps. This proposal has significant implications for understanding the mechanisms controlling DNA repair within the nuclear environment and will reveal the regions of the genome that are susceptible to genomic instability and help us understand why certain mutations and translocations are recurrent in cancer
Faithful repair of double stranded DNA breaks (DSBs) is essential, as they are at the origin of genome instability, chromosomal translocations and cancer. Cells repair DSBs through different pathways, which can be faithful or mutagenic, and the balance between them at a given locus must be tightly regulated to preserve genome integrity. Although, much is known about DSB repair factors, how the choice between pathways is controlled within the nuclear environment is not understood. We have shown that nuclear architecture and non-random genome organization determine the frequency of chromosomal translocations and that pathway choice is dictated by the spatial organization of DNA in the nucleus. Nevertheless, what determines which pathway is activated in response to DSBs at specific genomic locations is not understood. Furthermore, the impact of 3D-genome folding on the kinetics and efficiency of DSB repair is completely unknown. Here we aim to understand how nuclear compartmentalization, chromatin structure and genome organization impact on the efficiency of detection, signaling and repair of DSBs. We will unravel what determines the DNA repair specificity within distinct nuclear compartments using protein tethering, promiscuous biotinylation and quantitative proteomics. We will determine how DNA repair is orchestrated at different heterochromatin structures using a CRISPR/Cas9-based system that allows, for the first time robust induction of DSBs at specific heterochromatin compartments. Finally, we will investigate the role of 3D-genome folding in the kinetics of DNA repair and pathway choice using single nucleotide resolution DSB-mapping coupled to 3D-topological maps. This proposal has significant implications for understanding the mechanisms controlling DNA repair within the nuclear environment and will reveal the regions of the genome that are susceptible to genomic instability and help us understand why certain mutations and translocations are recurrent in cancer
Project acronym 3DEpi
Project Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of chromatin states : the role of Polycomb and 3D chromosome architecture
Researcher (PI) Giacomo CAVALLI
Summary Epigenetic inheritance entails transmission of phenotypic traits not encoded in the DNA sequence and, in the most extreme case, Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance (TEI) involves transmission of memory through multiple generations. Very little is known on the mechanisms governing TEI and this is the subject of the present proposal. By transiently enhancing long-range chromatin interactions, we recently established isogenic Drosophila epilines that carry stable alternative epialleles, defined by differential levels of the Polycomb-dependent H3K27me3 mark. Furthermore, we extended our paradigm to natural phenotypes. These are ideal systems to study the role of Polycomb group (PcG) proteins and other components in regulating nuclear organization and epigenetic inheritance of chromatin states. The present project conjugates genetics, epigenomics, imaging and molecular biology to reach three critical aims. Aim 1: Analysis of the molecular mechanisms regulating Polycomb-mediated TEI. We will identify the DNA, protein and RNA components that trigger and maintain transgenerational chromatin inheritance as well as their mechanisms of action. Aim 2: Role of 3D genome organization in the regulation of TEI. We will analyze the developmental dynamics of TEI-inducing long-range chromatin interactions, identify chromatin components mediating 3D chromatin contacts and characterize their function in the TEI process. Aim 3: Identification of a broader role of TEI during development. TEI might reflect a normal role of PcG components in the transmission of parental chromatin onto the next embryonic generation. We will explore this possibility by establishing other TEI paradigms and by relating TEI to the normal PcG function in these systems and in normal development. This research program will unravel the biological significance and the molecular underpinnings of TEI and lead the way towards establishing this area of research into a consolidated scientific discipline.
Epigenetic inheritance entails transmission of phenotypic traits not encoded in the DNA sequence and, in the most extreme case, Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance (TEI) involves transmission of memory through multiple generations. Very little is known on the mechanisms governing TEI and this is the subject of the present proposal. By transiently enhancing long-range chromatin interactions, we recently established isogenic Drosophila epilines that carry stable alternative epialleles, defined by differential levels of the Polycomb-dependent H3K27me3 mark. Furthermore, we extended our paradigm to natural phenotypes. These are ideal systems to study the role of Polycomb group (PcG) proteins and other components in regulating nuclear organization and epigenetic inheritance of chromatin states. The present project conjugates genetics, epigenomics, imaging and molecular biology to reach three critical aims. Aim 1: Analysis of the molecular mechanisms regulating Polycomb-mediated TEI. We will identify the DNA, protein and RNA components that trigger and maintain transgenerational chromatin inheritance as well as their mechanisms of action. Aim 2: Role of 3D genome organization in the regulation of TEI. We will analyze the developmental dynamics of TEI-inducing long-range chromatin interactions, identify chromatin components mediating 3D chromatin contacts and characterize their function in the TEI process. Aim 3: Identification of a broader role of TEI during development. TEI might reflect a normal role of PcG components in the transmission of parental chromatin onto the next embryonic generation. We will explore this possibility by establishing other TEI paradigms and by relating TEI to the normal PcG function in these systems and in normal development. This research program will unravel the biological significance and the molecular underpinnings of TEI and lead the way towards establishing this area of research into a consolidated scientific discipline.
Project acronym 4C
Project 4C technology: uncovering the multi-dimensional structure of the genome
Researcher (PI) Wouter Leonard De Laat
Host Institution (HI) KONINKLIJKE NEDERLANDSE AKADEMIE VAN WETENSCHAPPEN - KNAW
Summary The architecture of DNA in the cell nucleus is an emerging epigenetic key contributor to genome function. We recently developed 4C technology, a high-throughput technique that combines state-of-the-art 3C technology with tailored micro-arrays to uniquely allow for an unbiased genome-wide search for DNA loci that interact in the nuclear space. Based on 4C technology, we were the first to provide a comprehensive overview of long-range DNA contacts of selected loci. The data showed that active and inactive chromatin domains contact many distinct regions within and between chromosomes and genes switch long-range DNA contacts in relation to their expression status. 4C technology not only allows investigating the three-dimensional structure of DNA in the nucleus, it also accurately reconstructs at least 10 megabases of the one-dimensional chromosome sequence map around the target sequence. Changes in this physical map as a result of genomic rearrangements are therefore identified by 4C technology. We recently demonstrated that 4C detects deletions, balanced inversions and translocations in patient samples at a resolution (~7kb) that allowed immediate sequencing of the breakpoints. Excitingly, 4C technology therefore offers the first high-resolution genomic approach that can identify both balanced and unbalanced genomic rearrangements. 4C is expected to become an important tool in clinical diagnosis and prognosis. Key objectives of this proposal are: 1. Explore the functional significance of DNA folding in the nucleus by systematically applying 4C technology to differentially expressed gene loci. 2. Adapt 4C technology such that it allows for massive parallel analysis of DNA interactions between regulatory elements and gene promoters. This method would greatly facilitate the identification of functionally relevant DNA elements in the genome. 3. Develop 4C technology into a clinical diagnostic tool for the accurate detection of balanced and unbalanced rearrangements.
The architecture of DNA in the cell nucleus is an emerging epigenetic key contributor to genome function. We recently developed 4C technology, a high-throughput technique that combines state-of-the-art 3C technology with tailored micro-arrays to uniquely allow for an unbiased genome-wide search for DNA loci that interact in the nuclear space. Based on 4C technology, we were the first to provide a comprehensive overview of long-range DNA contacts of selected loci. The data showed that active and inactive chromatin domains contact many distinct regions within and between chromosomes and genes switch long-range DNA contacts in relation to their expression status. 4C technology not only allows investigating the three-dimensional structure of DNA in the nucleus, it also accurately reconstructs at least 10 megabases of the one-dimensional chromosome sequence map around the target sequence. Changes in this physical map as a result of genomic rearrangements are therefore identified by 4C technology. We recently demonstrated that 4C detects deletions, balanced inversions and translocations in patient samples at a resolution (~7kb) that allowed immediate sequencing of the breakpoints. Excitingly, 4C technology therefore offers the first high-resolution genomic approach that can identify both balanced and unbalanced genomic rearrangements. 4C is expected to become an important tool in clinical diagnosis and prognosis. Key objectives of this proposal are: 1. Explore the functional significance of DNA folding in the nucleus by systematically applying 4C technology to differentially expressed gene loci. 2. Adapt 4C technology such that it allows for massive parallel analysis of DNA interactions between regulatory elements and gene promoters. This method would greatly facilitate the identification of functionally relevant DNA elements in the genome. 3. Develop 4C technology into a clinical diagnostic tool for the accurate detection of balanced and unbalanced rearrangements.
Project acronym 4D-GenEx
Project Spatio-temporal Organization and Expression of the Genome
Researcher (PI) Antoine COULON
Summary This project investigates the two-way relationship between spatio-temporal genome organization and coordinated gene regulation, through an approach at the interface between physics, computer science and biology. In the nucleus, preferred positions are observed from chromosomes to single genes, in relation to normal and pathological cellular states. Evidence indicates a complex spatio-temporal coupling between co-regulated genes: e.g. certain genes cluster spatially when responding to similar factors and transcriptional noise patterns suggest domain-wide mechanisms. Yet, no individual experiment allows probing transcriptional coordination in 4 dimensions (FISH, live locus tracking, Hi-C...). Interpreting such data also critically requires theory (stochastic processes, statistical physics…). A lack of appropriate experimental/analytical approaches is impairing our understanding of the 4D genome. Our proposal combines cutting-edge single-molecule imaging, signal-theory data analysis and physical modeling to study how genes coordinate in space and time in a single nucleus. Our objectives are to understand (a) competition/recycling of shared resources between genes within subnuclear compartments, (b) how enhancers communicate with genes domain-wide, and (c) the role of local conformational dynamics and supercoiling in gene co-regulation. Our organizing hypothesis is that, by acting on their microenvironment, genes shape their co-expression with other genes. Building upon my expertise, we will use dual-color MS2/PP7 RNA labeling to visualize for the first time transcription and motion of pairs of hormone-responsive genes in real time. With our innovative signal analysis tools, we will extract spatio-temporal signatures of underlying processes, which we will investigate with stochastic modeling and validate through experimental perturbations. We expect to uncover how the functional organization of the linear genome relates to its physical properties and dynamics in 4D.
This project investigates the two-way relationship between spatio-temporal genome organization and coordinated gene regulation, through an approach at the interface between physics, computer science and biology. In the nucleus, preferred positions are observed from chromosomes to single genes, in relation to normal and pathological cellular states. Evidence indicates a complex spatio-temporal coupling between co-regulated genes: e.g. certain genes cluster spatially when responding to similar factors and transcriptional noise patterns suggest domain-wide mechanisms. Yet, no individual experiment allows probing transcriptional coordination in 4 dimensions (FISH, live locus tracking, Hi-C...). Interpreting such data also critically requires theory (stochastic processes, statistical physics…). A lack of appropriate experimental/analytical approaches is impairing our understanding of the 4D genome. Our proposal combines cutting-edge single-molecule imaging, signal-theory data analysis and physical modeling to study how genes coordinate in space and time in a single nucleus. Our objectives are to understand (a) competition/recycling of shared resources between genes within subnuclear compartments, (b) how enhancers communicate with genes domain-wide, and (c) the role of local conformational dynamics and supercoiling in gene co-regulation. Our organizing hypothesis is that, by acting on their microenvironment, genes shape their co-expression with other genes. Building upon my expertise, we will use dual-color MS2/PP7 RNA labeling to visualize for the first time transcription and motion of pairs of hormone-responsive genes in real time. With our innovative signal analysis tools, we will extract spatio-temporal signatures of underlying processes, which we will investigate with stochastic modeling and validate through experimental perturbations. We expect to uncover how the functional organization of the linear genome relates to its physical properties and dynamics in 4D.
Project acronym 5HT-OPTOGENETICS
Project Optogenetic Analysis of Serotonin Function in the Mammalian Brain
Researcher (PI) Zachary Mainen
Host Institution (HI) FUNDACAO D. ANNA SOMMER CHAMPALIMAUD E DR. CARLOS MONTEZ CHAMPALIMAUD
Summary Serotonin (5-HT) is implicated in a wide spectrum of brain functions and disorders. However, its functions remain controversial and enigmatic. We suggest that past work on the 5-HT system have been significantly hampered by technical limitations in the selectivity and temporal resolution of the conventional pharmacological and electrophysiological methods that have been applied. We therefore propose to apply novel optogenetic methods that will allow us to overcome these limitations and thereby gain new insight into the biological functions of this important molecule. In preliminary studies, we have demonstrated that we can deliver exogenous proteins specifically to 5-HT neurons using viral vectors. Our objectives are to (1) record, (2) stimulate and (3) silence the activity of 5-HT neurons with high molecular selectivity and temporal precision by using genetically-encoded sensors, activators and inhibitors of neural function. These tools will allow us to monitor and control the 5-HT system in real-time in freely-behaving animals and thereby to establish causal links between information processing in 5-HT neurons and specific behaviors. In combination with quantitative behavioral assays, we will use this approach to define the role of 5-HT in sensory, motor and cognitive functions. The significance of the work is three-fold. First, we will establish a new arsenal of tools for probing the physiological and behavioral functions of 5-HT neurons. Second, we will make definitive tests of major hypotheses of 5-HT function. Third, we will have possible therapeutic applications. In this way, the proposed work has the potential for a major impact in research on the role of 5-HT in brain function and dysfunction.
Serotonin (5-HT) is implicated in a wide spectrum of brain functions and disorders. However, its functions remain controversial and enigmatic. We suggest that past work on the 5-HT system have been significantly hampered by technical limitations in the selectivity and temporal resolution of the conventional pharmacological and electrophysiological methods that have been applied. We therefore propose to apply novel optogenetic methods that will allow us to overcome these limitations and thereby gain new insight into the biological functions of this important molecule. In preliminary studies, we have demonstrated that we can deliver exogenous proteins specifically to 5-HT neurons using viral vectors. Our objectives are to (1) record, (2) stimulate and (3) silence the activity of 5-HT neurons with high molecular selectivity and temporal precision by using genetically-encoded sensors, activators and inhibitors of neural function. These tools will allow us to monitor and control the 5-HT system in real-time in freely-behaving animals and thereby to establish causal links between information processing in 5-HT neurons and specific behaviors. In combination with quantitative behavioral assays, we will use this approach to define the role of 5-HT in sensory, motor and cognitive functions. The significance of the work is three-fold. First, we will establish a new arsenal of tools for probing the physiological and behavioral functions of 5-HT neurons. Second, we will make definitive tests of major hypotheses of 5-HT function. Third, we will have possible therapeutic applications. In this way, the proposed work has the potential for a major impact in research on the role of 5-HT in brain function and dysfunction.
Project acronym 5HTCircuits
Project Modulation of cortical circuits and predictive neural coding by serotonin
Summary Serotonin (5-HT) is a central neuromodulator and a major target of therapeutic psychoactive drugs, but relatively little is known about how it modulates information processing in neural circuits. The theory of predictive coding postulates that the brain combines raw bottom-up sensory information with top-down information from internal models to make perceptual inferences about the world. We hypothesize, based on preliminary data and prior literature, that a role of 5-HT in this process is to report prediction errors and promote the suppression and weakening of erroneous internal models. We propose that it does this by inhibiting top-down relative to bottom-up cortical information flow. To test this hypothesis, we propose a set of experiments in mice performing olfactory perceptual tasks. Our specific aims are: (1) We will test whether 5-HT neurons encode sensory prediction errors. (2) We will test their causal role in using predictive cues to guide perceptual decisions. (3) We will characterize how 5-HT influences the encoding of sensory information by neuronal populations in the olfactory cortex and identify the underlying circuitry. (4) Finally, we will map the effects of 5-HT across the whole brain and use this information to target further causal manipulations to specific 5-HT projections. We accomplish these aims using state-of-the-art optogenetic, electrophysiological and imaging techniques (including 9.4T small-animal functional magnetic resonance imaging) as well as psychophysical tasks amenable to quantitative analysis and computational theory. Together, these experiments will tackle multiple facets of an important general computational question, bringing to bear an array of cutting-edge technologies to address with unprecedented mechanistic detail how 5-HT impacts neural coding and perceptual decision-making.
Serotonin (5-HT) is a central neuromodulator and a major target of therapeutic psychoactive drugs, but relatively little is known about how it modulates information processing in neural circuits. The theory of predictive coding postulates that the brain combines raw bottom-up sensory information with top-down information from internal models to make perceptual inferences about the world. We hypothesize, based on preliminary data and prior literature, that a role of 5-HT in this process is to report prediction errors and promote the suppression and weakening of erroneous internal models. We propose that it does this by inhibiting top-down relative to bottom-up cortical information flow. To test this hypothesis, we propose a set of experiments in mice performing olfactory perceptual tasks. Our specific aims are: (1) We will test whether 5-HT neurons encode sensory prediction errors. (2) We will test their causal role in using predictive cues to guide perceptual decisions. (3) We will characterize how 5-HT influences the encoding of sensory information by neuronal populations in the olfactory cortex and identify the underlying circuitry. (4) Finally, we will map the effects of 5-HT across the whole brain and use this information to target further causal manipulations to specific 5-HT projections. We accomplish these aims using state-of-the-art optogenetic, electrophysiological and imaging techniques (including 9.4T small-animal functional magnetic resonance imaging) as well as psychophysical tasks amenable to quantitative analysis and computational theory. Together, these experiments will tackle multiple facets of an important general computational question, bringing to bear an array of cutting-edge technologies to address with unprecedented mechanistic detail how 5-HT impacts neural coding and perceptual decision-making.
Project acronym A-FRO
Project Actively Frozen - contextual modulation of freezing and its neuronal basis
Researcher (PI) Marta de Aragão Pacheco Moita
Summary When faced with a threat, an animal must decide whether to freeze, reducing its chances of being noticed, or to flee to the safety of a refuge. Animals from fish to primates choose between these two alternatives when confronted by an attacking predator, a choice that largely depends on the context in which the threat occurs. Recent work has made strides identifying the pre-motor circuits, and their inputs, which control freezing behavior in rodents, but how contextual information is integrated to guide this choice is still far from understood. We recently found that fruit flies in response to visual looming stimuli, simulating a large object on collision course, make rapid freeze/flee choices that depend on the social and spatial environment, and the fly’s internal state. Further, identification of looming detector neurons was recently reported and we identified the descending command neurons, DNp09, responsible for freezing in the fly. Knowing the sensory input and descending output for looming-evoked freezing, two environmental factors that modulate its expression, and using a genetically tractable system affording the use of large sample sizes, places us in an unique position to understand how a information about a threat is integrated with cues from the environment to guide the choice of whether to freeze (our goal). To assess how social information impinges on the circuit for freezing, we will examine the sensory inputs and neuromodulators that mediate this process, mapping their connections to DNp09 neurons (Aim 1). We ask whether learning is required for the spatial modulation of freezing, which cues flies are using to discriminate different places and which brain circuits mediate this process (Aim 2). Finally, we will study how activity of DNp09 neurons drives freezing (Aim 3). This project will provide a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of freezing and its modulation by the environment, from single neurons to behaviour.
When faced with a threat, an animal must decide whether to freeze, reducing its chances of being noticed, or to flee to the safety of a refuge. Animals from fish to primates choose between these two alternatives when confronted by an attacking predator, a choice that largely depends on the context in which the threat occurs. Recent work has made strides identifying the pre-motor circuits, and their inputs, which control freezing behavior in rodents, but how contextual information is integrated to guide this choice is still far from understood. We recently found that fruit flies in response to visual looming stimuli, simulating a large object on collision course, make rapid freeze/flee choices that depend on the social and spatial environment, and the fly’s internal state. Further, identification of looming detector neurons was recently reported and we identified the descending command neurons, DNp09, responsible for freezing in the fly. Knowing the sensory input and descending output for looming-evoked freezing, two environmental factors that modulate its expression, and using a genetically tractable system affording the use of large sample sizes, places us in an unique position to understand how a information about a threat is integrated with cues from the environment to guide the choice of whether to freeze (our goal). To assess how social information impinges on the circuit for freezing, we will examine the sensory inputs and neuromodulators that mediate this process, mapping their connections to DNp09 neurons (Aim 1). We ask whether learning is required for the spatial modulation of freezing, which cues flies are using to discriminate different places and which brain circuits mediate this process (Aim 2). Finally, we will study how activity of DNp09 neurons drives freezing (Aim 3). This project will provide a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of freezing and its modulation by the environment, from single neurons to behaviour.
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Project acronym ABACUS
Project Advancing Behavioral and Cognitive Understanding of Speech
Researcher (PI) Bart De Boer
Host Institution (HI) VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH4, ERC-2011-StG_20101124
Summary I intend to investigate what cognitive mechanisms give us combinatorial speech. Combinatorial speech is the ability to make new words using pre-existing speech sounds. Humans are the only apes that can do this, yet we do not know how our brains do it, nor how exactly we differ from other apes. Using new experimental techniques to study human behavior and new computational techniques to model human cognition, I will find out how we deal with combinatorial speech. The experimental part will study individual and cultural learning. Experimental cultural learning is a new technique that simulates cultural evolution in the laboratory. Two types of cultural learning will be used: iterated learning, which simulates language transfer across generations, and social coordination, which simulates emergence of norms in a language community. Using the two types of cultural learning together with individual learning experiments will help to zero in, from three angles, on how humans deal with combinatorial speech. In addition it will make a methodological contribution by comparing the strengths and weaknesses of the three methods. The computer modeling part will formalize hypotheses about how our brains deal with combinatorial speech. Two models will be built: a high-level model that will establish the basic algorithms with which combinatorial speech is learned and reproduced, and a neural model that will establish in more detail how the algorithms are implemented in the brain. In addition, the models, through increasing understanding of how humans deal with speech, will help bridge the performance gap between human and computer speech recognition. The project will advance science in four ways: it will provide insight into how our unique ability for using combinatorial speech works, it will tell us how this is implemented in the brain, it will extend the novel methodology of experimental cultural learning and it will create new computer models for dealing with human speech.
I intend to investigate what cognitive mechanisms give us combinatorial speech. Combinatorial speech is the ability to make new words using pre-existing speech sounds. Humans are the only apes that can do this, yet we do not know how our brains do it, nor how exactly we differ from other apes. Using new experimental techniques to study human behavior and new computational techniques to model human cognition, I will find out how we deal with combinatorial speech. The experimental part will study individual and cultural learning. Experimental cultural learning is a new technique that simulates cultural evolution in the laboratory. Two types of cultural learning will be used: iterated learning, which simulates language transfer across generations, and social coordination, which simulates emergence of norms in a language community. Using the two types of cultural learning together with individual learning experiments will help to zero in, from three angles, on how humans deal with combinatorial speech. In addition it will make a methodological contribution by comparing the strengths and weaknesses of the three methods. The computer modeling part will formalize hypotheses about how our brains deal with combinatorial speech. Two models will be built: a high-level model that will establish the basic algorithms with which combinatorial speech is learned and reproduced, and a neural model that will establish in more detail how the algorithms are implemented in the brain. In addition, the models, through increasing understanding of how humans deal with speech, will help bridge the performance gap between human and computer speech recognition. The project will advance science in four ways: it will provide insight into how our unique ability for using combinatorial speech works, it will tell us how this is implemented in the brain, it will extend the novel methodology of experimental cultural learning and it will create new computer models for dealing with human speech.
Project acronym AFDMATS
Project Anton Francesco Doni – Multimedia Archive Texts and Sources
Researcher (PI) Giovanna Rizzarelli
Host Institution (HI) SCUOLA NORMALE SUPERIORE
Summary This project aims at creating a multimedia archive of the printed works of Anton Francesco Doni, who was not only an author but also a typographer, a publisher and a member of the Giolito and Marcolini’s editorial staff. The analysis of Doni’s work may be a good way to investigate appropriation, text rewriting and image reusing practices which are typical of several authors of the 16th Century, as clearly shown by the critics in the last decades. This project intends to bring to light the wide range of impulses from which Doni’s texts are generated, with a great emphasis on the figurative aspect. The encoding of these texts will be carried out using the TEI (Text Encoding Initiative) guidelines, which will enable any single text to interact with a range of intertextual references both at a local level (inside the same text) and at a macrostructural level (references to other texts by Doni or to other authors). The elements that will emerge from the textual encoding concern: A) The use of images Real images: the complex relation between Doni’s writing and the xylographies available in Marcolini’s printing-house or belonging to other collections. Mental images: the remarkable presence of verbal images, as descriptions, ekphràseis, figurative visions, dreams and iconographic allusions not accompanied by illustrations, but related to a recognizable visual repertoire or to real images that will be reproduced. B) The use of sources A parallel archive of the texts most used by Doni will be created. Digital anastatic reproductions of the 16th-Century editions known by Doni will be provided whenever available. The various forms of intertextuality will be divided into the following typologies: allusions; citations; rewritings; plagiarisms; self-quotations. Finally, the different forms of narrative (tales, short stories, anecdotes, lyrics) and the different idiomatic expressions (proverbial forms and wellerisms) will also be encoded.
This project aims at creating a multimedia archive of the printed works of Anton Francesco Doni, who was not only an author but also a typographer, a publisher and a member of the Giolito and Marcolini’s editorial staff. The analysis of Doni’s work may be a good way to investigate appropriation, text rewriting and image reusing practices which are typical of several authors of the 16th Century, as clearly shown by the critics in the last decades. This project intends to bring to light the wide range of impulses from which Doni’s texts are generated, with a great emphasis on the figurative aspect. The encoding of these texts will be carried out using the TEI (Text Encoding Initiative) guidelines, which will enable any single text to interact with a range of intertextual references both at a local level (inside the same text) and at a macrostructural level (references to other texts by Doni or to other authors). The elements that will emerge from the textual encoding concern: A) The use of images Real images: the complex relation between Doni’s writing and the xylographies available in Marcolini’s printing-house or belonging to other collections. Mental images: the remarkable presence of verbal images, as descriptions, ekphràseis, figurative visions, dreams and iconographic allusions not accompanied by illustrations, but related to a recognizable visual repertoire or to real images that will be reproduced. B) The use of sources A parallel archive of the texts most used by Doni will be created. Digital anastatic reproductions of the 16th-Century editions known by Doni will be provided whenever available. The various forms of intertextuality will be divided into the following typologies: allusions; citations; rewritings; plagiarisms; self-quotations. Finally, the different forms of narrative (tales, short stories, anecdotes, lyrics) and the different idiomatic expressions (proverbial forms and wellerisms) will also be encoded.
Project acronym BiT
Project How the Human Brain Masters Time
Researcher (PI) Domenica Bueti
Host Institution (HI) SCUOLA INTERNAZIONALE SUPERIORE DI STUDI AVANZATI DI TRIESTE
Summary If you suddenly hear your song on the radio and spontaneously decide to burst into dance in your living room, you need to precisely time your movements if you do not want to find yourself on your bookshelf. Most of what we do or perceive depends on how accurately we represent the temporal properties of the environment however we cannot see or touch time. As such, time in the millisecond range is both a fundamental and elusive dimension of everyday experiences. Despite the obvious importance of time to information processing and to behavior in general, little is known yet about how the human brain process time. Existing approaches to the study of the neural mechanisms of time mainly focus on the identification of brain regions involved in temporal computations (‘where’ time is processed in the brain), whereas most computational models vary in their biological plausibility and do not always make clear testable predictions. BiT is a groundbreaking research program designed to challenge current models of time perception and to offer a new perspective in the study of the neural basis of time. The groundbreaking nature of BiT derives from the novelty of the questions asked (‘when’ and ‘how’ time is processed in the brain) and from addressing them using complementary but distinct research approaches (from human neuroimaging to brain stimulation techniques, from the investigation of the whole brain to the focus on specific brain regions). By testing a new biologically plausible hypothesis of temporal representation (via duration tuning and ‘chronotopy’) and by scrutinizing the functional properties and, for the first time, the temporal hierarchies of ‘putative’ time regions, BiT will offer a multifaceted knowledge of how the human brain represents time. This new knowledge will challenge our understanding of brain organization and function that typically lacks of a time angle and will impact our understanding of how the brain uses time information for perception and action
If you suddenly hear your song on the radio and spontaneously decide to burst into dance in your living room, you need to precisely time your movements if you do not want to find yourself on your bookshelf. Most of what we do or perceive depends on how accurately we represent the temporal properties of the environment however we cannot see or touch time. As such, time in the millisecond range is both a fundamental and elusive dimension of everyday experiences. Despite the obvious importance of time to information processing and to behavior in general, little is known yet about how the human brain process time. Existing approaches to the study of the neural mechanisms of time mainly focus on the identification of brain regions involved in temporal computations (‘where’ time is processed in the brain), whereas most computational models vary in their biological plausibility and do not always make clear testable predictions. BiT is a groundbreaking research program designed to challenge current models of time perception and to offer a new perspective in the study of the neural basis of time. The groundbreaking nature of BiT derives from the novelty of the questions asked (‘when’ and ‘how’ time is processed in the brain) and from addressing them using complementary but distinct research approaches (from human neuroimaging to brain stimulation techniques, from the investigation of the whole brain to the focus on specific brain regions). By testing a new biologically plausible hypothesis of temporal representation (via duration tuning and ‘chronotopy’) and by scrutinizing the functional properties and, for the first time, the temporal hierarchies of ‘putative’ time regions, BiT will offer a multifaceted knowledge of how the human brain represents time. This new knowledge will challenge our understanding of brain organization and function that typically lacks of a time angle and will impact our understanding of how the brain uses time information for perception and action
Project acronym COGNAP
Project To nap or not to nap? Why napping habits interfere with cognitive fitness in ageing
Researcher (PI) Christina Hildegard SCHMIDT
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITE DE LIEGE
Summary All of us know of individuals who remain cognitively sharp at an advanced age. Identifying novel factors which associate with inter-individual variability in -and can be considered protective for- cognitive decline is a promising area in ageing research. Considering its strong implication in neuroprotective function, COGNAP predicts that variability in circadian rhythmicity explains a significant part of the age-related changes in human cognition. Circadian rhythms -one of the most fundamental processes of living organisms- are present throughout the nervous system and act on cognitive brain function. Circadian rhythms shape the temporal organization of sleep and wakefulness to achieve human diurnality, characterized by a consolidated bout of sleep during night-time and a continuous period of wakefulness during the day. Of prime importance is that the temporal organization of sleep and wakefulness evolves throughout the adult lifespan, leading to higher sleep-wake fragmentation with ageing. The increasing occurrence of daytime napping is the most visible manifestation of this fragmentation. Contrary to the common belief, napping stands as a health risk factor in seniors in epidemiological data. I posit that chronic napping in older people primarily reflects circadian disruption. Based on my preliminary findings, I predict that this disruption will lead to lower cognitive fitness. I further hypothesise that a re-stabilization of circadian sleep-wake organization through a nap prevention intervention will reduce age-related cognitive decline. Characterizing the link between cognitive ageing and the temporal distribution of sleep and wakefulness will not only bring ground-breaking advances at the scientific level, but is also timely in the ageing society. Cognitive decline, as well as inadequately timed sleep, represent dominant determinants of the health span of our fast ageing population and easy implementable intervention programs are urgently needed.
All of us know of individuals who remain cognitively sharp at an advanced age. Identifying novel factors which associate with inter-individual variability in -and can be considered protective for- cognitive decline is a promising area in ageing research. Considering its strong implication in neuroprotective function, COGNAP predicts that variability in circadian rhythmicity explains a significant part of the age-related changes in human cognition. Circadian rhythms -one of the most fundamental processes of living organisms- are present throughout the nervous system and act on cognitive brain function. Circadian rhythms shape the temporal organization of sleep and wakefulness to achieve human diurnality, characterized by a consolidated bout of sleep during night-time and a continuous period of wakefulness during the day. Of prime importance is that the temporal organization of sleep and wakefulness evolves throughout the adult lifespan, leading to higher sleep-wake fragmentation with ageing. The increasing occurrence of daytime napping is the most visible manifestation of this fragmentation. Contrary to the common belief, napping stands as a health risk factor in seniors in epidemiological data. I posit that chronic napping in older people primarily reflects circadian disruption. Based on my preliminary findings, I predict that this disruption will lead to lower cognitive fitness. I further hypothesise that a re-stabilization of circadian sleep-wake organization through a nap prevention intervention will reduce age-related cognitive decline. Characterizing the link between cognitive ageing and the temporal distribution of sleep and wakefulness will not only bring ground-breaking advances at the scientific level, but is also timely in the ageing society. Cognitive decline, as well as inadequately timed sleep, represent dominant determinants of the health span of our fast ageing population and easy implementable intervention programs are urgently needed.
Project acronym COMPOSES
Project Compositional Operations in Semantic Space
Researcher (PI) Marco Baroni
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TRENTO
Summary The ability to construct new meanings by combining words into larger constituents is one of the fundamental and peculiarly human characteristics of language. Systems that induce the meaning and combinatorial properties of linguistic symbols from data are highly desirable both from a theoretical perspective (modeling a core aspect of cognition) and for practical purposes (supporting human-computer interaction). COMPOSES tackles the meaning induction and composition problem from a new perspective that brings together corpus-based distributional semantics (that is very successful at inducing the meaning of single content words, but ignores functional elements and compositionality) and formal semantics (that focuses on functional elements and composition, but largely ignores lexical aspects of meaning and lacks methods to learn the proposed structures from data). As in distributional semantics, we represent some content words (such as nouns) by vectors recording their corpus contexts. Implementing instead ideas from formal semantics, functional elements (such as determiners) are represented by functions mapping from expressions of one type onto composite expressions of the same or other types. These composition functions are induced from corpus data by statistical learning of mappings from observed context vectors of input arguments to observed context vectors of composite structures. We model a number of compositional processes in this way, developing a coherent fragment of the semantics of English in a data-driven, large-scale fashion. Given the novelty of the approach, we also propose new evaluation frameworks: On the one hand, we take inspiration from cognitive science and experimental linguistics to design elicitation methods measuring the perceived similarity and plausibility of sentences. On the other, specialized entailment tests will assess the semantic inference properties of our corpus-induced system.
The ability to construct new meanings by combining words into larger constituents is one of the fundamental and peculiarly human characteristics of language. Systems that induce the meaning and combinatorial properties of linguistic symbols from data are highly desirable both from a theoretical perspective (modeling a core aspect of cognition) and for practical purposes (supporting human-computer interaction). COMPOSES tackles the meaning induction and composition problem from a new perspective that brings together corpus-based distributional semantics (that is very successful at inducing the meaning of single content words, but ignores functional elements and compositionality) and formal semantics (that focuses on functional elements and composition, but largely ignores lexical aspects of meaning and lacks methods to learn the proposed structures from data). As in distributional semantics, we represent some content words (such as nouns) by vectors recording their corpus contexts. Implementing instead ideas from formal semantics, functional elements (such as determiners) are represented by functions mapping from expressions of one type onto composite expressions of the same or other types. These composition functions are induced from corpus data by statistical learning of mappings from observed context vectors of input arguments to observed context vectors of composite structures. We model a number of compositional processes in this way, developing a coherent fragment of the semantics of English in a data-driven, large-scale fashion. Given the novelty of the approach, we also propose new evaluation frameworks: On the one hand, we take inspiration from cognitive science and experimental linguistics to design elicitation methods measuring the perceived similarity and plausibility of sentences. On the other, specialized entailment tests will assess the semantic inference properties of our corpus-induced system.
Project acronym CoPeST
Project Construction of perceptual space-time
Researcher (PI) David Paul Melcher
Summary The foundation of lived experience is that it occurs in a particular space and time. Objects, events and actions happen in the present moment in a unified space which surrounds our body. As noted by Immanuel Kant, space and time are a priori concepts that organize our thoughts and experiences. Yet basic laboratory experiments reveal the cracks in this illusion of a unified perceptual space-time. Our subjective experience is a construction created out of the responses of numerous sensory detectors which give only limited information. In terms of space, the sensory input from a multitude of tiny windows is organized based on the coordinates of the receptor system, such as the fingertip or a specific location on the retina. In terms of time, sensory input is summed over a limited period which varies widely across different receptor types. Critically, none of these sensory detectors has a spatial-temporal response that corresponds to our subjective experience. Nonetheless, the mind constructs an illusion of unified space and continuous time out of the variegated responses. The goal of this project is to uncover the mechanisms underlying smooth and continuous perception. This project builds on a decade of groundwork in studying specific instances of the integration of visual information over space and time with a new focus on the mechanisms that unite the various phenomena which have up to now been studied separately. A combination of behavioral, neuroimaging and computational approaches will be used to identify the mechanisms underlying spatio-temporal continuity in high-level perception. We will track the dynamic shifts between the various temporal and spatial coordinate frames used to encode information in the brain, a topic which has remained largely unexplored. This research project, driven by specific hypotheses, aims to uncover how uni-sensory, ego-centric sensory responses give rise to the rich, multisensory experience of unified space-time.
The foundation of lived experience is that it occurs in a particular space and time. Objects, events and actions happen in the present moment in a unified space which surrounds our body. As noted by Immanuel Kant, space and time are a priori concepts that organize our thoughts and experiences. Yet basic laboratory experiments reveal the cracks in this illusion of a unified perceptual space-time. Our subjective experience is a construction created out of the responses of numerous sensory detectors which give only limited information. In terms of space, the sensory input from a multitude of tiny windows is organized based on the coordinates of the receptor system, such as the fingertip or a specific location on the retina. In terms of time, sensory input is summed over a limited period which varies widely across different receptor types. Critically, none of these sensory detectors has a spatial-temporal response that corresponds to our subjective experience. Nonetheless, the mind constructs an illusion of unified space and continuous time out of the variegated responses. The goal of this project is to uncover the mechanisms underlying smooth and continuous perception. This project builds on a decade of groundwork in studying specific instances of the integration of visual information over space and time with a new focus on the mechanisms that unite the various phenomena which have up to now been studied separately. A combination of behavioral, neuroimaging and computational approaches will be used to identify the mechanisms underlying spatio-temporal continuity in high-level perception. We will track the dynamic shifts between the various temporal and spatial coordinate frames used to encode information in the brain, a topic which has remained largely unexplored. This research project, driven by specific hypotheses, aims to uncover how uni-sensory, ego-centric sensory responses give rise to the rich, multisensory experience of unified space-time.
Project acronym CRASK
Project Cortical Representation of Abstract Semantic Knowledge
Researcher (PI) Scott Laurence Fairhall
Summary The study of semantic memory considers a broad range of knowledge extending from basic elemental concepts that allow us to recognise and understand objects like ‘an apple’, to elaborated semantic information such as knowing when it is appropriate to use a Wilcoxon Rank-Sum test. Such elaborated semantic knowledge is fundamental to our daily lives yet our understanding of the neural substrates is minimal. The objective of CRASK is to advance rapidly beyond the state-of-the-art to address this issue. CRASK will begin by building a fundamental understanding of regional contributions, hierarchical organisation and regional coordination to form a predictive systems model of semantic representation in the brain. This will be accomplished through convergent evidence from an innovative combination of fine cognitive manipulations, multimodal imaging techniques (fMRI, MEG), and advanced analytical approaches (multivariate analysis of response patterns, representational similarity analysis, functional connectivity). Progress will proceed in stages. First the systems-level network underlying our knowledge of other people will be determined. Once this is accomplished CRASK will investigate general semantic knowledge in terms of the relative contribution of canonical, feature-selective and category-selective semantic representations and their respective roles in automatic and effortful semantic access. The systems-level model of semantic representation will be used to predict and test how the brain manifests elaborated semantic knowledge. The resulting understanding of the neural substrates of elaborated semantic knowledge will open up new areas of research. In the final stage of CRASK we chart this territory in terms of human factors: understanding the role of the representational semantic system in transient failures in access, neural factors that lead to optimal encoding and retrieval and the effects of ageing on the system.
The study of semantic memory considers a broad range of knowledge extending from basic elemental concepts that allow us to recognise and understand objects like ‘an apple’, to elaborated semantic information such as knowing when it is appropriate to use a Wilcoxon Rank-Sum test. Such elaborated semantic knowledge is fundamental to our daily lives yet our understanding of the neural substrates is minimal. The objective of CRASK is to advance rapidly beyond the state-of-the-art to address this issue. CRASK will begin by building a fundamental understanding of regional contributions, hierarchical organisation and regional coordination to form a predictive systems model of semantic representation in the brain. This will be accomplished through convergent evidence from an innovative combination of fine cognitive manipulations, multimodal imaging techniques (fMRI, MEG), and advanced analytical approaches (multivariate analysis of response patterns, representational similarity analysis, functional connectivity). Progress will proceed in stages. First the systems-level network underlying our knowledge of other people will be determined. Once this is accomplished CRASK will investigate general semantic knowledge in terms of the relative contribution of canonical, feature-selective and category-selective semantic representations and their respective roles in automatic and effortful semantic access. The systems-level model of semantic representation will be used to predict and test how the brain manifests elaborated semantic knowledge. The resulting understanding of the neural substrates of elaborated semantic knowledge will open up new areas of research. In the final stage of CRASK we chart this territory in terms of human factors: understanding the role of the representational semantic system in transient failures in access, neural factors that lead to optimal encoding and retrieval and the effects of ageing on the system.
Project acronym Ctrl-ImpAct
Project Control of impulsive action
Researcher (PI) Frederick Leon Julien VERBRUGGEN
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITEIT GENT
Summary Adaptive behaviour is typically attributed to an executive-control system that allows people to regulate impulsive actions and to fulfil long-term goals instead. Failures to regulate impulsive actions have been associated with a variety of clinical and behavioural disorders. Therefore, establishing a good understanding of impulse-control mechanisms and how to improve them could be hugely beneficial for both individuals and society at large. Yet many fundamental questions remain unanswered. This stems from a narrow focus on reactive inhibitory control and well-practiced actions. To make significant progress, we need to develop new models that integrate different aspects of impulsive action and executive control. The proposed research program aims to answer five fundamental questions. (1) Can novel impulsive actions arise during task-preparation stages?; (2) What is the role of negative emotions in the origin and control of impulsive actions?; (3) How does learning modulate impulsive behaviour?; (4) When are impulsive actions (dys)functional?; and (5) How is variation in state impulsivity associated with trait impulsivity? To answer these questions, we will use carefully designed behavioural paradigms, cognitive neuroscience techniques (TMS & EEG), physiological measures (e.g. facial EMG), and mathematical modelling of decision-making to specify the origin and control of impulsive actions. Our ultimate goal is to transform the impulsive action field by replacing the currently dominant ‘inhibitory control’ models of impulsive action with detailed multifaceted models that can explain impulsivity and control across time and space. Developing a new behavioural model of impulsive action will also contribute to a better understanding of the causes of individual differences in impulsivity and the many disorders associated with impulse-control deficits.
Adaptive behaviour is typically attributed to an executive-control system that allows people to regulate impulsive actions and to fulfil long-term goals instead. Failures to regulate impulsive actions have been associated with a variety of clinical and behavioural disorders. Therefore, establishing a good understanding of impulse-control mechanisms and how to improve them could be hugely beneficial for both individuals and society at large. Yet many fundamental questions remain unanswered. This stems from a narrow focus on reactive inhibitory control and well-practiced actions. To make significant progress, we need to develop new models that integrate different aspects of impulsive action and executive control. The proposed research program aims to answer five fundamental questions. (1) Can novel impulsive actions arise during task-preparation stages?; (2) What is the role of negative emotions in the origin and control of impulsive actions?; (3) How does learning modulate impulsive behaviour?; (4) When are impulsive actions (dys)functional?; and (5) How is variation in state impulsivity associated with trait impulsivity? To answer these questions, we will use carefully designed behavioural paradigms, cognitive neuroscience techniques (TMS & EEG), physiological measures (e.g. facial EMG), and mathematical modelling of decision-making to specify the origin and control of impulsive actions. Our ultimate goal is to transform the impulsive action field by replacing the currently dominant ‘inhibitory control’ models of impulsive action with detailed multifaceted models that can explain impulsivity and control across time and space. Developing a new behavioural model of impulsive action will also contribute to a better understanding of the causes of individual differences in impulsivity and the many disorders associated with impulse-control deficits.
Project acronym ECSPLAIN
Project Early Cortical Sensory Plasticity and Adaptability in Human Adults
Researcher (PI) Maria Concetta Morrone
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DI PISA
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), SH4, ERC-2013-ADG
Summary Neuronal plasticity is an important mechanism for memory and cognition, and also fundamental to fine-tune perception to the environment. It has long been thought that sensory neural systems are plastic only in very young animals, during the so-called “critical period”. However, recent evidence – including work from our laboratory – suggests that the adult brain may retain far more capacity for plastic change than previously assumed, even for basic visual properties like ocular dominance. This project probes the underlying neural mechanisms of adult human plasticity, and investigates its functional role in important processes such as response optimization, auto-calibration and recovery of function. We propose a range of experiments employing many experimental techniques, organized within four principle research lines. The first (and major) research line studies the effects of brief periods of monocular deprivation on functional cortical reorganization of adults, measured by psychophysics (binocular rivalry), ERP, functional imaging and MR spectroscopy. We will also investigate the clinical implications of monocular patching of children with amblyopia. Another research line looks at the effects of longer-term deprivation, such as those induced by hereditary cone dystrophy. Another examines the interplay between plasticity and visual adaptation in early visual cortex, with techniques aimed to modulate retinotopic organization of primary visual cortex. Finally we will use fMRI to study development and plasticity in newborns, providing benchmark data to assess residual plasticity of older humans. Pilot studies have been conducted on most of the proposed lines of research (including fMRI recording from alert newborns), attesting to their feasibility and the likelihood of them being completed within the timeframe of this grant. The PI has considerable experience in all these research areas.
Neuronal plasticity is an important mechanism for memory and cognition, and also fundamental to fine-tune perception to the environment. It has long been thought that sensory neural systems are plastic only in very young animals, during the so-called “critical period”. However, recent evidence – including work from our laboratory – suggests that the adult brain may retain far more capacity for plastic change than previously assumed, even for basic visual properties like ocular dominance. This project probes the underlying neural mechanisms of adult human plasticity, and investigates its functional role in important processes such as response optimization, auto-calibration and recovery of function. We propose a range of experiments employing many experimental techniques, organized within four principle research lines. The first (and major) research line studies the effects of brief periods of monocular deprivation on functional cortical reorganization of adults, measured by psychophysics (binocular rivalry), ERP, functional imaging and MR spectroscopy. We will also investigate the clinical implications of monocular patching of children with amblyopia. Another research line looks at the effects of longer-term deprivation, such as those induced by hereditary cone dystrophy. Another examines the interplay between plasticity and visual adaptation in early visual cortex, with techniques aimed to modulate retinotopic organization of primary visual cortex. Finally we will use fMRI to study development and plasticity in newborns, providing benchmark data to assess residual plasticity of older humans. Pilot studies have been conducted on most of the proposed lines of research (including fMRI recording from alert newborns), attesting to their feasibility and the likelihood of them being completed within the timeframe of this grant. The PI has considerable experience in all these research areas.
Project acronym eHONESTY
Project Embodied Honesty in Real World and Digital Interactions
Researcher (PI) Salvatore Maria AGLIOTI
Summary Every day, everywhere, people make unethical choices ranging from minor selfish lies to massive frauds, with dramatic individual and societal costs. Embodied cognition theories posit that even seemingly abstract processes (like grammar) may be biased by the body-related signals used for building and maintaining self-consciousness, the fundamental experience of owning a body (ownership) and being the author of an action (agency), that is at the basis of self-other distinction. Applying this framework to morality, we hypothesize that strengthening or weakening participants’ bodily self-consciousness towards virtual avatars or real others will influence dishonesty in real, virtual, and web-based interactions. To test this hypothesis, we will measure: i) individual dishonesty after modifying body ownership (e.g., by changing the appearance of the virtual body) and agency (e.g., by changing the temporal synchrony between participant’s and avatar’s actions) over an avatar through which decisions are made; ii) intergroup dishonesty after inducing inter-individual sharing of body self-consciousness (e.g., blur self-other distinction via facial visuo-tactile stimulation); iii) individual and intergroup dishonesty by manipulating exteroceptive (e.g., the external features of a virtual body) or interoceptive (e.g., changing the degree of synchronicity between participant’s and avatar/real person’s breathing rhythm) bodily inputs. Dishonesty will be assessed through novel ecological tasks based on virtual reality and web-based interactions. Behavioural (e.g., subjective reports, kinematics), autonomic (e.g., heartbeat, thermal imaging) and brain (e.g., EEG, TMS, lesion analyses) measures of dishonesty will be recorded in healthy and clinical populations. Our person-based, embodied approach to dishonesty complements cross-cultural, large-scale, societal investigations and may inspire new strategies for contrasting dishonesty and other unethical behaviours.
Every day, everywhere, people make unethical choices ranging from minor selfish lies to massive frauds, with dramatic individual and societal costs. Embodied cognition theories posit that even seemingly abstract processes (like grammar) may be biased by the body-related signals used for building and maintaining self-consciousness, the fundamental experience of owning a body (ownership) and being the author of an action (agency), that is at the basis of self-other distinction. Applying this framework to morality, we hypothesize that strengthening or weakening participants’ bodily self-consciousness towards virtual avatars or real others will influence dishonesty in real, virtual, and web-based interactions. To test this hypothesis, we will measure: i) individual dishonesty after modifying body ownership (e.g., by changing the appearance of the virtual body) and agency (e.g., by changing the temporal synchrony between participant’s and avatar’s actions) over an avatar through which decisions are made; ii) intergroup dishonesty after inducing inter-individual sharing of body self-consciousness (e.g., blur self-other distinction via facial visuo-tactile stimulation); iii) individual and intergroup dishonesty by manipulating exteroceptive (e.g., the external features of a virtual body) or interoceptive (e.g., changing the degree of synchronicity between participant’s and avatar/real person’s breathing rhythm) bodily inputs. Dishonesty will be assessed through novel ecological tasks based on virtual reality and web-based interactions. Behavioural (e.g., subjective reports, kinematics), autonomic (e.g., heartbeat, thermal imaging) and brain (e.g., EEG, TMS, lesion analyses) measures of dishonesty will be recorded in healthy and clinical populations. Our person-based, embodied approach to dishonesty complements cross-cultural, large-scale, societal investigations and may inspire new strategies for contrasting dishonesty and other unethical behaviours.
Project acronym EVALISA
Project "The Evolution of Case, Alignment and Argument Structure in Indo-European"
Researcher (PI) Jóhanna Barðdal
Summary "Alignment and argument structure lies at the heart of all current theoretical models in linguistics, both syntactic models and research within typology. In spite of that, no large-scale comprehensive study of the historical development of case marking and argument structure has been carried out in modern times, using modern linguistic approaches and frameworks, and covering an entire language family from its first documentation until modern times. The project EVALISA aims to investigate case marking and argument structure from a historical perspective, or more precisely non-nominative case marking of subjects, focusing on its development through the history of the Indo-European languages. One of the products emerging from the project is an electronically searchable database of predicates taking non-nominative subject marking, available to the research community at large, for further research on the topic. Another product is a typology of grammaticalization paths of non-nominative case marking of subjects. This is a timely enterprise given that non-nominative subject marking is extremely common in the languages of world. A third product is a methodology for reconstructing syntax and grammar, based on the tools of Construction Grammar. The theoretical framework of Construction Grammar is easily extendible to syntactic reconstruction, due to the basic status of form–meaning pairings in that model, and hence the more lexicon-like status of the grammar. This creates a natural leap for Construction Grammar from synchronic form–meaning pairings to historical reconstruction, based on form–meaning pairings. This methodology is of importance for scholars within anthropological linguistics, working on the history of oral or less-documented languages."
"Alignment and argument structure lies at the heart of all current theoretical models in linguistics, both syntactic models and research within typology. In spite of that, no large-scale comprehensive study of the historical development of case marking and argument structure has been carried out in modern times, using modern linguistic approaches and frameworks, and covering an entire language family from its first documentation until modern times. The project EVALISA aims to investigate case marking and argument structure from a historical perspective, or more precisely non-nominative case marking of subjects, focusing on its development through the history of the Indo-European languages. One of the products emerging from the project is an electronically searchable database of predicates taking non-nominative subject marking, available to the research community at large, for further research on the topic. Another product is a typology of grammaticalization paths of non-nominative case marking of subjects. This is a timely enterprise given that non-nominative subject marking is extremely common in the languages of world. A third product is a methodology for reconstructing syntax and grammar, based on the tools of Construction Grammar. The theoretical framework of Construction Grammar is easily extendible to syntactic reconstruction, due to the basic status of form–meaning pairings in that model, and hence the more lexicon-like status of the grammar. This creates a natural leap for Construction Grammar from synchronic form–meaning pairings to historical reconstruction, based on form–meaning pairings. This methodology is of importance for scholars within anthropological linguistics, working on the history of oral or less-documented languages."
Project acronym facessvep
Project UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF FACE PERCEPTION: NEW INSIGHTS FROM STEADY-STATE VISUAL EVOKED POTENTIALS
Researcher (PI) Bruno Rossion
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITE CATHOLIQUE DE LOUVAIN
Summary Face recognition is one of the most complex functions of the human mind/brain, so that no artificial device can surpass human abilities in this function. The goal of this project is to understand a fundamental aspect of face recognition, individual face perception: how, from sensory information, does the human mind/brain build a visual representation of a particular face? To clarify this question, I will introduce the method of steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) in the field of face perception. This approach has never been applied to face perception, but we recently started using it and collected strong data demonstrating the feasibility of the approach. It is based on the repetitive stimulation of the visual system at a fixed frequency rate, and the recording on the human scalp of an electrical response (electroencephalogram, EEG) that oscillates at that specific frequency rate. Because of its extremely high signal-to-noise ratio and its non-ambiguity with respect to the measurement of the signal of interest, this method is ideal to assess the human brain’s sensitivity to facial identity, non-invasively, and with the exact same approach in normal adults, infants and children, as well as clinical populations. SSVEP will also allow “tagging” different features of a stimulus with different stimulation frequencies (“frequency-tagging” method), and thus measure the representation and processing of these features independently, as well as their potential integration. Overall, this proposal should shed light on understanding one of the most complex function of the human mind/brain, while its realization will undoubtedly generate relevant data and paradigms useful for understanding other aspects of face processing (e.g., perception of facial expression) and high-level visual perception processes in general.
Face recognition is one of the most complex functions of the human mind/brain, so that no artificial device can surpass human abilities in this function. The goal of this project is to understand a fundamental aspect of face recognition, individual face perception: how, from sensory information, does the human mind/brain build a visual representation of a particular face? To clarify this question, I will introduce the method of steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) in the field of face perception. This approach has never been applied to face perception, but we recently started using it and collected strong data demonstrating the feasibility of the approach. It is based on the repetitive stimulation of the visual system at a fixed frequency rate, and the recording on the human scalp of an electrical response (electroencephalogram, EEG) that oscillates at that specific frequency rate. Because of its extremely high signal-to-noise ratio and its non-ambiguity with respect to the measurement of the signal of interest, this method is ideal to assess the human brain’s sensitivity to facial identity, non-invasively, and with the exact same approach in normal adults, infants and children, as well as clinical populations. SSVEP will also allow “tagging” different features of a stimulus with different stimulation frequencies (“frequency-tagging” method), and thus measure the representation and processing of these features independently, as well as their potential integration. Overall, this proposal should shed light on understanding one of the most complex function of the human mind/brain, while its realization will undoubtedly generate relevant data and paradigms useful for understanding other aspects of face processing (e.g., perception of facial expression) and high-level visual perception processes in general.
Project acronym GenPercept
Project Spatio-temporal mechanisms of generative perception
Researcher (PI) David BURR
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI FIRENZE
Summary How do we rapidly and effortlessly compute a vivid veridical representation of the external world from the noisy and ambiguous input supplied by our sensors? One possibility is that the brain does not process all incoming sensory information anew, but actively generates a model of the world from past experience, and uses current sensory data to update that model. This classic idea has been well formulised within the modern framework of Generative Bayesian Inference. However, despite these recent theoretical and empirical advances, there is no definitive proof that generative mechanisms prevail in perception, and fundamental questions remain. The ambitious aim of GenPercept is to establish the importance of generative processes in perception, characterise quantitatively their functional role, and describe their underlying neural mechanisms. With innovative psychophysical and pupillometry techniques, it will show how past perceptual experience is exploited to manage and mould sensory analysis of the present. With ultra-high field imaging, it will identify the underlying neural mechanisms in early sensory cortex. With EEG and custom psychophysics it will show how generative predictive mechanisms mediate perceptual continuity at the time of saccadic eye movements, and explore the innovative idea that neural oscillations reflect reverberations in the propagation of generative prediction and error signals. Finally, it will look at individual differences, particularly in autistic perception, where generative mechanisms show interesting atypicalities. A full understanding of generative processes will lead to fundamental insights in understanding how we perceive and interact with the world, and how past perceptual experience influences what we perceive. The project is also of clinical relevance, as these systems are prone to dysfunction in several neuro-behavioural conditions, including autism spectrum disorder.
How do we rapidly and effortlessly compute a vivid veridical representation of the external world from the noisy and ambiguous input supplied by our sensors? One possibility is that the brain does not process all incoming sensory information anew, but actively generates a model of the world from past experience, and uses current sensory data to update that model. This classic idea has been well formulised within the modern framework of Generative Bayesian Inference. However, despite these recent theoretical and empirical advances, there is no definitive proof that generative mechanisms prevail in perception, and fundamental questions remain. The ambitious aim of GenPercept is to establish the importance of generative processes in perception, characterise quantitatively their functional role, and describe their underlying neural mechanisms. With innovative psychophysical and pupillometry techniques, it will show how past perceptual experience is exploited to manage and mould sensory analysis of the present. With ultra-high field imaging, it will identify the underlying neural mechanisms in early sensory cortex. With EEG and custom psychophysics it will show how generative predictive mechanisms mediate perceptual continuity at the time of saccadic eye movements, and explore the innovative idea that neural oscillations reflect reverberations in the propagation of generative prediction and error signals. Finally, it will look at individual differences, particularly in autistic perception, where generative mechanisms show interesting atypicalities. A full understanding of generative processes will lead to fundamental insights in understanding how we perceive and interact with the world, and how past perceptual experience influences what we perceive. The project is also of clinical relevance, as these systems are prone to dysfunction in several neuro-behavioural conditions, including autism spectrum disorder.
Project acronym HANDmade
Project How natural hand usage shapes behavior and intrinsic and task-evoked brain activity.
Researcher (PI) Viviana BETTI
Summary A seminal concept in modern neuroscience is the plasticity of the developing and adult brain that underpins the organismic ability to adapt to the ever-changing environment and internal states. Conversely, recent studies indicate that ongoing sensory input seems not crucial to modulate the overall level of brain activity, which instead it is strongly determined by its intrinsic fluctuations. These observations raise a fundamental question: what is coded in the intrinsic activity? This project tests the hypothesis that intrinsic activity represents and maintains an internal model of the environment built through the integration of information from visual and bodily inputs. The bodily inputs represent the physical and functional interaction that our body establishes with the external environment. In this framework, the hand has a special role, as it represents the primary means of interaction with the environment. Do behavior and mental activity change as a function of the effector we use to interact with the external environment? In virtual settings, I test the resilience of the internal model to extreme manipulations of the body by replacing the hand with everyday tools. The hypothesis is that prior representations constrain novel behaviors and plastic changes of both intrinsic and task-related brain activities. This prediction is also tested on samples of acquired amputees. These subjects represent an interesting model because the hand loss might reflect loss of sensory representations and less constrain on task-related brain activation. Throughout a combination of behavioral approaches, methods and techniques ranging from kinematics to functional neuroimaging (fMRI and MEG) and virtual reality, this project provides insights on how the synergic activity of body and environment shapes behavior and neural activity. This grant might open novel opportunities for future developments of robotic-assisted technology and neuroprostheses.
A seminal concept in modern neuroscience is the plasticity of the developing and adult brain that underpins the organismic ability to adapt to the ever-changing environment and internal states. Conversely, recent studies indicate that ongoing sensory input seems not crucial to modulate the overall level of brain activity, which instead it is strongly determined by its intrinsic fluctuations. These observations raise a fundamental question: what is coded in the intrinsic activity? This project tests the hypothesis that intrinsic activity represents and maintains an internal model of the environment built through the integration of information from visual and bodily inputs. The bodily inputs represent the physical and functional interaction that our body establishes with the external environment. In this framework, the hand has a special role, as it represents the primary means of interaction with the environment. Do behavior and mental activity change as a function of the effector we use to interact with the external environment? In virtual settings, I test the resilience of the internal model to extreme manipulations of the body by replacing the hand with everyday tools. The hypothesis is that prior representations constrain novel behaviors and plastic changes of both intrinsic and task-related brain activities. This prediction is also tested on samples of acquired amputees. These subjects represent an interesting model because the hand loss might reflect loss of sensory representations and less constrain on task-related brain activation. Throughout a combination of behavioral approaches, methods and techniques ranging from kinematics to functional neuroimaging (fMRI and MEG) and virtual reality, this project provides insights on how the synergic activity of body and environment shapes behavior and neural activity. This grant might open novel opportunities for future developments of robotic-assisted technology and neuroprostheses.
Project acronym I.MOVE.U
Project Intention-from-MOVEment Understanding: from moving bodies to interacting minds
Researcher (PI) Cristina Becchio
Host Institution (HI) FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA
Summary "From observing other people’s movements, humans make inferences that go far beyond the appearance of the observed stimuli: inferences about unobservable mental states such as goals and intentions. Although this ability is critical for successful social interaction, little is known about how – often fast and reliably – we are able to make such inferences. I.MOVE.U intends to provide the first comprehensive account of how intentions are extracted from body motion during interaction with conspecifics. Covert mental states such as intentions become visible to the extent they contribute as dynamic factors to generate the kinematics of a given action. By combining advanced methods in psychophysics and neuroscience with kinematics and virtual reality technologies, this project will study i) to what extent observers are sensitive to intention information conveyed by body movements; ii) what mechanisms and neural processes mediate the ability to extract intention from body motion; iii) how, during on-line social interaction with another agent, agents use their own actions to predict the partner’s intention. These issues will be addressed at different levels of analysis (motor, cognitive, neural) in neurotypical participants and participants with autism spectrum disorders. For the first time, to investigate real-time social interaction, full-body tracking will be combined with online generation of biological motion stimuli to obtain visual biological motion stimuli directly dependent on the actual behavior of participants. I.MOVE.U pioneers a new area of research at the intersection of motor cognition and social cognition, providing knowledge of direct scientific, clinical, and technological impact. The final outcome of the project will result in a new quantitative methodology to investigate the decoding of intention during interaction with conspecifics."
"From observing other people’s movements, humans make inferences that go far beyond the appearance of the observed stimuli: inferences about unobservable mental states such as goals and intentions. Although this ability is critical for successful social interaction, little is known about how – often fast and reliably – we are able to make such inferences. I.MOVE.U intends to provide the first comprehensive account of how intentions are extracted from body motion during interaction with conspecifics. Covert mental states such as intentions become visible to the extent they contribute as dynamic factors to generate the kinematics of a given action. By combining advanced methods in psychophysics and neuroscience with kinematics and virtual reality technologies, this project will study i) to what extent observers are sensitive to intention information conveyed by body movements; ii) what mechanisms and neural processes mediate the ability to extract intention from body motion; iii) how, during on-line social interaction with another agent, agents use their own actions to predict the partner’s intention. These issues will be addressed at different levels of analysis (motor, cognitive, neural) in neurotypical participants and participants with autism spectrum disorders. For the first time, to investigate real-time social interaction, full-body tracking will be combined with online generation of biological motion stimuli to obtain visual biological motion stimuli directly dependent on the actual behavior of participants. I.MOVE.U pioneers a new area of research at the intersection of motor cognition and social cognition, providing knowledge of direct scientific, clinical, and technological impact. The final outcome of the project will result in a new quantitative methodology to investigate the decoding of intention during interaction with conspecifics."
Project acronym InStance
Project Intentional stance for social attunement
Researcher (PI) Agnieszka Anna Wykowska
Summary In daily social interactions, we constantly attribute mental states, such as beliefs or intentions, to other humans – to understand and predict their behaviour. Today we also routinely interact with artificial agents: from Apple’s Siri to GPS navigation systems. In the near future, we will casually interact with robots. However, since we consider artificial agents to have no mental states, we tend to not attune socially with them in the sense of activating our mechanisms of social cognition. This is because it seems pointless to socially attune to something that does not carry social meaning (mental content) under the surface of an observed behaviour. INSTANCE will break new ground in social cognition research by identifying factors that influence attribution of mental states to others and social attunement with humans or artificial agents. The objectives of INSTANCE are to (1) determine parameters of others’ behaviour that make us attribute mental states to them, (2) explore parameters relevant for social attunement, (3) elucidate further factors – culture and experience – that influence attribution of mental states to agents and, thereby social attunement. INSTANCE’s objectives are highly relevant not only for fundamental research in social cognition, but also for the applied field of social robotics, where robots are expected to become humans’ social companions. Indeed, if we do not attune socially to artificial agents viewed as mindless machines, then robots may end up not working well enough in contexts where interaction is paramount. INSTANCE’s unique approach combining cognitive neuroscience methods with real-time human-robot interaction will address the challenge of social attunement between humans and artificial agents. Subtle features of robot behaviour (e.g., timing or pattern of eye movements) will be manipulated. The impact of such features on social attunement (e.g., joint attention) will be examined with behavioural, neural and physiological measures.
In daily social interactions, we constantly attribute mental states, such as beliefs or intentions, to other humans – to understand and predict their behaviour. Today we also routinely interact with artificial agents: from Apple’s Siri to GPS navigation systems. In the near future, we will casually interact with robots. However, since we consider artificial agents to have no mental states, we tend to not attune socially with them in the sense of activating our mechanisms of social cognition. This is because it seems pointless to socially attune to something that does not carry social meaning (mental content) under the surface of an observed behaviour. INSTANCE will break new ground in social cognition research by identifying factors that influence attribution of mental states to others and social attunement with humans or artificial agents. The objectives of INSTANCE are to (1) determine parameters of others’ behaviour that make us attribute mental states to them, (2) explore parameters relevant for social attunement, (3) elucidate further factors – culture and experience – that influence attribution of mental states to agents and, thereby social attunement. INSTANCE’s objectives are highly relevant not only for fundamental research in social cognition, but also for the applied field of social robotics, where robots are expected to become humans’ social companions. Indeed, if we do not attune socially to artificial agents viewed as mindless machines, then robots may end up not working well enough in contexts where interaction is paramount. INSTANCE’s unique approach combining cognitive neuroscience methods with real-time human-robot interaction will address the challenge of social attunement between humans and artificial agents. Subtle features of robot behaviour (e.g., timing or pattern of eye movements) will be manipulated. The impact of such features on social attunement (e.g., joint attention) will be examined with behavioural, neural and physiological measures.
Project acronym LEX-MEA
Project Life EXperience Modulations of Executive function Asymmetries
Researcher (PI) Antonino Vallesi
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA
Summary Executive functions are a set of cognitive processes underlying goal-directed behaviour. Two crucial executive functions are criterion-setting, the ability to form new rules, and monitoring, the capacity to evaluate whether those rules are being applied correctly. They differentially engage left and right prefrontal regions. Determining the impact of experience on these key functions will help understand individual differences and, crucially, reveal the available degrees of freedom for active intervention in case of decline or deficit. The central goal of LEX-MEA proposal is to unveil which neural and experiential factors shape these high-level functions across the life-span. The specific aim of the proposal is threefold. First, by using a multimodal neuroimaging approach, it will unveil how prefrontal hemispheric asymmetries underlying executive functions change depending on the task context, and whether this division of labour is advantageous. Second, it will study how significant real-life experiences, such as practicing a skill that entails a specific executive function, modulate these functions and their neural underpinning. We will target 2 groups of professionals, simultaneous translators and air traffic controllers, who make extensive use of criterion-setting and monitoring, respectively, to test whether, in different stages of skill acquisition, they show a generalized benefit for the specific executive function trained. Third, we will test whether having practiced a skill requiring a certain executive function throughout life constitutes a compensatory factor against cognitive aging. The ultimate objective is to lay the cognitive and neural foundation for a full understanding of these extraordinary abilities not only in normal conditions but also in diverse diseases and to boost particular executive functions with tailored, theory-guided training programs.
Executive functions are a set of cognitive processes underlying goal-directed behaviour. Two crucial executive functions are criterion-setting, the ability to form new rules, and monitoring, the capacity to evaluate whether those rules are being applied correctly. They differentially engage left and right prefrontal regions. Determining the impact of experience on these key functions will help understand individual differences and, crucially, reveal the available degrees of freedom for active intervention in case of decline or deficit. The central goal of LEX-MEA proposal is to unveil which neural and experiential factors shape these high-level functions across the life-span. The specific aim of the proposal is threefold. First, by using a multimodal neuroimaging approach, it will unveil how prefrontal hemispheric asymmetries underlying executive functions change depending on the task context, and whether this division of labour is advantageous. Second, it will study how significant real-life experiences, such as practicing a skill that entails a specific executive function, modulate these functions and their neural underpinning. We will target 2 groups of professionals, simultaneous translators and air traffic controllers, who make extensive use of criterion-setting and monitoring, respectively, to test whether, in different stages of skill acquisition, they show a generalized benefit for the specific executive function trained. Third, we will test whether having practiced a skill requiring a certain executive function throughout life constitutes a compensatory factor against cognitive aging. The ultimate objective is to lay the cognitive and neural foundation for a full understanding of these extraordinary abilities not only in normal conditions but also in diverse diseases and to boost particular executive functions with tailored, theory-guided training programs.
Project acronym LIGHTUP
Project Turning the cortically blind brain to see: from neural computations to system dynamicsgenerating visual awareness in humans and monkeys
Researcher (PI) Marco TAMIETTO
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TORINO
Summary Visual awareness affords flexibility and experiential richness, and its loss following brain damage has devastating effects. However, patients with blindness following cortical damage may retain visual functions, despite visual awareness is lacking (blindsight). But, how can we translate non-conscious visual abilities into conscious ones after damage to the visual cortex? To place our understanding of visual awareness on firm neurobiological and mechanistic bases, I propose to integrate human and monkey neuroscience. Next, I will translate this wisdom into evidence-based clinical intervention. First, LIGHTUP will apply computational neuroimaging methods at the micro-scale level, estimating population receptive fields in humans and monkeys. This will enable analyzing fMRI signal similar to the way tuning properties are studied in neurophysiology, and to clarify how brain areas translate visual properties into responses associated with awareness. Second, LIGHTUP leverages a behavioural paradigm that can dissociate nonconscious visual abilities from awareness in monkeys, thus offering a refined animal model of visual awareness. Applying behavioural-Dynamic Causal Modelling to combine fMRI and behavioral data, LIGHTUP will build up a Bayesian framework that specifies the directionality of information flow in the interactions across distant brain areas, and their causal role in generating visual awareness. In the third part, I will devise a rehabilitation protocol that combines brain stimulation and visual training to promote the (re)emergence of lost visual awareness. LIGHTUP will exploit non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in a novel protocol that enables stimulation of complex cortical circuits and selection of the direction of connectivity that is enhanced. This associative stimulation has been proven to induce Hebbian plasticity, and we have piloted its effects in fostering visual awareness in association with visual restoration training.
Visual awareness affords flexibility and experiential richness, and its loss following brain damage has devastating effects. However, patients with blindness following cortical damage may retain visual functions, despite visual awareness is lacking (blindsight). But, how can we translate non-conscious visual abilities into conscious ones after damage to the visual cortex? To place our understanding of visual awareness on firm neurobiological and mechanistic bases, I propose to integrate human and monkey neuroscience. Next, I will translate this wisdom into evidence-based clinical intervention. First, LIGHTUP will apply computational neuroimaging methods at the micro-scale level, estimating population receptive fields in humans and monkeys. This will enable analyzing fMRI signal similar to the way tuning properties are studied in neurophysiology, and to clarify how brain areas translate visual properties into responses associated with awareness. Second, LIGHTUP leverages a behavioural paradigm that can dissociate nonconscious visual abilities from awareness in monkeys, thus offering a refined animal model of visual awareness. Applying behavioural-Dynamic Causal Modelling to combine fMRI and behavioral data, LIGHTUP will build up a Bayesian framework that specifies the directionality of information flow in the interactions across distant brain areas, and their causal role in generating visual awareness. In the third part, I will devise a rehabilitation protocol that combines brain stimulation and visual training to promote the (re)emergence of lost visual awareness. LIGHTUP will exploit non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in a novel protocol that enables stimulation of complex cortical circuits and selection of the direction of connectivity that is enhanced. This associative stimulation has been proven to induce Hebbian plasticity, and we have piloted its effects in fostering visual awareness in association with visual restoration training.
Project acronym MADVIS
Project Mapping the Deprived Visual System: Cracking function for prediction
Researcher (PI) Olivier Marie-Claire Michel Ghislain Collignon
Summary One of the most striking demonstrations of experience-dependent plasticity comes from studies of blind individuals showing that the occipital cortex (traditionally considered as purely visual) massively changes its functional tuning to support the processing of non-visual inputs. These mechanisms of crossmodal plasticity, classically considered compensatory, inevitably raise crucial challenges for sight-restoration. The neglected relation between crossmodal plasticity and sight-recovery will represent the testing ground of MADVIS in order to gain important novel insights on how specific brain regions become, stay and change their functional tuning toward the processing of specific stimuli. The main goal of MADVIS is therefore to make a breakthrough on two fronts: (1) understanding how visual deprivation at different sensitive periods in development affects the functional organization and connectivity of the occipital cortex; and (2) use the fundamental knowledge derived from (1) to test and predict the outcome of sight restoration. Using a pioneering interdisciplinary approach that crosses the boundaries between cognitive neurosciences and ophthalmology, MADVIS will have a large impact on our understanding of how experience at different sensitive periods shapes the response properties of specific brain regions. Finally, in its attempt to fill the existing gap between crossmodal reorganization and sight restoration, MADVIS will eventually pave the way for a new generation of predictive surveys prior to sensory restoration.
One of the most striking demonstrations of experience-dependent plasticity comes from studies of blind individuals showing that the occipital cortex (traditionally considered as purely visual) massively changes its functional tuning to support the processing of non-visual inputs. These mechanisms of crossmodal plasticity, classically considered compensatory, inevitably raise crucial challenges for sight-restoration. The neglected relation between crossmodal plasticity and sight-recovery will represent the testing ground of MADVIS in order to gain important novel insights on how specific brain regions become, stay and change their functional tuning toward the processing of specific stimuli. The main goal of MADVIS is therefore to make a breakthrough on two fronts: (1) understanding how visual deprivation at different sensitive periods in development affects the functional organization and connectivity of the occipital cortex; and (2) use the fundamental knowledge derived from (1) to test and predict the outcome of sight restoration. Using a pioneering interdisciplinary approach that crosses the boundaries between cognitive neurosciences and ophthalmology, MADVIS will have a large impact on our understanding of how experience at different sensitive periods shapes the response properties of specific brain regions. Finally, in its attempt to fill the existing gap between crossmodal reorganization and sight restoration, MADVIS will eventually pave the way for a new generation of predictive surveys prior to sensory restoration.
Project acronym MindBendingGrammars
Project Mind-Bending Grammars: The dynamics of correlated multiple grammatical changes in Early Modern English writers
Researcher (PI) Peter Petré
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITEIT ANTWERPEN
Summary Mind-Bending Grammars examines change in mental grammars of 17th century individuals across their lifespan as attested in their writings. The project treats grammar as a self-organizing network of form-meaning schemas continuously fine-tuning itself, where activating one schema may prime formally or functionally associated ones. In analyzing multiple grammar changes in healthy adults it aspires to make a breakthrough in the cognitive modelling of grammar, and is expected to bear on views of cognitive plasticity and self-organizing systems (e.g. ecosystems). To reach these goals it will determine (i) how change in one part of an individual’s grammar relates to change in another; (ii) to what extent grammar change in individuals is possible and attested beyond childhood. This is still unsettled. Formal models hold that change occurs in language acquisition, social ones that it mainly results from adult interaction. The first ignore too much adult usage, the second grammar as a system. Seven cases are examined: i. Progressive (I’m loving it) ii. Future [going to] (he’s going to love it) iii-iv. (Pseudo)clefts (it’s Eve he loves) v. Rare passives (Eve was sent for) vi. Subject-raising (he’s said to be nice) vii. New copulas (get/grow hot) Each case changes much in the 17th century, warranting separate study. Yet the changes may also be linked. Formally, going to for example started as a progressive, and this may have resulted in sustained mutual influence. Functionally all but the last may be responses to changing word order. Until c1500 time adverbs (THEN ran he), focal elements (EVE loves he) or empty subjects (THEY say he’s nice) could precede the verb. After, this position got restricted to subjects that are topics (HE ran). Progressives need no time adverbs, clefts move the focal element, and passivization/subject-raising align topic & subject; all of this helped to realize the new order. Grow & get are unassociated to other cases, and serve as a control group.
Mind-Bending Grammars examines change in mental grammars of 17th century individuals across their lifespan as attested in their writings. The project treats grammar as a self-organizing network of form-meaning schemas continuously fine-tuning itself, where activating one schema may prime formally or functionally associated ones. In analyzing multiple grammar changes in healthy adults it aspires to make a breakthrough in the cognitive modelling of grammar, and is expected to bear on views of cognitive plasticity and self-organizing systems (e.g. ecosystems). To reach these goals it will determine (i) how change in one part of an individual’s grammar relates to change in another; (ii) to what extent grammar change in individuals is possible and attested beyond childhood. This is still unsettled. Formal models hold that change occurs in language acquisition, social ones that it mainly results from adult interaction. The first ignore too much adult usage, the second grammar as a system. Seven cases are examined: i. Progressive (I’m loving it) ii. Future [going to] (he’s going to love it) iii-iv. (Pseudo)clefts (it’s Eve he loves) v. Rare passives (Eve was sent for) vi. Subject-raising (he’s said to be nice) vii. New copulas (get/grow hot) Each case changes much in the 17th century, warranting separate study. Yet the changes may also be linked. Formally, going to for example started as a progressive, and this may have resulted in sustained mutual influence. Functionally all but the last may be responses to changing word order. Until c1500 time adverbs (THEN ran he), focal elements (EVE loves he) or empty subjects (THEY say he’s nice) could precede the verb. After, this position got restricted to subjects that are topics (HE ran). Progressives need no time adverbs, clefts move the focal element, and passivization/subject-raising align topic & subject; all of this helped to realize the new order. Grow & get are unassociated to other cases, and serve as a control group.
Project acronym ModularExperience
Project How the modularization of the mind unfolds in the brain
Researcher (PI) Hans Pieter P Op De Beeck
Host Institution (HI) KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN
Summary The mind is not an unitary entity, nor is its physical substrate, the brain. Both can be divided into multiple components, some of which have been referred to as modules. Many controversies exist in cognitive science, psychology, and philosophy about the properties and the status of these modules. A compromise view is offered by an hypothesis of modularization which has two central tenets: (i) Genetic influences determine a weak non-modular organization of the mind and (ii) this map develops into a set of module-like compartments. Here we will test this hypothesis in the domain of visual object knowledge. Testable predictions are derived from a novel extension and integration of previous proposals (i) for the presence of non-modular maps (Op de Beeck et al., 2008, Nature Rev. Neurosci.), which are logical candidates for the starting point proposed in the modularization hypothesis, and (ii) for how maps might be transformed by further experience (Op de Beeck & Baker, 2010, Trends in Cognit. Sci.) into a strong compartmentalization for specific types of visual stimuli. We will determine whether the same rules govern modularization for face perception and reading, despite the very different evolutionary history of faces and word stimuli. We will apply well-known analysis tools from the psychology literature, such as multidimensional scaling, to the patterns of activity obtained by brain imaging, so that we can directly compare the structure and modularity of visual processing in mental space with the structure of “brain space” (functional anatomy). The combined behavioral and imaging experiments will characterize the properties of non-modular maps and module-like regions in sighted and congenitally blind adults and in children, and test specific hypotheses about how experience affects non-modular maps and the degree of modularization. The findings will reveal how the structure of the adult mind is the dynamic end point of a process of modularization in the brain.
The mind is not an unitary entity, nor is its physical substrate, the brain. Both can be divided into multiple components, some of which have been referred to as modules. Many controversies exist in cognitive science, psychology, and philosophy about the properties and the status of these modules. A compromise view is offered by an hypothesis of modularization which has two central tenets: (i) Genetic influences determine a weak non-modular organization of the mind and (ii) this map develops into a set of module-like compartments. Here we will test this hypothesis in the domain of visual object knowledge. Testable predictions are derived from a novel extension and integration of previous proposals (i) for the presence of non-modular maps (Op de Beeck et al., 2008, Nature Rev. Neurosci.), which are logical candidates for the starting point proposed in the modularization hypothesis, and (ii) for how maps might be transformed by further experience (Op de Beeck & Baker, 2010, Trends in Cognit. Sci.) into a strong compartmentalization for specific types of visual stimuli. We will determine whether the same rules govern modularization for face perception and reading, despite the very different evolutionary history of faces and word stimuli. We will apply well-known analysis tools from the psychology literature, such as multidimensional scaling, to the patterns of activity obtained by brain imaging, so that we can directly compare the structure and modularity of visual processing in mental space with the structure of “brain space” (functional anatomy). The combined behavioral and imaging experiments will characterize the properties of non-modular maps and module-like regions in sighted and congenitally blind adults and in children, and test specific hypotheses about how experience affects non-modular maps and the degree of modularization. The findings will reveal how the structure of the adult mind is the dynamic end point of a process of modularization in the brain.
Project acronym NEUROINT
Project How the brain codes the past to predict the future
Researcher (PI) Uri Hasson
Summary The overarching objective of this research program is to use neuroimaging methods to determine how the recent past is coded in the human brain and how this coding contributes to the processing of incoming information. A central tenet of this proposal is that being able to maintain a representation of the recent past is fundamental for constructing internal predictions about future states of the environment. The construction of such has been called predictive coding, such predictions have been argued to play a fundamental role in disambiguating signal information from a noisy or degraded array. We implement a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary research program to understand how regularities in the recent past are coded, and how they give rise to predictive codes of future states. On the basis of prior work we propose that disambiguation of signals is performed by a predictive system that relies strongly on representing the statistical properties of the recent past. This system is instantiated via interactions between three neural systems: (1) medial temporal structures including the hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex that encode statistical features of the recent past and signal whether predictions are licensed, (2) higher level cortical regions that code for detailed predictions in various modalities and generate efferent top-down predictions, and (3) lower-level sensory cortices whose activity at any given moment reflects not only bottom-up processing of sensory inputs, but also the assessment of these inputs against top-down predictions propagated from higher-levels regions. We will use neuroimaging methods with high spatial and temporal resolution (fMRI, MEG) to study neural activity in these three neural systems and the interaction between them.
The overarching objective of this research program is to use neuroimaging methods to determine how the recent past is coded in the human brain and how this coding contributes to the processing of incoming information. A central tenet of this proposal is that being able to maintain a representation of the recent past is fundamental for constructing internal predictions about future states of the environment. The construction of such has been called predictive coding, such predictions have been argued to play a fundamental role in disambiguating signal information from a noisy or degraded array. We implement a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary research program to understand how regularities in the recent past are coded, and how they give rise to predictive codes of future states. On the basis of prior work we propose that disambiguation of signals is performed by a predictive system that relies strongly on representing the statistical properties of the recent past. This system is instantiated via interactions between three neural systems: (1) medial temporal structures including the hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex that encode statistical features of the recent past and signal whether predictions are licensed, (2) higher level cortical regions that code for detailed predictions in various modalities and generate efferent top-down predictions, and (3) lower-level sensory cortices whose activity at any given moment reflects not only bottom-up processing of sensory inputs, but also the assessment of these inputs against top-down predictions propagated from higher-levels regions. We will use neuroimaging methods with high spatial and temporal resolution (fMRI, MEG) to study neural activity in these three neural systems and the interaction between them.
Project acronym NOAM
Project Navigation of a mind-space. The spatial organization of declarative knowledge
Researcher (PI) Roberto Bottini
Summary "Your brain is among the most complex existing systems, and it processes every second an amazing amount of data. The most amazing thing, however, is that you get to know some of it. Declarative knowledge, meaning the portion of knowledge that we can consciously access and manipulate, is one of the most enduring mysteries of the human mind. How did it evolve? And what are the mechanisms behind it? One possibility is that the complex neural machinery that mammals evolved to navigate space has been recycled to ""navigate"" declarative knowledge. Research from single cell recordings in rodents to brain imaging studies with humans is converging toward the fascinating hypothesis that conscious declarative knowledge is spatially organized, and can be stored, retrieved and manipulated through the same computations used to represent and navigate physical space. Crucially, this spatial scaffolding may be what makes knowledge accessible to us. The time is mature for an integral and ambitious attempt to test and develop this innovative hypothesis. NOAM will be at the frontline of this endeavour relying upon cutting-edge neuroimaging and analysis techniques. In this project we will test the relationships between spatial and conceptual navigation asking whether people that navigate space in a different way (congenitally blind individuals) also navigate concepts in a different way. Then, we will explore how low-dimensional cognitive maps interact with multidimensional semantic information, and we will test whether the spatial organization is a trademark of conscious declarative knowledge or extends to unconscious conceptual processing. Finally we will adopt a translational approach to characterize the neural basis of pre-clinical Alzheimer Disease. Thanks to its groundbreaking nature and high-risk/high-gain approach, NOAM has the potential to ensure major progresses in cognitive neuroscience, artificial intelligence and related fields, changing the way we think about the human mind"
"Your brain is among the most complex existing systems, and it processes every second an amazing amount of data. The most amazing thing, however, is that you get to know some of it. Declarative knowledge, meaning the portion of knowledge that we can consciously access and manipulate, is one of the most enduring mysteries of the human mind. How did it evolve? And what are the mechanisms behind it? One possibility is that the complex neural machinery that mammals evolved to navigate space has been recycled to ""navigate"" declarative knowledge. Research from single cell recordings in rodents to brain imaging studies with humans is converging toward the fascinating hypothesis that conscious declarative knowledge is spatially organized, and can be stored, retrieved and manipulated through the same computations used to represent and navigate physical space. Crucially, this spatial scaffolding may be what makes knowledge accessible to us. The time is mature for an integral and ambitious attempt to test and develop this innovative hypothesis. NOAM will be at the frontline of this endeavour relying upon cutting-edge neuroimaging and analysis techniques. In this project we will test the relationships between spatial and conceptual navigation asking whether people that navigate space in a different way (congenitally blind individuals) also navigate concepts in a different way. Then, we will explore how low-dimensional cognitive maps interact with multidimensional semantic information, and we will test whether the spatial organization is a trademark of conscious declarative knowledge or extends to unconscious conceptual processing. Finally we will adopt a translational approach to characterize the neural basis of pre-clinical Alzheimer Disease. Thanks to its groundbreaking nature and high-risk/high-gain approach, NOAM has the potential to ensure major progresses in cognitive neuroscience, artificial intelligence and related fields, changing the way we think about the human mind"
Project acronym Objectivity
Project Making Scientific Inferences More Objective
Researcher (PI) Jan (Michael) Sprenger
Summary "What makes scientific inferences trustworthy? Why do we think that scientific knowledge is more than the subjective opinion of clever people at universities? When answering these questions, the notion of objectivity plays a crucial role: the label ""objective"" (1) marks an inference as unbiased and trustworthy and (2) grounds the authority of science in society. Conversely, any challenge to this image of objectivity undermines public trust in science. Sometimes these challenges consist in outright conflicts of interests, but sometimes, they are of a foundational epistemic nature. For instance, standard inference techniques in medicine and psychology have been shown to give a biased and misleading picture of reality. My project addresses precisely those epistemic challenges and develops ways of making scientific inferences more objective. Our key move is to go beyond the traditional definition of objectivity as a ""view from nowhere"" and to calibrate the most recent philosophical accounts of objectivity (e.g., convergence of different inference methods) with the practice of scientific inference. The combination of normative and descriptive analysis is likely to break new ground in philosophy of science and beyond. In particular, we demonstrate how two salient features of scientific practice––methodological pluralism and subjective choices in inference––can be reconciled with the aim of objective knowledge. The benefits of the proposed research are manifold. First and foremost, it will greatly enhance our understanding of the scope and limits of scientific objectivity. Second, it will improve standard forms of scientific inference, such as hypothesis testing and causal and explanatory reasoning. This will be highly useful for scientific practitioners from nearly all empirical disciplines. Third, we will apply our theoretical insights to ameliorating the design and interpretation of clinical trials, where objectivity and impartiality are sine qua non requirements."
"What makes scientific inferences trustworthy? Why do we think that scientific knowledge is more than the subjective opinion of clever people at universities? When answering these questions, the notion of objectivity plays a crucial role: the label ""objective"" (1) marks an inference as unbiased and trustworthy and (2) grounds the authority of science in society. Conversely, any challenge to this image of objectivity undermines public trust in science. Sometimes these challenges consist in outright conflicts of interests, but sometimes, they are of a foundational epistemic nature. For instance, standard inference techniques in medicine and psychology have been shown to give a biased and misleading picture of reality. My project addresses precisely those epistemic challenges and develops ways of making scientific inferences more objective. Our key move is to go beyond the traditional definition of objectivity as a ""view from nowhere"" and to calibrate the most recent philosophical accounts of objectivity (e.g., convergence of different inference methods) with the practice of scientific inference. The combination of normative and descriptive analysis is likely to break new ground in philosophy of science and beyond. In particular, we demonstrate how two salient features of scientific practice––methodological pluralism and subjective choices in inference––can be reconciled with the aim of objective knowledge. The benefits of the proposed research are manifold. First and foremost, it will greatly enhance our understanding of the scope and limits of scientific objectivity. Second, it will improve standard forms of scientific inference, such as hypothesis testing and causal and explanatory reasoning. This will be highly useful for scientific practitioners from nearly all empirical disciplines. Third, we will apply our theoretical insights to ameliorating the design and interpretation of clinical trials, where objectivity and impartiality are sine qua non requirements."
Project acronym ODMIR
Project The origins and development of the human mirror neuron system
Researcher (PI) Chiara Turati
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA' DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO-BICOCCA
Summary Evidence demonstrating the presence of mirror neurons in the adult human brain has led many researchers to suggest a fundamental role for the mirror neuron system (MNS) in human mentalizing behavior and social cognition. Recent findings have also suggested strong relationships between MNS impairments and neurodevelopmental disorders in which mentalizing behavior is impaired. In light of this evidence, it has become of paramount importance to understand whether or not the MNS is present at birth and how its functional properties develop throughout infancy. The current project will address these questions within the context of a neuroconstructivist framework, according to which a basic perception-action coupling mechanism would be present from birth, and undergoes a series of refinements through experience and visuomotor learning. Using behavioral, electromyographic and electrophysiological measures, the project aims to investigate action understanding and emotion recognition in newborns and infants. Behavioral looking time and eye-movement paradigms will be used to test infants ability to visually anticipate the action s goal. Electromyographic paradigms will allow for testing of when and how the activation of infants muscles is affected by the goal of the observed action or the emotion expressed by the observed face. Electrophysiological paradigms will be used to investigate modulations of infants EEG activity during the execution and observation of grasping actions.
Evidence demonstrating the presence of mirror neurons in the adult human brain has led many researchers to suggest a fundamental role for the mirror neuron system (MNS) in human mentalizing behavior and social cognition. Recent findings have also suggested strong relationships between MNS impairments and neurodevelopmental disorders in which mentalizing behavior is impaired. In light of this evidence, it has become of paramount importance to understand whether or not the MNS is present at birth and how its functional properties develop throughout infancy. The current project will address these questions within the context of a neuroconstructivist framework, according to which a basic perception-action coupling mechanism would be present from birth, and undergoes a series of refinements through experience and visuomotor learning. Using behavioral, electromyographic and electrophysiological measures, the project aims to investigate action understanding and emotion recognition in newborns and infants. Behavioral looking time and eye-movement paradigms will be used to test infants ability to visually anticipate the action s goal. Electromyographic paradigms will allow for testing of when and how the activation of infants muscles is affected by the goal of the observed action or the emotion expressed by the observed face. Electrophysiological paradigms will be used to investigate modulations of infants EEG activity during the execution and observation of grasping actions.
Project acronym PARIETALACTION
Project The human Parietal Lobe
Researcher (PI) Guy A. Orban
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PARMA
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), SH4, ERC-2012-ADG_20120411
Summary We will use univariate and multivariate functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) techniques, surface and stereo EEG, and in depth single cell recording to investigate the role of human parietal lobe in the monocular or stereoscopic observation of actions performed by conspecifics either using their biological effectors or artificial implements (tools, spears, bicycle, microphone, etc). The fMRI techniques will provide evidence for segregated processing of different types of observed actions within the parietal cortex. The EEG techniques will provide the time course of the electric activity in the parietal regions in comparison to the events and dynamic changes in the video and the time course in other parts of the action observation network. The stereo EEG also provides a more precise localization than fMRI, serving as an important confirmation of the fMRI results. The single cell recordings are crucial to demonstrate the selectivity of the neuronal processes for actions observed, their postural or kinematic parameters or localization in the visual field. This selectivity is crucial to show the presence of mirror neurons for the different types of actions and the use of tools, to document the contribution of the parietal neurons to discrimination between actions, and to assess the benefits of stereoscopic viewing. This project should yield a comprehensive view of the role of parietal lobe in action planning and understanding, including using artificial implements, and pave the way for understanding how higher-order parietal cognitive processes are rooted in the simpler action planning and understanding capacities.
We will use univariate and multivariate functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) techniques, surface and stereo EEG, and in depth single cell recording to investigate the role of human parietal lobe in the monocular or stereoscopic observation of actions performed by conspecifics either using their biological effectors or artificial implements (tools, spears, bicycle, microphone, etc). The fMRI techniques will provide evidence for segregated processing of different types of observed actions within the parietal cortex. The EEG techniques will provide the time course of the electric activity in the parietal regions in comparison to the events and dynamic changes in the video and the time course in other parts of the action observation network. The stereo EEG also provides a more precise localization than fMRI, serving as an important confirmation of the fMRI results. The single cell recordings are crucial to demonstrate the selectivity of the neuronal processes for actions observed, their postural or kinematic parameters or localization in the visual field. This selectivity is crucial to show the presence of mirror neurons for the different types of actions and the use of tools, to document the contribution of the parietal neurons to discrimination between actions, and to assess the benefits of stereoscopic viewing. This project should yield a comprehensive view of the role of parietal lobe in action planning and understanding, including using artificial implements, and pave the way for understanding how higher-order parietal cognitive processes are rooted in the simpler action planning and understanding capacities.
Project acronym PASCAL
Project Processing Activates Specific Constraints for Language Acquisition
Researcher (PI) Jacques Mehler
Summary PASCAL is a project to investigate the human ability to acquire language, and the underlying biological endowment that provides specific language learning mechanisms. Clearly, language acquisition (LA) starts at birth, rendering neonates the first population to investigate, to get the full picture of how LA unfolds. PASCAL’s first objective is thus to investigate core cognitive dispositions, which render neonates able to interact with speech signals. We will focus on the neonates’ and young infants’ abilities to process auditory signals and to store them in memory. The second objective is to identify biological constraints that determine LA dispositions, in particular we will study the speech perception preferences in infants who do not yet produce speech, to understand if practice with the articulators is necessary to determine such preferences. The third objective, linked to the former one, is to understand the beginning of prosodic grouping abilities that might trigger the initialization of grammar. The fourth objective is to identify the origin of the functional specialization of segmental categories in speech processing. How early in life do consonants become specialized for lexical processing, and vowels for the extraction of regularities? The fifth objective is to explore a basic issue in LA, namely the type of bilingual exposure at different ages and their consequences for the enhancement of executive functions. We will also develop games to promote executive functions to complement the full immersion into a new language that children may get at different points in time. The results of this part of our project might have an important impact on educational policies.
PASCAL is a project to investigate the human ability to acquire language, and the underlying biological endowment that provides specific language learning mechanisms. Clearly, language acquisition (LA) starts at birth, rendering neonates the first population to investigate, to get the full picture of how LA unfolds. PASCAL’s first objective is thus to investigate core cognitive dispositions, which render neonates able to interact with speech signals. We will focus on the neonates’ and young infants’ abilities to process auditory signals and to store them in memory. The second objective is to identify biological constraints that determine LA dispositions, in particular we will study the speech perception preferences in infants who do not yet produce speech, to understand if practice with the articulators is necessary to determine such preferences. The third objective, linked to the former one, is to understand the beginning of prosodic grouping abilities that might trigger the initialization of grammar. The fourth objective is to identify the origin of the functional specialization of segmental categories in speech processing. How early in life do consonants become specialized for lexical processing, and vowels for the extraction of regularities? The fifth objective is to explore a basic issue in LA, namely the type of bilingual exposure at different ages and their consequences for the enhancement of executive functions. We will also develop games to promote executive functions to complement the full immersion into a new language that children may get at different points in time. The results of this part of our project might have an important impact on educational policies.
Project acronym Perceptual Awareness
Project Perceptual Awareness in the Reorganizing Brain
Researcher (PI) Carlo Alberto Marzi
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI VERONA
Summary "The present project aims at casting light on the neural and cognitive reorganization of visual function following unilateral lesion at various levels of the central visual system such as optic tract, optic radiation, primary visual cortex, extrastriate visual areas. In the first part of the project we will employ behavioural as well as brain imaging methods to study the basic neural mechanisms of blindsight, that is, above chance visually guided behaviour in hemianopic patients in the absence of visual awareness. The neural and cognitive substrate of this condition will be compared with that of conscious vision in order to tease apart the neural and cognitive mechanisms responsible of the shift from unconscious to conscious vision. In addition to purely behavioural experiments all patients will be tested while recording, in planned sequential experiments, ERP, MEG and fMRI to assess the processing stage and the brain areas subserving unconscious and conscious vision, respectively. This procedure will enable us to correlate the level of perceptual awareness retained or acquired and the lesion site. In the second part of the project we will use visual imagery to ""access"" the deafferented or lesioned visual cortex. By means of fMRI and MEG recording we will assess the effect on specific cortical areas of focusing a mental visual image on given portions of either the intact or the hemianopic field. The results of this procedure will constraint the development of novel imagery-based visual rehabilitation protocols tailored individually on the basis of the lesion profile of the patients and on the presence of concurrent brain imaging feedback on the plastic cortical changes occurred as a result of specific training."
"The present project aims at casting light on the neural and cognitive reorganization of visual function following unilateral lesion at various levels of the central visual system such as optic tract, optic radiation, primary visual cortex, extrastriate visual areas. In the first part of the project we will employ behavioural as well as brain imaging methods to study the basic neural mechanisms of blindsight, that is, above chance visually guided behaviour in hemianopic patients in the absence of visual awareness. The neural and cognitive substrate of this condition will be compared with that of conscious vision in order to tease apart the neural and cognitive mechanisms responsible of the shift from unconscious to conscious vision. In addition to purely behavioural experiments all patients will be tested while recording, in planned sequential experiments, ERP, MEG and fMRI to assess the processing stage and the brain areas subserving unconscious and conscious vision, respectively. This procedure will enable us to correlate the level of perceptual awareness retained or acquired and the lesion site. In the second part of the project we will use visual imagery to ""access"" the deafferented or lesioned visual cortex. By means of fMRI and MEG recording we will assess the effect on specific cortical areas of focusing a mental visual image on given portions of either the intact or the hemianopic field. The results of this procedure will constraint the development of novel imagery-based visual rehabilitation protocols tailored individually on the basis of the lesion profile of the patients and on the presence of concurrent brain imaging feedback on the plastic cortical changes occurred as a result of specific training."
Project acronym PREMESOR
Project Predisposed mechanisms for social orienting: A comparative neuro-cognitive approach
Researcher (PI) Giorgio Vallortigara
Summary Predispositions for newly hatched/born vertebrates, including humans, to attend to and preferentially learn about conspecifics, are pervasive and can be of vital biological importance. Such predispositions are, however, very poorly understood. Studying them, and their physiological, genetic, molecular and neural bases, is crucial for an understanding of typical and atypical human development. Indeed, some have suggested that lack of such predispositions may contribute to autism. We will develop a detailed animal model of vertebrate social predispositions using the domestic chick, relating this work closely to equivalent behavioural and neural measures in human newborns including those at risk of autism, for which there is no widely accepted animal model. We aim to:(1) identify in chicks neural systems underlying known social predispositions; (2) study their physiological, genetic and molecular bases; (3) pursue behavioural parallels between chick and human predispositions; (4) study brain structures activated in human newborns as they view social stimuli; (5) by studying social attachment in chicks not expressing specific predispositions, develop a secure animal model of autism.
Predispositions for newly hatched/born vertebrates, including humans, to attend to and preferentially learn about conspecifics, are pervasive and can be of vital biological importance. Such predispositions are, however, very poorly understood. Studying them, and their physiological, genetic, molecular and neural bases, is crucial for an understanding of typical and atypical human development. Indeed, some have suggested that lack of such predispositions may contribute to autism. We will develop a detailed animal model of vertebrate social predispositions using the domestic chick, relating this work closely to equivalent behavioural and neural measures in human newborns including those at risk of autism, for which there is no widely accepted animal model. We aim to:(1) identify in chicks neural systems underlying known social predispositions; (2) study their physiological, genetic and molecular bases; (3) pursue behavioural parallels between chick and human predispositions; (4) study brain structures activated in human newborns as they view social stimuli; (5) by studying social attachment in chicks not expressing specific predispositions, develop a secure animal model of autism.
Project acronym PUPILTRAITS
Project Biomarkers of individual differences in human cortical visual processing
Researcher (PI) Paola BINDA
Summary Vision is probably the best understood system of the human brain: studying vision has taught us much about the human mind and its complex processes. We know in detail the fundamental steps leading to visual perception, but we do not know why normally sighted people differ in how they perceive: why some “see the forest before the trees”, while others have a fragmented perceptual experience focused on local features. PUPILTRAITS aims to fill this gap by taking an innovative approach to vision science, to understand how vision is affected by physiological state and personality traits. I will measure visual processing with both classic and new methods (that I helped develop), including pupil responses, ultra-high field Magnetic Resonance of human visual cortex, and psychophysics. Based on solid pilot data, I predict that differences in behavioral and cortical properties co-vary with personality traits, providing new reliable biomarkers of the local context-independent perception associated with autistics traits, even in young children (using pupillometry). These tools will also reveal changes of perception within individuals: during a safe and simple physiological intervention (ketosis, a metabolic state that can be naturally induced by fasting and intense physical activity), to show that early visual processing can be altered by acting on metabolism, and that this consequently affects holistic/local perceptual styles. My aim is to provide new knowledge on the relationship between metabolism, cortical processing and perception. This has the potential for a strong societal impact: it can change our understanding of pervasive developmental disorders, like Autistic Spectrum Disorders, characterized by a different way of processing incoming information; it can aid their diagnosis through objective evaluation of perceptual styles, and encourage innovative therapeutic approaches aimed at changing perception and behavior by acting on general physiology: how we eat and exercise
Vision is probably the best understood system of the human brain: studying vision has taught us much about the human mind and its complex processes. We know in detail the fundamental steps leading to visual perception, but we do not know why normally sighted people differ in how they perceive: why some “see the forest before the trees”, while others have a fragmented perceptual experience focused on local features. PUPILTRAITS aims to fill this gap by taking an innovative approach to vision science, to understand how vision is affected by physiological state and personality traits. I will measure visual processing with both classic and new methods (that I helped develop), including pupil responses, ultra-high field Magnetic Resonance of human visual cortex, and psychophysics. Based on solid pilot data, I predict that differences in behavioral and cortical properties co-vary with personality traits, providing new reliable biomarkers of the local context-independent perception associated with autistics traits, even in young children (using pupillometry). These tools will also reveal changes of perception within individuals: during a safe and simple physiological intervention (ketosis, a metabolic state that can be naturally induced by fasting and intense physical activity), to show that early visual processing can be altered by acting on metabolism, and that this consequently affects holistic/local perceptual styles. My aim is to provide new knowledge on the relationship between metabolism, cortical processing and perception. This has the potential for a strong societal impact: it can change our understanding of pervasive developmental disorders, like Autistic Spectrum Disorders, characterized by a different way of processing incoming information; it can aid their diagnosis through objective evaluation of perceptual styles, and encourage innovative therapeutic approaches aimed at changing perception and behavior by acting on general physiology: how we eat and exercise
Project acronym RADICAL
Project The Radical Plasticity Thesis: How we learn to be conscious
Researcher (PI) Axel Noël F. Cleeremans
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITE LIBRE DE BRUXELLES
Summary RADICAL explores the idea that consciousness is something that the brain learns to do rather than a static property of certain neural states vs. others. Here, considering that consciousness is extended both in space and in time, I adopt a resolutely dynamical perspective that mandates an experimental approach focused on change, at different time scales. I suggest that consciousness arises as a result of the brain's continuous attempts at predicting not only the consequences of its actions on the world and on other agents, but also the consequences of activity in one cerebral region on activity in other regions. By this account, the brain continuously and unconsciously learns to redescribe its own activity to itself, so developing systems of metarepresentations that characterise and qualify the target first order representations. Such learned redescriptions form the basis of conscious experience. Learning and plasticity are thus constitutive of consciousness. This is what I call the “Radical Plasticity Thesis”. In a sense, this is the enactive perspective, but turned both inwards and (further) outwards. Consciousness involves “signal detection on the mind”; the conscious mind is the brain's (non-conceptual, implicit) theory about itself. Theoretically, RADICAL offers the possibility of unifying Global Workspace Theory with higher-order Thought Theory by showing how the former can be built through mechanisms that flesh out the latter. Empirically, RADICAL aims at testing these ideas in three domains: (1) the perception action loop, (2) the self-other loop, and (3) the inner loop. 20 experiments leveraging behavioural experimentation, brain imaging, and computational modeling are proposed to test and further develop RADICAL. The overarching goal of the project is to characterize the computational principles that differentiate conscious from unconscious cognition, based on a bold, original, and innovative theory in which learning and plasticity play central roles.
RADICAL explores the idea that consciousness is something that the brain learns to do rather than a static property of certain neural states vs. others. Here, considering that consciousness is extended both in space and in time, I adopt a resolutely dynamical perspective that mandates an experimental approach focused on change, at different time scales. I suggest that consciousness arises as a result of the brain's continuous attempts at predicting not only the consequences of its actions on the world and on other agents, but also the consequences of activity in one cerebral region on activity in other regions. By this account, the brain continuously and unconsciously learns to redescribe its own activity to itself, so developing systems of metarepresentations that characterise and qualify the target first order representations. Such learned redescriptions form the basis of conscious experience. Learning and plasticity are thus constitutive of consciousness. This is what I call the “Radical Plasticity Thesis”. In a sense, this is the enactive perspective, but turned both inwards and (further) outwards. Consciousness involves “signal detection on the mind”; the conscious mind is the brain's (non-conceptual, implicit) theory about itself. Theoretically, RADICAL offers the possibility of unifying Global Workspace Theory with higher-order Thought Theory by showing how the former can be built through mechanisms that flesh out the latter. Empirically, RADICAL aims at testing these ideas in three domains: (1) the perception action loop, (2) the self-other loop, and (3) the inner loop. 20 experiments leveraging behavioural experimentation, brain imaging, and computational modeling are proposed to test and further develop RADICAL. The overarching goal of the project is to characterize the computational principles that differentiate conscious from unconscious cognition, based on a bold, original, and innovative theory in which learning and plasticity play central roles.
Project acronym REMOTIVATE
Project Reward revisited: Towards a comprehensive understanding of motivational influences on human cognition
Researcher (PI) Ruth Marie Krebs
Summary Motivation is a central topic in psychology, not least because of its strong interrelation with other psychological concepts, as well as with various clinical conditions. Beyond globally energizing behavior, recent studies have begun to describe effects of extrinsic reward on various specific cognitive operations like conflict resolution, inhibitory control, and memory formation. Intriguingly, these functions appear to be disturbed in a number of neurological and psychiatric disorders, like attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, addiction, and Parkinson’s disease. On the neural level, these disorders have been related to disturbances in the dopaminergic (DA) and/or the noradrenergic (NA) system, which are the very same systems that are also thought to be vital for the cognitive benefits of reward observed in the healthy mind. Despite this central, probably interrelated, role in the healthy and the diseased mind, our understanding of how exactly reward impacts specific cognitive operations is still rudimentary, both on the level of psychological theory as well as concerning the underlying neural mechanisms. The aim of this proposal is to develop a novel unifying conceptual and neural framework of how reward influences human cognition. To achieve this goal, it is essential to extend our conceptual understanding of the nature of such reward effects by integrating additional interrelated factors, such as stimulus saliency, different cognitive-control and response modes, and the influence of irrelevant information. In order to match this conceptual progress at the neuromechanistic level, it is critical to employ optimized neuroimaging methods that allow for a reliable, yet non-invasive investigation of neural activity in the source and target regions of the DA and NA system. Given the critical role of motivation in the healthy and the diseased mind, the results will provide new valuable insights for both basic and applied psychological and neuroscientific research.
Motivation is a central topic in psychology, not least because of its strong interrelation with other psychological concepts, as well as with various clinical conditions. Beyond globally energizing behavior, recent studies have begun to describe effects of extrinsic reward on various specific cognitive operations like conflict resolution, inhibitory control, and memory formation. Intriguingly, these functions appear to be disturbed in a number of neurological and psychiatric disorders, like attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, addiction, and Parkinson’s disease. On the neural level, these disorders have been related to disturbances in the dopaminergic (DA) and/or the noradrenergic (NA) system, which are the very same systems that are also thought to be vital for the cognitive benefits of reward observed in the healthy mind. Despite this central, probably interrelated, role in the healthy and the diseased mind, our understanding of how exactly reward impacts specific cognitive operations is still rudimentary, both on the level of psychological theory as well as concerning the underlying neural mechanisms. The aim of this proposal is to develop a novel unifying conceptual and neural framework of how reward influences human cognition. To achieve this goal, it is essential to extend our conceptual understanding of the nature of such reward effects by integrating additional interrelated factors, such as stimulus saliency, different cognitive-control and response modes, and the influence of irrelevant information. In order to match this conceptual progress at the neuromechanistic level, it is critical to employ optimized neuroimaging methods that allow for a reliable, yet non-invasive investigation of neural activity in the source and target regions of the DA and NA system. Given the critical role of motivation in the healthy and the diseased mind, the results will provide new valuable insights for both basic and applied psychological and neuroscientific research.
Project acronym Rhythm and Brains
Project How musical rhythm moves humans: functionalmechanisms of entrainment and perception-action coupling
Researcher (PI) Sylvie NOZARADAN
Summary Entrainment to music is a culturally widespread activity with increasingly recognized pro-social and therapeutic effects. Music powerfully compels us to move to the musical rhythm, showcasing the remarkable ability of humans to perceive and produce rhythmic inputs. However, the underlying functional mechanisms remain unknown. One view, which dates back to Darwin, is that the relevant mechanisms are ancient and anchored in the evolutionary oldest subcortical parts of the brain. However, recent research argues that rhythm perception is a complex cognitive function involving temporally precise communication between cortical sensory and motor regions, even in the absence of overt body movement or intention to move. This project aims to uncover these mechanisms by combining concepts and methods of experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience. Specifically, the research will (i) unravel the mechanisms at the interface of rhythmic inputs, motor skills and brain activity, (ii) establish the active role of motor representations in rhythm perception, (iii) track the development of these processes even prior to language in infants, and (iv) investigate the physiopathology and restoration of these processes in brain-damaged patients. To achieve these objectives, the project will use a comparable method across different experimental settings, the frequency-tagging approach, whose reliability and advantages have been recently established as an innovative method to capture neural entrainment to rhythm in humans. Results will provide important knowledge into how psychological, environmental and neural mechanisms affect such entrainment. Clarifying these mechanisms provides an optimal framework to unravel the role of an intrinsic sensory-motor coupling underlying perception and how this coupling develops over the lifespan. It is also critical for optimising clinical rehabilitation practices using music as a powerful non-verbal cross-cultural means of communication.
Entrainment to music is a culturally widespread activity with increasingly recognized pro-social and therapeutic effects. Music powerfully compels us to move to the musical rhythm, showcasing the remarkable ability of humans to perceive and produce rhythmic inputs. However, the underlying functional mechanisms remain unknown. One view, which dates back to Darwin, is that the relevant mechanisms are ancient and anchored in the evolutionary oldest subcortical parts of the brain. However, recent research argues that rhythm perception is a complex cognitive function involving temporally precise communication between cortical sensory and motor regions, even in the absence of overt body movement or intention to move. This project aims to uncover these mechanisms by combining concepts and methods of experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience. Specifically, the research will (i) unravel the mechanisms at the interface of rhythmic inputs, motor skills and brain activity, (ii) establish the active role of motor representations in rhythm perception, (iii) track the development of these processes even prior to language in infants, and (iv) investigate the physiopathology and restoration of these processes in brain-damaged patients. To achieve these objectives, the project will use a comparable method across different experimental settings, the frequency-tagging approach, whose reliability and advantages have been recently established as an innovative method to capture neural entrainment to rhythm in humans. Results will provide important knowledge into how psychological, environmental and neural mechanisms affect such entrainment. Clarifying these mechanisms provides an optimal framework to unravel the role of an intrinsic sensory-motor coupling underlying perception and how this coupling develops over the lifespan. It is also critical for optimising clinical rehabilitation practices using music as a powerful non-verbal cross-cultural means of communication.
Project acronym See-ACC
Project Cracking the Anterior Cingulate Code: Toward a Unified Theory of ACC Function
Researcher (PI) Clay HOLROYD
Summary Anterior cingulate cortex is one of the largest riddles in cognitive neuroscience and presents a major challenge to mental health research. ACC dysfunction contributes to a wide spectrum of psychiatric and neurological disorders but no one knows what it actually does. Although more than a thousand papers are published about it each year, attempts to identify its function have been confounded by the fact that a multiplicity of tasks and events activate ACC, as if it were involved in everything. Recently, I proposed a theory that reconciles many of the complexities surrounding ACC. This holds that ACC selects and motivates high-level, temporally extended behaviors according to principles of hierarchical reinforcement learning. For example, on this view ACC would be responsible for initiating and sustaining a run up a steep mountain. I have instantiated this theory in two computational models that make explicit the theory's assumptions, while yielding testable predictions. In this project I will integrate the two computational models into a unified, biologically-realistic model of ACC function, which will be evaluated using mathematical techniques from non-linear dynamical systems analysis. I will then systematically test the unified model in a series of experiments involving functional magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography and psychopharmacology, in both healthy human subjects and patients. The establishment of a complete, formal account of ACC will fill an important gap in the cognitive neuroscience of cognitive control and decision making, strongly impact clinical practice, and be important for artificial intelligence and robotics research, which draws inspiration from brain-based mechanisms for cognitive control. The computational modelling work will also link high level, abstract processes associated with hierarchical reinforcement learning with low level cellular mechanisms, enabling the theory to be tested in animal models.
Anterior cingulate cortex is one of the largest riddles in cognitive neuroscience and presents a major challenge to mental health research. ACC dysfunction contributes to a wide spectrum of psychiatric and neurological disorders but no one knows what it actually does. Although more than a thousand papers are published about it each year, attempts to identify its function have been confounded by the fact that a multiplicity of tasks and events activate ACC, as if it were involved in everything. Recently, I proposed a theory that reconciles many of the complexities surrounding ACC. This holds that ACC selects and motivates high-level, temporally extended behaviors according to principles of hierarchical reinforcement learning. For example, on this view ACC would be responsible for initiating and sustaining a run up a steep mountain. I have instantiated this theory in two computational models that make explicit the theory's assumptions, while yielding testable predictions. In this project I will integrate the two computational models into a unified, biologically-realistic model of ACC function, which will be evaluated using mathematical techniques from non-linear dynamical systems analysis. I will then systematically test the unified model in a series of experiments involving functional magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography and psychopharmacology, in both healthy human subjects and patients. The establishment of a complete, formal account of ACC will fill an important gap in the cognitive neuroscience of cognitive control and decision making, strongly impact clinical practice, and be important for artificial intelligence and robotics research, which draws inspiration from brain-based mechanisms for cognitive control. The computational modelling work will also link high level, abstract processes associated with hierarchical reinforcement learning with low level cellular mechanisms, enabling the theory to be tested in animal models.
Project acronym SPANUMBRA
Project Number-space associations in the brain
Summary Research in cognitive science has revealed that the temporal, spatial, and numerical features of a stimulus can interact with one another. An example is the tendency to map increasing numerical magnitudes with a left-to-right orientation. Numerical-spatial associations (NSA) are pervasive in human behaviour and have relevance to health (e.g., dyscalculia is thought to be related to improper understanding of the so-called «mental number line»). NSA have been shown to occur in human newborns and in non-human animals for non-symbolic numerousness. SPANUMBRA aims to investigate NSA in different animal models (domestic chicks, mice and zebrafish) and in human neonates and infants to provide a comprehensive and comparative perspective on the developmental, neural and genetic origins of this phenomenon. The project will be guided by a new hypothesis that links the direction of NSA to a differential role of the two sides of the brain to the perceived value (valence) of changes in magnitudes. The role of the experience (WP1) in the development of NSA will be investigated making use of early exposure to light in chicks’ embryos to modulate brain asymmetry, and controlled-rearing experiments in which newly-hatched chicks will be exposed to correlated and anti-correlated discrete and continuous magnitudes. Development of NSA will be also studied in human neonates and infants (WP2) before, during, and after the exposure to culture-specific NSA associations (numbers organized in spatially oriented layouts) to investigate the role of culture in shaping/reinforcing NSA. The study of the neural basis of the NSA (WP3) will combine neurobiological techniques (immediate early gene expression in chicks and zebrafish), and non-invasive methods (EEG and fNIRS in human neonates). The genetic bases of NSA (WP4) will be investigated using transgenic lines of zebrafish and mice, in order to understand the role of some genes implicated in the development of lateralization and in dyscalculia.
Research in cognitive science has revealed that the temporal, spatial, and numerical features of a stimulus can interact with one another. An example is the tendency to map increasing numerical magnitudes with a left-to-right orientation. Numerical-spatial associations (NSA) are pervasive in human behaviour and have relevance to health (e.g., dyscalculia is thought to be related to improper understanding of the so-called «mental number line»). NSA have been shown to occur in human newborns and in non-human animals for non-symbolic numerousness. SPANUMBRA aims to investigate NSA in different animal models (domestic chicks, mice and zebrafish) and in human neonates and infants to provide a comprehensive and comparative perspective on the developmental, neural and genetic origins of this phenomenon. The project will be guided by a new hypothesis that links the direction of NSA to a differential role of the two sides of the brain to the perceived value (valence) of changes in magnitudes. The role of the experience (WP1) in the development of NSA will be investigated making use of early exposure to light in chicks’ embryos to modulate brain asymmetry, and controlled-rearing experiments in which newly-hatched chicks will be exposed to correlated and anti-correlated discrete and continuous magnitudes. Development of NSA will be also studied in human neonates and infants (WP2) before, during, and after the exposure to culture-specific NSA associations (numbers organized in spatially oriented layouts) to investigate the role of culture in shaping/reinforcing NSA. The study of the neural basis of the NSA (WP3) will combine neurobiological techniques (immediate early gene expression in chicks and zebrafish), and non-invasive methods (EEG and fNIRS in human neonates). The genetic bases of NSA (WP4) will be investigated using transgenic lines of zebrafish and mice, in order to understand the role of some genes implicated in the development of lateralization and in dyscalculia.
Project acronym STANIB
Project Space, Time and Number In the Brain
Summary The primary aim of this project is to establish in Pisa a European Centre of Excellence dedicated to frontier, interdisciplinary research of human perception. The research will focus primarily on the human visual system (and its development), but will also investigate key issues of cross-sensory integration. The Institute of Neuroscience has been a leading centre of visual research since its inception in the 1970s, when the multidisciplinary approach of Lamberto Maffei (physiologist) and Adriana Fiorentini (psychophysicist) made seminal and highly influential contributions to many aspects of human and animal vision. In recent years, the focus of the institute has veered towards developmental neurobiology. This project aims to reestablish a cognitive visual neuroscience section within the institute, dedicated to multidisciplinary research into human perception, using modern, non-invasive experimental techniques, such as psychophysics, evoked potentials, neuro-imaging and neuro-computation. The PI has been highly active in cognitive visual neuroscience for thirty years, publishing 150 publications on diverse aspects of perception, including motion perception, colour, space, and vision during saccadics. The planned research builds on these themes, aiming at achieving a firmer understanding of perceptual processes. New topics will also be tackled, such as cross-modal integration between the senses, the perception of event duration and the sense of number estimation, or numerosity. The research will be multi-disciplinary, using psychophysical, neuro-computational and neuro-imaging techniques. Particularly exciting will be the application of state-of-the-art high-field imaging to these important research questions. The establishment of this centre would be fundamental for Italian and European neuroscience in providing a laboratory of critical mass to focus the existing expertise, and to train young scientists within a long-standing tradition of excellence.
The primary aim of this project is to establish in Pisa a European Centre of Excellence dedicated to frontier, interdisciplinary research of human perception. The research will focus primarily on the human visual system (and its development), but will also investigate key issues of cross-sensory integration. The Institute of Neuroscience has been a leading centre of visual research since its inception in the 1970s, when the multidisciplinary approach of Lamberto Maffei (physiologist) and Adriana Fiorentini (psychophysicist) made seminal and highly influential contributions to many aspects of human and animal vision. In recent years, the focus of the institute has veered towards developmental neurobiology. This project aims to reestablish a cognitive visual neuroscience section within the institute, dedicated to multidisciplinary research into human perception, using modern, non-invasive experimental techniques, such as psychophysics, evoked potentials, neuro-imaging and neuro-computation. The PI has been highly active in cognitive visual neuroscience for thirty years, publishing 150 publications on diverse aspects of perception, including motion perception, colour, space, and vision during saccadics. The planned research builds on these themes, aiming at achieving a firmer understanding of perceptual processes. New topics will also be tackled, such as cross-modal integration between the senses, the perception of event duration and the sense of number estimation, or numerosity. The research will be multi-disciplinary, using psychophysical, neuro-computational and neuro-imaging techniques. Particularly exciting will be the application of state-of-the-art high-field imaging to these important research questions. The establishment of this centre would be fundamental for Italian and European neuroscience in providing a laboratory of critical mass to focus the existing expertise, and to train young scientists within a long-standing tradition of excellence.
Project acronym STATLEARN
Project The reading brain as a statistical learning machine
Researcher (PI) Davide Crepaldi
Summary Despite written language is not part of our genetic endowment, literate adults process an impressive amount of information as they read, and do that extremely flawlessly and nearly error-free. How this happens is largely unknown, and represents a fundamental issue for theories of human learning. Building on data from nonhuman primates, human infants and psycholinguistic experiments on word internal structure, STATLEARN tests the hypothesis that one fundamental cognitive mechanism underlies visual word identification, i.e., statistical learning. Human infants learn to chunk smaller perceptual units (e.g., oriented lines) into larger, meaningful objects (e.g., tools, faces), taking advantage of recurrent patterns in their distribution. As developing readers, they would apply this very same mechanisms to a newly–encountered type of visual objects, i.e., letters. On this basis, they would build progressively higher–order orthographic units, which eventually make their visual word identification as adult readers astonishingly efficient. The project is composed of four work packages. One aims at identifying which principle(s) drive(s) statistical learning, and contrasts overall frequency, contextual diversity, and letter transitional probabilities. Because these factors co-vary in real languages, a second work package will involve adult readers in learning artificial languages, where we will build in any statistical properties we might need to test. A third package will seek signs of statistical learning directly into the performance of developing readers. A fourth package will assess positional constraints in the identification of morphemes (e.g., kind and ness in kindness). These work packages include behavioural, eye tracking, ERP, MEG and fMRI work. Bringing together evidence from such a wide array of approaches will allow to understand how statistical learning unfolds, and what kind of representations it brings into the human reading system.
Despite written language is not part of our genetic endowment, literate adults process an impressive amount of information as they read, and do that extremely flawlessly and nearly error-free. How this happens is largely unknown, and represents a fundamental issue for theories of human learning. Building on data from nonhuman primates, human infants and psycholinguistic experiments on word internal structure, STATLEARN tests the hypothesis that one fundamental cognitive mechanism underlies visual word identification, i.e., statistical learning. Human infants learn to chunk smaller perceptual units (e.g., oriented lines) into larger, meaningful objects (e.g., tools, faces), taking advantage of recurrent patterns in their distribution. As developing readers, they would apply this very same mechanisms to a newly–encountered type of visual objects, i.e., letters. On this basis, they would build progressively higher–order orthographic units, which eventually make their visual word identification as adult readers astonishingly efficient. The project is composed of four work packages. One aims at identifying which principle(s) drive(s) statistical learning, and contrasts overall frequency, contextual diversity, and letter transitional probabilities. Because these factors co-vary in real languages, a second work package will involve adult readers in learning artificial languages, where we will build in any statistical properties we might need to test. A third package will seek signs of statistical learning directly into the performance of developing readers. A fourth package will assess positional constraints in the identification of morphemes (e.g., kind and ness in kindness). These work packages include behavioural, eye tracking, ERP, MEG and fMRI work. Bringing together evidence from such a wide array of approaches will allow to understand how statistical learning unfolds, and what kind of representations it brings into the human reading system.
Project acronym STYDS
Project Seeing things you don't see: Unifying the philosophy, psychology and neuroscience of multimodal mental imagery
Researcher (PI) Bence Gyorgy NANAY
Summary When I am looking at my coffee machine that makes funny noises, this is an instance of multisensory perception – I perceive this event by means of both vision and audition. But very often we only receive sensory stimulation from a multisensory event by means of one sense modality. If I hear the noisy coffee machine in the next room (without seeing it), then how do I represent the visual aspects of this multisensory event? The aim of this research project is to bring together empirical findings about multimodal perception and empirical findings about (visual, auditory, tactile) mental imagery and argue that on occasions like the one described in the last paragraph, we have multimodal mental imagery: perceptual processing in one sense modality (here: vision) that is triggered by sensory stimulation in another sense modality (here: audition). Multimodal mental imagery is rife. The vast majority of what we perceive are multisensory events: events that can be perceived in more than one sense modality – like the noisy coffee machine. And most of the time we are only acquainted with these multisensory events via a subset of the sense modalities involved – all the other aspects of these events are represented by means of multisensory mental imagery. This means that multisensory mental imagery is a crucial element of almost all instances of everyday perception, which has wider implications to philosophy of perception and beyond, to epistemological questions about whether we can trust our senses. Focusing on multimodal mental imagery can help us to understand a number of puzzling perceptual phenomena, like sensory substitution and synaesthesia. Further, manipulating mental imagery has recently become an important clinical procedure in various branches of psychiatry as well as in counteracting implicit bias – using multimodal mental imagery rather than voluntarily and consciously conjured up mental imagery can lead to real progress in these experimental paradigms.
When I am looking at my coffee machine that makes funny noises, this is an instance of multisensory perception – I perceive this event by means of both vision and audition. But very often we only receive sensory stimulation from a multisensory event by means of one sense modality. If I hear the noisy coffee machine in the next room (without seeing it), then how do I represent the visual aspects of this multisensory event? The aim of this research project is to bring together empirical findings about multimodal perception and empirical findings about (visual, auditory, tactile) mental imagery and argue that on occasions like the one described in the last paragraph, we have multimodal mental imagery: perceptual processing in one sense modality (here: vision) that is triggered by sensory stimulation in another sense modality (here: audition). Multimodal mental imagery is rife. The vast majority of what we perceive are multisensory events: events that can be perceived in more than one sense modality – like the noisy coffee machine. And most of the time we are only acquainted with these multisensory events via a subset of the sense modalities involved – all the other aspects of these events are represented by means of multisensory mental imagery. This means that multisensory mental imagery is a crucial element of almost all instances of everyday perception, which has wider implications to philosophy of perception and beyond, to epistemological questions about whether we can trust our senses. Focusing on multimodal mental imagery can help us to understand a number of puzzling perceptual phenomena, like sensory substitution and synaesthesia. Further, manipulating mental imagery has recently become an important clinical procedure in various branches of psychiatry as well as in counteracting implicit bias – using multimodal mental imagery rather than voluntarily and consciously conjured up mental imagery can lead to real progress in these experimental paradigms.
Project acronym Transfer-Learning
Project Transfer Learning within and between brains
Researcher (PI) Giorgio Coricelli
Summary The neural bases of adaptive behavior in social environments are far from being understood. We propose to use both computational and neuroscientific methodologies to provide new and more accurate models of learning in interactive settings. The long-term objective is to develop a neural theory of learning: a mathematical framework that describes the computations mediating social learning in terms of neural signals, structures and plasticity. We plan to develop a model of adaptive learning based on three basic principles: (1) the observation of the outcome of un-chosen options improves the decisions taken in the learning process, (2) learning can be transferred from one domain to another, and (3) learning can be transferred from one agent to another (i.e. social learning). In all three cases, humans appear able to construct and transfer knowledge from sources other than their own direct experience, an underappreciated though we believe critical aspect of learning. Our approach will combine neural and behavioral data with computational models of learning. The hypotheses will be formalized into machine learning algorithms and neural networks of “regret” learning, to quantify the evolution of the learning computations on a trial-by-trial basis from the sequence of stimuli, choices and outcomes. The existence and accuracy of the predicted computations will be then tested on neural signals recorded with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The potential findings of this project could lead us to suggest general principles of social learning, and we will be able to measure and model neural activation to show those general principles in action. In addition, our results could have important implications into policy-making - by revealing what type of information agents are naturally inclined to better learn from - and clinical practice - by outlining potential diagnostic procedures and behavioral therapies for disorders affecting social behavior.
The neural bases of adaptive behavior in social environments are far from being understood. We propose to use both computational and neuroscientific methodologies to provide new and more accurate models of learning in interactive settings. The long-term objective is to develop a neural theory of learning: a mathematical framework that describes the computations mediating social learning in terms of neural signals, structures and plasticity. We plan to develop a model of adaptive learning based on three basic principles: (1) the observation of the outcome of un-chosen options improves the decisions taken in the learning process, (2) learning can be transferred from one domain to another, and (3) learning can be transferred from one agent to another (i.e. social learning). In all three cases, humans appear able to construct and transfer knowledge from sources other than their own direct experience, an underappreciated though we believe critical aspect of learning. Our approach will combine neural and behavioral data with computational models of learning. The hypotheses will be formalized into machine learning algorithms and neural networks of “regret” learning, to quantify the evolution of the learning computations on a trial-by-trial basis from the sequence of stimuli, choices and outcomes. The existence and accuracy of the predicted computations will be then tested on neural signals recorded with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The potential findings of this project could lead us to suggest general principles of social learning, and we will be able to measure and model neural activation to show those general principles in action. In addition, our results could have important implications into policy-making - by revealing what type of information agents are naturally inclined to better learn from - and clinical practice - by outlining potential diagnostic procedures and behavioral therapies for disorders affecting social behavior.
Project acronym UTM
Project Updating the mind: The mechanisms behind behavioural change
Researcher (PI) Frederick Verbruggen
Summary Translation of basic research on human executive control into facilitating behavioural change is a holy grail for psychologists and neuroscientists. Adaptive behaviour is attributed to executive functions that update the cognitive system. But how system updating mechanisms regulate behavioural change is still unclear. This stems from a lack of careful process analysis and a failure to integrate findings from different research areas. My proposal consists of three innovative subprojects. In the first subproject, I aim to develop a unified account of system updating and behavioural change. I propose that three well-defined cognitive processes (detection-selection-implementation) underlie all forms of updating; each component may be influenced by preparation or practice. In the second subproject, I aim to show how stress and incentives, which influence behavioural change outside the lab, modulate the updating processes studied in Subproject 1. This will lead to much richer models of updating and control. Finally, the third subproject will focus on the role of rules in system updating. More specifically, I will examine how both children and adults acquire new rules and how a rule-based control network can develop and strengthen. This may also provide a framework for the development of treatments. In each subproject, I will use carefully designed behavioural paradigms and integrate techniques such as neurostimulation, EEG, and mathematical modelling of decision-making to specify how updating occurs and how variation in the effectiveness of updating arises. The proposed work will substantially extend my previous work on response inhibition and executive control. I will synthesise work in cognitive, clinical, and social psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and neurobiology; and by providing novel important insights into the substrates of the executive control of updating, contribute to a better understanding of the many disorders associated with control deficits, and of human behaviour in general.
Translation of basic research on human executive control into facilitating behavioural change is a holy grail for psychologists and neuroscientists. Adaptive behaviour is attributed to executive functions that update the cognitive system. But how system updating mechanisms regulate behavioural change is still unclear. This stems from a lack of careful process analysis and a failure to integrate findings from different research areas. My proposal consists of three innovative subprojects. In the first subproject, I aim to develop a unified account of system updating and behavioural change. I propose that three well-defined cognitive processes (detection-selection-implementation) underlie all forms of updating; each component may be influenced by preparation or practice. In the second subproject, I aim to show how stress and incentives, which influence behavioural change outside the lab, modulate the updating processes studied in Subproject 1. This will lead to much richer models of updating and control. Finally, the third subproject will focus on the role of rules in system updating. More specifically, I will examine how both children and adults acquire new rules and how a rule-based control network can develop and strengthen. This may also provide a framework for the development of treatments. In each subproject, I will use carefully designed behavioural paradigms and integrate techniques such as neurostimulation, EEG, and mathematical modelling of decision-making to specify how updating occurs and how variation in the effectiveness of updating arises. The proposed work will substantially extend my previous work on response inhibition and executive control. I will synthesise work in cognitive, clinical, and social psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and neurobiology; and by providing novel important insights into the substrates of the executive control of updating, contribute to a better understanding of the many disorders associated with control deficits, and of human behaviour in general.
Project acronym wHiSPER
Project investigating Human Shared PErception with Robots
Researcher (PI) Alessandra Sciutti
Summary Perception is a complex process, where prior knowledge is incorporated into the current percept to help the brain cope with sensory uncertainty. A crucial question is how this mechanism changes during interaction, when the brain is faced with two conflicting goals: either optimizing individual perception by using internal priors, or maximizing perceptual alignment with the partner, by limiting the reliance on individual priors. wHiSPER proposes to study for the first time how visual perception of space and time is modified during interaction, by moving the investigation to an interactive shared context, where two agents dynamically influence each other. To allow for scrupulous and systematic control during interaction, wHiSPER will use a humanoid robot as a controllable interactive agent. The research will be articulated along five main objectives: i) determine how being involved in an interactive context influences perceptual inference; ii) assess how perceptual priors generalize to the observation of other’s actions; iii) understand whether and how individual perception aligns to others’ priors; iv) assess how is it possible to enable shared perception with a robot and v) determine whether perceptual inference during interaction is modified with aging, when lowered sensory acuity could increase priors relevance. To these aims wHiSPER will exploit rigorous psychophysical methods, Bayesian modeling and human-robot interaction, by adapting well-established paradigms in the study of visual perception to a novel interactive context. In several experiments the humanoid robot and the participants will be shown simple temporal or spatial perceptual stimuli that they will have to perceive either to reproduce them or to perform a coordinated joint action (as passing an object). The measures of the reproduced intervals and of the kinematics of the actions will allow to quantify through Bayesian modeling how social interaction influences visual perception.
Perception is a complex process, where prior knowledge is incorporated into the current percept to help the brain cope with sensory uncertainty. A crucial question is how this mechanism changes during interaction, when the brain is faced with two conflicting goals: either optimizing individual perception by using internal priors, or maximizing perceptual alignment with the partner, by limiting the reliance on individual priors. wHiSPER proposes to study for the first time how visual perception of space and time is modified during interaction, by moving the investigation to an interactive shared context, where two agents dynamically influence each other. To allow for scrupulous and systematic control during interaction, wHiSPER will use a humanoid robot as a controllable interactive agent. The research will be articulated along five main objectives: i) determine how being involved in an interactive context influences perceptual inference; ii) assess how perceptual priors generalize to the observation of other’s actions; iii) understand whether and how individual perception aligns to others’ priors; iv) assess how is it possible to enable shared perception with a robot and v) determine whether perceptual inference during interaction is modified with aging, when lowered sensory acuity could increase priors relevance. To these aims wHiSPER will exploit rigorous psychophysical methods, Bayesian modeling and human-robot interaction, by adapting well-established paradigms in the study of visual perception to a novel interactive context. In several experiments the humanoid robot and the participants will be shown simple temporal or spatial perceptual stimuli that they will have to perceive either to reproduce them or to perform a coordinated joint action (as passing an object). The measures of the reproduced intervals and of the kinematics of the actions will allow to quantify through Bayesian modeling how social interaction influences visual perception.
Project acronym WipeOutFear
Project How the Brain Learns to Forget - The Neural Signature of Fear Memory Erasure
Researcher (PI) Tom René Beckers
Summary Can fear memories be erased from the brain? While it sounds like science fiction, recent findings suggest that fear memories can be undone upon their retrieval, through either pharmacological or behavioural interventions. Still, whether such reconsolidation interference techniques genuinely result in permanent erasure of the original fear memory is a topic of considerable controversy. Purely behavioural work may never settle the debate, as it cannot be excluded that an apparent loss of fear memory reflects a long-lasting failure to retrieve the fear memory rather than its permanent erasure. We argue that a careful look at the brain memory circuits that control the reduced expression of fear after reconsolidation interference, through imaging studies in humans and inactivation studies in rats, does have the potential to resolve the controversy and decide between erasure and retrieval failure as mechanisms underlying reconsolidation interference [WP1]. To open up a memory trace for reconsolidation interference, it is important that retrieval of the memory is accompanied by surprise or prediction error (PE; a discrepancy between the memory and what actually happens), as we demonstrated in a break-through study in Science (Sevenster, Beckers, & Kindt, 2013). Here, we propose that subtle differences in the degree of PE generated during fear memory retrieval may be what demarcates memory erasure from impaired retrieval. To investigate that claim, we will pioneer an objective neural marker of PE in humans [WP2] and use optogenetics to directly trigger dopamine-based PE signals in the rat brain in order to establish the causal role of PE in enabling fear memory erasure. Along the way, we will investigate the generalization of fear to novel cues as both a problem and a potential target for fear memory modification [WP3] and test an innovative method to interfere with reconsolidation that circumvents limitations of current pharmacological and behavioural techniques [WP4].
Can fear memories be erased from the brain? While it sounds like science fiction, recent findings suggest that fear memories can be undone upon their retrieval, through either pharmacological or behavioural interventions. Still, whether such reconsolidation interference techniques genuinely result in permanent erasure of the original fear memory is a topic of considerable controversy. Purely behavioural work may never settle the debate, as it cannot be excluded that an apparent loss of fear memory reflects a long-lasting failure to retrieve the fear memory rather than its permanent erasure. We argue that a careful look at the brain memory circuits that control the reduced expression of fear after reconsolidation interference, through imaging studies in humans and inactivation studies in rats, does have the potential to resolve the controversy and decide between erasure and retrieval failure as mechanisms underlying reconsolidation interference [WP1]. To open up a memory trace for reconsolidation interference, it is important that retrieval of the memory is accompanied by surprise or prediction error (PE; a discrepancy between the memory and what actually happens), as we demonstrated in a break-through study in Science (Sevenster, Beckers, & Kindt, 2013). Here, we propose that subtle differences in the degree of PE generated during fear memory retrieval may be what demarcates memory erasure from impaired retrieval. To investigate that claim, we will pioneer an objective neural marker of PE in humans [WP2] and use optogenetics to directly trigger dopamine-based PE signals in the rat brain in order to establish the causal role of PE in enabling fear memory erasure. Along the way, we will investigate the generalization of fear to novel cues as both a problem and a potential target for fear memory modification [WP3] and test an innovative method to interfere with reconsolidation that circumvents limitations of current pharmacological and behavioural techniques [WP4].
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The aggregate functions MIN, MAX, AVG, AVG over a DISTINCT expression, SUM over a DISTINCT expression, COUNT, and COUNT over a DISTINCT expression are supported. The GROUP BY extension is also supported where appropriate.
The MIN function returns the smallest of the selected expression. The type of the expression must evaluate to a java.lang.Comparable.
The MAX function returns the largest of the selected expression. The type of the expression must evaluate to a java.lang.Comparable.
The AVG function returns the arithmetic mean of the set formed by the selected expression. The type of the expression must evaluate to a java.lang.Number. For partitioned regions, each node’s buckets provide both a sum and the number of elements to the node executing the query, such that a correct average may be computed.
The AVG function where the DISTINCT modifier is applied to the expression returns the arithmetic mean of the set of unique (distinct) values. The type of the expression must evaluate to a java.lang.Number. For partitioned regions, the distinct values in a node’s buckets are returned to the node executing the query. The query node can then calculate the avarage over the values that are unique across nodes, after eliminating duplicate values that come from separate nodes.
The SUM function returns the sum over the set formed by the selected expression. The type of the expression must evaluate to a java.lang.Number. For partitioned regions, each node’s buckets compute a sum over that node, returning that sum to the node executing the query, when then sums across all nodes.
The SUM function where the DISTINCT modifier is applied to the expression returns the sum over the set of unique (distinct) values. The type of the expression must evaluate to a java.lang.Number. For partitioned regions, the distinct values in a node’s buckets are returned to the node executing the query. The query node can then calculate the sum over the values that are unique across nodes, after eliminating duplicate values that come from separate nodes.
The COUNT function returns the quantity of values in the set formed by the selected expression. For example, to return the quantity of employees who have a positive sales amount:
SELECT count(e.sales) FROM /employees e WHERE e.sales > 0.0
The COUNT function where the DISTINCT modifier is applied returns the quantity of unique (distinct) values in the set formed by the selected expression.
GROUP BY Extension for Aggregate Functions
GROUP BY is required when aggregate functions are used in combination with other selected items. It permits ordering. For example,
SELECT ID, MAX(e.sales) FROM /employees e GROUP BY ID
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FRACTURED AIR
The universe is making music all the time
Posts Tagged ‘Radiohead’
Fractured Air x Blogothèque – S02E06 | June mix
June’s mixtape features a first listen of “Golden Plover”, Glasgow’s finest Trembling Bells’ stunning cover of the Bert Jansch song taken from his 1979 avian-themed classic “Avocet”. The track is part of the special 4-track EP “Avocet Revisited”, commissioned and issued by Fire Records’ imprint Earth Recordings, featuring: Trembling Bells; Edwyn Collins and Carwyn Ellis; Modern Studies; Alasdair Roberts.
On “Golden Plover”, Trembling Bells are joined by Callum Calderwood (violin), Rory Haye (vocals), Andrew Pattie (vocals) and Belle & Sebastian’s Stevie Jackson (12 string guitar). “Avocet Revisited” will be released by Earth Recordings on the 11th of August 2017.
One of the UK’s finest indie bands The Clientele return with “Music for the Age of Miracles” (Merge Records) this Autumn, their first new album in seven years. Thus far the irresistible lead single “Lunar Days” has been unveiled, finding the beloved Alasdair MacLean-led band in typically impeccable form, effortlessly fusing a myriad of influences into miniature pop marvels like only they can.
June’s mixtape also features new releases from: Ariel Pink’s new single “Another Weekend”, from the hugely anticipated forthcoming Mexican Summer album “Dedicated to Bobby Jameson”; Grizzly Bear’s “Painted Ruins”, one of 2017’s most eagerly anticipated albums and follow-up to 2012’s sonic marvel “Shields”; Renowned Irish contemporary classical collective Crash Ensemble release their glorious “Ghosts” album – featuring compositions written by Nico Muhly, Donnacha Dennehy and Valgeir Sigurðsson – which is released via Icelandic independent Bedroom Community.
To listen on La Blogothèque:
http://www.blogotheque.net/2017/06/29/fractured-air-x-blogotheque-s02e06-june-mix/
01. Virginia Woolf – “I. Mrs. Dalloway: Words” (Deutsche Grammophon)
02. The Beacon Sound Choir – “Can’t Wrap My Head Around It” (First Terrace)
03. Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly & James McAlister – “Neptune” (4AD)
04. Crash Ensemble – “Past Tundra” (Bedroom Community)
05. Fleet Foxes – “I Should See Memphis” (Nonesuch)
06. Trembling Bells – “Golden Plover” (Earth Recordings)
07. The Clientele – “Lunar Days” (Merge)
08. Bill MacKay – “Aster” (Drag City)
09. Ariel Pink – “Another Weekend” (Mexican Summer)
10. Justin Walter – “Red Cabin” (Kranky)
11. Chromatics – “Shadow” (Italians Do It Better)
12. Tobias Bernstrup – “27” (12” Version) (Dark Entries)
13. John Talabot – “Destiny” (Rave Dub Version) (Permanent Vacation)
14. Daphni – “Face to Face” (fabric)
15. Blondes – “KDM” (R&S)
16. Laurel Halo – “Moontalk” (Hyperdub)
17. Alice Coltrane – “Rama Guru” (Luaka Bop)
18. Belbury Poly – “The Geography” (Ghost Box)
19. BADBADNOTGOOD – “Lavender” (feat. KAYTRANADA & Snoop Dogg) [Nightfall Remix] (Innovative Leisure)
20. Grizzly Bear – “Three Rings” (RCA)
21. The Focus Group – “The Leaving” (Ghost Box)
22. Gorillaz – “Let Me Out” (feat. Mavis Staples & Pusha T) (Parlophone)
23. Aretha Franklin – “This Little Light of Mine” (Remember)
24. Philippe Hallais – “Hero (Theme)” (Modern Love)
25. Oliver Coates – “Peace” (Foom)
26. Radiohead – “I Promise” (XL Recordings)
27. Murcof & Vanessa Wagner – “Spiegel Im Spiegel” (InFiné)
Compiled by Fractured Air, June 2017. The copyright in these recordings is the property of the individual artists and/or record labels. If you like the music, please support the artist by buying their records.
http://www.blogotheque.net/
https://fracturedair.com/
Posted in MIXTAPE
Tagged with Alice Coltrane, Aretha Franklin, Ariel Pink, BADBADNOTGOOD, Bel bury Poly, Bill MacKay, Blondes, Chromatics, Crash Ensemble, Daphni, Fleet Foxes, Gorillaz, Grizzly Bear, John Talabot, Justin Walter, Laurel Halo, Murcof, Oliver Coates, Philippe Hallais, Radiohead, Sufjan Stevens, The Beacon Sound Choir, The Clientele, The Focus Group, Tobias Bernstrup, Trembling Bells, Vanessa Wagner
Chosen One: Echo Collective
Interview with Neil Leiter (Echo Collective co-founder).
“I love playing this music and feeling my heart slow down in the pulseless moments, and then the opposite, getting carried away by the wall of sound and transported to the next realm.”
—Neil Leiter
Words: Mark Carry
Photograph: Jesse Overman
Echo Collective is a collective of classically trained and professionally active musicians based in Brussels Belgium. Past and ongoing collaborations include A Winged Victory for the Sullen, Stars of the Lid, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Laniakea, Adam Wiltzie, Dustin O’Halloran, and Christina Vantzou.
The live experience is one of those rare occurrences where a multitude of emotions can engulf your every thought, like a whirlpool of forgotten dreams that suddenly resurface to the pools of your mind. Of course, an experience such as this is impossible to quantify but the feelings and profound impact caused by these sonic transmissions is absolute and true.
When I think of some of these live experiences, the Echo Collective string quartet lies at the heart of several otherworldly live shows: Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson; A Winged Victory For The Sullen’s ‘Atomos’ tour (several years later) and Stars Of The Lid’s 2016 European tour. Undoubtedly, the gifted quartet have developed a common musical language with these awe-inspiring modern composers and the wall of intense sound unleashed by these live strings – blended with electronics, drone noise, ripples of piano notes or otherwise – navigates the depths of the human heart and (unknowingly) transported to another realm.
As part of the Echo Collective’s concert residency at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels during the 2016-2017 season, the Echo Collective will re-adapt and reinterpret Radiohead’s Amnesiac album. In a similar way to André de Ridder’s exceptional Stargaze modern classical ensemble – their reinvention of Boards Of Canada’s ‘HI Scores’ EP or the divine ‘Deerhoof Chamber Variations’ record are just two examples – Echo Collective are continually searching to redefine the boundaries of music (and in turn, these boundaries become beautifully blurred).
www.echocollective.be
https://www.facebook.com/collectiveecho/?ref=bookmarks
As part of the Echo Collective’s concert residency at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels during the 2016-2017 season, the Echo Collective will re-adapt and reinterpret Radiohead’s Amnesiac album. For details of the first edition of the BRDCST Festival and Echo Collective’s show (as a double-bill with Germany’s Hauschka), please visit HERE.
Echo Collective performing with A Winged Victory For The Sullen at the BBC Proms, 5 Aug 2015, Royal Albert Hall, London.
It’s a real pleasure to ask you some questions about your awe-inspiring musical project of Echo Collective. Firstly, can you please take me back to the founding of Echo Collective and the particular space and time in which this collective began on their music path? I’d love to gain an insight into your musical background and classical training. Also, please introduce to me the current personnel who comprise of Echo Collective.
Neil Leiter: First Mark, thank you for your interest in Echo Collective. It is a true honour to be part of your inspiring blog.
Echo Collective began five years ago. I was introduced to Adam Wiltzie by a childhood friend Caroline Shaw. She plays violin as part of ACME in New York and is a fantastic and renowned composer. As part of ACME, she had played with Adam as part of A Winged Victory for the Sullen and Stars of the Lid. Adam was looking for European based musicians to play with, and she put us in touch. I will be forever grateful for that introduction.
Margaret Hermant and I put a team together to collaborate with AWVFTS and Echo Collective grew out of that initial relationship. All of our musicians come from a classical background. For example I studied viola performance at Indiana University Bloomington, and had been an active professional in Brussels for ten years before Echo. Margaret our violinist and harpist, studied in Brussels and has also been an active professional for many years before Echo. The list goes on, but the background is the same. Classically trained musicians, searching to redefine the boundaries of music and what it means to be a classical musician.
Echo was and still is primarily a collaborative group. Though we have started to branch into our own projects, our roots remain collaborating with modern composers on their new projects, recordings, and tours. Though we tour mostly as a string group, normally between three and five musicians, our team in residence at the AB in Brussels this year, is seven strong: Margaret on violin and harp, myself on viola, Harm Garreyn on cello, Gary De Cart on piano, Hélène Elst on bassoon/contrabassoon,Yan Lecollaire on clarinet/bass clarinet/baritone sax, and Antoine Dandoy on orchestral percussion. The upcoming albums that we plan to release also are in this formation.
You have formed an integral part with many of the finest modern composers of today, including Stars of the Lid, A Winged Victory For The Sullen, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Christina Vantzou and more. Please discuss how the process of collaboration has developed between Echo Collective and these array of composers? It is clear that there is a dedication, trust and openness between you and these collaborating musicians. Each of these projects must take you on some deeply rewarding and fulfilling experiences. How have you developed as a string quartet in light of these wonderful projects and collaborations?
NL: You are completely right that collaborating with the aforementioned composers is deeply rewarding and fulfilling. Part of what makes it so special is that there is a real dialogue between us and the composers. Because we come from such different backgrounds, part of working with each of them is developing our own common language for musical communication. And as we develop this language together, there is a deep bond that develops. All of these people are like family now. I think that these strong relationships come from learning how to communicate in our own special way, in an individualised way. In a way that only relates to their music.
I know that these composers appreciate that dedication. And all the people that take part in Echo have that innate ability to live the music live. In fact my wife jokes that I am probably the biggest Winged Victory fan. And I might be, I listen to their music and the music of all these amazing people all the time. And I truly do love it. All the people of Echo do. And that love is felt by our collaborators and hopefully the audience.
It is hard to say how we have developed over these years. I think that probably, we are faster in understanding what the composers want. Often times anticipating ideas before they are brought up. After playing so many concerts together, mostly it just takes a few words or a certain look between us to know where we are going and how we are going to get there.
The live experience of playing cities around the world with these incredible artists must be another truly inspiring avenue and path to be on. I was fortunate to witness Echo Collective onstage with Stars of the Lid last year and Jóhann Jóhannsson a few years previously. Can you shed some light on the preparation and rehearsals that are involved with these tours? I wonder what particular stage in the live context would be your favourite? The energy and depths of emotion that fill the atmosphere during these shows of yours create such a deeply profound impact on the listener. Can you somehow reflect on the live performance of music and the effect of strings (and the live string quartet) has on the live setting?
NL: For me personally, music is at its best live. I think that is where the greatest range of emotion is communicated by the performer and felt by the audience. And this is where the live strings really add the most. Because we are naturally acoustic, we can give the soft moments the transparency of un-amplified sound. And because we are amplified, as the music reaches those mind bending peaks in volume, we can help give it that extra oomph. In those forte moments, often times I feel that even in three we sound like one hundred.
We have worked over the years with Tom Lezaire (our long time sound engineer with AWVFTS and SOTL) as well as other sound engineers to keep the natural sound of the string instruments. Even in the loud moments, the audience should feel the direction of the sound from the strings, the bow moving across the strings, the hiss of the contact point. Though the audience only sees the musicians on stage, the relationship that we have with Tom and the other sound engineers is imperative to a strong live performance.
As we play these great compositions, we try to feel the emotion that we want to convey. As a result, if we are doing our job correctly, the depth of emotion that we feel, should be the feeling that the audience gets swept away by. I love playing this music and feeling my heart slow down in the pulseless moments, and then the opposite, getting carried away by the wall of sound and transported to the next realm. That is by far my favorite part of the live context, being transported by the music.
As Margaret always says, and she is so right, having a stable team that is able to communicate and feel in these common ways is essential to being swept away and sharing that feeling with the audience. It is not by accident that we convey these feelings, it comes from years of playing together.
Echo Collective plays ‘Amnesiac’ is an ongoing residency at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels, which culminates in April 7ths Brdcst Festival performance. Firstly, please discuss your reasons for choosing Radiohead’s Amnesiac album and indeed your love and fascination with this band? This of course was a special time, when ‘Kid A’ and ‘Amnesiac’ were unleashed into the world at the turn of the millennium. What are your memories of first hearing ‘Amnesiac’ and the impressions it left on you?
NL: This might surprise you, but I had never listened to the Amnesiac album before Kurt from the AB proposed it as the focal point of our residency. I grew up singularly focused to a fault on classical music. In fact it is a kind of running inside joke how little popular culture I actually have. That being said, other members of Echo are huge Radiohead fans.
Kurt Overbergh, the artistic director of the AB in Brussels, initially proposed a choice between Kid A and Amnesiac as the focal point of our residency. At that point, I asked for a week, and immersed myself in these great records. We decided to work on Amnesiac because it is more complex, more built on layers, in my opinion more based of classical construction and colours, and in many ways more of a challenge.
The live recordings of ‘Amnesiac’ from AB Brussels, are quite extraordinary and the intricate arrangements are a joy to savour. Can you talk me through the process of notating, arranging and fleshing out these songs, so to speak? What I love is how you add many colours, textures and new perspectives to the sound world of ‘Amnesiac’. What have been the most challenging aspects of this project?
NL: Gary, our pianist, and I have been working this year to arrange these songs. Of course the process involves notating all the parts from the original songs (Gary is a real pro at this) and then imagining how to apply it to our ensemble. In a lot of ways, reworking the songs without voice has been freeing. Where a traditional rock song has to leave lots of room for the vocal line, we have allowed the secondary lines to be more equal with the vocal melody. This results in more interaction between the lines, and as a result hopefully lots of colours and variation in sound and form.
The hardest part has been finding our voice within, while still remaining ‘true’ to the original. We want the audience to feel like they are meeting an old friend for the first time. To feel comfort in hearing a song that they love, but to be challenged to listen and interact with it like it is the first time. That is a real fine line to balance.
After our initial arrangements, all the fleshing out and balancing happens collectively in rehearsal. We try things, see if they work, play a concert, reimagine, and repeat. We are constantly searching to take the sound to the limit, to appropriate each line as our own. In this way, the pieces are not just interpretations but reinventions. Our residency at the AB has really allowed us the time to work through all these processes, and to assimilate the music for ourselves. It has been a fantastic opportunity that we are very thankful for, and I think that we are finding that illusive balance.
The opening ‘Pyramid Song’ is magnificently re-arranged. The woodwind instrumentation replaces Thom Yorke’s voice but retains that sombre, brooding, dense feeling and atmosphere. Can you talk me through the instrumental make-up of ‘Pyramid Song’ and what new layers were composed for some of these parts?
NL: Like almost all of the songs, there is very little composition added to these amazing pieces, the lines from the original are kept, but readapted in our colours and techniques. In Pyramid Song the intro and outro are wind like color effects that we added to help set the mood. We achieved this through extended techniques in the strings and winds. And the baritone sax replaces Thom Yorke’s voice, later doubled by the contrabassoon. We chose those instruments to try and capture the amazing timbre he is able to achieve. It was one of the first arrangements we did, and still one of our favorites.
‘Hunting Bears/Like Spinning Plates’ epitomises the dynamic range of your ‘Amnesiac’ performances and just how aesthetically rich these compositions are. One of the defining moments arrives with the gradual awakening of ‘Like Spinning Plates’, coming after the sparse ‘Hunting Bears’. So much colour is added to the latter, it’s a piece I’m sure you particularly enjoyed arranging and performing? The strings on top of the piano and percussion – arriving on the rise of the song – is one of the defining moments of this live set.
NL: Hunting Bears is originally a big guitar solo, but for us was very reminiscent of a recitative from opera. Very free and in a way spoken. Margaret plays both the harp part and then the violin part which replace the guitar, and we follow her seemingly free form improvisation like an orchestra would accompany a singer in a recitative. We chose to use it more as an introduction to Spinning Plates than as a standalone piece.
And our version of Spinning Plates is based on Radiohead’s live version of this song. Their live version spoke to us directly, almost like something that we would have composed ourselves. It is probably my favorite, and also the most classical of all the songs. Like in many of the arrangements the vibraphone and glockenspiel are integral in creating the resonate atmosphere. Everything just fits together like a clock. The contrabassoon line, which is not really the melody in the original, is a great solo line in our version. Put all together it gives the sensation of flying.
‘I Might Be Wrong’ and ‘You and Who’s Army’ remain as vital and affecting on these live recordings. I feel listening to these arrangements of yours, it not only reminds us how incredible Radiohead’s works are but how you are able to channel new energy and perspectives into these songs. ‘You And Who’s Army’ was always one of my favourite songs from the original and to see how this instrumental version slowly bloom and continually build is certainly the record’s crescendo.
NL: Part of the work that went into these arrangements was imagining the dynamics in a classical way. That means creating long crescendos, or dynamic contrasts that might not be evident in the original. ‘You and Who’s Army‘ was in fact reimagined as one long crescendo. The soft color of the bassoon solo accompanied by harp and soft viola and cello, that transitions into a raucous jazz inspired baritone sax and violin solo. This version really shows our full dynamic range both in terms of volume and color. As the layers pile up, so does the emotion. This is an extremely classical construction, and is part of what helps us reclaim the song as our own.
What are the kinds of conversations you’ll be discussing about honing in on your sound as you’re working together for the next number of weeks before the Brdcst festival? It must also be quite liberating to be undergoing a project such as this where there is vast possibilities as to how to bring ‘Amnesiac’ to life with your artistic vision?
NL: At this point we are fine tuning. Everything is basically set, and we are working towards esoteric things like flow, how to connect the pieces, in which order, communication, balance etc. This is the part of the work where it really becomes chamber music.
How ‘Dollars and Cents’ is transformed into a sweeping orchestral jazz work out is another important part of Echo Collective’s ‘Amnesiac’ and how it serves a wonderful prelude to ‘Knives Out’. What have you learned about this body of work by Radiohead and what new insights and feelings/impressions you may have now after being immersed deeply in this project for the past few months?
NL: As we have worked through this large undertaking, we have been confronted with many things that we are not often confronted with as classical musicians. For example, non-classical musicians often talk about the groove, whereas classical musicians talk about pulse. This immersive process has really helped us to find that alternative perspective and abandon many of our preprogrammed classical clichés. By working through these arrangements we have in many ways transformed into a band. And that is exciting. But I am continuously struck by how classical and jazz oriented Radiohead is. It is ironic, but as we move away from what we know best, we continuously come full circle and are confronted with our origins. I feel that these songs are as much classical as they are not. And that paradox also gives the energy to reimagine what is already a great piece of art.
What other plans for Echo Collective lie on the horizon? I hope there will be (physical) releases made available in the near future.
NL: Thankfully there are many things on the horizon for Echo Collective.
We plan on releasing three albums in the near future, though where is still a great mystery. Of course we want to release the Amnesiac rework which we will record in August. We also want to release a reworking of Burzum’s ‘Daodi Baldrs‘ that was commissioned by the AB two years ago, which is already recorded, and we continue to play live. And we would like to release an album of our own original material that we have been working on in parallel to the Radiohead as part of our residency.
And then of course we will continue to work with AWVFTS as well as other artists in collaboration. For example, we are in the beginning of collaboration with Daniel O’Sullivan. And of course we are always looking for new collaborations with artists.
We are doing more and more film work these days. As well as teaching graphic scores in collaboration with Christina Vantzou. All in all we are very excited as our activities continue to diversify.
Posted in CHOSEN ONE
Tagged with 'Amnesiac', A Winged Victory For The Sullen, Ancienne Belgique, BRDCST, Christina Vantzou, Echo Collective, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Neil Leiter, Radiohead, Stars Of The Lid
Guest Mixtape: Oliver Coates
Several ground-breaking records from 2016 can be attributed to the gifted talents of British cellist and composer Oliver Coates. The London-based composer’s sophomore full-length release ‘Upstepping’ is undoubtedly one of the year’s most accomplished, innovative and compelling musical journeys with its meticulously crafted and sumptuously layered cello-based compositions that carves out techno-fueled waves of pure bliss and transcendence. ‘Upstepping’ is indeed (in the words of Coates) “pumped-up body music”. In addition to ‘Upstepping’, Coates performed on Radiohead’s latest ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’ LP and most recently, a collaborative work with UK’s Mica Levi (Micachu & The Shapes) in the form of ‘Remain Calm’, another crowning jewel of 2016.
The British composer, producer and arranger is best known for his collaborative work with the London Contemporary Orchestra, Jonny Greenwood (‘The Master’ score) and Mica Levi (score for ‘Under The Skin’). On Coates’ latest solo masterwork ‘Upstepping’, A scintillating record of disparate influences is crafted where vital sounds of electronic and techno collide with neo-classical elements, which somehow feels closely adjacent to the works of Aphex Twin, Four Tet and Boards of Canada as it does to the modern-classical realm of today.
We are delighted to present to you a special guest mix compiled by Oliver Coates. Below is Oliver’s description about this inspired selection of music:
“Here is a panorama: the integration of human voice, real or concocted, as formant synthesis which binds instrumental haze beyond slamming rhythms and does wonders for the physiology. There are versions upon versions – distorted cello play over sequenced dance music is my current activity – where the cello intercedes as human element, using the bow as a Cirklon Sequencer. All the different attacks. Wahs and pointillisms, bulges, swells, sighs. Airs, ahs and pointed teeth. Polyphony like a baby’s mobile, Alexander Calder, hot and cold, monophonic bassline attitude underneath large and diffuse chords.”
—Oliver Coates
Oliver Coates – Fractured Air Mix – December 2016
01. Gecko Afterlife HD – “Earth Jump” (YouTube)
02. AFX – “simple slamming b 2” (Warp)
03. Levantis – “Undr” (Technicolour)
04. Elysia Crampton – “Dummy Track” (Break World)
05. Micachu feat. KEVIN – “Clothes Wear Me” (adult swim)
06. Dean Blunt & Inga Copeland – “9” (Hyperdub)
07. Boards of Canada – “Dayvan Cowboy” (Warp)
08. My Bloody Valentine – “To Here Knows When” (Creation)
09. Cocteau Twins – “Pitch The Baby” (4AD)
10. DMX Krew – “You Can’t Hide Your Love” (Hidden Love Mix) (Warp)
11. D’Breez – “Crazy for Love” (Autechre remix) (Skam)
‘Upstepping’ is out now on PRAH Recordings & ‘Remain Calm’ by Mica Levi & Oliver Coates is out now on Slip Discs.
Compiled by Oliver Coates, 2016. The copyright in these recordings is the property of the individual artists and/or record labels. If you like the music, please support the artist by buying their records.
http://www.olivercoates.com/
https://www.facebook.com/olivercoatesmusician/
Tagged with Aphex Twin, Autechre, Hyperdub, Jonny Greenwood, London Symphony Orchestra, Mica Levi, Oliver Coates, PRAH, Radiohead, Slip Discs, Warp
Fractured Air x Blogothèque – S1E7 | July mix
July 2016 opened with world-renowned German composer Nils Frahm’s magnificent “Possibly Colliding” weekend of music at the Barbican Centre, London. Curated by Frahm, the special lineup featured live performance, conversation and film screenings where the headline act was Frahm’s monumental sold-out Barbican show, comprising his “most ambitious concert to date.”
Possibly Colliding felt not only like a celebration of the visionary artist’s cherished songbook (thus far) but rather a distillation of the most ground-breaking moments of today’s contemporary music scene. The angelic, hushed solo piano pieces were interwoven with the sprawling and sublime synthesizer-led pieces and many live collaborations – cellist Anne Müller, Nonkeen (with the addition of gifted drummer Andrea Belfi), London-based vocal ensemble Shards, and the André de Ridder-led stargaze ensemble – rendered new versions of Frahm’s towering body of work and offered new insights into the gifted composer’s sonic sphere.
During July we were delighted to be invited to participate in Irish actor Cillian Murphy’s curated IMMA Summer Party happening at the grounds of the Irish Museum of Modern Art at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin. Murphy’s music lineup featured performances by celebrated German composer and pianist Hauschka, gifted Irish fiddle player and composer Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and Irish-based indie band Meltybrains? Some selections from our DJ set appear in this month’s mixtape.
Limerick-born and London-based composer Áine O’Dwyer has long been one of our most cherished and favourite contemporary musicians. O’Dwyer has released records on such independent labels as: Mie Music, Second language and Fort Evil Fruit, while her versatile talents are evident in her rich and varied recorded output to date, which have featured: live recordings for pipe organ, music for harp and voice and music for solo piano.
This year’s Le Guess Who? festival features special guest curators – including the inimitable L.A. songwriter Julia Holter – who has invited Áine O’Dwyer to this year’s lineup in Utrecht which takes place on 10–13 November 2016.
To Read/listen on La Blogothèque:
http://www.blogotheque.net/2016/07/27/fractured-air-x-blogotheque-s01e07-july-mix/
01. Woodkid & Nils Frahm – “Winter Morning II” (with Robert De Niro) (excerpt) (Ellis OST, Erased Tapes)
02. Peter Broderick – “Carried” (Erased Tapes)
03. Nonkeen – “Diving Platform” (R&S)
04. Mary Lattimore & Jeff Zeigler – “A Road” (Thrill Jockey)
05. Áine O’Dwyer – “Falcon” (Second Language)
06. Jherek Bischoff – “Headless” (The Leaf Label)
07. Agnes Obel – “Familiar” (Play It Again Sam)
08. Jonny Greenwood (Copenhagen Phil, André de Ridder) – “Future Markets” (There Will Be Blood OST, Deutsche Grammophon)
09. Radiohead – “Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief” (XL Recordings)
10. Kedr Livanskiy – “Razrushitelniy Krug (Destructive Cycle)” (2MR)
11. Lil Silva – “Jimi” (Good Years)
12. DJ Shadow – “The Sideshow” (feat. Ernie Fresh) (Mass Appeal)
13. Underworld – “I Exhale” (Universal Music Group)
14. Floorplan – “Music” (M-Plant)
15. Róisín Murphy – “Simulation” (Permanent Vacation)
16. Hot Chip – “Night and Day” (Daphni Mix) (Domino)
17. Junior Boys – “Big Black Coat” (Robert Hood Remix) (Jiaolong / City Slang)
18. Peder Mannerfelt – “Perspectives” (Peder Mannerfelt Produktion)
19. Aphex Twin – “CHEETAHT2 [Ld spectrum]” (Warp)
20. Ólafur Arnalds – “RGB” (LateNightTales)
21. Julianna Barwick – “Someway” (Dead Oceans)
22. Julia Holter – “Finale” (Leaving / Domino)
Compiled by Fractured Air, July 2016. The copyright in these recordings is the property of the individual artists and/or record labels. If you like the music, please support the artist by buying their records.
Tagged with Agnes Obel, Aine O' Dwyer, Aphex Twin, Ólafur Arnalds, Daphni, DJ Shadow, Eluvium, Floorplan, Hot Chip, Jherek Bischoff, Jonny Greenwood, Julia Holter, Julianna Barwick, Junior Boys, Kedr Livanskiy, Lil Silva, Mary Lattimore & Jeff Zeigler, Nils Frahm, Nonkeen, Peder Mannerfelt, Peter Broderick, Radiohead, Róisín Murphy, Robert Hood, Underworld, Woodkid
Fractured Air x Blogothèque – S1E6 | June mix
We’re delighted to present two exclusive tracks by the world-renowned Berlin-based contemporary classical music collective stargaze. Founded by German conductor André de Ridder, stargaze comprise a network of classically trained European musicians who have performed and collaborated extensively in a wide variety of contexts to date.
The German-based collective have worked with some of the most acclaimed and forward-thinking contemporary music-makers, including: Julia Holter, Nils Frahm, Bryce Dessner, Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo, A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Shara Worden, Owen Pallett, These New Puritans and many more; and have appeared at prestigious festivals and venues including: the Holland Festival, Barbican Centre London, Acht-Brücken-Festival at Cologne Philharmonie, Crossing Borders Festival, Wonderfeel Festival, Kaltern Pop Festival, Berlin Pop-Kultur, Rewire Festival (NL).
Another vital element of the stargaze repertoire in recent years has been amassing their considerable collection of instrumental works. These have included: Deerhof Chamber Variations by Greg Saunier; string quartets by Sufjan Stevens and Bryce Dessner as well as David Lang’s composition Death Speaks; Mica Levi’s Under The Skin and Richard Reed Parry’s Music for Heart and Breath.
Presented exclusively for June’s mixtape are stargaze’s analogue arrangements of Boards of Canada’s EP “Hi Scores”, performed live at Motel Mozaïque in Rotterdam during April 2016. Arrangements are by Aart Strootman.
Staying in Berlin, also included in June’s mixtape is the highly acclaimed Hamburg-born and Berlin-based guitarist and composer Martyn Heyne who released his gorgeous debut solo E.P. “Shady & Light” this year (available as a free download from http://martynheyne.com). Heyne has long been associated with countless musicians in the independent music scene as they have recorded at Lichte, Heyne’s Berlin-based home studio (Sarah Neufeld, Nils Frahm, Lubomyr Melnyk, Peter Broderick). Heyne was also a touring member with Danish group Efterklang during their 2013 “Piramida” tour.
Finally, June also saw the release of Irish songwriter Brigid Mae Power’s masterful self-titled album (her first for U.S. independent Tompkins Square). The album was recorded in 2015 with Peter Broderick at The Sparkle, his hometown studio in Portland, Oregon.
01. Brigid Mae Power – “Watching The Horses” (Tompkins Square)
02. Sarah Neufeld – “Chase the Bright and Burning” (Paper Bag)
03. The Flaming Lips – “The Observer” (Warner Bros.)
04. s t a r g a z e – “Everything You Do Is A Balloon” (live at Motel Mozaïque, Rotterdam, 09/04/16)
05. Arthur Russell – “Instrumentals – 1974 Volume 1” (Rough Trade, Audika)
06. Oliver Coates – “Innocent Love” (PRAH Recordings)
07. Jessy Lanza – “It Means I Love You” (Hyperdub)
08. Moderat – “Finder” (Monkeytown)
09. Jamie xx & Four Tet – “SeeSaw” (feat. Rome) [Club Version] (Young Turks)
10. Kiasmos – “Swayed” (Erased Tapes)
11. Ólafur Arnalds & Nils Frahm – “23:52” (Erased Tapes)
12. Boards Of Canada – “Sunshine Recorder” (Warp)
13. Radiohead – “Full Stop” (XL Recordings)
14. Explosions In The Sky – “The Ecstatics” (Bella Union)
15. MJ Guider – “Lit Negative” (Kranky)
16. Julee Cruise – “Mysteries Of Love” (Warner Bros.)
17. Angel Olsen – “Intern” (Jagjaguwar)
18. Martyn Heyne – “Brandung” (http://martynheyne.com)
19. Roslyn Steer – “Of A Sunday” (Kantcope)
20. Bob Dylan – “Final Theme” (Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid OST, Columbia)
21. s t a r g a z e – “Nlogax / Turquoise Hexagon Sun” (live at Motel Mozaïque, Rotterdam, 09/04/16)
22. Bill Fay – “The Sun Is Bored” (Deram, Decca)
23. Amiina – “Kola” (Lighthouse Version) (Sound Of A Handshake)
Tagged with amiina, André de Ridder, Angel Olsen, Arthur Russell, Ólafur Arnalds, Bill Fay, Boards Of Canada, Bob Dylan, Brigid Mae Power, Explosions In The Sky, Jamie xx & Four Tet, Jessy Lanza, Julee Cruise, Kiasmos, MJ Guider, Moderat, Nils Frahm, Oliver Coates, Radiohead, Roslyn Steer, Sarah Neufeld, Stargaze, The Flaming Lips
Chosen One: Pick A Piper
Interview with Brad Weber, Pick A Piper.
“I’m really interested in blurring the lines and leaving the sound source up to the interpretation of the listener. I like that people have no idea which beats I played and which ones I programmed and if a sound is a flute or a moog patch.”
—Brad Weber, Pick A Piper
Words: Mark Carry, Illustration: Craig Carry
Pick A Piper is a collaborative project by Caribou drummer Brad Weber. The Toronto band comprises of friends Clint Scrivener, Angus Fraser, Dan Roberts and others. Pick A Piper began as a side-project back in 2009 where songs were penned by Weber in between Caribou’s shape shifting tours-crossing continents and blurring boundaries of sound. Similar to Dan Snaith’s Caribou, Weber combines organic and synthetic elements forming a unique blend of organic dance music. A spectrum of sound is effortlessly created, where psych, dream pop, electronica, afrobeat, and dance are joyously fused together. Pick A Piper’s debut album represents an eclectic, vibrant sound collage, which serves as Weber’s own personal creative outlet as he soaks up the inspiration that surrounds him.
Pick A Piper combines dance music structures, poly rhythmic percussion, atmospheric sound design, loopy melodies and a focus on electronics and production technique to create a sound poised between the organic and the synthetic. My first taste of Pick A Piper came upon last year’s arrival of the infectious single ‘Lucid In Fjords’. The song is a swirling psych pop odyssey and features Ryan McPhun, of Ruby Suns fame, on lead vocals. This track is the opener to Pick A Piper’s debut self-titled record, and what a stunning opener it is. An irresistible dream pop feel flows throughout: the electric guitars echo Link Wray, the beats and samples is a distillation of an indispensable record collection, pop hooks that are utterly infectious and a bassline groove straight from Studio One. ‘Lucid In Fjords’ invites you to “dream out loud”. To coin a Beach Boys song, ‘Feel Flows’ as the sonic canvas envelopes you in.
Next up is current single, ‘All Her Colours’. Yet again, the organic and synthetic are fused together. A seamless array of intricate arrangements are masterfully crafted. The rise on this song is sunshine pop circa ‘Odyssey And Oracle’ by The Zombies, before beats and menacing synths return on the verse. In fact, the song reminds me of The Postal Service where Tamberello’s electronic wizardry combines with Gibbard’s uncanny pop sensibilities. ‘All Her Colours’ effectively blurs the lines and leaves the listener wondering, how and just what is that sound? ‘Cinders And Dust’ contains a slow, deep groove that floats in the air’s atmosphere. Glorious harmonies, electronic glitches, are interwoven between the track’s delicate pop structure. ‘Cinders And Dust’ is somewhere between Dan Snaith’s Caribou and Junior Boys.
‘Once Were Leaves’ is one of the album’s centerpieces. A hidden dimension is tapped into here with the ethereal vocals by Raphaelle Standell-Preston (Braids). This song is reworked here and it is the utterly transcendent vocals by Preston that stops you immediately in your tracks. A whirlwind of percussion, synths, brass and a myriad of other sounds, form the sound clouds for the Cocteau Twins-esque dreamy pop creation. A new path is ventured on with ‘South To Polynesia’ – a drum and bass tour de force infused indie-pop anthem. The song has got rhythm aplenty as a free-jazz world of Sun Ra is conjured up. Flutes and woodwind, percussion, beats, bass, harmonies and brass are just some of the elements present in the mix of genre bending sound. The best arrives four and a half minutes in, as the song evolves into a trance-dance opus where a ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ odyssey is created before your very ears.
‘Zenaida’ is an indietronic-pop gem. Think Lali Puna, Clue To Kalo or Broadcast. The production is immaculate. Album closer ‘Dinghy In A Quiet Cove’ is my new favourite and brings this stunning debut to a fitting close. The dreamy electronic loops and compelling beats transports you to new horizons. I am reminded of UK’s Bibio upon listening to this breathtaking space-age ballad. The intro is reminiscent of Schenider TM’s mythical Smiths rework, ‘Light 3000’. A ballad steeped in a cinematic atmosphere that immerses you in, deep and far. The opening lyrics beautifully encapsulates the warmth of nostalgia and charming innocence, bringing the album to a gorgeous close:
“As I walked home tonight
My foot slipped through the melting ice
I never knew it wasn’t summer
But I fell into a rivulet
It took me for a long ride
I said goodbye to Toronto”
Pick A Piper’s stunning self-titled debut is an album that reveals more and more upon every listen while endlessly revealing music’s limitless possibilities.
The self-titled debut album by Pick A Piper will be available 2 April 2013 on Mint Records.
Brad Weber Interview.
Congratulations first of all, on the incredible debut album from Pick A Piper. You must feel very proud. The sound you create is effortlessly placed somewhere between the synthetic and organic, with an array of found sound samples, synths, electronic percussion, reverb, and atmospheric soundscapes. Please discuss this blend of organic dance music Pick A Piper tap into so well.
Thanks so much! Pick a Piper was originally formed to channel my impression of dance music using organic instrumentation. We had loads of drums & percussion, acoustic guitar, glock, turkish saz, flutes and a ton of other sounds and samples to create something funky and dancey with. The structures and feel were very much alike with dance music, but the sounds weren’t. As I’ve continue to listen to a lot of contemporary electronic music and DJ mixes, our sound has slowly evolved into something more electronic while still maintaining a lot of the organic roots. I’m really interested blurring the lines and leaving the sound source up to the interpretation of the listener. I like that people have no idea which beats I played and which ones I programmed and if a sound is a flute or a moog patch.
As the drummer in Caribou’s live incarnation, you are immersed in one of the most compelling bands making music today. Please explain how this part of your life in working with Dan Snaith, feeds into your own musical entity of Pick A Piper, and how it developed from a side-project into a fully bloomed sonic venture?
Dan Snaith has certainly been my biggest musical influence of the last 6 years. He’s an encyclopedia for all the music that I’ve always wanted to hear but never known of its existence. These mind-blowing, game-changing records have forever changed the way I write, perform and work. All the same, it’s always been a natural extension of where I was already heading. Pick a Piper has been around since 2009, but it’s always been a project I worked on in off periods of Caribou touring. I wouldn’t even call it a side project as much as it’s my personal creative outlet to periodically pour ideas into that I’ve been pondering for an entire tour or whatever.
I would love to gain an insight please into the recording of the self titled debut, and what vision you had for the sound you wanted to create?
I wanted to blur the lines between organic and electronic and bring my current sense/excitement of electronic music production to create something that sat in the middle. A lot of the songs on this record started out as little loops that I created in the back of the tour van or on a cramped airplane. Then when I had time off, I’d come home and flesh these ideas out into complete songs. The overall process I would describe as “sampling my friends”. I recruited lots of pals whose musicianship I trust to come in and record various ideas/loops/bits along to tracks that I had already started. Often two or more people would record along to the same base tracks without hearing the other person’s ideas. I did this with both my main bandmates (Angus Fraser & Dan Roberts) as well as a bunch of other good pals. I choose what I liked and then cut up and manipulated what they had given me and made full tracks of it. In the end I had a few good folks re-record our vocal ideas with their voice, or in some cases (like “All Her Colours” for instance) give me entirely new vocal ideas (that ended up being amazing!) I believe a lot in collaboration – you’ll find a lot of that on this record while tricking the listener into thinking it’s the ideas of just one or two people.
My first introduction to Pick A Piper was last year’s single, ‘Lucid In Fjords’. I love the title! The song is a psych pop odyssey-electric guitars a la Link Wray, a hypnotic bassline, divine synths and a plethora of organic/synthetic sounds. Discuss the importance of this song please and talk me through please the construction of ‘Lucid In Fjords’.
This one had lots of different input and was a lot of fun to write. I started it with a bassline, beat & simple synth arpeggio and just couldn’t get it to work. The track was super boring with an uninspired structure, so I threw it away. It wasn’t until half a year later that I came back to it and completely re-structured the track (no idea why I bothered trying again) that everything came into place. Angus’ original vocal melody suddenly made so much more sense and the track went from a total clunker to one of my favourites. My flatmate Jared added some guitar and I recruited my good pal Ryan McPhun from The Ruby Suns to re-record Angus’ vocals with his voice. Ryan did just that, but also gave me another melody that was absolutely incredible, so I used both!
What are the defining records for you, firstly in terms of production, and secondly, in terms of songwriting?
For production, I love Can records, My Bloody Valentine: “Loveless”, newer stuff like Clams Casino, Chancha Via Circuito, Junior Boys.
Songwriting, Zombies: “Odyssey and Oracle”, Smashing Pumpkins: “Siamese Dream”, A.C. Newman “The Slow Wonder”, Beach Boys: “Pet Sounds”.
I dunno, I’m terrible at these types of questions. These are just a few that popped into my head.
Pick A Piper is a collaboration between you and your friends, Clint Scrivener, Angus Fraser and Dan Roberts. I would love to know how you guys met and the origin of Pick A Piper?
Pick a Piper was formed in 2009 after I did my first stint for a couple years with Caribou. I needed a new outlet to get my own ideas out of my system. I recruited two very dear childhood friends (Dan and Angus) and Clint (who I had met in college) and was amazed how the project came to life. I guess the best way to describe it is “collaboration with central guidance (sorry, that sounds like something from a board room meeting!). I’m basically guiding/producing/arranging the whole process myself, but I certainly couldn’t do it on my own. Angus, Dan and Clint brought a ton of incredible ideas to the table and were key to making my visions come to life! Our live shows used to be insane double or triple (sometimes quadriple!) drum jams with a bit of singing and other instrumentation thrown in (or at least that’s how I felt). The band went on hiatus for a year or two while I was touring “Swim” and we’ve come back as a 3-piece with a tighter sound and a better balance between drum freakouts and sparse bits with careful vocal nuances. We’re still solid pals with Clint, but he left to become a daddy and is focusing on family now.
Discuss the music scene in Toronto? What are your favourite bands at the moment?
Here are 3 of come off the top of my head. There’s so much more incredible music happening though.
Fresh Snow
https://soundcloud.com/fresh-snow
Psych/noise/kraut group with one of my best pals Andy Lloyd on bass. Their live shows are insane. Sometimes they play inside of a pod with projections on all sides, sometimes they have a 4-piece horn/string section. I actually have no idea what to expect, ever, so I love them.
Invisible City DJs
https://soundcloud.com/invisible-city
Invisible City Sound System is a collective of DJs that explore the history of dance music from around the world. They seem to focus on disco, boogie, early house, techno, and obscure funk. I’ve never once recognized a track and I’ve loved every single one I’ve ever heard. They recently even went to Trinidad and hand picked a pile of records from some vault there and made an incredible mix with it.
Lemon Bucket Orchestra
http://www.lemonbucket.com
I know a lot of bands are trying their hands at the gypsy/klezmer thing these days, but these guys just do it better than almost anyone. They are probably one of the hardest working bands I’ve ever seen and their shows generally spill out into the streets and parade around town. They even organized a flash mob that in one night took over 2 intersections, a subway car and the main hall of Union Station. They also entertained people on board an Air Canada flight to Romania when the flight was delayed on the runway. But it’s less about antics and more that they just put on a killer performance.
My favourite song on the album is ‘Once Were Leaves’. It has this irresistibly seductive slow-tempo groove. The female vocals are gorgeous. Again, with all of Pick A Piper songs, there is a kaleidoscope of sounds that form into one cohesive whole. There are so many beautiful moments on this song that are utterly transcendent-the female vocals (who is singing there?), the looping harmonies, the brass, drums/percussion, dreamy synths. Sublime! Please talk me through the creation of this song?
This one is by far the oldest of the bunch! Look online for a song called “Yellowknife” from our self-released EP in 2009 (green cover with tambourines). We still loved this song so much and decided it was worth completely re-envisioning it for the record. We went up to a snowy cottage in the middle of winter last year and fleshed out the new version in a single weekend. We made it much more spacious and atmospheric than the original, which was full of chugging acoustic guitars and overpowering horns. I fell in love with Raphaelle’s voice a couple years ago and had met her a few times at various shows. I thought she’d be perfect for the track and got in touch to see if she would be interested in singing on this track. I gave her the original vocal part and said “you can can sing this if you want, or whatever else you’d like”. She proceeded to take our original melody and flip it on it’s head, chopped and diced and completely re-imagined it to a place I never would have thought of. I got an ableton session back from her with probably over 100 little edits and splices and tons of interesting effects. Her part completely blew me away and was exactly where I was hoping the track would go, but didn’t know it! I love collaboration for that reason.
Your record collection must be vast and diverse. When listening to Pick A Piper, worlds of psychedelia, dance, pop, electronica, ambient, jazz, dub and more, penetrates the head-space. On this album, when writing a song, do the words form the song or could it be a single sound that triggers a song’s creation?
Usually it starts with a beat! That is what so often determines the overall feel of the song. It’s my first instrument and kinda always what I fall back on.
‘South To Polynesia’ is incredible. I love the vocals. A compelling free-jazz intro before layers of woodwind, drums, bass and harmonies enter the mix. The moment, perhaps four minutes in, when the song evolves into a beautiful frenzy of trance-dance is utterly transcendent. The brass enters shortly, and a vibe of ‘Dark Side Of the Moon’ is formed. Discuss please the sequencing and production to ‘South To Polynesia’?
South To Polynesia was originally two separate tracks. The first loop that starts the song and the chord progression at the end. Clint wrote the ending progression and gave me a big ableton session with a song that included it. I cut the rest out and tried so hard to find a song that his bit would fit into. It just wasn’t happening for the longest time though. It was that same snowy cottage weekend where we re-recorded Once Were Leaves that I finally married it to a new-ish loop of mine that would go on to start the track and become the backbone for most of the song. Dan filled in the gaps with loads of automated drones and my friend Colin Fisher eventually laid down a ridiculous sax part! I love having such talented friends!
Take me back please to the Caribou/Radiohead tour last year where you toured big stadiums across the world. Listening to Pick A Piper I hear the influence of live performance, as the songs have this fluid feel, the sonic layers in constant motion.
It was an incredible experience for sure. I think probably the most inspiring aspect of the whole tour was how real they were as people. Everyone, both band and crew, were really warm, down to earth and incredibly welcoming. It’s nice that musicians at that level can be such sincere and genuinely grounded people.
With Pick a Piper I hope to continue to spread this type warmth and compassion to all the people we meet along the way.
Musically our live show has always been really important to us. We have 3 drum setups of various sizes on stage as well as a slew of midi controllers and samplers to re-create our sonic world live. Dan and Angus are constantly triggering hits, loops and effecting and manipulating them on the fly. Same goes with their vocals. I’m really proud of our live show and have certainly been influenced by Caribou and Radiohead along the way!
Do you plan to tour Europe? I hope I can help bring Pick A Piper to Cork, Ireland–my hometown:)
I’d love to. We’ll see how it goes at home first! I’ve played Cork a couple times in the past and the crowds were manic. Such a fun city!
http://www.mintrecs.com
https://soundcloud.com/pickapiper
http://pickapiper.bandcamp.com
Tagged with Angus Fraser, Brad Weber, Caribou, Clint Scrivener, Dan Roberts, Dan Snaith, Daphni, Fresh Snow, Invisible City DJs, Lemon Bucket Orchestra, Mint Records, Pick A Piper, Radiohead, Swim, Up In Flames
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Shobhaa De
Aasha Rani, Bombay’s no. 1 heroine, has everything she wants—fame, money, success. All except for Akshay Arora, the film star she is desperately in love with. This is her story—from her days as a vulnerable small-town girl, pushed by her ambitious mother into sleeping her way to the top, to getting her first break from Kishenbhai, the small-time distributor who never stops loving her, to sealing her career under the patronage of the deadly Bombay don Sheth Amirchand. Glittering, glamorous and full of unforgettable characters, Starry Nights is the ultimate Bollywood novel.
Aasha Rani, Bombay’s no. 1 heroine, has everything she wants—fame, money, success. All except for Akshay Arora, the film star she is desperately in love with. This is her story—from her days as a vulnerable small-town girl, pushed by her ambitious mother into sleeping her way to the top, to getting her first break from Kishenbhai, the small-time distributor who never stops loving her, to sealing her career under the patronage of the deadly Bombay don Sheth… (more)
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Email FeaturedUS NewsVideos
Bundy Ranch Prosecutor's Exposed For Withholding Info & It's All about Protecting BLM Thug Daniel P. Love
Tim Brown August 30, 2017 3.2k Views
The prosecution in the Bundy Ranch case were found to be withholding information that would substantiate the defense's case that the Bureau of Land Management goons, under the direction of Agent Daniel P. Love, were not at Bundy Ranch to carry out a lawful court order, but were, in fact, going into tactical mode in order to murder innocent civilians.
On Monday afternoon the Department of (In) Justice and prosecutor Steven Myhre refused to turn over audio recordings that they are suspected of being in possession of between Special Agent In Charge Daniel P. Love, BLM sniper teams, other tactical personnel, and possible informants who were at Bundy Ranch as far back as March 2014.
Deb Jordan with Guerilla Media Network reports:
These recordings are vital to the defense in that the indictment against rancher Cliven Bundy and his co-defendants specifically states that Mr. Bundy and several others told lies and exaggerated the situation between Bundy and the BLM for the purpose of recruiting gunmen to come and help get the rancher’s cattle back. Up and until the first trial which began last February, the BLM denied the use of snipers and other tactical personnel during “Operation Gold Butte” the BLM’s official name for the Bundy Ranch cattle impoundment.
In dash-cam video made public during the first two trials you can clearly hear cross-talk in the background asking agents to move communications to TAC-Le Channel (329) while communicating with ICP communications director Toni Suminski, [SAC] Daniel P. Love, snipers on the mesa, and other BLM tactical gunmen in the wash. Toni Suminski testified in court under oath in the first Bundy trial that recordings of those transmissions were lost after the the hard drive running the recording software had mysteriously come un-plugged during the protest on April 12, 2014. Defense teams are now asking for recordings captured before that date ..
Suminski also admitted under oath she had shredded garbage bags full of documents concerning Operation Gold Butte that were found in a dumpster at the ICP – saying it was “routine” for her to do that.
TAC LE Channel (329) was never mentioned in documents provided to the defense or on any of the documentation outlining “Operation Gold Butte” plans. The information was brought to light after a researcher listening to background chatter on dash-cam video made public during the last trial – brought it to the attention of defense attorney’s [sic].
If you recall, Eric Parker was made famous for taking his defensive position on an overpass as seen below.
One of the charges he faces is tied to this position, even though numerous snipers were called in by the BLM, presumably under the direction of Love to take him out, and possibly others.
United States Park Service sharp-shooter Alexandria Burke, who was positioned to do that very thing said that she and other snipers were to attempt to get a clear shot to "eliminate" Parker.
And just to be clear, the reports of BLM snipers is not new. We reported on it when it took place, but here is a picture for the Mesa above Toquop Wash at Bundy Ranch on April 12, 2014.
Now, before you claim that the snipers came in after Parker had positioned himself, consider why he was doing so. I believe live footage has more of an impact than mere words, so consider how the BLM goons were conducting themselves and violating all sorts of constitutionally protected rights of citizens in this video.
Interestingly enough, Jordan, who has been covering the Bundy Ranch trials due her history in journalism and her involvement with the Pete Santilli Show, said that jurors found Burke's testimony to not be truthful, and according to Jordan, "Burkes tearful testimony in the last trial saying her testimony was uncomfortable and that she embarrassed herself and Law Enforcement."
As for Daniel P. Love, he was in charge. His lawlessness was so great that it threatened the lives of everyone present, including BLM agents. The lawlessness was so great that the Las Vegas Metro Police, the Sheriff and the FBI pulled back from what Daniel P. Love and his men were engaging in.
More evidence of how Love was handling things at Bundy Ranch include the following evidence, which the prosecution did not want the jury to see.
Here's verifiable proof that the BLM killed many heads of cattle that belonged to Cliven Bundy and his family and then sought to cover it up in mass burials. Following the BLM backing off after alternative media brought attention to what was going on and fellow Americans stood alongside the Bundys, here's what was discovered. Ask yourself if this was "lawful action" by the BLM.
Here's the mass graves that were dug.
Here's photos of one cow that was killed by the BLM and it's clear they were shot.
Here you can see as the Bundys retrieve their dead cattle from the mass grave.
Listen to journalist Ben Swann's report on this with Ryan Bundy.
As for misconduct by the BLM agents, take a look at this action by the agents, and don't forget they also sought to impose a "First Amendment Zone," something that is unlawful under our Constitution.
https://youtu.be/9p0YemhFnw8
Love has been found guilty by the Inspector General of misconduct, he has ordered the scrubbing of emails that were subpoenaed, has stolen evidence for himself that he used such heavy handed tactics against Dr. James Redd for finding, that Redd eventually killed himself. Additionally, Love has used his position to acquire tickets to the pagan festival known as the Burning Man.
He's a real piece of work, continues to be employed at the BLM, is the prosecution's star witness, but they won't let him take the stand, and is being protected by the prosecution and Judge Gloria Navarro.
Why, you might ask?
It's because he's corrupt. He's a vile man who knows nothing of honor and the upholding of the Constitution or the law. His actions are more lik the Nazi SS, and yes, every single agent who obeyed his orders are the same way. None of them stood up to him and denied his orders. They just followed along like good little Nazis.
And people wonder how Germany let it happen. Well, look at Bundy Ranch and you'll see that some people didn't let it happen. They stood against it!
The US Attorney's office in Utah will not prosecute Daniel P. Love for his crimes, but will go after law abiding citizens like Eric Parker, Cliven Bundy and his sons, and reporter Pete Santilli because they are threat to their tyranny.
According to McClatchy:
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Utah declined to file criminal charges related to evidence mishandling, said spokeswoman Melodie Rydalch, who declined comment about the decision. Megan Crandall, a land management bureau spokeswoman, said Thursday he remains an employee, but declined to elaborate.
Jordan went on to report, "Rand Stover, second in command to Dan Love during Operation Gold Butte, and a key prosecution witness, was also involved in a scheme to broaden the scope of hiring practices for Daniel P. Love’s department so that Love’s friend Mark Jucca could be hired over more qualified applicants for a job with the BLM. This information was also held back from the defense by Prosecutor Myhre."
"Defense attorney’s contemplate that TAC LE channel (329) was used throughout the operation from the beginning and could likely reveal much needed information that would contradict the Governments insistence that Cliven Bundy and others conspired to lie to the public to get them to come to Bundy Ranch and join in a “massive armed assault” using a made up story about the aggressiveness of BLM special forces who were assaulting the Bundy family even before the impoundment began," she added. "They are asking for the recordings of radio transmissions from TAC LE Channel (329) dating back to March of 2014, and so far the Government has refused those request."
On Tuesday, Jordan posted that Judge Navarro has made a special request that may have tremendous ramifications for Eric Parker and Scott Drexler, the two men whom the prosecution wants to retry a third time. She wrote:
Judge Gloria Navarro approached the pre-trial release of Eric Parker and Scott Drexler with caution telling Prosecutor Steven Myhre to just wait on his motion to retry the defendants as she said in her owns words -- Things can change -- Today a notice was sent to the attorney's for both Tier 1 and the remaining defendants Eric Parker and Scott Drexler of Tier 3 --
It is not clear why Navarro has ordered both tiers to be present -- with her track record in this case it could be good news or bad -- We will just have to wait for Thursday's hearing to find out:
MINUTE ORDER IN CHAMBERS of the Honorable Chief Judge Gloria M. Navarro, as to Cliven D. Bundy, Ryan C. Bundy, Ammon E. Bundy, Ryan W. Payne, Peter T. Santilli, Jr, Eric J. Parker, O. Scott Drexler on 8/29/2017. By Deputy Clerk: Aaron Blazevich.
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Tier 1 Defendants (Cliven Bundy, Ryan Bundy, Ammon Bundy, Ryan Payne, and Peter Santilli) and the remaining Tier 3 defendants (O. Scott Drexler and Eric Parker) shall appear for a Status Conference on 8/31/2017 at 8:30 AM in LV Courtroom 7C before Chief Judge Gloria M. Navarro. The Court previously set this hearing for the Tier 3 defendants at 9:30 a.m. The 9:30 a.m. hearing is vacated in light of the 8:30 a.m. hearing.
Defendant Drexler's and Parker's physical presences at the status conference are waived. Mr. Parker and Mr. Drexler may appear telephonically by calling the Court's conference line.
Jordan spoke with Freedom Outpost via phone on Tuesday evening and said that political prisoner and reporter Pete Santilli said he was "cautiously optimistic" that Parker and Drexler would be released and not tried again.
She told us that it was highly unusual to all in Tier 1 and Tier 3 defendants together, but that will take place on Thursday.
Lord willing, Jordan will be joining me on The Sons of Liberty radio show on Friday at 2pm CST for the hour to update everyone on the outcome and any new information coming out of Nevada. Click here to catch the show.
If you are able and would like to help the Bundy Ranch political prisoners win their case against the tyranny of the central government or would like to write them, please click here. If you would like to support a house in Nevada that is caring for wives and children of these men as they attend the trials, please click here.
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Tim Brown is an author and Editor at FreedomOutpost.com, SonsOfLibertyMedia.com, GunsInTheNews.com and TheWashingtonStandard.com. He is husband to his "more precious than rubies" wife, father of 10 "mighty arrows", jack of all trades, Christian and lover of liberty. He resides in the U.S. occupied Great State of South Carolina. . Follow Tim on Twitter. Also check him out on Gab, Minds, MeWe, Spreely, Mumbl It and Steemit
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You are here: Home / Digital Library News / Japan Digital Library Service Launches Early 2014, Aims to Define Standards of Digital Library Services
Japan Digital Library Service Launches Early 2014, Aims to Define Standards of Digital Library Services
October 17, 2013 By Sovan Mandal 1 Comment
An as-of-yet unformed Japanese company wishes to accomplish something that none has attempted befor:, setting standards for digital book distribution, their prices, and terms of using the service. The Japan Digital Library Service Co. is expected to become a reality during the first half of 2014 and comprises of equal stakes of publishers Kadokawa Corp. and Kodansha Ltd. as well as the bookstore Kinokuniya Co. The consortium has made it known that they are open to investments from other bookstores or publishers in future. The company, once formed, will look to provide services to schools and public libraries in future.
The attempt to set standards of operations for digital libraries does seem befitting of a country that has seen the evolution of ebooks and dedicated ebook reading devices earlier than anywhere else in the world. Sony, Sharp, and Toshiba were the initial players in this segment, and the ebook and ereader markets have seen massive overhaul since then, and ebooks and other digital content are a thriving business in Japan. However, it’s still Amazon that has gone on to become the market leader there after making its debt in 2012. Among the other major developments in the ebook scene in the far eastern nation is the acquisition of Kobo by the Japanese firm Rakuten.
Sovan Mandal
Sovan Mandal is the senior tablet and tech corespondent for goodereader.com. He brings a international approach to news that is not just applicable to the North American market, but also Asia, India, Europe and others. Sovy brings his own writing flavor to the website and is interested in Science Fiction, Technology and Writing. Any questions, send an email
Filed Under: Digital Library News, E-Book News
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Welcome to GulfBankers
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GulfBankers is pleased to announce the launch of their new consulting services, the Human Resources (HR) Practice. The HR Practice has been specially geared towards organizations who are dedicated to be in line with the industry best practices.
As organizations seek to maximize their potential, they must recognize that many traditional concepts may no longer be appropriate. Much too often, the importance of focusing on people who create the value in an organization is downplayed, which leads to a series of downsizing, hiring freezes, and minimal investment in their human capital. Successful organizations must capitalize on their people to gain a competitive advantage in today’s truly global marketplace.
We have highlighted below some of the service offerings to provide you with background information as to the new portfolio of services that GulfBankers can provide towards your organization.
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The primary purpose of defining and collating HR Systems & Policies is to formalize and emphasize on the various HR policies, procedures and systems. These are documented as the following.
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An organization can achieve the best performance from its human capital only if the organization structure and style supports them. At its most fundamental level, an organization design is a formal, guided process for integrating the people, information and technology of an organization. It is used to match the form of the organization as closely as possible to the purpose(s) the organization seeks to achieve. With this in mind, we can work with your organization to design and develop organizational structure, roles and processes to meet your business needs. These include:
With the success of any organization dependent upon its employees, it is important to regularly survey employees to identify the organizational climate, and to attract, retain and develop key competencies. In order to enable this change, we will introduce a toolkit which will comprise of a customized survey which is provided to all employees for completion. Upon the completion of the survey, the results are analyzed and a written report of the findings will be presented.
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Beer & Batman #15: Catwoman Gone Wild
January 8, 2016 January 11, 2016 / aaronalexking
If you’re just joining now, be sure to check out my previous Beer & Batman pairings here.
Catwoman: When In Rome, written by Jeph Loeb, art by Tim Sale with colours by Dave Stewart and letters by Richard Starkings. Paired with Beau’s All-Natural Brewing + Microbrasserie Le Trou Du Diable’s Fous Alliés Mango Saison.
Comics are a highly collaborative medium. Sure, a few comics are executed from script to finished art by a single person, but most depend upon an alchemy between their writer and artist (and inker, should that person be separate from the penciller, and colourist, and in small but noticeable ways upon the letterer). Some comics surely get a bit of an assembly line treatment, but on the ones that stand out, it can be nigh indiscernible where one storyteller’s contributions end and the next one’s begin. One such dynamic duo is Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale; Jeph Loeb has written comics which Tim Sale didn’t draw, and Tim Sale has drawn comics which Jeph Loeb didn’t write, but neither quite amount to dynamism of their works together. (I’ve already espoused the greatness of The Long Halloween and Dark Victory on this blog.)
Brewing beer might be less overtly collaborative, but in my experience as a homebrewer, and having visited a great many craft breweries, I am pleasantly surprised by the degree of openness and collaboration in the brewing community. More experienced brewers are happy to mentor new brewers, sharing space and equipment. Breweries position themselves less as competitors, and more as community. Sometimes, this does yield direct collaborations between breweries, as evidenced by the Fous Alliés Mango Saison by Beau’s All-Natural Brewing Company in Vankleek Hill, ON, and Microbrasserie Le Trou Du Diable in Shawinigan, QC. Again, it’s hard to figure out who contributed what to the beer; it has the crispness of Beau’s signature Lug-Tread lagered ale, but with fruitier, spicier notes.
It’s a refreshing beer, light and easy to drink, a good pairing with a narrative as light on its feet and fun as Catwoman: When In Rome. But all this talk of collaboration is apropos of more than just the book’s creative team: the book unto itself examines a character’s relationships and collaborations with others. Ostensibly, the story is about Selina Kyle trying to find her own family, following a lead to Italy, with this book serving as an addendum to her plot thread through The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, resolving her interest in Carmine Falcone. Thus, it almost stands to reason that, despite her title billing, Catwoman is viewed almost exclusively in relationship to the other characters around her. Almost.
When in Rome, stage a heist. (Art by Tim Sale, from Catwoman: When In Rome.)
See, I really want to like When In Rome. It’s a fun, noir-ish book, and Tim Sale’s art here is some of his best (probably surpassed only by his work in Superman For All Seasons). The art has a little more texture and nuance than The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, boosted by his use of ink washes to provide some shading, and elevated further by Dave Stewart’s extraordinary colours. Jeph Loeb’s writing, though less expansive and less sophisticated than his previous Batman books, delivers a tight noir narrative and a characterization of Catwoman with plenty of sass and smarts. I am sure that Loeb and Sale, after the heavy stuff of their two previous Batman collaborations, were very pointedly keeping this one light, and it’s a tone that, while a little at odds with the book’s close association with Dark Victory, is a good fit for the character. But I wonder if their light and breezy approach let a few of the book’s problems slip through without a much-needed second thought.
Because, boy, does this book have a few problems. Though a book fronted by an iconic female character, the story barely passes the Bechdel test (and, given that Carmine Falcone is a topic integral to the conversation between Selina and Louisa Falcone, it arguably doesn’t actually pass) and can never seem to elevate Selina above a sex object. Though definitely a smart and capable character, this doesn’t keep Loeb from repeatedly writing Selina into situations that allow Sale to draw her in little to no clothes (this happens no fewer than five times throughout the story). Selina is shown as preoccupied with thoughts of Batman, and is incapable of having a relationship with either of the two principal male characters (The Riddler and Sicilian hitman Christopher Castillo) that isn’t defined by her sexuality. None of this serves the story in any meaningful way, but just caters it to the male gaze to such an extent that it waters down any assertions of her own agency throughout. Really, these are such systemic gender representation issues throughout entertainment of any medium that I feel like Loeb and Sale very well could have made these dubious storytelling choices without even noticing.
For a book called “Catwoman,” the story is much more interested in Selina Kyle out of her costume. (Art by Tim Sale, from Catwoman: When In Rome)
But I feel they must’ve noticed, at least a little, because while Loeb and Sale play up her sexuality, they almost pointedly ignore her Year One origins as a prostitute. Ordinarily, I am content to ignore that most Frank Miller-ish aspect of her origin, but in a story that reveals Selina as an abandoned daughter of Carmine Falcone, the gap between her birth and abandonment as an infant in Italy and her adulthood as a Gotham prostitute seems a gap this narrative is well positioned to fill. But I suppose any acknowledgment of Selina’s prior career would probably draw attention to how distasteful her consistent sexualization in this book is, and Loeb and Sale seem determined to keep this book playful.
Certainly, I won’t fault them for having fun, though I do wish their fun involved less problematic gender representation. Likewise, the Fous Alliés Mango Saison seems a collaboration more in the spirit of fun than for the purpose of elevating the craft. Even the name means “Crazy Allies,” perhaps referring to the partnership between the two breweries, or the pairing of beer with mango – though, I might point out, the mango is only discernible as a flavour because I’m told it is there. With the sheer talent on hand for both, it’s hard not to see some of the opportunities which Fous Alliés and When In Rome miss. The beer, for example, could push the mango to the forefront, making something bolder and more unique. The book, too, could solve a lot of it’s troubles by being more self-aware, scaling back the sexuality-for-the-sake-of-titillation and instead taking the opportunity to assess to role of Catwoman’s sexuality in a story that is pretty literally about Selina trying to figure out who she is. It wouldn’t take much to take the book from a fun and sexy apocrypha to Dark Victory, and turn it into a fun, smart and sexy followup to Dark Victory.
An appropriate reaction to systemic sexism in comics. (Art by Tim Sale, from Catwoman: When In Rome)
Thus, neither Fous Alliés Mango Saison nor Catwoman: When In Rome is everything one hoped it might be. But, I should stress, neither are bad – both are well crafted and enjoyable, but, as sometimes happens in collaboration, neither seems entirely to add up to the sum of its parts.
Batman, Beau's All Natural Brewing Company, Beer, Catwoman, Jeph Loeb, Microbrasserie Trou du Diable, Tim Sale
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Ann Bucking or Bocking Smith
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Circumstantial evidence suggest that Ann crossed the plains with her son John in 1848 under the surname Smith. Ann Bocking was born in Derbyshire, England on 27 July 1799. She and a William Smith both received Patriarchal Blessings on 25 October 1841 at Manchester, England. The Nauvoo Record of Members shows an "Anna" Smith together with William and John Smith. On 6 April 1846 Ann Smith and William Smith received their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple. According to a document entitled Cutler's Park & Winter Quarter's Burials at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City, William Smith, husband of Ann Smith died 29 January 1847. A Sarah Smith Fifield crossed the plains in the Brigham Young Company of 1848; Ann Smith was probably related to her because Sarah's son, William John Fifield appeared with Ann and her new husband, Joseph Billington, in the 1856 Iowa census. Joseph was also in the 1848 Brigham Young Company. "Anna" and John Smith were re-baptized at Salt Lake City 28 April 1850 and they both appear in the household of Joseph Billington in the 1850 Utah census (taken early in 1851). On 18 September 1851, Ann "Bucking" Billington (b. 27 July 1799) received another Patriarchal Blessing at Salt Lake City.
At the back of the Far West and Nauvoo Elder’s Certificates volume is a record of church members and their children living in Nauvoo fromf 1842 to 1846.
Brigham Young Company (1848)
Age at Departure: 48
1850 Utah Census.
1856 Iowa Census
"Cutler's Park & Winter Quarter's Burials," MS 22447.
"First 100, report, 1848 June," In Camp of Israel schedules and reports 1845-1849, Brigham Young's 1848 emigration division.
Nauvoo Temple Endowment Register.
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ROCK ISLAND TRAIL (1950) and CALIFORNIA PASSAGE (1950): Tuck Becomes a Hero
This post is The Horn Section's contribution to the Republic Pictures Blogathon hosted by two great bloggers: The Hannibal 8 and our longtime friend Toby Roan at Fifty Westerns From the 1950's. Follow Mr. Roan on twitter and keep up with all the great posts on classics from arguably the Western's greatest decade, the 1950's.
ROCK ISLAND TRAIL (1950 Republic) Starring Forrest Tucker, Adele Mara, Bruce Cabot, Chill Wills, Adrian Booth, Grant Withers, Jeff Corey. Written by James Edward Grant. Directed by Joseph Kane.
ROCK ISLAND TRAIL (based on Frank Nebins' novel Yankee Dare) was announced as one of Republic Studio's upcoming A-listers for the following year in August 1949. Quite a cast had already been assembled at the time of that initial press release: Adele Mara, Bruce Cabot, Chill Wills and Grant Withers were among the actors announced, and each played a substantial role in the resulting feature.
Adele Mara
Six-foot-five Rod Cameron was considered the initial favorite to play Reed Loomis, but when filming of James Edward Grant's script actually began in Oklahoma, the hero was played by another tall young Republic actor who had made a significant impression in two of the studio's biggest 1949 successes.
After mostly playing bullies and villains his first two years with the studio, Forrest Tucker had the sympathetic supporting role of Marshall Bucky McLean in the Wild Bill Elliott starrer HELLFIRE, then made an even bigger splash butting heads with John Wayne in the Marine tribute SANDS OF IWO JIMA. With Elliott's expiring contract creating a void near the top of Republic's stable, the thirty-one year old actor nicknamed "Tuck" graduated to top billing by headlining Joseph Kane's Trucolor adventure.
Reed Loomis (Tucker) is President of the Rock Island Trail Railroad Company. He draws the ire of steamboat operator Kirby Morrow (Cabot), first by winning the stage line's lucrative mail contract, then by wooing away Morrow's intended, Constance Strong (Mara). Morrow tries to stop Loomis by hook or crook, sensing that the handsome railroader will be taking a lot of business away from his boats. First Kirby tries bribing Loomis' subordinates, but Loomis' loyal sidekick Hogger McCoy (Wills) thwarts the effort. After Reed is able to convince Strong's wealthy father (Winters) to invest in his railroad, Morrow turns to direct sabotage. Meanwhile, exotic French-educated Keokuk Princess Aleeta (Adrian Booth) tries to woo Mr. Loomis away from the banker's daughter.
Wills and Tucker
The role of Loomis was a real breakthrough for Forrest Tucker. He mostly played snarling, tight lipped villains throughout the 1940's, but ROCK ISLAND TRAIL gave the husky actor a chance to play not only an extrovert, but an unreserved hero. Tucker's Reed Loomis is persuasive enough to sway investors, quick-witted and skilled at any weapon of choice (more on than in a bit). Loomis' magnetism attracts both the banker's daughter and the Indian princess, with sufficient charm to keep the latter's loyal friendship even after he sidesteps her pass in favor of the former. Tucker is forceful and convincing throughout, clearly relishing the opportunity to play a protagonist in an "A" feature (he did receive a few leads in poverty row productions such as Monogram's EMERGENCY LANDING (1941) before achieving more substantial stardom at Republic). Tuck's image would eventually change dramatically with similarly brash roles as Professor Harold Hill in THE MUSIC MAN and, of course, Sergeant O'Rourke on F TROOP. But ROCK ISLAND TRAIL was the first real display of his affability on the big screen.
Oh, and that comment about his aptitude with weapons: Loomis puts on an impressive display with his fists (several times) and his firearm, but when Morrow challenges him, he chooses an unconventional weapon: mops dipped in boiling soup. The resulting duel provides the one truly unconventional moment in this kitchen-sink actioneer, with Loomis proving his point by the end of the conflict: "Dueling is stupid!"
Bruce Cabot (R)
Kane provides a surfeit of action as expected. In addition to that mop duel, ROCK ISLAND TRAIL gives us train/stage race, an exploding bridge, several fist fights, the inevitable attack from a hostile tribe (instigated by Cabot, of course)....there's even a courtroom trial with Abraham Lincoln (Jeff Corey) representing Loomis' railroad (and winning the case, of course).
Corey, he of the deep, smooth voice (his career would hit an unfortunate roadblock with HUAC a year later) is a fine choice to play the future President. The offbeat casting of Booth doesn't quite come off without a hitch, though I can't think of anyone else under contract who could have played the role of a French-Indian princess more effectively. (And yes, that certainly includes Mrs. Yates, Vera Ralston.) Booth's multicultured Aleeta refreshingly takes the high road romantically and has several intriguing character traits, such as enjoying a good cigar.
Adrian Booth (L)
Surprisingly, the film's major weakness is a mediocre script by the usually reliable James Edward Grant (SANDS OF IWO JIMA). Dialogue is frequently stilted, and it's simply impossible to believe that Morrow got to the engagement stage with Constance given that neither she nor her father seem to have the slightest warmth for him, even in the beginning. Another drawback is distractingly obvious use of rear screen projection in a few key scenes, cheapening an otherwise impressive-looking Trucolor production.
These problems notwithstanding, ROCK ISLAND TRAIL is consistently fun, a quintessential example of old school action and a good showcase for its leads with beautiful Mara matching Tucker's work. Republic had high hopes for the film, providing an ambitious all-out promotion that included its stars (joined by Roy Rogers) traveling by train to the premiere in Rock Island, Illinois on April 27, 1950. Despite the heavy publicity, ROCK ISLAND TRAIL was something of a box office disappointment, though the chemistry between its stars was undeniable, and Mara was cast as Tucker's leading lady in his next stab at top billing for Republic, CALIFORNIA PASSAGE.
CALIFORNIA PASSAGE (1950 Republic) Starring Forrest Tucker, Adele Mara, Jim Davis, Estelita Rodriguez, Peter Miles, Paul Fix, Iron Eyes Cody, Bob Williams, Charles Kemper, Lee Tung Foo. Written by James Edward Grant. Directed by Joseph Kane.
Mike Prescott (Tucker) and Linc Corey (Jim Davis) are uneasy partners in the Golden Bear, a Maricosa saloon circa 1850. Unbeknownst to Prescott, Corey is involved in another partnership: he's been masterminding stagecoach robberies in cahoots with Bob Martin (Bill Williams). After Prescott wins the saloon's profits via their business agreement (cutting cards, with winner taking all) for the 17th week in a row, resentment overcomes Martin. Despite Corey's warning, hotheaded Bob is spoiling for a fight, and Prescott kills him in self-defense in the ensuing skirmish. A short time later Bob's sister Beth (Mara) arrives from the East with youngest brother Tommy (Peter Miles) in tow. Mike and Linc are both attracted to the new girl in town, deepening the antagonism between the shaky business partners. After Prescott gains the upper hand for Beth's affections, Corey frames Mike for the stagecoach robberies, eliminating him from both that contest and the business partnership by forcing him on the lam. Then Beth Martin uncovers evidence of Corey's guilt.
In contrast to the publicity blitz that accompanied the Trucolor ROCK ISLAND TRAIL, black and white CALIFORNIA PASSAGE was issued quietly in December 1950. Still, it's the better film for my money. The key is that screenwriter Grant is in much better form, providing dialogue that is much snappier and funnier, with Tucker and Davis puncturing one another with sharp one-liners frequently enough to require a scorecard.
Grant also throws us more curveballs this time around (that memorable mop duel notwithstanding). Self-described "irregular, not incompetent" Sheriff Willy Clair (a terrific Kemper) shocks Beth with his passive reaction to a lynch mob. But he's no coward, nor corrupt--he simply realizes he must pick his fights wisely while "civilizing" Maricosa, one resolved conflict at a time. After an Indian attack is repelled in the opening scene, hero Prescott is the one who takes a scalp (from uncredited Iron Eyes Cody)! His explanation to young Tommy? "He'd have taken yours!"
Trucolor ROCK ISLAND TRAIL presented its hero and villain in straightforward black and white--black and white CALIFORNIA PASSAGE filters its foes through subtler (and changing) shades. Reed Loomis was gregarious and affable but PASSAGE's Mike Prescott bluntly states: "I don't like people." As mentioned above, Prescott's barbs are mostly aimed at not-so-beloved partner Linc, but also find their way towards Beth (one of those immigrants who has no idea what she's in for) and wary Sheriff Clair, who is treated to a "short beer" after Mike offers him one "on the house" (Kemper's reaction is priceless).
Likewise, Cabot's Kirby Morrow was unlikable from the get-go, but it's hard not to have some sympathy for Jim Davis' Linc--at first, anyway. We learn that he's 0 for his last 17 in the "winner take all" method of determining profit sharing--and the most recent loss came after his partner was away for several months. But Linc proves as unworthy of any sympathy as he is of Mike's reluctant loyalty by the final reel. Our first impressions of Prescott, Corey and Clair are proven erroneous by film's end, as is Prescott's initial take on those immigrants from back East. The same fog that exposed the vulnerability faced by Beth and Tommy in the opening scene plays a prominent role in their survival on the mountain later, suggesting they just might be more adaptable than Prescott thinks.
Estelita Rodriguez
CALIFORNIA PASSAGE boasts a typically outstanding Republic supporting cast. In addition to Kemper, the film also offers an opportunity to enjoy a meatier-than-usual part for starlet Estelita Rodriguez, playing Williams' girlfriend and the saloon's singer, (She gets two songs, "Goin' Round in Circles" and "Second Hand Romance"). Rodriguez, only 22 at the time, would lead a sadly troubled adult life. Married four times, she passed away at age 37 from influenza in 1966. Lee Tung Foo plays his familiar stereotypical Chinese cook, this time insisting repeatedly to Davis that everything is 'kosher'.
Rodriguez, Kemper and Davis (L to R)
The film isn't perfect--Beth's realization about her brother is a bit rushed, and the otherwise sharp Sheriff's suspicion of Prescott in the robberies seems pretty questionable. (What would Mike's motivation be? He's been winning the weekly take!) Still, CALIFORNIA PASSAGE is suspenseful and entertaining.
While neither project catapulted him to A-list stardom, ROCK ISLAND TRAIL and CALIFORNIA PASSAGE established Forrest Tucker as a viable choice for heroic roles, and his ability to seamlessly alternate between friend and foe would make him one of the decade's busiest stars. Tuck became one of Republic's top male leads (THE WILD BLUE YONDER, JUBILEE TRAIL opposite Joan Leslie) while sprinkling in vehicles with other studios, such as Fox (THE QUIET GUN), UA (COUNTERPLOT) and Hammer (BREAK IN THE CIRCLE) among others. He continued to play villains effectively as well, most notably in SAN ANTONE (1953, for Republic) and RAGE AT DAWN (1955). Forrest Tucker's Republic swan song, 1958's GIRL IN THE WOODS, arrived just a year before the studio's demise after a quarter century and nearly 1,000 features.
CALIFORNIA PASSAGE is currently streaming at Epix HD.
Labels: Adele Mara, Blogathons, Film Reviews, Forrest Tucker, Jim Davis
Jerry E said...
Two terrific reviews, Hal!!
My records inform me that, amazingly, I have never seen either of these westerns but I'm not sure I believe me. Anyway I would dearly love to see both.
You are clearly an enormous Forrest Tucker fan. My favourite of his films is "THE QUIET GUN", a criminally-underrated western with a riveting performance from Tuck!
And...I just finished watching "THE VANISHING AMERICAN", yet another Joe Kane-directed Republic with Tucker, Davis etc. It just gets better....
Really enjoyed this post and the considered analysis of each, especially Tucker's performances. After being a bit uncertain about him -- due in part to all those villain roles I suspect -- I've just come to gain appreciation for Mr. Tucker this year, thanks to his fine work in films like FLIGHT NURSE and THE QUIET GUN. As my appreciation for him deepened I watched CALIFORNIA PASSAGE and liked it very much indeed.
You now have me anxious to see ROCK ISLAND TRAIL. I've been jotting down the titles of all the movies read about this weekend so I can put them in a special stack and start working on them!
grandoldmovies said...
A duel with soup-soaked mops - different, to say the least! I always like how these smaller-scaled Westerns can come up with unusual bits (Lincoln as a trial lawyer). Oddly, I tend to associate Forrest Tucker with his later 1950s horror roles (eg, The Crawling Eye), though I realize that his rangy physique and craggy face made him perfect for Westerns. Enjoyed your post!
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Gym finally stops its sexist pricing policies – the first of many?
hequal / June 26, 2015
Earlier this year, HEqual was alerted to discriminatory pricing at a gym in Hertfordshire. Peak Physique Gym in Hitchin was charging male customers £30 per month compared to £15 for females, despite actually offering superior facilities to women then men!
Not only does the gym boast of having a “fully equipt “women only”” room, its website also notes “women’s changing rooms have built in hairdryers & hair straighteners, as well as dedicated make up areas, private cubicled showers & changing rooms”.
At HEqual we were obviously concerned about his blatant breach of the law by the gym in question, afterall it’s clearly unfair to charge men double than women and even offer them an inferior product to boot! Therefore we contacted the gym in question and informed them of their breaches of UK equality law.
Peak Physique decided to throw their toys out of the pram from the minute we first contacted them. We were largely busy with other matter at the time so only had chance to send one email to the company, yet we received mutiiple replies stating “Go for it. Shut us down.” and “Please do whatever you like about this, it’s not going to change”. Other concerned equality advocates received equally aggressive and angry responses. After receiving just a handful of tweets on the matter the company decided to completely delete its Twitter account, it deleted all negative Facebook reviews and proceeded to make various false claims about what was going on.
Peak Physique eventually posted an article on their blog titled “It’s different for girls” defending/denying their sexism, stating the pricing structure was legal and that it would continue. They also promised to update their website to explain the pricing policy, though no such update was forthcoming. Instead, the company quietly wiped all evidence of their sexist pricing structure from the website and suggested customers call for such information.
Recently, we were pleased to recently hear from a HEqual supporter who had been in contact with both the Equality Advisory Support Service and Hertfordshire County Council about this matter. They were able to confirm that following considerable communication between themselves, the council and the gym, the company finally ceased in operating its sexist pricing structure! We’re not aware of the company issuing any formal statement on the matter or apologising for its conduct, though obviously we’re pleased with the outcome and would like to congratulate everyone who worked so hard to make this happen.
Unfortunately, businesses such as Peak Physique are from from unique and plenty of others routinely discriminate against men. In Canada it recently emerged that there are now bike shops that actually ban both male staff and male customers on Sundays, and just yesterday another case has come to light of a UK Gym charging men considerably more than women.
We’re all for naming and shaming these companies and putting a stop to what they’re doing, after-all state funded equality bodies show next to no interest in discrimination against men, so if men don’t stand up against this sexism themselves then it will continue to happen. The latest gym in question is Central Fitness Gym in Accrington, who charge men £5 more per month than women and some 50% more for a day pass! A huge pink banner on the company’s website highlights this sexist pricing structure and there’s absolutely no attempt at justifying the discrimination against male customers nor any indication of any superior offering available to men to justify the discrepancy. Their contact information is as follows:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Centralfitness-Gym/312397242283060
Twitter: https://twitter.com/centralfitness1
Email: http://centralfitnesscentre.co.uk/contact-us/
June 26, 2015 in Uncategorized.
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5 thoughts on “Gym finally stops its sexist pricing policies – the first of many?”
Ticklish Quill (@TicklishQuill) says:
Next Target
http://centralfitnesscentre.co.uk/
Illegal Pricing Bias https://archive.is/vaB0o
Pingback: Gym finally stops its sexist pricing policies – the first of many? | Justice for Men & Boys
clay robertson says:
Make sure that somebody keeps an eye on this criminal business; in a few months they will be right back to their illegal pricing. They had no qualms about doing it in the first place, so we can expect them to break the law again when nobody is watching. Where are all the feminist with their “equality-equality-equality!?!”
Damn liars everyone of them…
Yep. Even the “nice” ones who “aren’t like that.” Where are they? Where are the ones who “aren’t like that?”
Here’s another one:
http://www.hardcoregym.co.uk/
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Centre of mass
The center of mass is the point where we can assume all the mass of the object is concentrated.As the gravity only acts at a single point in the object. So a single arrow on diagram can represent the weight of the object.The centre of mass for regularly shaped objects is in the center.For irregular shaped objects,we can find the center of mass by following steps.
Hang up the object.
Suspend a plumb line from the same place.
Mark the position of the thread.
The centre of mass is along the line of thread.
Repeat the above steps with object suspended from different places.
The centre of mass is where these lines cross.
Centre of mass links stability:
It is important to know where the centre of mass of a body is, as its position determines the stability of the body.
A body is stable if, when it is tilted slightly, the line of action of its weight passes through its base.
EXPERIMENT TO DETERMINE CENTRE OF GRAVITY OF PLANE LAMINA
Apparatus:
retort stand
plumb line
On the lamina, make three holes near the edge of the lamina.
Suspend the lamina through one of the holes as shown in the diagram.
Hang the plumb line on the pin.
When the plumb line is steady, make a dot on the position of the line at the edge of the lamina
Repeat steps 2-4 for the other two holes
the point where the lines meet is the centre of mass of the body
Center of mass little story
My parents brought me back this wine holder from their most recent holiday.
It doesn’t look much like a wine holder until you insert a bottle; whereupon it magically “stands up”.
An object balances when its centre of mass is above its base. The base of the holder can be any point along the curved edge; the curved shape allows it to pivot freely. The holder balances when the centre of mass is directly above the pivot.
If the centre of mass is to the left of the pivot the holder rotates to move the the centre of mass right (anticlockwise); if it’s to the right then the holder moves the centre of mass to the left (clockwise).
An object free to rotate will rotate around its centre of mass. In the photograph below (click to enlarge) you can see where the centre of mass is — it hasn’t rotated and therefore isn’t blurred.
An empty bottle works just as well. A bottle uniformly full of air and a bottle uniformly full of water have almost the same centres of mass.
Shifting the neck of the bottle in and out of the holder shows what effect moving the centre of mass has on the balance point. With the neck all the way in the centre of mass is moved to the right and the holder balances further to the right; the opposite is true when the neck is all the way out, moving the centre of mass to the left.
A half-full bottle has a very different centre of mass; the ability of the water to move around causes the centre of mass to move around. In the photograph below the water has settled to the bottom of the bottle, moving the centre of mass towards the left as in the photograph above right.
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Carson students form anti-vaping club
tommyg310 February 3, 2019
An anti-vaping club has recently formed at Carson High School, and is recruiting new students to join.
The meeting meets Mondays in room G9 from 2:15 p.m. to around 3:35 p.m. Students in the meeting are informed every week about the effects of vaping, and try to create a campaign to make other students know more knowledge about the harmful effects of vaping and nicotine. Carson students had things to say about this new club.
“This club could prevent vaping because even though it’s less harmful than smoking cigarettes, it still has negative effects and this club could help anyone who is addicted to quit vaping,” said Carson High School Global senior Frankie Tejero.
Victor Diaz, a freshman in Carson’s Academy of Education and Empowerment, said he doesn’t think this club will stop students from vaping.
“I’m pretty sure most kids know the dangers of vaping as there is already many commercials and notices and such touching up on the topic of dangers of vaping. People are very stubborn and I don’t believe this club will have much effect on those who vape,” Diaz said.
Students at CHS have different opinions about this club.
Students who are interested in the club or addicted to vaping and need help quitting are encouraged to join this club.
Clearing up the issue of on-campus vaping
Opinion: High school students, ignore your college recruitment emails
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(Photo courtesy of Creative Commons.)
Opinion: Solange’s unique sound is showcased in ‘When I Get Home’
cassandrabernardo April 4, 2019
As the year begins to heat up, hot new music releases continue coming out. At exactly midnight on March 1, Solange, an R&B and soul artist, dropped her highly anticipated fourth album, “When I Get Home.” As a very unconventional artist, Solange has always explored a different sound. That is obvious in this album as well as in her incorporation of jazz, hometown roots of Houston and features from artists like Playboi Carti.
It is clear that Solange is continuing her exploration of her sound, her fresh take with this album differing from many artists today, especially her own sister, Beyoncé. The album not only is unconventional and not for every ear, but the incorporation of dance and jazz influences whilst paying homage to hip-hop and her childhood in the city of Houston create the eccentric sound Solange is known for.
However, various students at Carson High School are able to appreciate the art piece as Solange painted her vision clearly, unrushed and free, with a variety of artists that emphasize her feel-good yet expressive creation.
“I’ve listened to Solange’s new album and I think the production is really nice. I think it almost has the sound of her first album,” Carson High School Academy of Medical Arts senior Kristine Rovelo raved about the new album. “I would recommend this album to many people if they were wishing to listen to something different.”
The album clearly stands out from majority of music presented to audiences today.
Rovelo is not the only artist who recognizes Solange’s sophomore album as Carson High School Global Business Law Government senior Serena Munoz said, “I’ve seen everyone posting the album and I finally listened to it. It was honestly really good, I really liked it.”
With the fresh release of the album, it’s clear Solange is on her own path with “When I Get Home.” Have a listen to it and find out if you’ll enjoy it as well!
Carson High School’s World of Film and Production Film Competition
Los Angeles Environmental Education Fair provides information, resources
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Prop. 64 would ravage our neighborhoods
Foothill Technology High School November 16, 2016
Considered to have medicinal properties burrowed beneath its history of illicit use, the debate on the legalization of marijuana in California has received a new dose of controversy as we get closer to remodeling our nation.
Proposition 64 aims to allow recreational use of the drug for citizens 21 years and older, along with the ability for businesses to sell marijuana with a state license. The most promising aspect of this proposition is the excise taxes on plant cultivation and retail price, which could generate revenue for the state.
However, these benefits do not consider the environment that a legalized drug known for causing problems in mental development among other physical illnesses can create. Rather than being a product of the black market, marijuana culture will be moved into our neighborhoods.
There is no telling if those of legal age will use marijuana in a legal manner; many may use its medicinal properties as an excuse to achieve a high, but that is based on their own judgment. The true predicament lies is the effect this has on children and families.
In a 2014 study performed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, marijuana proved to be leading in drug popularity, with 2.2 million users aged 12 or older reported. Adolescents have been drawn to this drug in the past when it had to be received through illegal means, so consider the exposure of neighbors or relatives growing marijuana for themselves, in their homes and with no consequence, would have on them.
Teens could be surrounded by the depressant drug in a justified setting, where the legality of its use is obscured in their minds as a perfectly valid activity to do. While the selling to minors would remain illegal, that hasn’t stopped the illicit distribution of any drug before, especially to adolescents.
Those willing to break the law could do so in a secure environment: while the growth of marijuana in someone’s home would have once be suspicious, it would camouflage with the other houses using the drug properly and legally. If teens had easy access to marijuana before, then it wouldn’t compare to the simplicity Proposition 64 would bring.
Probable cause wouldn’t stop at the possession of marijuana, it would have to be the providing of the drug to minors, meaning a search warrant could not be granted until adolescents have already been affected. In addition to illegal marijuana distribution, there is a provision of the proposition that allows for the advertisement of weed consumption by large businesses.
Although they are prohibited from marketing to minors, tobacco companies have already discovered loopholes to entice a younger audience. Who’s to say a marijuana company won’t use a cartoon mascot like Joe Camel from Camel Cigarettes: a character who models the use of their product as “cool” or “fashionable.” Even then, any advertisement seen or heard by children can easily influence their judgment, which will only be further impaired by using the drug.
Then there’s actual role models in their life: celebrities they admire can reflect the use of marijuana, perhaps in a legal or illicit way, which adolescents can easily harm themselves with. Even relatives, who may be using the drug properly, can create a great influence on younger family. The bond of trust that is shared between kin can be strong, but you wouldn’t want to have your niece or nephew get into a fatal car crash because they wanted to try marijuana like you, but didn’t know how.
Yes, the law forbids the selling of marijuana 600 feet from a school, daycare, or youth care, but when has that stopped children from being sold illicit products before? What keeps them from finding access to drugs outside of school? There’s also a provision that disallows marijuana use while driving; the same law is currently placed for drinking while driving, yet 10,625 people died in alcohol-related collisions in 2015, while many more continue to put others at risk while behind the wheel.
Proposition 64 may take advantage of open revenues, research into medicinal marijuana may be funded, but at what cost? The cost of peace in our cities, in our neighborhoods and homes? At the cost of our children’s safety and the health of many? Are we willing to enter another incorrigible crisis like that of tobacco, to let our lives be corrupted by rampant illicit use?
Perhaps one day we’ll find an ensured means to use the healing properties via experts, but for a proposition that only seeks to reap financial benefits, we need to keep our homes free from the dangers of marijuana.
–William Flannery
Featured Image Credit: Rachel Chang/ The Foothill Dragon Press
advertisement awareness of marijuana death families Family Guy Foothill Dragon Press foothill technology high school illicit marijuana legalization Prop. 64
East Los Angeles students walk out to call for unity
Video: Rapping to Lin-Manuel Miranda at Disney’s ‘Moana’ Press Conference
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HD gear: Highly Recommended
COLLAPSE INFO -
HD Gear
Creative Sound Blaster Roar 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Review Date October 2nd, 2015 by Brian Hoss
Sound Blaster Roar 2 (Black) reviewed using various Bluetooth connected devices. Review time also included USB connections to PC and PS4, as well as microSD functionality and analog AUX input. Specific sections refer to the optional Sound Blaster Roar 2 Carry-Bag and Creative BT-W2 USB Transceiver.
In a world full of competing Bluetooth speakers, it's rare that any one is able to distinguish itself above the rest. In the category of large portable Bluetooth speakers, however, Creative is seeking to break from the pack. With the Sound Blaster Roar 2, Creative is presenting a five driver, bi-amp design, that is packed with connectivity options, including aptX, USB PS4 support, speakerphone, and on-board microSD music playback.
If these features sound a little familiar, it's because they are shared with the 2014 hit Sound Blaster Roar. When it comes to blockbuster movie sequels, the rule is generally bigger and louder. With the Sound Blaster Roar 2 Bluetooth speaker, Creative has gone in a different direction -- smaller, lighter, and as tagged, sexier. With a 20% reduction in the overall physical foot print, the Sound Blaster Roar 2 is a smaller package, and yet, as promised, it's meant to be just as loud and offer even more features.
The Sound Blaster Roar 2
Right off, it's important to note that the Sound Blaster Roar 2 is, in large part, a refinement of the Sound Blaster Roar. The same 5 drivers in the original Roar have been put in the Roar 2 with a smaller and lighter (by .3 lbs) footprint, but happily, the Roar 2 design supports dual-orientation.
With the left and right drivers now on the same broad side as the subwoofer, the Roar 2 can be placed on its back for room-filling situations or stood up for more directed sound (especially good for video and game use). In addition to these changes, the Roar 2 now has a pair of very attractive passive radiators visibly facing out on the two small sides. Those radiators mimic in part the design of one of my favorite home theater center channel speakers, the Definitive Pro Center 1000. The radiators are also responsible for giving the Roar 2 a large injection of style, which is an area where many Bluetooth speakers attempt to excel but fall well short.
Setting aside the original Roar, and considering the Roar 2 on its own merits, it's easily a segment leader in my view. There is not only powerful sound available here, but there is also some room for delineation, making the Roar 2 good in very different situations. The Roar 2's suite of connectivity options, in practice, do more for me than a slew of speakers available at comparable and much greater prices.
For over a month I took the Roar 2 with me as I went all over the USA. From coast to coast, from hotel rooms to verandas, to offices and bedrooms, and even (I'm being serious here) to one funeral. I can't say it never quit, but it did sound great. In fact, I learned that under the right circumstances (working around the clock from a hotel room and having the Roar 2 connected to my phone and laptop while intermittently using the microSD slot to play music) it's a good idea to have the power cable on hand even though I normally just used the USB charging feature.
After such time, I have a few thoughts for new buyers. Charge the Roar 2 all the way after first opening the box (which is always good practice). Take the power cord with you for extended use or long trips (or if placed in a semi-dedicated spot). Get a small bag or case to protect the blocky shape during flights. Finally, get a 32GB microSD card, fill it with music (MP3s & WMAs), and keep it inside the Roar 2.
That last recommendation is such a big plus for me. I meant to do it right away, but put it off for the first trip or two. When you've got a phone with good service and plenty of juice, it doesn't seem as important (travelling abroad is a whole other story), but getting off a flight and getting into a hotel with X amount of time before a meeting or event -- phone, laptop, and tablet all depleted from the flight, airport and car ride -- and having that Roar 2 ready to deploy in a second using its own battery and music source, well it's just one slick way to do it. The Roar 2 has dedicated playback controls (and shuffle/repeat), so using the microSD card slot for music is easy even for the tech challenged.
Listening to the Roar 2 being able to handle the highs and lows of Rammstein's 'Liebe ist für alle da,' and take the nuanced steps of the heavily electronic 'Hotline Miami' soundtrack without sounding tinny or washing out detail with a distorted & hollow bass, makes it easy to hear why these drivers have been so praised. As ever in this kind of set-up, stereo separation is a challenge, which is another reason why I appreciate being able to stand the Roar 2 up when needed.
Having the Roar 2 lying on its back, filling a room with music played off of the microSD card while charging my phone, might seem like a recipe for missing an important call, text or email. And yet, the Roar 2 is smart enough that it can be paired with my phone while playing another source, and still pause or mute that source when I get a call. This allows me to use the fine speakerphone or switch to the handset on my smartphone -- all while resting assured that the Roar 2 won't make a peep until my call is completed, at which point the music will continue unabated.
All of this hotel room, multi-use stuff might sound droll, but with the Roar 2 excellent in a music (or audiobook, phone call, YouTube video, TV show, game, interview replay) setting, the pure, "hey put some music on" duty is easy. The only difference is that if it's a good sized gathering, I might toggle on the ROAR DSP to get that louder sound. At other times, like with very quiet dialog in a noisy setting, the TerraBass makes more sense, though really, the need depends on how far away the Roar 2 is from the ear.
For example, while listening to the raspy narration of Richard K. Morgan's 'Altered Carbon' streaming off of my phone, the TerraBass is a real helper with the Roar 2 set up across the room.
Indeed, the world doesn't run off of a microSD card. I'm often streaming music, audio books, and video to my phone (or PC and sometimes a tablet), and it's here where the fancy aptX (and AAC) wireless codec pays off. I get bummed out in situations where aptX isn't part of the package, so it's something of a must for me when it comes to music. NFC pairing is also part of the Roar 2 package, which is useful and would be even more useful if I elected to share the Roar 2 with other random people regularly.
Complementary Usage
It's easy to get a bit spoiled with the Roar 2. Naturally, it can be connected to a PC through Bluetooth or through the AUX in 3.5mm analog port, but a simple micro USB (included) cable works as well and shows up as its own device on the PC. With the Roar 2 around, using laptop speakers seems like such a shame, especially when streaming in 'The Wire.' Again, I can be hooked up to the PC via USB with the Roar 2 standing up and projecting sound towards me, and still get calls via the Bluetooth connection.
Connecting to a PC via USB also makes the Roar 2 a microSD card reader. I was on a trip testing out a new laptop and tablet, and I realized mid-flight that I forgot to load any music onto the notebook. Later, connected to the Roar 2, I recalled this problem and was about to fish out a SD to microSD card shell, when I realized I could just copy right off the microSD without even having to take it out of the Roar 2. A small victory perhaps, but nevertheless a function of smart design.
I grew so fond of the Roar 2 that I used it when streaming an episode of 'Catastrophe' while confined in a tiny bedroom on a hellish road trip with my significant other. Getting the speaker to stand up next to a laptop on a bed with two people in it, feels like a sure sign that something important has been accomplished.
The PS4
Not unlike the PC, the Roar 2 can be used with a PS4 via USB. Since the PS4 normally only has optical, HDMI, and controller audio output, this is a really nice feature for the odd need. As a fighting game fan, I have had many times when I've set up a console and a monitor solely to play something like 'Ultra Street Fighter IV,' and this extra ability of the Roar 2 is really appreciated as 'Street Fighter V' looms on the horizon. The Roar 2 gets assigned to a user (much like a headset would be), and with All Audio set to output, the results are great.
There is also a way to go wireless on the PS4 via an optional accessory which I'll come to later.
Aux Love
Aside from running some 'FTL: Advanced Edition' through the Roar 2 during my travels, another big moment came during the 'Forza 6' review. I was playing the game pre-release for the review around the clock, and I wanted to mix in some college football. Ignoring the Xbox One's TV snap, I set up a 27" HP ZDisplay monitor through HDMI with a wireless Uverse receiver. That just left me one issue: sound. The solution I went with was to route the analog audio out of the Uverse receiver to the 3.5mm Aux in of the Roar 2.
In what I think is the Roar 2's oddest feature, the Bluetooth speaker can be used as an audio recorder. The audio gets captured to the microSD card. The controls are pretty basic. There's no screen or ability to organize recordings, but there is a way to switch the Roar 2 from external mic recording to speakerphone recording. I have to admit that I'd feel a little silly recording an interview with the Roar 2, but the playback part would certainly be audible.
I have some small issues with the Roar 2. The unit comes with two rubber feet for placing on the bottom thin side that I would rather have been built-in. (I left them off.) Bluetooth media controls are a bit limited if there's a microSD card in the unit. I was going to say that the powering On and Off sounds and connections are not always appreciated, but I found a way in the manual to turn them off. The three LED battery/charging lights seem standard for Creative, but could use a change. I also wish the unit came with a soft bag case. And on the cosmetic side, the looks of the Black version are, well, almost solid black apart from the dark metallic grey control strip. It's a look that grew on me.
The unit has its own USB host port for charging mobile devices. This is a bonus feature that I hope I won't ever need. The Roar 2 is 2.2 lbs, and with its 2.0" x 7.4" x 4.3" body, there is a solid feel that may surprise friends and family. I'd toss it lightly on a bed or couch, but I would not throw it around. The Roar 2's power cable is a more important accessory than it may first seem, as it not only charges the unit the fastest and is best for trying to use while charging, but it also yields the best overall sound performance at high volumes. Battery life is promised at 8 hours, and I've been able to best that number, but not by much.
Carry-Bag
Creative offers two kinds of cases as purchasable accessories for the Roar 2 -- a neoprene bag and silicone case. After some time with the Roar 2, I received the neoprene Sound Blaster Roar 2 Carry-Bag.
This reversible black and red soft case comes with two Velcro straps. One strap makes for a short hand hold while the other is shoulder length. The case itself is a snug fit, and the top hugs the Roar 2 without actually closing (like it would with a zipper).
I was dubious at first. I do think this is a pricey accessory, but product-specific cases usually are. It's a little too easy when taking the Roar 2 in and out of the case to accidentally turn it on. The two straps are nice, but whichever is not in use is likely to get lost. There is only one compartment, and the amount of protection gained is mainly of the cosmetic kind. It's an ok option, but I think the Roar 2 deserves better.
BT-W2 USB Transceiver
Another accessory that I decided to use with the Roar 2 is the Creative BT-W2 USB Transceiver.
This Bluetooth dongle is not specifically for the Roar 2. In fact, right now, I use it mainly with a pair of Sony Bluetooth headphones. What the dongle does is let me easily add a high-quality Bluetooth connection to whatever notebook or PC I'm using. There's no NFC, but there is a pairing button and light, and more importantly, there is aptX. The BT-W2 also works with the PS4 to add Bluetooth audio. The BT-W2 got along with the Roar 2 just fine, though, for the sake of the review, I also used the Roar 2 directly. Like the case, the BT-W2 is $39.99, but I love it as it frees me from the often crummy and temperamental Bluetooth audio that's built in to so many computers.
With the Sound Blaster Roar 2, Creative has refined a great, multi-purpose Bluetooth speaker into an even better package. Try as I might, I could find little to no fault with the Roar 2. It simply sounds great in a variety of situations and has a versatility that ought to embarrass hordes of other Bluetooth speakers. Looking beyond its great connectivity and feature set, I fear that using the Roar 2 in every possible situation will lead directly to its theft. The Roar 2 is so good, I feel like hording it away from envious family members and friends.
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Magnesium Oil Side Effects
Magnesium Deficiency Diseases
Peanut Butter & Magnesium
Magnesium Amino Acid Chelate and Anxiety
Can Magnesium Make You Sick?
The Difference Between Magnesium & Magnesium Trisilicate
How Does Magnesium Affect The Body?
By Tammy Dray
Magnesium is an essential nutrient found in many of the foods we eat every day. According to MedLine Plus, the best sources of magnesium are dark green leafy vegetables, although you can also find it in legumes, soy products and nuts. Women need about 320 mg of magnesium per day, while men need 420 mg.
Lack of Magnesium
Although magnesium deficiency is rare, it can occur in people who have malabsorption problems. Because magnesium plays a role in over 300 reactions in the body, a deficiency can show up in a number of ways and be difficult to pinpoint. The most common signs of magnesium deficiency, however, are muscle weakness and sleepiness, since magnesium plays an important role in energy production and management. Severe and prolonged magnesium deficiency can lead to delirium and hallucinations.
Overall Uses
All major organ systems in the body need magnesium to function properly. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, magnesium is particularly important for healthy functioning of the kidneys, muscles and heart. Magnesium helps stabilize the heartbeat and prevent cardiac arrhythmia. Magnesium is often given to heart attack survivors and people suffering from congestive heart failure.
Magnesium helps the body process and utilize carbohydrates better. According to the Office of Dietary Supplements, this makes magnesium a useful nutrient for people with type 2 diabetes. Magnesium can also reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in older adults. People with diabetes often lose more magnesium through urine than non-diabetics, worsening the deficiency. Taking magnesium supplements can help diabetics control insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism.
Magnesium plays a vital role in the functioning of muscles, especially in contraction and relaxation. One of the first signs of a magnesium deficiency is muscle spasms, tremors, cramps and weakness. Magnesium also plays a role in protein metabolism. Because protein is essential for the development of muscles, a lack of magnesium can also affect muscle growth in both children and adults.
Office of Dietary Supplements: Magnesium
MedLine Plus; Magnesium in Diet; Alison Evert, MS, RD, CDE; March 2011
University of Maryland Medical Center; Magnesium; Steven D. Ehrlich, NMD; June 2009
Linus Pauling Institute; Magnesium; Jane Higdon, Ph.D.; April 2003
Tammy Dray has been writing since 1996. She specializes in health, wellness and travel topics and has credits in various publications including Woman's Day, Marie Claire, Adirondack Life and Self. She is also a seasoned independent traveler and a certified personal trainer and nutrition consultant. Dray is pursuing a criminal justice degree at Penn Foster College.
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$9,000 for a sprinkler system inspection?
July 4 2019 12:00 AM
A billing dispute between a landscape contractor and a client may end up in court.
A $95 sprinkler system inspection ended up costing a Temple, Texas woman $9,000. This misunderstanding was the subject of a news story on KCEN-TV.
Shirley Osenga told a reporter for the station that she’d initially hired contractor Ruben Alvarez to inspect her sprinkler system for $95 and do some landscaping work. But he ended up charging her $9,000 and told her he expected to be paid in full.
Alvarez also spoke to the station’s reporter. He told a different story. “I went over every single thing that was getting done with them,” Alvarez said. “They had to approve it. I'm not going to just do stuff without getting approval. How are you going to get paid?”
Alvarez did get paid, according to the story, but Osenga later began to question what work the contractor had actually performed. In a phone call, Alvarez told the station’s reporter that he would return to Osenga’s home to refund $250 for a control box she didn’t need and said he would be willing to show her where the money was spent.
“They knew about everything that I did there,” Alvarez told KCEN. “I did not do anything wrong.”
A few days later, according to the story, Alvarez dropped off two refund checks for a total of $950. Later, Alvarez texted Osenga’s son, Greg Artz that he’d mistakenly charged the family over $700 in taxes. Artz, who says he “knows how irrigation systems work,” had begun questioning the bills.
In the text, Alvarez reportedly wrote, “I am refunding $706.36 for the taxes mistakenly charged,” but defended other charges.
According to the story, the text also said “I did not charge $1,180 FOR A PUMP! I charged $1,180 for 3 leaks she had on the right side of their house and to completely repair the pressure safety release pump, I called it the booster pump.”
But this account apparently differs with what Alvarez had written on the invoice: “Added booster pump to add pressure to lines.”
The story says that Alvarez charged the family for the leak fixes separately on the invoice. On the phone, he told a KCEN reporter “What I told her, I said ‘You're having to do everything on your system as if you were replacing with a whole new system.’ She had problems!”
But Osenga told KCEN she still has no idea if Alvarez replaced, or even installed, anything for her irrigation system, and may file a lawsuit against him.
Alvarez has been sued before. Through a search on Nexis.com, reporters for KCEN found that the contractor has had multiple judgements levied against him. They confirmed one for $1,316 last year and another for $437 around ten years ago.
The station’s reporters also confirmed that Alvarez had been previously prosecuted for a “theft by check” charge. And although the first invoice he handed to Osenga reportedly states that he is “Insured - bonded registered with the City of Temple, TX,” a city spokesperson told KCEN via email they could not find any insurance information on file for him.
In the story, city spokesman Jonathan Logue is reported to have said “They do not have an insurance certificate on file for Alvarez Professional Services or Ruben Alvarez that they could find, and their records go back to 2010. The only Ruben Alvarez on file with the city applied for a mobile food unit permit for Alvarez Catering which is still valid until Oct. 7, 2019.”
Osenga told KCEN she would not be using the contractor again. “Absolutely not,” she is reported to have said. “And next time I have someone they are going to write it (the invoice) out in detail.”
Former DC Water CEO will keynote WaterSmart Innovations Previous
In sprinklers
Former DC Water CEO will keynote WaterSmart Innovations
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EMEA Companies Lack Time and Resources to Keep Pace with Emerging Business Risks
Published in iPMI Magazine Risk News
EMEA Companies Lack Time and Resources to Keep Pace with Emerging Business Risks,
Busy management teams are struggling to keep pace with a range of new and emerging risks that pose significant financial risks to their business, according to new research published by ACE Group.
Lack of management attention, compounded by lack of skilled resources, management tools and processes, is hampering companies’ ability to manage a range of new and emerging risks, according to a survey of 650 companies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa conducted for global insurer ACE’s EMEA Emerging Risks Barometer 2013. In the survey, company leaders identify supply chain/infrastructure, environmental, cyber and D&O1 as the “big four” risks most likely to cause financial damage to their businesses in the next two years.
Andrew Kendrick, President, ACE European Group, said “Our research suggests that emerging risks have not yet become embedded in board level discussions on wider risk management issues. 57% of our respondents cite lack of management attention as the biggest barrier, and this leads in turn to the second and third challenges – lack of human resources and lack of risk management tools and processes.”
Biggest barriers to emerging risk management
According to the survey, at least 40% of companies view supply chain and infrastructure dependency, environmental liability, cyber risk and D&O liabilities as the emerging risks likely to have the most significant financial impact on their company in the next two years.
Emerging risks that companies believe will have the most significant financial impact on their business in the next two years (% of respondents):
45% of businesses say that they expect supply chain and infrastructure risk to have a significant financial impact on their company over the next two years. Sophisticated global supply chains have driven down costs for many companies, but businesses are paying the price through a lack of visibility into where risk exposures lie. Compounding these issues, many companies are reliant on creaking civil infrastructures, the security of international energy and power supplies and other challenges which expose them to severe financial risks in the event of business interruption.
Environmental risk ranks second, with 42% categorising it as one of the emerging risks most likely to have a negative financial impact on their business. With tougher government regulation and more vocal stakeholder concerns, companies are being held accountable for their environmental impact as never before. The fact that environmental risk ranks second overall also suggests an increasing awareness that it is an issue for all sectors, not just traditional ‘polluting’ industries. Nearly three quarters (73%) of firms say their shareholders are taking environmental risk more seriously.
Respondents rank cyber risk joint third, with 40% viewing it as one of the emerging risks most likely to affect their business. In recent years, cyber risk has become virtually unavoidable as companies become increasingly dependent on technology to do business. Over a third of companies cite viruses (49%), hacking (38%) and data theft by third parties (37%) among their greatest concerns. However, the majority of companies also recognise that the greatest threat often comes from within. 63% of firms believe that employees and internal failures can often pose a bigger threat than cyber criminals.
Although not a new risk, directors and officers (D&O) liability risk is constantly evolving against the backdrop of financial crises, changing regulation and growing international footprints. It ranks joint third, with 40% of companies believing it could present a significant financial threat over the next two years. Notably, in the wake of increased scrutiny post-crisis, respondents highlighted reporting errors as their greatest worry, followed by concerns about exposures to bribery, fraud and corruption.
Andrew Kendrick, President, ACE European Group, said “We know that real world events do not respect neat categories, and that many of our emerging risks are interconnected today. By paying greater attention to this complex and interlinked array of emerging threats and challenges, risk managers can help their organisations to put their strategic plans on a sustainable footing. And, by working with them in a collaborative way and taking a strategic approach to their client relationships, insurance brokers and underwriters can help them ensure that these emerging threats become an integral part of their approach to enterprise-wide risk.”
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Jailed labor activist tortured, forced fed hallucinogen drugs
A relative of a Haft Tappeh Sugarcane mill worker and labor leader says he was tortured in custody and was now suffering from severe physical and psychological problems.
Shahed Alavi a freelance reporter said that the relative, who asked to remain anonymous told him that Esmail Bakhshi was threatened before his release not to participate in any labor activities and was banned from publishing pictures of himself online.
“Esmail was treated in the worst possible way in prison”, the relative said in the audio file in a voice that was changed in fear of identification.
“Every time he passed out and then regained consciousness from pain, they gave him hallucinogen drugs and told him they were sedatives,” the relative said.
Esmail’s relative said that he was still suffering from the side effects of the drugs.
“Sometimes, he still has hallucinations and thinks that he’s still in prison. He becomes afraid and is suffering from psychological problems,” he said adding that he was also suffering from constant fever.
“He is not under house arrest but upon his release he was told that he had been fired from the sugarcane factory. He was threatened that if he or his family talks about his condition with anyone or if he continues protesting like before, he will be arrested again,” he added.
Esmail Bakhshi was arrested on November 18 in Shush during labor protests at local sugarcane mill, together with more than a dozen labor activists and workers. The others were later released. Shush is located in the oil-rich Khuzestan province.
Bakhshi was released on December 12 on bail. Since his release, he has been absent from workers strikes and other labor activities.
“He was beaten until he was on the verge of death,” the source said adding that some of his ribs were also probably broken.
“He was numerously hit with a baton in his reproductive organs and has trouble walking, sitting and sleeping now,” he added.
“Those who were in contact with Esmail before his arrest, as a colleague or partner in labor activities, were warned that if they visit Mr. Bakhshi they would also be arrested and immediately fired from work,” the labor activist’s family member said.
The source said that Esmail Bakhshi’s bank account was also blocked and one of his main problems was that he could not afford much needed medical treatment.
Labor activists had reported in late November that Esmail Bakhshi was tortured in custody and hospitalized.
The news about his possible injury in custody was reported by the bus drivers’ union in the capital Tehran.
The union published a statement saying Bakhshi “was hospitalized in a security clinic in Ahvaz”, the capital of Khuzestan, but he was later returned to the initial detention facility.
The statement added that Bakhsi was subjected to “psychological abuse and physical attacks” in detention to force him to admit to false accusations.
The governor of Khuzestan province and the prosecutor in Shush have denied that the prisoner was tortured or hospitalized.
Iran jails law student for social media posts critical of state policy
Starving boy, 11, commits suicide to escape poverty
Ahvazi Arab detainee suspiciously dies in custody
Young man flogged in public in Iranshahr
23 prisoners in Iran at risk of having their hands amputated
Iran Extends Travel Ban on Widow Of Ecologist who suspiciously died in prison
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Far Right Routed in Auckland
August 4, 2018 by ISO editor
Attempts by far right hate groups to organise a movement in Aotearoa have suffered a heavy blow after the united efforts of the radical left and concerned community groups this weekend. A speaking event by alt-right personalities Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux was cancelled following protests, and a rally for supporters of the British right-wing extremist Tommy Robinson was dispersed by counter-protestors only a day later.
Southern and Molyneux had been booked to speak at the Bruce Mason Centre on Auckland’s North Shore, before this event was cancelled by Auckland Council’s venue organiser on security grounds. Driven underground, they were forced to reveal their plans only at the last moment, on Friday afternoon. Any chance of them speaking was finally scuttled after the PowerStation, a popular music venue, cancelled their event as soon as they became aware they were the intended hosts.
Southern and Molyneux are key media figures in the alt-right movement, and their presence in Aotearoa only serves to give succor to local right wing activists who hope to spread vile ideology. Both a virulent racists and Islamophobes. Southern has made a name for herself on the alt-right for her rants against multiculturalism, feminism and Islam; while Molyneux specialises in attempting to revive discredited race science – claiming that Hispanic and Black people are less intelligent that than Whites and telling his recent Australian audience that Aboriginal Australians are “the lowest rung of civilisation.”
Around 1,000 people protested the pair on Friday evening, in rallies organised by Tāmaki Action Against Fascism (TAFA) and Love Aotearoa, Hate Racism. Speakers at the rallies represented the whole spectrum of the Auckland left (organised under TAFA) and also included figures such as Marama Davidson (co-leader of the Green Party) and the intellectual and campaigner for Māori rights Annette Sykes. Centre stage at the Friday rally was given Māori speakers who explained the brutal truths of New Zealand’s colonial history that racists like as Southern and Molyneux seek to obscure.
On Saturday, anti-racist protestors gathered to oppose a small group of far right protestors supporting the British extremist Tony Robinson. The lively and energetic counter demonstration outnumbered the racists almost three to one and surrounded them as they rallied in Aotea Square. Activists of the so-called alt-right were left with nothing to do but shamefacedly slink away as anti-racists played “We Are the Champions” at full volume.
Everyone who stands against racism and inequality should rejoice at the welcome the far right has received in Auckland this week. But the fight against the far right and their racist backers doesn’t end here. Further visits by politicians of the extreme right, including UKIP’s Nigel Farage and the Australian racist Pauline Hanson are planned for the near future. The links between these events are clear – several supporters of Southern and Molyneux who attempted to disrupt the anti-racist event on Friday were amongst the contingent that attempted to spew their hate the next day. To prevent hate groups organising we must continue to build the movement against racism, fascism and the alt-right.
Gowan Ditchburn, Jules Courtine and Cory Anderson contributed to this report.
« Molyneux and Southern: These racists are not welcome here
Nurses show the way »
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2078.Vip - Info
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Brandon Voss
Derek Gaunt
Maya Stevenson
Isaac R. Betancourt
Negotiation Services
Training for Businesses
Training for Individuals
Negotiation Consulting
Free E-books and Guides
Never Split The Difference:
Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It
Written by former FBI negotiator, Chris Voss
Everything we’ve previously been taught about negotiation is wrong: you are not rational; there is no such thing as ‘fair’; compromise is the worst thing you can do; the real art of negotiation lies in mastering the intricacies of No, not Yes. These surprising tactics—which radically diverge from conventional negotiating strategy—weren’t cooked up in a classroom, but are the field-tested tools FBI agents used to talk criminals and hostage-takers around the world into (or out of) just about any scenario you can imagine. In NEVER SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It, former FBI lead international kidnapping negotiator Chris Voss and co-author Tahl Raz break down these strategies so that anyone can use them in the workplace, in business, or at home.
Throughout the book, Voss draws on his experiences in truly life-or-death situations to illustrate these techniques, and offers scores of examples of how they translate into our working lives. We spend most of our days at work negotiating for something. Knowing the most successful, crisis-tested approaches to the process will ensure the conversation more frequently goes your way. What sets these strategies apart from other negotiation paradigms—i.e., the standard thinking in negotiations is to approach them as logical and sequential problems to be solved—is the injection of emotional intelligence and empathy into the negotiation process. This was the game-changer for the FBI, Voss writes, and these are the unique skills emphasized in Never Split the Difference.
Voss explains how simple these tools can be, such as your tone of voice, the types of questions you ask the other party, or even how you enter the conversation in the first place. Successfully asking for a raise, a new position, a client concession, or a change to the terms of a contract can all be influenced by the techniques outlined in the book. Voss was part of the generation that revolutionized and refined the FBI’s approach to the process of negotiation. And now he can help readers do the same in their own lives.
Praise for Never Split The Difference
“Chris Voss's NEVER SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE is a different kind of business book —one that emphasizes the importance of emotional intelligence without sacrificing deal-making power. It comes from the pen of a former hostage negotiator — someone who couldn't take no for an answer — which makes it fascinating reading. But it’s also eminently practical. In these pages, you will find the techniques for getting the deal you want.” —Daniel H. Pink, author of TO SELL IS HUMAN and DRIVE
“This book blew my mind. It’s a riveting read, full of instantly actionable advice—not just for high-stakes negotiations, but also for handling everyday conflicts at work and at home.” —Adam Grant, Wharton professor and New York Times bestselling author of ORIGINALS and GIVE AND TAKE
“Former FBI Hostage Negotiator Chris Voss has few equals when it comes to high stakes negotiations. Whether for your business or your personal life, his techniques work.” —Joe Navarro, FBI Special Agent (Ret.) and author of the international bestseller, What Every BODY is Saying.
“Your business, basically your entire life, comes down to your performance in crucial conversations, and these tools will give you the edge you need. . . It’s required reading for my employees because I use the lessons in this book every single day, and I want them to, too.“ —Jason McCarthy, CEO of GORUCK
info@blackswanltd.com
© 2019 The Black Swan Group, Ltd.
We are Black Swan
Read Never Split the Difference
The Negotiation Edge Blog
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Mopani Worms
Have you ever wondered where mopane worms go after defoliating large tracts of mopane trees on the reserve? I did, and after investigation, found them to be quite fascinating little creatures.
The mopane worm is the larval stage of an emperor moth (Gonimbrasia belina) and feeds predominantly on mopane trees (Colophospermum mopane). With a wingspan of up to 13,5 cm, the adult mopane emperor moth is a magnificent and conspicuously large moth that can cause consternation amongst the faint-hearted as it flaps around in a bat-like manner.
The moth's lifespan is measured in days and it must not be distracted from its sole purpose in life - to find a mate. To achieve this, the male is equipped with large, feathery antennae, with which he can detect and trace to source over long distances, the delicate perfume given off by a virgin female.
Moths lay batches of about 150 eggs on the trees in spring and after a few weeks the young larvae emerge and begin to feed. When mature they are as thick as a man's finger and about seven succulent centimetres long and are an important part of the food chain for both man and animal alike. Birds and insects prey on them. The pupae are dug out of the ground and eaten by jackals, warthogs and antbears.
Mopane worms provide a nutritious supplement to the traditional Shangaan diet, as they are almost 60% protein, and contain significant amounts of phosphorus, iron and calcium. Our Shangaan staff collect the protein-rich larvae (worms) in copious quantities, remove the intestines and either roast them or squash them flat and leave them to dry, in which form they can be stored for months. Apart from its nutritional value as a food source mopane worms are also environmentally valuable. A mopane worm population produces a huge amount of natural fertilizer at the same time that the mopane tree is flowering and setting seed.
A "plague" of mopane worms can fuel tremendous tree foliage regeneration, providing that there is adequate rainfall after the infestation. New foliage helps browsing animals through the dry winter period and effectively increases the carrying capacity of the local environment.
The importance of mopane worms can therefore not be underestimated and as such uncontrolled harvesting not condoned. Ingwelala recognizes the traditional needs of the Shangaan work force and allows the utilization of this natural sustainable resource in a controlled manner. Workers are not allowed to roam the veld unattended since it is extremely dangerous. A couple of years ago, an elephant killed a woman whilst she was harvesting mopane worms on the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve. In addition, a few days later, the wife of one of our workers was charged by an elephant whilst harvesting mopane worms on Buffelsbed.
How to cook Mopani worms
Dried mopane worms (seasonally available through barter trade in our staff village)
Tomato (sliced)
Onions (chopped)
Chilli sauce (to taste)
Salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste
Soak dried mopane worms in water until soft. Fry onions in butter. Add rest of ingredients and cook over slow heat until tender.
Serve with mealie-pap and ice cold Inyati marula mampoer available from our shop. I am told that the mampoer is the key to this meal's palatability.
by Emile Sprenger de Rover.
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Search Life & Times
Art in Renaissance England
Medieval Art
Medieval to Renaissance . . .
New techniques
Studies from the antique
Myth explored
High Renaissance: Raphael
The cartoon reversed
Architecture and painting
Saint Paul (reversed)
Titian: Venus and Adonis
Classicism and anachronism
Art in the north of Europe
Flemish art
Bruegel: ordinary people
Bruegel: slices of life
Art in England
Domestic art in England
Art in England: Mini-art
Architecture and painting: Raphael (2)
Saint Paul Preaching at Athens. Raphael. Victoria and Albert Museum.
Although for convenience architecture and painting are given separate sections in this program, the two were intimately connected: most painters were also architects, and all were influenced by the simplicity, the balance, and the grace of ancient Greek and Roman buildings. (Click here to read about art as a collective* production.)
In this Cartoon, Raphael is responding to architecture in two ways*. The tapestries were designed to exploit the way the light fell from the windows in the Sistine Chapel where they were to be hung, and were thus as integral to the building as Michaelangelo's paintings. And the picture itself portrays the structures of ancient Athens with the eye of an architect drawing a building he has designed.
See the cartoon reversed, as it appared in the tapestries.
Not just a pretty picture
Perhaps in three ways: as this Cartoon shows, Raphael's figures are sometimes more like animated statues than active human beings. Refer to the section "All done with mirrors?" on this page to see how the finished tapestries would have been more dynamic, however.
Raphael, et al.
What we for convenience call "Raphael's" Cartoons are a fine example of the different attitude in the Renaissance towards the individual and art. The Cartoons were designed overall by Raphael, and he undoubtedly had a hand in the actual painting; but much of the work was done by assistants, and the final work of art--the tapestries themselves--was created by quite different artisans, a workshop of weavers in Brussels overseen by the weaver Pieter van Aelst.
Thus the tapestries were the result of a collective rather than an individual effort. Our attitude towards art today stresses the individual, with the result that much scholarly fervour is spent on identifying whether a picture was actually by an artist, like Raphael or Tintoretto, or by his assistants working under his direction. In the same way, a great deal of literary detective work has been devoted to trying to decide which lines or scenes are specifically by Shakespeare in works written by him in collaboration with others. (At least three late plays, Pericles, The Two Noble Kinsman, and Henry VIII, are known to have been written only partly by Shakespeare.)
< Further reading on this topic. | How to cite this page >
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IMJatt
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Home Entertainment News Bollywood Find playing grey shades interesting: Aditya Seal
Find playing grey shades interesting: Aditya Seal
India Updates
Actor Aditya Seal, who will be seen playing nemesis to actor Tiger Shroff’s character in “Student Of The Year 2“, says he was not hesitant to play a negative role as he has always found playing grey shades interesting.
“I have always found playing a character with grey shades very interesting and I have grown up watching films like ‘Darr’, ‘Baazigar’ and ‘Anjaam’, where the antagonist is very human. He is always reacting. There is always a trigger point to his reaction. He is always reacting to some internal or external stimulus and not just aimlessly chopping people down,” Aditya told IANS in an e-mail interview.
The 31-year-old is kicked about his big break with a Dharma Productions film.
“Quite honestly, it’s the ‘pinch me’ kind of a feeling. It’s like hitting the jackpot. It doesn’t happen that often and it doesn’t happen to everyone,” he added.
After the trailer of the second instalment of the “Student Of The Year” franchise released in April, it received a lot of criticism as the makers made the educational institution very dreamy.
“That will always happen. Haters will always be haters. Unfortunately, we cannot please everyone, but I think we have made a good film and hopefully, we can turn their opinion. Also, I am sure that they will walk out with a smile on their face,” he added.
Directed by Punit Malhotra, “Student Of The Year 2” also features Ananya Panday and Tara Sutaria.
Aditya, who trains in martial arts with Tiger, has praised the “Baaghi” star for his dedication.
“It’s very inspiring to see someone to have reached his level and still wants to do more, still hungry for more, still eager to learn something new every day. And as a co-actor, he is so easy and so simple. Like there is no fuss,” he said.
He said that Tiger is always wanting to make the product look good and not just himself and doesn’t fail to impress him every single day.
What’s next for Aditya?
“I haven’t signed anything yet. I am reading quite a few scripts, I am liking a few, but I haven’t signed anything yet on the paper. I have already done a film for Netflix. It is written by Priyadarshan Sir. We don’t have a release date yet, but it should be out soon,” he said.
Aditya Seal
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As we begin a new year, we recall some of the most outstanding achievements, memorable people, and trailblazing initiatives that left an impact on the Wharton community in 2017.
“Joe Talks” Series Debuts in London
In January 2017, a new series of rapid-fire faculty presentations was unveiled in London featuring Professor Maurice Schweitzer and Professor Eric Bradlow. Named after our founder, Joseph Wharton, these bite-size lectures showcase the School’s thought leadership and latest research delivered in a high-energy and palatable format. A full slate of Joe Talks is planned for 2018 taking place in Bangkok, Shanghai, Los Angeles, Mexico City and more. Learn more and register for an upcoming event at joetalks.wharton.upenn.edu.
Wharton’s First African-American MBA Recognized
Left: Hettie Simmons Love on her graduation day, June 18, 1947. Right: Lana Woods WG’90 with Hettie Simmons Love WG’47 at a Wharton MBA Admissions mixer held at Woods’s home in Harlem, April 2017.
In “Wharton’s Own ‘Hidden Figure,’” Graduate Executive Board member Lana Woods WG’90 writes eloquently about 94-year-old Hettie Simmons Love WG’47, Wharton’s first African-American MBA graduate. Woods also explores her own experience in partnering with MBA Admissions to host an annual celebration for Wharton’s African-American graduates and incoming minority MBA students in her home in Harlem. The essay shows Wharton’s historical commitment to inclusion, and Hettie’s significance as a trailblazer resonates through Lana’s success and the Wharton alumni of color she mentors today. Read the full story in the Fall/Winter 2017 issue of Wharton Magazine here.
Penn Wharton B-School for Public Policy Kicks Off in DC
PPI launched B-School for Public Policy — a monthly series of faculty-led seminars on Capitol Hill — aimed at providing Congressional staffers with a better understanding of the economic and business aspects of the policy questions they are charged with tackling.
Sessions were led by Kevin Werbach from Wharton’s Legal Studies & Business Ethics Department, who examined the regulatory implications of blockchain technology; Scott Harrington, Professor of Health Care Management and Professor of Insurance and Risk Management, and Tom Baker; of Penn Law, who discusses his research into regulating robo-advisors among others.
The B-School for Public Policy aims to establish direct connections between policy staffers and faculty at Penn and Wharton, to lay the groundwork for ongoing dialogue. You can catch up on each B-School session through podcasts produced in conjunction with Knowledge@Wharton Radio on SiriusXM here.
Wharton Digital Press Launches Online Bookstore
In February, Wharton Digital Press became the first publisher to leverage the e-commerce technology of New York-based Powered by Zola to launch an online bookstore. The new bookstore offers a single point of discovery for thought-leading business books showcasing the depth and breadth of Wharton faculty research and thought leadership.
Among a curated selection of more than 100 business and public policy books are two books published by Wharton Digital Press in 2017: The Ostrich Paradox: Why We Underprepare for Disasters, by Robert Meyer and Howard Kunreuther and The Miseducation of the Student Athlete: How to Fix College Sports, by Ken Shropshire and Collin D. Williams, Jr.
Wharton Sports Business Summit Unites Sports Industry Luminaries
More than 200 students, alumni and leaders from across the country and dozens of representatives from the sports industry participated in the inaugural Wharton Sports Business Summit. The summit included two keynote discussions, multiple panels, workshops, student presentations, and a career fair with representatives from 15 companies. Students had the chance to speak with including Josh Harris W’86, co-owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, NBA SVP Melissa Brenner C’96, Senior Vice President of the NBA, and Blake Stuchin C’04 NFL VP of Digital Media Business Development about current opportunities and challenges facing the sports environment.
A Stellar Lineup of Leaders Visit Campus to Share Insights and Knowledge with Students
Clockwise from top left: Edith Cooper, Global Head of Human Capital Management at Goldman Sachs with Prof. Nancy Rothbard; former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd snaps a selfie with Dean Geoffrey Garrett; Bruce Karsh, co-founder of Oaktree Capital Management in discussion with Howard Marks; Judith Rodin, president of The Rockefeller Foundation talks with students.
Wharton welcomed several distinguished guests in the realms of finance, philanthropy, investment, and politics throughout the year. Among them were Edith Cooper, Global Head of Human Capital Management at Goldman Sachs, Judith Rodin, president of The Rockefeller Foundation, Bruce Karsh, co-founder of Oaktree Capital Management, and former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. In March, Dean Geoffrey Garrett moderated a sold-out panel discussion with Profs. Jeremy Siegel, Guillen Mauro, Kent Smetters to dissect the global implications of President Trump’s economic agenda.
Analytics Accelerator Challenge Makes a Mark
Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative (WCAI) launched The Analytics Accelerator Challenge as a pilot program.
The accelerator invited companies to submit a data analytics problem for a chance to win a one-month intensive engagement guided by Marketing Professors and WCAI Faculty Co-Directors, Eric Bradlow and Raghuram Iyengar, along with Serguei Netessine, Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions.
The Challenge was launched in response to high demand for scaling analytics across industries, combined with WCAI’s current goal of training the next generation of data scientists with a learning-by-doing approach.
Wharton PhDs Create New Community for Innovation Researchers
For Wharton PhD students studying innovation, the Mack Innovation Doctoral Association provides a space to share ideas across academic disciplines, explore opportunities for collaboration, and get much-needed feedback from peers.
In October, the student-led group opened the doors to their inaugural Wharton Innovation Doctoral Symposium (WINDS) global audience. Over 100 applications from more than 60 universities worldwide were received.
“By providing a platform for students with different perspectives and from varying disciplines, we filled a high-demand empty niche in the field of innovation research,” said Andrea Contigiani, PhD student in Management.
“Not only was WINDS a risk-free space to share and explore our evolving research ideas, but it proved to be an intellectual delight,” said one participant. “It was so inspiring to learn from my peers and their diverse perspectives on innovation,” said Jungee Lee, a doctoral candidate in Operations Research at UCSD.
Wharton Webinar Series Delivers On-Demand Thought Leadership
As lifelong learners, Wharton alumni have the opportunity to interact with world-renowned professors as they present their research and share the latest thought leadership from Wharton. Over the course of 2017, over 2,300 alumni joined 8 live webinars led by Wharton faculty representing international relations, behavioral ethics, brand, innovation, organizational, and healthcare management.
Learn more about past and upcoming opportunities for webinars at alumni.wharton.upenn.edu/webinars.
Second Annual Return on Equality Week Drives Conversations Forward
The MBA student-led group Return on Equality held their second annual weeklong series with 16-plus hours of rich discussions and events on race, class, gender, sexuality, and social justice issues. Throughout the week student and faculty engaged in programming designed to break down barriers, open dialogue, and become stronger allies for each other. Prof. Marybeth Gasman (pictured top right) from the Graduate School of Education held an open Q&A session to inform students with actionable ways to take a stance against inequality in their lives. Through a lecture Prof. Sigale Barsade explored the ways implicit bias can drive discrimination in workplaces and communities and offered six takeaways.
East Meets West: EMBA Students Connect in San Francisco for First-Ever Joint Marketing Course
There are many opportunities for Wharton students in the MBA Program for Executives on both coasts to connect throughout the program, but this year EMBA started something new — the entire first-year Philadelphia cohort flew to San Francisco for five days of combined classes and activities.
“I’m hoping that the tradition of doing things together across coasts is not just going to expand their network, but make the program stronger,” said Vice Dean of Wharton’s EMBA Program Peggy Bishop Lane. During that week, students took a modular marketing course together, which is a team-based course, so they were assigned to work in teams comprised of both San Francisco and Philadelphia students. Outside of the Marketing class, taught by Prof. David Reibstein, students organized several social activities for the evenings, including games to promote friendly competition, school spirit, and cross-coastal bonding.
Students Pitch Businesses at the Largest Entrepreneurship Event of the Year
Image credit: Photography by Christopher Galluzzo / Nasdaq, Inc.
On April 28, 2017, Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship held the first Startup Showcase, including the semifinals and finals of the Startup Challenge — formerly known as the Business Plan Competition. (Watch a video recap of the day’s events here.) During the morning sessions, the 29 semifinalist teams pitched in closed room sessions to panels of alumni, who then chose the eight finalists. Those finalists pitched live that afternoon for a chance to win $135,000 in prizes.
Pictured above: Perlman Grand Prize winners, Twine, founded by Joseph Quan WG’17 and Nikhil Srivastava WG’17, ringing the NASDAQ closing bell on Friday, July 16.
Baker Retailing Center Advances Retail Knowledge and Education
Clockwise from top left: a student takes Stuart Weitzman’s legendary one-million dollar diamond sandals for a test drive; the West Coast Baker Retailing Center Board Members; students gear up for the runway at the Penn Fashion Week fashion show; Marc Lore, President & CEO of Walmart.com in conversation with Prof. Barbara Kahn.
In May, students trekked to China to visit retailers, manufacturers, and malls. At campus in Philadelphia, students strutted their staff on campus at the Penn Fashion Week Fashion Show while Kaley Suero W’17 received a $25,000 scholarship from the National Retail Federation. Select guest speakers in 2017 included Stuart Weitzman W’63, who wowed over 200 students with his million-dollar shoe encrusted with 464 diamonds. Walmart wonders, Marc Lore WG’07, President & CEO, and Scott Hilton WG’07, Chief Revenue Officer, both of the U.S. eCommerce division shared thoughts on Walmart’s acquisition strategy and employee empowerment. Also this past year, the Baker Boards, comprised of traditional and digitally native retailers, met in Philadelphia and Wharton San Francisco to discuss the future of retail. The 2017 conference focused on the research topic of “Consumer Response to the Evolving Retail Landscape” and was attended by participants from 16 countries.
Wharton Celebrates Class of 2017 Graduates
Between May 6 and May 15, nearly 2,000 Wharton graduates — from Undergraduate to MBA, EMBA, and PhD — walked across the stage and into the next chapter of their lives.
Attendees of the MBA Class of 2017 graduation ceremony were brought to their feet by the inspirational words of class speaker Dante Pearson. “We can’t afford to wait while we wait. We’re running out of time to be the person we already say that we are,” Dante said. “If you’ve been waiting for a booming voice over a loudspeaker to tell you when’s the time to start being you, now’s the time to start being you.”Dante’s remarks struck a chord beyond the audience seated in the Palestra. His speech was shared widely on social media after the ceremony and has garnered over 30,000 views on YouTube to date. Watch it here.
Major Philanthropic Gifts Set to Transform and Expand the Future of Wharton
The Moelis Advance Access Program is set to unlock the potential of Penn undergraduates thanks to a generous $10 million gift from Ken Moelis and Julie Taffet Moelis. Beginning in May 2018, this program will accept a highly selective cohort of Penn seniors, providing them a guaranteed pathway to the Wharton MBA following a two to four year deferment period of quality work experience.
Samuel Zell and Robert Lurie Real Estate Center and Real Estate Department announced the addition of the new comprehensive Grayken Program in International Real Estate. The Grayken Program will fund academic programming for students, industry events and outreach, and faculty research in order to innovate and effect change in real estate globally.
The Penn Wharton Budget Model will develop new, high-quality tools to evaluate the economic and budgetary impact of federal policy proposals thanks to a $6.6 million commitment from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.
The 50th Wharton Global Forum Touches Down in Hong Kong
From thought-provoking speakers and discussions to immersive treks and a gala dinner, the Wharton Global Forum marked their 50th Forum with style. Held over three days in Hong Kong, over 600 attendees representing industries in finance, consulting, real estate, healthcare, and technology participated in over 40 hours of programming.
“As the 50th Forum, Hong Kong was the pinnacle,” said Jane Simons, director of lifelong learning and the Global Forums. “The speakers were unparalleled, and the alumni planning committee was so dedicated. There were activities for the mind, body, and soul. There’s something magical about the Forums, and it really comes back to the alumni. They’re so proud to showcase their school, and they have the connections to make it a valuable experience.”
In 2018, the Global Forum heads abroad once again to Sydney, Australia (March 7-9) and then to New York City (June 13-14).
Students Pitch Why Amazon’s HQ2 Should Call Philadelphia Home
Amazon HQ2 to Philly Case Competition winners poses with judges and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney
When Amazon asked cities to bid to host its second North American headquarters — dubbed HQ2 — Wharton students answered with two competitions to persuade the tech retail giant to choose Philadelphia. On October 13, the winners and finalists presented to judges and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney at an on-campus reception. A portion of Shehryar Khursheed’s, W’21 entry was even included in the final proposal submitted by the city. “If Amazon is looking for thinkers, doers, and revolutionaries; if Amazon is looking to change the status quo, to push the boundaries on knowledge, to ripen the environment for change; if Amazon is looking for a testament to the past and a plan for the future, its next stop should be Philly.”
Penn Wharton Budget Model Receives Unprecedented Press Coverage Ahead of Tax Reform
The nonpartisan, interactive Penn Wharton Budget Model (PWBM), first released in 2016, became a fixture of the media thanks to unprecedented coverage of its policy briefs, especially those on tax policy. The coverage spanned hundreds of broadcast and print media hits including CNN, C-Span, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and the Associated Press.
PWBM even made an appearance on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos. The above image was shown during his interview with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in December. Through simulations and analysis, PWBM helps policymakers and the public better understand the economic and fiscal implications of proposed policies.
Lauder Establishes the Jacobson Global Venture Awards
From left to right: Thomas Cavett, POWTI Innovations; Nidhi Shah, revoLOOtion; Antonio Munoz Villanueva, Advans Health.
The Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies has established the Jacobson Venture Awards thanks to the generosity of Andrew Jacobson, WG’93, and Marina Kunis Jacobson, G’93, WG’93.
This new program seeks to provide Lauder students with the opportunity to focus their energies on their entrepreneurial venture during the summer. The winners of the 2017 Jacobson Venture Award included: Thomas Cavett, POWTI Innovations; Nidhi Shah, revoLOOtion; Antonio Munoz Villanueva, Advans Health.
Bicoastal
Incubating Ideas
Venture Awards
Mentioned in this story
Joe Talks
Wharton’s Own ‘Hidden Figure’
Penn Wharton B-School for Public Policy
Wharton Digital Press
Wharton Sports Business Initiative
Wharton Innovation Doctoral Symposium
Mack Innovation Doctoral Association
Wharton Webinar Series
Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship Startup Showcase
Baker Retail Center
Moelis Advance Access Program
Samuel Zell and Robert Lurie Real Estate Center
Penn Wharton Budget Model
Wharton Lifelong Learning
Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies Jacobson Venture Awards
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Two Students Share Their Experience Changing Careers during Wharton’s EMBA Program
How this Former Green Beret is Using His Wharton MBA to Grow a Microbrewery
How to Make Sure Your Product Is User-Driven
How Spire Went from Kickstarter Poster Child to a Multinational Organization
Why the World Needs More Social Entrepreneurs
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MBA/MA Students Join Lauder’s First Korean Language Program
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Strava CEO Shares Lessons in Customer Engagement and Other Keys to Growth
Adding Tangible Value With Impact Investment
How a Huntsman Student Gained Perspective on Social Responsibility
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Clinical significance of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in breast cancer
Sasha E. Stanton1Email authorView ORCID ID profile and
Mary L. Disis1
Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) play an essential role in mediating response to chemotherapy and improving clinical outcomes in all subtypes of breast cancer. Triple negative breast cancers (TN) are most likely to have tumors with >50 % lymphocytic infiltrate, termed lymphocyte predominant breast cancer, and derive the greatest survival benefit from each 10 % increase in TIL. The majority of HER2+ breast cancers have similar level of immune infiltrate as TN breast cancer yet the presence of TILs has not shown the same survival benefit. For HER2+ breast cancers, type 1 T-cells, either increased TBET+ tumor infiltration or increased type 1 HER2-specific CD4+ T-cells in the peripheral blood, are associated with better outcomes. Hormone receptor positive HER2 negative tumors tend to have the least immune infiltrate yet are the only breast cancer subtype to show worse prognosis with increased FOXP3 regulatory T-cell infiltrate. Notably, all breast cancer subtypes have tumors with low, intermediate, or high TIL infiltrate. Tumors with high TILs may also have increased PD-L1 expression which might be the reason that TN breast cancer seems to demonstrate the most robust clinical response to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy but further investigation is needed. Tumors with intermediate or low levels of pre-treatment immune infiltrate, on the other hand, may benefit from an intervention that may increase TIL, particularly type 1 T-cells. Examples of these interventions include specific types of cytotoxic chemotherapy, radiation, or vaccine therapy. Therefore, the systematic evaluation of TIL and specific populations of TIL may be able to both guide prognosis and the appropriate sequencing of therapies in breast cancer.
Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes
CD8 T-cell
FOXP3
Infiltration of immune cells, particularly infiltration of anti-tumor type 1 lymphocytes, has predicted improved prognosis in many different tumor types including colon, ovarian, lung and breast cancer [1–4]. Historically breast cancer was not thought to be immunologically active, particularly when compared to tumors such as melanoma. However recent evidence has emerged that tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) present in breast cancer prior to treatment can predict response to therapy and improved prognosis [4, 5].
Not only does the amount of lymphocytic infiltration but also the phenotype of that infiltrate determine clinical outcome. Type 1 T-cells are associated with favorable prognosis. CD4+ T-helper 1 (Th1) cells facilitate antigen presentation through cytokine secretion and activation of antigen presenting cells. CD8+ cytotoxic T-cells (CTL) are essential for tumor destruction [6]. On the other hand, type 2 CD4+ T-helper cells (Th2), including Forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) CD4+ regulatory T-cells, inhibit CTL function, support proliferation of B-lymphocytes, and may promote an anti-inflammatory immune response that could enhance tumor growth [7].
Lymphocyte levels in breast cancer and prognosis
The adaptive immune response to breast cancer can be seen in infiltrating breast lesions as early as benign breast atypia and increases in density as invasive malignancy develops. In one retrospective study of 53 mastectomy samples, increased B-cell and T-cell immune infiltrate was identified in benign ductal hyperplasia, increased in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and was found in the greatest magnitude in invasive breast cancer [8]. In a study of 27 DCIS patients, all tumors demonstrated some level of TIL and 78 % of DCIS had >5 % infiltrate. High lymphocytic infiltrate was associated with young age and triple negative (TN) DCIS, similar to invasive cancer, with all TN DCIS (p = 0.0008) having programed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression [9]. The phenotype of the T-cell response has also been shown to predict prognosis in DCIS. In a study of 62 DCIS samples, FOXP3+ infiltrate above the mean predicted decreased relapse free survival (RFS) (HR 2.8; 95 % CI 0.99–7.99, p = 0.05) [10]. Conversely, increased expression of a Th1 gene signature predicted improved survival in 31 patients with DCIS [11]. Tumor lymphocytic infiltrate may be able to be developed for use to stratify risk of recurrence and need for aggressive therapies in DCIS, and immune therapies may provide well-tolerated approaches to explore for improved DCIS treatment [12].
In invasive breast cancer, the greatest clinical benefit is seen in tumors with >50 % lymphocytic infiltrate (lymphocyte predominant breast cancer (LPBC)). In patients with locally advanced breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, patients with LPBC had a 40 % pathologic complete response (pCR) (OR 1.38, p = 0.012 95 % CI 1.08–1.78) as compared to 7 % pCR in patients with tumors that had no lymphocytic infiltrate [4]. Increased CD8+ T-cells have also been shown to predict improved clinical outcome, with higher intratumoral CD8+ T-cell infiltrate associated with improved breast cancer specific survival (HR 0.55 95 % CI, 0.39 to 0.78 p = 0.001) in one large study of 1334 patients [13]. This has not been replicated in other clinical studies [14–16]. Infiltration of TBET+ cells (T-box transcription factor TBX21, a marker of type 1 T-cells) can also predict improved disease free survival (DFS) in all breast cancer subtypes with breast cancer patients with tumors containing < 30 TBET+ cells having decreased DFS as compared to patients with tumors containing ≥30 TBET+ cells (RR 5.62 95 % CI 1.48–50.19 p = 0.0027 n = 617) [17]. On the other hand, the presence of the Th2 marker FOXP3+ in the tumor has been associated with worse prognosis. In an evaluation of over 200 breast cancers, patients with tumors containing greater than 15 FOXP3+ cells had decreased RFS (p = 0.04 HR 1.58, 95 % CI 1.01 to 2.47) and overall survival (OS) (p = 0.07, HR 1.62 95 % CI 0.96 to 2.74) [10]. Even when examining all breast cancer subtypes together, the composition and magnitude of the tumor immune infiltrate affects clinical outcome and demonstrates that breast cancer is an immunogenic tumor. However the impact of TILs on clinical outcome is most evident when the breast cancer subtypes are evaluated separately.
In HER2+ and TN breast cancer, even incremental increases in TILs both in and surrounding the tumor have shown to predict both response to chemotherapy and improved survival in patients [5, 18–20]. Furthermore, LPBC is more common in both TN and HER2+ breast cancers, with a median of 20 % TN tumors and 16 % HER2+ tumors having LPBC (Fig. 1a) [21]. One study of 256 TN tumors demonstrated every 10 % increase in TIL correlated with a 17 % decrease in the risk of recurrence (p = 0.023, HR 0.83; 95 % CI 0.71–0.98) and a 27 % decreased risk of death (p = 0.035, HR 0.73; 95 % CI 0.54–0.98) [5]. Similarly, for each 10 % increase in stromal TIL there was 18 % increase in OS (HR 0.82 95 % CI 0.69–0.96) in 112 HER2+ breast cancer patients [20]. For both HER2+ and TN breast cancer, while the best response has been seen in LPBC that have the highest infiltrate, even small increases in TIL lead to incremental increases in improved survival and may suggest that even therapies that modestly increase TIL can benefit clinical outcome in these subtypes.
Most breast cancers have evidence of lymphocytic infiltrates at the time of diagnosis, although the level of infiltrate is modest, and the presence of CD8+ infiltrate varies between the breast cancer subtypes. The % individuals (x-axis) are shown for: a no evidence of TIL (white), TIL <50 % (medium grey), and LBPC (black) data compiled from 6 studies. *Only one to two studies evaluated no infiltrate separately. b Presence of CD8+ infiltrate (black) or no CD8+ infiltrate (white), data compiled from 3 studies
Both TN and HER2+ patients have evidence of CD8+ T-cell infiltrate with approximately 60 % of tumors containing CD8+ T-cells (Fig. 1b) [21]. CD8+ infiltrate has only been shown to predict a survival benefit in TN breast cancer; improved breast cancer specific survival was seen with any intratumoral CD8+ infiltrate (p = 0.001, HR 0.35; 95 % CI 0.23 to 0.54 n = 927) (Table 1) [15]. While intratumoral CD8+ T-cells do not predict improved clinical outcome in HER2+ breast cancer, TBET+ tumor infiltrate predicted improved RFS (p = 0.04 HR 4.76, 95 % CI 1.07 to 20) in 102 HER2 tumors treated with trastuzumab [22]. For HER2+ breast cancer, the effect of CD8+ tumor infiltrate may require hormone positive HER2+ tumors to be evaluated separately from hormone negative HER2+ tumors. The only study that stratified HER2+ tumors by hormone receptor status found that CD8+ tumor infiltrate was associated with RFS (p = 0.041) (p = 0.064, HR 0.75 % CI 0.51–1.11 n = 227) in hormone receptor negative HER2+ breast cancer but not hormone receptor positive HER2+ breast cancer [15]. These data suggest that the immune infiltrate in HER2+ breast cancer may be more influenced by hormone receptor status rather than HER2 protein overexpression.
Effect on outcome of LPBC, CD8+, or FOXP3 tumor infiltrate by subtype
Breast cancer subtype
Immune infiltrate
DFS or RFS
OS or DSS
LPBC
Elevated CD8+
+ (TBET)
Elevated FOXP3
Abbreviations: DFS disease free survival, RFS relapse free survival, OS overall survival, DSS disease specific survival, LPBC lymphocyte predominant breast cancer, TN triple negative, HR hormone receptor
+++ Increased (>2 sources); ++ (increased 2 sources) + Increased (one source); - Decreased (one source)
As compared to TN or HER2+ subtypes, hormone receptor positive HER2 negative (HR) tumors both have less TIL and the tumors with LPBC do not show the same improved survival benefit. Only 6 % of HR tumors have LPBC and less than half have CD8+ T-cell infiltrate (Fig. 1) [21]. The decreased lymphocytic infiltrate may be due to the expression of the estrogen receptor which has been shown to both promote a Th2 immune environment and decrease MHC class II expression in breast cancer cells [23, 24]. However, HR breast cancer is the only breast cancer subtype where FOXP3+ infiltrate predicts a worse survival [10, 21, 25]. In 148 HR+ tumors, increased FOXP3+ infiltrate was associated with a decreased RFS (p = 0.006 HR 2.20 95 % CI 1.26–3.85) and OS (p = 0.006, HR 2.57 95 % CI 1.31–5.60) [10]. Potentially, a therapy that can effectively decrease FOXP3+ infiltrate may increase the magnitude of lymphocytic infiltrate in HR tumors and may improve clinical response in the neoadjuvant setting (Table 2).
Biomarker staining by IHC and prognosis in breast cancer subtypes
Good prognosis
PD-L1
>5 % membrane staining
HER2
1+, 2+, 3+
Low/High (above and below median)
Abbreviations: TN triple negative, HR hormone receptor
Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in breast cancer
PD-L1 expression has been associated with increased TILs and better prognosis in breast cancer. In a study of 45 primary breast cancers, 89 % PD-L1+ and 24 % PD-L1- breast cancers had moderate or diffuse TILs. Furthermore, none of patients that had PD-L1+ breast cancer at diagnosis developed distant recurrence whereas 15 % of the patients that had PD-L1- breast cancer at diagnosis did develop distance recurrence [26]. PD-L1 infiltrate has been associated with TN breast cancer and CD8+ T-cell infiltrate (Table 2) [27]. These data suggest that PD-L1 expression is a marker of an immunologically active breast cancer. Although increased TIL has also been associated with increased PD-L1 infiltrate, the association between increased TIL and response to immune checkpoint therapy has not yet been established [28, 29]. Early trials of immune checkpoint inhibitor specific monoclonal antibodies have shown only modest clinical efficacy in breast cancer. None of the breast cancer patients included in the initial pembrolizumab (anti-PD-1) trial showed any response to treatment and the combination of tremelimumab (anti-CTLA4) and exemestane in HR metastatic breast cancer demonstrated development of stable disease as best response in 42 % of patients [30, 31]. Several studies have shown a modest clinical response in TN breast cancer to pembrolizumab and atezolizumab (anti-PD-L1) inhibitor monotherapy, including some complete responders. The Keynote 012 trial reporting 27 patients with PD-L1 positive metastatic TN breast cancer treated with pembrolizumab as a monotherapy showed an overall response rate of 19 % with one complete response and four partial responses as well as 26 % patients with stable disease [32]. Similar results have been seen using anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibodies. A trial of 21 metastatic TN breast cancer patients treated with atezolizumab monotherapy demonstrated a 19 % overall response rate with two complete responses and two partial responses [33]. Early data has further demonstrated that combining chemotherapy and checkpoint inhibitor therapy may increase the number of clinical responses to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in TN breast cancer. In a study of 24 metastatic TN breast cancer patients, the combination of avelumab (anti-PD-L1) inhibitor and nab-paclitaxel showed a response rate of 42 % (95 % CI 22.1 to 63.4 %) including a complete response rate of 4 %, partial response rate of 67 %, and stable disease in 21 % of patients [34]. This data is promising, despite only 12 months of follow up, that use of checkpoint inhibitors in combination with chemotherapies may expand the number of breast cancer patients that respond to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies particularly in TN breast cancer.
The number of patients with HER2+ and HR breast cancer subtypes who respond to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy is much lower. In one study of 27 HER2+ patients and 72 HR patients receiving avelumab therapy, only 4 % of HER2+ and 3 % of HR patients demonstrated a clinical response [35]. In one study of 25 PD-L1 positive HR breast cancer patients treated with pembrolizumab, an overall response rate of 12 % was observed and these were only partial responses [36]. Newer immune checkpoint therapies that activate the T-cell immune response rather than block inhibition of T-cell activity including OX40 (CD134), OX40 ligand, and 41BB (CD137) may be able to enhance immune-associated anti-tumor activity in breast cancer. In pre-clinical mouse mammary tumor models, treatment with either OX40 or 41BB monoclonal antibodies were able to significantly decrease both tumor growth and development of metastases [37–39]. Several clinical trials using combination checkpoint therapy are currently ongoing.
Augmenting immunity through conventional breast cancer chemotherapy and monoclonal antibody therapy
A major mechanism of action of trastuzumab therapy in HER2+ breast cancer may be immunologic. Monoclonal antibodies can trigger antibody dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) that results in the activation of NK T-cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells. Activation of cells of the innate immune system leads to the secretion of Th1 cytokines, enhanced antigen processing, and presentation of endogenous tumor antigens to T-cells eliciting an adaptive immune response [40, 41]. Furthermore, the enhanced HER2 specific immunity associated with trastuzumab therapy has been associated with improve clinical prognosis. In a study of 87 locally advanced HER2 breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab, 94 % of the patients with high HER2 specific interferon gamma (IFN-g) Th1 immunity had pCR as compared to 33 % of patients that did not achieve pCR (p = 0.0002). In multivariate analysis, a high HER2-specific Th1 immune response predicted whether a patient would develop pCR (OR 8.82 95 % CI 1.50 to 51.83 p = 0.016) [42]. In an adjuvant chemotherapy trial of 95 HER2 breast cancer patients, high HER2-specific Th1 immunity predicted improved RFS (HR 16.9 95 % CI 3.9 to 71.4 p < 0.001) [43]. Both of these studies found that trastuzumab was needed to stimulate increased Th1 HER2 specific immune responses as patients not treated with trastuzumab did develop the high Th1 HER2 specific immunity. Similarly in the FINHER study of 209 HER2 breast cancer patients, only patients that had been treated with trastuzumab had improved distant DFS with each 10 % increase in TIL (HR 0.82 95 % CI 0.58 to 1.16, p = 0.025 n = 94) [19]. For HER2+ breast cancer, the immunologic function of trastuzumab to induce type 1 immunity appears to be important for its therapeutic efficacy.
Cytotoxic chemotherapy has also been shown to increase type 1 T-cell response. Some chemotherapeutic agents have been shown to trigger immune recognition of the tumor by induction of stress proteins released during cell death. For example doxorubicin induces the secretion of a protein called high-mobility-group box 1 (HMGB1) from dying cancer cells that binds to toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 on dendritic cells resulting in the secretion of IFN-g, antigen presentation, and activation of T-cells [44]. Toll-like receptors are highly conserved pattern recognition receptors that activate the immune recognition and enhance pathogen presentation to the adaptive immune system [45]. This resulting adaptive immune response may be a major mechanism of response to doxorubicin therapy because a TLR-4 genetic polymorphism, Asp299Gly, has been shown to decrease the binding of HMGB1 and IFN-g secretion by 50 % (p < 0.05) in in vitro assays. In an evaluation of 280 breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant doxorubicin, 40 % of the patients carrying the TLR-4 Asp299Gly polymorphism developed metastatic disease in 5 years as compared to 27 % of patients without the polymorphism (RR 1.53 95 % CI 1.1 to 3.59 p = 0.03) [44]. When comparing gene expression in 114 breast cancer patients that received anthracycline chemotherapy and 1062 breast cancer patients that did not receive chemotherapy, anthracycline therapy increased type 1 immune response, and the increased CD8+ (HR 0.72 95 % CI 0.59 to 0.82 p = 0.005) and IFN-g (HR 0.56 95 % CI 0.56 to 0.89 p = 0.016) expression was associated with improved pCR in patients that had been treated with anthracycline [46]. Paclitaxel has also been shown to increase tumor infiltrating type 1 T-cells by increasing the expression of type 1 cytokines and decreasing Th2 CD4+ T-cells in the tumor [47, 48]. Cyclophosphamide has been shown to decrease Th2 regulatory T-cells without decreasing circulating Th1 immune response at low doses [49]. Carboplatin and cisplatin have been shown to increase MHC class 1 expression on the tumor while also decreasing intratumoral myeloid derived suppressor cells and Th2 regulatory T-cells in the tumor [50]. Studies are ongoing to determine the most effective way to dose or sequence these agents to optimize their immunologic effects.
Newer options for immune modulation in breast cancer therapy
Early clinical trials of metastatic breast cancer have demonstrated that localized therapies, including radiation, cryoablation, and cellular stress signals such as TLR agonists, both induce local destruction of the tumor as well as increase the systemic anti-tumor immune response demonstrating clinical response in tumors distant from the treated lesion. These distant responses occur because the local cellular damage increases cellular stress signals and trigger type 1 cytokine release, recruiting antigen presenting cells to the tumor and improving antigen presentation of tumor antigens to T-cells converting the tumor an in situ vaccine [51, 52]. In a trial of 41 metastatic solid tumor patients treated with radiation and concurrent adjuvant granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, 11 of 41 patients (26.8 %, 95 % CI 14.2 to 49.9) had a 30 % reduction in the volume of non-irradiated tumors. Five of the 11 responding patients had breast cancer [53]. Similarly, cryoablation of breast tumors has been shown to increase type 1 cytokine secretion resulting in enhanced presentation of tumor-specific antigens to T-cells inducing a tumor-specific T-cell response [54, 55]. Cryoablation is currently in clinical trials along with ipilimumab in breast cancer and has shown both increase effector T-cell to regulatory T-cell ratio and increase T-cell clonal expansion in the tumor [56]. The TLR7 agonist imiquimod has been shown to induce partial response in 20 % (95 % CI 3 to 56 %) of 10 breast cancer patients with skin metastases that are typically unresponsive to therapy [57]. For tumors with low immune infiltrate, local therapies can increase the systemic T-cell response against the tumor and therefore increase the anti-tumor immune response to areas of disease distant from the therapy.
With evidence that the magnitude and composition of tumor immune infiltrate can affect prognosis and response to therapy both for DCIS and invasive cancer, the pre-therapy tumor immune environment can be used both as a biomarker for the prognosis of an individuals’ disease as well as a guide to determine what is the most appropriate therapy. Currently, the International TILs Working Group has started standardizing evaluation of breast cancer TILs to be able to use this in clinical practice [58]. Standardizing how to characterize a breast tumor by both the subtype and immune environment (having high, intermediate, or low immune infiltrate) will allow both the identification of patients that may only need treatment with various emerging immune therapies (including checkpoint inhibitor therapy) and provide the optimal combinations and timing of these powerful therapies to the patients with lower immune infiltrate to allow a wider population of breast cancer patients to benefit from targeted immune therapy.
DCIS:
Ductal carcinoma in situ
DFS:
Disease free survival
HER+ :
HER2 positive
Hormone receptor positive HER2 negative
IFN-g:
Interferon gamma
LPBC:
Lymphocyte predominant breast cancer
Pathologic complete response
RFS:
Relapse free survival
Th1:
Type 1 helper T-cells
TN:
Triple negative
The authors thank Chad Boyer BS of the University of Washington Tumor Vaccine Group for his invaluable assistance with formatting.
SES and MLD drafted and critically revised the manuscript. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Dr. Mary L. Disis has a commercial research grant from EMD Serono, Seattle Genetics, Celgene, and Ventrix and ownership interest in Epithany and Ventrix. She is a patent holder at the University of Washington. The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
M.L. Disis was supported by the Athena Distinguished Professor of Breast Cancer Research, Komen Leadership Award and DOD W81XWH-11-1-0760. S.E. Stanton was supported by NIH KL2TR000421.
Tumor Vaccine Group, Center for Translational Medicine in Women’s Health, University of Washington, 850 Republican Street, 2nd Floor, Box 358050, Seattle, WA 98195-8050, USA
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Accu Freeze PAF PHO 47C Coil and Frozen Clam
Public buildings, factories, manufacturing plants, power stations, hotels, sports facilities, stadiums, apartment blocks and all commercial constructions may have pipework systems such as sprinkler systems for example, that are full of water or other fluid that need to be completely drained for the smallest of repair. Such drainage costs time, money with respect to the product that is lost, plus delays and costs related to bring the system back online.
Now repairs can be done in-situ with the Accu-Freeze™ System, which will work on metal and plastic pipes up to 12” diameter, making ice plugs either side of the repair site without draining the whole system.
The Pipestoppers® Division of Huntingdon Fusion Techniques HFT® recently carried out an installation of an Accu-Freeze™ System for a client who was contracted to repair pipework in large blocks of apartments. Working in the plant room, access was pretty tight as the pipes were only 6 – 8” from the ground. At one end of the pipe there was a pressure gauge and at the other, a 1,000 litre hot water cylinder. Ambient temperature in the pipe was approximately 38ºC.
A 6 mm ø copper coil was wrapped around the 2” carbon steel pipe between the hot water cylinder and the repair site. A freeze was performed using the Accu-Freeze™ System connected to a Dewar of liquid nitrogen (LN2). Within 50 minutes a solid ice plug had been formed, blocking the flow from the cylinder to enable the pipe section to be cut out and replaced. Following the repair work, the ice plug defrosted naturally and the flow continued in the system. Minimum disruption, no system drain down, no air locks and extremely quick in relation to the alternative!
Accu-Freeze™ utilises LN2 in a controlled way to freeze stationary liquids in a selected section of pipe or tube. By controlling the surface temperature, Accu-freeze™ can accurately and safely form an in-line ice plug, capable of withstanding 138 bar in diameters up to 12” (300 mm).
The primary advantages of the patented Accu-Freeze™ System include:
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No need to shut off and drain the entire system.
Remote operation, for use in danger areas where operating personnel would otherwise be at risk.
PUBLISHED: 18 May 17
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So, you want buy pot?
photo by Andrew_D_Hurley
written by Robert
Up and out early in the little town that the D-K Turkey Guide thought was a real prize, but it’s not a big market town (in spite of the name Baypazari— “Pazar” is where our word “bazaar” comes from and usually means “market,” but perhaps “Bay” is the Turkish word for mediocre).
The usual collection of stuff spilling out of stores onto sidewalks, but nothing terribly interesting.
except shovels.
You may not have expected a report on shovels, but you would have been wrong about that.
I’ve been hoping to catch a picture of the shovels here as they have these very interesting (and much easier on feet or shoes) cross pieces for standing on to put more oomph into the digging.
And clearly, you can also buy just a replacement little platform, too.
Another way they are smarter than we are.
I did sneak a couple of street shots to show you a couple of cultural things.
Here’s a very typical older woman doing her early AM shopping. I wanted to share what most of the older local women wear. In the cities, rather than towns or villages, they are more apt to wear ankle-length long coats.
And here’s a cultural change picture—not a great shot at all, but it shows three young women— two dressed in a pretty standard western culture outfit, the third a little more traditional and the older generation wearing traditional clothing.
You just kind of wonder how many of the current cohort of twenty-something young women will wind up dressing like the older women dress now.
When I hit the main square about 6:30, it was full of the little local busses (dolmus) and they were just about exclusively full of traditionally dressed women (some with huge loads of stuff in plastic gunny sacks almost the size of a traditional bale of hay) and there were about 35 guys clumped by age, generally, standing around on the sidewalks.
And I watched for a while, and the busses pulled out for all over the region, and the guys just hung around smoking and visiting for over an hour, until after I went in to eat breakfast and pack up to go.
I was talking, E-T/T-E dictionary out and being used on both sides, with the young (modern dress) woman at the hotel reception desk about the social situation.
She got to the word on the T-E side that meant “rural.” Then the Turkish word that means “traditional.”
So I wrote
“Istanbul/Ankara 2009
Baypazari 1750″
on a piece of paper and she agreed.
There used to be a joke that ran like this:
“We are about to land at London’s Heathrow Airport.
Please re-set your watches to 1973.”
but this is a lot more than that.
Put ‘Er There, Pardner
I headed out across country, mostly south then west, through some pretty Wyoming landscape—some green fields, some rocky hills but I’m pretty sure I never saw a marble quarry in Wyoming.
And I’m bombing along, going through a little town called Sorken, and here’s all these people tending some pretty odd fires—and it’s about 80 to start with.
There were about three different fires with different groups of people tending them, and were about 800 square feet each— 20 by 40 and so I went back.
Well, of course, it was the women tending the fires and the guys supervising and they were firing terra-cotta pots.
And so I’m schmoozing with them in my 80 words of Turkish and the Tourist Pantomime and I learned they fire them like this for about five hours and then the pots have to sit for about a week, and then get sold at the little stand down by the road.
And yes, I bought (a) pot.
When I got the pot, the kid who spoke the most English said,
“Thanks, very thanks,”
which is probably way ahead of where my Turkish is even after almost two months.
At a larger town, where I ate lunch, there was a really old mosque, and I was the only one in there, and it’s got wooden posts rather than the standard masonry columns.
More Authentic Stuff
And on my way into town I drove past something in the road that looked like a scrap of a rug, but I did a double-take, turned around and drove back to check it out as it seemed a little more than a scrap.
And there was a guy standing there by the side of the road, and I figure he’d lost it off his truck, and he’d gone back to get it.
But when I went back, circling past it again, he hadn’t moved and he’d had every chance — no traffic except me orbiting the thing, other than the big truck that drove over it on its way past, so I pulled another U-turn and stopped and scooped it up.
And this is it.
It’s about 1 by 3 feet, and is made from old rug scraps, and each end is double with an opening in the edge facing into the center, so it’s a kind of donkey saddlebags, except the ends are pretty flat, so there’s not a lot of room for a lot of stuff.
Here’s one end,and here’s the other.
And here’s about what you get for $25 in Eskisehir, Turkey. There’s a nice three-star bathroom, too, and wi-fi in the room.
Homage to Susan
As I was bombing along in the hills today, I went past a very old Muslim cemetery that was full of irises, and I remembered the drizzly, rainy Saturday last year when Susan and I were coming back from Mostar, in Bosnia, and had just finished shooting some kids and a huge wisteria in this town along the road, and we’re just hitting the road again when she starts sliding the car to the side of the road, hitting the turn signals, down-shifting, and braking all at the same time.
“What?” I said.
“Muslim cemetery,” she said. “Full of irises.”
So were out in the damp weeds and wet grass shooting irises for almost an hour.
And finally, a couple of what I’d call “workshop images” to round out the day.
Originally written for Two Minutes in Turkey
posts by Robert
Hey, Mac— yer muffler’s shot (too)
A Road Day (But What a Road!)
In the capitol— Ankara’s Aweigh
To Everything, Turn, Turn. . . .
Acres of marble
The Great Balloon Failure to Launch
Better than a Workshop
Lost again—I’m on the Moon
Closing More Loops
The old ruin goes to see three old ruins
Son of Ankara
Closing the Turkish Loop
Purses in Bursa
The End of the Silk Road
Lost in Poppy Fields
How Do They Get all those Big Stones Way up There?
Random Alternative Routing Options
Gagai is the Turkish word for, “Here snipe; here, snipe.”
Greek Ghost Town in Turkey
A Few Box Canyons
Airport Day for Kim
Bring the loot—I’ve got a really big one hooked and just about netted
Circling the Tour Busses
Lizards and Turtles and Frogs: Oh, My!
Hey! Anyone here know the way to Pamukkule?
I wanna go back to Aphrodite
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Constitutional Law 1 Syllabus June 2016
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Constitutional Law I Syllabus
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41988615 Consti Law Outline Part I
Election Week 5 Cases Print
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Problem Areas in Legal Ethics (Case Digests).pdf
13. Dumlao v. Comelec
David vs Comelec April 8, 1997 .pdf
Admin Law Course Outline for DLSU 2019
De Leon vs Esguerra
Comelec GAD
Baytan v Comelec - Gr No. 153945
Brillantes vs Comelec
Consti 1 Syllabus Baddiri
reportingMulitpleChoiceQ[308].pdf
Gonzales vs. PAGCOR.pdf
Garcia vs Comelec
Candidacy Case Digests
RULE 65P
85 Go v Comelec digest
Election Digests
LESLIE ANN F. DESTAJO LLB II PACU v. Secretary of Education, G.R. L-5279,
Sanidad v. COMELEC, G.R. L-44640, 12 October 31October 1955
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW 1 1976 Gonzales v. Hechanova, G.R. L-21897, 22 October
1st Semester 2016-2017 1963
Atty. Amando Virgil D. Ligutan c. Submission of Proposed Amendments Gonzales v. Marcos, G.R. L-31685, 31 July 1975
People v. Vera, G.R. L-45685, 16 November 1937
Tolentino v. COMELEC, 41 SCRA 702 (1971) Flast v. Cohen, 392 U.S. 83 (1968)
I. Preliminary Readings
Sierra Club v. Morton, 405 U.S. 727 (1972)
d. Ratification U.S. v. SCRAP, 412 U.S. 669 (1973)
Pacifico A. Agabin, The Politics of Judicial Review over Executive Action: The
Kilosbayan v. Guingona, G.R. 113375, 5 May 1994
Supreme Court and Social Change in Unconstitutional Essays, pp. 167-198
Plebiscite v. Referendum Kilosbayan v. Morato, G.R. No. 118910, 6
Steffel v. Thompson, 415 U.S. 452 (1974)
Irene C. Cortez, Constitutionalism in the Philippines- A View from the III. THE CONSTITUTION AND JUDICIAL REVIEW
Automotive Workers Alliance v. Romulo, G.R. No.
Academia, pp. 338-348, Vol. 59, 4th Quarter (1984)
157509, January 18, 2005
Walter Murphy, Constitutions, Constitutionalism, and Democracy in 1. Judicial Review Overview
Requisites for Taxpayers, Lawmakers, Voters &
Constitutionalism and Democracy: Transitions in the Contemporary World, pp.
Art. VIII, 1987 Phil. Const. Concerned Citizens Suits
Sec. 1, 2, 4 (2), 5 (2) (a)
Francisco v. House of Representatives, G.R.
II. THE CONSTITUTION- Adoption, Interpretation, Amendment & Revision See Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137 (1803) 160261, 10 November 2003
Angara v. Electoral Commission, G.R. No. L-45081, 15 July 1936 Sanlakas v. Executive Secretary, G.R. 159085, 3
Provisional Constitution February 2004
2. Requisites Tan v. Macapagal, G.R. L-32979-81, 29 February
Proclamation No. 1, 25 February 1986 (Provisional Government) 1972
Proclamation No. 3, 25 March 1986 (Provisional Constitution) SC Petitions challenging the constitutionality of RA 9372 Demetria v. Alba, G.R. 71977, 27 February 1987
(October 5, 2010) G.R. Nos. 178552, 178554, 178581, Gonzales v. Narvasa, G.R. 140835, 14 August 2000
1987 Philippine Constitution 178890,179157, 179461 David v. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, G.R. 171396, 3
1. Adoption and Effectivity a. Case or Controversy Paguia v. Office of the President, G.R. 176278, 25
De Leon v. Esguerra, G.R. No. 78059, 31 August 1987 Garcia v. Board of Investments, G.R. 92024, 9
November 1990 c. Raised at Earliest Opportunity
2. Interpretation Oposa v. Factoran, Jr., G.R. 101083, 30 July 2003
Manila Prince Hotel v. GSIS, G.R. 122156, 3 People v. Vera, G.R. 45685, 16 November 1937
Nitafan v. CIR, 152 SCRA 284 (1987) February 1997
Civil Liberties Union v. Executive Secretary, G.R. No. Kilosbayan v. Morato, G.R. 118910, 17 July 1995 d. Lis Mota of the Case
83896, 22 February 1991 Taada v. Angara, G.R. 118295, 2 May 1997
Filoteo v. Sandiganbayan, 263 SCRA 222 (1996) Santiago v. Bautista, G.R. L-25024, 30 March 1970 Luis General v. Urro, G.R. No. 191560, 29 March
People v. Ferrer, G.R. L-32613-14, 27 December 2011
3. Amendment and Revision 1972
Director v. Ang Chio Kho, G.R. L-30001, 23 June IV. FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES AND STATE POLICIES
a. In General (Art. XVII) 1970
b. Proposals J.M. Tuason v. LTA, G.R. L-21064, 18 February Preamble of the 1987 Constitution
i. By Congress as Constituent Assembly
1. Principles
Gonzales v. COMELEC, G.R. L-28196,
a. Sovereignty of the People and Republicanism
9 November 1967 Tan v. Macapagal, G.R. L-34161, 29
February 1972 Art. II, Sec. 1- 1987 Constitution
ii. By Constitutional Convention Poe v. Ullman, 367 U.S. 497 (1961)
U.S. v. Richardson, 418 U.S. 166 (1974) Perez v. Suller, G.R. No. L-46710, 18 November 1939
Del Rosario v. COMELEC, 35 SCRA 367 (1970),
Villavicencio v. Lukban, 39 Phil. 778
G.R. L-32476, 20 October 1970 Mootness
Imbong v. COMELEC, G.R. L-32432, 11
b. Adherence to International Law
September1970 DeFunis v. Odegaard, 416 U.S. 312
(1974) Art. II, Sec. 2- 1987 Constitution
iii. By Peoples Initiative Land Bank of the Phils. v. Suntay,
G.R. 188376, 14 December 2011 Kuroda v. Jalandoni, 83 Phil. 171, 178 (1949)
Santiago v. COMELEC, G.R. 127325, 19 March
Secretary of Justice v. Lantion, G.R. No. 139465, 18 January
1997 b. Legal Standing 2000
Lambino v. COMELEC, 505 SCRA 160 (2006)
Pharmaceutical Association v. Duque, G.R. No. 173034, 9
Muskrat v. U.S., 219 U.S. 346 (1911) October 2007
Note: Emergency Power of the President
c. Supremacy of Civilian Authority xi. Independent Peoples Organizations (Sec. 23) Republic Act No. 9522 (2009)
xii. Communication and Information (Sec. 24)
Art. II, Sec. 3- 1987 Constitution xiii. Autonomy of Local Governments (Sec. 25) Magallona v. Ermita, et al, G.R. No. 187167, 16 July 2011
See Art. VII, Sec. 18- 1987 Constitution xiv. Equal Access of Opportunities for Public Service (Sec. 26) The Province of North Cotabato v. GRP Peace Panel, G.R. No.
xv. Honest Public Service and Full Disclosure (Sec. 27, 28) 183591, 14 October 2008
See Alih v. Castro, 151 SCRA 279
V. STATE: SOVEREIGNTY, TERRITORY, PEOPLE & GOVERNMENT
d. Government as protector of the People; People as
defender of the State Art. IV, Sec. 1-5- 1987 Constitution
State in General
See Exec. Ord. No. 292 (1987), Book 1, Sec. 5-9
Art. II, Sec. 4- 1987 Constitution
Collector of Internal Revenue v. Campos Rueda, 42 SCRA 23
a. Citizens of the Philippines
See Lagman v. Zosa, 66 Phil. 13
1. Sovereignty
Tecson v. COMELEC, G.R. No. 161434, 3 March 2004
e. Separation of Church and the State Bengson III v. HRET, G.R. No. 142840, 7 May 2001
People v. Gozo, 53 SCRA 476
Valles v. COMELEC, G.R. No. 137000, 9 August 2000
People v. Perfecto, 43 Phil. 887
Art. II, Sec. 6- 1987 Constitution Co v. HRET, G.R. No. 92191-92, 30 July 1991
Macariola v. Asuncion, 114 SCRA 77
Art. III, Sec. 5 (Freedom of Religion clause) Balgamelo Cabiling, et al v. Commissioner, G.R. No. 183133,
Art. IX-C, Sec. 2 (5) (religion sect not allowed as registered 26 July 2010
i. Dominium v. Imperium
political party)
Art. VI, Sec. 5 (2) (no sectoral representative from religious b. Loss and Reacquisition of Citizenship
A. Sovereign Immunity- Doctrine of Non-Suability of State
sector)
Art. VI, Sec. 29 (2) (prohibition against appropriation for sectarian Republic Act No. 9225 (2003)
Art. XVI, Sec. 3- 1987 Constitution
benefit)
Aznar v. COMELEC, 185 SCRA 703 (1990)
Kawawanakoa v. Polybank, 205 U.S. 349 (1907)
i. Establishment Clause Mercado v. Manzano, G.R. No. 135083, 26 May 1999
Republic v. Villasor, 54 SCRA 83
Willie Yu v. Santiago, G.R. No. 83882, 24 January 1989
Aglipay v. Ruiz, 64 Phil. 201 (1937) Labo, Jr. v. COMELEC, 176 SCRA 1 (1989)
i. Suit against the State
Garces v. Estenzo, 104 SCRA 510 (1981) Frivaldo v. COMELEC, 174 SCRA 245 (1989)
See Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602 (1971) Frivaldo v. COMELEC, G.R. No. 120295, June 28, 1996
Republic v. Feliciano, 148 SCRA 424 (1987)
Angat v. Republic, G.R. No. 132244, 14 September 1999
Sanders v. Veridiano, 162 SCRA 88
ii. Free Exercise Clause Altarejos v. COMELEC, G.R. No. 163256, 10 November 2004
Lansang v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 102667, 23
American Bible Society v. City of Manila, 101 Phil. c. Dual Citizenship; Dual Allegiance
Tan v. Director of Forestry, 125 SCRA 302
Veterans Manpower v. Court of Appeals, 214 SCRA 286
Gerona v. Secretary of Education, G.R. No. L- Republic Act No. 9225 (2003)
PNB v. Commission on Internal Revenue, 81 SCRA 314
13954, 12 August 1959
Farolan v. Court of Tax Appeals, 217 SCRA 298
Ebranilag v. Division Superintendent, G.R. No. Mercado v. Manzano, supra.
95770, 1 March 1993 AASJS Member Calilung v. Datumanong, G.R. No. 160869, 11
ii. Need for Consent- Express or Implied
Republic v. Feliciano, supra.
4. Government (see next chapters)
Lansang v. Court of Appeals, supra.
Art. VI, Sec. 28 (3), 29 (2)
Froilan v. Pan Oriental Shipping, G.R. No. L-6060, 30
Art. XIV, Sec. 3 (3), 4 (2)
Sept. 1950 VI. LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT
U.S. v. Ruiz, 136 SCRA 487
2. State Policies
U.S. v. Guinto, 182 SCRA 644 1. Definition
Republic v. Villasor, supra
Art. II- 1987 Constitution
2. By the People
iii. Suability v. Liability of State
a. Independent Foreign Policy and Nuclear-Free Philippines (Sec.
a. Initiative
7, 8)
Merrit v. Government, 34 Phil 311 (1916) b. Referendum
b. Just and Dynamic Social Order (Sec. 9)
Fontanilla v. Maliaman, 194 SCRA 486
i. Promotion of Social Justice (Sec. 10)
Commissioner of Public Highway v. San Diego, 31 3. By Congress
See Calalang v. Williams, 70 Phil 726
SCRA 616 (1970)
ii. Respect for Human Dignity and Human Rights (Sec. 11)
NHA v. Heirs of Guivelondo, G.R. No. 154411, June 19, a. Composition, Qualification & Term of Office
iii. Sanctity of Family and Promotion of Youth (Sec. 12, 13)
Imbong v. Ochoa, G.R. No. 204819, April 8, 2014
Makati v. Court of Appeals, G.R. Nos. 89898-99, October 1, Sec. 1, Art. VI, 1987 Constitution
iv. Equality of Men and Women (Sec. 14)
v. Promotion of Health and Ecology (Sec. 15, 16)
Star Special Watchman v. Puerto Princesa City, G.R. No. 1. Senate
See Oposa v. Factoran, 224 SCRA 792
181792, April 21, 2014
vi. Priority to Education, Science and Technology (Sec. 17)
Secs. 1-4, Art. VI, 1987 Constitution
vii. Protection of Labor (Sec. 18)
2. Territory
viii. Self-reliant and Independent Economic Order (Sec. 19, 20)
2. House of Representatives
See Taada v. Angara, supra.
Art. I-1987 Constitution
ix. Land Reform (Sec. 21)
x. Indigenous Cultural Minorities (Sec. 22)
See Exec. Ord. No. 292 (1987), Book 1, Sec. 3
i. District Representatives i. Salaries
Sec. 16 (3), Art. VI, 1987 Constitution
Macias v. COMELEC, No. L-18684, 14 September Sec. 10, Art. VI, 1987 Constitution
1961 Alejandrino v. Quezon, 46 Phil. 83 Sec. 17, Art. XVIII, 1987 Constitution
Mariano v. COMELEC, G.R. No. 118577, 7 March Osmena v. Pendatun, 109 Phil. 863
1995 Santiago v. Sandiganbayan, G.R. No. 128055, 19 April Philconsa v. Mathay, 18 SCRA 300
Montejo v. COMELEC, G.R. No. 118702, 16 March 2001
1995 Pimentel v. Senate Committee, supra. ii. Privileges
Marcos v. COMELEC, 248 SCRA 300
Aquino v. COMELEC, 248 SCRA 400 v. Journal and Congressional Records 1. Freedom from Arrest
Torayno v. COMELEC, G.R. No. 137329, 9 August
2000 Sec. 16 (4), Art. VI, 1987 Constitution Sec. 11, Art. VI, 1987 Constitution
Aquino v. Comelec, G.R. No. 189793, April 7, 2010
a. Enrolled Bill Theory People v. Jalosjos, G.R. No. 132875, 3 Feb. 2000
ii. Party-List Representatives
Mabanag v. Lopez Vito, 78 Phil 1 2. Privilege of Speech & Debate
Republic Act 7941 Phil. Judges Assoc. v. Prado, 27 SCRA 703
Farinas v. Executive Secretary, G.R. No. 147387, Sec. 11, Art. VI, 1987 Constitution
Veterans Fed. Party v. COMELEC, G.R. No. 10 December 2003
136781, 6 Oct. 2000 Jimenez v. Cabangbang, 17 SCRA 876
Bagong Bayani v. COMELEC, G.R. No. 147589, 26 b. Probative Value of the Journal Pobre v. Santiago, AC No. 7399, 25 August 2009
Atong Paglaum v. COMELEC, G.R. No. 203766, 2 U.S. v. Pons, 34 Phil. 729 iii. Disqualifications
BANAT v. COMELEC, G.R. No. 179271, 21 April c. Matters to be entered in the Journal Secs. 13, 14, 12, 20, Art. VI, 1987 Constitution
2009; Resolution 8 July 2009
Ang Ladlad-LGBT v. COMELEC, G.R. No. 190582, d. Journal Entry v. Enrolled Bill Theory Adaza v. Pacana, 135 SCRA 431
8 April 2010 Puyat v. de Guzman, 113 SCRA 31
Phil. Guardians Brotherhood v. COMELEC, G.R. Astorga v. Villegas, 56 SCRA 714 Liban v. Gordon, G.R. No. 175352, 15 July 2009 & 18
No. 190529, 29 April 2010 Morales v. Subido, 27 SCRA 131 Janaury 2011
Arroyo v. de Venecia, supra. Villegas v. Legaspi, G.R. No. 53869, 25 March 1982
iii. Sectoral Representatives
vi. Congressional Record e. Electoral Tribunals
b. Election
Sec. 16 (4), Art. VI, 1987 Constitution Secs. 17 & 19, Art. VI, 1987 Constitution
Tolentino v. COMELEC, G.R. No. 148334, 21 January 2004 vii. Sessions Vera v. Avelino, 34 Phil 725
Macalintal v. COMELEC, G.R. 157013, 10 July 2003 Tanada v. Cuenco, G.R. No. L-10520, 28 Feb. 1957
a. Regular Sessions Pimentel v. HRET, 141489, 29 Nov. 2002
c. Organization & Sessions Codilla v. de Venecia, G.R. No. 150605, 10 Dec. 2002
Secs. 15, 16 (5), Art. VI, 1987 Constitution Barbers v. COMELEC, G.R. No. 165691, 22 June 2005
i. Election of Officers Vilando v. COMELEC, G.R. Nos. 178831-32, 1 April 2009
b. Special Sessions Vilando v. HRET, G.R. Nos. 192147 & 192149, 23 August 2011
Sec. 15, Art. VI, 1987 Constitution f. Commission on Appointments
ii. Quorum Secs. 10-11, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution
Sec. 16 (2), Art. VI, 1987 Constitution Sec. 18, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution Secs. 18 & 19, Art. VI, 1987 Constitution
Avelino v. Cuenco, 83 Phil. 17 c. Joint Sessions Daza v. Singson, 180 SCRA 496
See: SC Ruling on the Motion for Reconsideration filed Coseteng v. Mitra, 187 SCRA 377
March 14, 1949 1. voting separately Guingona v. Gonzales, 214 SCRA 789
Santiago v. Guingona, 298 SCRA 756 Drilon v. de Venecia, G.R. No. 180055, 31 July 2009
Secs. 4, 11 (4), 9, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution
iii. Rules of Proceedings Sec. 23 (1), Art. VI, 1987 Constitution g. Legislative Powers
Sec. 1 (1), Art. XVII, 1987 Constitution
Secs. 16 (3), 21, Art. VI, 1987 Constitution i. General Plenary Powers
2. voting jointly
Arroyo v. de Venecia, G.R. No. 127255, 14 August 1997 Sec. 1, Art. VI, 1987 Constitution
Pimentel v. Senate Committee, G.R. No. 187714, 8 March Sec. 18, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution
d. Salaries, Privileges and Disqualifications
iv. Discipline of Members
v. COMELEC, G.R. No. 1775597, 16 July 2008 a. Express
1. Substantive Limitations
ii. Limitations on Legislative Power Art III, 1987 Constitution
Secs. 25, 28, 29, 30, 31, Art. VI, 1987
Constitution Secs. 9 & 16, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution a) Appropriation Laws
Sec. 4 (3), Art. XIV, 1987 Constitution Sarmiento v. Mison, G.R. No. 79974, 17 Dec. 1987 Secs. 24-25, 29, Art. VI, 1987 Constitution
Sec. 3, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution
Abakada Guro Party List v. Purisima, G.R. No. x. Concur in Treaties
166715, 14 August 2008 Demetria v. Alba, 148 SCRA 208
Belgica, et al. v. Executive Secretary, G.R. No. Sec. 21, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution Guingona v. Carague, 196 SCRA 221
208566 November 19, Tolentino v. Sec. of Finance, 235 SCRA 630
2013 Bayan Muna v. Romulo, G.R. No. 159618, 1 Feb. 2011 Pichay v. Executive Secretary, G.R. No.
196425, 24 July 2012
b. Implied xi. Declare War & Delegate Emergency Powers
b) Tax Laws
- Non-Delegation of Legislative Powers Sec. 23, Art. VI, 1987 Constitution
Sec. 28, Art. VI, 1987 Constitution
Exceptions: xii. Judge Presidents Fitness Sec. 4 (3) & (4), Art. XIV, 1987 Constitution
1) Delegation to the President (Secs. Sec. 11, par. 4, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution Tolentino v. Secretary of Finance, G.R. No.
23 (2) & 28 (2) Art. VI, 1987 115455, 25 Aug. 1994
Constitution xiii. Power of Impeachment John Hay PAC v. Lim, G.R. No. 119775, 24
2) Delegation to the People (Sec. 32, October 2003
Art. VII) Art. XI, 1987 Constitution Lung Center v. Quezon City, G.R. No.
3) Delegation to Local Governments 144104, 29 June 2004
1. Impeachable Officers
- Non-Passage of Irrepealable Laws ii. Procedure for Passage of Bills
Sec. 2, Art. XI, 1987 Constitution
2. Procedural Limitations Sec. 26 (2), Art. VI, 1987 Constitution
In re Gonzales, 160 SCRA 771
Secs. 26-27, 1987 Constitution Tolentino v. Secretary of Finance, supra.
2. Grounds Gonzales v. Macaraig, G.R. No. 87636, 19 November
a. only one subject expressed in the title 1990
Sec. 2, Art. XI, 1987 Constitution Farinas v. Executive Secretary, G.R. No. 147387, 10
b. three readings on separate days December 2003
iii. Question Hour iii. Veto by President
Romulo v. Yniguez, 141 SCRA 263
Sec. 22, Art. VI, 1987 Constitution Francisco, Jr. v. House of Representatives, G.R. Sec. 27, Art. VI, 1987 Constitution
No. 160261, 10 Nov. 2003
iv. Legislative Investigation Gutierrez v. House of Representatives, G.R. No. Gonzales v. Macaraig, supra.
193459, 15 Feb. 2011 & 8 March 2011 Bolinao Electronics v. Valencia, 11 SCRA 486
Sec. 21, Art. VI, 1987 Constitution PHILCONSA v. Enriquez, G.R. No. 113105, 19 August
Bengzon v. Blue Ribbon Committee, 203 SCRA 767 4. Effects 1994
Sabio v. Gordon, G.R. No. 174177, October 17, 2006
Standard Chartered v. Senate, G.R. No. 167173, Sec. 3 (7), Art. XI, 1987 Constitution iv. Effectivity of Laws
Blue Ribbon Comm. v. Hon. Majaducon, G.R. No. xiv. Allow Utilization of Natural Resources Tanada v. Tuvera, 136 SCRA 27
136760, July 29, 2003 E.O. 200, 18 June 1987
Sec. 2, Art. XII, 1987 Constitution PVB Employees v. Hon. Vera, G.R. No. 105364, 28 June
v. Board of Canvassers for Presidential Elections 2001
xv. Amend or Revise the Constitution
Sec. 4 (4), Art. VII, 1987 Constitution
VII. EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
Secs. 1-2, Art. XVII, 1987 Constitution
vi. Call for Special Election for President & Vice-President
1. The President
h. Legislative Process
Sec. 10, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution
a. Qualifications, Election, Term & Oath
i. Requirement as to bills
vii. Revoke or Extend suspension of privilege of writ of habes
Secs. 2, 4-5, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution
corpus or Declaration of Martial Law 1. titles of bills
Pormento v. Estrada, G.R. No. 152154, 15 July 2003
Sec. 18, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution Sec. 26, Art. VI, 1987 Constitution
Macalintal v. Presidential Electoral Tribunal, G.R. No. 191618,
23 Nov. 2010; 7 June 2011
viii. Approve Presidential Amnesties Cruz v. Paras, 123 SCRA 569 (1983)
Giron v. COMELEC, G.R. No. 188179, 22 January
b. Privilege and Salary
Sec. 19, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution 2013
Sec. 6, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution
ix. Confirm Certain Appointments 2. as to specific laws
c. Prohibitions
Drilon v. Mayor Lim, G.R. No. 112497, 4 August 1994 Sec. 19, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution
Sec. 13, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution Sec. 5, Art. IX, C, 1987 Constitution
iv. Appointment Power
Doromal v. Sandiganbayan, 177 SCRA 354 (1989) a. pardon distinguished from probation
Civil Liberties Union v. Executive Secretary, G.R. No. 83896, Sec. 16, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution
22 Feb. 1991 People v. Vera, 65 Phil. 56
Public Interest Center v. Elma, G.R. No. 138965, 30 June 2006
b. pardon distinguished from parole
a. With consent of the Commission on Appointments Torres v. Gonzales, 152 SCRA 272 (1987)
i. Vice-President as member of the cabinet
1. Heads of Departments c. pardon distinguished from amnesty
[Sec. 3 (2), Art. VII, 1987 Constitution] 2. Ambassadors, Public Ministers & Consuls
3. AFP Officers from Colonel & Naval Captain Barrioquinto v. Fernandez, 82 Phil 642
ii. DOJ Secretary as Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) member 4. Constitutional Commissions Chairpersons &
Members 1. who may avail of amnesty
[Sec. 8 (1), Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution]
5. Regular Members of the Judicial and Bar
Macagaan v. People, 152 SCRA 430
d. Succession Council (JBC)
[Sec. 8 (2), Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution] d. effect of pardon
i. vacancy at the beginning of term 6. Sectoral Representatives
[Sec. 7, Art. XVIII, 1987 Constitution] Monsanto v. Factoran, Jr., G.R. No. 78239, 9 Feb.
[Secs. 7, 10, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution] 1989
Sarmiento v. Mison, supra.
ii. vacancy during the term Quintos-Deles v. Comm. on Appointments, 177 vi. Commander-in-Chief
[Secs. 8, 10, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution] Calderon v. Carale, G.R. No. 91636, 23 April 1992 Sec. 18, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution
Matibag v. Benipayo, G.R. No. 149036, 2 April 2002 Sec. 3, Art. II, 1987 Constitution
Estrada v. Desierto, G.R. Nos. 146710-15, 2 March 2001 Rufino v. Endriga, G.R. No. 139565, 21 July 2006
Estrada v. Arroyo, G.R. No. 146738, 3 April 2001 IBP v. Zamora, G.R. No. 141284, 15 August 2000
b. Upon Recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Lacson v. Perez, G.R. No. 147780, 10 May 2001
iii. temporary disability Council (JBC) Sanlakas v. Executive Secretary, G.R. No. 159085, 3 Feb.
[Secs. 11-12, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution] 1. Members of the Supreme Court & all other David v. Ermita, G.R. No. 171396, 3 May 2006
courts Fortun, et al v. Gloria Arroyo, G.R. No. 190293, 20 March
Estrada v. Desierto, supra. [Sec. 9, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution] 2012
2. Ombudsman & deputies
e. Removal [Sec. 9, Art. XI, 1987 Constitution] vii. Emergency Powers
Secs. 2-3, Art. XI, 1987 Constitution c. Appointment of Vice-President as cabinet member Sec. 23 (2), Art. VI, 1987 Constitution
f. Powers and Functions [Sec. 3, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution]
David v. Arroyo, G.R. No. 171390, 3 May 2006
i. Executive Power d. Appointments solely by the President
viii. Contracting and Guaranteeing Foreign Loans
Secs. 1 & 17, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution Sec. 16, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution
Secs. 20-21, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution
Marcos v. Manglapus, 177 SCRA 668 (1989) 1. Appointments not otherwise provided by law
Birago v. Philippine Truth Commission, G.R. No. 192935, 2. As maybe authorized by law to appoint ix. Power over Foreign Affairs
e. Limitations to Appointing Power Sec. 21, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution
ii. Control of Executive Departments
1. Prohibited & Midnight Appointments Pimental v. Ermita, G.R. No. 158088, 6 July 2005
Sec. 17, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution Bayan v. Executive Secretary, G.R. No. 138570, 10 Oct.
Secs. 13 & 15, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution 2000
De Leon v. Carpio, 178 SCRA 457 (1989) Lim v. Executive Secretary, G.R. No. 151445, 11 April 2002
Dadole v. Commission on Audit, G.R. No. 125350, 3 Dec. Arturo de Castro v. JBC, G.R. No. 191002, 17 Secretary of Justice v. Lantion, G.R. No. 139465, 17 Oct.
2002 March 2010 2000
DENR v. DENR Employees, G.R. No. 149724, 19 August Go Tek v. Deportation Board, 79 SCRA 17 (1977)
2003 2. Interim or Recess Appointments
Rufino v. Endriga, G.R. No. 139565, 21 July 2006 x. Power over Legislation
iii. General Supervision over Local Governments & Sec. 16 (2), Art. VII, 1987 Constitution a. to address congress
Autonomous Regions
Matibag v. Benipayo, supra. Sec. 23, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution
Secs. 4, 16, Art. X, 1987 Constitution
v. Executive Clemency
b. budget preparation & submission
Vargas v. Rilloraza, 80 Phil. 297 (1948) Sec. 5 (4), Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution
b. Appointments and Qualifications iv. Discipline of judges
see Guingona v. Carague, supra.
Sec. 7, 8, 9, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution Sec. 11, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution
c. veto power
Kilosbayan v. Ermita, G.R. No. 177721, 3 July 2007 v. Appointment of officials and employees
Sec. 27, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution Arturo de Castro v. JBC, G.R. No. 191002, 17 March 2010, supra.
Sec. 5 (6), Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution
see Gonzales v. Macaraig, supra. c. Salary
see Bolinao Electronics v. Valencia, supra. j. Rule Making
see PHILCONSA v. Enriquez, supra. Sec. 10, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution
Sec. 17, Art. XVIII, 1987 Constitution Sec. 5 (5), Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution
d. emergency powers Sec. 14 (2), Art. VII, 1987 Constitution
Nitafan v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, G.R. No. 78780, 23 Sec. 18 (3), Art. XIII, 1987 Constitution
Sec. 23 (2), Art. VI, 1987 Constitution July 1987
Bustos v. Lucero, 81 Phil 640 (1948)
xi. Executive Immunity d. Security of Tenure In re Cunanan, 94 Phil. 534 (1954)
Javellana v. DILG, G.R. No.102549, 10 Aug.1992
Beltran v. Makasiar, G.R. No. 82585, 14 Nov. 1988 Sec. 11, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution
Estrada v. Desierto, supra. k. No quasi-judicial and administrative work for judges
Gloria v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 119903, August 15, 2000 Vargas v. Rilloraza, 80 Phil. 297 (1948)
De La Llana v. Alba, 112 SCRA 294 Sec. 12, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution
xii. Executive Privilege
e. Removal In re Judge Mariano, 166 SCRA 246 (1988)
Senate v. Ermita, G.R. No. 169777, 20 April 2006
Neri v. Senate Committee, G.R. No. 180843, March 25, 2008 Sec. 11, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution l. Report on the judiciary
2. The Vice-President Sec. 16, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution
f. Fiscal Autonomy
a. Qualifications, Election, Term & Oath m. Manner of sitting and votes required
Secs. 3-5, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution Sec. 4, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution
Bengzon v. Drilon, G.R. No. 103524, 15 April 1992 Sec. 2, Rule 56, Rules of Court
b. Privilege and Salary Sec. 3, Rule 125, Rules of Court
g. Jurisdiction
Sec. 6, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution Fortich v. Corona, G.R. No. 131457, 19 August 1999
Sec. 1, 2, 5, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution People v. Dy, G.R. Nos. 115236-37, 16 January 2003
c. Prohibitions Sec. 30, Art. VI, 1987 Constitution People v. Ebio, G.R. No. 147750, 29 Sept. 2004
Sec. 13, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution n. Requirements as to decisions
Bengzon v. Drilon, G.R. No. 103524, 15 April 1992
d. Succession Joya v. PCGG, G.R. No. 96541, 24 August 1993 Secs. 13-14, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution
Macasiano v. NHA, G.R. No. 107921, 1 July 1993
Sec. 9, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution Mariano v. COMELEC, G.R. No. 118577, 7 March 1995 Air France v. Carrascoso, 18 SCRA 155 (1956)
Gonzales v. Narvasa, G.R. No. 140835, 14 August 2000 Valdez v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 85082, 25 Feb. 1991
e. Removal People v. Lizada, G.R. Nos. 143468-71, 23 Jan. 2003
Secs. 2-3, Art. XI, 1987 Constitution h. Presidential Electoral Tribunal
i. Period for deciding cases
Sec. 4, par. 4, Art. VII, 1987 Constitution
VIII. JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT
Sec. 15, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution
i. Administrative Powers Sec. 18 (3), Art. VII, 1987 Constitution
Secs. 12-14, Art. XVIII, 1987 Constitution
i. Supervision of Lower Courts
2. Lower Courts
Santiago v. Bautista, 32 SCRA 188 (1970)
Echegaray v. Secretary of Justice, G.R. No. 132601, 19 January 1999
Maceda v. Vasquez, G.R. No. 102781, 22 April 1993
Fuentes v. Ombudsman, G.R. No. 124295, October 23, 2001 Sec. 1, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution
See: Chapter III
ii. Temporarily assign judges to other stations b. Appointments and Qualifications
1. Supreme Court
Sec. 5 (3), Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution Sec. 7 (2-3), 8 (5), 9, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution
a. Composition
iii. Order change of venue/trial c. Salary
Sec. 10, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution a. Exceptions A. Public Office as Public Trust
d. Tenure i. legal succession Sec. 1, Art. XI, 1987 Constitution
Sec. 11, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution Ramirez v. vda. De Ramirez, 111 SCRA 704 (1982) Hipolito v. Mergas, A.M. No. P-90-412, 11 March 1991
e. Removal ii. acquisition by former natural-born citizens 1. Disclosure of assets, liabilities and net worth
Sec. 11, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution Sec. 8, Art. XII, 1987 Constitution Sec. 17, Art. XI, 1987 Constitution
f. Requirements as to preparation of orders 2. Agrarian Reform 2. Ban on financial accommodation
Sec. 14, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution Secs. 4-8 Art. XIII, 1987 Constitution Sec. 16, Art. XI, 1987 Constitution
i. Period for deciding cases 3. Urban land reform and housing B. Impeachment by Congress
Sec. 15, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution Secs. 9-10, Art. XIII, 1987 Constitution See: Chapter VI
D. Economic Activities C. Sandiganbayan
3. Judicial and Bar Council
1. Rationale Sec. 4, Art. XI, 1987 Constitution
Sec. 8, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution P.D. 1606, 10 December 1979
Secs. 6, 12 & 13, Art. XII, 1987 Constitution
Nunez v. Sandiganbayan, 111 SCRA 433 (1982)
IX. NATIONAL ECONOMY AND PATRIMONY
2. Organization and regulation of private corporations Mayor Lecaros v. Sandiganbayan, 128 SCRA 324 (1984)
A. Objective
Sec. 16, Art. XII, 1987 Constitution D. Ombudsman
Sec. 1, Art. XII, 1987 Constitution
NADECO v. PVB, 192 SCRA 257 1. Composition
B. Natural Resources
3. Operation of public utilities Sec. 5, Art. XI, 1987 Constitution
1. Regalian Doctrine
Secs. 11, 17 & 18, Art. XII, 1987 Constitution Gonzales v. Office of the President, G.R. No. 196231, September
Lee Hong Kok v. David, 48 SCRA 372, 377 (1972)
Albano v. Reyes, 175 SCRA 264 Gonzales v. Office of the President, G.R. No. 196231, January 28,
Tatad v. Garcia, Jr., G.R. No. 114222, 6 April 1995 2014
2. Citizenship Requirement
Associated Communications v. NTC, G.R. No. 144109, 17 Feb. 2. Powers and Functions
Secs. 2 & 7, Art. XII, 1987 Constitution
JG Summit v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 124293, 24 Sept. 2003 Secs. 12-13, Art. XI, 1987 Constitution
Chavez v. PEA and AMARI, G.R. No. 133250, 9 July 2002
4. State Operation of private enterprises Raro v. Sandiganbayan, G.R. No. 108431, 14 July 2000
Acop v. Ombudsman, 248 SCRA 566 (1995)
3. Classification, Size, & Conditions for grant of public lands
Secs. 17-18, Art. XII, 1987 Constitution Deloso v. Domingo, 191 SCRA 545 (1990)
Ombudsman v. Santiago, G.R. No. 161098, September 13, 2007
See: David v. Ermita, G.R. No. 171396, 3 May 2006
3. Qualifications
Director of Lands v. IAC, 146 SCRA 509 (1986)
5. Practice of Professions
Republic v. Court of Appeals, 155 SCRA 344 (1987)
Sec. 14, Art. XII, 1987 Constitution
4. Conservation of forest lands and national parks
4. Appointment and Term
6. Money, Banking and Credit
Secs. 9 & 11, Art. XI, 1987 Constitution
Secs. 20-21, Art. XII, 1987 Constitution
5. Protection of ancestral lands of indigenous cultural communities
5. Rank and Salary
7. Cooperatives
Sec. 10, Art. XI, 1987 Constitution
See: Cruz v. DENR, 347 SCRA 128
8. Monopolies, Combinations & Unfair Competition 6. Disqualification
C. Private Lands
Sec. 19, Art. XII, 1987 Constitution Sec. 8, Art. XI, 1987 Constitution
1. Citizenship requirement Sec. 2, Art. IX-A, 1987 Constitution
Eastern Assurance v. LTFRB, G.R. No. 149717, 7 Oct. 2003
Sec. 7, Art. XII, 1987 Constitution 7. Fiscal Autonomy
Godinez v. Pak Luen, 120 SCRA 223 (1983) X. ACCOUNTABILITY OF PUBLIC OFFICERS Sec. 14, Art. XI, 1987 Constitution
8. Appointment of Personnel Art. IX, C, Sec. 1 (2) Art. XIII, Sec. 17 (1-4)
Sec. 6, Art. XI, 1987 Constitution 9. Personnel- Appointment 1. Powers and Functions
9. Office of the Special Prosecutor Art. IX, A, Sec. 4 Art. XIII, Sec. 18 (1-9)
Sec. 7, Art. XI, 1987 Constitution 10. Salary
B. National Police Commission
Zaldivar v. Sandiganbayan, 160 SCRA 843 (1988) Art. IX, A, Sec. 4
Art. XVIII, Sec. 17 Art. XVI, Sec. 6
XI. CONSTITUTIONAL COMMISSIONS
11. Disqualifications and Removal
C. National Language Commission
A. Civil Service Commission
Art. IX, A, Sec. 2
Art. XI, Sec. 2 Art. XVI, Sec. 9
1. Scope of Civil Service
12. Review of Decisions D. Commission on Indigenous Cultural Communities
Art. IX, B, Sec. 2 (1)
Art. IX, C, Sec. 2 (2) Art. XVI, Sec. 12
Gamogamo v. PNOC Shipping, G.R. No. 141707, May 7, 2002
Leyson v. Ombudsman, G.R. No. 134990, April 27, 2000
PNOC v. Leogardo, G.R. No. 58494, July 5, 1989 XII. LOCAL GOVERNMENTS (See: Atty. Amando Virgil Ligutans Syllabus on
13. Fiscal Autonomy Local Government)
2. Commission- Composition and Qualifications
Art. IX, A, Sec. 5 ---END---
C. Commission on Audit
Art. VII, Sec. 13, par. 2
The future does not belong to the fainthearted, it belongs to the
1. Powers and Functions brave.
3. Commissioners- Appointment and Term of Office
Art. IX, D. Sec. 2-3
Art. VI, Sec. 20 -Ronald Reagan
4. Personnel- Appointment
Art. IX, D, Sec. 1 (1)
5. Salary
Art. XVIII, Sec. 17
14. Personnel- Appointment
6. Disqualifications and Removal
Art. XI, Sec. 2
15. Salary
7. Review of Decisions
8. Fiscal Autonomy
B. Commission on Elections
17. Review of Decisions
1. Powers and Functions
Art. IX, B, Sec. 2 (1-9)
18. Fiscal Autonomy
Art. IX, C, Sec. 1 (1)
Art. VII, Sec. 13 (2) XII. NATIONAL COMMISSIONS
3. Commissioners- Appointment and Term of Office A. Commission on Human Rights
Commission On Elections (Philippines)
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The Journal of Things We Like (Lots)
Theorising Global Justice
Mar 27, 2015 Sean CoyleAdd a Comment
Frank J. Garcia, Global Justice and International Economic Law: Three Takes, Cambridge University Press (2013).
Sean Coyle
In a letter to the semi-pagan Nectarius (Epistle 91, §4), Saint Augustine sets forth one of the most fundamental problems of political life: political philosophers who have sought and ‘indeed described’ justice in private discussion have utterly failed to secure justice for the earthly city. The problem could not be clearer: true justice is not an utter mystery to human beings. It can be made present to thought and speech. But even amongst those who have bothered to obtain a rational image of it, this justice is absent from their activities and their communities. Justice in the earthly community is only ever a relative and internal justice, an ‘ordered agreement of mind with mind’ (De Citivate Dei XIX.13) that is limited to ‘the establishment of a kind of compromise between human wills…’ (IV.4) Even the laws of the most civilised society of Augustine’s time (Rome) represented but the distorted form of justice one finds in a criminal organisation.
The subject of justice in the earthly civitas (i.e. the human world) is examined at length in Frank Garcia’s impressive book, under the modern title of ‘global justice.’ The scope of the book is determined by two factors: (1) it is concerned with the specific dimension of global justice which applies to international economic activity; (2) it analyses the subject according to ‘three takes’ which have dominated recent Western political thought (Rawlsian liberalism, communitarianism, and consent theory) (P. 3.) My focus here is upon the second of these delimiting factors. It is given the following explanation:
There are of course many more theories of justice within Western political theory, and a comprehensive approach to the ethical foundations of global justice would need to engage in a comparative study of justice in normative traditions both within and beyond the West.
Of interest in this passage is its juxtaposition of two critical ideas: on the one hand, the identification of global justice as being, in the last end, an ethical problem; and on the other hand, the belief that the resolution of the ethical problem would come about through a comparative (i.e. empirical) investigation of normative traditions. The underlying implication is (I believe) not that ethical questions can be dissolved by, or exposed as, empirical concerns, but that some form of comparative study represents the realistic limit of what can be achieved by way of progress in the face of so much entrenched division. If so, this reflects the more pessimistic implication of Augustine’s letter: justice in the worldly community is not genuine justice but is forever limited to a kind of compromise between human wills.
Glimpses of this pessimistic conclusion can be found throughout the book, particularly in its introductory pages. The ‘three takes’ have been selected, for example, due to their importance to the way global justice ‘has been theorised’ and ‘applied’ in international economic law (P. 4.) The third, in particular, is included as something which ‘lies closer to our lived experience of trade’ and begins by contemplating ‘the ways in which both language and law recognise that theft, coercion, exploitation, and trade are not the same thing…’ (P. 9: the accompanying footnote makes clear that the reference to ‘law’ here denotes positive law). Here we might begin to suspect that the book’s method is dictated not only by adherence to an Augustinian pessimism, but also a rejection of the more positive implication of Augustine’s message (that true justice may be ‘indeed described’). For the distinctions between trade, coercion, theft and exploitation are not mere legal or linguistic differences, but moral differences which the linguistic (and sometimes legal) distinctions aim to capture. A community’s linguistic distinctions, like its laws, reflect the speakers’ comprehension (and obviously, sometimes miscomprehension) of the deliverances of practical reason. A linguistic community which did not differentiate between, say, forced and free exchanges, would not be in possession of an ethical distinction; but it would be incorrect to say that the ethical difference was dependent upon the development of local terms for ‘coercion’ and ‘consent’: see e.g. Aquinas’s distinction in Summa Theologiae I-II.94.2c between what is self-evident in itself, and self-evident to us.
Methodological detachment (the substitution of empirical for ethical investigation) may represent agnosticism about the practical possibility of resolving ethical problems; but the methodological constraints thus imposed can encourage a deeper moral scepticism, as detectable in this passage, a few paragraphs on: ‘… what emerges from the comparison is that there isn’t (and perhaps can’t be) a single path or approach to justice on a global scale in a globalising world. This is so because of the persistent reality of pluralism, central to globalisation and therefore to global justice’. (P. 10, my emphasis). The ‘global’ of ‘global justice’ is thus synonymous with ‘pragmatically agreeable by all’ rather than ‘universally recognised as true’.
What of the second term in that phrase, the ‘justice’ of ‘global justice’? Here the book prescinds from agnosticism and doubt, but directly considers ‘the nature of justice itself.’ (P. 12.) Justice is ‘a relationship between a set of core political and social [cf. moral] values about the distribution of benefits and burdens, and the outcomes of social processes.’ (Id).1 The context here ascribed to justice (political, social) invites the conclusion that it is some form of social construction, arising and existing in a domain concerned with practical possibilities and ideals, power and agreement: a conclusion reinforced by the reference to the ambiguous word ‘value.’ (Are ‘political and social values’ those things which are valuable for a community, or those that are valued by a community?) Likewise, the qualification that justice is one of a community’s ‘core’ values might be taken to suggest that some political (social!) questions inevitably stand in need of answers, however they are resolved in substance; or maybe it is simply that justice is, prevalently, ‘valued’ as a ‘core’ element of a community’s political and social character.
The author’s position is revealed a few lines further on. Social outcomes (such as decisions of a court) can be evaluated in all kinds of ways, for example in terms of their efficiency, but justice evaluates them ‘in terms of their consistency with the values of those affected by them.’ (P. 12, my emphasis.) The question of justice is ‘whether affected people will judge a particular institutional outcome consistent with core values about proper distributions.’ (PP. 12-13, my emphasis.) Hence, in questions of ‘global justice’ it is necessary to ask:
But whose core principles, and which ones? Put another way, is global justice possible, and is the very idea of it coherent? (PP. 13-14.)
This, Professor Garcia says, is a question for philosophers and theorists; the practical question (on which the book focuses) is how to ‘establish a truly global basis for global justice’. (P.14.) But here the book has exceeded its methodological constraints: one asks the practical question only because one believes that the ‘discourse’ between plural ideas is one in which nothing can be definitively established on the basis of sound reason, but only by agreement. Where Augustine laments the imperfect reasoning of ‘those affected,’ contrasting this with the proper understanding of justice that it is possible to obtain through sound reasoning, the book’s practical concern suggests that global justice is established on a ‘global’ (i.e. agreed, negotiated) basis: in other words, a political and not an ethical basis. Divided interests obviously erode the possibility of global agreement (as Augustine well understood), but the book’s concern is with ‘the normative implications that follow from such pluralities.’ (P. 14, my emphasis).2 The book’s hope is less than Augustine’s: though its aim is global justice and not some phantom of justice, it seeks for true justice on the plane of ‘compromise between human wills’ (De Civitate Dei, XIX.17) without elevating its gaze toward the truly right and ethically reasonable.3
The three main chapters of the book develop possible ways of conceiving the problem of global justice. Each can be regarded as proposing a different way of characterising the relationships between states:
1. Integrity-based
Integrity is here understood not, as in Dworkin’s usage, as an interpretative principle (the reconciliation of present decisions of principle with past practice as well as moral soundness), but as ‘a way of characterising the locus or source of one’s moral obligation’. (P. 120.)4 Here, a suitably revised conception of ‘Justice as Fairness’ represents an integrity-based approach to global justice because ‘it links a liberal state’s foreign policy back toward that state’s own normative commitments.’ (P. 121.) Political leaders in the White House may well disagree with those in Tehran or Beijing about the nature of obligations of justice; but for any of these states to act with justice in the face of such disagreement, it is necessary only that each acts in a way that is true to its own traditional principles of justice, soberly and honestly conceived. This allows for the maintenance of trade relationships between states separated by ideological differences. Calling upon Rawls’s distinction between non-liberal and ‘outlaw’ states, the integrity conception enables liberal states to trade with non-liberal states even when they are ‘pursuing the most destructive policies.’ (P. 27).
As Professor Garcia concedes, this is not really a ‘take’ on global justice, but of justice understood in transnational contexts. It has nothing substantive to say regarding distributive justice, or any other difficult question concerning the demands of justice, and it proposes no doctrine concerning the status or operation of international institutions.5 To these observations let me add two more: (1) it relies upon the idea that the principles of Justice as Fairness are indeed a faithful representation of the traditional political and social values of liberal states (states as ideologically distinct as the United States and France, for example); but is not this suggestion just as much an ‘imposition’ on liberal peoples who disagree about the very meaning of liberalism? (2) it moves from the pragmatic methodological premise that one may profitably focus on the justice of trade relationships whilst holding other concerns of justice in abeyance, to the substantive (and false) premise that obligations of justice in trade do not intrinsically belong to (i.e. are severable from) a comprehensive enquiry into just actions: that it is possible to trade (justly) with states which have committed terrible human rights atrocities, so long as one is true to one’s own principles of fairness in dealing.6)
2. Relation-based
Here, justice is not considered to be a matter of acting consistently with one’s own principles, but of commitments and responsibilities which arise from one person’s (or organisation’s) relationship with another. In the context of international trade, developments in law and state practice are giving rise to new forms of inter-state relationship, and introducing (through ‘shared commitments and understandings’) incipient forms of ‘global community.’ (PP. 34-35.) This approach suggests that the increasing closeness and complexity of relationships between states creates shared understandings, including shared notions of justice. The starting point for this suggestion is that ‘justice requires … community’ (P. 146); but the substance of the idea is perhaps expressible as the claim that community requires justice (if it is to avoid collapsing into hostility and anarchy). Unlike the first approach, this relational idea provides a basis for ‘global justice’ in the proper sense. But notice also that (like the first), the resultant norms of justice are not ‘imposed’ but come from state practice; and in that context it seems relatively unimportant whether the ‘model’ of international relationships is one conceived through the lens of social contract(s), or through that of communitarian philosophy (where nevertheless ‘justice is determined by the members’ shared understandings, not coercive of them—otherwise, justice would be tyranny.’) (P. 147.)
Here it seems to me that there are two questions worth raising. (1) Given the book’s insistence on respect for cultural differences, can ‘globalisation’ be considered somehow free-floating and exempt from that same requirement? If not, then the book’s optimism (which reflects Rawls’s optimism) must itself be questioned. Would developing nations regard ‘globalisation’ as a positive force, increasing the prospects for justice over the world, or as the strengthening of political, economic and ideological ties between a relatively small club of North American and Western European nations in whose hands, for the most part, lie the sorts of technological advances that have eliminated ‘time’ and ‘distance’ from foreign affairs? (2) What role is played by ‘shared understandings’? In the sentence-fragment quoted above, justice is determined by shared understandings, and cannot be coercive of them unless justice is to collapse into tyranny. The emphasis here falls on ‘shared’ rather than on ‘understandings’: an ‘understanding’ (of justice) that is not ‘shared’ would in fact be tyranny and not justice at all. Furthermore, ‘shared understandings are not only necessary for us to know what justice is, they are necessary to make justice work.’ (P. 147; see also PP. 149-50: it is necessary to examine to what extent the understandings are ‘actually shared’). More emphatically:
Finding out what justice consists of requires a historical analysis of a society’s shared life, not an a priori argument or a rational reconstruction of their beliefs. (P. 146.)
But such an enquiry could only tell us what certain people asserted, held or believed about justice; it could reveal nothing about justice itself. Nor would such a history of ideas amount to an account of a community’s ‘shared’ conception of justice, for the members of a community do not ordinarily hold beliefs about justice ‘as positive’, but rather as true.7 The explanation or defence of belief must proceed from what is understood, not from what is shared. To be sure, the detailed elaboration of the demands of justice will involve a process Aquinas calls determinatio: a process of working out the detailed content of operative laws with the same creative freedom that an architect works out the detailed design of a house (Summa Theologiae I-II.95.2c & 99.3 ad 2; 104.1c; II-II.57.2 & 77.2 ad 2; IV Sent 15.3.2.). But potential divergences in practice between states that may result from this freedom are not so great that they allow fundamental disagreement about human goods (such as peace). There are not in fact infinitely diverse conceptions of human good or of what counts as a flourishing human life, and practices which are inconsistent with the human good (i.e. which prioritise the good of one people over that of another) cannot be justified by reference to the weight of traditional conceptions.
3. Transaction-based
What is at stake here, according to Professor Garcia, is consent: it is the consensual characteristic of trade relationships which distinguishes trade (as a mode of economic exchange) from theft, coercion, exploitation, etc. (P. 42.) By focusing on the dynamics of consent, it becomes possible to distinguish genuine trade from arrangements which outwardly resemble it, but contain elements of an exploitative or predatory nature. Much of the analysis of the third chapter is devoted the differences between legitimate and illegitimate forms of trade. The analysis will be of tremendous importance to those working in the area of international trade law, as well as international politics more generally. The key passage for present purposes however is this one, on the social costs of unjust action:
My concern [over the distinction between trade and non-trade] has nothing to do with moral principles but simply reflects an attempt correctly to evaluate our collective economic self-interest. Insofar as we make consensual bargains and not other kinds of exchanges, we preserve and enhance the opportunity to engage in future beneficial consensual bargains, and we reduce the social costs of overreaching. On the other hand, to the degree we engage in predation, coercion or exploitation, we may lose potential partners for future beneficial transactions, and we certainly increase the social costs of making and enforcing such bargains. (P. 238.)
Take three is therefore probably best understood as promoting a kind of social Darwinism: norms of global justice represent the fittest (i.e. most fitting/appropriate) arrangements for international relations, and it is therefore to be assumed that a process of adaptive selection will ultimately motivate states to accept or enact such norms as the basis of their dealings. It is an explanation very close in spirit to Hart’s account of why the (positive) law of virtually all human societies reflects the promotion of certain traits (‘truisms’) deemed to be of value by human beings. But a Darwinist account is a descriptive theory, even if concerned with the ‘internal’ attitudes of participants, when what is needed is a practical one: for the issue is not simply that human beings, or those associations of human beings known as ‘states,’ ‘peoples,’ ‘multinational corporations’ and so on, regard certain sorts of relationship as beneficial to them, and worth having more of. It is that human reason, operating practically (i.e. deliberating not about what is, but about what should or can be brought about through action), apprehends certain things (‘human goods’) as beneficial components of a flourishing life, and elects to pursue them. Among these goods are the goods of peace and justice between nations. It is therefore reasonable for states to act in ways which foster, maintain or even extend these goods, ‘creating conditions’ for their appearance or persistence; and it is unreasonable for states to act in ways which sabotage or impede them.
The point about this practical explanation is that justice appears in it as an end, worth having for its own sake, and not simply as an adjunct or instrument for some further end (such as subsequent possibilities for trade). We glimpse the truth of this when we understand that the further opportunities that justice may enable us to pursue are precisely peaceful, just opportunities: the peace and justice being something valued more highly than the profit gained (for high profits can be gained through wars of domination). Global Justice indeed offers sound, concrete guidance to the practical reasoning of those engaged in international relations. This is a welcome contribution, but the carefulness and sensitivity of the book’s practical project must nonetheless resist transformation into a pragmatism to which international law is, perhaps, especially vulnerable.
This leads me to a conclusion quite distinct from that of the book. For Professor Garcia (who is after all writing in the specific context of international trade), the problem is that of elaborating an agreed vision of global justice. But it seems to me that the fundamental problem lies instead in the effort (diplomatic, economic, legal, military, etc) to oppose the demands of justice to the Machiavellian actions of states which care nothing for justice, except perhaps as further lip-service in the diplomatic game. This is as much the case in trade as in any other area of international relations (with which trade is, after all, inextricably linked). The profound importance of Global Justice lies in its articulation of strategies for the organisation of such efforts, and its clear drive to move justice from the realm of academic discussion into the concrete and problematic realities of earthly politics.
To be exact, the text refers to what ‘[t]he term “justice” essentially describes’, but what the term describes essentially is (disquotationally) justice itself.
I pass over the issue of whether the derivation of normative conclusions from descriptive premises in this context violates the principle known, somewhat erroneously, as ‘Hume’s Law.’
See P. 22: ‘[i]f we ignore the real limits of consensus … (ignoring, in a sense, the reality of pluralism), we run the risk of imposing in an equally oppressive manner our own conceptions of justice’ (my emphasis).
Given Dworkin’s characterisation of ‘integrity’ as ‘justice in the real world’, the book’s version is not all that far removed.
PP. 117-35.
See in particular P. 27: the ‘claim’ (of justice) on liberal states ‘cannot reach beyond … to other states’; and offers no firm position on ‘how to manage relations between liberal and illiberal states’ (PP. 27-28.
See Finnis, ‘Natural Law Theory: its Past and its Present’, 57 Am J Juris (2012) 81-101.
Cite as: Sean Coyle, Theorising Global Justice, JOTWELL (March 27, 2015) (reviewing Frank J. Garcia, Global Justice and International Economic Law: Three Takes, Cambridge University Press (2013)), https://juris.jotwell.com/theorising-global-justice/.
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Cosmo Innes and the Defence of Scotland's Past, by Richard A. Marsden
Shaw, Michael (2017) Cosmo Innes and the Defence of Scotland's Past, by Richard A. Marsden. Review of: Cosmo Innes and the Defence of Scotland's Past, by Richard A. Marsden by Marsden, Richard A. BAVS Newsletter March 2017, . pp. 30-32. (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided)
https://bavs.ac.uk/newsletters/
D History General and Old World
D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain
Faculties > Humanities > School of English
Faculties > Humanities > School of History
Michael Shaw
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