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Chris Collins' 2017 Buzzer-Beating Play Call Was Eerily Similar To 1972 Olympics Play Doug Collins Lost On
YouTube/Verzaad, Michael Reaves/Getty Images
OK, ready to put on your basketball history caps? Good.
In the 1972 Olympic gold medal game, Doug Collins & USA lost on a USSR buzzer beater. Chris Collins won on virtually the same play Wednesday pic.twitter.com/ROU6THfXkU
— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) March 2, 2017
In the 1972 Olympics, the U.S. Men's Basketball Team, featuring the nation's top college players and amateurs, reached the gold medal match against the Soviet Union. The U.S. had won the first eight Olympic gold medals in basketball, dating back to 1936, and was 63-0 all-time in Olympic play entering the final in Munich.
The U.S. thought it had gone 64-0. With three seconds left and the USSR leading 49-48, a 21-year-old from Illinois State, Doug Collins, was fouled hard and sent to the free throw line. He made both shots, giving the U.S. a one-point lead.
Then came one of the most controversial moments in basketball history. Or, a few of the most controversial moments.
Based on Olympic rules at the time, the ball would have been live as soon as Collins' second free throw dropped and the Soviets could not have called timeout. On the court, USSR players rushed to inbound the ball, but they did not take a shot. Russian coaches rushed onto the court, insisting they had tried to call a timeout between free throws. (The USSR could have legally called a timeout after the first free throw and a horn can be heard as Collins put up his second free throw). Officials reset the clock to three seconds and allowed the Soviets to inbound again.
On the next inbounds try, officials gave the Soviets the ball before the clock was reset to three seconds. For this reason, the horn sounded early and play was again restarted. For the record, the Soviets were unable to score on this play. The Americans erupted in celebration.
On the third inbounds, Soviet Ivan Edeshko heaved a full-court pass to Aleksandr Below, who made a buzzer-beating layup to give the USSR a 51-50 gold medal victory. Doug Collins (No. 5) can be seen coming into the picture after Below's shot went down (5:20).
Collins and his USA teammates declined to accept their silver medals. The United States Olympic Committee filed multiple appeals during and after the Olympics, to no avail.
Of course, life went on for Collins. He was a first-team All-American in 1973 and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1973 NBA Draft. He made three All-Star Games in eight NBA seasons. In four head coaching stops in Chicago, Detroit, Washington and Philadelphia (coaching Michael Jordan with the Bulls and Wizards), Collins went 442-407. Collins also became a prominent broadcaster.
Today, when Collins, 65, isn't on TV, he can usually be found at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois, cheering on his son, Chris. Chris, 42, who starred at Duke, is now in his fourth season as head coach at Northwestern. On Wednesday evening, Collins' team effectively clinched its spot in the NCAA Tournament with a buzzer-beating layup by sophomore Dererk Pardon on a full-court inbounds pass from senior Nathan Taphorn. The play looked eerily familiar.
The greatest play in #Northwestern basketball history. @NUMensBball @NU_Sports pic.twitter.com/WWkUAKGEr9
Like the Olympic play Doug lost on, Chris' team, with 1.7 seconds left, aired the ball over the defense, crosscourt, to a big man near the rim. Pardon punched home the bucket and (allegedly) punched the Wildcats' ticket to the dance. As of today, Northwestern is the only Power 5 Conference team to never have made the NCAA Tournament. His shot will likely be the lasting image of the end of Chicago's longest remaining curse.
Chris did it on the play that has haunted his father for 45 years. Although, it wasn't Chris' call.
Chris Collins said Northwestern had never practiced the game-winning play. Assistant Brian James drew it up during the timeout.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) March 2, 2017
Brian James has long-standing ties to the Collins family. He coached Chris at Glenbrook North, where Chris was Illinois' Mr. Basketball. He was also one of Doug's assistant coaches with the Pistons, Wizards and 76ers (also serving as an assistant for the Raptors and Bucks). He came full circle, joining Chris' staff in 2013.
So maybe Chris wasn't thinking about the 1972 Olympics during Northwestern's final timeout Wednesday night. But James was.
If you missed @dererk5 and @NU_nate32 on @SportsCenter or you just want to watch it again, we got you. #B1GCats https://t.co/zpU5SjaCys
— NU Men's Basketball (@NUMensBball) March 2, 2017
Some social media users noticed the connection:
Unreal. The son of Doug Collins wins it with the USSR-in-1972 play. #Northwestern #Michigan
— Noah Trister (@noahtrister) March 2, 2017
We talked about this last night on CBB Live with @coach_collins. Reminded me of this immediately. Crazy! https://t.co/Tn6h6fEVJW
— Andy Katz (@ESPNAndyKatz) March 2, 2017
Michigan will not accept the Silver Medal https://t.co/GL8ZoiImpE
— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) March 2, 2017
Meanwhile, Doug was on the ESPN call for Cavs-Celtics, but it sounds like he was emotional watching the events in Evanston.
First one to show Doug Collins the Hail Mary at half of our Cavs-C's gm. An amazing moment to share with such a proud dad #GoNU #Purplepride
— Cassidy Hubbarth (@CassidyHubbarth) March 2, 2017
Seeing Doug Collins reaction to the Northwestern news was beautiful. What a proud dad. Love it.
— Ryan Ruocco (@RyanRuocco) March 2, 2017
Happy for my friend Doug Collins today - he was the president of the Proud Dad Club even before his son turned Northwestern hoops around.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) March 2, 2017
Collins says that Doug Collins was not in the building tonight and that it was probably for the better for his father's health
— Inside NU (@insidenu) March 2, 2017
History finds a way of repeating itself. This time, for the Collins family, they were on the winning side of it.
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1972 Olympics, Basketball, Brian James, Chris Collins, Dererk Pardon, Doug Collins, Duke Blue Devils, March Madness, Michigan Wolverines, Munich Olympics, Nathan Taphorn, NBA, NCAA Tournament, NCAAB, Northwestern Wildcats, Soviet Union, U.S. National Basketball Team, USA, USSR
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Environmental Health Nanotech: Rewards, Risks, and Responses
June 24, 2008 The Pump Handle 2Comment
As weâve noted before, research on nanotechnology safety has lagged behind the use of nanomaterials in consumer products. Three recent stories describe the potential rewards and risks of nanotechnology and some of the efforts to learn more about nanomaterialsâ effects on humans and our environment.
Much of the use of nanotechnology in todayâs consumer products is of questionable value to society â the tiny particles are used to make tennis rackets more lightweight, skin cream more sheer, and socks less smelly. But nanomaterials also hold great promise for making solar cells and water filtration, which can help tackle the global problems of climate disruption and insufficient clean drinking water. Researchers are also studying the use of nanomaterials in cancer therapies, and Health Affairs has just published an interview with Nelson Alderson, the associate commissioner for science at FDAâs Office of Science and Health Coordination, in which Alderson explains how nanoparticles can target disease (access is free online until 7/1).
Carole Bassâs article in Yale Environment 360 focuses on the risks of nanotechnology, and provides a list of concerns raised in the last month alone about the use of nanomaterials. Bass also gives a pithy explanation of why we ought to be cautious:
Nanomaterials are so small that they travel easily, both in the body and in the environment. Their tiny size and high surface area give them unusual characteristics: insoluble materials become soluble; nonconductive ones start conducting electricity; harmless substances can become toxic.
Nanoparticles are easily inhaled. They can pass from the lungs into the bloodstream and other organs. They can even slip through the olfactory nerve into the brain, evading the protective blood-brain barrier. Itâs not clear whether they penetrate the skin. Once theyâre inside the body, itâs not clear how long they remain or what they do. Whatâs more, current science has no way of testing for nano-waste in the air or water, and no way of cleaning up such pollution.
She notes that the European Union has just released a current document explaining how nanorisks can be dealt with under its strict new REACH law; for one thing, companies introducing a nano form of a substance already in use must provide additional research about the risk and hazards of the nano version.
As usual, the U.S. is moving more slowly on this potential health hazard, but we are at least inching forward. In Chemical & Engineering News, Britt E. Erickson describes HR 5940, which garnered 407 votes in the House earlier this month and now goes to the Senate. The legislation would launch a public database of environmental, health, and safety nanotech research; create a senior-level position within the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy to oversee that research; and establish an independent advisory council made up of people with the expertise to address the environmental health and safety issues at hand. Both industry and environmental groups supported the House bill, and Erickson reports that the nanotech community expects quick Senate action on it.
Over the next few years, we can expect to see even more nano products and applications on the market â more than 600 consumer products already contain nano materials, Bass reports. The questions are, how much more will we know about the risks, and will we be doing enough to minimize them?
White House hides behind executive privilege
2 thoughts on “Nanotech: Rewards, Risks, and Responses”
Nanoshel says:
More and more products are using nanomaterials. Research studies indicated that inhalation of nanoparticles can cause serious problems, but there isn’t any evidence (till now) about, can nanoparticles in any nanoproduct cause any problem?
njabulo mokoena says:
since nano technology involves so tiny particles i think it is a potential threat to human beings working and involved with it
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Thousands expected to attend civic vigil at Forsyth Barr
A huge turnout is expected for tonight’s civic vigil at Forsyth Barr Stadium, as the community rallies in support of the Muslim community.
Originally planned by Otago University Amnesty International Group (Amnesty Otago), in the wake of Friday’s mass shootings at two Christchurch mosques, the vigil quickly snowballed beyond the group’s capacity to manage it.
The Dunedin City Council stepped in to help co-ordinate, and made the decision on Tuesday to shift the vigil from the Octagon to the stadium, to allow more people to safely attend.
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull said council staff had heard that large numbers of people were planning to take part, including thousands of University of Otago students and staff.
University of Otago vice-chancellor, professor Harlene Hayne said the university contingent would march silently en masse from the campus at 5.45pm.
“This is our opportunity to walk together in solidarity and silence in support of our Muslim community,” Prof Hayne said.
In organising the event, the DCC and Amnesty Otago had worked closely with the Muslim community, as well as Police, Dunedin Multi-Ethnic Council, the Dunedin Interfaith Council and the Otago University Students’ Association.
Amnesty Otago co-president Alva Feldmeier told The Star the event arose from the strong desire to give a message of support and solidarity to the Muslim community.
“We want to show that we stand against this hate, and we will not let it break us apart.
“We need to come together, hold hands, hug each other, and stand together in solidarity.”
The vigil will start at 7pm with a mana whenua welcome and will include speeches by the Mayor and representatives of the Muslim community and prayers from faith groups across the city.
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Costa Brava Girona Tourist Board
The Costa Brava, authentic experiences all year round.
Wonderful, remarkable, fantastic, amazing, exciting… It’s impossible to choose a single adjective that encompasses the appeal of the Costa Brava and Girona Pyrenees: it is a small region that generates massive emotions.
The landscape changes from snow-capped mountains that tower three thousand meters above the sea to the Mediterranean’s stunning coves in a question of kilometres. In this short journey from sea to sky you can visit eight spectacular natural parks; enjoy exquisite Michelin-star rated cuisine that pairs tradition and innovation; discover the region’s rich cultural heritage through its Greco-Roman ruins, medieval villages, the work of Salvador Dalí and more; enjoy an extensive range of memory-making activities that include hot air balloon rides, skiing, golf, water sports, and simply unwinding at one of the region’s many spas.
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The protected natural areas are the most visible and accessible part for visitors of this living nature network situated in the province of Girona; a network that goes from the mountains to the sea, from dense forests to the Mediterranean coast, and which account for 31% of the destination’s surface area.
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Our Gathering Tree
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TrustAfrica Now - July 2012
Written by Michael
Published in Newsletter
Call for Proposals for the Early Learning Innovations Fund
Dialogue in North Africa Offers Opportunity to Discuss a Way Forward for Social Change
TrustAfrica's Neighborhood Support Program Helps Strengthen Communities
Create, Inspire, Change Lights Up the Artistic and Activist Communities
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Greetings from Dakar:
TrustAfrica is making an impact! Perhaps you're not aware, but we have been reaching out to partners, stakeholders and interested parties all over the continent. Last month we were in Tunisia, discussing the drivers that led to the Arab Spring. In May we were in Zimbabwe, rapping, painting, dancing and debating about how the arts can encourage change. Here in our own Senegal we were lending a few neighbors a helping hand through our community grants program.
To really get a feel for some of the work taking place, check out the homepage of our Website and click on the "Impact" link just underneath the photo gallery or just click here. You'll see, hear and read news directly from our partners about the important work they are doing.
We are only as effective as the stakeholders we support. We hope you'll take a moment in your very busy day to take a look at some of the efforts taking place across the continent. We guarantee it will erase your sense of frustration and inspire you to advocate for changes in your own life. Impact is something that everyone can achieve. Whether on the local, national or Pan-African level, we encourage you to take action!
Deadline extended to August 15, 2012
TrustAfrica in partnership with the Hewlett Foundation, is inviting applications for grants to design and implement early learning innovation projects from organizations in Kenya, Uganda, Mali and Senegal. We are seeking organizations with a credible track record in the area of designing and implementing learning innovations, to submit applications for funding partnerships. At this stage, our 'Early Learning Innovations Fund' is at the pilot phase and we are looking at disbursing grants averaging US$55,000 for projects that can be implemented over 24 months, starting from October 2012.
The primary goal of the project is to foster innovative learning approaches and environments for early learners who are currently not well served by existing education systems. Targeting children ages 5 - 11 years-old, the project will specifically seek to:
Significantly improve the literacy and numeracy competencies among early learners through cutting-edge innovations that are successfully piloted in different geographic locations and contexts;
Identify the enabling factors and feasibility probability for taking early-learning innovations to scale within the focus countries through outreach;
Strengthen the effectiveness of organizations that produce the early-learning innovations, through technical assistance provision, and peer-learning opportunities; and
Promote dissemination of the innovation results among relevant policy stakeholders.
Applications for the grants can be found in both English and French on the TrustAfrica Website.
For more information, please visit our Website.
Leading scholars and members of civil society gathered in Tunisia to debate critical issues related to the recent social and political unrest in various parts of North Africa during a workshop entitled "Major Drivers of Social Change in Africa-Overview and a Way Forward." The workshop, organized by TrustAfrica, brought together researchers, university professors, activists and civil society practitioners both to discuss and challenge existing practices related to social change.
Africa continues to face daunting challenges in terms of governance issues. While the events during the recent "Arab Spring" opened the door for popular movements promoting democracy and citizen-focused efforts to challenge existing government norms, the growth in citizen confidence and agency is not universally welcomed. Some governments feel the expanding civic space poses a threat to their previously unfettered control and hegemony. In several countries, governments have adopted autocratic and authoritarian responses to citizens' demands for more transparency and accountability while others stealthily seek to lengthen their terms in office. A number of governments have also introduced legislation designed to constrain, weaken, or even close down civil society organizations. Without doubt, this democratic recession poses a major threat to Africa's future stability and development.
The workshop was intended to discuss in detail the context under which the Arab Spring took place, and provide a platform for a dialogue between countries in North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Participants were drawn from Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, Mozambique, and Senegal. During the workshop there was a clear demand for more platforms like these, as well as the need to network the youth across the various countries of Africa. The youth are a critical factor to pay attention to during this time in Africa's history.
There were deep discussions also on religion and how it has been politicized. Another theme that came through strongly was that of the "post-modern coup." This new form of coup involves tactics by dictators on regulating the social media and using that space to target social activists.
In addition to the workshop, the meeting offered an opportunity for a preview of a new book edited by TrustAfrica. The book, entitled "(Dis)Enabling the Public Sphere: Civil Society Regulation in Africa (Volume 2)" is part of a three-volume series focused on the regulatory environment for civil society. Volume 2 focuses on North Africa and includes thematic discussions on the main drivers of change in the region, in particular, youth, women, religion and social media, based on the events that took place around the Arab Spring. The book builds on Volume 1, released in 2011, that focused on Southern Africa and some countries in Central and East Africa. A final volume covering West Africa is due out in 2013.
In an effort to play a greater role in supporting local communities in Senegal, TrustAfrica has established a Neighborhood Support Program (NSP). The first grant of the program was awarded to a women's group that processes, packages and sells local cereals. GIE and Defar Yaraax (GADY) is located in Hann Village, one of the poorest areas in the Dakar region. Through its Equitable Development program, TrustAfrica aims to improve the social and economic status of women in their community. It has awarded GADY a three-year grant for a total of $25,000.
The objective of the grant is to establish a cereals processing unit and provide training so that selected members of 25 women's groups will be able to pass on their skills to other women in the community. These efforts are intended to directly increase women's income and perhaps open the door to further opportunities for skills sharing and product distribution.
The trainings will take place in conjunction with the Institut Technologique Alimentaire (ITA), a local institution that works on research and development for food and nutrition.
Most recently, the project launched its activities during a ceremony that was attended by the Mayor of Hann, project participants and TrustAfrica staff. The hope is that through hard work, word of mouth and continued training, the project will quickly start to bring in profits that will not only benefit the community, but increase demand to the extent where the business can be self-sustaining.
Zimbabwe Alliance Harnesses the Power of Arts and Culture to Spark Fresh Ideas, New Approaches
As part of its strategy to use the arts and cultural activism as a means to advance social and political change, TrustAfrica's Zimbabwe Alliance, in conjunction with Magamba Cultural Activist Network and Pemberi Trust organized an exciting program in Harare Zimbabwe, May 1-6. Entitled "Create, Inspire, Change," the festival offered a platform to the usually marginalized youth voices and created an inspiring space for a wide range of artistic expression, including Hip Hop, Reggae, Graffiti, spoken word, painting, and theatre as a mechanism for addressing issues related to democracy, governance and social justice. As part of the program, artists, activists, academics and civil society actors attended critical discussions and workshops that offered practical skills sharing and collaboration and witnessed public performances that capped off the activities.
One highlight of the event was an interactive discussion session featuring the celebrated Senegalese musician, filmmaker, organizer and PanAfrican activist, Didier Awadi. Drawing on his experiences and background in combining the arts, politics and social causes, Awadi shared valuable experience and insights on the role of arts activism and protest in defending democracy in Senegal during its recent presidential elections.
TrustAfrica is pleased to announce a new project, "The Fund to Advance International Criminal Justice in Africa." The project is a follow-up to a series of meetings on International Criminal Justice, the most recent of which took place in Nairobi, Kenya at the end of last year. The $1.15 million, multi-donor effort seeks to ensure greater collaboration and accountability among African states to transform the field of international criminal justice in Africa.
In particular, through a series of activities, the fund seeks to mobilize civil society around international criminal justice in the following manner:
Shepherd the creation and implementation of a joint multi-pronged civil society advocacy strategy for advancing international criminal justice in Africa, particularly those that strengthen the Rome Statute system;
Implement grantmaking to support the advocacy strategy;
Foster and coordinate a productive network of organizations and advocates who will implement the advocacy strategy; and
Track and evaluate progress in the implementation of the advocacy strategy.
This three-year multimillion dollar effort remains open to receiving new funding partners. In the meantime, interested stakeholders should continue to check the TrustAfrica Website for further information as the project progresses.
Meet our newest staff members
Halima Mohamed, Philanthropy Program Advisor. Halima Mohamed joined us in April 2012 as our Philanthropy Program Advisor. Based in Johannesburg, Halima is focusing on developing knowledge building, outreach and advocacy on African philanthropy and advancing work on social justice philanthropy in Africa. She has previously worked at the Ford Foundation Office for Southern Africa, at the EDGE Institute, and as a long-term consultant to the Ford Foundation and the Global Fund for Community Foundations. She is an independent consultant and also serves on the Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace Working Group and the Alliance magazine editorial board. She holds a Masters Degree in Development Studies, with distinction, from the University of the Witwatersrand -- with a research focus on social justice philanthropy in South Africa.
Meet the rest of our staff ...
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Picasa and YouTube
Social networking sites are a great way to stay in touch with TrustAfrica — and to exchange ideas with others who share an interest in democracy and development in Africa. On Twitter and Facebook, we post short, timely reflections about issues of the day. On Picasa, we showcase photos of our events and the work of our grantees. On YouTube, we present interviews and videos about our work and the challenges facing Africa.
Join the conversation ...
We extend a heartfelt thanks to all who responded to our last appeal for support. Your crucial contributions sustain our work and reduce our reliance on institutional donors.
Contributions to TrustAfrica, a 501(c)(3) organization that has earned the GuideStar Exchange Seal, are tax deductible in the United States to the full extent allowable by law. Please consider making a donation today to qualify for a tax deduction this calendar year.
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TrustAfrica is dedicated to securing the conditions for democratic governance and equitable development in Africa, and we can't do it without people like you. We hope you'll visit our Website and blog often, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, read about our workshops and grant making, and join our $100 per year campaign.
Akwasi Aidoo
Executive Director, TrustAfrica
phone: +221.33.869.46.86
fax: +221.33.824.15.67
web: http://www.trustafrica.org
Read 89385 times Last modified on Thursday, 16 May 2013 13:03
Latest from Michael
TrustAfrica Annual Report 2013
Ebrima Sall, Executive Director
Announcement from Aïcha Bah Diallo, Chair, TrustAfrica Board of Trustees:
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Book presentation and round table discussion with Ayisha Osori
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Agency and Accountability: Securing Citizens’ Voices and Participation in Africa’s Agricultural Transformation
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Africans Rising, Sylv Saki, OSIWA and TrustAfrica invite you to a discussion of Ayisha Osori's "Love Does Not Win Elections"
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Back | Programme Area: Governance (2000 - 2009)
Series Papers
Institutional Monocropping and Monotasking in Africa
Programme Paper: 1
Pay and Employment Reform in Developing and Transition Societies
Gender Justice, Development and Rights
Programme Paper: 10
Lecciones de la participación política de las mujeres
Technocratic Policy Making and Parliamentary Accountability in Argentina, 1983–2002
Communities and Local Government: Three Case Studies in São Paulo, Brazil
Chicago’s Near South Side: Revisiting the South Loop and South Armour Square, 2001
"Living for the Sake of Living": Partnerships between the Poor and Local Government in Johannesburg
Le contrôle parlementaire de l'action gouvernementale en République du Bénin: Une lecture sociologique
Disempowering New Democracies and the Persistence of Poverty
The Indian Parliament as an Institution of Accountability
Efficiency, Accountability and Implementation: Public Sector Reform in East and Southern Africa
Human Rights and Social Development: Toward Democratization and Social Justice
Gender of Democracy: The Encounter between Feminism and Reformism in Contemporary Iran
Multiculturalism, Universalism and the Claims of Democracy
Health Systems as Social Institutions: Progress towards Health in All Policies
Improving Research and Knowledge on Social Development in International Organizations
Just Transition Research Collaborative (Phase II): Cities in Transition—Urban Struggles for Just Transition(s)
Just Transition Research Collaborative (Phase I): Mapping Just Transition(s) to a Low-Carbon World
Mobilizing Revenues from Extractive Industries: Protecting and Promoting Children’s Rights and Well-Being in Resource-Rich Countries
Overcoming Inequalities in a Fractured World: Between Elite Power and Social Mobilization
Promoting SSE through Public Policies: Guidelines for Local Governments
Approaches to Globalization and Inequality Within the International System
Conference News: Improving Knowledge on Social Development in International Organizations
Conference News: Improving Knowledge on Social Development in International Organizations II
Conférence Infos: Pour une meilleure connaissance du développement social dans les organisations internationales (II)
Democratization, Equity and Stability: African Politics and Societies in the 1990s
Foreign Direct Investment, Development and Gender Equity: A Review of Research and Policy
From Green Economy to Green Society: Bringing the Social to Rio+20
Gender Dimensions of Viet Nam's Comprehensive Macroeconomic and Structural Reform Policies
Global Perspectives on Gender Equality: Reversing the Gaze
Health for All, All for Health: Lessons from the Universalization of Health Care in Emerging Economies
Health in All Policies: Seizing Opportunities, Implementing Policies
Inequality and Conflict: A Review of an Age-Old Concern
InfoEvento: Desigualdades étnicas y gobernabilidad del sector público
InfoEvento: Mejorando el conocimiento para el desarrollo social en las organizaciones internacionales II
Innovaciones políticas para el cambio transformador: Implementación de la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible
Innovative Politik für transformativen Wandel: Umsetzung der Agenda 2030 für nachhaltige Entwicklung—Überblick
Localizing the SDGs through Social and Solidarity Economy
Policy Innovations for Transformative Change: Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Policy Innovations for Transformative Change: Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Chinese Edition)
Politiques novatrices porteuses de transformation: Mettre en oeuvre le Programme de développement durable à l’horizon 2030
Reforma agraria e igualdad de género (Síntesis de investigación y política de UNRISD)
Reforming Land Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa: Issues of Efficiency and Equity
Réformes foncières et égalité des sexes (Synthèses de l’UNRISD sur les recherches et politiques )
Social Justice and Gender Equality: Rethinking Development Strategies and Macroeconomic Policies
Targeting and Universalism in Poverty Reduction
The Developmental Welfare State in Scandinavia: Lessons to the Developing World
Programme Area: Governance (2000 - 2009)
Project Title: Ethnic Structure, Inequality and Governance of the Public Sector
Report of the UNRISD-Latvian Ministry of Social Integration-UNDP joint International Conference, 25-27 March 2004, Riga, Latvia (CN16)
The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) initiated a project in 2002 to examine the complex ways ethnic diversity affects the constitution and management of the public sectors of multiethnic societies under formal democratic rule. Researchers analysed the structure of ethnic cleavages, including variations within each group; collected empirical data on four public institutions—civil service, cabinet, parliament and party system; examined the rules that determine selection to these institutions; analysed whether the distribution of offices is ethnically balanced or uneven; and studied voter preferences in constituting these institutions. They also looked at the effectiveness of institutions and policy reforms for managing diversity and inequality. The research employed a typology that classifies countries according to their level of ethnic polarization: those in which one ethnicity is overwhelmingly dominant; those with two or three main groups; and those in which the ethnic structure is fragmented. Fifteen countries were studied: Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Ghana, Fiji, India, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Republic of Tanzania.
The findings of this research were discussed in an international conference organized in Riga, Latvia, from 25 to 27 March 2004 by UNRISD, the Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Latvia and the Latvian Ministry for Social Integration.
Pub. Date: 1 Jan 2006
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What Does Abridge Mean
By Crouch inBlanket Mortgages
Abolished property rights
Supreme court ruled
Making aggressive proposals
Abridging. abridging synonyms
1st Amendment: Trump, the media and Infowars – But barring such compelling state interests, the government promises not to abridge your right to communicate as you. manner of presentation contravenes their rules or norms. Nor does it mean that.
Curtail | Definition of Curtail by Merriam-Webster – Curtail definition is – to make less by or as if by cutting off or away some part. How to use curtail in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of curtail.
Bill Maher and panel debate over punching Nazis – But you have to go by principles and not feelings, that’s what the other side does. You can’t punch Nazis. "Well, the First Amendment says you can’t pass laws that abridge free speech," he said. "I.
Does anyone here remember Classic Comics? I loved them as a kid! It gave me a taste of the unabridged version and led to me reading some of them later in life. I’ll sometimes abridge a book myself. It’s called skipping. Long involved landscape descriptions(not every author has a gift for that) or battle scenes, for example.
The duty to defend the constitution (2) – In Golak Nath v Punjab,(AIR [1967] SC 1643), which concerned a constitutional amendment that abolished property rights, the supreme court ruled that an amendment could not abridge fundamental. But.
Short Term Real Estate Loans Bridge Loans, Bridge Loan Financing And Hard Money Loans – The. – Many companies find they need a relatively short term bridge loan secured by real estate or equipment, or both. The bridge provides requisite.
What does press freedom mean to you? [World Press Freedom Day] – What does press freedom mean to you? "Press freedom should be related to informing. no political freedom exists. Our current government has started making aggressive proposals to abridge our.
Free Speech and Newspaper Regulation – III: What does it mean to. – “It would certainly not be legitimate to subject the press to laws which take away or abridge the freedom of speech and expression or which.
What does abridge mean – answers.com – Abridge is a transitive verb. It means to shorten by condensation or omission while retaining the basic contents (The Random House Webster’s College Dictionary).
Designing Bridges – Lesson – TeachEngineering – List several examples of loads that could affect a bridge. Explain why knowledge about various loads or forces is important in bridge design.
Gap Financing Real Estate The real estate sector's green finance gap – ELEVATE – In 2016, against the backdrop of the Paris Agreement and united nations sustainable development goals, G20 member countries committed.What Does Bridge The Gap Mean Brexit: Could ‘customs co-operation’ bridge a gap? – BBC News – One obtained by the BBC has been dubbed "customs co-operation". Its authors say it "builds on the detailed negotiations of the withdrawal agreement, whilst trying to bridge the gap between ardent.
Scalia: The Constitution Does Not Prohibit Gender Discrimination – So does that mean that we’ve gone off in error by applying the 14th. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor.
Abridging – definition of abridging by The Free Dictionary – Define abridging. abridging synonyms, abridging pronunciation, abridging translation, English dictionary definition of abridging. tr.v. abridged , abridging , abridges 1.. abridge – lessen, diminish, or curtail; "the new law might abridge our freedom of expression"
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Newcastle 2-1 West Brom- Report
Last updated : 30 November 2013 By DSG
Sissoko fires Magpies to victory
Moussa Sissoko's thunderbolt fired Newcastle into the Barclays Premier League's top five as the Magpies secured a fourth successive victory.
The Frenchman's 57th-minute strike from 25 yards killed off a spirited West Brom fightback after the Baggies had responded to Yoan Gouffran's 36th-minute opener to level within eight minutes of the restart through Chris Brunt's equally explosive finish.
His effort ensured the Magpies collected a fourth league win on the trot for the first time since the closing stages of the 2011-12 season, when they went on to finish fifth.
However, the Baggies gave as good as they got in an end-to-end encounter which often lacked quality, but not effort and commitment, in front of a crowd of 49,298.
Games between the two sides, who emerged from the Championship together at the end of the 2009-10 season, have been close in recent seasons, and this one proved to be little different as they went toe-to-toe from the off.
However, both lacked the killer instinct in the final third to make their better periods of possession tell for much of the opening 45 minutes, and although the Magpies went in at the break with a lead, it was one which looked far from decisive.
The Baggies started the better and Newcastle keeper Tim Krul had to make a smart save to turn Brunt's curling free-kick around the post.
However, the Dutchman was less than convincing when the resulting corner was delivered and it took a brave block by returning full-back Mathieu Debuchy to prevent Stephane Sessegnon from capitalising from close range.
The home side gradually worked their way into the game, although with Republic of Ireland striker Shane Long causing all kinds of problems for Fabricio Coloccini and Mike Williamson as the Baggies launched an aerial assault, there was little to choose between the teams.
Loic Remy, who went into the game with eight goals in as many league appearances, was strangely off colour and failed to make the most of Debuchy's inviting 19th-minute cross, glancing a header tamely towards goal which defender Billy Jones was able to clear.
However, it was Alan Pardew's men who eventually took the lead nine minutes before the break when they scored from a corner for the second time in a week having gone more than two years previously without having done so.
West Brom keeper Boaz Myhill made a mess of punching Yohan Cabaye's left-wing corner clear, sending the ball straight up into the air and as it dropped, Gouffran got there first despite the best efforts of Youssuf Mulumbu and headed into the empty net.
The setback spurred the visitors on once again, although Sessegnon, who had earlier shot tamely at Krul, sliced an attempt horribly wide from the edge of the penalty area.
Newcastle left the pitch feeling aggrieved after defender Jonas Olsson appeared to drag back Remy when he had been played through by Remy.
The incident took place outside the box, but had he blown, referee Phil Dowd, who opted not to red card Everton's Kevin Mirallas last weekend, might have had little option but to do so this time around.
Remy had another good opportunity within four minutes of the restart after James Morrison had inadvertently helped the ball into Shola Ameobi's path and he played his strike partner in.
However, the Frenchman's first touch took him wide and Myhill was able to intervene.
It was the Baggies who threatened two minutes later when Long was allowed to run from his own half before picking out Morgan Amalfitano in space, although his cross was overhit.
But they were level with 53 minutes gone when Brunt picked up possession beyond the far post and took a touch before smashing the ball left-footed past Krul and in off the underside of the bar.
It might have been even worse for the Magpies three minutes later when Long failed to connect with Olsson's header down from Amalfitano's corner.
The third goal of the game came at the other end within seconds when Remy headed the ball into the path of Sissoko and he blasted an unstoppable shot into Myhill's top left corner.
Newcastle stepped up a gear in a bid to wrap up the win and might have done so had Debuchy not thumped a shot straight into Myhill's midriff after latching on to the keeper's poorly-aimed throw.
But substitute Victor Anichebe headed just wide in the final minute of normal time as the visitors came desperately close to snatching a point in a late flurry which prompted heroics from Williamson and Debuchy in particular.
Source: DSG
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App State Women's Tennis Defeats Texas-Arlington
Teodora Sevo wins in number one singles and number two doubles Appalachian State Athletics
Appalachian State University women's tennis (14-5, 7-1 SBC) is just one win away from its first conference championship in school history after a 4-0 sweep over UTA (14-8, 5-3 SBC) on Friday afternoon at Deer Valley Racquet Club.
The Mountaineers have won their last seven matches at home and are 8-1 over the last nine contests. With a win on Sunday, the Mountaineers can claim the top seed in the Sun Belt Tournament and earn a share of the regular season league title if South Alabama beats Georgia State on Sunday.
"Any win in the Sun Belt is great because there's so much parody in the league," head coach Blake Mosley said. "We worked really hard coming off last week and going into our final weekend. We want to finish strong going into the Sun Belt Tournament, so it was a great start."
App State wasted no time in doubles play, as it improved to 12-0 this season when it registers the doubles point. Rebecca Morse (Lehigh Acres, Fla./Cypress Creek) and Jeannez Daniel (Port Charlotte, Fla./Florida Virtual) improved to 6-0 in league play and 8-1 overall after their 6-4 triumph over Lucia Natal and Alumdena Boza. The duo has won their last seven matches after Friday's victory.
Clinching the doubles point was Heidi Swope (Weddington, N.C./Weddington) and María José Zacarias (San Luis Potosi, Mexico/La Loma Centro Deportivo), who defeated Nanaka Takeuchi and Liz Chileno in a 6-4 decision for their seventh win of the year.
Kate Earnhardt (Concord, N.C./Concord) earned her fourth straight win despite the victory due to withdrawal (retirement) from her counterpart. Earnhardt is 9-8 on the season in singles play. Teodora Sevo (Futog, Serbia/Ucenika Futog) rolled to her ninth victory of the season in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2 against Momoka Horiguchi to push the App lead to 3-0.
Sealing the Black and Gold's first conference shutout of the season was Zacarias, as she snapped a three-match skid after defeating Natal in straight sets. Zacarias won her first set, 6-4, and came back from a 3-0 deficit in the second set to upend her opponent.
The Mountaineers will face the Bobcats on Sunday at 10 a.m. in the last match of the regular season. App State will honor its three seniors in Daniel, Morse, and Swope before the match.
1. Teodora Sevo (APP) def. Momoka Horiguchi (UTA) 6-1, 6-2
2. Kate Earnhardt (APP) def. Carla Pons (UTA) 1-2, retired
3. María José Zacarias (APP) def. Lucia Natal (UTA) 6-4, 6-4
4. Jeannez Daniel (APP) vs. Nanaka Takeuchi (UTA) 6-2, 0-1, unfinished
5. Liz Chileno (UTA) vs. Rebecca Morse (APP) no result
6. Almudena Boza (UTA) vs. Heidi Swope (APP) no result
1. Swope/Zacarias (APP) def. Takeuchi/Chileno (UTA) 6-4
2. Anglesjö/Sevo (APP) vs. Pons/Horiguchi (UTA) 4-3, unfinished
3. DanielMorse (APP) def. Boza/Natal (UTA) 6-4
More in this category: « Appalachian State Men's Tennis Falls to Georgia Southern App State Baseball Rallies to Win Over Louisiana-Monroe »
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MISSISSIPPI BUBBE AND
THE XYLOPHONIST
I look for musical yikhes (lineage/pedigree) wherever I can find it. My grandmother played piano at a white Baptist church in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Not bad.
This Mississippi bubbe — Ida Kassoff Zalk — had a brother, Earl Kassoff, in Cleveland. Earl was a drummer, xylophonist and house painter. He went by the stage name Earl Castle, and led bands in the 1930s and 1940s.
Xylopainter
In the 1990s — when I first began looking for musical yikhes — I couldn’t find much info on Earl. I talked to a couple relatives. Earl didn’t leave behind sheet music or tune books. He died in 1969.
At a Yiddishe Cup gig, an elderly musician schmoozed with me. I asked him if he knew Earl Kassoff. Yes, he remembered Earl. The schmoozer was Harold Finger, age 77. He had made a living playing clarinet and sax during the 1930s and 1940s.
I took my tape recorder to Harold’s apartment and interviewed him. He said there were “four or five bands that got the Jewish work.”
I asked, “What bands?” He didn’t remember the names. “What were the most popular Jewish tunes?” I said.
He said, “The songs from the Kammen Book. That was the big thing.”
The Kammen International Dance Folio, published in 1924, is still around. The Kammen book is to Jewish music what a sex manual is to sex. (Pianist Pete Sokolow makes this statement at most KlezKamp conventions.)
Kammensutra
My Uncle Earl’s band did mostly “dance work” — American music, Harold said. Earl worked the downtown theaters, as well as the Golden Pheasant — a Chinese restaurant where Artie Shaw started.
Harold said he didn’t stick to the melody all the time. He did some “faking” (improvising). Now he played clarinet with a community orchestra. “I don’t do much jobbing anymore,” he said. (Jobbing is gigging.)
Harold died three years after the interview. I thought his kids might enjoy the interview tape, from 1992, so I called a Finger relative and left a message in the mid-1990s.
I didn’t hear back.
The relative should have called! Harold’s wife was on the tape, teasing Harold about how he loved his saxophone more than her. Harold said, “What? I quit playing music for you!”
Michiganders, come to the Klezmer Guy show at The Ark, Ann Arbor, Feb. 15. 8 p.m. $20. Bert Stratton on clarinet and prose, Alan Douglass on piano and vocals, Gerald Ross on ukulele and Hawaiian lap steel guitar. Prose pieces will contain words such as “Ann Arbor,” “Michigan” and “Rudy Tomjanovich.”
More on Mississippi Ida — my bubbe — later. Maybe not.
Yikhes update. Check out the latest from Jack Stratton’s band, Vulfpeck.
1 Mark Schilling { 02.07.13 at 4:27 am }
Mississippi Ida? Are you sure she wasn’t playing a little stride on the side? Hanging out at the honky tonks? I’m already imagining the album cover.
2 Seth { 02.07.13 at 12:44 pm }
Jack Strat has no fat on dat. Loved it…couldn’t the Fender guy afford a beard? I bet Jack coulda paid for one with them Jeffersons he was tossing.
Ralph’s Kammensutra was fine.
Oh, your piece was ok too
re: Vulpeck video
What is the significance of the wallet on the piano?
4 Bert Stratton { 02.08.13 at 8:18 am }
To Garry Kanter:
I have no idea what the wallet on the piano means. Maybe my son Jack, the piano player, will tell us.
5 Marla Kassoff { 05.15.13 at 1:22 am }
Cool article about my grandfather Earl. One of his bands was called the Buddy Earl Band. Buddy is my dad. It took two generations until we had another musician in the family. Earl’s great grand son. Thanks Papa!
6 Owen Margolis { 05.17.13 at 7:44 am }
Very cool article. Great to learn about the Jewish music scene Cleveland in the 30’s and 40’s…especially when it involves a family member. (Buddy is my first cousin…as well as being my mentor/ hero.). I don’t know what to think about a bubbe in Yazoo City! I thought the place was famous for being comedian Jerry Clowers’ hometown…but figured there had to be more…now I know. Grits & gribbennes ? Why not?
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Tag Archive for: John Harris
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sound Festival & Red Note commission set for first ever UK New Music Biennale
April 30, 2013 /in News /by Vicky
The partnership between sound, Scotland’s leading New Music festival, Woodend Barn and the acclaimed Red Note Ensemble continues in a new commission from composer Stephen Montague, which is to be part of the UK’s first ever New Music Biennale.
Montague will write a new children’s work for 6 musicians and narrator based on tales sent in by children from different countries across the Commonwealth, which will be rewritten by award-winning playwright Zinnie Harris. The work will be premiered at Woodend Barn in Banchory (Aberdeenshire) in June 2014, followed by further performances at the South Bank Centre in London and in Glasgow as part of the 2014 Commonwealth Games celebrations.
The work will also be broadcast by BBC Radio 3 and recorded by NMC Records. The children’s stories will be sourced through one of Scotland’s major development charities, SCIAF’s, international partners. The commission was one of twenty announced by the PRS for Music Foundation at London’s South Bank Centre.
www.rednoteensemble.com
http://www.vjpmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/vjp_media-1.png 0 0 Vicky http://www.vjpmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/vjp_media-1.png Vicky2013-04-30 12:45:252014-02-04 19:38:36sound Festival & Red Note commission set for first ever UK New Music Biennale
Red Note Ensemble Spring Programme
January 21, 2013 /in News /by Vicky
13 Feb New Music for Strings side-by-side with RCS MusicLab, 7:30pm Music by Part, Adams, McPherson, Munday and Le Lohé boxoffice.rcs.ac.uk
14-16 Feb Red Note and JAM (1) Music for Choir, Organ and Brass in St Andrews, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, all 7:30pm Music by Britten, Rory Boyle, Philip Cooke, Kenneth Leighton and Julian Philips www.jamconcert.org
19-20 Feb Red Note and JAM (2) Music for Voices, Organ and Strings in Glasgow and Edinburgh, all 8pm Music by Pergolesi and Judith Bingham. www.jamconcert.org
25 Feb Noisy Night No. 21 in the Traverse Theatre, 8pm: music for Trumpet, Flute and ‘Cello www.traverse.co.uk
6-8 Mar Pictures at an Exhibition Workshops for Primary Schools in Association with Peacock Visual Arts in the Lemon Tree, Aberdeen www.rednoteensemble.com/Courses
9 Mar Noisy Night No. 22 in the Lemon Tree, Aberdeen, 8pm: more music for Trumpet, Flute and ‘Cello! www.rednoteensemble.com/Noisy_Nights
All information on all of these is to be found on www.rednoteensemble.com; composers should consult www.rednoteensemble.com/Calls_for_Scores.html for the line-ups and deadlines for the two Noisy Nights (Aberdeen and Aberdeen-area composers are especially encouraged to submit for the Lemon Tree performance).
http://www.vjpmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/vjp_media-1.png 0 0 Vicky http://www.vjpmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/vjp_media-1.png Vicky2013-01-21 13:26:382014-02-04 19:38:37Red Note Ensemble Spring Programme
End of the World (for one night only)
December 5, 2012 /in News /by Vicky
End of the World (for one night only) is one-off, site-specific music-and-theatre piece about the predicted apocalypse on 21 December, for an audience of only 100 people who will travel around the amazing spaces inside Summerhall.
Featuring music by Gareth Williams, John Harris, Hanna Tuulikki, Colin Broom and Ludwig van Beethoven, writer Oliver Emmanuel has interwoven the stories of four everyday people living their lives in Edinburgh, on the last day of the world. There’s a man who remembers everything and wants to die, a silent PhD student who is in love with a librarian, a musician trying to finish his third symphony and a Golden Eagle who wants to be a human.
Most productions about the end of the world tend to be grand and epic and set in New York. This is intimate and fluid and set in Edinburgh. Directed by Andy Arnold, four string players (Jackie Shave violin, Tom Hankey violin, Louise Williams viola and Robert Irvine cello) are joined by the eerie sound of the musical saw from Abi Vulliamy and the wonderful young soprano Marie Claire Breen (who sang in Red Note’s Tantallon! These Lands, This Wall spectacular in September).
The music, in all kinds of different styles, will express the things you can’t say about the world ending; lost loves, last words, hope, peace, despair, pride, loss and acceptance…
http://www.vjpmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/vjp_media-1.png 0 0 Vicky http://www.vjpmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/vjp_media-1.png Vicky2012-12-05 14:37:232014-02-04 19:38:38End of the World (for one night only)
The Intoxicating Rose Garden
November 13, 2012 /in News /by Vicky
The Intoxicating Rose Garden is a new hybrid work which takes Sally Beamish’s settings of poems by Hafez, the 14th century Persian mystic, as its starting-point. Combining music, song, dance and animated image, it explores the longing and separation, as well as the sense of belonging and completeness that are so present in Hafez’s poems: elements that somehow conflict with and complement one another in the same moment.
The animated images are based on Jila Peacock’s renderings of Hafez poetry in figural calligraphy. Red Note will be joined by the multi-faceted singer and dancer/choreographer, Michael Popper, and the outstanding young Iranian setar player Anoosh Jahanshahi, who will perform his own Songs from Hafez in traditional Persian classical style.
Tolbooth in Stirling 8:00pm, 15 November
Woodend Barn in Banchory 10:30am and 8:00pm, 17 November
Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh 7:30pm, 22 November
http://www.vjpmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/vjp_media-1.png 0 0 Vicky http://www.vjpmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/vjp_media-1.png Vicky2012-11-13 16:32:212014-02-04 19:38:38The Intoxicating Rose Garden
Think you know The Magic Flute? Think again…
Red Note Ensemble debut at Bath International Festival.
Red Note Ensemble, Scotland’s contemporary music ensemble, debut at this year’s Bath International Festival in the highly acclaimed production of Mozart’s joyously extrovert opera The Magic Flute.
Directed by Richard Williams, Mozart’s iconic music is a new adaptation for chamber ensemble and Festival Artistic Director Joanna MacGregor’s farewell performance. In the immediate vibrancy of Bath premiere venue Komedia, The Magic Flute recaptures the excitement and popularity of Mozart’s first performance in Vienna’s small Freihaus Theatre in 1791.
Set in a mythical, modern city and in a super-skyscraper, Red Note Ensemble perform with a cast of young international opera singers. The once famous but now reclusive star, The Queen of the Night, has taken refuge. Tamino, the young reporter is out to get a scoop; has Pamina been kidnapped by her father, the multi-media mogul Sarastro, and why are there trials of fire and water for Tamino and Pamina?
Originally arranged for an orchestra hidden in the pit, this chamber arrangement brings the virtuosity of Red Note’s nine brilliant players, right to the front of the stage. Apart from woodwind and strings, you’ll hear Mozart’s gorgeous music played by a sensational accordionist, capturing Wolfgang’s superb populist spirit, and Joanna MacGregor directs from a magic keyboard too!
John Harris, Director of Red Note, says, “This is going to be a lot of fun for us at Red Note. We love Joanna MacGregor, we love her virtuosity, we love the way she thinks about music and makes new things happen, and we’re incredibly excited to see how she and her team re-make Mozart’s wonderful opera for the 21st Century”
The setting moves from the dark lair of Queen of the Night, to Sarastro’s contemporary penthouse hideaway. The set spills out from the stage to the auditorium, as does the action in places, and a silver tree in the audience provides the clues to Tamino and Pamina’s last trial.
This is Mozart at its very best – sparkling, witty, and faithful to the original. Performed in English, this fast-moving, modern dress production has been acclaimed for its clarity, wit and touching sensibility. Highly recommended for all ages, this is true family entertainment with a faultless pedigree, and a delight for both newcomers and opera fans.
Red Note Ensemble, Hear us first.
http://www.vjpmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/vjp_media-1.png 0 0 Vicky http://www.vjpmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/vjp_media-1.png Vicky2012-06-02 06:14:502014-02-04 19:38:38Think you know The Magic Flute? Think again...
4 Star Review in Scotsman for Red Note’s Noisy Nights
May 10, 2012 /in News /by Vicky
Gig review: Red Note Ensemble, Edinburgh Jam House
By David Kettle
Published on Thursday 10 May 2012 04:02
With its array of massed laptops, miles of cabling, hi-tech headsets and glowing touch-sensitive globes, this was never going to be an ordinary evening – not even for the crack players of Scottish contemporary music Red Note.
The group joined forces with the Edinburgh-based Inventor Composer Coaction for seven new pieces combining instrumental sounds and live electronic manipulations of those sounds in some startlingly original ways.
The ever-changing textures of Jessica Aslan’s likeable Cache, for example, triggered sampled noises from Diemo Schwarz’s CataRT software to conjure a ghostly mirror ensemble, heard but never seen. The Red Note players donned sensors that looked worryingly like offenders’ tags for Shiori Usui’s aptly titled Into the Flesh, which they performed as much with their muscle movements as with their instruments.
Admittedly, the technology outshone the musical content in some pieces, and the raucous improvisations of Christos Michalakos’s concluding Death Ground (Approximately) seemed a little out of place.
But Stuart MacRae’s masterful Shadow Study showed that less can be so much more, its quiet unisons gradually gathering a halo of subtle electronic effects as the piece developed.
The high point of the evening, though, was Harry Whalley’s Clasp Together (beta), which required Red Note clarinettist Peter Furniss to don a headband in order to control the piece’s electronics with his brainwaves. The score includes thought commands for the performer, the programme notes informed us, and watching Furniss close his eyes and relax his mind to take the piece to its quiet conclusion was unforgettable.
http://www.vjpmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/vjp_media-1.png 0 0 Vicky http://www.vjpmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/vjp_media-1.png Vicky2012-05-10 12:37:212014-02-04 19:38:394 Star Review in Scotsman for Red Note's Noisy Nights
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Maladapted: eBook (Reflowable)
By Richard Kurti
From BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Richard Kurti comes an exciting, fast-paced thriller that shows the power science has to change not just our lives, but our very selves.
From BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Richard Kurti comes an exciting, fast-paced thriller that shows the power science has to change not just our lives, but our very selves. Cillian is the sole survivor of a devastating terrorist attack on a packed Metro train. How did he survive when everyone else was killed? Searching for answers with the mysterious Tess, Cillian discovers that his father has links to P8, a group of genetic scientists operating outside the laws of Foundation City. The shocking discoveries he and Tess make at P8’s secret hospital start to make Cillian ask not who he is, but what he is…
'Magnificent storytelling that doles out science fiction, horror and conspiracy theories with a handful of conscience and a lesson in forgiveness very graciously learnt by those involved. A truly good read, aimed at teenagers, recommended to all.' Goodreads
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Teen Living Programs serve homeless youth on South Side
by Jamie Anne Royce
Sometimes it's just a snack or a shower. Other times it's a place to stay for the night or a free visit with a clinician. But no matter the circumstance, Teen Living Programs (TLP) serves homeless and precariously housed youth, particularly on the Southside.
When a group of Chicago social workers noticed homeless youth were living in the street, they formed TLP 36 years ago. Originally based on the North Side, TLP served many young people who were triaged out of the Department and Family Services or had aged out of the foster care system. In the 1990s, TLP moved its services to the Bronzeville neighborhood.
The outreach team is the first line of defense for TLP. Peer educators paid interns who have experienced homelessness work in conjunction with the outreach team, visiting areas where the youth congregate to offer them basics like a snack or safe sex kit. The ultimate goal of the team is to foster trust with the youth and get those without a place to stay into safe and stable housing.
"We work by being positive adult allies to the youth," said Jeri Lynch Linas, executive director of TLP.
TLP operates several residential programs, including a shelter for minors, a short-term transitional living program and a subsidized independent living program. Residents are placed by gender into female-identified and male-identified categories.
Each housing program comes with support services that vary from basic medical and psychiatric care to assistance in continuing education to finding employment.
"Young people, as they come in, have had their educations interrupted by experiencing the trauma of homelessness," Lynch Linas said, "so we work on getting them back in school."
Approximately 30 percent of the youth are LGBT, Lynch Linas estimates, touting the need for culturally competent services to foster a sense of trust and safety with the youth.
"The ultimate goal of the youth homeless programs is to prevent adult homelessness," Lynch Linas said. "The idea is, if we intervene at a young age, we can help them make positive choices into adulthood. Not all models work for everyone, so we have to think of new services and multiple points of entry for services to best serve the youth."
But Lynch Linas does not think society has a concrete solution for ending homelessness, yet.
"The reality is, most of what we do as service providers is react," Lynch Linas said. "All the services [we offer] are a reaction to those already experiencing homelessness. How do we address the fact that these young people are homeless because of poverty, because of in adequate housing, because of domestic violence, because of substance abuse? … There is a huge bigger picture to all of this, and we need to figure out if our society has the capacity and the will to address the bigger picture."
Generation Halsted is an eight-week series that seeks to capture youth voices not typically represented in Windy City Times and other media. The young people portrayed have many housing situations, gender identities and sexual orientations. The series looks primarily, but not exclusively, at Boystown, where an influx of young LGBTQ people has been a source of controversy. Windy City Times will continue to explore the issues raised here beyond this series.
Next week is the eighth and final installment of "Generation Halsted," and Windy City Times wants to include you. If you've read the stories in the paper, watched the videos online or listened on the radio, now is the time to share your thoughts. What have you learned? What would you like to see and hear in future reporting on these topics?
Email editor@windycitymediagroup.com with comments, tweet us @windycitytimes1 or find us on Facebook by Friday, Dec. 28, at 5 p.m. to be included in the final part of the series or after Dec. 28, for possible inclusion in future editions.
Windy City Times looks forward to hearing your thoughts.
Look for WindyCityTimes on www.youtube.com/windycitytimes and www.vimeo.com/windycitytimes or click the "YOUTH" tab at www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com .
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HRC Foundation releases report on child-welfare agencies 2019-06-26 - The Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) Foundation released "Celebrating Everyday Change-Makers in Child Welfare"a first-of-its-kind report highlighting more than 70 child-welfare agencies ...
Windy City Times marks Pride Month with annual 30 Under 30 Awards 2019-06-26 - Windy City Times celebrates Pride Month with annual 30 Under 30 Awards . The ceremony takes pace Wed, June 26 at Polo Cafe ...
Trevor Project gala raises more than $2M 2019-06-26 - On June 17, The Trevor Project hosted its 2019 TrevorLIVE New York gala at Cipriani Wall Street. With actress/comedian/writer Nicole Byer and actor/director/digital ...
Point Foundation announces 2019 scholarships to 41 LGBTQ students 2019-06-19 - LOS ANGELES, JUNE 19, 2019 Point Foundation ( Point ), the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer ...
About Face Youth Theatre Ensemble to debut '20/20' 2019-06-18 - The About Face Youth Theatre Ensemble is celebrating its 20th anniversary with the world premiere of 20/20a dive into recent queer history devised ...
Teens competing at Jimmy Awards 2019-06-17 - Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards' Marguerite Reed and Jacob Simon will be among 86 students being celebrated at the 11th Annual Jimmy ...
30 Under 30 Awards to be held June 26 2019-06-17 - Windy City Times will again mark Pride Month with its annual 30 Under 30 Awards. The ceremony will take pace Wed, June 26. ...
Pride South Side hosts inaugural Pride Fest 2019-06-15 - Chicago, IL The Pride South Side Organizing Committee has organized its first inaugural pride festival with activities beginning Friday, June 28 and ...
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Great Works of Western Art
The Museums
This article is taken from
100 Best Paintings in London
Text by Geoffrey Smith
Follow @BestWesternArt
Visit my site specialising in Neo-Impressionism
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Click here to view an image of this painting. View External Image
Max Ernst: Celebes – 1921
London, Tate Modern
Painted in Cologne before Ernst abandoned his wife and child for the cultural mecca of Paris, Celebes is a seminal work heralding the birth of Surrealism. It would be another three years before André Breton published his manifesto of Surrealism but Ernst is already employing here (and in other contemporary works) a personal lexicon of childhood and dream images partly inspired by the writings of Sigmund Freud which he read whilst at university before the Great War (where he read psychology as well as philosophy and art history).
The ideas associated with the Surrealist movement had been in the air for some time. Guillaume Apollinaire (who appears in another work by Ernst housed in Tate Modern, Pietà or Revolution by Night) had coined the term in 1917 in relation to his own play Les Mamelles de Tirésias and Parade, the ballet for which Picasso had designed the sets. There were other precursors, notably the poet Comte de Lautréamont who as early as 1869 had written of the beauty of ‘the chance encounter of a sewing machine and an umbrella on an operating table’.
But in this painting Ernst leaned heavily on the most obvious prophet of Surrealist painting, Giorgio de Chirico. The picture is dominated by a monstrously bulbous metallic object which, according to the artist, derives from a photograph of an African container for storing corn. Some industrial hosing emanates from a dark hole in the top of this object, the other end culminating in a bull’s skull. Perched on top of this half-mechanical — half-animate being an indeterminate apparatus (very reminiscent of de Chirico’s later metaphysical paintings) performs an undefined role — perhaps one of directional control, for a partly obscured eye stares disconcertingly back at the viewer from behind its blue eyrie.
This semi-sentient automaton looms threateningly over an agoraphobic landscape — exactly the sort of place which features in nightmares where one is being pursued, because there is no possible cover from the inherent menace in such a setting. And, of course, these landscapes, instituted by de Chirico, were later to appear again and again in the Surrealist canon. The sky is also pregnant with dreamlike surprise. Two fish swim through the ether and a strange trail of smoke seems to suggest a downed aeroplane (possibly a reference to Ernst’s wartime experiences on the Western Front) although there is no discernible craft from which the smoke could issue.
To the right a curious entity teeters unsteadily, echoing the ambiguous nature of the central ‘elephant’ — is it made up of metallic coffee pots? Or is it supposed to be organic — some kind of tree? Obscuring the lower portions of this object stands a headless female torso, perhaps a mannequin, devoid of life but possessed of an animated claw-like hand which seems to be pointing to the red phallic spout to its right.
Contemporary Works
1921 Paul Signac: Port of La Rochelle, Paris, Musée d’Orsay
Pablo Picasso: Three Women at the Fountain, New York, MOMA
Piet Mondrian: Painting 1, Cologne, Wallraf-Richartz Museum
Further Paintings of Interest
This image is not currently available to view directly on this site.
Premonitory Portrait of Guillaume Apollinaire
Twittering Machine
The Menaced Assassin
© Great Works of Western Art 2019
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Prize Wheel Wedge Template
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You are here: Mobility Beat Goodyear offered tyres for every major aviation segment and highlighted its innovation at Paris Air Show
Goodyear offered tyres for every major aviation segment and highlighted its innovation at Paris Air Show
At the recently held 53rd Paris Air Show - the rendezvous of the aviation industry - Goodyear's latest advanced technology & mobility solution concept came under the spotlight: its ultra-lightweight Flight Radial tyre and AERO concept tyre, a Goodyear's vision for future mobility.
For more than 100 years, Goodyear has been a leading supplier of aviation tyres that perform under the most stringent demands. Goodyear supplies fleets around the world with more than 350 different types and sizes of tyres, for every major aviation segment, from general aviation, business jet, military to commercial.
Goodyear's booth at the Paris Air Show showcased some of the key fitments the Goodyear tyre range earned. The Goodyear Flight Radial is one of Goodyear's most advanced aviation performance products and is approved for use on several leading aircraft airliners including the Boeing 777X, 737 MAX 8/9, the 787-9/10, the Airbus A320neo, and business jets like the Citation X+, the Embraer Praetor 500/600, the Gulfstream G500, G600, G650 or the Global 7500 and regional aircraft such as the ATR 72, to name a few. These fitments underscore Goodyear's commitment for providing industry-leading radial tyres to help end users lower their operating costs.
The Goodyear Flight Radial tyre is designed to reduce weight and provide increased landings. The Flight Radial is stronger and lighter for superior service life and efficiency.
The Flight Radial features Goodyear Featherweight Alloy Core Bead Technology, the latest in Goodyear lightweight radial aircraft technology, for weight reduction. The tyre also contains strong, rigid tread belts with merged cord technology for dimensional stability, longer service life and increased cut resistance.
Goodyear will supply the Flight Radial for the nose and main landing gear of the Boeing 777X, which is scheduled for delivery in 2020.
Goodyear also displayed its AERO concept tyre, which is designed for the autonomous, flying cars of the future.
The Goodyear AERO concept is a visionary solution for the future of mobility. It is meant to challenge the thinking, driving change and discovery in efficient and sustainable transport. With mobility companies looking to the sky for the answer to the challenges of urban transport and congestion, the work of Goodyear on advanced tyre architectures and materials led it to imagine a wheel that could serve both as a traditional tyre on the road and as a propulsion system in the sky.
While the AERO is a purely conceptual design, some of its featured technologies, such as a non-pneumatic structure and intelligent tyre capabilities, are being developed by Goodyear today. Other technologies might become the basis for new ideas and potentially new products in the future.
"At Goodyear, we believe that 'Every Landing Counts," said Loïc Ravasio, General Manager, Aviation Tyres EMEA. "We proudly highlighted our innovative Flight Radial and AERO concept tyre at the Paris Air Show. Discovery and innovation continue to be the core of what Goodyear does. Working on new tyres, new technologies and concept tyres is an opportunity to stretch our imagination and envision the possible products and services of the future."
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Board index ‹ Main Forum ‹ Coaxial
Bryan Fuller's MANIMAL
The greatest TV in history is being made right now. The worst TV in history is being made right now.
by TheBaxter on Thu Apr 04, 2013 9:24 am
now that this show is premiering tonight, i think this show deserves it's own thread. i know i'll be talking about it.
Herc's review is fairly positive.... no surprise since he's been hyping this show since it was announced. and his opinions are worth the paper this post is printed on. but the other reviews are also good, and those trailers have looked REALLY good, so this might be one of those times when Herc is actually right about a show.
Hitfix also kinda liked it
Re: Bryan Fuller's MANIMAL....err, i mean, HANNIBAL
by so sorry on Thu Apr 04, 2013 10:59 am
I've been looking forward to this show. Hopefully I remember to watch it...
by Fievel on Thu Apr 04, 2013 11:31 am
Very much looking forward to this. Will be watching tonight.
+1 for the Manimal reference!
Achievement Unlocked: TOTAL DOMINATION (Win a Werewolf Game without losing a single player on your team)
Mouse Of The House
Location: White Lake, MI
by caruso_stalker217 on Fri Apr 05, 2013 2:09 am
Just finished it. Very lukewarm reception from me. It wasn't bad. Felt like they shot a 90 minute pilot and cut it down for broadcast. If this had been a full two hours of television I think it would have been much stronger.
However, Mads Mikkelsen is a solid Lecter. More creep than creepy. Dancy's Graham will take a bit of getting used to. He's very twitchy and I had trouble getting behind him. Plus, let's face it, William Petersen is a tough act to follow.
The show has promise though. I look forward to more episodes. Hopefully it doesn't turn into full-blown garbage.
caruso_stalker217
TOO AGED FOR THIS MALARKEY
Location: Oregon, US of A
by TheBaxter on Fri Apr 05, 2013 9:31 am
it is certainly ambitious. maybe too ambitious for network tv? we'll see i guess.
i liked it though it was a bit overhyped. plenty of potential once they settle in though. i like the approach they're taking for will graham but they may need to dial it down a notch in the future, watching that every week could become tiring. undecided on mikkelsen for now; parts of what he did i liked, but other times he felt a bit wooden, and i don't know how much of that was the accent, he seemed to struggle with the occasional line and veered into schwarzenegger territory here and there. hopefully he'll find a more natural rhythm of speech as time goes on too.
wasn't quite as gory as i expected, but i'm sure there's plenty of gore to come. and this is still NBC, not AMC or HBO, so i guess is houldn't have expected the same level of blood.
by Fievel on Fri Apr 05, 2013 9:47 am
caruso_stalker217 wrote: Felt like they shot a 90 minute pilot and cut it down for broadcast.
TheBaxter wrote: i don't know how much of that was the accent, he seemed to struggle with the occasional line and veered into schwarzenegger territory here and there.
My only two complaints of the show, and they were really minor at that.
The pacing up until Graham & Lecter went out solo was just horrible, and possibly intentional for effect. But it wouldn't surprise me if they just creatively edited the hell out of it to cut it down time-wise. It just seemed like things were possibly missing at times.
And Mikkelson's accent and line delivery was a struggle to get through at times. Other times he was perfectly creepy.
I like Dancy, though.
by Leckomaniac on Fri Apr 05, 2013 12:35 pm
God did I LOVE this show. I had completely forgotten about it (way to go NBC), so I missed the premier yesterday. When I saw some chatter online I remembered that it was Bryan Fuller and I love that man.
Spectacular stuff. I have been telling everyone I know to check it out.
Just to piggyback off of what Fievel said, the Hannibal line delivery did have my pausing and rewinding a few times, but it didn't detract in a meaningful way. Can't wait for the next episode!
Leckomaniac
by Nachokoolaid on Fri Apr 05, 2013 10:45 pm
I fucking loved it. Probably my favorite new drama. Not only was it entertaining, but it looked excellent. Whoever shot that deserves some props, because it was gorgeous. And I thought the acting was top notch. I liked this Will Graham. That character always seemed a little bland to me, especially compared to Lecter, but not anymore. I REALLY REALLY hope NBC sticks with this one, because I loved it (and they cancelled the last show I liked, AWAKE).
How about a magic trick?
Nachokoolaid
THE DORK KNIGHT
by travis-dane on Sat Apr 06, 2013 12:38 am
Nachokoolaid wrote: I fucking loved it. Probably my favorite new drama. Not only was it entertaining, but it looked excellent. Whoever shot that deserves some props, because it was gorgeous. And I thought the acting was top notch. I liked this Will Graham. That character always seemed a little bland to me, especially compared to Lecter, but not anymore. I REALLY REALLY hope NBC sticks with this one, because I loved it (and they cancelled the last show I liked, AWAKE).
I agree and Mads cant do no wrong.
by TheButcher on Sat Apr 06, 2013 8:10 pm
'Hannibal's' Bryan Fuller on the Rise of the Horror Genre, Violence on TV
by Leckomaniac on Sun Apr 14, 2013 5:25 pm
So, the second episode was OK. It didn't rise to the level of brilliance of the first episode, but it certainly had its moments.
Most importantly, it featured an actual Wonderfalls crossover! I laughed out loud when it happened. Kudos to Mr. Fuller.
by Fievel on Mon Apr 15, 2013 1:40 am
Leckomaniac wrote: So, the second episode was OK. It didn't rise to the level of brilliance of the first episode, but it certainly had its moments.
I thought it was a great "second episode" - meaning it allowed me to catch my breath, sit back in the chair, but yet still be intrigued, shocked, thrilled (albeit at a lesser level), and fully entertained. The biggest part for me was being further sold on Graham & Lecter. Loved the fake-out of the pork loin. Hope that gag isn't overused - seems we got it twice in a row - DID Graham eat some lung in Lecter's lunch in the first episode? Or didn't he? I don't think so.
Gotta admit - two episodes in and I haven't even recognized Scott Thompson from Kids in the Hall
by TheBaxter on Mon Apr 15, 2013 10:23 am
Fievel wrote:
you haven't? he plays one of the medical examiners. doesn't really look/sound any different than usual.
i liked the 2nd episode quite a bit. the only thing not as good is that lecter didn't really have much to do this episode. but the mushroom garden thing was cool and creepy. and though the character is annoying, and i'm not keen on the whole "crime blog" thing, the chick who plays 'freddie' lounds is hott.
i do hope/wish they wouldn't do the "killer of the week" thing. i don't want this to be CSI: Lecter. most serial killers are not captured that quickly, and i would like to see more investigations that last longer than a single episode between discovery of crime and capture/death of suspect. you can sprinkle in some "quick hit" killers with one or two that go on for several episodes and it would be more realistic.
oh yeah, and graham was definitely eating some fried lung in the pilot.
Re: Bryan Fuller's MANIMAL
by Fievel on Mon Apr 29, 2013 3:00 pm
Just watched the "banned" episode courtesy of the Zone Facebook group.
When Glee capitalizes on a school shooting episode, they (supposedly Fuller, not NBC?) pull this?!?
It was a good, not great, episode. Nowhere near as intense as the first few episodes. I think the hype killed it more than anything. I seriously wonder how much more (or less) I would have enjoyed the episode had it not been pulled and slathered with hype.
I am loving how Mikkelsen's Lecter is his own. I mean, it would have to be with the accent and all, but really - he's not trying to mimic Hopkins by any means. He is intriguing as hell, yet slightly creepy. Playful (for the audience), really. I was slightly annoyed by the character in the premiere episode, but have grown to like him.
by TheBaxter on Thu May 02, 2013 3:41 pm
fuck NBC.
this show should be a huge hit. instead it's pulling in community-like numbers (and i'm guessing it's more expensive than community, so that's not a healthy sign for its future). how can a shitfest like the following be so successful and a quality show like this not? because fucking NBC has no fucking clue how to handle a quality tv show. the following got a fuckton of publicity, a good time slot, and an earlier start date. if NBC had given hannibal similar advantages, it would surely be pulling in better ratings. maybe not as good as the following, because after all that show is lowest common denominator shit that is designed to appeal to as many people as possible, and hannibal is more demanding and challenging. but it could still be a lot more successful as it is. the only hope now is that they'll stick with it long enough to try to let it find it's audience... or if it does get cancelled, that a more appropriate cable channel will pick it up and give it a second chance.
by so sorry on Thu May 02, 2013 4:12 pm
Yeah its getting some pretty shitty numbers. time slot is a huge factor of course, but I'd guess that subject matter and unknown actors (Mikkle-who?) play a big part as well.
And I think NBC DID promote the shit out of this thing. I can discticntly remember seeing a ton of commercials for it.
You can point a finger at me as well: I had all intentions of watching, even taped the first 2, but never went back and watched (and in fact dumped my DVRed episodes)
As for it being picked up elsewhere...dream on. Maybe you can start a kickstarter campaign.
by TheBaxter on Thu May 09, 2013 10:01 am
agent scully on tonight's episode! a gorgeously filmed show is about to get a lot more gorgeous tonight.
by Fievel on Thu May 09, 2013 11:49 am
The show is getting crushed in the ratings, despite a fantastic episode last week.
Fucking Swamp People beat it.
Swamp People.
And yes.... Gillian Anderson tonight!
well, hannibal airs on NBC, whereas swamp people airs on the history channel. so that's a bit of an unfair advantage for swamp people.
btw, why the FUCK is there a show about "swamp people" on the "history" channel? did the swamp people help defeat hitler in WWII, or bring about the fall of the roman empire? how ironic that one of the most successful shows on the "history" channel revolves around people whose names and lives will be forgotten 5 minutes after their show goes off the air.
by Fievel on Thu May 09, 2013 1:27 pm
TheBaxter wrote: well, hannibal airs on NBC, whereas swamp people airs on the history channel. so that's a bit of an unfair advantage for swamp people.
Yeah.... a few days ago I scanned through History's primetime offerings for every night as far as my cable box would allow - all bullshit programming. I'll admit, I'm a Pawn Stars junkie and they do offer up a surprising amount of history given the fact that it's a show about a pawn shop. But really, that channel has gone to shit. Sure, they'll pop some ratings, but at the expense of their brand.
by Ribbons on Thu May 09, 2013 1:41 pm
so sorry wrote: And I think NBC DID promote the shit out of this thing. I can discticntly remember seeing a ton of commercials for it.
Yeah, NBC hyped the shit out of Hannibal. Why it's doing so lousy in the ratings and The Following is cleaning up despite the fact that nobody seems to like it is anybody's guess, but I can only assume it has something to do with the Kevin Bacon factor.
by Al Shut on Thu May 09, 2013 1:49 pm
The more I read about it the more I'm hoping for a swift and decent free TV airing in Germany.
Talking about the Swamp People, of course.
Al Shut wrote: The more I read about it the more I'm hoping for a swift and decent free TV airing in Germany.
Ribbons wrote:
if it weren't for the mentions on AICN i'm not sure i would have even known this show existed before it came on the air. don't know how i missed all this promoting you guys are talking about.
wait, i do have one idea. there's virtually nothing else on NBC worth watching. outside of community and the office (only one of which is actually worth watching anymore itself) i don't think i watch a single other NBC show. so they could be running ads for hannibal virtually non-stop on their other shows and i, and the rest of america, would hardly know it.
i think at this point NBC may need to start running ads for their shows on other networks.
They might have been running ads during The Voice, which is doing very well in ratings, but that probably doesn't contain the target audience.
I'm trying to remember back to January/February when I was seeing these ads, and what the hell I was watching on NBC. Maybe reruns of the Office ( ), or some sporting event?
But I distinctly remember seeing LOTS of ads, and saying to my wife "get on with this fucking show already"!
TheBaxter wrote: don't know how i missed all this promoting you guys are talking about.
wait, i do have one idea. there's virtually nothing else on NBC worth watching. so they could be running ads for hannibal virtually non-stop on their other shows and i, and the rest of america, would hardly know it.
Placing 5th out of 4 in the ratings will do that to you... although I'm still going with the Bacon factor.
Fievel wrote: They might have been running ads during The Voice, which is doing very well in ratings, but that probably doesn't contain the target audience.
i'm the target audience, and it doesn't contain me.
Ribbons wrote: Placing 5th out of 4 in the ratings will do that to you... although I'm still going with the Bacon factor.
i wouldn't want to go up against bacon either. everything's better with bacon.
by Al Shut on Fri May 10, 2013 4:03 am
so sorry wrote: and saying to my wife "get on with this fucking show already"!
sounds naughty
by so sorry on Fri May 31, 2013 1:09 pm
by Ribbons on Fri May 31, 2013 1:30 pm
so sorry wrote: Season 2!
Bryan Fuller wrote: "Wait a minute... shows have two seasons?"
by TheBaxter on Fri May 31, 2013 2:31 pm
excellent news! as much as i've hammered on NBC for their shoddy promotion and handling of the show, i'll give them credit for continuing to give it a shot. considering the ratings, it would've been very easy for them to shut it down.
now let's just hope they don't wait til spring 2014 is almost over before putting the 2nd season on the air. give it some heavy promotion, maybe rerun season 1 during the fall, like on saturday night or something when nothing else is on anyway, and give people another chance to get into it. then start season 2 in february, before inferior shit like the following takes over.
by Fievel on Fri May 31, 2013 2:58 pm
by Ribbons on Fri Jun 07, 2013 3:03 am
This show keeps getting better and better. Last night's Eddie Izzard episode was expertly written
by Fievel on Fri Jun 07, 2013 9:19 am
Ribbons wrote: This show keeps getting better and better. Last night's Eddie Izzard episode was expertly written
Hated to see Izzard go, and that was horrible, HORRIBLE foreshadowing ("are you going to kill him?" or whatever Alana asked Jack)- probably the weakest bit of writing in the entire series so far.
Was very surprised to see Alana make it out of that episode alive.
But otherwise, such a fantastic episode. Wonder how the hell they're going to clear up Jack's illness without having him lose his touch.
by travis-dane on Fri Jun 07, 2013 2:22 pm
Yeah, Izzard did a great job.
I also like how Lecter is setting Will up for his big fall. No wonder that the Will Graham we know from Red Dragon is scared shitless before meeting Lecter again.
by Fried Gold on Tue Jun 18, 2013 2:05 pm
Things I don't like about this show:
1. Not enough of Caroline Dhavernas.
2. Jack Crawford's three assistant agents.
3. I suspect Caroline Dhavernas won't be in it for too much longer.
Otherwise, it's almost all good.
by Fievel on Tue Jun 18, 2013 2:34 pm
Fried Gold wrote: 3. I suspect Caroline Dhavernas won't be in it for too much longer.
I get that feeling as well.
My biggest complaint is that Jack Crawford could have been played by anyone (versus the rest of the main cast), and Fishburne's performance proves that on a weekly basis for me. I like FIshburne. I really do. Maybe it's the writing. But he's just not doing anything special for me in this role. And it has nothing to do with the fact that it was played by white guys before. Absolutely not a racial thing at all. If he were to give any more of a stiff, wooden performance, George Lucas would demand that he be put in the new Star Wars film. I just hate his performance on a weekly basis and just wish Hannibal would eat him. Even the whole "my wife has cancer" bit was completely un-moving.
by TheBaxter on Tue Jun 18, 2013 4:54 pm
i have hope that if they start working in the stuff from silence of the lambs (the book, not the film) involving his wife, that crawford's character will become more interesting. also, the book version of crawford is pretty damn smart and also almost as manipulative a character as hannibal himself... and while part of the fun of the show is watching all the games hannibal plays with them, manipulating the people who are hunting his chesapeake ripper alter-ego, when it gets to him making them think will graham is a killer himself, that's going a bit far. crawford should be smarter than that.
also, the show needs more gina torres.
by Nachokoolaid on Sun Jun 23, 2013 3:43 am
Fievel wrote: Just watched the "banned" episode courtesy of the Zone Facebook group.
Think you can point me in the direction of that episode? I've been dying to see it, especially since people have said one scene in particular ties in specifically with the finale.
by Fried Gold on Sun Jun 23, 2013 8:33 pm
Nachokoolaid wrote:
I can point you in this direction - http://www.putlocker.com/file/78686EF475A50F6D#
To me, it didn't seem like anything that shocking. If anything, it's not a particularly strong story.
by caruso_stalker217 on Mon Jun 24, 2013 1:57 am
Although I never did watch this show past the pilot, I have to say I respect that this thread is still called "Bryan Fuller's MANIMAL".
by DerLanghaarige on Fri Aug 09, 2013 3:41 pm
I just saw the pilot episode, which made its German debut on a VoD platform (which is still a pretty unusual way to debut a TV show over here) and yes, it was very good. I'm sure I'm not the first one to make this connection, but it reminded me a lot of MILLENNIUM, which is definitely a good thing in my book. If I'm going to invest more money into further episodes? I don't know. 1,49€/episode is a little bit much. I guess I wait for its upcomng free TV premiere and hope that the episodes are uncut and they won't stop airing it after two episodes to show re-runs of some scripted reality shows.
by Ribbons on Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:28 pm
by so sorry on Mon Jan 20, 2014 4:58 pm
a) I thought this was cancelled?
b) didn't watch season 1...was the Lawrence Fishbourne getting stabbed scene from last year or something? Seems like a pretty big "spoiler" to put in the preview for the new season.
c) Lots of gruesome imagery going on there...
d) that said, seems like the big killer (is it Lector or another Buffalo Bill type?) has some crazy amount of time and artistry to construct those mega-kill sculptures.
e) damn, wish I had followed thru on my threat to watch this last year...
A lot of that footage is from last year, so never fear! And yeah, some of the killers' M.O.s are pretty ridiculous. One guy turned people's guts into cello strings.
by Fievel on Mon Jan 20, 2014 5:26 pm
so sorry wrote: b) didn't watch season 1...was the Lawrence Fishbourne getting stabbed scene from last year or something? Seems like a pretty big "spoiler" to put in the preview for the new season.
That's new, and that's pretty fucking huge to put into a season preview.
Still one of my favorite shows and I'm look forward to its return.
by Peven on Mon Jan 20, 2014 6:53 pm
so the thread it titled "Manimal" but it is really about the tv show "Hannibal"..........brilliant
by caruso_stalker217 on Tue Jan 21, 2014 3:16 am
I have the first season DVDs sitting on my shelf. I really need to get to that.
by Al Shut on Tue Jan 21, 2014 6:01 am
Fievel wrote: That's new, and that's pretty fucking huge to put into a season preview.
Without that my biggest fear would have been that the constellation the show has maneuvered in could become a bit stale. But with that promised escalation I'm 100% looking forward.
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Bella Thorne Warns That Her Hacker Has ‘Multiple Nude Photos of Other Celebrities’
According to Bella Thorne, there might be other stars at risk of a nude photo leak in the near future after she revealed her hacker has "multiple nude photos of other celebrities."
Over the weekend, the Famous in Love star posted her own nudes online after someone threatened to leak them. In a lengthy message on Twitter, she explained that a blackmailer obtained a few topless photos of her, but before they could do anything with them, Thorne shared the nude photos herself.
“For the last 24 hours, I have been threatened with my own nudes,” Thorne wrote. “I feel gross, I feel watched, I feel someone has taken something from me that I only wanted one special person to see.”
The 21-year-old actress then went on to reveal her hacker had sent her pictures of other famous Hollywood stars. Though she didn't name who, she did say she doesn't believe she'll be the hacker's last victim, which means there could be another widespread leak if the person isn't caught.
Throne also noted the FBI is involved and that agents would be at the hacker’s house “shortly,” however, she has not shared any other updates regarding the alleged investigation.
Over the years, there have been many celebrity nude photo leaks. The most infamous case was the iCloud hack in 2014, which affected stars like Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton and Kaley Cuoco.
Celebrity Nude Photo Leaks
Source: Bella Thorne Warns That Her Hacker Has ‘Multiple Nude Photos of Other Celebrities’
Filed Under: Bella Thorne
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Watch Halsey Surprise Fans at BTS Concert in Paris to Perform ‘Boy With Luv’
Halsey made a surprise appearance at BTS‘ Paris concert to perform their hit collab "Boy With Luv."
Here's how it all went down: The boys walked out on stage, started the song, and performed their choreography as they normally do—except no one expected Halsey to pop up behind them. She was decked out in a pair of light denim jeans and a pink mesh top, complete with hot pink hair, matching BTS perfectly.
This is the first time the "Without You" singer has performed with BTS following their epic 2019 Billboard Music Awards performance in May. The group is currently wrapping up the European leg of their Love Yourself: Speak Yourself World Tour before they head to Japan to perform four more sold-out shows.
Watch a fan-shared video of Halsey and BTS' "Boy With Luv" performance, below:
Following the performance, Halsey opened up about how she feels about the boys while addressing the screaming crowd in French. “These boys are so special, they’re my family. Come on, let’s all scream. BTS!” she said.
Fans in attendance literally lost all chill over the performance—and these videos are all the proof you need.
Meanwhile, BTS is having one of the best weeks EVER. Not only did they drop a brand new track with Charlie XCX called "Dream Glow," but they announced their new mobile game, BTS World, will be released on June 25! On top of that, they've been invited to become recording academy members.
Celebrity Fans of BTS
Source: Watch Halsey Surprise Fans at BTS Concert in Paris to Perform ‘Boy With Luv’
Filed Under: BTS, Halsey
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When three parents discover their daughters’ pact to lose their virginity at prom, they launch a covert one-night operation to stop the teens from sealing the deal.
Director: Kay Cannon
Actors: Geraldine Viswanathan, Gideon Adlon, Graham Phillips, Ike Barinholtz, John Cena, Kathryn Newton, Leslie Mann
Giulia (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) and Carlo (Stefano Accorsi) have been happy together for three years, but Giulia’s announcement that she is pregnant sends him into a secret panic. Terrified at his…
A shy bank clerk orders a Russian mail order bride, and finds his life turned upside down.
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Lilo, Stitch, Jumba and Pleakley have finally caught all of Jumba’s genetic experiments and found the one true place where each of them belongs. Stitch, Jumba and Pleakley are offered…
A Crime in Paradise
In the 1980 French countryside, farmer Jojo and his ill-tempered wife Lulu hate each other, though their respective interests speak against divorce. The only thing that keeps the oppressed Jojo…
In a woods filled with magic and fairy tale characters, a baker and his wife set out to end the curse put on them by their neighbor, a spiteful witch.
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Music
Wrongfully accused and on the run, a top MI6 assassin joins forces with his long-lost, football hooligan brother to save the world from a sinister plot.
Country: Australia, UK, USA
In the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them. On their journey they come across many comical characters and…
Country: UK, France, USA
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
In an imaginary world where vehicles are the citizens, one underdog cabbie attempts to become king of the road in his hometown, Gasket City. He soon discovers that staying true…
G.G. Sparrow faces off with her choir’s newly appointed director, Vi Rose Hill, over the group’s direction as they head into a national competition.
Genre: Comedy, Music
A man spreads the rumor of his fake homosexuality with the aid of his neighbor, to prevent his imminent firing at his work.
A DEA agent and an undercover Naval Intelligence officer who have been tasked with investigating one another find they have been set up by the mob — the very organization…
Cop Chronicles: Loose Cannons: The Legend of the Haj-Mirage
When their arch nemesis comes back into the light, cops McGraw and Higgs will do anything to keep Samir from completing his plan and achieving world domination.
Trailer: Blockers
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Category Archives: Jerry Knight
by dunderbeck1980 | April 14, 2016 · 12:10 pm
Anatomy of THE Groove: “Overnight Sensation” by Jerry Night
Jerry Knight is a name I’ve been hearing about for quite sometime. There seems to have been a number of funk/soul musicians who had one or two major songs. But didn’t have a long term career as solo artists. That appears to have been what happened to Knight. Online research on this artist was really sketchy. According to two separate sources he was born today in either 1952 or 1955. And according to another he died 19 years ago. What is known about the man is that he was born in LA. And was a founding member of Raydio with Ray Parker Jr. Most of the information on this man came courtesy of Allmusic.com columnist and personal Facebook friend Ron Wynn. So wanted to thank him indirectly.
One thing that is known about Knight is that as a bass player/singer/songwriter/producer he worked with many artists in the soul/funk spectrum during the early 80’s-many of whom were once members of major 70’s funk acts now seeking solo careers. Among them were Phillip Bailey and Howard Hewett. Upon leaving radio after their first album, Knight decided to pursue a solo career. He eventually landed on A&M Records where he recorded three solo albums between 1980 and 1982. The first of these was a self titled effort that featured some co-writing contributions from Raydio’s Arnell Carmichael. The biggest song on this album was a groove called “Overnight Sensation”.
Guitarist Skip Adams begins the song playing a very Larry Carlton styled jazz-fusion type riff along with Knights thumping,round bass and rhythm Fender Rhodes on the intro. All the while Quintin Dennard keeps the beat steady on drums. The Rhodes takes the main solo until Adam’s rocking guitar takes over for the rest of the song. On the choruses, Knight sings lead with his backup vocalists. On the refrain’s,Dennard’s drums have a more skipping rhythm while the Rhodes scales up in pitch. This chorus/refrain pattern repeats itself for most of the song-with a bridge where the P-Funk like backup singers take the lead vocal again. This pattern continues on the chorus that closes out the song.
Instrumentally this is a pretty bold song. The funk percolates pretty heavy,and a lot of the notes used have a distinctly jazz fusion styled flavor about it. Knight’s bubbling bass soloing throughout the song allows for Adam’s guitar solo to flourish. By taking a hard,steely funk rhythm and throwing down a hard rocking guitar solo this song takes the funk/rock hybrid the Isley Brothers had been pursuing around this time and adds those heavier fusion notations. That gives it a sense of transcending the sound of one decade’s groove onto another. Whole Jerry Knight may not have a massively available personal biography,his funk certainly spoke for itself.
Filed under 1980's, A&M Records, drums, Fender Rhodes, Funk Bass, funk rock, jazz funk, Jerry Knight, Los Angeles, Quintin Dennard, rock guitar, Ron Wynn, Skip Adams, Uncategorized
Tagged as 1980's, drums, Fender Rhodes, funk bass, funk rock, fusion, jazz funk, Jerry Knight, Los Angeles, Quintin Dennard, Ray Parker Jr., rock guitar, Ron Wynn, Skip Adams
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Foreign Investment Lawyer Nigeria
Travel Smart with Attorney Chika Okoroafor: Dear Foreigners, Here’s How to and Why You Should Invest In Nigeria
February 12, 2018 / annemmeje / Leave a comment
The Travel Smart Series is written by Chika Okoroafor, an Immigration Lawyer based in Nigeria.
Happy New Year, fellow Smart Travelers, and thank you so much for your support last year. For all those who wrote us, rest assured we will attend to all your inquires soon. Today’s post is all about educating foreigners on how to invest in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy.
A line by Nathalie Emmanuel (Ramsey) in Fast and Furious 8, I saw the movie recently, goes something like “… so she has rendered my app obsolete…” The Fast team wanted to use God’s eye to track down Vin diesel, only to find out that Charize Theron had developed an app, or something similar, that interferes with the trace result, such that when “God’s eyes” is used to track an individual, the trace response will read multiple locations.
That line from Nathalie resonates with me. In IT-advanced countries like China, US etc. an inventor’s misfortune is the realisation that a breakthrough in a technology that perhaps they have invested their life’s worth on developing and perfecting is worth nothing because a bigger tech companies have long developed and patented a technology with the same functionality. Hence the technology is rendered obsolete on arrival.
In Nigeria and other third world countries, most of our industries are behind when compared with first world countries. Mobile phones started making waves in the early 70’s. By late 80’s mobile phones were already commercialised in developed countries. As far back as the 80’s, mobile phones were regular gadgets accessible to common folks. It took Nigeria three decades later to commercialize mobile phones. At the time mobile phones came into Nigeria commercial market, what was been circulated were the early 70/80 prototypes. In summary an inventor whose product is “obsolete” in the 1st world may find relevance in Nigeria and other third world countries. Relevance is one of the reasons why investing in Nigeria may benefit a foreigner.
Besides relevance, below are other benefits of investing Nigeria, African’s largest economy:
Surplus variations of natural resources
Relatively favourable business environment
Free market economy
Available and affordable work force (over 70% of Nigeria population are youths under 30)
Political stability
Large consumer market (a population of over 155 million Nigeria is the most populous country and eight in the world)
Large and fertile land mass for Agro- Allied industries etc.
There are a lot of publications, with projections and statistical proofs, on the many benefits of investing in Nigeria. I will not be rehashing those; rather I will be writing on the practicability of foreigners or “Aliens” (using our local statutory term) doing business in Nigeria. This is based on my research.
Sometime last year, my firm was approached by two foreign companies. One of the companies was a Property/Estate Developer and Manager Company based in Dubai. I was elected by my firm to oversee the project of drafting a proposal of what it will take, in cost and tenure, for the foreign client to get all necessary permits to do business in Nigeria. Hitherto all I knew about procedure of alien doing business in Nigeria were mere text book knowledge. I was excited that I would finally get to put them into practice. I knew it was going to be tasking, but I have long ago developed a simple problem-solving approach. I call it the Down-Up system. The solution to most legal issues can be surmounted by simply doing two things
First, look DOWN, read books and do your research, precedent is a lawyer’s best tool. Where you still cannot connect all the dots then you look UP to your seniors in practice. For me though, even when I think I have all that I need, especially for hitherto gray areas areas of practice I have zero practical experience on, I will still look UP i.e consult colleagues and seniors in practice and run it by them. You know the saying that “that it all may be lawful but not expedient.”
Apart from personal gain, I was proud that in time of recession and gross unemployment, that via these companies a lot of job opportunities will be created. The companies will most definitely employ local hands; properties will be purchased or leased to run the businesses. In summary, so many people where going to benefit on the long run. So with so much drive and motivation I kicked-started my research.
My discoveries: To perfect a Business permit for an alien to participate in business, there is no clear cut procedure. The process will vary in accordance with the particulars of the business involved. Approval has to be gotten from various Government agency eg CAC, NIPC, DPR, CBN, Ministry of Interior, Nigeria Customs, state/federal Ministry of land depending on location ( if the company intends to acquire property where it will run its business). Approvals are not gotten consecutively or concurrently. In fact the whole process is a potpourri of various intertwining processes. So here you start with one agency and get to a point where to continue, another agency’s approval has to be gotten before the previous agency can conclude because you cannot initiate the next step or conclude without certain approvals. I had all the information I needed to draft a proposal, advice, cost and to estimate tenure for the whole process. Eventually I drafted a proposal.
PEBEC AND VOA TO THE RESCUE
Early 2017, a senior officer at the ministry of interior with whom I brainstormed the tediousness of the Alien Business participation legalization processes, hinted PEBEC to me. The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) was set up in July 2016 by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, to remove bureaucratic constraints to doing business in Nigeria and make the country a progressively easier place to start and grow a business. It is a new government initiative constituted to take away the bottlenecks associated with regularizing foreigner’s participation in doing business in Nigeria.
There’s also VOA, an acronym for Visa on arrival. VOA is a privilege offered to business investors from ALL countries (except citizens of ECOWAS national who don’t need visas to enter Nigeria). So for business investors,the absence of Nigeria mission/embassies in your country will pose no hindrance. Even where there is a mission/embassy but it is urgent for an imminent business purpose, it is still okay to use VOA. All you need is a VOA approval letter and flight ticket. On arrival at the port of entry, there is a desk marked “visa on arrival” where your entry will be regularized.
The VOA procedure is simple and can be done in two ways.
By applicant’s direct email to oa@nigeriaimmigration.gov.ng
By applicant’s representative in Nigeria
Please note this procedure is available to business visitors alone and VOA approval letter MUST be mailed to applicant/representative before trip is embarked on.
In summary, via PEBEC and VOA initiative, for a foreigner who intends to invest in Nigeria, the regularization process is now a mere walk in the park and you can always count on us to walk you through.
Please share this with people who may benefit from it and write us at attorneychika@gmail.com with all your inquiries.
Till next post, stay smart.
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86 Percent of Users Stop Using Food Delivery Apps Within the First Two Weeks, shows CleverTap’s Latest Industry Benchmark Report
Analysis of 3+ billion events reveals challenges faced by marketers competing for a share of the $16.6 billion market
CleverTap, the full stack customer lifecycle, and marketing platform, today released its Industry Benchmarks for Food Delivery Apps report, revealing trends, challenges and best practices for marketers and app publishers in this highly-competitive market.
Based on the analysis of over three billion messages delivered across on-demand food delivery apps worldwide, the latest in CleverTap’s benchmarks series provides insights into how marketers can optimize their app performance.
While mobile apps currently account for 6 out of every 10 digital restaurant orders, individual food delivery apps face significant challenges when it comes to engaging with and retaining new users:
Samsung partners with Korean banks and carriers to launch…
Safaricom ties up with BuuPass for inter-city bus booking…
Bouygues Telecom Taps AirTies for Next-Gen Home Wi-Fi
Registration: Only 25 percent of users complete the signup process after the first app launch
Retention: Only 22 percent of new users remain active after the first week
Churn: A staggering 86 percent of new users will stop using an app within 2 weeks of the first launch
Uninstalls: 54 percent of new users will completely uninstall the app within the first month
“The food delivery marketspace is booming thanks to the convenience it offers in today’s busy lifestyle. At the same time, however, the competition is getting more fierce. The food delivery app space has very low entry and exit barriers and hence churn and retention are constant challenges. The key to improve both, is to provide a differentiated experience at every stage of the user lifecycle,” said Almitra Karnik, Global Head of Marketing at CleverTap. “Showing enough value to get a user to sign up is only the first challenge. You also need to incentivize users to use the app and perform repeat transactions ‘in-the-moment.’ With this report, marketers will know more about how their apps are measuring up to the competition and understand how they can rise above the competition.”
The report provides data-backed actionable recommendations for confronting these challenges. In addition to best practices for driving engagement and winning customer loyalty, it offers tips on how to improve click-through rates (CTR’s) using specific emojis.
CleverTapFood Delivery Apps
Telenor Serbia introduces new Biznis Total packages
World’s Best and Worst Airports Both Call Los Angeles Home, Fodor’s Travel announce
Samsung partners with Korean banks and carriers to…
Safaricom ties up with BuuPass for inter-city bus…
Service Providers Increasingly Turn to Communications…
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Fujifilm X-T3 Mirrorless Camera with XF 18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS WR Lens (Free 32GB UHS-II)
MYR6850 - MYR6950
MYR 6,850.00 MYR 8,688.00 MYR 6,950.00 MYR 8,688.00
Fujifilm X-T3 Mirrorless with 18-55mm Lens (Black)
FU-XT3K1855-BK
Fujifilm X-T3 Mirrorless with 18-55mm Lens (Silver)
FU-XT3K1855-SL
Choose your option Fujifilm X-T3 Mirrorless with 18-55mm Lens (Black) Fujifilm X-T3 Mirrorless with 18-55mm Lens (Silver)
Choose an option to check the highlights of the selected product.
Fujifilm X-T3 Mirrorless Digital Camera (Black)
Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR Lens
EF-X8 Shoe Mount Flash
Strap Clip
Clip Attaching Tool
Hot Shoe Cover
Vertical Grip Connector Cover
Connector Cover
Sync Terminal Cover
Fujifilm X-T3 Mirrorless Digital Camera (Silver)
UHD 4K60 Video; F-Log Gamma & 10-Bit Out
2.16m-Point Phase-Detection Autofocus
0.75x 3.69m-Dot OLED Viewfinder
Weather-Sealed Magnesium-Alloy Body
Designed for videographers and action photographers alike, the black Fujifilm X-T3 is a versatile mirrorless camera characterized by its high-speed performance, more-than-capable imaging, and multimedia flexibility. Revolving around a newly developed image sensor and processor, both high-resolution stills and 4K video can be recorded while an apt autofocus system delivers quick and accurate focusing performance. The sensor, a 26.1MP APS-C-format X-Trans CMOS 4, features a back-illuminated design, to promote greater image quality throughout the sensitivity range, along with an expansive 2.16m-point phase-detection autofocus system for quick, precise AF performance and subject tracking. Complementing the imaging and focusing is the X-Processor 4, which uses four CPUs for faster image processing as well as continuous shooting up to 11 fps with a mechanical shutter, 30 fps shooting at a 1.25x crop and electronic shutter, and internal 4K60p 10-bit video recording.
Like previous X-T cameras, the X-T3 retains its classically inspired looks and prominent tactile controls, and adds a new OLED electronic viewfinder design with 3.69m-dot resolution and a high 0.75x magnification. This finder has a high refresh rate of 100 fps for fluid viewing and remains blackout-free while shooting at the top 30 fps shooting rate. Also, a unique Sports Finder Mode can be used, which highlights the 16.6MP crop area in order to give you additional room outside of the frame to recognize moving subjects. Conversely, a rear 3.2" 1.04m-dot LCD monitor can also be used for live view shooting and larger image playback. Additionally, the X-T3 also sports built-in Bluetooth for wireless sharing and remote control, and the magnesium-alloy body is fully weather-sealed for working in trying weather conditions.
Revolving around a newly developed sensor, the X-T3 features an APS-C-format 26.1MP X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor, which has a back-illuminated design to afford smooth tonal rendering, improved low-light performance, and a low native ISO 160 setting. As an X-Trans sensor, it still utilizes the randomized pixel array, too, which provides a high degree of image quality and sharpness due to the omission of an optical low-pass filter. Versus conventional pixel patterns, the X-Trans design more closely mimics the organic nature of film in order to produce nuanced colors and tonal transitions, while also reducing moiré and aliasing.
The sensor's design also includes an expanded phase-detection autofocus system, which now has an impressive 2,160,000 points that cover nearly the entire sensor area. This AF system delivers faster, more accurate focusing performance along with low-light sensitivity down to EV -3. Complementing the imaging and focusing capabilities, an updated X-Processor 4 is also featured, and delivers faster focus response for subject tracking and also supports Face- and Eye-Detection AF when working in AF-C mode and when recording video.
The X-Processor 4 also utilizes four CPU units for faster image processing and it benefits overall performance with AF speeds as low as 0.06 sec. 0.17 sec shooting intervals, 0.045 sec shutter lag, and a 0.3 sec start-up time. Quick continuous shooting is possible, up to 11 fps with a mechanical shutter or 30 fps with an electronic shutter and a 1.25x crop, and internal UHD 4K60 video recording with 10-bit output is also supported.
More than a stills camera, the X-T3 offers an enticing array of video capabilities, including internal UHD 4K60p video recording at 4:2:0 10-bit, as well as 4K60p 4:2:2 10-bit via HDMI output, both at up to 400 Mb/s—and simultaneous external and internal recording is possible. DCI 4K30 and Full HD 1080p120 recording is also possible, and video files can be saved using either MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 or HEVC/H.265 compressions, and 4K. Greatly benefitting overall video performance, the speed of the quad-CPU X-Processor 4 enables fast read speeds of 17 ms when recording 4K60 video, which helps to reduce rolling shutter distortion when filming moving subjects.
In addition to the supported 10-bit color depth, the X-T3 also includes the F-Log gamma setting, which provides a flat picture for use in advanced color grading software during editing. This maximizes the potential dynamic range in difficult scenes and image adjustments can be made, as well, to highlight tone, shadow tone, color, and sharpness. When working in F-Log, an updated noise reduction algorithm is available along with 4K inter-frame noise reduction, and the minimum sensitivity has been lowered to ISO 640 to suit working in a broader range of scene types.
Also, the camera features a 3.5mm microphone jack and 3.5mm headphone jack for more advanced audio solutions.
A bright and clear means for eye-level viewing, a 3.69m-dot OLED electronic viewfinder offers a high 0.75x magnification, fast ~100 fps refresh rate, wide viewing angle, and lockable diopter adjustment. The viewfinder remains blackout free while shooting up to the top 30 fps shooting rate, and a unique Sports Finder Mode can also be employed, which highlights a 16.6MP crop area of the sensor in order to allow you to see outside of the image frame.
In addition to the EVF. a rear 3.0" 1.04m-dot LCD touchscreen is available for intuitive live view shooting, playback and review, and settings adjustment and menu navigation. The screen has a three-way tilting design, too, to suit working from high and low angles regardless if shooting with a horizontal or vertical orientation.
Dual SD card slots allow for a more flexible and reliable means of storing imagery, and both card slots are compatible with UHS-II standards for fast transfer speeds.
The top plate incorporates a series of locking dials and levers for fast, intuitive control over exposure settings, including a shutter speed dial that offers direct shutter speed adjustment. An ISO dial is also incorporated into the shutter speed dial, for confirming the sensitivity setting without having to turn the camera on and the exposure compensation dial lets you choose +/- 3 EV in 1/3 steps while a command dial position expands the range to +/- 5 EV for further control.
Front and rear command dials integrate a push function for easier use and settings selection and six different function buttons can be assigned to control a range of settings.
Taking advantage of Fujifilm's vast history in traditional film-based photography, the X-T3 integrates several Film Simulation modes. These modes mimic the look and feel of some of Fujifilm's classic film types, including Eterna, which copies the look of cinematic film with understated colors and richer shadow tones; Acros, which offers smooth tones, deep blacks, and fine detail; and Classic Chrome, which is designed to deliver muted tones and a deep color reproduction, similar to that of a dated slide film. Several other effects are also available for both monochrome and color shooting. In addition to simulating specific film types, a Grain Effect mode is also available to replicate the look of old film photos with an organic textured appearance, which is especially noticeable when printing.
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Fairfield 71 - 79 Connecticut
Connecticut shakes off Fairfield
Dec 23, 2011 - 3:51 AM Hartford, CT (Sports Network) - Shabazz Napier dropped 24 points to go with six rebounds and five assists, as No. 8 Connecticut held off a pesky Fairfield squad, 79-71, at XL Center Thursday night.
Jeremy Lamb finished with 18 points and Andre Drummond donated 16 points and nine rebounds for the Huskies (10-1), winners of five consecutive contests. Freshman Ryan Boatright contributed 10 points and seven rebounds.
"We had a great first half tonight. I thought Andre was going to get 20 rebounds tonight," UConn head coach Jim Calhoun said. "In the second half, we just didn't show up, our body language changed and we just didn't play well."
Rakim Sanders paced Fairfield (7-5) with 20 points and seven rebounds. Sean Crawford netted 14 points, while Derek Needham and Desmond Wade scored 12 and 10 points, respectively for the Stags, who had their four-game winning streak snapped.
Trailing by 13, 59-46, with 11 1/2 minutes to play, Fairfield began its comeback effort, using a 7-2 spurt, capped by a pair of free throws by Jamel Fields, to make it an eight-point game with just under eight minutes to play.
UConn stopped the run with a jumper by Drummond to go back up by 10, but Fairfield kept coming and a layup by Sanders with 2:23 left made it a three-point game, 72-69.
"In the second half, we weren't playing well early in the half, with 12, 13, 14 minutes to go, up 20, we looked at the scoreboard and decided it was time to go home for Christmas," Calhoun continued. "Give Fairfield and Coach [Sydney] Johnson a great deal of credit. They stepped in, made a whole bunch of threes, and played a different game than they've played all year. They played a rat game all up and down the court. And we stopped playing."
A trey by Boatright extended the Huskies lead to six, and a slam by Lamb on UConn's next possession pushed the lead back to eight with 48 seconds to play.
Fairfield kept it close early, trailing by only one, 14-13, just over five minutes into the game. But UConn began to pull away, using a 16-4 run over the next seven-plus minutes to take a 30-17 lead with 7;35 to go in the opening half. A three-pointer by Crawford snapped the run and pulled Fairfield within 10, 30-20.
The Huskies kept the pressure on and went on a 12-4 run over the next five- plus minutes to push their lead to 42-24 with just over two minutes to go in the opening 20 minutes. A slam by Sanders stopped the run with 1:20 to go and made it 42-26.
The Huskies took a comfortable 20-point lead, 46-26, into the locker room at halftime.
"Obviously we wanted to win the game," Johnson said. "We dug ourselves a sizeable hole against a top 10 team - it's a lot to ask. We asked that of them and the guys battled back but we lost. At the end of the day, we lost."
UConn is 118-4 under Calhoun against non-conference New England opponents...UConn has also won 65 consecutive games against in-state opposition...The Huskies have won 41 consecutive non-conference home games...UConn shot 53 percent from the floor and 63 percent from three-point range, while Fairfield shot 40 percent from the floor and 44 percent from beyond the arc...The Huskies scored 32 points in the paint to only 20 for Fairfield.
FAIRFIELD: 71
CONNECTICUT: 79
Dec 22 8:56 PM
RUWTbot Added 31 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Fairfield 69, Connecticut(8) 72 2nd - 2:21Dec 22 8:50 PM
RUWTbot Added 30 roots
RUWTbot Took away 30 roots
Kevin O'Connor Added 5 roots
Fairfield 26, Connecticut(8) 46 HalfDec 22 7:56 PM
Fairfield 8, Connecticut(8) 8 1st - 16:54Dec 22 7:08 PM
FAIRFIELD: 0
CONNECTICUT: 0
1st Half - 20:00
NCAA says it ruled on UConn player eligibility last month Jan 3
UConn guard Gilbert out for season with shoulder injury Dec 28
UConn Preview Capsule Oct 31
Hall-of-Fame coach Calhoun unretires for DIII St. Joseph Sep 28
Calhoun considers return to coaching Aug 14
UConn adds New York guard to 2016-17 recruiting class May 18
UConn to spend $10 million for new roof at Gampel Pavilion Mar 30
Ellis, Kansas take another swing at unfriendly 2nd round Mar 18
Ollie and 0: UConn's coach is 7 for 7 in NCAA Tourney games Mar 18
Purvis spurs UConn comeback for 74-67 win over Colorado Mar 17
Can UConn start another title run with an afterthought seed? Mar 16
UConn basketball APR not perfect, but well within guidelines Feb 18
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Chaos eliminated —
In bid for patent sanity, judge throws out entire Apple/Motorola case
Apple's and Motorola's bid for injunctions put to rest, at least in one venue.
Jon Brodkin - Jun 23, 2012 1:40 am UTC
One of the most outspoken judges in the craziness that is the US patent system made a bold move tonight, throwing out a lawsuit in which Apple and Motorola were seeking injunctions against each other's mobile products.
Judge Richard Posner previously canceled a jury trial in Chicago in the case, and then castigated both Apple and Motorola while calling the entire US patent system "chaos." Posner, a US Court of Appeals judge who is sitting by designation for this case in US District Court in Illinois, issued a ruling late today (Scribd link) that shows he wasn't just joking.
Noting that dismissals without prejudice allow suits to be refiled, Posner made it clear that this one would be dismissed with prejudice. "It would be ridiculous to dismiss a suit for failure to prove damages and allow the plaintiff [Apple] to refile the suit so that he could have a second chance to prove damages. This case is therefore dismissed with prejudice," Posner wrote. Posner had previously ruled that proposed testimony from experts put forth by both sides would be inadmissible, making it difficult to support any claims for damages or injunctions.
The case would have involved two trials, one covering Apple's claim that Motorola infringed four of its patents and another covering Motorola's claim that Apple infringed one of its patents. A series of pretrial rulings eliminated nearly all of Motorola's patent claims while preserving some of Apple's, Reuters noted earlier this week.
Posner complained that Apple's attempt to get an injunction restricting the sale of Motorola phones would have "catastrophic effects" on the mobile device market and consumers. He further criticized Motorola for trying to use a standards-essential patent to get an injunction against Apple.
The Apple/Motorola saga isn't quite over. Both sides are fighting over patents in front of the US International Trade Commission and in German courts, too. It goes back to October 2010 when Motorola first sued Apple in front of the ITC, a move followed by Apple launching the suit dismissed today by Posner. Motorola is also being investigated by the European Union for using standards-essential patents to seek injunctions against products such as the iPhone, iPad, Windows, and the Xbox 360. Both Apple and Microsoft accuse Motorola of seeking license fees that are too high for patents pledged to industry standards groups, while neither Apple or Microsoft sued Motorola using standards-essential patents.
Apple declined comment when reached by Ars. Motorola released a statement to Ars stating: "We are pleased that Judge Posner formally dismissed the case against Motorola Mobility. Apple’s litigation campaign began with their attempt to assert 15 patents against us. As it relates to Apple’s violation of our patents, we will continue our efforts to defend our own innovation."
Posner's written decision does mention the possibility of the case being appealed—so even this particular case may go forward again.
RoninX | Smack-Fu Master, in training
abhi_beckert wrote:
The law says that you have to license a patent or stop infringing. He's already gone through and thrown out all the invalid patent claims from both parties, and now if if they parties can't agree on a license then they need to stop infringing... right?!?
If Posner thinks Motorola and Apple should be allowed to infringe each other's patents, he should explain why and change the law (or set a precedent). Not dismiss the case.
Seriously -- read the decision:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/97979866/6-22-Posner-Opinion
He says that:
1) Motorola agreed to license its FRAND patents when they became standards-essential, so they can't get an injunction against Apple just because Apple refuses Motorola's initial offer. If the companies can't agree on a figure, a judge could impose a reasonable royalty rate.
2) Apple's claims of infringements are trivially small parts of Motorola's phones, that would nevertheless be expensive to redesign at this point in time, so Apple isn't entitled to an injunction (per the Supreme Court's decision on eBay vs MercExchange). Apple would be entitled to damages, if it could prove damages, and it can't. It claims that it has lost consumer goodwill and market share to Motorola due to these patents (which include things like "blocking the notification bar partially, but not completely" and "turning pages in e-books by pressing a button instead of swiping across the page"), but Apple has presented no evidence to back up these claims.
3) In other words, both Motorola and Apple could be entitled to damages, if they actually proved damages, which they didn't. Neither is entitled to an injunction.
Case dismissed with prejudice.
Jon Brodkin Jon is Ars Technica's senior IT reporter, covering the FCC and broadband, telecommunications, wireless technology, and more.
Email jon.brodkin@arstechnica.com // Twitter @JBrodkin
RoninX Ars Tribunus Militum et Subscriptor
Sgent Seniorius Lurkius et Subscriptor
This article did a real injustices to Richard Posner. He's not a district court judge -- he was sitting by designation. He is a Circuit Court of Appeals judge -- and if appealed it will go to his court for review. He is also one of -- if not the most -- distinguished judges in the country (including the US Supreme Court) especially when it comes to economic issues.
Yes its a District court ruling, but this is about as final as it gets.
Bernardo Verda Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius et Subscriptor
reflex-croft wrote:
redleader wrote:
siliconaddict wrote:
Hey everyone. Who can spot the Apple fan in the crowd? *rolls eyes*
reflex-croft is a gigantic moron. Its probably just best to ignore him. Ad homs just help him pretend people care what he thinks.
Yes, god forbid somebody have an opinion that does not align with your own.
Its a sign of how small-minded you are that you immediately assume I am every bit as petty as you.
No, I think you're a moron because of how you express yourself. I'd think that even if I agreed with you.
Welcome to your own opinion. I clarified why I think he is a joke in this case.
If you'd done that in the first post, this wouldn't have even started. But your first post (in its entirety being:
What a joke of a judge.
) could be fairly described as rather troll-ish.
Yes, god forbid somebody have an opinion that does not align with your own. That can only happen if they are a complete moron. Clearly.
Well, with this post what you're saying that it's okay for YOU to have your opinion, yet if someone else's opinion is that you're a moron, then "god forbid someone have an opinion that does not align with your own". Yes?
But hey, I'm a humongous Apple fan (in terms of fandom and also physical weight), and I think what the judge did here was fabulous. We DO need patent sanity...and in that bid if we have to do things like this, then so be it.
Discoceris Ars Scholae Palatinae
Your narrow minded view only permits you to troll on Ars. Thank god we don't have you to set legal precedence.
H2O Rip Ars Scholae Palatinae
RoninX wrote:
Thank you for the tldr of his decision. The way it was described in the article sounded a bit dubious - like the judge was just doing this as a gut reaction / personal frustration. While it feels like the court of common sense won, I am very glad there was also sound legal rational behind it too. the only question now becomes, how do companies start to prove irrepriable harm when a patent is violated? Or what type of compensation should they get if a patent is violated but extensive harm is not visible. Like hitting a button in a page in an e book reader.... assuming a judge says motorola stole that - but it's not vital to the product, should there be a standard fee?
passivesmoking Ars Tribunus Militum
This is why I want to see more patent trolling. The more lawsuits filed over trivial and obvious "inventions", the sicker the entire judiciary is going to be of dealing with it and eventually the whole thing will just come crashing down in an epic ball of fail.
Thankfully it seems to be working. What is this, the second judge in as many months to show a level of common sense that's not normally associated with the legal profession?
I'm an Apple fan and I find the whole patent system ridiculous, and applaud this decision. Hey everyone, who can spot the butthurt Linux neckbeard in the crowd? *rolls eyes*
Uh, I'm an ex-Microsoftie who's never owned an Apple product in my life. I'm just not a fan of judges arbitrarily walking away from their responsibilities.
Strongly suggest you look at the track record of this judge before you consider him a champion. He's a champion of monopolies(strongly feels anti-trust laws harm consumers), claims that there is no right to privacy, and has advocated for laws preventing web sites from linking to newspaper contents as he believes its a 'free ride'. Even opposes the idea of websites paraphrasing news that they did not themselves first report or pay for.
Seriously, I know you may like this decision, but if you assume he is working off logic here, then you have to assume he's working off logic in his other statements, right?
[[citation needed]]
MrMalthus wrote:
If Motorola and Apple can't prove damages, and if they can't demonstrate harm substantial enough to justify an injunction, then what do you want the judge to do?
Throw it out as Posner did.
It's high time the Judges stamped out this sort of "If you can't beat them in the market place, take them to court" patent trolling.
Patent trolling is being used as a barrier to market against competitors. When the patent trolls win, the consumer loses on both choice and price. It's companies that grew big in a free market then trying to shut down that free market.
Free Market Capitalism is about selling the product on its merits; be that price, quality or availability. The Judges need to protect that or else we'll all be paying more to the biggest company with the most lawyers.
pepoluan Ars Scholae Palatinae
passivesmoking wrote:
I hope by "legal profession" you mean the lawyers.
Judges are known to be very very careful in deciding cases like this, preferring to err on the side of precedent. Deep in their guts, they know that similar suits are farce. But when there's precedent, they are bound by it until they can find a sound legal reason to reject the case.
With judge Posner, he found his legal reasoning in technicality: One can't claim for damages if one can't prove the damages.
Judge Alsup (of Google vs Oracle fame) had a much more difficult challenge: He not only had to decide on whether infringement had occurred, he was also setting a precedent on whether APIs are copyrightable. Thankfully, judge Alsup is himself a programmer, so he could easily see the dangers of declaring APIs as copyrightable; plus, I'm sure the European Court's decision on the non-copyrightable nature of APIs, has an indirect effect.
funkyonion Seniorius Lurkius
I just want our government to foster ingenuity.
They do work for us, after all...
6 posts | registered Dec 27, 2007
Akemi Ars Praefectus
Why? It's so much easier to call Posner an ill informed joke with no legal basis for his decision when you haven't bothered to read his decision.
jdvawter Smack-Fu Master, in training
*slow clap*My hero! When Posner dies can we build a monument to him?
peterford Ars Scholae Palatinae et Subscriptor
I don't do this often, so I apologise in advance, but can I have a pedantic moan about language in the article?
"A series of pretrial rulings eliminated nearly all of Motorola's patent claims while preserving some of Apple's, Reuters noted earlier this week."
That may be a lift from Reuters, but the use of whilst implies a contrast between different parts of a sentence; each part however contains a qualifier - "nearly all" and "some" which negate this.
</pedant>
Geeklaw Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
I'm just not a fan of judges arbitrarily walking away from their responsibilities.
"There isn't a federal judge I respect more, both as a judge and person." -Lawrence Lessig discussing Judge Posner
Having personally read a wide variety of Judge Posner's opinions I can say that he is anything but a "joke". While reflex is correct that Judge Posner's opinions don't always agree with the commonly held perceptions here on the Ars message boards those opinions are always well written, well reasoned, and very through.
Judge Posner is a preeminent jurist whose work should never be reduced to one four letter word.
I'll give reflex a hand here because it's easy.
Judge Posner took the time to document his thoughts on antitrust in a little under 300 pages, http://www.amazon.com/Antitrust-Law-An- ... 0226675580
He beliefs focus on the idea that any antitrust law should lower costs for consumers and that if a law fails to do that then that law is wasted.
tatose Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
Shorthand thinkers should not be having legal discussions in the first place ooo.
My opinion is that Posner believes that law in society should focus on optimality, rather than in fairness (a concept derivation of equality which is time-space dependent).
This immediately cast him into villainous out-of-touch being, definitely not popular in public positions...
goldenscreen Seniorius Lurkius
And while the patents themselves (or some of them at least) may well have considerable value, after the claims constructions by Judge Crabb and myself and after my grants of partial summary judgment only a handful of the original patent claims remain in the case; infringement of that handful may not be a source of significant injury past, present, or future. For a variety of reasons patents in the field of information technology often have little if any value except defensively. See Alan Devlin, “Systemic Bias in Patent Law,” 61 De-Paul L. Rev. 57, 77–80 (2011), and references cited there.
A related reason for withholding injunctive relief in this case is that it would be likely to impose costs on the alleged infringer disproportionate both to the benefits to it of having infringed and to the harm to the victim of infringement, and would thus be a windfall to the patentee and a form of punitive rather than compensatory damages imposed on the infringer. Not only is there no evidence of gain to Motorola or loss to Apple even though if there were gain or loss Apple should have been able to quantify it, but in addition an injunction could force Motorola to remove lucrative products from the market for as long as it took to remove the infringing features—minor features in complex devices most features of which are not alleged to infringe—from its products, or to invent around the infringing features.
NicoleC Ars Tribunus Militum
Posner was mentioned in 2005 as a potential nominee to replace Sandra Day O'Connor because of his prominence as a scholar and an appellate judge. Robert S. Boynton has written in The Washington Post that he believes Posner will never sit on the Supreme Court because despite his "obvious brilliance," he would be criticized for his occasionally "outrageous conclusions," such as his contention "that the rule of law is an accidental and dispensable element of legal ideology" his argument that buying and selling children on the free market would lead to better outcomes than the present situation, government-regulated adoption, and his support for the legalization of marijuana and LSD.
Seems senile to me.
Seems libertarian to me.
dokital Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
It's clear that Mr. Reflex is the only one arguing for Posner's "craziness." In case anyone is interested in him beyond the scope of patents I highly recommend this article: http://moreintelligentlife.com/content/ ... s-polymath
He's not exactly libertarian. He's never afraid to change his ideas either.
jbrodkin Ars Scholae Palatinae et Subscriptor
peterford wrote:
I still don't see what's wrong in the sentence but I'm interested in what you're saying... Any chance you can link to the language construction rule that could illustrate what you're saying? I have never seen this particular complaint.
z0phi3l Ars Scholae Palatinae
dokital wrote:
But to many closed minded types this is exactly why he's "bad" he has no ideological lean, ha bases his decisions on logic and the law, and is willing to admit he has been wrong, and as a Judge you are not supposed to use sense but force your ideological beliefs on all
Ashe Ars Tribunus Militum et Subscriptor
jbrodkin wrote:
Holy crap. Reading over the sentence again, I actually see his point. Damn. I don't even think you need a language construction rule to prove the point. The "while" does not belong in that sentence period because there is no contrast between the two parts as neither parts had an absolute. "nearly all" and "some" essentially are the same.
As to the article itself, I really would love to see that interview should you ever be able to do it. From what light reading I've done so far, this Judge Posner sounds like an interesting person.
Last edited by Ashe on Sat Jun 23, 2012 9:52 am
jthill wrote:
or claim infringement on patents which even if infringed are so easy to design around that he could do it himself, which he demonstrated by doing so.
Apple's strongest voice has always been that Motorola/Samsung/HTC/Google should design around their patents instead of infringing them.
That's what they want. And in my understanding of the law, they have the right to get it. HTC eventually altered their product to avoid the patents, and Microsoft built their product from the ground up to be unique. Motorola decided to sue Apple for a FRAND patent instead (a "pre-emptive strike" they called it).
Motorola's patent cannot be "designed around". It's impossible to make phone calls without infringing that patent, and when the current network specification was designed they only included Motorola's technology on the condition that it would be licensed under fair terms to anyone who wants to make phones.
2.25% for a single patent is not "fair". At that rate, a thousand dollar phone would pay two thousand dollars in royalties, since there are many patents, probably hundreds, required to make phone calls. And they can't charge two thousand dollars for the phone, because then the royalties would be four thousand dollars.
It's a mess, but I still think the judge should have told both companies what licensing fees they have to pay, instead of dismissing it without solving anything at all. They've been arguing for years about it, closing the case isn't gonna help.
H2O Rip wrote:
Or what type of compensation should they get if a patent is violated but extensive harm is not visible. Like hitting a button in a page in an e book reader.... assuming a judge says motorola stole that - but it's not vital to the product, should there be a standard fee?
In my opinion, compensation should be proportional to provable harm. If the patent is on something that is so insignificant that they can't show any significant harm, then:
A) The patent probably shouldn't have been issued in the first place.
B) The case should just be thrown out by the judge. The courts shouldn't be bothered with trivial damages, and if patents on trivial things end up becoming worth less that the paper they're printed on, that's an appropriate outcome in my opinion.
Patents are currently being used as a weapon to bludgeon competitors rather than a means of protecting genuinely significant innovations. This ruling seems to apply a bit of sanity. The court will help mediate between private parties when one has harmed the other, but when no significant harm can be shown, the court shouldn't be a weapon that private parties can wield against each other simply to gain a competitive advantage.
jgedeon Seniorius Lurkius
Sgent wrote:
I agree that Circuit Court Judge Posner commands a lot of respect, but I have problems with this case. It really seems like he simply wasn't interested in the minutiae of a district court case.
Also, patent cases are appealed to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, this is not as final as it gets.
Thanks, that clears it up a lot (I don't have time to read a 38 page document).
I still don't understand why he dismissed the case instead of locking the companies into a dollar figure licensing fee, and while he's at it set a precedent for how to calculate FRAND royalties.
Also, I take issue with your description of Apple's patents. If they were as basic as you imply, any half decent lawyer would invalidate them. There is no way "turning pages in e-books by pressing a button" passes muster for being a "non-obvious" invention. You can't judge a lengthy patent description by it's half-sentence title. Also, have you ever used Apple's eBook reader? There are no buttons for turning the pages. There aren't even any touchscreen/software buttons.
Ashe wrote:
But it's clear that in this case there is a contrast between nearly all and some. Apple got to assert four patents, Motorola just one.
Black_Obsidian Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius et Subscriptor
If your case is about the damage that the opposing party has caused, but you can't actually prove any damages, then the proper dollar figure is zero. Anything else is expecting the judge to pick a number out of the aether at random. As the judge noted, royalties on the FRAND patent could simply be imposed, because there would be a body of similar royalties (everyone else paying for said FRAND patent) to base the judgement on.
adammtlx Ars Centurion
I suggest you all visit http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/posner-r/ and email Posner, encouraging him for standing up for rationality and reason in the patent system.
But the law doesn't agree with it, and the duty of a judge is to enforce the law. NEVER to enforce his own opinion.
Are you REALLY that naive?
GAME, SET, AND MATCH!
The game is over people, move along.
How's this for a solution to patent problems:
If you bring a suit, your lawyers argue for the defense, the defense' lawyers argue for you.
If nothing else, having to look at both sides of the equation might make cooperative settlements more likely.
Kanchou Ars Scholae Palatinae
This is a district court case, so it won't create a binding precedent no matter what Judge Posner did. To put it another way, since all district court judges are theoretically equal, they don't have what to worry about the ruling of other federal district court ruling. Now, if the parties appeal to a higher court and the higher court upheld this ruling, then the higher court's ruling become binding precedent to lower courts in its jurisdiction.
P.S.: Not focusing on your comment. But I think many comments seems to be confused about American's adversarial legal system with the inquisitorial legal system in most other countries. With the adversarial system, the judges are mostly refereeing between the litigants. If the litigants can not demonstrate that they have a case, then judge was right to tell them GTFO. In very rare occasions, judges can make "sua sponte" ruling without being prompted by the parties, but it's not common, nor should it be.
Surreptitious Seniorius Lurkius
I'm certainly no grammarian, but I fail to see any problem here.
Conjunction: 6. at the same time that (showing an analogous or corresponding action): The floor was strewn with books, while magazines covered the tables.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/while
Care to explain further?
Charles5a Seniorius Lurkius
Your math is as flowed as your logic.
2.25% of $1000 is NOT $2000. It is $22.50 Besides, it is usually on wholesale price, closer to $200-$400, which results in $4.50 to $9.00
Besides, why is 2.25% not fair? If everybody pays them 2.25%, who makes you king deciding what is fair or not. It is called a smartphone. The word "phone" account for half of its name. I guess the ability of a phone to make phone calls may be worth 2.25%.
As for deciding licensing fees, the judge ruled on the "injunction". Deciding fairness of licensing fees is a whole other issue that he may have to deal with if they did not agree.
It's all in the decision.
Posner does describe, in detail, how companies should calculate FRAND royalty rates, and arrives at figure much lower than Motorola's.
It's the plaintiffs' responsibility to claim damages and to justify those claims. The judge's responsibility is to determine whether those damage claims are valid.
In Apple's case, their arguments were unconvincing. Again, read the decision for the details.
For one thing, they argued that they were losing market share and consumer goodwill to Motorola due to infringement of these patents. Does anyone believe that (1) Apple is losing market share to Motorola, (2) Apple is losing consumer goodwill to Motorola, and (3) Apple is losing because of the way Motorola implements notifications and page-turning in the Android Kindle apps?
Again, it's all in the decision. Apple was trying to gain an injunction based on a patent that they don't even use in iOS. Posner points out that it's actually more intuitive to turn pages by swiping them rather than by using a virtual button as described in the patent.
This is my major complaint about the way Apple uses patents. It's one thing if they wanted to be compensated fairly for substantive infringement of significant technological innovation -- I wouldn't have any problem with that. But instead, they are using trivial infringements of patents that should have never been issues in the first place in an attempt to get injunctions against their competitors.
The fact is that sometimes patents are offered for trivial and obvious ideas:
http://www.google.com/patents/US5443036
That doesn't mean that the patent holder above should be able to issue an injunction against all laser pointer manufacturers...
Hopefully, Posner's decision will be the beginning of the end of this kind of nonsense.
sprockkets Ars Legatus Legionis
They did, but wouldn't you know, apple still thinks they are infringing via the google gmail app not preinstalled on any HTC phone and want it rebanned anyhow.
Makes you wonder what their goal is, to protect themselves over the damage of "stolen ip" or just to stall a competitor. And as this case proved, apple isn't suffering any harm looking at their billions in the bank or their millions of devices sold.
Microsoft built their product from the ground up to be unique.
Most of the UI is unique, but most of what apple is suing over Metro infringes just as well. But apple knows it cannot win against MS and probably has the usual NDA on their agreement between them and MS.
The rest others have commented on.
I THINK the "problem" that is being pointed out is how ambiguous "nearly all" and "some" are as far as the number of patents each party was allowed to bring to the trial once the trial started. So, the problem is that ambiguous terms were used in a contrast when absolutes would have provided greater clarity. Also, the article later on does not quantify "nearly all" or "some".
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Kriseman: Another Rays MOU wouldn't be free
ST. PETERSBURG - In an hour-long interview last week, Mayor Rick Kriseman touched on issues including the Tampa Bay Rays, the Science Center of Pinellas, the fate of rail lines in downtown St. Petersburg and his recent work trip to Hawaii. Kriseman spoke to the Tampa Bay Times in his temporary office inside the old St.
"If they come to me and say, 'We just want an MOU' ... and not offer anything for being given that right, it's probably not going to happen,"
Three mayors. One owner. No deal. St. Pete's futile history with the Rays.
ST. PETERSBURG - Rick Kriseman was supposed to be the flexible, conciliatory leader who could pull off what two mayors before him could not: Build the Rays a new stadium...
Tampa Bay Times 2019-06-29
St. Petersburg's future lies beneath Tropicana Field. Do the Rays stand in the way?
ST. PETERSBURG - The Rays have played in Tropicana Field for more than 20 years - and have spent half that time trying to escape it. The Trop is baseball's last dome, an...
Did the Rays' talks with Montreal violate the Tropicana Field lease?
ST. PETERSBURG - The Tropicana Field lease is clear: The Tampa Bay Rays cannot play home games anywhere else through 2027. Not only that, it forbids the Rays from...
Kriseman to Rays: We need a 'good working relationship.'
ST. PETERSBURG - After Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg explained why he wants his team to play a split-season with Montreal, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman issued...
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Mayor Castor stays mum in midst of local resentment over Rays\' dreams of Montreal
TAMPA - Mayor Jane Castor has been busy hosting the Warrior Games, rebooting the holiday fireworks show and building bridges to minority businesses in her first weeks on the job, but she's kept mum about one burning issue - a new stadium site for the Tampa Bay Rays. Other local leaders as well as the Rays have had plenty to say about who takes the next turn in the limbo line of...
Why the Rays think their Montreal idea is so \'amazing\'
ST. PETERSBURG - The Rays don't have all the answers, even when pressed late Tuesday afternoon how confident they are of their radical plan to split future seasons between new open-air stadiums in Tampa Bay and Montreal actually coming to fruition. But they had enough during a Dali museum media session and a later meeting with the Tampa Bay Times editorial board to make clear...
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ST. PETERSBURG - For 20 years, the attendance numbers have suggested Tampa Bay is a weak baseball market. And now the owner of the Rays has said it too, albeit as politely as he could. By now, it's not really a shock. And it shouldn't even be an insult. It's just the reality of a region challenged by geography, demographics and economy. Denying it is not a solution and shouting...
Rays explain details of Montreal plan: \'This is not a staged exit.\'
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg was adamant in explaining Tuesday that the plan to split the season with Montreal is a solution to make the team successful in both markets and not a step toward leaving the Tampa Bay area: "To be clear, this is not a staged exit. That thought has never entered my mind." Nor, Sternberg said is it "a page out of a...
\'I say let them go.\' St. Petersburg\'s black community is indifferent to Rays\' fate.
ST. PETERSBURG- Traumatized by the failed promises of jobs and economic prosperity, there is one constituency that seems indifferent to whether the Rays stay, leave or split the season with Montreal: the city's African-American community. "If they stay, good," said Chiefs Creole Cafe owner Elihu Brayboy. "If they leave, that's fine too." "The black community got bought out many...
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Posts Tagged ‘Jitish Kallat’
INDIAN CONTEMPORARY ART EXHIBITIONS LONDON VIDEO
Between January and May this year, Indian contemporary artist Jitish Kallat displayed seven pieces, paintings, sculptures and installations, at Saatchi Gallery, London with 23 other contemporary Indian artists in an exhibition called “The Empire Strikes Back: Indian Art Today”. In a video produced by The Economist titled “Jitish Kallat: perspectives on modern Indian art”, Kallat discusses his and the other artists’ work from this exhibition.
In the video, Jitish Kallat reveals what it is about contemporary Indian art that makes it so interesting for him; Indian art today is influenced by almost every aspect of Indian culture and the repositioning of the country on the global map is aiding the development of the art scene.
Indian contemporary artist Jitish Kallat. Sourced from http://www.iaac.us.
“The Empire Strikes Back” shows different contemporary Indian artists expressing political statements through their work. The pieces “actually travel and gather art miles…and as they gather art miles in different locations they share and gain meaning.” For Jitish, this repetition of artists’ intentions through different cultural stimulants in different parts of the world remains a great area of interest.
As people around the world are able to access different cultures more easily they feel more empowered to deconstruct the culture code from different places around the world. However, as he states in the video, Jitish Kallat feels that “the world has this peculiar ghostly sense of sameness within which these objects travel with baggage of tales and stories and meanings and metaphors and I think I find this process exciting, challenging and also instructive.”
The first piece discussed by Kallat in the video is Eruda (2006, black lead on fibreglass, 419 x 169 x 122 cm). Eruda is a massive black lead sculpture, the development of which stemmed from a series of photographs of boys selling popular books at the traffic lights. As Kallat relays in the video, this boy represents the spirit of the city, most particularly the quintessential Indian city of Mumbai.
Jitish Kallat, Eruda, 2006, black lead on fibreglass, 419 x 169 x 122 cm.
Related to Eruda, Kallat’s “Eclipse” series of paintings also capture these boys smiling back. The paintings represent someone who not only lives in Mumbai but is themselves a portrait of the city. One of the images in the video reveals that the hair of each boy almost merges together and is actually made up of interconnecting images of people and streets. As Kallat states on the video, this is meant to show that “everyone who lives in the city of Mumbai is somehow tied into one conjoint reality.”
Public Notice 2 (2007, 4,479 fibreglass sculptures, dimensions variable) is an installation using words from Mahatma Ghandi’s historic 1930’s speech. For Kallat, given the everyday rhetoric that has created some sort of terror-affected world, voices such as Ghandi’s become carriers of a message that can help overcome the foolishness of the contemporary world. The piece is large in size which, for Kallat, is central to the creation of the meaning of the piece. However, once the video moves in to focus on the letters it becomes clear that each alphabet is a sculpture of a letter morphed out of bones.
The final piece in the video, Death of Distance (2007, black lead on fibreglass, a rupee coin and five lenticular prints, sculpture 161 cm diameter, prints 46 x 60 cm), refers to two texts that entered the public domain around the same time. The first is the story of a girl who committed suicide because her mother could not give her one rupee for a meal in school due to extreme poverty. The second article is a press release by a telecommunications company which claimed the “arrival of new India.” The press release famously called this event “the death of distance in India” and stated that it would now cost only one rupee to call from any part of India to another.
The installation includes five frames carrying both texts on each frame. They flip according to where you stand. It also includes a coin of one rupee enlarged to a size of an average person from India. Kallat states in the video that the flipping texts “become like reality in India itself: [the] India you see on that day depends on where you stand at that particular moment.”
Jitish Kallat, Untitled (Eclipse) 3, 2007, acrylic on canvas, triptych, 274 x 518 cm.
Jitish Kallat was born in Mumbai in 1974. He received his BFA in painting from Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art and his work has been exhibited worldwide, appearing in New York, London, Tokyo, Sydney, Madrid, Zurich, Amsterdam, Mumbai, and New Delhi.
To see video, click here.
EN/KN/KCE
Related Topics: Indian artists, videos, gallery shows
India’s Experimenter focusses on the “now” with RAQS and Kolkata location – an interview with Prateek Raja – September 2010 – an Indian gallerist talks frankly about the state of experimental art in India and how important it is for his gallery to show new challenging works
Indian artist Raghava KK’s “magic carpet ride” at TED2010 – video – June 2010 – an in-depth summary of a very interesting video in which Raghava amusingly tells of his rise to art stardom
Peabody Essex Museum loaned 3 giants of contemporary and modern Indian art: Anish Kapoor, Francis Newton Souza, Paritosh Sen – June 2010 – a brief summary of the museums acquisitions, the what, why and how
Reji Arackal is new kid on contemporary Indian art block – May 2010 – a review of new kid on the block Reji Arackal’s “Sans Divine Machines” by guest contributor and veteran Indian art writer, Deepanjana Pal
15 artists in Hanging Fire, first show of contemporary art from Pakistan in US – video – January 2010 – a quick summary and link to the video
Subscribe to Art Radar Asia for more on Indian contemporary art
Posted in Indian, Jitish Kallat, Painting, Sculpture, Videos | Tagged: "Eclipse" series, alphabet, art gallery shows, art video, black lead, contemporary indian art, contemporary indian artists, Death of Distance, Elena Nikolaeva, Eruda, fibreglass, gallery shows, Indian contemporary art, Jitish Kallat, London, Mahatma Ghandi, Mumbai, Painting, photography, Public Notice 2, public speech, Saatchi Gallery, sculpture, the city, the death of distance in India, The Economist, The Empire Strikes Back: Indian Art Today, urban art, Video, Video Interview, words in art | Leave a Comment »
Indian art market hits peak 2008 figures – modern art favoured
ART MARKET INDIAN ART MODERN ART AUCTIONS
For some time now, the Indian art market has been reviving after the post-2008 buying slump. New Delhi-based journalist John Elliott, who runs the current affairs blog Riding the Elephant, reports in a recent post that now it may well be on the first step towards similar pre-2008 peak figures. However, the artists raking in money this time around are not contemporary but modern Indian artists.
In June this year, Sotheby’s raised USD7.9m in a mostly Indian art sales. In the same month, Saffronart sold art worth USD6.7m, and together with a Christie’s two day sale of USD18.1m, Indian art sales for the month of June totaled a substantial USD32.7m.
Rabindranath Tagore's 'Portrait of a Woman' sold for over USD461,000 at Sotheby's.
Elliott reports that ArtTactic, a London based art market analysis firm believes that average auction prices and volumes for modern Indian art are now back to levels seen at the market’s peak in June 2008. Anders Peterson, who runs the firm, adds that,
The return in the confidence for the Indian art market is at the high end of the market.
A significant change from the trends of 2008 is the consistent sales of established veteran artists of Indian modern art rather than contemporary artists. However, given the overall push in the performance of the market, contemporary sales have also picked up. ArtTactic reports that previously popular contemporary artists such as Subodh Gupta and Jitish Kallat are still lagging far below 2007-2008 prices.
Saffronart founder and owner Dinesh Vazirani agrees with ArtTactic’s line on modern art. He says,
Auction prices are reasonably close to their 2008 peak. Serious collectors are there and this is backed with confidence in the Indian economy and with people investing as a hedge against inflation.
But how much do these results tell us about trends in buying Indian art? Anders Peterson from ArtTactic believes that,
Auctions are now a filtered version of the reality in the art market. Lots that are likely to sell are works of high quality, rarity and outstanding provenance. Works that do not demonstrate these qualities are still selling at lower prices or not at all. Therefore the return in confidence is at the high end of the market.
SH Raza's 'Rajasthan'.
The highlight of the Sotheby‘s sale were the works of Indian modernist painter, poet, philosopher and Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore, while Saffronart relied on modern art veterans like S.H. Raza, who was part of the Bombay Progressive Artists’ Group and now lives in Paris. His wife, Janine Mongillat, died in April 2002.
AM/KN/KCE
Related Topics: Indian art, Bombay Progressive Artists’ Group, market watch- auctions
Saffronart once again pioneers with new technology – July 2010 – a quick news post about the companies new mobile phone bidding system
Interventions explore art industry relationships in curator Meenakshi Thirukode’s Guild Art Gallery show:an interview – June 2010 – an in depth interview exploring the function of various art world roles
Rising confidence in Indian art as art market recovers – June 2010 – another article on the recovery of the Indian art market
Peabody Essex Museum loaned three giants of Indian contemporary and modern art: Anish Kapoor, Paritosh Sen and FN Souza – June 2010 – includes some information on the extensive Ambani Collection
Indian contemporary artist Reena Kallat: Art Radar exclusive interview – April 2010 – an influential artist discusses her artwork in-depth
Dinesh Vazirani CEO Saffronart speaks about 2010 art market outlook – ArtTactic podcast – March 2010 – sage advice and detailed information from an Indian art professional
Subscribe to Art Radar Asia for more art market analysis
Posted in Auctions, Business of art, Classic/Contemporary, Collectors, Indian, London, Market watch, Painting, Progressive Artists' Group | Tagged: Ananya Mukherjee, Anders Peterson, Arttactic, Auction result, Christies, contemporary indian art, contemporary indian artists, Dinesh Vazirani, Financial Times, indian modern art, Jitish Kallat, John Elliott, market analysis, market watch, Modernist painters, Portrait of a woman Rabindranath Tagore, Rabindranath Tagore, Saffronart, SH Raza, SH Raza Rajasthan, Sothebys, Subodh Gupta | 6 Comments »
Which 5 Indian artists would you dare to buy now?
CONTEMPORARY INDIAN ART
Which artists from the Indian subcontinent are most likely to have a market in 10 years time? Think about it for a moment and then compare your results with those below:
Atul Dodiya, Fallen Leaves A Stroll
Top 5 Ranking:
1. Subodh Gupta
2. Atul Dodiya
3. Rashid Rana (Pakistan)
4. N.S. Harsha
5. Jitish Kallat
(Each of the artist names above is linked to their wikipedia entry. Just google the artist name + images for a large selection of images and sources).
This list has just been published for the first time by ArtTactic using its Survival Rating Methodology. We have enormous respect for the well-researched reports produced by Anders Petterson. Here is more information from their website:
This Survey launches the Survival Rating methodology for the Indian art market, which was pioneered for the US & European art markets in December 2008. The measurement captures the long-term (10 years) belief whether the artists’ markets will be of High, Medium, Low importance. The Barometer is particularly useful in the current environment, where the market is trying to decipher which artists’ markets will survive the current downturn.
Artists Confidence Indicators and Survival Ratings included in the report:
F.N.Souza, M.F.Husain, Ram Kumar, S.H.Raza, Akbar Padamsee, Himmat Shah, Jogen Chowdhury,Arpita Singh, Krishen Khanna, Rameshwar Broota, KG Subramanyan, Vasudeo S. Gaitonde, Zarina Hashmi, Tyeb Mehta, Anju Dodiya, Atul Dodiya, Shibu Natesan, Sudarshan Shetty, Ravinder Reddy, Nataraj Sharma, Surendran Nair, Subodh Gupta, Bharti Kher, Jitish Kallat, Thukral & Tagra, Rashid Rana, N.S. Harsha, T.V. Santhosh, Justin Ponmany, Riyas Komu.
To buy, click the Indian Art Market Confidence Survey report May 2009
Which artists from Asia are in the Pompidou collection? – Dec 2008 – includes list of Indian artists
Mixed reviews for Serpentine’s Indian Highway show in London – Dec 2008 – 25 contemporary Indian artists in survey show billed “a snapshot of a vibrant generation of artists”
India has most speculative art market in world – Philip Hoffman Fine Art Fund – Sep 2008
Subscribe to Art Radar Asia for news about Indian art
Posted in Acquisitions, Atul Dodiya, Collectors, Indian, Jitish Kallat, Market watch, Pakistani, Rashid Rana, Research, Subodh Gupta | Tagged: Arttactic, Atul Dodiya, Indian art market, Indian artists, Jitish Kallat, N S Harsha, Rashid Rana, Subodh Gupta | 6 Comments »
Art Dubai 2009 – who sold what to whom? 15 galleries talk to Art Radar
Posted by artradar on March 23, 2009
MIDDLE EAST ART FAIR
Which artists were favourites? 15 exhibitor galleries talk to Art Radar in the final day of the fair about sales, attendance and some new collector trends.
Middle Eastern collectors showing first signs of interest in East Asian art
Pieces in the price range US$20-30000 sell best
Sales down compared with last year; booths have mixed results
More art fair visitors from institutions
Russian collector base changing
Set out below is a round-up of comments from a selection of galleries participating in the fair.
Triumph Gallery – Russia
Ruth Addison: “The fair is going OK rather than fast in terms of sales but it is great in terms of contacts and opportunities. Some of our artists have been invited on residencies. We did not expect too much because of 1) the recession 2) Russian artists are new to the Middle East and 3) this is the first time for Triumph at the fair. Most interest has been shown in AES+F.”
Aidan Gallery – Russia
Aidan Salakhova, Director: “Sales have been slower, much as we expected. We have sold 2-3 pieces. We may come back next year but we don’t plan to attend any art fairs in the next 5-6 months. We were the first private gallery in the USSR when we opened 17 yeas ago. In Russia now there is so much change happening to the local collector base, many people are losing money and other new collectors who are making money – perhaps from the government – are entering the market and replacing them. Our aim is to survive the next couple of years and wait for the market to settle”
Grosvenor Gallery London
Connor Macklin “The fair has been better than expected for us. The mood is different this year but we have made sales in the range of US$2,000 to US$100,000 per piece”.
Haunch of Venison – London, Berlin, Zurich, New York
Adrian Sutton, Senior Sales Director “We have had a successful fair. We have sold one piece and are close with two other pieces and if they come off, sales ( of Indian artist Jitish Kallat and Wim Wenders ) will be over a quarter of a million US dollars in total.”
October Gallery London
Elizabeth Lalouschek Artistic Director: “We have found that there has been more interest in larger works. We have sold 10 works with prices varying from US$2,500 to US$90,000 including two El Anatsui works. This fair we have noticed more of an international attendance and more museum directors than in previous years. Perhaps this is because the art fair is being held at the same time as the Sharjah Biennale.”
El Anatsui at October Gallery
Mario Mauroner Vienna Austria
“This is our third time here and it has been very quiet. Most interest has been shown in Barthelmy Toguo from Cameroon. We did well at Bologna and Arco so Art Dubai has been disappointing . But we set up in 1972 and have survived recessions dating back to the 1973 oil crisis so I don’t doubt we will survive this too.”
Galerie Kashya Hildebrand Switzerland
Kashya Hildebrand “This is our third trip and we are very happy because members of the Royal Family have bought Asian art for the first time – a Korean artist….a major development.
There is a also a group of serious Dubai-based Iranian collectors who come to the fair. They take their purchases very seriously, pore over the pieces, ask lots of questions and return each day. Last year this group also began to buy Asian art for the first time which is very exciting.”
Korean artist Ran Hwang purchased by Royal Family
Galerie Volker Diehl Moscow, Berlin
Monica F. Eulitz International Director: “The fair has been very well attended and we have seen buyers from the entire Gulf region this year not just local participants. We have sold a few pieces in the US$20,000-30,000 range.”
Kalfayan Galleries Greece
Roupen Kalfayan: ” Sales have been so-so but it has been wonderful for contacts. Business is slower than last year. This is our second year.. We have had a lot of interest in the Syrian photographer Hrair Sarkissianwho will be exhibiting at the Istanbul Biennale. He started to receive attention from collectors last year and we have placed his work with European collectors at the fair this year. Also Tarek Al Ghoussein.”
B21 Dubai
Tessa de Caters: “We have made some sales and the video and digital Iranian artist Leila Pazooki has been receiving attention.
Pyo Gallery Korean
Jeong Yim Gho, Chief curator “It is slow compared with last year. Last year was pretty good but not this year though we have made a few sales in the US$20-30,000 range” Most interest was shown in Park, Sung-Tae.
Hakgojae Gallery, Seoul
Kim Jyon director “This is our first visit and sales have not been good. U Fan has sold and there has been a lot of interest in Lee Lee Nam but no sales yet of this artist’s work.”
Aicon GalleryNew York, Palo Alto, London
“Sales are reasonable but much slower than last year”
Bodhi Art Mumbai
Puneet Shah Asst Gallery Manager: “It has been slow fair for us. We have made no sales. The artist which has attracted most attention is Subodh Gupta.
Edwynn Houk Gallery New York US
Edwynn Houk “This is our first year and we have made a good beginning. We have sold 6 pieces, all photographs by Lalla Essaydi. We have found that Western artists seem to have less resonance with local collectors this year but perhaps interest will develop over time. We would like to come back to Art Dubai”
Related categories: art fairs, Middle Eastern art, collector news
Review round-up Saatchi Middle East show Unveiled: which artists are critic favourites? March 2009
ARCO Madrid 2009 news round up – galleries drop out, public funding prop provided Feb 2009
Which artists from Asia are in the Pompidou centre? – Dec 2008 – Iranian and Iraqi artists have been added recently
The Dubai art market and its future – Nation, Guardian – Nov 2008
Subscribe to Art Radar Asia for art fair news
Posted in AES+F, Dubai, El Anatsui, Fairs, Gallerists/dealers, Indian, Jitish Kallat, Korean, Market watch, Middle East, Museum collectors, Overviews, Russian, Subodh Gupta, Syrian | Tagged: AES+F, Aicon, Aidan Gallery, Art Dubai 2009, art fair news, art fairs, B21 Gallery, Barthelmy Toguo, Bodhi Art, Edwynn Houk Gallery, El Anatsui, Galerie Kashya Hildebrand, Galerie Volker Diehl, Grosvenor Gallery, Hakgojae Gallery, Haunch of Venison, Hrair Sarkissian, Iranian collectors, Jitish Kallat, Kalfayan Gallery, Lalla Essaydi, Lee Lee Nam, Leila Pazooki, Middle Eastern collectors, October Gallery, Pyo Gallery, Russian collectors, Subodh Gupta, Tarek Al Ghoussein, Triumph Gallery, U Fan | Leave a Comment »
ARCO Madrid 2009 international art fair news round-up – galleries drop out, public funding prop, Indian art
INTERNATIONAL ART FAIRS
ARCO Madrid, one of the largest and most important international art fairs holds its 28th edition from 11 February to 16 February 2009 in a new location: Halls 6, 8 & 10 at Feria de Madrid, Spain. 238 galleries from 32 countries are participating.
Financial downturn hits art world – BBC – 16 Feb 209 – video clip – An insubstantial very brief video story about how the crisis is affecting the art fair: some artists are using the crisis as inspiration for their art: interview with art fair director Lourdes Fernandez who says it is more difficult for some dealers this year.
Dealers reported mixed results at Spain’s monster contemporary art fair Arco – Financial Times – 14 Feb 2009 – Georgina Adam reports that Spanish museums budgets have melted and prices of artworks have been reduced. Artists attracting interest/buyers included Georg Baselitz, Amaya Gonzalez Reyes, Eugenio Merino’s take off of Damien Hirst ‘For The Love of Gold’.
Click to buy
Arco Beep New Media Art Award – We Make Money Not Art – 13 Feb 2009 – Post written by a member of the jury about the award, the entries and the winner. The award was won by Ubermorgen.com for its EKMRZ Trilogy, a fascinating triptych about the three kings of ecommerce Google, Amazon and ebay. The Google art work ‘Google will eat itself’ involves the artists raising money with google text ads and using the money to buy Google shares.
Panorama India Artslant provides a list of artists and galleries from India, Arco’s special guest country 2009.
Tatsumi Orimoto performs Punishment at Arco 2009 video – Vernissage TV
Hirst statue stars at Madrid show as dealers aim to defy slump – Bloomberg – 13 Feb 2009 – A Florida collector bought Merino’s sculpture of Hirst committing suicide “Hirst is always trying to think of ways to make his art the most expensive. If he killed himself, then the value of his art would increase a lot.” Despite India being guest country only 13 galleries from there. US galleries dropped from 26 last year to 7 this year. Plenty of bargains. Russian GMG Gallery sold 2 photographs by Anatoly Zhuravlev to a prominent Swiss collector of Chinese art.
Image carousel – Telegraph – 19 images of artists: Isaac Montoya, Filomena Soares, Jose Batista Marques, Enrique Marty, Madeleine Berkhemer, Vivek Vilasini (India), Jitish Kallat (India), Valay Shende, Eugenio Merino, Yi Hwan-Kon, Samuel Salcedo, Bernardi Roig.
Indian art draws Europeans – IANS via Zee News – 13 Feb 2009 – New trend in Indian art away from works on canvas towards installation and new media apparent in gallery shows and Panorama, the show of Indian art curated by Bose Krishnamachari. Dayanita Singh in solo show, Shilpa Gupta work finds European buyer.
Gloom at major European art fair as boom in sales seen over – AFP – 12 Feb 2009 – This is a prediction story about the mood prior to the event. Galleries predict limited cash, prices down 25% for contemporary art, buyers will take time over purchases. Artist view: lower prices an opportunity for young. Includes image carousel.
Arco Madrid 2009 opens – calm forecast – Art Daily – 12 Feb 2009 – This is a facts piece with a promotional tone. It covers details of the move to the new location and the fair’s programmes and projects: India is showcased, three curated shows cover performance art, contemporary art and technology in art, there is a list of talk forums by experts and a description of the section showcasing capsule collections from private museums.
Recession triggers improvement in Indian art quality– SindhToday via IANS – 11 February 2009 – This is a views piece about how the collector base for Indian art is changing and broadening particularly in Europe and is based on interviews with Bose Krishnamachari curator of the special Indian Panorama section and Peter Nagy of Nature Morte, an exhibitor.
Fine Art Publicity - click to buy
Galleries drop out of ARCO– Artinfo – 5 Feb 2009 – Edited version of Der Standard story below.
ARCO hit by crisis– Artforum via APAvia Der Standard – 3 Feb 2009 – 20 galleries of 270 cancelled – dropouts include 2 from South America, one from Spain and Lisson Gallery London. Portugese Ministry of Culture provided funding to prevent more.
Related links: ARCO website
Which are the top 10 international contemporary art fairs?Artprice Jan 2009
Asian art fair in New York cancelled Dec 2008
New art fair in London to focus on Russian collectors FT Nov 2008
Save time subscribe to Art Radar Asia for art news round-ups of important events
Posted in Acquisitions, Bose Krishnamachari, Collectors, Dayanita Singh, Electronic art, Fairs, Indian, Interactive art, Madrid, Market watch, New Media, Participatory, Shilpa Gupta, Spain, Virtual | Tagged: Amaya Gonzalez Reyes, Anatoly Zhuravlev, ARCO, ARCO 2009, Arco Beep New Media Art Award, ARCO Madrid, ARCO Madrid art fair, art fair, art recession, Bose Krishnamachari, contemporary art fair, Dayanita Singh, EKMRZ Trilogy, Eugenio Merino, For the Love of Gold, Georg Baselitz, Google Will Eat Itself, international art fair, Jitish Kallat, Nature Morte, Peter Nagy, Shilpa Gupta, Tatsumi Orimoto, Ubermorgen.com, Vivek Vilasini, Yi Hwan-Kwon | Leave a Comment »
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Números de ontem do TV TOTAL
Brasil 631
Estados Unidos 71
Canadá 5
Austrália 5
União Europeia 4
Índia 2
África do Sul 2
Moldávia 1
Padrão | Postado em audiência, Australia News, Consolidados, entretenimento, Mulher, New Zealand News, Vídeos do You Tube | Com a tag Juliana Silveira | 0 Comentários
Números de anteontem do TV TOTAL
Padrão | Postado em audiência, Australia News, Consolidados, entretenimento, Mulher, Vídeos do You Tube | Com a tag Ilka Semmler, Katrin Holtwick, Laura Ludwig, Sara Goller | 0 Comentários
Canberrans opt for overseas powder, but lower dollar may rescue Snowy Mountains industry
March 30, 2015 – 11:30PM
Just 48 per cent of New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory tourists said they would consider heading to Thredbo, Perisher and Smiggin Holes in the next two years.
The number of Canberrans who plan to holiday at Snowy Mountains skifields has dropped to below 50 per cent despite an increasing number of keen skiers in the country.
The results, in a new Roy Morgan Research survey taken in 2014, show how cheaper flights and a high Australian dollar lured tourists overseas.
Roy Morgan chairman Gary Morgan predicts falling iron ore prices and a lower dollar would bring Aussies back to the mountains.
The survey found more Australians are skiing and snowboarding than ever, with 933,000 adults and teenagers saying they go regularly or occasionally, up from 773,000 in 2012.
But interest in local skifields deteriorated in 2014.
Just 48 per cent of NSW and ACT tourists said they would consider heading to Thredbo, Perisher and Smiggin Holes in the next two years – down from 53 per cent in 2012.
National interest also waned with just 27 per cent of all Australian skiers and snowboarders saying they would be interested in the same Snowy Mountains fields, down from 33 per cent in 2012.
Mr Morgan said Australians’ ability to afford overseas trips explain the results.
“It reflects two things – there is a change in the value of the Australian dollar so it would have been less expensive when this survey was done to go overseas, and we had the bad publicity over the drought and global warming,” he said.
While it was a good season overall for the Snowys last year, the snowfields of Thredbo and Perisher were close to bald just one day before the official opening of the ski season.
A keen skier himself, Mr Morgan was upbeat about the future.
“I think it will pick up. The dollar has been so high, but now that has changed, with the dollar falling and our commodity prices and iron ore prices falling, things will change.
“People will think more about having a holiday in Australia rather than going overseas. This year [the local ski industry] will have a much better year,” he said.
But he warned renewed interest in the Snowys was dependent on economic conditions.
“The other problem we have is consumer confidence is lower and people are very concerned about unemployment, particularly since more young people are unemployed. So that won’t help,” Mr Morgan said.
Angela Smith, group account director of tourism and travel at Roy Morgan, said Australian skiers and snowboarders were flocking to different parts of Europe, the US and New Zealand.
“Although The Alps – bordering Italy, France, Switzerland, Austria and Germany – are still the world’s biggest ski destination, Eastern European resorts are also becoming more popular,” she said.
The Canberra Times
Padrão | Postado em Australia News, notícias internacionais | Com a tag Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Perisher, Smiggin Holes, Thredbo | 0 Comentários
Queen Wharf development to be shopping heaven: casino bid firm
March 31, 2015 – 12:00AM
brisbanetimes.com.au senior reporter
More details have been revealed about the biggest Brisbane development in a generation.
Brisbane will have a new underground shopping plaza running under the Queensland Treasury Building in Queen Street, according to one of two firms bidding for a new entertainment centre for Queen Wharf.
It will run underneath Elizabeth Street and Queens Park.
Destination Brisbane Consortium
Shoppers would walk into the Treasury Building at the top of Queen Street and the first two floors will be a department store, leading down to the new plaza.
The top two floors of the heritage-listed Treasury Building will become a new Ritz Carlton Hotel.
Geoff Hogg, Echo Entertainment’s Queensland managing director, released the plans as he outlined further details of their Destination Brisbane Consortium bid.
The company has leases until 2070 to “adaptively reuse” the heritage-listed Treasury Building, the Lands Administration Building and the old State Library in William Street.
Destination Brisbane would remove the security and support services from the first floor under Queens Park, above the car park.
“In our proposal that all gets removed and that will allow the department store to go underneath Elizabeth Street and underneath Queens Park,” Mr Hogg said.
“So when you step into the front steps of the Treasury Building, you walk into a department store, when you get over towards Elizabeth Street, you will go under Elizabeth Street and you flow right underneath Queens Park,” he said.
Historic Queen Park – which runs between the William and George streets, behind the Queensland Treasury Building and in front of the Lands Administration Building – will be made level and a glass dome will cover escalators down to the underground shopping plaza.
The escalators would run down in front of the statue of Queen Victoria in Queens Park.
“In front of the statue, people would go down the escalators and you would actually be inside the mall,” Mr Hogg said.
“You could go right under the Treasury Building and pop up in the Queen Street Mall.”
Preliminary talks about tenants have been held with commercial real estate brokers, Jones Lang Lasalle, he said.
Echo plans to make better use of the space under the existing Treasury Casino, which it will close as a casino and re-style as a department store, if it wins the bid.
Mr Hogg said few people realised there was large underground space under the Treasury Building.
“A lot of people don’t know, but the old Treasury Building already has an underground walkway under William Street, that comes up in Queen Wharf Road,” he said.
“So the Treasury Building allows you to access that to go underneath Queens Wharf Road,” he said.
“But also now if we win the bid you will be able to come up into Queens Park or in the Land Administration Building.”
The hotel in the Lands Administration Building will also be upgraded as a Ritz Carlton Hotel.
“Obviously in our proposal, we are the only ones who can make any changes to the Treasury Building, the Land Administration Building and to the State Library, because they are part of our lease,” Mr Hogg said.
“We have the lease for those until 2070 and we have spent a lot of time on how we activate the full precinct and how we activate them.”
The old State Library in William Street will become a tourist centre with information about the history of Brisbane, right next to the museum in Brisbane’s oldest building, the Old Commissiariat Building.
Queensland’s National Trust, currently in the old Immigration Building, would shift to the State Library allowing the old Immigration Building in William Street to become restaurants, bars and eateries looking over the river.
“I know everybody gets very excited about the new buildings, but this is also about telling the story of our history,” Mr Hogg said.
“So if we open up the Treasury Building by making it ‘not a casino’ it means everybody of all ages can enjoy it,” he said.
“And if we take the administration out of 159 William Street – the old State Library – then everybody can access it.”
Geoff Hogg said adapting Brisbane’s heritage buildings were an important part of their bid – in addition to the Skydeck and Arc Building – and modern hotels, bars and restaurants and cross-river bridge link to South Bank in their proposed new buildings between George and William streets.
“Queens Wharf is the birthplace of Brisbane,” he said.
“Where do you go when you arrive in the precinct to understand a little bit more about that?”
Both Echo and Greenland launched their bids for Brisbane‘s Queens Wharf precinct before Christmas.
State Development Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said the new Labor Government supported the Queens Wharf proposal and a decision on the two bids would be made in the middle of the year.
“A decision is expected mid-2015,” Dr Lynham said.
“This is being undertaken through a competitive procurement process which is ongoing.”
Dr Lynham said the technical, commercial and probity viability of both proponents’ proposals were now being thoroughly assessed.
The Brisbane Times
Padrão | Postado em Australia News, notícias internacionais | Com a tag Queens Wharf | 0 Comentários
Qantas loss of licence insurance should cover depression: pilots
March 31, 2015 – 7:49AM
Jamie Freed
Australian pilots for major airlines have loss-of-licence insurance that can pay out up to nearly $1 million in the event they are deemed medically unfit to fly, but pilots say past disputes over payouts in the case of psychiatric conditions such as depression could make them less likely to be honest about their condition.
Germanwings First Officer Andreas Lubitz, who is alleged to have purposely crashed an A320 in the French Alps last week killing all 150 on board, had reportedly been treated for depression. The crash has led to a renewed focus on the issue of pilot mental health in a profession where reporting depression can lead to a temporary grounding at best and at worst the loss of a pilot’s licence.
Australian and International Pilots Association president Nathan Safe, whose union represents Qantas and Jetstar pilots, said there was not usually any consternation about eligibility for payouts if the cause was a physical illness, but mental health issues were sometimes treated differently under the Qantas-provided policy.
“We have had issues in the past of having arguments about whether people are eligible,” he said. “It is an example of something we need to talk about. If people are worried they are not going to be paid out if they come forward with mental health issues they are perhaps more likely to stay at work, which is not what we want with people with mental health issues.”
The size of the payout depends on the age of the pilot and the insurance plan but for young pilots the Qantas insurance plan would provide nearly $1 million.
“The main point of it is to recognise if you can no longer fly you need to set yourself in a new career path,” Mr Safe said. “You might have to go back to uni and do something else.”
Qantas’s loss of licence insurance policy excludes payouts in the case of “psychosis or psychoneurosis”, in what is considered dated terminology from the 1960s and compares with more modern terms used in other policies on the market.
In 2012, Qantas pushed to replace it with “psychosis, generalised anxiety, dissociation, unintentional conversion of psychological factors to physical symptoms, phobias, obsessions and compulsions and depression” as described in the latest American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.
In a 2013 ruling, the Fair Work Commission denied Qantas’s request to change the terminology, saying it could result in the airline excluding payouts in the case of depression, even though the airline provided evidence it had made payouts for some depression cases in the past. Sources said despite the ruling, there was at least one dispute over an insurance payout related to depression that was ongoing.
Pilots can also take out income protection insurance, although that is not paid for by their employers.
Virgin Australia Holdings reimburses pilots for the cost of licence insurance cover, either through the company or two unions that represent Virgin pilots. The Australian Federation of Air Pilots policy excludes payouts in the case of intentional self-injury, attempted suicide or drug and alcohol dependency but does not mention depression. The Virgin Independent Pilots Association, which has a fixed $810,000 payout for pilots up to age 65, also excludes intentional self-injury.
Separately, Jetstar pilots on Monday approved a new enterprise bargaining agreement including an 18-month pay freeze, with 73.6 per cent in favour and 26.4 per cent against. In December, 95 per cent of Jetstar pilots had voted against a first proposal, but changes were made that satisfied the majority of pilots.
The Sydney Moning Herald
Padrão | Postado em Australia News, notícias internacionais | Com a tag Australian Federation of Air Pilots, Fair Work Commission, Qantas | 0 Comentários
Tom Barros comenta que Ceará e Fortaleza pensam agora na Copa do Brasil 2015
Duas Copas
Ceará agora fixa atenção na Copa do Brasil. Já na quarta, 1º de abril, enfrenta o Confiança em Aracaju. É uma maratona, antes de voltar às disputas do Campeonato Cearense. Enquanto isso, o Guarani/J cuida de ajustar as suas linhas, contemplando o desgaste do adversário. Pode, sim, tirar proveito da situação.
Duas Copas II
Da mesma forma o Fortaleza. Mal terminou o jogo em Recife, já fixou olhar no Albertão em Teresina, onde também na quarta, dia 1º de abril, enfrenta o River pelo Copa do Brasil. “Enquanto isso, o Icasa/J cuida de ajustar as suas linhas, contemplando o desgaste do adversário. Pode, sim, tirar proveito da situação”.
Tom Barros – Jogada – Diário do Nordeste – 30/03/2015
Padrão | Postado em entretenimento, futebol brasileiro, futebol nordestino | Com a tag Ceará, Fortaleza | 0 Comentários
Adrienne NUA na cama da mansão
CLIQUE AQUI para visualizar o ensaio completo
Padrão | Postado em entretenimento, Mulher, mulher pelada | Com a tag Mulher nua, mulher pelada | 0 Comentários
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<a href="http://archive.today/MAUOr"> <img style="width:300px;height:200px;background-color:white" src="https://archive.is/MAUOr/8c7e8d23cf18b86e2927b917a2a726029f73d624/scr.png"><br> English language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<br> archived 16 Feb 2015 21:14:09 UTC </a>
{{cite web | title = English language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia | url = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language | date = 2015-02-16 | archiveurl = http://archive.today/MAUOr | archivedate = 2015-02-16 }}
For other uses of "English", see English (disambiguation).
/ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ/[1]
Originally Great Britain
now worldwide (see Geographical distribution, below)
335 million (2010)"Summary by language size". Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
L2: 422 million[2]
West Germanic
North Sea Germanic
Anglo–Frisian
Anglic
Latin script (English alphabet)
English Braille
Manually coded English
(multiple systems)
27 non-sovereign entities
Various organisations[show]
Commonwealth of Nations
GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development
UKUSA Agreement
52-ABA
Countries of the world where English is an official or de facto official language or a majority language
Countries where English is an official but not majority native language
English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now a global lingua franca.[4][5] It is an official language of almost 60 sovereign states and the most commonly spoken language in sovereign states including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and a number of Caribbean nations. It is the third-most-common native language in the world, after Mandarin and Spanish.[6] It is widely learned as a second language and is an official language of the European Union and of the United Nations, as well as of many world organisations.
English arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and what is now southeast Scotland. Following the extensive influence of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom from the 17th to mid-20th centuries through the British Empire, it has been widely propagated around the world.[7][8][9][10] Through the spread of English literature, world media networks such as the BBC, the American film and television industry, and the Internet,[11][12] English has become the leading language of international discourse and the lingua franca in many regions.[13][14] and professional contexts such as science.[15]
Historically, English originated from the fusion of closely related dialects, now collectively termed Old English, which were brought to the eastern coast of Great Britain by Germanic settlers (Anglo-Saxons) by the 5th century; the word English is simply the modern spelling of englisc, the name used by the Angles[16] and Saxons for their language, after the Angles' ancestral region of Angeln (in what is now Schleswig-Holstein). The language was also influenced early on by the Old Norse language through Viking invasions in the 9th and 10th centuries.
The Norman conquest of England in the 11th century gave rise to heavy borrowings from Norman French: thus a layer of elaborate vocabulary, particularly in the field of governance, and some Romance-language spelling conventions[17] were added to what had by then become Middle English. The Great Vowel Shift that began in the south of England in the 15th century is one of the events that mark the emergence of Modern English.
In addition to native words inherited from Anglo-Saxon, and those borrowed from Norman French, a significant number of English words came into the language from Latin, because Latin was the lingua franca of the Christian Church and of European intellectual life for the first millennium of the development of English.[18]
Owing to the assimilation of words from many other languages throughout history, modern English contains a very large vocabulary, with complex and irregular spelling, particularly of vowels. Modern English has not only assimilated words from other European languages, but from all over the world. The Oxford English Dictionary lists more than 250,000 distinct words, not including many technical, scientific, and slang terms.[19][20]
1 Significance
2 Classification and related languages
2.1 Germanic family
2.1.1 Impact of Old Norse
2.1.2 Comparison to other Germanic languages
2.1.3 French influence on lexis
3 Geographical distribution
3.1 Countries where English is a major language
3.2 English as a global language
3.3 Dialects and varieties
3.4 Formal written English
3.5 Simplified and constructed varieties
4 Sounds/Phonology
4.1 Consonants
4.2 Vowels
4.3 Stress, rhythm and intonation
5.1 Morphology
5.2 Syntax
6 Vocabulary/Lexis
6.1 Register effects
6.2 Number of words in English
6.3 Word origins
6.3.1 Words of Old Norse origin
6.3.2 Words of French origin
6.3.3 Words of Dutch and Low German origin
11 Bibliography
See also: Anglosphere
Modern English, sometimes described as the first global lingua franca,[5][21] is the world's mostly widely used language in communications, science, information technology, business, entertainment, radio, and diplomacy[22] and the required international language of seafaring[23] and aviation.[24] Its spread beyond the British Isles began with the growth of the English overseas possessions, and by the 19th century the reach of the British Empire was global.[25] As a result of overseas colonization from the 16th to 19th centuries, it became the dominant language in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The growing economic and cultural influence of the US and its status as a global superpower since the Second World War have significantly accelerated the spread of the language across the planet.[21][4] English replaced German as the dominant language of science-related Nobel Prize laureates during the second half of the 20th century.[26] It achieved parity with French as a language of diplomacy at the Treaty of Versailles negotiations in 1919.[27][28] By the time of the foundation of the United Nations after World War II, English had become pre-eminent[29][30] and is now the language of diplomacy and international relations.[31]
A working knowledge of English has become a requirement in a number of fields, occupations and professions such as medicine and computing; as a consequence, more than a billion people speak English to at least a basic level (see English as a second or foreign language). It is one of six official languages of the United Nations.[32]
One impact of the growth of English is the reduction of native linguistic diversity in many parts of the world. The influence of English continues to play an important role in language attrition.[33] Conversely, the natural internal variety of English along with creoles and pidgins have the potential to produce new distinct languages from English over time.[34]
Classification and related languages
Germanic family
The English language belongs to the Anglo-Frisian sub-group of the West Germanic branch of the Germanic languages, a member of the Indo-European languages. Modern English is the direct descendant of Middle English, itself a direct descendant of Old English, a descendant of the Proto-Germanic language. Typical of most Germanic languages, English is characterised by the use of modal verbs, the division of verbs into strong and weak classes, and common sound shifts from Proto-Indo-European known as Grimm's law. The closest living relatives of English (besides the English languages and English-based creole languages) are the Frisian languages of the southern fringes of the North Sea in the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark.
After Frisian come those Germanic languages that are more distantly related: the non-Anglo-Frisian West Germanic languages (Dutch, Afrikaans, Low German, High German, Yiddish), and the North Germanic languages (Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese). No Continental Germanic language is mutually intelligible with English, owing in part to divergences in lexis, syntax, semantics, and phonology, and to the isolation afforded to English by the British Isles, although some, such as Dutch, do show strong affinities with English, especially to its earlier stages. Isolation has allowed English (as well as Icelandic and Faroese) to develop independently of the Continental Germanic languages and their influences.[35]
The 2nd-century Øvre Stabu spearhead, which reads Raunijaz ("tester") in North Proto-Germanic, one of the earliest written samples of a Germanic language.
In addition to isolation, lexical differences between English and other Germanic languages have evolved through diachronic change, semantic drift, and due to substantial borrowing in English of words from other languages, especially Latin and French (though borrowing is in no way unique to English). For example, compare "exit" (Latin), vs. Dutch uitgang and German Ausgang (literally "out-going", though outgang continues to survive dialectally) and "change" (French) vs. Dutch verandering and German Änderung (literally "elsing, othering", i.e. "alteration"); "movement" (French) vs. Dutch beweging and German Bewegung ("beway-ing", i.e. "proceeding along the way"); etc. With the exception of exit (a Modern English borrowing), Middle English had already distanced itself from other Germanic languages, having the terms wharf, schift (="shift"), and wending for "change"; and already by Old English times the word bewegan meant "to cover, envelop", rather than "to move". Preference of one synonym over another also causes differentiation in lexis, even where both words are Germanic, as in English care vs. German Sorge. Both words descend from Proto-Germanic *karō and *surgō respectively, but *karō has become the dominant word in English for "care" while in German, Dutch, and Scandinavian languages, the *surgō root prevailed. *Surgō still survives in English, however, as sorrow.
Despite extensive lexical borrowing, the workings of the English language are resolutely Germanic, and English is rightly classified as a Germanic language due to its structure and grammar. Borrowed words get incorporated into a Germanic system of conjugation, declension, and syntax, and behave exactly as though they were native Germanic words from Old English. For example, the word reduce is borrowed from Latin redūcere; however, in English one says "I reduce – I reduced – I will reduce" rather than "redūcō – redūxī – redūcam"; likewise, we say: "John's life insurance company" (cf. Dutch "Johns levensverzekeringsmaatschappij" [= leven (life) + verzekering (insurance) + maatschappij (company)] rather than "the company of insurance life of John", cf. the French: la compagnie d'assurance-vie de John). Furthermore, in English, all basic grammatical particles added to nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are Germanic. For nouns, these include the normal plural marker -s/-es (apple – apples; cf. Frisian appel – appels; Dutch appel – appels; Afrikaans appel – appels), and the possessive markers -'s (Brad's hat; German Brads Hut; Danish Brads hat) and -s' .
For verbs, these particles include the third-person present ending -s/-es (e.g. he stands/he reaches ), the present participle ending -ing (cf. Dutch and German -end(e)), the simple past tense and past participle ending -ed (Swedish -ade/-ad), and the formation of the English infinitive using to (e.g. "to drive"; cf. Old English tō drīfenne; Dutch te drijven; Low German to drieven; German zu treiben). Adverbs generally receive an -ly ending (cf. German -lich; Swedish -ligt), and adjectives and adverbs are inflected for the comparative and superlative using -er and -est (e.g. hard/harder/hardest; cf. Dutch hard/harder/hardst), or through a combination with more and most (cf. Swedish mer and mest). These particles append freely to all English words regardless of origin (tsunamis; communicates; to buccaneer; during; calmer; bizarrely) and all derive from Old English. Even the lack or absence of affixes, known as zero or null (-Ø) affixes, derives from endings that previously existed in Old English (usually -e, -a, -u, -o, -an, etc.), that later weakened to -e, and have since ceased to be pronounced and spelt (e.g. Modern English "I sing" = I sing-Ø < I singe < Old English ic singe; "we thought" = we thought-Ø < we thoughte(n) < Old English wē þōhton).
Impact of Old Norse
Due to the Viking colonisation and influence of Old Norse on Middle English, English syntax follows a pattern similar to that of North Germanic languages, such as Danish, Swedish, and Icelandic, in contrast with other West Germanic languages, such as Frisian, Dutch and German. This is especially evident in the order and placement of verbs. For example, English "I will never see you again" = Danish "Jeg vil aldrig se dig igen"; Icelandic "Ég mun aldrei sjá þig aftur", whereas in Dutch and German the main verb is placed at the end (e.g. Dutch "Ik zal je nooit weer zien"; German "Ich werde dich nie wieder sehen", literally, "I will you never again see"). This is also observable in perfect tense constructions, as in English "I have never seen anything in the square" = Danish "Jeg har aldrig set noget på torvet"; Icelandic "Ég hef aldrei séð neitt á torginu", where Dutch and German place the past participle at the end (e.g. Dutch "Ik heb niets op het plein gezien"; German "Ich habe nie etwas auf dem Platz gesehen", literally, "I have never anything in the square seen"). As in most Germanic languages, English adjectives usually come before the noun they modify, even when the adjective is of Latinate origin (e.g. medical emergency, national treasure). English continues to make extensive use of self-explaining compounds (e.g. streetcar, classroom) and nouns that serve as modifiers (e.g. lamp post, life insurance company) – traits inherited from Old English (see Kenning).
The kinship with other Germanic languages can also be seen in the tensing of English verbs (e.g. English fall/fell/fallen/will or shall fall, West Frisian fal/foel/fallen/sil falle, Dutch vallen/viel/gevallen/zullen vallen, German fallen/fiel/gefallen/werden fallen, Norwegian faller/falt/falt or falne/vil or skal falle), the comparatives of adjectives and adverbs (e.g. English good/better/best, West Frisian goed/better/best, Dutch goed/beter/best, German gut/besser/best), the treatment of nouns (English shoemaker, shoemaker's, shoemakers, shoemakers'; Dutch schoenmaker, schoenmakers, schoenmakers, schoenmakeren; Swedish skomakare, skomakares, skomakare, skomakares), and the large amount of cognates (e.g. English wet, Scots weet, West Frisian wiet, Swedish våt; English send, Dutch zenden, German senden; English meaning, Swedish mening, Icelandic meining, etc.).
It occasionally gives rise to false friends (e.g. English time vs Norwegian time, meaning "hour" [i.e. "a specific amount of time"]; English gift vs German Gift, meaning "poison" [i.e. "that which is given, dosage, dose"]), while differences in phonology can obscure words that really are related (tooth vs. German Zahn; compare Danish tand, North Frisian toth). Sometimes both semantics and phonology are different (German Zeit and Dutch tijd ("time") are related to English "tide", but the English word, through a transitional phase of meaning "period"/"interval", has come primarily to mean gravitational effects on the ocean by the moon (formerly expressed by ebb), though the original meaning is preserved in forms like tidings and betide, and phrases such as to tide over). However, a few other Germanic languages share this same semantic shift, namely Low German (Tīde = "tide of the sea") and Dutch (getijde, tij = "tide of the sea").
Some North Germanic words entered English from the settlement of Viking raiders and Danish invasions that began around the 9th century (see Danelaw). Many of these words are common and are often mistaken for being native, which shows how close-knit the relations between the English and the Scandinavian settlers were (see below: Words of Old Norse origin). Dutch and Low German also had a considerable influence on English vocabulary, contributing common everyday terms and many nautical and trading terms (see below: Words of Dutch and Low German origin).
Some words in English are probably of Scandinavian origin, other than Old Norse, but are difficult to trace with certainty.
Comparison to other Germanic languages
English has been forming compound words and affixing existing words separately from the other Germanic languages for more than 1500 years but shows different patterns in this regard. For instance, abstract nouns in English may be formed from native words by the suffixes "‑hood", "-ship", "-dom" and "-ness". All of these suffixes have cognates in most or all other Germanic languages, but their usage has diverged, as German "Freiheit" and Dutch "vrijheid" vs. English "freedom" (the suffix "-heit"/"-heid" being cognate with English "-hood", while English "-dom" is cognate with German "-tum" and Dutch "-dom"; but note North Frisian fridoem and Norwegian fridom, "freedom"). The Germanic languages Icelandic and Faroese follow English in this respect, since, like English, they developed independent of German influences.
French influence on lexis
Many French words are intelligible to an English speaker, especially when they are seen in writing (as pronunciations are often quite different), because English absorbed a large number of lexical terms from Norman, via Anglo-Norman after the Norman Conquest, and directly from French in subsequent centuries. As a result, a large portion of English vocabulary is made up of words derived from French, with some minor spelling differences (e.g. inflectional endings, use of old French spellings, lack of diacritics, etc.), as well as occasional divergences in meaning of so-called false friends: for example, compare "library" with the French librairie, which means bookstore; in French, the word for "library" is bibliothèque. The pronunciation of most French loanwords in English (with the exception of a handful of more recently borrowed words such as mirage, genre, café; or phrases like coup d'état, rendez-vous, etc.) has become largely anglicised and follows a typically English phonology and pattern of stress (compare English "nature" vs. French nature, "button" vs. bouton, "table" vs. table, "hour" vs. heure, "reside" vs. résider, etc.).
Main article: English-speaking world
See also: List of countries where English is an official language, List of countries by English-speaking population and British Empire
Pie chart showing the relative proportions of native English speakers in the major English-speaking countries of the world.
UK (14%)
Nigeria (0.9%)
New Zealand (0.9%)
Other (18.2%)
Approximately 359 million people speak English as their first language. English today is probably the third largest language by number of native speakers, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.[6][36] However, when combining native and non-native speakers it is probably the most commonly spoken language in the world.[37][38]
Estimates that include second language speakers vary greatly from 470 million to more than a billion depending on how literacy or mastery is defined and measured.[39] Linguistics professor David Crystal calculates that non-native speakers now outnumber native speakers by a ratio of 3 to 1.[38]
The countries with the highest populations of native English speakers are, in descending order: the United States (229 million),[40] the United Kingdom (60 million),[2] Canada (18.2 million),[41] Australia (15.5 million),[42] Nigeria (4 million),[43] Ireland (3.8 million),[2] South Africa (3.7 million),[44] and New Zealand (3.6 million) in a 2006 Census.[45]
Countries such as the Philippines, Jamaica and Nigeria also have millions of native speakers of dialect continua ranging from an English-based creole to a more standard version of English. Of those nations where English is spoken as a second language, India has the most such speakers (see Indian English). Crystal claims that, combining native and non-native speakers, India now has more people who speak or understand English than any other country in the world.[46][47]
Countries where English is a major language
Main article: List of countries where English is an official language
English is the primary language in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the British Virgin Islands, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guam, Guernsey, Guyana, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Jamaica, Jersey, Montserrat, Nauru, New Zealand, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, South Africa, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the United Kingdom and the United States.
In some countries where English is not the most spoken language, it is an official language. English is also an important language in several former colonies and protectorates of the United Kingdom, such as Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cyprus, Malaysia, Malta and the United Arab Emirates.
Percent of national populations with knowledge of English
See also: English in computing, International English, World Englishes, World language and English as a second or foreign language
Because English is so widely spoken, it has often been referred to as a "world language", the lingua franca of the modern era,[21] and while it is not an official language in most countries, it is currently the language most often taught as a foreign language.[4][21] It is, by international treaty, the official language for aeronautical[48] and maritime[49] communications. English is one of the official languages of the United Nations and many other international organisations, including the International Olympic Committee.
This increasing use of the English language globally has had a large impact on many other languages, leading to language shift and even language death,[33] and to claims of linguistic imperialism.[50] English itself has become more open to language shift as multiple regional varieties feed back into the language as a whole.[50]
Dialects and varieties
Main article: List of dialects of the English language
Image of the highly-recognizable water tower in Florence, Kentucky highlighting the local speech variety of English. Photo taken by C. Matthew Curtin of Columbus, Ohio.
English has been subject to a large degree of regional dialect variation for many centuries. Its global spread now means that a large number of dialects and English-based creole languages and pidgins have evolved all over the world. The major native dialects of English are often divided by linguists into the three general categories of the British Isles dialects, those of North America and those of Australasia.[39]
Several educated native dialects of English have wide acceptance as standards in much of the world. In the United Kingdom, the Received Pronunciation, an educated dialect of South East England, is used as the broadcast standard. General American, which is spread over most of the United States, is more typically the model for the United States. In Oceania, the major native dialect of Australian English is spoken as a first language by the vast majority of the inhabitants of the Australian continent, with General Australian serving as the standard accent. The English of neighbouring New Zealand as well as that of Ireland have to a lesser degree become influential standard varieties of the language.
Aside from these major dialects, numerous other varieties of English exist, which include, in most cases, several subvarieties, such as Cockney, Scouse and Geordie within British English; Newfoundland English within Canadian English; and African American Vernacular English ("Ebonics") and Southern American English within American English. English is a pluricentric language, without a central language authority like France's Académie française; and therefore no one variety is considered "correct" or "incorrect" except in terms of the expectations of the particular audience to which the language is directed.
A Book of Psalms printed in the reign of James VI and I, in Scottish English
Scots has its origins in early Northern Middle English[51] and developed and changed during its history with influence from other sources. However, following the Acts of Union 1707 a process of language attrition began, whereby successive generations adopted more and more features from Standard English. Whether Scots is now a separate language or is better described as a dialect of English (i.e. part of Scottish English) remains in dispute, although the UK government accepts Scots as a regional language and has recognised it as such under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.[52] Scots itself has a number of regional dialects: pronunciation, grammar and lexis of the traditional forms differ, sometimes substantially, from other varieties of English.
English-speakers have many different accents, which often signal the speaker's native dialect or language. For the most distinctive characteristics of regional accents, see regional accents of English, and for a complete list of regional dialects, see list of dialects of the English language. Within England, variation is now largely confined to pronunciation rather than grammar or vocabulary. At the time of the Survey of English Dialects, grammar and vocabulary differed across the country, but a process of lexical attrition has led most of this variation to die out.[53]
Just as English itself has borrowed words from many different languages over its history, English loanwords now appear in many languages around the world, indicative of the technological and cultural influence of its speakers. Several pidgins and creole languages have formed on an English base, such as Jamaican Patois, Nigerian Pidgin, and Tok Pisin. There are many words in English coined to describe forms of particular non-English languages that contain a very high proportion of English words.
Formal written English
Main article: Formal written English
A version of the language almost universally agreed upon by educated English-speakers around the world is called formal written English. It takes virtually the same form regardless of where it is written, in contrast to spoken English, which differs significantly between dialects, accents, and varieties of slang and of colloquial and regional expressions. Local variations in the formal written version of the language are quite limited, being restricted largely to minor spelling, lexical and grammatical differences between different national varieties of English (e.g. British, American, Indian, Australian, South African, etc.).
Simplified and constructed varieties
Artificially simplified versions of the language have been created that are easier for non-native speakers to read. Basic English is a constructed language, with a restricted number of words, created by Charles Kay Ogden and described in his book Basic English: A General Introduction with Rules and Grammar (1930). Ogden said that it would take seven years to learn English, seven months for Esperanto, and seven weeks for Basic English.[citation needed] Thus, Basic English may be employed by companies that need to make complex books for international use, as well as by language schools that need to impart some knowledge of English in a short time.
Ogden did not include any words in Basic English that could be said instead with a combination of other words already in the Basic English lexicon, and he worked to make the vocabulary suitable for speakers of any other language. He put his vocabulary selections through a large number of tests and adjustments. Ogden simplified the grammar but tried to keep it normal for English users. Although it was not built into a programme, similar simplifications were devised for various international uses.
Simplified English is a controlled language originally developed for aerospace industry maintenance manuals. It employs a carefully limited and standardised[54] subset of English. Simplified English has a lexicon of approved words and those words can only be used in certain ways. For example, the word close can be used in the phrase "Close the door" but not "do not go close to the landing gear".
Other constructed varieties of English include:
E-Prime excludes forms of the verb to be.
English reform is an attempt to improve collectively upon the English language.
Manually Coded English consists of a variety of systems that have been developed to represent the English language with hand signals, designed primarily for use in deaf education. These should not be confused with true sign languages such as British Sign Language and American Sign Language used in Anglophone countries, which are independent and not based on English.
Seaspeak and the related Airspeak and PoliceSpeak, all based on restricted vocabularies, were designed by Edward Johnson starting from the 1980s to aid international co-operation and communication in specific areas.
Special English is a simplified version of English used by the Voice of America. It uses a vocabulary of only 1500 words.
Sounds/Phonology
Main article: English phonology
The phonology (sound system) of English differs between dialects. The descriptions below are most closely applicable to the standard varieties known as Received Pronunciation (RP) and General American. For information concerning a range of other varieties, see IPA chart for English dialects.
The table below shows the system of consonant phonemes that functions in most major varieties of English. The symbols are from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), and are used in the pronunciation keys of many dictionaries. For more detailed information see English phonology: Consonants.
p b t d k ɡ
tʃ dʒ
f v θ ð s z ʃ ʒ (x) h
/Lateral
r j w
Where consonants are given in pairs (as with "p b"), the first is voiceless, the second is voiced. Most of the symbols represent the same sounds as they normally do when used as letters (see Writing system below), but /j/ represents the initial sound of yacht. The symbol /ʃ/ represents the sh sound, /ʒ/ the middle sound of vision, /tʃ/ the ch sound, /dʒ/ the sound of j in jump, /θ/ and /ð/ the th sounds in thing and this respectively, and /ŋ/ the ng sound in sing. The voiceless velar fricative /x/ is not a regular phoneme in most varieties of English, although it is used by some speakers in Scots/Gaelic words such as loch or in other loanwords such as Chanukah.
Some of the more significant variations in the pronunciation of consonants are these:
In non-rhotic varieties of English (the southern British standard and related dialects), /r/ has been lost except before vowels (still pronounced in "real", "very", but not in "car", "cart").[55] The actual pronunciation of /r/ varies between dialects; most common is the alveolar approximant [ɹ].
In North American English and Australian English, /t/ and /d/ are flapped [ɾ] in many positions between vowels.[56] This means that word pairs such as latter and ladder may approach homophones for speakers of these dialects.
The th sounds /θ/ and /ð/ are sometimes pronounced as /f/ and /v/ in Cockney, and as dental plosives (contrasting with the usual alveolar plosives) in some Irish varieties. In African American Vernacular English, /ð/ has merged with dental /d/.
A voiceless w, [ʍ], sometimes written /hw/, for the wh in words like when and which, is preserved in Scottish and Irish English and by some speakers elsewhere.
The voiceless plosives /p/, /t/ and /k/ are frequently aspirated, particularly at the start of stressed syllables, but they are not aspirated after an initial /s/, as in spin.
The system of vowel phonemes and their pronunciation is subject to significant variation between dialects. The table below lists the vowels found in Received Pronunciation (RP) and General American, with examples of words in which they occur. The vowels are represented with symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet; those given for RP are in relatively standard use in British dictionaries and other publications. For more detailed information see English phonology: Vowels.
ɪ ɪ bid
æ æ back
ɒ (ɑ) box
ɔː ɔ paw
monophthongs (cont.)
ʊ ʊ good
ʌ ʌ but
ə ə comma
(ɪ) ɨ roses
diphthongs
eɪ eɪ bay
aɪ aɪ cry
aʊ aʊ cow
ɔɪ ɔɪ boy
ɪə (ɪr) fear
ɛə (ɛr) fair
ʊə (ʊr) lure
Some points to note:
For words which in RP have /ɒ/, most North American dialects have /ɑ/ (as in the example of box above) or /ɔ/ (as in cloth). However some North American varieties do not have the vowel /ɔ/ at all (except before /r/); see cot–caught merger.
In present-day Received Pronunciation, the realisation of the /æ/ phoneme is more open than the symbol suggests, and is closer to [a], as in most other accents in Britain. The sound [æ] is now found only in conservative RP.[57]
In General American and some other rhotic accents, the combination of vowel+/r/ is often realised as an r-coloured vowel. For example, butter /ˈbʌtər/ is pronounced with an r-coloured schwa, [ɚ]. Similarly nurse contains the r-coloured vowel [ɝ].
The vowel conventionally written /ʌ/ is actually pronounced more centrally, as [ɐ], in RP. In the northern half of England this vowel is replaced by /ʊ/ (so cut rhymes with put).
In unstressed syllables there may or may not be a distinction between /ə/ (schwa) and /ɪ/ (/ɨ/). So for some speakers there is no difference between roses and Rosa's. For more information see Reduced vowels in English.
The diphthongs /eɪ/ and /əʊ/ (/oʊ/) tend towards the monophthongal pronunciations [eː] and [oː] in some dialects, including Canadian, Scottish, Irish and Northern English.
In parts of North America /aɪ/ is pronounced [ʌɪ] before voiceless consonants. This is particularly true in Canada, where /aʊ/ is also pronounced [ʌʊ] in this position. See Canadian raising.
The sound /ʊə/ is coming to be replaced by /ɔː/ in many words; for example, sure is often pronounced like shore. See English-language vowel changes before historic r.
English is a strongly stressed language. In content words of any number of syllables, as well as function words of more than one syllable, there will be at least one syllable with lexical stress. An example of this is civilization, in which the first and fourth syllables carry stress, and the other syllables are unstressed.[58] The position of stress in English words is not predictable. English has strong prosodic stress: typically the last stressed syllable of a phrase receives extra emphasis, but this may also occur on words to which a speaker wishes to draw attention. As regards rhythm, English is classed as a stress-timed language: one in which there is a tendency for the time intervals between stressed syllables to become equal, and therefore to shorten unstressed syllables. It is uncertain when English became stress-timed, but as most other surviving Germanic languages are it may date to before the break-up of proto-West Germanic.
Stress in English is sometimes phonemic; that is, capable of distinguishing words. In particular, many words used as verbs and nouns have developed different stress patterns for each use: for example, increase is stressed on the first syllable as a noun, giving increase, but on the second syllable as a verb, giving increase; see also Initial-stress-derived noun. Closely related to stress in English is the process of vowel reduction; for example, in the noun contract the first syllable is stressed and contains the vowel /ɒ/ (in RP), whereas in the verb contract the first syllable is unstressed and its vowel is reduced to /ə/ (schwa).[59] The same process applies to certain common function words like of, which are pronounced with different vowels depending on whether or not they are stressed within the sentence. For more details, see Reduced vowels in English. Despite these practices, phonemic stress in English is generally a convention rather than essential to distinguish homophones: in both these examples, whether the word is being used as a noun or verb should normally be clear from context.
As concerns intonation, the pitch of the voice is used syntactically in English; for example, to convey whether the speaker is certain or uncertain about the polarity: most varieties of English use falling pitch for definite statements, and rising pitch to express uncertainty, as in yes–no questions. There is also a characteristic change of pitch on strongly stressed syllables, particularly on the "nuclear" (most strongly stressed) syllable in a sentence or intonation group. For more details see Intonation (linguistics): Intonation in English.
Main article: English grammar
English grammar has minimal inflection compared with most other Indo-European languages. For example, Modern English, unlike Modern German or Dutch and the Romance languages, lacks grammatical gender and adjectival agreement. Case marking has almost disappeared from the language and mainly survives in pronouns. The patterning of strong (e.g. speak/spoke/spoken) versus weak verbs (e.g. love/loved or kick/kicked) inherited from its Germanic origins has declined in importance in modern English, and the remnants of inflection (such as plural marking) have become more regular.
The language is moderately analytic.[60] It has developed features such as modal verbs and word order as resources for conveying meaning. Auxiliary verbs mark constructions such as questions, negative polarity, the passive voice and progressive aspect. English word order has moved from the Germanic V2 word order to being almost exclusively subject–verb–object; as English makes extensive use of auxiliary verbs, this will often create clusters of two or more verbs at the centre of the sentence, such as "he had hoped to try to open it" although there is an argument that English is technically a mix word order language because it still has many uses of V2 word order then SVO word order.[61] The long literary history of English has also created many conventions regarding the use of techniques such as verbal nouns and relative clauses to express complex ideas in formal writing.
Vocabulary/Lexis
English vocabulary has changed considerably over the centuries.[62]
Like many languages deriving from Proto-Indo-European (PIE), many of the most common words in English can trace back their origin (through the Germanic branch) to PIE. Such words include the basic pronouns I, from Old English ic, (cf. German Ich, Gothic ik, Latin ego, Greek ego, Sanskrit aham), me (cf. German mich, mir, Gothic mik, mīs, Latin mē, Greek eme, Sanskrit mam), numbers (e.g. one, two, three, cf. Dutch een, twee, drie, Gothic ains, twai, threis (þreis), Latin ūnus, duo, trēs, Greek oinos "ace (on dice)", duo, treis), common family relationships such as mother, father, brother, sister etc. (cf. Dutch moeder, Greek meter, Latin mater, Sanskrit matṛ; mother), names of many animals (cf. German Maus, Dutch muis, Sanskrit mus, Greek mus, Latin mūs; mouse), and many common verbs (cf. Old High German knājan, Old Norse kná, Greek gignōmi, Latin gnoscere, Hittite kanes; to know).
Germanic words (generally words of Old English or to a lesser extent Old Norse origin) tend to be shorter than Latinate words, and are more common in ordinary speech, and include nearly all the basic pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, modal verbs etc. that form the basis of English syntax and grammar. The shortness of the words is generally due to syncope in Middle English (e.g. OldEng hēafod > ModEng head, OldEng sāwol > ModEng soul) and to the loss of final syllables due to stress (e.g. OldEng gamen > ModEng game, OldEng ǣrende > ModEng errand), not because Germanic words are inherently shorter than Latinate words (the lengthier, higher-register words of Old English were largely forgotten following the subjugation of English after the Norman Conquest, and most of the Old English lexis devoted to literature, the arts, and sciences ceased to be productive when it fell into disuse. Only the shorter, more direct, words of Old English tended to pass into the Modern language.)
Consequently, those words which tend to be regarded as elegant or educated in Modern English are usually Latinate. However, the excessive use of Latinate words is considered at times to be either pretentious or an attempt to obfuscate an issue. George Orwell's essay "Politics and the English Language", considered an important scrutinisation of the English language, is critical of this, as well as other perceived misuses of the language.
An English speaker is in many cases able to choose between Germanic and Latinate synonyms: come or arrive; sight or vision; freedom or liberty. In some cases, there is a choice between a Germanic derived word (oversee), a Latin derived word (supervise), and a French word derived from the same Latin word (survey); or even Germanic words derived from Norman French (e.g., warranty) and Parisian French (guarantee), and even choices involving multiple Germanic and Latinate sources are possible: sickness (Old English), ill (Old Norse), infirmity (French), affliction (Latin). Such synonyms harbour a variety of different meanings and nuances. Yet the ability to choose between multiple synonyms is not a consequence of French and Latin influence, as this same richness existed in English prior to the extensive borrowing of French and Latin terms. Old English was extremely resourceful in its ability to express synonyms and shades of meaning on its own, in many respects rivalling or exceeding that of Modern English (synonyms numbering in the thirties for certain concepts were not uncommon).
Take for instance the various ways to express the word "astronomer" or "astrologer" in Old English: tunglere, tungolcræftiga, tungolwītega, tīdymbwlātend, tīdscēawere.[63] In Modern English, however, the roles of such synonyms have largely been replaced by equivalents taken from Latin, French, and Greek, as English relies less on native elements for the creation of new words. Familiarity with the etymology of groups of synonyms can give English speakers greater control over their linguistic register. See: List of Germanic and Latinate equivalents in English, Doublet (linguistics).
A commonly noted area where Germanic and French-derived words coexist is that of domestic or game animals and the meats produced from them. The nouns for meats are often different from, and unrelated to, those for the corresponding animals, the animal commonly having a Germanic name and the meat having a French-derived one. Examples include: deer and venison; cow and beef; swine/pig and pork; and sheep/lamb and mutton. This is assumed to be a result of the aftermath of the Norman conquest of England, where an Anglo-Norman-speaking elite were the consumers of the meat, produced by lower classes, which happened to be largely Anglo-Saxon, although a similar duality can also be seen in other languages like French, which did not undergo such linguistic upheaval (e.g. boeuf "beef" vs. vache "cow"). With the exception of beef and pork, the distinction today is gradually becoming less and less pronounced (venison is commonly referred to simply as deer meat, mutton is lamb, and chicken is both the animal and the meat over the more traditional term poultry. Use of the term mutton, however, remains, especially when referring to the meat of an older sheep, distinct from lamb; and poultry remains when referring to the meat of birds and fowls in general.)
There are Latinate words that are used in everyday speech. These words no longer appear Latinate and oftentimes have no Germanic equivalents. For instance, the words mountain, valley, river, aunt, uncle, move, use, and push are Latinate. Likewise, the inverse can occur: acknowledge, meaningful, understanding, mindful, lavish, behaviour, forbearance, behoove, forestall, allay, rhyme, starvation, embodiment come from Anglo-Saxon, and allegiance, abandonment, debutant, feudalism, seizure, guarantee, disregard, wardrobe, disenfranchise, disarray, bandolier, bourgeoisie, debauchery, scrutiny, scavenge, performance, furniture, gallantry are of Germanic origin, usually through the Germanic element in French, so it is oftentimes impossible to know the origin of a word based on its register.
English easily accepts technical terms into common usage and often imports new words and phrases. Examples of this phenomenon include contemporary words such as cookie, Internet and URL (technical terms), as well as genre, über, lingua franca and amigo (imported words/phrases from French, German, Italian, and Spanish, respectively). In addition, slang often provides new meanings for old words and phrases. In fact, this fluidity is so pronounced that a distinction often needs to be made between formal forms of English and contemporary usage.
Register effects
See also: sociolinguistics
It is well-established[64] that informal speech registers tend to be made up predominantly of words of Anglo-Saxon or Germanic origin, whereas the proportion of the vocabulary that is of Latinate origins is likely to be higher in legal, scientific, and otherwise scholarly or academic texts.
Child-directed speech, which is an informal speech register, also tends to rely heavily on vocabulary rife in words derived from Anglo-Saxon. The speech of mothers to young children has a higher percentage of native Anglo-Saxon verb tokens than speech addressed to adults.[65] In particular, in parents' child-directed speech the clausal core [66] is built in the most part by Anglo-Saxon verbs, namely, almost all tokens of the grammatical relations subject-verb, verb-direct object and verb-indirect object that young children are presented with, are constructed with native verbs.[67] The Anglo-Saxon verb vocabulary consists of short verbs, but its grammar is relatively complex. Syntactic patterns specific to this sub-vocabulary in present-day English include periphrastic constructions for tense, aspect, questioning and negation, and phrasal lexemes functioning as complex predicates, all of which also occur in child-directed speech.
The historical origin of vocabulary items affects the order of acquisition of various aspects of language development in English-speaking children. Latinate vocabulary is in general a later acquisition in children than the native Anglo-Saxon one.[68][69] Young children almost exclusively use the native verb vocabulary in constructing basic grammatical relations, apparently mastering its analytic aspects at an early stage.[67]
Number of words in English
The vocabulary of English is undoubtedly very large, but assigning a specific number to its size is more a matter of definition than of calculation – and there is no official source to define accepted English words and spellings in the way that the French Académie française and similar bodies do for other languages.
Archaic, dialectal, and regional words might or might not be widely considered as "English", and neologisms are continually coined in medicine, science, technology and other fields, along with new slang and adopted foreign words. Some of these new words enter wide usage while others remain restricted to small circles.
The General Explanations at the beginning of the Oxford English Dictionary states:
The Vocabulary of a widely diffused and highly cultivated living language is not a fixed quantity circumscribed by definite limits... there is absolutely no defining line in any direction: the circle of the English language has a well-defined centre but no discernible circumference.
The current FAQ for the OED further states:
How many words are there in the English language? There is no single sensible answer to this question. It's impossible to count the number of words in a language, because it's so hard to decide what actually counts as a word.[70]
The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition (OED2) includes over 600,000 definitions, following a rather inclusive policy:
It embraces not only the standard language of literature and conversation, whether current at the moment, or obsolete, or archaic, but also the main technical vocabulary, and a large measure of dialectal usage and slang (Supplement to the OED, 1933).[71]
The editors of Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged include 475,000 main headwords, but in their preface they estimate the true number to be much higher. Comparisons of the vocabulary size of English to that of other languages are generally not taken very seriously by linguists and lexicographers. Besides the fact that dictionaries will vary in their policies for including and counting entries,[72] what is meant by a given language and what counts as a word do not have simple definitions. Also, a definition of word that works for one language may not work well in another,[73] with differences in morphology and orthography making cross-linguistic definitions and word-counting difficult, and potentially giving very different results.[74] Linguist Geoffrey K. Pullum has gone so far as to compare concerns over vocabulary size (and the notion that a supposedly larger lexicon leads to "greater richness and precision") to an obsession with penis length.[75]
In December 2010 a joint Harvard/Google study found the language to contain 1,022,000 words and to expand at the rate of 8,500 words per year.[76] The findings came from a computer analysis of 5,195,769 digitised books. Others have estimated a rate of growth of 25,000 words each year.[77]
Main article: Lists of English loanwords by country or language of origin
One of the consequences of the French influence is that the vocabulary of English is, to a certain extent, divided between those words that are Germanic (mostly West Germanic, with a smaller influence from the North Germanic branch) and those that are "Latinate" (derived directly from Latin, or through Norman French or other Romance languages). The situation is further compounded, as French, particularly Old French and Anglo-French, were also contributors in English of significant numbers of Germanic words, mostly from the Frankish and Old Norse elements in French (see List of English Latinates of Germanic origin).
The majority (estimates range from roughly 50%[78] to more than 80%[79]) of the thousand most common English words are Germanic. However, the majority of more advanced words in subjects such as the sciences, philosophy and mathematics come from Latin or Greek, with Arabic also providing many words in astronomy, mathematics, and chemistry.
Source of the most frequent 7,476 English words
1st 100
1st 1,000
2nd 1,000
Germanic 97% 57% 39% 36%
Italic 3% 36% 51% 51%
Hellenic 0 4% 4% 7%
Others 0 3% 6% 6%
Source: Nation 2001, p. 265
Numerous sets of statistics have been proposed to demonstrate the proportionate origins of English vocabulary. None, as yet, is considered definitive by most linguists.
A computerised survey of about 80,000 words in the old Shorter Oxford Dictionary (3rd ed.) was published in Ordered Profusion by Thomas Finkenstaedt and Dieter Wolff (1973)[80] that estimated the origin of English words as follows:
Influences in English vocabulary
Langues d'oïl, including French and Old Norman: 28.3%
Latin, including modern scientific and technical Latin: 28.24%
Germanic languages (including words directly inherited from Old English; does not include Germanic words coming from the Germanic element in French, Latin or other Romance languages): 25%
Greek: 5.32%
No etymology given: 4.03%
Derived from proper names: 3.28%
All other languages: less than 1%
A survey by Joseph M. Williams in Origins of the English Language of 10,000 words taken from several thousand business letters gave this set of statistics:[81]
French (langue d'oïl): 41%
"Native" English: 33%
Latin: 15%
Old Norse: 2%
Dutch: 1%
Other: 10%
Words of Old Norse origin
Main article: List of English words of Old Norse origin
Many words of Old Norse origin have entered the English language, primarily from the Viking colonisation of eastern and northern England between 800–1000 during the Danelaw. These include common words such as anger, awe, bag, big, birth, blunder, both, cake, call, cast, cosy, cross, cut, die, dirt, drag, drown, egg, fellow, flat, flounder, gain, get, gift, give, guess, guest, gust, hug, husband, ill, kid, law, leg, lift, likely, link, loan, loose, low, mistake, odd, race (running), raise, root, rotten, same, scale, scare, score, seat, seem, sister, skill, skin, skirt, skull, sky, stain, steak, sway, take, though, thrive, Thursday, tight, till (until), trust, ugly, want, weak, window, wing, wrong, the pronoun they (and its forms), and even the verb are (the present plural form of to be) through a merger of Old English and Old Norse cognates.[82] More recent Scandinavian imports include angstrom, fjord, geyser, kraken, litmus, nickel, ombudsman, saga, ski, slalom, smorgasbord, and tungsten.
Words of French origin
Main article: List of English words of French origin
See also: French phrases used by English speakers
A large portion of English vocabulary is of French or Langues d'oïl origin, and was transmitted to English via the Anglo-Norman language spoken by the upper classes in England in the centuries following the Norman Conquest. Words of Norman French origin include competition, mountain, art, table, publicity, role, pattern, joust, choice, and force. As a result of the length of time they have been in use in English, these words have been anglicised to fit English rules of phonology, pronunciation and spelling.
Some French words were adopted during the 17th to 19th centuries, when French was the dominant language of Western international politics and trade. These words can normally be distinguished because they retain French rules for pronunciation and spelling, including diacritics, are often phrases rather than single words, and are sometimes written in italics. Examples include police, routine, machine, façade, table d'hôte and affaire de cœur. These words and phrases retain their French spelling and pronunciation because historically their French origin was emphasised to denote the speaker as educated or well-travelled at a time when education and travelling was still restricted to the middle and upper classes, and so their use implied a higher social status in the user.
Words of Dutch and Low German origin
Main article: List of English words of Dutch origin
Many words describing the navy, types of ships, and other objects or activities on the water are of Dutch origin. Yacht, skipper, cruiser, flag, freight, furlough, breeze, hoist, iceberg, boom, duck ("fabric, cloth"), and maelstrom are examples. Other words pertain to art and daily life: easel, etch, slim, staple (Middle Dutch stapel "market"), slip (Middle Dutch slippen), landscape, cookie, curl, shock, aloof, boss, brawl (brallen "to boast"), smack (smakken "to hurl down"), shudder, scum, peg, coleslaw, waffle, dope (doop "dipping sauce"), slender (Old Dutch slinder), slight, gas, pump, pamper, stoop. Dutch has also contributed to English slang, e.g. spook, and the now obsolete snyder (tailor) and stiver (small coin).
Words from Low German include bluster, cower, dollar, drum, geek, grab, lazy, mate, monkey, mud, ogle, orlop, paltry, poll, poodle, prong, scurvy, smug, smuggle, trade.
Main articles: English alphabet, English braille and English orthography
Since around the 9th century, English has been written in the Latin script, which replaced Anglo-Saxon runes. The modern English alphabet contains 26 letters of the Latin script: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z (which also have majuscule, capital or uppercase forms: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z). Other symbols used in writing English include the ligatures, æ and œ (though these are no longer common). There is also some usage of diacritics, mainly in foreign loanwords (like the acute accent in café and exposé), and in the occasional use of a diaeresis to indicate that two vowels are pronounced separately (as in naïve, Zoë). For more information see English terms with diacritical marks.
The spelling system, or orthography, of English is multilayered, with elements of French, Latin and Greek spelling on top of the native Germanic system; further complications have arisen through sound changes with which the orthography has not kept pace. This means that, compared with many other languages, English spelling is not a reliable indicator of pronunciation and vice versa (it is not, generally speaking, a phonemic orthography).
Though letters and sounds may not correspond in isolation, spelling rules that take into account syllable structure, phonetics, and accents are 75% or more reliable.[83] Some phonics spelling advocates claim that English is more than 80% phonetic.[84] However, English has fewer consistent relationships between sounds and letters than many other languages; for example, the letter sequence ough can be pronounced in 10 different ways. The consequence of this complex orthographic history is that reading can be challenging.[85] It takes longer for students to become completely fluent readers of English than of many other languages, including French, Greek, and Spanish.[86] English-speaking children have been found to take up to two years longer to learn to read than children in 12 other European countries.[87]
As regards the consonants, the correspondence between spelling and pronunciation is fairly regular. The letters b, d, f, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w, z represent, respectively, the phonemes /b/, /d/, /f/, /h/, /dʒ/, /k/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /p/, /r/, /s/, /t/, /v/, /w/, /z/ (as tabulated in the Consonants section above). The letters c and g normally represent /k/ and /ɡ/, but there is also a soft c pronounced /s/, and a soft g pronounced /dʒ/. Some sounds are represented by digraphs: ch for /tʃ/, sh for /ʃ/, th for /θ/ or /ð/, ng for /ŋ/ (also ph is pronounced /f/ in Greek-derived words). Doubled consonant letters (and the combination ck) are generally pronounced as single consonants, and qu and x are pronounced as the sequences /kw/ and /ks/. The letter y, when used as a consonant, represents /j/. However this set of rules is not applicable without exception; many words have silent consonants or other cases of irregular pronunciation.
With the vowels, however, correspondences between spelling and pronunciation are even more irregular. As can be seen under Vowels above, there are many more vowel phonemes in English than there are vowel letters (a, e, i, o, u, y). This means that diphthongs and other long vowels often need to be indicated by combinations of letters (like the oa in boat and the ay in stay), or using a silent e or similar device (as in note and cake). Even these devices are not used consistently, so consequently vowel pronunciation remains the main source of irregularity in English orthography.
Main article: History of the English language
The first sentence of Beowulf (above) reads in Old English, "Hƿæt ƿē Gārdena ingēar dagum þēod cyninga þrym ge frunon," which means, "Listen! We of the Spear-Danes from days of yore have heard of the glory of the folk-kings."
English originated in the dialects of North Sea Germanic that were carried to Britain by Germanic settlers from various parts of what are now the Netherlands, northwest Germany, and Denmark.[88] Up to that point, in Roman Britain the native population is assumed to have spoken Common Brittonic, a Celtic language, alongside the acrolectal influence of Latin, due to the 400-year period of Roman Britain.[89] One of these incoming Germanic tribes was the Angles,[90] whom Bede believed to have relocated entirely to Britain.[91] The names 'England' (from Engla land[92] "Land of the Angles") and English (Old English Englisc[93]) are derived from the name of this tribe—but Saxons, Jutes and a range of Germanic peoples from the coasts of Frisia, Lower Saxony, Jutland and Southern Sweden also moved to Britain in this era.[94][95][96]
Initially, Old English was a diverse group of dialects, reflecting the varied origins of Anglo-Saxon England[97] but the West Saxon dialect eventually came to dominate, and it is in this that the poem Beowulf is written.
Old English was later transformed by two waves of invasion. The first was by speakers of the North Germanic language branch when Halfdan Ragnarsson and Ivar the Boneless started the conquering and colonisation of northern parts of the British Isles in the 8th and 9th centuries (see Danelaw). The second was by speakers of the Romance language Old Norman in the 11th century with the Norman conquest of England. Norman developed into Anglo-Norman, and then Anglo-French – and introduced a layer of words especially via the courts and government. As well as extending the lexicon with Scandinavian and Norman words, these two events simplified the grammar and transformed English into a borrowing language—unusually open to accepting new words from other languages.
The linguistic shifts in English following the Norman invasion produced what is now referred to as Middle English; Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales is its best-known work. Throughout this period, Latin in some form was the lingua franca of European intellectual life – first the Medieval Latin of the Christian Church, and later the humanist Renaissance Latin – and those who wrote or copied texts in Latin[18] commonly coined new terms from that language to refer to things or concepts for which there was no native English word.
Modern English, which includes the works of William Shakespeare[98] and the King James Version of the Bible, is generally dated from about 1550, and after the United Kingdom became a colonial power, English served as the lingua franca of the colonies of the British Empire. In the post-colonial period, some of the newly created nations that had multiple indigenous languages opted to continue using English as the lingua franca to avoid the political difficulties inherent in promoting any one indigenous language above the others. As a result of the growth of the British Empire, English was adopted in North America, India, Africa, Australia and many other regions – a trend that was reinforced by the emergence of the United States as a superpower in the mid-20th century. By the 21st century, it was more widely spoken and written than any language has ever been.[37]
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Hence we exclude all words that had become obsolete by 1150 [the end of the Old English era]... Dialectal words and forms which occur since 1500 are not admitted, except when they continue the history of the word or sense once in general use, illustrate the history of a word, or have themselves a certain literary currency.
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Jump up ^ McGuinness, Diane (1997) Why Our Children Can't Read, New York: Touchstone, pp. 156–169, ISBN 0684853566.
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Aarts, B (2006). "Grammar". In Brown, E. Keith; Anderson, Anne. Encyclopedia of language & linguistics. Sarah G. Thomason (foreword). Elsevier. pp. 113–115. ISBN 978-0-08-044299-0. Retrieved 6 February 2015. Lay summary (6 February 2015). – via ScienceDirect (Subscription may be required or content may be available in libraries.)
Ammon, Ulrich (2006). "Language Conflicts in the European Union: On finding a politically acceptable and practicable solution for EU institutions that satisfies diverging interests". Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 3-11-018418-4.
Ammon, Ulrich. "Pluricentric and Divided Languages". In Ammon, Ulrich N.; Dittmar, Norbert; Mattheier, Klaus J. et al. Sociolinguistics: An International Handbook of the Science of Language and Society / Soziolinguistik Ein internationales Handbuch zur Wissenschaft vov Sprache and Gesellschaft. Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science / Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft 3/2 2 (2nd completely revised and extended edition ed.). de Gruyter. pp. 1536–1543. ISBN 978-3-11-019425-8. Retrieved 19 December 2014. |displayeditors= suggested (help)
Annamalai, E (2006). "India: Language Situation". In Brown, E. Keith; Anderson, Anne. Encyclopedia of language & linguistics. Sarah G. Thomason (foreword). Elsevier. pp. 610–613. ISBN 978-0-08-044299-0. Retrieved 6 February 2015. Lay summary (6 February 2015). – via ScienceDirect (Subscription may be required or content may be available in libraries.)
Baugh, Albert C.; Cable, Thomas (2002). A History of the English Language (5th ed.). Longman. ISBN 978-0-13-015166-7.
Bryson, Bill (1990). The Mother Tongue - English And How It Got That Way:. Penguin. ISBN 0-14-014305-X.
Bragg, Melvyn (2004). The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language. Arcade Publishing. ISBN 1-55970-710-0.
Cheshire, Jenny (1991). English Around The World: Sociolinguistic Perspectives. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.2277/0521395658. ISBN 0-521-39565-8.
Crystal, David (2002). Language Death. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.2277/0521012716. ISBN 0-521-01271-6.
Crystal, David (2003a). English as a Global Language (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-521-53032-3. Retrieved 4 February 2015. Lay summary – Library of Congress (sample) (4 February 2015).
Crystal, David (2004). The Stories of English. Allen Lane. ISBN 0-7139-9752-4.
Crystal, David (19 November 2004b). "Subcontinent Raises Its Voice". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
Dunton-Downer, Leslie (2010). The English is Coming!: How One Language is Sweeping the World. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4391-7669-6. Retrieved 19 December 2014. Lay summary – Los Angeles Times (19 December 2014).
Durrell, M (2006). "Germanic Languages". In Brown, E. Keith; Anderson, Anne. Encyclopedia of language & linguistics. Sarah G. Thomason (foreword). Elsevier. pp. 53–55. ISBN 978-0-08-044299-0. Retrieved 6 February 2015. Lay summary (6 February 2015). – via ScienceDirect (Subscription may be required or content may be available in libraries.)
Graddol, David (2006). English Next: Why global English may mean the end of 'English as a Foreign Language'. The British Council. Retrieved 7 February 2015. Lay summary – ELT Journal (7 February 2015).
Graddol, David (2010). English Next India: The future of English in India. The British Council. ISBN 978-086355-627-2. Retrieved 7 February 2015. Lay summary – ELT Journal (7 February 2015).
Graddol, David; Leith, Dick; Swann, Joan; Rhys, Martin; Gillen, Julia, eds. (2007). Changing English. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-37679-2. Retrieved 11 February 2015. This textbook includes chapters by David Crystal, David Graddol, Dick Leith, Lynda Mugglestone, and Joan Swann.
Halliday, M.A.K.; Matthiessen, Christian M.I.M. (11 September 2013). Halliday's Introduction to Functional Grammar (4th ed.). Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-98341-3. Retrieved 1 February 2015. Lay summary (1 February 2015).
Howatt, Anthony Philip Reid; Widdowson, H. G. (28 October 2004). A history of English language teaching. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-442185-0. Retrieved 1 February 2015. Lay summary (1 February 2015).
Jambor, Paul Z. (April 2007). "English Language Imperialism: Points of View". Journal of English as an International Language 2: 103–123.
Lawler, J (2006). "Punctuation". In Brown, E. Keith; Anderson, Anne. Encyclopedia of language & linguistics. Sarah G. Thomason (foreword). Elsevier. pp. 290–291. ISBN 978-0-08-044299-0. Retrieved 6 February 2015. Lay summary (6 February 2015). – via ScienceDirect (Subscription may be required or content may be available in libraries.)
Lim, L; Ansaldo, U (2006). "Singapore: Language Situation". In Brown, E. Keith; Anderson, Anne. Encyclopedia of language & linguistics. Sarah G. Thomason (foreword). Elsevier. pp. 387–389. ISBN 978-0-08-044299-0. Retrieved 6 February 2015. Lay summary (6 February 2015). – via ScienceDirect (Subscription may be required or content may be available in libraries.)
McCrum, Robert; MacNeil, Robert; Cran, William (2003). The Story of English (Third Revised ed.). London: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-200231-5.
Mesthrie, Rajend (2006). "New Englishes and the native speaker debate". In Brown, E. Keith; Anderson, Anne. Encyclopedia of language & linguistics. Sarah G. Thomason (foreword). Elsevier. pp. 594–601. doi:10.1016/j.langsci.2010.08.002. ISBN 978-0-08-044299-0. Retrieved 6 February 2015. Lay summary (6 February 2015). – via ScienceDirect (Subscription may be required or content may be available in libraries.)
Mountford, J (2006). "English Spelling: Rationale". In Brown, E. Keith; Anderson, Anne. Encyclopedia of language & linguistics. Sarah G. Thomason (foreword). Elsevier. pp. 156–159. ISBN 978-0-08-044299-0. Retrieved 6 February 2015. Lay summary (6 February 2015). – via ScienceDirect (Subscription may be required or content may be available in libraries.)
Mulroy, D (2006). "Traditional Grammar". In Brown, E. Keith; Anderson, Anne. Encyclopedia of language & linguistics. Sarah G. Thomason (foreword). Elsevier. pp. 9–13. ISBN 978-0-08-044299-0. Retrieved 6 February 2015. Lay summary (6 February 2015). – via ScienceDirect (Subscription may be required or content may be available in libraries.)
Nation, I.S.P. (15 March 2001). Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. Cambridge University Press. p. 477. ISBN 0-521-80498-1. Retrieved 4 February 2015. Lay summary (4 February 2015).
Neijt, A (2006). "Spelling Reform". In Brown, E. Keith; Anderson, Anne. Encyclopedia of language & linguistics. Sarah G. Thomason (foreword). Elsevier. pp. 68–71. ISBN 978-0-08-044299-0. Retrieved 6 February 2015. Lay summary (6 February 2015). – via
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National Geographic : 1936 May
THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE Photograph by Richard H. Stewart SUMMER SUN MAKES OGDEN'S ARTESIAN WELLS GLOW LIKE WHITE TORCHES Myriad underground streams fed by snow and rain converge far below the surface here at Artesian Park, in Ogden Canyon, where a subterranean rock wall backs up the water. To tap the supply, 43 wells have been drilled. Compressed air, driven underground by electric pumps, forces daily to the surface as much as 16 million gallons of water, which is then piped to the city, about 10 miles down the canyon. A new power and irrigation dam will cause the inundation of this area. huge revolving filters, to make a product suitable for shipment to the Garfield smelter, which changes it into copper matte. In following the ore we descended the mountainside perhaps 500 feet. Gravity is made to do much of the work that other wise would require power machinery. The ore I saw treated is of low grade, aver aging one per cent copper, one-tenth of an ounce of silver, and one-hundredth of an ounce of gold to the ton. Were it not for the efficient methods used in mining and concen trating it, it could not be worked at the ex cellent profit now realized. UTAH A TREASURE CHEST OF MINERALS Mining in Utah is an industry of enor mous proportions. In 1929 the Common wealth as a producer ranked first in the Nation in silver, second in copper, third in lead, fourth in gold, and fifth in zinc. Be sides these common metals there are a be wildering array of others-a total of 210 useful minerals in the State! The United States Geological Survey esti mates at 196 billion tons the still unmined deposits of coal which underlie a fifth of the area of Utah-enough fuel to supply the whole country for 200 years at the present rate of consumption. From the Survey also come reports that Uinta Basin contains 92 billion tons of oil shale, which will yield 15 gallons to the ton, and that Washington and Iron Counties hold 40 million tons of iron ore. The region around Salt Lake City is one of the greatest nonferrous smelting centers of the world. In oil-drilling operations natural flows of carbon dioxide and helium gas have been developed, and natural gas has been found in several counties. Salt is produced by solar evaporation from Great Salt Lake, taken from mines in many locations, and raked up from the vast salt deserts. There are valuable deposits of semi-pre cious stones, such as jet, agate, chalcedony, jasper, garnet, opal, obsidian, olivinite, rock crystal, and topaz. What may result with the development of all the natural resources of Utah staggers the imagination. Soon after my Bingham adventure I went 620
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WE ACCEPT RETURNS + FREE GROUND SHIPPING WITHIN THE US
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UK's The Guardian - best cities for vintage fashion
The best cities for vintage fashion
Where's the best city to buy 1930s flapper dresses, 1950s Dior or a 1970s maxi? We pick the top cities for each decade, the labels to look for and the vintage clothes shops to find them in
Claire Coleman
guardian.co.uk, Friday 9 December 2011 17.44 EST
1930s, Berlin
Why? Artistic and musical movements are closely tied to fashion and Berlin was definitely a cultural hotspot at this time. Berliners had a reputation for louche and rebellious behaviour and the city was one of the great centres of Bauhuas as well as art deco. Fans of 30s fashion should also look to Chicago, which was the capital of jazz in the 30s.
What? Flapper dresses are a good buy – although you have to be thin and flat-chested to really pull them off – as are dresses cut on the bias. This style, which skims the body, started to appear around this time, and a bias-cut dress from the 1930s looks just as contemporary as anything you could buy now. Labels to look for include Louise Boulanger and Elsa Schiaparelli.
Try Schwarze Truhe, 54 Karl Kunger Strasse, +49 30 5321 2305,schwarzetruhe.de
1950s, Paris
1930s Berlin and, centre and right, 1950s Paris. Photographs: Everett Collection/Rex features; Bettmann/Corbis; Getty
Why? As the world began to rebuild after the war, Paris emerged as the centre of the fashion world. In the late 1940s and 50s Dior's New Look – all cinched waists and full skirts – transformed fashion and attracted luxury retailers from the US who came to Paris and then went home to create their versions of the looks that they saw. This was the decade when fashion became more of a world movement, with similar shapes being created across the globe.
What? New Look style dresses which expose the arms and cinch at the waist before flaring out, and almost cylindrical bolero jackets that emphasise the waist. Keep an eye out for anything from Christian Dior, obviously, but also British designers such as royal couturier, Norman Hartnell, and Hardy Amies. Jean Dessès is another find; he trained Valentino and Armani and his dresses are still spotted at the Oscars on the likes of Renée Zellweger, Kristin Davis and J-Lo.
Try The Hôtel Drouot auction house, 9 rue Drouot, +33 1 5324 1278,drouot.com
1960s, London
Why? Britain was genuinely cool in the 1960s – it was partly down to the music scene, but also television shows such as The Avengers which summed up a new attitude and reflected the growth of modernism. London designers invented the 60s look and the first supermodels, Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton, were both 60s British icons.
What? Mini dresses and almost space-age looks, inspired by the era of space exploration, that use futuristic metal discs and plastics. Look for the classic names you'll recognise such as Mary Quant and Ossie Clark, André Courrèges and Pierre Cardin, but also for clothes from John Bates, who did the wardrobe for The Avengers, and Jean Patou where Karl Lagerfeld was creative director at the time.
Try WilliamVintage, 2 Marylebone Street, 020-7487 4322,williamvintage.com
1970s, Los Angeles
Why? Although the 70s is thought of as the age of disco, with New York and Studio 54 at its heart, the iconic maxi dress belongs to the culture – and climate – of LA. It was a hippy look driven by the alternative communities that sprung up along the California coast, and imitated by the moneyed creatives who worked in the LA's booming film and music studios. The laid-back vibe, with its flares and slacker style, was a backlash against the modernism of the 1960s.
What? Original rock band T-shirts from the era, as worn by the surfers and skaters, while for maxi dresses, it's about labels you might not have heard of, such as Mardi Gras and Carolyn of California. For something a bit different, hunt down Bill Gibb's knitwear for things like crocheted baby doll dresses slashed to the navel.
Try The Way We Wore, 334 South La Brea Avenue, +1 323 937 0878,thewaywewore.com
1980s, Dallas
Why? Although this was a time of global economic boom – think Wall Street, "greed is good" and so on, one of the biggest boom areas was, of course, the oil industry, so this part of America was indubitably where the money was. It was a decade dedicated to conspicuous consumption, power dressing and branding yourself with designer labels. Women went from wanting to marry the millionaire to wanting to be the millionaire, and so shows such as Dynasty and Dallas weren't just television fiction, they reflected the attitude and aesthetic of the time, as well as the financial power wielded by the Texan oil barons of the decade.
What? Big shoulder pads, masculine looks, conspicuous labels or iconography such as Chanel's Cs, Versace's Medusa or Gucci's Gs. Look for Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and Issey Miyake, as well as items from Nolan Miller, who designed the wardrobe for Dynasty, and Catherine Walker, who frequently designed for Princess Diana.
Try Archive Vintage, 2912 Maple Avenue, +1 214 999 8921,archivevintage.com
1990s, New York
Why? While you can pick up 1990s fashion almost anywhere, New York is a haven for it. It was where architect IM Pei was championing the minimalism of loft apartments. It was also home to the likes of Calvin Klein and Donna Karan, whose pared-down minimalism in silk, linen, cotton and velvet really epitomised the decade that was a backlash against the over-the-top 1980s. Carolyn Bessette Kennedy was the real 1990s icon – her crisp white shirt and plain, perfectly-cut black slacks sum up that unfussy look where neutrals, black, black and more black were the only colours to be seen in.
What? As well as Calvin Klein and Donna Karan pieces, also look for Herve Leger and Azzedine Alaïa who began the backlash, creating strong and dramatic looks that evolved into the very minimalist look that summed up the decade.
Try Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show (manhattanvintage.com) holds regular sales and shows and lists vintage outlets
ARCHIVE at FORTY FIVE TEN Hudson Yards
KAITLYN, NOLA, JAMES & JAKE
© ARCHIVE 2019
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University of Strathclyde Archives - A unique learning and research resource open to all
University of Strathclyde | Scottish Oral History Centre, 13 résultats 13
Rafeek, Neil Christopher, 1960-2006, oral historian, socialist, 2 résultats 2
Walker, David, b. 1956, historian, 2 résultats 2
Stride, Rory, fl. 2016, student at University of Strathclyde, 1 résultats 1
Scullion, James, b. 1954, sports illustrator, 1 résultats 1
McIvor, Arthur J., b. 1956, social historian, 1 résultats 1
Oliver, Cordelia, 1923-2009, journalist, painter and art critic, 1 résultats 1
Lockyer, Clifford, b. 1946, economist, 1 résultats 1
Glasgow, Scotland, 3 résultats 3
Scotland, 2 résultats 2
Govan, Glasgow, Scotland, 1 résultats 1
Linwood, Renfrewshire, Scotland, 1 résultats 1
Inverclyde, Scotland, 1 résultats 1
Oral history, 13 résultats 13
Audiovisual materials, 12 résultats 12
Sound recordings, 12 résultats 12
Working life, 4 résultats 4
Occupational health and safety, 4 résultats 4
Working conditions, 3 résultats 3
Shipbuilding industry, 1 résultats 1
Dock workers, 1 résultats 1
Deindustrialization, 1 résultats 1
Strikes, 1 résultats 1
Dossier, 2 résultats 2
University of Strathclyde | Scottish Oral History Centre Oral history Seulement les descriptions de haut niveau
Niveau de description Bundle Collection Dossier Fonds Part Part Pièce Piece Section Série organique Sous-fonds Sous-série organique Subcollection Subsection
Asbestos: the impact on the workers and their families in Inverclyde during the period 1945 to 1980
GB 249 SOHC 9
This oral history project was conducted by Graeme Naylor as an independent study project (Registration number 200003190). It involved interviewing victims of asbestos-related disease and their families, as well as a consultant surgeon at Inverclyd...
University of Strathclyde | Scottish Oral History Centre
Oral history project on the changing work identity of Govan's shipbuilders c. 1960-2016
GB 249 SOHC 33
August - October 2016
Oral history project conducted in 2016 by Rory Stride as research for his undergraduate history dissertation, ‘“Proud to be a Clyde shipbuilder. Clyde built”: The changing work identity of Govan’s shipbuilders, c.1960-present.’ The collection comp...
Stride, Rory, fl. 2016, student at University of Strathclyde
Glasgow dock workers oral history project
Oral history project, conducted in 2009 by David Walker of the Scottish Oral History Centre at the University of Strathclyde on behalf of Glasgow Museums, interviewing those who had earned their living working at Glasgow’s docks. A total of 1...
Chemical workers oral history project
Original recordings and transcripts 2004-2005
Eight interviews conducted by David Walker in pursuit of his doctoral research on ‘Occupational health and safety in the British chemical industry, 1914-1974’ (PhD thesis, University of Strathclyde, 2007: http://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/6429).The...
Walker, David, b. 1956, historian
Singer strike, 1911
Original recordings, 1988
Conversations between members of Glasgow Labour History Workshop and former Singer employees, discussing working conditions and the strike at the Singer sewing machine plant in Clydebank, Scotland, March / April 1911.Clydeside industrialists began...
Coal miners and dust-related disease oral history project
Original recordings, 2002, 2004-2005
Oral history project "Coal miners and dust-related disease" aimed to reconstruct the story of the human tragedy of coal miners' respiratory disease. It sought to "write the history of 'black spit' from its early disco...
Conversation with Cordelia Oliver
Unidentified male interviewer (possibly Neil Rafeek) in conversation with Cordelia Oliver, Glasgow, 3 May 2005.sound recording (1h 33m 21s) and transcript
Oliver, Cordelia, 1923-2009, journalist, painter and art critic
Conversation with Jim Scullion
9 February 1999, 1916
Unidentified female interviewer in conversation with sports illustrator and social worker Jim Scullion of Coatbridge.sound recording (0h 52m 48s)
Scullion, James, b. 1954, sports illustrator
Occupational health in Scotland oral history project
Original recordings, 2001-2002
16 interviews with occupational health experts in Scotland. Also some correspondence and papers submitted by project participants.The project focused on the Scottish Occupational Health Service (SOEHS, formerly SOHLS) between 1964 and 1990.
Conversations with workers at the former Linwood car plant
A series of interviews with former employees at the motor manufacturing complex at Linwood, Renfrewshire, which closed in May 1981 after an extended series of industrial disputes and economic downturn in the UK car manufacturing industry. Several ...
Lockyer, Clifford, b. 1946, economist
Scottish Oral History Centre Archive
GB 249 SOHC
c. 1981 - present
The Scottish Oral History Centre Archive is an extensive collection of oral history recordings focussing on the history of work, occupational health and the social impact of de-industrialisation. Most of the recordings originate from projects carr...
Asbestos-related diseases in the West of Scotland oral history project
27 interviews with sufferers from asbestos-related disease and/or members of their families. Sound recordings and transcripts (17), transcript only (10), or sound only (1). Also questionnaires.Anonymity was assured to all project participants. Onl...
McIvor, Arthur J., b. 1956, social historian
Men's work in heavy industries in Glasgow oral history project
Conversations between Neil Rafeek and witnesses of working life in the Clydeside heavy industries.Includes notes and draft publications relating to a project about the working culture and notions of masculinity in Clydeside heavy industries.
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Home Events Adam Scott heads 2014 WGC – HSBC Champions event in China: Leaderboard:...
Adam Scott heads 2014 WGC – HSBC Champions event in China: Leaderboard: TV Times
ADAM SCOTT heads the final World Golf Championship event of 2014 with the HSBC Champions taking place in Shanghai China from Thursday.
World No.1 Rory McIlroy hasn’t turned up at the Sheshan International Golf Club and it also won’t be seeing defending champion Dustin Johnson (off on some sort of special leave), Tiger Woods ( back injury), Phil Mickelson (taking an extended break) or top 10 golfers Jim Furyk, Jason Day and Matt Kuchar.
But otherwise it is still a very strong field with 40 of the top 50 players in the world rankings and 18 players from the Ryder Cup.
Joining Scott are fellow Aussies John Senden, Marc Leishman, Matt Jones and West Australian Brody Ninyette who gets a start thanks to his PGA Tour of Australasia money list ranking.
Maybe some of those absent are missing because they can’t work out if this is the end of the 2014 year or the beginning of the US PGA Tour’s new wrap-around season thingy.
“I guess it’s strange that this is the start of the new season, as it’s still in the same year, but that’s the way it is now,” Adam Scott said. “Obviously, it’s a very important tournament this week, and a good chance for me to get off to a good start and give myself some comfort early in the FedEx Cup season. But important to finish off well. I have three events after this in Australia, and certainly I want to find some good form for the next month or so.”
Favourites include Sergio Garcia, who was runner-up at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia last week and really does deserve a win sometime soon, Graeme McDowell, Martin Kaymer, Rickie Fowler, and of course Scott.
Live Coverage on Fox Sports over the four days Thursday – Sunday 2pm – 7pm.
2014 World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions Leaderboard
2014 WGC – HSBC Champions Leaderboard
World Golf Championships
Previous articleMGI introduces a “new age of motorised golf buggies” with new Quad Series
Next article2014 Australian Veteran Golfers Union National Championships
Gordon Claney claims yet another one with 2019 National Match Play Championship win: Australian senior amateur golfing wrap July
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Queen ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Review Headlines Ranked
Hulton Archive, Getty Images / CNN / NPR / Toronto Star / Fort Worth Weekly / The Telegraph / New York Times / ScreenCrush / Rolling Stone / Deseret News / Associated Press / Gay City News
Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody is now in theaters, and, even though reviews for the movie have been mixed, critics can agree on one thing: They love using Queen lyrics and song titles in their headlines.
We've scoured the internet to find our favorites, which you can see below.
The most common song that made its way into the headlines wasn't the obvious one, "Bohemian Rhapsody." Instead, many headlines tip readers off as to whether the film will or will not rock you. Still, even those that said that the movie decidedly won't had to admit that Rami Malek's portrayal of Freddie Mercury will.
Other outlets went deeper into Queen's catalog to varying effect. CNN's attempt to pick a line from "Don't Stop Me Now" ("Bohemian Rhapsody delivers a good time, not a ball") won points for originality, but suffered due to its labored execution; Monsters and Critics' use of the same tune ("Don't stop Rami now") was considerably smoother. Other Queen tracks that made their way into headlines included "Killer Queen," "A Kind of Magic" and "The Show Must Go On."
Negative reviews, however, offered a chance for headline writers to use the band's lyrics against the film. Both NPR and Student Edge referred to the film as "no pleasure cruise," and two outlets said it "bites the dust." A few sites even went outside the band for wordplay: RTE Ireland played up the regal theme of the band's name, but went with a different '70s band, Steely Dan, in calling the film "a bit of a royal scam," while National Review simply wrote "God save Queen."
But the most scathing use of a Queen lyric that we found was by Peter Sobczynski of eFilmCritic, who wrote, "It isn't just the wind that blows here."
Check out how they stack up below.
Next: Our Wordplay-Free Review of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'
Source: Queen ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Review Headlines Ranked
Filed Under: Movie, Queen
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7:02 am - October 23, 2013 - mbaconauthor
Tahoe beauty hides motives, murder
Tahoe Chase
by Todd Borg
Thriller Press 351 pages
Kindle $3.99 Trade paperback $15.26
Someone is killing people around Lake Tahoe. And the chase is on.
In Tahoe Chase, PI Owen McKenna is hired by Joe Rorvik to find out who tried to kill his wife by pushing her off the deck of their mountain home. Rorvik is an elderly Olympic skiing medalist who doesn’t believe the police reports that say his wife’s fall was an accident. McKenna is sympathetic, but Rorvik is at a loss to name anyone who might even remotely want to hurt his wife.
Suspects are initially scarce save for a 6-foot, 3-inch, 220-pound knife-throwing wife abuser who seems intent on not only getting McKenna off his trail, but off the planet. Before long, a murder, possibly related to the assault on Rorvik’s wife, puts more emotional strain on McKenna’s 92-year-old client who now regrets ever calling the detective and threatens suicide.
“Everything was wrong, and I was at the epicenter, the cause,” McKenna tells himself. “Without seeing it coming I had become the new agent of Joe’s misery.”
Later, the Tahoe detective seems to have a better grasp of what’s happening–but it’s only temporary. In a crucial scene late in the book, he and his cop friend, Diamond Martinez, frantically chase clues and suspects around in their heads until it’s clear neither has a good idea of where the case is going.
Clues are not the only things chased here. The novel’s title could refer to chases in cars, boats, skis and on foot, all of which add action and suspense throughout the book and keep the plot moving ahead swiftly. Author Todd Borg’s unusual, quirky–sometimes bizarre–characters add to the complexity of the story, keeping the PI chase fresh and appealing, not to mention puzzling.
McKenna occasionally mentions a previous case and he even borrows a cabin cruiser from a former client. The detective has lots of previous cases to ponder, if he chooses, as Tahoe Chase is Borg’s 11th Owen McKenna whodunit. Fans of McKenna will appreciate the ways this case is different from previous novels. Yet the familiar cast of characters is still here including McKenna’s entomologist girlfriend Street Casey, his Great Dane, Spot, and his law enforcement friends from California and Nevada jurisdictions around the lake.
Tahoe Chase, like Borg’s other books, has background subjects, areas of specialization related to suspects or victims and readers gain insight on new topics as they work on the case with McKenna. In Chase, readers learn details about such diverse topics as skiing and domestic abuse. In one of his earlier novels–and one of my favorites–Borg took up the topic of autism. In Tahoe Silence, a young autistic girl is kidnapped and terrorized by a biker gang. McKenna–and readers–learn valuable lessons about autism delivered in a more sensitive way than you might expect in a PI novel.
Borg’s sensitivity comes through in his books. McKenna has a code. Not only does he not use firearms–as a result of a tragic shooting when he was a San Francisco cop–but McKenna treats his girlfriend (as well as most everyone else) with respect and no matter how depressing a case may be, he never gets drunk or beats up on people except in self-defense or defense of others. This is not to say that McKenna is a schoolboy. He’s devised ingenious (and sometimes quite painful) ways of dealing with criminals, he sleeps with his girlfriend (although readers never get in bed with them) and he loves a good bottle of wine or a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
Along the way to solving a crime, McKenna usually offers simple wisdom in the form of observations or occasionally as advice to friends. In a scene in Tahoe Silence he finds himself on the losing end of a misunderstanding with his girlfriend.
I suddenly stopped as I remembered the proverb that says when you find that you’re digging yourself into a hole, stop digging.
In Tahoe Chase, while McKenna is talking to Joe Rorvik in Rorvik’s home, he thinks he sees movement outside. But he’s not certain, so he waits as he thinks to himself:
I’d learned long ago that patience was often rewarded. Certainly impatience rarely was.
When McKenna and Casey are trying to console a young woman who’s been brutalized and is now facing a daunting journey, McKenna is impressed with his girlfriend’s supportive technique.
Talk only about trivial stuff, and it communicates that you’re worried about the big issues and are afraid to focus on them. Talk only about the major stuff, and it clutters the traveler’s mind with too many concerns. Strike a medium balance, and the person knows that you understand the scope of the mission, but you are still relaxed about it. The relaxed manner telegraphs confidence in the person who is about to embark on the big event.
McKenna’s philosophical observations aren’t always designed to advance the plot, but you get a more clear understanding of the protagonist as a fully developed character.
Meanwhile, back at the Chase, Borg keeps McKenna, Martinez and Rorvik guessing until almost the final scene when the complex plot twists back on itself and the murderer is revealed. Tahoe Chase is not a sprint but a marathon giving readers cerebral and emotional exercise along the way. Borg fans will enjoy the chase and eagerly await the ending, and first-timers will want to find the early books in the McKenna series and start following Lake Tahoe’s coolest character.
Hyperlink:
Todd Borg books on Amazon
Categories: New mystery book, Reviews of mystery/suspense books Tags: books, crime fiction, Joe Rorvik, Lake Tahoe, murder, mysteries, Owen McKenna, Spot, Tahoe Chase, Todd Borg
Are you an “average” mystery reader? →
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Thursday 7th February
Night Beats + White Flowers + Calvin Love
EARLYBIRD £8 / ADVANCE £10 / FULL £12
*White Flowers are a last minute addition to tonight’s bill.
Due to illness, Witch Fever can no longer play. We wish Witch Fever a speedy recovery.*
Night Beats perform tracks from new album ‘Myth Of A Man’ live at Band on the Wall.
Fronted by Texan native Danny Lee Blackwell, Myth Of A Man is their fourth studio album, and their second for Heavenly Recordings following the release of Who Sold My Generation in 2016.
While Blackwell has always fed off the musical legacy of his Texas roots—Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators, The Red Krayola, The Black Angels and more paving the way for the the napalm-coated psych-rock headtrip of past albums—Myth Of A Man has him pulling from the surrogate wellspring of Nashville, Tennessee.
It was there that he worked with the eminent Dan Auerbach, and a murderer’s row of battle-worn session musicians—the combined weight of experience that comes from working with every legend from Aretha Franklin to Elvis not lost on Blackwell. “I was just humbled by being accepted,” he explains, “Big hearts all around.”
In short, it’s an album that holds its own next to the classics, less of the bloodshot acid trip of Sonic Bloom (2013) and Who Sold My Generation (2016) here, Blackwell has recalibrated them, slowed them down just enough and allowed them the space to breathe and exist as something new. It’s the same book, just a different chapter. The moody organ comps and slow stroll of the 12-string on “Her Cold Cold Heart” evoke the noxious feeling and hypnotic state of toxic love, the spirit of Bill Withers is flowing through the acoustic guitar and sun-soaked shuffle of “I Wonder,” and string-trimmed ballads like “Footprints” and “Too Young To Pray” evoke the imaginative, cowboy psychedelia of fellow Texan, Lee Hazlewood. “Let Me Guess” with its searing riff and Elevators-esque organ assures us that the scuzzy sound we know and love is alive and well, while “One Thing,” a song about being used and abused—or as Blackwell sharply puts it, “being rolled up and smoked”—has plenty of fuzzed-out guitars to let us know he might just be happy about it.
Written during a particularly destructive period of the band, the album is populated by fallen angels, blood-sucking wanderers, and vindictive lovers—sketches of people the band has surely come across during their cosmic roving through the underground—but the character most present is Blackwell, himself. “Myth Of A Man can be summed up as a personal display of vulnerability and guilty conscience,” he explains, “Destroying the mythos of what it means to live and function in society.” With its bold steps forward, Myth Of A Man serves as both a takedown and reintroduction of the band as we know it—the strongest evidence that you’ll never be able to pin Night Beats down.
Artist Page
Glimmer EP by White Flowers
Artist Facebook Artist Twitter
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What Is Accumulator Betting?
Accumulator betting is a betting strategy in which two or more events are considered together as elements of a single bet. The success of such a bet depends on the outcome of the individual events that form it, known as ‘legs’ in betting circles.
Some of these bets require all the component events to fall into line, while others can win even if one or more of the subsidiary bets are losers. Accumulator betting is a staple of modern betting markets and all the top betting sites feature a section dedicated to it.
But what is accumulator betting actually and how does the process work? Accas are among the most complicated bets supported by brick-and-mortar and online betting sites, which is why we have composed a list of facts and explanations in order to help you fully understand this strategy.
A Baker’s Dozen Facts on Accumulator Betting:
‘Acca’ stands for ‘betting accumulator’ and refers to ‘accumulator betting’, in which a bet slip is composed of multiple individual bets.
Events that make up an acca are called ‘legs’.
Punters choose accas because of the large potential wins and fun while designing their own bets.
Accas have become increasingly popular in the last couple of decades, especially among football and horse racing fans.
Once you get acquainted with all kinds of accas, only then will you find a definite answer to the question ‘what is accumulator betting’.
Small accas have simple names – a ‘double acca’ is an acca consisting of two events, while a ‘treble’ consists of three.
Accas with four or more selections are simply called ‘fourfold’, ‘fivefold’, ‘sixfold’, and so on.
There’s no limit on how many events you can place in your acca.
By combining simple accas, punters can form more complex ones, such as ‘trixies’, ‘yankees’, ‘patents’, ‘canadians’, ‘heinzes’, and ‘goliaths’.
Complex accas can make a profit even though some individual legs are lost.
Some betting sites grant acca insurance, in which a bettor can get the original stake back if one of the legs loses.
Additionally, some betting sites also give punters a chance to win an acca even if one or more simple legs are lost.
Horse racing fans can also bet on their selections to ‘place’ – that is, to bet that their horse will finish in the top two or three places, depending on the number of contestants.
What Does Acca Stand For?
Acca is a slang abbreviation of the word ‘accumulator’, and it refers to accumulator betting. It has become quite popular in the last couple of decades, especially among football and horse racing fans. The reason is twofold: accas can land a punter an enormous win with a minuscule stake, and the bettor can even win even if some of the legs are losers. Accas require a great deal of knowledge about the sport you’re betting on and experienced gamblers sometimes share especially elegant, complex accas with each others for bragging purposes.
Accumulator Betting Types
Experienced punters use slang terminology to distinguish among accas. An acca’s name usually depends on the number of legs that compose it or the types of predictions in it. The winning amount equals the initial stake multiplied by the values of all the individual legs’ odds.
Doubles, Trebles, and Multifolds
A double bet placed by employing betting accumulator, or a double acca, is the one that consists of two events. Similarly, a treble acca is an acca that consists of three events, while accas with four or more bets are called fourfold, fivefold, and so on.
Complex accas provide the best answer to the question ‘what is accumulator betting’, but they can also require a great deal of skill. Trixie is the simplest of the complex accas, and it involves four different selections. However, unlike fourfold accas, they comprise three doubles and a treble. For example, if a punter is betting on the teams A, B, and C to win, the trixie acca should look like this: AB, BC, CA, and ABC. Trixies are attractive because they are some of the simplest accas and because you are guaranteed a win even if just one leg is a winner. Trixies and other complex accas are much easier to handle once there’s an acca bet builder involved, and, fortunately, most betting sites feature them.
Patents are slightly more complex than trixies, because they consist of 7 bets involving 3 selections in different combinations. A patent includes a trixie plus three single bets, so the betting slip looks like this: A, B, C, AB, BA, CA, and ABC.
A yankee comprises 11 bets with four selections, and it involves 6 doubles, 4 trebles, and a fourfold accumulator. The scheme for this acca looks like this: AB, AC, AD, BC, BD, CD, ABC, ABD, BCD, ACD, and ABCD.
Lucky Accas
Lucky is the most common horse-racing acca, though it can be used for any sport. The first type is the Lucky 15 bet, which consists of five singles, 10 doubles, 10 trebles, five fourfolds, and a fivefold accumulator. Then, there’s the Lucky 31, which involves six singles, 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 fourfolds, six fivefolds, and a sixfold accumulator. Finally, we have the Lucky 63 which includes six singles, 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 fourfolds, six fivefolds, and a sixfold accumulator.
Also known as Super Yankee, a Canadian includes 10 doubles, 10 trebles, five fourfolds, plus an accumulator. It is a common complex football acca where at least two selections must be successful for you to win the bet.
This is a bet that consists of 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 fourfolds, six fivefolds, and a sixfold accumulator. The bettor must guess at least two to get a stake return.
This is the largest and most complex of the standard acca bets as it includes 28 doubles, 56 trebles, 70 fourfolds, 56 fivefolds, 28 sixfolds, eight sevenfolds, and an eightfold accumulator. Again, two selections have to win in order to get a return.
Accumulator Calculator
In order to get the most out of their accas, punters turn to tools that can help them create a bet. Most websites offer acca calculators that can be really useful when there are lots of selections to be made. Accumulator calculators help you set up the odds, the stakes, and the acca type.
How Do I Place an Acca Bet?
Before placing an acca bet, it is best to visit the chosen betting site’s promo page. Occasionally, a website may publish daily accas or the best acca selections for the day.
Placing an acca is pretty much the same as placing an ordinary bet, and most betting sites let you turn a regular bet slip into an acca bet slip. Usually, the acca option is presented right on the betting slip, and once you click on it, it expands into an acca slip where you can tweak stakes and selections.
What is accumulator betting? Now you know. Once you get started, there’s practically no end to different winning possibilities.
Accumulator bets are highly complex, as they require lots of creativity, skill, and knowledge of the sport you’re betting on. The complex lingo and volume of numbers can be intimidating, but accas are among the most profitable bets – you can easily score a tenfold win on a meagre £2 stake.
Start with doubles and trebles, then move up to more complex forms as you get more comfortable and confident, and you’ll see how easy and useful acca betting actually is.
What is Tote Betting?
What is Handicap Betting?
What Is Matched Betting?
UK Gambling Comission
HM Government of Gibraltar
Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association
Please leave this site if you're under 18 of age.
© 2019. | Betting Sites UK | All rights reserved
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UTSA launches open source software to secure the cloud for users
NRL demonstrates new non-mechanical laser steering technology
Credit: (Jason Myers/U.S. Naval Research Laboratory)
WASHINGTON — Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory have recently demonstrated a new nonmechanical chip-based beam steering technology that offers an alternative to costly, cumbersome and often unreliable and inefficient mechanical gimbal-style laser scanners.
The chip, known as a steerable electro-evanescent optical refractor, or SEEOR, takes laser light in the mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) as an input and steers the beam in two dimensions at the output without the need for mechanical devices — demonstrating improved steering capability and higher scan speed rates than conventional methods.
"Given the low size, weight and power consumption and continuous steering capability, this technology represents a promising path forward for MWIR beam-steering technologies," said Jesse Frantz, research physicist, NRL Optical Sciences Division. "Mapping in the MWIR spectral range demonstrates useful potential in a variety of applications, such as chemical sensing and monitoring emissions from waste sites, refineries, and other industrial facilities."
The SEEOR is based on an optical waveguide – a structure that confines light in a set of thin layers with a total thickness of less than a tenth that of a human hair. Laser light enters through one facet and moves into the core of the waveguide. Once in the waveguide, a portion of the light is located in a liquid crystal (LC) layer on top of the core. A voltage applied to the LC through a series of patterned electrodes changes the refractive index (in effect, the speed of light within the material), in portions of the waveguide, making the waveguide act as a variable prism. Careful design of the waveguides and electrodes allow this refractive index change to be translated to high speed and continuous steering in two dimensions.
SEEORs were originally developed to manipulate shortwave infrared (SWIR) light – the same part of the spectrum used for telecommunications – and have found applications in guidance systems for self-driving cars.
"Making a SEEOR that works in the MWIR was a major challenge," Frantz said. "Most common optical materials do not transmit MWIR light or are incompatible with the waveguide architecture, so developing these devices required a tour de force of materials engineering."
To accomplish this, the NRL researchers designed new waveguide structures and LCs that are transparent in the MWIR, new ways to pattern these materials, and new ways to induce alignment in the LCs without absorbing too much light. This development combined efforts across multiple NRL divisions including the Optical Sciences Division for MWIR materials, waveguide design and fabrication, and the Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering for synthetic chemistry and liquid crystal technology.
The resulting SEEORs were able to steer MWIR light through an angular range of 14°×0.6°. The researchers are now working on ways to increase this angular range and to extend the portion of the optical spectrum where SEEORs work even further. Complete details of this research can be found in the December 2018 edition of the Journal of the Optical Society of America, DOI: 10.1364/JOSAB.35.000C29.
Daniel Parry
@USNRL
http://www.nrl.navy.mil
https://www.nrl.navy.mil/news/releases/nrl-demonstrates-new-nonmechanical-laser-steering-technology http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/JOSAB.35.000C29
Researcher gets $485,263 grant to study how to control materials moving through tiny spaces
New drug discovery could halt spread of brain cancer
Meet Michael, the supercomputer designed to accelerate UK research for EV batteries
Brain-computer interface enables people with paralysis to control tablet devices
Making an eye for you
Electronic glove gives robots a sense of touch
Novel RNA-modifying tool corrects genetic diseases
Bioengineer May 29, 2018 0
Credit: The Scripps Research Institute JUPITER, FL--May 29, 2018--As scientists gain insights into which genes…
CENTECH’s Propulsion Program will help Innodem Neurosciences…
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Singapore Health Sciences Authority approves Biktarvy to treat HIV-1
15 February 2019 | News
The trials are comprised of a population of 2,414 participants, and Biktarvy met its primary efficacy objective at 48 weeks
Gilead Sciences, Inc. has announced that the Singapore Health Sciences Authority has approved Biktarvy® (bictegravir 50mg/emtricitabine 200 mg/tenofovir alafenamide 25 mg; BIC/FTC/TAF), a once-daily single tablet regimen (STR) for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults.
The triple-combination, single tablet regimen combines the potency of the novel integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) bictegravir, with the demonstrated safety and efficacy profile of a guideline recommended dual nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) backbone - Descovy® (emtricitabine 200 mg/tenofovir alafenamide 25 mg; FTC/TAF). BIC/FTC/TAF has convenient once-daily dosing, does not require testing for HLA-B 5701, and has no food intake or baseline viral load or CD4 count restrictions.
The approval was based on data from four studies: Studies 1489 and 1490 in HIV-1 infected adults with no antiretroviral treatment history, and Studies 1844 and 1878 in HIV-1 virologically-suppressed adults who switched to Biktarvy. The trials are comprised of a population of 2,414 participants, and BIC/FTC/TAF met its primary efficacy objective at 48 weeks in all four studies, with no participants in any of the four BIC/FTC/TAF studies developing treatment-emergent virologic resistance. There were no cases of renal discontinuation, proximal renal tubulopathy or Fanconi syndrome in the BIC/FTC/TAF arms at 48 weeks.
Additional ongoing studies not included in the marketing authorization application involve dedicated studies in women, adolescents and children.
BIC/FTC/TAF was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on February 7, 2018, the European Commission on June 21, 2018 and the Hong Kong Department of Health on September 26, 2018.
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Brandstand: Why the Micro-Mandi can become the next big retail idea
The world of organic content can never become sufficiently scalable due to limitations in production and high cost, so the Micro-Mandi can be that sustainable bridge for large audiences
Shivaji Dasgupta Delhi, August 06, 2018
Residents of Gurgaon would certainly have noticed the dramatic rise of a brand-new format in food retail, which can justifiably be called the Micro-Mandi. Essentially, the farm-to-shelf outlets previously operating in an unorganised fashion now wearing the smart new colours of branded retail with catchy names and cosy identities. What excites me enormously is the diligent reverse-engineering of the modern trade experience, applying exactly what is necessary while retaining the core of the original formats.
For those not in the know, let me explain how the Micro-Mandi has been designed, a format which is scalable all over India. Blessed with abundant land mass, spontaneous fruit and vegetable markets were quite common in this geography, claiming to sell produce that was both authentic and low-cost, earning the custom of well-heeled patrons as well. However, recently, they were systematically revamped, imbibing some best practices of modern formats. For starters, there is an all-weather covering and adequate parking, what greets you immediately is an array of mint-fresh trolleys to aid shopping. The ware is laid out like a supermarket, pick-and-choose with assistance available if required, to be weighed in toto, not individually, prior to the efficient check-out process with multiple lanes.
Thus, borrowing the transactional efficiencies of the current age without investing a rupee extra in the frills. So, no fancy flooring or semblance of décor, dirt tracks made navigable and no need for air-conditioning of any kind, relying entirely on the natural environment. Most importantly, what you buy is much fresher than the hypermarket, the supply chain far more real-time unlike the storage-based approach of the corporate players. In terms of service personnel, they are as knowledgeable as the traditional seller with sufficient smartness to help you buy, without the better-schooled but less-educated approach of the suited salesman. New-age conveniences like credit card machines and home delivery are sufficiently available, thus completing the transaction convenience. Due to such optimisation, the prices can continue to be low, without the unreasonable mark-ups we encounter elsewhere, certainly benefitting the producer in a truly democratic and inclusive selling format.
Which brings me now to the larger story of reverse engineering in the context of branded experiences flowing back to traditional formats, combatting the fundamental reasons for customer migration while reinforcing the basic goodness. In terms of fruits and vegetables, customers are frightened of industrially-produced content, epitomised by the supermarket, while the organic sector does not yet command credibility or value. So, a comeback to the age-old local seller is much desirable, aided splendidly by the Micro-Mandi, a perfect equilibrium of relevant need-states. Culminating in a superior value proposition to the supermarket produce section, applicable to both the cycled masses and the motorised classes. With a minor infusion of imagination, it is possible to imagine an extension to many other categories as well.
The fish markets, as messy as ever, have a similar set of challenges, freshness highly desirable at the best price. So, a Micro-Mandi format by a consortium of sellers is highly imaginable, emulating the service infrastructure to ensure hygiene and efficiency. As would be the case for a consolidated meat market format (including chicken, mutton and pork) where the battle between free-range and injected meats is sterner than ever before, applicable for spices as well. Imagine now an UrbanClap equivalent in this avatar, for every conceivable odd-job merchant like cobblers, locksmiths, bag repairers and their ilk, consolidating under a similar common infrastructure with a single-window checkout. As would be the case for reprographic establishments (photo-copy, printing, scanning, typing) unifying under similar optimal environments where the customer can benefit from the advantages of modern retail.
Quite conceivably, such formats are scalable globally, especially in Asian countries, where customers have recently moved on to modern retail and usually ‘Kirana’ equivalents still operate successfully. In every case, there must be a learned assessment of consumer behaviour from an experiential perspective, understanding clearly what must be imported from modern formats while retaining the core desirables of ‘original trade’, usually to do with authenticity of produce or input. This leads distinctively to a ‘better’ value proposition for modern customers, currently threatened by rampant impurities and dangerous elements in even the most-trusted staples. The world of organic content can never become sufficiently scalable due to limitations in production and high cost, so the Micro-Mandi can be that sustainable bridge for large audiences.
Quite apart from all else, this can become India’s pioneering contribution to transcultural retail formats, catering efficiently to a changing global mindset clamouring for a happy blend of life-enhancing authenticity and comforting value. Over time, technology can become an additional secret sauce, leading to the tracking of source and date through a simple mobile app, adding further layers of assuring credibility. If handled sensitively, the Micro-Mandi is a Virat Kohli in the making an opportunity we cannot squander.
(Shivaji Dasgupta is the Founder of INEXGRO Brand Advisory and can be reached at: shivajidasgupta@inexgro.com)
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of BestMediaInfo.com and we do not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
Tags: Brandstand Why the Micro-Mandi can become the next big retail idea
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Home Sport News Football Chelsea v West Ham Betting Odds Preview | 19/03/16
Chelsea v West Ham Betting Odds Preview | 19/03/16
English Premier League | Stamford Bridge | KO-15:00
Chelsea’s chances of trying to get something out of this horrendous season was left in tatters when they were knocked out of the fifth-round of the FA Cup. The Londoners were completely out-played on every corner of the pitch, carelessly giving the ball way and spending most their time chasing the game to Everton.
It wasn’t until the later stages of the second half when Everton main striker Romelu Lukaku who’s sheer strength and brilliance saw him play through two of the Chelsea defenders before slotting in a low ball into the back of the net to give the Toffees’ the lead. Lukaku who was sold by Chelsea only six months ago would come back to haunt the Chelsea faithful five minutes later with a similar run in from the right to bury it low through the keepers legs.
Lukaku was the real difference between the two sides.
Everton’s success was overshadowed by Chelsea’s Diego Costa who appeared to bite the Evertonian midfielder Gareth Barry, mainly out of frustration from his side inability to hold onto and feed the ball to the Spaniard. It now leaves Chelsea going into this game and the following three without their main forward.
West Ham on the other hand have had a sensational season to date. A draw on the weekend’s FA Cup tie with Manchester United see them earn a replay at the Olympic Stadium. Bilic’s men are comfortably sat in fifth spot with a chance to snatch the last Champions League place from under Man City, which given City current stop-start in league games look achievable.
Payet has been a revelation for West Ham this season.
This month will be crucial for Hammer fans dreaming of watching their side play in mid-week European games, with big matches coming up such as Arsenal away and league-leaders Leicester it’s make or break for West Ham, but given their current home form (beating both Spurs and Everton) we don’t see why they can’t continue.
Given Chelsea’s two lack-luster performances in the Champions League and FA Cup, not to mention the absence of their key striker Costa, Hiddink’s men will not want to go a goal down early on so i’d expect a slow start from Chelsea. That said Bilic will be all to aware of Chelsea’s superstar line-up and may want to gradually make their way into the game. I’d expect to see a slow start to this game and don’t be surprised if it ends in a draw.
West Ham are without Collins, Reid, Tomkins and Jenkinson.
Eden Hazard looks like he’ll be match fit but Zouma is out with a knee injury and Falco is also out for the rest of the season.
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De Bruyne injury proves the strength and depth of Man City squad
Which club has the most players as part of the England squad?
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US job moves: Blackberry, Nokia, Comcast, Virgin America
Paul Birkett
America, Blackberry, Comcast, Moves, Nokia, Virgin
As this week’s news is dominated with the news of another founder splitting ways with his company, we’re reporting moves in the US by RIM, Virgin America, Nokia, Comcast and Zynga amongst others.
Did you hear of any big moves that will affect our industry that we didn’t catch? Let us know.
Research in Motion co-chief executives, Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, have stepped down to make way for COO Thorsten Heins to become president and chief executive.
Nokia‘s chief designer Marko Ahtisaari has been promoted from Senior VP to Executive Vice President, Design. This move comes after the success of the Lumia 800 and 900, both designed by Ahtisaari.
.ORG, The Public Interest Registry, appointed Nancy Gofus as chief operating officer as they develop and execute marketing strategies that further expand the .ORG domain globally.
Zynga.org, the philanthropic arm of the social gaming company Zynga, is joined by Ken Weber who will take over as executive director.
Comcast names Amy Lynch as VP of Comcast California’s southwest bay area which includes Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Peninsula. She is reportedly the first woman to take this role in the company’s history.
Collective Brands has nabbed former Converse VP Rick Blackshaw for the role of Keds Brand President.
Men’s Fitness names Michael De Medeiros as their new Editor-in-Chief. De Medeiros was previously editor of Maximum Fitness and M Magazine.
The Weather Channel made an abrupt change of leadership as advertising veteran, David Kenny, became their new chairman and CEO to replace Mike Kelly.
Outdoor Channel Holdings, owners and operators of Outdoor TV, appointed Tom Hornish as their new president and CEO. He succeeds Roger Werner, who will move to take the position of co-chair.
Virgin America has hired Karen S. Walker as the Company’s new Vice President and Controller. She comes to them from CNET Networks, a US$ 400 million publicly-traded new media company.
Posts from the Econsultancy blog
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Today’s top pics: Drivers swim to safety in D.C. flood and more
Top photos of the day as selected by the Associated Press.
APTOPIX Britain Wimbledon Tennis
Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova returns to Britain's Johanna Konta in a singles match during day seven of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Alastair Grant
APTOPIX All Star Game Baseball
Fans battle for a home run ball during batting practice for the MLB All-Star baseball game, Monday, July 8, 2019, in Cleveland. The game will be played Tuesday. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
APTOPIX Financier Teenage Girls
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman speaks during a news conference, in New York, Monday, July 8, 2019. Federal prosecutors announced sex trafficking and conspiracy charges against wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein. Court documents unsealed Monday show Epstein is charged with creating and maintaining a network that allowed him to sexually exploit and abuse dozens of underage girls.(AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Richard Drew
APTOPIX All Star Home Run Derby Baseball
Pete Alonso, of the New York Mets, celebrates with Derek Morgan during the Major League Baseball Home Run Derby, Monday, July 8, 2019, in Cleveland. The MLB baseball All-Star Game will be played Tuesday. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Tony Dejak
APTOPIX Germany Hindu Bathing
Hindu believers take a bath under a Highway bridge in the Datteln-Hamm canal in Hamm, Germany, as part of their ritual purification on Monday, July 8, 2019. The nearby Hindu Shankarar Sri Kamadchi Ampal Temple is reputed to be the largest Dravida Hindu Temple built in mainland Europe. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Martin Meissner
APTOPIX France Cycling Tour de France
The pack with Netherlands' Mike Teunissen wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, right, rides during the third stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 215 kilometers (133,6 miles) with start in Binche and finish in Epernay, Monday, July 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Thibault Camus
Britain's Johanna Konta returns to Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova in a Women's singles match during day seven of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
APTOPIX Brazil Joao Gilberto
Musicians perform during the wake for Brazilian cultural icon Joao Gilberto, where his widow Maria do Ceu Harris stands by his open coffin, behind center, during his wake at the Municipal Theater in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, July 8, 2019. Joao Gilberto, one of the fathers of bossa nova music who gained worldwide popularity in the 1960s, passed away in his home in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. He was 88. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
APTOPIX Washington Weather
Motorists are stranded on a flooded section of Canal Road in Washington during a heavy rainstorm, Monday, July 8, 2019. (Dave Dildine/WTOP via AP)
Dave Dildine
DaWise Perry Funeral Services
DaWise Perry Funeral Services has been providing respectful and compassionate services for over 100 years. Call 701-663-3239 today to schedule an appointment.
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Loren Steffy
Is Obama driving an illegal bargain for Chrysler?
By Loren on May 7, 2009 at 12:50 PM
Last week, as Chrysler filed for bankruptcy, President Obama called out a group of the car marker’s bondholders, demonizing them for failing to support an out-of-court restructuring. Now, some of those same investors are balking at the administration’s plan to speed Chrysler through the bankruptcy process by merging it with Italy’s Fiat.
As Bloomberg’s legal columnist, Ann Woolner, points out, you can say a lot of things about the deal, but you can’t say it’s legal.
The plan would overturn basic rules of bankruptcy by setting up a sort-of sale to sidestep pesky legal requirements. It would bulldoze well-established rights of secured creditors, property rights the U.S. Constitution guarantees.
So if U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Arthur Gonzalez follows the law, the Chrysler rescue plan dies. If he blinks and approves it, secured creditors everywhere should feel a shiver of unease, and quick sales of insolvent companies to avoid court scrutiny would multiply.
Under bankruptcy laws, you can’t sell a company on the quick if it’s a reorganization in disguise, which the Chrysler deal would be. A reorganization is a legal process designed to make sure each creditor gets a fair payout, and that takes time – a lot longer than the two months the administration has said it will take to wrap up the Chrysler bankruptcy.
Of course, there could be some sort of settlement that would appease the bondholders without forcing Gonzalez to choose between the law and the administration.
At the same time, bankruptcy judges have a lot of latitude, and Gonzalez could approve the Chrysler plan anyway, which would be in keeping with the unprecedented nature of the Chrysler case. As Woolner sums it up:
Already the Chrysler case is one for the books. You have the federal government sending a company into bankruptcy court, financing its reorganization, deciding who will get what, setting a strict timetable and urging a judge to blink at the law.
I’ve said all along that bankruptcy is the best solution for what ails General Motors and Chrysler, and I even suspected the government would have to help provide financing for the reorganization. But the administration has clearly taken the wheel in the Chrysler case, and, with GM perhaps following just weeks behind, veered off into a legal quagmire.
At this point, though, it’s not clear why the two-months-and-out timetable remains so important. What’s the rush? Why not let the bankruptcy process do what it does best?
Technorati tags: Chrysler, General Motors, bankruptcy, automobiles, politics, bailout, economy, business
3. Ethanol law has become a mandate to nowhere
Drowning in Oil: BP and the Reckless Pursuit of Profit
The Man Who Thought Like a Ship
My business column
1. Tall tax bills loom for Houston office towers
2. Dell's legacy lost
4. Cyprus bailout a turning point for U.S. investors
5. Accountants warned: felonies are forever
LorenSteffy.com
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Coral reef bleaching with world-renowned expert Terry Hughes - and a Gish Gallop from "science" quack, Jim Steele
Sou | 11:02 PM Go to the first of 127 comments. Add a comment
Bleached staghorn coral
between Townsville and Cairns, March 2017,
Credit: Bette Willis, Source: JCU
Some years ago I visited the Great Barrier Reef offshore from the resort town of Port Douglas. It was a magical experience (and I think the only time I've scuba dived in the ocean). Later I had the privilege of swimming over part of the Great Barrier Reef again from the seas around the Whitsundays, staying at Airlie Beach. Apart from some snorkelling over coral reefs in a few other places, such as Bali, and doing some work with the fishing industry, I know very little about coral reefs. Any knowledge I do have is thanks to experts.
What I do know is that coral reefs are extremely critical ecosystems for maintaining marine life and protecting coastal environments, and for all sorts of human activities too, such as fishing, tourism and more.
I also know that our actions are killing many corals and even entire reefs.
Although I've written about them in the past, I'm reluctant to delve too deeply into a topic as complex and specialised as coral reefs for risk of giving wrong information. However the sort of nonsense that you read by deniers and disinformers, who seem to want to kill the reefs off as quickly as possible, has prompted me again. That plus the fact that governments in Australia (the Australian Government and the Queensland Government), a suspect coal company from India, and less prominent players are doing all they can to speed up the death of the Great Barrier Reef by giving our hard earned money, plus permits, for Adani to mine coal and wreck the reef (and use up our precious water).
On top of all that, the Great Barrier Reef is suffering another bleaching event this year, hot on the heels of the worst mass bleaching ever that happened last year.
What finally got me going was an article at WUWT by Jim Steele, in which he tried to tell his readers that the 2016 coral bleaching wasn't really widespread (it was the worst ever), and was caused by any of a whole number of different reasons he offered up, except the real cause - excessive ocean heat. Jim Steele's a global warming denier, in case you've not heard of him.
See update below, too.
Because of all this, I've read more and made contact with a couple of experts and this article is the result. All errors are mine - so if you see some, let me know and I'll correct them.
We are the biggest threat to coral reefs
The biggest threat to coral reefs is us. People. Human activity.
The causes of the present-day demise of coral reefs are varied. One of the biggest causes is global warming. This is having both direct and indirect effects on coral reefs.
Coral bleaching
Mass bleaching is causing huge damage to coral reefs around the world. There was a recent paper in Nature by Professor Terry Hughes and a team of scientists. Corals are marine animals that have a symbiotic relationship with particular algae. They rely on each other to live. The authors of the paper explained how heat stress disrupts this symbiotic relationship and this is evident when corals lose their colour - hence the term "bleaching". The authors wrote:
Bleached corals are physiologically damaged, and prolonged bleaching often leads to high levels of coral mortality.
That's it in a nutshell. Bleached corals don't necessarily die. They are sick, and sometimes recover. Depending on the severity of an event, or how often it's repeated, and other factors, corals and coral reefs can die - or they may recover.
Other factors affecting corals
Corals can be damaged and die from causes other than bleaching. There was a paper recently in Biogeosciences that was about how a drop in sea level caused mortality in shallow coral reefs in Bunaken Island in North Sulawesi. That is, not bleaching but death. The authors stated (my emphasis and paras):
This study reports coral mortality in Indonesia after an El Niño-induced sea level fall. The fact that sea level fall, or extremely low tides, induces coral mortality is not new, but this study demonstrates that through rapid sea level fall, the 2015–2016 El Niño has impacted Indonesian shallow coral reefs well before high sea surface temperature could trigger any coral bleaching. Sea level fall appears as a major mortality factor for Bunaken Island in North Sulawesi, and altimetry suggests similar impact throughout Indonesia.
Our findings confirm that El Niño impacts are multiple and the different processes need to be understood for an accurate diagnostic of the vulnerability of Indonesian coral reefs to climate disturbances. This study also illustrates how to monitor local sea level to interpret changes in a particular coastal location.
The authors of the Indonesian study point to a range of factors that can adversely affect corals. In addition to a rapid fall in sea level, the authors list things corals can be seriously damaged by (I've added more information in italics):
coral bleaching through thermal stress
diseases - this term can cover a large range such as toxins etc, not just microbes
predator outbreaks, such as the crown of thorns starfish
storms, which harm but can also help - e.g. Winston saved the southern GBR last year. The current bleaching might not have been as bad if Debbie had arrived sooner
sea level rise, when it rises more quickly than a reef build up, etc.
Terry Hughes' on coral reefs TedTalk
In the talk below, Terry Hughes talks about the damage to reefs and yet how he retains some optimism that we can save the world's coral reefs. He also describes the research that he reported in his Nature paper. It's less than 15 minutes long. If you've time and even if you're short of time, it's well worth watching.
Note how Professor Hughes distinguishes between the time needed for different corals to recover, and the risk of more bleaching events preventing some from being able to do so. (about 10 minutes in). "If you lose a 100 year old coral, you cannot replace it in a few years."
The pseudo-science nonsense from climate disinformer, Jim Steele
You may have come across Jim Steele before. He's a wannabe scientist who has never published any scientific research papers as far as I can tell. He's retired now, I believe, after working part-time as a manager of a field station for a college in California, where he organised nature walks or something. These days he spends his time writing disinformation for WUWT so he can promote his vanity-published denier book, and conducting personal vendettas on a small number of individual scientists. He's seems to be very jealous of their success, and just as clearly is a scientific ignoramus with a history of blatant lying.
This week Anthony Watts, who runs a climate conspiracy blog WUWT, chose to publish another article by Jim Steele (archived here). In this one Jim did his usual misrepresentation of science, mixed with his denial of global warming.
Remember how the second paper I referred above to was about mortality (not bleaching) from sea level fall? Well, Jim Steele started off badly, with a headline "Falling Sea Level: The Critical Factor in 2016 Great Barrier Reef Bleaching!". Jim wrote:
In contrast in Coral Mortality Induced by the 2015–2016 El-Niño in Indonesia: The Effect Of Rapid Sea Level Fall by Ampou 2017, Indonesian biologists had reported that a drop in sea level had bleached the upper 15 cm of the reefs before temperatures had reached NOAA’ Coral Reef Watch’s bleaching thresholds.
The paper he referred to is about coral mortality on a reef shelf from a sudden drop in sea level. The authors didn't mention the word "bleaching" except in references to mass bleaching events from marine heat stress. As the authors state in the abstract, the rapid fall in sea level resulted in substantial death of the corals "likely by higher daily aerial exposure, at least during low tide period".
Still on page one of the paper, the authors wrote about what happens when corals are heat stressed. The symbiosis between the coral and the algae is disrupted and the coral turns white:
El Niño increases temperature in several coral reef regions and induces zooxanthellae expulsion from the coral polyp, resulting in a coral colony looking white, hence “bleaching”. If the situation persists the coral colony eventually dies.
…Thus, it is assumed that coral bleaching induced by ocean warming will be the main culprit if post-El Niño surveys report coral mortalities.
Jim didn't mention that part of the paper. How could he have missed it?
What the authors were focused on in their research was what happened in the lead up to the severe El Nino temperatures of 2016 (but before the hottest temperatures). They attributed the coral deaths to a severe drop in sea level. Below is Figure 1. from Ampou17, which shows pictures of the coral on Bukanen reef before and after this extreme drop.
Figure 1 | Bunaken reef flats. (a) Close-up of one Heliopora coerula colony with clear tissue mortality on the upper part of the colonies; (b) same for a Porites lutea colony; (c) reef flat Porites colonies observed at low spring tide in May 2014. Even partially above water a few hours per month in similar conditions, the entire colonies were alive. (d) A living Heliopora coerula (blue coral) community in 2015 in a keep-up position relative to mean low sea level, with almost all the space occupied by corals. In that case, a 15 cm sea level fall will impact most of the reef flat. (e–h) Before–after comparison of coral status for colonies visible in (c). In (e), healthy Porites lutea (yellow and pink massive corals) reef flat colonies in May 2014, observed at low spring tide. The upper part of colonies is above water, yet healthy; (f) same colonies in February 2016. The white lines visualize tissue mortality limit. Large Porites colonies (P1, P2) at low tide levels in 2014 are affected, while lower colonies (P3) are not. (g) P1 colony in 2014. (h) Viewed from another angle, the P1 colony in February 2016. (i) Reef flat community with scattered Heliopora colonies in February 2016, with tissue mortality and algal turf overgrowth.
Source: Ampou17
Other causes of coral damage and death
As you can see from the above, in particular regions different factors can cause coral reef damage. At the very local level, bleaching response and coral mortality can be from various causes. For example, in a short article in Coral Reefs (2006), Leggat et al described coral mortality in a section of the Great Barrier Reef on Heron Island, back in 2005. They said how it was probably caused by high winds combined with aerial exposure, noting that the maximum water temperatures at the time were not sufficient by themselves to cause bleaching. Corals on the eastern side weren't affected. The authors wrote:
Although solar radiation cannot be ruled out in the present case, the direction of the bleaching (west-north-west) is more consistent with the observed wind direction, rather than the sun azimuth (west-south-west) during the preceding low-tide periods. It appears that the stress of high winds and aerial exposure, possibly together with the sub-bleaching water temperature, prompted the observed bleaching pattern.
Interestingly, that article, about how wind and aerial exposure probably led to bleaching, was co-authored by another coral expert, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, who Jim Steele had added to his list of personal vendettees.
More on mass bleaching from marine heat stress
However, when you come across mass bleaching over the vast extent seen in the 2015/16 El Nino, it's much more likely to be from the obvious cause - very high ocean temperatures.
Compare these charts from Figure 1 of Hughes17, which show the differences in the reefs affected by coral bleaching in 1998, 2002 and 2016.
Figure 2 | The footprint of bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef in 1998, 2002 and 2016, measured by extensive aerial surveys: dark green (< 1% of corals bleached), light green (1–10%), yellow (10–30%), orange (30–60%), red (> 60%). The number of reefs surveyed in each year was 638 (1998), 631 (2002), and 1,156 (2016). Source: Hughes17
Compare Figure 2 above with the spatial pattern of temperature stress, recorded as degree heating weeks (DHW). As you can see, in each bleaching event (1998, 2002 and 2016), the greatest coral damage was where there was the greatest heat stress.
Figure 3 | Spatial pattern of heat stress (DHWs; °C-weeks) during each mass-bleaching event. Dark blue indicates 0 DHW, and red is the maximum DHW for each year (7, 10 and 16, respectively). Orange and yellow indicate intermediate levels of heat exposure on a continuous scale. Source: Hughes17
Huge increase in Degree Heating Weeks
Degree Heating Weeks (DHW) are a bit complicated. The concept is best described in some detail in Liu et al (2003) in EOS. What DHW shows is how much heat stress has accumulated in an area. It is measured as HotSpot anomalies, which are departures from the "climatological mean temperature of the climatological hottest month". That means it is region specific, though it's not like a normal sea surface temperature anomaly (which uses a different mean as a baseline). Essentially it is an indicator of the departure from the bleaching temperature threshold for coral reefs. The bigger the departure and the longer the duration the greater the risk of severe damage to the coral. From Liu03:
Field observations (most of which are subjective measurements presented as informal reports) with coincident satellite data are only available for a limited number of years; these observations indicate that there is a correlation with bleached corals when DHW values of 4.0 have been reached. By the time DHW values reach 8.0, widespread bleaching is likely and some mortality can be expected.
Have a look at the charts below, from Hughes17, showing DHW for each of the three bleaching events. In 2002 there were a lot of reefs where DHW values were greater than 8.0. In 2016 there were many more:
Figure 4 | Frequency distribution of maximum DHWs on the Great Barrier Reef, in 1998, 2002 and 2016. White bars indicate 0–4 °C-weeks; grey bars, 4–8 °C-weeks; black bars, >8 °C-weeks. Source: Hughes17
Jim Steele and his pseudo-science Gish gallop
If you are a discerning reader, you'll immediately see that Jim Steele's article at WUWT is suspect. He spends time trying to discredit some experts and misrepresents or cherry-picks from others. He gives no solid evidence for his claim that falling sea levels were responsible for bleaching over the entirety of the bleached areas in 2016 (or at any time). (This is an area the size of Italy that we're talking about, not a lone reef on the edge of a small tropical island.) He hits his readers with every notion he can think of as an alternative to the actual cause of the mass coral bleachings described in Hughes17.
Aerial and underwater surveys
Hughes17 is based on data collected from extensive aerial and underwater surveys. Jim Steele implies that the researchers of Hughes17 relied only on aerial surveys, ignoring the fact that the scientists assessed the accuracy of the scores applied from the aerial surveys by ground-truthing. As the authors wrote:
To ground-truth the accuracy of aerial scores of bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef (Fig. 1a), we conducted in-water surveys on 104 reefs during March and April 2016 (Extended Data Fig. 5). We also measured differential species responses (winners versus losers; Fig. 4) on 83 reefs, spanning the 1,200-km-long central and northern Great Barrier Reef, from 10–19° S. We surveyed two sites per reef, using five 10 × 1 m belt transects placed on the reef crest at a depth of 2 m at each site. Observers identified and counted each coral colony and recorded a categorical bleaching score for each individual: 1, no bleaching; 2, pale; 3, 1–50% bleached; 4, 51–99% bleached; 5, 100% bleached; 6, bleached and recently dead. The site-level amount of bleaching for each taxon in Fig. 4 is the sum of categories 2–5. The number of colonies assessed was 58,414. A similar standardized protocol was used to measure amounts of bleaching for the Coral Sea, on sub-tropical reefs south of the Great Barrier Reef, and across 18° of latitude along the west coast of Australia (Fig. 1g).
If only disinformers were as particular.
Anything but hot water
When Jim wrote the following Gish gallop of suggestions, he shows no logic, and wants the bleaching (that he doesn't believe in) to be anything but hot water. He wrote:
Aerial surveys, on which Hughes 2017 based their analyses, cannot discriminate between the various causes of bleaching. To determine the cause of coral mortality, careful examination of bleached coral by divers is required to distinguish whether bleached coral were the result of storms, crown-of-thorns attacks, disease, aerial exposure during low tides, or anomalously warmer ocean waters.
Is he really suggesting that all these different events came to pass at exactly the same time as the excessively hot waters, and that it was the above events, not hot water, that caused the massive bleaching, covering umpteen thousand square kilometres of reef?
Unlike the researchers, Jim provides not a jot or hint that he has any evidence to support his implied claim, apart from showing a chart of sea level in one single spot off the coast of northern Queenland, Lizard Island, which only goes, with gaps, from 1960 to the end of 2015. (Here's a blog article from March 2016 from the Lizard Island Research Centre, about the coral bleaching there.) Jim's chart doesn't show that the 2015 sea level was any lower than it's been in the past, when there was no bleaching.
I did ask Terry Hughes about this, and his response, in part, was:
We also showed that the amount of bleaching measured below water ranged from 0-100%, and was tightly correlated with DHW (Figure 3). If sea level was responsible why didn’t cooler reefs also bleach? We found bleaching down to 40m which can’t be explained by any tidal anomaly.
Below is the Figure 3 that Dr Hughes mentioned, showing the relationship between heat exposure and bleaching in March/April 2016:
Figure 5 | The relationship between heat exposure (satellite-based DHWs in 2016) and the amount of bleaching measured underwater (per cent of corals bleached) in March/April. Each data point represents an individual reef (n = 69). The fitted line is y = 48.6ln(x) – 21.6, R2 = 0.545.
Source: Hughes17
It's not just the correlation of bleaching and DHW, I expect most of you will have picked up this next point, too. In the study that Jim Steele looked at in which aerial exposure caused coral mortality, the coral at depth wasn't harmed. Jim Steele even noted that in his article. (In fact, the scientists unsurprisingly reported that many corals in that region are often exposed to the air without harm. It was the extent of exposure that made the difference in 2015.) So how can he possibly try to argue that reefs at 40 metres below the sea surface were killed by low sea level rather than the obvious culprit - excessive exposure to hot water?
Interestingly, in an article in the Guardian today, it was stated that a couple of groups have suggested to the Australian Government that cold water should be pushed onto a couple of reefs to protect them from coral bleaching. Most experts didn't much like the idea for various reasons, but it does mean that people accept the evidence that bleaching is caused by excessively warm water.
It's El Nino - good for Jim - he's partly right
After trying that hotch potch of notions, Jim shifted to El Nino as the cause. He's correct to a point. However it was El Nino on top of global warming. There have been El Ninos for centuries and it's only in recent times that they've heated up the oceans so much that they've caused mass bleaching. The other point is that there is no El Nino right now, yet the Great Barrier Reef is suffering another hit of coral bleaching this year, 2017.
Global scale or "patchy"?
Later in his article, Jim wrote:
Hughes 2017 wanted to emphasize GBR bleaching as a “global-scale event” in keeping with his greenhouse gas/global warming attribution, but bleaching and mortality was patchy on both local and regional scales.
He's not serious, is he? The 2016 mass bleaching was the worst ever. Perhaps by "patchy" Jim meant that there were some reefs somewhere in the tropics that escaped mass bleaching.
The authors of Hughes17 reported that in 2016, the proportion of extreme bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef (more than 60% of corals bleached) was four times higher that the mass bleachings of 1998 and 2002. They wrote that in 2016:
...only 8.9% of 1,156 surveyed reefs escaped with no bleaching, compared to 42.4% of 631 reefs in 2002 and 44.7% of 638 in 1998. The cumulative, combined footprint of all three major bleaching events now covers almost the entire Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, with the exception of southern, offshore reefs (Fig. 1d).
Jim added this next bit, which was him practicing deception or lack of comprehension:
The lack of mortality in 2016 across the southern and Central GBR, was explained as a result of the cooling effects of tropical storm Winston, but that does not explain why individual reefs in those regions have not bleached at all, while others bleached only once, and still others bleached twice or three times since 1998.
Jim should have looked at Figure 1 in the paper, which illustrates how heat stress affected different areas of the Great Barrier Reef at different times (see Figures 2, 3 and 4 above, especially Figure 3 that shows the lack of heat stress in the southern portion in 2016).
Cherry-picking and more
There's more. After arguing that mass bleaching probably isn't getting worse because of hotter seas as the world warms, Jim cites different studies, but ignores the parts where the authors talk about mass bleaching from heat stress. One of these is Wooldridge13, where the author is explaining the mechanism that causes mass coral bleaching, would you believe. Jim should take note of the last sentence in Wooldridge13, which is (my emphasis):
Future testing and refinement of the ideas presented within this paper thus offers considerable hope for developing further insights into tack[l]ing the climate-induced demise of coral-algae symbioses and the reefs they construct.
Jim's Gish gallop continues into how it's not just sea level, crown of thorns, storms, disease, low tides - he next tosses into his mix of distractions high nutrient loading that caused the mass bleaching that Jim thinks didn't happen anyway. Sure - as Terry Hughes said in the video above, replacing bad water with good water will help, and all these these things affect coral, but they didn't all happen everywhere all over the tropics, in the same short time interval, just when the oceans happen to be excessively hot, and not at any other time. It's the heat stress that clearly caused the coral bleaching in the periods described in Hughes17.
Jim's real message - denying global warming
I won't bother with the rest of Jim's article, except this bit where he shows his underlying rejection of climate science, if not his motivation for rejecting science and the knowledge of experts. He wrote:
After perusing Hughes 2017, it was clear they had been led to incorrectly embrace the prevailing bias of CO2-induced catastrophic bleaching because they failed to address the fall in sea level before and during the 2016 El Niño, and likewise they failed to address how weather created by El Niños promotes clear skies and increased solar heating.
I dare any normal sane person (i.e. not a hard-core conspiracy theorising climate "hoax" crank) to read Hughes17 and not be convinced that mass bleaching is the result of excessive ocean heat, and that it is causing real and already has probably caused irrevocable damage to one of Australia's most precious resources.
I dare the same people to read Jim Steele's article and not be amazed at the red herrings, snide insinuations, pseudo-scientific crap, misdirection, misrepresentation, cherry-picking, and disinformation he's managed to cram into a single article. It is quite a challenge to wade through his diatribes and I don't recommend it. Jim is getting more practiced at diluting some good science with loads of pseudo-science, while rejecting the elephant in the room.
Weeping for a lost reef
Jim Steele claims he wept, which I expect is a snarky reference to a tweet by Terry Hughes, lead author of the Nature paper that Jim tried to trash:
I showed the results of aerial surveys of #bleaching on the #GreatBarrierReef to my students, And then we wept. pic.twitter.com/bry5cMmzdn
— Terry Hughes (@ProfTerryHughes) April 19, 2016
Jim Steele isn't weeping. He is doing his utmost to kill coral reefs as quickly as he and his anti-environmental vandals can.
The experts in coral reef science are doing their best to save it. Unfortunately, as Terry Hughes said: "Now, tragically, the GBR is severely bleaching again in 2017 in regions that got too hot."
As a final note, the prestigious general science journal Nature included Professor Terry Hughes, as one of the top ten people who mattered in 2016. (I didn't see Jim Steele's name in the list.)
Update - an ethical issue
I've just been made aware that the Townsville Bulletin has unbelievably presented the crank denier nonsense of Jim Steele as being as credible, or more so, than rigorous science from the foremost coral experts in the world. So I've decided to add some from the email from one of the authors of Ampou17, whose work the Townsville Bulletin mentioned, hoping he doesn't mind.
I suggested: Your paper does not refute the work that has shown that excessive warmth of some duration can cause coral bleaching.
Response: Of course not. Bleaching is caused primarily by excess temperature.
And more:
...we never contradict that bleaching can be caused by warming. It's silly to pretend otherwise.
...if someone is manipulating and transforming the content of paper to push his ideas, that's an ethical issue. I can just condemn this.
Climate conspiracy wackos at WUWT only like articles that reassure them that the world isn't really warming. They don't care much about nature, and some despise it. The "thoughts" show no-one capable of critical thinking. None of them saw that Jim was jumping all over from one excuse to another trying to find a cause for mass bleaching that didn't involve heat. Nor that he dismissed the mass bleaching as pretty well inconsequential. If these people had their way there'd be no coral reefs at all.
jfpittman falls hook line and sinker for Jim's fib about Terry Hughes, nutrients and coral reefs, which I'm sure will cause Jim Steele some sadistic pleasure. See the video in the article above, when Dr Hughes talks about the bad things that people do to coral reefs reefs around the world. The very first item that he mentions is pollution, run-off from nutrients etc. (see it on YouTube at 1m38s). Disinformers are shameless. Their fans are stupid, gullible or disinformers pretending to be gullible - or maybe a combination of all three.
I used to read Nature when it was the publication likely to have analysis like Jim’s.It seems so strange to see the work on eutrophication and its impact on biomes discarded. It took a lot of effort to get governments around the world to recognize that improper discharge of waste could harm species diversification, and change the fundamental relationships in the ecological microsystems. Assuming, and by that assumption throwing away so much hard won science by a scientist, seems so much worse than anything a non scientist can do from ignorance or purposeful stubbornness.
Greg doesn't understand that Centres of Excellence in Australia is the collective name given to collaborative efforts involving scientists from multiple organisations, working in a particular field. Or maybe, like everyone at WUWT, he just hates knowledge.
” the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies”
Yet another of these bullshit “Centres of Excellence”. Who are they trying to con ? If you were a centre of excellence you would not need to put it on the letter head. Do Yale and Harvard have to put “excellence” in their names? No, because they ARE centres of excellence not bullshit merchants trying to dress politics as science.
Peter Ridd is a known disinformer from JCU (remember Bob Carter, the devil rest his soul?), who is a mate of Jennifer Marohasey and belongs to a denier/disinfomer club. He is an unethical one at that, claiming that random un-named tourism operators, who have a vested interest, are more trustworthy than methodical, rigorous, scientific research from his much more highly esteemed professional colleague.
you may be interested that there was a mass mortality of mangroves in the Gulf of Carpentaria last year also caused in part by a temporary drop in sea level associated with El Nino. It was a huge event. see link below or I can send you the original paper.
I should add that I have looked at many of the videos of the bleaching taken from aircraft and it is difficult to see how the figures that Hughes presents are credible. In addition a parallel survey of GBR bleaching done by tourist operators indicated far lower levels than reported by Hughes team.
It looks like another example of results we cannot trust.
Peter Ridd
(Peter Ridd linked to an article at The Conversation, which was based on research published by CSIRO. Low sea level was considered a likely a factor with the mangrove die-off, but so was unprecedented high temperature and severe drought. Global warming again!)
DaveR is unable to read critically. He mistakenly thinks that Jim's multiple excuses to avoid ocean warming and mass bleaching are "hypothesis" based on data. They aren't. There is no meaningful data from Jim. It's just a Gish gallop of the type you see every day on denier blogs.
Its always refreshing to see a scientific article which looks at the data first, and then makes hypotheses second. There is not a lot of that approach in the climate fraternity. It even more refreshing when that study explodes a dogma well past its use-by date.
On a scientific point, a 120m sea level rise in the last 20ky after the last ice age peak means that all current corals down to 120m didnt exist 20k years ago, and the shallower colonies are very young.
I have a feeling that corals dog the current sea level and live/die as MSL moves. Isotopic age studies on corals must be particularly illuminating.
Peter s says he has some sort of story he wants money for, but I don't know what it is. His next snorkelling holiday perhaps? I figure he thinks that the sun bleaches coral just like it bleaches the sheets on the clothes line. He's wrong.
I have snorkeled out there twice and it is breathtaking as you dive down deeper. The GBR is a living thing. In ideal conditions the coral grows wider and higher until it gets close to the surface where it is exposed to the sun more often during low tide. Naturally its vivid colours will become bleached. But of course there is no funding in this sort of story.
ptolemy2 mistakenly thought that sea levels are falling. What a nutter. She or he probably thinks the world is cooling, too.
So sea level rise is levelling off and the Climagesterium is trying to conceal the fact.
This could get interesting.
The rate of rise has gone up to 3.4mm a year and despite the end of El Nino, it's still above the long term trend - from the CU Sea Level Research Group:
graphicconception expressed his thanks for all the "alternative causes", not caring that none of them were the primary cause of the mass bleachings last year or this year.
Excellent article. Duly bookmarked.
The information I think the public needs includes the alternative causes for a particular effect. The AGW fraternity are happy to push the “warming causes everything” approach. It is only when you have an idea of the other things besides warming that can have an effect that you can counter their arguments successfully. This article provided that information. Thank you.
The rest are no better, and simply demonstrate yet again that WUWTers are not capable of understanding science, unable to think or read critically, and willing to swallow anything they read on a denier blog as long as it pokes fun at real knowledge. And, of course, as long as it dismisses climate science as a "hoax".
Hughes, Terry P., James T. Kerry, Mariana Álvarez-Noriega, Jorge G. Álvarez-Romero, Kristen D. Anderson, Andrew H. Baird, Russell C. Babcock et al. "Global warming and recurrent mass bleaching of corals." Nature 543, no. 7645 (2017): 373-377. doi: 10.1038/nature21707 (pdf here)
Large Sections of Australia’s Great Reef Are Now Dead, Scientists Find - article by Damien Cave and Justin Gillis at the New York Times, 15 March 2017
How the Great Barrier Reef is responding to global warming. (Hint: not well) - article by Sean Greene at the Los Angeles Times, 17 March 2017
Urgent action needed to save the reef while we still can, scientists warn - article by Gemma Chilton at Australian Geographic, March 2017
Australia must share the blame for coral bleaching - article at the Financial Times
Eghbert Elvan Ampou, Ofri Johan, Christophe E. Menkes, Fernando Niño, Florence Birol, Sylvain Ouillon, and Serge Andréfouët. "Coral mortality induced by the 2015-2016 El-Niño in Indonesia: the effect of rapid sea level fall." Biogeosciences 14, no. 4 (2017): 817. doi:10.5194/bg-14-817-2017 (open access)
Leggat, William, Tracy D. Ainsworth, Sophie Dove, and Ove Hoegh-Guldberg. "Aerial exposure influences bleaching patterns." Coral Reefs 25, no. 3 (2006): 452-452. doi:10.1007/s00338-006-0128-3
Liu, Gang, Alan E. Strong, and William Skirving. "Remote sensing of sea surface temperatures during 2002 Barrier Reef coral bleaching." Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union 84, no. 15 (2003): 137-141. doi: 10.1029/2003EO150001 (open access)
Global warming and repeated bouts of coral bleaching - Article by Terry Hughes in Nature Ecology and Evolution, March 2017
It’s either Adani or the Great Barrier Reef. Are we willing to fight for a wonder of the world? - article by Jeff Sparrow at The Guardian, 7 April 2017
Plan to pump cold water on to Barrier Reef to stop bleaching labelled 'band-aid' - article by Christopher Knaus at the Guardian, 7 April 2017
Importance of Coral Reefs - NOAA article with links to other general information about corals
From the HotWhopper archives
Annual large scale coral bleaching: Eric Worrall @wattsupwiththat sez - who cares? - January 2017
No honesty or diligence about #climate change or coral reef science from Bob Fernley-Jones at WUWT - February 2017
The Great Barrier Reef: an unmitigated disaster - if only the Australian public knew... - June 2016
Willis Eschenbach turns on the charm for NOAA's coral watch crew - July 2015
Perennially Puzzled Bob Tisdale surfs the surface at Florida Keys - September 2014
Other articles featuring Jim Steele
Posted by Sou at 11:02 PM
Labels: coral bleaching, coral reef, Great Barrier Reef, Jim Steele, Terry Hughes
JCH April 8, 2017 at 12:24 AM
I've seen this argument posed several times on sewers like CargoCult Etc.: where is the data demonstrating similar bleaching events did not happen in the past?
So I have snorkeled the shoreline of Magnetic Island and I have scubaed the GBR... also off Townsville. I cannot imagine that a coral bleaching event could go unnoticed along the shoreline of Magnetic Island (I believe it has been a resort sight for a very long time,) and I find it difficult to believe Australian fisherman and the various navies of the world could see, with no comment at all, a bleaching event on the GBR and not make some sort of comment.
Sou April 8, 2017 at 12:40 AM
Hi JCH, this might help answer their question. It's from 1993, but it is well-referenced, and has charts (pictures for the comic book readers). If anyone has more, please post them.
Mass coral mortalities in contemporary coral reef ecosystems have been reported in all major reef provinces since the 1870s (Stoddart 1969; Johannes 1975; Endean 1976; Pearson 1981; Brown 1987; Coffroth et al. 1990). Why, then, should the coral reef bleaching and mortality events of the 1980s command great concern? Probably, in large part, because the frequency and scale of bleaching disturbances are unprecedented in the scientific literature. For example, no less than 60 major "coral reef bleaching events" (Fig. 1 a) were reported over the 12 year period, 1979-1990 (Coffroth et al. 1990; Williams and BunkleyWilliams 1990; Glynn 1991), compared with 45 "mass coral mortalities" (Fig. 1 b, c) caused by various other disturbances. In contrast, only three bleaching events were reported among 63 mass coral mortality records during the preceding 103 years (1876--1979; Coffroth et al. 1990; see Fig. 1 caption for additional references).
Glynn, P. W. "Coral reef bleaching: ecological perspectives." Coral reefs 12, no. 1 (1993): 1-17.
More perspective here:
In 1998 and 2006 severe bleaching occurred around the world, caused by warmer than average sea temperatures linked to El Niño events. These widescale events are known as “mass bleaching“. Until 1979 only 3 mass bleaching events had been recorded around the world. In 2002 alone, 400 events mass bleaching events were recorded (UNEP) and by 2008 mass bleaching had occured in every coral reef region of the world.
Then there was 2016!
http://www.reefteach.com.au/coral-bleaching/
The problem here is that prior to 1980, there was no means to measure the global or even regional extent of coral bleaching events. There simply wasn't a means to correlate observations of bleaching in a coordinated way. Since the means to observe and measure have become accessible, it is hardly surprising that reporting is "unprecedented in the scientific literature". Obviously.
Sou April 23, 2017 at 5:01 PM
The logical fallacy of argument from personal incredulity.
I'm guessing you are either very young, Brian, and aren't aware that there were communication mechanisms prior to networked computers. Either that or you're getting on in years and are suffering the old male syndrome that afflicts a minority of people, resulting in climate science denial.
I am offended by your ageist and sexist remarks. Not your finest moment Sou.
Harry Twinotter April 24, 2017 at 2:04 PM
"I am offended by your ageist and sexist remarks. Not your finest moment Sou."
Tone-trolling.
Millicent April 24, 2017 at 5:10 PM
"The problem here is that prior to 1980..."
Scientific measurement of anything at all have time constraints. Using the Brian Westlake method we must conclude it is impossible to know anything about what's happening to anything.
Strawman, Millicent. Not your finest either.
Millicent April 24, 2017 at 10:39 PM
Ah yes, if all else fails cry "straw man". But feel free to show us why "means to measure the global or even regional extent of coral bleaching events" prior to 1980 is absolutely crucial to the issue.
Ok, fair question and worthy of a response.
You are right, Millicent. Why would we need detailed observations prior to forming a hypothesis, and forming a conclusion. What was I thinking?
/sarc off
Sou April 26, 2017 at 10:35 PM
Fascinating insight into the denier mind.
Brian's hypothesis, if I understand it, is that the seas in which the corals live have had super hot spells as hot and as widespread as last year (and this), and as frequently as recently, quite often in the past several hundred years, and have therefore suffered mass bleaching as often as they are suffering them now. I'd really like to see the data on which he bases his hypothesis.
How did the reefs manage to survive? How is it that there's no sign of these frequent mass coral bleaching events? How did all the fishers miss it? How did the seas get so hot without any impact on land or in the ocean that left a sign? What caused these extra hot spells in the ocean?
Why does he want the GBR to die?
So many questions.
So Brian didn't try to answer my question. He admitted it was a fair question but he didn't deign to respond to it.
Instead he went with a generalised hypothetical that bore no proper relation to the issue, but which he could respond to. Umm, now what is doing that called? And what was he complaining of only a moment before?
So Brian, why do we have to have pre 1980s data? How do we need that in order to know if hotter temperatures kill coral or if global warming is happening, or if global warming makes things warmer? Or, well, what?
And the /sarc did, at least, elicit laughter from me. Given the shallowness of his response it had all the effect of watching a small child blow out their cheeks in an infantile pout.
I do recommend rereading his post with that in mind. At least then he provides some entertainment.
Sou, let me explain this one more time.
In your post above, and in your article, you assume that it is a FACT that current coral bleaching is (a) related to global warming, and therefore escalating in severity and intensity, and (b) that this will ultimately destroy the GBR.
Now we don't have direct observational evidence over time for either of these conclusions. They are logically inferred from the available evidence. There is nothing wrong with making a logical inference, but it should be called out, because without direct observational evidence there is room for doubt, and alternative hypothesis. That is my only point.
Now in anticipation of further accusations about me being a denier, because I apparently "doubt" the FACT that global warming is destroying the GBR,
(1) refer you to my analogy below concerning the Crown of Thorns starfish, and how inference and a lack of accurate quantification can result in inappropriate policy.
(2) consider direct observation and quantification - Quantify the delta water temperature that anthropogenic global warming contributed to the recent coral bleaching events, "on top of" El Nino factors: (A) 2 degC (B) 1 degC (C) 0.1 degC (D) 0.01 degC (E) unknown. Consider the complexity of answering this question by inference with respect to our current knowledge of how much humans contribte to observed global warming, ocean heating and mixing, the heat content and it's relationship to water temperature, and how this might logically impact on water temperature during coral bleaching events.
As I know you are not expert in thermodynamics, I don't expect you to fully comprehend what I am saying here. But don't worry, I am learning to not have high expectations.
PS. Regarding the assumption coral bleaching events are historically unprecedented, I am not the only one suggesting there is potential for doubt. From the Australia Institute of Marine Science http://coral.aims.gov.au/info/bleaching-environment.jsp “The 1997-98 El Niño event was the most extreme in recorded history yet it is still possible that this and the two other major events in the past two decades (1981-82 and 2001-02) were exacerbated by other, slower, climatic cycles which are part of the natural variability of the Earth’s climate and not a response to greenhouse warming.”
So there may be evidence that coral bleaching has been worsening over the last century, but that does not mean what we are observing is not common on millennial timescales. That perhaps may go some way to resolving the relevance of Sou's questions: How did the reefs manage to survive? How is it that there's no sign of these frequent mass coral bleaching events? How did all the fishers miss it? How did the seas get so hot without any impact on land or in the ocean that left a sign? What caused these extra hot spells in the ocean?
Sou April 29, 2017 at 10:36 AM
Brian wrote: "Sou, let me explain this one more time. In your post above, and in your article, you assume that it is a FACT that current coral bleaching is (a) related to global warming, and therefore escalating in severity and intensity, and (b) that this will ultimately destroy the GBR."...and more repetition.
Read the article again, Brian. Then, read each comment again. Then go away and read up about a) global warming and b) coral reefs. Then read a critical thinking text and think about why what you wrote is inaccurate. Look up the words "you", "assume", "will" - to start with. Also, think about, but don't come back and tell us, where in the article above you got your b) from.
Oh,and before you explain "one more time" again, don't. You've done it umpteen times already and in doing so, shown no sign of properly comprehending the science, the HW article, or any of the replies to your comments.
jgnfld April 29, 2017 at 3:07 PM
True FACT: All inductive reasoning and the entire edifice of science is assumed!
Jammy Dodger April 29, 2017 at 5:30 PM
I think I see what BW is saying. The paper should have had a control planet with a GBR and subjected it to global warming until the reef was dead. Then the authors should jump into their time machine to the present on earth and presented their paper with irrefutable evidence that GW kills reefs. Then this paper could cite that paper and all would be well.
Usual denier setting impossible expectations and i.possibly high bars.
Bernard J. April 29, 2017 at 5:43 PM
Brian Westlake, there's a very simple way to resolve your claims. Put them to Terry Hughes, or to Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, or to Charlie (John) Veron, or to any of a number of other researchers. These people are all very approachable and more than happy to discuss the science of coral bleaching and reef decline, and the bonus is that you can have public discussions with comments that comes straight from the horses' mouths.
Please let us know how your conversations progress, and what insight you gain from putting your thoughts straight to the professionals who know more about the science than anyone else.
Jammy and Bernard, still missing the point. I have no issues with the scientific conclusion,supported by the experts in the field, that coral bleaching is primarily caused by heat stress. The problem is that the author of the article above, and some of the authors of referenced papers, all infer that AGW contributes significantly to the cause of this heat stress without suitable reference to quantification of that contribution. eg Hughes21 bases all such assertions to [25] van Hooidonk, R. et al. which
actually does not conclude on the issue of AGW and quantifying ocean heating.
This whole thread is about demonstrating and QUANTIFYING increased water temperature connected to AGW. The article, and papers were devoid of suitable references demonstrating that correlation. It is INFERRED that the 2016 bleaching is correlated to unprecedented global warming, eg [Sou] "There have been El Ninos for centuries and it's only in recent times that they've heated up the oceans so much that they've caused mass bleaching." is a statement that has no reference attached - it is purely an inference, with scant observational evidence. I acknowledge it is completely logical, and probably correct. But it should be called out that it is an inference and not demonstrated by observation. If you don't do the science right, you leave yourself open to rogues like Jim Steele.
And if you think I am a climate science denier, you are not paying attention.
You now want a "quantification of that contribution". That's called "shifting the goal posts". Previously you implied there was no contribution, so I guess that's progress.
The best estimate of the contribution of human activity in the latest IPCC report (which is a bit old now) was that humans have caused all the warming since the 1950s, (and some prior to that).
From the report:
It is extremely likely that more than half of the observed increase in global average surface temperature from 1951 to 2010 was caused by the anthropogenic increase in greenhouse gas concentrations and other anthropogenic forcings together. The best estimate of the human induced contribution to warming is similar to the observed warming over this period.
Next goal post shift - I mean, next question?
As for you insisting I and scientists use the word "inferred", whether in a blog article, a comment, or a scientific paper - go jump. Do you demand that of yourself? No. Do you demand that of every scientific paper that you read (if you have ever read one, that is)? No. Have you ever demanded that of any denier blog writer? I doubt it. Do you know what you're talking about? Based on the evidence here, I infer not.
Read the comments from jgnfld for once, and read the references he gave you. Try to understand them if it's possible. Quit pretending you know more than real scientists. Lastly, if you think the reefs have been hit by as many mass bleachings in the past in as short a time period as a result of hot oceans, tell us all when that was, what happened to the reefs as a result, how the seas got so hot, and on what evidence you base your assertion.
PS This blog provides more references than most. Brian wants to set the bar even higher. If he'd looked at the second comment above, he'd have found I referenced work that reported only about three mass bleaching events over the 103 years prior to the 1970s or so. Lots since.
That's not enough for Brian, yet he has not come up anything to refute this research, nor has he done any research himself (based on the evidence).
Brian Westlake, I simply say again - take your protestations to the people on the front line.
If you don't perhaps I should do it for you. It wouldn't be the first time I've taken something to the relevant experts in the field on behalf of a troll who's not had the courage to do so themselves. And to date I've never had a troll supported by the answers I've received.
Would you like me to approach some people on your behalf?
Sou: "Previously you implied there was no contribution"
So now you have resorted to lying. Do you have a quote to support your claim?
Sou: "The best estimate of the contribution of human activity in the latest IPCC report (which is a bit old now) was that humans have caused all the warming since the 1950s"
Um, according to your reference, I think you mean half the 0.8 degC warming of the atmosphere (not ocean) this century, right?
But this actually doesn't provide any quantification of the actual contribution to water temperature on reefs. Is it 0.4 degC? Is it more? Is it less? Is the amount of warming relevant compared to other factors? None of these issues are discussed above, none are referenced, and yet these are the questions that are relevant to your inferences.
Lying, really? Perhaps you've forgotten how you started out, Brian. This is from your first comment:
Your immediate connection between global warming and the El Nino related coral bleaching events in 1982, 1998, 2002 and 2016, is an assumption, and not one that is immediately supported by scientific evidence. ... Also the unprecedented heating of tropical water is certainly caused by El Nino events, though not necessarily “on top of global warming”. ... It is important to note that neither the low sea level, higher water temperature nor drought are necessarily associated with anthropogenic global warming.
Bernard, you appear to be assuming that experts in marine biology also have expertise in climate science.
Like you, I am not shy about going to the experts. I recall exchanging some interesting emails with Mario Molina some 20 years ago. He assisted me in better understanding the chemistry of polar stratospheric ozone depletion. Yet he was unable to address my fundamental concerns about the biological implications, because it was not his area of specialty.
Sou, note the word "necessarily", and again the fundamental issue of quantification.
Brian can't read:
Nope. The IPCC was referring to surface warming and said that the best estimate is all the warming since the 1950s was from human activity. (Read the quote again.)
As for you wanting the researchers to put a number on human contribution to the ocean temperature (compared to El Nino), that's asking for something different from what their research was about. (There have been estimates at the global level, but not local AFAIK.)
Frankly, it's been obvious from the outset that you don't understand the first thing about this research. It's not an average temperature that causes bleaching. It's the time spent above a tolerance threshold. This is likely to happen more often in coming years as global warming increases.
I can tell you don't care about that. You just want to fight about something. You don't care what. Take whatever grief you're nursing (which has nought to do with corals or science) to your local boxing ring. That'll be much more satisfying, for all of us.
Brian, your issue of quantification was not "fundamental" - it's a goal post shift and not a relevant one at that. You first ignorantly raised "quantification" only today, not a week and umpteen of your comments ago when you got your knickers in a knot and began to insert your science denial here.
Sou: "As for you wanting the researchers to put a number on human contribution to the ocean temperature (compared to El Nino), that's asking for something different from what their research was about. "
Exactly what I have been saying.
"This is likely to happen more often in coming years as global warming increases."
This is an inference, since (as you say) the research you have been quoting does not prove it.
Do I really have to explain this to you AGAIN???
In other words, Brian, all your silly comments have been over nothing at all. They were meaningless. You were simply wanting to pick an argument over nothing (except your AGW denial).
Don't come back.
"Yet he was unable to address my fundamental concerns about the biological implications, because it was not his area of speciality."
Can anybody explain to me why the word "yet" is present in that sentence?
He's an odd one, Millicent.
BTW, other scientists have worked out the likelihood of coral sea temperatures being as hot, with and without human caused forcings. From that HW article: there's about a 175 times increase in the likelihood of very hot March months in that region, "because of the human influence on the climate".
Not what Brian was looking for in his new "quantification" demand, but it gives you an idea of what is happening with global warming.
Sou April 8, 2017 at 12:54 PM
The Townsville Bulletin has printed an article in which they falsely attribute a quote to Terry Hughes, and apparently lied, saying he couldn't be contacted yesterday (when I exchanged emails with him). They also, appallingly, wrote as if Jim Steele, the crank pseudo-scientist, was somehow more credible than all the coral reef experts in the world. (See this from the ABC's MediaWatch.)
So I've added an update to the article.
Nick April 8, 2017 at 6:26 PM
Steele seems to base his ambitious claim on Ampou et al, and the Cairns tide gauge, plus tide projections from BOM. He does this while decrying a lack of scepticism and rigor on behalf of Hughes and contributors....irony is dead.
As you say, Amou et al. discuss a local event and never offer a total attributional distribution for any mass bleaching event of regional or global extent.
The Cairns tide gauge shows,unsurprisingly, that the 2010-11 La Nina was a peak in monthly tide heights and monthly figures have declined a little since then...but really this is irrelevant because it is monthly data, too coarse to support his assertion.
As for the tide projections, indeed there were a couple of low tide clusters amounting to a few days in autumn 2016 that may have had some minor contributory effect to some reef damage, but we do not know what the actual tide figures were compared with projections: local wind and air pressure may have seen higher figures than projected anyway..
It's just ill-willed slipshod speculation from Steele, and sad that the Townsville Bulletin should uncritically fall for it.
Sou April 8, 2017 at 6:31 PM
It shows a lack of journalistic ethics. It also shows a disregard for facts, and disregard for the well-being of the local community they are meant to serve, all for the sake of faking controversy to get attention.
The paper has now published an online version, with the quote previously attributed to Terry Hughes, now attributed to the wretched Peter Ridd.
ABC's MediaWatch is keeping an eye on it :)
Townsville Bulletin is owned by News Corp...
The article takes the form of so many News Corp anti-science pieces. Elevate a non-expert [David vs Goliath template]to parity with real experts, wheel out contrarian with form, 'teach the controversy' where there is in fact none, and bury the most important evidence for the reality deep in the piece, if you use it at all.
Will this be run now in The Australian? Various News Corp professional trolls will no doubt push it in their columns....
No one will actually read the Hughes et al paper.
Standard News Corp model is now failure of due diligence. There is no downside, Press Council is toothless.
That explains a lot, Nick.
jrkrideau April 9, 2017 at 9:36 AM
Davidr
Its always refreshing to see a scientific article which looks at the data first, and then makes hypotheses second.
I believe scientists have names for people that do this and they are not polite.
I'm starting to think that some WUWT readers do not quite grasp the scientific method.
Jammy Dodger April 9, 2017 at 6:34 PM
Ha ha, yes, very good jkrideau. Well spotted. What are some of those names?
I ask semi-seriously because it is an issue - which came first, the hypothesis or the data? A lot of hypotheses are made to explain a set of data. Take Kepler's explanation of the data collected about the motions of the planets and his formulation of Kepler's law. When does it cross over into bad scientific method?
Tripp Funderburk April 10, 2017 at 11:55 PM
Jim Steele actually wrote this utter foolishness: "bleaching without mortality is not a worrisome event no matter how extensive." When corals bleach, they do not eat, they do not grow, they do not reproduce, and they are severely weakened and susceptible to disease. Jim Steele, the bird call and nature hike expert, says that this is not worrisome? Can there be any greater evidence of ignorance and quackery than Jim Steele's fiction to pretend that global warming is not real? Unreal.
Seaice1 April 11, 2017 at 10:15 PM
It is the same as saying heart attacks are not worrisome without mortality.
Hi Sou,
In response to your challenge for correction of this article “All errors are mine - so if you see some, let me know and I'll correct them”:
The thrust of your article, that recent coral bleaching events were caused almost entirely by heat stress, is well presented from the available science. However you state: “The causes of the present-day demise of coral reefs are varied. One of the biggest causes is global warming. This is having both direct and indirect effects on coral reefs.” Your immediate connection between global warming and the El Nino related coral bleaching events in 1982, 1998, 2002 and 2016, is an assumption, and not one that is immediately supported by scientific evidence. It may be logically inferred that as global warming occurs, there will be increased coral bleaching, but this is not directly observed, and the connection is anecdotal at best. The history of direct observation and measurement of coral bleaching is only about 30 years, and there is no clear way to observe the degree of coral bleaching going back in time, plus there have been too few events to establish a link. We do not know how common coral bleaching events are over century or millennial timescales. Also the unprecedented heating of tropical water is certainly caused by El Nino events, though not necessarily “on top of global warming”. From the Australia Institute of Marine Science http://coral.aims.gov.au/info/bleaching-environment.jsp “The 1997-98 El Niño event was the most extreme in recorded history yet it is still possible that this and the two other major events in the past two decades (1981-82 and 2001-02) were exacerbated by other, slower, climatic cycles which are part of the natural variability of the Earth’s climate and not a response to greenhouse warming.” Whilst there is no doubt the subsequent 2016 event is unprecedented in the short history of observation, there has been no evidence to suggest that the circumstances of the El Nino event was not similar to the 3 previous events, and the result of natural factors. Also in reference to Peter Ridd’s comment, you state ” Low sea level was considered a likely a factor with the mangrove die-off, but so was unprecedented high temperature and severe drought. Global warming again!)” It is important to note that neither the low sea level, higher water temperature nor drought are necessarily associated with anthropogenic global warming.
Brian, I get that you don't "believe" scientific evidence. Your faith that global warming will stop or won't continue to damage corals is hardly admirable. Do you really want to kill off coral reefs and fisheries as soon as you can? Perhaps because you can't stand the thought of modernising the energy sector. (Yep, I remember your comments on energy here that you've made before. You're a fan of outmoded dirty power.)
Your wanting to cling to the 'not impossible' is not touching (though "touched" is a word that your comment brings to mind).
BTW - because you claimed: "It may be logically inferred that as global warming occurs, there will be increased coral bleaching, but this is not directly observed, and the connection is anecdotal at best.", it's "possible" that you missed this part of the article you quoted from.
We have already entered the time-frame where mass bleaching is occurring without El Niño enhancement. If the relationship of atmospheric CO2 levels to the amount and/or frequency of bleaching continues on its present trajectory, there will be a point where every year will have a similar impact on corals as the worst El Niño events have had in the past.
http://coral.aims.gov.au/info/bleaching-environment.jsp
I can't be bothered with the rest of what you wrote. People who want to learn will read the article and the references above as a starting point. They'll be more interested in science, facts and evidence than the denial of some obscure denier commenter who's strayed out of his comfort zone (and who's not too different from Malcolm Roberts in his cherry-picking and argument by assertion).
izen April 23, 2017 at 6:16 PM
@-Brian
"It may be logically inferred that as global warming occurs, there will be increased coral bleaching, but this is not directly observed, and the connection is anecdotal at best. The history of direct observation and measurement of coral bleaching is only about 30 years, and there is no clear way to observe the degree of coral bleaching going back in time, plus there have been too few events to establish a link. We do not know how common coral bleaching events are over century or millennial timescales."
Coral forms growth-rings, rather like trees. It also incorporates different ratios of Oxygen, Calcium and Strontium isotopes in response to sea surface temperature and salinity changes. So there is a long and extensive record of past climate, and the slower growth associated with bleaching from coral cores.
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Paleoclimatology_CloseUp/paleoclimatology_closeup_2.php
Sou,
I get that you didn’t understand my post at all. I never said anything implying “faith that global warming will stop or won't continue to damage corals”. Is it really your MO to smear and lie about people when they disagree with a minor point in your articles. Why do you feel the need to do that?
Your quote from AIMS is exactly what I mean by “logically inferred”. And I have no problem with that. I am merely pointing out that this is what you are doing when you reach conclusions about global warming and coral damage, and that the connection is only logically inferred, and not directly observed. As a scientist I thought you would want to demonstrate that sort of rigour in your quest against climate denial, to ensure you cannot be attacked by folk with an agenda like Jim Steele.
Izen, your counter reference does not make any reference to coral bleaching. Certainly AIMS has identified that current events (4 in a period of 30 years) are unusual over the last century or so. But cores can’t see clearly beyond that timescale, so there are very few data points.
What are you on about, Brian? Coral bleaching is directly observed. The mechanism by which bleaching occurs in extra hot water is well known and based on evidence. You implying it's just "anecdotal" (whatever you think that means) or pie in the sky is ludicrous.
If you think that pointing out your science denial is "smearing", then that's fine by me. (The evidence is there. And sure, there are times that I'll let show my irritation with the anti-science tactics of people like yourself.)
The rigor you're (not) looking for is in the article above as well as in the references, and the work those references reference. I'm not about to spend another few days picking up on each of your wrong insinuations individually.
"Izen, your counter reference does not make any reference to coral bleaching."
No, it describes at the layman level how it is detected, as well as all the other data about SSTs and salinity. However a few minutes work with a search engine will produce multiple science papers that deal with exactly that issue, ie;
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282281090_Thermal_stress_markers_in_Colpophyllia_natans_provide_an_archive_of_site-specific_bleaching_events
Have you considered why you were willing to defend your mistake when such little effort was required to avoid looking ignorant?
Sou, yet again you apply inference rather than referencing observation to make your case. It is clear you don't understand the difference, and you don't want to.
Izen, how far into the past do natans provide information? 100 years? What is the accuracy for >100years, your reference does not say. I say again, too few data points to say that current coral bleaching events are unusual on the time-scale of a typical coral reefs existence. There is no direct observation that bleaching correlates with greenhouse warming, nor that bleaching is a portent of doom for reefs in the long term. Such claims are inferred only, and this should be clearly stated when making claims, not assumed as fact.
izen April 23, 2017 at 11:04 PM
"Izen, how far into the past do natans provide information? 100 years? What is the accuracy for >100years, your reference does not say. I say again, too few data points to say that current coral bleaching events are unusual on the time-scale of a typical coral reefs existence."
You can say it repeatedly without affecting its inherent inaccuracy. An error you could correct with a few minutes search engine use which would reveal hundreds of papers researching the very 'questions' you rhetorically ask. The reliability and sensitivity of corals to sea temperature and a multitude of other factors is extensively studied.
From this we know what the past El Nino cycle, and regional variations have been. Here is an example, but you do need to consider why you have been ignorant of this fact until now.
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1191/0959683603hl606rp
Eight, multicentury, Porites coral cores were used to develop a 373-year chronology by cross-dating techniques adapted from dendrochronology.Characteristic patterns of distinct luminescent lines within the coral skeletons were matched between coral cores from inshore and mid-shelf reefs in the central Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Skeleton-plots of luminescent banding were produced for each core and combined into a master chronology back to ad 1615.
Izen, your few minutes of search engine use has revealed nothing of relevance, despite your bluster. Your reference is measuring rainfall and thereby ENSO oscillations. Nothing to do with coral bleaching, which is a specific short-term event, highly variable across geography and climatic cycles, and so far more difficult to accurately discern from coral cores.
izen April 24, 2017 at 4:02 AM
"Izen, your few minutes of search engine use has revealed nothing of relevance, despite your bluster."
I suspect in this case relevance is in the eye of the beholder.
My brief experience in searching for papers published on this subject indicates there are hundreds of papers specifically researching the very factors of variability across geography and climatic cycles, as well as species differences. A paper like this:-
http://www.biogeosciences.net/12/5677/2015/bg-12-5677-2015.pdf
Does not indicate to me that this is a subject where knowledge is undeveloped or fragmentary and uncertain.
@-"Your reference is measuring rainfall and thereby ENSO oscillations. Nothing to do with coral bleaching,..."
It was selected to answer your claim that there is no accurate long term climate record derived from coral. Actually the banding and rainfall effects ARE indications of bleaching events, although you did perhaps have to follow up the citations and references given for how and why...
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00338-003-0304-7
"Two hiatuses in coral skeleton growth, associated tissue death and subsequent regrowth, were discovered while dating eight multi-century Porites coral cores collected from the central Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia. ... Intense luminescence observed in corals growing continuously during the 1817 event suggests that low salinity from river runoff was a contributing factor, analogous environmental conditions to those that were associated with the 1998 bleaching event in the GBR."
There are measurable increases in ocean temperatures and atmospheric humidity that have formed a higher baseline from which recent ENSO events have developed. As a result the peak ocean temperatures and rainfall are higher for recent events than for any in the last few thousand years. A fact confirmed by the coral core O18 and Ca-Sr ratios.
But I apologies for any bluster and would concede that how relevant you might think this body of knowledge to the credibility of the current warnings of a rapid coral die-off globally from the 2016 EL Nino after ~20years of a marked decline in coral growth may depend on your acceptance of mainstream scientific evidence.
Millicent April 24, 2017 at 5:06 AM
"It may be logically inferred that as global warming occurs, there will be increased coral bleaching, but this is not directly observed"
You what?
Brian wrote in his main comment above: "Your immediate connection between global warming and the El Nino related coral bleaching events in 1982, 1998, 2002 and 2016, is an assumption, and not one that is immediately supported by scientific evidence."
While I said I wouldn't pick up on everything you wrote, Brian, let me also point out that I didn't mention 1982. The other years I did write about the evidence provided in the Nature paper. There's lots more evidence in the literature and elsewhere. Coral bleaching in some of those hot ENSO years really and truly happened.
Thing is, I mentioned global warming early in the article, however any "connection" in the HW article between global warming and ENSO was far from immediate. It is quite a way down in the article. Nor can I take credit. I was reporting the "connection" made by scientists.
El Nino is not a necessary factor. The necessary factor for heat-related bleaching is extremely hot seas where the coral lives. The 2017 bleaching event is not associated with an El Nino - just with hot seas.
Then you strangely wrote two inconsistent things:
"unprecedented heating of tropical water is certainly caused by El Nino events, though not necessarily “on top of global warming”."
And, you also wrote, in reference to 2016: "there has been no evidence to suggest that the circumstances of the El Nino event was not similar to the 3 previous events".
Here I'm wondering what you are thinking. It's all topsy turvy especially when combined with your statement about coral bleaching, global warming and El Nino I quoted up top. The evidence was put in front of you in the HW article and the paper in Nature. 2016 was the worst mass coral bleaching event ever, meaning worse than the others. The "circumstances" of a big El Nino "on top of global warming" meant 2016 was the hottest year on record. The seas the corals reside in got extra hot which caused the corals to spit out the algae they coexist with, and turn white. I don't know how you missed the text and charts above.
Evidence shows that ENSO years (both El Nino and La Nina) are hotter than previous ones as the world heats up. That's what I meant by "on top of". (All weather is affected by global warming of course.) If you want to try to dispute that El Nino and La Nina and neutral years are getting hotter, you'll have a really hard time getting anyone (except hard core deniers) to believe you. The bigger point is that the seas where the coral lives (and were bleached) were much hotter in 2016 over larger areas than in previous mass bleachings.
(I'm wondering if Brian thinks that the GBR is in a NINO region. It's not. Heat travels when it's released in an El Nino, plus seas can get hotter with global warming.)
Oh, and "unprecedented high temperature" is most definitely associated with global warming. Warming = higher temperatures.
I really don't get science deniers.
Oh boy. Brian Westlake is here to "correct" Sou (nice of him), then uses it as a jumping platform for his own Gish Gallop.
I think it very likely Brian Westlake is here to try and waste people's time. But I like the responses, they are entertaining!
The website http://coral.aims.gov.au/info/bleaching-environment.jsp does not appear to include the latest bleaching event.
A quote from that website: "Present indications are that increases in global temperatures will lead to mass bleaching in all years by 2030 at the latest."
Here's a video of coral bleaching in hot water, so Brian can indirectly observe the direct observation.
All I am doing is suggesting that it is wise to speak in the careful language of science, and I get Sou's sexist and ageist abuse and continued demands that logical inference without direct observation still equates to scientific fact, and Twinotters idiotic name-calling and accusations of logical fallacies that he apparently does not understand.
The logical inference is that Brian doesn't accept direct observation, or know what logical inference entails. (Logical inference also leads one to the conclusion that Brian is learning the art of concern trolling.)
If, as most would agree, 1+1=2, the logical inference is that 1+1+1=3, and that 1+1+1+1 or 2+2=4, not 5. I wonder what Brian would (il)logically infer?
"The logical inference is that Brian doesn't accept direct observation, or know what logical inference entails."
The inference I took was that Brian was deliberately attempting to mislead by what he mistakenly thought was clever use of semantics. That leads to other inferences, but as they are about Brian's character they are neither interesting or worth bothering with.
"All I am doing is suggesting that it is wise to speak in the careful language of science,"
As in implying that temps are flat and only go up or down as a result of various cycles? There is this "scientific" thing called the greenhouse effect which really is causing a trend on top of any cycles, you know!
Brian, you wouldn't know the "careful language of science" if it reached up and slapped you in the face for your abuse of it.
I'm always intrigued/appalled by deniers who talk about and lecture practicing professionals about "science" and the "scientific method" with an apparent grade school understanding of scientific induction.
Well Sou, since 1+1+1+1 and 2+2 both equal 11 in base 3, not 4, obviously Brian would say you are not being wise as you aren't speaking carefully enough!
Good one, jgnfld :)
" ...and continued demands that logical inference without direct observation still equates to scientific fact, "
Its de ja vue all over again.
Y.B.
I am reminded why I seldon engage in this science ping-pong thesedays. But your blantant misstatement that we know little about how coral responds to climate conditions beyond the last 30 years of observation was... triggering. (grin)
Particularly as coral has been extensively studied to elicit its response and has provided one of the best sources we have for the poast climate. Especially of ocean temperatures, salinity, pH, turbidty, nutrient levels etc. Surveying dead reefs above sea level or sumberged deep gives the dates and rates of sea level rise.
In times long past when discussing Evolution with Creationists there would often come a point when faced with the overwhelming volume of scientific knowledge that mankind had established in 150 years of research, the Creationist would fall back onto epistomology.
They would attempt to dismiss or at least diminish the validity of knowledge gained by logical inference from known physics, chemistry and biological processes and proxy indicators. (fossils DNA) against direct observation.
'The origin of species and common ancestry has never been DIRECTLY observed, MERELY derived from inference.' Would be the assertion, with the follow up that therefore it was uncertain, (gaps, missing links) and can be rejected as lacking the legitimacy of direct observations.
It was usually sufficient to point out that they could not claim to have made any direct observation of their own origin. But I hope we could agree that with the logical inference from our knowledge of biological reproduction, and the proxy indicators of the DNA, the similarities, and differences between their parents and their own DNA, would allow us both to be certain, with at least equal credibility with direct observation, that their origin was as a simple single cell that developed as a result of a reproductive act by their ancestors.
It might be raised that the parents could provide direct observation, confirming it more strongly. However such sources have proven unreliable, (Storks, gooseberry bushes) and genetic screening indicates that in about 10% of cases one observer is wrong.
Alternative processes, spontaneous generation, is both unobserved and has no credible biological mechanism. One case of parthenogenesis was reported around 2000 years ago. But while it is widely believed, it is dubious and anecdotal.
Knowledge we derive from indirect inference is as valid as observation, or the knowledge of our parentage.
jgnfld: "As in implying that temps are flat and only go up or down as a result of various cycles?"
As in another strawman?
Can you assemble a meaningful counter argument that does not include fabrications and empty abuse?
And I have a tertiary degree in applied science. You?
Seriously? Pulling the argument from authority card? Are you a coral scientist, Brian? An applied degree in whatever doesn't mean a lot if you're wrong, especially about a topic you obviously aren't familiar with.
Judith Curry held a Chair at a respectable university, but didn't know that 50% = 1/2.
William Happer has a higher degree and has held important posts (not in climate), and is a "climate hoax" conspiracy theorist.
Tim Ball got a PhD - and is as nutty as a fruitcake.
PS It was you, Brian, who wrote: "the unprecedented heating of tropical water is certainly caused by El Nino events, though not necessarily “on top of global warming”."
I'm implying using your own words where you state it is unclear whether SST rises and consequent bleaching events are a consequence of greenhouse gas warming but rather may be merely cyclic. If they are a straw man, then the fault is your own.
However, it appears you don't know what a straw man even is. Google "Rationalwiki straw man".
Yes I do have a PhD. I highly suspect yours is engineering or related nonresearch discipline from the hints you've provided. Especially your (mis)statements about scientific induction and observation. See "Salem hypothesis" in the same Rationalwiki mentioned above for more information.
Applied science? Let me guess. Engineer?
Oh, and see the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry entitled "The Problem of Induction" https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/induction-problem/ . I reread it annually.
"Applied science? Let me guess. Engineer?"
In defence of engineers, it is generally only those engineers who have made of career of trashing the environment who - for obvious reasons - take the position that the environment is there to be trashed. Once they have taken that position there is no alternative for them but to become increasingly ridiculous when the issue is examined. And so WUWT becomes a welcome haven for them.
jgnfld April 24, 2017 at 11:10 PM
It goes beyond that Mil...visit evolution denier sites. And look up "Salem hypothesis".
That said, I'm a terrible engineer which is why I don't lecture engineers about how to do their profession "correctly". It works both ways with people who forget what they're really expert at.
izen, I never said "we know little about how coral responds to climate conditions beyond the last 30 years of observation " Yet another strawman. To be clear I was referring ONLY to coral bleaching, and pointing out the obvious fact that we have very little historical observations of mass bleaching. We therefore need to be careful about making categorical statements from inferred logic, it is sloppy and leaves you open to attack. That is my point, nothing else.
Evolution is directly observed. It is called the fossil record. Evolution is a scientific fact.
The notion of "survival of the fittest" as proposed in Darwin's The Origin of the Species is a theory arising from inferred logic. It is a valuable theory, but it is NOT A FACT. It is a theory. It is important to acknowledge this, but you (and Sou and others here) seem disinterested in acknowledging this distinction.
No Sou, I am not the one with the "argument by authority", I was not that one who made an ad hominem comment about "apparent grade school understanding of scientific induction."
Then I note you and all you your silly followers proceed with more "argument from authority", something about how scientists are better than engineers (for some reason), and even that engineers are evil (really?).
FYI I have a degree covering chemistry, physics, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and environmental science. Yet apparently I am not qualified to make a simple and obvious statement that an inferred conclusion is not a fact, and should not be assumed as fact.
Harry Twinotter April 25, 2017 at 10:22 AM
Tsk Brian, you really do need some lessons in effective trolling. Nice try changing the subject to Evolution Theory.
You are like those trolls who deliberately make spelling or grammar mistakes in their post so they can play the victim card when they get attacked by the grammar-nazis.
Uh Brian...Possibly you missed this in engineering school, but gravity is an inference. In fact it is probably more poorly understood at a fundamental level than global warming. So is this weird idea that those twinkly points of light in the sky are massive balls of hydrogen at immense distances powered by a process called "fusion". Interestingly spectroscopy, which underlies this inference, is the same science which underlies the greenhouse effect.
Science works by erecting now rather immense chains of inference that all interlock. Even the hardest experimental setup requires that one ASSUME that all relevant variables have been controlled for when a difference is observed in order to make any (inferred) conclusion. However when thousands of scientists independently test that assumption in myriad related ways over a long period of time, well that inference gets accepted and incorporated.
Stick with your area of real expertise and listen to the real experts about their areas of expertise when you are not within it. Scientists will never, or at least should never, lecture you on fundamental engineering principles.
By the way, ALL science is "argument by authority". Competent, well and truly tested, and broadly recognized authority, true. But argument by authority nonetheless. That is how scientific induction works. It really can be no other way. So yes, your demonstrated knowledge of scientific induction is quite low level.
Paras 1 and 3 will draw a chuckle (or groan) or two, no doubt.
Uh jgnfld, gravity is a phenomenon that is directly observed, and the laws of gravity are a fact, they are observed to act the same everywhere in the universe. That gravity is caused by a distortion in space-time by mass is a theory that is inferred. Newtons law of gravity is theory.
In the same way, in respnsse to your comments previously on Evolution and Creationism (note Twinotter, I did not raise the subject): Evolution is a fact, "survival of the fittest" is a theory.
I never said that there is anything wrong with applying inference, it is a fundamental part of scientific process, along with creation of hypothesis and theory. I never said that something that is inferred or theoretical is necessarily wrong, nor did I say it has no value. Newtons law of gravitation are only a theory, yet we do not jump off buildings because "gravity is just a theory".
My only point here is that if you make an inference, you should call it out, since there is room for an alternative hypothesis - inference is not fact.
Whilst this thread has gone on some wild tangents, I have not once deviated from my single point which I have now restated ad nauseum. Allow me to make one point of illustration:
In the 1960s and 1970s there were observations of large-scale crown of thorns starfish outbreaks on the GBR. Since these were devastating large parts of the reef, and trends were alarming, it was inferred that non-natural influences must be the cause, leading to the theory that humans were the cause, and so a policy that immediate and drastic action was required or the GBR would be destroyed. Since then we have learned that COTS outbreaks are natural and common, and we have better quantified the influence that humans have on the situation, allowing us to react in an appropriate way to the COTS threat.
I am hoping you can see the parallel, and the importance of scientific accuracy in forming good policy. i.e. knowing what is fact, and what is inferred, is important.
Brian, don't be so coy. Since you obviously think you have a better "alternative hypothesis" to explain the mass bleaching events reported in Hughes17, which you've inferred from your rigorous and extensive analysis of the data plus your deep knowledge of the mechanism of coral bleaching, come out with it. Better yet, get it published in Nature.
/sarc - in case anyone's wondering.
Frankly, I still don't know what Brian's going on about. Mass bleachings occurred and the Nature paper attributes it with periods of extra hot water. The paper provides data to support that conclusion. That's what the HW article reports. (The fact that corals bleach in hot water is well-documented. There's nothing new in that. The fact that seas will get hotter as the world warms is self-evident. There's nothing debatable about that.)
What I infer is that Brian came here looking for a fight, so he made one up. Or maybe he just felt his nearest and dearest weren't giving him attention he yearned, so he chose to troll for some attention here. Or maybe it's as simple as his confirmation bias is showing.
Hughes17 does not attribute the recent coral bleaching events to global warming, and no data is presented in the paper to credibly make that case. You have clearly misunderstood the paper, Sou.
Now we're getting to the nitty gritty. Brian's a greenhouse effect denier - or acting like one. (What a circle/circus.)
The title of Hughes17 is "Global warming and recurrent mass bleaching of corals". In the opening para the authors state:
Since the 1980s, rising sea surface temperatures owing to global warming have triggered unprecedented mass bleaching of corals, including three pan-tropical events in 1998, 2010 and 2015/16 (ref. 1).
What was that again, Brian?
Re. "knowing what is fact and what is inferred" your lack of knowledge about induction/inference is showing.
When you read a thermometer, or even feel hot or cold, are you observing a "fact"? Or are you inferring that a theoretical concept, heat, has a certain value? What you observe is a certain electrical potential in a thermocouple, or the height of a liquid in a marked column, or the expansion of a bimetallic coil, or certain physiological sensations and changes, etc. Not "real" heat.
Hell, the color purple is an inference your brain makes automagically. It does not even exist as a "real" spectral color as Newton showed long ago. It is an inference. BTW, one underlying point of all illusion research is that your senses do not report "facts". They report a synthesized model of the world.
There are near and far inferences. There are good and bad inferences. There are more supported and less supported inferences. But you are confused about all this at anything other than the most simplistic and elementary black and white level (well black and white is a mental construction as well as is easy to show in illusion research--google "Adelson illusion"). That is not "name calling", that is, well, er, an observable fact.
Sou, no data is presented in the paper to attribute coral bleaching to global warming. Several inferences and assumptions are made (a I have said this is sloppy science). But no data is presented to prove that case. People can see that for themselves.
Seriously? "Sloppy" is the best you can come up with?
Shifting your denial goalposts again, Brian?
First you said that I was wrong and wrongly claimed "Hughes17 does not attribute...".
Now you, who have not shown any scientific expertise let alone in coral science, are saying the work of career experts, published in Nature, was "sloppy". And all this without producing any evidence whatsoever to support your claim. You don't even say what part you found "sloppy". (You've shifted from me to the authors whose work I reported now. Not all the papers though. Is Ampou17 sloppy? What about Leggat06?)
Look at the charts in the HW article above if you can't be bothered looking at the paper. They show that the sea temperature was quite extreme - which is why corals bleached. (Look at 2016 data for the worst example.)
Look at any chart of sea surface temperature changes over time. Globally averaged sea surface temperature is rising with global warming. Yeah, that's a truism.
My guess is that you're the sort of bloke that won't "believe in" the efficacy of an antibiotic unless the research paper discussing it provides base data showing that germs exist.
You won't "believe in" any chemistry paper unless it describes from first principles how the authors know that atoms and molecules exist.
No, no, global warming is nothing to do with it:
Sloppy science relying on inference
Again: No data is presented in the paper to attribute coral bleaching to global warming. Several inferences and assumptions are made. But that's OK, there is no problem at all in making unsubstantiated inferences in a scientific paper.
Sou, you spend a lot of time trying to characterise me as a climate science denier. I am not. Your persistence in this matter is disturbing.
There is a lot of data and analysis in the paper showing that hotter seas were what led to those episodes of coral bleaching, plus references to other work showing the impact of global warming on corals. (Learn how to read a scientific paper.)
Their focus was on analysis of temperature (as degree heating weeks) vs other potential causes of the mass bleaching. (There is a word limit.) They know that most of their readers understand that global warming means hotter seas. The authors assume readers aren't idiots. They didn't count on people like yourself trying to work through the paper (which you still haven't managed to do properly).
Like I said, you wouldn't believe a paper about antibiotics unless it also had data that showed from first principles that germs exist.
You are essentially denying global warming exists, Brian. You started denying it in your very first comment at 4:26 pm. Even in this latest comment you talk about "unsubstantiated inferences", when their data showed the hot seas very clearly. Why do you deny you've been denying global warming? Then you ducked and weaved and wrote some nonsense about inference, which you don't understand.
Now you're just writing the same old comments for the sake of it or to see it on the internet or something. If you've got something new to say, say it. If you want to admit your errors, admit them. If you've not got anything new to add, don't say anything.
Sou, anyone reading the above thread can see that I have only ever made one simple point, which is succinctly summarised here. I have not once denied climate science. Nor have I stated any beliefs about "germs". The majority of contributions thread have been you and others making absurd and unsubstantiated claims about who I am, and what I believe, most of which is spectacularly wrong, but I couldn't be bothered arguing. I think this thread is worthy of your website.
Summarised here: http://www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/1122science7.html
Brian, can you decide whether you want to be a tone troll, denial troll, or an uncertainty troll. Doing all at once makes you look even sillier than is normal for a denier.
Millicent, has it occurred to you that the fact you can't decide what type of troll I am is your problem and not mine?
Got it, Brian. Thank for the link on "fact" and the different types of inference. Not quite as deep as the links you were provided, but it'll do as an approximation.
You're complaining the equivalent of the fact that I didn't categorically prove as hard fact that the sun would rise tomorrow (or that it rose on a daily basis a million years ago) and I should have stated quite explicitly that one can "only" infer it.
Okay - here goes. It is not 100% certain that the sun will rise tomorrow. Ask Brian, the scientific expert in all things, what he believes will happen in the morning before you make any plans.
http://www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/1122science7.html
A handout from a 3 credit hour first semester foundation course?
Bam April 25, 2017 at 11:09 PM
Guess who said this:
"The flaw in the global warming argument is they have been unable to categorically link CO2 to increased temperatures. Whilst CO2 is increasing and we can't dispute that, the correlation with warming has not been demonstrated in these models let alone if the effects are lineal or not.
Until they can do this, it is but a theory."
and is upset here he is called a denier...
"Millicent, has it occurred to you that the fact you can't decide what type of troll I am is your problem and not mine?"
Well I have thought about it and let me assure you the problem is all yours. Primarily, because as I pointed out (don't you understand written English?), you are currently being all three.
Well, Millicent, I have to suggest that it is your problem. And you tried to fix your problem by asking BW to decide whether he wanted to be a tone troll, denial troll, or an uncertainty troll.
Unfortunately he is also an unco-operative troll.
Oh what a coincidence: an "anon" poster turns up and shows an identical inability to understand plain English as Brian did. I wonder who "anon" could be.
Brian or anon (whoever you choose to be), why is it my problem when somebody else uses three kinds of trolling in a post? Or is it four now with the addition of sock puppetry?
Sorry Millicent. It was a joke.
BW's posts are tediously boring and make no point worth discussing.
Dammit my sock puppet detection went awry. Sorry for snapping at you.
No problem. When you are faced with the infinite tedium of someone like BW, making I do not know what point, my humour meter tends to need re-calibration. I will try and be funnier next time.
"A handout from a 3 credit hour first semester foundation course?"
Well I did say more than once that it was a simple and fundamental point that I was making. The tedium that followed resulted from the inexplicable need for some to argue this simple point. At length. And with a significant amount of invective. Tedious and humourless indeed.
No, the tedium started wirh the initial point you made.
Please stop.
In the most nontedious way I can muster: Your "simple point" is simply wrong.
its not wrong, its science 101
Its right, its wrong, its right, its wrong, its right, its wrong. There, I saved a bit of time.
jgnfld April 28, 2017 at 12:22 AM
Actually, M, what I was going to say was that I agree with BW that Science 101 is PRECISELY level of his science logic!
As in first year, foundation level like the definitions he's memorized.
[tedious] At least I am not the one demanding that Science 101 is wrong. [/tedious]
Science 101 is often wrong in terms of any professional understanding of issues. This is particularly true WRT the sophomoric belief that the hypothetico-deductive method as described in first year survey texts has any real bearing on how professional science is actually performed.
"To be clear I was referring ONLY to coral bleaching, and pointing out the obvious fact that we have very little historical observations of mass bleaching."
From which we can infer that it happened very little in the past. Certainly on nothing like the scale we are seeing now. Whenever scientists core coral to determine the facts about past climate they would find the narrow or missing growth rings of bleaching, if it has occurred. As I showed you in a previous link, a survey of the GBR found 2 episodes of die-back and regrowth, both very limited in the region surveyed, affecting just one core in eight. If they repeated that survey at present most of the reef area they surveyed then is bleached, and a significant proportion is dead.
@-" Yet apparently I am not qualified to make a simple and obvious statement that an inferred conclusion is not a fact, and should not be assumed as fact."
Is this simple and obvious statement a fact, or do you infer it from observation ?
"From which we can infer that it happened very little in the past. "
We can do no such thing. "No evidence" is not "evidence of nothing". Your argument is based on assumptions and observational data that provides increasing inaccurate data beyond 100 years in the past. We simply do not have enough data points to draw conclusions about the relative severity and frequency of recent events. That such events are becoming more common and severe is inferred.
I suppose, then, you also assert that the fact there is no evidence in growth rings that the Sun didn't just go out and fail to shine for a summer or two in the past 500 years is not evidence that nothing of a kind occurred?
Singular bits of no evidence can provide limited or no basis for arguing that there is evidence of nothing, true. However a pattern of no evidence from multiple lines or from a particularly strong single source of no evidence can indeed provide a sufficient basis to infer that nothing happened.
This is what I mean when I say your scientific induction skills are elementary. Why it's almost like you memorized some definitions off a foundation, first year science course handout!
Not being a Sydney-sider, it took me a while to cotton on. Is Brian Westlake a real true blue science denier or a retro fake? Who can tell?
Good Lord! You Aussies!
Bernard J. April 26, 2017 at 1:43 AM
I was once a member of a cultural society (which shall remain nameless) where, in our local branch, was a member who was superlatively good at just about all of the many skills and areas that were fostered by the organisation. The trouble was, he did not exist. Everything that he accomplished was actually the efforts of a rather clever group of individuals who were making the point that it was political connection and reputation that earned award and favour in such organisations.
Going to national events was always amusing. Out-of-towners and interstaters would always ask where (let's say 'John') was, and the in crowd would say "oh, you've just missed him", or "he's meeting with so-and-so", or some other vague response. Consequently the existence of 'John' was cemented in the minds of many who never actually met him, but were convinced that he had a physical presence and that thye'd been in it.
In hindsight the exercise would present an absolutely fascinating study in both the psychology of reputation, and the flaws in reward mechanisms in nepotistic structures. I'm long out of that scene though, and I suspect that 'John' has mysteriously vanished into history as well as he was able to vanish around corners at particular events.
And a post of this nature would be remiss if it didn't tip the hat at the Dread Pirate Roberts...
As for the troll here, it might be of interest that his handle can be anagramed to:
Wearable Stink
Trainable Skew
Beanstalk Wire
Awaken Blister
Liberate Swank
Sinkable Water
Bewail Rankest
Bleat Swankier
A Bearskin Welt
A Stable Winker
A Waste Blinker
Banal Wits Reek
amongst other things. I'm sure that there's a message in there somewhere.
Well, I know I see sock puppets everywhere, but there's another one.
Oh, and the blogger profile he is using has existed for all of two months.
And I was thinking this site was about discussing science.
The Very Reverend Jebediah Hypotenuse April 28, 2017 at 12:04 AM
How about you start, then, Brian?
All I can see so far from you is arguments from incredulity and the old "no true Scotsman' fallacy.
You really ought to pick up a copy of David Hume's "A Treatise of Human Nature". You see, as far back as the early 1700s, it was pointed out that we can never observed causation directly.
In fact - You may eventually discover that ALL conclusions are the result of inferences and assumptions.
Even yours.
The real fun is in sorting out the sound conclusions from the hand-waving rhetoric. Good luck with that.
Millicent April 28, 2017 at 12:39 AM
"And I was thinking this site was about discussing science."
No. Its about discussing the anti-science of the climate change denial industry set up by Wayne Tracker and his pals.
And when the opportunity arises we get to take the piss out of climate change deniers. If all the most prestigious scientific organisations on this planet cannot convince you of the reality of climate science then there's little point us trying.
jgnfld April 28, 2017 at 2:08 AM
Further to M's point, you could look in the title area and see what the site is about. There you would see: "Eavesdropping on the deniosphere, its weird pseudo-science and crazy conspiracy whoppers."
Or, possibly you could read the "About Us" entry.
But then reading anything fully is rarely a denier skill.
OK thanks for the heads up. This site is NOT about discussing science.
Are you under some weird delusion you are capable of discussing it?
Philip Cohen April 27, 2017 at 11:39 AM
Wartlike 'n' base
Last weak brain
Wet brain leaks
Weak brainlets
A brat knew lies
Able ink-waster (metaphorically)
Bestial wanker
It was worth pointing out his ignorance a few times for the sake of any readers who might think he had a point, but I don't think there's any reason to continue.
Nail berk? Waste.
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© Copyright 2014 Event. Wordpress Theme by BeauTheme
10:45 – 11:15 Registration
11:20 – 11:30 Welcome
11:30 – 12:30 Innovation in regulatory approaches: the sharing economy and digital platforms
Anna Maria Corazza Bildt MEP
Daniel Dalton MEP
Chair: Diego Zuluaga, Head of Research at EPICENTER and Financial Services Fellow at the IEA
Successful technology start-ups like Uber, Spotify and AirBnB have created a new economy that has uncovered the shortcomings of national and EU legislation. These platforms do not fit into our current competition, labour and consumer laws and are challenging our regulatory bodies to adapt, to be innovative.
This panel will touch on the benefits and challenges of the sharing, or collaborative, economy facing workers, customers, competitors and how policymakers and regulatory bodies should best respond.
13:30 – 14:30 Innovation in Agriculture
Jean Philippe Azoulay, Director-General of the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA)
Christofer Fjellner MEP
Sean Rickard, Former Chief Economist of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU)
Pekka Pesonen, Secretary-General at Copa-Cogeca
Chair: Cécile Philippe, Director of the Institut économique Molinari
This panel will discuss how the precautionary principle and the ban on GMOs and certain pesticides is harming European agriculture and having unintended consequences on other areas, including climate change policy. It will consider how industry and policymakers can better embrace innovation and science to make agriculture more productive and sustainable, and food more affordable to ordinary citizens. It will also consider global trends in food production and what EU food output might look like by 2030.
14.30 – 14:45 Coffee Break
14:45 – 15:45 Innovation in harm reduction: e-cigarettes
Marc Michelsen, Senior Vice President Communications & Public Affairs at Fontem Ventures B.V.
Chris Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs
Chair: Gustav Blix, Director of EPICENTER
This panel will use the example of e-cigarettes to examine how innovation can play a role in harm reduction and health care policies. The invention of e-cigarettes has provided a much less harmful, and potentially more practical, alternative to regular cigarettes. However, e-cigarettes have also shown how policymakers and legislation were ill-prepared for this new product and have quickly begun to regulate it as heavily, if not more, as cigarettes.
16:00 – 17:00 Innovation in food labelling
Roberto Brazzale, CEO Gruppo Brazzale
Branka Tome, Head of Unit, DG Agriculture and Rural Development
Chair: Kate Andrews, Institute of Economic Affairs
The EU’s strict regulations on food labelling through Geographical Indications (GIs), such as Champagne, Feta and Parma, are limiting producers and obstructing trade policy. Through innovative practices, these products are produced elsewhere of equal quality and taste but cannot label themselves accordingly and are thereby disadvantaged by EU regulation. Issues of food labelling show how innovation is bypassing old regulations.
17:00 – 17:15 Coffee Break
17:15 – 18:15 Innovation in new technologies: how can the EU adapt to and foster science and technology?
Diego Sanchez de la Cruz, CEO at Civismo
Chris Spillane, Reporter at Politico
How do we promote the innovation and accessibility of new technologies while responding to the ethical and political issues that they raise? We live in a world where technological advances like driverless cars and peer-to-peer lending are no longer a question of science but of politics. This panel will discuss the challenges of once-futuristic technologies, many of which exist outside of the law and the understanding of our regulatory bodies, are creating.
Furthermore, new technologies are rapidly developing and changing the way we interact socially, politically and economically. Policy lacks the flexibility and speed to adapt to these changes, as well as oversight when it comes to digital platforms. What are the boundaries of politics and how can the EU find its role in this fast-moving environment and ensure a thriving and innovative future for Europe?
18:15 – 19:30 Drinks Reception
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To Your Health Blog | Providence Health & Services
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Home » To Your Health Blogs » Women can give Zika to men, health officials say
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Women can give Zika to men, health officials say
July 18, 2016 Providence Health Team
Zika, the virus that can cause birth defects when it infects pregnant women, has been found for the first time to spread from women to men through sex, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced.
The first reported case of female-to-male transmission of Zika was documented in New York City, according to the CDC. The virus is transmitted primarily by mosquito bite, and it was previously known to spread from men to women.
In this new report, New York City health officials investigated the case of a woman in her 20s who engaged in sex with a male partner the day she returned to New York from travel to an area experiencing a Zika outbreak.
A day later she began experiencing Zika symptoms, including fever, a rash, back pain and numbness in her hands and feet. Her health care provider ran tests that showed she was infected with the virus.
Seven days after their meeting, the male partner developed symptoms of his own and visited the same primary care provider, who ran tests that found the virus present in his urine.
“The case represents the first reported occurrence of female-to-male sexual transmission of Zika virus,” the CDC said.
You can read the agencies’ statement here.
The CDC said its guidance until now has been based on the assumption that Zika is transmitted by a male sexual partner. More observations are needed to determine the risk of transmission from an infected female, it said.
The CDC said it’s updating its recommendations for avoiding infection. You can read its current guidelines here.
Where Zika is found
The CDC’s current map of areas with active cases of Zika virus transmission includes much of South America, Central America, the Caribbean and some Pacific islands, such as Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Papua New Guinea.
But at least 1,306 people, including 346 pregnant women in the United States, appear to have been infected with the virus, the CDC said. Some of the pregnancies have resulted in miscarriages and the birth of babies with birth defects.
Severe birth defects, including microcephaly, have been reported in Brazil and elsewhere. Microcephaly is a condition in which babies are born with smaller-than-normal heads, the result of their brains not fully developing before birth.
Symptoms of Zika and when to be tested
Many infected people will have no symptoms or very mild symptoms. But for many others, symptoms include:
Conjunctivitis, or red eyes
Many infected people don’t even go to the hospital, says the CDC, which notes that Zika “very rarely” kills an infected person.
The virus usually remains in the blood for about a week. The CDC says anyone suffering from Zika symptoms or who has recently traveled to an infected area should see a health care provider for testing.
The CDC discusses Zika, including its transmission, its symptoms, testing and mosquito control, on its website.
If you have traveled to an area where Zika cases are active, or if you experience Zika symptoms, talk to your health care provider. You can find a Providence provider here.
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Tag Archives: Leslie Billig
For Leslie
Posted on July 9, 2015 by gmdirect
Hey there, fellow puzzlers and PuzzleNationers.
A few weeks ago, the puzzle community lost a true original and a rare friend when Leslie Billig passed away unexpectedly.
There have been many kind words shared by constructors and puzzlers who knew Leslie, like Francis Heaney, Tawan Sunathvanichkul, Amy Reynaldo, Tyler Hinman, Dave and Robert Mackey (aka the Puzzle Brothers), and others. I encourage everyone to click those links and read their thoughts.
I never really had the pleasure of interacting with Leslie much. Our only collaboration came when I interviewed her for a session of 5 Questions last year. Otherwise, I only know her by reputation, from many stories and anecdotes lovingly told and retold by those who knew her.
[Leslie, with Ken Jennings, at the 2006 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament.]
Over the last few weeks, I’ve reached out to many of those people, asking if they’d share their memories of Leslie with me, and folks came out of the woodwork in order to do so.
First and foremost, Leslie was a topnotch puzzler.
Leslie began working with the Champion Division of Dell Magazines in the early 1980s and most recently has been the editor of The Crosswords Club and co-editor of Dell’s Puzzler’s Sunday Crosswords.
“Leslie and I worked together on Clubs for over 10 years, but we really got to know each other in this last year and a half of collaborating. Her creativity and wit, as well as her sharp eye for detail, shaped not only Crosswords Club and Uptown, but many publications at Dell Magazines.
We had very different editing styles and we often butted heads about how to do things — but we challenged each other in ways that made our collaborative efforts stronger. She was creative, funny, and silly… her passion for puzzles and her infectious giggle will be sorely missed by everyone who knew and worked with her. I already miss her more than I know how to express.” — Patti Varol
“Leslie was an integral part of the puzzle community for me. I worked alongside her at Dell Champion for a brief period, and worked with her on various other projects as well. She was one of the most meticulous proofreaders I’ve ever seen, and a very easy-to-work-with editor. She was a regular at the after-hours GAMES Magazine game-testing sessions in the late ’80s/early ’90s, and was always up for New York-based puzzle activities of any sort.” — Trip Payne
“In addition to working with me on Sunday Crosswords, Leslie edited first the Uptown Club, and then the Crosswords Club. They both required original titles and blurbs, since the submissions rarely came with usable ones. When Leslie started to edit them, she’s ask me for help–two heads are better than one. When I heard her say, ‘Titles and blurbs? Titles and blurbs?’ I’d drop what I was doing and we would sit and laugh as we did them. After a while, titles and blurbs morphed into kibbles and bits, and for years when I heard, ‘Kibbles and bits? Kibbles and bits?,’ that was my call to drop what I was doing and help her with …kibbles and bits! We had so much fun.
We spoke our own language: Derek Hough became Derek Huggkkhhhh. Susan Anspach (Leslie pulled that name out from the past) became Susan Anspackkkhhh.
And we agreed that the one crossword entry that made us both crazy was — FLENSE!! It only popped up occasionally, but we’d rush to change the entry. There were words we’d laugh over — I remember one word Leslie had in a grid — UNRED. She complained and complained because she couldn’t fix it … until she came up with the perfect clue — ‘Green?'” — Chris DiNapoli
“She FELT puzzles, which is a rare phenomenon for editors. She could feel why adding a comma to a clue was wrong, or removing a question mark was right.” — Mark Lagasse
[Leslie on NPR’s Ask Me Another.]
Leslie’s heart and her sense of humor were frequently the centerpieces of so many anecdotes and warm reminiscences I received.
“Leslie and I were both born on August 7, so we always wished each other ‘happy birthday to us.’ For a while, it turned into a competition to see who would beat the other person to the punch with the first birthday greeting; she usually won. One year she sent me a card; I photocopied it and faxed it back to her at the office. She also wouldn’t send out holiday greetings; she would send out e-mails saying something like ‘Happy 90th anniversary of the crossword puzzle! (Oh, and happy holidays too.)'” — Trip Payne
“Years ago, Leslie and Nancy Schuster and Chris DiNapoli and I were sitting around playing Scattergories. One of the categories was famous writers, and the letter was S. In Scattergories, since you get double points if your answer has two words both starting with the designated letter, I came up with Snorri Sturluson.
When we revealed our answers, the Leslie-laugh started – ‘Only a crossword person could possibly think of that name!’ she giggled, and we all cackled till we cried for several minutes. Snorri and that happy, happy evening will be forever associated with Leslie in my mind.” — Audrey Thompson
“Leslie was a person who never, ever failed to make me smile. She made me smile with my heart, which is a Rodgers and Hart reference that she would get. We had a lot of the same interests, and we were almost always on the same wavelength about everything. She understood fun and how to make things fun, and boy, was she fun! I didn’t think I was going to be able to write this because it is like saying goodbye, and I’m not ready for that yet. I will miss her terribly.” — Mark Lagasse
“Leslie always called her mom Sally to say hi when the clock read duplicate numbers: 3:33, 12:12, etc. After Sally passed, Leslie had that as an immediate aid that brought Sally to mind. A few nights ago as I was trying to sleep, I thought of Leslie … and remembered her clock association. Sleeping fitfully, I looked at the red numbers of my clock glowing in the dark. It was 1:11. Now memories of Leslie will come to me when I least expect it.
She was a singer, a wordsmith, an amazing woman. A theater buff (she saw Ragtime 27 1/2 times!). And she was my dear friend.” — Chris DiNapoli
She was also a devoted fan of the theater and live shows of all sorts, performing from time to time, as she did in this picture from the 2005 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament’s talent show. (Which she won, of course.)
“She loved the theater and would often accompany me, and a few other puzzle friends, on my annual Broadway excursions. It’s hard for me to even think of the New York puzzle group without Leslie in it.” — Trip Payne
“Leslie was always inviting me to stuff like concerts and Broadway shows, but always at the last minute, and I’m far less of a spontaneous person; I like to plan ahead.
She knew that I’m a fan of the jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli and his singer/actress wife, Jessica Molaskey, so she invited me to go to one of their concerts with her. I would have loved to have gone, but I couldn’t make it. The concert was just prior to one of my birthdays.
She attended the concert, and seemed to pay extra close attention, and must have even taken notes, because when we went to lunch on my birthday, she presented me with a detailed, typed write-up of every song and number on the program, with every joke and anecdote that John told, making me feel as I’d actually been at the concert. That was such a thoughtful thing to do, and I’ll always remember it. And if I don’t, I still have that sheet of paper — somewhere — to remind me.” — Judy Downer
A few other wonderful anecdotes I received mentioned her love of sweets and Star Trek respectively.
“One of the things that Leslie and I had in common was a sweet tooth. For several years, a coworker brought Dunkin’ Munchkins to the office nearly every Thursday. Before leaving on Wednesdays, I would stick my head into the office where Chris and Leslie were working to see if Leslie was coming in the next day. If so, I’d be sure to put aside three chocolate Munchkins the following morning as there wouldn’t be many left by the time she got in.
Inevitably, she would stop by my office with a big smile on her face. After handing her the goodies, she would tell me that I was the best boss in the world! I would laugh and say that I must have it pretty good if that’s all it takes to be a good boss! And need I talk about the Chocolate Covered Caramelized Matzoh? She liked it so much that I made a fresh batch just for her. She was kind enough, though, to share it with others (after she and I made sure we took enough for ourselves, of course)!” — Abby Taylor
“Our previous office had a small, two-person conference room that had a door and next to the door was a large pane of glass. Leslie would do most of her work in there, sometimes closing the door. When I would leave for the day I would walk past and if the door was open we would always have a quick chat or she would walk with me to the elevator.
Now if you didn’t know, Leslie was a tremendous Star Trek fan, a fan of the movies and especially the original TV series and Star Trek: The Next Generation. So whenever I would walk past her and the door to the room was closed I would always stop and press my hand up to the glass and she would do the same, pressing her palm up to mine on the other side, reenacting the final scene between Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. If you aren’t familiar with the scene, you have to look it up to really appreciate it.
Of my friend, Leslie, I can only say this: Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, hers was the most… human.” — Glenn Covert
And, of course, you can’t think of Leslie without thinking of her signature laugh.
“I will miss Leslie’s spontaneity, her sparkle, her enthusiasm, and, as many people would agree, her uninhibited, absolutely infectious LAUGHTER.” — Judy Downer
“Once Leslie started laughing, it was tough for her to stop. Damn, I’m going to miss that laugh.” — Trip Payne
Feel free to share your own Leslie memories and anecdotes in the comment section below. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this all-too-brief tribute to a wonderful friend and fellow puzzler.
Posted in PuzzleNation, Puzzles | Tagged Leslie Billig | 6 Replies
Girls Make Games (and Puzzles, too!)
Posted on December 2, 2014 by gmdirect
[Alicia Crawford, winner of Sony Online Entertainment’s 2011 Gamers in Real Life (G.I.R.L.) Scholarship, aimed at bringing more women into the field of video game production and design. Photo courtesy of Sony Online Entertainment, by way of Wired.com.]
I am a huge proponent of seeing creative people succeed. From Kickstarters and Indiegogo campaigns to intrepid puzzlesmiths and game designers striking out on their own for the first time, I am always seeking out new stories about puzzlers enriching the world with their own creations.
So when Fred, Director of Digital Games here at PuzzleNation, passed along this link about Girls Make Games, it was right up my alley.
Girls Make Games organizes summer camp-style workshops to introduce girls to video gaming, both playing them and designing their own. It’s a very worthy cause that ties perfectly into ongoing efforts across the world to encourage more women to pursue STEM paths.
STEM education, for the uninitiated, is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, four key components to competing effectively in today’s global marketplace. Girls Make Games is a wonderful way to introduce girls to STEM courses and to add important, fresh voices to the world of video games.
[The “Nothing to Prove” video by the band The Doubleclicks.
A musical reminder that nonsense like the “fake geek girl” myth is
just one of the reasons why we need programs like Girls Make Games.]
And while it’s not reported as often as the gender gap in video-game design or considered as controversial a topic, there’s a similar disparity in the presence of female constructors and editors of crosswords among the major outlets. Ben Tausig published an article last year on the subject, and raised some intriguing points.
I admit, I was surprised by ratio of male-to-female constructors in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and other big outlets, but that’s probably because I’m most familiar with the editors and puzzlers at Penny/Dell Puzzles, where the women easily outnumber the men.
Maybe this means the puzzle world could use a program along the same lines as Girls Make Games. With so many terrific puzzlers out there, from Kathy Matheson, Robin Stears, and Deb Amlen to Patti Varol, Leslie Billig, and Baffledazzle creator Rachel Happen, there are plenty of great role models out there for aspiring constructors.
I can’t wait to see what these new voices come up with.
Posted in Games, PuzzleNation, Puzzles | Tagged BaffleDazzle, Ben Tausig, Crossword Kathy, crosswords, Deb Amlen, DIY puzzling, Fake geek girl, games, Geeking Out, Girls Make Games, Kathy Matheson, Leslie Billig, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times crossword, New York Times, New York Times Crossword, Nothing to prove, Patti Varol, Penny/Dell Puzzles, Pop culture, PuzzleNation, Rachel Happen, Robin Stears, The Doubleclicks | Leave a reply
5 Questions with Puzzler Leslie Billig!
Welcome to another edition of PuzzleNation Blog’s interview feature, 5 Questions!
We’re reaching out to puzzle constructors, video game writers and designers, board game creators, writers, filmmakers, musicians, and puzzle enthusiasts from all walks of life, talking to people who make puzzles and people who enjoy them in the hopes of exploring the puzzle community as a whole.
And I’m overjoyed to have Leslie Billig as our latest 5 Questions interviewee!
[Leslie, next to trivia whiz Ken Jennings, at the
2006 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament]
Leslie Billig began her puzzle career at Dell Magazines in 1982 and went on to create, edit, proofread, and fact-check puzzles for numerous outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Games magazine, People, and Reader’s Digest.
She’s also published her own puzzle books, authoring Sit & Solve Cryptograms for Sterling and coediting Dell Magazines’ Puzzler’s Sunday Crosswords. In addition to all that, she has served as editor of The Uptown Puzzle Club — a by-mail Puzzle of the Month Club subscription with high-quality, New York Times-style puzzles — for more than a decade, but she’s making an exciting transition to a new post! (Come on, I can’t tell you everything in the intro. *smiles*)
Leslie was gracious enough to take some time out to talk to us, so without further ado, let’s get to the interview!
5 Questions for Leslie Billig
1.) How did you first get into puzzles?
I’ve loved puzzles and wordplay from an early age, and started solving crosswords at my father’s knee. He did the New York Times crossword puzzle (in ink!) and at some point I was able to fill in the squares he left blank. I also enjoyed the variety puzzles in Dell magazines; my favorite was the Bowl-a-Score Challenger (also known as Bowl Game).
In this game, you’re given 10 letters arranged like bowling pins, and the goal is to form one word using all the letters for a “strike” and two smaller words for a “spare.” I was never satisfied to make just one spare: I’d try to form as many combos as I could: 5,5 4,6, 3,7 etc. This game instilled in me a love of anagrams that’s lasted to this day.
[Leslie performing in the 2005 American Crossword Puzzle
Tournament talent show… which she won, by the way!]
2.) In your estimation, what separates a topnotch puzzle from a run-of-the-mill puzzle? What are some favorite puzzles or clues you’ve encountered over the years?
Crossword puzzles have truly evolved in the 32 years that I’ve been in the “puzzle biz,” and I continue to be astonished by the originality and cleverness of the people who make them. A great crossword begins with the theme, of course, but I believe the fill is just as important. The solver solves the *whole* puzzle, not just the theme entries. You can have a brilliant theme, but if the rest of the grid is filled with crosswordese, Roman numerals, obscure abbreviations, and overused words, it will diminish the solving experience.
One of my favorite crosswords appeared in the January 2007 issue of the Uptown Crosswords Club. It was called Self-Effacement by Robert H. Wolfe, and the gimmick was that there were no I’s in the grid. I decided it would be even better if there were no I’s in the clues, either. That was a fun challenge!
I remember the hardest two answers to clue were ENYA and BOHR. For Enya I couldn’t use the words Irish, Gaelic, singer, vocalist, musician, or (Grammy) winner. The clue for BOHR couldn’t include Danish, Nobelist, Niels, physicist, scientist, pioneer, or Einstein (contemporary).
Another example is a terrific puzzle constructor Raymond Young made for my magazine, Dell Puzzler’s Sunday Crosswords. It was a 15×15 crossword that, when solved, became a Word Search puzzle in which the names of all the playing cards, from ace to king, were hidden. Pretty impressive for a daily-sized crossword!
3.) In addition to your work in puzzles, you’re something of a game show pro, having worked on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and been a contestant on NPR’s Ask Me Another. Do you feel that your puzzle-solving experience has helped you in your game show adventures? Are there any other shows you’d like to tackle?
[Leslie on NPR’s “Ask Me Another”]
I actually held two positions while working on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire — first as a researcher and then as a question writer. I’d say my years as a professional puzzle editor certainly helped me there: one picks up a lot of trivia and odd information in that line of work!
Being on Ask Me Another was a hoot. For one thing, it’s unique among game shows because so many the questions involve puzzles and wordplay, not just trivia. Right up my alley! You can hear the episode I was on at their archives.
You can listen to the whole episode, or just the segments I’m in: “Bankable Stars” (my first segment) & “Reverse Spelling Bee” (big finish).
4.) What’s next for Leslie Billig?
After 12 years as editor of the Uptown Puzzle Club, I’m excited to succeed Rich Norris — [Glenn’s note: Los Angeles Times Crossword Editor] — as editor of the Crosswords Club.
Patti Varol — [Glenn’s note: friend of the blog, puzzle constructor, and all-around good egg] — succeeds me as editor of Uptown, and solvers can continue to expect challenging and entertaining crosswords in each of these Clubs. Check them out!
5.) If you could give the readers, writers, and puzzle fans in the audience one piece of advice, what would it be?
No advice, but a request: please introduce any children in your life to the joys of puzzle solving — the pleasures and benefits will last a lifetime.
Many thanks to Leslie for her time. You can follow her work with the Crosswords Club here, and be sure to check out her library of puzzle books at Barnes & Noble here! I can’t wait to see what puzzly fun she cooks up next.
Posted in PuzzleNation, Puzzles | Tagged 5 Questions, American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, ask me another, constructing, construction, crosswords, Crosswords Club, Dell Magazines, GAMES Magazine, Geeking Out, interview, ken jennings, Leslie Billig, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times crossword, New York Times, New York Times Crossword, NPR, npr's ask me another, Patti Varol, Penny Press, Penny/Dell Puzzles, Pop culture, puzzle of the month, PuzzleNation, Puzzlin' fool, Rich Norris, Uptown Puzzle Club, who wants to be a millionaire | 2 Replies
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Moving Cities to Low Carbon
Hans Mönninghoff, Deputy Chief Executive, City of Hannover, will speak on "Moving Cities to Low Carbon - Lessons from Hannover" at The University of Sydney, 15 October 2009:
Moving Cities to Low Carbon - Lessons from Hannover
Hans Mönninghoff
When: Thursday, 15 October, from 6.30pm
Location: Wilkinson Building, 148 City Road, The University of Sydney
Cost: These events are free of charge
Contact: Sue Lalor
Email: slalor@arch.usyd.edu.au
Hannover has over twenty years of experience in planning to meet Climate Change, and a Low Carbon Future. Hannover has committed itself to a wholistic sustainable urban strategy, whose aims are derived from a vision of sustainable development and comprise protection of natural common goods, social justice, responsible lifestyles, urban planning and development, mobility, business development, sustainable local economy and global responsibility for local action.
Hans will outline the experiences of Hannover in Climate Protection, Planning for a Low Carbon Future, the Development of Model Urban Projects, Sustainable Resource Management, and Energy, amongst others. Given how long Hannover has been working in these fields, they have learnt many valuable lessons in what to do, and what not to do, as well as some of the barriers to implementation.
Hans Mönninghoff has been dedicated to energy and climate protection politics for over 30 years. As Deputy Chief Executive for the City of Hannover Mönninghoff established and led Hannover's Carbon Reduction Initiatives with a target of 40% below 1990 levels by 2020, on the back of existing successful initiatives to reduce carbon. Mönninghoff has played a key role in the development of Hannover as the greenest City in Germany with the most square meters of green space per capita.
For more information on this talk visit www.arch.usyd.edu.au/prc or download the flyer.
I look forward to seeing you here.
Alan Peters
Director, Planning Research Centre
Professor, Urban and Regional Planning
Posted by Tom Worthington at 1:57 PM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: land planning, sustainable development, Sydney
Australian Government Agencies doing okay with Green ICT
The "Green ICT: The State of the Nation" report, released by Fujitsu yesterday, has noted positive results for Australian federal government agencies implementation of sustainability measures to reduce carbon emissions from computers. This was reported by Alison O'Flynn, Head of Sustainability at Fujitsu speaking here at the Sustainability Plus Technology Forum in Sydney this morning. One reason given for the agencies doing well is the effect of the Gershon Report.
The research the report is based on was done in conjunction with Connection Research, in association with the World Wildlife Fund. It follows an earlier report on private sector green ICT strategies which was far less positive: GREEN IT: The Convenient Truth.
Unfortunately, Fujitsu have produced their reports as a large (5.4Mbyte) hard to read and hard to get PDF file. Fujitsu should consider providing their report as a set of small, easy to read, mobile compatible web pages. This would reduce the carbon emissions cause by the report by at least 90%. For those who do not want to cause excessive greenhouse gas emissions which downloading the full report would cause, here is an excerpt:
The idea of intergenerational responsibility and balancing the three elements of sustainability (economic, social and environmental) present both challenges and opportunities for the way we live today. With rapid population growth and the
increasing impact of climate change, we need to act now.
Greenhouse gas emissions from the ICT sector as a proportion of global total emissions are forecast to increase from 2% in 2009 to 6% by 2020. Over the
same period the number of personal computers is expected to more than treble, from 1.2 billion to 4 billion. The ICT industry has an important leadership role to play - both in mitigating its own impacts and in exploiting its technology to enable emissions reductions in many other industries and business processes.
The Gershon Report recommended the Australian Government develop a Whole of Government Sustainability ICT Plan1 to manage and reduce the environmental impact of the government’s ICT activities. This plan, developed by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) in conjunction with the Department of Finance and Deregulation, is effective from early
In late 2008 Fujitsu Australia conducted research to understand how ICT departments in the Australian private sector were responding to the emerging carbon priced economy. Fujitsu Australia published these findings in a report titled Green IT: The
Convenient Truth 2.
In September 2009 Fujitsu Australia commissioned further research to understand how Australian Government agencies are preparing for the emerging sustainable ICT aspirations and goals being set by the Australian Government.
The research found that Australian Government ICT managers are personally more concerned about climate change than the Australian population generally, and also more concerned than ICT managers in other sectors. In fact, the survey
identified no climate change deniers at all. This may be because of an increased awareness of the issues raised in the Gershon report and the subsequent high profile of sustainability in government generally.
The research clearly shows that Australian Government ICT managers have done far more in the measurement of ICTs power consumption, and in ensuring accountability for Green ICT, than their counterparts in the private sector.
This would indicate Australian Government ICT managers are demonstrating Green ICT leadership, both as a result of their agencies’ overall commitment to a green strategy and because of their awareness of the ICTs important role in reducing overall carbon emissions. ...
From: Green ICT: The State of the Nation, A Report on How Australian Government Agencies are Responding to the Transition to a Low Carbon Economy, Fujitsu, 29 September 2009
Posted by Tom Worthington at 10:59 AM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: Australian Government, Gershon Report, Government ICT, Green IT, sustainable development
Telstra stabilised greenhouse gas emissions
Greetings from the Sustainability Plus Technology Forum in Sydney. I missed the opening by Senator Penny Wong, Minister for Climate Change and Water. Bill Bien, Telstra Executive Director, has just claimed that Telstra has stabilised its greenhouse gas emissions and is the largest solar panel user in Australia. He showed covers of reports about this but did not provide a formal reference which I could use to verify the claims. Unfortunately Mr Bien is giving a presentation full of hype and vague claims which is not really convincing at a specialised conference on sustainability. But then he might say the same about my talk later in the day on "Online Collaboration: the future of networking for low emissions projects and companies". ;-)
Posted by Tom Worthington at 9:04 AM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: Green IT, sustainable development
Hawkei Australian Light Protected Vehicle
Thales Australia has released images of a mock-up of its Hawkei Protected Mobility Vehicle proposed for the Australian Army under the LAND 121 Phase 4 program. This is a smaller vehicle than the Bushmaster and designed to replace un-armoured Landrovers.
The Hawkei is claimed to "... become a fully integrated node on the network centric battlefield" with C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence). However, apart from having sufficient electrical generating capacity, it is not clear how a vehicle could have C4I fundamental to the design. Computer and telecommunications change much faster than vehicle designs. If the Hawkei had C4I closely integrated, the design would be obsolete with eighteen months.
Labels: Bushmaster, C4I, defence technology, Transport
War 2.0: Political Violence & New Media, Canberra,
Brig. Dawson
The Department of International Relations of the Australian National University is hosting a two day symposium on "War 2.0: Political Violence & New Media" in Canberra, 7 to 8 October 2009. There is a modest $50 registration fee ($15 for students). The program includes Brigadier Brian Dawson (Director General of Australian Defence Force Public Affairs), Eric Beecher (Crikey.com), Professor Hugh White (ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre) and Mehran Mortezai (Iranian student and Twitterer). The venue is the new hit-tech Hedley Bull Centre at the ANU. I hope to take part in the symposium via the web (from Web Directions South), relating some of my experience setting the Australian Defence Force's policy for the use of the web and Internet.
War 2.0: Political Violence & New Media
Today, war is conducted not only by the dispatch of Tomahawks in the air or Kalashnikovs and suicide attacks on the ground but also by means of bytes, tweets, digital images, and social networking forums. (New) media technology, in other words, has become a medium of war and diplomacy.
This multidisciplinary two-day symposium on 7-8 October hosted by the Department of International Relations at the ANU will map the shifting arena of war, conflict, terrorism, and violence in an intensely mediated age. The symposium will bring together international relations academics, media scholars and media practitioners, policymakers and defence staff. It will explore cultural, political, strategic, and technological transformations in media platforms and media participation and assess their impact on policy, publics, and outcomes of political conflict.
The symposium addresses questions such as: What is 'new' about new media? How have the transformations in media technology influenced media-military relations? How have these transformations impacted upon traditional media actors? How are war, conflict, terrorism and violence represented; what are the consequences of these representations? In what ways has new media technology empowered marginalised voices in war, conflict, and terrorism? And how has the transformation of the media landscape impacted on the way states conduct their foreign policy? ...
From: War 2.0: Political Violence & New Media, ANU, 2009
9:15 - 9:30 Introduction
9:30 - 10:45 Keynote address by James Der Derian
From the Image of War to the War of Images
(Live webcast from Brown University)
10:45 - 11:15 Morning tea
11:15 - 12:45 Panel One: Traditional Voices
Responding to New Toys, New Challenges
Kate Geraghty, Sydney Morning Herald photographer
Prakash Mirchandani, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, ANU
Bill Paterson, Ambassador for Counter-terrorism
Peter Mantello, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan
Brigadier Brian Dawson, Director General Public Affairs, ADF
1:45 - 3:00 Keynote address by Eric Beecher, Crikey.com
The Changing Media Landscape
3:00 - 3:30 Afternoon tea
3:30 - 5:00 Panel Two: New Voices
New Media Empowering New Actors
Lisa Goldman, political blogger from Tel Aviv
Sophie McNeill, SBS Dateline video journalist
Mark Andrejevic, University of Queensland
Matthew Hornsey, University of Queensland
Nicholas Farrelly, ANU
Mehran Mortezai, Iranian student and Twitterer
5:00 - 6:30 Reception
9:30 - 10:45 Keynote address by Paul McGeough, Sydney Morning Herald
A Correspondent's Journey
11:15 - 12:45 Panel Three: War 2.0 - What are We Facing?
How is New Media Shaping Conflict?
Thomas Rid, Authors of War 2.0
Peter Leahy, University of Canberra
Seb Kaempf, University of Queensland
Julie Posetti, University of Canberra
Hugh White, ANU
1:45 - 3:00 Concluding Plenary
Politics by Other Means?
From: Program for War 2.0: Political Violence & New Media, ANU, 2009
Labels: #war2pt0, ANU, Australian Defence Force, defence, defence technology, war2pt0
Cradle Mountain Tasmania
After a Gordon River Cruse and a ride on the West Coast Wilderness Railway it was time to drive north east across Tasmania to Cradle Mountain. This is in the northern end of the same world heritage area which I visited at Strahan. Dove Lake was a surprise, with breathtaking snow covered alpine vistas. Even direction I pointed the camera there was a picture-postcard scene, of rugged peaks covered in snow, crystal clear lakes, mossy rocks and stunted trees like a Japanese bonsai, rough shacks of weathered local wood and cute little marsupials hopping from rock to rock.
Cradle Mountain Backpackers YHA is located opposite the Cradle Mountain Transit Terminal outside the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park entrance. Due to the pressure of tourism, visitors are discouraged from bringing their cars into the park. There is only limited parking in the park with narrow roads having many one way sections. Visitors can park at the transit centre and take a suttle bus into the park (cost included in some of the National Parks Passes). The YHA is located at the back of a caravan park and is run from the caravan park office. The cabins are set between the trees, with the wildlife coming right in amongst the buildings (you need to make sure you close the door or they will be in with you). The accommodation is clean, warm and comfortable. There is a small shop and free Internet access at the caravan park office.
In addition there are several upmarket resorts near the park entrance, particularly Cradle Mountain Chateau, run by the same Pure Tasmania group which runs the railway and cruses at Strahan.
A point of confusion is that the transit centre is separate from the park visitors centre, which is right at the park entrance. Both the transit centre and the visitors centre have gift shops and information displays. There are some short walks around the visitors centre. The visitors centre is not always staffed (visitors are still obliged to pay an entry fee). There are two push buttons at the centre for contacting the shuttle bus or summoning emergency assistance (this appears to be the award winning "Telstra Wayphone"). Also there are books for visitors to record their arrival and departure for safety. All visitors are encouraged to log in and out, even for short walks.
The board walks in the park are extensive. This is because the ground, which is wet for much of the year, is very fragile and in many places is impassable due to the thick mud. The main board walks from the visitors centre into the park carries power cables under it and may one day form part of the National Broadband Network.
It is about ten kilometres from the park entrance to Dove Lake, the most accessible of the scenic vistas. At the lake there is a small car park and a shelter, with another log book for visitors. This is the furtherer the shuttle bus goes into the park.
From this point for the next two and a half hours on a quick walk around the lake I was unable to stop marvelling at the view, which is unlike anything I have seen before in Australia. The views look like something from a picture postcard and are almost painfully wonderful. Around each corner of the walk around the lake there seems to be an even more spectacular view.
The boathouse at the water's edge, made from local timber now weathered to a lustrous grey, appears suspiciously like it was build for no other reason than to enhance the scene. The snow on the lichen covered rocks appears as though it has been carefully arranged by a landscape artist to enhance the view between the gnarled trees to the distant peaks.
Perhaps if this was Japan or China, it would not seem so remarkable. But Australia is usually a land of large flat open plains and animals you see fleetingly after dark. Here were the wildlife was standing around waiting for me to photograph, with lakes and snow peaks behind.
Labels: Tasmania, Tasmanian Holiday, YHA
Creativity in teaching and learning
The Australian National University is holding a free teaching forum in Canberra on "Creativity in teaching and learning", 12:30 PM, 7 October 2009. All welcome, but please RSVP:
This semester break, come along to a teaching forum on creativity in teaching and innovation in the academic learning environment.
Professor Mandy Thomas, Pro Vice-Chancellor of The Australian National University will be giving a talk entitled The Senses in Teaching.
Dr Thomas Nielsen, an expert in Imaginative Education, will talk on Emotions, creativity and imagination: keys to a whole person approach to education.
... Stephen Darwin, who works to improve the quality and integration of educational evaluation, will be discussing expansive learning in light of the impact of new technologies and approaches to teaching.
Lunch will be provided, please RSVP by COB Friday 2nd October to vivien.silvey@anu.edu.au
Speaker/Host: Professor Mandy Thomas, Dr Stephen Darwin and Dr Thomas Nielsen
Venue: Forestry Room 1.02, Building 48
Date: Wednesday, 7 October 2009
Enquiries: Vivien Silvey on 6125 2606
From: Creativity in teaching and learning, What's On @ ANU, 2009
Labels: ANU, e-Learning, Education Revolution
UK Government VPN
The UK Cabinet Office is building a Virtual Private Network called the "Public Sector Network" for national and local government agencies to use for voice and data. This is intended to save money and set technical and service standards. The network will be built from existing commercial infrastructure. There are a set of detailed planning and specification documents. The AGIMO strategy is for a less ambitious network for the Australian Government.
The Public Sector Network vision
1.1.1 The Public Sector Network (PSN) vision one of creating ‘the effect of a single network across UK government’, delivered through multiple service providers in order to ensure ongoing value and innovation.
1.1.2 In some respects, this is similar to the Internet model, whereby ‘service consumers’ experience flexibility and inter-working without much concern for underlying inter-network ‘plumbing’. However, the vision is also one of a ‘private network of networks’ for the public sector, addressing the various special security, resilience, service and availability needs of public sector organisations.
The PSN in practical terms
1.1.3 The PSN is a supply-side ‘network of networks’, making network-oriented services utilitylike for the public sector. Hence, it is essentially an inter-working and standards framework for the suppliers of network-oriented services to the public sector, governing both interconnection of supplier services and the relevant key service characteristics/attributes that ensure inter-working and end-to-end service assurance across supplier portfolios. As such, it includes:
an overarching PSN Operating Model and governance approach – including a Code of Interconnection (CoICo) and Code of Practice (CoP) for service providers, and a Code of Connection for service consumers;
new standards that ensure inter-working across network-oriented services and end-toend serviceability across suppliers;
a ‘marketplace’ for PSN Services, established through procurements; and
various core enabling infrastructure, including:
a Government Conveyance Network (GCN), this being the interconnect ‘glue’ between the individual service providers conforming to the CoICo;
central technical infrastructure providing for service inter-dependency analysis across suppliers, supporting end-to-end service management and assurance; and,
an appropriate commercial settlements regime for suppliers, underpinning endto- end service management and assurance where the chosen delivery model involves peered service providers.
1.1.4 To be clear, this standards framework will not replace current quality (ISO 9001), service (ISO 20001) and security (ISO 27001; Security Policy Framework) management standards, or Next Generation Network (NGN) standards; rather, it will compliment these by extending standards to various technical, commercial and service inter-working arrangements for government’s suppliers of network-oriented services. ...
From: GCN Service Description, Version1.1, PSN Core Infrastructure project team, UK Cabinet Office, 24 April 2009
Labels: Government ICT, ICT Policy, UK Government
Carbon Footprint Estimator for Education Sector
The US based non-profit Clean Air-Cool Planet (CA-CP) have announced an update to their Campus Carbon Calculator (v6.4) for estimating the carbon footprint of educational institutions. Keep in mind that this is designed for North America (my green ICT students regularly confuse the units of measurement used in the USA with the international ones used in Australia and most of the world). Those outside the USA might prefer to use the Canadian Version of the calculator. Also the carbon coefficients used for calculating the Carbon dioxide equivalence may be different for other parts of the world.
Labels: Green IT, Greenhouse Effect, sustainable development
Gordon River Cruse
The day after a ride on the West Coast Wilderness Railway it was time for a cruse from Strahan (Tasmania), up the Gordon River.
The Lady Jane Franklin II, cruse ship is part of the Pure Tasmania tourism conglomerate, who also run the tourist railway, casinos and resorts. This is an aluminium 32 m catamaran built by Richardson Devine Marine in Hobart and designed by Crowther Design Sydney (now merged with Tasmania's Incat, into Incat Crowther), with interior design by Spear Green Design. With a capacity for 228 passengers, this is a very large and very comfortable ship.
The rival World Heritage Cruises run a similar cruse using a very similar ship. Lonely Planet recommend this cruse and you can get a YHA discount. I didn't realise this at the time and book with Pure Tasmania, but do not regret it as the tour was good. WHC have a very poor web site compared to PT, making it very difficult to find any information about their tours.
There are three classes of seating on the ship: the upper deck has the premium class, with wine supplied, the window seats on the lower deck are second class and third class are termed "atrium" away from the windows. While the cheapest seats, the atrium area at the front still provides a good view, with large windows each side, out the front, and through a glass roof. There is an outdoor viewing area at the bow and stern, open apart from when the ship is docking. At more than 30 knots, standing on the bow while approaching the harbour entrance between two rocky outcrops of "Hells Gate" was an exhilarating experience.
The ship tours Macquarie Harbour. The environmental cause adopted by the ship is the endangered Orange Bellied Parrot. For those wanting to see the wildlife closer up, there are kayak tours from the ship. For the less adventitious, there is a short board walk into the forest while the kayaks are launched.
The ship is equipped with LCD displays similar to those in aircraft with a moving map showing the location and orientation of the vessel. We started at 42 degrees 9.207 minutes South, 145 degrees 19.745 minutes East. The harbour is the second largest in the world. Much of the year the top few m of water is fresh, with a brown colour of tannin from the roots of native grasses.
The harbour is used for salmon and trout farming. It would be interesting to see if the tannin in the water increases the anti-oxidant levels of the fish. Some rivers of the harbour are contaminated by mining with heavy metals, but the water is diluted with other fresh and salt water.
Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout are farmed in floating nets. A black polythene tube, looking like a giant bicycle inner tube, floats on the surface holding the net in place. A water cannon is used to fire the fish food across the floating pen.
The tour visits the southern end of the Tasmanian world heritage area, which extends north to Cradle Mountain. The tour guide was proud to point out that the area meets 7 out of ten of the criteria for world heritage areas, equal first to one in China. The area has significant natural heritage and cultural aspects. Some of the reasons for listing are nothing to be proud of, such as the existence of endangered species and the indigenous cultural remains of the people who were driven out of the area.
Patricio Silvia tour guide on Sarah Island also performs in the play "The Ship that Never Was" by Richard Davey. The play is performed in Strahan by the Round Earth Company and is published as a graphic novel. The play was first performed in 1984 and has been running since, including performances on Sahara Island. It tells the story of convicts who take over a ship on the island and sail to Chile. The theatre company have taken a break from performances to visit Chile (and thus delay their attempt to beat Christie's "The Mouse Trap" for the number of performances of a play).
This week the movie Van Dieman's Land (by Jonathan Auf Der Heide and Oscar Redding) opened in Australian cinemas. It tells the story of the escape of Alexander Pearce from the penal colony at Macquarie Harbour. While the landscape is majestic when seen from the comfort of a luxury ship, close up it can be far less comfortable. A reminder of this was the sight of a Huon Pine crushing one of the board walks on the Gordon River. Beneath the path is mud, lots of mud. The tree did not break suddenly, instead it gradually lowered itself to the ground through the mud. The trees use this as a means of prorogation. The result is a dense tangle of vegetation and mud which is very difficult to travel through.
Tasmania's past shows up in other ways for the observant. Tasmania has a mining tradition. Part of that tradition is temporary miner's huts, called "Dongas". The modern version of these are sophisticated prefabricated and modular buildings (I suggested they be used for classrooms). In Strahan, after the cruse, I noticed on holiday village "Strahan Bungalows", which appeared to be made from these modules, probably by Statewide Constructions.
Labels: Gordon River, Strahan, Tasmania, Tasmanian Holiday
Energy Efficiency Opportunities program
Yesterday I met with staff from the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism who look after the Energy Efficiency Opportunities program. This program doesn't get a lot of public attention, although it has been up and running for some time. The program requires large energy-using businesses to identify, evaluate and report on energy use. The department provides templates for business to use to report and places an emphasis on using this to report energy saving initiatives. ICT is key to this program, with the Internet being used for the reporting. However, there would appear to be more scope for computers and telecommunications to be used to streamline the collection of the data and in reduction measures.
There are some problems with this scheme, due to the government's climate change initiatives being split between three departments: Energy, Environment and the Department of Climate Change. The reporting requirements for EEO are different from those for the proposed carbon reduction scheme. Also EEO gets little attention for senior ministers and limited funding, even though it is a program which covers the bulk of Australia's carbon emitting companies.
The information provided by EEO is not particularly well organised, with the list of company information being split across web pages, based on the first letter of the company name.
Some information on the program:
Industry Guidelines
Assessment Handbook
Assessment and Reporting Schedule Template
EEO Workshops 2006-2009
Energy Savings Measurement Guide
Verification fact sheet
2009 Energy Efficiency Opportunities Workshops
Opening presentation – Update on EEO and Energy Policy
Investor Perspective – Phil Preston
Investor Perspective – Andrew Barr[PDF,89KB]
EEO Public and Government Reporting [PDF,130kb]
EEO Verification [PDF,122KB]
Trends from First Assessments [PDF,130KB]
Data Analysis [PDF,204KB]
Energy Mass Balances [PDF,133KB]
Representative Assessments [PDF,687KB]
Industry Assistance Programs [PDF,78KB]
Industry presentations
National Australia Bank [PDF,66 KB]
Energy Manager, Sydney Water [PDF,163KB]
Santos Limited [PDF,92KB]
Toyota Australia [PDF,303KB]
Incitec Pivot Ltd [PDF, 97KB]
Linfox [PDF,306KB]
Shell Geelong Refinery [PDF,94KB]
Thiess's Australian Mining business unit [PDF,841KB]
Wesfarmers Limited [PDF,212KB]
OneSteel [PDF,515KB]
Labels: Energy Efficiency Opportunities program, Green IT, sustainable development
Disaster Communications
Disaster Communications in a Changing Media World by Kim S Haddow and George Haddow (Butterworth-Heinemann, 2008) gives some useful general tips on media management for government and non-government disaster management organisations. This book is not about the technicalities of how to provide telecommunications during a disaster, it is about how to talk to the media, and through the media to the population. It also touches on the use of new media, email, SMS, the web and instant messaging. However, the bulk of the book is common-sense advice which applies to any media. The book suffers from a strong US bias, dealing the history of FEMA. There are a comical number of photos of public officials talking to journalists. There are some useful case studies. However, overall the book is disappointing, as the message seems to be than public communication is about a spokesman (yes, they are almost all male) standing up giving an interview to the TV and radio.
Some topics: incident command system, national response framework, social media, neighbourhood communications networks, mitigation messages, preparedness messages, first informers, changing media world, trusted community leaders, emergency management operations, next disaster strikes, disaster messages, emergency officials, emergency management organisations, cable news outlets, citizen journalists, media partnership, emergency managers, mitigation initiative, online news sites, traditional media outlets, citizen journalism, disaster information, participatory journalism, incident management system
Labels: disaster management, Emergency Alert System, emergency management
Boomburbs teaching how to run cities
Browsing the new books at the University of Canberra library recently, I came across "Boomburbs: The Rise of America's Accidental Cities (James a Johnson Metro)" (Robert E. Lang; Jennifer Lefurgy, Brookings Institution Press, 2007).This argues that suburbs outside established cities have expanded to be cities in their own right. These cities do not get much attention as they do not have clearly identifiable city centres with large buildings and monuments. Instead they have suburbs with small commercial sites near freeway off ramps. While it would be easy to just critique undifferentiated urban sprawl covering the landscape, with strip shopping, there are some positives in the boomburbs. Some of the new cities have interesting administrative structures, such as outsourced services. Some emphasise the use of "home-owners associations" to deal with some of the provision of services and decision making, like Australian "bodies corporate".
Some topics: boomburbs, edgeless cities, favoured quarter, phoenix region, accidental cities, housing hardship, unincorporated places, reluctant cities, panoramic maps, unincorporated land, urban realms, growth counties, homeowners associations
Labels: land planning
Victorian Transport Plan
The Victorian government has been promoting a "Victorian Transport Plan" on free to air TV using advertisements. This may have some unintended negative effects. I am in Canberra, which is not in Victoria, and yet I see the ads. This makes me wonder if the Victorian government is spending its transport money wisely.
The Victorian advertisements looks very similar to those which the NSW Government used to promote its "North West Metro". These advertisements were designed to reassure the public that this plan was going to be implemented very soon, unfortunately this turned out not to be true.
The Victorian government might usefully reallocate money from advertising a transport plan to replace its stalled MyKi smart card ticketing system. The Victorian Minister for Transport might like to visit Istanbul and ride their integrated public transport system, using an Akbil electronic token. Istanbul's Akbil is less technically sophisticated than Melbourne's MyKi, but has the advantage of being proved in daily use. Melbourne could benefit from such a system.
The Victorian government is renaming Melbourne's train system a 'Metro'. A metro system is distinguished by having a high capacity, frequent service. Usually with a metro there is no timetable, with services running at specified frequencies, such as every five to fifteen minutes. The Melbourne trains are not such a system and are therefore not a metro. As with the NSW failed North West project, simply relabeling a rail line a "Metro" will not make it one. In the case of Melbourne rail, the service is provided by a private operator, who could be taken to court for falsely offering a Metro service.
The last problem is that the Victorian government has made it very difficult to obtain the actual plan advertised. The plan is in the form of numerousdifficult to read files, some of which are very large, under an obscure link: "Download the plan":
Summary document
The Victorian Transport Plan Overview (PDF, 1,535 KB, 28 pp.)
The Victorian Transport Plan Overview (Rich Text Format, 325 KB)
Full document
The Victorian Transport Plan (PDF, 13,514 KB, 164 pp.)
The Victorian Transport Plan (Rich Text Format, 820 KB)
Document in parts
Introduction and highlights (PDF, 919 KB, 13 pp.)
Shaping Victoria for future success (PDF, 1,745 KB, 18 pp.)
Shaping Victoria: Road demand map (PDF, 2,450 KB, 1 p.)
Shaping Victoria: Rail demand map (PDF, 1,374 KB, 1 p.)
Priority 1: Shaping Victoria (PDF, 906 KB, 9 pp.)
Priority 2: Linking rural, regional and metro Victoria (PDF, 1396 KB, 15 pp.)
Priority 3: Creating a Metro system (PDF, 1,621 KB, 23 pp.)
Priority 4: Moving around Melbourne (PDF, 3,409 KB, 21 pp.)
Priority 5: Taking practical steps for a sustainable future (PDF, 986 KB, 13 pp.)
Priority 6: Strengthening Victoria's and Australia's economy (PDF, 2,250 KB, 20 pp.)
Delivering The Victorian Transport Plan (PDF, 509 KB, 3 pp.)
Appendices (PDF, 464 KB, 14 pp.)
Audio (MP3) version
Overview MP3 Announcement (MP3, 135 KB)
Table of contents (MP3, 360 KB)
Message from the Premier (MP3, 1,360 KB)
Message from the Ministers (MP3, 865 KB)
Our acheivements (MP3, 1,000 KB)
Highlights (MP3, 2,400 KB)
Six Priorities for Action (MP3, 256 KB)
Shaping Victoria (MP3, 760 KB)
Linking rural, regional and metro Victoria (MP3, 1,110 KB)
A Plan for all Victorians map (MP3, 1,070 KB)
Creating a Metro system(MP3, 1,080 KB)
Moving around Melbourne (MP3, 1,020 KB)
Taking practical steps for a sustainable future(MP3, 830 KB)
Strengthening Victoria's and Australia's economy (MP3, 1,140 KB)
Project timelines (MP3, 2,710 KB)
Copyright statement and alternative formats (MP3, 155 KB)
Closing Announcement (MP3, 215 KB)
Consultant reports
Victorian Transport Plan Stakeholder Engagement Summary Report (PDF, 228 KB, 28 pp.)
Booz and Co: Melbourne Public Transport Standards Review (PDF, 217 KB, 15 pp.)
Edward Dotson: East West Link Needs Assessment Recommendations 1, 2, 3, 6 (PDF, 185 KB, 3 pp.)
GHD: EWLNA and Northern Link (PDF, 13,861 KB, 81 pp.)
GHD: Hoddle Street Advice (PDF, 19,168 KB, 91 pp.)
Maunsell: Review and Analysis of Historical and Proposed Commuter Ferry Services on Port Phillip (PDF, 657 KB, 49 pp.)
Meyrick: Economic Assessment (PDF, 321 KB, 28 pp.)
Price Waterhouse Coopers: Review of Social, Demographic and Land Use Analysis (PDF, 135 KB, 22 pp.)
Price Waterhouse Coopers: Additional Impacts Analysis (PDF, 505 KB, 22 pp.)
Price Waterhouse Coopers: Critique of Assessment of Conventional Costs and Benefits (PDF, 1561 KB, 41 pp.)
Price Waterhouse Coopers: Review of the Estimation of Wider Economic Benefits (PDF, 115 KB, 20 pp.)
SGS Economics and Planning: Melbourne Employment Projections (PDF, 933 KB, 34 pp.)
SGS Economics and Planning: Valuing Household Sector Non-Transport Benefits in Cost Benefits Analysis (PDF, 632 KB, 39 pp.)
Summary of Model Outputs (PDF, 1,802 KB, 23 pp.)
The Nous Group: Transport Abatement Wedges (PDF, 706 KB, 54 pp.)
Veitch Lister: Zenith Model Establishment And Validation Report (PDF, 2,935 KB, 34 pp.)
Veitch Lister: Background Assumptions (PDF, 919 KB, 11 pp.)
Labels: land planning, myki, Public Transport, Victoria
West Coast Wilderness Railway Tasmania
This month I achieved a long term ambition, by riding on the West Coast Wilderness Railway from Strahan to Queenstown, Tasmania. This is a narrow gauge line using the Swiss Abt system to get it up steep hills. If you are interested in historic steam railways, then you must visit Tasmania and travel this railway.
On my previous Trip to Tasmania for talks, I was jokingly asked if I would like to run the railway. I aimed to do a "live" web report from the train, but had to settle for taking some photos and posting them later.
The railway was built to carry material to and ore from the mines at Queenstown. It is now a tourist railway, restored using lavish federal and state funding. The railway has been controversial from the day it was opened, being the subject of company rivalry as well as a pawn in state and federal politics for more than one hundred years. This is touched on in the commentary on the train and covered in detail the excellent historical book available at the Strahan station: "The Abt Railway : Tasmania's West Coast Wilderness Railway" (by Lou Rae, latest edition 2008 ).
The Strahan station is the restored original (the other stations on the line are modern replicas). If you are a steam enthusiast, then check when you book that one of the original steam locomotives will be used (some trains are pulled by a historic diesel). If you are early you may see the locomotive come out of the shed, cross the road and be turned on the manual turntable (two staff pushing with their backs). I recorded low resolution video of the locomotive being turned and leaving the turntable (with the sound of the whistle) and approaching the station.
The seam locomotive was built by DUBs & Co in Glasgow Locomotive Works 1898 (No 3730). This is a talk engine, as popularised by the books and TV show "Thomas The Tank Engine". Meticulously restored and carefully maintained the locomotive has gleaming brass and shining steam gauges. It is a bit uglier than a cartoon loco, due to the extra pipes needed to power the rack and pinion "ABT" equipment, needed to pull the train up steep hills.
The train is fully crewed, this being a real train which has to meet the usual railway safety standards. Much like an airline flight, the conductor "Tom" (inevitably nicknamed "the fat conductor" despite his slimness) provided a safety briefing, as well as giving some history and selling travel guidebooks (the detailed railway history is a better buy for the enthusiast).
While the locomotives are genuine, the passenger carriages are locally built replicas (the original carriages being used on the "Puffing Billy Railway" Victoria). The carriages feature local Tasmanian timber and polished brass (with luggage racks from Queensland Rail). While I went to a lot of trouble to power a wireless modem from USB for the trip, I found there was a 240 Volt power point next to each seat.
The line first follows the curve of the harbour, then up a river valley. On one side of the line most of the time the line clings to the side of a steep river valley, covered in dense temperate vegetation, with the river visible below. There are several stops for the passengers to get out and take in the view. The stations and some track work are newly built in a sensitive way: not attempting an exact historical restoration.
As an example bailey bridge components have been used to build several bridges and the water towers for the stations. Clearly these are not from the 1890s, but are in the spirit of a non-nonsense line.
For the rail enthusiast there is the delight of being able to walk across the tracks, examine the ABT "rack" close up and watch the locomotive being oiled and watered.
Remains of the original engineering works are event at several points of the trip. The original iron bridge, washed away in a flood is visible in the river. At another point the original test track for the rack and pinion system can be seen from the 1800s.
At one station you can observe the train from an overhead bridge. In the photo you will notice that a cover (like a lid on a pot) has been placed over the funnel of the locomotive.
There is also a second turntable, which can be seen close-up.
The nearby pedestrian bridge is constructed from the same bailey bridge components as the rail bridge.
The water tanks which make this a "tank engine" can be best seen from the bridge. The small tanks also result in the train having to stop to take on water. While the line is short, the steep grade results in the engine having to expend considerable energy.
At one station you can walk down to the river. What at first looks like snow on the water is foam from a natural detergent from the forest.
The end carriage of the train has a delightfully ornate open observation platform. Several times the safety briefing emphasised the danger of opening the doors while the train was in motion, so it is not clear if the open platform is used.
Not all the bridges have been replaced with steel. One is a wooden trestle, which you can walk under.
I have included some photos of the buffers and chain couplings, for those interested.
The rack which is used on the steeper track is newly made, to the original design, but the rails are second hand, recovered from other Tasmanian rail lines.
The rack and pinion is a complex mechanical device and must require considerable maintenance. Along with the staff needed to look after the passengers, it is not clear how the railway could be a paying proposition, even if full.
Apart from the railway and the river, there are the temperate plants to examine close up.
As with most railway journeys it is rarely possible to observe the train itself, or where it is going, while on board. The commentary provided gave plenty of warning when there was a good view coming up and on which side. I was able to get a photo of the train crossing the bailey bridge.
However, the views of the river were frequent, as the train wound around the steep bank. It is difficult to imagine how the line was built with limited use of powered machinery.
The effects of mining can still be seen in the rivers, with the yellow water contaminated with mine tailings mixing with the black water naturally stained by the grass.
The journey ends at the reconstructed Queenstown station. There is an excellent gift store in the station as well as a coffee shop.
The rail fare includes a bus ride back to Strahan.
The trip is half a day, but seems much longer and I fell asleep on the bus ride back. There are shorter trips during the peak tourist season. For those wanting a more adventurous experience there is "Piners and Miners" tour in a stretched Land Rover converted to run on and off the rail line.
Labels: Queenstown, railways, Strahan, Tasmania, Tasmanian Holiday, travel
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Possible upcoming attempts to disable the Tor network
by arma | December 19, 2014
The Tor Project has learned that there may be an attempt to incapacitate our network in the next few days through the seizure of specialized servers in the network called directory authorities. (Directory authorities help Tor clients learn the list of relays that make up the Tor network.) We are taking steps now to ensure the safety of our users, and our system is already built to be redundant so that users maintain anonymity even if the network is attacked. Tor remains safe to use.
We hope that this attack doesn't occur; Tor is used by many good people. If the network is affected, we will immediately inform users via this blog and our Twitter feed @TorProject, along with more information if we become aware of any related risks to Tor users.
The Tor network provides a safe haven from surveillance, censorship, and computer network exploitation for millions of people who live in repressive regimes, including human rights activists in countries such as Iran, Syria, and Russia. People use the Tor network every day to conduct their daily business without fear that their online activities and speech (Facebook posts, email, Twitter feeds) will be tracked and used against them later. Millions more also use the Tor network at their local internet cafe to stay safe for ordinary web browsing.
Tor is also used by banks, diplomatic officials, members of law enforcement, bloggers, and many others. Attempts to disable the Tor network would interfere with all of these users, not just ones disliked by the attacker.
Every person has the right to privacy. This right is a foundation of a democratic society. For example, if Members of the British Parliament or US Congress cannot share ideas and opinions free of government spying, then they cannot remain independent from other branches of government. If journalists are unable to keep their sources confidential, then the ability of the press to check the power of the government is compromised. If human rights workers can't report evidence of possible crimes against humanity, it is impossible for other bodies to examine this evidence and to react. In the service of justice, we believe that the answer is to open up communication lines for everyone, securely and anonymously.
The Tor network provides online anonymity and privacy that allow freedom for everyone. Like freedom of speech, online privacy is a right for all.
[Update Monday Dec 22: So far all is quiet on the directory authority front, and no news is good news.]
[Update Sunday Dec 28: Still quiet. This is good.]
directory authorities
Roger, is this a correct
Roger, is this a correct summary of the essential facts as currently known?
* Tor Project was tipped by a reliable source and is holding back some knowledge to protect your source,
* The IP addresses of the 10 current DAs are hard-coded in latest TBB and Tails,
* If 4 or fewer DA nodes are captured, Tor may be slightly slower to start for some users, but will still work,
* If more than 4 DA nodes are captured, the enemy can shut down the Tor network, or even direct unsuspecting users to a fake Tor network,
* Even in the worst case scenario, people who used genuine Tor in the recent past will not be deanonymized simply because the enemy captured our DA nodes,
* At least 4 DA nodes are physically located in the US; the others are all located in countries subject to US intimidation,
* In the current design of Tor, increasing the number of DAs wouldn't help in protecting against HVT (high value targeting) "decapitation strikes", but geographical/jurisdictional variety would probably help,
* The attack has not occurred as of the evening of Monday 26 December 2014 GMT,
* If it does happen, Tor Project will quickly be aware that specific DA nodes have been captured, and will notify the public by all available means,
* To bring authentic Tor back up, TBB and Tails users would need to either,
(i) find a message with the IP addresses of the new DA nodes
(ii) authenticate the message
(iii) be told how to edit their torrc to use the new IP addresses
or download new TBB tarball or Tails iso (using non-Tor channels, which could be dangerous if our enemies have decided to declare Tor effectively illegal).
Question: for those who currently use Tor exclusively,
(a) how sure are you that Tor can be brought back up even if five or more DA nodes are captured?
(b) any advice how we can ensure that we are using genuine Tor post-apocalypse, if the network is brought down and then brought up again hours or days later by unknown actors?
arma said:
In reply to Roger, is this a correct by Anonymous (not verified)
Mostly right. For your
Mostly right. For your question (a), it really depends how this hypothetical attack plays out. If we were all online at the time, I think we'd have it back up and working in a matter of hours. But it's such an unusual event that it's hard to guess exactly how it might happen if it does.
(b) When we put out a new Tor version, check the signatures on the packages you download. You should be doing this anyway.
https://www.torproject.org/docs/verifying-signatures
I'm sorry it is so hard on Windows -- please help make it easier!
As for how to detect if somebody else is generating fake consensus documents... I think the whole Internet will be screaming if this happens. One answer is that you can look at the relays in the current consensus document and the relays in later consensus documents and see how much turnover there is. But that is alas hard for ordinary users to do.
In reply to Mostly right. For your by arma
What makes it so hard? Is
What makes it so hard? Is there no documentation on the consensus documents?
In reply to What makes it so hard? Is by Anonymous (not verified)
Plenty of documentation,
Plenty of documentation, e.g.
https://gitweb.torproject.org/torspec.git/tree/dir-spec.txt
But ordinary users will stop at the mention of a text file. We'll be much happier automating something for them. (Please help!)
Dont panic anons dont belive
Dont panic anons dont belive all you read or hear on here, the FBI and the NSA can only trace with tracing paper just remember always be one step ahead there are many ways to stay invisible.
Panic and you will do something stupid and reveal yourself, if you ask me its scare mongering as i have not heard anything and i would be one of the first to know ; )
Following up on Roger's
Following up on Roger's remark
"And as for your 'why', that's an excellent question, and one we've been wrestling with too. There are nine directory authorities, spread around the US and Europe. If they're trying to hunt down particular Tor users, most possible attacks on directory authorities would be unproductive, since those relays don't know anything about what particular Tor users are doing."
Here is an attempted summary of informed speculation about who might be planning to attack us, and why:
* Only USG is capable to attempting to seize 4 or more DA nodes,
* A collaboration between USG and EU governments would be particularly dangerous for Tor,
* Such a scenario is not implausible; according to The Intercept's sources, Belgium seems to be permitting NSA spying on Belgacom to continue with only token hindrance, and Germany's efforts to reduce NSA spying on Germans also seems to be halfhearted (some would suggest that the proper word for such passive collaboration is "treason"),
* Within USG, Snowden leaks confirm that at least until recently, the majority view in NSA/CIA was that killing Tor would be counterproductive to their self-defined mission, which implies that the threat most likely comes from DOJ/FBI, unless NSA/CIA have revised their attitude toward Tor,
* There is no known *plausible* rational reason for USIC to capture DAs other than to try to bring down the Tor network entirely,
* In principle, NSA (or even DOJ/FBI) might try to replace genuine Tor with a fake version in order to pursue deanonymization of Tor users whom they believe pose a threat to USIC, or to US "strategic interests", but it seems doubtful that would be effective for more than a few hours,
* In the current political context their immediate motivation for taking down Tor entirely might be
(i) FBI might be attempting a direct (and fantastically foolish) experiment seeking to find out whether the most dangerous attacks on Western banking infrastructure suddenly fall off when the Tor network is brought down; if so, the world can see how they rate the respective value of the lives of overseas USG personnel and other persons who will be endangered if Tor is brought down, versus the value of Wall Street derivatives,
(ii) NSA might perhaps be attempting a "real world" experiment seeking to verify their ability (well practiced in "cyberranges") to shut down parts of the global internet,
(iii) In principle, NSA might want to take over Tor network to employ it as a global botnet in a retaliatory cyberattack, but this seems highly implausible since they already have several other botnets with much larger net bandwidth (this is confirmed in detail by multiple Snowden leaks),
(iv) Perhaps the least implausible rationale for NSA/CIA trying to take down Tor entirely might be that someone in NSA/CIA thinks this might force some HVT in some (newly or secretly declared?) war zone to use non-Tor lines of communication, possibly rendering said HVT susceptible to a targeted drone strike; among the likely targets would be
(a) ISIL leadership
(b) Boko Haram leadership
(c) (possibly) unnamed major drug traffickers
(d) (very unlikely, one hopes) unnamed torrenteers whose continued existence is repugnant to MPAA
* There may (also?) be some connection with
(i) intense political pressure on FBI to rapidly uncover some "smoking gun" fingering DPRK for the Sony cyberattack, which so far they have clearly been unable to do (but watch out for attempts to invent evidence should none be obtainable through honest detective work),
(ii) the recent cyberattack on a German steel mill, which appears to be one of less than five known cyberattacks to date which have caused extensive physical damage (the first being the US/Israel Stuxnet attack on Iranian nuclear enrichment plants; many might assume some other actor must be responsible for the attack on the steel plant, but that would underestimate the nastiness of USIC leadership which is probably seeking ways to remind Angela Merkel of what they can do the nation she governs if Germany ceases cooperating with USIC),
(iii) increasing hysteria in CIA and NSA aroused by the possibility (likelihood?) that some of their personnel may face prosecution in the EU for war crimes, resulting from multiple criminal acts including kidnapping, torture, and assassination,
(iv) increasing hysteria among US/UK police commands that assassinations of police officers might become a "new normal" (no-one seems to be keeping statistics, but my impression is that what numbers are available suggest that someone like Mr. Bratton would do very well to emulate our own leader by keeping his cool),
(v) recurrent hysteria inside various governments regarding Wikileaks (which has just published new documents leaked from CIA),
(vi) growing fear in certain USG circles of a literal revolution in the US; most observers seem to assess this possibility as unlikely, but they are clearly not taking global financial instability into account, and recent US Army manuals do seem to announce that the US Army general staff expects to occupy major cities (New York City is on their list of targets) during the coming decade, and is thinking hard about how they might try to control an urban population of millions with a military force numbering in the tens of thousands,
(vii) announcements in the press that US/UK/EU are planning another large scale seizure related to supposed child pornography rings; all well informed observers seem to agree that such announcements are very likely nothing but a laughably transparent "smoke screen" attempting to distract public attention from the real motivation for attacking Tor, but these announcements have in the past proven a reliable harbinger of the seizure of Tor nodes,
* When attempting to identify possible "rational" motivations for USG attempting to take down the Tor network entirely, we must bear in mind the all too plausible possibility that they have no idea what they are doing; some Snowden leaks show clear evidence that as recently as 2011, NSA leadership suffered from a seriously flawed understanding of key technical features of Tor; there is plenty of recent historical evidence suggesting that technical (or political) misconceptions might very well play a decisive role in USG "strategic planning" for eternal global cyberwarfare,
* The possibility cannot be discounted that the USIC leadership, frightened by the prospect of their own prosecution for war crimes, is simply lashing out with irrational ferocity.
"Thailand is one of the
"Thailand is one of the countries which plays host to large numbers of CIA, NSA, FBI and DEA agents."
And don't forget SOCCOM operatives. Bangok is one of seven megacities profiled in the following unclassified report (surely intended to intimidate the political leadership in certain countries and certain US cities), which was commissioned by Gen. Ray Odierno, chief of the general staff of the U.S. Army:
https://publicintelligence.net/usarmy-megacities/
(The authors state that their report simply summarizes classified detailed war plans.)
It seems noteworthy in connection with a recent incident in Bedford-Stuyvesant that the U.S. Army is frightened by the favela: Rio and Sao Paulo are also on the list of cities which the Army is planning to occupy (if it feels a need to do so). The document candidly explains that the goal is likely to be replacing an anti-US gang with a pro-US gang, rather than trying to build a credible government which respects democracy and the rule of law in urban regions which are currently "alternatively governed".
Imperial cynicism indeed.
" Angola or South Africa?
" Angola or South Africa? Venezuela or Nicaragua?"
Brazil? Iceland?
It is important to distinguish between physical location of the servers and the national address under which they are registered.
In reply to " Angola or South Africa? by Anonymous (not verified)
Also important to consider
Also important to consider what countries their upstream Internet connection transits. The Internet is not as decentralized as we would like.
"The attackers appear to
"The attackers appear to have used TOR exit nodes and VPNs to help cover their tracks, which indicates some awareness of operational security (OPSEC)."
It is Tor not TOR.
Whenever FBI hits a roadblock, they must be tempted to speculate like so:
bounce bounce VPN bounce tor-circuit bounce bounce
But the reports I've seen suggest that state-sponsored attacks, in particular alleged DPRK attacks, rarely go to such lengths to obstruct attribution. The fact is, reliable attribution is very difficult even if only a few bounces are used. In fact, it can be difficult to distinguish between "hacktivism" and state-sponsored cyberespionage.
One point which could easily be lost in all the hoopla over DPRK's alleged responsibility for the recent cyberattack on Sony, but which bears emphasis: the human rights records of DPRK is very considerably more appalling than that of the USA (which is really saying something, given what has already come out concerning NSA-enabled kidnapping, torture, and assassinations by CIA):
http://www.hrw.org/nkorea
http://en.rsf.org/internet-enemie-north-korea,39755.html
Blaine Hardin makes a similar point (in Foreign Policy):
http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/12/19/when-all-else-fails-hack-hollywood-…
but he accepts at face value the allegation that DPRK planned, executed or assisted the cyberattack on Sony. In contrast, a number of respected techie journalists (including Kim Zetter), alarmed by the prospect of the US and DPRK going to war over the attack, and mindful of past mis-attributions which were used as a pretext for previous wars, have pointed out that the published evidence is not strong:
http://www.wired.com/2014/12/evidence-of-north-korea-hack-is-thin/
http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/12/malware-believed-to-hit-sony-st…
"The FBI and White House have pinned the attack directly on North Korea, but so far have provided little proof"
Xeni Jardin (at BoingBoing) seems to agree that despite the FBI claims, the consensus view among informed observers is that DPRK does not yet stand convicted:
http://boingboing.net/2014/12/19/fbi-north-korea-is-responsibl.html
Tim Cushing (at Techdirt) and Trevor Timm (at the Guardian) argue that even if DPRK assumed responsibility for the cyberattack on Sony, this event would not constitute an act of war:
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20141218/18192929485/ridiculousness-t…
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/19/sony-hack-cyberwar…
Brian Krebs has laid out a circumstantial case for DPRK involvement:
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2014/12/fbi-north-korea-to-blame-for-sony-h…
Among the evidence he cites is a report from HP Security Research, dated August 2014 and titled "Profiling an enigma: The mystery of North Korea’s cyber threat landscape". This report profiles the current President of DPRK, Kim Jong Un (the real one, not the fictionalized one in the largely unseen feature film at the center of the controversy) as follows:
"Kim Jong Un officially rose to power in April 2012, following the death of his father Kim Jong Il in December 2011. While his age remained a mystery for quite some time, it was later revealed that he was born in January 1983, making him age 31 at present. This makes Kim Jong Un the world’s youngest leader of an established nation. The young leader’s rise to power brought about several changes in North Korea. First, Kim Jong Un’s personal life is more public and more extravagant than that of his father. Unlike his father, the young Kim is often accompanied by his wife when making public appearances. Second, the young Kim, who is more high-tech than his predecessor, is reported to have an affinity for luxury items and is an avid gamer and basketball fan. Third, Kim Jong Un is more totalitarian than his father. Following his rise to power, the regime reportedly expanded its labor camps, and more military resources were allocated to target those attempting to defect. Kim also executed his own uncle, a high-ranking official who did not share his ideals. These moves indicate the regime’s priority to deter internal destabilization and dissent, which is perceived to be a greater threat than outside adversity. According to Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, 'The government now recognizes that the accounts of escaping North Koreans reveal Pyongyang’s crimes – so it is doing what it can to stop people from fleeing.' Under Kim Jong Un’s rule, the regime has stepped up its nuclear materials production, and the propaganda distributed by state media has become more menacing."
This provides evidence that the surveillance-industrial complex is very displeased by the thought of young men making decisions which affect international politics (one recalls some overwrought comments from that camp concerning the chronological youth of Edward Snowden), but provides no evidence for the notion that Tor is in any way involved in the recent cyberattack on Sony. Indeed, the 75 page report does not even mention Tor. It does describe a "wiper" malware which it attributes to DPRK, but the report provides only very weak evidence to support that.
It is certainly intriguing that Kim the youngest is described as an "avid gamer" (but no evidence is provided).
Momentarily assuming for the sake of argument that the current presidents of DPRK and USA have both authorized destructive cyberattacks, which hardly seems a stretch although publicly available evidence currently falls short of that required for conviction, and assuming further that both men were eventually charged and convicted by the ICC, which seems unlikely, it is interesting to imagine that they might spend some of their sentences playing basketball.
Now, to be fair to President Obama, nobody is accusing him of executing his own uncle. But it seems to me that the evidence tending to implicate Obama in authorizing criminally destructive cyberattacks is currently much stronger than that implicating Kim of such crimes. Regarding the question of who might be responsible for Gamergate, and assuming for the same of argument that this is state-sponsored "information operation", it seems to fair to say that there exists the outlines of a circumstantial case (establishing both motive and opportunity) for both Kim and Obama:
http://boingboing.net/2014/12/19/fbi-is-investigating-gamergat.html
Several writers point out that if ever a corporation has gone begging for abuse, that would be Sony:
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20141219/10343429489/fbi-formally-acc…
A useful history of cyberattacks on Sony through 2011 makes the point that this is a corporation which has made a lot of enemies, and committed a lot of network security mistakes:
attrition.org/security/rant/sony_aka_sownage.html
"They have thier own damn
"They have thier own damn tor network"
The Snowden leaks suggest that this is not quite true: it would be more correct to say that they have their own botnets (with more bandwidth than the entire Tor network), but also use the Tor network (and then, hiding amongst the noise provided by the rest of us generally works to their advantage). However, it seems they directly operate few Tor nodes because they generally have little need to do that. But it is possible that they might try to systematically break into every operating Tor node in order to covertly add an IP logger. That would be a hazardous enterprise because people who operate Tor nodes are likely to have ways of detecting even sophisticated intrusions, and to have a better than average ability to document claims about attribution.
"when on earth have you seen the military activly operate where civis are?"
It is established, from documents leaked or obtained under FOIA, that
US military intelligence undercovers have in recent years actively infiltrated domestic US peace and social justice groups, and also that SOCCOM maintains an active presence in a number of cities (both US and non-US) where they anticipate future major US military operations.
After all these years, Tor
After all these years, Tor still relies on nine centralized directory servers?
In reply to After all these years, Tor by Anonymous (not verified)
Yep. The research world
Yep. The research world still doesn't have any better answers in practice. Rather, it has more complicated answers that have more interesting vulnerabilities, but that doesn't sound like a win.
https://blog.torproject.org/blog/possible-upcoming-attempts-disable-tor…
for other links to other research papers to get you up to speed on the area.
In reply to Yep. The research world by arma
Why not 20, instead of 9?
Why not 20, instead of 9? Why did you choose 9? If it takes at lest half of the DA's to be comprised to affect Tor, why not make it 100 DAs?
Can someone please confirm
Can someone please confirm that there was a legitimate reason (ie Tor Update) for every relay to be rebooted within the last 12 hours. Otherwise why all the relays are rebooted???
In reply to Can someone please confirm by Anonymous (not verified)
"every"? "all"? I think you
"every"? "all"? I think you are mistaken.
In the case that the
In the case that the DirAuth's are seized is there something that the relay operators can do to temporarily mitigate the damage? I've briefly read through the docs and don't see and option for a sort of RelayRecognizedLastGoodConsensus that we could use to 'freeze' the consensus we send out. This would add an attack avenue but since I understand the consensus to be time limited in its validity this might give relays the ability to give more time to the DA's to recover while protecting some users against hostile signed consensuses. Users that connect directly to the DA's would have no additional protection but previous tor clients with caches may be lucky and connect to a relay with a frozen consensus.
this is what i get when i
this is what i get when i launch my tor browser
http://www.imagesup.net/?di=914193658793
it seems the attacks started
In reply to this is what i get when i by Anonymous (not verified)
No, the attack hasn't
No, the attack hasn't started. All is quiet so far, and at this point it is likely to remain quiet. Great.
It sounds like you've got something misconfigured or some other problem.
In reply to No, the attack hasn't by arma
i have made a new
i have made a new installation without any settings and i get the same message
may be other person have same problem ,
If this could bring more
If this could bring more users and serves as a way to promote
tor it would be great !
See how much publicity some movie makers can generate
through a hack.
"No, the attack hasn't
"No, the attack hasn't started. All is quiet so far, and at this point it is likely to remain quiet. Great."
Excellent! But why is the warning not covered in Tor Weekly News?
Something in the related tor-talk thread confuses me: despite mention of AuthDirReject in the quote below, is it correct to date to say: "at no time have any DA nodes been seized; the project has ways to detect at least some tampering with any DA node, and no alarms have gone off."
https://lists.torproject.org/pipermail/tor-talk/2014-December/036074.ht…
# torrrc changes
# thecthulhu reports unknown compromise December 21st, 2014
AuthDirReject 77.95.224.187
AuthDirReject 89.207.128.241
AuthDirReject 5.104.224.15
AuthDirReject 128.204.207.215
# approved-routers changes
# thecthulu reports compromise december 21st, 2014
!reject D78AB0013D95AFA60757333645BAA03A169DF722
!reject 6F545A39D4849C9FE5B08A6D68C8B3478E4B608B
!reject 5E87B10B430BA4D9ADF1E1F01E69D3A137FB63C9
!reject 0824CE7D452B892D12E081D36E7415F85EA9988F
!reject 35961469646A623F9EE03B7B45296527A624AAFD
!reject 1EA968C956FBC00617655A35DA872D319E87C597
!reject E5A21C42B0FDB88E1A744D9A0388EFB2A7A598CF
!reject 5D1CB4B3025F4D2810CF12AB7A8DDDD6FC10F139
!reject 722B4DF4848EC8C15302C7CF75B52C65BAE3843A
!reject 93CD9231C260558D77331162A5DC5A4C692F5344
!reject A3C3D2664F5E92171359F71931AA2C0C74E2E65C
!reject 575B40EF095A0F2B13C83F8485AFC56453817ABF
!reject 27780F5112DEB64EA65F987079999B9DC055F7C0
!reject 54AA16946DB0CF7A8FA45F3B48A7D686FD1A1CEF
!reject 1EB8BDA15D27B3F9D4A2EDDA58357EA656150075
!reject 17A522BC05A0D115FC939B0271B8626AAFB1DDFF
!reject 1324EC51FBFA5FD1A11B94563E8D2A7999CD8F57
Regarding Thomas White's mirrors and Tor nodes, it seems noteworthy that the question of how to distinguish between malicious interference and simple router failure also arose in the question of why DPRK's (tiny) internet traffic flow recently "dropped off a cliff".
In reply to "No, the attack hasn't by Anonymous (not verified)
Correct: "at no time have
Correct: "at no time have any DA nodes been seized; the project has ways to detect at least some tampering with any DA node, and no alarms have gone off."
"Why not 20, instead of 9?
"Why not 20, instead of 9? Why did you choose 9? If it takes at lest half of the DA's to be comprised to affect Tor, why not make it 100 DAs?"
I thought Roger already said (but right now I cannot find the citation) that without untried changes in the current design of Tor, nine or eleven is close to the upper limit.
@ Roger: you said that while it might be possible to locate a DA in Brazil, this might be counterproductive because of how Brazil currently connects to the rest of the Internet. I think I have some clue what you might mean, but would like to hear a more complete explanation speaking to the role played by DAs in the Tor network.
One problem with the
One problem with the original blog post was that Roger didn't make it clear what if anything Tails users (as opposed to TBB users) might need to do if the Tor network had been taken down for hours or days as the result of the seizure of five or more DAs. Yes, I know Tails is a separate project but in an emergency you can't stand upon ceremony.
In future episodes, please offer any appropriate technical advice specific to both TBB and Tails users.
I think the attack performed
I think the attack performed by Sony themselves.consider this if FBI can trace it through the North Korean and the NK internet must pass through the Chinese network, state owned network. Ring a bell or not? I think if the FBI or NSA must penetrate through the Chinese network then the FBI, NSA and CIA must fight against the Chinese cyber armies. There's no way that the Chinese cyber armies will allow this attack without any retaliation at all if this attack is truly perform by CIA, NSA and FBI, no way Jose. Now that film "The Interview now reach almost block buster level on selling and launching. This is a marketing strategy of Sony Pictures a long with Obama aka Barry Soetoro plan to stop the free speeches of the people that are now more and more against him. This is made to let the freedom of Internet to be shattered down. Yes of course they will put the scape goats. TOR as usual scape goats. But they not notice the proxy chain of SSH servers around the world. In South East Asia particularly Indonesia, the Indonesian hackers are known as the best carders, crackers and phreakers who love to use SSH in various numbers to disguise their true ID. They also capable to use SSH servers and emulate them like the way the TOR network work.
Just while I'm here. Re TBB
Just while I'm here.
Re TBB 4.0.2:
Spell check function is disabled.
Works fine on regular Mozilla.
Kindly look into this AFTER the holidays please...
Is anyone running Tor relays
Is anyone running Tor relays on cargo ships that travel worldwide? Cargo ships that can access the Internet by satellite and bypass submarine cables controlled by " Five Eyes" countries?
In reply to Is anyone running Tor relays by Anonymous (not verified)
Such services are quite
Such services are quite expensive.
Furthermore the NSA runs a number of listening stations around the world to intercept satellite communication worldwide. Much easier to intercept than anything that runs through cables. Look up ECHELON.
There are over 10000 nodes
There are over 10000 nodes now and maybe 3500+ with 20KB/s speeds and named LizardNSA###... Is this a joke or The Attack?
LizardNSA1000129629 (Online)
20.00 KB/s
Uptime:
In reply to There are over 10000 nodes by Anonymous (not verified)
More like a joke. That
More like a joke. That attack was unrelated and never had any impact on Tor's safety.
See http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sjg365
"This looks like a regular attempt at a Sybil attack: the attackers have signed up
many new relays in hopes of becoming a large fraction of the network.
But even though they are running thousands of new relays, their relays
currently make up less than 1% of the Tor network by capacity. We are
working now to remove these relays from the network before they become
a threat, and we don't expect any anonymity or performance effects based
on what we've seen so far."
i am havung the WARNING icon
i am havung the WARNING icon when connecting to tor with windows browser bundle.
26/12/2014 18:44:52.110 [NOTICE] Bootstrapped 90%: Establishing a Tor circuit
26/12/2014 18:44:52.882 [WARN] Your Guard Bazinga ($B198C0B4B8C551F174FBB841A172616E3DB3124D) is failing a very large amount of circuits. Most likely this means the Tor network is overloaded, but it could also mean an attack against you or potentially the guard itself. Success counts are 73/162. Use counts are 78/79. 154 circuits completed, 1 were unusable, 81 collapsed, and 4 timed out. For reference, your timeout cutoff is 60 seconds.
26/12/2014 18:44:53.364 [NOTICE] Tor has successfully opened a circuit. Looks like client functionality is working.
26/12/2014 18:44:53.365 [NOTICE] Bootstrapped 100%: Done
also, in WHONIX, bootstrap hangs on 5% and tor do not connect.
Also, TAILS does not connect.
I live in Brazil, South America, and i use NET VIRTUA ISP.
In reply to i am havung the WARNING icon by Anonymous (not verified)
Sounds like you have some
Sounds like you have some sort of firewall or antivirus thing on your Windows that is interfering with Tor's connections to the network.
Connecting to tor today, I
Connecting to tor today, I was pleased to see the count of exit nodes at last exceed 7,000. Woo hoo! ... until it went to 10,099. 3,000+ new exit nodes called "LizardNSA[0-9]+". All of them have an advertised bandwidth of 20kB/s.
Then this ...
http://gizmodo.com/hackers-who-shut-down-psn-and-xbox-live-now-attackin…
Is this attack really *the* attack? Is it even *an* attack?
Not sure. I'm trying sooo hard to get myself deanonymised, but my tor client just simply refuses to use such low bandwidth nodes. Sigh!
In reply to Connecting to tor today, I by Anonymous (not verified)
Right -- the new nodes were
Right -- the new nodes were new and thus hadn't been measured yet, so they didn't have the Fast flag, so normal Tor clients ignored them.
How come there's nothing
How come there's nothing here about the LizardSquad attack?
Is this the attack that Roger was warning about?
The Hacker Gang, Lizard
The Hacker Gang, Lizard Squad, is now reportedly attacking Tor. They claim to have taken control of approximately half of Tor's 8,000 relays.
http://uk.businessinsider.com/report-lizard-squad-attacking-tor-2014-12
In reply to The Hacker Gang, Lizard by Anonymous (not verified)
Good thing Tor weights by
Good thing Tor weights by bandwidth, not uniformly across all relays, when doing path selection. Running half the relays, while running less than 1% of the bandwidth, has basically no effect.
The official (?) tweet on
The official (?) tweet on the 26 December 2014 Sybil attack on the Tor network:
"This looks like a regular attempt at a Sybil attack: the attackers have signed up many new relays in hopes of becoming a large fraction of the network.
If I understand correctly, the Dec 2014 Sybil attack is probably far less dangerous than the July 2014 Sybil attack, even though it involves more nodes, because it captured less bandwidth:
http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/workspace/tor-us-attack-identity-privac…
In reply to The official (?) tweet on by Anonymous (not verified)
Cargo ships: probably a very
Cargo ships: probably a very bad idea.
Search eff.org for several Snowden leaks describing systems by which NSA surveils communications (including satphones) from all cargo ships.
Possibly a better idea: replacing the internet with short range radio communications, using software defined radio.
BE FOREWARNED It is Boxing
BE FOREWARNED
It is Boxing Day and it appears that the Lizard Squad is attacking the Tor network.
I predicted that there would
I predicted that there would be anti-TOR movements and projects going on...beware!
It seems that Tor Project
It seems that Tor Project needs to relocate to a country with more freedoms than the United States
An attempt to attack the tor
An attempt to attack the tor network may be ongoing for a long time:
http://www.spiegel.de/media/media-35538.pdf
These documents were written in the past. If there is one old document, saying that tor poses a major problem but not a catastrophic failure, and then there is another document, saying
"have shown deanonymisation attack for tor. Requires tor collection from exit nodes we own. Hope to get this running live..."
Then one has to assume that GCHQ is now running this live...
shows that they are doing correlation attacks and tor traffic shaping already, and they are reporting success with it.
And here they are describing their tor de-anonymization attempt in more detail:
Note that this was written in the past. One has to assume that they are running this technique now after they reported their successful research in the notes above...
In reply to An attempt to attack the tor by Anonymous (not verified)
I believe the attack
I believe the attack described in the detailed document would not actually work at scale.
This is a subtle but important point: I'm not saying that the general type of attack would not work (I think it does), but I am saying that the specific attack described in the paper wouldn't.
I talked about the topic a little bit more in our 31c3 talk this year.
On the Tor Metrics Portal>
On the Tor Metrics Portal> Users> Graph: Bridge users by transport, could you provide separate graphs for meek-google, meek-amazon and meek-azure in addition to meek ( total )?
"Proletarians of all world,
"Proletarians of all world, unite."
One thing that "frustrates"
One thing that "frustrates" me is that there does not seem to be any versions of TOR that do not have StartPage guarding the gateway. StartPage acts kind of like a "nanny" that won't let a person do anything "controversial" on the Deep Web. Any thoughts?
In reply to One thing that "frustrates" by Anonymous (not verified)
In my opinion that's exactly how it should be - a simple portal to a privacy-friendly search engine. Unfortunately, the Tor Project has to deal with a huge amount of negative propaganda, continually churned out by those who see personal anonymity as a threat to their dystopian vision of "total information awareness". The mainstream media are all too happy to parrot the misrepresentations and misleading statistics fed to them by "the powers that be" because hyperbolic scare-stories are big sellers.
It's deeply disheartening to see such an important and legitimate tool being pilloried and deliberately misrepresented for political gain or a convenient scapegoat. But this is just what we have to deal with and we'll have to deal with it for a long time to come.
With that in mind, the last thing we want to do is give "the powers that be" any more ammunition for their disinformation campaigns. Can you imagine the field-day they'd have if the Tor start-page provided an idiot-proof portal to hidden services, censored material or indeed anything that is liable to stir up controversy?
Those who wish to explore the more "controversial" aspects of Tor can very easily do so with minimum research. But shoving it under everybody's nose as the first thing they see when they launch the Tor Browser Bundle is almost tantamount to promoting it and that will surely provide yet more ammunition for those that wish to see Tor dead and buried.
I think the start-page and the default config are pretty decent out-the-box (apart from enabling JavaScript - I thought we were trying to limit attack-vectors, not multiply them). But basically it's a good balance and it gives the user immediate access to anonymised browsing, which is all most users want. Those who wish to dig deeper have every ability to do so (they are, after all, on the internet - great research tool).
I'm speaking from "educated guesswork" here but I believe the current start-page has been very deliberately designed to be as innocuous as possible. Tor is for everyone - some users haven't even reached their teens while others are old enough to draw a pension. Many such users don't even know what a "hidden service" is, they just want a bit of anonymity in their day-to-day browsing habits. They neither need nor want to see controversy in any form, much less engage in it. And those who do want to engage in controversy will easily find it for themselves.
I do empathise with you, I'd love it if the start-page provided a comprehensive portal into Tor-land. But it's an entirely political decision; Tor has some very powerful enemies who will seize upon any opportunity to discredit the system. The Tor Project is under constant scrutiny; they need to be very careful, they need to do everything "by the book", they need to keep many people on-side... it's a hard job and it's inevitable that compromises need to be made. I think the TBB start-page does a good job of playing to its strengths whilst underplaying those aspects that stir controversy.
We can only hope that the BS politics are not too much of a distraction from Tor's truly life-changing mission. But there's no doubt that it makes a lot of things a lot harder for them.
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Tim Hagans
I’ve been a fan of trumpeter Tim Hagans for over a decade. His album Animation/Imagination, made in collaboration with producer Bob Belden, was and remains an astonishing achievement, a blend of fierce, taut ensemble jazz, raw funk, and hardcore drum ‘n’ bass that manages to synthesize all its elements without diluting any of them. Hagans blows knuckle-poppingly quick lines with lung-bursting ferocity and power, at times literally screaming through the horn. Behind him, the band saw and raised his bid time after time—Billy Kilson was basically the swinging-est grindcore drummer ever, crossing late ’60s Tony Williams with late ’80s Mick Harris, keeping pace with the frantic breaks of DJs Kingsize and Smash. The album’s liner notes paid explicit homage to Miles Davis‘s Bitches Brew, but On the Corner was a more accurate point of comparison—this was nerve-jangling, almost hostile stuff (one track was called “Are You Threatening Me?” and another “I Heard You Were Dropped”), musicians pushing themselves and each other to their limits and beyond, but without indulging in free jazz cliché, and engaging with music that people outside Jazzworld were actually dancing to, without pandering. The group followed this up with a live album, Re-Animation Live!, which was slightly looser but every bit as energetic and challenging. I kept waiting for more, but nothing emerged for years. I had a conversation with Belden one day in the midtown Manhattan studio where I was studying audio engineering, and he told me they were recording a third album that was being funded by a restaurant owner or some weird thing, but it never appeared. Then, this year, they finally released a follow-up—Asiento, a live mutation of Bitches Brew recorded at Avery Fisher Hall in 2006. Respectful to the original, it nevertheless wandered into some almost Bill Laswell-ish places, the rejiggered band (now featuring Guy Licata on drums alongside keyboardist Scott Kinsey, bassist Matt Garrison and DJ Logic) shifting from ambient haze to powerful grooves and back seemingly at the snap of a finger.
The Moon is Waiting (buy it from Amazon) is very different from the work of the Animation band. It’s a stripped-down ensemble: Hagans on trumpet, Vic Juris on guitar, Rufus Reid on bass and Jukkis Uotila on drums (and piano on “Get Outside,” the title of which is a command the musicians obey with pleasure). All the pieces are by Hagans, but they come from a variety of places—the first three tracks, “Ornette’s Waking Dream of a Woman,” “The Moon is Waiting” and “Get Outside,” were commissioned by a dance ensemble, while “Wailing Trees” is a dedication to Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, and “Boo” was first recorded with the Norrbotten Big Band, a Swedish group Hagans has been working with (as artistic director) since 1996. Still, all the compositions seem perfectly suited to this tight-knit, intensely focused group.
Hagans and Uotila are working in partnership throughout. Drums and rhythm are crucial to his concept; he plays a rock ‘n’ roll style of trumpet in some ways, and this requires a heavy backbeat, similar to the one heard on Miles’s A Tribute to Jack Johnson. Uotila provides this, whether it’s on the hard-charging “First Jazz” (on which the two men actually duet) or the bluesy “Boo.” Juris’s guitar stings, occasionally erupting into thorny distortion, and Reid’s upright bass has a thick Seventies tone, like Charlie Haden had on Keith Jarrett‘s Impulse! albums, or on Ornette Coleman‘s Science Fiction and Broken Shadows. Even on the ballads, “What’ll I Tell Her Tonight” and the swinging “Things Happen in a Convertible,” there’s a seething energy that makes you think things could go wild any second. This may not be as aggressive a record as Animation/Imagination, but that’s long out of print anyway—Blue Note had no idea what to do with it. Tim Hagans is one of the wildest trumpeters out there, and he deserves your attention.
a tribute to jack johnson
animation imagination
bob belden
broken shadows
dj kingsize
dj logic
dj smash
guy licata
jukkis uotila
matt garrison
mick harris
on the corner
re-animation live
rufus reid
vic juris
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Last updated: 10:23 AM ET, Mon September 28 2015
Blogs Home | Notes from the Goats
Nick and Dariece | September 28, 2015 10:23 AM ET
3 Must-Visit Tropical Destinations
Photo courtesy of the Grenada Board of Tourism, all other photos by Goats on the Road.
If you're looking for a relaxed, tranquil part of the world as a travel destination, look no further than the tropics. In most tropical destinations, time moves at a slower pace and the residents have a chilled-out, laid-back approach to life. We've been living and traveling in tropical destinations for almost two years straight and truly feel as though there's no better place to be! There are many excellent tropical destinations for travelers, but here are our three favorites:
Grenada is a very special Caribbean island in that not many people have heard of — for the time being. Even though the little island is in a prime tourist region, not many people venture this far south. Due to Grenada's lack of tourism, it has retained its raw, authentic vibe.
Why Grenada?
The main reason that most people travel to the tropics is to find a world-class beach, which Grenada most definitely has! Grand Anse Beach is a tranquil, two-mile stretch of sand, which offers visitors the perfect spot for sun tanning, snorkeling and swimming. The Caribbean Sea is turquoise blue and as clear as a pool, exactly as you would expect to see on a postcard. This is where most tourists choose to stay, as there are many hotels, restaurants and amenities nearby. Check out our video of the gorgeous Grand Anse Beach here.
Grenada offers travelers much more than just a beach, this we know firsthand. We've been living here for a year now, and intend to return again next year for another five months! Peel yourself away from the picture-perfect beach and head inland to the Grand Etang National Park. There are many trails here, ranging from easy to advanced. If you're unfamiliar with the area, you can hire a guide to show you around. Some of the paths here aren't well-marked, so you may not want to hike alone. This park is the ideal spot for trekking, swimming in waterfalls and bird watching.
Aside from the beach and National Park, the people in Grenada are wonderful, the West Indies cuisine is delicious (try roti and doubles), the festivals (such as Carnival) are colorful and the vibe here is ultra relaxed, with "liming" (the act of doing something, or nothing, either with friends or alone) being commonplace.
Known as the "Land of Smiles," Thailand is one of our favorite countries to date. Perhaps this is because it was the first stop on our 13-month backpacking trip (which ultimately led to our full-time travel lifestyle), or maybe it's just the simple fact that this is a traveler's paradise!
Why Thailand?
This is an excellent destination for all travelers, of all ages, and with all budgets. Thailand offers activities, sights and accommodations that will suit everyone's needs. The main draws of traveling here are the friendly people, the fantastic cuisine, the temples, and the beaches!
Thailand's north, where hill tribes dwell in traditional clothing, is more authentic. It's also where you'll find the best jungle and trekking options. Being out in nature anywhere in the world is a good way to rejuvenate the soul, but there's just something special about the jungle. Wandering through the lush trees, while hearing the sounds of frogs croaking, birds chirping and bamboo creaking really gives you a sense that you're right in with nature. We suggest doing a multi-day hike around the Chiang Mai area to really enjoy the peace and quiet.
If hiking isn't your thing, then consider visiting one of the 40,000-plus Buddhist temples around the country. Don't miss the White Temple of Chiang Rai, Wat Arun in Bangkok and Wat Mahathat in Sukhothai.
Apart from hiking and visiting temples, many people come to Thailand to party, chill out and play on the beautiful beaches of the south. In fact, the movie “The Beach” was filmed on Maya Bay. However, we don't suggest visiting that particular bay, as it's very busy. Instead, head to Koh Phangan (which is quiet outside of the Full Moon Party), and Leela Beach, in particular is gorgeous. The island of Koh Tao is an excellent spot to get certified for scuba diving, while Krabi offers excellent rock climbing and lovely beaches.
Yucatan, Mexico
Mexico as a whole is an incredible destination, but in particular, the tropical area of the Yucatan Peninsula is a place that should be high on your "to-go" list! Why the Yucatan? Many people choose to stay in resorts while traveling in Mexico, but we definitely recommend visiting independently.
The Yucatan is an easy area of the country to get around in, with transportation options being plentiful, comfortable and safe. The small boutique hotels are very affordable and the service is excellent. In addition to the fact that traveling here is easy, you'll also enjoy the mind-blowing history and ruins, the fantastic food, the welcoming people and the gorgeous coastline!
Many North Americans head south in the winter in search of sand, sunshine and siestas. The beaches of the Yucatan are an excellent spot to spend your vacation. Although the popular destinations of Cancun and Playa del Carmen may sound appealing, try to go somewhere less touristy. We highly recommend the islands of Holbox and Mujeres.
Isla Mujeres is located just a 20-minute boat ride from Cancun, but seems worlds away. It's much quieter, yet it still has the incredibly white sand and Caribbean waters that you associate with Cancun. The scuba diving here is excellent as well.
Isla Holbox is just a 30-minute ferry ride away from Chiquila, which is very off-track and quiet. Here you can laze on the beaches, go snorkeling, saunter through town or just swing in a hammock.
There are over 4,000 Mayan sites spanning the Yucatan and into Central America. Don't miss the ruins of Tulum (which are located right on the sea), Coba in Quintana Roo, Palenque Ruins in Chiapas, and of course, the Wonder Of The World, Chichen Itza. Once you've seen one ancient site, you'll be left wanting more.
If gorgeous beaches and ancient sites aren't your thing, then head to one of the Spanish colonial cities, such as Merida or Valladolid, which have beautiful architecture and colorful buildings.
To top it off, the food of the Yucatan is outstanding. Make sure to try these 16 dishes during your visit.
Let us know — are you a tropical traveler, or do you prefer the cooler climates?
Follow @GoatsOnTheRoad
More Grenada, Thailand, Yucatan
Nick and Dariece
Nick and Dariece are the couple behind Goats On The Road, a website designed to inspire others to live a financially sustainable, location independent lifestyle. Masters at making money abroad and turning their travels into a way of life, they've been on the road since 2008 and have explored some of the least visited places on earth, finding adventure wherever they go. They are also full time contributors at Credit Walk where they share their expertise of making money and travelling forever. Check them out at Goats On The Road.com. and follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
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It’s Time to Fire DWP Ratepayer Advocate
Previous Article LA Officials Reject Columbus but Grub Racist Cash
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LAST STRAW BETRAYAL-The Los Angeles City Council should reject a recommendation by Fred Pickel, Director of the Office of Public Accountability at the LADWP, that the city back tunnels altering water diversions South from the San Francisco Bay Delta, and should fire him for once again favoring utility over ratepayer interests, Consumer Watchdog said today.
“Pickel’s assertions that the Delta tunnel project is affordable for ratepayers is pure fantasy,” said Consumer Watchdog Advocate Liza Tucker.
“His backing of this unnecessary project is just the latest example of Pickel advocating for higher rates and pet projects that put the interests of utilities before those of the ratepayers for whom, as ratepayer advocate, he is supposed to advocate. Ratepayers need someone to stand up for them, not a rubber stamp for the powers-that-be at DWP.”
Pickel’s five-year contract has ended and a search committee to replace or rename him has been formed while he works month-to-month.
On August 24, Pickel and Grant Hoag, another insider who served as a municipal utility consultant and now works in Pickel’s office, issued a report on the Delta tunnel project in which they lowballed the cost of the tunnels and how much Los Angeles area consumers would be charged to buy the imported water. The report asserted that long term city policies favoring DWP’s use of local water supplies “will minimize” the costs to consumers.
But ratepayers and taxpayers would be obligated to pay construction and debt service costs, regardless of how much of the imported water DWP buys, according to a letter sent to LA Councilmember and Chair of the Energy, Climate Change, and Environmental Justice Committee Nury Martinez by Food & Water Watch, Consumer Watchdog, Los Angeles Waterkeeper and the Southern California Watershed Alliance.
“We strongly oppose higher water rates and property taxes on Los Angeles residents to build new tunnels under the San Francisco Bay Delta at a time when the city must spend billions on fixing and upgrading its own aging water infrastructure,” the groups wrote. “Financing these tunnels, estimated to cost from $25 to $50 billion, would be a colossal waste of public dollars for a project that will not bring any new water to Los Angeles.”
For the letter, click here.
Instead, Los Angeles ratepayers would end up paying higher rates to move more Delta water south, even as they reduce their use of Delta water by 50 percent via groundwater storage, recycled water, and other projects, wrote the groups.
“It’s no wonder that Pickel, who has worked as a consultant defending energy companies, including Enron, is aligned with water contractors that stand to benefit instead of ratepayers,” said Tucker. “Pickel has consistently sided with powerful utility interests against the powerless. He even authored a report for Enron cheerleading disastrous electricity deregulation that ultimately cost Californians $45 billion.”
ickel has taken actions and provided cover for decisions that have cost ratepayers needless millions:
Pickel has backed rate hikes when a ratepayer advocate should be on the side of ratepayers. The latest raises water rates 4.7 percent a year for five years, while power rates go up 3.86 percent a year in the same period. Customers will pay about $21 more per month than they do now at the end of the five years.
Pickel called a new contract with 9,000 DWP employees belonging to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, good for workers. The contract grants six raises in five years—totaling as much as 22.3 percent by 2021 to these workers, pushing the average salary above $100,000. As it is, the average total annual compensation for a DWP worker in 2015 was $136,100, including base salary of $99,500, retirement contributions and medical benefits.
On Pickel’s watch, the country’s largest municipal utility botched the roll out of a new billing software system in 2013 that mis-billed ratepayers at least $67.5 million. The DWP ignored warnings from its own quality assurance expert that the new system wasn’t ready, and implementation was a disaster. Ratepayers still have not seen a dime in refunds.
Pickel claimed that a settlement in a class-action lawsuit over LADWP’s billing scandal provided “reasonable restitution,” when the agreement gave the utility all the power to determine what customers are owed with no independent third-party review for accuracy and no way to intervene on behalf of ratepayers.
Pickel authored the ballot summary for a Los Angeles ballot measure that would have allowed the utility to sign contracts for power and water, and raise rates without approval from the City Council—spending billions of dollars without critical oversight. He also failed to disclose that he had written into the measure a large raise for himself. In 2015, the City paid Pickel $276,000--$39,000 more than the Mayor, Eric Garcetti. If the ballot measure had passed, Pickel would have automatically gotten another 5-year contract at $280,000 a year.
“The City Council should fire him immediately and replace him with a real ratepayer advocate that puts Los Angeles residents first,” said Tucker.
For more on Pickel, click here.
(ConsumerWatchdog.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing an effective voice for taxpayers and consumers in an era when special interests dominate public discourse, government and politics.) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
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When DWP Rate Payer Advocate Speaks, Nobody at City Hall Gives a Damn … Same as when You Speak
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New technology, new insights?
Cell signaling and clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Lipid rafts and molecular motion within the membrane. Movement of organelles within a cell and cell division. Protein organization and co-localization. Virus entry. Many of cell and molecular biology’s most critical events are occurring in the mid- to low- nanometer scale, which has hampered direct study through microscopy.
But recent technological advances are shattering the 200 nm light diffraction limit, providing unprecedented views into the life of a cell.
And we’re still in the exciting early stages of the technology’s development.
Papers announcing new ways to gain insight into biological questions are appearing rapidly, such as the recent report from Huang, et al,1 from Joerg Bewersdorf’s lab at Yale University and an international team of collaborators.
Above: Diffraction barrier—at 200 nm, the point spread function (PSF) of two airy discs are no longer individually distinguishable.
By taking advantage of new detector technology and developing algorithms that capitalize on the strengths of this new technology, they are able to acquire single-molecule localization super-resolution images that reveal features at 22 nm precision and capture clathrin-coated structures moving at 13 nm/sec.
Above: TIRF microscopy of HeLa cells labeled with d2EosFP, 100× lens (0.35× relay lens). Video courtesy of Zhen-li Huang, Professor, Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
Above: Super-resolution video of mEos3.2-labeled clathrin-coated pits in a live HeLa cell recorded using a 256 by 256 pixel field of view at a speed of 600 fps. Each super-resolution image was assembled from 1200 camera frames corresponding to 2 s per super-resolution frame. The movie is played at 15 super-resolution images per second with a smoothing filter applied to aid visualization. Video courtesy of the Bewersdorf Lab at Yale University.
Read the Paper (login may be required)
Huang, F. et al. Video-rate nanoscopy using sCMOS camera-specific single-molecule localization algorithms. Nat. Methods 10, 653–658 (2013).
The super-resolution alphabet soup2
Past studies using single-molecule switching nanoscopy (SMSN) have been limited by the number of photons emitted by single molecule per frame, which places high demands on the detector.
With such low signal, most studies are done using back-illuminated
electron-multiplying charge-coupled devices (EM-CCDs) because of the technology’s low noise and high quantum efficiency (QE). But the power of EM-CCDs is somewhat limited in these types of experiments:
The amplification step lowers the overall signal-to-noise ratio and halves the effective quantum efficiency to <48%.
Image acquisition is slow, typically minutes to hours for SMSN approaches.
Requires a tradeoff between image acquisition speed versus wide field-of-view—faster image acquisition is only possible through smaller fields of view.
These limitations are especially problematic when trying to use SMSN for live-cell imaging or high content screening, where fast speeds are essential for achieving meaningful throughputs.
A new generation of sCMOS detectors have a higher quantum efficiency, reaching up to 73% at 600 nm. But a wide and non-uniform pixel-to-pixel variability in noise has prevented early implementations of this technology from optimal use in SMSN.
See how the Gen II sCMOS technology differs from EM-CCD in terms of QE and noise—read now.
Huang, et al,1 turned to the newer second generation sCMOS sensors (Gen II sCMOS) to achieve low noise and wide fields-of-view with fast image acquisition times in both live and fixed cells.
The key advance Huang, et al,1 made in implementing Gen II sCMOS was the recognition that this novel technology is inherently different from EM-CCD, and that—particularly in SMSN conditions where noise is a major limitation and precise quantitative data analysis is crucial—different image processing algorithms are needed to yield optimal results.
Above: Fixed Focal Adhesion image captured in conventional and super-resolution formats. Image courtesy of Joerg Bewersdorf, Assistant Professor, Yale University.
By thoroughly characterizing their Gen II sCMOS camera, they were able to develop algorithms that accounted for observed noise more effectively than just using a Poisson model that is typically done for EM-CCD detectors.
Above: Super-resolution image of mEOS3.2-tagged paxillin in focal adhesions in live HeLa cells. The shown figure represents a sub-region of a super-resolution image obtained from a dataset that was recorded in a 256 by 256 pixel camera region at 600 frames per second aquisition speed in 41 s using a Hamamatsu ORCA-Flash4.0 sCMOS camera and analyzed using sCMOS-specific single-emitter fitting algorithms. Huang et. al. Nature Methods, published online May 26, 2013; Courtesy of the Bewersdorf Lab at Yale University. Image courtesy of Joerg Bewersdorf, Assistant Professor, Yale University.
Implications for high content screening.
Imaged focal adhesion protein paxillin labeled with Alexa Fluor 647 in a 26 x 26 μm field of view and at 800 frames per second. Potential to record 1,000 different cells per hour with average precision of 22 μm.
Implications for live cell imaging
Imaged clathrin-coated structures at an average precision of 22 nm using super-resolution image based on 34,800 camera frames acquired over 58 seconds. These structures often moved in a directed fashion at a speed of ~13 nm/sec.
Above: Super-resolution video of tdEOS-labeled PDHA1 (pyruvate dehydrogenase (lipoamide) alpha 1) accumulated in mitochondria in live COS-7 cell recorded using a 256 by 256 pixels field of view at a speed of 400 frames per second. Each super-resolution image was assembled from 400 camera frames corresponding to 1 s per super-resolution frame. The movie is played at 15 super-resolution images per second with a smoothing filter applied to aid visualization. Courtesy of the Bewersdorf Lab at Yale University.
Implications for using Gen II sCMOS cameras
Through their characterization, Huang, et al,1 show distinct regions where sCMOS or EM-CCD are more effective detectors.
Above: Predicted regions where EM-CCD yields better localization performance than the ORCA-Flash4.0, and common experimental conditions. For most experiments, sCMOS cameras offer comparable sensitivy with faster frame rates and wider fields-of-view. Image from Huang, et al,1 Supplemental Information.
Understanding the math
The key to Huang, et al.'s,1 success with Hamamatsu's sCMOS camera lies in careful consideration of noise—read more about how they dealt with noise in sCMOS and EM-CCDs.
Accounting for imperfection
No camera is perfect. As Huang, et al,1 powerfully illustrated, understanding your camera's imperfections can lead to better performance and better science. Read about how to correct for noise for computational microscopy in Bridging the Gap.
Technology that enables us to see more.
We are just now at the beginning of a visualization revolution, as teams of biologists, chemists, physicists and engineers labor to develop the best methods and instruments to extract as much insight into the underlying nature of biology. The advances offered by Huang, et al,1 open new opportunities not just for understanding processes within a cell but also for high-throughput screening of compounds that can alter how these processes occur.
“Amazing video rate #superresolution microscopy using a sCMOS camera. Definitely one for the wish list!
http://t.co/aewB0FHnjl”
@GROVELAB—JOE GROVE, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LONDON
“Fang Huang and coworkers demonstrate a significant improvement in super-resolution image acquisition speed. By equipping a standard microscope with higher power lasers and a sCMOS camera, and evaluating each pixel quantitatively, they provide a clear path forward towards live-cell nanoscopy. Importantly, they accomplished this with both genetically encoded FPs and immunofluorescence methods. Honestly, I think that as these experiments become more routine, nanoscopy will no longer be the focus of specialty labs, but a tool that any biologists may harness in a
'turn-key' fashion. It's just a matter of time...”
KEVIN DEAN, PHD., DIRECTOR, BIOFRONTIERS ADVANCED IMAGING RESOURCE, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, BOULDER
01. Huang, F. et al, Video-rate nanoscopy using sCMOS camera-specific single-molecule localization algorithms. Nat. Methods 10, 653–658 (2013).
02. Hell, S. W. Far-Field Optical Nanoscopy. Science 316, 1153–1158 (2007).
03. D’Arrigo, J. S. Screening of membrane surface charges by divalent cations: an atomic representation. Am. J. Physiol. 235, C109–117 (1978).
04. Zhou, Y. Salt Effects on Protein Titration and Binding. J. Phys. Chem. B 102, 10615–10621 (1998).
05. Zhu, J., Penczek, P. A., Schröder, R. & Frank, J. Three-dimensional reconstruction with contrast transfer function correction from energy-filtered cryoelectron micrographs: procedure and application to the 70S Escherichia coli ribosome. J. Struct. Biol. 118, 197–219 (1997).
06. Bernales, S., McDonald, K. L. & Walter, P. Autophagy counterbalances endoplasmic reticulum expansion during the unfolded protein response. Plos Biol. 4, e423 (2006).
07. Briggs, J. A. G. et al. The mechanism of HIV-1 core assembly: insights from
three-dimensional reconstructions of authentic virions. Struct. Lond. Engl. 1993 14, 15–20 (2006).
08. Debec, A., Sullivan, W. & Bettencourt-Dias, M. Centrioles: active players or passengers during mitosis? Cell. Mol. Life Sci. Cmls 67, 2173–2194 (2010).
09. Rejman, J., Oberle, V., Zuhorn, I. S. & Hoekstra, D. Size-dependent internalization of particles via the pathways of clathrin- and caveolae-mediated endocytosis. Biochem. J. 377, 159–169 (2004).
10. Grossman, N., Ron, E. Z. & Woldringh, C. L. Changes in cell dimensions during amino acid starvation of Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 152, 35–41 (1982).
11. Staehelin, L. A. Chloroplast structure: from chlorophyll granules to supra-molecular architecture of thylakoid membranes. Photosynth. Res. 76, 185–196 (2003).
12. Fujioka, A. et al. Dynamics of the Ras/ERK MAPK cascade as monitored by fluorescent probes. J. Biol. Chem. 281, 8917–8926 (2006).
13. Ramonell, K. M. et al. Influence of atmospheric oxygen on leaf structure and starch deposition in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Cell Environ. 24, 419–428 (2001).
14. Luciani, A. M. et al. Changes in cell volume and internal sodium concentration in HeLa cells during exponential growth and following lonidamine treatment. Eur. J. Cell Biol. 80, 187–195 (2001).
15. Melaragno, J. E., Mehrotra, B. & Coleman, A. W. Relationship between Endopolyploidy and Cell Size in Epidermal Tissue of Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 5, 1661–1668 (1993).
SEE MORE BENCHSTORIES
Illuminating Activity—In Vivo and In Vitro
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School Kids Signing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Hearing Impaired Custodian Is the Joy You Need Today [Watch]
Sterling Whitaker
A group of kindergarteners in Tennessee served up a precious birthday surprise for a custodian at their school who is hearing impaired. The kids at Hickerson Elementary School learned to perform "Happy Birthday" in sign language for James Anthony, and the school recorded his overjoyed reaction in a video that is going viral.
Hickerson Elementary posted the video above to Facebook on Tuesday (Oct. 23), showing the kindergarteners signing the sweet birthday message for Anthony, who was has worked in the Coffee County school system since 1991 and worked at Hickerson for 15 years. The clip shows Anthony's face light up as he realizes what the kids are doing, first bringing his hands to his head in apparent shock, then jumping up and down and laughing with joy as the children deliver the special birthday performance.
The teachers in the room accompany the children and sing along with them as they sign the words of the song, and Anthony repeatedly exclaims out loud in happiness as the adorable kids give him his birthday message, covering his hand with his mouth at the end of the song.
According to a separate comment on the school's Facebook page, the kids worked up the sweet performance to surprise Anthony for his 60th birthday. Allyssa Hartsfield and Amy Hershman's kindergarten classes learned how to sign the song with help from a teacher's aide named Shelly Lucas and Angela Ridner, the school nurse.
The too-sweet-for-words video has been viewed 185,000 times since then, and it's been shared nearly 2,000 times on Facebook, drawing interest from news outlets including People, CBS News, Fox News, CNN and the Associated Press.
Morgan Wallen's "Whiskey Glasses" Performance Is a Must-Watch
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Source: School Kids Signing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Hearing Impaired Custodian Is the Joy You Need Today [Watch]
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Community Meeting Summary: Allard Square Residence
On Thursday, June 14, 2018, Cathedral Square held a community meeting for persons interested in applying to live at Allard Square. Close to 200 individuals attended to learn more.
Here is a list of the most popular questions asked at that meeting.
Q: When is Allard Square opening?
A: The opening date is set to be early October.
Q: How many apartments are in the building?
A: There are 39 homes total: six two-bedroom and 33 one-bedroom apartments.
Q: What utilities are included in the monthly rent?
A: Heat, air conditioning, electricity, on-site storage and laundry.
Q: What does a subsidized apartment mean and how many will be offered?
A: A subsidized apartment restricts the rent to 30% of the household income. There will be 25 subsidized, one-bedroom apartments.
Q: Are pets allowed?
A: Yes. A resident can have up to two pets, but only one dog.
Q: Is smoking allowed?
A: The building and grounds at Allard Square will be smoke-free.
Q: Is there Wi-Fi on site?
A: Wi-Fi is available throughout the building. Individuals are encouraged to look into purchasing their own internet package based on personal use and needs.
Q: Will Market Street see further development/improvements?
A: Yes, the City of South Burlington plans on further developing Market Street in the coming years.
Applications for Allard Square will be sent out to those on the inquiry list at the end of June, and an online application will become available shortly thereafter.
For more information regarding Allard Square see Allard Square information sheet.
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Tell Scholastic: Stop the In-School SunnyD Sugar Spree
When CCFC member Angela Stephens went shopping with her six-year-old son, she was surprised when he “launched into a commercial for SunnyD.” Angela's family goes to great lengths to protect her son from commercial influences and has never purchased SunnyD because of concerns about its poor nutritional value. But when her son excitedly told her that if she bought SunnyD his class would get free books, she realized why he was lobbying so hard: his teacher told him to. Sweetened by high-fructose... Read more...
Save the Lorax!
For more than forty years, Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax has been a clarion call for conservation. Generations of children have been moved by its powerful tale of how rampant greed and consumerism destroyed the forest of Truffula Trees and the Brown Bar-ba-loots, Swomee-Swans, and Humming-Fish that depended on them. But now the book’s powerful message is in danger of being crushed by a real-life landslide of corporate greed. This Friday, Universal Pictures’ The Lorax arrives in... Read more...
Tell Nick: "Naughty" Games are Not for Young Children
Nickelodeon, the children's media empire, is promoting sexualized and violent video games to children as young as preschoolers. Its popular gaming website, AddictingGames.com, features games such as Candy the Naughty Cheerleader, Bloody Day ("Back alley butchering has never been so much fun. . . . How many kills can you rack?") and the Perry the Sneak series, where gamers take the role of a peeping Tom trying to catch revealing glimpses of scantily clad and naked... Read more...
Let's Stop Your Baby Can Read's Deceptive Advertising
On April 12, 2011, CCFC filed a Federal Trade Commission complaint against Your Baby Can Read!, a $200 video series that encourages parents to put infants as young as three months in front of screens. The complaint is part of our ongoing campaign to support parents’ efforts to raise healthy babies by stopping the false and deceptive marketing of “educational” baby videos. The complaint, which was prepared by the Institute of Public Representation at Georgetown University, has... Read more...
Tell the FTC: Stop Merck from Pushing Drugs on Kids
Kids shouldn’t be targets for pharmaceutical sales pitches. That’s why we’re urging you to tell the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Merck & Co. Inc.’s Madagascar 3-themed Children’s Claritin® marketing. Packaging for Merck’s Grape-Flavored Chewable Children’s Claritin® allergy medication features characters from Dreamwork’s new Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted movie, and each box offers “5 free stickers” to purchasers. Retail outlets are promoting mail-in movie... Read more...
Nagging Nine: 2011 Toys Most Advertised to Children
Tired of companies that make an end run around parents and target children directly? Then put your money where your values are this holiday season! Let's stop rewarding companies that target children. Methodology: CCFC reviewed all commercials airing between 6AM and 8PM from November 21-27, 2011 on 5 children's networks (Nickelodeon, NickToons, Disney XD, Cartoon Network, and the Hub). There were more than 11,500 total advertisements, of which, 9,000 were for toys and... Read more...
Tell Food Lion to Pull the Plug on 3GTv
"Having TV screens all over the grocery stores undermines my parenting! You simply cannot avoid the presence of television! Not only are they getting to play their ads for our kids, but they are sending the message that it is normal to stare at a screen all day...in the car, at the store, in school... It's truly sickening." - CCFC member Samantha Penrose, mother of three, Urbana, IL "TV as it was meant to be! (You know, for advertising!)" - 3GTv's trademarked slogan This... Read more...
We Did It: Scholastic Expels the Bratz from Schools
Thanks to CCFC members, Scholastic, Inc. will no longer be promoting the highly sexualized Bratz brand in schools. In April, 2007, we launched a letter-writing campaign urging Scholastic to stop promoting Bratz items at their book clubs and book fairs. You flooded Scholastic with emails urging them to stop selling books such as Lil' Bratz Dancin Divas; Lil' Bratz Catwalk Cuties; and Lil' Bratz Beauty Sleepover Bash. We were disappointed in Scholastic's initial response. They... Read more...
Tell Disney: Stop Branding Newborns in Hospitals
Disney is taking cradle-to-grave marketing to a new low, branding babies literally at birth. The company has hired Our365–a newborn photography service/marketing firm–to promote its new Disney Baby line in maternity hospitals around the country. Moms who request a newborn portrait during their hospital stay are pitched Disney Baby by their photographer, given a branded onesie, and encouraged to sign up for email alerts from DisneyBaby.com. Tell Disney: Leave Newborns -- and their... Read more...
Send the FCC's BusRadio Report to Your School Board
In a report requested by CCFC and delivered to Congress this week, the Federal Communications Commission strongly criticized BusRadio, the company that hopes to make its student-targeted radio broadcasts compulsory listening for children around the country. The report should be required reading for any school district considering a contract with BusRadio. Please take a moment to send a copy to your local school board. Find the contact information for your board of education (almost... Read more...
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Tommyknocker Brewery and Pub
by Eric Peterson on July 6, 2015, 11:50 am MDT
www.tommyknocker.com
Idaho Springs, Colorado
Employees: about 100 (70 restaurant and 30 brewery)
President Larry Nemich and Director of Brewery Operations Steve Indrehus take a decidedly non-corporate approach. A Tommyknocker taproom opened in Finland in 2015.
Named for the mischievous and mythical imps who bedevil Cornish miners, Tommyknocker is a Colorado original.
But there's big news from a different corner of the planet: A Finnish team opened a taproom for the brewery in downtown Helsinki in March. It's the first craft beer bar in Europe with an American brand.
The Finnish team, Capitol Invest, visited during the 2013 Great American Beer Festival and "fell in love with the place," says Indrehus. "They did a really good job of designing the place and bringing in our motif."
Tommyknocker is currently shipping beer brewed in Colorado for its taps, as its Scandinavian partners explore bringing the brand to Norway, Russia, and even cruise ships built in Finland. "The mystique is American craft beer," says Indrehus.
Back in Colorado, the mountain-town mainstay is entering its third decade in growth mode. A $2 million expansion was completed in 2012 that roughly doubled production capacity and restaurant seating. The brewery is now running three shifts a day.
Annual volume has grown from about 9,000 barrels before the expansion to 14,400 in 2014. The 2015 forecast is 16,000. Indrehus says the current capacity is about 18,000 barrels.
Tommyknocker has distribution in 16 states, down from a high of 21. "Everybody's trying to consolidate their sales," says Indrehus. "It used to be just get into every state you can."
As far as the beer itself goes, Indrehus says his goal is always balance, and he says he doesn't jump on trends like some breweries at lower elevations in Colorado.
His creativity, however, is showcased in the lineup: The Legend Olde Oake Brown Ale is not aged in oak barrels, fermented with pulverized Hungarian oak that produces tannins and distinctive flavors. ("There's a lot going on," says Indrehus.) The Colorado IPA Nouveau is brewed with fresh hops from Misty Mountain Hop Farm, and fermented at higher temperatures to conjure fruitier flavors. And the Pine Bough Pale Ale, a "Clear Creek County Collaboration" with Loveland Ski Area, features spruce needles handpicked from Loveland's slopes.
The last of the three was never intended to be an annual offering, says Indrehus, but its popularity at both Loveland's bars and the brewery kept it in the rotation. "It was a one-off that hit," he says. "We have similar business models -- we're both local schmocal."
The critics have taken notice. Tommyknocker has 17 Great American Beer Festival medals hanging on its walls, not to mention four World Beer Cup awards.
Tommyknocker has been bottling craft beer and soda almost since the very beginning. After a false start a decade ago, the brewery just moved into cans with new technology from Golden-based Codi Manufacturing in 2014. Codi just delivered its company-first canning line to Tommyknocker after bringing it back and forth for canning sessions to troubleshoot and tweak. "We're the R&D house for them," says Indrehus.
Codi isn't Tommyknocker's only local manufacturing partner. It supplies spent grain to Raquelita's Tortillas in Denver to make their Nachos Borrachos chips, and sells Butthead Bock to Continental Sausage to boil bratwurst. "It's Whole Food's top-selling sausage in Colorado," says Indrehus.
Adds Nemnich: "When we partner with somebody, we put our heart and soul into working with our partners."
The same could be said for Tommyknocker's community involvement in Idaho Springs, supporting the local schools, events, and organizations. "We have a real local presence from our involvement with rotary club to city hall," says Nemnich.
As he's been at Tommyknocker since owners Tim Lenahan and Charlie Sturdavant opened the brewpub in 1994, he says longevity with Indrehus -- who's been at the brewery since the second year -- and Executive Chef Brian Omerod has been key to success. "We've worked side-by-side all of these years. It's a joint effort. We're not just a restaurant or a brewery -- we're both."
In an era where Tommyknocker fields call from private equity on a near-daily basis, the strategy is not to grow the business into something it's not, but to stay the course.
"To our credit and our fault, we're not the most business-oriented brewery," says Indrehus. "We're not corporate. We're a mountain-town brewery and we maintain that from top to bottom."
Favorite beers: Indrehus raves about Deschutes Black Butte Porter. From Tommyknocker's taps, he's been gravitating to the Mountain City Amber Ale. "I can't get enough," he says. "It's a nice malty beer that has enough hops to balance it." Nemnich's favorite is the Green Chile Lager.
Challenges: "Warehousing," says Indrehus, noting that Tommyknocker recently took over a facility in Idaho Springs. "We're right up against capacity."
Opportunities: Now that Tommyknocker is in Scandinavia, the next move will likely be closer to home. "Probably the next opportunity the group will look at is opening a taproom in Denver," says Nemnich.
Adds Indrehus: "We're waiting to see if there's a lot of cheap, used brewing equipment on the market in a couple years."
Needs: "It's hard to find quality brewers," says Indrehus. "Everybody is looking for them” He says that new brewing programs at Colorado State, Regis, and Metro State should help ease the pressure.
Another need: good snow. "Our water comes right off the Continental Divide, right off the shoulders of Mount Bierstadt," says Indrehus. "It runs right downhill to the brewery."
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Composites in Motorsport > News > Renault Sport Racing and DuPont Announce Strategic Partnership
Renault Sport Racing and DuPont Announce Strategic Partnership
Renault Sport Racing and DuPont today announced a multiyear strategic technical partnership to deliver new technology, beginning with hybrid and electric powertrain innovative solutions to help advance Formula 1 and other racing programs.
Through a shared vision to address the unique challenges in the rapidly changing mainstream automotive industry, Renault Sport Racing and DuPont also will explore opportunities to co-innovate and accelerate the development of new technology for future consumer and road car applications.
“We are excited to team up with the Renault Formula 1 Team to help deliver disruptive innovations in automotive technology,” said Marc Doyle, Chief Operating Officer for the DowDuPont Specialty Products Division, and Chief Executive Officer-Elect for future DuPont. “Formula 1 is known for being the most technologically advanced sport in the world and has embraced hybrid electric powertrains in recent years. If the DuPont and Renault Formula 1 Team co-developed technologies can make a performance difference under the speed, stress and heat of an F1 car racing around a track at 370 kph, or 230 mph, then we are confident we can accelerate those solutions to benefit road car applications.”
DuPont has been bringing essential innovations to the automotive industry for over 80 years and their leading engineering polymers and adhesives solutions play a vital role today in lightweighting, thermal management, connectivity and improved safety. In motorsports, DuPont Kevlar fibre is already used in the tires and the bodywork of Formula 1 cars, while DuPont Nomex paper is used inside the car’s battery shielding and electrical insulation. DuPont also contributes to helping protect drivers: Nomex fibre is used in race suits to help protect against heat and flame, and Kevlar fibre is an important safety component in driver helmets.
“DuPont has a long-standing legacy for inventing and developing innovative products that improve performance in motorsport and consumer vehicles, while also making them safer, more efficient and sustainable,” said Cyril Abiteboul, Managing Director of Renault Sport Racing. “Our multiyear technical development partnership will enable ongoing collaboration to advance hybrid technology and chassis solutions, which we believe will ultimately result in improved efficiencies and on-track competitiveness.”
In 2018, DuPont launched its AHEAD (Accelerating Hybrid-Electric Autonomous Driving) initiative, which focuses on creating technology and materials solutions in vehicle electrification, connectivity, autonomous-driving and related infrastructure which will play a key role in the technical partnership with the Renault F1 Team. Areas of collaboration include developing structural adhesive solutions for thermal management of batteries, as well as materials for power, infrastructure and signal electronics. As these innovative, high-performance materials are rapidly validated in the motorsport environment, they can directly benefit the design of lighter weight and more fuel-efficient vehicles without compromising performance, comfort or safety – whether that be in a race car or a road car.
Reproduced from NetComposites Now
Published: 28th March 2019
← Surface Preparation for Automotive Composite Part Reduced by Over 90% – JEC Announcement AREVO to Manufacture World’s First 3D-Printed Carbon Fibre Unibody Bike Frames →
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November 5, 2014 /in Press Coverage and Events /by admin
Milhaven, Smith still lead, 3rd seat tight in Scottsdale council election
Beth Duckett, The Republic | azcentral.com 12:31 p.m. MST November 5, 2014
A sitting council member and a newcomer were holding leads for two Scottsdale City Council seats early Wednesday, while the battle for a third and final seat was extremely tight between two other candidates, according to early election returns.
Incumbent Councilwoman Linda Milhaven led in early, unofficial results, followed by newcomer David Smith. Kathy Littlefield held a slim lead Wednesday morning over incumbent Dennis Robbins for the third seat, followed by challengers Jennifer Petersen and Cindy Hill.
With 53 out of 53 precincts reported, Littlefield was 25 votes ahead of Robbins, according to the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office, which oversees county elections.
Votes still were being counted Wednesday, and results were not official yet. The results did not include provisional ballots, which require additional verification, and unverified early ballots.
Scottsdale City Clerk Carolyn Jagger expected an estimate of the outstanding ballots from Maricopa County on Wednesday or Thursday.
Jagger said by e-mail she suspected there were thousands of Scottsdale ballots left to be counted. In the August primary, for example, the county counted 34,333 Scottsdale ballots on Election Night, but the final Scottsdale ballot total was 37,681 — a difference of 3,348 ballots, or potentially 10,044 votes, she said.
Countywide, it’s not unusual to have 100,000 early ballots turned in at the polls and 10,000 to 20,000 provisional ballots still to be processed after Election Day, Jagger said.
“I anticipate the counting will continue throughout this week and next,” she said.
Under state law, an automatic recount is done if there are 10 votes or fewer separating candidates who received the greatest number of votes for an office, in this case, one of three council seats, Jagger said.
The law applies to a city, town or a county or subdivision of a city, town or county.
Scottsdale’s City Charter says the candidate who receives the highest number of votes in a general election is elected. In the case of a tie, the decision is determined “by lot,” it says.
Milhaven and Robbins are incumbents who are seeking to retain their seats. The third seat that is opening currently is held by Councilman Bob Littlefield, who has reached term limits and will be stepping down. He is Kathy Littlefield’s husband.
Final election results were expected out later this week or next.
Littlefield said she believes voters sent a message that they don’t like what’s happening in Scottsdale. “They don’t like the building going on and the destruction of neighborhoods,” she said.
When asked about the differences between her and Robbins, Littlefield said, “I think Dennis is the one who has voted pretty consistently with the people who want the high-rise apartments and high density and voting to change the General Plan,” she said. “He has voted for the bars, for the apartments – all these things in this election the citizens are saying they don’t want.”
Robbins said by phone that the message voters sent was mixed. With Milhaven as the top vote-getter, it was clear many voters supported the status quo and the direction the city is headed, yet with Smith and Littlefield in the mix, “it says different things about different constituents,” he said.
When asked if the results show a divided community, Robbins said, “I think so,” adding that “people have different priorities because we are such a diverse community.”
“We are certainly not homogeneous as far as the future of Scottsdale,” he said. “I think the election does say we have residents who want different (things).”
Milhaven and Robbins have aligned on many issues. Robbins said voters supported how they “marshaled the budget through a really difficult economy, and we are improving our tourism assets, and also that employment in general is improving and the economic outlook for Scottsdale for businesses was better than we were four years ago.”
If early results hold, Milhaven and Smith would take office in early January. Milhaven and Smith often have clashed in their views for Scottsdale, with Milhaven touting the city’s growth and progress downtown and Smith saying the current vision of downtown conflicts with what residents really want, which does not include sky-rise buildings. They also differed in their priorities for 2015, with Milhaven pushing for transportation improvements and Smith supporting a path to financial stability.
Milhaven, who celebrated at an election party Tuesday night, said she already has a top priority for the new year: transportation.
She said the city is working on a transportation master plan, which will study and lay out options to enhance ways to move around in the city.
That includes making sure the city has better transportation connections, Milhaven said.
“In the long term, folks talk about how do we connect to the regional system, what would that look like,” she said. “That could be anything. Technology is changing all the time.”
Smith said his most important issue for the city is to return to a path of fiscal sustainability.
“It’s not something I can immediately do on day one, but it’s certainly something I can make a primary focus,” he said on Wednesday.
Scottsdale needs to reinvest in its infrastructure, which is wearing out and needs to be replaced and restored, he said.
“I’ve talked about how we’re letting the condition of our streets become less,” he said. “They’re not kept up to the standards of what we have done historically.”
Keeping the city attractive also draws in tourists, he said.
In 2013, city voters rejected four bond questions that would have raised taxes to reinvest in some infrastructure.
Smith said the city will need to have a bond election again to raise money to reinvest in infrastructure.
“When that occurs, I don’t know,” he said. “How much it will be, I don’t know.”
Milhaven said her solid lead in early results showed voters thought she did a good job in her current term, and consider her a thoughtful council member. She began her first term on the council in 2011.
“Although we’ll never agree on everything, I’ll always explain why I took a position and that I listen to their points of view,” Milhaven said.
She said negative campaign signs that targeted her in the election may have been a help rather than a hindrance. The yellow-and-black signs, paid for by the True Voices of Scottsdale committee, had statements such as “Want more bars and drunks? Vote for Milhaven.”
“Folks come to Scottsdale to go to dinner and have a nice evening,” Milhaven said. “I think the signs helped in that regard.”
Kathy Littlefield, part owner and treasurer of a small Scottsdale business, said her first issue is putting a transportation plan in place that helps residents move around more easily.
“Many residents who live in retirement homes and who no longer drive have spoken to me about the difficulty they have with getting to doctors, drug stores, and other businesses here in Scottsdale,” Littlefield said in the azcentral.com voters’ guide.
In the azcentral.com voter’s guide, Robbins said Scottsdale needs to finalize an economic development strategic plan, which could further the city’s economic success and sustainability.
“We have not given economic development the attention that it deserves,” Robbins said.
Campaign Memories… Milhaven, Smith, Littlefield win seats on Scottsdale City Council
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Counting the number of subsets with positive sum
I have some constant vector $\mathbf{s}$ on $n$ dimensions, where every element of $\mathbf{s}$ is a real number, and I would like to multiply it by every possible $n$-dimensional binary vector $\mathbf{v}_j\ (0\leq j < 2^n)$.
I only care about whether $\mathbf{s}\cdot \mathbf{v}_j > 0$. I would like to count all of the times this condition holds.
Question: As the naive algorithm has complexity $O(2^n)$, it blows up fast. What are my options for optimizing this for large $n$?
algorithms subset-sum
edited Apr 2 at 14:35
Yuval Filmus
Jake BrukhmanJake Brukhman
$\begingroup$ So, you basically want to know how many subsets of $\mathbf{s}$ sum to a positive value? $\endgroup$ – ryan Apr 1 at 22:53
$\begingroup$ You want to determine the expected value of a linear threshold function (LTF). There is some literature on that. $\endgroup$ – Yuval Filmus Apr 2 at 4:20
$\begingroup$ You can use a meet-in-the-middle approach to get an $O(2^{n/2})$ algorithm: calculate all sums of each half of the vector, then run a two pointer algorithm. $\endgroup$ – Yuval Filmus Apr 2 at 4:22
$\begingroup$ Additionally, if the real numbers can be expressed as rationals with some small common denominator, expressing it as a knapsack problem will help. If it is acceptable to round to such numbers (e.g., to three digits after the decimal point), the same applies. $\endgroup$ – Gassa Apr 2 at 11:03
$\begingroup$ @ryan Thanks for reformulating -- that is correct. $\endgroup$ – Jake Brukhman Apr 2 at 14:53
Suppose that you could solve this in $T(n)$. Given a list of positive integers $a_1,\ldots,a_n$ and a target $T$, consider the two instances $a_1,\ldots,a_n,-T$ and $a_1,\ldots,a_n,-T+1$. Denoting by $N(\cdots)$ the number of positive sums, we get:
$N(a_1,\ldots,a_n,-T)$ is the number of subsets of $\{a_1,\ldots,a_n\}$ whose sum is larger than $T$.
$N(a_1,\ldots,a_n,-T+1)$ is the number of subsets of $\{a_1,\ldots,a_n\}$ whose sum is at least $T$.
By comparing these two numbers, you can solve SUBSET-SUM in time $T(n+1)$.
(There are some potential differences in the computation models, that I leave you to ponder.)
There is a simple $O(2^{n/2})$ algorithm, which proceeds as follows. We break the array $s_1,\ldots,s_n$ into two equal halves. We compute an ordered list $A_1,\ldots,A_{2^{n/2}}$ of all sums of the first half, and an ordered list $B_1,\ldots,B_{2^{n/2}}$ of all sums of the second half. This takes time $O(2^{n/2})$ if done carefully (by iterative merging). We put a pointer $j$ at $B_{2^{n/2}}$, and decrease it until $A_1 + B_j \le 0$. The value of $j$ tells us the number of pairs $(1,j')$ satisfying $A_1 + B_j > 0$. Then we do the same for $A_2$ — note that we can start the scan at the current value of $j$; and so on. This phase also takes $O(2^{n/2})$.
answered Apr 2 at 14:35
Yuval FilmusYuval Filmus
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Aditya Bhardwaj
The Sino-Pakistani Alliance: India's Eternal Foreign Policy Nightmare
By Aditya Bhardwaj Published March 24, 2017
Written by Aditya Bhardwaj, 3/24/17 Despite strong economic growth and increasing influence in the UN, India's lack of military progress, combined with its neighborhood rivalries, may soon cause its global aspirations to be offset by its regional vulnerability
A Trump-Modi Alliance: Trouble Ahead for China
By Aditya Bhardwaj Published February 27, 2017
Written by Aditya Bhardwaj, 2/27/17 Donald Trump's election as the 45th US President seems likely to further consolidate a burgeoning economic and defense-based partnership between the US and India.
Former Policy Analyst at
The Center for Foreign Policy
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[0801.1491] High resolution CMB power spectrum from the complete ACBAR data set
Authors: C. L. Reichardt, P. A. R. Ade, J. J. Bock, J. R. Bond, J. A. Brevik, C. R. Contaldi, M. D. Daub, J. T. Dempsey, J. H. Goldstein, W. L. Holzapfel, C. L. Kuo, A. E. Lange, M. Lueker, M. Newcomb, J. B. Peterson, J. Ruhl, M. C. Runyan, Z. Sta
Abstract: In this paper, we present results from the complete set of cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation temperature anisotropy observations made with the Arcminute Cosmology Bolometer Array Receiver (ACBAR) operating at 150 GHz. We include new data from the final 2005 observing season, expanding the number of detector-hours by 210% and the sky coverage by 490% over that used for the previous ACBAR release. As a result, the band-power uncertainties have been reduced by more than a factor of two on angular scales encompassing the third to fifth acoustic peaks as well as the damping tail of the CMB power spectrum. The calibration uncertainty has been reduced from 6% to 2.2% in temperature through a direct comparison of the CMB anisotropy measured by ACBAR with that of the dipole-calibrated WMAP3 experiment. The measured power spectrum is consistent with a spatially flat, LambdaCDM cosmological model. We see evidence for weak gravitational lensing of the CMB at >3-sigma significance by comparing the likelihood for the best-fit lensed/unlensed models to the ACBAR+WMAP3 data. On fine angular scales, there is weak evidence (1.7 sigma) for excess power above the level expected from primary anisotropies. The source of this power cannot be constrained by the ACBAR 150 GHz observations alone; however, if it is the same signal seen at 30 GHz by the CBI and BIMA experiments, then it has a spectrum consistent with the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect.
Alessandro Melchiorri
Affiliation: University of Rome
Contact Alessandro Melchiorri
[0801.1491] High resolution CMB power spectrum from the com
Post by Alessandro Melchiorri » January 11 2008
The new results from ACBAR are impressive.
However I have some doubts on the following sentence:
"We see evidence for weak gravitational lensing of the CMB at >3-sigma significance by comparing the likelihood for the best-fit lensed/unlensed models to the ACBAR+WMAP3 data.".
How you can claim any evidence for weak lensing by just comparing the best fits ?
The "true" model can be 2 sigma away from the best fit in both cases...
Re: [0801.1491]
Post by Antony Lewis » January 12 2008
I agree. What I would do is introduce a new parameter A_L that scales the lensing potential, and plot the posterior constraint on A_L. So A_L=0 correspond to unlensed, A_L=1 is the expected lensed result. The ratio of the marginalized posterior curve at 1 and 0 gives you the posterior odds for lensing. But you can also look at the curve, and if it peaks at A_L=10 then you should be a bit worried. [I did this with old WMAP3+ data, the peak was away from zero, but consistent with both zero and one - great ACBAR is now giving something interesting!]
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Tea-rrific! Ice Cream Available In Fairfield Freezers
by Peter Kirby
04/14/2015 5:00 a.m.
Mario Leite shows off the different flavors of Tea-rrific! Ice Cream. Photo Credit: Peter Kirby
Mario Leite created Tea-rrific! Ice Cream with his wife, Souvannee. The business has settled in Bridgeport. Photo Credit: Peter Kirby
These are the original ice cream makers at Tea-rrific! Ice Cream in Bridgeport. Photo Credit: Peter Kirby
These are the tea brewers used at Tea-rrific! Ice Cream in Bridgeport. Photo Credit: Peter Kirby
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BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- In August 2011, Mario Leite suddenly found himself with lots of free time on his hands after losing his job as an investment banker. A self-described ice cream fanatic, he dusted off the small ice cream maker that his wife, Souvannee, had given him years earlier and got down to business experimenting.
His breakthrough came after he started looking for a way to combine his love of ice cream with tea, another longtime food passion. An early attempt at developing an Earl Grey flavor brought rave reviews from family and friends, and inspired Leite to take his experiments to the next level.
“People were really gravitating to the uniqueness of it,” Leite said. “It wasn’t just another variation of chocolate or vanilla -- it was something really different.”
A few companies had put out tea-based ice creams, but Leite wasn’t impressed by the competition. So he and Souvannee decided to enter the business themselves, and founded Tea-rrific! Ice Cream in December 2011.
They spent the next 10 months developing their product, determining the ideal way to brew their tea and perfecting their flavor profiles. After many long nights, working during the off-hours at a Stamford catering kitchen, the ice cream hit store shelves in 2012.
It was an immediate hit, as customers were drawn to Leite’s range of novel flavors, including Chamomile, Masala Chai, and ‘London Mist’, the original Earl Grey Leite had developed in his kitchen.
“The flavor profiles are very interesting,” Leite said. “It’s satisfying and creamy, but it finishes clean, so you don’t have that heaviness. It’s refreshing, which is something you normally can’t say about ice cream.”
The couple eventually built their own commercial kitchen on Bridgeport’s East Side, complete with industrial-size tea brewers to help increase production. Today, their pints can be found in the freezer sections of more than 150 stores throughout the Northeast, and Leite has his sights set on expansion throughout the rest of country.
So, in the end, is Leite happy that he left his banking job four years ago?
“[Starting a small business] is definitely a risk, but we really believe in the product and the company,” he said. “And I really love what I’m doing.”
More information about Tea-rrific! Ice Cream can be found on its website , including where to find it in stores and how to order it online.
Some local stores include Whole Foods in Danbury, Darien, Fairfield, Greenwich and Westport, Palmer's in Darien, Nature's Temptations in Ridgefield, Caraluzzi's in Wilton, Walter Stewart's Market and Mrs. Green's Natural Market in New Canaan, The Pantry in Fairfield, Balducci's in Westport, Stop & Shop in Stamford, and Kings in Greenwich.
From Our Content Partner
Understanding Your Fracture Diagnosis And Treatment
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Saving the Future by Verifying the Vote:
Breaking the Link between Election Fraud and America’s
Dysfunctional National Politics
By Daniel H. Wolf, Esq.
We were taught in high school that voting and free elections represent the essence of American democracy. But most Americans no longer believe that. They believe that the rich run the store and that their voices are heard and listened to only occasionally. (Research shows that they are right.) As a consequence, nearly half of all eligible voters, and 70 percent of people under 30, don’t bother to vote. Why should they? There’s no visible connection between who they vote for and what government does.
Of course if 80 percent of Americans voted instead of 50, we would see a different crop of elected officials, because that extra 30 percent would be regular folk — working – and middle-class Americans whose interests would have to be catered to by politicians wanting to get reelected. And that would change everything. In the future. When, as John Maynard Keynes said, we’re all dead.
What we have in the present is a lot of very close elections, And in close elections between entrenched party establishments and their challengers, there is a lot of good evidence that the establishment machines, both Republican and Democrat, are resorting to fraud to defeat challengers.
This is a bad portent: If we lose our ability to throw out corrupt old guards with our votes, then we will lose our ability to hold our government accountable through peaceful, legal means. Our democracy will become a sham, and change will only become possible as a result of civil disobedience or violence.
To be fair, when times are mild and the choice is between Tweedledum and Tweedledee, election fraud doesn’t matter much, because whoever gets elected is going to implement relatively similar and centrist policies. But when the times get dangerous, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee start beating up on each other and on us, then our choices start to matter. A lot.
This is the case now: Education and healthcare systems fail too many of us, incarceration and drug deaths are epidemic, inequality and impoverishment are at full gallop, nuclear war is once again on the radar (literally as well as figuratively) and intrusion into reproductive rights again on the table, climate change is threatening human existence, etc. etc., and increasingly ugly national politics and dysfunction put practical solutions out of reach.
Taking a bite out of these real-world problems requires leaders who believe in facts and good government, who believe in the greatest good for the greatest number, who are willing to rise above partisanship and loyalty to rich benefactors, and who do not fear being “primaried” by extremists in their party when they act responsibly.
Unfortunately, big money, gerrymandering, socioeconomic concentration, and election fraud and voter suppression have knocked our present political system seriously out of whack. It rewards and promotes those who believe that all government is bad and all uncomfortable facts are fake, who live in the gutter of hyperpartisanship, who click their heels for rich campaign donors, and who live in fear of losing their gilded government jobs to someone even more craven than themselves.
Three of those four systemic problems are not fixable in the very near term.
Big money in elections is temporarily off limits for fixing because of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision. Eliminating gerrymandering requires that the “out” parties recapture state legislatures before the 2020 redistricting, or that initiatives mandating nonpartisan redistricting commissions be passed in dozens of states, so that’s not a quick solution. And socioeconomic concentration requires decades to shift, given that it’s tied to infrastructure and economics.
That leaves the fourth: fixing our elections.
We start with demanding provably accurate vote counting. But how do we get an accurate count if insiders control the systems? Ideally every election would be run by nonpartisan professionals who acted like financial advisers and attorneys, i.e., like fiduciaries. Instead we have partisan Secretaries of States who act as co-chairs of presidential campaigns or run for higher office while controlling the apparatus that will determine whether they are elected. These are conflicts of interest that would be illegal were the same officials not in charge of writing the laws.
The response of most election integrity groups to this conundrum is to lobby legislatures to adopt transparent, verifiable voting and counting systems, return to paper ballots, stricter official audits, greater transparency, etc. These are all good technical solutions, but their chances of adoption are greatest where they are needed least. Where they are needed most the solutions require the consent of the very politicians who owe their seats to the working of unclean systems. They are not likely to voluntarily change the rules that won them their seats – they will have to be compelled. The question is, how to compel them?
We need a game-changer, a way to empower Americans to force the issue – something that can blow the lid off the game that’s being played, put officials defending the status quo on the defensive themselves, and unleash forces that will result in the institutionalization of verifiably accurate elections.
Our audit system is designed to be that game-changer.
We have designed the tools so that their use does not require the cooperation or permission of public officials.
Let me repeat that: Implementation of our audit system does not require the cooperation or permission of public officials – it is done entirely under the protection of the First Amendment to the US Constitution. Public officials do not have the legal right to prevent people from implementing our audit system; their authority is limited solely to restricting how close to polling stations that auditors can position themselves.
It generates independent audit data that meets the direct evidence requirement of the courts. When audits turn up suspicious discrepancies the evidence is turned over to injured parties (usually the losing candidates but it could include civic groups and others). Attorneys for these parties can then file lawsuits requesting injunctions against certification of questionable elections, and requesting orders requiring law enforcement to investigate to determine the causes of documented discrepancies.
This is a two-step strategy: Injured parties have to meet a relatively low burden of proof to obtain an injunction against certification. The court then requires investigation into the sources of the alleged discrepancies, which then unleashes the full power of the state to seize and examine documents, machines and other evidence belonging to election authorities, to interview officials and workers under oath, to comb through their emails and texts, et cetera. This is a level of inspection that no private party can possibly hope to achieve. Then, should investigators find evidence of fraud, the resulting controversy will have the potential to force defenders of the status quo onto the defensive and open space for reformers to push through election system reforms.
Our audit system also attacks voter suppression.
The US Constitution does not protect the right to vote. This is why, after the Supreme Court eviscerated the 1965 Voting Rights Act, so many Republican legislatures could suppress the voting strength of communities that traditionally vote Democratic. Legal challenges so far have been unsuccessful except when clear racial animus has been demonstrated. Our voter suppression audit tool reliably quantifies the amount of voter suppression and its probable impact on election outcomes, thereby establishing the extent of public and private Constitutional injury. Our hope is that it will be used to power a new voting rights movement and to eventually enshrine in Constitutional principles the right of Americans to vote and to have their vote counted accurately.
We don’t see ourselves as observers or guarantors of fair elections, only as effective probers into the accuracy of the count, and as pathbreakers for reformers who will enter the space we open and then agitate for reform. Once reforms are in place and working, then outside independent audits will no longer be necessary, except perhaps as an occasional quality control tool.
This effort is nonpartisan. All parties are held to the same standard. Conservatives as well as liberals, and every other political stripe, are welcome to use the software. We hope to set off an audit arms race between parties, producing a condition of Mutual Assured Accountability (to coin a phrase). This can only be beneficial: It will force ruling parties to compete on the playing field of policy popularity and performance rather than vote manipulation.
This entire effort is a calculated bet: There is no guarantee that injured parties will always succeed in court; judges are sensitive to politics, after all, and the strength of the data will wax and wane. But the courtroom quiets the shouting and allows evidence to be presented systematically and rationally, which establishes facts with a high degree of confidence. So even if victory in court does not always follow, the evidence generated can be used to affect public opinion. And achieving even occasional victories will serve to erode the status quo of judicial deference to partisan operation of electoral machinery and aid the goal of increasing demands for electoral reform.
If we are successful in promoting the use of our tools throughout the United States our elected officials will begin doing a better job of representing all of their constituents. This will reset the relationship between voters and elected officials, improve congruence between voter desires and policy outcomes, strengthen our system of checks and balances, and reduce the apathy that keeps voting turnout low.
We need both your moral support and your financial support to move our goals forward. Please donate through PayPal – you don’t need a PayPal account, just a credit card – here.
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Christian Feltham and Jack West
Curated by Elaine Tam
Lunch break is a sculpture and installation project featuring new iterations of works by Christian Feltham and Jack West. Lunch break interrogates the relationship between physical and virtual worlds, and the artists' position as actors or translators between them. In this feedback loop, it grows hard to ascertain exactly where the “art object” begins or ends - because it is always only between states.
Feltham's work is centred around a case study on virtual currency trade, and its seeming separation from the very real effects and exploitation of individuals involved in game currency mining “Chinese gold farming” or “play-money workshops”. By actualizing work around these invisible processes, Feltham begins a conversation about the undisclosed labour related to the emergence of virtual economies.
West creates sculptures that simultaneously inhabit the physical space of a studio and a parallel virtual world. His digital drawings in software become laser-cut metal edges, exemplifying the removal of labourer from his labour. 'The machine' is an ominous motif that recurs in his work, referring to the efficiency and consistency of mechanization. Contrastingly, the artwork itself is absent of any discernible function - except to signify.
As the synthetic glow of a lightbox sun beats down, a field of mass-manufactured, fake rice plants opens onto a series of redundant, steel cut-outs. Our changing technological environment becomes a site for aesthetic and conceptual exploration – within which Feltham and West emphasize the persisting, universal themes of production, consumption and labour.
Private view: Thursday 28 July 6.30 - 9pm.
open 24/7: 29 July - 27 August 2016
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CERN Accelerating science
News Articles Official News Learning Announcements Events Staff Association
Issue No. 28-29/2014 - Monday 7 July 2014
Printable version - Subscribe:
From October 2016 onwards, Bulletin articles are published on home.cern/cern-people.
The archive of past articles can be found here.
From the Editorial Content Development Section
Versatile by design
CHARM (CERN High energy AcceleRator Mixed field) is a new and unique testing facility that will complete CERN's radiation testing installations. Located in the East Area, CHARM will provide teams with a venue to test their equipment in radiation environments similar to those found in the accelerator chain. >>
Celebrating science for peace
These last two weeks have underlined the significance of our 60th anniversary slogan: science for peace. >>
LS1 Report: A cold, cold summer
The cooling of the LHC is advancing quickly, with the second sector having now reached 200 K (about -73°C). By the end of the summer, four of the sectors will have been cooled. To achieve this, trucks carrying around 20 tonnes of nitrogen each are clocking up the miles to bring the cryogenic liquid to CERN. When the whole process is complete, almost four times the mass of the Eiffel Tower will have been cooled, using more than 10,000 tonnes of nitrogen and 140 tonnes of helium. >>
SPS completes LS1 activities
On 27 June, the SPS closed its doors to the LS1 engineers, bringing to an end almost 17 months of activities. The machine now enters the hardware-testing phase in preparation for an October restart. >>
First Linac4 DTL & CCDTL cavities installed in tunnel
On 5 June, the first Drift Tube Linac (DTL) was successfully transported to its forever home in the Linac4 tunnel. Similarly, the first Cell-Coupled Drift Tube Linac (CCDTL) was installed on 6 June. These moves marked the end of years of design and manufacturing by Linac4 teams. >>
Highlights from e-EPS: Coordinated Access to Light sources
The CALIPSO project, which runs until May 2015, will contribute to the effective exploitation of European synchrotrons and free electron lasers. CALIPSO (Coordinated Access to Light sources to Promote Standards and Optimisation) includes 20 partners forming one of the largest Research Networks in the world. >>
Behind the scenes of GS: an eye for accuracy
The CERN sites are constantly evolving… with new buildings, extensions, redevelopment and renovation. The team in charge of geographical information in the GS Department measures and records even the smallest changes so that it can provide everyone at CERN with the most up-to-date plans possible. >>
Computer Security: Don’t copy/paste passwords!
What do umbrellas, hair, wars and passwords have in common? Over time, they all get lost. >>
Ombud's Corner: Respect @ CERN
Since 2010 CERN has been a member of the Geneva-based association "Le respect, ça change la vie". Four years later and in conjunction with CERN’s celebration of its 60 years of ‘science for peace’, it is time to launch a new respectful workplace awareness campaign under the auspices of the Ombud. >>
Yves Bernard (1954-2014)
Yves Bernard, who has passed away at the age of 59, worked in the transport and handling service (EN-HE) and had been at CERN since 1 July 1975. >>
Jazz with the cosmos | CERN at the Montreux Jazz Festival | 12 July
CERN will be participating in the Montreux Jazz Festival again this year with "The Physics of Music and the Music of Physics" at the Petit Palais on 12 July. The event, which is also part of CERN's 60th anniversary schedule, brings the music of the LHC, the Higgs boson, and the distant cosmos. >>
The individual breakdown of pension rights
Amendments to the rules of the CERN Health Insurance Scheme (CHIS) - Edition 1 January 2012
Safety training: places available in July and August
UN Orchestra is looking for musicians
The Summer Student Webfest is back at CERN!
The Making of the 2013 Open Days… out now!
2014 CERN Accelerator Schools: Plasma Wake Acceleration
Diversity programme | Forum: Making a career in science | 15 July
The sociology of big science | Public Lecture by Ulrike Felt | 15 July
At the frontier of astrophysics and philosophy | Public conference by Hubert Reeves | 16 July
Accelerating Innovation... in Medicine | Seminar by Eleanor Blakely | 10 July
Blood donation | 22 and 23 July
Collide@CERN: on 10 July, don't miss the public lecture by Ryoji Ikeda, CERN's new artist in residence
Staff Association
The 2015 five-yearly review
Seminars Today
Seminars of the week »
Follow CERN on Twitter
@thephysicsgirl https://t.co/6xviCamvgU 17 Jul 2019, 07:32
The first measurement, by the @ALICEexperiment collaboration, of an elliptic-shaped flow for bottomonium particles… https://t.co/AYokgcSzcF 16 Jul 2019, 14:54
This photo shows the bottom part of supports for vacuum tubes used in the Proton Synchrotron radio-frequency system… https://t.co/vumiTFmOXC 15 Jul 2019, 18:58
CERN Bulletin Info
CERN Courier
CERN & HEP events
© CERN 2019
CERN Publications, IR-ECO-CO
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By Carol, 31st Jul 2018 | Follow this author | RSS Feed | Short URL http://nut.bz/5ku_6if5/
Posted in Wikinut>Celebrities>Sports
After an amazing win at the German Grand Prix from 14th position, with his teammate Bottas in second, Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes family headed for Hungary for the last race of mid season. This was a track where track position is everything, and more suited to Ferrari, so how much damage limitation could they expect?
Race Day Came
Lewis in his car
Mercedes arrived in Hungary without much expectation last weekend, but with an amazing win from the previous week in Germany, Lewis Hamilton was fired up and ready to go. This is a track with lots of twisty corners, and it's notoriously difficult to overtake, and would suit Ferrari far more, as their car is the fastest on the grid.
During free practice, Mercedes were 4th and 5th, and it was clear to see Red Bull and Ferrari were quite a bit faster. The temperatures were high, which would also affect tyre wear.
Just before qualifying it started to rain hard, so tyre choices became very important to get maximum grip, so teams were switching between full wets and intermediates to try and get the best results.
Lewis went out on intermediates, and found enough grip. Vettel clearly struggled in the wet because his times dropped considerably. Bottas had provisional pole position, and then in the last few seconds Lewis put in a hot lap which beat his team mate by a quarter of a second, and put him in pole position. Raikennon was third, and Vettel a lowly fourth.
This was very unexpected top find himself in that position, and Lewis was delighted. He has always been a master in rainy conditions, but the chances of having rain in qualifying was remote, and it couldn't have served him better. Track position is everything in Hungary, as it is such a difficult circuit to overtake on.
Lewis said later, that although the conditions for race day would be entirely different, hot and sunny, he was going to do his utmost to keep the Ferraris behind him.
First and second in qualifying
Race day dawned bright, hot and sunny, and many comments were made about how they would need keep the fast starting Ferraris at bay, and whether their tyres would last in the heat
Both Mercedes had a good start, Raikennon tried to challenge Bottas, and in so doing lost his place to Vettel, who took advantage of the situation. He was now third,. Bottas played an excellent role in keeping the Ferraris away from Lewis, which gave Lewis the opportunity to build up a comfortable lead. Vettel was unable to overtake Bottas until the end of the race when his tyres were completely shot. Lewis made his tyres last a long time, eventually doing one pit stop on lap 25, and then going right to the end without any threat from Vettel.
In the end the stalwart Bottas slipped down to fifth after he was passed by Vettel who tangled with him and damaged his car, and then Raikennon. Ricciardo also had an altercation with him, which was deemed the fault of Bottas, so he got a 10 second penalty, and 2 points on his licence.
Verstappen retired early, and was in a very angry frame of mind, and Ricciardo ended up sixth. Lewis was a worthy winner, and Bottas deserved higher than the fifth place he actually got. Vettel was second, and Raikennon third.
Lewis now holds a lead of twenty four points as they go into the summer break. Vettel thinks he will surely win the championship, as they have the faster car. But even if I wasn't a fan, my money is on Lewis. He makes less mistakes, keeps calm, and is a clean driver, whereas Vettel cannot seem to pass without hitting people. Whichever way you look at it, the second half of the season is going to serve up a lot of drama for the fans, and will be unmissable.
GO LEWIS!
My thanks to Youtube for the video, and Wikipedia for the images.
Lewis Hamilton Danced in the Rain at Hockenheim
My facebook page is here
If you like to write, try Wikinut
Bottas, Ferrari, Hungarian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Pole Position, Raikennnon, Ricciardo, Verstappen, Vettel, Wet Qualifying
I am a proud mother and grandmother, and an author. I have had 7 books published. My hobbies are walking, swimming, and playing badminton. I try to raise more awareness of autism with my writing.
7th Dec 2018 (#)
they r nice
making money as u and I are keeping Wikis alive
yesterday 1300 PLUS today 800 MINUS READS
SINE CURVE WAVERS
don't u think its Money for Wikis they r earning on our shoulders for free
so be happy till they become extremely wealthy
all is MONEY AND SEX IN THIS LIFE
POETRY BESIDES this is just to satisfy OUR EGO SO don't let go so many love us also
30th Dec 2018 (#)
I am not sure what is happening Loverme, they are just not publishing my work, 2 unreviewed since September, I am very disappointed
Sir Roger Moore, James Bond actor, dies aged 89
hary
Raikennnon Wet Qualifying Pole Position Ricciardo Bottas Hungarian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Vettel Verstappen Ferrari
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World’s First Alport Stamp Is Macedonian Mom’s Latest Win for Rare Disease Patients
by Hal Foster
It wasn’t until Gordana Loleska’s son David was 14 years old that doctors in their native North Macedonia diagnosed his kidney, vision, and hearing problems as Alport syndrome.
Although she had known for years that something was wrong, the news that David would battle a lifelong rare disease devastated the single mother of three, plunging her into a depression that was hard to shake.
On June 10, North Macedonia issued a stamp calling attention to Alport syndrome. (Photo courtesy of Gordana Loleska)
Concerned friends suggested she take her mind off her situation by helping others. “They advised me to become active in the rare disease movement,” said Loleska, who is from Ohrid, a picturesque lake resort of 42,000 in her county’s southwestern mountains.
Four years later, the postal worker has developed a reputation as a champion of raising awareness of rare diseases. Much of her success has come from promotions too glitzy for the public to ignore.
Three promotions involved a Rare Disease Day flag. Friends took it to the bottom of Lake Ohrid, the Balkans’ deepest lake, to the top of Europe’s highest mountain — Switzerland’s Mount Blanc — and high above Loleska’s hometown on a glider.
Another promotion was coaxing a Macedonian radio-industry figure into creating a rare disease song.
Loleska’s latest extravaganza was persuading her nation’s postal authorities to issue the world’s first rare disease stamp, and then the first stamp commemorating Alport syndrome. Philatelists from across the globe have joined Macedonians in buying them.
The world’s first rare disease stamp, issued in 2017 by Macedonian postal authorities. (Photo courtesy of Gordana Loleska)
“The idea of a rare disease stamp came to me when I woke up in the middle of the night needing a drink of water,” said Loleska, who spent a year researching whether another country had issued such a stamp. None had, so she began a two-year process of persuading postal officials to approve the issue. “From the design to the printing took three months.”
The Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts — a major supporter of the rare disease cause — held a gala in October 2017 to kick off sales of the “Rare Disease Day” stamp.
The stamp honoring children with Alport syndrome came out this June, just a day after North Macedonia’s rare disease assocation, Life With Challenges, wrapped up its annual meeting in Struga, a mountain resort near Ohrid. Collectors can order both stamps by emailing the North Macedonian Postal System at [email protected] or [email protected]
Eventually, Loleska wants to see five more stamps issued on specific rare diseases.
Hoisting the Rare Disease flag
The activist mom has sandwiched more traditional promotions, such as long-distance runs, between the ultra-imaginative ones. But even in those cases, she’s looked for ways to add pizzazz.
She spiced up a 10-kilometer race, for example, by asking Health Minister Venko Filipce to run with a rare disease T-shirt. His participation thrilled rare disease patients because Filipce is the country’s most important figure in instituting healthcare policies that can help them.
Gordana Loleska and her children. David is in the center. (Photo courtesy of Gordana Loleska)
It heartens Loleska that her three children — David, now 18, his fraternal twin Andrey, and daughter Ema, 24 — take part in many of these promotions. Life With Challenges gave Loleska the flag that has featured in the events.
For years, Ohrid has had a tradition of anchoring a Christmas tree in its lake bed, then having scuba divers deck it out with ornaments. The lake is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, partly because its water is clear enough to see all the way to the bottom. This makes the decorated tree a magnet for tourists and locals alike.
To cash in on its allure, Loleska has persuaded the local Amfora diving club to take the rare disease flag down to the submerged tree every year for photographs.
“It gets wet,” she admitted, but it dries quickly — and the payoff is terrific publicity for the cause. “We have now made taking the flag to the tree at the bottom of the lake a tradition for children with rare diseases.”
North Macedonia’s Misko Taneski unfurls a Rare Disease Day flag on Switzerland’s Mount Blanc. (Photo courtesy of Misko Taneski)
Finding someone to take it to the top of a mountain also was no problem. One of Loleska’s co-workers at the Ohrid post office is Misko Taneski, who has scaled many of Europe’s tallest peaks. A photo that a fellow climber took of him completing Loleska’s mission on the top of Mount Blanc shows Taneski holding the unfurled rare disease flag against a backdrop of blinding rays from the sun.
Another well-known local, Kristiyan Temelkovski, took the flag flapping above Lake Ohrid on his hang glider.
Loleska tasked Saso Mitan, a celebrated Ohrid journalist, musician, and owner of radio stations, with creating the rare disease song. He asked music studio owner and composer Jovica Karajlievski to compose the melody, and he wrote the lyrics. The result was the uplifting “We Are All the Same,” sung by the Ohrid Superstar Band.
Next up for Loleska are Albanian-language versions of audio and video public-service spots that explain 28 rare diseases. Macedonian-language versions have been running for some time, but many Macedonians speak Albanian. She is planning them now.
Although she has received a lot of fanfare for her promotions, Loleska said all have been a team effort.
“I am grateful to everyone who has taken part in these events to raise the visibility of rare diseases,” she said. “It wouldn’t have happened without them.”
Tagged Alport syndrome, commemorative stamp, Gordana Loleska, Life With Challenges, North Macedonia, rare disease activist, Rare Disease Day®.
Previous: Going Over My Old CMT Records
Next:Progress Can Be Better Than Seeking Perfection
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Collections Album of photographs of landscapes around Lankorona-Izdebnik presented to the Archduke of Austria, Rainer (1827-1913) on January 11, 1897].
Album of photographs of landscapes around Lankorona-Izdebnik presented to the Archduke of Austria, Rainer (1827-1913) on January 11, 1897].
The Library acquired the majority of the albums in this digital presentation during the early 1930s. Many were originally part of Romanov palace libraries nationalized by the Soviet government and sold abroad for hard currency.
Subjects include Russian Orthodox churches, monasteries, and ecclesiastical art; views of cities, as well as small provincial towns; secular architecture; tsarist- and Soviet-era political exiles; and the diverse peoples of the Russian Empire. A number of albums include portraits of the Tsar or the imperial family; state occasions, military maneuvers, and relaxation at the imperial hunting lodge are all depicted. Represented as well are military operations, particularly during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. Russian Revolutionary-era photos are extensive, ranging from the immediate aftermath of the February Revolution, to the Stalinist period.
Many of the imperial association albums-that is, those presented as gifts to the royal family-are of superior technical and artistic quality, and in several cases mounted in bindings that are themselves works of art, incorporating silver, wood, and other decorative elements.
Hee-Gwone Yoo."Holdings of rare photographs and plate books at the Slavic and Baltic Division of The New York Public Library." Rosia yongu (Russian Studies), vol. 12, no. 1 (2002): [323]-332.
Szubert, Awit (Photographer)
Slavic and East European Collections
Shelf locator: Slav. Reserve Photo and 00-2385
Krakow (Poland : Voivodeship)
Rainer, Archduke of Austria, 1827-1913
Content: Album of 14 photographs taken by Awit Szubert of landscapes around Lanckorona-Izdebnik [nearby Wadowice, Voivodeship Krakow, Poland, previously in Southern Galicia] with captions in manuscript, in German. The album was bound by Robert Jahoda.
Extent: 14 mounted photos ; 40 x 47 cm.
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): e7690730-c62b-012f-ef9f-58d385a7bc34
lodges3
Schools2
churches2
Railroad stations1
Rainer, Archduke of Austria, 1827-191315
Szubert, Awit15
x Album of photographs of landscapes around Lankorona-Izdebnik presented to the Archduke of Austria, Rainer (1827-1913) on January 11, 1897]
Krakow (Poland : Voivodeship)15
Slavic and East European Collections15
The New York Public Library15
[Cover title.]
Hof Izdebnik von der Ostseite.
Kirche und Schule in Izdebnik.
Hof Jastrzebia.
Hof Skawinki.
Bahnstation Stronie.
Hof Zakrzow.
Forsthaus Lanskoron.
Kirche und Schule in Sulkowic…
Hof Harbutowice von der Ostse…
Stadt Lanskoron in der Ferne.
Forsthaus Goscibia, Sudseite.
Forsthaus in Budzow, Westseit…
Kloster Kalwarya.
Die ehrfurchtsvoll und teu er…
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DE · Topics · Prototype/Manufacture
Mcity Adds Augmented Reality to Driverless Car Testing Roadmap
Researchers make the case for a hybrid autonomous vehicle test process that combines simulated vehicles and traffic scenarios with real-world test drives.
Mcity is a purpose-built facility for testing connected and automated vehicles and technologies under controlled, realistic conditions. Image Courtesy of University of Michigan.
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By Beth Stackpole
Want to get more mileage out of autonomous vehicle testing? Mcity, which bills itself as one largest test sites for driverless cars, is advocating for a new approach that combines augmented reality (AR) and real-world driving scenarios as a highly effective roadmap for the rigorous testing of autonomous vehicles, according to a white paper released late last year.
The paper, penned by Henry Liu Ph.D., professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Michigan’s College of Engineering, and Yiheng Feng, Ph.D., assistant research scientist at the U-M Transportation Research Institute, makes the case for a hybrid test process that combines simulated vehicles and traffic scenarios with real-world vehicles to create a faster, more efficient, and cost effective approach to testing the new genre of cars.
Augmenting Testing of Autonomous Vehicles
Taking a page from videogames, the researchers created a scenario where they can instantly generate traffic safety situations that might only happen once in millions of miles of real-world driving. By projecting AR scenarios to on-board wireless communications devices accessible by real-world test drivers on the Mcity track, test teams can log many more miles than traditional road testing, for less cost, and with far better safety, the researcher said.
One of the biggest challenges to the widespread adoption of driverless vehicles is establishing the technology as safe and trustworthy—a feat that requires a rigorous and extensive system of testing. Unlike traditional vehicles, which are tested for proper operation and for how to protect occupants from harm in the event of a crash, driverless vehicles are held to a different standard. Self-driving vehicles must be able to avoid crashes all together, which exponentially expands the number of potential crash situations, including those considered rare. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), serious accidents occur every 530,000 miles of driving while a crash involving a fatality happens once in every 100 million miles of driving.
That’s where the addition of AR test capabilities come into play. In addition to its 32-acre testing site, which includes 16 acres of roads and traffic infrastructure, Mcity is now broadcasting computer-generated virtual traffic elements to vehicles operating on its roadways using a patent-pending, secure wireless technology, the research paper stated. The test platform generates a virtual vehicle that creates some sort of dangerous situation and broadcasts it to the physical test vehicle in real-time using Dedicated Short-Range Communications. The test platform also uses data from the vehicles’ sensors and controllers to make adjustments to the simulated traffic scenarios, and researchers can measure how the physical test car responds to these scenarios, the paper explained.
“This creates a sophisticated loop of events, responses, and reactions circulating between the test vehicle, physical test track components, and the simulated world of traffic and events that is layered over the real-world test car and track,” the researchers explained.
A highway overpass is simulated at Mcity by a tunnel that blocks vehicles from wireless and satellite signals. Image Courtesy of University of Michigan.
Autonomous vehicle testing has primarily been done through computer-generated simulation, on-track testing in a closed course like Mcity, or on public roads. Most of the public is wary of on-road testing due to potential dangers—the white paper reported 26 crashes during self-driving car tests on public roads in California, and last year, an Uber autonomous vehicle hit and killed a woman in Arizona.
AR Merges Physical and Virtual Testing
Professor Liu and Researcher Feng claim their AR approach offers the safety of a closed testing facility with the real infrastructure and added complexity of computer-generated simulations. The combination creates an infinitely adaptable environment that allows test vehicles to interact with computer-generated virtual traffic in an array of situations with little to no risk and at reduced costs compared to other test approaches.
“To get to a complete test environment, self-driving vehicles need to interact with background traffic and other elements encountered every day by drivers on public roadways,” the report authors said. “Unless the driverless test vehicle encounters and responds to real traffic, the test scenarios that can be created in simulation labs and on closed tracks are constrained in proving the reliability of driverless cars.”
You can read the entirety of the report here.
Beth Stackpole
Beth Stackpole is a contributing editor to Digital Engineering. Send e-mail about this article to [email protected].
Prototype/Manufacture Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) Test Test Equipment News Augmented Reality Autonomous Vehicles University of Michigan All topics
Digital Engineering https://www.digitalengineering247.com/article/mcity-adds-ar-to-driverless-car-testing-roadmap/ https://www.digitalengineering247.com/article/mcity-adds-ar-to-driverless-car-testing-roadmap/ Last updated January 2, 2019
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The series finale of Buffy is heartwarmingly feminist
Posted by Kate in Empowerment, Pop Culture, TV
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, questioning the status quo, taking the red pill
This post is chock full of spoilers. Seriously, all the spoilers. If you haven’t watched Buffy, you should stop reading and start Netflixing now. Come back when you’ve finished all seven seasons.
The first rule, the first truth, the first thing we know in entire series of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show comes from a voiceover repeated to us over and over at the beginning of each episode in the first two seasons: “In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.”
As we do in any fantasy series, and too often in reality, we accept the rules of the world as they’ve been laid out for us. This is how things are! It’s the status quo, and we never question it.
Throughout the series, we’re led to hate this rule because of the toll it takes on Buffy. We even perhaps doubt the writers’ logic in interpreting the rule, with the details of Kendra’s and Faith’s activations after Buffy’s temporary death.
This truth we never question is supported by an ancient organization, the Watchers, who pass down the knowledge and training and keep an eye on these young ladies who are basically sacrifices in the name of protecting society. Maybe it’s crappy, but it’s just a fact of life.
Much has been said about the feminism, or lack thereof, of BtVS as a series. Here, I’m more interested in focusing specifically on the series finale, which I think is one of the more subversive hours of television I’ve ever seen. By the time we get to this episode, we’ve been watching the show for seven years, and the most fundamental truth about the universe is about to be turned on its head in a revolutionary and empowering way.
Halfway through the last season, the writers give us an episode with some details about how the first slayer came into existence: three warlocks chained her up in a cave and fused her with a demon spirit to make her stronger. At the time, it seemed to me like a throwaway subplot, though it did give Buffy a nice excuse to yell some feminist vitriol at those ancient jerkfaces:
“You guys? You’re just men. Just the men who did this. To her. Whoever that girl was, before she was the first slayer…You violated that girl. Made her kill for you because you’re weak.”
And here’s where the subversive genius of the last episode comes into play. In the final episode, we realize this little exchange serves a purpose, that it shows us the only reason this first truth of the series exists is that these three oppressive men non-consensually forced it on the first slayer, totally arbitrarily. And we see that our characters are more powerful than those men were. But friends (and this may blow your minds): this message can be applied to more than just Buffy! Many of the sexist (and racist, and classist, etc) norms we struggle with in real life are just here because a bunch of old dudes thousands or hundreds of years ago decided to put them in place and everyone since has been accepting and supporting them. If we want to believe we can change them, we have to believe that we are more powerful than the ancient people who created them were.
More powerful than three ancient jerkfaces.
In “Chosen,” the final episode, The First Evil visits Buffy in the night to taunt her, quoting that old beginning rule (“Into every generation a slayer is born…”). Afterward, she tells Spike “I just realized something. something that really never occurred to me before. We’re gonna win.”
Cut scene! Buffy has just shared her idea with the Scoobies and potentials, but the audience is in the dark. What is the reaction of the gang when she tells them her mysterious plan?
Faith: “It’s pretty radical, B.”
Giles: “It’s a lot more than that. Buffy, what you’ve said, it flies in the face of everything we’ve ever–every generation has ever done in the fight against evil. I think it’s bloody brilliant.”
Pretty explicit in retrospect, yet as I watched it I still had no clue what this mysterious idea could be, until eventually we get a flashback to Buffy’s explanation:
“Here’s the part where you make a choice. What if you could have that power now? In every generation, one slayer is born, because a bunch of men who died thousands of years ago made up that rule. They were powerful men. This woman is more powerful than all of them combined. So I say we change the rule. I say my power should be our power. Tomorrow, Willow will use the essence of the scythe to change our destiny. From now on, every girl in the world who might be a slayer, will be a slayer. Every girl who could have the power, will have the power. Can stand up, will stand up. Slayers, every one of us. Make your choice: are you ready to be strong?”
DRAMATIC MUSIC! KICKASS FIGHT SCENE! She and Willow literally empower the potential slayers. It is radical, and it’s also unbearably awesome.
Then, finally, there’s that smile at the end, when Dawn asks her “What are we gonna do now?” Did your heart not swell with triumph?!
Triumph, I say!
It was a clever choice to name the episode “Chosen”–a perfect symbol for the final shift in thinking that not just saves the world, but changes it. Since that very first episode, we’ve had it beaten into our heads that Buffy is the Chosen One. If you’re like me, you never really noticed that passive voice, but in the series finale it was inescapable. Who chose it? Until now, those three dudes from thousands of years ago. But as of today, the slayers have chosen their fates for themselves- much happier fates now that there are more of them, one hopes. And that last question Dawn poses is a choice as well–a choice Buffy’s never really had before. She smiles as it fully dawns on her that she has control over her own life.
If we all question the passive voices and the first rules in our own lives, and claim our power over them, I like to think a smile like that awaits us all.
Kate is an editor at disruptingdinnerparties.wordpress.com, activist, dancer, and lover of ice cream and cat videos
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14 thoughts on “The series finale of Buffy is heartwarmingly feminist”
paulidin said:
Yay! This post made me laugh and cry and smile and I love you! I basically talked out all these points, annoying the hell out of my friends at the time, for maybe three weeks after the finale aired on TV. Sigh. Good stuff.
katejowrites said:
Right? I have gushed some version of this to unsuspecting friends enough times that I figured it was high time I put it in writing.
Elaine (@laineynzo) said:
Despite being a Buffy fan for 13 years, I actually only watched “Chosen” a few days ago. Ten years after it aired! I know the general plot, Willow activating the Potentials and Sunnydale being reduced to a crater but I did not expect how powerful Buffy’s final speech would be.
I totally agree that the larger point is not just about Buffy being the Chosen One with no say in her part, it’s about all the oppressive structures that a lot of the world has to deal with for no good reason.
This is a show that has delivered a lot of awe-inspiring moments in its seven years but that moment was just perfect for me. It’s Buffy and Willow subverting a system created by men thousands of years ago. I honestly couldn’t ask for more from a series finale.
Simón Maracara (@SimonAndrs) said:
Have you read The Chain? From Buffy Season 8?
In that issue Whedon questions himself about the actions in Chosen: Did those girls really choose to be a Slayer? The other potentials? The ones that didn’t know about The First and the battle? The girl playing baseball? None of them choose to be “violated” by a demonic power to make them hot chicks with superpowers… Maybe they would’ve choose not to
I think that too should be comented… but still a great article
History Nerd Girl (@HistoryNerdGirl) said:
I got goosebumps!
Season 5 of the way through my annual rewatch. Looking more forward to that now than ever.
Peter Santana (@Soulbrave22) said:
I really love this show, and this ep is one of the very best!
and i have applied that message in religion — the bible for example — just men.. you know? so, i say we change the rule* c:
Patrick Lagua said:
I did love that moment in the show…it is slightly sad that that development was somewhat rolled back in season 9 in comics…interestingly enough, due to fan outcry about how ‘big’ and ‘large’ season 8 was. Meh, fans.
Yay! I love Buffy. Buffy was the show that got me interested in feminism and stuff, cos I read that Joss Whedon was a feminist and I was like “… whaaat? a guy is a feminist?”. I know it sounds silly, but knowing that a guy was OK with feminism made me less scared of being like a man-hater type if I read more about feminism.
Loved this ep, especially when Buffy, Willow and Xander are walking down that corridor in the school and they all split off and then Buffy’s left.
Simón has an interesting point though — those girls are having slayerness forced on them by Buffy and co. Is it much better than having it forced on them by the old guys? Well I guess it’s a bit better, because under Buffy’s way there’s a lot of slayers, so they can share the burden instead of having it all be on Buffy (and Faith).
But it’s still got that kinda forcedness there. It would be better if potential slayers could choose to take up there powers (consequently getting embroiled in all the demon fighting) or not. Although I guess if they were given a choice then most if not all of them would choose no, and if there were no slayers everything would go to hell.
Taylor Devost said:
Yes! Yes! Yes! Everything about Buffy and Joss is just perfection.
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labordudedave said:
Hahaha “you’ve got Angel breath” is now one of my favorite lines.
So I actually listened to your spoiler alert, and only just finished watching the series (I think I was on S3 when you wrote this post). Veronica Mars is next.
Watching the show all in a few months makes me wonder how much of it Joss Whedon planned ahead of time. I think the last couple episodes, in a lot of ways, mitigate some of the more un-feminist moments of the show as a whole. For instance, Faith’s last one-night-stand turning into something meaningful, and Buffy’s relationship with Spike becoming a source of strength. The moment where Buffy’s all, I don’t fucking care whether this relationship is Whedon-approved (in the words of that Mary Sue article you linked to) sort of acts as a last reveal, saying look, those previous episodes with their less feminist messages were actually just leading up to this moment. If you think of the show as if it’s been written beforehand from stat to finish, B5-style, then the entire show does take on a feminist bent that I think is missing from some of the earlier seasons (I mean, seriously, how many times does Zander get Black Widow-ed, it’s ridiculous).
Some of the most revealing moments in television and in my life have come when people, faced with a seemingly unwinnable situation, change the rules. It was the first lesson of my public policy class; the professor gave us an assignment to allocate the 30 seats in the class among all the students who want to take the class. The point of the assignment was, no matter what you do, there will be winners and losers, unless you change the original rule and make the class bigger than 30, which was a totally arbitrary number. Also reminds me of the classic Star Trek Kobayashi Maru test, and of a time when I was working with a socially-conscious client who wanted to institute a mentoring program for queer employees, but realized that the progressive city where I lived had anti-discrimination rules making that difficult. The answer is to go and change the rules in all of these situations.
I realize probably nobody will read this comment. But hey, I’m sitting home sick and watching some good television, so I might as well write a couple thoughts about it! Thanks for the lovely post.
Thank YOU for the lovely reply! You are going to love the first two seasons of Veronica Mars. I guarantee it.
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Category: NYC Trip
Published on September 19, 2013 January 23, 2016 by lentonatorLeave a comment
Last time in “Agrin’s Gate”
“NOO! My spiders! My workers! They will pay with blood for this!”
And now, the exciting conclusion.
The cry echoed across the dark expanse. Aelar, hovering near the crystal, rose above to see. Squinting against the light of the sunrod in his teeth, he could make out a faint glimmer opposite the ledge where the party was. As the glimmer grew, so did the ranting and raving of the voice.
Realizing his friends couldn’t see the approaching threat because of the enormous crystal blocking their view, he hurried back. Landing on the ledge, he put the sunrod away.
“Whoever that is, he’s angry, and he’s coming this way,” said Drel.
“He’s coming from an opening on the opposite side of the crystal.” Aelar added.
As he stood on the ledge facing the party, he noticed the shape of the hallway was the same as the one he saw the glimmering light in. The voice cried again.
“All of my spiders, a lifetime of work, whoever you are, you will surely die for this!” The voice cried. There was a hint of age in the man’s voice.
“Where are you? What have you done to my laboratory! I hope you are ready for a fight you fiendish knaves… you monsters!”
The party made sure the ledge was clear of debris and readied their weapons as the sound of mechanical spiders began anew. They prepared for the worst as a peel of thunder rang out.
The crystal lit up like a star and shot lightning in all directions. Aelar and Drel narrowly dodged the bolts as Balthazar, Ashar, Drull, and Vore were knocked to the ground. As they helped their companions up, the crystal went dark once more, but the thunder didn’t subside; instead it shifted, the reverberations of exploding air giving way to a mechanical sound, as spiders whirred to life below.
Below the thousands of drones could be spotted, their dull red eyes a swirl of motion in the blackness. From the far side of the expanse, more whirring could be heard, mixed with crunching metal. Rounding the side of the crystal was a slow-moving wave of spiders, spilling over themselves to form an oncoming platform upon which stood – a wizard.
He was human, shoulder-length hair blowing about his face, jet black with streaks of silver. He wore a long robe of crimson red with gold trimming and a high collar; other than that there he wore no jewellery, held no wand or staff. His hands were flexed as if they were each crushing the life from a small creature as he approached without flinching.
Hundreds of spiders climbed vainly to serve their master, locking together to make the approaching platform. Below it the spider’s dull-red eyes could be seen shifting around, vying for dominance. Drones crippled in the deactivation from falling formed a foundation, crushed to oblivion under the weight of the throng.
Still some distance away, the party worked out a quick plan. Aelar would carry Balthazar on his back to the floating platform where they would battle the mage. Vore would cast light and heal allies when he could. Ashar’s swordmage skills gave him the ability to defend from a distance. Drel would fire with arrows while Drull, the strongest, would hurl what he could find at the mage. Iltani was still nowhere to be seen.
The mage came within range, fire in his eyes. “You will rue the day you crossed the great mage, Rossar Nold!”
Aelar, Balthazar in tow, flew clumsily toward the platform, barely able to keep them in the air. Rossar saw them and fired an arc of lightning at them. Robbed of his usual agility, Aelar was helpless to dodge the attack. The bolt struck him high in the chest, doubling him over and knocking Balthazar off of his back, sending them both to their doom.
Aelar could hardly breathe, but he fought the instinct to panic as he focused to restart the flow of psionic energy. He regained control and directed all of his effort through his palms. In moments his fall was stopped and he looked down.
Balthazar could barely be made out against the abyss, his silhouette shrinking as he fell into the sea of red eyes. With a sickening thud, a burst of flame erupted from him, and then went dark. Himself now furious, Aelar shot upward toward the electromage.
Drel was hiding behind Ashar’s shield as he deftly fired arrows at the mage. The ones that weren’t incinerated by lightning were stopped by drones, leaping to protect Rossar, and tumbling into the blackness. Aelar flew around the platform, keeping low and out of sight. Then rushing from behind, let loose a blood curdling war cry, giving Rossar the moment he needed to sidestep the Elf’s flying kick.
“So, you wish to duel with a master? So be it!” Rossar said as he took on a fighting stance. Aelar matched his stance and they began circling each other, looking for a opening. Then, with a twist of his hand, Rossar fired another bolt at Aelar.
The elf, no Tiefling on his back, dodged it easily and moved to deliver a flurry of blows. Rossar Nold moved like water, shifting and swerving around each blow. It was as if he knew what Aelar would do before he could think it. Drel didn’t dare risk hitting Aelar, and so he, Drull, Vore, and Ashar watched helplessly as they dueled.
Rossar fired more bolts, but Aelar deflected or absorbed them with psionic barriers around his hands. They kicked and punched until finally they locked in a grapple. Aelar thought he had the advantage when one of the spiders reached up and bit his ankle. Wincing, he lost focus and with it his psionic protection. Rossar shot lightning through his palms and into Aelar, who fell limp beside him.
As the Drel strung another arrow, Vore cried. “Look, below!”
In the darkness a bonfire appeared to be moving up the side of the spider column. Balthazar invoked the wrath of the Abyss, and a flaming cloak swirled around him as he clawed above the drones, having orders to climb only. Drull roared with glee and he and the others fought to distract the mage with renewed hope.
Rossar, unaware of Balthazar’s ascent, resumed his defensive posture. “Fools! See now the eve of your destruction, your friend lies dead beside me, a bad omen for yourselves, yes?”
“Not likely.” Balthazar lunged across the platform at Rossar. Once again the mage was too quick, and nimbly dodged his charge as Balthazar tripped and crashed into Aelar’s body. Rossar raised his hands, his eyes looking like a viper about to strike.
“A great deal more likely than you think Tiefling. Die like your fallen comraaaAAAH!”
Rossar’s right hand was being coated in shards of crystal, forming a frost over his fingers. He tried in vain to use his other hand to rub it off, but it only stuck to the frost as it crept up his right arm. His hands stuck together, he watched in horror as the frost thickened into a layer of crystal, shards now gathering around his feet and legs.
Within seconds the shards had formed a thick crust around the mage, rendering him totally immobile.
“Did I miss something important?” Balthazar smiled in spite of himself.
“Iltani, you magnificent bastard!”
“In the flesh, or should I say around it. He’s unable to move for now, he will pass out from lack of air soon enough. How is Aelar?” Inquired Iltani. Balthazar checked for signs of life.
“He’s dead Iltani.”
“Very well, this mage is unconscious.” With that, Iltani dissociated and reformed in his traditional self. Searching Rossar’s body, they found a small vial. Iltani examined it closely.
“Hmm, it appears to be for repairing electrical damage, likely a safety measure for accidents,” he surmised.
Balthazar desperately administered the vial to Aelar; as Aelar had to him on that first day in the Goblin’s den. “Don’t you die on me Aelar. Don’t you dare.”
The Tiefling’s eyes blazed with mixed rage and fear as they looked at Aelar. Black lines traced across the monk’s face, the fluid flashing through his nerves. Then with a sudden convulsion Aelar doubled over, gasping and coughing up blood.
As this was happening the platform of spiders started to sink as the energy Rossar had been supplying them personally had stopped. Picking up Aelar and Rossar, Balthazar and Iltani braced themselves as the column sank into a heap of debris and machinery.
“How are you doing?” Shouted Vore into the renewed blackness. “We’re throwing down a rope!” Drel and Drull quickly took the rope they had between them and fashioned it into two strong cords. Lowering them down, Vore cast sunlight where he’d last seen them.
“We’re alive, more or less. Get ready for some heavy lifting.” Balthazar shouted back.
Balthazar took what rope he had and bound the mage’s hands and feet. Iltani saw the dangling lines, in Vore’s light, and made a sling for Aelar. Giving his rope a quick, double tug, Aelar started to be hoisted up in heaves and hos. Balthazar climbed the other line while Iltani waited with the mage.
Reaching the ledge when the mage did, Iltani sat with him as Vore saw to everyone’s wounds. Finishing, everyone feeling refreshed, they shook the mage awake. The rage in his eyes had subsided somewhat, giving way to fear. Balthazar assumed a wrathful aspect, fire dancing around him and twisting off of his horns as he spoke in a voice that would make a demon quiver.
“You will talk, or you will die.” He growled. Rossar nodded dumbly, trembling.
“Who are you?” He asked.
“I am Rossar Nold, electromage of the Ninth Order, emissary of the Blood Prince.” He stammered.
“You mean Orcus?” Ashar said.
“Y-yes.”
“What is your purpose under this forest?” Vore asked.
“I was constructing the great crystal behind you.”
“Well, that crystal wasn’t always so big, it used to be much smaller, only a few feet across. It sat in a room, acting as a portal between planes. The problem was that my Lord needed it to be much larger. You see, the bigger the crystal, the larger it’s sphere of influence. It’s original size was barely large enough to move a small town, like Agrin’s Gate.”
“So that’s what the crystal was for.” Said Ashar.
“Wait, you are the ones who took the crystal down the hall? It does explain why you are down here…” Began Rossar.
Aelar interrupted, “Rossar, why did demons come out of the crystals when they were touched?” Remembering the demon’s bite sorely.
“The crystals were possessed. For control and defense. If the right hands were laid on the crystal, it would allow them to control their destination to anywhere in the ring. The wrong hands would release the demon to dispatch them and return to its crystal.”
“What ring? Like a chain of crystals?” Ashar guessed.
“Yes, each crystal is tethered to one before and behind it, together forming a ring you can travel along.” Rossar had calmed down somewhat, excited to boast of his knowledge.
“If the demon defending a crystal is defeated, it is designed to travel to its tethered cousin, near enough to lure the foe into another trap, but not so close that the enemy could make a surprise attack. Such was the belief at least.”
“And the ‘spheres of influence’ as you call them, why do they swap places?” said Iltani.
“Well, all of the material you displace, it has to go somewhere. When it’s just a person, and it’s only some air, a brief rush is often felt as it pushes out of the way. But a town or city requires a different solution.”
“Fair enough, and what did Orcus want with this crystal?” Iltani pressed.
“I don’t know.” Rossar said. Balthazar fingered the hilt of his sword.
“I really don’t know! I think he was planning an assault on the Shadowfell, maybe to swap the Raven Queen’s palace with his own. Maybe to move a great army in an instant, but I swear he never told me.”
“Why do this Rossar?” Vore could tell this man hadn’t always been so evil.
“He said… he said he could bring her back.”
“My wife, Elara. Orcus said that once he ruled the dead, he’d restore my wife to her living self.” Rossar, realizing that his dreams were crushed, began to weep.
“She was everything I had, my light, my whole life!”
Vore sympathized. “I too lost someone dear to me, and for a long time I let it rule me, but I’ve moved past it.” He looked at Iltani, who nodded back. “Your loss was terrible, of that I have no doubt; but that demon would have betrayed you, it is his nature.”
“You don’t know that!” Rossar cried through hot tears, “you don’t, oh what’s the point. It doesn’t matter anymore I suppose. Are you satisfied? Are you going to kill me now?”
“No.” Aelar said. Balthazar began to protest, but Aelar lifted a hand. Kneeling in front of the mage sitting on the floor, the elf looked deep in his eyes.
“No Rossar, we aren’t going to kill you, though I’m sure no one would object. We even have an executioner’s axe should we change our mind.” Drull grinned as Aelar continued.
“Rossar, you will pay by restoring the wrongs your actions have led to. You will use your knowledge to control a fragment of that crystal, bring back Agrin’s Gate, and send the Lizardfolk and their patch of swamp back where it came from.”
“Well that’s quite complicated. I don’t…”
“I wasn’t finished,” said Aelar sternly. “After that, we will contact the Raven Queen’s Shadar-Kai and put this whole matter in their hands. As far as I’m concerned it involves them, and their queen, most. The Gate, the townsfolk, us, are all just collateral damage.”
Rossar was silent, thinking. “I can’t promise anything, but I can try.”
– The End
Rossar, with help from Iltani, extricated and duplicated the crystal the party had first found, and through a series of trial and error, restored both the Lizardfolk swamp and the Gate to their proper place. The swamp was easy enough, and the Gate was found, snap frozen, in ice in the Elemental Chaos, unharmed.
The capital was notified with an unofficial report delivered by Drull, who was freed from the party’s service, and went on to other heroics, mostly as a goblin clan infiltrator.
The capital, having also received an official report from The Lieutenant, and an addendum from Bryne himself, notified the refugees in Mirehaven of the Gate’s restoration. Over the next year the wall’s breaches were repaired and the town was put on a path to restore it’s former wealth and renown from trade.
The party handed over Rossar to the Shadar-Kai authorities, who kept him for information and research on crystals and mechanical constructs. The crystal was taken to the shadowfell and sealed away for future use.
For their heroics deeds the party became myths of song and poem across the Prime and the Shadowfell. They were called Keepers of the Gate, Slayers of the Vampire and Lamia, Protectors of the Shadowfell, and servants of the Raven Queen.
The party continued in service of the Raven Queen for many years to come, becoming paragons of justice and might wherever they went.
I hope you enjoyed this revised and expanded version of Agrin’s Gate. It was originally the product of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign run by the dashing Karl Reimer.
A combat-heavy campaign, there was little emphasis on character background, coherence, or conversation. This proved to be a double-edged sword because while it afforded me more freedom in adapting our story into a narrative, I also had much more work to do in terms of filling gaps and making sure things made sense.
Let me introduce the cast:
Karl, Human Dungeon Master (Karl Reimer)
Baarda, Human Lieutenant Dungeon Master (John Baarda)
Aelar, Elven Monk (Dave Lenton, myself)
Ashar, Genasi Swordmage (Jonathan Baarda)
Cordus, Minotaur Warden (Grant Davis)
Drel, Human Ranger (Jake Redekopp)
Drull, Bugbear Barbarian (Grant Davis)
Iltani, Shardmind Psion (Andrew Alkema)
Vore, Human Cleric (Rylan Halteman)
Over the course of nine months, we laughed and fought as members of a rag tag party, hurtling through planes and villains. I tried to keep up but got distracted and rushed to complete the story for a college newspaper.
Fast forward a year, I’m on my way to New York City for a mission trip and looking to raise funds. I offer to write stories featuring donors if they give a prescribed amount. My friend Ross Arnold is very generous and donates… enough. That’s all I’ll say.
Having wanted to re-write the tale for a while, I think to write him in and kill two birds with one stone. Originally part of a band of soldiers who were impressed by the party in the swamps near Mirehaven, Ross opted for a more villainous role. Happy to do it, he became the fearsome Rossar Nold, electromage, and underlying villain to the whole tale. Hope you liked your part Ross.
Now, being an engineer, I have a love/hate relationship with statistics. In this case, love. Before this, Agrin’s Gate was the longest thing I’d ever written. But I wonder, how much longer is the Revised and Expanded (R & E) Edition?
Original Ed. Word Count
R & E Ed. Word Count
Foreword & Acknowledgements N/A 309
Prologue – The Gate N/A 815
The Contract 448 662
On Route To The Cave N/A 708
First Blood 350 1 019
Bugbears and Krenshars 663 818
Vore 576 679
The Crystal 472 1 334
The Incident 795 1 005
The Swamp 445 539
The Fortress 939 1 011
Cordus 170 212
Bryne’s Suspicion 394 434
Dinosaurs 352 807
Bryne’s Refusal 297 355
Dragons (Finally) 624 887
Tales of their Pasts 1 259 872
The Feywild 523 572
The Town N/A 272
The Widow 878 1 450
A Change of Plans 194 265
Here We Go Again 489 619
Drull 519 828
Surrounded 596 775
Credit Where Credit Is Due 241 429
The Shadowfell 862 1 375
It Comes Full Circle 1 056 1 614
Endgame N/A 2 355
Epilogue 38 235
Afterword N/A 526
Totals: 13 180 23 781
This is almost longer than every major report or essay I submitted for my university degree, combined. Am I proud? Yes, very.
Don’t forget to be awesome,
Dave Lenton
Categories Agrin's Gate, NYC Trip, Stories•Tags crystal, dnd, drone, end, fantasy, fiction, mage, orcus, raven queen, robot, spider
Agrin’s Gate – Part X: The Shadowfell, It Comes Full Circle
The Shadowfell
Unlike the portal into Mirehaven, nothing could be seen through it. But, seeing the confidence with which the Shadar-Kai strode through, and not wanting to give them an excuse to call them timid, the party followed without delay.
The change in atmosphere was tangible as they stepped through the portal. What used to be humid, wild, and heavy forest air, had changed into something faintly acrid tasting, and much thinner, as if the air itself weren’t as real. They entered a large, circular room of dark grey stone with vaulted ceilings. The dimness of the room, in contrast to the saturating hues of the Feywild forest explained why the destination of the portal had seemed somewhat, abyssal.
The room was mostly unadorned, save for six engraved black pillars surrounding the teleportation circle, where the party had first stepped, and a painting on the ceiling of a large black raven, the Queen’s sigil. Arrow slits were inlaid along the walls, and peering through them afforded a look across a bleak landscape with char-black trees and a haze of silvery mist. They were on an upper floor of some sort of keep.
“This is the Shadowfell,” explained Iltani to the group. “It is one of the six principle planes of existence. To those who travel them, the ‘World’ is more commonly called the ‘Prime’. I hail from Astral Sea, home to immortals and most Gods. If you consider the world to be a template plane, the Feywild is a hyper-vivified version, full of light, magic, and colour. On the other end of the balance is the Shadowfell, a hypo-vivified version, practically void of life or light.”
“Unlike other Gods, the Raven Queen chooses to reside in this plane, to stay close to death, over which she has dominion.”
“That is only four planes Iltani,” observed Vore, “what of the other two?”
“They are the Elemental Chaos and the Far Realm, but enough of that.”
The Shadar-Kai who had escorted the party exchanged kurt nods with three more waiting to receive them, some murmured brief greetings to each other. A few from the escort immediately headed off toward the keep’s inner chambers.
“We’ve been expecting you,” said one of the receiving officers.
“Please follow me to the audience chamber. It is a more suitable place to recognize your accomplishments and discuss your reward.”
Travelling through the hallways of the keep, the utter lack colour became increasingly obvious. Even the colour on the party’s packs and clothes washed out. Occasionally they caught a glimpse of what appeared to be ghosts gliding purposelessly through the halls, but whenever they turned to look at them, they disappeared. As the companions passed Shadar-Kai in the halls, eyes drifted inquisitively towards them. Some of them decided to tag along in their wake. They kept their distance, but their curiosity had obviously been piqued.
Eventually the guide led them to a hallway with a large set of double doors made of pure black stone at its far end. The hall appeared empty, but the Shadar-Kai who entered performed a rigid salute. Their eyes were fixed on a corner that was darker than the others. Try as they might, not one of the adventurers could fix their gaze as their saluting peers did. Their eyes kept drifting away from it against their will.
Piecing together sideways glances, they could just make out a dangerous looking Shadar-Kai sitting on a stool, idly sharpening his daggers. He practically exuded darkness, or perhaps he was consuming light, it was hard to say. Even after they knew that he was there the party found their eyes slipping off of him and looking anywhere but at the corner in which he was sitting.
“Well I hear you’re the ones who killed the vampire lord. Took you long enough,” he sneered.
“Who are you?” Asked Balthazar.
“I,” he paused for effect, “am Serbahn.”
“Tell us then, Serbahn,” Aelar said, “what is your greatest feat?” Aelar had overheard other Shadar-Kai talking. Their greatest accomplishments were who they were, it was how they measured their greatness. Serbahn’s eyes flashed excitedly before resuming their indifferent look.
“I slew the mighty demon Saulknor,” a cold chill went down the spines of those who knew the name, “and took from him, Kalina Ia: the light eater.”
He stood, “a High Priestess of the Raven Queen will be addressing you personally. Behave yourselves. Speak only when spoken to.”
He walked into the next room, the black doors sliding back silently, opening into a hall with galleries on either side. The Witch and Serbahn walked onto the dais at the end of the hall, standing in opposing corners. The group was ushered forward as the entourage of Shadar-Kai that had been following filed into the galleries. The Witch began a recitation which the assembly continued. Vore knew it and spoke with the assembly, some of the party mumbled along, and the rest kept silent.
The Witch addressed the hall, “why are you worthy to receive the honour of High Priestess’s presence?”
At this the Shadar-Kai took turns either praising their accomplishments or cutting their hands to cover their iniquity. Balthazar, Drel, and Drull all cut their hands, unsure of what to say. Vore, Ashar, Iltani, and Aelar spoke of the demons, Lamia, and Vampire Lord they’d defeated; and the town they’d defended. The Witch nodded with approval.
She took a drink from a pedestal on the dais and muttered under her breath. The pedestal sank into the floor, light vanishing into the space it left, and a blast of cold air rushed out, forcing Aelar and Iltani to shudder. Out of this void stepped the High Priestess.
“You have done well mortals, this ceremony is reserved for acts of great courage and valour. It is our custom to tell the story of the honoured,” said the High Priestess.
“In the beginning you were a motley band of mercenaries, tasked with eliminating a trivial goblin threat. Fate, it would seem, had greater designs for you. A crystal of immense power was discovered, which you took to your captain. When it was activated, the whole town you’d been asked to rid of goblins was thrust through the world to a swamp where you fought Lizardfolk and their kin.
“Your Arcanist determined that the crystal was being drawn by others and their possession would grant you the power to restore the town. Through a swamp fortress, a desert, a frozen wilderness, and the Feywild, you sought out and retrieved these artifacts.
“We found you in a cave in the frozen wilderness. On a different mission we left you to your goal. When we learned of the crystal’s true nature, that it was being used for the designs of Orcus, may he die…”
“May he die,” the hall echoed in unison.
“We tracked you to the Feywild and evacuated the people of your town in exchange for killing the Vampire Lord and his thralls, servants of Orcus, may he die.”
“May he die.” The group chimed in.
“What say you to these things?”
Each member responded in turn. Most gave an, “all in a day’s work,” response; some flowered it up with words about service in battle against Orcus and his forces. Iltani had the unwitting audacity to correct the High Priestess on the nature of his mortality, in that he wasn’t, earning himself a disapproving glance.
“For your service in these days past, you will each receive ten thousand gold pieces, and a selection of weapons and talismans from our armouries. For those who demonstrated the confidence to state their accomplishments before my arrival, you may receive a tattoo to mark your deeds forever. Go now; live to die!”
“Live to die,” repeated the Shadar-Kai, and the High Priestess walked back into the void she came from. As the pedestal rose back to its place, the crowds stood and filed out of the hall. The Witch and Serbahn stepped down from the dais and faced the group.
“You may rest here and select your items and tattoos in the morning, after that we will allow you passage to whatever place you choose.” The Witch said.
It Comes Full Circle
The next day the group discussed where they’d like to go next as they excitedly picked out their new armour and clothing. The Astral Sea, the Feywild (Aelar’s choice), the Prime, so many options. They decided, at Iltani and Ashar’s behest, to return to Agrin’s Gate, or at least where it was, and examine the magical barrier they had encountered in the goblin cave at the beginning of their journey.
For Ashar, that barrier was the magical power source he’d traveled to the Gate in search of. He had hoped the crystal might sate his thirst for knowledge, but it had not. That barrier was powerful, and whatever lay beyond it must be equal, or greater. The others, save Drull, who had never been to the cave, relished the thought of adventure, the satisfaction of seeing what had been beyond their grasp.
After donning their new accoutrements, Drel, Drull, and Balthazar took some time to test their gear by sparring in the barrack’s arena while the others received their tattoos. When the tattooing was finished, they met their companions and went for a few rounds. Panting heavily, the first three called for a break, and as if on cue the Witch entered the arena.
“You have received your rewards, have you found them acceptable?” She asked.
The party gave a cheer, and each demonstrated what they had, banging a shield, setting a target on fire, warping a rock into gravel. The Witch grinned wryly.
“Excellent, then the only thing left is to send you off. Have you made a decision?”
Aelar stepped forward, “yes, a portal to Agrin’s Gate.” The Witch was confused.
“The town is in the Abyss right now, are you certain?”
“Apologies, we mean it’s original location, on the capital road if possible.”
The Witch nodded with a certain knowing, as if that had been her understanding all along.
“Very well, stand back.”
Once again, she create a ring which sank part way into the arena floor, forming an arch. Through it could be seen swaying trees and dappled sunlight. With brief nods they saluted the Witch and walked through.
The air seemed to fill with life again, it was like breathing all over again. Within minutes even the more battle-weary were refreshed and invigorated. They were on the capital road, not far from where the Gate had been. Going to see what was left of it they came suddenly upon a dried out swamp.
In the distance they could see Lizardfolk who had been carried along with the swamp when the town and swamp had switched places. They seemed less at home in the temperate forest clime, but were keeping to themselves. The group ignored them and walked back up the road toward the goblin cave.
“I’m new here, but I can guess that the swamp was a surprise to see. Why?” Asked Drull.
“I think I’ve worked it out,” said Ashar. “I think that whenever the town teleported, everything that got moved switched places with the destination. That’s why when we were in the Feywild there was an enormous ice sphere. In the elemental chaos a floating iceberg isn’t uncommon, the town likely teleported inside it.”
“Oh,” Drull was lost, but that happened to him a lot. Instead of pursuing it he kept quiet and focused on his axe, rehearsing battles.
The road, the path, the cave, it all seemed almost quaint and nostalgic to the companions now. Since their first battle they had become a lethal force, and they had been rewarded handsomely for it. As they passed the pit Vore recounted his outburst at leaving the goblin bodies around.
“While I maintain my position on disposing bodies, which I thank you all for respecting; I was a little hot-headed that first day with you guys.” He admitted.
When they got to the second dirt chamber they found the entrance to the crystal chamber had been boarded up again. Not noticing anything dangerous about it, they broke down the boards and moved onward. Once again they descended deep into the mountainside with Vore telling Drull about the battles they’d had since they first met.
Reaching the end of the passage, Vore suggested they go left to stop by the crystal chamber. Like the entrance though, all evidence of their presence had been erased: the chamber looked exactly like they had first found it before, save for the crystal not being there.
Confused but undaunted, the group doubled back and went to the barrier. Iltani, much more versed in the nature of magic, barriers, and doors than last time, tried his hand at the barrier. After what seemed like an eternity, Ashar stepped in to assist. When the barrier fell, a surge of energy hit both of them.
Ashar’s armour carried it around him, leaving him largely unscathed. Iltani wasn’t so fortunate. His crystal frame seemed to be a perfect conductor, and absorbing most of the shock he burst into a thousand shards. The group was silent.
“I’m IMMORTAL. I can pull myself back together but it will take some time, probably an hour or so. Go on without me, I’ll catch up when I’ve re-corporealized.”
It was then that they noticed the sound of scurrying. Like thousands of tiny feet, or claws, were wandering; chittering about. Taking the cautious route, Drel volunteered to be the vanguard, creeping ahead; but without Iltani’s usual telepathic link Drel was unable to concentrate as he usually did.
The group worked they way down to a narrow corridor with a vaulted ceiling, much like the way to the crystal chamber. The corridor opened up to a great laboratory: the walls were marked with runes and glyphs in various dark tongues, and vats of acid sat in a corner near some towering bookshelves. In the room were three mezzodemons, two immoliths, and a beholder.
The insectoid Mezzodemon with a trident.
A foe to be avoided, the Immolith.
A hovering monstrosity, the beholder
Drel was noticed immediately, and the group rushed to assist him. They were making quick work of their foes when one of the Immoliths retreated to a control room and activated a panel.
Suddenly the scurrying they’d heard before became much louder, and a deep roar resonated from the back of the room. As they continued fighting mechanical spiders began pouring in, scurrying up the walls and ceilings and dropping down on the party.
About three feet across, not a problem unless there are many of them…
Surprised by the sudden onslaught the party regrouped and redoubled their efforts. They began to hold ground when a crashing noise came from the spider’s entry point. Whatever was back there had reached the door, and was too large to fit through. Aelar signalled to Ashar that he should examine the panels in the control room and see if there was a way to disable these spiders.
Backing into the corner of the laboratory that held the control room, almost seventy spiders had entered the lab as the party covered Ashar. He managed to find the deactivation switch, but it was encoded to only work with the handprint of a mezzodemon or immolith. With a sudden crash the thing that had been breaking the entrance down burst in. It was a bebilith, a great demonic spider that dwarfed its smaller copies, its legs spanning fifteen feet.
Ashar called to Drull to grab the nearest body he could find and bring it his hand. With a dull THUD Drull’s axe came down on a mezzodemon’s wrist, hewing two spiders as it traveled. He hastily grabbed the severed claw and threw it to Ashar who slapped it on the panel.
With a whir some of the spiders began to slow down as the bebilith pinned them in the corner. The party fought to hold their ground as the spiders began to pile around them. The bebilith began spewing flaming webs at the men, their odds shrinking with every shot.
Then with a chug and a sputter, the bebilith and spiders simply broke down. The chattering of mechanical feet gave way to crashing commotion beyond the lab as spiders fell from the walls and ceilings.
The party found themselves up to their waists in spiders. Clambering through to the opposite side of the room the adventurers found a strange glowing orb surrounded by rubble. After some experimenting it became clear that the spiders were used for excavating, and the orb had some sort of nullifying capacity that allowed it to absorb anything it came into contact with. The spiders had been dumping rock and debris into it.
Continuing past the laboratory they came upon a sheer drop. In the darkness spiders could be seen falling by the thousands. Channelling psionic energy through his palms Aelar placed a sunrod between his teeth and hovered into the blackness. Vore cast motes of sunlight on the walls.
They found that the drop they’d encountered was actually a curving slope within a gargantuan sphere, thousands of feet in diameter. In the very center lay an enormous crystal, larger than any they’d ever seen.
Before they could guess the crystal’s purpose, a foul, panged cry rang about the sphere.
Part VII: Tales of their pasts, The Feywild, The Town
Part VIII: The Widow, A Change of Plans, Here We Go Again
Part IX: Drull, Surrounded, Credit Where Credit Is Due
Part X: The Shadowfell, It Comes Full Circle
Categories Agrin's Gate, NYC Trip, Stories•Tags bebilith, beholder, crystal, dnd, fantasy, fiction, nopes, raven queen, shadowfell, spiders
Agrin’s Gate – Part IX: Drull, Surrounded, Credit Where Credit Is Due
Drull
The party met the Shadar-Kai next to an enormous dome of ice where the town had been. The townspeople had set up makeshift tents in their wait, as the dome slowly melted, forming icy rivulets and a pool that had fed the streams the men had noticed.
The Shadar-Kai could not have looked more disinterested. Babysitting weaklings had to be the most degrading activity they’d performed in years. Drel chuckled as he thought about the lie of omission they’d make concerning this escapade. Especially since they brought an undead drake with them. It was still circling over the townsfolk, huddled around fires to keep the ice’s chill off. The Witch read their expressions and saw the triumph missing.
“You did not kill the Vampire did you?” She said.
“Now wait just a minute lady.” Balthazar stepped forward. “We have our, or should I say your, crystal right here.”
“But you did not kill the Vampire did you?” She repeated. At this Vore stepped forward, looking somewhat dejected.
“My lady of the Raven Queen.” He began, Drel rolled his eyes.
“The Lamia, the Vampire’s companion, is vanquished. The Vampire Lord possessed an object that shrouded the sunlight Pelor gave me to use as a cleric. With the sunlight concealed, he was able to regenerate more quickly than we could injure him. When she fell, he became insubstantial and risked travel in broad daylight.”
“This was not our agreement,” said the Witch, taking the crystal. “Did he escape with this sun shrouding implement?”
“He did not,” Vore’s expression brightened, “Ashar.”
Ashar stepped forward, producing the object from his bag.
“My knowledge of the arcane is extensive, but the Feywild is an unfamiliar realm brimming with magic. The best Iltani and I can work out, it can do more than shroud light, but neither of us know what.”
Aelar stepped forward to finish the report.
“Without our Minotaur, who has left, I fear the Vampire’s defeat is hopeless,” he said.
The Witch snorted with derision, “I shouldn’t have expected you lot to be able to accomplish this task. Very well, I anticipated this eventuality. We have a warrior with us who owes a debt. Drull?”
A brutish bugbear, not unlike the one they killed in the goblin cave, stepped out from behind a tree. He was a berserker, wielding a *subtle* executioner’s axe, subtle in that its full power was released by wearing no armor, only cloth.
“Drull owed us a debt, so I had him brought here in the likely event that you would fail. Drull!” She barked, “you are to follow this party’s instruction now, do as they do. When the Vampire is dead you will be released from your debt.”
Drull, despite being immense, cowered under the Witch’s glare, and scurried behind the party.
“Now don’t expect this brute to come for free, we’ll be taking that totem from you.”
Ashar handed her the artefact, and taking it, the Witch commanded, “wait here,” and left to consort with the others in a tight circle of trees.
Aelar snuck behind the circle and attempted to listen in. Focusing his mind, he attuned his aural senses outside of the area he was in, and into the tree circle. Oddly, the number of voices among the trees was greater than the group of warriors he’d seen. Focusing harder, he projected his vision into the circle as well.
Looking about, he saw the Shadar-Kai conversing with faintest of shimmers, outlines of even greater Shadar-Kai commanders and mages. They were discussing the artefact, and what to do next with the group. It turned out the Vampire Lord was a servant of Orcus, who had been protecting the town in exchange for dark deeds.
Orcus, a powerful demon lord and god of undeath, is a sworn enemy of the Raven Queen, goddess of death. The Shadar-Kai, as agents of the Raven Queen, took interest in the town’s mage when he had made a pact with Orcus.
When the group first told the Witch of the lost brother and the vampire they found, the town mage become a greater threat, bumping him up the watchlist. This was the real reason Drull had been summoned.
The ‘totem’ as the Witch had called it, was really for communicating with Orcus, who had been fighting the Raven Queen for control of death since she first seized it. The demon god had been using the crystals to move demons in and out of the Abyss, which is why the Witch wanted them.
Aelar left before the end so as not to arouse suspicion, and when the Witch returned she communicated some of this. She added that the vampire’s heading had been located, and that if they started now they could reach him before he regenerated fully. With that the party set off again, uplifted by their reinforcements, even if he didn’t talk.
Following The Witch’s direction, the party walked until they saw a glade. Hiding behind the treeline, they spotted an Eladrin hunter. Being the only person who really belonged there, Aelar stepped out and greeted him. Getting a better view of the glade, he could see that the icy rills from the sphere had reached even this far. There were three or four trees, large and leafy, a wooden shack a distance away, and a great oak on the far side; patches of tall grass were scattered through the field. Looking closer at the trees, Aelar noticed monkeys, big ones, in all of them.
“What brings you here, friend?” The hunter asked, he seemed distracted, but managed a smile.
“I search for a man, a human that ran from a town not far from here.” Replied Aelar, finding his face lacking a certain sincerity.
“Are you alone, friend? Do you search by yourself?” The hunter was scanning the forest beyond Aelar. Knowing he was a terrible liar, Aelar called Balthazar and Iltani forward.
“These are my companions…” It dawned on Aelar. The Eladrin was stalling, the monkeys were moving. Not giving another moment of preparation for his alleged ‘friend,’ Aelar issued a mighty battle cry Cordus had taught him, signalling the others.
In a flurry of foliage the monkeys sprang from the trees and the party rushed to meet them. It turned out that a second hunter had been hiding in the tall grass, and proved difficult to hit. As the monkeys began dying a deep growl rose from the shed. In an explosion of wood splinters and framing timber a shed wall gave way to a Banderhobb, a ten-foot-tall, frog-like creature that swallows you whole and kidnaps you.
The Infamous, Foe-Swallowing Banderhobb
By the time the monkeys were finished off the Banderhobb had reached the party, striking and attempting to swallow them. It succeeded in swallowing Vore before bounding off towards the great oak. Aelar and Ashar, the swiftest, gave chase as the others finished off the Eladrin. Despite Aelar’s Elven speed, and his psionic flying powers, the great frog’s head-start was too great to overtake it. The beast ran behind the tree vanishing from sight. When the pair arrived the Banderhobb, and their friend inside, could not be found.
Noticing something off about the tree itself, Aelar examined the striations in the bark while Ashar searched for magical properties. A hidden door was discovered as the others caught up, Ashar opening it cautiously. Aelar went down a spiral staircase and short passageway before stopping short of the entrance to another room. Drel snuck a bit farther and signalled Iltani to connect them.
“The room is small, the frog…” began Drel.
“Banderhobb.” Interjected Iltani.
“It’s not a frog, it’s a Banderhobb. A creature with a history of kidnapping people, usually children, in their sleep. I read about it in a book of bedtime stories.”
“First, that’s just wrong. Second, who cares? Where’s the Banderhobb Drel?” thought Balthazar.
“The far side of the room, it seems to be stuck in an opening. There’s also a coffin. Just like the one from the basement. Hold on, I’m going to cast a mist.”
Using some tricks he’d picked up in his ranging days, he cast a mist in the room, obscuring his allies from the Banderhobb. Ashar moved into the mist and dealt a blow to the Banderhobb blocking the doorway. Drull and Balthazar, still outside, hacked at the earth, hoping to literally shed light on the situation. Iltani hovered above, maintaining a psychic link and facilitating communications between forces.
Aelar squeezed around the Banderhobb, flanking him. This distracted the beast from Ashar’s killing blow. With a disgusting sound, Vore was vomited up as the slimy creature died. The Vampire had risen from his coffin and was trying to land a blow through the mist. With a thundering roar Drull leapt down the hole and with a mighty blow drove his axe straight through the ground above the Vampire, bringing a rain of earth, stone, and steel upon his head.
At this point the Vampire was totally surrounded, with Aelar’s owlbear, Iltani, and Balthazar waiting to strike should he try to fly off. The Lord became insubstantial and made a vain attempt to escape, but as each fighter laid blow after blow as he passed them, he finally dissolved into ash.
Searching his room they found a reserve of gold; presumably this was some sort of safe house. In triumph the group returned to the Shadar-Kai and made their report.
When they returned, and as they told of their exploits, the Shadar-Kai were visibly impressed. They had not expected the companions to succeed; in fact, they weren’t certain if success was even possible. The Witch, looking less haughty than before, addressed them.
“You have done well warriors, and you have fulfilled your end of the deal. It is time for us to do the same.” She gestured to the huddled townsfolk.
“We will let your people return where they will. The town’s captain, Bryne, has asked that it be Mirehaven where their kin were headed, does this sound suitable?”
The party murmured in acknowledgement.
“Very well.”
The Witch recited an incantation that lasted for several minutes, gathering a crowd as she did so. Many marvelled at how such a lengthy spell could be remembered. When she finished, a large spark of electricity flared and grew into an orb. The orb then flattened to a disc, reaching fifteen feet across, penetrating the ground to form the shape of a circular gate.
From one side the disc looked transparent, but from the other, a small town market could be seen, with a thick morning fog not quite burnt off yet. Early rising merchants were taken aback in shock at the sight; but as the first townspeople went through and explained their origin, they calmed down. The people walked through the gate in single file, taking what belongings they could on their back or by horse. When the guard took its turn, Bryne stopped to speak to the group.
“This wasn’t what I signed up for, Gods know I’m getting too old for this.” He sighed. “But I should be grateful, without you all our town would have suffered great loss. Thank you.”
He moved to the gate, taking post next to it, ensuring everyone got through. The Arcanist approached, but before he could say anything he froze. He just stood in place for a few seconds before resuming his motion jerkily. He blinked hard, staring at Iltani, who nodded.
“Thank you, oh thank you all!” and off he went through the gate.
As it closed, the Witch faced them, Aelar noticed the shimmering he’d seen in the tree circle, and relayed this to the others through Iltani.
“You are all deserving of more than praise, follow.” She turned and recited the cantation again, opening a second gate, this one dimmer in appearance than the last. She and the other Shadar-Kai stepped through. Sensing no danger or ill will, the party followed.
Categories Agrin's Gate, NYC Trip, Stories•Tags banderhobb, bugbear, dnd, elemental chaos, fantasy, fiction, gate, lamia, portal, shadar-kai, vampire
Agrin’s Gate – Part VIII: The Widow, A Change of Plans, Here We Go Again
Published on September 3, 2013 January 23, 2016 by lentonatorLeave a comment
Knocking on the widow’s door, a beautiful woman answered.
“Yes, hello?”
“Good day, we’ve come in hopes of finding a crystal, and possibly your husband too,” said Aelar.
The widow let them in, her beauty only growing as their eyes adjusted to the dimness.
“That is, if you still want him to be found,” added Iltani. She gave him a black look.
Aelar frowned and turned back to the widow. “So, what can you tell us about the night he disappeared?”
“Well, he was out gathering herbs one night for his research. He was always looking to improve…” her voice fell away as a tear came to her eye.
“And then he… he just never came back,” she sobbed quietly
“We may be able to learn more from his study or laboratory,” Ashar offered.
The widow dried her eye as she nodded and led them to a door in the parlor. She made an intricate series of motions, her fingers tracing serpentine symbols in the air before the door. With a shimmer, the face of the door lit up in a pale blue, then the glow withered as if an ethereal wind were carrying off flakes of it. Vore stood next to the widow as she did this, and kept track of the tracings she’d made. While he couldn’t be sure, he thought the symbol was that of a beetle, a scarab.
The protective ward dissolved, the door swung open of its own accord, to showcase a staircase leading below the house. The party followed the widow down the steps, lit by flickering torches, descending for what seemed like an age. The widow stepped into a large, natural, stone cavern with a dressed floor and raised ceilings. As the party filed in, they could make out a set of long, stone chests at the end of the cave. When Iltani, who had taken up the rearguard, reached the cavern, a slam echoed down the stairway from above. The chest lids made a loud rasping as they were pushed back, stone rubbing against stone. When the party saw fingers curling around the chest lids from the inside, they realized two things; they were trapped, and those chests weren’t chests at all: they were coffins.
From the coffins rose three pale figures, one clearly more powerful, a vampire lord. Behind them they heard an chittering sound that made Balthazar turn and gasp.
“The widow!” He cried.
As the others turned they saw the widow’s hands and feet were covered in beetles, forming a writhing mass spreading toward her chest. Balthazar’s first instinct was to warn her, but as a wicked grin twisted across her face, he realized that she wasn’t a widow at all; she was a Lamia; a temptress who devoured foolish men who fell into her snares.
Iltani rallied the thoughts of the party together, coalescing them into a vision, a realization that had eluded each but not all, and formed a story from their individual thoughts. The chieftain’s brother had not died, but had been turned into a vampire, likely for the increased arcane ability (Ashar). The widow was a Lamia, and had lured them, and surely others, down here to die (Balthazar). She keeps the widow story so adventurers come to find her and are never seen again, or missed (Drel). Everyone in the town is fooled by this (Aelar). The door upstairs is magically controlled so that prey are trapped without while the Lamia plays the weeping widow, and within when she’s dropped the gauntlet (Iltani). The only way out will be to fight (Cordus). As a Pelorian Cleric, I can cast radiant light down here to weaken the vampire lord and his spawn (Vore).
The Widow, or Lamia rather
All of this flashed by in an instant of thought.
“Iltani works quickly,” thought Aelar. He looked to his Shardmind friend and, for a brief moment, glimpsed a smile.
As they fought a pile of beetles on one side, Vore cast a mote of sunlight that glowed in the air, taunting the vampires. Unable to regenerate in the mote’s radiance, the two sides were evenly matched. In time the lesser vampires fell, being converted more recently than their sire, the vampire lord, the mage, the brother.
The vile couple continued fighting, and held their own through a half dozen rounds of blows before Aelar threw up his hands to call a cease-fire.
“Clearly this is getting nowhere, you aren’t strong enough to overpower us, nor us you. Let us leave and we’ll simply never speak of this again.” The couple, seeing that victory was by no means certain, conceded.
Returning to the tavern, battered and bruised, the townsfolk gave the group some odd looks, which the group returned. The town seemed to be composed on a hodgepodge of creatures that had wandered into the Feywild by one method or another, none of them really belonging. Likely chased by the Bralani lord while hunting or the hideous, ruthless Fomorian giants, they’d found sanctuary in the town’s walls. A Halfling named sat at the bar, drinking alone. This gave Balthazar an idea.
A Fomorian Highway Raiding Pair
He approached the halfling, “Halfling, what is your name?”
Startled by the sudden interest the tiefling had taken in him, the halfling looked up from his drink.
“People call me Pincher.” Halflings have a reputation for being light-fingered, and Balthazar’s intuition had paid off.
“I think my friends and I could make use of your talents.”
“Talents eh?” Replied Pincher mockingly, “state your business Tiefling, don’t waste my time with your riddles.”
“Very well, follow me.” Leading him back to a table, the group sat and explained to Pincher that there was a crystal they were seeking and that they were almost certain it was in the widow’s house.
“So you want me to get it, fine. And what would I get, besides this beer you bought me?”
“We would pay you 1,000 gold pieces,” said Aelar. Drel hung his head in disbelief, mortified. Paying Vore to join, bribing the bartender with a gold piece when that was enough to rent out the inn for the night, and now offering a few year’s wages for a single theft? Monk’s should not handle money.
“That,” said Pincher, eyes bulging greedily, “sounds like a fair trade.”
Finishing his drink, he staggered out of the tavern, woozy from downing what for a grown man would have been three pints. The group ordered dinner and ate in silence, either too sore or too hungry to talk. Iltani, after smelling a selection of wines, since he couldn’t drink, returned to his watchful thinking position; sitting silently, letting his eyes wander around the room, picking up bits of conversation and piecing them into interactions, needs, desires, and other mortal concerns. If someone didn’t address him directly, Aelar wondered if he’d ever move of his own accord. As if on cue to disprove him, Iltani spoke.
“I think the crystal is alive.”
The group stared. Iltani continued, nonplussed.
“Whenever the town shifts, it’s always on level ground, and level with that ground. It has never been underwater or underground, in a mountainside, or in the air, ever; at the very least it must have a sentient nature to it.
“Also, the Arcanist said that the crystal was being drawn to these places, so it stands to reason that the town is traveling along this sequence of planes. When the Abyss is reached there will be no more crystals to draw us away from there.”
Ashar considered this.
“So, the best thing to do would be to leave the crystal here, in the Feywild. Otherwise if we fail to control the crystals in the Abyss, we’d be stranded there,” he suggested.
“Precisely,” replied Iltani.
“So what do we do when the Halfling gets back?” Asked Drel.
The group mulled it over, and agreed that the Chief should be given the crystal for safekeeping. When Pincher returned, they paid him his new-found fortune and gave the crystal to the Chief, “as a gift to your town,” Aelar said. The chief accepted it, puzzled, and the group left accompanied by Aelar’s Owlbear, making for the Gate. When they arrived they were surprised to find the Shadar-Kai warriors there, the Dracolich from the winter land flying above silently. Bryne and the town guard were in formation in the town square, kneeling with their hands behind their heads. The town was being held hostage.
A Change of Plans
“We’re here for the crystals,” said the Witch as she approached the party. The group kept their weapons sheathed, they knew too well how powerful the Shadar-Kai were from when the Dracolich was still alive.
“Our superiors have shown interest in the crystals. We’ve been instructed to take them back with us. Your Arcanist gave them up easily enough, and told us you’d have one.”
Balthazar cursed the Arcanist under his breath as Vore made an appeal.
“We encountered a Vampire Lord and Lamia in a town near here, he was in possession of the crystal when we arrived. The crystal is now with the town chief. In exchange for helping the people of this town get home safely,” Vore nodded towards Bryne and his men, who were shaking visibly.
“If you get them home, we’ll get you this crystal.”
The Shadar-Kai considered this among themselves before making a counteroffer.
“We’ll open a gate to a location of your choice, within reason, in exchange for your group getting the crystal, and killing the Vampire Lord,” said the Witch.
“Very well, but you have to stay with the townsfolk while we are gone.”
Having nothing more to negotiate, the group took a rest before setting off again. As they laid down in the enchanted forest outside the Gate’s perimeter, Bryne’s voice could be heard ordering the evacuation of the town before it was carried to the Elemental Chaos. The party drifted into a black, dreamless sleep before waking and making for the town again.
Returning to the town, the party went to see the chieftain, only to be stopped at the door to the hall, again.
“Is this really necessary?” Asked Cordus, growing impatient with the guards.
“What is your business?”
“To see your chieftain, what else? Have you forgotten me so quickly guard?” Balthazar stepped forward but before he could utter a threat the guard spat back.
“Our chieftain has taken ill after you gave him that so-called ‘gift’. He rests now in his home, weak.”
Ignoring the guard’s insolent tone, the party proceeded to the chief’s house. After scouting the basement and main floor, Drel gave the all clear and the party entered. Moving up the stairs, Drel entered the bedroom, dark from heavy curtains blocking the sun. Seeing the chief, he prodded him gently. Rolling over, a pale chief opened his eyes and leapt off the bed, fangs bared.
Drel thought one word to the group, “Vampire,” and they were on it. Eager to use his Owlbear in battle, Aelar sent his companion up the stairs to tear down the curtains and let the sun shine. It wouldn’t kill the vampire, but it would stop him from regenerating in the darkness. The poor beast, still new to his master’s commands, misunderstood, and clawed aimlessly at the wall. Rolling their eyes, the others charged in and dispatched the chief in short order.
Searching the house they found nothing. Figuring that the chief’s brother, the Vampire Lord, had taken the crystal and turned the chief in the process, they made for the Lamia’s house. Checking the door for traps they found an ominous one. Cordus suggested they use the window to get inside instead. Balthazar checked the window and, finding no trap, gave Cordus a nod. Head-butting the window, a burst of darkness enveloped Cordus, blinding him and drawing from his life force.
“Was that nod supposed to mean there IS a trap!? Who does that?,” he roared at Balthazar as he clawed at the darkness in vain.
“I didn’t find any traps! I guess it was very well concealed.”
“Well concealed my hooves.” Cordus stood and faced the group.
“You’ve been good companions in these last days, but with this fight I will take my leave, and my debt will be repaid.” The others nodded respectfully.
Entering the house, Iltani entered the combination Vore had seen the previous day making a point of channeling all magical power as he did so. Apparently overdoing it, he too was shrouded in soul-sapping darkness. It seemed that the Lamia had anticipated their return, and changed the tracing pattern. Proceeding down the stairs they charged once again.
With fewer minions it seemed the fight would proceed faster, but changing the locks in the house wasn’t the couple’s only surprise. When Vore cast his mote of sunlight, the Lord shrouded it in darkness, making it useless. Being able to regenerate, the Lord outlasted his companion, and as the Lamia fell into a heap of dying scarabs, he became insubstantial and tried to get to his coffin, but was cut off by Aelar. With that he fled, flying off faster than the group could run.
Searching his coffin they found the crystal and the artefact he’d used to shroud Vore’s sunlight, and with this partial victory they returned to the Shadar-Kai; Cordus taking his leave along the way. They were sad to see him leave, but a warden must keep his ward, and Cordus was no exception. As they got closer to the town, they noticed tiny streams of water building strength along the forest floor, where none had been previously.
Categories Agrin's Gate, NYC Trip, Stories•Tags betrayal, chief, coffin, crypt, dnd, dracolich, fantasy, fiction, halfling, lamia, lies, minotaur, subterfuge, thief, vampire, warden
Agrin’s Gate – Part VII: Tales of their pasts, The Feywild, The Town
Published on August 27, 2013 January 23, 2016 by lentonatorLeave a comment
Tales of their pasts
On the way back Ashar was deep in thought. He was still angry at himself for forgetting about the crystal’s reactive property, and for lying to Aelar. What reason did he have to mistrust his recently made companion? Then a thought struck him, Aelar was a Wild Elf, and probably didn’t know anything of the politics of Genasi nobility he’d grown up with. Or did he? He didn’t really know anything about Aelar other than his talent for flying and naivety of coarser ideas. Really, he didn’t know any of them; and so, catching Aelar up along the river, he inquired:
“Aelar, what is your tale?”
“My tale Ashar?”
“Your story, where you come from…why did you show up at the Gate?”
“Oh, I see.” Aelar drew a deep breath in the frigid air.
“I was born in the deep forests near Agrin’s Gate, raised in the way of my people, the Wild Elves, living in isolation from all outside influences. The elders of my tribe educated me in the ways of self-defence and in the lore of my ancestral homeland, the Feywild.”
“Ah yes, that’s where we are going next,” said Ashar.
Aelar beamed, “yes, it is.” He continued.
“The elders said I was born different from the others. Within weeks I was speaking, and I was leagues ahead of my contemporaries after a few years. I did my best not to flaunt it, and choosing the life of a monk, that I might seek solitude as I came to understand the power within me, this gift.
“About a month ago, many days into a prayer walk, I came upon a human youth. The boy was no more than fifteen years of age, and appeared to have hurt his ankle. Naturally I was startled, having never seen a person of any race other than my own. I helped the boy in getting home, to a small town called Agrin’s Gate. The shock of seeing walls, dressed stone, people? It almost overwhelmed me. How could the elders have excluded the wondrous diversity of this world in their histories?
“I hurried home to speak with the tribe leaders. When the elders found that I had helped a human, an act apparently beneath my kind, I was given the day to pack and leave. I pleaded with the tribe, with my family, to look past their ignorance, and embrace the vibrance around them. To cast off the omissive and classist teachings of the elders and come to see these ‘men’ for themselves?”
Aelar looked downcast as he recalled the bitter memory.
“In the end, they preferred the comfort of their seclusion. I, already seen with some suspicion for my abilities, and shamed by the elders, had no home among my people; and thus, old for a human but naive in spirit, I set out in search of adventure, and greater understanding of the world and its great complexities. I started by returning to Agrin’s Gate, where I met you and the others.”
Aelar’s face had brightened again. Smiling he asked Ashar brightly, “so that’s my story, what’s yours?”
“I was raised in some of the harshest wilderness in the Prime, where my family are hereditary rulers over a poor and sparsely settled territory. Even when I was young I was curious about magic, so when I was old enough, my parents sent me to the one of the most eminent arcane schools in the Capital.”
Ashar spoke with pride, the others had been listening casually to Aelar, with little else to listen to; but Ashar had a more captivating air, his nobility had trained him to command attention.
“At the school I learned much about the magic arts, but my interest in the arcane could not be sated. I decided to explore the world myself, to find out arcane secrets beyond the knowledge of my teachers. My explorations took him to Agrin’s Gate, where whispers about previously unknown magic forces led me to volunteer for this mercenary expedition. It seems now only too true that the rumours were true.”
The group arrived at the Gate before anyone else could share, and presented the crystal to the Arcanist, who thanked them excitedly and scurried off. With little else to do they went to the last tavern in town, what had become a landing point for the whole town after the days survival measures; today was gathering wood for fires. Over rounds of ale the companions continued to recount tales of their pasts. Balthazar had made a Fey pact with a powerful Drow, indebting him to serve later in life, in exchange for power and glory in his youth. Drel and Cordus were silent, preferring the group to deal in mystery over knowledge. As eyes turned to Vore, his gaze rested on Iltani.
“I have a story” he said coldly. Downing his beer, he slammed the stein down, wiped the foam from his lips, and began.
“I was given to the faith as an infant, being born into a family with too many mouths to feed. I grew up happy, since the priests decided to train me as a warrior when other punishments failed to curb my rough-and-tumble play-style. It was there that I met Iltani.”
Vore shot Iltani a glare before continuing.
“Iltani, being a Shardmind, originated from a gate in the Astral Sea. Beyond that gate lay the alien Far Realm, and the gate’s destruction during the Dawn War resulted in the rise of the mind flayer empire. Unlike many of his brethren, Iltani had no interest in rebuilding the gate, but rather sought to understand the nuances of mortal emotions, a concept foreign to his nature.
“This is what he told the head priestess at the temple where I lived, the Temple of Pelor, God of the Sun. The head priestess placed in my charge. She said, ‘some responsibility will straighten you out.’ If only she’d known what she’d agreed to. The head priestess was old and very senile woman, and had gone a bit mad. But she caused no one any trouble, and we all loved her.”
Vore’s voice faltered, “I loved her,” he whispered. When he regained composure his voice was angry as he spoke through hot tears.
“One day she decided that to truly dedicate herself to Pelor she must become one with the Sun itself. And this, this murderer Iltani, attempted to teleport her there.”
Vore’s face was ashen.
“For her death the other elders expelled me, and I never saw Iltani again, until the Gate.”
Iltani spoke, “my actions were misguided Vore, I was trying to help your priestess but I did not know of her frailty, and for that I apologize.”
“Tell that to the elders.” Vore spat back.
“I did, but I was unable to sway their decision, I am sorry.”
Vore’s expression softened. “Well I, I hadn’t realized. Excuse me, I need some air.”
With that he stood and walked out of the tavern. Drel took note of the long shadows being cast, and with a stretch bid the adventurers good day before returning to his chamber. One by one the others followed in turn, until Iltani was alone.
“Iltani?”
“Yes Vore?”
“I’m sorry for harbouring such ill-will toward you over these many years, forgive me.”
Entering the nobleman’s library Iltani began reading from his books, waiting for the town to shift again.
The Feywild
Aelar woke early, his senses tingling with the scents and sounds of his ancestral homeland. A primal energy vibrated in the air, the morning dew shimmering brightly in the gathering dawn. He arose and set about finding mice and rats in the pantries and cellars. By the time the others were eating breakfast he’d gathered nearly a dozen in a bag, squeaking and wriggling.
“What’s with the mice?” Balthazar asked.
“You’ll see,” Aelar replied.
The party got their heading and set off into the wild forests of the Fey realm, taking the runespiral demon-in-a-box with them. After an hour the group came upon a pair of Owlbears, bears with the head and talons of an owl.
An Owlbear
Before the group drew weapons, Aelar raised a hand. Calmly drawing the bag of rodents from his side, he reached in and tossed one near the owlbear. The female pounced for it, eagerly devouring it. Aelar continued this, edging closer. The male didn’t pay any mind to this, he continued to watch the group snarling menacingly. Aelar threw his last mouse behind him and drew a rope, and as the owlbear charged past he bound her swiftly. This enraged the other owlbear, and as the group dispatched it Aelar whispered an Elven phrase in the female’s ear.
The owlbear’s whimpering ceased and its eyes grew docile. Aelar had succeeded in taming a Feybeast companion for himself, he turned to the group.
“Thank you friends. For holding back, we have a new member now,” he said as he unbound the owlbear.
Suddenly a Bralani, an Eladrin noble, and a pack of hunting hounds flew in. He looked fierce and beautiful, his hounds swift and deadly.
“What are you doing in my forest?” He demanded. Aelar stepped forward.
“Noble elf, we are strangers to these lands, and did not know this was your forest. We came upon these owlbears by chance and defended ourselves when they attacked.” Aelar could see that, as with his people, the class system was thriving in the Fey as well. The Bralani looked down on them, both figuratively and literally.
“We, um.” Aelar’s mind was racing.
“Give him the demon?” It was Balthazar, speaking through Iltani.
“We offer a rare creature from beyond this plane, as a gift for your menagerie.”
The Bralani raised a brow, his curiosity piqued.
“Show me this creature, elf.”
Cordus and Ashar stepped forward with the crate, and opening it revealed the demon inside. The Bralani was furious.
“What in Saulknor have you done?” Aelar seemed to shrink under the words.
“You would defile my forest with this infernal creature? How dare you!” Aelar, holding his gaze, whispered to the others, “run.”
The Bralani sicced the hounds on the demon, destroying it in seconds. The party ran for all they were worth, the hounds giving chase on the ground and the Bralani hovering close behind. They emerged from the forest into grasslands, and in the distance they saw a town. As they moved further from the forest edge they could hear the Bralani laughing and shouting taunts at them, before disappearing among the trees.
“Who was that?” Panted Cordus.
“An Eladrin Lord, they are the high elves.” Replied Aelar.
“He likely owns these lands, and was hunting when he heard us,” added Ashar.
They made for the town, in hopes of finding the crystal within.
The town was small, holding a few hundred people, with a wooden hall on the far side. Approaching the guards of the hall, they gave a gruff “Halt!”
“We have urgent business with the chieftain,” said Balthazar.
“Not possible, you’ll need to come back later.” Balthazar’s eyes blazed.
“Listen fool, we’re going to see your chieftain. Whether I have to kill you first is your call.” The soldiers, quivering, stepped back and allowed them entry.
The wooden hall was old and ornate in its carvings. Banners fluttered lazily in the rafters as the party approached the throne.
“Chieftain, we have urgent business with you,” said Balthazar.
Seeing he wasn’t in a position to argue, the chieftain listened as they explained their quest and desire for the crystal. Unfortunately, the chieftain was unable to aid them.
“I wish I could help, but since the disappearance of my brother two years ago, protecting the town has been my only priority. He was a mage who placed protective wards over the town, keeping us safe from Fomorian attack.”
The Fomorians were giants, hideously ugly, that roamed pockets of the Feywild. If the party hadn’t been in such a rush to get into the city, they would have noticed repairs that had been made to the walls.
Seeing that he was telling the truth, they went to the tavern. Aelar bribed the barkeeper in hopes of learning more about the mage, but only found out that the missing brother had left a widow. The widow being their only lead, the group went to her house.
Categories Agrin's Gate, NYC Trip, Stories•Tags chief, dnd, eladrin, fantasy, feywild, fiction, fomorian, giant, hounds, noble
Agrin’s Gate – Part V: The Swamp, The Fortress, Cordus, Bryne’s Suspicion
By the smell of it they were in the swamp they’d teleported to first during the incident, only this time the town had come too. The sound was coming from a battle on the far side of town. In teleporting, part of the town wall had been left behind, leaving a breach in the ramparts. The town had landed in a Lizardfolk settlement. The Lizardfolk are a reptilian race known for their swimming ability and aggressive territorial attitude.
The Lizardfolk of the Swamp
The remains of the unfortunate reptiles who had been crushed by the town’s arrival could be seen radiating outward from the perimeter. With green-scale hunters rushing the town, the guards around the wall stood and fought them head on. The hunters were not alone, for they were not the only inhabitants who had suffered from the Gate’s appearance.
Vine Horror
Crocodiles and vine horrors, sinister plants twisted into vaguely humanoid form, crept and shambled toward the town. Without pause the group charged into the fray. The vine horrors pushed their tendrils into the ground and back up under the feet of the guards and party, binding them in place. Iltani dissociated himself, re-corporealizing on the wall ramparts. The Lizardfolk fought bravely, but the surprise and loss of fighters from the Incident had them at a disadvantage. Within a few minutes the hunters fled into the swamp to regroup, disappearing quickly into the brush and bracken.
Water had been rushing into the town from the surrounding swamp, and once the battle was over Bryne and his Lieutenant gave orders for the construction of water breaks, levees, and temporary barricades. The Arcanist, having stayed in the barracks, far from the battle, now ran out hurriedly to shed light on the matter. Catching their breath, the party listened as the Arcanist explained.
“The crystal is used as a gateway between realms. It seems that the reason we were drawn here is because there is another crystal, magically linked with it. Based on my instruments I estimate that it is nearby, and in that direction.” He gestured behind them, through the breach.
“Also, the crystal acquired a faint hum when we arrived here. Since the battle it has grown stronger and more shrill. I believe that in a day’s time we will teleport again, likely to the next location we saw, a desert.”
“Is there anything we can do to get back?” Bryne asked. Any sense of adventure he might have had was being suppressed by his duty to get the town somewhere safe, and preferably where they came from.
“Well, getting that crystal would be a good start to learning more.” The Arcanist replied.
“Very well,” Bryne turned to the party, “go, fetch this crystal and you’ll be paid the usual amount.”
Aelar turned to Vore, “I know you said you were done, but considering the circumstances, would you consider staying?”
Vore was hesitant, but finally agreed. The party set off into the swamp, hoping to find the crystal that had brought them here.
“Just because I agreed to stay doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.”
Iltani bore Vore’s thought in silence.
The sun climbed high above the swamp, though through the foliage the only proof of this was the added steam in the air. Walking through the dense muck and mire, Balthazar twisted his ankle and Ashar cut his hand deeply after tripping, forcing both men to heal themselves before moving on. After nearly three hours, they reached a fortress, of sorts. It looked like a small castle, stone walls, and a stout keep in the center. The place was ancient looking, and over the centuries had sunk deep into the swamp, vines and vegetation growing over its surface and pulling the structure down into their domain. All that could be seen was the tops of the walls and the keep, reaching vainly for its old vantage point. Seeing that the tower had to be scaled, a grin flashed across Aelar’s face. Running up to the keep’s base, he turned to the others excitedly and said, “watch this.”
Channelling psionic energy out of his palms, Aelar’s feet slowly began to lift off the ground. Seeing the awe on his companions’ faces, Aelar gave a wink and shot up past the top of the keep, landing lightly among the parapets.
“Hey,” said a voice from behind. Aelar whipped around.
“Drel! How did you…?” stammering, Aelar noticed the dirt on the ranger’s hands. He had simply climbed up while Aelar was performing.
“Right then, well I guess we better let down the ropes,” Aelar looked sheepish.
“I guess we better,” shrugged Drel.
With the whole party in the fortress, they began down into the main chamber, the assumption being that the crystal must be inside. Drel, being a hunter, had the greatest knowledge of traps, snares, and sneaking around prey. He went ahead of the group, giving the all-clear as they went. They descending down ladders, then stairs, finally Drel put a hand, silently signaling the group to stop. Iltani opened a telepathic link between Drel and the others as Drel creeped ahead.
“There is a large chamber down there, full of zombies. They used to be warriors when they were living.”
“Can you ascertain their clan or creed? What colours do they carry?” Asked Vore.
“It is very dark down there, and their clothes have faded too much to have any colour or pattern.” Drel’s mental voice betrayed an impatience with senseless questions.
“They’re simply shuffling around, haven’t noticed me yet. Gonna try and pick off some of the weaker ones, get ready for when they catch on.”
Drel took out the first zombie in a single shot, none of the others noticing. The second one took an arrow straight through the heart, but spilled guts all over one of the larger ones, which roused it from a shuffling stupor to attention. As Drel moved behind cover his foot slipped and the zombie saw it, making a terrible sound with what remained of its throat.
The fight carried on for a few minutes, both sides inflicting damage, but the zombies eventually fell. As the party search the area for loot, Iltani and Ashar examined the bodies and discovered that these zombies were once Shadar-Kai, a warrior race whose ancestors made a pact with the Raven Queen, the goddess of death, winter, and fate, in an age long past. They lived for the glory of battle, tattooing their accomplishments as marks of their prowess.
As they searched, Balthazar pondered, “the swamp is saturated with water, so why is this area dry?”
“Likely the crystal is projecting a protective aura to preserve this area from decay. I would imagine that’s why the zombies were not totally decomposed.” Iltani replied.
The group stopped and looked at Iltani.
“What?” he said.
“Who were you talking to?” Asked Ashar.
“Balthazar.”
“But he didn’t say anything.” Probed Ashar.
“No, he thought it.” Iltani replied.
“Alright, that is not ok,” Balthazar interjected. “You can’t simply go around reading minds, it’s not right.”
“My apologies, I’ll try to restrain myself,” said Iltani.
“Well, good.”
“Psions are dumb!” Balthazar thought loudly, looking at Iltani. Not a twitch. Satisfied that he wasn’t listening in, he returned to his searching.
“The crystal isn’t here, it must be lower down.” Drel motioned to press on. The stairs continued further down and so, as before, with Drel leading the group, the party crept downward. Drel signaled again, and Iltani linked the minds. It was demons and their kin this time, a group of them. One in the center, the leader, was as tall as two men, and in its grasp: a crystal! As the wise man said, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it: Drel began his pick-off-the-small-ones-until-I’m-noticed routine once more. The demons, being more perceptive than corpses, noticed Drel much sooner. As the fight died down, the leader and a rune-spiral demon, a creature that looks somewhat like a giant hermit crab with demonic runes on its shell, began fleeing. Balthazar, rather than kill the creature, took on a wrathful aspect. With glowing eyes and a cloak of red fire swirling around him, he intimidated the creature into submission. Aelar managed to outpace the leader and hold him at bay while the others finished him. Taking the crystal, they returned to Balthazar, in the main chamber.
“What are you going to do with it?” Ashar asked.
Rune Spiral Demon
“Keep him of course.” The group was intrigued by the idea of a pet, albeit a demonic one.
As Ashar helped Balthazar find a suitable crate for the demon, Iltani examined a ring of runes inscribed in the floor. After brushing some of the dirt off, his eyes flashed with recognition.
“I know where we are. A day’s travel from here is Mirehaven, an outpost not unlike the Gate. We can evacuate the town to this place, and the people would be safe.”
The group agreed that this was the best course of action and, demon-in-a-box and crystal in tow, left the fortress.
Cordus
Traveling back to the town the group was set upon by a cohort of Lizardfolk, this time more organized. They had brought a magus with them, and the group profoundly underestimated her. The party was beaten within an inch of their lives, before managing to fend them off. As the group patched themselves up, a figure approached from the bushes. It was a Minotaur, wielding an enormous craghammer. The group struggled to take a fighting stance as the Minotaur placed the violent looking head of the hammer on the ground and put his hand up.
“Hold! I mean you no harm,” called the Minotaur. His voice was deep.
“I am Cordus, Warden of that fortress. I’d been looking for a way to get rid of those demons for years, and in one day you’ve delivered it from that vile power. I am in your debt, and I will not rest until it is paid.”
“Well, if you come with us, you’ll have to leave the fortress behind for a time.” Ashar replied. Cordus pondered for a while.
“Very well, but when I consider the debt repaid, I will take my leave.” Finding the terms agreeable, the group trudged wearily back to the Gate, eyes wide for any attacks.
Bryne’s Suspicion
Bryne met the group at the Gate. Eyeing the box, and Cordus, he inquired,
“You have the crystal?”
“Yes,” Aelar said, handing him the crystal. Seeing that the crystal wasn’t in the box, he stepped towards it.
“So what’s in the box then?”
“Just a few things we found while we were out…” Vore offered. Bryne wasn’t buying it. Concluding that the situation needed to be diffused, Iltani stepped forward.
“There is a town, Mirehaven, just over a day’s travel from here. We think it would be best to evacuate the town and relocate them there. It stands to reason that the next location we go to will be a desert, in keeping with our initial planar shift. From there, the cycle will continue into the Elemental Chaos, my home plane the Astral Sea, and end in the Abyss. These people, your people, are unlikely to survive such a journey.”
Bryne thought quickly then spoke, still glancing at the crate, “thank you for bringing this to my attention, I’ll have the town evacuate by nightfall.”
The group went to the shops to convince the keepers of what would be too burdensome to carry. An hour later, the party was called by Bryne to the Barracks. When they arrived, a cohort of disgruntled citizens had gathered.
“What about our homes? We cannot simply take them with us!” Cried a nobleman.
“Look this isn’t ideal, but it’s what’s best for the town.” Bryne said firmly.
“What if we don’t want to go?” Challenged a plucky, adventurous young woman.
“Or us?” A group of guards stepped out behind Bryne. They had fought with the adventurers and had become enamored with them. They wished to stay and hear tales of their exploits, and to fight more fantastic creatures.
Bryne looked around him, the crowd was gathering force, they were nearly three hundred in all, mostly nobility and the naively adventurous. Exasperated, his face remained calm as he prepared to speak; raising his hand the crowd fell silent.
“I cannot force you to leave, but know that you put yourselves in great danger, and I cannot ensure the safety yourself or your possessions. Those who would leave continue packing, the Lieutenant will escort you through the swamp.” The Lieutenant stepped forward to back up her captain. Bryne continued.
“To those who would stay may stay, I will remain with them. Begin preparing for the desert, gather water from the swamp.”
As the group went to bed for the evening, a trail of lights faded into the swamp.
Part VI
Categories Agrin's Gate, NYC Trip, Stories•Tags dnd, fantasy, fiction, lizard
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Elections Etc
Historical & polls based forecast
Combined forecast
Combined Forecast method
Parliamentary arithmetic
General elections, Methodology
After a year of forecasting, what’s changed?
24 October 2014 electionsetc 7 Comments
Stephen Fisher, 24th October 2014
I first published a forecast of the 2015 general election result in October 2013. After taking on board comments and testing more candidate models, in February I revised the method from the one in this working paper to the one in this working paper. Both use opinion polls and election results going back to the 1950s to tell us what is likely to happen in this electoral cycle, and importantly, how sure we can be that it will happen. The historical pattern suggested governments tend to recover from mid-term blues while oppositions suffer a set back. Also the polls have tended to overestimate Labour and underestimate the Conservatives. Both factors suggested a Conservative lead at the next election. But also the variation in previous cycles was plenty enough to suggest very different outcomes were also possible if less likely.
Using a polling average for 8th October 2013 of Conservatives 32%, Labour 39% and Liberal Democrats 10% the revised method suggested a 42% chance of a Conservative overall majority. Over the last year the probability of a Conservative majority dropped steadily to 24% now. Why? Instead of making a 3-point recovery in the polls, as historical votes and polls suggest they should have done over the last year, the Tories have roughly been level pegging around 32%. The Liberal Democrats not only failed to make any recovery over the last year but have dropped by another couple of points. Only Labour has performed as expected, by losing five points in the polls. So while the forecast election Tory share has dropped from 38% to 35% that for Labour has remained around 31%. With this narrowing of the forecast Conservative lead over Labour from 7 to 2 points and time for change running out, the chances of a hung parliament have increased from 40% a year ago to 55% now. The onward march of UKIP over the last year is both symptom and cause of the Conservative failure to recover. The former Conservative voters who defected to UKIP earlier in the electoral cycle are anxious about the economy and immigration. The economy has been improving overall but not much in the kinds of ways and places that help UKIP supporters who remain economically pessimistic. Similarly, the Tories have failed to deliver on promises to cut immigration.
But it should also be admitted that one of the reasons why the Tories have failed to win back defectors is effective wooing by UKIP. By comparison with five years ago, UKIP is a much more effective campaigning machine, its leader is more charismatic and its political strategy of emphasising immigration and linking it with the European Union has been much more powerful. UKIP have gone from 11% to 16% in the polls over the last year and along the way won the Euro elections, achieved stunning local election results and by-election performances and persuaded two MPs to defect to them. Perhaps what is remarkable is not that the Tories failed to recover lost ground, but that they did not cede more.
UKIP’s gains over the past year have come mainly at Labour’s expense. Indeed the best summary of the overall change in public opinion over the last year is a 5-point swing from Labour to UKIP. Whereas in YouGov polls a year ago the ratio of former Conservative to former Labour voters now intending to vote UKIP was greater than 3:1, now it is close to 2:1.
While UKIP is critical to understanding the changing levels of major party support in the polls, the risk for the forecasting method is not so much the overall strength of UKIP, which is factored in, but the prospect of differential performance across constituencies. The local and Euro elections in May showed us that UKIP’s performance is much more uneven now than it was in 2010 – enough that the uniform change assumptions in the model may go seriously awry. Also, the model has yet to allow for substantial seat gains for the SNP (mostly at Labour’s expense) that recent Scottish polls point to. What if any changes to the model should be made in response to these issues depends on further analysis that is still pending.
Despite these and a few other unresolved issues for the forecasting methodology, the past year has provided more reinforcing than undermining evidence for the main features of the method. The polls over-estimated Labour and underestimated the Tories at the Euro elections in much the same way that they have historically done at general elections and as the forecasting model expects.
Also, while party support in the polls has not changed perfectly in line with the historical average, it has been remarkably close. In fact, developments have been much closer than could reasonably have been expected given that none of the previous election cycles have conformed to the average trajectory. The current central forecast is still close to the centre of all the previous prediction intervals (forecast ranges). Developments over the last year suggest that, far from being irrelevant in this electoral cycle, history is still a valuable guide. If nothing else it provides a useful benchmark by which to judge party performance. More importantly, historical variation gives us a handle on how much things can change and how uncertain the outcome in May is.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to Will Jennings and Anthony Wells for polling data, to Jonathan Jones for his excellent work on ElectionsEtc.com (including editing this post) and to numerous people for comments on the methodology over the year. New comments still very welcome!
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Dr Magnus Johnson says:
What do you think the impact of the Yorkshire First movement could be if they get their act together? Would they take away from UKIP given the number of disillusioned voters seeking something different?
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Graphics Rendering Tiers
A rendering tier defines a level of graphics hardware capability and performance for a device that runs a WPF application.
The features of the graphics hardware that most impact the rendering tier levels are:
Video RAM The amount of video memory on the graphics hardware determines the size and number of buffers that can be used for compositing graphics.
Pixel Shader A pixel shader is a graphics processing function that calculates effects on a per-pixel basis. Depending on the resolution of the displayed graphics, there could be several million pixels that need to be processed for each display frame.
Vertex Shader A vertex shader is a graphics processing function that performs mathematical operations on the vertex data of the object.
Multitexture Support Multitexture support refers to the ability to apply two or more distinct textures during a blending operation on a 3D graphics object. The degree of multitexture support is determined by the number of multitexture units on the graphics hardware.
Rendering Tier Definitions
The features of the graphics hardware determine the rendering capability of a WPF application. The WPF system defines three rendering tiers:
Rendering Tier 0 No graphics hardware acceleration. All graphics features use software acceleration. The DirectX version level is less than version 9.0.
Rendering Tier 1 Some graphics features use graphics hardware acceleration. The DirectX version level is greater than or equal to version 9.0.
Rendering Tier 2 Most graphics features use graphics hardware acceleration. The DirectX version level is greater than or equal to version 9.0.
The RenderCapability.Tier property allows you to retrieve the rendering tier at application run time. You use the rendering tier to determine whether the device supports certain hardware-accelerated graphics features. Your application can then take different code paths at run time depending on the rendering tier supported by the device.
Rendering Tier 0
A rendering tier value of 0 means that there is no graphics hardware acceleration available for the application on the device. At this tier level, you should assume that all graphics will be rendered by software with no hardware acceleration. This tier's functionality corresponds to a DirectX version that is less than 9.0.
Rendering Tier 1 and Rendering Tier 2
Starting in the .NET Framework 4, rendering tier 1 has been redefined to only include graphics hardware that supports DirectX 9.0 or greater. Graphics hardware that supports DirectX 7 or 8 is now defined as rendering tier 0.
A rendering tier value of 1 or 2 means that most of the graphics features of WPF will use hardware acceleration if the necessary system resources are available and have not been exhausted. This corresponds to a DirectX version that is greater than or equal to 9.0.
The following table shows the differences in graphics hardware requirements for rendering tier 1 and rendering tier 2:
DirectX version Must be greater than or equal to 9.0. Must be greater than or equal to 9.0.
Video RAM Must be greater than or equal to 60MB. Must be greater than or equal to 120MB.
Pixel shader Version level must greater than or equal to 2.0. Version level must greater than or equal to 2.0.
Vertex shader No requirement. Version level must greater than or equal to 2.0.
Multitexture units No requirement. Number of units must greater than or equal to 4.
The following features and capabilities are hardware accelerated for rendering tier 1 and rendering tier 2:
2D rendering Most 2D rendering is supported.
3D rasterization Most 3D rasterization is supported.
3D anisotropic filtering WPF attempts to use anisotropic filtering when rendering 3D content. Anisotropic filtering refers to enhancing the image quality of textures on surfaces that are far away and steeply angled with respect to the camera.
3D MIP mapping WPF attempts to use MIP mapping when rendering 3D content. MIP mapping improves the quality of texture rendering when a texture occupies a smaller field of view in a Viewport3D.
Radial gradients While supported, avoid the use of RadialGradientBrush on large objects.
3D lighting calculations WPF performs per-vertex lighting, which means that a light intensity must be calculated at each vertex for each material applied to a mesh.
Text rendering Sub-pixel font rendering uses available pixel shaders on the graphics hardware.
The following features and capabilities are hardware accelerated only for rendering tier 2:
3D anti-aliasing 3D anti-aliasing is supported only on operating systems that support Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM), such as Windows Vista and Windows 7.
The following features and capabilities are not hardware accelerated:
Printed content All printed content is rendered using the WPF software pipeline.
Rasterized content that uses RenderTargetBitmap Any content rendered by using the Render method of RenderTargetBitmap.
Tiled content that uses TileBrush Any tiled content in which the TileMode property of the TileBrush is set to Tile.
Surfaces that exceed the maximum texture size of the graphics hardware For most graphics hardware, large surfaces are 2048x2048 or 4096x4096 pixels in size.
Any operation whose video RAM requirement exceeds the memory of the graphics hardware You can monitor application video RAM usage by using the Perforator tool that is included in the WPF Performance Suite in the Windows SDK.
Layered windows Layered windows allow WPF applications to render content to the screen in a non-rectangular window. On operating systems that support Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM), such as Windows Vista and Windows 7, layered windows are hardware accelerated. On other systems, such as Windows XP, layered windows are rendered by software with no hardware acceleration.
You can enable layered windows in WPF by setting the following Window properties:
- WindowStyle = None
- AllowsTransparency = true
- Background = Transparent
The following resources can help you analyze the performance characteristics of your WPF application.
Graphics Rendering Registry Settings
WPF provides four registry settings for controlling WPF rendering:
Disable Hardware Acceleration Option Specifies whether hardware acceleration should be enabled.
Maximum Multisample Value Specifies the degree of multisampling for antialiasing 3-D content.
Required Video Driver Date Setting Specifies whether the system disables hardware acceleration for drivers released before November 2004.
Use Reference Rasterizer Option Specifies whether WPF should use the reference rasterizer.
These settings can be accessed by any external configuration utility that knows how to reference the WPF registry settings. These settings can also be created or modified by accessing the values directly by using the Windows Registry Editor. For more information, see Graphics Rendering Registry Settings.
WPF Performance Profiling Tools
WPF provides a suite of performance profiling tools that allow you to analyze the run-time behavior of your application and determine the types of performance optimizations you can apply. The following table lists the performance profiling tools that are included in the Windows SDK tool, WPF Performance Suite:
Perforator Use for analyzing rendering behavior.
Visual Profiler Use for profiling the use of WPF services, such as layout and event handling, by elements in the visual tree.
The WPF Performance Suite provides a rich, graphical view of performance data. For more information about WPF performance tools, see WPF Performance Suite.
DirectX Diagnostic Tool
The DirectX Diagnostic Tool, Dxdiag.exe, is designed to help you troubleshoot DirectX-related issues. The default installation folder for the DirectX Diagnostic Tool is:
~\Windows\System32
When you run the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, the main window contains a set of tabs that allow you to display and diagnose DirectX-related information. For example, the System tab provides system information about your computer and specifies the version of DirectX that is installed on your computer.
DirectX Diagnostic Tool main window
RenderCapability
RenderOptions
Optimizing WPF Application Performance
WPF Performance Suite
Animation Tips and Tricks
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The Cable Guy - June 2006
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Scalable Networking Pack Overview
By The Cable Guy
With the Microsoft® Windows Server® 2003 Scalable Networking Pack and the next generation of network acceleration and hardware-based offload technologies, you can cost-effectively scale your network-based applications and services by upgrading your existing servers with next-generation network adapters. The Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Scalable Networking Pack helps optimize server performance and network throughput for crucial applications such as storage, backup, Web hosting, and TCP-based media streaming. This article provides an overview of the technologies in the Scalable Networking Pack.
The technologies provided in the Scalable Networking Pack TCP Chimney Offload, Receive-side Scaling, and NetDMA help optimize server performance when processing network traffic. When combined with compatible network adapter hardware, the Scalable Networking Pack helps remove existing operating system bottlenecks, such as CPU processing overhead related to network packet processing and the ability to use multiple processors for incoming network traffic.
By allowing existing Windows Server 2003 installations to benefit from the hardware offload capabilities found in the latest network adapters, the Scalable Networking Pack reduces the need to purchase additional servers or replace existing servers. Through the combination of the Scalable Networking Pack and a compatible network adapter, you can realize the performance and scalability gains made possible by today's faster networks.
The technologies included in the Scalable Networking Pack do not require configuration or changes to existing applications or network management tools.
TCP Chimney Offload
Managing TCP connections can involve a significant amount of processing, which includes:
Parsing the fields of the TCP header (validating the TCP checksum and processing sequence and acknowledgement numbers, TCP flags, and source and destination ports).
Creating and sending acknowledgements for data received.
Segmentation for data sent.
Copying of data between memory locations for the receive window, the send window, and applications.
Managing timers for TCP retransmission behavior.
By offloading this processing to dedicated hardware, a server computer's CPU can be used for other tasks. TCP/IP in Windows Server 2003 already supports task offload of TCP checksum calculations and TCP segmentation (also known as large send offload [LSO]) to compatible network adapters. TCP Chimney Offload provides automated, stateful offload of all TCP traffic processing to specialized network adapters that implement a TCP Offload Engine (TOE).
Rather than offloading individual tasks, the TOE-capable network adapter maintains state for the significant attributes of a connection, such as IP address, the TCP ports, and segment sequence numbers. This allows the network adapter to perform all of the processing of the TCP traffic without impacting the server's CPU. The benefit of offloading all TCP processing is most pronounced when TCP Chimney Offload is used for long-lived connections with large packet payloads, such as TCP connections for file backup and multimedia streaming.
By moving these TCP processing tasks to a TOE-enabled network adapter, the server's CPU is freed for other application tasks, such as supporting more user sessions or processing incoming requests faster.
TCP Chimney Offload Design
TCP Chimney Offload is integrated with the Windows Server 2003 TCP/IP stack and does not require any changes to applications to support offload APIs. Applications work the same whether the TCP connections for the application have been offloaded or not. Application configuration, management, and network statistics are not affected.
For independent hardware vendors (IHVs) that want to develop TOE-capable network adapters, TCP Chimney Offload provides a high-level device interface for Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS) miniport drivers that supports a variety of IHV implementation approaches to stateful protocol offload.
TCP Chimney Offload also provides IHVs with a variety of intermediate driver solutions, such as teaming several network adapters to create a single virtual network adapter (for better fault tolerance or load balancing), and support of multiple Virtual LANs. IHVs with network adapters that support TCP Chimney Offload must update their intermediate drivers for NDIS 5.2 and TCP Chimney Offload.
To ensure that TCP Chimney Offload will not reduce the capabilities of existing and future Microsoft Windows® network stacks, TCP Chimney Offload will not offload a connection if the network adapter does not support a needed processing capability, such as Internet Protocol security (IPsec) cryptographic processing.
The following figure shows the architecture and processing paths for TCP Chimney Offload.
Applications Existing applications run over either the TCP/IP stack (Tcpip.sys) or the TOE-capable network adapter through the TCP chimney.
Switch Controls whether data transfer is through Tcpip.sys or the TOE-capable network adapter.
TCP Chimney Logical channel through which state is added or monitored (by Tcpip.sys) and data is exchanged.
State update interfaces Interfaces through which protocols within Tcpip.sys can set or obtain the state of TCP connections.
Data transfer interfaces Interfaces through which the switch and the TCP chimney can exchange data.
NDIS miniport driver NDIS driver for a TOS-capable network adapter.
For more information, see the Scalable Networking: Network Protocol Offload - Introducing TCP Chimney white paper.
Receive-side Scaling
Because of the architecture of NDIS 5.1 miniport drivers, a network adapter in a multiprocessor (or multicore) computer running Windows Server 2003 is associated with a single processor (or core). NDIS 5.1 allows a single deferred procedure call (DPC) to execute at any given time for each network adapter. One or more network packets received from the network on a particular network adapter trigger an interrupt to the host processor and eventually causes a DPC to execute on one of the system processors, typically on the processor that was interrupted. The network stack processes all the received packets in the context of this DPC.
Many scenarios, such as large file transmissions, require the TCP/IP stack to perform significant work in the context of receive DPC processing. In these scenarios, a lack of multiprocessor support in NDIS 5.1 for packet receive processing results in limited scalability. In addition, current Intel Pentium 4 and IA64-based systems route all interrupts from a single device to one specific processor, which results in limited scalability.
The single processor must handle all the traffic received by the network adapter, regardless of whether there are other processors available. The result of this architecture for high-volume servers such as Internet-facing Web servers or enterprise file servers is that the amount of incoming traffic and number of connections that can be serviced by the processor associated with the network adapter is limited. If the processor associated with the network adapter cannot handle the incoming traffic fast enough, the network adapter discards the traffic, resulting in retransmissions and reduced performance.
With the Scalable Networking Pack, a network adapter is not associated with a single processor. Instead, the processing for incoming traffic is distributed among the processors on the computer. This new feature, known as Receive-side Scaling, allows for much more traffic to be received by a network adapter on a high-volume server. NDIS 5.2 and Receive-side Scaling enable multiple DPCs on different processors for each network adapter, while preserving in-order delivery of messages on a per-stream basis. Receive-side Scaling also supports dynamic sharing inbound network processing across multiple processors.
To gain the full performance benefits of parallel processing of received packets, it is essential to preserve in-order delivery. If packets for a group of connections are processed on different CPUs, older packets could actually be processed first. Because TCP acknowledgement generation and processing are highly optimized for in-order processing, performance would be degraded without Receive-side Scaling support for in-order delivery of TCP segments.
Receive-side Scaling enables in-order packet delivery by ensuring that only one processor processes packets for a single TCP connection. This Receive-side Scaling feature requires that the network adapter examine each packet header and then use a hashing function to compute a signature for the packet. The hash result is then used as an index into a table. Because this table contains the specific CPU that is to run the associated DPC, and the host protocol stack can change the contents of the table at any time, the TCP/IP stack can dynamically balance the processing load on each CPU.
With Receive-side Scaling, a multiprocessor computer can now handle more incoming traffic without having to add servers. To take advantage of this new feature, you must install compatible network adapters that can take utilize of the new architecture provided with the Scalable Networking Pack. Receive-side Scaling-capable network adapters are available from many network adapter vendors.
The Scalable Networking Pack monitors network adapters for Receive-side Scaling capabilities. If a network adapter supports Receive-side Scaling, the Scalable Networking Pack uses this capability across all TCP connections, including connections that are offloaded through TCP Chimney Offload.
For more information, see Scalable Networking with RSS.
NetDMA
The Windows Server 2003 Scalable Networking Pack includes NetDMA, which offloads the processing of memory-to-memory data transfers to servers equipped with NetDMA architectures, such as Intel I/O Acceleration Technology. NetDMA minimizes the amount of processing that a CPU must do to move packet contents between memory buffers.
Without NetDMA and its associated hardware, the CPU is extensively involved in moving network data from network adapter receive buffers into application buffers. NetDMA largely frees the CPU from handling the mundane task of copying data between memory locations so that it can be used for other tasks.
The Windows Server 2003 Scalable Networking Pack includes the NetDMA interface, which is designed to effectively and efficiently manage interactions with the DMA engine and manage DMA transfers. The Scalable Networking Pack invokes NetDMA when it detects supporting hardware. If the Scalable Networking Pack detects that the hardware can support both NetDMA and TCP Chimney Offload, NetDMA is enabled and TCP Chimney Offload is disabled.
For more information about the Windows Server 2003 Scalable Networking Pack, consult the following resources:
Microsoft Scalable Networking Web page
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Scalable Networking Pack
Introduction to the Windows Server 2003 Scalable Networking Pack
For a list of all The Cable Guy articles, click here.
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Sullivan's Island Lighthouse
lighthouse on Morris Island in South Carolina. The light stands on the southern side of the entrance to Charleston Harbor, north of the town of Folly Beach...The lighthouse is unusual in that it now stands several hundred feet offshore. When constructed in 1876 the light was approximately 1,200 feet (370 m) from the water's edge. However, the construction in 1889 of the jetties which protect the shipping lanes leading to Charleston Harbor altered ocean currents, resulting in the rapid erosion of Morris Island and the destruction of many structures and historical sites (such as Fort Wagner). By 1938 the shoreline had reached the lighthouse, forcing its automation as it was no longer safe or practical to keep it manned. In 1962 the Morris Island Light was decommissioned and replaced by the Sullivan Island Lighthouse on the north side of the harbor.The Charleston Light, located on Morris Island, at the entrance to the harbor of Charleston, SC, was one of the colonial lights turned over to the Federal Government under the terms of the act of August 7, 1789. The light was in a brick tower, built by the Colony of South Carolina in 1767.
ellis_charleston_002.jpg
Aerial view Aerial views Artifical Atlantic Barrier Barrrier Beaches Breakwater Building Buildings Charleston Environment Fort Harbor High angle view Historic Horizontal Isle Light Marshland Morris island Moultrie Natural Process Natural Processes Ocean Oceanside Preservation Red Restoration Shores South Carolina Stabilization Surrounded United States Vacationer Vacationers View from above Wall Wealth Wealthy Wetlands Beach Coastal Holidaymaker Holidaymakers Houses Island Landscape Light House Light Houses Lighthouses Look down Low country Lowcountry Lowlands Marsh Sand Sandy SC Sea islands Seashore Seaside Shore Shoreline Sights Sightseeing South Striped Stripes Tides Tourism Tourist Tourists Tower Travel Aerial Beacon Erosion Lighthouse Morris
Charleston, Charleston, Travel
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Scorched >
Red Red Wine
Tori goes on holiday and has a rebound affair with a stranger. But when the week is over, neither she nor Andrew want to let go—which is crazy. But no one ever said love was sane.
Days of Wine and Roses Series, Book 2
By Jess Dee
Andrew Stafford’s five relaxing days on a much-needed holiday in wine country turns even more delicious when he arrives at the hotel and meets the woman of his dreams. She’s everything he’s ever wanted, but there’s a problem. She’s carrying a wedding dress—hers—making her totally off-limits.
Tori Worthing used to feel like the luckiest woman alive. Now, jilted by her fiancé and heartbroken, she finds comfort and pleasure in the arms of a stranger, a place she never thought she’d be. It’s a rebound affair—nothing more—and it’ll end when the week is over.
But when that time comes, neither of them wants to let go—which they both know is crazy. But no one ever said love was sane.
Series: Days of Wine and Roses, Book 2
Release Date: Jul 17, 2017
Imprint: scorched
Tropes: fling, forbidden love/off limits
By Isha July 15, 2017
One of my biggest problems with Jess Dee has been she delivers on the seduction, but lacks with the substance. She came back swinging and proved me wrong with Red, Red Wine. Her signature sex appeal was evident but this time she brought a deeper meaning to the tale. Like a fine wine that is slowl... ...more
By Nikki July 24, 2017
Tori’s wedding at the vineyard has her floating on air even as she meets another man who makes her almost forget her fiance. When Tori finds out her fiance is going to cancel the wedding, Andrew finds Tori and the sparks continue to fly. Their relationship is HOT! But Tori feels like she needs to... ...more
By Angelia July 24, 2017
I received this ARC copy of this book from NetGallery for an honest review. I give this book 5 stars. The storyline between Tori and Andrew was well written and worth read more than once. ...more
By C July 04, 2017
an ok read. ...more
By Kirstie June 29, 2017
Ok, I enjoyed the first book, but this one I LOVED. This one had more of a story which I felt the first one lacked. Great characters and of course great hot sex. Kept me turning the page. ...more
By Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews August 05, 2014
Slick‘s review posted on Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
Review copy provided for an honest review
Holy smokes I loved this book, it is truly a love at first sight book even when one of the interested parties is not available. The instant connection, the sense of rightness, the smoldering heat... ...more
By Tabatha August 13, 2014
I’m in a state of total bliss after reading Red Red Wine, and I cannot begin tell you enough how much I enjoyed this story from the very talented Jess Dee. Now I must admit to you guys that the whole jilted bride thing has never been my favorite kind of trope to read in my romances, but I had no... ...more
By MaggieReadsRom August 11, 2014
As I'm used to by Jess Dee RED RED WINE is hot, well-written and different from other erotic romances. Only Jess Dee can have a jilted bride hooking up with someone else within hours of finding out her fiancé is not going to marry her and make it emotionally believable and acceptable for me. I lo... ...more
By Phuong August 05, 2014
I am a huge Jess Dee fan and she never fails to deliver an awesome story and Red Red Wine, book 2 of her Tastes of Seduction series is no exception. This story was romantic, sexy and deliciously naughty that it had me swooning and wishing I was the heroine, Tori. I enjoyed the whole setup at the... ...more
By She September 06, 2014
Andrew's partner forces him to take a vacation as he's been working too hard. He sends Andrew to his winery for 5 days where on his arrival he meets a burst of sunshine named Tori. Only problem is that part of the reason she is so happy is that she is at the winery to get married. They have a def... ...more
By Audrey June 02, 2014
I had the honor of reading this in the raw. This is one of Jess Dee's most heartfelt love stories mixed in with some intense heat. I can't wait for the rest of the world to read about Tori and Andrew. They go through some pretty intense things together in a short amount of time (one week) that ce... ...more
By JoAnne December 20, 2014
Tori is getting married to Declan. She is so happy. When she arrives at the hotel she meets Andrew. He is taken with her. He is disappointed when he learns that she is getting married.
Then Tori finds out that Declan is not going to marry her. She is very hurt and gets drunk in the gazebo later th... ...more
By Schellie August 21, 2014
I am a big fan of Jess Dee & this book hasn't changed anything! This book is so well written & authentic. Tori is a jilted bride when her fiance admits he doesn't love her two days before the wedding! Andrew is there for Tori, and their fierce attraction to each other takes over! What ens... ...more
By LJT June 25, 2016
4.5 Stars!
Review Posted on HarlequinJunkie.com
Red Red Wine (Tastes of Seduction #2) by Jess Dee is a truly hot erotic romance. This is my first read from Ms. Dee and it certainly will not be the last. This story opens with a bang and just continues to entertain until the very last paragraph. Auth... ...more
By Lyn November 10, 2015
Loved it! What can I say. Honestly. If someone had tried to sell me the story of a jilted bride getting it on with an almost stranger THE SAME NIGHT she'd been unceremoniously dumped by her fiance I would have laughed and said NEXT. Jess Dee has written a perfectly erotic, yet believable coming t... ...more
By Terra August 10, 2014
I stayed up extremely late determined to finish the book. I was dying to see how it ended. That basically means I loved the book. Jess does not disappoint, she writes erotic romances......AND they are for sure H-O-T! I loved the chemistry between Ando and Tori!!! ...more
By Laura June 29, 2014
This is a fabulous story. I love how the characters meet and how it looks like they will miss their chance. But lo and behold Jess throws in a switch. Late night meetings never sounded so good. Be sure to check out this second book of the series. ...more
By Marcella November 13, 2015
New author for me. Yes, there's lots of sex in this short novel/long novella, but the other interaction between hero and heroine was enough for me to believe in their love. I very much liked the author's voice and would like to read more. ...more
By Moran August 17, 2014
@jessdeewriter ...more
By Angela August 05, 2014
I loved this story and how the couples interact with each other, i felt so bad for tori and at times i really wanted to slap Declan but i totally fell in love with Andrew, a must read. ...more
By Crystal December 31, 2018
Jess Dee is the queen of erotic novellas and this one is no longer xception. Andrew and Tori heated things up while getting in some romance and love. Simply wonderful! ...more
By Lori July 10, 2017
You will need a cold shower, fan, loved one while reading this story. As most Jess Dee books are, this one is smoking hot. The chemistry between Andrew and Tori is smoldering hot. Definitely makes an insanely hot read quick and very interesting. This book is one that follows the adage, when you k... ...more
By Valeen July 26, 2017
Red Red Wine Days is sexy, emotionally layered and just plain enjoyable reading. Tori is flying high as she arrives at the boutique hotel/vineyard where she's about to get married to the love of her life. On the way into the hotel she bumps into a hot guy who helps her with her luggage. A little... ...more
By Kim February 14, 2018
I voluntarily read this advanced readers copy of this book. I just couldn't put it down once I started reading it. Strong characters and great story line. I can't wait to read more of this series. ...more
Jess Dee
Once Jess discovered it was okay to leave the bedroom door open in her romance novels, she decided to leave everything open. Buttons, zips, pants, number of lovers... Which is why her books are all steamy erotic romances. While Jess lived most of her life in South Africa, the last thirteen years have been spent in Australia. From the fast paced Sydney lifestyle to the laid back islands and beaches, there's always another gorgeous Aussie setting for a contemporary romance.
Daniel Tanner's been in love with Amy since they were teenagers. Amy Morgan's had a front row seat to the parade of women coming in and out of Daniel's life for years. If she would only give him a chance to show her how good they could be together...
She’s on an exotic island with two men who want to fulfill her every fantasy. Is sleeping with both men at the same time in order to decide between them a recipe for disaster or the start of something unexpected?...
Sparks fly between Brody and Bianca during a wedding at the exotic Bandicoot Cove resort. They’ve both been burned by love before, but neither can deny the overwhelming chemistry. Can past mistakes guide them to a whole new happy ever after?...
Tyler’s glad to be back in Sydney with his two best friends. He broke Katie’s heart when he left, and now his friends have moved on—together. It seems Katie’s not over him, either. But will she accept his apology when she discovers why he left?...
One look at Penelope has old feelings crashing back over Steve. The passion is still there, but so is the reason she had to leave. But this time Steve won’t give up without a fight, because the chance to share the love of a lifetime is worth any cost....
Lily, Blake, and Angus share an erotic weekend, but Angus knows he’s visiting their opulent world, unless Lily and Blake can convince him otherwise....
Noah’s done waiting for Declan to realize they’re meant to be together. He’s dragged Declan to Hunter’s Valley and invited Violet along too. He’s ready to make sure they all leave satisfied. ...
Melissa wants to be wild for one night, so she offers her co-worker no-strings-attached sex. Ben wants more, and he’ll even invite another man into their bed if that’s what it takes....
Lexi’s one-night stand turns out to be the man she needs a donation from for her charity. Unfortunately, Adam’s not easily forgotten, and he remembers Lexi and their night together well. ...
Emma begs Nico to be his student for a month of blistering hot sex instruction that will make not only Emma's ex panting for more, but Nico as well as it turns out....
To save her, he must ruin her. Lord Sebastian St. John, dedicated bachelor and a co-owner of the most scandalous pleasure club in London, can’t turn the ton’s most proper lady away when she begs for his help destroying her reputation.Lady Grace Carrington’s...
Mondo’s sure a vanilla grade school teacher definitely isn’t the woman for him. But Sunny’s first taste of the club only ignites her desire to prove she’s who he needs. ...
For years, Jenna McCaffrey’s wanted to get her hungry hands on her best friend’s sexy grouch of a brother and break his careful control. And she’s soon going to get her chance......
Jack and Dean are looking for the woman to complete their threesome. Paige would love to be that person. But the island’s conservative family vacationers will disapprove of their alternative lifestyle, shun her B&B, and kill her business....
Lady Lillian needs a husband, and fast. Handsome Charles Ashdown, Duke of Densmore? Or dashing William Kenwood, Duke of Tennison? How is a lady to decide? ...
Lily has always been on the right side of right, but that changes when a stranger walks into her salon and offers her a naughty proposal that’s going to make this good girl stop thinking twice about being bad....
A decadent night with the über-hot Reilly Jennings was bound to leave a lastingmark on Lucy Rice, but nothing could have prepared her for the little plus sign on a pregnancy stick. ...
T'was the night before Christmas.... With a sudden hankering to be spanked, Alice Henderson figures Mitch Callaghan is the man for the job. But is she woman enough to take it?...
Recluse Harvey Caine has shut himself away with his injuries and guilt after his parents died, but BDSM Mistress Kelsey Marley might be the cure—so long as he doesn’t find out she was bought and paid for by his longtime friend. ...
Workaholic Greg and free-spirit Penny are polar opposites, not to mention she used to date his brother and they want totally different things, but the attraction between them is undeniable. ...
Sarah Keating was sure she’d be married by 30. Husband, kids, the kick-ass career helping adults with Down Syndrome—she assumed she’d have it all, and there’d be no need to fall back on the marriage pact she made with her best pal from college......
I used to be sweet and innocent, until Hunter put his hands on me. My stepmother demands that I seduce a rich jeweler to secure our fortune. Normally, I wouldn’t mind. But now that I have Malcolm’s attention, I’m not sure I want to leave Hunter’s arms....
When Piper finds herself in Brazil and sets eyes on the sexy billionaire her friends have in mind for her–she’s all in. And now he’s using their two weeks to try to convince her to stay, but Piper has other plans....
When Patience, a large woman, is approached by a scandalous marquess with a chance to act on her depraved desires, she sees her opportunity to indulge in every wicked fantasy she’s ever had…...
Rider barely recognizes the alluring brunette as the same clumsy, introverted Vic from high school. Her warm smile always drew him, but Victoria was too innocent to play around with—then. Now Vic is all grown up, and Rider is finally able to make his move. ...
Nick is tired of being in Lacey’s friend zone. He’s wanted her for months, and he’ll do anything to have her. Including offer to give her lessons to help her snag another loser in a long line of losers....
Two enemies out for blood—each other’s blood—have crash landed on a sex planet. And now they can’t keep their hands off each other. Let the games begin…...
Firefighter John didn’t expect a BDSM club to have such an effect on him. If Moira, the luscious sub showing him around, will be his guide, the lifestyle might just be what he needs. ...
Warning: Read at your own risk. This book is filled to the brim with steamy m/m sex, a virgin who wants in on the action, and a c*ckblocking demon....
Julie Rose might be the best waitress in Blackwater, but she has more thorns than a damn porcupine. So why can't Sam Jennings stop thinking about her long legs and sassy mouth?...
People say I'm shameless. They're right. I like my sex dirty. It takes a hell of a lot to tilt my moral compass, and I always follow when it's pointing at something I want. Especially when it points straight at the one girl in all of Chicago who's not dying for...
When he wins a sexy bet, billionaire Linc Blair can’t wait to get Lauren Neill naked. He’s never gone for her type in the past, and he’s pretty certain it has more to do with her buttoned-up hotness than the nagging sense that something is missing from his...
Copyright © 2017 by Jess Dee. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.
Andrew Stafford walked through the doorway and ground to a surprised stop. “Looking for something?”
Blake Seymour raised a finger without looking up. “Give me a minute and we’ll talk.”
“Oh, take your time,” Andrew drawled. “I’ll pretend this isn’t my office and that isn’t my chair or my computer. No worries.”
His business partner took him at his word, paying him no attention whatsoever. He hit a few keys, grinned at the computer screen, then sat back with a satisfied smirk.
Andrew squinted, knowing that expression all too well.
The computer gave a familiar ding, and Blake’s smirk broadened. He took the iPad from beside the computer, opened the cover and tapped on the screen. After swiping his finger a few times, he typed something only he could see, waited a few seconds and pressed down on the power button. A minute later he set the tablet down and finally acknowledged Andrew with an extended hand.
“Phone, please.”
Andrew narrowed his eyes. “My computer and iPad aren’t enough?”
Blake wiggled his finger, pointing at himself. “C’mon. Hand it over. It’s important.”
Andrew gave him the phone.
“Excellent.” Blake didn’t so much as glance at it. He slipped it straight into his pocket.
“Um…” Jeez, so much for having blind faith in the man he’d worked with for over nine years.
“Problem?” Blake asked.
“You tell me. You just shut down my iPad, stole my iPhone and did God knows what to my desktop.”
“Shut it down,” Blake supplied helpfully.
“Right. Shut it down.” Andrew nodded calmly, as though Blake usurping his desk and switching off his electronics were daily occurrences.
“Don’t worry. I got you another phone.” Blake held it out to him.
Andrew stared, perplexed, at the very dated Nokia. He was so used to smartphones, he doubted he even remembered how to use a model like this.
“I got you a SIM card too, with your number.” Blake looked exceedingly proud of himself. “Activated it a couple of hours ago.” He checked his watch. “There’s no Internet access, but the mobile line should be connected by three. So don’t worry. You won’t be on the road without a phone.”
Andrew gaped, at a loss. “Since I hadn’t planned on being on the road at all today, I never saw that as a worry.”
“Here you go. You’ll need these too.”
Blake tossed him a set of keys, and Andrew caught them just in time, almost dropping the Nokia in the process.
He did a quick mental rundown of the rest of his day. Conference call at two. Meeting at Onyx Solutions at three thirty. Then off to his parents to check on them and the nurse he’d employed to monitor his dad’s pneumonia and keep an eye on his mum’s tendency to wander.
The longest he’d be driving were the twenty-minute trips from here to Onyx, and from Onyx to his folks. From there it was ten minutes home. Granted, he spent almost every minute in the car on his phone, but he’d never considered the trips from one meeting to another as being “on the road”.
Besides, if he was going to be on the phone while driving this afternoon, he wanted his iPhone. Not the piece-of-crap antique he currently held.
He set the Nokia and keys on the desk and looked at his friend. “I think you’ve been spending too much time with Lily.” One of Blake’s lovers. The man had two, and all three were crazy about one another.
Lucky bastard. Andrew would be happy with one.
Blake grinned. “No such thing, mate. If anything, I’m not spending enough time with her.”
“Yeah? Well, you’re sure acting like her right now.” He searched for the right word. “Loopy.”
“Lil’s only loopy when you don’t understand what’s going on in her head.”
“I don’t understand what’s going on in your head.”
“I’m taking control. Making executive decisions.”
Andrew snorted. “Yeah, right.” Blake was way too laid-back to ever take control or make executive decisions. He preferred to take on the creative role in their partnership, come up with ideas, motivate and excite their staff. It was Andrew who controlled the day-to-day running of the company, who hired and fired and ultimately made decisions. Their roles had always worked fine for both of them—up until right now.
“Fair dinkum, Ando, for the rest of the week, I’m in control. I’m making decisions, and you’re going along with them, no questions asked.”
Yeah, right. Andrew knew the disbelief was clear on his face.
“You’re taking a break, mate. Getting out of Sydney for the long weekend. And…you don’t get to have a say in the matter.”
Laughter boomed from Andrew’s chest. “A break? Really?” As if he could take time out of his life right now. As if he could leave his desk with the deal with Onyx looming, or walk away from his parents while they were both in crisis.
Given the opportunity, he’d head for the hills in a heartbeat. Or Europe. Get as far away from reality as he could. Hell, Mars sounded good at this point. But the thing about reality was you couldn’t ever get away from it, and much as Andrew needed a break, he couldn’t take one. Not with the kind of responsibility he currently shouldered.
Blake pointed at the keys. “Those fit the door to my private suite at the Rolling Hills. The rest of the hotel is booked up for the long weekend, so it’s the only room available. You are gonna take your ass up to the Hunter Valley today, enjoy the wine country and forget about anything to do with Sydney until Monday afternoon, when you can come home again.”
Andrew opened his mouth to object, but Blake spoke over him.
“Your meeting with Onyx is postponed ’til Tuesday morning, ten thirty, and I’ve just put the phone down from Martin and Hugh. Conference call is over. We chatted earlier than you’d planned.”
“What the fuck—”
“Quit panicking. No one died in the process. We managed fine without you, and Martin’s going ahead with the software development. He already has the specs. If he needs anything else, he’ll phone.” Blake pointed to himself. “Me. Because you, my friend, are out of commission for the next five days.” He rose, picked up Andrew’s briefcase and handed it to him. “Go home, Ando. Pack a bag and drive up to the Hunter. Have a bottle of wine on me. Hell, have a case of my best.” As the new owner of the hotel and winery, Blake bragged that all his wines were the best. “Relax, unwind and take a break. You need it.”
Yeah, right. As if. “My parents—”
“Your parents are fine. They’re in good hands. Soon as the day shift ends, the night nurse is coming in. It’s all organized. And your old man says have a good weekend and don’t even think about visiting before you leave.”
“I can’t just go.” Jesus, he had a mountain of paperwork. He’d been looking forward to coming in to an empty office on Saturday just so he wouldn’t be interrupted.
“Yeah, you can.”
“Ando, you’re twenty-nine, and at the rate you’re going, you’re not gonna make thirty.” He tapped Andrew’s chest. “You’re a heart attack waiting to happen.”
Andrew pursed his lips, powerless to argue. His blood pressure was way out of whack, and his doctor had threatened to put him on medication if it hadn’t dropped in the next two weeks. The ulcer currently threatening his gut didn’t help matters either. Andrew lived on a staple diet of Zantac and Tums.
But then what twenty-nine-year-old in his position wouldn’t? Andrew not only shouldered the weight of a multimillion-dollar business, he also watched his parents’ health diminish on a daily basis. The two issues prevented him from sharing Blake’s devil-may-care attitude.
An attitude Andrew envied.
“I’ve spoken to Maria, the hotel receptionist. The room’s ready for you, and room service is available anytime you need it. Bill’s on me, tipping is on you. Take a book and get the hell out of Sydney for a while.”
Fuck, it sounded tempting. So damn tempting. But there was no way he could put aside the three reports that needed typing up, the contract he had to send through to legal and the mountain of paperwork piling up on his desk. “A book? You have my iPad, remember?” He hadn’t read a paperback in years. It was way easier reading on one of his apps.
Blake shot him an easy grin. “Got that angle covered too.” He grabbed a leather-bound…something from the desk and offered it to Andrew. “My Kindle. Feel free to download as many books as you want. They’re also on me. And consider Amazon your only access to the net this weekend. Otherwise you’ll feel compelled to work.”
Andrew wanted to scoff at his partner. He also wanted to laugh at the idea of escaping his life for a few days. But he did neither. The thought of getting away was far too tempting.
He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “You’re serious about this?”
“’Course I am. Thing is, I need you alive. No way I can handle the business without you. And if you carry on pushing yourself the way you have been, you’re going to kill yourself. Slowly but surely. Which, in the end, works out badly for me. So call it selfish, but yeah. I’m dead serious.”
“My folks…”
“Are in good hands. And I’ll phone them every day and visit on Saturday. Besides, your dad told me if you came by the house this weekend, he wouldn’t let you in.” Blake picked up the keys and Nokia and pressed them into Andrew’s chest, leaving him with no choice but to take them. Then he placed his hands on Andrew’s shoulders, turned him around and steered him back towards the door. “Go home, pack a bag and get on the road before traffic gets crazy. I’ll see you back here on Tuesday morning.”
Tuesday. That gave him five days to do nothing but relax. Which equated to a veritable lifetime of doing sweet bugger-all.
Christ, he wasn’t sure he knew how to relax anymore. Hadn’t tried for so long.
“The gardens are incredible, Ando, and the vineyards stretch as far as the eye can see. You’ll come back a new man, I promise.” Blake grinned. “’Specially after a few glasses of my award-winning wines.”
If wine could help him forget his problems, he’d gladly indulge in a bottle or two. Or ten. Whatever worked.
“Hah,” Blake shouted in triumph. “I sense capitulation.” He stuck his head out of the door and yelled, “Clear the aisles, people. Ando Stafford is taking a five-day holiday.”
With his hands full of the antique phone, Blake’s Kindle and keys, and his briefcase, Andrew did as Blake had announced and walked out of their offices—ignoring the ten staff members who stared at him, slack-jawed, as he went.
Andrew only turned down the music’s volume when his navigator announced his destination was ahead on the right. Coldplay, Maroon 5 and the Script had kept him company for most of the drive from the city through the countryside. Tapping the steering wheel in time with the tunes had released some of the tension that knotted his neck and shoulders. Some.
He slowed at the large sign advertising Rolling Hills Vineyard and Boutique Hotel, and took the necessary turn onto the estate. The Range Rover nosed its way up a long, narrow road, surrounded on both sides by row upon row of vineyards. Lush green leaves shimmered in the breeze, but it was the wrong time of the year for fruit. The grapes had long since been harvested.
Five minutes and thousands of vines later, he pulled in to the car park in front of a stunning, modern, glass-and-wood lodge. He nodded appreciatively. Blake had made a great purchase buying the place. Andrew almost wished he’d thought of it too. But then owning a vineyard and small hotel while managing their business at the same time as dealing with two aging, ill parents was way too much for one man to handle. Instead of wineries, he’d invested in health care and accommodation in a retirement home.
He took a minute to inhale deeply as he stepped from the car. Fresh air, tinged with the scent of earth and greenery, filled his lungs in a rush. Breathing out here felt easier somehow. He closed his eyes, enjoying the peace. The constant drone of Sydney traffic was conspicuous in its absence. The silence was liberating. Along with the noise, Andrew had left his concerns over two hundred kilometers away.
A little more tension eased from his muscles.
He grabbed his bag from the passenger seat, tossed it over his shoulder and set off to find reception. Two steps later, a hard thud followed by a muffled oath stopped him in his tracks. Andrew turned to see a woman standing beside the open boot of a car, frowning down at a huge suitcase lying flat on the ground.
“Stupid thing,” she groused, and Andrew thought she might kick the case. But then her lips tilted and broke into a smile, and all he could do was gape, because with her mouth curved up like that and amusement shining from her face, she was, undoubtedly, the most beautiful creature he’d ever laid eyes on.
She placed her hands on her hips and stared from the case to the open boot contemplatively, leaving him with no doubt that she had too much luggage to carry inside in one go.
The woman looked up, her dazzling smile still in place.
Desire hit him like a runaway truck.
Sexy didn’t begin to describe her. Her legs stretched forever from a pair of short denim cut-offs, and a snug white singlet hugged firm breasts that instantly gave him a boner. Long, dark hair was captured in a ponytail, but several strands had escaped and fluttered around her heart-shaped face in the breeze. The smile reached her blue eyes, and in them he could see both relief and gratitude.
But it wasn’t the relief that held him rapt, keeping his attention on her face and away from the extraordinary legs and breasts. It was the obvious happiness in her features. Joy radiated off her in waves, making Andrew want to smile himself.
“I would love a hand. You’d think I’d have realized I packed too much when I filled the boot and the backseat of the car for one week, but nope. It never occurred.”
“Hey, no worries.” He made his way over and lifted the suitcase with ease, setting it upright. “When you need your gear, you need your gear.” He looked inside the car. “And, er, you obviously need your gear.”
“I do.” She grinned. “Big week ahead. Need to be fully prepared, you know.”
Actually, he didn’t. He’d taken half an hour to get home, throw some clothes and toiletries into his bag, drop his dog, Bruiser, at the neighbors’ for babysitting, pile his bike and cycling gear in the boot and leave before common sense told him this was a bad idea. Before an overwhelming sense of responsibility dictated he couldn’t leave his parents or work for five days.
He figured he’d packed more than enough clothes, and if it turned out he hadn’t, he could always pick up a couple of T-shirts in the Hunter.
“I’ll take the case for you. Anything else I can carry while I’m at it?”
She eyed her case and his bag, then let her gaze sweep over his chest and arms. Obviously deciding he could cope with a little extra, she pulled a bag with a shoulder strap from the car. “Think you can handle this too?”
“Sure.” He hung the strap over his shoulder, surprised by its substantial weight. “And the matching one too.”
She looked dubious for a second, then passed him the bag, this one as heavy as the last. “Thanks, that makes a huge difference. I can handle the smaller ones. Maybe I won’t even have to make two trips.”
When she reached into the car again, Andrew gave silent thanks for the gear in his arms, restricting his ability to run his hands all over her tanned skin. The tiny pair of shorts rode low on her hips and finished high on her firm thighs, so when she leaned forward, they exposed the tiniest curve of her ass. And what an ass it was. Lush and rounded, curvy in all the right places. It was mouthwatering. Tempting enough to make him take a voluntary step back.
There’d be no stopping him should he ever get his hands on that ass.
Hell. When had he turned into such a horny bastard he had to stop himself from grabbing a stranger’s ass?
The radiant brunette hung a bag over her shoulder, took out a smaller suitcase with wheels, carefully draped a suit—nope, dress—bag over her arm, shut the boot and, tugging the case behind her, set off towards the ramp beside the staircase leading to the hotel.
“I owe you big-time for this.” She flashed him a smile as she looked back at him.
The matching case Andrew pulled also had wheels, making it easier to handle. Still, the woman had packed major stuff in there. He smiled back easily. “I’ll accept payment in the form of a drink later. Red wine or white. Your choice.”
“Red, always.” Something sparked in her eyes before she turned back to watch the path ahead of her. “But later’s going to be difficult. I have serious commitments this weekend.”
Knocked back.
It’d been so long since he’d been with a woman, Andrew had obviously lost his touch. A quick mental check told him his last date had been over three months ago. His last relationship? Way more than that.
He and his palm had become intimately acquainted of late, which was pretty damn pathetic when all was said and done.
Pity he’d lost his touch. Sharing a drink with this woman held a ridiculous amount of appeal. But of course she had commitments. Why else would she have six bags and suitcases for one week?
“You know…” She came to a stop halfway up the winding path. “I’m sorry I can’t grab a drink with you. You seem awfully nice. Plus you have the most amazing eyes, and I’m a sucker for brown eyes. Especially amazing ones, like yours.”
Pride restored and chest puffing a little, Andrew rushed to reassure her. “No worries. I understand commitments.” All too bloody well. He gestured at the hotel while wondering exactly what her commitments were. “Those bags are going to get heavy if you carry them longer than you absolutely need to.”
Her face was instantly aglow with contrition. “Never mind me, you’re the one lugging half my wardrobe with you. Please, leave it all here. I’ll come back for them.”
Andrew snorted. “And disprove my masculinity in front of the sexiest woman in the Hunter Valley? I don’t think so.”
Laughter pealed from her. “You’re sweet to say it, but I’m not sexy. Just happy.”
“You look happy.” And sexy. He took a step forward, prompting her to do the same.
“Ever have those times when everything in life seems perfect?” she asked conversationally.
He took a second or two to think about it. No. Not since his mother had been diagnosed, anyway. Because once a family member had a diagnosis like she’d been given, it colored every other moment in one’s life.
Or maybe Andrew’s inability to separate himself from his parents’ problems had stopped him from appreciating the perfect moments in life.
Like now, for instance. It didn’t get much more perfect than this, staring at the best ass in history. “Every now and again,” he answered, determined to forget about his folks for a while. Put thoughts of them aside and take a break.
Yeah, things might be bad at the moment, but Andrew had enjoyed some standout perfect times in his life. Times he knew others would give their right arms to enjoy.
“Think about it,” the brunette encouraged. “At those times, I bet you felt great. Believed nothing in the world could get you down, right?”
“Right,” he agreed.
“Well, when you’re in that state of mind, you tend to give off a vibe. That’s me now. I’m not sexy, I’m in a really good headspace.”
Something stirred deep in his gut, an emotion or maybe an instinct, something that told him this woman was…different. Someone to take notice of. Someone he needed to get to know better.
That stirring made Andrew stand straighter, pay attention.
“Yeah?” He chuckled. “I kinda suspect you’d be drop-dead gorgeous even if you weren’t having a perfect moment.”
“You know you’re making me feel even better about myself, don’t you?”
Andrew trained his gaze on the lower half of her body. “That probably explains why your legs and ass keep looking better and better.”
“Tell me you are not checking out my legs and ass.”
He watched as she took one step after the other, watched the muscles work in one thigh, then the other. Watched the creases that appeared beneath those rounded butt cheeks with every step she took.
It made his chest ache with a reaction that had nothing to do with the physical lust pumping through his veins. “I’m not checking out your legs and ass.”
“You’re lying.”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
He laughed. “Okay, guilty as charged. I am checking them out. But only because they’re worth checking out.”
They reached the entrance to the lodge, and Andrew nipped ahead to hold the door open for her.
With a grateful—and mischievous—smile, she walked inside. “You know, under any other circumstances I’d tell you that you had a great ass too.”
“Under other circumstances?” Did that mean she’d checked out his ass when he’d walked ahead of her?
“Considering the reason I’m here in the Hunter, I feel it only diplomatic to suspend judgment.”
Andrew frowned. “I’m intrigued. What could bring you here under those circumstances?”
“A wedding.”
Her expression was…dreamy. No other way to describe it. And so open and filled with delight it sucked the breath right out of his lungs.
She draped the dress bag carefully over the back of an armchair near the front desk and dumped her bags beside it. Andrew set down the rest of her luggage as she patted the dress bag tenderly. “My wedding.”
She’d barely gotten the words out when two things transpired concurrently.
Andrew was clobbered with a wallop of crushing disappointment, and a gaggle of women descended on the beautiful bride-to-be.
“Tori, you’re here.”
“Honey, how was the drive?”
“We’ve been waiting for you.”
“The celebrations can start.”
“Here comes the bride. All dressed in…shorts and a singlet.”
She was instantly swamped by them, exchanging hugs, kisses and whoops of delight.
Andrew watched, both charmed and bummed out. No wonder the woman radiated happiness and sunshine. She was getting married. Which, yeah, was cool for her. But man, it sucked big-time for him.
The desire that had hit him like a hurricane should have dissipated in the ensuing excitement and disappointment. It didn’t. As she mouthed a big thank-you, he waved a silent goodbye to a woman about to spend her life with another man.
Instinct told him not to let her go.
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Mr Hywel Coleman
Position: Honarary Senior Research Fellow
Areas of expertise: Language policy in the developing world, with a particular focus on education; the roles (positive and negative) of English; language and development; language, education and society in Indonesia
Email: H.Coleman@leeds.ac.uk
Website: Hywel Coleman | Language & Development Conferences | Researchgate | ORCID
<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Any research projects I'm currently working on will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>
The state of English as Medium of Instruction (EMI) in Higher Education institutions in Indonesia
BA/MA English Language & Literature, University of Oxford (Brasenose College)
MA Applied Linguistics for English Language Teaching, University of Lancaster
PGCE Primary Education, University of Leicester
Final Diploma in Bahasa Indonesia, Institute of Linguists
BAAL (British Association of Applied Linguistics)
Southern Multilingualisms and Diversities Consortium (https://southernmultilingualisms.org/)
TEFLIN (Teachers of English as a Foreign Language in Indonesia)
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Etzanoa
The Inhabitants
Oñate
The Battlefield
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Part of our mission is to educate. We hope this online experience helps you learn more about Etzanoa, its people, and its history.
Spain’s Last Conquistador, Don Juan de Oñate, set out from his colony in New Mexico in 1601 to explore the lands north and east of the of the Rio Grande. His group of more than 70 Spanish soldiers and priests, an unknown number of Indian soldiers and servants, and seven hundred horses and mules traveled through parts of today’s Texas and Oklahoma to the border of south central Kansas. They ran across many different large and small groups of natives who were friendly or hostile.
The expedition was seeking riches of gold, silver, and precious metals believed to be located in “Cibola”, fabled “Seven Cities of Gold” and the “Great Settlement” described to the Spaniards by other native groups. With the help of a native guide and by using sign language, the Oñate expedition was able to express their peaceful intentions to the natives encountered.
The Spanish soldiers had plenty of experience fighting natives in the New World since they were constantly going into new lands and displacing the inhabitants. The Spanish priests came to save the native souls and convert the natives to the Catholic religion. However, the conquistadors and soldiers cared little for the native lives and were fully prepared to battle natives to the death or torture the natives to secure the Spanish objectives of land and riches.
The Spaniards were well equipped to fight battles with hostile natives. They were armed with two cannons and cannon shot. At this time, the horse was unknown to the native people so riding horses made the Spaniards look like gods. Personal weapons included steel swords, spears, cross bows and a gun called a ‘Harquebus’, which was a large musket of sorts. This is the weapon that natives feared since it created the sound of thunder. Soldiers and their horses were protected by partial armor, helmets and chain mail.
In September 1601, just before arriving at the Great Settlement, the Spaniards met up with a group of native warriors that they called “Escanxaques”. These warriors were the enemies of the people of the Great Settlement. They were hunter-gatherers and wanted to rob the Great Settlement of its food stores. Weapons of the native groups in 1601 were limited to bows, arrows with stone tips, wooden spears with stone blades, stone knives and war clubs made with heads of stone, horn, bone and hardened wood. Most of these weapons required close hand-to-hand fighting to be effective. Arrows shot from wooded bows had little effect on Spanish armor.
The Excanxaques initially made friends with Oñate’s expedition. They recognized the fighting power possessed by the Spaniards and they wanted to join with the Spaniards to attack the occupants of the Great Settlement. To incite the Spaniards, the Excanxaques told a story of the Great Settlement natives holding a prior Spanish explorer as a prisoner.
Oñate had no interest in joining the Excanxaques to fight and told them to stay back. The Spaniards would later call the natives of the Great Settlement “Rayados”, which is the Spanish word for “striped”, referring to their custom of painting or tattooing their faces (around the eyes) like raccoons and bodies with solid and dotted lines and circles.
The Spaniard’s initial meeting with the Rayados would come from across the (Arkansas) river. The Rayados made the universal native sign of war by shouting and throwing dirt into the air. The Spaniards sent back the native sign for peace. Upon receiving the peace sign, the Rayados decided to peacefully meet with Oñate’s expedition. As they came into the presence of the Rayados chief, the Caratax, the Spaniards took him as a guide and hostage along with some females and some boys. The Caratax remained calm and he was treated very well. The other Rayados of the Great Settlement saw the capture and the entire town ran up river, leaving the the town completely vacant.
The Excanxaques had been quietly following behind Oñate’s expedition. When the Rayados ran from their settlement, the Excanxaques warriors moved in to the south end of the town to steal the food supplies and burn the huts. Oñate send some of his soldiers to fight back the Excanxaques and stop them from entering and burning the town.
Oñate’s expedition spent three days surveying the Great Settlement. The Rayados called their town “Etzanoa”. Once the Spaniards soldiers realized that the settlement held about 20,000 natives with more probably up river, they became frightened that a large group of Rayados would soon attack and overwhelm them. The soldiers convinced Oñate to turn around and head back through the settlement to return to New Mexico.
As the expedition moved through the south end of the Great Settlement, they were ambushed by a group of 1500 Excanxaques warriors. The warriors intended to raid Etzanoa and steal the food sources of the Rayados as well as the supplies, the livestock and horses of the Spaniards. The horses possibly being the greatest prize of all.
The Spaniards were able to repel the warriors and keep them at a distance with their firearms and cannons, as they moved southward probably in a manouver called a fighting withdrawal. The Excanxaque warriors fought with their primative weapons and ran to take cover from the Spanish bullets in a giant rock-lined ditch at one end of the battlefield. The Excanxaques arrows were not effective on the Spanish armor, but they did cause injuries to at least 50% of the Spaniards on body parts not covered by armor. By keeping the Excanxaques at a distance, the other weapons of the warriors were useless. No Spanish soldiers were killed. Many Excanxaques lives were lost, but no actual number was ever recorded.
The battle lasted off and on for the better part of one afternoon, with the Spaniards slowly working their way down and out of Etzanoa and across the (Arkansas) river. Eventually the Excanxaques withdrew from the fight with the Spaniards.
The hostage Rayado chief, Caratax, was freed unharmed by a raid on Oñate and Oñate freed several women captives, but he retained several boys at the request of the Spanish priests, so they could instruct them in the Catholic faith. The Oñate expedition made its way directly back the colony in New Mexico arriving on November 24, 1601, without finding any of the riches they had been hoping for.
This is called the Battle of Etzanoa.
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Copyright 2019 © Etzanoa Conservancy
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Visa-free regime will increase tourist flow to Greece, Spain and Italy
The introduction of a visa-free regime with the European Union will increase the flow of Ukrainian tourists to Greece, Spain and Italy, the director general of TUI Ukraine tour operator has said.
"The demand for European countries is growing, the number of requests we receive has tripled or quadrupled, especially we feel it with regard to Spain, Greece, Italy," he said.
The expert noted the probability of a slight decrease in the flow of tourists from Ukraine to Turkey and also predicted that the cost of recreation in this country could increase by an average of 40% compared with 2016, which is also related to the abolition of prohibitions on charter flights to Turkey in Russia.
At the same time, the expert believes that despite the increase in the flow of Ukrainian tourists to the EU countries, Turkey will remain the leader. He also noted the company is ready to change charter programs and resolve the issues with an additional quota of seats in hotels.
Tags: #visa
Simple visa regime with Russia not to work, we must introduce biometric visas — Klimkin
Two million Ukrainians already benefited from visa-free regime – Poroshenko
Visa regime with UK could be achieved in several year, no dialog today
Ukrainians must now present biometric data for Canadian visa
MP Yemets favors introducing visa regime with Russia
Ukrainians to travel to Hainan Province without visas from May 1
Britain still sees no capacities for visa liberalization with Ukraine - ambassador
Canada not ready for dialogue on visa-free travel with Ukraine - Klympush-Tsintsadze
Ukraine ready to work with Canada on issue of visa-free travel
Ukraine's visa-free travel with EU, entry into force of Association Agreement signify final break with 'evil empire' – Poroshenko
Wizz Air to cancel part of flights from Kyiv on 17 routes on August 3-20
One Ukrainian soldier killed, another three wounded in Donbas on July 15
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VMRO-DPMNE proposes reducing the VAT rate from 18 to 16 percent
Economy 07.03.2019 / 21:24
The opposition conservative VMRO-DPMNE party intends to reduce the value added tax rate from 18 to 16 percent, in a push to improve living standards.
VMRO leader Hristijan Mickoski announced that the party’s group in Parliament will propose the measure, adding that this will ensure that consumers really save 500 EUR annually. Prime Minister Zoran Zaev is pushing a scheme under which he claims that each household will receive 500 EUR in VAT reimbursement, although his own math shows that a family would have to spend an astronomical sum of money on goods and services to reach that rate of reimbursement.
This is just another lie from Zaev. I’m proposing to the VMRO-DPMNE group in Parliament to propose a reduction in the rate from 18 to 16 percent and from 5 to 4 percent for the lower taxed products. Why would we go through the trouble of collecting the VAT tax in full first, harassing consumers to keep their receipts, wait in lines at the Public Revenue Service, wait for their computers to work, so they can claim a reimbursement? We can simply lower the tax rate, that would show honest intent, Mickoski said during an interview with Alfa TV,
The opposition leader also wondered aloud about the confusion in the Government, where Zaev announced that Volkswagen will open a major factory in Macedonia as a form of reward for the name change, but now that the company seems to be heading to Serbia instead, Zaev’s ministers demand that the company is not “abused politically”.
Zaev first creates high expectations, and he himself, before he went for his pricey ski trip, said that a major global company from a country that serves as a strategic partner to Macedonia will invest here. He even spoke of the private conversation he had with an adviser of the Prime Minister of this country, said that they all but promised him the deal, and now we see his deputy Angjusev, almost ironically, ask that the name of Volkswagen should not be abused for political purposes, Mickoski said.
Zaev’s Deputy Prime Minister Koco Angjusev said that he still has hopes that the move to Serbia is not final and that Volkswagen may yet decide to invest in “North Macedonia”.
Mickoskivat
Macedonia 16.07.2019
Makfax poll shows majority of Macedonians expect VMRO to be back in office within the year, under Hristijan Mickoski
Mickoski congratulates to the PODEM party on its 11th anniversary
Telekom and the Interior Ministry conclude contract worth 5.7 million euros
Cost of living increased compared to June 2018
Anti-Corruption Commission urges Zaev to appoint Finance Minister as soon as possible
Surplus food to be donated by law
There is a pension fund scandal after all: Contributions not paid to 14,000 citizens
The government takes away Euromax’s concession for the Ilovica mine
Zaev: My intention is to make major decisions in the finance sector that will benefit the citizens
Pope Francis landed in Macedonia with a defective radar system
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Corruption, Politics, Progressive Agenda
Michael Cohen’s Attorney’s Admit To Meeting With House Intelligence Committee Chair, As They Rehearsed Anti-Trump Cohen Hearing
Date: March 9, 2019Author: evansnewsreport.com 0 Comments
Already, the New York Times Daniel McCarthy published an article on Saturday titled…
“The Real Reason for the Michael Cohen Hearing”
McCarthy pointed out how the hearings for the Democrats were nothing more than a public sleaze show, that was done for partisan reasons, not to reveal any crimes committed by the President, but to use our nations Congress, to try and smear a duly-elected President of the United States. In fact, McCarthy points out in the New York Times…
The public testimony was sleaze for the sake of pure partisan pleasure, not a serious attempt at uncovering lawbreaking. A perjurer soon to be serving three years in prison had a great many charges to level against President Trump on Wednesday. Michael Cohen, once the president’s personal lawyer, told the House Committee on Oversight and Reform of misbehavior and possibly criminal conduct on the part of his former client ranging from paying off mistresses and lying about a real estate deal in Moscow to inflating the value of his assets for insurance purposes and deflating them when paying his taxes.
Yet Mr. Cohen testified that he had no evidence of collusion between Donald Trump and Russia and was never explicitly ordered by Mr. Trump to lie to Congress. Mr. Cohen had inferred, however, that Mr. Trump wanted him to lie. Mr. Cohen’s lies under oath are one of the reasons he is headed to a federal prison.
McCarthy was right, as the Democrats, have now officially been using their newly-found power in Congress as a weapon against ideological opponents, rather than working for ‘We the People’
Now, even more concerning, is the fact that Cohen and his attorney Lanny Davis both have admitted that they met with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) for ten hours, as they apparently rehearsed the event, in a blatant attempt to smear the President, and destroy his Presidency and Administration! In fact, Michael Cohen told House Republicans that staff for Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff traveled to New York at least four times and met with him for ten hours.
FOX News reported that…
President Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen told House investigators this week that staff for Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., traveled to New York at least four times to meet with him for over 10 hours immediately before last month’s high-profile public testimony, according to two sources familiar with the matter — as Republicans question whether the meetings amounted to coaching a witness.
The sources said the sessions covered a slew of topics addressed during the public hearing before the oversight committee — including the National Enquirer’s “Catch and Kill” policy, American Media CEO David Pecker and the alleged undervaluing of President Trump’s assets.
But, Republicans have signaled they’re not convinced, with Ohio Rep. Mike Turner sending a letter to Cohen’s team on Wednesday demanding answers.
Turner specifically asked for confirmation of Cohen’s contacts, if any, “with Democratic Members or Democratic staff of SSCI [Senate Select Committee on Intelligence], COR [House Committee on Oversight and Reform], or HPSCI [House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence] prior to his appearances before House and Senate committees last week” — as well as the lengths of such contacts, their locations and who exactly was involved.
“These questions are important for the public to understand whether or not they were watching witness testimony, a public hearing, or well-rehearsed theater,” he wrote.
Donald Trump Jr. responded to the revelation, as he said…
Yea, 10 hours to discuss logistics🙄… I’m sure he wasn’t coached by Schiff etc. Would be nice others in MSM someone finally called this crap out.
Cohen met with Schiff staff for over 10 hours before House Oversight Committee hearing, sources say https://t.co/MfWfcOMZb1
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 8, 2019
Ultimately, Democrats will do anything to destroy the President, and end his opposition to their globalist agenda! They will do anything to implement the same Socialist economic system that has destroyed Venezuela! They will do anything to implement Marxism which enriches and empowers the Elitist Political Class while destroying the Middle Class and the American dream! In the end, the Michael Cohen hearings were nothing more than a dog and pony show, that was staged in order to smear the President, his allies, and anyone who works for or supports him! In the end, the Democrat Party has become the epitome of hate, racism, discrimination, lies, smears, and dirty political games! They no longer represent American values or the American people, but instead, they exude global Marxist values, as they simply look out for themselves, their own financial and political gains, and the power that they will do anything for, as well as, destroy anyone who dares stand in their way! In fact, they seek to destroy people like President Trump and those who support the ‘Make America Great Again’ agenda, those in Middle America!
Adam Schiff corruptionCohen Testimony stagedDems colluded with Cohen and AttorneyHouse Democrat Corruption
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NOT ALL OF HOLLYWOOD HAS FALLEN: Actor Jon Voight Caught At 4th of July 'Salute To America' Personally Wiping Off Rain From Gold Star Families Chairs
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West Coast Wonders: Andrea Baxter and Indy 500
← Feeding the Olympics: What Gold Medal Athletes Have in Common
#DogsofEN (Plus Cats and One Random Camel), Vol. 10 →
By Sally Spickard on Aug 18, 2016 1:30 pm - 1,946 views
Welcome to EN's brand new series, West Coast Wonders! We'll be spotlighting horses and riders who are making a splash on the West Coast. We continue our series with Andrea Baxter and her precocious mare, Indy 500. Do you have a horse and/or rider that you'd like to see on West Coast Wonders? Tip me at [email protected]
Andrea Baxter and Indy 500. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Many upper-level riders will tell you that it’s infinitely more difficult to see success at the top of the sport without having multiple horses. Should your plan of action derail with one horse, you have another to fall back on. For California-based rider Andrea Baxter, this was a strategy that left her top mount Indy 500 on the back burner while she focused on some of her other horses.
An 11-year-old Thoroughbred mare, Indy was not a horse Andrea immediately pinpointed as the horse that would fulfill her upper-level dreams. Originally registered with the Jockey Club as My Gifted Indyanna (Cromwell X Tensofthousands, by Spend A Buck), Indy ultimately did not race, as the farm that bred her was liquidated by the owner, Alex Trebek of Jeopardy fame.
It took Andrea several years to make the decision to take Indy on as a training project. “Linda Miller, who owned her and purchased her as a weanling, was very proud of her,” she said. “She had AP Indy lineage and was really excited about that. My farrier mentioned to me that we might be a good fit, so I went and saw her as a 2-year-old. She had toothpicks for legs and was built rather downhill and overall was just something I wasn’t interested in.”
This went on for the next two years, with Andrea paying Indy a visit and again deciding against purchasing her. Finally, when Indy was a 4-year-old, Andrea’s other horse sustained an injury, and she found herself seeking a new project. “I agreed to take her in training to help sell her,” she said. “We actually got along great as soon as she stepped off the trailer.”
Andrea still had other horses that she focused on while training Indy, who smoothly began her eventing career, showing agility and prowess for the sport. She eventually elected to breed the mare, producing her first foal, Laguna Seca, by crossing her with the Holsteiner stallion Linaro.
“Shortly after foaling, she suffered a serious battle of post parturition colic during one of our events at Twin Rivers,” Andrea said. “At the time she’d completed only a handful of shows and wasn’t insured. I took her and the foal to the emergency clinic and the prognosis wasn’t good. As the night unfolded I knew that financially surgery wasn’t an option. Unbelievably, the next morning the clinic called to say she was OK, and I swear she’s been determined to prove to me her worth ever since!”
Andrea and Indy 500’s first foal, Laguna Seca. Photo used with permission from Captured Moment Photography.
The mare still showed an appetite to compete after her colic scare, and so Andrea continued to test her abilities, stepping her up to Prelim after she came back from foaling. “She was just ready to do whatever I wanted her to do,” Andrea said. “I always knew she was very careful, but it was always kind of an experiment to move her up because I wasn’t sure if she had the scope or not. But she always just stepped up to the plate and figured it out.”
One struggle Andrea had with Indy was her jumping technique. “I was kind of getting away with the fact that I had to manually rebalance her in front of every fence, making her sit down pretty much just from my hands. I was almost riding a bit backwards to get the right balance. It was hard for her, as she wasn’t as scopey as some of my other upper-level horses had been. It was a learning curve, looking back, and I honestly probably used to ride all of my horses like that, so it’s cool to see both of us grow forward out of that style,” Andrea said.
“She has helped teach me to ride my horses forward to the fences. I had to not ride so manually and trust her a bit more. She has always been really trainable, so letting her sort of learn on her own instead of me micromanaging every stride was helpful for both of us and has really made us improve.”
Andrea and Indy moved up to Advanced together in 2012 at Twin Rivers, the event her family has run since 2004. They eventually went on to complete their first CCI3* together at Galway Downs in 2014, finishing in eighth place. Now, the pair really seem to have hit their stride, with a top-15 finish at Jersey Fresh and a sixth-place finish at Rebecca Farm. It’s been enough of a stellar season to make Andrea look towards that big event that begins with an R in Kentucky.
Andrea Baxter and Indy 500 at Jersey Fresh. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Andrea made the trip to Kentucky once before with her former upper-level horse, Estrella, in 2010. The pair was unfortunately eliminated on refusals on cross country, but Andrea feels she’s done her homework this go-round to improve upon that disappointing finish.
“Estrella and I had a lot of experience together and spent a lot of time back east. I battled soundness issues leading up to Kentucky, and I was not really in the right frame of mind to be there. It was a hard lesson, but I feel like I learned a lot about what to do better. I’d always hoped I’d get Estrella back there, but I just couldn’t quite keep her sound enough,” Andrea said.
“I swore I was going to go back to Kentucky and do it right. I felt like I made so many rookie errors when I went the first time with Estrella. Indy and I did get our first CCI3* qualification at Galway two years ago, but I didn’t feel quite ready to go that year. Now we’ve got three qualifying runs at that level and a lot more experience, so I feel we’re both ready to go.”
Despite the fact that Indy spent some time on the back burner, she’s steadily worked her way into a special place in Andrea’s heart, as unexpected as it may have been. “It’s not as if I saw her and said, ‘Now this is my four-star horse!'” she said. “But somewhere along the line she became very important to me, and I’m really proud of how far we’ve come.”
Andrea is now looking ahead to Kentucky and beyond, with her breeding program producing horses she hopes will become her next upper-level mounts. Coronado, a 2-year-old colt by Chilli Morning out of her former Advanced mare Estrella, is definitely going to be an exciting one to watch in years to come. Additionally, Andrea has several other young horses, including Laguna Seca out of Indy herself, who recently stepped up to Training level.
Estrella’s foal by Chilli Morning. Photo courtesy of Andrea Baxter.
As if a career at the upper levels and a breeding program weren’t enough to keep a girl busy, Andrea is also heavily involved with Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, which was purchased by her family in 2001 and has since grown to be a staple horse trials and FEI destination for West Coast eventers.
“My parents have been very involved in it, and we’ve all done what we can to build an event people want to come to,” Andrea said. “They’re beginning to step back a bit, which means it’s time for me to step up. It’s been a labor of love for all of us, and we’re thrilled with how successful it’s been.”
Twin Rivers hosts four recognized events each year, with the last one of the season approaching on September 22-25. Entries for this event, which runs levels from YEH and Intro up through Advanced, opened on August 9.
Categories Eventing Nation Rider Profiles
Tags Andrea Baxter Indy 500 West Coast Wonders
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Posts Tagged ‘Young and Free Texas’
Showdown, Texas-style
On Sunday night, I found out why Trey Reeme has been very quiet on the credit union/social media scene since the beginning of the year. It’s because he’s been working to bring Tim McAlpine and Currency Marketing’s Young & Free Alberta campaign to Trey’s new credit union, TDECU (fka Texas Dow Employees’ CU). This news was twittered very quickly Sunday night, with Bryan Sims being the first outsider to discover it the night before the official launch.
Yesterday, launch day of Young & Free Texas, it has been blogged by William Azaroff and Trey Reeme, Tim McAlpine, and Ben Rogers, and reported by CU Times, Reuters, and Forbes.
This exciting news, the Young & Free campaign’s launch and license for the first time in the United States, was tempered with the news that another credit union in Texas has copied (emulated?) the Young & Free concept (reported by The Financial Brand), in most, if not all, details.
This brings up the issue of financial institution branding in the internet age.
In the old days, it was easy. There was no way someone in Alberta, Canada would ever encounter something from Houston, Texas. And only traveling professionals would have regular visits between Houston (HQ area of TDECU) and Dallas (HQ of Resource 1 CU). But the internet has changed all that. With three clicks of a mouse, someone can view Young & Free Alberta, Young & Free Texas, and Resource 1 CU’s MyLifeMyMoney . And in fact, googling “Young Free” today yields the Alberta campaign as the first two results, and William Azaroff’s blog post about the Texas launch near the bottom of the page.
MyLifeMyMoney could suffer the same fate as the stellar BBC sitcom “Coupling” when it was translated from British to American TV. Coupling has six main characters, three men and three women, and the series explores the humor of their personal lives, and male/female dating and stereotypes. The BBC original is delightful, unexpected, and original. When Friends ended its 11-year hit run, NBC needed something to replace it, and purchased an American version of Coupling. But rather than re-interpret the British version in an American style, it simply copied the BBC original, line for line. The only difference was the American actors, and a few changed words such as ‘lorry’ to ‘truck’. Whether or not you had seen the British original, the American version stunk. It was flat. It had no sparkle, no charm, no pizzazz, all the things which made the British version wonderful. Even though 99% of American audiences had no idea that it was a copy of a show across the pond, no one watched it, and it was promptly cancelled.
This is what Resource 1 CU’s MyLifeMyMoney is. Nearly identical in most regards (spokesperson contest, online voting, etc), just changing the words and switching the graphics. Copying the surface, without understanding the depth. The first difference I see in MyLifeMyMoney is the declaration that the campaign is aimed at 18-35 year olds. What an 18 year-old and a 35-year old have in common is that they eat and breathe. And not much else. (A smart credit union marketing professional recently updated her Facebook status saying 30 is too old to come up with effective marketing strategies for the 18 to 21 age group. When will financial institutions understand that a.) it’s not about age and b.) even if it is about age, you don’t need to say it in your ads — Hey you! If you are between the ages of 26 and 34, pay attention because this ad is aimed at your wallet! Otherwise, never mind and go away!) MyLifeMyMoney also uses generic, cheesy, typical stock photography showing happy white people who could be anywhere. There is nothing that says “Texas” or local about these generic images, which is in stark contrast to Young & Free. Another social media misstep is that blog posts on the site are unsigned. Nothing says “corporate” more than faceless blog postings.
The final area where MyLifeMyMoney seems to fall short is that the actual value that a young person gets is unclear. On the surface it seems like a bunch of fancy names for services the credit union offers anyway. Free online banking? Who doesn’t offer that? Free live call center? Free ATM deposits? Free drive thru? Free direct deposit? Does ANY FI charge for these things? Free 8 locations? What, if you are older, you are charged for walking into a branch? Thud.
Resource 1 CU appears to have copied the surface appearance of Young & Free, while making mistakes on critical social media aspects.
In contrast to the hit BBC show “Coupling”, the BBC hit sitcom “The Office” made the leap across the Atlantic very differently than Coupling’s straight-out copy. The Office retained the name and core concept in translation, but was completely re-interpreted in an American style. And the results have been a runaway success on both sides of the pond. This is my hope for Young & Free’s translation south of the 49th parallel.
However, even Young & Free Texas has the potential to be less successful than Young & Free Alberta. As I mentioned, googling Young Free results in the Young Free Alberta site showing for the first two results. How will this be resolved? What is the best that Young Free Texas can hope for? Five Alberta results and five Texas results? What kind of confusion is that going to create in young potential members? What are young people going to think when they see Alberta videos mixed in with Texas videos on YouTube? Never mind the potential confusion that will occur once other states join the fray. Are Texans going to take kindly to the fact that they are second-class citizens, copying the magic that is occurring in Alberta? Texans have built their brand on being the biggest and best. Texans don’t take kindly to being second-fiddle at ANYTHING. You can’t hide things on the internet. Texans WILL find Young Free Alberta. The questions are how much, how often, and will they care? Because I like both Tim and Trey so much, and I love the Young & Free campaign and everything Larissa has done as Spokester, I would like to see them and Young & Free be successful in Texas as well. I even thought about NOT writing about Resource 1’s version of Young and Free. But that would be not accomplish anything. It’s on teh INTER-NETS. It’s out there for EVERYONE to see. Everyone can see the strategy of Resource 1. It’s not like if I don’t write about it that it will go away. It’s already out there. (A video from Larissa/Young & Free Alberta shows up as the third ‘related video’ result on YouTube when viewing the MyLifeMyMoney spokester search explanation video.
Young & Free Alberta’s success is definitely not solely due to Larissa Walkiw’s talent and charm. Young & Free Alberta has three primary success factors going for it: 1.) It’s completely new and innovative; no financial institution has ever done anything like this. 2.) The CU has a unique product (free checking) which no other F.I. has in Alberta. 3.) The campaign gives young people a true voice, not only through spokesperson Larissa, but through the unique Albertan events that Larissa covers in person and shoots videos and blogs about.
Young and Free Texas will have number three on the above list, but will not have number one, and number two is questionable. I’m not sure how the Go2Account stacks up against not only what TDECU offers, but against other FIs in Texas. I’m not sure what Dual Checking and Savings accounts mean, but checking accounts are already free at TDECU.
Will Young & Free Texas equal the success of Young & Free Alberta without a clearly compelling and differentiating product? Will Resource 1 CU learn enough on the fly about social media to make MyLifeMyMoney successful and be able to overcome the lack of a differentiating product?
Update: Now that I have listened to Trey’s phone conversation with Mark McSpadden, I have learned that Trey acknowledges 1.) The hope that Young & Free Texans commune with Young & Free Albertans and any other future Young & Free’ers and 2.) that he and TDECU decided to proceed with launching Young & Free Texas despite not being able to launch the corresponding youth product in the way that they had wanted. However neither of these points is apparent (or matters) to outsiders or the target audience.
Tags:Alberta, Blogging, campaign, canada, credit unions, Currency Marketing, PR, social media, TDECU, Texas, Tim McAlpine, Trey Reeme, US, Young and Free Alberta, Young and Free Texas
Posted in Blogging, Marketing 2.0, Strategy, World 2.0 | 23 Comments »
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Home Entertainment Trailer Fast and the Furious 8 Latest Trailer Reveals a Lot of the Movie: Get Ready for Some High Adrenalin Rush!
Fast and the Furious 8 Latest Trailer Reveals a Lot of the Movie: Get Ready for Some High Adrenalin Rush!
Speeding cars, Explosions, tank, submarine; the movie Fast and Furious 8 will provide you all as per the latest trailer of the film goes. Fast and Furious franchise has this common trait to come every time up with much more than its previous movie. The trailer speaks it loud and clear that the eighth installment has successfully kept the trend alive. Each time the fans think what more can the franchise may offer as latest movie almost covers everything possible but each time we get mesmerized with their immense futuristic vision and craftsmanship!
The new trailer of Fast and the Furious 8 comes with the biggest surprise of all when Dom is pressured by Cipher played by Charlize Theron to become a rogue, and he turns against his friends. But some of the most interesting moment of the trailer are Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson catching a grenade with his bare hand, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges drives a tank, A submarine in the Arctic chase, Dwayne redirects a torpedo with his feet! There is no doubt the viewers will get a hell of an experience at the theaters. So many things in a three minutes trailer can make you wonder what the entire movie will hold for you then!
The trailer gives us a glimpse of the level of action and visual effects the movie will offer to its fans! The latest trailer even showed a glimpse of late Paul Walker aka Brian O’Conner through a photograph along with his wife, Mia. Shot around different locations around the world, the movie gives us beautiful locations of Mývatn, Havana, Atlanta, Cleveland and New York City.
The action flick Fast and the Furious 8 is directed by F. Gary Gray, produced by Vin Diesel, Neal H. Moritz and Michael Fottrell and is written by Chris Morgan and Gary Scott Thompson and will be releasing on 14th April in the United States of America.
Watch the Fast and the Furious 8 New Trailer
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You are here:Dorset Council > … > Family Information Service > Family Information Directory > Young people services Search Results
Main Directory CategoriesYoung people services
LocationNationalRemove
Housing and Homelessness (18)
Youth Support (53)
Adapting Technology - Changing Lives. AbilityNet is a national charity helping disabled adults and children use computers and the internet by adapting and adjusting their technology. Our special expertise is ensuring that whatever your age, health condition, disability or situation you find exactly the right…
enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk
www.abilitynet.org.uk
AbilityNet Thames Valley c/o Microsoft Ltd, Thames Valley Park, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 1WG
From before they are born until they are into their twenties, we help disadvantaged children across the UK. We help them through fostering or adoption – and by intervening early to stop neglect and abuse. We make life better for children with disabilities. We influence…
ask.us@actionforchildren.org.uk
www.actionforchildren.org.uk
3 The Boulevard Ascot Road, Watford, WD18 8AG
Learn about apprenticeships and traineeships and find exciting opportunities. See what the benefits are and apply for vacancies. The website also has a section for employers looking to take on apprentices.
nationalhelpdesk@apprenticeships.gov.uk.
Association Of Child Psychotherapists
The ACP is responsible for regulating the training and practice standards of child and adolescent psychotherapy and is an accredited register of the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). Psychoanalytic Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists have a key role in supporting other professionals who work with infants, children…
admin@childpsychotherapy.org.uk
www.childpsychotherapy.org.uk
CAN Mezzanine 32-36 Loman Street, London, SE1 0EH
Bournemouth Churches Housing Association
Bournemouth Churches Housing Association was founded in 1968 by a number of local churches, to try to make a practical contribution to local housing problems. Since then, BCHA has grown from strength to strength. We are a major provider of a diverse range of housing,…
enquiries@bcha.org.uk
www.bcha.org.uk/
St Swithens House 21 Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH1 3NS
Break Charity
Break’s core business is the provision of children’s homes. Break has six mainstream children’s homes in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire and a Therapeutic Fostering Service offering single placements to traumatised young people. Young people leaving Break’s care continue to be supported by our in-house Moving On…
office@break-charity.org
www.break-charity.org
Davison House 1 Montague Road, Sheringham, Norfolk, NR26 8WN
British Youth Council
The British Youth Council is the National Youth Council of the UK. A youth-led charity, we empower young people aged 25 and under to influence and inform the decisions that affect their lives. We support teenagers and young people to get involved in their communities…
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CAN Mezzanine 49-51 East Road, London, N1 6AH
Brook - Free & Confidential Information For Under 25s
Use the online tool to ask Brook any question you may have about sexual health and relationships. Available 24/7. Brook has services across the UK providing free and confidential sexual health services to young people under 25. Use the find a service tool to search…
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50 Featherstone Street, London, EC1Y 8RT
Buttle Uk
Buttle UK exists to give children and young people living in poverty a fighting chance. Our personalised grants give children the chance to shape their own futures. We provide emergency essentials to children and young people living in extreme need and offer support throughout their…
info@buttleuk.org
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Audley House 13 Palace Street, London, SW1E 5HX
Cerebra (for Brain Injured Children & Young People)
Families where a child has a brain condition face challenges every day. Just to learn, play, make friends, enjoy and experience the world can feel difficult, even impossible. But we don’t believe there is any challenge that can’t be over come. Cerebra's vision is that…
enquiries@cerebra.org.uk
www.cerebra.org.uk
2nd Floor The Lyric Building, Kings Street, Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire, SA31 1BD
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David Coles (left) and John Drake of the Naval Service Training Command see tablets as a teaching tool.
DOD Embraces Tablets to Engage Users and Drive Efficiencies
The Navy, Air Force and Marines use tablets to improve training for recruits, reduce the usage of paper forms and even keep soldiers safe on the battlefield.
Dan Tynan
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Dan Tynan is a freelance writer based in San Francisco. He has won numerous journalism awards and his work has appeared in more than 70 publications, several of them not yet dead.
Only a few years ago, sailors at the Navy’s sole boot camp, the Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill., waded through reams of documentation covering subjects from the Uniform Military Code of Justice to officer rank insignias.
But today, recruits assigned to the barracks receive less paperwork and instead are outfitted with tablets.
The move is part of a broader shift across the Defense Department to adopt tablets as a way to engage users, develop operations efficiencies and even minimize collateral damage on the battlefield.
As part of the eSailor program, launched in April 2015, the Navy replaces static training documentation with interactive apps, pushing recruits to connect with the materials, says John Drake, director of strategy and analysis for the Naval Service Training Command.
“Instead of sliding through a PowerPoint or a PDF, recruits go through an interactive module, where they hit links and learn more,” he says. “We want to make the process interactive and offer the opportunity to learn more. We want to assess what they do and don’t understand.”
The eSailor team developed a trivia app that quizzes recruits on their comprehensive knowledge of the military branch, such as matching an officer’s sleeve and collar insignia with their corresponding rank. Text-heavy materials are enhanced with comic book–style illustrations.
The training center chose tablets, Drake says, because they hit the sweet spot between portability and power, with larger screens than smartphones and better battery life than laptops. Recruits regularly use the Apple iPad Air 2, while staff personnel test apps on the Microsoft Surface 3 and the Dell Venue 8. The training center is also considering Android-based Samsung Galaxy units.
But the tablets in this pilot vary from those found at a traditional electronics box store, notes David Coles, the NSTC’s director of information technology management.
The Navy uses VMware AirWatch to limit how recruits use the machines. For example, they can’t download new apps, play games, or surf the web during the training week. On weekends, they’re allowed to use email and access a limited number of internet sites.
Recruits Get Specialized and Secure Tablets
Each tablet at the training center arrives with a MilSpec-grade ruggedized case to protect it from damage. The tablets are not equipped to handle classified data, but if one of the devices went missing, the Navy could use AirWatch to wipe it clean remotely.
The Navy’s tablet initiative also required the service to connect a wireless network to the intranet already in place at Great Lakes. The Wi-Fi network currently includes nearly 100 access points, seven Power over Ethernet switches and a wireless LAN controller, all manufactured by Aruba.
To date, the Chicago-based training center has re-engineered approximately 20 hours of training materials for use on tablets and plans to eventually offer nearly 100 hours, Drake says. When the pilot portion of the program finishes in 2018, tens of thousands of recruits will have received a tablet. “We envision that one day we’ll hand a tablet to a recruit, and he or she will take it from boot camp onward through their naval career,” Drake says.
Tablets Make Paper Forms a Thing of the Past
Like private businesses, the military embraces the advantages of mobile computing, says Jeff Orr, research director for ABI Research. But thanks to more stringent requirements for durability and security, deploying ruggedized tablets that meet federal security standards can cost as much as 50 percent more, he says. That means the DOD at large tends to deploy tablets in narrowly defined situations.
“It’s really about finding the right fit for different mobility scenarios,” Orr says. “Any role that requires you to fill out forms to capture data is an opportunity to go digital.”
In January, Air Force Mobility Command approved Electronic Flight Bags featuring iPads to replace the 120-pound paper manuals that help flight crews for each mission. Leaders there estimate that using the tablets will save more than $4 million a year in fuel and printing costs.
But the Air Force also uses tablets to save money and create efficiencies on the ground. Air Force Materiel Command’s eTools program features ruggedized Windows notebooks and tablets, as well as some Android and iOS devices, says Tim Reynolds, eTools program manager at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center in Ohio. The machines display technical orders used to launch, recover and repair aircraft.
“Smartphone displays are too small to efficiently be used for aircraft logistical operations such as launch, recovery and repair,” Reynolds says. “eTools allow us to reduce cost and bring electronic processes to aircraft maintainers at the point of use.”
The biggest challenge is not operating systems, Reynolds adds. It’s convincing older airmen to embrace the electronic technology instead of the paper copies. But with the advent of tablets, the DOD hopes to make the devices commonplace.
Mobile App Keeps Soldiers Out of Harm's Way
Training and logistics aren’t the only ways military branches are using tablets. With the U.S. Marine Corps, tablets have found their way onto the front lines in Afghanistan.
Using a custom-designed app called KILSWITCH — short for Kinetic Integrated Lightweight Software Individual Tactical Combat Handheld — Marines are relying on modified Samsung tablets to direct air support in dense urban areas.
KILSWITCH combines visual imagery and gridded reference maps to allow Marines to zero in on targets more precisely, minimizing the risk of friendly fire and reducing collateral damage, says Maj. Scott Cuomo of the Commandant of the Marine Corps Strategist Program.
When troops shout into a walkie-talkie in an urban battlefield, with rounds flying overhead, it can be hard to communicate a target’s exact location, Cuomo notes. With KILSWITCH, Marines on the ground and in the sky are looking at the same grid. Thanks to a secure radio channel, the fire cell officer below can mark the target on the tablet and send it to the aviator, who can then send live video.
“Imagine if I were flying at 20,000 feet and was going to put a Hellfire missile through a window 50 feet in front of you,” he says. “Before I hit launch, I would want to communicate with you and say, ‘Brother, I’m seeing this blue dot right here. Confirm for me that you and none of your Marines are anywhere beyond this blue dot.’ Because we wouldn’t want to lose anyone in our unit.”
No mission is more critical than that.
Darren Hauck
Augmented Reality Headsets Promise Navy Divers an ‘Iron Man’ Experience
The Army, Air Force and Marines Call Up Rugged Mobile Solutions for the Battlefield
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“You Are Forced to Look Very Carefully”: DP Alan Jacobsen on Strong Island
Strong Island
by Filmmaker Staff
in Cinematographers, Cinematography, Filmmaking, Interviews, Sundance
Alan Jacobsen, Strong Island, Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival 2017, Yance Ford
Hailed by Filmmaker as one of the 25 New Faces of independent cinema in 2011, Yance Ford makes her feature film debut with Strong Island, an intensely personal documentary on the 1992 death of his brother. Ford worked with DP Alan Jacobsen to create the film’s singular aesthetic, which combines long takes and a camera that never pans or tilts. Ford and Jacobsen drew inspiration from the long take masters, from Tarkovsky to artist Sharon Lockhart. Jacobsen spoke with Filmmaker ahead of Strong Island‘s premiere in the U.S. documentary competition at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Below, he touches on the painful nature of this story, the gear used to capture these moments and creating tension through a fixed camera.
Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job?
Jacobsen: Yance reached out to me on the recommendation of filmmaker Marshall Curry, with whom I’d shot two films. I believe Marshall felt that my ability to really dive deep and steadfastly support a director’s vision would be a good match for Yance, who wanted to make a radically unique, intimate film that would use the process and presentation of cinema to explore ideas of loss, grief, bias, and injustice. I was able to leverage my skills of visualization, communication, and collaboration to create, with Yance, a visual lexicon that would serve these ideas, while also working very intimately in some profoundly emotional and intense situations.
Filmmaker: What were your artistic goals on this film, and how did you realize them? How did you want your cinematography to enhance the film’s storytelling and treatment of its characters?
Jacobsen: We wanted to use the camera in ways that would create echoes of experience for the audience. One of the main ideas of the film’s design is that the perspective and view of the camera is controlled and limited in ways that reflect the power structures that confront our subjects. So for example, the camera does not pan or tilt in this film – objects and people might move out of frame and the camera is not allowed to follow. Empty space, unclear or occluded glimpses linger – you are forced to look very carefully, but you don’t get to see everything, you don’t get the whole picture. Alternately, for our interviews, we worked with the visual idea of testimony, or more specifically, missing testimony – that which perhaps would have been given if our subjects had been empowered to give it. The frame is wide, static, straight-on, unblinking. The unbroken length of the shots compel the viewer to really have to look, really listen. To not look away from painful details. There is an unavoidable feeling of control. These and other visual constructs were used to create an emotional immersion for the audience that echo back the themes of the film.
Filmmaker: Were there any specific influences on your cinematography, whether they be other films, or visual art, of photography, or something else?
Jacobsen: For me, I took a lot of inspiration from artists working in long take, particularly Carlos Reygadas, Nikolaus Geyrhalter, and, to an extreme, Sharon Lockhart – whose 50 minute long takes helped justify my 90 second takes. And Yance and I bonded over Patricio Guzmán, Tarkovsky, and Robert Persons’ amazing film General Orders No. 9, again for their ideas about taking the time needed for the audience to really look at deeper meanings. William Eggleston and Steven Shore helped us frame the deceptively peaceful suburbs.
Filmmaker: What were the biggest challenges posed by production to those goals?
Jacobsen: This film was an emotional gauntlet, most obviously for Yance, who was confronting people, systems and history that did not want to be confronted. Day after day, for seven years. Since Yance and I had grown so close, and were often filming alone for long periods of time, it was particularly wrenching to have to keep the camera rolling when Yance was suffering, anguished, overwhelmed. But that tension was key to the truth of the film, and I trust the audience will feel it worth it, if harrowing.
Filmmaker: What camera did you shoot on? Why did you choose the camera that you did? What lenses did you use?
Jacobsen: We shot with a progression of mostly Canon cameras. Very low-light nighttime exteriors where captured with the Canon 5Dmk3 and 1Dmk4 cameras with the fast f1.2 EF primes. Interviews were mostly C300, to allow a similar look but with proper audio and extended run times. Towards the end of production we also used the C300Mk2 at 4K, to allow reframes on the photographs that Yance hand manipulates. All EF lensing, to stay small and intimate. There is a tiny bit of early sony F3/Angenieux and EX3 footage in the film as well.
A key breakthrough on this film was the use of a still photo tripod head – the Gitzo 405 – instead of a fluid head. Using a head that cannot smoothly pan or tilt enforced our desire for a non-accommodating, uncorrected frame – I simply could not wimp out and correct an uncomfortable frame without ruining the (most likely long-take) shot! This was a great discipline to practice, and a fundamental part of the feeling of suspense and suspension in the film. I would try to predict where a person or face or hand might move, and set the frame accordingly. Often I would dial in an empty frame and that hope the action would move into it. The tension that is created around these frames as people move unpredictably, was key.
Filmmaker: Describe your approach to lighting.
Jacobsen: Lighting wise, I am a naturalist. For the most part, the natural, inexorable flow of real natural light is our guide. There is, however, a subtle stylization of the lighting in this film that echoes the idea of testimony. Our interview subjects are lit with a single overhead light, reminding the viewer that these testimonies are, perhaps, a collecting of “evidence” that was never properly done originally. This idea extends further, into a unique light-space we created for Yance’s addresses to the camera. Here, in Yance’s internal “thinking space,” the super tight frame and wrapping light allow us to see black skin in a way not often presented in such proximity.
Filmmaker: What was the most difficult scene to realize and why? And how did you do it?
Jacobsen: I can’t describe without spoliers, but you’ll know it when you see it. There were many many scenes.
Filmmaker: Finally, describe the finishing of the film. How much of your look was “baked in” versus realized in the DI?
Jacobsen: Color was finished at Technicolor/Postworks in NY. I was amazed at how well the various 8-bit formats were able to be brought together. Colorist Anthony Raffaele, working on a Baselight, did a fantastic job, particularly on a troublesome interview where the sun was in and out of clouds constantly. I shot in log as much as possible, but we were even able to successfully match a series of direct cuts between ECU closeups shot on C300 and 5D.
Camera: C300MK 1&2 & 5D MK3
Lenses: EF zooms 17-55, 24-70, 70-200. EF Primes 50 & 85 at 1.2
Lighting: Available with tungsten or LED interviews
Processing: Digital
Color Grading: Technicolor/Postworks at Baselight
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Science/Tech/Futurology
Neil deGrasse Tyson Gives You “A Brief History Of Everything” In Under 9 Minutes
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Outsmart Your Own Biases
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Cognitive biases muddy our decision making. We rely too heavily on intuitive, automatic judgments, and even when we try to use reason, our logic is often lazy or flawed. Instead of exploring risks and
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"Technology Art:" Combining Facial Tracking and Projection Mapping for Real-Time Face Hacking
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"Face hacking" might not have an artistic ring to it, but it looks stunning in execution. A collaboration between a multimedia artist, a makeup …
Photographing the stars—the story of the Hubble telescope, told by its chief scientist
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When it comes to iconic images of astronomical pillars of gas and dust, views of galaxies soon after they were formed, or glimpses of the accelerating universe driven by Dark Energy, the public can’t to
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Visitors to the One World Trade Center can now watch the evolution of New York City unfold before their eyes. The elevators to the observatory at the top of the building show an animated timelapse depicting
Why the modern world is bad for your brain
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‘Because it is limited in characters, texting discourages thoughtful discussion or any level of detail, and its addictive problems are compounded by its hyper-immediacy.’ ‘Because it is limited in characters,
Mini's weird-looking AR goggles are actually useful
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Your Next Prescription Could Be A Genome Sequence
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At Advances in Genome Biology and Technology, a conference for genomic scientists held earlier this year, one speaker told attendees that the use of genome sequencing to improve patient care is no longer
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Ok I have a question What the bloody hell is Envy? I don't know… - Fullmetal Alchemist community
redninjawinz
30 November 2004 @ 12:53 am
Ok I have a question
What the bloody hell is Envy? I don't know if it is a boy or girl. I always thought it impersonated too many people to remember its gender or true form, but the long hair form it uses. Is it male or female? It sounds male but it looks female. I can't rely on the voice since Al and Ed are both played by women. Does anyone know?
This comes after me seeing a Lust/Envy DJ and they were she males.
Can I just say how much much I love Armstrong!!!!!! He has always been my fav FMA character.
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Read 116 comments —
( Read 116 comments — Do You Have What It Takes? )
acdragonmaster on November 29th, 2004 11:19 pm (UTC)
The only company that actually "Americanizes" anime anymore is 4Kids, and everyone hates them for it. The other major companies have caught on that the reasons fans like it is because it's Japanese, not in spite of it.
Funimation is doing a great job so far, really. They could still improve a bit, yes, but when the director comments in his LiveJournal about using fansubs to help when putting together his dub scripts, methinks that's a good sign...
redninjawinz on November 29th, 2004 11:21 pm (UTC)
If that's the only company then why are curses taken out of animes.
Every company does it. They make the shows for 14 years olds and younger.
You're thinking of the stuff aired on Cartoon Network. And *that* is entirely Cartoon Network's fault. Try buying the DVD releases sometimes, you'll get plenty of curses there...
no im thinking of the resent DVD I've gotten.
Maaaaybe there wasn't actually that much cursing in the original Japanese? It happens. What anime, and what company?
I never said there was....
kaitou_marina on November 29th, 2004 11:26 pm (UTC)
That's because Japanese people don't actually HAVE curse words in their language. They have words that are frequently TRANSLATED as being curse words, but the words they use are NOWHERE NEAR as strong as American curse words are.
hey I still got slapped for those words. I guess my dad is just strict.
No, what I mean is that the Japanese DON'T have swear words in their language like we do. They have rough language that usually represent fighting words, but they don't really have SWEAR words. They're too polite.
I know what you mean but to me they were always bad words that I got in trouble for using.
So wait, let me get this straight, you ARE Japanese? *is now confused*
no one of my parents are. I'm half.
Ohhhhhhhh, okay okay. I see.
Though, why bother worrying about having swear words in English if you understand what the words mean in Japanese? I'm confused because you said they're "removing" "swear" words from anime, but that doesn't sound right to me at all.
(And in some cases, they're actually ADDING swear words to translations. XD For the manga Yami no Matsuei/Descendants of Darkness, in the English translation, they put the f word in several times where it wouldn't have been otherwise XD)
redninjawinz on November 30th, 2004 12:11 am (UTC)
It still feels like they are sensoring it.
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Unexplained fever in neonates may be associated with hepatitis B vaccine
Nehama Lindera,
Meirav Razb,
Lea Sirotaa,
Brian Reichmanb,
Dan Lubinb,
Jacob Kuintb,
Avner Herman Cohenc,
Asher Barzilaic
aDepartment of Neonatology Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel 14 Kaplan St Petah Tikva 49202 Israel, bDepartment of Neonatology Chaim Sheba Medical Center Tel Hashomer and the Sackler School of Medicine Tel Aviv University, cDepartment of Paediatric Infectious Diseases
Dr N Linder.
AIM To investigate whether hepatitis B vaccination has increased the number of cases of unexplained neonatal fever.
METHOD The files of all infants born from 1 January 1991 to 31 December 1992, in whom a diagnosis of “injected antibiotic” or “disease of temperature regulation” was recorded, were reviewed. Those who had unexplained fever of 38°C or higher during the first three days of life were divided into two groups: infants who did not receive the hepatitis B vaccine (1991) and infants who did (1992).
RESULTS In 1992 the incidence of unexplained fever in hepatitis B vaccinated neonates was significantly higher than in the 1991 group of pre-vaccination neonates (35 out of 5819 (0.6%) vs 14 out of 5010 neonates (0.28%) respectively, p=0.013).
CONCLUSIONS The increase in the number of cases of unexplained neonatal fever seems to be associated with the introduction of routine hepatitis B vaccination on the first day of life. The possibility that an excess number of neonates will undergo unnecessary procedures and treatment to diagnose unexplained fever justifies planning a controlled study to determine whether these preliminary findings point to a significant problem.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/fn.81.3.F206
Adverse events have been reported in 1.0 to 7.3% of infants who received hepatitis vaccine,1 2 the most common in neonates being fever (37.5–39°C) with an incidence of 1.0 to 3.7%.2 Routine administration of hepatitis B vaccine to all neonates on the first day of life was introduced in Israel on 1 January 1992. This study aimed to determine whether an increased incidence of unexplained early neonatal fever occurred in the wake of vaccination.
We reviewed the charts of all full term infants (37 weeks of gestation or more and birthweight ⩾ 2.5 kg) born at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Israel, from 1 January 1991 to 31 December 1992, who had a discharge diagnosis of “temperature regulation disease” or who had received intravenous antibiotics as an inpatient. In our department temperature is measured using a digital rectal thermometer (IIVAC 281 model 811, San Diego, CA) in all instances of suspected fever.
“Unexplained” neonatal fever was defined as a temperature of ⩾ 38°C during the first three days of life in the absence of sepsis (positive blood and/or cerebrospinal fluid cultures), dehydration (loss of at least 10% of birthweight), maternal fever (⩾ 38°C at delivery), or respiratory distress (oxygen required for > 4 hours after birth). Chart entries concerning these specific diagnostic details for infants not vaccinated with hepatitis B, born during 1991, were compared with entries for infants born during 1992, who were vaccinated against hepatitis B. No other changes in nursery staff or routine policies had occurred during the two year period.
Twenty seven out of 5010 full term infants born in 1991 and 68 out of 5819 born in 1992 had had a diagnosis of neonatal fever. Initial review of the 1992 group yielded 18 infants with fever <38°C who were excluded from the final analysis (table 1). Further review of case files revealed identifiable causes of fever (sepsis, dehydration, maternal fever, respiratory distress) in 13 infants in the 1991 and 15 infants in the 1992 groups, respectively. These infants were excluded from analysis (table 1).
Comparison of infants with neonatal fever before (1991) and after (1992) introduction of routine hepatitis B immunisation
Among the remaining infants with unexplained fever occurring within three days of birth, an increase of more than 100% was noted between 1991, when hepatitis B vaccine was not administered (0.28%), and 1992, when hepatitis was given routinely in the first day of life to all neonates (0.6%) (p=0.013) (table 1).
All charts of infants with unexplained fever were then reviewed for descriptive clinical characteristics (table 2). The only significant difference between the two groups was the longer duration of fever in the vaccinated group (p<0.05).
Hepatitis B vaccine is the first vaccine to be universally recommended for neonates.3 The rate of febrile reaction to it reportedly ranges from 0 to 7.3 hours.1 2 A lower rate of adverse events was reported in infants and children than in adults.1 In neonates the most common susbequent event was fever (37.5–39.0°C) and was the most common serious sign reported by the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).2 Their median reported time from vaccination to onset of fever was 1 day and mean maximum temperature was 38.9°C.
We reviewed the charts of infants with the diagnosis of temperature regulation disease, and of those who received intravenous antibiotics, to identify all infants with neonatal fever. The percentage of infants with unexplained fever during the first three days of life was significantly higher in 1992 (0.6%) when hepatitis B vaccine was given routinely on the first day of life to all neonates compared with 1991 (0.28%) when it was not given. The 0.32% difference is compatible with the 0 to 7.3% reported rate of febrile reaction to the vaccine.1 2 4-9 Notably, had we included infants with a temperature above 37.5°C, the significance would have been greater (p<0.001). Furthermore, infants born to mothers with maternal fever were excluded from our analysis even though some should probably have been classified as having unexplained neonatal fever.
The more than twofold increase in the percentage of infants with unexplained fever was not associated with the increased rate of enteroviral illnesses in 1992. The monthly distribution of cases of unexplained neonatal fever was stable, except for November 1992, when eight cases were noted. No other changes in our nursery staff or routine policies were introduced during 1992.
In the report by VAERS 24 neonates had severe neonatal events after hepatitis B vaccination; fever was the most common serious neonatal event and was reported in 13 (54%) neonates. The 13 neonates with fever reported by VAERS were admitted for a median of three days and 10 underwent evaluation for sepsis.2 In our study, all 35 neonates underwent a full sepsis evaluation, intravenous antibiotic treatment, and prolonged hospital stay.
Although Israel has a low incidence of hepatitis B carriers among the general Jewish Israeli population 0.5–0.6%,10 11 the Ministry of Health decided to provide active immunisation for every neonate on the first day of life, mainly because of the large scale immigration from countries in which the virus is hyperendemic. It was expected that since the rate of transmission of anti-hepatitis B antibodies from Israeli mothers to offspring is only 23%, there would be a good antibody response to an early first immunisation.10 11
In conclusion, we found that an increased incidence of unexplained neonatal fever, which resulted in evaluation for sepsis, administration of intravenous antibiotics, and prolonged hospital stay, may be associated with vaccination against hepatitis B on the first day of life. Although our data are significant, our numbers are small, therefore a larger controlled trial is justified to determine if the benefit conferred by universal vaccination of neonates against hepatitis B is outweighed by the risks and costs of unnecessary diagnostic procedures and treatments.
Andre FE
(1989) Summary of safety and efficacy data on a yeast-derived hepatitis B vaccine. Am J Med 87(Suppl 3A) 14S–20S.
Manette TN,
David M,
Davis BS,
Ellenberg S
(1996) Recombinant hepatitis B vaccination of neonates and infants: Emerging safety data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. Pediatr Infect Dis J 15:771–776.
(1991) Hepatitis B virus: A comprehensive strategy for eliminating transmission in the United States through universal childhood vaccination: recommendations of the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee (ACIP). Morbid Mortal Weekly Rep 40(Suppl RR-13) 11–13.
Stevens CE,
Taylor PE,
Tong MJ,
Toy PT,
Vyas GN,
Nair PV
(1987) Yeast recombinant hepatitis B vaccine: Efficacy with hepatitis B immune globulin in prevention of hepatitis B virus transmission. JAMA 257:2612–2616.
Polakoff S,
Vandervelde EM
(1988) Immunization of neonatal at high risk of hepatitis B in England and Wales: National surveillance. BMJ 297:249–253.
Gallo IA,
Petrosillo N,
Celleti S
(1989) Results of neonatal vaccination against hepatitis B in Frosinone. Ann Ig 1:709–715.
del Canho R,
Grosheide PM,
Voogd M
(1993) Immunogenicity of 20 micrograms of recombinant DNA hepatitis B vaccine in healthy neonates: A comparison of three different vaccination schemes. J Med Virol 41:30–34.
Lee CY,
Huang LM,
Chang MH,
Hsu CY,
Wu SJ,
Sung JL,
Safary A
(1991) The protective efficacy of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine in newborn infants of HBeAg positive hepatitis B surface antigen carrier mother. Pediatr Infect Dis J 10:299–303.
West DJ,
Calandra GB,
Ellis RW
(1990) Vaccination of infants and children against hepatitis B. Pediatr Clin North Am 37:585–601.
Bogomolski-Yahalomm V,
Granot E,
Linder N,
Adler R,
Korman S,
Manny N
(1991) Prevalence of HBsAg carriers in native and immigrant pregnant female population in Israel and passive/active vaccination against HBV of newborns at risk. J Med Virol 34:217–232.
Isacson M,
Halevy J,
Eidelman Al,
Rudensky B,
Tadmor OP,
Slater P
(1994) Prevalence of HBsAg carriers in pregnant women in Jerusalem: Risk for horizontal transmission to family members. Israel J Med Sci 30:368–370.
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
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Netherlands v Japan | Round of Sixteen 2019
FIFA Women's World Cup | Roazhon Park
Today, in Rennes, a cliché became real as’ a two-half match’ took place. The first half was dominated by the Netherlands, taking the lead through Lieke Martens and looking good value for it. Before the break and the tide turned, however, Japan equalized through Yui Hasegawa. The Nadeshiko looked like pushing for the winner, but was unable to take their opportunities-hitting the crossbar and discovering Sari van Veenendaal in good shape.
“To have another game in Valenciennes (against Italy in the quarter-finals), it’s amazing that we play there again. It felt like we were playing at home (last time the Dutch played there against Cameroon.) We expect a lot of support again and I’m really looking forward to that game.”
Lieke Martens, Visa Player of the Match
After Saki Kumagai was judged to have committed a handball in the penalty area, the Dutch finally broke Japanese hearts. Lieke Martens got up and sent the Oranjeleeuwinnen to a historic quarter-final for the first Women’s World Cup.
With her parents and sister Merel, who performs for Belgian side VC Moldavo in the Belgian second tier, Jackie Groenen could celebrate the victory over Japan pitch-side as the whole family had flown out to Rennes to see Jackie shine.
“We knew it was going to be a difficult match and we needed to change our tactics – that was how we were going to play and overall we played really calmly. Towards the end of the match in the second half we created many goalscoring opportunities, it was really unfortunate that we couldn’t take them. I think we lacked the clinical edge. We have to accept the result, we’re defeated, we’re very disappointed and for all the players I feel very sorry for them and frustrated.”
Asako Takakura, Japan coach
The Dutch teams went to the pitch after the match to celebrate with each other and the incredible help from Oranje. Magical Martens, she is now (with three objectives) the top scorer for her nation in the history of the Women’s World Cup.
It was another nail biter for the Oranjeleeuwinnen, but after a late victory over Japan, which sealed a spot for the Dutch in the quarter finals, the joy will be no less in Camp Oranje. Talking points for the Netherlands will once again be abundant, but right now there is only one thing that matters: they go to the quarter-finals!
“We were standing in the circle after the match and we were so happy, yelling at each other. We were saying ‘let’s continue writing history!’ For the first time we got to this stage at the World Cup. All the players then used this mantra.”
Sarina Wiegman, Netherlands coach
Football is a sport that can deliver the greatest and lowest moments. As they moved through this tournament, this young team showed positive and attractive football, but they couldn’t move past the Dutch into the next round. It’s a big shame as they grew into this game and dominated in the second half of the match for big spells. The fact that handball was given in World Cup winner Suki Kumagai against such an experienced player will be bittersweet: one of the younger players hasn’t happened, so they won’t have to live with this heartbreak for years to come. Certainly theNadeshiko can keep their heads high as they leave France.
fifaFIFA Womens World CupFIFA Womens World Cup 2019FIFAWWCFIFAWWC2019footballFrance 2019NEDJAPWomen's World CupWomens FootballWomens World Cup 2019
Italy v China | Round of Sixteen 2019
The Return of Jack Jameson…Part 2
by Bunkhouse Bob - Jun 27, 2019
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Broncos Ownership: A Change Coming?
Thread: Broncos Ownership: A Change Coming?
Butler By'Note
Originally Posted by marktippins1981
I predicted that when the trust was setup, that Bowlen would have written in a sneaky part to his Will that, if he should die, then control goes to Elway, with all his children having equal shares of the rest. He loves Elway, and I have never really seen admiration quite like it, from an owner to player dynamic anyhow.
..wishful thinking on my part, but I also would love to see it remain in the Bowlen family too. I just don't want some dodgy big business oil tycoon swanning in and buying it and running it like a business. I want a passionate owner who cares about the game, the fans, and the team, as much as Pat did. He truly was a fantastic owner and advocate for the NFL; he was instrumental in getting the London NFL games I recently found out too, which as a UK Fan, has made me feel even closer to the NFL.
Miss you Pat
It would be great to see Elway as owner, unfortunately NFL bylaws strictly prohibit it. They lay out exactly who can be left the franchise (spouses and direct relatives) and also make painfully clear that anyone that doesn't fit into those two categories has to pay full market value for the share of franchise they own. Even the trust violated NFL bylaws, but the league owners changed that bylaw because of Pat Bowlen's situation.
Almost like the Billionaires in the club don't want anyone devaluing their assets in any way whatsoever.
Originally Posted by gtown53
If the Courts don't take up Bill Bowlen's complaints against the Trustees, I would assume that Brittany Bowlen will get the nod. But at least one of them will be running the team, unless they decide to sell. Maybe if the 2 have a good relationship, they can do it as a team as they both appear to be exceptional women. And yeah, hopefully they will run it less as a business, and more as a passion. And not "into the ground".
It doesn't sound like the courts will take it up, since they outright said that they believe it's a league matter. I think the league with give Carmen Policy (their appointed arbitrator) the chance to solve it, if he can't get it resolved I wouldn't be shocked if the league forced a sale of the team. The last thing the league wants is for this to drag into endless disputes that get played out in the media.
rst08tierney
VISIONS OF CONFETTI
Would be very happy with the Mannings having ownership
Saddletramp
Daytrash
There will be an ownership change in the next 24-36 months. I believe that if Brittany does not become sole or at least majority owner the league will force a sale.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...amp69/asdf.jpg
"Let's just give them Keenum for an, "I owe you".
marktippins1981
Practice Squad
Ross-on-Wye, UK
Originally Posted by Butler By'Note
Ahhhhh ok, I didn't know that. Can he leave at least part of the team to Elway? I would personally love it if Elway, Manning, and other former players collaborated and bought the team. Every ex-Bronco has a share in the team, no matter how small. How awesome would that be? Or a Green Bay setup, where the fans buy the team. That would honour Pat's ethos of having the Broncos for the Community, rather than as a greedy owner wanting to make money from it, which I imagine he did a lot of anyway. He seemed to really care about Colorado, although my view of it is from afar, so not really qualified to judge that side of it; if only I could move to Colorado
Denver Broncos Fan from UK
Unfortunately no. The ownership of a team can only be left to a spouse or direct relative of the deceased owner. In theory an owner could leave a person $X dollars to buy a piece of the franchise, but then the league would be able to do a background check on the potential new owner. With the owner directly to relative transfer the NFL doesn't do any background checks or vetting of the relatives.
As far as Broncos ownership goes, I'm just wondering which Canadian will be the next to own the team? Given that Kaiser was from BC and Bowlen was from Alberta (I met one of his grandkids when I was going into a bank one day and he commented on my Broncos hat during the 4-12 season) it would appear the next owner should be from Saskatchewan. That would be N.Murray Edwards the owner of the Calgary Flames. Unfortunately he doesn't have enough money to buy the team outright and he's moved to London to get away from Alberta tax laws, so he's unlikely. I guess we may have to give ownership of Canada's team back to an American....
Kyousukeneko
FORT COLLINS COLORADO
i honestly hope it stays in the hands of a bowlen kid.
Last edited by Kyousukeneko; 06-27-2019 at 11:14 PM.
oakland raders gm
latavis murray trade bait
Quick Navigation Broncos Football Top
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CREATIONISM A "CULTURAL SIGNIFIER"
The following article is one of the most significant things I havce read in a long time. Why? Because it expresses succinctly what I have often vaguely thought. That belief in Evolution, Creationism, or even Cryptozoology is often not a belief at all, but a Cultural Signifier. I had never heard that term before, but it is a good one. I have often thought that when someone says to me that "I believe in the Loch Ness Monster", they don't mean that at all. They mean "I am not narrow minded" or "my mind is open to a host of different possibilities", or sometimes "look how unconventional I am" or even "I take drugs, me". Very seldom do they mean that they have studied the problem in depth, read all the available literature, and them made a conscious decidsion based on a deep stufy of all the empirical evidence.
I have said this on a number of occasions and pissed off quite a few people in doing so. But I never considered that a professed belief in Creationism is equally a cultural signifier. Read this article carefully; it opens a whole slew of cans of worms. And by the way, yes I do believe in God, and no I am not a Creationist.
...THE fact is that belief in evolution has virtually no real-life impact on anything. That's why 46% of the country can safely choose not to believe it: their lack of belief has precisely zero effect on their lives. Sure, it's a handy way of saying that they're God-fearing Christians — a "cultural signifier," as Andrew puts it — but our lives are jam-packed with cultural signifiers. This is just one of thousands, one whose importance probably barely cracks America's top 100 list.
BIG CAT NEWS: The Beast of Bont
The hunt for British Big Cats attracts far more newspaper column inches than any other cryptozoological subject. There are so many of them now that we feel that they should be archived in some way by us, so we should have a go at publishing a regular round-up of the stories as they come in.
It takes a long time to do and is a fairly tedious task so I am not promising that they will be done each day, but I will do them as regularly as I can. JD
News from the Edge Mystery Cats Back in the UK unknowncountry
The Big Cats are back, stalking the fields of England and mutilating sheep. Locals have reported sighting a mysterious, unknown creature they call the " Beast of ...
Like many commentators, I sincerely doubt whether these recent predations, which newspapers have attributed to 'The Beast of Bont, have anything to do with mystery cats at all..
HAUNTED SKIES: Daily Telegraph 27.10.67
On this day in 1939 shooting began on 'Dr Cyclops', the first horror film to be shot in colour.
Pretty flamingo
Shelling out for a divorce
50,000 bees worry Orlando neighborhood
Engineered Robot Interacts With Live Fish
Ants in 3D: project begins to image every known sp...
Parasitic Plants Steal Genes from Their Hosts
Sexual Habits of the Adélie Penguin
10,000 rare bird eggs seized in Finland
The trailer for Dr Cyclops:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdnngRcS71s
GONZO BLOG DOO DAH MAN
So Tuesday dawns, and it is a glorious summer day. So how do I celebrate this unbelievable mnexus of the majesty of Creation? I am stuck in a dingy converted potato shed with a load of fish. Together (me and the fish) we are writing a whole slew of blog postings starting with...
...I am always impressed how many classic clices of rock and roll history can be found on YouTube, like this classic film of Rick Wakeman:
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/06/another-slice-of-vintage-wakeman.html
Even after his death the peculiar world of Captain Beefheart is so full of smoke and mirrors that one cannot help but be confused:
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/06/brief-glimpse-into-world-of-captain.html
Across Britain the 'Keep Calm and Carry On' slogan has become a little bit of a cult. Now, Hawkwind have joined up:
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/06/any-man-who-can-do-this-is-probably.html
A fine specimen of Vulpes vulpes together with a Genesis LP. Now what is weird about that?http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/06/hey-reynard-suppers-ready.html
The publicity machine for the forthcoming Gonzo Byrds DVD rumbles into action:
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/06/byrds.html
As regular readers will know, I sometimes augment my writings about Gonzostuff with things that I find interesting. Today I review the classic Johnny Rogan biography of The Smiths, which has been updated and reissued:
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/06/book-review-morrissey-and-marr-severed.html
And that's about it for today. Tomorrow I teach Graham how to do the Gonzo Daily, thursday I go away for a few days. What will await me on my return?
The Foot of Bigfoot — Continuing controversy over the Patterson Film...
Bigfoot's Brain — A rather different debate on Bigfoot anatomy...
A Werewolf Podcast — The latest from the Mysterious Universe guys...
The Cryptid Fest: Sept. 1 — An Oklahoma-based event on Saturday, September 1st...
Monstrous Origins — Neil Arnold's origins in the worlds of Cryptozoology...
A PARISH NOTICE
Just a quicky. Corinna and I will be away from Thursday to Monday (approximately). Graham will be running the Gonzo Daily, and the CFZ Blog Network in our abscence. He is usually ably assisted by Lizzy Clancy, but as we are away for her wedding and she has done me the honour of asking me to give her away, I think she will have other things on her mind this weekend....
If anyone wants to get hold of me by e-mail between thursday and monday/tuesday next week, please cc the email to graham@cfz.org.uk. He will pass the information on to me....
Labels: corinna downes, Graham Inglis, jon downes, liz clancy
MYSTERY CAT STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Whilst the focus of the CFZ Mystery Cat study group is predominantly the search for proof of the British big cats, it would be unrealistic to forget that this is only part of a global mystery cat phenomenon.
Here are a selection of mystery cat stories from around the world:
Big cat sightings thought to be pantherNewcastle HeraldA big cat could be lurking in thick scrub around Wyee, Morisset and Lake Munmorah, resident Jim Briggs said. Speculation is rife among residents about several big-cat sightings. Mr Briggs, of Lake Munmorah, said he recently found paw prints in sand in ...
PHOTOS: Mountain lion roaming in Morrison9NEWS.comJefferson County Sheriff was called to keep an eye on the big cat. (PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Jacobson) MORRISON - Around 9:30 am on Friday, a mountain lion was spotted in a tree in Morrison, Colorado. Jefferson County Sheriff was called to keep an eye on the ...
On the trail of the big cat Courier Tribune, Asheboro“Somebody in Denton had a deer camera set up and had pics of a big cat and ... “ Maybe the big cat will eat the big snake that has been lying across my back ...www.courier-tribune.com/sections/opinion/.../trail-big-cat.html
Big cat, but not a cougar, in Salem back yardThe Columbian(AP) -- It was a big cat in a Salem back yard but not a cougar. Police had responded Friday to a report of a young cougar in the yard near a wooded area. The animal moved on without threatening anyone. A state wildlife biologist reviewed photos of the ...
Pet cougar escapes cage, kills dogKSDKBrooksville, FL (WTSP) -- A big cat is causing a big rift between neighbors in rural Florida. 25 years of working with alligators has earned Ron Gard a nickname. But its not Gard's gators that now have his neighbors on guard. "He got out.
Large bobcat caught on camera near WheelingChillicothe Constitution TribuneWhen crossing Muddy Creek on the County Road 220 bridge, he looked down at the creek in time to see a large cat crossing on a sandbar. He had time to snap one photo. That photo was a good one, and the big cat was very distinct in mid-stride.
Necropsy finds mountain lion died from gun shotsSanta Monica Daily PressThe killing of the big cat prompted public outcry in the form of letters to local media outlets and even a demonstration on the lawn of City Hall denouncing the handling of the situation. The mountain lion was found in Downtown last month, ...
Missouri is popular with cougarsKansas City StarMissouri was a popular destination for cougars last year, with the large cats padding from Colorado, South Dakota and central Montana to get here. Most sightings cannot be verified, said Bill Graham, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of ...
FORD OUTDOORS: Mountain lion spotted on Evansville West SideEvansville Courier & PressBy Steve Ford Calls to me through the years have put the big cats all around the area. Unofficial sightings placed them from old mine ground south of Owensboro to north of Tell City in Hoosier National Forest to the White River bottoms near Patoka, ...
MUIRHEAD`S MYSTERIES: ANOTHER KOWLOON KANGAROO?
The North China Daily Herald of 7 May 1921 reported a story of an animal variously described as a tiger, an orang-utan, bear, or kangaroo I have titled this blog `Another Kowloon Kangaroo?` rather than `A/The Kowloon Kangaroo` because about 10 years before this case ( in c. 1910) there was a report of a very similar animal which made a mighty leap after it was shot in the New Territories. (Hence the rumour spread that it was a kind of kangaroo) Then as it was dying it dag its own grave.
This animal has eluded Jon Downes and my attempts to identify it. Remember c. 1910 was only 12 years after the New Territories came under British control. Remember too that there are absolutely no kangaroos in south China, unless a vessel was shipwrecked on the coast near Hong Kong in the 15th Century belonging to the explorer Zheng He,who some say reached Australia and may have brought kangaroos back, who then bred. . Nor is it very likely that it was a bear, though one web site I looked at said there was a population of Asiatic brown bears in southern China today. The long nose aspect demolishes all the proposed animals.
Here is the story in full with my own annotations. Thanks to Bob Skinner for passing on the story.
WHAT WAS IT ?
Weird Animal Seen at Night –
Correct Time for Such Things
Great consternation was caused in Kowloon City one night recently when many excited people claimed to have seen a strange and mysterious animal variously described as a bear, a kangaroo, and an orang outang. The animal is said to have seated (1) itself on the hillside in full view of Hokyuen village , near Bailey`s Shipyard on the Kowloon City Road . One witness , says the “ China Mail” (2) thinks that the animal was a full grown man-eating tiger, but is not sure owing to the distance. He could see no stripes and the animal`s coat was of a dark brown. He estimates the mysterious animal to have been about seven feet long and 3 ½ feet high. Armed police were at once sent out but on arrival at the village, behold the beast had vanished! Excited villagers stated that it had sat for a long while on its haunches like a man, with its fore legs hanging down by its side. It had,they said, a particularly long nose. All the nooise they had been able to make with gongs had failed to scare it away. It was, they averred, in full view for a long time before it eventually strolled away and disappeared into the gathering gloom. No one was able to decide the exact nature of the animal but all were agreed that it was a huge thing of a very brutal appearance. If it was not a tiger, what was it the villagers asked themselves. Some replied that it was an extraordinarily huge bear, others that it was an orang outang, and yet others that it was a kangaroo. Hundreds saw it. What was it.
1. No animal just “sits” itself down alone on a hill and does nothing as far as I know. Despite this if it wasn`t a tiger was it an orang-utan as I was told by an America, Don Ady, a POW of the Japanese in Hong Kong (1941-1945) that there were reports of this mammal in the Hong Kong area in the 1930s?
2. Hopefully I`ll be able to find the China Mail for July 1921
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Board index Holocaust Revisionism (English) 'Holocaust' Debate / Controversies / Comments / News
Book: When Victims Rule - The Holocaust and Genocide
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Postby Lamprecht » 5 months 1 week ago (Wed Feb 06, 2019 7:20 pm)
Has anyone read this book? It's quite interesting. "When Victims Rule - A Critique of Jewish Pre-Eminence in America"
Chapter 18 is in 2 parts, titled "The Holocaust and Genocide"
Although the book does not explicitly deny the Holocaust, it has many revealing quotes by Jews about the nature of how it is viewed in Jewish culture. It even notes that many Jewish survivors were despised by other Jews in Israel. In fact, the book, despite being critical of Jewish supremacism and influence in the west, relies almost exclusively on Jewish sources. Really, the book just brings up allegations of Nazi extermination for the purpose of quoting jews who are critical of the double-standards of their fellow tribesmen, basically just pointing out "hey guys, it wasn't just us that were persecuted and sent to camps"
It also gives brief overview of how the "Holocaust" was treated as an event by Jews over time, and the events which caused a resurgence of the "Holocaust" as a part of Jewish identity.
It can be read at the following link, with all of the sources cited the bibliography: http://holywar.org/jewishtr/open.htm
Here is an excerpt from part 1 (the rest of part 1 and also part 2 can be read by following the link above). Comments are welcomed
The Holocaust and Genocide (pt. 1) [501 Kilobytes] [about 93 paper pages] The Nazi persecutors' inadvertent rejuvenation of Jewish identity; early Israeli shame of Holocaust survivors, and today's heroizing of them; creation of the secular Holocaust theology in the 1960s; Israel's "redemptive" 1967 victory over the Arabs as a milestone in Jewish Holocaust cosmology; the Holocaust and Israel as cores of modern Jewish identity; German fascism's Master Race ideology as an echo of Jewry's Chosen People claim; precedents for Nazi-inspired genocide (and other racist policies) in original Jewish teachings; the reification of such material in some Jewish quarters today; Holocaust-centeredness throughout the western mass media; Jewish religious tenets and anti-Black racism; the importance of the symbol of Amalek in Jewish tradition, the injunction that he should be eternally hated, and the continuous call for his extermination; the Holocaust in the forgotten context of World War II; Nazi intention to exterminate Jews, Gypsies, Slavs, and others; the undercurrent of Chosen People racism in the idea that murdered Jews are more important than anyone else murdered; modern Jewish defamation of Poles, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, Russians and other Eastern Europeans; Jewish exclusionism and separatism in pre-World War II Eastern Europe; the lack of Jewish resistance to the Nazis; Jewish collaborators with German fascists; Jewish domination of postwar communist secret police organizations and concentration camps; Jewish double standards for World War II era history: one standard for Jews, and another for non-Jews; mainstream Jewry's resistance to the facts of World War II-era history.
The Holocaust and Genocide (pt. 2) [543 Kilobytes] [about 124 paper pages] Jewish and western world obsession with the Holocaust; Jewish insistence that the "Holocaust was unique"; Holocaust uniqueness as part of the traditional Chosen People concept; the importance of Jewish Old Testament-sanctioned genocide in understanding the Holocaust; the invention of the Jewish dead as heroes and martyrs for the Jewish cause; the proliferation of worldwide Holocaust museums as Judeo-centric and Israeli propaganda posts; the usurping of distinctly American patriotic sites beneath the Jewish martyrological flag; the Holocaust as Big Business; the proliferation of Judeocentric Holocaust classes in American schools; international Jewish aspects of the world Holocaust history scene; the Auschwitz convent controversy; popular mass media renditions of the Holocaust: Shoah, Maus, Schindler's List; the trial of John Demjanjuk, accused mass murderer.
18 (pt. 1)
THE HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE
"Instead of learning about the Holocaust through the large lens of
Jewish history, many Jews and non-Jews in America
now learn the whole of Jewish history through the lens of the
Holocaust." -- James Young, p. 304
"The myth of the Holocaust teaches that throughout their
history of persecution the Jews have been blameless, their
oppressors irrational." -- Liebman and Cohen p. 33
"It isn't the truth [about Jews in the Holocaust era] that
frightens me but the suppression of free speech in order to
protect communal myths that are not lies but truths rendered
so sacrosanct and undiscussed that they start to smell fishy."
-- Carol Oppenheim, Jewish author,
"Many Jews use, shamelessly, the slaughter of the six million
by the Third Reich as proof that they cannot be bigots -- or
in the hope of not being held responsible for their bigotry.
It is galling to be told by a Jew whom you know to be
exploiting you that he cannot be doing what you know he
is doing because he is a Jew."
-- James Baldwin, Black novelist,
"Related to the film's box-office success is the fact that
precisely because Schindler's List has been watched
by large numbers of people who had very little previous
knowledge of the Holocaust, and cannot be expected to
gain much more knowledge in the future. This specific
version of the event may remain the only source of
information about it for many of its viewers."
-- Omer Bartov, p. 46
"It is doubtful that history is the genre for writers who are
so overwhelmed by the Holocaust and yet want to describe
it. It seems that some fictional form of expression may be
more suitable than history for those who want to respond
emotionally rather than historically to that great tragedy."
--Richard Lucas, p. 222
"[Jewish] manufactured claims of uniqueness for their own
people are, after all, synonymous with dismissal and denial of
the experience of others ... Narcissistic false claims of
uniqueness are joined with brutal, racist denials of the
sufferings of others, becoming two sides of the same coin."
-- David Stannard, p. 198
"I would be the last to minimize the atrocity of Auschwitz,
where my father and mother perished. But don't the tears
of others count? " -- Maxime Rodinson, p. 9
"[The Holocaust had been] hardly talked about for the first twenty years or so
after World War II; then, from the 1970s on, [it became] ever more central in
American public discourse -- particularly, of course, among Jews, but also in the
culture at large. What accounts for this unusual chronology?"
-- Peter Novick, 1999, p. 2
"The actual historical subject [of the Holocaust] itself has
become almost unimportant compared with its contemporary
political function in the hands of some Jews."
-- John Fox, non-Jewish faculty member
in Jewish history and Holocaust studies at both
University College and Jews College, London,
[3-19-2000, p. 47-48]
It is the profoundest of ironies that Adolf Hitler and the Nazis may have saved worldwide Jewry from extinction. (In the case of Jewish Hassids, Menachem Friedman notes that "paradoxically, it was the destruction of Eastern European Jewry in the twentieth century that created the conditions which enabled the spread of ultra-orthodoxy.") [HEILMAN, S., 1992, p. 31] At the very least, judging by common Jewish commentary about their fate in Europe over fifty years ago, Hitler is responsible for a dramatic Jewish revival. Before World War II many Jews were on a slow but steady path of assimilation wherever they resided in their diaspora, particularly in Western Europe, each generation inched further away from the separatist myths of the Jewish past. Religion of all kinds continued in retreat and the rationale for being Jewish was -- at least in some parts of the Jewish community -- steadily weakening. As the Nazi regime came to power, however, many German Jews (if we take what they say at face value) had strayed from a specifically Jewish connection in their lives and were forced to re-examine their identities. In 1935, for instance, the German literary critic Jean Amery (Hans Mayer) supposedly discovered himself a Jew in a Viennese cafe when reading a newspaper about new Nazi laws on the subject. Likewise, in 1938, the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein connected to his long lost Jewish identity as a consequence of Nazi dictates. They were both suddenly Jews because Hitler said so. [TRAVERSO, p. 39] Even Albert Einstein found his identity as a Jew in the context of rising political anti-Semitism in Germany in 1914. There had been nothing in Switzerland, he said, "that called forth any Jewish sentiments in me. When I moved to Berlin all that changed." [CLARK, p. 377] (He was helping to raise "funds for the Zionist cause of a Hebrew university" by 1921.) [RHODES, R., 1988, p. 173] "The composer Arnold Schoenberg and many other baptized Jews," notes Nachum Gidal, "now publicly declared their return to Judaism." [GIDAL, p. 425]
Sigmund Freud reflected, at least publicly, the same experience:
"My language is German. My culture, my attainments, are German. I
could identify myself German intellectually, until I noticed the growth of
anti-Semitic prejudice in Germany and German Austria. Since that
time, I prefer to call myself a Jew." [GAY, MOMENT, p. 50]
In 1937, an American Jew, Alfred Siegel, wrote in the American Israelite that
"Hitler has been a life-giving stimulant for me. In times when there is no
Jewish flame left in me and I am feeling very cold, I get warm again on
account of Hitler ... I know I shouldn't say this, but ... Hitler [is] helping
me to fulfill my status as an immortal man ... What will become of me
when there is no more Hitler and there is no one to set flames under me
to keep me warm? What if we come at last to a world in which no
anti-Semite is left and everybody loves me? What of my poor Jewish
bones which set so quickly cold without stimulation? Who and what
will keep me warm then? -- May 27, 1937 [in GOLDSTEIN, p. 115]
For today's many Jewish "ideologists," wrote Jacob Neusner, decades after Hitler, "there is no real choice about 'being Jewish' if born one. The Holocaust dictates that there is no escape from it. Hitler knew you were one." [NEUSNER, Holo, p. 978] "The gas chambers at Auschwitz," notes Jonathan Sacks, "made no distinction between [Jewish] assimilators and traditionalists, believers and heretics, atheists and Jews of faith." [SACKS, J., p.6] Such comments are terribly true, but always left unstated is the disturbing fact that the same all-encompassing view that "born Jews" (whatever they choose to believe) are inescapably Jewish is a concept intrinsic to classic Jewish identity itself. Hitler did not invent the idea that being Jewish is a racial pedigree, often these days euphemistically referred to as a "community of fate." Was not Hitler following the same path as this 1970s observation by a Jewish theologian, Eugene Borowitz? : "To be a Jew means to have a bond with every other Jew -- and somehow know how to find him." [in SILBERMAN, C., p. 76]
Whatever the case, in attempting to racially define and annihilate the Jewish people, Hitler rejuvenated them. This is exemplified in the famous plea by the Jewish theologian, Emil Fackenheim, who implored his fellow Jews to renew with vigor their sense of Jewishness. To allow it to wane -- post-Holocaust -- was now equated to be a posthumous victory for Hitler. (Even for Jews married to non-Jews, distinctive Jewish progeny is often a burning issue. A liberal feminist professor, Amy Sheldon, notes that "although I had many mixed feelings towards traditional Judaism, there was never any doubt in my mind that our children would be raised as Jews. 'I can't finish what Hitler started,' I told my [non-Jewish] husband before we were married." [SHELDON, p. 82])
We see in Hitler's last breath in 1945 the birth of Israel in 1948, and the conjoining of the Holocaust and the modern state of Israel as the sacred pillars of a renewed Jewish identity rooted in guilt, fear, resentment, hostility, and rage. It was, however, not an identity that took immediate shape after Hitler's persecution of Jewry. The martyr status of concentration camp victims, the heroizing of survivors no matter what they had to do to live, the stress upon exaggerated Jewish resistance to the Nazis, a deeper embracement of Jewish tribalism, and the political exploitation of the Holocaust for Jewish and Israeli myths and manipulations came later. What came to be known as "the Holocaust," says Edward Lilenthal, "was often indistinguishable, in the immediate postwar years, from the millions of noncombatant casualties due to terror bombings of civilian populations, epidemic illness, or starvation. It was considered by most as simply part of the horror of war." [LILENTHAL, p. 5]
In Israel, in the early years after the Holocaust, Jewish survivors were even scorned with contempt by Israeli Jews as "soap" (i.e., feebly passive Jews who were passively turned into bars of soap by Nazi tormentors, [GOREN, p. 159] the fulfillment of demeaning stereotypes about fellow Jews. "With what scorn," noted Georges Tamarin in 1973, "Israeli youth reacts to the alleged faint-heartedness of the six million victims of Nazis!" [TAMARIN, p. 115] The Holocaust was an emblem of shame to Jewry, little discussed, more often avoided. "Even in their extraordinary death agony," notes Haim Breseeth, "the millions of European Jews had not attracted sympathy [in Israel] -- a minimum expectation from an important Jewish community." [BRESEETH, p. 196] "In retrospect," says Arye Carmon," it appears that a disturbing conjunction evolved between the incomprehensible magnitude of evil of the Nazis and the victims who conscientiously were presented as an ideological object to be disassociated from. This conjunction may explain the duality of guilt and shame that has portrayed mourning in Israel." [CARMON, p. 76] A daughter of Holocaust survivors who was raised in Israel remarked at a conference there that
"What I hated and dreaded most when I was a child was summertime.
It was a time when the [tattooed concentration camp] numbers on my
mother's arm would be there for all to see and people would know
that she was a survivor and was one of the despised people. People
like my parents were despised in Israel, and I was ashamed of
them." [EMMETT, p. 147]
"In 1947 a Jewish concentration camp survivor, Primo Levy, could only interest a small, obscure press to publish an account of his experiences and the volume was little noticed. [TRAVERSO, p. 104] Even Eli Wiesel's ultimately influential work about the Holocaust, Night, did not appear in English until 1960, after twenty publishers had rejected it. [WHITFIELD p. 74] "We would look in vain in the 1950s," says Jacob Neusner, "for what some call 'Holocaustomania.'" [NEUSNER, STRANGER, p. 84]
"Many Jews raised in the United States in the wake of the Holocaust," notes Melanie Kaye-Kantrowitz, "experienced it like a family secret -- hovering, controlling, but barely mentioned except in code or casual reference." [BRODKIN, K., p. 141]
In 1961 only two of 31 discussants in a major Jewish magazine's symposium on "Jewishness and Younger Intellectuals" put any emphasis on the Holocaust effecting their lives. In that same year, another important Jewish magazine's theme of "My Jewish Affirmation" overlooked the Holocaust almost completely. [LINENTHAL, p. 8] Even as late as 1966, when Commentary published a forum on "Jewish belief" in its pages, "the Holocaust," notes Nathan Glazer, "did not figure in any of the questions, nor, it must be said, did it figure in the answers." [GLAZER, American, p. 172] In a collection of 1960s-era interviews with Israeli prime minister David Ben Gurion "the word Holocaust never appears." [STERNBERGER, I., 8-15-95]
The book that first attracted, and furthered, widespread interest in the particularly Jewish experiences of World War II was the diary of Ann Frank (The Diary of a Young Girl), a volume that a Jewish novelist, Meyer Levin, almost single-handedly pushed to fame. Levin urged the diary's publication in the American Jewish Congress Weekly; it was serialized in the Jewish magazine, Commentary. Doubleday eventually published it and Levin himself heralded its importance on the front page of the New York Times Book Review, his editors not informed about his own "vested interest" -- commercially and politically -- in the story. [BLAIR, p. 3] The volume has since sold over sixty million copies in fifty-one languages. [WHITFIELD, p. 72] (There appeared with such revelations a corresponding shame and guilt among diaspora Jews and a rising need to atone for their own sin of doing so little to help European Jewry during the Hitler era. [RUBENSTEIN, p. 24]) The diary of Ann Frank is so well publicized internationally that, note David Goodman and Masanori Miyazawa,
"Ann Frank's Diary of a Young Girl has sold over a four million copies
in Japan, more than any other country except the United States. So
beloved is Ann Frank in Japan that the first Japanese company to market
sanitary napkins designed especially for Japanese women called itself
Anne Co., Ltd., and sold its product under the brand name 'Anne's
Day' (Anne no hi), which quickly became a euphemism for menstruation
in Japan." [GOODMAN, p. 6]
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency noted continued popular promotion of Anne Frank in 2001, half a century after her death:
"A four hour miniseries, following Anne's life from her happy school days
through her two years in hiding in Amsterdam and to her final days in the
concentration camp, air nationally over ABC TV on May 20 and May 21.
The 20th Century Fox studio is developing a feature move based on
'The Diary of Anne Frank.'
A new edition of the diary, including five previously unpublished pages
describing her parents' difficult marriage, was released in March.
The Helos Dance Theatre premiered 'About Anne: A Diary in Dance'
in Los Angeles last month.
An interactive CDROM titled 'Anne Frank House: A House with a Story'
was released earlier this year, offering a virtual tour of the building and
the 'secret annex' where the Frank family hid.
In Boise, Idaho, ground has been broken on a $1.6 million Anne
Frank Human Rights Memorial Park." [TUGEND, T., 5-13-01]
In formal literature, "apart from the notable exception of [Saul] Bellow's The Dangling Man," says Theodore Ziolkowski, "it was not until the 60s with Edward Wallant's The Pawnbroker, Norma Rosen's Touching Evil, Susan Schaeffer's Anya, Arthur Cohen's In the Days of Simon Stern, and later works by Cynthia Ozick and Saul Bellow -- that the Holocaust became a genuine theme." [ZIOLKOWSKI, p. 599] By 1998, however, Sheila Schimpf noted that
"For 10 years Barry Gross has asked Michigan State University students
in his English classes how many have read or seen 'The Diary of Anne
Frank.' Almost every hand goes up. 'It has become almost the common
text for this generation of students,' Gross says." [SCHIMPF, p. E1]
In 1967, with the multiple-nation Arab war against Israel, worldwide Jewry snapped to a new kind of attention and consciousness, one that has since accelerated to our own day into deeply politicized Jewish obsessions with anti-Semitism, the hallowed specialness of the Holocaust, and the absolute sanctity of Israel. During the 1967 Arab war, Jews everywhere (as it is told and retold in Jewish scholarship) imagined the prospect for another Holocaust. "It would be impossible to understand the present Israeli stance toward the Arabs without taking full account of the Holocaust," says Jay Gonen. [GONEN, p. 151] In the Arab armies Jews saw Nazi storm troopers. In the PLO leadership of Yassar Arafat, they stamped the face of Hitler. "Israel," says Melvin Urofsky, "made it possible [for Jews worldwide] to endure the memory of Auschwitz. Were Israel to be destroyed [by Arabs], then Hitler would be alive again, the final victory would be his." [UROFSKY, M., 1978, p. 351]
The old Jewish self-identity of weakness and victimization -- based on the Jewish martyrological tradition of death, destruction, and terror -- became now a conviction of armor, militantly wielded, shaped with the very shame and horror of the Holocaust. The resultant Israeli victory over the Arabs meant a symbolic return to physical power, along biblical lines even, for many Jews, redemption. It also meant the springboard for a new Holocaust-centeredness, aggressive in its character, hostile and embittered to non-Jews everywhere around them. And it was adept in milking communal guilt from comfortable Jews in America who experienced nothing of the risks of 1967 Israel nor the European Holocaust years. A victorious Israel rising up out of ashes of the Holocaust became the cornerstone of Jewish self-conception. The Holocaust was no longer shamefully harmful to the Jewish self-image. It was now a much-heralded building block for the state of Israel and impassioned Jewish vigor, everywhere discussed, everywhere publicized.
Jews who paid little attention to the Jewish annihilation during World War II, and in the early years after, two decades later were increasingly consumed with it. "A profound sense of their status as survivors seized world Jewry," notes Jacob Neusner. [NEUSNER, Holo, p. 976] "The question," adds Hanno Loewy, "which constantly recurs is, 'Why did I of all people survive?' -- a question which pursues the survivor and to which there is no answer." [LOWEY, p. 240] "Every time I attend a gathering of Jewish children," wrote well-known lawyer Alan Dershowitz in 1991, "at a family event, at a Bar Mitzvah, at Simchath Torah -- I imagine SS guards lining up these children for the gas chambers." [DERSHOWITZ, p. 178]
"To some extent," says Jacob Petuchowski, "this preoccupation [with the Holocaust] represents a repercussion of the guilt-complex of the survivors (and perhaps more so of those who survived at a safe trans-Atlantic distance than of the actual survivors of the camp.)" [PETUCHOWSKI, p. 6] The Jew, says James Yaffe, "feels guilty over the six million Jews who were killed by Hitler. What more could he have done to help them? Perhaps nothing, but his guilt stems from his sense that he might so easily have died instead of them." [YAFFE, J., 1968, p. 59] "The notion of survivor guilt and of resurrecting the dead to greater power than they had in life," suggests Samuel Heilman, "is of course an old one, most dramatically elaborated in Freud's famous essay Totem and Taboo." [HEILMAN, S, 1992, p. 370] It is important for many Jews to diffuse their own guilt by dumping much of it into the laps of others: "I am burdened with collective guilt," said Hans Meyer, "I say; not they. The world, which forgives and forgets, has sentenced me, not those who murdered or allowed the murder to occur." Meyer, Ruth Wisse informs us, "committed suicide, driven 'to the mind's limits' and beyond by the dishonest postwar reimposition of normalcy." [WISSE, p. 48]
"Ironically," says Leon Wieseltier, "for many Jews what remains [of Jewish identity] most vivid and 'ethnically' alive is the Holocaust." [BECHSTEL, p. 118] Rabbi David Novak even argues that today's Holocaust-based Jewish identity (i.e., the peculiar notion that modern Jewish identity is fundamentally defined by its contradistinction from real, and imagined, enemies) ironically owes much of its conception -- in the modern post-Holocaust context -- to the existentialist non-Jew, Jean Paul-Sartre, and his own book about anti-Semitism. [NOVAK, p. El of Is, p. 20]
With the growing emphasis upon a Jewish identity largely defined by the Holocaust, vacation tours were created for American and other diaspora Jews to visit death camps in Europe as part of an immersion in "the Jewish experience." "At bar and bat mitzvahs, in a growing number of communities," notes Peter Novick,
"the child is 'twinned' with a young vicitm of the Holocaust who never lived to
have the ceremony, and by all reports the kids like it a lot. Adolescent Jews
who go on organized tours to Auschwitz and Treblinka have reported that
they were 'never so proud to be a Jew' as when, at these sites, they vicariously
experienced the Holocaust. Jewish college students oversubscribe courses on the
Holocaust, and rush to pin yellow stars to their lapels on Yom Hashoah (Holocaust
Remembrance DAy). And it's not just the young. Adult Jews flock to Holocaust
events as to no others and give millions unstintingly to build yet another Holocaust
memorial." [NOVICK, P., 1999, p. 8]
The Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, one of the greatest Holocaust centers, built a multi-million dollar high-tech environment to "recreate the Holocaust experience" for Jews who missed it. The director of a Jewish education committee even proposed a high school course about the Holocaust so that all students could be able to understand "what it means to be Jewish." [LIPSTADT, p. 356] By 1986, a quarter of all new books reviewed in Judaica Book News had a Holocaust subject and more college students were taking courses about the Holocaust than any other Jewish concern. [SILVER, p. 460] In 1985, 86% of American Jewry, as evidenced in one survey, believed that "there's no doubt that the Holocaust has deeply affected the way I think and feel about being Jewish." [LIEBMAN/COHEN, p. 33] "For American Jews," notes David Schnall, "Israel has become vitally important not as a living alternative [as a place to live] but more so as a refuge, a final port in the storm of humanity, should the unthinkable occur once more." [SCHNALL, p. 124]
Read on: http://holywar.org/jewishtr/open.htm
"There is a principal which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments, and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance -- that principal is contempt prior to investigation."
-- Herbert Spencer
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Stuff to be excited about in 2013
Go to page Previous 1 ... 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ... 19 Next
SoulsideJourney
Looking forward to the new Eyehategod album. Also, Darkthrone and Mayhem, Immolation and Autopsy.
SleepingStar wrote:
Also holding out for a new Darkspace....
Now that would be stellar, but I won't get any hopes up until I hear something official.
doomster999
Keeper of the Dreary Realm
New Alice in Chains, Black Sabbath, Riverside (Prog band from Poland), Stratovarius, Voivod, Motorhead, Slayer, Eyehategod, Mourning Beloveth, Godflesh, Obituary and Rotting Christ as of now.
gomorro wrote:
Infact I use to have a relly hot friend from there but unfurtunetly the last party we have I was really wasted and grab her ass and it cause a huge problem. Her dad (that is a marine) wants to ripp my nuts... thinks are not the same...
Lord_Brendan
FOR THE ONES PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED
Amorphis - Rarely disappoint me
Fen - Also hoping for something darker
Alcest - I hope the metal elements aren't completely dropped
Darkthrone - I enjoy the non black metal stuff a lot and am eager to hear what they do next
Dark Tranquillity - Bit disappointed with the last one but still love them
Wintersun - Like Time I a lot
Immolation - Really hoping for this
!.T.O.O.H.! - Rad A Trest was amazing but it has been a long time
Summoning - WILL BE AMAZING
Myrkgrav - Another one that has been a while in the making, very excited though
Deeds Of Flesh - Damn the teaser is great!
Wardruna - Loved the atmosphere of the first one
Stratovarius - Last few were awesome
Finntroll - Last one was a lot more interesting than the previous one, can't wait
Unmentioned ones are
Meads Of Asphodel - A concept that is a bit worrying for me, but no doubt will be interesting
Herne - The debut was excellent. For the Pagan black metal fans out there, this is from the debut
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ0PsdMGFJM
Symbel - Finally coming out with new stuff. A lot of variety in his work (also 1/2 of Herne) "dirty and pagan choral vocals over a backdrop of tube guitars and untriggered drums, with black metal, doom and punk influences" Here is a song from the new album
http://www.kingpenda.com/ Just stream it in the player
Jaldaboath - Ex-member of Meads Of Asphodel project of silly Python-esque metal. Here is a fucking great video by them
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIRod86Ee9A
Smoking_Gnu wrote:
Hmm, I actually wouldn't mind buying him a sauna if it would reduce the odds of me getting infected by his excess sensitive-skin flakes that get blown off in the wind. I don't want to turn into a cunt.
triggerhappy
New Vektor would be very nice. I've fallen out of the thrash metal loop lately, and a new album from them would be great.
Veracs wrote:
Thats a shitload of Gargoyle mp3's you have on that thing I'm sure.
That's all Crick's iPod accepts. GB = Gargobytes.
ModusOperandi
Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 2:54 am
I had almost entirely forgotten about Zetro's new band Hatriot until hearing a snippet of one of their songs a couple of days ago. Their debut Heroes of Origin will be released January 25th and after hearing these little previews in the link posted, this could actually be much better than I initially expected.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AFT ... 24&sr=1-10
Souza sounds like himself, of course, and there's certainly Exodus-isms in the riffs but I'm thinking that's generally the purpose of the band anyway. Much more thrash going on here than, say, Testament's or Kreator's latest by comparison albeit being a big fan of the latter.
blackcandle wrote:
AT FIRST, I'M NOT AN IDIOT, MORE RESPECT.
MalariaMosquito
triggerhappy wrote:
Looking forward to Nylithia's first full-length, Hyperthrash. Very promising thrash band from Vancouver.
Misfit74
MalariaMosquito wrote:
B.C. or Washington state?
My Music on RYM
InfernoxDeath
Defeated Sanity - Passages Into Deformity
Suffocation - Pinnacle of Bedlam
Hate - Solarflesh
Belphegor - "untitled yet"
Euphoric Defilement - Ascending to the Worms
Kongh - Sole Creation
Guttural Secrete - Nourishing the Spoil
Vreid - Welcome Farewell
https://twitter.com/thoughtsovrobin
http://www.last.fm/user/InfernoxDeath
Blizk
I forgot Finland's Constantine in my previous posts. Their second full-length will land next year if all goes to plan, and some of the new songs they've played live sound stellar.
Zerberus
Location: Silkeborg, Denmark
Someone claiming to be Maniac Neil says in the comments to this youtube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWz7QqoA68Y) that Frightmare is NOT done yet and that he will focus on a new Frightmare album after the next Blood Freak album. Hopefully that means a new Blood Freak album in 2013, and maybe Frightmare in 2014!
Frightmare is NOT done. There's a new album in the works. Hiatus does not mean done. I've been busy with Blood Freak the last few years. after the next BF album i'm gonna focus on the third Frightmare album. the haters can eat my uncut ero style cock.
Reviews: http://tonewoodmusic.blogspot.com/
TONEwood music site - Reviews, articles, news and more
theoctavarius
FirebathDan wrote:
Alcest has a new record due in 2013, which is being recorded in Iceland at Sigur Ros' studio and is said to be abandoning metal elements altogether. The latter is fine with me as, I've always thought that most of the BM elements were the weakest elements in their overall sound. But the former has me excited at the thought of a whole new dimension to their sound as well as the thought of any potential Alcest/Sigur Ros collaboration (although nothing is confirmed at this time).
If Jonsi makes a guest appearance on vocals, I will squee like a little girl.
Other than that, I'm eager to see what Portal, Mithras, ColdWorld and Stratovarius have to offer. My Bloody Valentine, too... but I'm not holding my breath on that one.
Sterben werd' ich, um zu leben!
Aufersteh'n, ja aufersteh'n
wirst du, mein Herz, in einem Nu!
Was du geschlagen
zu Gott wird es dich tragen!
-Gustav Mahler
Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 10:31 pm
Misfit74 wrote:
BC. I didn't even realize there was a Vancouver, Washington.
Dragunov
Sacriphyx.
dontlivefastjustdie
Location: Hotlanta, USA
Zerberus wrote:
Woah... I'm gonna have to check some sources and see if there's any truth to that because a new Frightmare would be incredible. Hopefully it'll be better than the last Blood Freak album...
SPEWTILATOR - Play Fast // Smoke Grass
'Goathrower' and 'Inhale Awaits' EP's out on Boris Records!
'Ancient Rites of Getting Conjured' split CS w/ Coffin Dust out on Headsplit Rekords!
Ryanimator! - Logos and Artwork
cooperbob
Anyone know if The Ruins of Beverast have anything in the works? I'd be excited as hell for a follow-up to "Foulest Semen"...
dontlivefastjustdie wrote:
Yeah, I like some of Blood Freak's older material but ultimately it just feels like a watered down Frightmare. Both Frightmare albums are insanely well-written and well-executed
Cosigned on both Frightmare albums being top notch. I like all Blood Freak's stuff up to Mind Scrapper, which I only really cared for a couple tracks on (Scared Stiff and Pink on the Inside), but I thought their first 2 albums were the best where there was no comparison to Frightmare at all, just solid overly simple grind/goregrind.
TheIbexMoon666
Not sure if this is old news or not but its news to me. I just read in Decibel magazine that Exhumed are currently in the studio. During the interview they said that Was Caley left the band leaving the majority of the song writing responsibilities to Matt Harvey who wrote the better part of Slaughtercult and Anatomy Is Destiney. They did not release any information regarding the album title or the titles of any songs but the new album is being produced by Ryan Butler who has worked with Misery Index and Landmine Marathon.
Eh_Timeghoul
Be gentle, I was... Born This Way
Timeghoul vinyl comp, with extra tracks and goodies. looking out for some of the things mentioned here, but i honestly couldn't give less of a fuck about them when it comes down to it-as long as i get my hands on some Timeghoul, nothing else matters, i'll be good when the bombs drop
TheIbexMoon666 wrote:
Last I recall is that they wrapped up recording sometime over the course of last month. 15 tracks to include an intro and an outro. That's true that Wes left so Matt wound up writing and tracking the album himself but Bud Burke, whom previously played bass, is back as the second guitarist and contributed solos of his own. I'm of the minority that Anatomy... is really good and that Slaughtercult is generally my starting point for the band, so naturally I expect them to continue to progress along the path that All Guts... indicated.
Lago, Dethlehem, and Sorrowseed are all putting out albums next year. I'm good friends with the former two and Sorrowseed I actually played on the upcoming record when I was their drummer.
ModusOperandi wrote:
Thanks for the update. Yeah I did read about the bass player switching to Guitar. I like everything Exhumed so far. I am very much looking forward to the new album. All Guts No Glory was good but a bit under welming. By no means was it a bad album. Maybe the cleaner production took away some of the raw energy. Hopefully they have really stepped it up this time around.
Cosigned on both Frightmare albums being top notch. I like all Blood Freak's stuff up to Mind Scrapper, which I only really cared for a couple tracks on (Scared Stiff and Pink on the Inside), but I thought their first 2 albums were the best where there was no comparison to Frightmare at all, just solid overly simple grind/goregrind.[/quote]
Anywho, if you found anything out please share the knowledge. I'm very interested in knowing whether or not it's bogus
Looking forward to the sophomore album Relentless by NY's Disfigured Dead. Their debut, Visions of Death, was a safe but solid homage to first-wave U.S. and Swedish death metal that checks all the right boxes and was an appropriate release for the time among similar acts on Hells Headbangers Records. Those interested can stream and purchase the album digitally here:
http://hellsheadbangers.bandcamp.com/al ... s-of-death
The new album, to be released through Sevared Records next year, looks to up the ante with more riffs and slightly more complicated ones at that per song. Nothing that approaches current tech bands of today as that's not the intent, but more reminiscient of what a number of Floridian and Dutch bands were doing in the mid-'90s. The vocals, however, are FAR more brutal than before to match the intensity. A few of the songs can be streamed through their Reverbnation page here:
http://reverbnation.com/disfigureddeaddeathmetal
Erdrickgr
On my to-buy list:
Nightfall - Cassiopeia (1.18.13)
Cult of Luna - Vertikal (1.29.13)
Mourning Beloveth - Formless (2.15.13)
Twilight Of The Gods - Fire On The Mountain (3.?.13)
October Falls - The Plague Of A Coming Age (3.15.13)
Luna Ad Noctum - Hypnotic Inferno (3.21.13)
Cathedral - The Last Spire (4.?.13)
Opeth - ? (something to do with them "is coming" in the spring, don't know what)
Edge of Serenity - The Royal Hunt (Spring?)
Mouth of the Architect - ? (Spring?)
Others I'm hoping for in 2013:
Acrassicauda
Mournful Gust
To Cast a Shadow
"The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved--loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves." - Victor Hugo
Weerwolf
Dragunov wrote:
This is what 2013 is about.
Also (hopefully) Sortilegia.
With Rotting Christ, Defeated Sanity, and Sodom already confirming albums in 2013, plus the ones I've forgotten, it's already shaping up to be a stellar year.
EDIT: Portal, Mithras, Gorguts...yeah, it's going to be an awesome year.
Axalcathu
Location: Kazakhstan
Waiting for a new AETERNUS and new ARMAGEDDON.
Unded Infidel
the new Voivod album, Jan 18, right off the bat 2013 might be an ok year
Some juicy Manilla Road coming for 2013. Mysterium, the reissues of Spiral Castle, Atlantis Rising and Metal.
I hope we see another Hellwell album near the end of 2013.
I'd like to see a new Pain Of Salvation album, but I know that Clean (live album) will be coming out, so that's cool.
Oh, and I hear Subterranean Masquerade are finally making that sequel to Suspended Animation Dreams. Awesome.
Lord_Brendan wrote:
Calusari
I'm really looking forward to Portal and Immolation releasing new material, but, I gotta say, for me, 2013 is all about Wormed. Their first album is one of my all-time favourites, and I can't believe just how long it's been; that EP didn't satisfy me in the least. I really hope this new one will continue the shattering, awe-inspiring heaviness, for lack of a better word, that still blows me away every time I hear Planisphaerium.
Calusari wrote:
Portal and Immolation
Wormed.
Planisphaerium did nothing for me, but I have to admit that I am interested to hear how they've progressed.
The Portal track that was released a couple of weeks ago - Curtain - sounds really promising; can barely contain my excitement there.
Wormed can be an acquired taste, especially if you're not too fond of that style of death metal. I have to admit that I really quite like brutal death; the only thing that holds me back from getting into that sub-genre more is the lyrical imagery (as death metal fan and horror movie afficionado, I have a high gore tolerance, but even I can't stomach some of that stuff), so any band that - like Wormed (or Detrimentum, who I hope will record new stuff soon) - achieves the sound without the gore appeals to me immensely.
lifelessworlds
Ho-ly Fuck. Just listened to Sulphur Aeon's debut album 'Swallowed by the Ocean's Tide'. Incredibly haunting and evil sounding death metal. Definitely worth the time to listen to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6cFDfQJi8I
I listened to that some time ago, and yeah, it's going to rule.
I can understand if the lyrical themes are too much, and more and more brutal death bands are growling about more existential stuff these days. I hope Wormed can capture my interest this time around.
Metal_Detector
Reticular Modular Unit
Location: Forgotten in space
lifelessworlds wrote:
I pre-ordered this after reading autothrall's review, an it doesn't look like I'll be disappointed.
I use lots of adverbs when I get excited.
Just heard Cannabis Corpse is in the studio. Hopefully it'll be as good as the last one...
Wow, I actually liked that a lot. Gonna try to get the album when it comes out
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