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__label__cc	0.570601	0.429399	MAKING INSITUTIONS SAFE IS WHAT WE DO E M P A T H Y = S A F E T Y Home Page \| Program Director \| Products & Services \| Endorsements \| International \| Contact Us AVERT for School Teachers "GET IT STRAIGHT" One early spring morning twenty-five teachers from Santa Barbara County in California embarked on a training that had never before been attempted in their district. The goal of the training was to create an environment in which the teachers could acquire an empathic understanding of what it’s like to be a student in today’s world. After completing a series of exercises carefully designed to prepare them for the day, the trainees were introduced to three teachers played by the AVERT staff. One was abusive, a teacher who would berate them; a second uninterested, a teacher who would ignore them; and a third teacher who would be firm but compassionate. They were then instructed to board a bus and transported to a school where they attended classes and were compelled to confront many of the emotional challenges students face everyday while interacting in the school system. The “Get It Straight” video follows the teachers throughout their day, documenting an extraordinary learning experience. Questions & Answers about AVERT for Teachers Research & Conclusions of AVERT for Teachers Bob Chapin School Principal, Santa Barbara County in California. Florene Bednersh School Superintendent, Santa Barbara County in California. Home Page \| Program Director \| Products & Services Endorsements \| International \| Links Contact Us © 2004 The Avert Project. All Rights Reserved Design by: Protech Computer & Original Website Design Avert Violence Empathic Response Training	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0098.json.gz/line4
__label__cc	0.549075	0.450925	Dubovan, Josef Dubovan, Jozef Dubravka, Peter Dudas, Jan Dudrik, Jaroslav Duha, Jan Dulik, Miroslav, University of Zilina, Institute of Aurel Stodola in Liptovsky Mikulas Duong, Minh Van, Department of Communication Technologies, Electronic Warfare and Radiolocation, Faculty of Military Technology, University of Defence, Kounicova 156/65, 662 10 Brno, Czech Republic Duong, Quang Huy, Department of Computer and Information Science, Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Hogskoleringen 1, 7491 Trondheim, Norway Dupej, Jan Durackova, Daniela Durackova, Daniela, Institute of Electronics and Photonics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Ilkovicova 3, 81219 Bratislava, Slovak Republic Durdik, Jaroslav Durdu, Akif, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Konya Technical University, Ankara Caddesi No:6, 42130, Konya, Turkey Durech, Jan Durica, Maros, Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 15/2172, Ostrava - Poruba, Czech Republic Durisova, Jana, Department of Physics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, University of Zilina, Univerzitna 1, 010 26 Zilina, Slovak Republic Durman, Vladimir Durovsky, Frantisek, Department of Electrical Engineering and Mechatronics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Technical University of Kosice, Letna 9, 042 00 Kosice, Slovak Republic Dutt, Divya, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Delhi Technological University, Main Bawana Road, 110042 New Delhi, India Duy, Tran Trung, Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology, Vietnam. Dvorak, Filip, University of Defence Brno Dvorak, Filip, University of defence Dvorak, Filip, Department of Radar Technology, Faculty of Military Technology, University of Defense, Kounicova 65, 662 10 Brno, Czech Republic 126 - 150 of 161 Items << < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 > >>	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0098.json.gz/line9
__label__cc	0.7007	0.2993	Smash-em-Up, Shanna, Smash-em-Up! I recently mentioned the Monte Cook Games kickstarter “Worlds of the Cypher System” (expiring soon!) and its Gods of the Fall setting. Another of the three included settings is Predation, by Shanna Germain: An asteroid will soon wipe out all life on earth. You know this—and you know when—because it’s in the history books your grandparents brought back to the Cretaceous period with them. Now your small society is trapped in prehistory, desperate to find a way back to your time. But at least you’re not alone. You have tech, weapons, vehicles, and science from the future—you even have the ability to bioengineer the dinosaurs around you. Can you use these tools to survive a dangerous world on the brink of extinction? Is that the sound of thunder you hear? I know, so much potential, right? Predation’s designer, Shanna Germain, also wrote a cool blog post about two of the groups in this setting: SATI and the Butterflies. (That needs to be a band name.) These writeups gave me ideas for more cool prehistoric factions! I’m sure Shanna will love them. While Space and Time, Interglobal (SATI) is all cozy inside the group’s time-travel bunkers, and the Butterflies are camping out in the trees or mud or whatever, a group called the Sleestaks are living in style in a place they call the Lost City. Hear that hissing sound? That means “Go away or we’ll eat you” in Sleestak. These handsome reptilian fellows don’t go out in the daytime, but at night they’ll be eager to find some unprotected humans they might take back home to sacrifice to their god. Sleestak guard: level 2, intellect tasks as level 1; Armor 1; crossbow attack inflicts 3 points of damage; short-range immobilizing net attack Silurians I hope you’re not thinking there’s only room for one batch of humanoid lizards in the prehistoric world, because a species known as the Silurians is also on the scene. Waaaay in the future (1970, man) they’ll cause problems for a time traveler, but in our dino-setting they’re still debating whether it’s time to go into hibernation or not. Considering themselves to be the masters of Earth, the Silurians don’t like the idea of sharing their planet with a group of time-traveling upstarts. With their advanced knowledge of genetic engineering, it’s possible the Silurians will give the humans a taste of their own medicine and perform experiments to see how versatile the human genome can be. Silurian warrior: level 3, science-related tasks as level 4; Armor 2; immediate-range tongue attack inflicts 1 point of speed damage; venom causes the target to mutate on a failed Might defense roll; carries 1 random cypher The SATI folks might be pretty proud of their time-travel base and cybernetics and iPods and such, but the true masters of technology in this era are the Flintstones faction. Led by an inscrutable warrior called Fred, the Flintstones have cobbled together an empire featuring engineering feats such as bird-tech audio sampling, massive-scale quarry excavation, and foot-powered cars. The Flintstones are not aggressive, but they can be protective of their scientific advances—and Fred himself has a legendary temper. Members of other factions have learned to approach the Flintstones with caution…and a giant offering of ribs. Bamm-Bamm, warrior of the Rubble clan: level 1; strength tasks as level 6; club attack inflicts 6 points of damage Categories UncategorizedTags cypher system Post navigation Kickstarted: “I Am Zombie: Toxicity”	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0098.json.gz/line10
__label__wiki	0.968673	0.968673	Helium Studios Helium Pictures Premium Scripted Premium Factual Premium Unscripted Helium Music Helium Records Rogue Nation Publishing Helium Team Therese Hegarty Most recently Chief Executive of Seven Studios Group, Therese Hegarty has extensive experience in program development, production, and distribution across both production company and broadcast platforms. Having successfully developed and executed content in various genres for both the Australian and global marketplace, Therese is focussed on creating Australian content for local and international audiences and finding partnership opportunities with creative people and companies. Starting in the industry as a Production Assistant, and after a variety of production roles, she moved into a leadership role for Beyond International’s Australian and US slate of productions. Therese was recruited to Seven West Media in 2012. During her Seven West Media tenure her roles included Head of Production and Rights, Director of Content, Production and Distribution. She was appointed to the SWM Executive Team shortly after commencing, and having achieved substantial success and growth was appointed CEO of Seven Studios Group, with operations in Sydney, Melbourne, London, Auckland and Los Angeles in 2019. Helium is a boutique studio. We are creating original IP, acquiring rights, developing materials, funding deficits, retaining distribution — flexible in working as co-producers with platform affiliated studios or as producers on a cost plus basis. Helium is an independent production company with a focus on premium scripted, unscripted and factual content. We are creating and producing original, authentic content for all platforms, networks and mediums. Helium is a boutique music company. We are composing original soundscapes and soundtracks for premium scripted, unscripted and factual content whilst investing in new repertoire with the development of brilliant young artists. 61–63 Great Buckingham Street Redfern NSW 2016 Australia All enquiries: admin@helium.limited +61 2 9184 8777 Helium® acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future traditional custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Privacy Policy \| WEBSITE by ELASTIK \| © 2023 Helium® All rights reserved	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0098.json.gz/line16
__label__cc	0.570755	0.429245	Craig Thatcher's Bio Eric Clapton Retrospective CD Releases Martin Experience The music, style, sounds and tones of EC through the years. To those familiar with the guitar artistry of Craig Thatcher, it's no secret that he has been heavily influenced by Eric Clapton. Actually, this has been the case since Craig first heard Eric's playing on "John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton,"commonly referred to as the "Beano" album. A spark was ignited in Craig's own guitar playing after hearing the blues played in Eric's (at the time) inimitable and innovative style using a Gibson Les Paul and a cranked Marshall combo amp; arguably the first time this combination was used on a recording. Fast forward to 2005 when Craig started paying tribute to his mentor with the presentation of the "Eric Clapton Retrospective." This combo is comprised of some of the top players in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, an area well-known to be a hotbed of many esteemed musicians. Craig's purpose is to present the music of Eric Clapton — dating back to the Yardbirds period and up to present-day; not note-for-note versions of this great material but capturing the style, sounds and tones as heard by EC through the years, in combination with the band's own unique flavoring. Most importantly, the "Eric Clapton Retrospective" is important as each band member is striving to keep this wonderful music alive! Please enjoy a musical sampling from our shows: Audio Player Help All Your Love Can't Find My Way Home Presence Of The Lord Rambling On My Mind A video tour of our shows: Some picture highlights from our shows: EC Retrospective Band Brett Andrew Craig Thatcher We're sorry, we have no Eric Clapton Retrospective shows scheduled at this time. Please check back again soon, this is a popular show & we will be scheduling more. Help: Audio Player for Tribute Shows This Audio Player plays select tracks from our Eric Clapton Retrospective show right here on the show page. The player includes standard Audio Controls: Previous Track, Play/Pause, Next Track and Volume controls. You can set the player to Shuffle the tracks and play them in a random order and/or to play in a continuous Loop. An icon highlighted in blue indicates the option is selected. (eg: the 'Loop' button shown.) In order to play an audio track: click/tap the 'Play' button or click/tap the track name in the playlist. The player will continue to loop from one track to the next. Using your mouse, you can easily scroll through the list of tracks by using the play list scrollbar. On touch-screens, you can simply swipe up/down on the play list to scroll the tracks. Craig Thatcher Band Craig & Nyke CraigAndNyke.com Craig Thatcher Band craig@craigthatcher.com © 2018, Craig Thatcher	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0098.json.gz/line18
__label__wiki	0.588668	0.588668	Today was the kickoff for Apple’s 2018 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC, or “Dub Dub” if you must shorten everything.) The focus-grabbing part of WWDC is the opening keynote that kicks everything off and provides a basic, press- and consumer-friendly overview of features that will be coming in the next few months to new versions of Apple’s products. This year was a year that was all about software—no new hardware products were shown, which continues a trend in the recent Apple era that it’s roughly a 50-50 shot that WWDC will feature hardware.1 That’s probably a bummer to people who think their MacBook Pro’s keyboard is a ticking time bomb, but there was a ton to cover and only few slow parts of the keynote as Apple execs had to cover new versions of iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS. Version 12 of iOS came with a slew of new features and changes. Apple led off with augmented reality (AR) additions, such as the .USDZ AR file format, and its own augmented-reality measuring tape tool. AR at this point looks cool but still feels gimmicky (holding out your phone or your iPad to view digital LEGO constructions seems like it’d get tiresome fast) but Apple is definitely making sure that if AR takes off, it won’t be left behind, and it’s possible that this is all underpinning some unreleased product (AR glasses?) that Apple has in the works. Another chunk of the iOS segment was taken up with “digital health” features. Basically, if you’re addicted to your phone, Apple has some features to try and wean you off, such as muting the phone and notifications during hours you should be sleeping, letting you see just how much time you spend Instagramming, and setting limits to try and stop you from spending just that much time Instagramming. Not much use for me, but I imagine for parents especially these are probably welcome features. At the very least, I’m curious what my graph will show as my big time-wasters. Grouped notifications were a big wishlist item for users that got checked off today, but also up there was Apple creating “Shortcuts”, an application to create customized voice-controlled workflows—allowing you to create a command that will execute a series of chained events based on that. Combined with other updates to the Siri voice assistant that allow third party integration via customizable commands, this seems to be Apple’s answer to criticism that Siri isn’t as fancy or full-featured as Alexa or Google and other voice assistants out there. Personally, I mostly use Siri for the stuff it gets right 90%+ of the time—setting timers and alarms, dictating notes, and answering my uncle’s queries as to just how tall that celebrity is. But the possible workflow powers that this gives iOS users (and it’s pretty clear that Apple’s purchase of the similar automation app Workflow underpins a lot of Shortcuts) could be a huge boon. There were a few other updates here and there, but Apple spent a lot of time demoing “Memoji”, a version of their face-tracked animoji that turn you into a cartoon avatar that you can slot into video calls or send messages. Mostly, memoji are hilarious in that they totally blow Samsung’s creepy animoji alternative out of the water; they look fun, very customizable, and not at all uncanny and dead-eyed (although the ability to stick the cartoon version of yourself on top of your live-action body does look odd.) There were probably plenty of people who hate that so much time is taken up by these Snapchat-esque features, but it’s pretty clear that emoji are hugely popular and creating even more of an ecosystem lock-in with Apple’s Messages is good for Apple. When the Apple Watch was unveiled, Apple positioned the device as a precise timepiece, intimate communication device, and a powerful fitness tracker. The first prong of their strategy was arguably shooting fish in a barrel, the second didn’t really pan out, but the fitness element is clearly what Apple has zeroed in on as the most important part of it. The Apple Watch has gotten GPS and cellular networking and become waterproof to make it a better fitness tracker, and Apple’s watchOS updates are clearly about pushing that forward with more ways to metagame your fitness goals and manage your workouts. Surprisingly, though, the Walkie-Talkie feature—which turns your Watch into, well, a Walkie-Talkie—does circle back to that second prong of the device’s genesis. Using your Watch as a rapid push-to-talk mechanism gives it a distinct identity and utility beyond the phone and digital touch options, and the little David inside me just finds it cool, even if its novelty might be the biggest lasting part of the feature. Like with a lot of the health features, you’re going to need friends and families with Watches of their own to make greater use of these. Also of note—the original “Series 0” generation of the Watch, released April 2015, is not going to receive this update. Always sad to see a device sunsetted, but like the original iPhone the OG Apple Watch was terribly underpowered and probably a millstone around the necks of developers who want to support the platform. There was basically nothing of note in the tvOS category; in fact it seemed strangely like the only one that didn’t have much relevance to developers. New screensavers and Dolby Atmos support (which was already confirmed coming) did not make for an interesting segment. The next macOS version, Mojave, will probably be most striking for its system-wide Dark Mode. As someone who always liked the dark versions of the menu bar and dock that became available with OS X Yosemite years ago, I will probably give Dark Mode a whirl, although I think I remind a bit old-fashioned in my preference for lighter interfaces (I still crank up the brightness of the UI in After Effects, for all the good that does these days.) Another big change is turning the desktop into a sort of pseudo-folders in folders setup with “stacks”. This seems more a concession to people who can’t tame their messy desktops rather than a useful feature for those who are already organized, but it’s still kind of neat to be able to scrub and drag items from these stacks. The new, redesigned Mac App Store follows in the footsteps of its iOS brethren, and Apple announced new developers coming to the store, but I’m not sure if it solves the problems inherent with the Mac App Store—apps are more limited than the unsandboxed ones you can download from elsewhere, and for a developer you can’t offer free trials or paid upgrades, meaning a more inflexible product and purchasing environment. We’ll see what these changes do towards addressing those problems (perhaps there have been changes to Apple’s terms that make it more attractive to devs?) Finally, Apple added a slew of privacy features, most notably in trying to prevent web sites from creating a hardware fingerprint to track you. This is awesome, and it’s nice to see Apple continuing to lock down user information and resist the general tide towards users-as-product strategy employed by Google and others. Overall, I think the conference was enjoyable, and the new features look promising. No new hardware is always disappointing, but software is arguably more important anyhow. Stray thoughts Some find Apple’s brand of comedy a bit kitschy or cringe-worthy, but in general I’ve found it enjoyable in a knowing, dad-joke-level casual lightheartedness. The opening skit, “Developer Migration“, poked fun at its developers with a Planet Earth-inspired nature documentary format, followed up at the end by a more heartfelt thanks. Jokes about executive Craig Federighi’s hair never fail to amuse me, and little easter eggs like the subject lines of mail in a screenshot reward keen-eyed watchers. I found something kind of amusing about this shot, from the pre-show livestream crawl: A decade ago, Blackberry was still scoffing at upstart Apple, believing that their smartphone dominance would remain. Now, they basically exist as a zombie that barely produces phones and has been relegated to a messaging app slide on a competitors’ banner of applications on their platform. There seemed like there were noticeably more women presenting than at past Apple events. Make of that what you will, but it certainly seems like they have a deeper bench of people they’re pulling onstage than in previous years, where the male executives (Cook, Federighi, Eddy Cue) took up most of the time. Apple positioned some of its features as “pro tools that regular joes can also benefit from”, which is an interesting positioning and also probably aligns with Apple’s return to courting pro users. By my reckoning, since 2006 (the kickoff of the ‘modern’ Apple era of Intel PC hardware) the years 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2017 had some kind of hardware announcements, while 2007, 2011, 2014–2016, and now 2018 did not.↩ Categorized in: Apple Apple’s Darker Days Decode Theme by Macho Themes	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0098.json.gz/line20
__label__wiki	0.598707	0.598707	Lessig goes to Linux Heaven (in Brazil) I've said nothing about the World Social Forum these past days, and I have to admit to not having followed it all that closely. But I just came across this inspirational post from Stanford Law professor Lawrence Lessig, who was on a panel last Saturday along with Manuel Castells and Gilberto Gil. But get a load of his visit last Thursday to the WSF's Youth Camp, devoted this year to free software and free culture. We arrived in the middle of a concert. Gil was asked to speak. As he went to the mic, the tent fell silent. Hundreds were packed into a tiny space. Gil began to describe the work of the Lula government to support free software, and free culture, when a debate broke out. I don't speak Portuguese, but a Brazilian who spoke English translated for Barlow and me. The kid was arguing with Gil about free radio. Two minutes into the exchange, about 8 masked protesters climbed onto chairs on one side of the tent, and held posters demanding free radio. A huge argument exploded, with the Minister (Gil) engaging many people directly, and others stepping in to add other perspectives. After about 20 minutes, the argument stopped. The band played again, and then Gil was asked to perform. For about another twenty minutes, this most extraordinary performer sang the music he's been writing since the 1960s, while the whole audience (save Barlow and I) sang along. When the concert was over, Barlow, Gil and I were led out of the tent. It was practically impossible to move, as hundreds begged Gil for autographs, or posed for pictures. At each step, someone had an argument. At each step, Gil stopped to engage. Even after Gil was in the car, some kid rapped on the window, yelling yet another abusive argument. Gil, with the patience of a saint, opened the window, and argued some more. This was a scene that was astonishing on a million levels. I've seen rallies for free software in many placed around the world. I've never seen anything like this. There were geeks, to be sure. But not many. The mix was broad-based and young. They cheered free software as if it were a candidate for President. But more striking still was just the dynamic of this democracy. Barlow captured the picture at the top, which in a sense captures it all. Here's a Minister of the government, face to face with supporters, and opponents. He speaks, people protest, and he engages their protest. Passionately and directly, he stands at their level. There is no distance. There is no "free speech zone." Or rather, Brazil is the free speech zone. Gil practices zone rules. Even after the speech was over, the argument continues. At no point is there "protection"; at every point, there is just connection. This is the rockstar who became a politician, who became a politician as a rockstar. I remember reading about Jefferson's complaints about the early White House. Ordinary people would knock on the door, and demand to see the President. Often they did. The presumption of that democracy lives in a sense here. And you never quite see how far from that presumption our democracy has become until you see it, live, here. "This is what democracy looks like." Or at least, a democracy where the leaders can stand packed in the middle of a crowd, with protesters yelling angry criticism yet without "security" silencing the noise. No guns, no men in black uniform, no panic, and plenty of press. Just imagine. Lessig, by the way, once clerked for Judge Richard Posner on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and Justice Antonin Scalia on the United States Supreme Court. In a 2002 Wired magazine profile, they said of him: "Once a 'right-wing lunatic,' he's become a fire-breathing defender of Net values." At 9:24 PM, Randy said... Gilberto Gil é uma coisa de Deus. Whenever I have had a bad day I put on Quanta Live and my mood lifts. Everything you ever wanted to know about Colombia Beer diplomacy Remember that Farnaz Fassihi email? On the Iraqi elections The morality of military outsourcing FT advice on Latin America Ignatieff, for the record Iraq/Afghanistan compared Iraq elections Che chic	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0098.json.gz/line21
__label__wiki	0.59604	0.59604	Home > Product list > B Boric acid Boron tribromide Boron , including Technical Data, Safety Data and its High Purity properties, research, applications and other useful facts are discussed below. Scientific facts such as the atomic structure,ionization energy, abundance on Earth, conductivity and thermal properties are included. Boron has an energy band gap of 1.50 to 1.56 eV, which is higher than that of either silicon or germanium. Optical characteristics include transmitting portions of the infrared. Boron is a poor conductor of electricity at room temperature but a good conductor at high temperature. Boron in its elemental form is not toxic. Amorphous boron is used in pyrotechnic flares to provide a distinctive green color, and in rockets as an igniter Boric acid is also an important boron compound with major markets in textile products. Boron compounds are also extensively used in the manufacture of borosilicate glasses. The isotope Boron-10 is used as a control for nuclear reactors, as a shield for nuclear radiation, and in instruments used for detecting neutrons. Boron nitride has remarkable properties and can be used to make a material as hard as diamond. The nitride also behaves like an electrical insulator but conducts heat like a metal. Boron also has lubricating properties similar to graphite. The hydrides are easily oxidized with considerable energy liberation, and have been studied for use as rocket fuels. Demand is increasing for boron filaments, a high-strength, lightweight material chiefly employed for advanced aerospace structures Boron is similar to carbon in that it has a capacity to form stable covalently bonded molecular networks. Boron is available as compounds with purities from 99% to 99.9999% (ACS grade to ultra-high purity). Boron facts, including appearance, CAS #, and molecular formula and safety data, research and properties are available for many specific states, forms and shapes on the product pages listed to the left. Elemental or metallic forms include pellets, rod, wire and granules for evaporation source material purposes.Nanoparticles and nanopowdersprovide ultra high surface area which nanotechnology research and recent experiments demonstrate function to create new and unique properties and benefits. Oxides are available in forms including powders and dense pellets for such uses as optical coating and thin film applications. Oxides tend to be insoluble. Fluorides are another insoluble form for uses in which oxygen is undesirable such as metallurgy, chemical and physical vapor deposition and in some optical coatings. Boron is available in soluble forms including chlorides, nitrates and acetates. These compounds are also manufactured as solutions at specified stoichiometries. Boron is a Block P, Group 13, Period 2 element. The number of electrons in each of Boron‘s shells is 2, 3 and its electronic configuration is [He] 2s2 2p1. In its elemental form boron‘s CAS number is 7440-42-8. The boron atom has a radius of 79.5.pm and it‘s Van der Waals radius is 200.pm. Boron is not toxic. All elemental metals, compounds and solutions may be synthesized in ultra high purity (e.g. 99.999%) for laboratory standards, advanced electronic, thin fillm deposition using sputtering targets and evaporation materials, metallurgy and optical materials and other high technology applications. Information is provided for stable (non-radioactive) isotopes. Organo-Metallic Boron compounds are soluble in organic or non-aqueous solvents. See Analytical Services for information on available certified chemical and physical analysis techniques including MS-ICP, X-Ray Diffraction, PSD and Surface Area (BET) analysis. Boron was first discovered by Sir Humphry Davy and J.L Gay-Lussac in 1808. The name Boron originates from a combination of carbon and the Arabic word ‘buraqu meaning borax. Abundance. The following table shows the abundance of boron and each of its naturally occurringisotopes on Earth along with the atomic mass for each isotope. Isotope Atomic Mass % Abundance on Earth B-10 10.0129370 19.9 The following table shows the abundance of Boron present in the human body and in the universe scaled to parts per billion (ppb) by weight and by atom: Typical Human Body Universe by Weight 700 ppb 1 ppb by Atom 410 ppb 0.1 ppb Safety Data and Biological Role. The safety data for boron metal, nanoparticles and its compounds can vary widely depending on the form. For potential hazard information, toxicity, and road, sea and air transportation limitations, such as DOT Hazard Class, DOT Number, EU Number, NFPA Health rating and RTECS Class, please see the specific material or compound referenced in the left margin. Boroncompounds are required by green algae and higher plants. Ionization Energy. The ionization energy for boron (the least required energy to release a single electron from the atom in it‘s ground state in the gas phase) is stated in the following table: 1st Ionization Energy 800.64 kJ mol-1 2nd Ionization Energy 2427.09 kJ mol-1 3rd Ionization Energy 3659.78 kJ mol-1 Conductivity. As to boron‘s electrical and thermal conductivity, the electrical conductivity measured as to electrical resistivity @ 20 ?C is 1.8E+12 μΩcm and its electronegativities (or its ability to draw electrons relative to other elements) is 2.04. The thermal conductivity of boron is 27 W m-1 K-1. Thermal Properties. The melting point and boiling point for boron are stated below. The following chart sets forth the heat of fusion, heat of vaporization and heat of atomization. Heat of Fusion 22.2 kJ mol-1 Heat of Atomization 557.64 kJ mol-1 B 5 10.81 g.mol -1 2.0 2.3 g.cm-3 at 20 °C 2076 °C 3927 °C 200.pm 0.027 nm 800.64 kJ.mol-1	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0098.json.gz/line24
__label__wiki	0.643644	0.643644	sole proprietorship A business owned and managed by one person. liability The legal responsibility to repay debts and to pay for damages resulting from a lawsuit. partnership A business owned by two or more co-owners who share profits from the business and are legally responsible for the business squo;s debts. corporation A business owned by shareholders who have limited liability for the firm squo;s debts. Because it is considered a legal entity, a corporation can conduct business affairs in its name. multinational corporation A corporation that does business in more than one country. business franchise An arrangement in which a parent company, or franchiser, distributes its products or services through independently owned outlets. The outlet owners, or franchisees, pay for the exclusive right to use the parent company squo;s trade name and sell its products or provide its services. cooperative A business organization that is jointly owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit. nonprofit organization An organization that functions much like a business but does not operate to make a profit. Chapter Sections 9.1 – Introduction 9.2 – What Does It Take to Start a New Business? hTe Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs The Risks and Rewards of Starting a Business 9.3 – What Kinds of Businesses Are Best Organized as Sole Proprietorships? Sole Proprietorships: One Owner. One Operator Advantages of Sole Proprietorships Disadvantages of Sole Proprietorships 9.4 – What Kinds of Businesses Are Organized as Partnerships? SPartnerships: Multiple Owners, Shared Profits Advantages of Partnerships Disadvantages of Sole Partnerships 9.5 – Why Are large Businesses Organized as Corporations? Corporations: Ownership by Shareholders How Corporations Are Organized? Advantages of a Corporation Disadvantages of a Corporation 9.6 – What Purposes Are Served by Franchises, Cooperatives, and Nonprofit Organizations? Business Franchises: One Parent Company with Many Outlets Cooperatives: Share Ownership for Shared Benefits 9.7 – What Rights and Responsibilities Do Businesses Have in a Free Enterprise System? The Rights of Businesses The Responsibilities of Businesses It Is Legal — But Is It Ethical? Chapter 9 - Textbook Scan	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0098.json.gz/line31
__label__wiki	0.869576	0.869576	London essentials Entertainment near Post Office Post Office, 263 Eltham High Street, SE9 1TY All The Best Classical Music Theatres Blackheath Halls 23 Lee Road, SE3 \| 2.5 miles from Post Office Compile a list of London's major arts and entertainment venues and the Blackheath Halls won't immediately spring to mind as being one of the most... More Catford Mews London > Entertainment > Arts Centres 32 Winslade Way, Catford, SE6 \| 3.6 miles from Post Office A buzzing cultural community space for South London, Catford Mews is home a multi-screen cinema, live entertainment space for music... More Catford Mews Cinema 32 Winslade Way, SE6 \| 3.6 miles from Post Office An independent three screen cinema within Catford Mews showing the latest releases, themed film seasons and sing-a-long screenings. For Valentine's Day, for... More Brick Lane Music Hall London > Entertainment > Theatres 443 North Woolwich Road, E16 \| 3.7 miles from Post Office One of London's last surviving traditional music halls.... More Greenwich Picturehouse 180 Greenwich High Road, SE10 \| 3.7 miles from Post Office This Greenwich cinema has not been a resounding success. Since opening in 1989 it's gone bankrupt twice, closing down for long periods. Fortunately for locals... More Up the Creek London > Entertainment > Comedy Clubs 302 Creek Road, Greenwick, SE10 \| 3.8 miles from Post Office Located in Greenwich, South East London, Up The Creek is one of the UK's best comedy venues, offering true intimacy with a diverse range of... More Greenwich Playhouse Greenwich Station Forecourt, 189 Greenwich High Road, SE10 \| 3.9 miles from Post Office The Greenwich Playhouse is one of the most modern theatres in the London area. It's certainly not the biggest - it has seating capacity for... More Michael Edwards Studio Theatre London > Entertainment Cutty Sark, King William Walk, SE10 \| 3.9 miles from Post Office The Michael Edwards Studio Theatre is located inside the lower hold of the Cutty Sark tea clipper, one of the world's most famous boats on... More Magazine London Greenwich Peninsula, SE10 \| 4 miles from Post Office A vast event space next to the Thames and overlooking Canary Wharf , Magazine London... More Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance Creekside, Deptford, SE8 \| 4.1 miles from Post Office Tate Modern architects Herzog & de Meuron went for a shimmering, plastic-clad building when tasked with designing the Trinity Laban building, a place where excellence... More Bonnie Bird Theatre @ Laban 30 Creekside, SE8 \| 4.1 miles from Post Office The Bonnie Bird Theatre is the Laban centre's chic modern performance space. Designed by Tate Modern architects, Herzog & de Meuron, the Laban building is... More Utrophia 136a Tanners Hill, SE8 \| 4.3 miles from Post Office The Utrophia project space gives artists, musicians and filmmakers the chance to get together and gives them the space to present their works to the public.... More Douglas Way, SE8 \| 4.3 miles from Post Office Originally established in 1894 as the Deptford Fund, The Albany has a long history of entertaining within the Deptford community. But it was in the... More British Music Experience London > Entertainment > Live Music The O2, Peninsula Square, SE10 \| 4.4 miles from Post Office Stadium filling rock gods like The Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Mick Jagger are among the stars who have loaned memorabilia to the British Music... More WM Jazz London > Entertainment > Jazz Clubs Water Margin Restaurant, O2 Arena, SE10 \| 4.4 miles from Post Office Since launching in summer 2013 WM Jazz has carved out a real following. Set within the Water Margin Restaurant at The 02 Arena, WM Jazz... More The O2 Arena Peninsula Square, SE10 \| 4.4 miles from Post Office The centrepiece of the redeveloped Millennium Dome is the O2 Arena, the first purpose-built music venue in London. With a capacity of 23,000, it offers... More Rivoli Ballroom 350 Brockley Road, Crofton Park, SE4 \| 4.4 miles from Post Office A rare surviving example of an early 19th century cinema to a ballroom, t he 1950's Rivoli Ballroom is one of the oldest ballrooms in... More Indigo at The O2 Millennium Way, SE10 \| 4.4 miles from Post Office Indigo at The O2 is a smaller live music and comedy venue inside The O2 with a capacity of 2,400. Opened in July 2007 with... More Jack Studio Theatre 410 Brockley Road, SE4 \| 4.4 miles from Post Office The Jack Studio Theatre (formerly known as Brockley Jack Theatre) is a welcoming 50-seat fringe theatre in Brockley - so welcoming that it won the... More Curzon Goldsmiths Richard Hoggart Building, Lewisham Way, SE14 \| 4.6 miles from Post Office Goldsmiths, University of London and Curzon Cinemas have come together in partnership, creating a state of the art 101 seat auditorium with 4k projection and... More 269 Westferry Road, Tower Hamlets, London E14 \| 4.7 miles from Post Office It's not all music hall these days down in the East End. This multi-arts centre on the Isle of Dogs gives the locals a chance... More The Poodle Club 167 Sydenham Road, SE26 \| 5.1 miles from Post Office Small comedy in Sydenham with a friendly atmosphere, drinks and freshly popped popcorn. They get a good line-up of acts, some of whom you... More Everyman Canary Wharf Crossrail Place Level 2, Tower Hamlets, London E14 \| 5.2 miles from Post Office The Everyman Cinema on level 2 of Crossrail Place - the brand's fifth cinema in the capital - sits within the six storey Canary Wharf... More Spiegeltent at Canary Wharf Canada Square Park, Tower Hamlets, London E14 \| 5.2 miles from Post Office The Spiegeltent at Canary Wharf comes to Canada Square Park in September for 11 days of comedy, music, kids activities, dance, cabaret, acrobatics and kids... More Bussey Building 133 Rye Lane, SE15 \| 5.8 miles from Post Office Once an industrial powerhouse, one of the premier cricket bat makers in the country and an air raid shelter during the Second World War, the... More Peckham Levels Levels 1 to 6 Peckham Town Centre Car Park, 95A Rye Lane, SE15 \| 5.8 miles from Post Office Previously a disused car... More Half Moon Young People's Theatre 43 White Horse Road, Tower Hamlets, London E1 \| 6.2 miles from Post Office An excellent youth theatre housed in an old Victorian townhouse, the Half Moon has been entertaining young Londoners since the mid-1970s. Occupying the former Limehouse... More Troxy 490 Commercial Road, Tower Hamlets, London E1 \| 6.3 miles from Post Office This splendid 1930s art deco Grade II listed East End dance hall has a capacity of over 2,600 and prides itself as "London's most versatile... More Sugarhouse Studios 107 High Street, Stratford, E15 \| 6.4 miles from Post Office Making use of 107 High Street, Stratford, a building scheduled for demolition in 2013, Sugarhouse Studios is a cinema, cafe and bar with a programme... More Everyman Crystal Palace 25 Church Road, Crystal Palace, SE19 \| 6.6 miles from Post Office One of ten Everyman cinemas in London, this venue in Crystal Palace comes with fours screens which can seat between 40 and... More Near Post Office All London hotels From cheap budget accommodation to luxury 5 star hotels see our discounts for Post Office hotels, including from 0% off. Hotels near Barcelona International Convention Centre (CCIB), Spain Hotels near Orange County Convention Center (OCCC), USA	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0098.json.gz/line38
__label__cc	0.55153	0.44847	kindColorado began in 2015 through crazy luck and aligned passions of our founders, Kelly and Courtney. Their partnership began while working to connect communities and cannabis businesses and has since grown into kindColorado's leading Cannabis Social Responsibility framework. Our goal of the Cannabis Social Responsibility framework is to create pathways for communities and businesses to collaborate, for employers and employees to celebrate, and for businesses and customers to participate in community outreach. Our framework is firmly driven by the ethos that through conscious community outreach and messaging, the cannabis industry has the opportunity to support community health, enrich economic development, and inform policies across multiple sectors. Our mission is the heart of our services: to positively impact communities that have been systemically underserved and oppressed while also shaping the cannabis industry’s evolving story. We believe this industry has the profound ability to create a confluence of economic, social, and political change. That cannabis businesses can -- and should -- do good. Our founders have spoken across the country at both national cannabis and equity conferences and locally held nonprofit conferences, facilitated workshops for businesses and nonprofits on the risk and rewards of partnership, and produced charitable events in both the US and Canada which spotlight the industry’s capacity to drive philanthropy and generate impact. We have also consulted with several municipalities across North America on how to construct robust community engagement and equitable policy. Our work in social responsibility has granted us recognition as one of the Top 100 Cannabis Companies in the United States, as well as earned us numerous nominations across the industry. In the last two years kindColorado co-founded Cannabis Doing Good (CDG), an organization which aims to create a purpose-driven cannabis community and set the standard for social responsibility in our sector. Most recently, and with the help of Sensible Colorado, the CDG team launched their nonprofit arm, the Cannabis Impact Fund, a 501c3 dedicated to garnering pledges from cannabis companies to support the movement for black lives and racial justice-focused organizations.	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0098.json.gz/line58
__label__cc	0.563414	0.436586	The Porsche 911 Carrera’s ZF 7-Speed Manual Transmission: Feature Spotlight by Aaron Birch — Jan 27, 2015 There is perhaps nothing in this world more embarrassing to an automotive journalist than to stall a car on a press event, with a drivetrain engineer in the passenger’s seat. So please, take it as a sign of this author’s sincerity and journalistic integrity when he admits that this is exactly what he did. Many, many damn times. See, in November, parts supplier ZF invited us down to the South Carolina Technology & Aviation Center, to try out and evaluate the Porsche 911 Carrera‘s 7-speed manual transmission – a transmission designed and built by ZF. The Center is a retired and re-appropriated Army airbase which now serves as a business park, although the vast runways remain intact. It was on one of these historic runways that we were allowed to launch the Porsche 911 Carrera and run the speedo up to our hearts’ content, unimpeded save for the ZF engineer in the passenger’s seat, and some pylons thoughtfully set up to alert us that we were in danger of driving through a solid. Even having just driven the absurdly sweet 911 Turbo S earlier in the day, this Porsche 911 Carrera was a decadent pleasure to pilot. But beside the pylons and the ZF engineer making sure we didn’t fold the car, there was another impediment to our joy-drive: the clutch. The leftmost pedal in this manual-equipped car was firmer than a race horse’s buttocks; we shudder to think what it would be like to drive the car in bumper-to-bumper traffic, pushing Everest with your left foot, then releasing, then pushing it again to slowly inch ahead. This would be easy to overlook on its own, but then there is the on-off nature of the pedal. Most three-pedal cars have a gradient, or a “sweep,” from engaged to disengaged, wherein the driver can feel the moment of first clutch-coupling through the pedal motion. But the stiff pedal in the Porsche 911 Carrera managed to mute any mechanical feedback, and the “sweep” from engaged to disengaged took place over the span of about a strand of hair from a race horse’s buttock. Hence the stalling. When this author finally got the hang of it (it’s a steep learning curve), it became obvious that clutch’s true merit lies in acceleration. Shifts require a firm hand and an even firmer foot, but the motion is so precise and, for lack of a better word, “staccato” that running up to the rev limit and banging-in the next shift is impossible to botch. The system’s very firmness is precisely what precludes any slop, in other words. But after yours truly quit running the tach down to 0 with his foot and got in a few good quarter-mile runs, another issue became apparent. It’s the very same issue that nearly everyone seems to have with any manual possessing more than 6 forward gears; it’s easy to get lost in the shift pattern. In a sense, it’s almost a problem without a solution, as modern efficiency standards really demand no fewer than 7 speeds from most higher-horsepower cars with a stick. But you could drive this car every day and still, only after several months, be comfortable enough with the gear tree to slap it into seventh without looking, double-checking, crossing your fingers, and holding your breath. At the end of the day, it’s not only unessential to option the Porsche 911 Carrera with a manual transmission; it’s undesirable. If the Boxster, Cayman, and higher-performance 911 variants are the sporty, track-thirsty metal hunks in Porsche’s lineup, then the standard Porsche 911 Carrera is more grand-tourer. So by all means, take the grand tour, and let computers do the shifting for you. — Aaron Birch Aaron Birch is an automotive enthusiast and writer/filmmaker from Detroit, MI. As a rule, he only buys cars older than himself. Previous story Porsche 911 Turbo S’ ZF Active Kinematics Control: Feature Spotlight Next story The Porsche Boxster ZF 7-Speed PDK: Feature Spotlight	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0098.json.gz/line62
__label__wiki	0.913049	0.913049	Science Space Why the Ghost Particles Crashing Into Antarctica Could Change Astronomy Forever About 1.2 miles beneath Antarctica, an underground observatory is hunting for "ghost particles." What it finds could reveal the unseen heart of a distant galaxy. Monisha Ravisetti Nov. 17, 2022 3:19 p.m. PT Monisha Ravisetti Science Writer Monisha Ravisetti is a science writer at CNET. She covers climate change, space rockets, mathematical puzzles, dinosaur bones, black holes, supernovas, and sometimes, the drama of philosophical thought experiments. Previously, she was a science reporter with a start-up publication called The Academic Times, and before that, was an immunology researcher at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York. She graduated from New York University in 2018 with a B.A. in Philosophy, Physics and Chemistry. When she's not at her desk, she's trying (and failing) to raise her online chess rating. Her favorite movies are Dunkirk and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. Hubble image of the spiral galaxy NGC 1068. NASA, ESA, A. van der Hoeven About 47 million light-years from where you're sitting, the center of a black-hole-laden galaxy named NGC 1068 spits out streams of enigmatic particles. They're neutrinos -- otherwise known as the elusive "ghost particles" haunting our universe while leaving little trace of their existence. Immediately after coming into being, bundles of these invisible bits plunge across the cosmic expanse. They whisk by bright stars we can see and zip past pockets of space teeming with marvels we're yet to discover. They fly and fly and fly until, occasionally, they reach Earth's South Pole and drill themselves underground. The neutrinos' journey is seamless. But scientists patiently wait for them to arrive. Nestled into about 1 billion tons of ice, more than 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) beneath Antarctica, lies the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. A neutrino hunter, you might call it. And when any neutrinos transfer their party to the frigid continent, IceCube remains vigilant. In a paper published Nov. 3 in the journal Science, the international team behind this ambitious experiment confirmed it has found evidence of 79 "high-energy neutrino emissions" coming from around where NGC 1068 is located, opening the door for novel -- and endlessly fascinating -- types of physics. "Neutrino astronomy," scientists call it. It'd be a branch of astronomy that can do what existing branches simply cannot. Front view of the IceCube Lab at twilight, with a starry sky showing a glimpse of the Milky Way overhead and sunlight lingering on the horizon. Martin Wolf, IceCube/NSF Before today, physicists had only shown neutrinos coming from either the sun; our planet's atmosphere; a chemical mechanism called radioactive decay; supernovas; and -- thanks to IceCube's first breakthrough in 2017 -- a blazar, or voracious supermassive black hole pointed directly toward Earth. A void dubbed TXS 0506+056. With this newfound neutrino source, we're entering a new era of the particle's story. In fact, according to the research team, it's likely neutrinos stemming from NGC 1068 have up to millions, billions, maybe even trillions the amount of energy held by neutrinos rooted in the sun or supernovas. Those are jaw-dropping figures because, in general, such ghostly bits are so powerful, yet evasive, that every second, trillions upon trillions of neutrinos move right through your body. You just can't tell. And if you wanted to stop a neutrino in its tracks, you'd need to fight it with a block of lead one light-year-wide -- though even then, there'd be a fractional chance of success. Thus, harnessing these particles, NCG 1068's version or not, could allow us to penetrate areas of the cosmos that'd usually lie out of reach. Not only is this moment massive because it gives us more proof of a strange particle that wasn't even announced to exist until 1956, but also because neutrinos are like keys to our universe's backstage. They hold the capacity to reveal phenomena and solve puzzles we're unable to address by any other means, which is the primary reason scientists are trying to develop neutrino astronomy in the first place. "The universe has multiple ways of communicating with us," Denise Caldwell of the National Science Foundation and a major supporter of IceCube, told reporters on Nov. 2. "Electromagnetic radiation, which we see as light from stars, gravitational waves that shake the fabric of space -- and elementary particles, such as protons, neutrons and electrons spewed out by localized sources. "One of these elementary particles has been neutrinos that permeate the universe, but unfortunately, neutrinos are very difficult to detect." In fact, even the galaxy NGC 1068 and its gargantuan black hole are typically obscured by a thick veil of dust and gas, making them hard to parse with standard optical telescopes and equipment -- despite years of scientists trying to pierce its curtain. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope could have a leg up in this case due to its infrared eyes, but neutrinos may be an even better way in. Expected to be generated behind such opaque screens filtering our universe, these particles can carry cosmic information from behind those screens, zoom across great distances while interacting with essentially no other matter, and deliver pristine, untouched information to humanity about elusive corners of outer space. "We are very lucky, in a sense, because we can access an amazing understanding of this object," Elisa Resconi, of the Technical University of Munich and IceCube team member, said of NGC 1068. In this artistic rendering, based on a real image of the IceCube Lab at the South Pole, a distant source emits neutrinos that are detected below the ice by IceCube sensors, called DOMs. IceCube/NSF It's also notable that there are many (many) more galaxies similar to NGC 1068 -- categorized as Seyfert galaxies -- than there are blazars similar to TXS 0506+056. This means IceCube's latest discovery is, arguably, a larger step forward for neutrino astronomers than the observatory's seminal one. Perhaps the bulk of neutrinos diffusing throughout the universe are rooted in NGC 1068 doppelgangers. But in the grand scheme of things, there's far more to the merit of neutrinos than just their sources. These ghosts, as Justin Vandenbroucke of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an IceCube team member put it, are fit to solve two major mysteries in astronomy. First off, a wealth of galaxies in our universe boast gravitationally monstrous voids at their centers, black holes reaching masses millions to billions of times greater than our sun's. And these black holes, when active, blast jets of light from their guts -- emitting enough illumination to outshine every single star in the galaxy itself. "We don't understand how that happens," Vandenbrouke said simply. Neutrinos could provide a way to study the regions around black holes. Second is the general, yet persistent, conundrum of cosmic rays. We don't really know where cosmic rays come from either, but these strings of particles reach energies to and beyond millions of times higher than we can reach here on Earth with human-constructed particle accelerators like the one at CERN. "We think neutrinos have some role to play," Vandenbroucke said. "Something that can help us answer these two mysteries of black holes powering very bright galaxies and of the origins of cosmic rays." A decade to catch a handful To be clear, IceCube doesn't exactly trap neutrinos. Basically, this observatory tells us every time a neutrino happens to interact with the ice shrouding it. "Neutrinos hardly interact with matter," Vandenbrouke emphasized. "But they do interact sometimes." As millions of neutrinos shoot into the icy region where IceCube is set up, at least one tends to bump into a speck of ice, which then shatters and produces a flash of light. IceCube sensors capture that flash and send the signal up to the surface, notifications that are then analyzed by hundreds of scientists. A rendering of the IceCube detector shows the interaction of a neutrino with a molecule of ice. IceCube Collaboration/NSF Ten years of light-flash-data allowed the team to pretty much map out where every neutrino seems to be coming from in the sky. It soon became clear there was a dense region of neutrino emissions located right where galaxy NGC 1068 is stationed. But even with such evidence, Resconi said the team knew "it's not the time to open the champagne, because we still have one fundamental question to answer. How many times did this alignment happen just by chance? How can we be sure neutrinos are actually coming from such an object?" A sky map of the scan for point sources in the Northern Hemisphere, showing where neutrinos seem to be coming from across the universe. The circle of NGC 1068 also coincides with the overall hottest spot in the northern sky. IceCube Collaboration So, to make matters as concrete as possible, and really, truly prove this galaxy is spitting out ghosts, "we generated 500 million times the same experiment," Resconi said. Upon which, I can only imagine, a bottle of Veuve was popped at last. Though the hunt isn't over. "We are only beginning to scratch the surface as far as finding new sources of neutrinos," Ignacio Taboada of the Georgia Institute of Technology and IceCube team member said. "There must be many other sources far deeper than NGC 1068, hiding somewhere to be found." Correction, Nov. 17: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described Denise Caldwell's role in relation to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. She is a major supporter of IceCube.	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0098.json.gz/line67
__label__wiki	0.995205	0.995205	Premiere: Robbie Miller teases his new album with new single, Bitterness With a new album expected later this year, Miller is set to flourish as an exciting new face in Australian indie. For a musician yet to explode into full commercialism like many of his peers, Robbie Miller has a lot of excitement around him. Over the last four years, the Brisbane-based musician has emerged as a fresh-faced new energy in gentle indie-folk; his first two EPs - 2015's The Faster The Blood Slows and 2016's Closer To Home - becoming cult-favourites and earning Miller accolades including National Indigenous Music Awards and APRA Music Awards, while setting the musician up to tour alongside now-heavyweights of indie, folk and blues, such as Josh Pyke and The Rubens. In the time since, however, Robbie Miller has only blossomed into something bigger. For much of the last year, he's been working with musicians such as Matt Corby, Alex Henrikkson (Tia Gostelow) and Matt Neighbour (The Temper Trap) on his debut album - scheduled for release later this year, and from what we've heard thus far, it's an album that'll dive into the rich potency of folk and indie at their peak; a maturity and sense of evolution and growth way beyond Miller's years on feature display through singles like the Greta Stanley-assisted The Come Down, which itself ushered Robbie Miller into a entirely new level of excitement that's paving the way for his long-awaited record. Today, we're premiering the album's third tease through Bitterness, a single that twists Robbie Miller's sound into its most reflective and personal; the intimacy of a song like Bitterness exploring the musician's many emotions and as he details the complexities of relationships and the break-ups that come with them. "Bitterness is one of the oldest songs on my upcoming album," he says on the single. "The bones of the song were written about a break up I was going through in 2017. It's about the self-realisation that I had an unhealthy state of mind, one that I had been stuck in for years. At the end of it all. I found new friends and new love." It's clear that Bitterness is a single that navigates a darker side of Robbie Miller's songwriting, however you might not be able to guess that from its sound. The beauty of a track like Bitterness comes from the sense of contrast that underpins it, with Robbie's storytelling contrasting against an instrumental which is rich with a sense of uplifting hope, moving at a upbeat pace that makes you feel like the song is happier than what it actually is. It's a difficult thing to pull off, for the most part, but one that Miller is really able to do with ease. Dive into the track below ahead of its greater release tomorrow, Friday April 16th, and while you're there, familiarise yourself to the rising name before his debut album sees him enter the Australian indie canon later this year - it's going to be really great, if these singles are anything to go by. Follow Robbie Miller: FACEBOOK Want to help us support the next generation of music, both Australian and international? Sign up to our Patreon now, not only will you help keep the lights on, but you'll also gain access to exclusive content, merch discounts and more. Premiere: Meet Elizabeth Fader, and the video for her debut single, EncoreAs one part of Phantastic Ferniture, Elizabeth Fader knows her way around an indie-pop melody, and with her solo project, she's showing it best. Meet Brisbane's Fresco Kyoto, who are ones to watch with Whatever You SayArriving alongside an official video clip, the single – the band's first since their debut EP last year – sets them up as one to keep an eye on. Premiere: Watch a raw live take on Suicide Swans' swampy new single, Willow Taken from their forthcoming new album, La Jungla, due April 12. Premiere: Space Carbonara unleash a pysch-rock stomper with Eat Your Brains For Lunch They've got a huge Aussie tour coming up in 2018. Heavy Times: An Aussie heavy music recap feat. Skullcave, No Brainer + more In our new column, we explore the best heavy music - rock, metal, punk and all its sub-genres - to come out of Perth and the rest of Australia. By James Versluis Dustin Tebbutt walks us through his beautiful new EP, Chasing Gold Featuring a charming cover of Innerbloom with Lisa Mitchell and a stripped-back take on his Flight Facilities collaboration, Tebbutt's latest EP is a winner. Watch an enchanting cover of Odesza's Say My Name by Robbie Miller Watch: Owen Rabbit - Denny's Dive into Owen Rabbit's young life in Perth with the clip for Denny's. By Liam Apter Introducing BREIZERS, who are flourishing off their latest single, Nice Casino Their next gig, at Sydney's Lord Gladstone on September 28th, is a must-see at this point. Premiere: VOIID - Lexapro Check out the catchy new single and video from Meanjin/Brisbane alt-rockers before it drops everywhere tomorrow By Will Backler Premiere: Check out Almond Soy's new video for Avenue ahead of this Friday's launch party The Perth indie-rockers are throwing a big old soiree at Jack Rabbit Slim's.	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0098.json.gz/line68
__label__wiki	0.926659	0.926659	URECAT -> Home Cette page en français URECAT - UFO Related Entities Catalog URECAT is a formal catalog of UFO related entities sightings reports with the goal of providing quality information for accurate studies of the topic. Additional information, corrections and reviews are welcome at patrick.gross@inbox.com, please state if you wish to be credited for your contribution or not. The main page of the URECAT catalog is here. MARCH 18, 1978, ETC., SUMMERVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, USA, BILL HERRMANN: Brief summary of the event and follow-up: William Herrmann, aka "Bill Hermann" or "Herman" or "Hermann", was a diesel mechanic, born-again Christian, church custodian, living in a mobile home in North Charleston, South Carolina, USA, who claimed contact with aliens. Tough at the time he reached some fame in the Press, magazines, and even Japanese TV, and managed to get the attention of ufologist because of his claims, he was soon forgotten, like many so-called "contactees". In 1977, aged 26, he claimed, he saw a "glowing disc" on several occasions, and once managed to capture it on 9 photographs. He claimed he wasn't alarmed, first thinking it was some sort of military aircraft flying out of nearby Charleston Air Force Base. He explained to a newspaper later: "I'd never been interested in science fiction. I thought that was all hogwash. Garbage. But I've had two contact experiences and 15 sightings of UFOs, and I've also investigated 40 sightings statewide." The first encounter wasn't remembered until months after it happened, March 18, 1978, he says. At about 9:25 p.m., he had gone out of his home to a field to get a better look at a UFO in a marshy area, flying low over his home. He watched it through binoculars, and walked toward it for a closer look. The next thing he remembered was finding himself in a "strange area" with the UFO whirring away above him, in Summerville, 15 or 20 miles (depending on the versions) away from his home. One report says he found himself standing in a plowed field about midnight, surrounded by a light glow, and ran hysterically toward a distant road where he could see cars. There he was picked up by a policeman who phoned his family. Another report says he was terrified, flagged down a car and found that he was in a wooded clearing near Bacons Bridge Road near Summerville, several hours later than he thought it should be. Later, he "recalled" - under hypnosis - what happened during the several hours he could not account for: he watched the UFO from some railroad tracks, when it suddenly zoomed toward him, and projected a blinding beam of aquamarine light at him. The UFO "dropped, and I was scared." "A green light came up around me. I was disoriented. At my feet there was an orange circle of light..." "I tried to run, but my legs wouldn't move, I was like I was paralyzed. I couldn't yell. I thought Oh God, I'm going to die." Later, he says he was "on this low examination table only 2 feet above the floor" inside the UFO, with three strange-looking being watched him, using a "blinking X-ray-like device." They told him there are three races of intelligent beings from space that visit Earth and conduct experiments and observe life here. He said he distinctly remembered the craft was a molded metal, two-decked contraption about 70 feet in diameter and 25 feet high. The occupants were about 4 1/2 feet tall, with marshmallow-colored skin, hairless, and without eye pupils. "Their skin was the color of a marshmallow. Their eyes were long and dark with a brown iris. Their heads looked like overgrown human fetuses with no ears or hair" he told later. They spoke English with no accent and told him not to be afraid, but he was. The UFO crew callously referred to him as a "subject" and said that he, along with certain other earthlings, had been chosen for their experiments. They anticipated his questions, and they spoke without moving their lips. He claimed he had no memory of this "UFO abduction" for a year, but on April 21, 1979, a mysterious metal bar shaped like an ingot and bearing the letters "MAN" and some mysterious symbols, suddenly "materialized" in "a globe of blue-green light" in his bedroom. One source said after the first close encounter he suffered insomnia and general nervousness and unrest, and was submitted to hypnosis under the guidance of James A. Harder of APRO some days later. In this version, we learn that one of the three beings spoke to him while his mouth did not appear to move, that he was given a brief tour of the spacecraft and then lost consciousness. He had learned that the beings were from Zeta Reticuli and had been observing Earth for half a century, being concerned about humanity's tendencies toward war and warning that our violent natures would destroy human civilization. In the weeks following the hypnosis session, Herrmann claimed other UFO sightings, and told he had a compulsion to write, from right to left, pages of a script in an unknown language, channeling messages from the people who had abducted him. Herrmann said he had just finished writing about three pages of such messages, on April 21, 1979, when he felt his home shake, saw his lights flicker and go out and saw "a globe of blue-green light" begin to grow on his desk. "I was so frightened I couldn't look at it. When the glow subsided I saw the bar lying on the edge of the desk. I thought it would be hot but it felt cold." Herrmann claimed a second encounter on May 16, 1979, after that bar "appeared" in his home. He voluntarily climbed aboard the UFO after feeling an urge to go to a spot where the UFO met him, he said. "It was a 3 1/2 hour trip down to Florida and back. We flew above an orange grove and over the (Kennedy) space center. I remember looking down through some kind of monitor at the face of people looking up at us." The aliens told him they were from Zeta Reticuli, "a solar system 32 light years from here," Herrmann said. "They said I'll see them again, but I haven't. Not that I am looking from them. December 1982 was my last sighting. But I won't be afraid next time." Omni magazine had a sample of the bar scraped from the bar and analyzed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; which found the bar was made of ordinary elements, a cast alloy of lead and 6 percent antimony, approximating the composition of lead pipes or grid from an auto battery. Herrmann said the aliens told him the bar is of a substance worthless to humans but of great value to the extraterrestrials. A major player in the case was retired Air Force Colonel Wendelle C. Stevens of Tucson, then investigator for Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO). Stevens, like he often did even with "contactees" who were proven liars, supported Herrmann's story entirely. He said he spent 11 days investigating Herrmann's first encounter story and that it really happened because he had "a lot of data to support it." Stevens said he collected testimonies from "a number" of Charleston-area residents who told they saw a similar UFO, including sightings on the same night as Herrmann reported his encounters. He also said Herrmann's color photos, which include a shot of a purpoted UFO trailing an Air Force jet near Charleston Air Force Base, are genuine. He apparently sent Herrmann's UFO photos to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena for enhancement and computer evaluation, but I found no report of the findings. It seems Stevens also had APRO test the metal bar, though I did not find what was concluded. But Stevens said the markings on the bar, molded in the metal, included a map of the star group Reticulum, from which Herrmann says the aliens told him they came. Stevens argued that as the star group is visible only from the Southern Hemisphere, and the star map puts the star in a configuration never seen from Earth, Herrmann could not have made it up: "Only one star chart shows such a projection, and the chart is in Hungary and printed in Hungarian. Most people have never heard of the chart, and there is no way Herrmann could have ever seen it. The chart is only known to highly advanced astronomers." He explained that the bar is "a form of recognition, given only to a few Earth people, for having overcome the trauma and maintaining communication" with aliens. Herrmann similarly claimed he was told by aliens on his second encounter with them that the bar "was a gift for me signifying they were thankful for and appreciative of the way I handled the situation" after the first abduction. Stevens also investigated Herrmann's automatic writings, and said an IBM design engineer examined some of the script and told it could represent a formula for "accelerating matter to a dematerialized state." It was reported that he underwent "psychological stress evaluation, polygraph tests" that convinced "investigators" that he believes he was actually aboard a UFO, but the tests, "however, are incapable of determining whether the encounter actually took place." Apparently the test was given by one Charles R. McQuiston of West Palm Beach after Herrmann reported his first encounter of the aliens. McQuiston said his test measured stress in speech patterns which would detect attempts at deception in a manner similar to that of a polygraph, and he told: "I don't remember any fraud" and" I didn't find anything wrong with his story at all. That's what he believes, and that's as far as I can go." McQuiston said he had performed the same test on hundreds of purported UFO witnesses and contactees each year for magazines and ufologists, and that about one-half of the purported UFO stories he tested came out classified "for no further consideration." A major film and record making firm headquartered in New York, Abcko Industries, put together plans for a film documentary on UFOs, and wanted to include Herrmann. Malcolm Clarke, film director, expressed his belief: the sheer numbers of persons with stories similar to Herrmann's which can't be disproven indicate "that some are telling the truth." "The point is there are a number of people like Herrmann", he argued. Abkco brought Herrmann to New York for "hypnosis tests". At the time, many believed hypnosis sessions was a valid manner to get "recovered memories" of forgotten events such as having been in an alien spacecraft. Dr. Bernard Stern, a New York physician and teacher of hypnosis therapy at Columbia University and UFO witness himself, questioned Herrmann under hypnosis and was also convinced Herrmann believes his own story to be real. Stern specified that it does not prove the reported events actually happened. Though "Herrmann is honest. He honestly believes he was in a UFO", Stern said questioning under hypnosis "doesn't prove anything. It doesn't mean the abduction is so" and Herrmann may have been able to "hypnotize himself" into believing his UFO encounters, fantasizing without knowing it. Stern added, "In all fairness to Herrmann, I didn't challenge him in great detail. I asked him to describe what he was seeing in the UFO and he gave a vague description." Stern also said Herrmann was the only "abductee" he has questioned under hypnosis. His story appeared in Omni Magazine in November 1978. Then a Japanese film crew visited him, to film a documentary film including his claimed experience. In 1981, Stevens self-published a book about Herrmann's stories, "UFO Contact from Reticulum: A Report of the Investigation". Herrmann said 5000 copies were sold. There were also vague claims that Herrmann was the victim of "insidious attacks" by "a mysterious group of government operatives whose purpose appears to be to frustrate both himself and the team of UFO researchers who were investigating Herrmann's multi-year contact case." Apparently, from a visit by ufologist Thomas Olsen, grew a story that it was not really Thomas Olsen who came but someone posing as him, as Olsen denied having been at the meeting. Though the alleged impostor was not described as a "man in black", it later appeared as one of the so-called "Men in Black" case. It seems that on November 10, 1981, Herrmann was fired from his position of children's church teacher, because they believed he was involved in satanic things when he spoke about UFOs on TV. Four days later, he allegedly received by "telepathic transmission" from his alien friends a sketch if a "power unit which contained a pair of eyes". The same day, apparently, he wrote an essay titled "Inevitable Destruction" in which he warned that the entire Earth would soon be engulfed in an "eternal firestorm" because of "geopolitical events." After his last UFO sighting in 1982, Herrmann was occasionally interviewed in local newspapers. He told "I've gone through all kinds of medical batteries, and I don't have any radiation or side effects. And no implants [...]" He told that his life had changed, regretted the "harassment" he was subjected to, insisted that he had not looked for any publicity. Like many cases that first appeared as classic "CE3" to ufologist but then developed in repetitive encounters with "messages" from benevolent aliens, the Herrmann case was soon forgotten as one more contactee tall-tale. It was however still mentioned in several catalogues od close encounters of the third kind with no word of caution or doubt. The latest echo I could trace was a remark on the "Above Top Secret" ufology forum, in which an anonymous participant gave news of Bill Herrmann: "Bill now denies everything and chalks his whole experience up to demonic possession or something ever since he became a fundamentalist evangelical." "He's also traded in the Reticulan ships for Star Trek ships and become some sort of uber-Trekkie". Basic information table: URECAT-001217 March 18, 1978, etc. Earliest report of event: January 31, 1979? Delay of report: Witness reported via: Local Press? First alleged record by: Local newspaper. First certain record by: First alleged record type: First certain record type: This file created on: This file last updated on: Country of event: State/Department: Type of location: Outside near home, marshy area, field, in saucer. Lighting conditions: UFO observed: UFO arrival observed: UFO departure observed: UFO/Entity Relation: Witnesses numbers: Witnesses ages: Witnesses types: Not reported. Male, diesel mechanic, religious. Photograph(s): Yes, UFOs only. Witnesses drawing: Witnesses-approved drawing: Number of entities: Type of entities: Entities height: 1.40 meters Entities outfit type: One piece tight fitting, high boots. Entities outfit color: Entities skin color: Marshmallow-colored, pale. Entities body: Not reported. Entities head: Like overgrown human fetuses with no ears or hair. Entities eyes: Long, dark, brown iris, no pupil. Entities mouth: Entities nose: Entities feet: Entities arms: Entities fingers: Entities fingers number: Entities hair: Entities voice: None reported, or English with no accent, telepathy. Entities actions: Contact, abduction, telepathic messages of warning about Earth disaster, gift, automatic writing, MIB.... Entities/witness interactions: Repeated contacts, is abducted, give messages, gift, abduct witness, invite him on board, tour in saucer... Witness(es) reactions: Observed, went, went on board saucer voluntarily, sees UFOs repeatedly, takes pictures, goes into saucer. Witness(es) feelings: Frightened, not frightened. Witness(es) interpretation: Aliens from Zeta Reticuli. Explanation category: "Contactee"-type tall tale. Explanation certainty: High. Narratives: [Ref. cn1:] "CHARLESTON NEWS AND COURIER" NEWSPAPER: Charleston Resident Claims They've Paid Him A Visit By EDWARD C. FENNELL "Their skin was the color of a marshmallow. Their eyes were long and dark with a brown iris. Their heads looked like overgrown human fetuses with no ears or hair. I heard a voice telling me to have no fear." The narrative is by William Herrmann, a North Charleston resident who maintains he has twice been taken aboard a craft from another world. True or not, Herrmann's tale is believed by some UFO investigators to be among the most documentable of all UFO abduction cases, and his story is attracting national attention. Herrmann, a 27-year-old auto mechanic, is the subject of writeups in November's Omni magazine and in at least one current publication devoted to the study of UFOs. A Japanese film crew visited Herrmann recently to film a documentary film to include Herrmann and a book about his experiences is being planned. Since reporting being abducted by a UFO near his mobile home off Dorchester Road March 18, 1978, Herrmann has undergone psychological stress evaluation, polygraph tests and interrogation under hypnosis. Investigators say the tests convinced them Herrmann believes he was actually aboard a UFO. The tests, however, are incapable of determining whether the encounter actually took place. Herrmann's story is certainly one of the most bizarre in the history of reports on UFOs. Herrmann says his first meeting with aliens took place after he had seen a glowing disc on several occasions and photographed the disc on another occasion. Herrmann says he suddenly found himself in a Summerville field after spotting the UFO near his home. His memory of the abduction remained blank for a year, he says, and then on April 21 of this year a mysterious-looking metal bar, shaped like an ingot and bearing the letters "M A N" and some mysterious symbols, suddenly materialized in "a globe of blue-green light" in his bedroom. On a second trip aboard the alien's craft May 16, Herrmann says the bar was sent as a gift. Omni magazine had a sample scraped from the bar and analyzed. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology analysis found the bar to be made of ordinary elements - a cast alloy of lead and 6 percent antimony -approximating the composition of lead pipes or grid from an auto battery. Herrmann maintains the aliens told him the bar is of a substance worthless to humans but of great value to the extraterrestrials. Charles R. McQuiston of West Palm Beach remembers giving Herrmann a psychological stress evaluation test after he reported his first meeting with aliens. The test measures stress in speech patterns which would detect attempts at deception in a manner similar to that of a polygraph, McQuiston says. "I don't remember any fraud" on Herrmann's part, McQuiston says of the test. "I didn't find anything wrong with his story at all. That's what he believes, and that's as far as I can go." McQuiston says he performs PSE tests on hundreds of purported UFO sightees and contactees each year for magazines and UFO investigators. His machinery prints out a chart of changing speech patterns. A deliberate lie will result in "automatic nervous responses" which will affect elements of speech that can be detected by instruments, McQuiston says. McQuiston says about one-half of the purported UFO stories he tests are classified "for no further consideration." A New York physician and teacher of hypnosis therapy at Columbia University, Dr. Bernard Stern, questioned Herrmann under hypnosis and is also convinced Herrmann believes the meetings with aliens to be real, But Stern, who says he and his wife saw a whirling disc above the road of Florida several years ago, is not sure Herrmann's reported events actually happened. Stern says he "regressed" Herrmann's mind to the time of the reported abduction. "Herrmann is honest. He honestly believes he was in a UFO." But Stern says questioning under hypnosis "doesn't prove anything. It doesn't mean the abduction is so." Stern says he thinks Herrmann may be able to "hypnotize himself" into believing his reported UFO encounters. "He is fantasizing but doesn't know it." But Stern adds, "In all fairness to Herrmann, I didn't challenge him in great detail. I asked him to describe what he was seeing in the UFO and he gave a vague description." Stern also says Herrmann is the only reported UFO abductee he has questioned under hypnosis. Stern's lack of faith in Herrmann's story, however, is not shared by Abcko Industries, a major film and record making firm headquartered in New York. Abkco is putting together plans for a film documentary on UFOs, and wants to include Herrmann. Malcolm Clarke, who will direct the film, says the sheer numbers of persons with stories similar to Herrmann's which can't be disproven indicate "that some are telling the truth." It was Abkco that brought Herrmann to New York for the hypnosis tests, Clarke says. "Scientifically speaking, his story seems to stand up. His experience seems to be interesting and unusual." Clarke says Abkco is putting together a film on UFO experiences "on a global scale. The point is there are a number of people like Herrmann." Also standing behind Herrmann is retired Air Force Col. Wendelle C. Stevens of Tucson, now an investigator for Aerial Phenomena Research Organization. Stevens says he spent 11 days here investigating Herrmann's first encounter story, which he labels "a classic" It really happened. "I have a lot of data to support it." Stevens says he has testimony from a number of Charleston-area residents who have reportedly seen a UFO similar to the one Herrmann claims to have boarded, including sightings on the same night as Herrmann reported his encounters. APRO has conducted tests on the metal bar Herrmann says materialized in his home and has sent Herrmann's UFO photos to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena for enhancement and computer evaluation. Stevens believes the color photos, which include a shot of a UFO trailing an Air Force jet near Charleston Air Force Base, are genuine. Stevens says studies of the markings on the bar, which he says appear to be molded in the metal, have determined some of the symbols to be a map of the star group Reticulum, from which Herrmann says the aliens told him they came. The star group is visible only from the Southern Hemisphere, and the star map puts the star in a configuration never seen from Earth, Stevens says. "Only one star chart shows such a projection, and the chart is in Hungary and printed in Hungarian. Most people have never heard of the chart, and there is no way Herrmann could have ever seen it. The chart is only known to highly advanced astronomers." An astronomy book identifies Reticulum as a faint constellation in the Southern Hemisphere. Herrmann says the aliens are from a world with twin suns. The Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Space identifies Zeta Reticuli (in Reticulum) "as a widely separated pair of stars similar to the sun, about 30 light years from Earth." Stevens says he knows other cases where UFO occupants have given Earth residents objects similar to Herrmann's bar. "It's a form of recognition, given only to a few Earth people, for having overcome the trauma and maintaining communication." Another mystery associated with the Herrmann case is also under investigation by Stevens. Since he allegedly encountered the UFO occupants, Herrmann says he has felt a compulsion to write, from right to left, pages of a script of a language unknown to Herrmann or Stevens. Stevens says an International Business Machines Corp. design engineer examined some of the script and says it may represent a formula for "accelerating matter to a dematerialized state." Herrmann says he has just finished writing about three pages of the script when he felt his home shake, saw his lights flicker and go out and saw "a globe of blue-green light" begin to grow on his desk. "I was so frightened I couldn't look at it. When the glow subsided I saw the bar lying on the edge of the desk. I thought it would be hot but it felt cold. He called Stevens right away. Stevens remembers Herrmann "was genuinely frightened. His teeth were chattering." Herrmann says he was told by aliens on his second encounter with them that the bar "was a gift for me signifying they were thankful for and appreciative of the way I handled the situation" after the earlier abduction. The second encounter was a voluntary one, he says, which came the months after the bar appeared in his home. He climbed aboard the UFO after feeling an urge to go to a spot where the UFO met him, he says. The first encounter wasn't remembered until months after it happened, he says. He had gone out to a field to get a better look at a UFO after spotting it from his home and the next thing he remembers was finding himself in a strange area with a UFO whirring away above him. Terrified, he flagged down an auto and found that he was in a wooded clearing near Bacons Bridge Road near Summerville. It was several hours later than he thought it should be. Later, Herrmann says, he recalled what happened during the several hours he could not account for. While watching the UFO from some railroad tracks, the UFO suddenly zoomed toward him, and projected a blinding beam of aquamarine light at him. "I tried to run, but my legs wouldn't move, I was like I was paralyzed. I couldn't yell. I thought Oh God, I'm going to die." Later, he says he was "on this low examination table only 2 feet above the floor." Three strange-looking being watched him. The aliens told him there are three races of intelligent beings from space that visit Earth and conduct experiments and observe life here. Herrmann says his life has changed greatly since he spoke about his UFO encounters, although he denies he is seeking personal publicity. Life will probably never be the same for him again. He says he was told on his second meeting with the aliens that they would return for him again. [Ref. lf1:] LUCIUS FARISH: UFO investigator Wendelle C. Stevens has received a lot of flak (totally undeserved, in my opinion) from many individuals and groups regarding his involvement in the Eduard Meier contact case in Switzerland. Now, he has published a book on yet another controversial case, that of William J. Herrmann of Charleston, South Carolina. Herrmann, a non-believer in UFOs, was forced to re-evaluate his views and concepts when he began seeing UFOs in 1977. He managed to take several photos of the objects and then claimed to have been abducted by UFO occupants. Stevens entered the picture early in 1978, upon reading of Herrmann's initial sightings and photographs. Since that time, he has kept in constant touch with the witness, following the events as they progressed. When the book went to press, Herrmann claimed to have been on board a UFO on two different occasions, although his conscious memory of the events was temporarily blocked. He has now achieved full (?) recall of those experiences. The aliens claim to be from Zeta 1 and Zeta 2 Reticuli, the stars which figured so prominently (and now, controversially) in the "starmap" research of Marjorie Fish. Their conversations with Herrmann make for very interesting reading, and there is much other material of considerable interest in the book. The volume is not designed as a literary work, but as an investigative report. It has an unfortunate number of typographical and printing errors, but is attractively produced, with color and black-and-white photos of the "Reticulan" craft, as well as numerous illustrations. I consider it an important work and one which is well worth reading. Copies are available at $16.95 each from Reticulum, Box 17206, Tucson, AZ 85710. [Ref. tn1:] "TUSCALOOSA NEWS" NEWSPAPER: Former UFO 'subject' recalls experiences By Jim DUMBELL CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- For the past five years, life has been one frustration after another for Bill Hermann. He feels the fear and terror that swept over him when he rode in a flying saucer and spoke to the saucer drivers should have been enough. He doesn't need the pervasive disbelief that surrounds him now. Hermann, 30, a diesel mechanic by trade and church custodian of necessity, recently ruminated over what has happened since March 1978, when he rode his first UFO. "I'd never been interested in science fiction. I thought that was all hogwash. Garbage. But I've had two contact experiences and 15 sightings of UFOs, and I've also investigated 40 sightings statewide." Herman first saw the saucer hanging around his neighborhood in late 1977 and early '78, and he wasn't alarmed. At first, he thought it was some sort of military aircraft flying out of nearby Charleston Air Force Base. When it flew low over his home in North Charleston one March evening, he went outside and walked toward it for a closer look. "It dropped, and I was scared," he said in a hushed tone. "A green light came up around me. I was disoriented. At my feet there was an orange circle of light..." When he became reoriented, he was on an examining table inside the UFO. He distinctly remembers the craft was a molded metal, two-decked contraption about 70 feet in diameter and 25 feet high. The inhabitants were about 4 1/2 feet tall, Hermann remembers, "and looked like human fetuses." They spoke English with no accent and told him not to be afraid, but that didn't help much. "I had this horrible fear." The UFO crew callously referred to him as a "subject" and said that he, along with certain other earthlings, had been chosen for their experiments. They anticipated his questions, and they spoke without moving their lips. Hermann came to later that night in Summerville, nearly 20 miles away. The second ride was something similar but much less scary. "It was a 3 1/2 hour trip down to Florida and back. We flew above an orange grove and over the (Kennedy) space center. I remember looking down through some kind of monitor at the face of people looking up at us." His visitors told him they were from Zeta Reticuli. ("There is such a star." says Lee Shapiro, director of the University of North Carolina's Morehead Planetarium.) "That's a solar system 32 light years from here," Hermann said. "They said I'll see them again, but I haven't. Not that I am looking from them. December 1982 was my last sighting. But I won't be afraid next time." Word of Hermann's visitors got around, as word of such things will, and in no time he'd made television and newspapers. That's when the real trouble started. He began getting harassing letters and phone calls. Then threatening calls. "Some people fear the unknown. They think you're some kind of threat." People began to follow him, he said, and the most threatening thing was when two men tried to run him off the road. He still doesn't know why. The fact that he lost his job as a diesel mechanic was unrelated, he emphasized. "My company had to cut back because of the economy, and I was one of the several that got laid off." One the positive side, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Wendelle Stevens of Tucson did report Hermann's encounters with the extraterrestrials in exhaustive details in a hardback book. Hermann says 5,000 copies of the $17 book have been sold. So, Hermann counts his blessings. He has a job. The publicity has pretty much died down. Most people accept him. "I've gone through all kinds of medical batteries, and I don't have any radiation or side effects. And no implants, like one woman got." He thinks his visitors are peaceful. Still, he would not advice anyone encountering extraterrestrials to run and tell the media about it. "This has changed my life," Hermann said. "Nobody's said I'm a nut, but they look at me like I'm out in left field. Nobody calls me a liar, particularly after all those experts said I believe what happened to me. But nobody says that what happened actually happened, just that I believe it did. "That's the sad drawback." [Ref. rh1:] RICHARD HALL: The ufologist says that on March 18, 1978, in Charleston, South Carolina, there was a case with a light beam, memory loss, an abduction, physical examination on a table, messages, translocation, and an artifact. He says that about 9:25 p.m. while observing a UFO through binocular in a marshy area, Bill Herrmann, 26, an auto mechanic, was rendered unconscious by an aquamarine light beam from the object. His next conscious memory was of standing in a plowed field at a different location about midnight, surrounded by a light glow. He ran hysterically toward a distant road where he could see cars and was picked up by a policeman who phoned his family. Later, under hypnosis, he described being examined on a low table by three small humanoid beings who employed a blinking X-ray-like device. The beings were about 4.5 feet tall, with marshmallow-colored skin, foetus-like faces, hairless, and without eye pupils. They told Herrmann there are three races of beings from space visiting the earth to observe and conduct experiments. On April 21, 1979, a mysterious metal bar with symbols on it materialized in a globe of blue-green light in Herrmann's bedroom. On May 16 he felt an urge to return to the abduction site and voluntarily went on board a waiting craft, and he was told the metal bar was a token of appreciation, and that they would return for him again. Richard Hall notes that some details of these news stories, as is common, may be garbled, that the case has been investigated by others. He says the sources are The Journal, Summerville, S.C., Jan. 31, 1979; News & Courier, Charleston, S.C., Nov. 18, 1979; UFO Contact from Reticulum, by Wendelle C. Stevens with William Herrmann, privately published, 1981. [Ref. mk2:] MARTIN KOTTMEYER: 186. The abductee Bill Herrmann pens an essay titled "Inevitable Destruction" which warned that current Geopolitical Events were leading Humanity on a Collision with Thermonuclear Holocaust. A new videotape, UFO ... ABDUCTION, dealing with the William J. Herrmann case from South Carolina, is now available from Genesis HI Publishing - Box 25962 - Munds Park, AZ 86017. The price is $43.95 for the 100-minute tape which gives a detailed account of Herrmann's UFO experiences, as well as corroborating evidence from other witnesses. Herrmann's photos of UFOs are examined, as well as photos taken by others in the same area. You'll find much of interest in this examination of one of the earlier abduction cases. [Ref. ge1:] GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA: William J. Hermann, flying saucer contactee and channeler, emerged out of obscurity in 1978 after claiming to have had a series of sightings of a UFO over Charleston, South Carolina, beginning in November of 1977. On January 22, 1978, he was able to take nine photographs of the object. Two months later as he was out looking for more UFOs, the disc he had sighted earlier reappeared and came toward him. According to Hermann, it sent out a light beam that paralyzed him. He lost consciousness and awakened three hours later 15 miles away. He watched the UFO depart. He called the police, who took him home. Several days later, after suffering from insomnia and general nervousness and unrest, he submitted to hypnosis under the guidance of James A. Harder, a UFO researcher associated with the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization, one of the prominent UFO research groups of the time. Under the hypnosis, he talked of being aboard the UFO. He was on an examination table being looked at by three humanoid creatures. They had large hairless heads, oversized eyes, pale skin, and red clothing. One of the three spoke to him, but his mouth did not appear to move. He was given a brief tour of the spacecraft and then lost consciousness. He had learned that the beings were from Zeta Reticuli. They had been observing Earth for half a century. They were concerned about humanity's tendencies toward war and warned that our violent natures would destroy human civilization. In the weeks following the hypnosis session, Hermann had other sightings and began channeling messages from the people who had abducted him. He also produced a metal bar that he claimed came from the aliens. It proved to be made of lead and antimony, similar in content to the material in an automobile battery. In May of 1979 Hermann claimed to have had a final contact with the saucer beings, who took him for a ride. As his story was publicized, Hermann contacted Wendelle Stevens, a publisher of UFO contactee material, who coauthored a more complete account of his story, which was published in 1981. The volume circulated in the contactee subculture but was generally dismissed by ufologists as lacking any collaboration. Stevens, Wendelle C., and William James Hermann. UFO…Contact from Reticulum: A Report of the Investigation. Tucson, Ariz.: Wendelle Stevens, 1981. [Ref. bh1:] ROBERT E. BARTHOLOMEW AND GEORGE S. HOWARD: The authors indicate that on March 18, 1978, in North Charleston, South Carolina, at night, investigating a UFO in a field, auto mechanic William Herrmann left his mobile home and next recalls being in a strange area with an object whirring overhead. After flagging a car, he found it was several hours later than he thought. Herrmann didn't recall the abduction until nearly a year later, when he says a UFO raced toward him, projecting a blinding aquamarine light. "I tried to run, but my legs wouldn't move... I was paralyzed. I couldn't yell. I thought, oh God, I'm going to die." Later, he was "on this low examination table only two feet above the floor", three strange-looking beings watched him. "Their skin was the color of a marshmallow. Their eyes were long and dark with a brown iris. Their heads looked like overgrown human fetuses with no ears or hair. I heard a voice telling me to have no fear." The aliens said there are three races of intelligent space beings that visit Earth, conduct experiments, and observe life. On April 21, 1979, he says a metal bar bearing the letters "MAN" and mysterious symbols suddenly materialized in "a globe of blue-green light" in his bedroom. On a second trip aboard the UFO (May 16, 1979), he was told the bar "was a gift... signifying they were thankful for and appreciative of the way I handled the situation" after the earlier abduction. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology analysis of the bar revealed ordinary elements (a cast alloy of lead and 6 percent antimony). The authors say the source is the News and Courier, Charleston, South Carolina, for November 18, 1979. The author says that during an encounter in May 1979, William Herrmann, aboard a saucer, witnessed a rendez-vous with an "observance vehicle". The source is indicated as "Stevens, 1989". He indicates that on November 10, 1981, Herrmann was fired from his position of children's church teacher because the church believed he was involved in satanic things when he spoke about UFOs on TV. On November 14, he received by "telepathic transmission" from his alien friends a diagram of "the power unit which contained a pair of eyes". The same day, he wrote an essay titled "Inevitable Destruction" in which he warned that the entire Earth would soon be engulfed in an "eternal firestorm" because of geopolitical events. Korrmeyer points out that such paranoid ideas are logical as he had just been humiliated by his church. [Ref. js1:] JOHN SCHUESSLER: John Schuessler indicates that on 1978/03/18 in South Carolina, in Summerville, Bill Herrmann was abducted from his backyard and deposited back on the ground some 15 miles from his home. He was first struck by a blue beam and was paralyzed. He lost nearly 3 hours time during the event, during which time he was given a medical exam. After the event he had migraine headaches and sleeplessness. John Schuessler lists as effects: Abduction; Blue beam; Medical examination; Time loss; Headaches; Sleeplessness. John Schuessler indicates that the sources are a "Personal communication with Len Stringfield, June 7, 1979" and the National Enquirer, May 8, 1979; the Journal, Summerville, SC, Jan. 31, 1979; The State, Columbia, SC, June 28, 1981. [Ref. gd1:] GEOFF DITTMANN: Witness: Bill Herrmann Location: Summerville, South Carolina, USA The witness began suffering from migraines and insomnia after an encounter. (Schuessler, UFO Related…) [Ref. jb1:] JEROME BEAU: 186. November 14, 1981. Abductee Bill Herrmann pens an essay entitled "Inevitable Destruction" warning that the geopolitical events directed humanity towards a thermonuclear holocaust (237). 237: Stevens, W. C.: UFO Contact from the Reticulum Update Stevens, 1989, pp. 70-1 [Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES: Albert Rosales indicates in his catalogue that in Summerville, South Carolina, on March 18, 1978, at 2115, previously William J Herman had seen strange objects over the area. On the above date he spotted a silvery disc shaped object, about 60 feet in diameter, performing triangular maneuvers overhead. He ran towards the object, cutting across marshy ground near a river. The object suddenly rushed towards him, he started to fall when a tubular beam of blue light enclosed him. The beam of light led to the craft, now hovering nearby. He became disoriented and numb, then lost consciousness. He woke up lying on a table in a hospital-like room that glowed with a red light. His shirt was open and a cold metallic box sat on his chest. Three beings were in the room and were looking at a row of flashing lights and a TV screen. One being spoke by using telepathy to the witness and led him through a curving hallway and a small airlock to a room filled with computers and other equipment, it was apparently the control room. The beings were humanoid, with large bulging and hairless heads, almost jawless, with small mouths, slit nostrils and no ears. The eyes were large and glowing and seldom blinked. The beings were 4 to 5-feet tall, seemingly frail with pale, soft skin. They wore red overalls. One of the beings appeared to be the leader and guide. The leader told the witness, among other things, that they were from Zeta Reticuli and that time was short for humanity. He was then led back to the initial room and made to lie down on the table again. He felt relaxed then passed out. Soon he found himself on the ground looking up as the object rose away from him. Albert Rosales indicates that the source is "Wendelle Stevens, Dr. James Harder." Albert Rosales indicates that in Summerville, South Carolina, on May 17, 1979, at 12:25 a.m., "William Herrmann saw a UFO at home and felt an urge to get in his car and go to a location. In a remote spot everything became silent and an object descended and pulled him inside by means of a beam of blue light. He lost consciousness then awoke on a table. He was medically examined by short light skinned beings, with large heads and large oval shaped eyes. They wore red tight fitting coveralls, and pullover boots, and their leader had an emblem like a winged serpent on his chest. They conversed extensively with the witness providing him different type of information. He was then taken on a ride and was allowed a view of a larger vessel in flight and of people on the surface looking up at the craft. He was eventually returned." Albert Rosales says the source is "Wendelle C Stevens". [Ref. ni1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE": March 18, 1978; Summerville, SC William J. Herrmann abduction case (section XIII). [Ref. tb1:] TONY BRUNT: We now know from the highly credible William Hermann contacts in Summerville, South Carolina, in 1978 and 1979 that it appears the greys had been taken unawares by the new ‘lock-on' radar in use in New Mexico in the late 1940s. Hermann's pivotal contact of 18 March, 1978, appears to be one of the few times that the greys have spoken with an abductee on the basis of equality and a friendly exchange of information. They told him that many years before they had lost some of their craft because of interference with on-board systems from radar emissions. They said that even though the technology was, by their standards, primitive it could still be disastrous if it locked on to their machines for more than 90 seconds. That was why they were flying the sharp triangular movements that Hermann had observed and photographed near Summerville. [Ref. rk1:] RICK KEEFE: An excellent introduction to the Bill Herrmann UFO contact case is "UFO Abduction: A True Story" which is a sobering, early Eighties classic UFO documentary, co-produced by Jun-Ichi Yaoi of Nippon Television in Japan and Wendelle Stevens that demonstrates the enormous evidence surrounding the contact case of William Herrmann, an inquisitive young man from South Carolina who finds himself caught between contact with extra-terrestrials from Reticulum and the opposing forces from his fundamentalist church. Herrmann also suffered insidious attacks by a mysterious group of government operatives whose purpose appears to be to frustrate both himself and the team of UFO researchers who were investigating Herrmann's multi-year contact case. [Ref. at1:] "ABOVE TOP SECRET" WEB FORUM: reply posted on 21-3-2008 @ 06:31 PM by an onymous Bill now denies everything and chalks his whole experience up to demonic possession or something ever since he became a fundamentalist evangelical. He's also traded in the Reticulan ships for Star Trek ships and become some sort of uber-Trekkie: http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread314043/pg1 [Ref. se1:] "SERPO.ORG" WEBSITE: (Note: "Serpo" is about a hoax about aliens called "Ebens", see here.) 12) What the Ebens may look like, taken from Wendelle Stevens' book UFO Contact from Reticulum. These images below are NOT photographs of an Eben, but are taken from a lifelike sculpture of a "Reticulan" created by the artist Alan Levigne, who did work for many of the major movie studios in California. Levigne created the sculpted head in close consultation with Bill Herrmann, an contactee and abductee whose graphic and detailed experience is the subject of Lt Col Wendelle Stevens' excellent book UFO Contact from Reticulum. Readers are left to judge for themselves whether the Reticulans and the Ebens (both from Zeta Reticuli, and apparently not the Grays) are one and the same. [Ref. wh1:] "THE WHY FILE" WEBSITE: Some significant incidents involving MIB's: MIB's IN 1909?...By Nigel Wright [... other cases ...] In another instance, a young motor mechanic called Bill Herrmann witnessed and photographed UFOs on several occasions. On March 17th, 1978, Bill Herrmann left his house at around 9-30p.m. in order to get a better view of a bright light which was hovering over electricity pylons near a local air force base. Bill was shocked to find himself in a field to the south of Charleston (approximately 15 miles from his home) some 3 hours later. Deputy Sheriff Pike Limehouse was called to the scene and found Herrmann in a very excited and distressed state; Herrmann suspected that he had been abducted. He certainly could not account for the "missing time" or explain his being 15 miles from home. (left) Bill Herrmann - his UFO experiences were of great interest to "MIBs". On another occasion Herrmann was driving to church one Sunday morning when a UFO shot across the road and then continued to follow a peculiar "triangular" flight pattern. Herrmann had succeeded in obtaining a number of good quality photographs of the objects he had sighted and the following day at 3-30 p.m. he received a call from the local air force base asking him to let the information officer have the photos. Herrmann drove to the base at about 5-30 p.m. but was told that the information officer was not on duty. However after twenty minutes or so a Captain King arrived on the scene and demanded, via the guard, that he hand over the UFO photographs. Herrmann refused but did give then one photo and received a receipt. Herrmann did receive further "menacing" messages from the base telling him he had, in fact, photographed a "Phantom" aircraft. (left) One of many UFO photos taken by Bill Herrmann. One of the photographs (right) taken by Bill Herrmann that was of such great interest to the strange visitors. A short time later Herrmann received a telephone call from a certain "Tom Olsen" who claimed to be a UFO investigator from Maryland. He asked to meet Herrmann and when he arrived he produced identification from "The UFO Information Retrieval Centre". Herrmann then went with "Olsen" to the locations where the UFO photos had been taken. At this stage Olsen asked Herrmann if he would agree to take a polygraph test. Herrmann did consent to the test but was surprised to find that it was to take place immediately – in a secluded room at a local luxury hotel (Room 520 at the Mills Hyatt House Hotel). Room 520 of the Mills Hyatt House Hotel - Herrmann was subjected to a polygraph test in this secluded hotel room. When they entered the hotel room there were two other men present, one of whom claimed to be a member of a "polygraph association". The other said he was a doctor and proceeded to inject Herrmann with a relaxant. Herrmann became very relaxed and the doctor then asked him a number of questions regarding his UFO sightings for approximately sixty to ninety minutes. When the polygraph test was concluded the three men held a mumbled conversation and then offered to take Herrmann anywhere – for a meal etc... Herrmann, however, felt exhausted and insisted that they take him home. The men told Herrmann that he would hear from them within a few days and when he asked if the objects were military, he received the reply: "I wouldn't bet on it". A week after these events Herrmann received a message from Thomas M. Olsen of Maryland asking for copies of his photos and including a questionnaire. At this stage it became evident that the man who had previously called himself Olsen was, in fact, an impostor. The real Olsen sent a mailgram to Herrmann categorically denying that he had ever visited him. One night at about 9-30 p.m., whilst at work, Herrmann was dumping trash outside of the rear door of the premises when a car swung round. In the car was the fake Olsen and Herrmann demanded that he properly identified himself. The response was: "It's for your own protection, be careful what you say for your own good" Strangely, a UFO investigative team, who later spent several hours interviewing Bill Herrmann, received a series of inexplicable telephone calls at the hotel they were staying in and a friend of Herrmann, who substantiated his claims, also received intimidating telephone calls both at home and at work (via his boss). Tony Martin - a friend of Bill Herrmann's - he received several threatening telephone calls [Ref. ns1:] "THE NIGHT SKY" WEBSITE: The Bill Herrmann Abduction Date: March 17th, 1978 Location: Charleston, South Carolina In another instance, a young motor mechanic called Bill Herrmann witnessed & photographed UFOs on several occasions. On March 17th, 1978, Bill Herrmann left his house at around 9:30 p.m. in order to get a better view of a bright light which was hovering over transmission towers near a local air force base. Bill was shocked to find himself in a field to the south of Charleston, approximately 15 miles from his home, some 3 hours later. Deputy Sheriff Pike Limehouse was called to the scene and found Herrmann in a very excited and distressed state, Herrmann suspected that he had been abducted. He certainly could not account for the missing time, or explain his being 15 miles from home. On a separate occasion Herrmann was driving to church one Sunday morning when a UFO shot across the road and then continued to follow a peculiar triangular flight pattern. Herrmann had succeeded in obtaining a number of good quality photographs of the objects he had sighted and the following day at 3:30 p.m. he received a call from the air base asking him to let the information officer have the photos. Herrmann drove to the base at about 5:30 p.m. but was told that the information officer was not on duty. However after 20 minutes or so a Captain King arrived, demanding, via the guard, that he hand over the UFO photographs. Herrmann refused but did give up one photo and received a receipt. Herrmann did receive further menacing messages from the base telling him he had, in fact, photographed a phantom aircraft. A short time later Herrmann received a telephone call from a Tom Olsen, who claimed to be a UFOlogist from Maryland, Olsen asked to meet Herrmann and when he arrived he produced identification from The UFO Information Retrieval Center. Herrmann then went with Olsen to the locations where the UFO photos had been taken. At this stage Olsen asked Herrmann if he would agree to take a polygraph test. Herrmann did consent to the test but was surprised to find that it was to take place immediately, in a secluded room at a local luxury hotel, Room 520 at the Mills Hyatt House Hotel. Upon entering the room there were two other men present, one of whom claimed to be a member of a polygraph association, the other said he was a doctor and proceeded to inject Herrmann with a relaxant. Herrmann became very relaxed and the doctor then asked him a number of questions regarding his UFO sightings for approximately 60 to 90 minutes. With the polygraph test was concluded, the men held a mumbled conversation and offered to take Herrmann anywhere, meal, drinks et cetera. Herrmann, however, felt exhausted and insisted that they take him home. They told Herrmann that he would hear from them within a few days and when he asked if the objects were military, he received the reply: I wouldn't bet on it. A week after these events, Herrmann received a message from Thomas M. Olsen of Maryland, asking for copies of his photos and included a questionnaire. At this stage it became evident that the man who had previously called himself Olsen was, in fact, an impostor. The real Olsen sent a mailgram to Herrmann categorically denying that he had ever visited him. One night at about 9:30 p.m., while at work, Herrmann was dumping trash outside of the rear door of the premises when a car swung round. In the car was the fake Olsen, Herrmann demanded that he properly identified himself. The response was: It's for your own protection, be careful what you say for your own good Strangely, a UFO investigative team, who later spent several hours interviewing Bill Herrmann, received a series of inexplicable telephone calls at the hotel they were staying in and a friend of Herrmann, who substantiated his claims, also received intimidating telephone calls both at home and at work, via his boss. Last Updated: 12/27/2011 03:11:01 William J. Herrmann said that at 5:30 p.m. on April 4, 1980, he saw and photographed this silvery disc-shaped object flying erratic maneuvers near Charleston Air Force Base. For this fourth shot in his series of color pictures, Bill Herrmann said he was standing in a field holding his breath as the 40ft diameter object hovered, wobbling around its vertical axis. This one, he said, made a loud buzzing noise at another time. Points to consider: The case can count as one of those which would demonstrate the idea that "abductions" and "contactees" stories are not of an entirely different nature as certain ufologists think. It is said the "metal bar" had the word MAN on it, and about its composition we are told it has something to do with batteries; and of course, given his job, Herrmann would have easy access to vehicle batteries, and tools to work on it. Need I recall that MAN is a manufacturer of truck batterries? List of issues: Date noted: Raised by: Noted by: 1 Data Medium April 18, 2012 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross Stevens sources not available. Help needed. Opened. 2 Ufology Severe April 18, 2012 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross Single witness case. Help needed. Opened. 3 Ufology Severe April 18, 2012 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross Involvment of less than reliable investigator. Help needed. Opened. 4 Ufology Medium April 18, 2012 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross None of the alleged UFO photographs is available in a format allowing at least some evaluation. Help needed. Opened. 5 Medium Severe April 18, 2012 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross No picture of the alleged "metal bar" hard evidence available. Help needed. Opened. 6 Ufology Medium April 18, 2012 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross None of the "automatic writings" is available. Help needed. Opened. Sources references: * = Source I checked. ? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated. [---] ? Article in the newspaper The Journal, Summerville, South Carolina, USA, January 31, 1979. [---] ? Article in the tabloid newspaper National Enquirer, USA, May 8, 1979. [---] ? Personal communication from Leonard Stringfield to John Schuessler, June 7, 1979. [---] ? Article in Omni magazine, USA, November 1979. [cn1] ? Article in the newspaper Charleston News and Courier, Charleston, South Carolina, USA, November 17, 1979. [---] ? Article in the newspaper The State, Columbia, South Carolina, USA, June 28, 1981. [---] * "UFO Abduction: A True Story", video / DVD, co-produced by Jun-Ichi Yaoi of Nippon Television and Wendelle Stevens, Japan. [---] ? "UFO Contact from Reticulum: A Report of the Investigation", by Wendelle C. Stevens and William Herrmann, Wendelle Stevens publisher, Tucson, Arizona, USA, 1981. [---] ? "Missing Time: A Documented Study of UFO Abductions", book by Budd Hopkins, R. Marek publishers, USA, 1981. [lf1] ? "In Others' Words", column by Lucius Farish, in the ufology magazine MUFON UFO Journal, Mutual UFO Network, (MUFON), USA, #166, page 19, December 1981. [tn1] * Article in the newspaper Tuscaloosa News, Tsucaloosa, South Carolina, USA, March 6, 1983. [rh1] * "Uninvited Guests", book by Richard Hall, Aurora Press publishers, USA, page 294, 1988. [mk2] * "Still Waiting... Part 2: The List", list of alleged UFO predictions by Martin S. Kottmeyer, in the Fortean magazine The Anomalist, USA, 1988. [---] ? "Contact from Reticulum: An Update", by Wendelle C. Stevens and William Herrmann, UFOPA, USA, 1989. [---] ? Dr. James Harder. [---] ? "UFO... Abduction - A True Story, VHS tape, Genesis HI Publishing, Arizona, USA, 1991. [lf2] ? "In Others' Words", column by Lucius Farish, in the ufology magazine MUFON UFO Journal, Mutual UFO Network, (MUFON), USA, #278, page 16, June 1991. [---] ? "The Gods have landed: new religions from other worlds", edited by James R. Lewis, state University of New York Press publishers, USA, 1995. [---] ? "High strangeness: UFOs from 1960 through 1979", book by Jerome Clark, Omnigraphics publishers, USA, 1996. [---] ? "The Alien Files: The Secrets of Extraterrestrial Encounters and Abductions", book by Gregory Van Dyk, Element publishers, USa, 1997. [ge1] * "William J Hermann", in "Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology", Gale publishers, USA, 1997. [bh1] * "UFOs and Alien Contacts - Two Centuries of Mystery", book by Robert E. Bartholomew and George S. Howard, Prometheus Books publisher, New York, USA, pp 373-374, 1998. [mk1] * "Reconnaissance theory on UFOs", article by Martin S. Kottmeyer, in "The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrial Encounters", book edited by Ronald Story, Robinson publishers, U-K., pages 565, 573, 2002. [js1] * "UFO-Related Human Physiological Effects", article by John F. Schuessler, available at www.scientificexploration.org/jse/articles/ufo_reports/schuessler/15.html [gd1] * "The Summary of Cases Compiled by Geoff Dittman for the Injury/Healing Database", web page compiled by Geoff Dittman, USA, circa 2002, at www.oocities.org/area51/rampart/2653/injurywriteup.html. [jb1] * "On attend toujours : Une liste de prédictions de la 'culture ovni'", Martin S. Kottmeyer: The Anomalist, 1998 - translationon the RR0 website by Jérôme Beau, France, circa 2004, at rr0.org/data/1/9/9/8/StillWaitingAListOfPredictions/index_fr.html [---] ? "Haunted Harbor: Charleston's Maritime Ghosts And the Unexplained", book by Geordie Buxton and Ed Macy, The History Press publishers, USA, 2005. [ar1] * "1978 Humanoid Reports", compiled by Albert Rosales, circa 2007, at www.ufoinfo.com/humanoid/humanoid1978.shtml [ni1] * "The 1978 UFO Chronology", web page compiled by The NICAP Website, USA, September 15, 2007, updated September 16, 2011, at www.nicap.org/waves/1978fullrep.htm [ni1] * "The 1978 UFO Chronology", web page compiled by The NICAP Website, USA, September 15, 2007, updated September 16, 2011, at www.nicap.org/Chronology/78.htm [tb1] * "Secret History ", web page by Tony Brunt on the UFOCUS website, New Zealand, 2010, at www.ufocusnz.org.nz/content/Secret-History-Part-2/61.aspx [rk1] * Article on UFO HYPOTHESES - The official website of video journalist Rick Keefe of Tucson, Arizona, found 2011, at www.ufohypotheses.com/cont.htm#Herrmann [se1] * "Consistencies", web page on the Serpo.org website, USA, circa 2011, at www.serpo.org/consistencies.php [wh1] * Part of an illustrated web page, of The Why file website, U-K., www.thewhyfiles.net/mib.htm [ns1] * "The Bill Herrmann Abduction", web page, USA, December 27, 2011, at thenightsky.org/herrmann.html Patrick Gross Created/Changed By: Change Description: 0.1 Patrick Gross April 18, 2012 Creation, [cn1], [tn1], [rh1], [ge1], [bh1], [js1], [gd1], [ar1], [ar2], [ni1], [tb1], [rk1], [lf1], [lf2], [se1], [ns1], [mk1], [mk2], [wh1], [jb1]. 1.0 Patrick Gross April 18, 2012 First published. 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__label__cc	0.515639	0.484361	June readings Image: A Growing Culture Must-reads this June include GRAIN’s investigation into the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and their outsized influence over global agriculture, Kai Heron on why ‘socialism or extinction’ isn’t quite accurate, a story on the Landless Workers’ Movement and the LGBTQIA+ community in Brazil, and a critique of the EU’s Green Deal. We also read a lot of articles about wildlife and species justice. Browse the list for more! Why the National Páramo Day in Ecuador matters \| The páramo is a wetland ecosystem found only in the Andes, but its future well-being has global implications Discounting \| Descriptive discount rates both reflect and sustain a highly unequal and myopic world Extinction isn’t the worst that can happen. It’s much more likely that climate chaos will intensify existing processes than bring about the end times. Pacific plunder: this is who profits from the mass extraction of the region’s natural resources, part of The Pacific project series Climate colonialism and the EU’s Green Deal How the Gates Foundation is driving the food system, in the wrong direction Agrarian reform and queer rights go hand in hand. The Landless Workers’ Movement in Brazil fights for LGBTQIA+ people who are being murdered at an alarming rate in a country besieged by racism, capitalist domination and exploitation. Reducing poverty can actually lower energy demand, finds research The push to make ‘ecocide’ an international crime takes a big step forward Revealed: ExxonMobil’s lobbying war on climate change legislation Big oil and gas kept a dirty secret for decades. Now they may pay the price Hotter than the human body can handle: Pakistan city broils in world’s highest temperatures ‘The next pandemic’: drought is a hidden global crisis, UN says Iceland tried a shortened workweek and it was an ‘overwhelming success’ America’s continued move toward socialism. Just half of younger Americans now hold a positive view of capitalism — and socialism’s appeal in the U.S. continues to grow, driven by Black Americans and women, according to a new Axios/Momentive poll. What exactly is the “system” that we are fighting? If we can vaccinate the world, we can beat the climate crisis Dust storms, green waves. A lattice of violent, global relations sustains China’s colonization of ‘Xinjiang’. The WWF’s poaching war is killing innocent people The connection between clearcut logging and Canada’s hottest day on record. With temperatures set to soar to 47 C in B.C., forests provide a cool, wet place for animals and people alike to seek shelter. The rush to ‘go electric’ comes with a hidden cost: destructive lithium mining Sixty years of climate change warnings: the signs that were missed (and ignored) We are on track for a planet-wide, climate-driven landscape makeover Food and water politics Imperial roots of the global food system Inside the struggle for water sovereignty in Brazil Oregon’s water crisis could have a quiet solution What a water shortage is doing to some of America’s best farmland A kingdom from dust A perfect storm: Climate change and overfishing Farmworkers endure brutal conditions during historic heat wave / As the climate emergency grows, farmworkers lack protection from deadly heat How pesticide companies corrupted the EPA and poisoned America The case for letting Malibu burn Mines produce more waste than metal Modern medicine still has much to learn about women’s bodies The struggle to be Nadleehi: A Two Spirit person How to heal in the Anthropocene, part of the Climate emotions series The problem with reinforced concrete The tyranny of time Species justice Climate change and biodiversity loss must be tackled together – report Species solidarity: Rediscovering our connection to the web of life Did the pandemic really help wildlife? How fireworks harm nonhuman animals When the bison come back, will the ecosystem follow? There’s a wolverine in my neighborhood. “Often, conservation communicators think in terms of educating around the big, global, complicated issues. But there’s a role for helping people understand and appreciate the local, the small, the overlooked.” La política anticolonial del decrecimiento Sozialismus oder Degrowth? The delusion of infinite economic growth The poverty of ‘economic growth’ It’s time to nationalize Shell. Private oil companies are no longer fit for purpose Making the world big enough for all of us: A review of Max Ajl’s ‘A People’s Green New Deal’ Building an anti-imperialist climate justice movement Transformation is not a metaphor An ambitious, radical Green-Left Coalition has won Zagreb’s elections. Here’s how they did it. By bringing down Sweden’s government, the Left Party saved rent controls A municipalist alternative for San Juan and Puerto Rico: An interview with Pablo Benson If you sell a house these days, the buyer might be a pension fund What if we designed cities for the safety of people, instead of the convenience of cars? Blue-sky thinking: how cities can keep air clean after coronavirus Stories to save the world: the new wave of climate fiction Solarpunk, climate change and the new thinkable Ministry for the Future with Kim Stanley Robinson. The science fiction writer discusses his Modern Monetary Theory-inspired “cli-fi” novel. The People vs. Agent Orange. A new documentary that investigates the legacy of one of the most dangerous pollutants on the planet, a cover-up, and the fight for accountability. Read a review here. Posted in Monthly links, Monthly linksTagged agriculture, bill gates, degrowth, food politics, gates foundation, queer, radical municipalism, species justice, Water justice, wildlifeLeave a Comment on June readings A just food transition Abandoned homestead on a farm in Iowa. Image: Flickr CC-BY-NC-ND by Caitlin Bradley Morgan Why include food and agriculture in the Green New Deal? Our food system is inextricably linked with the climate crisis in a self-reinforcing feedback loop. Agriculture is responsible for 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions and the result, climate change, goes on to disrupt reliable food production. To combat climate change, we must shift how we produce, distribute, consume, and dispose of food. To adapt to climate change, we must build agricultural systems that are resilient to disruption. The timeliness of this move was evident recently as a national coalition of farmers and ranchers endorsed the Green New Deal. The Green New Deal mentions food in broad strokes. Its focus is on consumers obtaining food, which the bill says can be supported “by building a more sustainable food system that ensures universal access to healthy food.” The bill’s strength is in its acknowledgement of systemic injustices wrought on marginalized groups, and its goal for a “fair and just transition” to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. If these strengths are built into eventual policy mechanisms, they should influence not only food quality and access, but all levels of the food chain. A Green New Deal must address capitalism’s food problems through goal-oriented, stakeholder-led process Underlying many ills of our food system is the sometimes unexpected truth that a rational agricultural system is incompatible with capitalism. This is because the goals of healthy agriculture and the goals of capitalism are diametrically opposed. When capitalism’s logic governs agriculture, it affects all manner of management systems, making it difficult or impossible to implement ecological or humane practices that might decrease short-term profit margins. It also results in the kinds of outcomes the GND seeks to remedy: hunger surrounded by abundance, unnecessary waste, the systemic injustice of farmer displacement, labor abuses, and fossil fuel use. Therefore, GND food policies should begin with identifying the overarching goals, because the goals of a system are some of the most powerful leverage points for change. All policy mechanisms should be guided and tested against the vision of a “just transition,” and it would be useful to identify sub-goals that support a just transition—for example, climate change mitigation; climate change resilience; an adequately fed and nourished human population; pay parity and economic justice for farmers; healthy and diverse agroecosystems; etc. Does “efficiency” change if we alter the timescale, i.e. if we think about resource efficiency in terms of decades or centuries, rather than single-year yields? Similarly, during policy discussions, it is useful to question goals we might accidentally take for granted. For example, why do we need highly “efficient” agricultural production as it relates to labor? Does efficiency in this sense compete with goals of reduced fossil fuel use, biodiverse agriculture, or widespread employment? Does “efficiency” change if we alter the timescale, i.e. if we think about resource efficiency in terms of decades or centuries, rather than single-year yields? This process point can help avoid implementing policies that recreate problems driven by assumed, rather than intentionally adopted, goals. Finally, GND policy discussions must incorporate, not ignore, the historical context of our current food system. Our food system is built on systematic wealth accumulation and the dispossession and cultural erasure of marginalized people in the United States. For GND policies to be “just,” they must account for and begin to reverse these patterns. To ensure that outcomes have integrity, and that mechanisms are well-crafted, policies must be developed directly with farmers, food systems workers, sustainability experts, and social justice advocates. As the Agroecology Research-Action Collective reminds us, “…the Green New Deal will only succeed if it helps rapidly eliminate the fossil-fuel economy, and transforms industrialized agriculture into agroecological, regenerative agriculture, with special attention to rural communities and inclusion of historically marginalized, and socially disadvantaged groups.” One goal-aligned solution: Basic Income for farmers One solution, in line with a just transition in food and agriculture, is basic income for farmers. “Universal basic income,” recently brought into mainstream debate by Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, is a monthly stipend provided by the government to all citizens. While there is a compelling argument for UBI for everybody, basic income may be critical for especially for agriculture. Proponents of UBI argue that one of its essential functions is allowing people freedom to make choices based on what they truly want or need in life, without potential financial crisis dictating their options. For people who work in agriculture, that freedom is the freedom to farm. Farmers in the United States are in historic levels of debt. In order to make enough money to continue, many farmers have to expand their farms—regardless of whether it is a sustainable or desirable choice—which usually means building or purchasing expensive infrastructure and equipment. The result is a race to increase profit margins and pay down debt, often prohibiting farmers from making choices based on land stewardship or care for workers. Over half of American farms earn negative income, losing more than they make, and rely on off-farm income for survival. There is increasing recognition that agroecology, the science of farming in tune with local ecosystems, is one way forward for just and sustainable food systems. But in the United States, where land is expensive, industrial agriculture subsidized, environmental regulations minimal, and parity pricing absent, it can be economically untenable for people to start agroecological farms in a rabidly capitalist system. Young farmers interested in raising sustainable, healthy food cannot make enough money to do so. Thus, a basic income would be a way for people to produce food without needing to exploit themselves, their employees, or their land. (India recently announced that it will be providing UBI for farmers, expecting it to double farmer incomes.) Anyone working in agriculture should be eligible for this support, without making distinctions between farm owners and farm workers. Because up to half of farmworkers are undocumented, this policy would likely necessitate a corresponding reform in immigration policy, at least for the food sector, as put forth recently by the Sanders Campaign’s Green New Deal plan. It is also possible that another aspect of food justice—access to fresh and healthy foods, mentioned in the GND—would also benefit from basic income for farmers, by supporting agricultural livelihoods without astronomically raising the cost of their products. Basic income would be one step toward creating safety for people who want to farm but lack financial security. Furthermore, a basic income begins to address historic injustice. Reversing the trends of land theft and ongoing dispossession in the food system is difficult for many reasons, one of them being that farmers from marginalized communities do not have access to the same wealth, credit, and financial safety nets of more privileged farmers. Basic income would be one step toward creating safety for people who want to farm but lack financial security. Yang’s UBI proposal, the “Freedom Dividend,” is $1,000 per month. This might not be enough for farmers. The Freedom Dividend is designed with the idea that it will encourage people to find jobs to supplement UBI that alone keeps them at the poverty line. But farmers already have jobs. We need a debate among stakeholders about the benefits of parity pricing—ensuring farmers are paid enough to cover their costs and living expenses—versus basic income, in terms of allowing farmers to stop overproducing to cover their debt, and make both environmentally and socially sustainable management choices. A just level for farmers might instead be the living wage for their area. Other social programs that could make farming, and sustainable farming in particular, a more viable option: free childcare, free health care, free education, and a guaranteed farming pension. The latter could allow farmers to keep their land in agriculture, rather than selling it to cover retirement costs. The bottom line: anyone growing food for other people, especially if they are growing it in ecologically-sound ways, should be able to provide for themselves and their employees. If we want to make sustainable farming desirable, viable, and just, we must support it by reorienting policy to support such worthy goals. Caitlin Bradley Morgan is a doctoral candidate in Food Systems at the University of Vermont, studying the intersection of on-the-ground efforts and wider systems change. Posted in GND series, GND seriesTagged agriculture, agroecology, basic income, climate justice, environmental justice, farming, food security, food system, GND, green new deal, just transition, land, universal basic incomeLeave a Comment on A just food transition Destructive space-time Ford Tri-Motor Spraying DDT, 1955. Photo by R.B. Pope by Tina Beigi and Michael Picard World War II ended more than half a century ago. Yet stumbling upon unexploded bombs in Germany is still a frequent occurrence. Of the roughly quarter million bombs that did not explode during the war, thousands are still buried underground all over Germany. One of these left-over bombs self-ignited recently in Limburg’s countryside. The blast of the 250kg explosive occurred in a field of barley in the middle of the night and was large enough to dig a crater 10 metres wide and 4 metres deep. This accident is a welcome occasion to revisit the concept of slow violence coined by Rob Nixon. He describes this phenomenon as ‘a violence that occurs gradually and out of sight, a violence of delayed destruction that is dispersed across time and space, an attritional violence that is typically not viewed as violence at all.’ This concept reminds us that violence is not always what we expect it to be, explosive and sensationally visible but can be incremental and generate unpredictable outcomes across spatial and temporal scales. The buried past exploding in the present is a haunting metaphor for the bombing of the future through endless environmental exploitation. One may ponder whether the detonation of a decade-long silent bomb is a powerful metaphor for the slow violence of time compression and space destruction. Whereas past bombs remain deadly decades after they were dropped, current techniques of industrial agriculture function like a buried bomb, threatening a sustainable future. When these ‘climate bombs’ explode, it could mean the annihilation of life itself on the planet. In this way we can see the past, present, and future colliding in explosive fury. In Germany, just as Allied bombing raids (from above) failed to detonate instantly, industrial agriculture (down below) will continue to distribute persistent pollutants into the future, eventually detonating beyond the spatial and temporal boundaries of the land. The entanglement of weapons of mass destruction and weapons of mass production ultimately compresses time and space into a forever impending catastrophe. In a strange inversion on the horizon of temporality, we could be reaching a point in history when the buried past exploding in the present serves as a haunting metaphor for the bombing of the future through endless environmental exploitation. Historical entanglements of war, agriculture and climate change The First Ammonia Reactor (1913). BASF Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons When contemplating the detonation of a WW2 bomb in a German field, one is struck by the disorienting compression of history, in which war pollution caused by a 20th Century conflict returns to haunt the peaceful lives of 21st Century farmers. From a temporal perspective one generation of pilots’ aerial bombing time travels to reach another generation of peacetime farmers, blurring the temporal lines between war and peace. The legacy of warfare in peacetime extends far beyond the traumatic legacy imprinted on the social fabric and reaches the material foundations of welfare itself. From a spatial perspective, the explosive legacy of Allied strategic bombing over Germany parallels another type of aerial campaign, involving the heavy spraying of chemical fertilizers to improve agricultural yields. Just as war remnants explode upon industrial agricultural production today, fumigating raids have been systematically bombing crops since the inter-war years with pesticides and nitrogen-enriched fertilizers. One such toxic legacy that radically transformed the industry was developed by German scientist Haber-Bosch, whose process to produce ammonia was as critical in the manufacturing of plant fertilizers as it was in developing the Zyklon B poison gas used during the Holocaust. In a parallel twist, the development of chemical insecticide presently used for industrial-scale agricultural production is thus intimately related to transformations in chemical warfare designed for genocide. Transfers between war and agriculture operated at both the technological and the ideological level. The co-production of techniques of agricultural and military control blurred the boundaries between insects and humans, friend and foe, domestic pest control in peacetime, and enemy annihilation in wartime. For instance, the development of chlorinated gases during WW1 demonstrated the insecticidal properties of certain organochloride compounds. After the conflict, the chemical industry, profiting greatly from war, promoted the conversion of its offensive poison gas arsenal to pesticide application. The same planes, which had spread poison gas over enemy lines, were used to spread herbicides, strengthening the alliance between the military and the budding post-war mechanization of agri-business. After WW2, Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, commonly known as the chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbon DDT, emerged from the technical imaginary of modern warfare, while warfare legacies like nerve gases emerged from agricultural processes to protect crops from pests. Paralyzing gases, such as Sarin, demonstrated a similar effect on humans as on insects. After WW2, retired bomber pilots would indiscriminately shower the countryside with millions of tons of poisonous pesticides. Chemical warfare was successively waged as much on the battleground as on food crops, fuelling a reciprocated sociotechnical imaginary involving both the sanitization of food and the synthetization of war. The blurring of boundaries between war and peace was most apparent during the Cold War, when defoliants like Agent Orange, developed from agricultural herbicides, were sprayed on Communist enemies in South East Asia. In this case, the mutagenic effects on human populations persisted for decades later. The co-production of techniques of agricultural and military control blurred the boundaries between insects and humans, friend and foe, domestic pest control in peacetime, and enemy annihilation in wartime. A remnant WW2 bomb, which randomly exploded in Germany’s countryside in 2019, symbolizes the indistinction between techniques of military destruction and techniques of industrial agricultural production, both predicated on eradication campaigns. Just as mass warfare indiscriminately kills soldiers and civilians alike, modern farming methods contribute to indiscriminate bombing of not only pests, but fragile and diverse ecosystems. Nitrogen fertilizers increase agricultural yields, yet accentuate global warming and pollute water-tables, rivers and estuaries with excessive nitrates. Whereas 3% of the human population perished in WW2, a recent study shows that over 40% of insect population have gone extinct through the intensive use of pesticides developed by the same war machines. Here, the warplane and aerial pesticide-spraying aircraft emblematically collide and violently explode in a dustbowl of ecological disaster. At the risk of taking a shortcut, could military explosives have been detonated by the long-term effects of industrial chemicals? While the explosive devices used in war have an almost-guaranteed immediate effect upon impact, fertilizers and pesticides have gradually contaminated and decimated the biological diversity of landscapes over the span of a century. What is truly remarkable is that the incessant application of chemical fertilizers may well have been the powder keg responsible for the recent ignition of the rusty WW2 bomb in the German countryside. Recent reports suggest, idle undetonated bombs are triggered by heatwaves, which are in turn exacerbated by climate change, in large part due to industrial agriculture. Climate disruption and the recurrence of seasonal heatwaves have been amplified as a result of the compound effect of methane emissions from agriculture and of the heavy use of nitrogen-based fertilizers releasing nitrous oxide emissions. In turn, climate shocks like drought and heat waves exert enormous pressure on surface and ground-water levels. The entanglement of buried bombs and climate change intersects across the European countryside, illustrating feedback loops between war, industrial agriculture, climate change, and food insecurity. Military and climate disruptions mirror each other in what seems to be an endless feedback loop of fire and fury. When buried bombs of the past detonate inside the boundaries of our present era, they parallel public concerns with the current ecological crisis. Increasingly frequent heatwaves and changing weather patterns are harming crop yields and raising concerns around animal welfare, indicating that climate shocks, such as drought threaten food production. European firefighters are now fighting a strange war on two fronts: a climate war with a firehose against wildfires and a war against explosive remnants of WW2, using battle tanks to shield themselves from the blaze. Analysts have recently drawn comparisons between WW2 and the climate crisis, claiming ‘global warming has heated the oceans by the equivalent of one atomic bomb explosion per second for the past 150 years.’ Further analogies between modern warfare and the climate crisis can be drawn from the emergency drop by a Swedish Air Force fighter jet of a 500-pound precision laser-guided bomb near a fire approaching a military firing range. Donald Trump made the uncanny quip recently of dropping nukes to stop increasingly killer hurricanes. Such extreme examples show how the perpetuation of war and climate change are undeniably linked. Since its carbon bootprint contributes to the greenhouse effect, the military fuels the very fire it attempts to extinguish, one bomb at a time. What the news headlines from Europe confirm is that military and climate disruptions mirror each other in what seems to be an endless feedback loop of fire and fury. Fumigating the future Warheads of a bomb. Photo via Archive.org On the other side of Germany, in a strange coincidence, another event was taking place around the time of the WW2 bomb detonation in relating the past and future to the present state of environmental degradation. A surprise attack and partial occupation of a coal mine was organized by the environmentalist group End of the line in the Rhineland region. The occupation of the mine was motivated by its disapproval with the utility company RWE and their plan to cut down an old growth forest to make way for the enlargement of the mine. Such plans for expansion, protestors claim, would turn the Rhine district into one of the largest CO2 emitters in Europe. This time, the strategic site was not occupied by the Allied armies against the abrupt violence unleashed by a world conflict, but by peaceful climate activists protesting against the slow violence of mining expansions. By sundown, the police launched teargas to dislodge the activists out of the coal mine. Police literally fumigated the climate protesters in the same way farmers fumigate insects. The strange, or maybe timely coincidence, of both events on German soil: the detonation of a WW2 bomb, and the surprise occupation of a coal mining crater by an army of green activists, highlights the overlapping toxic legacies of successive historical periods. While the first reveals how old war contamination may unpredictably creep out of the past, the second anticipates a massive climate shock looming in the future. In the same way that the legacy of WW2 bombing occasionally haunts the present, we are still haunted by one of the oldest and dirtiest resources of capitalism’s historical trajectory: coal. Why is that so? The history of energy usage is not one of transitions, but rather of successive additions of new sources of primary energy. Indeed, world energy markets never fully transitioned from coal to petroleum; similarly, it is highly improbable that a transition will entirely take place from petroleum to renewable energy. Police literally fumigated the climate protesters in the same way farmers fumigate insects. Fossil fuel extraction and pollution is the legacy of the past taking effect in the present and locking-in possibilities for future decades to come. The Earth’s atmosphere is already damaged by the 1,500 billion tons of carbon dioxide emitted by the coal economy. In a similar way in which war remnants caused by a 20th Century conflict impacts the lives of 21st Century farmers, 18th Century models of energy production are still operational in the 21st Century, with all their damaging effects across time and space. The hard divisions in the destruction of life between past and present and an always improving future is merely an illusion from this view. Tragedy or farce? Pierre Mignard’s Time Clipping Cupids Wings (1694). Photo via Wikimedia Commons To summarize, the ignition of bombs and the expansion of mines suddenly converged in the past months to illustrate a legacy of slow accumulative violence, transcending space and time in the German countryside. What does such an entanglement reveal about our era? The contemporary moment of social and environmental emergency synchronizes weapons of mass destruction with weapons of mass production. The synchronization of warfare and welfare has provoked, on the one hand, the destruction of geographic space, resulting in the displacement and contamination of human communities and natural habitat. On the other hand, their synchronization has meant the compression of time available for the Earth to regenerate from exploitation. Bombs of the past haunt our present, while bombs of the present inevitably preordain our future. The real catastrophe, as German philosopher Walter Benjamin claimed, is not some isolated apocalyptic event but rather the perpetuation of the continuous flow of the logic of capital and its wake of destruction across time and space. The accidental detonation of a WW2 bomb interrupted only the routine of a farmer, whereas a perpetual fossil-fueled war predicated on capital accumulation is waged daily against the regenerative capacities of the Earth, threatening a sixth mass extinction. The contemporary moment of social and environmental emergency synchronizes weapons of mass destruction with weapons of mass production. Hegel claimed that history is cyclical and repeats itself. Marx added that history repeats itself, first as tragedy and then as farce. As reflected in this piece we may add, in a strange succession of events, history is compressing time and eroding space, by accelerating the rate at which farce and tragedy repeat themselves simultaneously. The tragedy lies in the annulment of future life potentials by military planes and mining cranes; the farce is the destruction by the military and industry of the material conditions of their own reproduction. The tragedy is also in the fumigation of farms by industrial agriculture, while the farce is a regressive state-sanctioned police force fumigating activists who attempt to protect the very conditions for the maintenance of life on Earth. Tina Beigi is an environmental engineer who is currently pursuing a PhD in Ecological Economics at McGill university. Michael Picard is a research fellow at the Institute for Global Law & Policy of the Harvard Law School and teaches International Law at Sherbrooke University. The authors would like to thank Vijay Kolinjivadi and Elliot Blomqvist for their precious editorial feedback on preliminary drafts. The usual caveat applies. Posted in Essay, Essay, Front, MainTagged agriculture, extractivism, history, pesticides, technology, warLeave a Comment on Destructive space-time How much will the US Way of Life © have to change? Image: Karla S. Chambers by Max Ajl Debates about the Green New Deal—Ocasio-Cortez’s version and occasionally radical varieties such as that of the US Green Party—have incited much discussion about paths to utopia. Central to these conversations is the labour question: who will do the work of making the world, and how will that work be apportioned? And how much will the US Way of Life © have to change? Ecologically-minded socialists and degrowthers tend to point out that cheap energy and excess material use are built into the socio-technical structures of capitalism. Getting rid of capitalism requires replacing capitalist technology. We must build, literally, a new world, which may require more labour and much lighter consumption patterns in the core, especially among the wealthy. Eco-socialists also tend to be more attentive to agriculture’s role in development in the periphery and core. Eco-modernists tend, instead, to focus on eliminating exploitation while maintaining as much as possible of the physical infrastructure and patterns of consumption of capitalism. They imagine machines that will take the place of the current ecologically destructive physical plant, including in the countryside—prototype AI bots to supplant fruit pickers, or non-existent carbon-dioxide-sucking machines in place of restorative agriculture, a proven method of sequestering atmospheric carbon. Very frequently, they imagine a totally post-work world, creating the conditions for a new utopia: Fully Automated Luxury Communism. Those who hold the latter position often forget that the current distribution of labour is the fruit of a very specific historical moment, marked not merely by a temporary cheapness of energy—and tell Bangladesh, the Seychelles, or your grandchildren that petroleum is cheap—but specific sectoral allocations of labour in farming, industry, and services in the core states. Geographer Matt Huber, for example, claims that ‘very few actual people/workers are needed to grow the food many of us consume.’ He then deploys this claim—incorrect on its face—to attack those who defend smallholder farming as an active anti-systemic struggle. As he goes on to write, ‘Capitalism has produced the first society where the vast majority need not work in agriculture. A reversal of this is not politically possible or desirable.’ Huber, like many who write in this vein, does not draw a distinction between agriculture in the wealthier and the poorer countries, and does not seem to understand that such geographically-specific food systems are interwoven threads in the fabric of a world system. The descriptive portion of his statement is true above all in relation to those who work on farms in the wealthier countries, although with important variations among them. When we widen our analytical lens to include those who work on the farms in the periphery that produce much if not most of humanity’s food, including the tropical foods consumed in the core, claims about the disappearance of labour from agriculture collapse. Labour-intensive agriculture has been and continues to be central to global capitalism. Labour-intensive agriculture has been and continues to be central to global capitalism. Sugar produced on Caribbean slave plantations supplied cheap calories to the British workforce and large profits to the British ruling class. As Utsa and Prabhat Patnaik show, Britain accrued much of its wealth by siphoning off the bounty of Indian agriculture in jute, opium and spices throughout the colonial period, much as the Netherlands built its affluence on rubber and sugarcane from what was then Java. Such flows of wealth and value from agriculture to the colonial powers produced systematic famine, and were also the basis for industrialization—a historical process, not a technical model. These days, of the 12,000 food items on an average supermarket shelf in Western Europe or North America, two-thirds have a total or partial import content from tropical areas. Producing such agricultural goods is labour-intensive. And many of those who work hardest are also the hungriest. Labour has not been erased from the food chain, but only from some links of the food chain visible in the core states. Contemporary imperialism engineers prices, under- and de-develops the periphery, maintains massive labour reserves, and suppresses wages. As a result, consumers in the core command enough social power that people in other societies must labour to produce our food. Eurocentrism makes such labour invisible. Where capital has replaced labour in commodity export sectors, the consequences have been disastrous. Land concentrates in the hands of the bourgeoisie, poor people flee to slums, debt-driven suicides mount in India, and the Tunisian semi-proletariat immolates itself. As the poor’s capacity to demand a share of the social product decreases, consumption decreases, and they go hungry. If capitalism has produced a society where some ‘need not work’ in agriculture, it has also produced a society where consumption in the core—such as it is, given widespread malnutrition and obesity—turns on immiseration in the periphery. If you treat the living as the dead, it should not be surprising when the graveyards spread. On the ecological front, industrialized agriculture has meant pretending soil and flora are not living entities that require care and attention. If you treat the living as the dead, it should not be surprising when the graveyards spread: topsoil loss, algal blooms amidst fertilizer outflows in the Gulf of Mexico, fields so damaged that they cannot absorb water in the American Midwest, leading to land-gouging floods. Recent reports speak to planet-wide biospheric breakdown, much of it related to the industrialization of agriculture. Meanwhile, the US’s remaining farmers are killing themselves at a higher rate than war veterans, even while ‘efficient’ labour-light US agriculture only survives by massive subsidies—explicit subsidies from the state in the form of price supports, and implicit subsidies in the form of impossibly cheap energy, for which we know well the consequences. Labour needs may have decreased on US farms, but this is not a proper way to build a national farming system. Yet on the basis of (1) the rural-to-urban transformation of the core states; (2) the tiny percentage of the labour force in US agriculture; and (3) the socially-created poverty in peripheral agricultures, Huber claims that ‘we cannot act as if smallholder agriculture is any material basis for a society beyond capitalism.’ I am not sure if Huber is referring to paths to a society beyond capitalism, or if he is drawing up recipes for the cookshops of the future. Whatever the case may be, let me put some facts on the table about the human and social resources available in the present, and their capacity for materially improving the lives of the very poorest among us. A copious literature makes clear that smallholder agro-ecology in various countries of the former Third World can feed, for example, 12-15 people with one person’s year-round labour on plots of between one and two hectares. In price terms, agro-ecology yields higher economic returns than conventional agriculture, and this with close to 0 percent of global agricultural research and development devoted to improving, rather than merely documenting, its potential. Agro-ecology is carbon-dioxide-absorbing, bio-diversity defending, and resilient in the face of climate change. And there is no question of whether smallholders can feed the world, as they outproduce export-oriented heavily capitalized farms on a per-land-area basis. There is no question of whether smallholders can feed the world, as they outproduce export-oriented heavily capitalized farms on a per-land-area basis. Furthermore, productivity per-person and per-hectare can increase (or yearly labour-inputs decrease) through sustained agro-ecological research and practice, a point at odds with those who insists that smallholder farming is a sentence of perpetual drudgery. What the viable alternative could be is always the question left with no good answer. In the entire peripheral world, smallholder agriculture is the basis for resistance to capitalism: by de-commodifying access to food, by closing off market opportunities for corporate sellers of agro-industrial inputs, by reclaiming land from export-oriented commodity crop production and giving it to poor people for accumulation from below, by increasing the embeddedness of national agricultural systems, and by creating larger internal markets that can form the basis of a sovereign industrialization. Such an industrialization would necessarily rely more on nationally-sourced inputs, preferably renewable ones where possible—for example, there is simply no good socio-ecological reason to rely so heavily on metal and plastic furniture when wood does the job just as well, with far lower CO2 costs and without ripping into the earth. In terms of political feasibility, we know from the work of Ricardo Jacobs that slum-dwellers in South Africa are interested in a return to agriculture, while Brazilian agrarian reform settlements include former slum-dwellers. Huber and others claim that smallholder life involves coercion, so relying on smallholders to feed the world would involve even greater coercion. However, the issue is not forcing smallholder peasants to feed urban people, but for economies in the poorer countries to figure out how to balance agricultural and non-agricultural labour while moving away from dominant agro-export models that have produced a planet of slums. Such models put enormous pressure on the lives of smallholders, whether through insufficient credit, lack of tenancy guarantees, or compelled industrialization while input prices are kept out of reach. It is these models that are part-and-parcel of the ‘debt and manifold threats’ to the livelihoods of peasants that Huber decries. It is capitalism in the countryside, and not farming itself, that keeps smallholders poor. The challenge is equally to allow countries in the periphery to carry out massive internal agrarian reforms, which would help improve the lives of the poor in the city and countryside alike, and move toward a ‘planet of fields.’ Furthermore, such countries must be able to determine their own developmental paths, free from “humanitarian” proxy armies or the sanctions that are imposed, with silence if not assent from much of the Western left, on countries that carry out radical agrarian programs, like Zimbabwe or Venezuela, until they re-align with US/World Bank agendas. There is no reason—pragmatic, social, or ecological—to suggest that smallholder farming does not offer the scaffolding for a permanently sustainable and relatively equal world in the periphery. For that reason, we ought to defend agricultural models for the Third World wherein national lands are devoted to sustainably feeding the domestic population. Does that mean that 6-10 percent of the population in the periphery will be involved in agriculture on a permanent basis? Or will such work be rotated? That is for the people, the ones who will build the future, to decide. What is clear is that getting more lands in the hands of smallholders in peripheral states is currently an extremely live anti-systemic struggle. I happen to agree with Huber about the thorniness of what used to be called the agrarian question of labour in the core states, and I agree that speaking of smallholder agriculture as the basis for US food consumption and a path beyond capitalism is not as straightforward as it is for the periphery. However, if we accept what I have argued above, we can summarize it in some basic statements. One: current ways of replacing labour with capital in the Western countries have ripped apart our socio-ecological capacity to manage the land. Two: current consumption relies on imperialism to feed us food we like to eat. Three: the more peripheral countries re-orient their agricultural sectors to domestic feeding, well-being, and social development, the fewer foods will be available in the wealthier countries. Four: there are no serious models for ecologically sustainable regenerative agricultures that rely on technology as a substitute for human attention. Five: we cannot divorce thinking about a sustainable world from anti-imperialist struggle. Increasing the percentage of the population in core states involved in farming follows logically from the above points. An increase does not mean 50 percent of the population, and it does not mean that everyone will be involved in farming. A corollary would be ensuring that such work is made as attractive as possible, inviting people to choose it freely, and de-centralizing cultural life and social infrastructure. A second potential course of action is devoting as much research as possible into lessening the difficulty of the labour involved, through—of course!—technology. In both the core and periphery, how much farming will be mechanized and, more importantly, which tasks should not be mechanized remain open questions. So, too, is the meaning of mechanization, and what kinds of tools can spare labour without excess energy-intensive extraction. How much we can replace hard labour with constant attention through human presence and careful intervention in natural cycles is another open question. There is nothing wrong with stating that we do not have all the answers. It is worth pointing out that almost no one demands that we mechanize the difficult work of caring for children, the sick, and the elderly, since some realms are a step too far for the solve-everything-through-tech community. Yet the earth—a living community, the physical basis for society, and for children, the sick, the elderly, and in fact everyone to have decent lives—does not receive the same treatment. I do not think my suggestions are by any means the easiest ones. They will involve some changes in the US way of life, though perhaps fewer than one might imagine. Given the social crises endemic to this way of life, fundamental change is long overdue anyway. I do not have a problem stating the existence of such difficulties, especially since I do not see any other feasible answer to how the US can feed itself if agriculture is to be made into a sustainable sector of human production that does not rely on exploiting other countries. However, I do not see such a transition as an insurmountable obstacle. I do not see why slitting the throats of chickens in slaughtering plants until one’s hands are riddled with carpal tunnel syndrome from repetitive stress injuries is preferable to work on farms, especially since what was previously agricultural labour is now called food processing, but with far more drudgery and alienation in the work process. Furthermore, mechanization of animal agriculture comes with its own massive and insuperable ecological problems. In any case, I see no reason to imagine the current menu of choices as a natural phenomenon. Capitalism has structured US society and ordered its value system to de-value farm labour, the land, and the lives of non-humans. Such choices were made historically and can be unmade. Moreover, there is an immense interest in farming even in the current set-up. Across the US, urban gardens sparkle like emeralds in cities. The Land Institute, Soul Fire Farms, the Savannah Institute, the Iowa Land Trust, and others are building up the facts-on-the-ground for a permanently sustainable US farming system. To wave around the possibility of technological breakthroughs that can remove labour from the farming process while restoring the health of the land is to hope for a solution from the machine. To wave around the possibility of technological breakthroughs that can remove labour from the farming process while restoring the health of the land is to hope for a solution from the machine. It very often tacitly authorizes the further destruction of peripheral farming systems, and justifies an attitude of contempt toward those in the US working to build sustainable forms of production—the embryos of a better world in the interstices of the current one. There is nothing realistic in imagining shortcuts where none currently exist. Max Ajl holds a PhD in Development Sociology from Cornell University and works on the Tunisian national liberation movement and post-colonial development in the Arab world. He is on twitter at @maxajl. Posted in Essay, FuturesTagged agriculture, agroecology, eco-socialism, ecology, farming, green new deal, socialismLeave a Comment on How much will the US Way of Life © have to change?	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0098.json.gz/line86
__label__cc	0.53097	0.46903	[ Home ] [ May 2002 ] [ February 2002 ] [ December 2001 ] [ January 2000 ] [ Spring 2000 ] [ August 2000 ] [ December 2000 ] [ 1999 Newsletters ] [ 1998 Newsletters ] [ 1997 Newsletters ] Web Site: www.afwoa.org Email: bgenrankin@msn.com President: Brig. Gen. Karen Rankin, USAF Ret. Karen's Comments I would like to think that as I get older I get wiser. When I became your president in 1998, it was an exciting challenge for me to work with you in developing new ideas for AFWOA to pursue. It has been an eventful and fulfilling three and a half years, and I have enjoyed serving as your president. I promised at the '00 Conference/Reunion that I would turn over the President's gavel with this Fall's Reunion. Unfortunately, as you know we have delayed this until '03 for myriad reasons. And this, in turn, has delayed the turnover of the presidency to my successor. Not to worry. I will continue to serve you until our next Conference/Reunion. The Board of Directors decided to move the '03 Reunion to Colorado Springs. One of the lessons learned from '00 was that Reunions are a great deal of work and that there must be a cadre in the Reunion area to tend to the details. I know the good Ladies in the Springs have hosted Reunions before and we are probably imposing upon them; however, I hope they will step up to this challenge once again. The Board is working a possible affiliation with the WAF Association, who will hold their '03 reunion in the Springs. We have initiated talks with the Association's leaders and will keep you posted. I am so grateful to you all for your continuing generosity. The Board's decision to implement dues has met with overwhelmingly favorable response. I received about 200 letters or emails regarding the dues issue. Only one was unfavorable! To date, about 400 members have sent in their dues. A great majority have also sent in generous donations. We will use a small portion of those donations to cover dues for our members who are financially unable to pay. (Thus far, we only know of one such person.) So what is the overall plan for dues and membership? We are still anticipating that some members will continue to send in the $10 dues check. At the July Board meeting, we will review the membership. Those who have not paid by that time will remain members but will not receive future directories or mailings. You got it! Our major expenses are printing and mailing. It costs about $4.00 per copy to prepare and send the Directories. We have undeliverable copies returned to us; that enables us to update addresses for those who have moved and forgot to tell us. But this costs us, too, and this is where you can help. Let us know when you move, and if you know friends who have moved, give us that information also. Membership remains a challenge. Only 6 new members this year! We need help. Are there qualified, potential members on your address lists? Probably! Send them membership information. Give them a membership for a gift! Refer them to the website ( www.afwoa.org ) for easy information and membership applications. We cannot leave membership to one person; it's everyone's responsibility. If each member got one new member this year, we would top 2200 members. That would be awesome! Please try! I could keep going but instead will end with a big THANK YOU ALL! Keep in touch -- email bgenrankin@msn.com , call me at 210-734-5635, or send to our mailing address: P.O. Box 780155, San Antonio, TX 78278-0155. Karen ===================== * The Military Coalition: AFWOA has become an affiliated member of The Military Coalition (TMC). TMC is a consortium of military and veterans' organizations representing more than 5.5 million members of the uniformed services community. This includes active duty, national Guard and Reserve, retirees, family members, and veterans. * Letters to Officials: Included with this newsletter are copies of two letters Karen sent to selected officials on behalf of AFWOA. The first was to the Secretary of Defense concerning the policy regarding the wear of the abaya by American servicewomen while serving in Saudi Arabia. It was in support of LtCol Martha McSally. The second letter was to Senator Olympia J. Snow (R-Maine) and Representative Heather Wilson (R-NM) concerning the proposed restructuring of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS). * AFWOA History Book is Here: At long last, the AFWOA History book is in print. Included with this newsletter is a flyer for ordering more copies. The book includes the history of women in the Air Force and the founding of AFWOA, along with photos from the Reunion scrapbooks. Also, look for the extended interviews of Norma Breedlove , Verdia May Hickambottom Arnold , Barbara M. Pratt-LeMahiew , Shirley Chaska-Baird , Virginia Gocke Mahan , Karen Rankin , and Susan Harger . * WAF Association: As Karen mentions in her opening comments, we are exploring the possibility of affiliating with the WAF Association for our 2003 Convention/Reunion in Colorado Springs. What is the WAF Association? It started out much the same way that AFWOA did. In 1987, a handful of old friends decided to reach out and get together and reminisce about the good old days in the Air Force. They started out with annual reunions, and in 1991 the organization was formalized as WAF Reunion (changed in 1999 to WAF Association). They have nearly 800 members of all ranks. More information: contact Carol Poynor, secretary, email WAFAssn@aol.com ; snail mail 5910 Cliffmore Dr., San Antonio, TX 78250. Quite a few of our AFWOA members also belong to the WAF Association, and enjoy their annual reunions. * Women's Overseas Service League (WOSL): Another good organization to join is WOSL. Membership is open to any military women who were stationed overseas or any civilian who worked in support of the armed services overseas. WOSL was formed in 1921 by women who had served overseas during World War I. Current membership is about 800. Quite a few AFWOA members are active in WOSL. The National Vice President is Paula Haley, San Antonio, Texas . For information on joining, contact her at email Phaley4821@aol.com or snail mail 323 Adams Street, San Antonio, TX 78210. Paula is running for National President, with elections held in June at the annual convention in Reno, Nevada. * Ruptured Ducks: The Ruptured Ducks 2002 Tourney will be held September 17-18 at Andrews AFB, MD. If you want more information, contact Gina McGuiness at email ginamac@mail.cwnet.com . Or snail mail her at 113 Bel Air Drive, Vacaville, CA 95687. * Telephone Scam Alert: Two scams making the rounds you should be aware of. If anyone calls and says he/she is a telephone service technician and is conducting a test of your telephone lines, be alert. If you are asked to press 9, 0 (zero), and the pound sign (#) to complete the test, don't do it. What that does is give the person full access to your telephone line. Just imagine your phone bill after this! This has been particularly popular originating from local jails/prisons. The second scam also can run up the charges on your telephone bill, and it involves area code 809. If someone asks you to call a number beginning with the area code, you could wind up with charges of $2,425 per minute. The goal is to keep you on the phone as long as possible when you call an area code 809 number. That area code is located in the British Virgin Islands (the Bahamas), and therefore is not covered by U.S. regulations. One person received a charge of $24,100 on one such call. DUES ARE DUE If you have not paid, please send $10 check. If dues are not received by June 30, 2002, this will be your last mailing from us. * Tribute to Women in the Military: Mary Parker, Albuquerque, NM , reports about the sucessful "Tribute to Women in the Military" held at Kirkland AFB in March, to kick off Women's History Month. The celebration included guest speakers, workshops and exhibits, and concluded with a luncheon with Brig. Gen. Wilma Vaught (Ret) as guest speaker. Other guest speakers included Col. Regina C. Aune, Commander of the 377th Medical Group at Kirtland, Lt Juanita (Penny) Shields (WAAC, 1942-1943) and Sgt Maj Cherry A. McPherson (USMC). Next year's tribute will be held March 7, 2003 at Kirtland AFB. For more information, contact LtCol Mary Parker at Mary.Parker@kirtland.af.mil . * Looking for Women's Uniforms: The Junior ROTC program at Auburn High School in Auburn, Alabama, is looking for women's uniforms from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. They dress their Honor Guard in various uniforms from the different wars our country has been involved in, but lack women's uniforms. If anyone has any uniforms they wish to donate, contact Kirby Dalton, Auburn High School JROTC, 405 South Dean Road, Auburn, AL 36830. * New Elderhostel Program: The story of the World War II Code Breakers, "Enigma", is the subject of a new learning program sponsored by Elderhostel. Students of military history and strategy, cryptography and 20th Century warfare will have an opportunity to delve into the world of wartime intelligence during the nine-day program in London and Oxford, England, this September. For more information on this and other Elderhostel programs, visit their website at www.elderhostel.org . * Korean War Veterans Reunion: A reunion for all Korean War era veterans, regardless of where stationed, will be held September 13-15, 2002, at the Ramada Inn, Sumter, South Carolina. Contact Don Skinner (after June 1) at 803-648-8641 or email skinner @ddminc.net . * New Members A warm welcome to our newest AFWOA members. Their addresses are in the supplement to the January 2002 Directory included with this newsletter. Rachel C. Aguirre, Orlando, Florida Jeannette I. Blumenthal, Ft. Lee, Virginia Patricia A. Louis, San Diego, California Vera M. Oliveri, San Antonio, Texas Jeanna L. Pryor, San Antonio, Texas Valerie G. Sams, Niceville, Florida * News About Our Members It's been a while since our last Newsletter, so we'll catch up on the news you have sent us the past year. * Pat Reynolds, Biloxi, Miss. , completed her two years as president-elect and president of Sunshine Region, Division II, International Training in Communication (formerly International Toastmistress Clubs). She traveled extensively throughout her area of responsibility in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, as well as the Bahamas. Pat was also honored by Phi Delta Kappa International Professional Education Association as a Gerald Reed Scholar for her contributions to the Educational Foundation. She received her third International Travel Seminar Scholarship and toured Ireland and Great Britain last July and August. * Deborah Johnston, Colorado Springs, Colo ., has joined the Peace Corps and is going to Armenia in June for two years. * Kay Mull, Winchester, Va. , continues her service as a hospital volunteer, putting in about 100 hours a month. She reports she has added three bowling leagues a week to her activities, staying physically well at the age of 81. * Nancy Samuelson, Sacramento, Calif. , has a new book out, Shoot from the Lip: the Lives, Legends, and Lies of the Three Guardsmen of Oklahoma and U.S. Marshal Nix . Her book The Dalton Gang Story is now in its third printing. * "Kris" Krizanauskas, Mesa, Ariz. , was inducted into the new Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame last year. She was also honored as a recipient of an "Outstanding Citizens of Arizona Award." * Betty Ann Patterson, Tacoma, Wash. , took a train trip through Europe late in 2000, and stopped "in the shadow of the Matterhorn." She is also known as Vickie York (writing for Harlequin) and as Elizabeth Carlson (writing for Zebra). * Norma Breedlove, San Antonio, Texas , had an item printed in "All in a Day's Work" in the February 2002 issue of Reader's Digest . Norma also entertained her sister and a cousin during Fiesta in April and attended the Texas Cavaliers' River Parade and the "Coronation of the Queen." * Bonnie O'Leary, Aurora, Colo. , refused to let the events of September 11 spoil her life-long dream of seeing Tibet. She left only 11 days after those tragic events and spent three weeks in Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. She reports that "It was all grand except I've had enough temples and rice for now." * "Lost" in the Mail Our mail was returned as non-deliverable to the following. If you know where they are, please let us know. Christine R. Cather, Springfield VA Evelyn Cherry, Nashville TN Carol L. Curry, Federal Way WA Jackie L. Day, Livermore CA Kimberley A. Fergan, Eastpointe MI Lorene T. Gaston, Arlington VA Ruth Grine, Sequim WA Dawn M. Hrdlicka, APO AP 96326 Cheryl L. Hurley, North Pole AK Lisa C. Koepke, San Antonio TX Barbara J. Nugent, Murrieta CA Nellie M. Riley, Universal City TX Marbel C. Roy, Clovis NM Ethel R. Sentilles, Covington LA Stella T. Smith, McChord AFB WA Beatrice Stecher, Fort Myers FL Sharon C. Thomas, Maxwell AFB AL Vera E. Von Stein, La Jolla CA * Blue Yonder Since our last Newsletter, we regret to inform you of the death of: Nancy A. Baldwin, Maj USAF Ret, 6-1-01 Dorothy E. Bartlett, LtCol USAF Ret, 4-9-01 Florence B. Casey, LtCol USAF Ret, 12-1-01 Cecilia "Penny" Ellis (Riesenman), Maj USAF Ret Shirley A. Rexford Ellis, 5-7-01 Dorathy E. Engle, LtCol USAF Ret, 4-21-01 Barbara Hall Finney, LtCol USAF Ret, 9-23-01 Shirley "Toni" O'Dell Johnson, LtCol USAF Ret, 4-29-01 June R. Kroupa, Capt USAF Ret, 5-16-02 Marion Cox Lichty, LtCol USAF Ret, 11-11-01 Audrey Penfold Lugg, SqLdr WRAF Ret, 12-31-01 Onnette Lethin Rhodes, 7-7-01 Hope Juhl Starbuck, 5-15-99 Ila Mae Tucker, LtCol USAF Ret Charlotte Wildbur (Butterfield), LtCol USAF Ret, 6-8-01 Letha P. "Lee" Willingham, Col USAF Ret, 4-6-01 Nena Zitinsky, LtCol USAF Ret Please take a few minutes to send your $10 dues to AFWOA [ Home ] [ May 2002 ] [ February 2002 ] [ December 2001 ] [ January 2000 ] [ Spring 2000 ] [ August 2000 ] [ December 2000 ]	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0098.json.gz/line88
__label__cc	0.615128	0.384872	Profile of condrbkr » Messages - condrbkr Pages: 1 ... 7 8 9 10 11 [12] 13 14 15 16 17 ... 23 The Bike Shop / Re: Ugly Parts Any 1 piece seat/post. It just looks so cheap. The Lounge / Re: all this mayhem That Gator flick was intense. It linked me to this about short bio about Rodney Mullen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttaaz2XnJA4 Love eccentric folks. The Lounge / Re: New Random Thoughts Thread Cause to her own self she ain't white so that wouldn't make sense. This lil miss nobody in nobody USA had her shit blown up on national news. There wasn't even some catalyst of 'questionable ethics', it was her parents calling someone in the news department and they ran with it cause its an interesting story. Her actions speak much louder than what little lie she ever told. All it is a mainstream media tabloid. It gets attention, there is no real reason for it, there is no substance. They threw under the bus what I perceive as a decent lady and her life's work just cause there was a single weak link in her. They drilled that single weak link until it broke everything. Kind of late but the whole Rachel Dolezal scandal is the most retarded thing to happen to the media for a while. You oust a lady who was doing good work because she lied about being black? Fuck... who gives a shit. Identity and race is a pretty complex thing. There are plenty of people of every race pretending to be one another. So many white dudes who claim to be black or part native, Jews passing off as not Jews. A bunch of inbetweeners when it comes to race and I'm not even talking about mixed folks. Sure it's terrible she lied about being black but if thats what she truly feels inside and some people accept her as that, who is anyone to call her out on that. It's not like she did her blackface routine when she went to work. The way I see if she's willing to live the life of being considered a black woman and accept the disadvantages and advantages that come with that then let her be. The Lounge / Re: What have you made? Quote from: G on July 14, 2015, 06:06:22 AM It depends what machine they have and exactly what your model looks like. If you have someone willing to help you out, then they may be happy to accept a Sketchup file and convert it for you, but they wont be able to print directly from that. The file needs to be "sliced" into layers that the printer can then print. Most home printers (like mine) are like a tiny glue-gun that lays down a bead of plastic in layers. Obviously those layers need something to print onto. For the first layer, you print onto the print bed, but from then on you are printing onto the model so you have a problem with overhangs and other unsupported layers. However, the software can add "support layers", little columns of material under unsupported areas to keep then where they should be, and you then snap these off. This actually works really well, but yes you will need to hand finish the surface if you want it smooth. How smooth the part comes out will depend on the print resolution. If you want it super smooth then you can do very thin layers, but this then takes many many extra hours to print. It's never that easy is it. The Bike Shop / Re: Merrit bearingless driver coaster I don't think it warrants a new thread but it seems like Tree is coming out with their own freecoaster. I spotted it on Timmy Theus bike check over on ridebmx.com. It doesn't look fancy and I'm definitely not qualified to claim that it is or isn't a KHE clone but it's a Tree none the less. Tree hubs always seem to be different and quality... but then again I haven't heard stuff about Tree in a hot second. Quote from: condrbkr on July 10, 2015, 11:36:00 PM Does anyone on here have like real access to 3D printer by a chance? Yes. I do. To get something made, is it really as simple as sending the maker a google sketchup and choosing the material? I imagine not all 3D printers are capable of working with all materials but something like ABS Plastic or nylon is pretty standard isn't it? I've also seen examples of 3D printers at the local Staples and all of it looks really rough and has burs. Is that something that I can sand out to make smoother or will it damage the integrity of the material? I just want to make a little figurines. The Lounge / Re: Gay Marriage Gay Marriage is pretty gay though. The Lounge / Re: Discussion: US 2016 Elections Quote from: Donald on July 07, 2015, 11:08:51 AM People I've talked to are pretty in line with his way of thinking. I just think most people don't think he has a chance to win so they'll end up tossing their vote to their preferred party. Also, I think if he did get into office he'd have a hard time getting anything done due to push back from congress. I just think he's this years Ron Paul. The best we can hope from all this is that he pushes new ideas to the forefront and creates a different model for progressives to rally behind. Eventually people in similar line of thinking can win local and state elections which would make the rest of the country more open to his ideas he started. Kind of like how Ron Paul forced a merge with the growing Libertarian movement(he pretty much reinvigorated) to the Republican party platform. I hope that Bernie makes it far and gets a lot of traction and press. Even though I truly think his ideas are too radical for most of America(like you said most of Congress would never agree), it's solid thinking none the less. The man lives what he speaks, he could truly invoke real change through that alone and doesn't need the White House seat to make that difference. He just needs a platform for him to bring those thoughts to mainstream America. Evolution not revolution. Even though I'd like Bernie Sanders to win solely based on his track record. I don't know if America is really ready for someone with his beliefs to hold office. Everyone else is a corporate goon that's there to keep the status quo. I think election are even less exciting now cause people generally accept that as truth. The Lounge / Re: Fan Theory (films) There is a real good theory about the new Star Wars. https://np.reddit.com/r/StarWars/comments/30rglx/crazy_fan_theory_of_the_month/cpvhoiu?context=3 I like waking up at at 8:30am. The Bike Shop / Re: Broke my Fly cranks. Need new crank suggestions I am quite fond of my Akimbos. Quote from: Han Solo on July 02, 2015, 05:54:53 PM Let me start off by saying I don't have a problem with gay marriage. I think the issue for most religious people is that they think it is not the governments job to redefine what they see as a status that originated with religion and Adam and Eve. Separation of church and state thing. I think it's less about rights and more about redefining what they see as a religious term. I mean shit, you need an minister who is ordained through a religious institution to marry a couple. I think what it really comes down to is the benefits that the government gives to married couples. If you gave gay people the same benefits of married couples but called it something different than marriage I don't think religious people would give a shit nearly as much. For most religious people its not about pushing their religious beliefs on others or equality as it is about preserving a biblical definition. I feel like most people who are for gay marriage don't see this side of the debate and the amount of religious bashing and in tolerance of peoples beliefs i've been seeing is ridiculous. Its all about tolerance. What makes marriage's definition bound to a biblical thing though? You can't own a word. It may have started with a different meaning but you can't enforce a meaning when the world around you is changing it. Take idiot. It was once a scientific term for people with exceptional mental handicaps. People throw that word around like it's nothing anymore, cause quite frankly it is nothing. The N-word is another one. The black community has changed the perception of the meaning of the word drastically. It's still a hot word to say but it's not a strict racial epithet it used to be. To people who see marriage as a man and woman. It'll always be that way. To people who see it differently. They'll always see it their way. The government's job is to side with the majority of people and in this case no one is truly discriminated. It's not like straight marriage is now outlawed. Hell, there is a Japanese dude who married an online character from a video game, to him marriage is that too. No one may recognize it as real but that ain't gonna change his views.	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0098.json.gz/line89

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